Clandestine Operations playtest - "the Rooks"

[Kensen]

It was raining heavily when you arrived in the village of Fair Hills. You left your horses in the stable and headed for the Fair Hills Inn, where you expected to find your target, Captain von Richter. You walked past an outhouse and a copse of trees as you approached the front door of the inn. You entered the inn, your clothes dripping with water. An attractive young woman greets you in the lobby with a practised smile.

"Welcome to the Fair Hills Inn. How can I be of service?" Looking at your wet clothes, she adds: "Do you need a room, perhaps?"


This is the IC thread for team 2: Laura Eternata, Yitzi, Cieyrin and Eldest. You may start posting as soon as you're ready. Write any OOC (out-of-character) information in spoilers like this one here.

[Laura Eternata]

I stand off to the side of our party, ignoring the woman and taking a quick look around the room. What does the room look like? Is there anyone who looks Invictine in here? (Awareness: 1d20+8=11)

So, guys, we should probably have, like, a plan...

Also, could someone tell me how to use the built-in dice roller? This is apparently the first play-by-post game I've been in on these forums, so it''s never come up.

[Cieyrin]

Seamus takes his cloak and hat off so the rest of him can begin to dry. Ah, yes, rooms would be lovely. We're here as the forward team for Captain von Richter, so that his lordship does not have to deal with such tasks other than resting for the next leg of his journey. I'd like to make arrangements for 3 rooms, one for his lordship and two others for the guards and ourselves. We'd prefer to have the rooms in one block, if possible, with his lordship's room the best available.

Guile:

Character sheet (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12352251&postcount=21)
Map (http://www.editgrid.com/user/cieyrin/Rogue_Playtest)

For how to roll, just write down [roll]1d20+x, where x is your modifer.

As for the plan, as I've posted above, I'm going for bluffing ourselves as part of the captain's retinue to the staff to secure rooms so that we can make arrangements ourselves to deal with them and, when they arrive, getting them situated to our liking. I'd prefer to keep this quiet till its discovered that the Captain is missing in the morning, if at all possible.

[Kensen]

Besides Seira, her fellow rebels, and the receptionist girl, there are no other people in the lobby. The lobby has a cozy, rustic look to it. Wooden walls, some traditional Avilonian decorations, and a stag's head on the wall.

In the common room, Seira sees a young couple at a table holding hands and sipping on wine, and at another table she sees a muscular middle-aged man clad in black brigandine armor - most likely an Invictus soldier. He's eating his stew with gusto, not paying much attention to you or the other people.

The woman stares at Seamus for a moment, then at his clothes, and replies: "Surely... you must be mistaken, ... sir. Captain von Richter has already arrived. I'll get his adjutant, he's over there." She eyes Seamus with suspicion.

[Laura Eternata]

That can't be, I join the conversation. He's not scheduled to arrive until later this evening. Bring whoever you have here; we will deal with this impostor. After that, secure the rooms as my companion ordered you to. I pull my bow out from under my cloak and casually nock an arrow.

Guile: [roll0]

Well, this could have gone better...

[Kensen]

"Don't kill me!" she pleads. With a shaky hands, she opens the ledger. "See, rooms 14 and 15. Von Richter."

Meanwhile, the man in brigandine gets up from his chair and starts walking towards the lobby. You can now see that he is indeed wearing a standard issue Invictus brigandine armor. Seira notices he has a bronze griffon symbol on his armor which identifies him as a sergeant. He has two short swords strapped across his back, and a bandolier of throwing knives across his chest.

[Cieyrin]

Put that away! She's only doing her job. Seamus says in a hiss. Noticing the approaching soldier, Seamus quickly puts a smile on his face in as sincere a manner as possible. Saying in a bit louder voice to insure the man hears, Sorry for my friend, the rain has worn on her nerves. It's what I hired her for, to protect my interests, though her people skills could do with a bit of work. If we can just get a room for the night and clean up a little, I'm sure we'll all be in better spirits soon enough. I know you're just doing your job, a fine job you're doing, so let us get a room with a window, a meal for the evening and allow me to tip you for the trouble my employee caused. Does that sound square?

Guile: [roll0]

Rough start, we are having. Of course, that's what happens when I start a con without having all my ducks in a row, yeah? ^_^;; Oh thank goodness, I was beginning to worry about the RNG, we were just getting 3s and 4s...

[Laura Eternata]

My eyes narrow at Seamus's words, but I do as he says and sheath my weapon. Turning to the sergeant, I say, Sergeant (I place emphasis on this word in order to let Seamus, Lydia, and Rickel know his rank), we have reason to believe that Captain von Richter is being impersonated. If you would be so kind as to offer us some sort of identification to prove his and your identities, we would be most appreciative.

[Kensen]

Seamus's words seem to alleviate the situation somewhat. Seira puts her bow back in its sheath, the receptionist calms down, and the sergeant, too, seems to believe there's no reason to intervene.

However, when Seira mentions Captain von Richter, the look on the sergeant's face changes to one of confusion and alarm. "Who are you? How do you know the capt'n is here?" You notice the name "Ruger" embroidered in the leather next to the bronze griffon.

[Yitzi]

As he said, we were sent to make sure everything was ready for the Captain. So naturally, it's a bit concerning that someone claiming to be him was already here. I suppose it might be some sort of mix-up, but just in case it would be better if there was some proof there's no impersonation going on.

[Kensen]

Sergeant Ruger replies angrily: "He never told me nothin' about this sort of arrangements. I don't need to show no identification to a bunch o' civilians."


Guile check to detect Rickel's lies: [roll0]

***FAILURE*** :smallbiggrin:

(Usually detecting lies is a "passive check", but since you didn't roll Guile to lie, I made an "active check".)


"Well, he never tells me all the details. The capt'n will be down in a while to have dinner, he'll sort it out with ya. And you girl, keep the bow in the holster or I'll cut your hands off."

With that, he goes back to the table, keeping an eye on you.

[Yitzi]

Rickel turns to the receptionist and speaks quietly to her. "Are all of the Captain's guards this bad-tempered? And I'm sincerely sorry about my companion threatening you; she tends to get excitable at times."

Guile check to not seem to be fishing for more general information about the guards:
[roll0]

[Kensen]

Looking confused and unhappy, she replies: "Soldiers don't like it if you start telling them what to do. No-one's above them, except for nobles and the clergy, of course..."

"So, do you still want a room? Or two, or three?"


I also need to know if you're planning to wait downstairs to talk to von Richter, or do something else.

[Cieyrin]

Making sure the soldier is on his way back to his food, Seamus cants his voice down a bit. Yes, 2 rooms, one for the ladies and one for us. If... Seamus quiets a bit more ...my room could be across the hall from the Captain's, it would make getting this mess sorted out much easier, so we can untangle further arrangements. Looking over shoulder at his companions and shaking his head, raising his voice again. What a mess. I knew we shouldn't have taken that bypass, how're we to do our job of making the Captain's travel and accommodation arrangements if he finishes the next leg of his journey before we get there so he doesn't have to worry about it, I tell you?

[Laura Eternata]

The locals said it was a shortcut, I mutter pointlessly. Once the woman is occupied with getting us rooms, I whisper to the party, Anyway, we need a new plan. What if we pretend to be members of my old legion? It might add some credibility to our story if they recognize some names. If one of us poses as its captain, he might even be able to get talk to Richter one on one. Seamus, that's your forte, yes?

Kensen, could you explain the makeup of the Invictus army to me? Since Seira used to be part of it, I should probably know it.

[Eldest]

Lydia turns to the others and quietly whispers to them. Ok, we plan in the rooms. She takes the key from the dame at the desk and turns to the rest of the group once more. Seamus, you wait here for the honorable captain.You're an aide-de-camp, nobody will think a captain was sent to prepare the way for another. Chat, quietly pump him for info, and get his trust. Then join us in our room. Work for you?

