A Note Before Starting: There's a glitch in the PM system that's preventing me from sending out everyone's introductory PM with your reasons for being in this particular village. Please do not post in this thread before you've read your PM. There's some really important information in those messages. Messages are deployed!
The Silver Road
In the far north of the continent of Soir, the Silver Road streches from the city of Ull-Seagle to the settlement of Rockfall, then winds through the Sliebet Mountains to the Great Hold of Silverwatch. The city of Ull-Seagle is the largest source of agriculture north of the Tranglam Forest, and the main source of grain and fruit for Silverwatch. The city is famous for its apple orchards; in fact, the seal of the city is a silver apple. Ull-Seagle is also famous for their cider, considered the best in all of Ar Ais. Nobles from as far away as Brassbarren pay top gold for a single barrel of Ull-Seagle Crisp Cider.
Each of our heroes has come to Ull-Seagle for his or her own reasons, but all are drawn to the town square just after daybreak. A large platform has been erected in front of the mayor's house. Numerous posters around the town declare the mayor is hiring adventurers, and that she will be announcing exactly what her needs are this morning. It seems like the entire town has come out for her address.
"The entire town" consists of about seventy people, of various races, mostly the elderly and young parents with small children. It seems most of the able-bodied aren't coming. Rumors are passed among the crowd like fleas. It's been over a week since the last caravan of grain set out for Silverwatch, and still no word has reached town from Rockfall regarding the caravan's arrival. If they have gone missing, that will make the fifth shipment to have vanished, along with almost thirty citizens of Ull-Seagle.
Finally, at exactly ten o'clock, Mayor Muirgheal Berylfist, a stout dwarven woman, climbs the stage.
"Citizens of Ull-Seagle, honored guests, welcome. It is with a heavy heart that I report we have received a raven from Rockfall; the caravan has not arrived."
There is a gasp from the crowd. A few of the young parents begin weeping. An older man runs away from the crowd, sobbing loudly.
"We've lost a lot of business, that's true, and a lot of grain that we worked hard to produce and prepare. But that pales beside the loss of so many of our young women and men. Five caravans, with six people accompanying each. Thirty of our citizens, missing. This madness must end."
The crowd beings to cheer in agreement. Cries of "Yes!" and "Bring our people home!" echo across the square.
"To this end, I have formally put out a call for adventurers, brave heroes who will investigate the Silver Road and find out why our people are missing. Ravens have been sent to every city on Soir. But I ask you who are gathered here...who will step forward to save our city? Who among you is brave enough, strong enough, smart enough to bring our people home?"
I dramatically step forward and bow with a flourish. "Mr. Mayor, I am at your service. My name is Reed Bristletongue, and I am a cleric of Finian. My lord's signs led me here and it's clear to me now that he led me here for a reason. I sense something ominous afoot, some foul trickery of which my lord does not approve. I will offer my aid in rooting out this deception."
Hey, that wasn't technically a lie. There's no need to tell them I was getting drunk after a particularly good score when Finian appeared to me himself and told me to get over here and figure out what was going on. And these bumpkin types love all that omen reading crap anyway. I wonder how much that mayor is worth?
I hope I'm formatting this correctly. I assume we're writing actions in normal text, and speech is in normal text but with "quotes", yes? In any case, we're off!
PMs are out to everyone except bLatch (working on it--should be out in the next half-hour), so game on! And the formatting is fine, I don't really care that much as long as its clear what's spoken aloud.
A hint of a smile flickered on the Moon Elf's face, as he stepped forward and bowed elegantly, his green and gold robes shimmering gently in the morning sun.
"I am Luan, Ms. Mayor. I am a traveler and I will happily aid your volunteers in getting to the bottom of this scandal."
Exactly where I should be. A stroke of fortune, perhaps?
2011: Best Mafia Performance (Individual) - Best Newcomer
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
The human-ish person glowers at the crowd of curious children he and his pet (panther) appear to have attracted, draws his hood futher over his head to obscure his features more and moves to a quieter darker corner closer to where the Mayor is talking hoping to learn more of the problems before commiting to anything.
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Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and start slitting throats.
- H.L Mencken
I Became insane with long Intervals of horrible Sanity
All Religion, my friend is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.
- Edgar Allan Poe
Skulking on the outskirts of the crowd, at approximately waist height a gnome canvasses the crowd looking for large, poorly connected money-purses, and intriguing storefronts. Paying close attention to both the crowd, and the Mayor's speech, the gnome continues his search for lucrative wallets and interesting shops with things that are not nailed down.
