KINGmaker (IC)

[Crazyfailure13]

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w373/Crazyfailure13/OlegsTradingPost.jpg
You have all answered the call of the swordlords and have been sent to explore the Greenbelt, to start your journey you have traveled to a small fortress like outpost called Oleg's Trading Post.Oleg’s Trading Post is located at the southern edge of Rostland (and thus Brevoy). To the south, the green line of the Narlmarches looms only a few miles away. Owned and operated by a stern and somewhat unimaginative man named Oleg Leveton and his wife Svetlana, the trading post’s remote location and inconvenient distance from
a major river has prevented it from realizing significant financial success. you come along the post close to Dusk, the final rays of the sun running across the hills and around the trees of the area.

[Athaleon]

Ari

Shifting uncomfortably in his saddle for the hundredth time in the past hour, Ari's spirits brighten considerably on seeing the end of the day's march. He could swear that his courser, Gale, and his draft horse, Resolute, shared his sentiment.

[Exthalion]

Aubrey

"Cheery looking place." the elf seemed only half sarcastic, an improvement over his usual disapprobation of human artifacts.

He brought his walking stick down on the road, though if it deserved the name it was only by the slimmest of margins, and continued ahead.

[SecondRevan]

Champion lay on the back of a cart that he had managed to hitch a ride on, resting easily with his wide-brimmed hat over his face despite the bumpy road jostling him throughout the trip.

Hearing the voice of someone on the road, he sat up and looked behind him, to see the approaching outpost. When the mysterious woman had made him her champion, she had given him only one command. Do good. And here in the expansionary territory, where law struggled to reach society and everyone was under threat of everything near, Champion felt he would be able to do the most good. And now it was time.

[Kujoe Dirte]

Norlannan

Norlannan gazes upon the fortress with a look of disappointment, human architecture often confused him even now after his many years amongst their ranks he did not quite understand their way of life. The task at hand called for such however and the sooner he can get to his mission the better, the thought alone got his adrenalin going as he sped up his steed taking the lead of the group. He would do this for Altias, and all of Trangoul. He swore it.

Norlannan kept quiet for the extent of the journey and it only now came to his attention to tell his potential work mates his name, shifting uncomfortably in his seat he moved back up beside the others and spoke in his low tone voice, "Norlannan Tigersoul, I hope we shall all be successful in our task." Norlannan says awkwardly to the group, keeping his speech short he simply nods to them and continues to the front once more, he hated social encounters almost as much as he hated elves.

[Crazyfailure13]

You arrive at the large open gates.

[Crazyfailure13]

You arrive at the large open gates.

[SecondRevan]

"Name's Champion" he said to Norlannon as the cart started to come to a stop, and he leaped off the cart onto the ground below. After his rest, he felt like walking. "Come, let's see what's here" Champion declared as he strode through the open gates.

[Exthalion]

"I would normally be inclined to say that isn't particularly original. I will not do so, as I have remembered that almost all names are similarly meaning laden and therefore not particularly original. The advantage of common names is merely that the tongue they are unoriginal in is not commonly spoken in the area where it is used for designating individuals.

I am Aubrey of the house and line of Haeliaur."

Continuing through the gate the elf glanced around at the trading post looking for the main building or an inhabitant.

[Athaleon]

"Ari Hawthorne."

Without turning, Ari snorts at Aubrey and rolls his eyes. "Good thing you decided not to say all that, then. But never mind, why's the gate wide open with no one guarding it?"

His pulse speeds up just a little as Ari slowly lowers his lance from where it was carried on his shoulder, couching it and pointing it at the ground, for now.


Perception roll to notice anything else untoward.

[roll0]

[Exthalion]

"Likely because it is not yet night, the common time that gates are closed, and because there is no one to guard it.

I should point out that I only indicated that I would not call the name unoriginal, not that I would explain why I would not. Regardless, I beg your indulgence. I find I ramble when I am uncertain, an attempt to cover up my insecurity with affirmation of my knowledge my tutors said."

[SecondRevan]

"Don't worry, everyone talks about the name. If you want, think of it more like a title" Champion said, as he looked around. "I assume Oleg's trading post is too small to have guards at the gate. As long as there is someone to close the gates quickly, they can afford not to have people check every person"

[Crazyfailure13]

An middle-aged man with a large stomach runs out of the post as you approach, waving a spear as he yells "Go away, your early and we have no intentions of paying your ilk again, you damn thieves!"