Sorry about taking so long responding. Does anybody have a problem with Lydia being the boss/thinking that she is the boss?

[Yitzi]

Fine with me for Lydia to be in charge.

[Laura Eternata]

Good point, that hadn't occurred to me, I admit grudgingly.

That's fine, though I had assumed it was Seamus since he has the highest Guile score.

[Kensen]

"Well... alright." The girl sighs, perhaps she's too tired to think what really caused this mess with bookings, and all these stories about shortcuts and the sergeant not knowing about you at all... "They're in rooms 14 and 15, so I'll put you in rooms 6 and 10. Is that fine with you?"


The room numbers are visible on Cieyrin's map (http://www.editgrid.com/user/cieyrin/Rogue_Playtest).

So, a little bit about the Invictus army. There's heavy infantry, light infantry which includes archers and skirmishers, and cavalry, i.e. knights. There are also minor branches like engineers. Officers are generally selected from high-born citizens, but it's possible for exceptional individuals to rise through the ranks.

A soldier's armor is also his uniform. Officers, though have separate uniforms for parades and other events where armor is unnecessary. The symbols of Invictus are always clearly visible on the armor regardless of its type, and also on their cloaks and anything their horses wear. The armor you're wearing is civilian armor, mostly only used by professional bodyguards because it's too expensive for most people to purchase, and not quite as comfortable as ordinary clothes.

[Eldest]

Lydia turns to the girl once more. Ok, that would be perfect. Thank you. She takes one of the keys, tosses #6 to one of the guys, and walks upstairs to room 10. She holds the door open for anybody who followed her, then sets her backpack down, takes off and wrings out her cloak, and then sits down on a bed.
Ok, thanks for the leader thing. We might want to set up a ooc thread, btw.

[Cieyrin]

Seamus darts his eyes from the hostess to the sergeant and back. He cants his voice down again for only fellow Rooks to hear. Of course, I'll see if I can keep our story alive and keep them busy while you, my brothers and sisters, figure out a method to make the extraction. Figure out how many and distribution as well. I'll go see what info can be gained from the sergeant, possibly take him out of the equation. Manipulating his hat in a motion to show an attempt at knocking some moisture from it, he removes the knockout poison and palms it up his sleeve. He then makes toward one of the fireplaces to see if there's a hook to hang and allow his clothes to dry. Then, smiling again in an innocent smile, he takes a chair and sits next to the sergeant. Sorry for earlier, good help can be difficult to find these days. I'm from the Ministry of Travel, Sean Pinsby. Let me get you a drink, so we can let this be merely water on the bridge. Enough of that coming down outside, hey?

Legerdemain for the vial: [roll0]
Guile for the niceties: [roll1]
Hmm, the hostess changed her mind about where the Captain and his guards were staying, huh? They were on the north wing when Seira scared her earlier, room 9 and 10.

As for leadership, if Lydia wants to think of herself as the leader, I see no need to dispel it for her. For me, at least, we're all equal operatives with differing skill sets to which I defer to their specific specialties. If someone whose more skilled wishes to take the lead in an operation, feel free to and I'll follow your lead, this part is just my specialty.:smallwink:

[Laura Eternata]

I follow Lydia to our room and dump my cloak on the floor, shaking moisture from my hair. Okay, planning time. Any ideas, boss?

[Yitzi]

Rickel puts his things down in his room and, hearing talking, goes to join the other two (in a low tone, just in case one of the enemies is listening).

"I've come up with a plan B: Seamus said he'd take the sergeant out of the equation, and he's the only one who knows we're together. So if we end up having to go with a frontal attack, Lydia, who isn't so good at fighting anyway, should pretend to be loyal to Invictus and help the Captain "escape" through the window, to get him out of our hair and avoid having an enemy we can't simply kill. If that happens, what's a good landmark for us to meet at after dealing with the others?"

[Kensen]

Seamus now has the vial in his hand. He's certain nobody noticed.

The sergeant still looks annoyed and only agrees to listen because Seamus mentions the drink.

"Alright. I don't care who you are. I told you to talk to the captain. He'll be down in a minute. Now get me the drink and bugger off.

The waitress comes over. "Can I get you something?"


I have no idea why I said rooms 9 and 10 earlier... I wanted their rooms to be on the opposite sides of the same corridor which 9 and 10 aren't. :smalleek: I put the blame on the receptionist. She panicked. :smallbiggrin:

So, they're in rooms 14 and 15 and you're in 6 and 10. (I also edited my earlier post.)

[Eldest]

Lydia gets up, quickly checks nobodies outside, and shuts the door.Remember that very tall, twisted tree we passed, while going over that small bridge over a creek? The one that somehow had roots on both sides of the creek? Meet a little ways south down the creek. Make sense? She points in the direction she means. Think I could get away with lying and saying I'm part of the spyring in this area? Especially if we kept one of you from the attack, so that person could be my "contact" in the area.
Just an idea I came up with. It would explain why Lydia was well trained and has stealthy gear. It would mean she can't participate in an obvious way in "plan A", though. Exept if plan a works.

[Yitzi]

That makes a lot of sense. I'm reluctant to keep one of us from the attack, though, as that would probably make the odds two against two, which is worse than I'd like even with the advantage of surprise. An imaginary contact should work just as well as a real one.

[Eldest]

Ok. But during the attack, keep your faces covered. We want to be anonymous either way, and that way if I need somebody else from the spy ring somebody could show. I'm not the best at lying.
We actually have *gasp* a plan?
What is Plan A, anyway? Distract the guards, kidnap him?

[Yitzi]

"Seems workable. Now we have our plan B, time to figure out a plan A. Any idea how to find out which room the Captain is in, which has that sergeant, and where the bodyguards are?"

[Eldest]

Wait for Seamus to come back, and see if he has the info? Watch who goes into which room tonight? Barge in and then realize we went into the wrong room? Look through the window? Lots of possibilites.

[Yitzi]

"I doubt Seamus will get the information...you think you can look through the window without being detected, Lydia?"

[Eldest]

I can try... and I doubt they could tell who it would be, with the storm outside.

[Kensen]

Suddenly, you hear footsteps coming from the direction of the rooms where the captain and the guards presumably are. (Seamus, of course cannot hear them since he's still downstairs.)


You may roll Awareness to try and guess how many people, how heavy footsteps, and so on. You may try to make a Stealth check to open the door ever so slightly and peek who's walking there, but there's a chance they'll notice.

[Laura Eternata]

EDIT: 'Saged. Fixing now.

[Laura Eternata]

Turning away from the conversation, I press my ear up against the door. [roll0].

If I'm unable to determine much, I open the door just a bit to peak out. [roll1].

[Eldest]

Lydia listens for the number of footsteps, and which room they sound like they are going into.
There will be an awareness roll here once I figure it out... *facepalm*
1d20+4

[Yitzi]

Awareness:
[roll0]

[Cieyrin]

Yes, ma'am. A glass of mulled wine for myself and a tankard of your best ale for my friend and keep them coming as he needs them. I'll cover it. What's on the dinner menu this evening?

[Kensen]

"We have stew and pie tonight. I'll get your drinks first, I'll be right back."

The waitress returns shortly with your drinks. "So, stew or pie, or both?"

The brawny sergeant shakes his head. "I'm good. I just had stew." He grabs the ale as soon as the waitress places it on the table.

Seira's keen ears analyze the footsteps. It sounds as though three persons were walking down the hall, past your rooms, turning right and heading towards the stairs. None of the footsteps sound particularly heavy, uneven, or such.

[Laura Eternata]

After they pass, I relay the information to the others. Should we check out the rooms?, I suggest after I finish. Maybe we'll get lucky and find some evidence as to which one's the captain's. That way, you won't have to risk being seen through the window, Lydia.