Fortuitous. I can join up with the group to look into the missing supply shipments AND walk off with cool stuff while the entire town is distracted by the Mayor's Speech.
The mayor claps her hands. "Wonderful," she says, "simply wonderful! We now have two more volunteers than I expected!"
The crowd murmurs, unimpressed. A large, drunken human blunders forward from the crowd. "A cleric of the Trickster and a, uh, elf? That's your big damn heroes?" he slurs. "And how the hell are we payin' these idjits? Silverwatch ain't giving us money for grain they ain't received. That bond referendum we passed last year was s'posed to pay for the new schoolhouse!"
There's a glint of steel, and the man's hat is now pinned to the signpost behind him by a dagger. All eyes turn to a dwarven woman standing at the foot of the stage. "Orel, I told you last night when I threw you out of my bar that if you didn't start being more positive I'd put a dagger in your ballsack. It's only because we have guests I aimed higher," she says.
She climbs the stage, with assistance from the mayor. Once she's on the stage, it becomes clear that her left leg is a bronze prosthetic, with intricate filigree and inlaid with silver. "When my wife says we're going to do something, we do it. That's why you elected her mayor. That's why they elected me head of the Merchants' Associate. The Association is covering the costs, to the tune of 1600 gold, so the city doesn't have to. All this trouble on the Silver Road is affecting business, so we see this as an investment in Ull-Seagle's future."
The crowd applauds. A few cheers of "Hail Diela!" and "Hail Muirgheal!" go up.
"Now," the mayor says, "if there are no more objections, let's carry on."
Cythare and Talore--you both recognize Diela, the mayor's wife, as the proprietor/bartender at the Broken Wand tavern, where you both were last night. Also, Orel was the drunk human who almost got a dagger to the crotch for making that poor elven woman cry. Looks like he hasn't quite sobered up yet.
Missing grain caravans hardly seems like the kind of dire calamity that would trigger a vision, but I have been lead to this town for a reason, so there must be some connection. I stop my ruminations and realize that this is no longer the wilds; I do not have near endless time for thought. Already the volunteers seem to be gathering together and preparing to leave.
I step forward from the outskirts of the crowd, and people instinctively part to make room for my towering mass.
"WAIT," my voice booms out. It's not a shout, but it doesn't have to be, at my size, to be loud enough and carry far enough to catch their attention. My voice sounds alien to my own ears, as it has been long since I have had occasion to use it. "I JOIN."
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I slither out from my spot in the crowd and lower my hood. A few villagers gasp at my blue scales, and a couple make as though to ready themselves for a fight.
Let's hope that we can make it out of this without a fight. If I want to help these villagers, it won't help to leave their town square scorched.
"If you require the sssservices of a Ssssorceror, I too would be interesssted in joining thissss..."
I look at the other adventurers, unsure of what to make of the mix of other volunteers.
"...ramshackle group."
I'm not sure if the Dragonborn have slithery speech, so if they generally don't, I'll drop it.
After looking for, and presumably (hopefully) finding, a few "loose" purses and random trinkets (and hopefully an unlocked store or two) I wander forward toward the group of assembling adventurer's and offer my services, in exchange for an even share of the reward as well as any valuables acquired by the group during the process.
Well, they certainly don't have much of interest worth taking. I'll take what I've got so far and get on with the getting out.
Thieves Cant:
this town looks to be picked clean, and it wasn't guild work. The guild has sent me to 'rectify' that. Plus, I think my pockets are as lined as they can get from this motley village.
"Madame Mayor," I begin, "Might I suggest we take this discussion somewhere a little more... private?" with a subtle nod of the head indicating the tavern.
This whole thing reeks of an inside job. Best not discuss details in public. Two professionals in the crew, which will do I suppose, I just hope they have skills beyond petty pickpocketing or I'm going to spend half my time making sure they don't die and the other half making sure we don't all get locked up in some princeling's dungeon. Ah well, Finian helps those who help themselves... to other people's property.
No offense intended with Reed looking down on you two rogues right now. He's used to a lower class of thieves that he's had to use on jobs before. He will grow to respect you as you show off your skills.
Jay, I'm curious what makes your character think that mine is a Rogue. For all intents and purposes, I am dressed like a wealthy merchant to conceal the fact that I am, in fact, a Rogue.
2011: Best Mafia Performance (Individual) - Best Newcomer
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
Diela shoots the mayor a sideways glance. You don't know what's going unspoken between them, but it's clear that look spoke volumes. The mayor raises her gavel. "An excellent suggestion," she says. "All interested parties please meet in the Broken Wand tavern in half an hour. If there's no other business..." She raps the gavel on the podium five times, adjourning the town meeting. The crowd continues to mill about the square. The mayor climbs down from the stage, then helps her wife down. A few of the men begin folding the platform away. The mayor and her wife begin strolling to the tavern across the square.