[Exthalion]

"Peace be upon you good human, you mistake our purpose. We come neither for violence, payment, or thievery. I gather from your response that there is someone due who expects lucre from you. Do you mean thieves figuratively as in tax collectors or literally as in bandits?"

[Crazyfailure13]

The man seems to calm for a moment, still holding the spear ready "wait, so if your not the thieves, you must be the reinforcements the swordlords promised, right?"

[SecondRevan]

"You are correct. We are here to help in any way possible" Champion said, before introducing himself and his companions.

[Crazyfailure13]

"Prove that the swordlords sent you."

[Exthalion]

"I cannot speak for the others, but I am not here in any official capacity to assist you, though I have no objection to it. I do however have documentation proving the Stormlord's blessing for our mission."

He reached into a pocket and pulled out a sheet of heavy vellum. Wax seals attached to colored ribbons occupied the bottom half and neat handwriting covered the rest.

"Please be careful with this, it is effectively irreplaceable and I will be most displeased if it is damaged."

[Crazyfailure13]

the man takes in with a cautious hand, and examines it for a moment before returning it, "Ok, so you aren't here to help, but you will?"

[Kujoe Dirte]

I'm back :)

Norlannan

Norlannan follows the rest inside staying mostly quite until the rotund man come's running towards them like a maniac. Norlannan sneers, quietly and dismounts his horse. He turns towards the man his blank expression and eyes peering at the man while the elf talks, he moves closer to the man and bows. "My companions speak true good sir we are here by the order of the Stormlords, I am Norlannan Tigersoul once an elf of Trangoul, now one of the best mercenary's of all Brevoy. So if you would step aside we have much business to attend to, I would hate for your superiors to find out how you treated us so poorly." Norlannan says to the man trying hard to hold back a grin.

[Exthalion]

"I can only speak for myself as no one has delegated their right to chose to me. So for myself, yes. The world is full enough of dangers and misery. For my part I will neither add to it or allow it to be added to."

He glanced over at his recently dismounted companion. "Threats ill become you. This is not a military outpost and I doubt this man has any superior save himself. Additionally, this is his home and it is grave discourtesy to insult a man in his own home while his guest."

[Crazyfailure13]

While the man gives a glare at Norlannan, he turns back to Aubrey "you are right there, no i have no superior to myself, side the gods. however, i'm Oleg, master of this post, and i hope that you can help us, what are ya names strangers?"

[Athaleon]

"I'm Ari Hawthorne. What we're here to do helps all of us on the frontier, but seeing as this is to be our home for a short while, we could help you with your outlaw problem."

Is our mandate to start dealing with bandits right away, or to explore and report back? Never played this AP before, and the first post only mentions exploring the Greenbelt.

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg speaks quickly "you don't have ta go looking for the thieves, they'll be here in the morning, they come to take our items and money, at the same time every month, they're expected tommorrow morning."

[Athaleon]

"Good, saves us the trouble of going out looking for the scum, and we can fight from this stout hilltop fort, rather than on their home ground. How many of them usually come? And how many people can you count on to defend this place?"

[Exthalion]

"Four. You, me, and our traveling companions. If there were other guards I doubt we would have been met by the master of the place alone."

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg straightens up and speaks in a more prideful manner "The number has been decreasing more and more each time they visit, the last time only four and a superior came, hopeful even less this time."

[Exthalion]

"How convenient, we each need only attack once.

Are there lodgings available for the evening? I am afraid I cannot clap my hands and summon food and shelter; yet."

[Athaleon]

"Not just talking about guards, but anyone working here who knows how to shoot a bow or point a spear."

After hearing how few thieves were likely to show up, Ari nods. "I like those odds. But let's get our things put away, then we can make our plans over something hot to eat."

[SecondRevan]

"Five? We should be able to deal with that. I, for one, have fought battles with worse odds. I'm Champion"

Let's spend tonight getting ready and preparing cover. Between that and a good meal, we ought to be more than prepared for them

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg smiles "it's actually only myself and my wife here. and you may all stay the night or free if you'll help, i'm willing to supply you with anything i can if it will help."


You can all RP what you are going to do to prepare, the fort it's self is still in decent condition, and while their is not much for wall protect their are supplies for many tactics.

[Athaleon]

"What usually happens when they come to rob you? Do they just come in and ransack the place, or is it orderly, like a protection racket? We could easily shut the gate behind them, give a couple of them the pointy end, and the rest should surrender."