[Cieyrin]

Pie for me, thanks. Seamus rolls his wine thoughtfully in his cup and wafting the bouquet before taking a sip.

[Eldest]

Sure. Let's go. Quietly, please. Lydia creeps out of the room and walks over to the first room, trying the door handle.
Stealth check, if it is needed.
[roll0]

[Kensen]

Seamus

The young couple leaves, they're probably going to their room upstairs.

Seamus gets his pie. The sergeant takes big swigs from his ale and mutters "So good..." Seamus knows the captain is coming downstairs soon. Is his plan to quickly slip the poison in the sergeant's ale and disappear or wait for the captain to arrive?


Everyone else

You can make Stealth checks if you wish. If you don't, I'll assume your characters are not actively trying to avoid detection. Also, are you carrying a light source? It's completely dark upstairs except for the squares directly in front of windows, which the moonlight illuminates. In total darkness, you have to make TN 5 Mobility checks (TN 15 to move at normal speed) to avoid bumping into each other or any obstacles, and picking a lock will be more difficult.

EDIT: Not sure if I mentioned it, but the receptionist gave you candles. Maybe I only remembered to mention it in the other team's thread. It's a bit confusing to run two similar games... :smalltongue:

And which door do you want to try to open first? Room 14 or 15?

[Yitzi]

Stealth:
[roll0]
Mobility (not moving at full speed except in the light):
[roll1]

[Eldest]

Lydia is not using any kind of light, I would assume nobody else is. She'll use one if the doors are locked (which you didn't say if they were or not. Anyway, Mobility... [roll0]

[Laura Eternata]

Stealth: [roll0]
Mobility: [roll1] (Also not moving at full speed)

[Kensen]

You make it to the door without any hassle. I didn't tell you if the doors were locked because I asked you to specify which of the two doors you're going to open first. It might or might not be important. I'll let the dice roller decide. :smalltongue:

[roll0]

So, you try to open the door to room 15. You turn the handle, but it appears to be locked. Will you attempt to pick the lock or try opening the other door (room 14) first?

[Eldest]

It's locked. Go try the other one while I try to pick this one.
Gadgetry to open the lock, I have picks and a medium toolkit (so if the toolkit modifies my roll add +2 to this number)
[roll0]

[Kensen]

The toolkit's bonus doesn't affect lockpicking rolls. 14 isn't enough to open the lock (your character knows enough about locks to guess the TN is 20 for this type of lock). You may make several rolls so we'll see how long it takes to open it, or you can just say you'll keep trying until you succeed. (similar to taking 20 in D&D)

[Eldest]

Lydia glares at the lock. It was being difficult, and they were running out of time. She tried the lock a few more times, while listening carefully for anybody approaching. Awareness Roll
[roll0]
Gadgetry rolls 1, 2, and 3 (if it doesn't work by 3 I'll risk a light)
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Laura Eternata]

I try to open the other door. If it's locked, I frown at it menacingly.




(I don't have lock picks, so unless I can pick it with an arrow, this is pretty much the extent of my abilities.)

[Cieyrin]

Seamus digs into his pie and finishes off his glass of wine. Noting the Sergeant's emptying glass, he pushes his chair back, picking up his cup and motioning for the tankard. Want me to get you a refill while I get mine or do you want a new tankard? Will do me good to stretch my legs from that long, rainy ride. Plus, I want to see if they have something sweet for topping my dinner, if you know what I mean. Seamus says with his infectious smile on his lips.

[Kensen]

Seira opens the door - it doesn't appear to be locked. It's dark in the room except for a small flickering candle on the table. (Map updated)

After two tries, Lydia thinks she's figured out the lock, but you notice that Seira has managed to open the other door. Will you try a third time (yes you will succeed :smallbiggrin:) or join Seira and Rickel if they're going to enter the room?

Meanwhile, Seamus manages to convince sergeant Ruger (Guile check successful) to have another pint. The waitress is slightly offended by Seamus trying to do her job, but he manages to get a refill. Now is you chance to spike the ale...

However, Seamus notices three men who have come downstairs while he was getting the tankard refilled. One of them is wearing a hauberk, and the other two are clad in brigandine. (That part of the map also updated)

[Eldest]

Lydia swears softly at the lock as she tries a third and final time to get it to open. Open, you crowbegotten son of a miserly leper... The lock springs open, and she looks over to see that the other two have opened their lock and are going in. She motions them inside their room while she searches hers.
What do I do for searching? Awareness?

[Kensen]

Yes, make an Awareness check. Actually, I'll roll for you.

[Kensen]

Awareness (Lydia): [roll0]

Like the other room, it's pretty dark in the room. (Map updated)

Lydia searches the room. She finds four backpacks with food and clothes in them, and some personal effects on the beds and the table.

[Eldest]

Lydia looks at the personal effects more closely, and searches for anything that would be an indicator that the people in this room are richer/higher rank than the people in the other room. She still keeps an ear out for the sound of somebody approching, though.
Wow, that was a sucky awareness roll. If you're going to need a roll for the "listening for people approching" or the "searching personal effects, here it is. If those don't need rolls, ignore this.
Awareness roll
[roll0]

[Kensen]

(Wow, another sucky roll :smallbiggrin:)

You find lots of dried food on a bed, some mechanical toys on the table, some knives and daggers on another bed, and other miscellaneous equipment. But you don't find any officer's uniforms, or anything that would indicate that these items or backpacks belong to someone richer or of higher rank.

[Eldest]

Lydia creeps out of that room and quietly goes to the other room, to se how they are doing.
Kensen, tell me when they have spent enough time in there so that Lydia can start doing stuff again. Make sense?

[Kensen]

Ok, I'll let them describe their actions and make any necessary rolls, and I'll let you know when Lydia has finished searching and can join the others in the other room.

[Yitzi]

As Lydia leaves, Rickel whispers "Maybe you should lock the door again so they don't know we've been there?"

[Laura Eternata]

While that's going on, I take a look around the room.

Awareness: [roll0]

[Kensen]

Let me re-roll that for you:

Awareness (Seira): [roll0]

Seira enters the room and looks around. She notices some stuff that probably belongs to the captain. Also...


She spots a mean-looking man crouching in the shadows (map updated). He's wearing brigandine armor and holding a dagger in each hand. He sneers as he realizes you have noticed him.

To determine initiative order, roll Archery (to quickly draw your bow), Mobility (to quickly move away from/towards him), or Guile (to try to talk him down before he attacks).

[Eldest]

I wasn't supposed to read the spoiler text, was I? You might want to start labeling those...

[Cieyrin]

On his way out of the kitchen, chatting pleasantly with the barmaid to calm down her fluster about guests serving themselves, he slips his poison vial from his sleeve, pops the cork and drains it into the Sergeant's tankard while he's facing the fireplace, where the bricks will hopefully help obscure his actions. Pocketing the vial and bringing the cups back to the table, he digs back into his pie while keeping a discrete eye on the new company. You're in luck, that was the first from the new barrel of ale.

Legerdemain: [roll0]
Guile: [roll1]

[Laura Eternata]

Well, archery's my best of those, so: [roll0]

If it's allowed, I hiss to my team mates, Guys! Assassin over here!

[Kensen]

The man moves towards Siera. (Initiative = Mobility check [roll0])

Meanwhile, Seamus slips the contents of the vial into the tankard and returns to the table where Ruger is eagerly awaiting his ale. "Cheers mate!"

The three men greet Seamus and Ruger. The man wearing mail armor introduces himself in an eerily calm voice: "I am Heinrich von Richter." The men sit down. "And you are...?" Von Richter shoots a sideways glance at sergeant Ruger, raising a brow.