"Well, that could have gone worse," Diela mutters.
"Honestly, dear, you couldn't go five minutes without throwing a dagger at someone?" Muirgheal whispers tersely, far louder than she intended.
"Let's not fight in front of the visitors, love," Diela says, gesturing towards the crowd.
Muirgheal grits her teeth. "You. Threw. A dagger. At. A citizen."
"Who was undermining your authority!"
"Castrating one of the largest barley farmers in the city isn't going to win me reelection."
A dragonborn, interesting something with a heritage only slightly less strange than my own. Also a pair of fops and a barbarian, these guys will be hopeless out in the wild.
I step away from my corner and head to the Tavern to continue to listen in.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and start slitting throats.
- H.L Mencken
I Became insane with long Intervals of horrible Sanity
All Religion, my friend is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.
- Edgar Allan Poe
One more dwarf makes her way to the front of the crowd, moving with pride and purpose. She raises a fist to her chest in a stiff salute to the Merchants' Associate head and the Mayor, respectively. "Dieknuh, of Clan Opalhearth," she booms. Her introduction is filled to the brim with conviction and placed firmly within a position of authority. With a slight motion towards the crowd of townsfolk, she continues. "I would be honoured with the opportunity to aid the citizenry of Ull-Seagle in this dire situation. To stand idly by would be to bring shame to my clan, and to my soul."
A look of purpose flashes across the elf's face as he strides around the town, scouting for any inside knowledge on the whereabouts or who-abouts of the supply caravans.
Can I make a Perception or Insight roll to see if I stumble across something useful?
After skulking about during his search, he glides into The Broken Wand Tavern exactly 25 minutes later.
2011: Best Mafia Performance (Individual) - Best Newcomer
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
Anyone who wants to can also roll perception on your way to the tavern. You can roll insight, but you'll get different types of results than an insight check. One roll per customer, please.
2011: Best Mafia Performance (Individual) - Best Newcomer
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
There's a glitch in the PM system that's preventing me from sending out everyone's introductory PM with your reasons for being in this particular village. Please do not post in this thread before you've read your PM. There's some really important information in those messages.Messages are deployed!Each of our heroes has come to Ull-Seagle for his or her own reasons, but all are drawn to the town square just after daybreak. A large platform has been erected in front of the mayor's house. Numerous posters around the town declare the mayor is hiring adventurers, and that she will be announcing exactly what her needs are this morning. It seems like the entire town has come out for her address.
"The entire town" consists of about seventy people, of various races, mostly the elderly and young parents with small children. It seems most of the able-bodied aren't coming. Rumors are passed among the crowd like fleas. It's been over a week since the last caravan of grain set out for Silverwatch, and still no word has reached town from Rockfall regarding the caravan's arrival. If they have gone missing, that will make the fifth shipment to have vanished, along with almost thirty citizens of Ull-Seagle.
Finally, at exactly ten o'clock, Mayor Muirgheal Berylfist, a stout dwarven woman, climbs the stage.
"Citizens of Ull-Seagle, honored guests, welcome. It is with a heavy heart that I report we have received a raven from Rockfall; the caravan has not arrived."
There is a gasp from the crowd. A few of the young parents begin weeping. An older man runs away from the crowd, sobbing loudly.
"We've lost a lot of business, that's true, and a lot of grain that we worked hard to produce and prepare. But that pales beside the loss of so many of our young women and men. Five caravans, with six people accompanying each. Thirty of our citizens, missing. This madness must end."
The crowd beings to cheer in agreement. Cries of "Yes!" and "Bring our people home!" echo across the square.
"To this end, I have formally put out a call for adventurers, brave heroes who will investigate the Silver Road and find out why our people are missing. Ravens have been sent to every city on Soir. But I ask you who are gathered here...who will step forward to save our city? Who among you is brave enough, strong enough, smart enough to bring our people home?"
@_kaburi_ on Twitter
Special thanks to Serrot_29 for Catbug'mrakul!
Hey, that wasn't technically a lie. There's no need to tell them I was getting drunk after a particularly good score when Finian appeared to me himself and told me to get over here and figure out what was going on. And these bumpkin types love all that omen reading crap anyway. I wonder how much that mayor is worth?
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
@_kaburi_ on Twitter
Special thanks to Serrot_29 for Catbug'mrakul!