[Kujoe Dirte]

Norlannan
The elf listens to the conversation his attention perked at the mention of work and his attitude towards the man shifts, "Are we to be expecting some kind of reward for our work? I don't tend to work for free but banditry is another thing that even I cannot turn a blind eye on, give me a space on the gate wall and my bow is yours." Norlannan says to Oleg.

Norlannan turns towards his group after speaking with Oleg, "I have had more then my share of bandit raids in my time, and if these bandits are returning so frequently then they are bound to have a camp nearby, if so there is a chance they have already spotted us and could send greater numbers at us, we should be cautious."

[Crazyfailure13]

"The bandits always rob us under the pretense that it is for protection, hogwash that is, and i can't give you much, but i have a few things i can give you that i've saved from the thieves."

[Kujoe Dirte]

Norlannan

Turning back to Oleg, Norlannan replies, "These are bandits we're talking about they likely have your good holed up in a camp nearby, we could get them back for you if we can get some words out of those who come this day, though it'll cost ya." Norlannan says with a grin, the adrenalin in him already beginning to pump talking business always seems to get the good side out of him.

[Crazyfailure13]

"Might, be difficult, but you can try, first time they came they had 15 people, i think they'd be a hard fight to charge into their camp."

[Athaleon]

"There are almost certainly too many of them to charge into their camp, and we do have to plan for the possibility that they'll bring more than their usual number up here."

[Kujoe Dirte]

Norlannan

"Charge in, oh no no no. I was thinking more along the route of subterfuge, I'm not one for those stupid heroics." Norlannan says to Ari.

[SecondRevan]

"There is an advantage to subterfuge, if we have the right technique. I have used it successfully several times, to defeat more powerful foes" Champion said, his mind remembering the time where he managed to kill a small group of sorerers when Hunter had sneaked into their camp and poisoned their food. He suppressed the guilt of his past life. "Does anyone have any poison they could use? I assume Norlannan has the skills to sneak in and out. We could at the very least weaken them. The other option would be trying to attack while they sleep, but they will likely have guards on watch that would have to be taken out first without alarming anyone. That will be much more difficult, especially as it is unlikely I will be able to kill them quietly." As he said this, he opened his coat to show the pistol hidden on his belt. It was unlikely that everyone knew what it could do, but those who did would understand how noisy it was when it went off. "If someone could lend me a bow, I could use that instead. Used to be quiet proficient with that, a couple of lifetimes ago."

"However, even if we do try subterfuge, it would still be worth setting up some cover, just in case something goes wrong or there is a second camp. I think everyone except Athleon could benefit with some when the fighting starts"

[Exthalion]

"Have we considered poisoning the food with something that takes a while to begin symptoms and tracking them after they leave?

I suggest Amanita mushroom. No symptoms for half a day after ingestion and the symptoms can easily be misdiagnosed. I am told they taste rather good as well. I am certain we can find some in the vicinity."

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg

"I have my old bow in the back of the storage room, it's been used by a few generations in my family, but if that's ok with you, you can use it."

[SecondRevan]

"A bow would be much appreciated. I assume you don't have any poison we can use, do you? Maybe we should instead try and find some of this Amanita mushroom instead?"

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg

"No, i have no poison, wait here a moment while i get the bow and some arrows."

[Exthalion]

"I was actually suggesting we let them take the food which we pre poison. Amanita, would not work well in the way you desire, it has delayed onset of symptoms which is the key point to using it to poison the bandits."

[SecondRevan]

"My plan was to poison them so that it would kick in when they arrived tomorrow, but your strategy will also work. The only problem is that we will have to hide anything valuable that we don't want the thieves to steal before we steal it back. At the very least, my pistol is worth a small fortune, and I'd rather fight with that than with a bow."

[Exthalion]

"I smell a midden which I am fairly certain they will not check. We daring adventures can just make ourselves scarce. If they break into the food before they get there they die and we are never at risk. If they don't we know where their camp is and have greatly reduced their numbers. We should be sure the food is something perishable so they won't be tempted to store it.

Just to be clear, I am not a coward. However in combat people die. It is not a pleasant sight and I would rather none of us die. If our enemies are dead it does not matter if we slew them ourselves, the objective is completed either way."

[Athaleon]

"Let's not forget, these people have lived out here their whole lives. Can we be sure they won't recognize the taste of that mushroom?"

[Exthalion]

"Presumably because they are some of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world and anyone who has lived outside the city knows not to eat them or is dead."

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg comes back holding the bow.

Oleg

"The bandits come early, you may want to get to bed soon, their's rooms for each of you in the post." He hands each of you a key.