Between swigs from his tankard, Ruger pats Seamus on the shoulder. "He wanted to talk to you. About traveling arrangements, or something."

"Indeed? I am all ears."

[Kensen]

(The man wins initiative and goes first. Seira, Rickel and Lydia may act in free order after him.)

Moving in complete darkness at full speed (Mobility TN 15: [roll0])

If successful, stabbing Seira: (Fighting TN 12: [roll1])


EDIT: Wow... three amazing rolls in a row. :smalleek: Anyway, Seira goes down and is bleeding copiously. You're not dead (yet), but you're unable to act until your allies revive you.

And yes I'm making up rules as we go, I don't want a character to die just yet. :smallsmile:

[Eldest]

Lydia moves forward at the assassin, while drawing her long knife. She stabs forward at him, lunging through the darkness.
Mobility

Fighting
[roll]1d20+4

[Kensen]

The tags didn't work, so I'm rerolling Lydia's attack... 50% chance of success it seems. Let's hope she succeeds. :smalleek:

Fighting vs TN 15 (10+ 2(armor) + 2(skill) + 1(dagger))
[roll0]


EDIT: Lydia attacks the knife fighter...


Lydia finds an opening in the soldier's defense. Her dagger sinks into a vulnerable spot between armor plates in his armor. He tries to scream but only manages to blow blood-red bubbles. He collapses to the ground, bleeding.

Seira still seems to be breathing. The Resistance has taught you enough about first aid to revive her. After a few minutes, she regains consciousness. She's badly injured, though, and takes a -2 penalty on Mobility checks until the end of the scenario.


Seamus

Seamus hears a thump from upstairs almost directly above him, and a few seconds later, a second, slightly heavier thump.

[Eldest]

Lydia hurriedly drags the assassin to her room and stashes his body under a bed. She looks around at Seira and Rickel. So much for plan A, eh? Though I think we might want to change it so Seamus is the Invictus agent, seeing as I'm holding a bloody knife. Ideas?
Actually, I had a +2 from the long knife I forgot, so I had a +6 on the fighting. And in an actual fight I would have the other knife in the other hand to parry, so I'd have a parry of +7. I might actually work as the fighter of the group...

[Cieyrin]

Seamus takes no notice of the sounds as he gets up and extends his hand in greeting. Ah, Captain, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Sean Pinsby, from the Ministry of Travel, a newly commissioned organization by the Empire to ensure important officials, such as yourself, get to their destinations in an expedient and comfortable fashion as possible. We dispatch agents to make arrangements ahead of time at the end of each leg of journeys to take care of getting rooms and stabling, have meals ready for you and your entourage when you get there and, if the need is dire, have fresh mounts ready for you should time be a critical factor. Seamus gets a sheepish expression on his face as he continues. Unfortunately, we're still working out kinks and snags in providing services, as well as not having proper maps of these regions yet secured, which has the present situation that we didn't manage to get here to take care of things for you and your men. Our priority is to take care of such matters so that you can be refreshed and ready, values the Empire currently favors in their soldiers, especially in these unstable lands. Bandits and rebels on the roads and all, we have to ensure our forces can have every edge to keep peace in these new territories.

Guile: [roll0]

[Yitzi]

"I have another idea, let me know what you think. You are a rebel, and Seamus, Seira and I are loyalists. You investigated this room, found this guy, and you killed him, but Seira and I heard the fighting and came to the rescue. We chased you off and you escaped through the window, muttering something about your contact, but not before you wounded Seira. I patched her wounds, and then we go down to warn the Captain. Clearly you're waiting in ambush ahead on the path, so we'll double back a bit and go around, going south through the creek to hide our tracks. That night, we'll take our share of the watch; you find somewhere to hide and watch us, preferably close by. Make sure you're awake for whichever watch I take; I'll try to have it be the last one so that they're not as alert, but I can't guarantee that. If one of us gets our own watch, we just wake the others and kill the guards and capture the captain. If not, then when it's my turn, I'll offer to show my companion a juggling trick. If he accepts, use the diversion to sneak up and we'll attack in tandem. If not, I'll "hear" something and wake Seira to go scout, and she and I will attack in tandem and try to kill him before he can shout. If he wants to go investigate instead, then it's your job to ambush him while I kill the other guards. And if things go sour in some unexpected manner, we improvise.
The key point here is that Seira was injured defending the captain's interests, so nobody's going to be suspicious of her. But she can't lie well, and Seamus won't know the plan, so I have to do the bulk of the talking."

[Kensen]

Yitzi, Seira and Rickel

There's an awful lot of blood on the floor, and if you plan to drag the body to another room, there will be a bloody trail which is quite easy to notice if you're carrying a light source. That might affect how plausible your story sounds.

You're allowed to capture the captain somewhere outside the inn, but the absolute deadline is tomorrow morning. The longer it takes to deliver the to the rebels who are going to extract information from the captain, the less valuable the information becomes...


Seamus

The captain listens carefully, and nods approvingly. He replies, in his calm, cold voice: "That is an extraordinarily brilliant idea. Do you work alone or in groups?"

Again, he casts a sideways glance at Ruger. Ruger appears rather inebriated, much more so than the three pints he's had should affect him but he isn't showing any hints of nausea of dizziness quite yet. He's a quite big, muscular man, so it might take slightly longer for the poison to take effect.

"Shhree... and 'im" Ruger says, showing three fingers and then pointing at Seamus. The captain frowns as he realizes how "drunk" the sergeant seems.

"Three?" he asks Ruger, who's rubbing his forehead and opening and closing his eyes, trying to focus his gaze on his now nearly empty tankard. The captain gets no answer, so he asks again, this time staring at Seamus with his cold blue eyes. "You have three colleagues with you? Forgive my adjutant, he seems to have had a few ales too many. How early do you have to get up to reach our next destination in time? I must warn you, our scout, Falck - who's upstairs - knows this region like the back of his hand. He knows all the shortcuts. So, you'll be hard pressed to get there before us."

As far as Seamus can tell, the captain seems genuinely interested in hearing more about "Sean Pinsby's" work.

The intelligence officer who briefed you told you the captain was headed east, but their final destination is unknown. There are many villages and towns in that area, so finding an inn to stay in would not be a problem.

[Eldest]

Lydia looks down at the blood on the floor, and stops dragging the corpse before she'd even really begun. Ok, good idea. Ok, start shouting now, then I'll go out through the window. Get ready to explain why you were traveling with a Resistance agent. But don't take the last watch, take the midnight one. We have a time crunch. Lydia grabs any valubles that are lying around (including any papers or rank insignia), then starts climbing out the window. Ok, start the shouting now.
Mobility (if needed for going out through the window)
[roll0]

[Yitzi]

"If I shout before you leave, there's no time for me to have bound Seira's wounds. We'll head down and tell him about it after having chased you off." Rickel waits about a minute for Lydia to be beyond reach, and then (no longer whispering) says to Lydia "Let's head down, we have to warn the Captain."

As they head down, Rickel quickly (well, as quickly as he can helping Seira along) heads to Seamus' table and (from a few feet away) tells him "We've got trouble. Lydia was a rebel agent, and she killed one of the captain's men upstairs before we were able to come to his rescue. She escaped out the window, muttering something about her contact."

Guile check:
[roll0]

[Yitzi]

OOC:Whoops, that comment upstairs was to Seira, not Lydia.

[Laura Eternata]

I remain silent throughout the exchange upstairs, still in shock. When we arrive downstairs, I focus on remaining conscious and just give a weak nod as Rickel speaks.

If I need a mobility check to keep from falling down or the like, [roll0]

[Eldest]

Lydia runs away a short distance, then looks around for a good place to hide until they run.
I really just want a summery of the village we are in.