"I am Luan, Ms. Mayor. I am a traveler and I will happily aid your volunteers in getting to the bottom of this scandal."
Exactly where I should be. A stroke of fortune, perhaps?
{мы, тьма}
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
- H.L Mencken
I Became insane with long Intervals of horrible Sanity
All Religion, my friend is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.
- Edgar Allan Poe
The Crafters' Rules Guru
Fortuitous. I can join up with the group to look into the missing supply shipments AND walk off with cool stuff while the entire town is distracted by the Mayor's Speech.
The crowd murmurs, unimpressed. A large, drunken human blunders forward from the crowd. "A cleric of the Trickster and a, uh, elf? That's your big damn heroes?" he slurs. "And how the hell are we payin' these idjits? Silverwatch ain't giving us money for grain they ain't received. That bond referendum we passed last year was s'posed to pay for the new schoolhouse!"
There's a glint of steel, and the man's hat is now pinned to the signpost behind him by a dagger. All eyes turn to a dwarven woman standing at the foot of the stage. "Orel, I told you last night when I threw you out of my bar that if you didn't start being more positive I'd put a dagger in your ballsack. It's only because we have guests I aimed higher," she says.
She climbs the stage, with assistance from the mayor. Once she's on the stage, it becomes clear that her left leg is a bronze prosthetic, with intricate filigree and inlaid with silver. "When my wife says we're going to do something, we do it. That's why you elected her mayor. That's why they elected me head of the Merchants' Associate. The Association is covering the costs, to the tune of 1600 gold, so the city doesn't have to. All this trouble on the Silver Road is affecting business, so we see this as an investment in Ull-Seagle's future."
The crowd applauds. A few cheers of "Hail Diela!" and "Hail Muirgheal!" go up.
"Now," the mayor says, "if there are no more objections, let's carry on."
@_kaburi_ on Twitter
Special thanks to Serrot_29 for Catbug'mrakul!
I step forward from the outskirts of the crowd, and people instinctively part to make room for my towering mass.
"WAIT," my voice booms out. It's not a shout, but it doesn't have to be, at my size, to be loud enough and carry far enough to catch their attention. My voice sounds alien to my own ears, as it has been long since I have had occasion to use it. "I JOIN."
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Let's hope that we can make it out of this without a fight. If I want to help these villagers, it won't help to leave their town square scorched.
"If you require the sssservices of a Ssssorceror, I too would be interesssted in joining thissss..."
I look at the other adventurers, unsure of what to make of the mix of other volunteers.
"...ramshackle group."
Draft my cube! (630 cards)
Well, they certainly don't have much of interest worth taking. I'll take what I've got so far and get on with the getting out.
Thieves Cant:
This whole thing reeks of an inside job. Best not discuss details in public. Two professionals in the crew, which will do I suppose, I just hope they have skills beyond petty pickpocketing or I'm going to spend half my time making sure they don't die and the other half making sure we don't all get locked up in some princeling's dungeon. Ah well, Finian helps those who help themselves... to other people's property.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
{мы, тьма}
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
"Well, that could have gone worse," Diela mutters.
"Honestly, dear, you couldn't go five minutes without throwing a dagger at someone?" Muirgheal whispers tersely, far louder than she intended.
"Let's not fight in front of the visitors, love," Diela says, gesturing towards the crowd.
Muirgheal grits her teeth. "You. Threw. A dagger. At. A citizen."
"Who was undermining your authority!"
"Castrating one of the largest barley farmers in the city isn't going to win me reelection."
"No, but it might improve the town choir."
@_kaburi_ on Twitter
Special thanks to Serrot_29 for Catbug'mrakul!
I step away from my corner and head to the Tavern to continue to listen in.
- H.L Mencken
I Became insane with long Intervals of horrible Sanity
All Religion, my friend is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.
- Edgar Allan Poe
The Crafters' Rules Guru
Excuse me? I've been living in the wild for years.
I nod solemnly and proceed to the tavern.
Currently Playing:
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After skulking about during his search, he glides into The Broken Wand Tavern exactly 25 minutes later.
{мы, тьма}
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
@_kaburi_ on Twitter
Special thanks to Serrot_29 for Catbug'mrakul!
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Currently Playing:
Legacy: Something U/W Controlish
EDH Cube
Hypercube! A New EDH Deck Every Week(ish)!
Sorry I have no idea what I'm doing, I've only ever played 4e.
{мы, тьма}
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
@_kaburi_ on Twitter
Special thanks to Serrot_29 for Catbug'mrakul!