[Athaleon]

"Let's get our things hidden away, and get to looking for some of these mushrooms. Unless anyone just happens to keep a few close at hand?"

[Kujoe Dirte]

Norlannan

Norlannan listens to the party discuss tactics, staying mostly silent for the most of it. "Well if we're going through with our plan the first step is getting our hands on some of these mushrooms, and with luck I can find some nearby." Norlannan says as he remounts his horse and throws his quiver over his shoulder, "This won't take me long, expect me back before sunrise." Giving no one time to question or even offer support, Norlannan grabs the reins and begins full speed out the gate.

Not sure what checks you'll need for this so I'll just post anything that could be useful in finding some of these mushrooms or any other poison. Norlannan will not stray to far as he does not want to return after sunrise.

Knowledge (Nature):[roll0]
Survival:[roll1]
Perception:[roll2]
Ride:[roll3]

[Crazyfailure13]

Norlannan:

You find some mushrooms that fit the description.

[SecondRevan]

"Thank you very much for the bow" Champion said. "Now, what food is there here that we could poison? We want something perishable that they would eat as soon as possible."

Could I just ask what type of bow I've been given? Shortbow or longbow? And how many arrows do I have?

[Kujoe Dirte]

DM:
Norlannan

Norlannan will take as much of the mushroom as he can find, after he has gathered enough he will head back.

Also how long did it take him to gather and head back?

[Crazyfailure13]

Norlannan gets back before mid-night

also champion got a longbow and 40 arrows.

[Exthalion]

"Just to be sure, this isn't going to cause any resentment it is? I know some adventurers have a fondness for visceral combat. Additionally, I would not wish to deprive you of needed food or profit master Oleg."

[Athaleon]

Ari shrugs, "Human garbage like that doesn't deserve a fair fight. But we should plan for the possibility that they saw us come here and will show up in numbers. At the very least we should have someone on watch, they can take my signal horn and our host's longbow if they don't have one already. And maybe we can set up a trap of some sort, though I think our options are limited."

[SecondRevan]

"My only goal is to do good. I do not care how"

"I could take watch, if necessary. We do need some sort of contingency. If I'm behind them, we could form a pincer attack. But i doubt we have the resources for a more complex trap."

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg

"I have supplies for just about any plan, but i'm going to go find my wife and tell her the news." Oleg leaves towards the building.

[Athaleon]

"Unless anyone has any more specific ideas, I think we've just about done all we could. Sprinkle some of that mushroom into their bread, and find volunteers for the watches. How easy are those gates to close?"

[Crazyfailure13]

Oleg

"The gates are rather old, but a little effort is all it takes."


Roll Str if your trying to close the gates.

[Athaleon]

"Might as well give them a test. If we see a large force coming, we'll need to shut them quickly. Or shut the gates behind them to prevent them from escaping."


Strength check: [roll0]

Please don't tell me this game is dead already?

[Exthalion]

"I am going to sleep now. I suggest that we go with the poison food plan. If we are going to fight them please let me know before they get here.

I also suggest that those of us who just arrived not be visible when they show up."

[SecondRevan]

"If there is nothing else, I shall also go to sleep. In the morning, I will happily act as a watch"

[Athaleon]

"I'll get my animals hitched up at the back of the building. Let's poison their food and hope they share it around. Sleep light; if they arrive in number, whoever's on watch will wake the rest of us. I'll take first watch."

[SecondRevan]

"Feel free to wake me up for the next watch"

[Exthalion]

"I don't actually sleep, so expect me in four hours."

[Crazyfailure13]

As night goes on and each person takes their watches, but all is quiet, the sun starts to rise, and an hour after sun rise, you see 4 distant figures on the horizon.

[Athaleon]

Is everyone awake at this point, or just whoever is on last watch?

[Exthalion]

Awake? Elf.

[SecondRevan]

Since no one else is posting, I will and hope to drum back some interest in this

Champion woke up early and alert, despite having to take watch. He had to admit that his past life had taught him a lot of useful skills, despite his wish to atone. "Is the bread ready? We want this to go as easily as possible."

[Exthalion]

Ari and Aubrey were both up early and in the stables. While the elf had little knowledge of animals he was a passing vet due to his vast knowledge. They went over the horses carefully, searching for any minor injuries or signs of illness.

Aubrey had caused no end of amusement for his human companion, startled by the everyday things the animals did.

[Athaleon]

"Let's lie low for now, see if they take the poisoned bait."

All the same, Ari dons his armor, mounts up, and readies his weapons.