[Kensen]

It took a few minutes to get Seira back to her feet and all other arrangements ready, so I'll give Seamus some time to chat with the captain. If Cieyrin doesn't have time to reply by tomorrow, I'll move the story onwards regardless.

[Cieyrin]

KensenSee, Captain, that's the beauty of the system, each group from the Ministry doesn't have to run ahead, they dispatch us to a point on the itinerary so we can setup the arrangements. Once there and finished, we head back to one of the Ministry's central staging points to get our next objective and head there. There's a lot of logistics to it, I understand, and, as I said earlier, we're trying to work out the bugs and getting optimal paths worked out so that we can get it all working smoothly. Seamus looks at the Sergeant and concern crosses his face. He okay? He seems like he should be able to hold his liquor, though I guess I could be wrong...

[Kensen]

Ruger's starting to look nauseous and is barely able to speak anymore. The captain raises a brow at Ruger, then speaks to Seamus: "This is curious. While I am not a drinking man myself, I know sergeant Ruger would - under normal circumstances - be capable of drinking this entire village under the table. He has been here downstairs for only an hour, and I very specifically told him not to have more than two pints because he needs to be sober very early in the morning. You as an agent of the Ministry of Travel surely understand how important that is. Very curious, isn't it?"

Without waiting for Seamus to answer, he shouts: "Waitress! Get over here! Schnell, schnell!"

"Sir? More food? Drinks?"

"How many has this man had tonight? What has he been drinking?"

"Ale, sir. Two or three pints of it."

"Indeed? Look at him. Anything else I should know? Think. Anything? Tell me. Now."

"I don't know!" Tears started welling up in her eyes. She casts a sideways glance at Seamus but says nothing.

"Very well. Thank you," he says and smiles for the first time during the conversation. He tosses a silver crown at the girl. (Silver crown is the Imperial currency.)

"Apologies for that, Mr. Pinsby. But I cannot afford to lose men because these people don't do their jobs well enough. Don't you agree?"

"Anyway, it is unfortunate that you are going back to the central staging point and therefore shall not get another chance to prove your usefulness to me. I even thought about suggesting a wager of 20 silver crowns."

"However, do not be too harsh on yourself even though you didn't make it in time here tonight. The fact that you found us speaks for your organization's capabilities. Heimler, where is our destination?"

One of the two soldiers who've been quiet so far replies: "You didn't tell us, sir."

"When did you learn you were on this mission, Ecker?"

The other soldier replies: "An hour before our departure, sir."

"What is the objective of our mission?"

"We don't know sir. The only orders you gave us was to protect you from any harm. Particularly any attacks by the Resistance."

"See, Mr. Pinsby, it is a miracle you found us or even know about our being here. No-one outside my unit knew. Few people within my unit knew. A miracle, don't you agree?"

It seems as though the captain is about to say something more, but then he sees Rickel and Seira. "Do you know them, Mr. Pinsby?"

[Laura Eternata]

How badly injured is Seira? A -2 to mobility makes it seem a lot less serious than I'd imagine getting stabbed in the gut would be. Do I take any penalties to archery? (Since it looks like something's about to go down...)

[Cieyrin]

Ah, yes, they were the mercenaries assigned as my protection for this trip. Can't be too careful on the roads these days, with the Resistance out there. In any case, Captain, I don't know what your orders or destination are, I just know what mine are, to come here to make arrangements and head back. That was all the information I was given, so that should a group be compromised, we have minimal information to be extracted, as a safety measure for both ourselves and the Empire as a whole. Upon hearing Rickel's news, Seamus pales considerably and loses his trademark smile completely. Lydia's a traitor?!? Oh...not good, not good...Sir, you should go. Who know's what forces she has at her disposal in town at this very moment. I'll see that the Sergeant is cared for, as he doesn't look fit for travel right now, but you should get going before the noose closes. Seamus looks flustered at this sudden chaos and staggers up from his chair, banging his leg against the table leg. As he stoops forward to stabilize himself, he discretely releases his right hand knife wrist sheath into his hand below the table and keeps his palm turned away from the soldiers.

Legerdemain: [roll0]

[Kensen]

Seamus successfully draws the knife and hides it in his hand.

The captain stands up, and Heimler and Ecker do the same. Ruger, however, is unable to stand up or do much else for that matter. "A traitor? Your newly established organization has already been infiltrated? I suggest you, Mr. Pinsby, show us some identification or I'll place you under arrest. I believe you are the traitor here. And Mr. Pinsby's friends, keep your hands where I can see them."

His hands go to his sword's hilt.


Laura: Yeah, it's true that -2 to one stat is not that much of a penalty... we'll go with that in this scenario, but I need to write rules for wounds and recovery sometime soon.

Eldest: There are fields, houses and small patches of forest on both sides of the road, and a quarter mile from your location, there's a shop, shrine and some other buildings open to the public.

[Yitzi]

Rickel looks hurt. "With all due respect, sir, but my companion was seriously injured chasing Lydia away. I understand the need for security, but I should think that those who risked their lives to protect you from the traitor would be above suspicion."

Guile check (excluding any modifier for Saria's injury):
[roll0]

He does, however, put his hands where they are quite visible (but he can still use his hidden wrist sheath.)

[Kensen]

The captain replies to Rickel: "I do not know whether you are the fool or you take me for a fool, but this man," pointing at Seamus, "has been feeding me lies the entire time he has been sitting here with us. No-one in my unit would be so stupid as to send civilians to help me on a task whose objectives are highly classified. And quite mysteriously, my adjutant falls ill after drinking with him."

"Heimler, would you be so kind as to search him," the captain says with no hint of kindness in his voice. "I am sure Mr. Pinsby will appreciate the safety measure if he is loyal to the Empire," he says with a sarcastic smirk.

"Ecker, keep an eye on them."


Rickel's successful Guile check somewhat lessened the captain's suspicions about Seira and Rickel, but he seems very convinced that Seamus is a traitor.

[Eldest]

Is Lydia close by enough to hear all of this and interact? I know I haven't said where she is, so I'll leave it up to the GM.

[Kensen]

It probably took some time to climb out of the window, carefully walk on the slippery roof, and jump down, so she might still be near the building, able to peek in through a window to see what's going on. I'm sure you'll need all four characters if a fight breaks out.

Anyway, Lydia should make another Mobility check to land softly, so she won't sprain an ankle, or worse yet, break her neck. :smalltongue:

[Eldest]

Mobility (if needed for going out through the window)
[roll0]
I rolled a 19 earlier. If you really want another roll...
Agility
[roll0]

[Cieyrin]

Seamus blanks then cracks into a manic smile, grabs his cup and splashes it into Ecker's face while he dashes behind the nearest fireplace to break line of sight.

Fighting to keep the guard confused for the time being: [roll0]
Mobility to move faster this round: [roll1]

Here's hoping he doesn't have high Mobility, though it looks like mine didn't manage to get me out of pummel range, apparently.

[Yitzi]

Rickel looks dazed for a moment, and, with a cry of "You tricked us", begins to reach toward his belt before looking at the Captain and returning his hands to above the table.

Guile (the impression he's trying to give is that he'd like to attack Seamus but keeping his hands in view is more important):
[roll0]

[Eldest]

The following only works if Lydia is close enough to hear and interact, I'll assume she's watching through a window. I'll replace her on the map where I'm guessing she'd be.
Lydia spots the combat, curses, and pulls her knives. No time for any finesse, she'd have to distract the guards while Seamus could get away. She tumbled in through a window and shouts out Die Imperialist scum!
Mobility for the window
[roll0]

[Cieyrin]

Eldest: You have two actions per round. Provided the knife wasn't hidden, you can draw and throw along with coming through the window, I do believe.

[Eldest]

Cieyrin
I only have a long knife and a dagger, so I think I should hold onto them for the +2 to fighting and +3 to parry. Plus all I'm trying to do is distract them so Seamus can get away, so combat is not my intention.

[Cieyrin]

Cieyrin
I only have a long knife and a dagger, so I think I should hold onto them for the +2 to fighting and +3 to parry. Plus all I'm trying to do is distract them so Seamus can get away, so combat is not my intention.

Ah, that is different and not at all the same. At least there's only 3 of them and 4 of us at this point...

[Kensen]

(This experimental initiative system may be confusing but bear with me.)

Lydia crashes through a window and draws her weapons.


Breaking through a window would be a Fighting check rather than a Mobility check when the window is not open, but I'll let it slide this time.


Seamus splashes the wine onto Ecker's face, who loses one action and takes a -2 penalty on any checks that rely on vision (Archery, Awareness, etc.) until the end of his next round.

"Get him!"

Ecker starts loading his crossbow. (Initiative = Archery [roll0])

Heimler pursues Seamus. (Initiative = Mobility [roll1])

Von Richter also follows Seamus. (Initiative = Mobility [roll2])

Seira and Rickel should also roll initiative. The skill you'll use for initiative depends on your first action you're going to take in the round.


I'm beginning to realize that the experimental initiative system may not work as well as I wanted, so I'll probably change it once this scenario is over... When I - the GM and game designer - have to start thinking "ok, how does this actually work.." there's a reason to change the rules. :smallbiggrin: At least I rolled really badly, so you should be able to beat their inits. :smallbiggrin:

[Yitzi]

What action I'll be taking depends on the situation at the time. It'll be an attack, but whether it's a fake attack against Lydia or a real one against the enemy depends on the situation.

[Laura Eternata]

Initiative (Archery): [roll0]

Pulling away from Rickel, I draw out my bow and nock an arrow, trying to decide who to aim at.

Can we "ready" an action? Like, can I say that I launch my arrow at the first guard to catch up to Seamus as soon as he does so, initiative permitting?

[Eldest]

So was Lydia jumping in through a window and pulling out her knives her action for the round? And Rickel's the only one who has yet to declare what he's doing this round, correct?

[Kensen]

Yes, you can "ready" an action.

And yes, I need Rickel's init so I'll know in which order the actions will be resolved. Seamus and Lydia sort of seized the initiative, so they got to act first without rolling for init.

Sorry about the confusion, I'll fix the initiative rules before the second part of the playtest.

[Yitzi]

Not sure what the skill is, so I'll just roll the natural roll and let you add the relevant modifier:

[roll0]

[Yitzi]

Ok, so that's 21 initiative, as throwing is legerdemain (or was last I checked, anyway.)

[Cieyrin]

Ok, so that's 21 initiative, as throwing is legerdemain (or was last I checked, anyway.)

Yep, it is.

[Yitzi]

Rickel realizes that the odds are on their side now, and stands up, drops a knife into his hand, and throws it at the Captain's legs, aiming to cripple (not kill).

[roll0]

[Eldest]

Oh, brilliant. Lydia mutters.
She closes with one of the guards, the one with the crossbow, and stabs at him with her longer knife, keeping the main gauche close to her body to deflect any attacks by others. Definitively getting more combat practice when this is over...
Fighting
[roll0]
I'm attacking Ecker.
Now as I understand it, either A) Seamus and Lydia got a surprise round, and now it's regular combat, B) that was regular combat, and Seamus and Lydia went first because they started it, or C) something else. But everyone has said what they're doing, and I'm pretty sure Lydia is near the top on initiative, so I'll just post what she's doing next and leave it to Kensen to sort out.

[Cieyrin]

Seamus flips his throwing dagger into a proper grip and throws it at Heimler's throat, simultaneously drawing out another throwing dagger.

Legerdemain: [roll0]

[Laura Eternata]

I loose my arrow at the first guard to reach Seamus. Archery: [roll0]

[Kensen]

(So this is how it went... in initiative order. :smallbiggrin:)

Rickel's throwing knife hits the captain in the thigh. The throw was very accurate, it didn't hit any major arteries but caused enough pain for the captain's knees to buckle. He falls on his back wailing in pain.

Seira's arrow drops Heimler, who's running after Seamus.

Wiping Seamus's wine off his face, Ecker manages to load his crossbow. He looks around and realizes Heimler is dead or dying and the captain is badly injured.

"Scheisse! I surrender! Don't kill me!"

While lying on his back, the captain draws his sword and rises to a kneeling position, his face distorted in anguish.

"Pigs! Cowards! Resistance scum! Fight like men!"

It's Lydia's and Seamus's turn next, and you rolled well enough to kill Ecker. Killing a soldier who's already surrendered may affect the Resistance's reputation among the common people. (Some will consider the act heroic, while others will frown upon unnecessary killing.)

[Eldest]

Oh, somebody shut the honorable captain up, please. Lydia stares silently at the soldier she was going to kill seconds ago. What to do with you...? I say we take him too. Anybody else?

[Yitzi]

"Let's see if he means what he said about surrendering". Rickel turns to Ecker. "Go take your captain's sword away from him, and drop it on the table, and we'll let you both live."

[Cieyrin]

Seamus walks back around the fireplace, flipping his dagger idly. Unload that crossbow and put the bolt and bow on the table first. If you come quietly, no harm will come to you. The Resistance has morals, which is more than I can say for the Empire. He turns his eyes to the Captain and a cold glint enters his eyes. And for the record, Captain, my name is Seamus, not Sean. Sean was my brother that your forces killed for the simple act of giving food from his bakery to the poor, which cost him the bakery in flames and him burned with it. Much as I'd like to gut you here and now, I'm not like you and my kind brother would look on me in shame for spilling blood senselessly. Without removing his gaze from the Captain, Seamus continues. Lydia, could you be a dear and knock the good Captain out? I think he'll be much better managed if he wasn't awake for this. I'll make sure Heimler here gets to see another day.

[Kensen]

Ecker nods and slowly places the crossbow on the table and removes the bolt.

The captain glares at him angrily. "You coward!"

He looks at Seamus. "That's what the Resistance is? Bitter men and women who lost somebody in the war? Bitter because someone wronged against you? And now you blame the Empire for what one man did? Do you not see that the continent of Aurelia is now united under one banner, and there is no need for further wars! We gave you PEACE!"

As a warning to anyone approaching, he sweeps his sword in wide arcs.

"I warn you, Ecker! Take one step closer and you'll die like a traitor should!"

Ecker looks equally afraid of both the rebels and the angry captain. He speaks to Lydia: "Don't make me do this... he'll kill me."

[Laura Eternata]

Oh, for God's sake... I roll my eyes, nock another arrow and shoot at Ecker. [roll0]

If I miss, I curse under my breath and say, Someone else deal with him, we have more important matters to attend to. Namely, the hole in my stomach.

If I hit, I shrug at what I can only assume are looks of shock from my fellow rebels and say, What? We're on a tight schedule, and in case you haven't noticed, I have a gaping hole in my stomach right now. I'd appreciate it if we could get on with things before it gets infected.

[Kensen]

With a sickening pop, the arrow plunges though Ecker's left eye and enters the brain, killing him instantly. His body twitches on the ground for a moment, though.


First I was like :smalleek: and then I was :smallbiggrin:.

[Eldest]

You're right, we are on a tight schedule. So we will talk about this... later. Now, captain, put down that sword before I lose my temper, grab a staff, and club you until you stop moving from outside of your reach. I have not had a good day.
Guile check (if it applies for convincing him things will not go his way if he doesn't cooperate)
[roll0]

[Laura Eternata]

So what's that serving girl been doing this whole time? An awareness check, if needed: [roll0]

[Yitzi]

Rickel looks angrily at the Captain. "No, the resistance isn't people upset about losses in the war. We're angry at what happened after the war. Every day, your forces keep harming people for no reason. Don't try to claim that life under your rule is better, for it clearly isn't."

What is there in the area that can be used as an improvised reach weapon?

Awareness:
[roll0]

[Eldest]

I can just throw chairs at him. I'm just waiting for Kensen to decide if he drops the sword or not. If not, it's improvising time.
Also...

So what's that serving girl been doing this whole time?
Probably looking like this: :eek:

[Kensen]

The captain, whether very stubborn or just afraid to let rebels decide his fate, gets up to his feet and pulls out the throwing knife. He keeps his left hand on the wound, trying to prevent blood loss and begins limping towards the lobby, holding his sword ready to parry or strike.

"I... will... not... yield..."

You spot the serving girl peering out of a little window in the kitchen door. Beside him, you see a man with big cheeks and a moustache, presumably the chef.

There are chairs and tankards and plates that will work just fine as improvised thrown weapons.

[Eldest]

You have got to be kidding me. Fine. Lydia picks up a chair and hurls it at the captain, trying to only knock him out. She keeps alert for what he plans to do with the knife, though.
Fighting (for throwing a large thing, yes?)
[roll0] With no bonus other than the skill.

[Kensen]

The chair knocks the captain prone, and knocks the sword out of his reach.

"Nein! Verdammt!"

OOC: So, are you going to knock him unconscious and/or bind his hands, blindfold him or put a gag on him? Do you want to say or do something to the inn's personnel or just leave as quickly as possible? Anything else? :smallsmile:

[Yitzi]

Rickel goes to the nearest personnel and quietly says "We're so sorry about the situation. If you can get everyone to agree, I'd advise that you forget the Captain's party every reached here, otherwise just tell them we threatened to kill you all if you interfered or told anyone. If you cover it up, there's a dead man in the upstairs room that needs to be removed." He then (if nobody else has) gives the captain a rap on the head to try to knock him unconscious.

[roll0]

[Eldest]

Lydia goes over to the girl who was running the desk, and gives her some money. I'm not sure if this will cover the damages or not, but it's all I have. Sorry about the mess, dead people, and pretty much everything. She then goes upstairs, grabs her cloak from where she left it on her bed, and gets ready to walk out.
So now we either look like the good guys for paying for our mistakes, or the Invictus look like the bad guys for taking the money away/punishing the village. I love simple plans :smallbiggrin:

[Cieyrin]

Seamus looks plain put out by the sudden bloodshed of his compatriots. And after I gave my word that he wouldn't be harmed, too. Makes my word seem worthless. Ah well, what can you do? Seamus notes the captain trying to to make his hobbling escape, he rights his dagger and takes out his not damaged leg.

Legerdemain: [roll0] ((provided I can't just use my last roll))

How about we don't leave these corpses on the staff's hands? Cleaning up blood is bad enough without leaving them to dispose of corpses, too. They don't need that hit on business, as they're shouldn't have to shoulder the fallout of our actions. Plus, we can just load the bodies on the Captain's horses, which gets some more horses, which is never a bad thing in my mind.

[Eldest]

I am not happy about the guard's death either. He could have given us defense notes, codes, some sort of information we are sorely lacking. But we will talk about this later.

[Laura Eternata]

Sounds good. We can just dump them in the first river we come across. I kneel down and pick up von Richter's sword, give it a quick examination, then offer it to Lydia. Hey, you want this? It'll be more useful than your dagger.

I avoid making eye contact with her as I speak.

[Eldest]

I'll hold onto it. Now let's go! Weren't you the one worried about the time deadline? Lydia takes the sword, as anger is fighting a battle with practicality across Lydia's face, and slowly practicality wins. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out, and tosses her rope to whoever is closest to the captain. Ok. Somebody tie this guy up, and then we are leaving.
Always carry rope! It's like string, except manlier!

[Kensen]

You proceed according to your plan: Give the serving girl money, knock the captain unconscious, take the bodies with you (wrap them in blankets or something maybe?) and take the captain's sword. The chef just stares at you blankly and mutters "we're ruined" to himself, and the girls are sobbing as you leave.

The sword is of high quality, a deadly and beautiful weapon, if a little impractical on stealth missions. It has symbols of the Invictus and the captain's name carved on it.

You dump the bodies into a river and arrive at the rendezvous well before dawn, and the captain is handed over to local Resistance members.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Long live the Resistance!

[Eldest]

OOC
Should we RP the argument about killing the guard dude? (Forgot his name.) Also should we get xp from this?

[Kensen]

Sure, you can RP it. You make it to one of the Resistance's safe houses.

You'll get xp (I'm thinking maybe 20 xp), but since I haven't yet decided whether to include new skills in the second part of the playtest, updating your skills isn't necessary just yet.

[Eldest]

Lydia drops her stuff off on the floor of the room she was shown to, and then storms downstairs to where her teammates were congregating. What the hell were you thinking, killing that guard? We don't kill if we can avoid it! It's wasteful, lowers the Resistance's reputation, deprives us of valueble information, and is immoral! Explain.
I'm perfectly calm as I write this... it's weird, to write something that angry and to be so calm. FYI if you guys don't want to RP this I'll just skip it and we'll move to the next mission.

[Laura Eternata]

I scowl, nursing my still aching wound. Oh, come off it. We already knew that Richter barely told his men anything. Any useful information is coming from him, not his minions.

Our reputation is hardly ruined. Everyone hates the Invictus. Killing them is a GOOD thing. Or have you forgotten that?

And don't you dare question the morality of it, thief. I know the Invictus more intimately than you ever will, and I swear to you that there isn't a man or woman among them who doesn't deserve far worse than the mercifully quick death I granted that son of a bitch. The Invictus are trained from childhood to be brutal bastards in every sense; they don't know anything but cruelty. He signed up for that position to mindlessly subjugate others, to subjugate us. He was EVIL.

I think it's important to RP it. Downtime is always good for character development, after all. If everyone else would rather we just move on since they aren't really part of it, though, we should oblige them and let Seira and Lydia deal with this on the next mission.

[Eldest]

Killing is never "good". Necessarily, yes. Easily justified? Yes. And I very much am able to question the morality of it. I was a thief. Now I am a rebel. Both of those things are morally questionable, at the least. But neither of those things strike me as evil, which killing most definatally does. I will kill if I need to, but never otherwise. And never in cold blood.
But you won't understand those terms. Think of it this way; which is worse, a quick death or a living hell among your enemies?
Anybody's welcome to join in, here.

[Laura Eternata]

A living hell is exactly what the Invictus give to each and every one of their people. Because they're evil. We're not evil, so I think a quick death to every member of the Invictus army we come across is entirely appropriate.

Rebelling is by no means "morally questionable." We're working to bring down a cruel empire for the good of the people. That's pretty much as black-and-white as it gets. Killing Invictus soldiers is exactly what we're trying to do; do you think we went through all that trouble to kidnap the Captain and learn what he knows to do anything but slaughter more of his kind?

I can't believe I'm trying to construct arguments in favor of killing possibly innocent people. :smalleek: It's funny how you never really know how your own character will react to situation until you actually encounter it...

[Eldest]

So every single Invictus is evil. The soldiers they drafted, they forced to join, are evil. At least, according to you. And that damns them to death. What about people who were willing to turn to our side? Do they deserve death? Well, according to you yes, because you shot the only example we had!
I haven't even brought up his family yet... where will this argument turn next?

[Laura Eternata]

In a word, yes. If they weren't evil, they'd have deserted, like I did. If they haven't already converted to our side, then they have no one to blame but themselves for their fate.

[Eldest]

So then how do you know he wasn't trying to defect? Dammit, do you even know his name? I'm sick of refering to him in third person... Lydia looks off uncomfortably.
Hey, a bit of Aurora (another character) shows up. Didn't expect that.

[Laura Eternata]

I don't remember, I shrug. And if he was going to defect, he was certainly going about it in an unusual way. Fighting us until he literally had no chance of victory, then resisting the chance we were giving him to prove his loyalty? Those hardly seem like the actions of a man about to turn his back on everything that's been drilled into his head since childhood.

Why are you so pissed about this? There's no blood on your hands.

"A bit of Aurora"?

[Eldest]

Of course he fought us, he was right next to his commanding officer who had a sword in hand. Would you have announced your defection in front of your entire battle group, right before battle? Worse, in the middle of battle? And I'm 'pissed' because if we kill them indiscriminately, while they are surrendering, we are worse than the Invictus.
Aurora was a normally calm character who had flashes of rage that vanished as quick as they came. Lydia apparently has a similar reaction.
Would Lydia know anybody else's backstory?

[Cieyrin]

Seamus' backstory is pretty much that, a story. The one given in my description could very much be true or the story about his brother could be another story. That's just his thing, I leave determining which is which to viewer. :smallwink:

Also, I'm enjoying watching the RP over the soldier, though I think I'll just sit back and watch for the time being and enjoy the fireworks. :smallamused:

[Laura Eternata]

No, we aren't. We kill to set the people free! To set people like you and your brother free, Seamus! I turn around, looking for some support. If that soldier actually believed that the Invictus was evil, he would have already left them. The fact that he was still around proves that he was either evil at heart, or too afraid to stand up for his beliefs. Neither of which would be useful to the Rebellion in any way. He probably would have run right back to the Invictus as soon as he got the chance, hoping for a promotion in exchange for information about us.

There's a reason the Rebellion recruits, as Richter put it, "bitter men and women who were wronged,"; we're willing to do whatever it takes to bring down the Invictus. If that means killing Invictus soldiers to ensure the Rebellions security, then bring them on.

I had assumed we all new each other's backstories, but come to think of it some characters might not be comfortable sharing everything. For Seira, assume she told you everything written here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12345272&postcount=7)

[Eldest]

So you admit he might not have been evil. He might have just been afraid for his life. What if he had a brother, hm? And he was afraid for his brother. Or a wife? Or, gods forbid, children. Men will do horrible, horrible things to ensure their family stays safe.
Cheap shot time!

[Kensen]

By the way, feel free to read through the Garrote thread now that you've completed the mission. They still haven't captured the captain. It's still uncertain how it'll end... :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

[Laura Eternata]

Ah, the family card, I smile slightly. Quite frankly, I couldn't care less if he had a family or not. I've killed fathers before, and will probably do so again before I die. The fact of the matter is that he posed a threat to us. If anything, the existence of a family would have made it more likely for him to stab us in the back and run back to the Invictus. After all, men will do horrible, horrible things to ensure their family stays safe.

Come on, didja really think that would work? :smalltongue:

[Eldest]

And what I'm trying to say is we shouldn't kill in cold blood. Ever. But I must ask; what threat? He surrendered, if we took him in the remainder of his life would be in a resistance base cell. It would have been four on one odds on the road, or two on one odds if he freed the captain. Then we would have gotten here, and his chances would have been minuscule.
No, didn't expect it to work. I did expect it to have some sort of effect, though.

[Laura Eternata]

Prisoners escape all the time. It's always safer to kill than to imprison; a zero percent chance is better than a minuscule one.

And by the way, how is imprisoning him any different from killing him to his hypothetical family? If all went as you planned and he never escaped, he still would have never seen them again, nor would he have been able to support them. In fact, if the inn keeper or the barmaid succumbed to interrogation and revealed that he had surrendered, things could have been... unpleasant for his family. This way, at least they'll be told that he died a loyal citizen of the Invictus.

Yeah, Seira's turning out to be much more of an antihero than I had originally intended her to be.

Oh, and Kensen, I assume we won't be starting the next part until the Garotte finishes the first one, right? I just want to make sure we aren't holding everyone back with this debate.

[Eldest]

Got any reason other than cold logic? Because by logic, we should be trying the safe thing and staying under the Invictus rule. Instead we do the right thing, oppose them, because of passion. Emotion.
I realize that sounds really corny, btw. It was either this or something completely hostile, about how Seira contradicted herself a bit. And that would have been a bit overly hostile. They are going to have to work together some more.

[Laura Eternata]

That wasn't intended to be contradictory, though I see how it could be taken that way. She was actually trying to make Lydia seem like a hypocrite for suggesting imprisoning him right after bringing up his family; she wasn't actually using that as an argument.

You misunderstand me, I say, trying hard to keep my voice down and not entirely succeeding. I agree that the Invictus must be destroyed. But in order to do that, we have to avoid taking unnecessary risks. That soldier was a potential threat to our cause, and killing him was the only way to ensure his silence.

[Eldest]

But everyone is a potential risk. How do we know people aren't a plant by the Invictus? How do I know that you aren't one? I don't... but I trust you, despite this.
Seira is more of an anti-hero than you planned, and Lydia is more of an idealist than I planned. Interesting.
Should we start winding down the argument now, or keep it up?

[Laura Eternata]

My eyes narrow at the accusation, but my voice is calm again. I've come to trust the Rebellion. And I honestly doubt that an Invictus agent would have allowed us to kidnap Richter, though suppose I can't be sure.

Still, I've learned from experience to give the Rebellion the benefit of the doubt. A random Invictus soldier has earned no such thing.

Let's start winding it down. I feel sort of bad for spending a good two days on character development for just the two of us... of course, if Eldest and Yitzi want to jump in...?

[Eldest]

Ahem. Eldest has already jumped in.
We'd have to wait anyway, because the Garrottes are being slow (I read their thing, they are locked in combat with the odds against them, because only two of them have any fighting skills and they are taking on all the guards at once.
Lydia lifts her hands in a sign of peace. I in no way wanted to accuse you, I wanted you to be able to see from my perspective. He was in the same boat as you were the first time I met you.

[Laura Eternata]

Dammit, that's the third time I've done that! I've always caught myself before. Sorry...:smallfrown:

Not quite. I had already left the army and actively sought you lot out. He had taken no such initiative, and I saw no reason to take pity on him. But... I digress, I nod, accepting Lydia's truce. For the sake of future missions, we're going to have to agree to disagree.

[Eldest]

We will just disagree. Very well then. Lydia turns and faces the crowd that had gathered during the argument. Shows over! Time to go back to work.
This is going to be interesting, the next time we are in the same "enemy surrendering" situation, especially if Seira does the same as with the guard, what's-his-face.
And no problem with the name.

[Yitzi]

"Seems to me that we shouldn't kill enemies who surrender, because if we get a reputation that we do, they're going to fight to the death."

[Laura Eternata]

Rolling my eyes again, I say, Your opinion's been noted. As I have already expressed my opinion that Invictus deaths are exactly what we're trying to accomplish, I don't think we have to elaborate on this any further.

[Kensen]

We won't be starting the next part until the other group has finished the first mission. And because of Christmas and stuff, I haven't had time to write the second part yet anyway. And I also want to update the rules before we continue the story.

Meanwhile, please comment on any rules-related issues, and feel free to suggest what sort of things you'd like to see in the second part. If there is some cool stuff you want to try but couldn't in the first part, let me know and I'll see what I can do. :smallsmile:

What I've planned so far is that von Richter was part of a secret project to develop a truth serum. Your task is to steal the formula and samples, and destroy the lab so they cannot use it on any captured rebels. And this time there'll be a lot more unfriendlies around, so taking unnecessary risks is therefore not recommended.

[Eldest]

Will we have advance notice of the general layout and time to plan, then?

[Yitzi]

As I said in the other thread, allowing a Guile check to not say an unworkable cover story would have helped a lot here.