[IC] Seven Days to Live (City Team)

[Breton]

http://i.imgur.com/khJDHD0.png

The royal palace of Malen Vale is a huge, ornate building. A long balcony runs almost the entire length of its city-facing wall, and it is here that once a year the queen of Malen addresses her people to provide the annual foretelling. You find yourself standing in the courtyard, like innumerable other denizens of the city, looking up expectantly at the balcony. As you watch, a man's high pitched voice rings out, amplified by magics woven into the balcony itself.

All kneel for her highness, the Lady Magbaine, Queen of Malen, Grand Seeress to the Autarch of Augur, Lady Ruler of the city of Malen Vale.

The voice belongs to an elderly half-elf, reading from an ornate scroll. After making the announcement, he rolls up the scroll, and then carefully removes his golden spectacles, kneeling along with the crowd below. To his left an elderly woman wearing the traditional robes of the court wizard does the same, and after a few seconds, a black-haired figure in an elaborate blue silk dress walks through the archway connecting the balcony to the palace interior.

People of Malen Vale she says, smiling down at the crowd, the time has come for the great consultation, where I will pray to Augur and convey to you the omens of the year to come. But first, let us pray that it will be a foretelling of peace, good harvests and plentiful growth!

The lady lowers her head, and closes her eyes. Some of the crowd do the same, but not many. After a minute of silent prayer, the queen looks briefly back towards the crowd before turning her face to the sky.

Great Augur, grant your humble servant your auspice for the coming year... A golden light surrounds the queen as she falls into a trance, but then the light seems to change, turning red. The queen's eyes glow black, and she speaks in a deep voice which reverberates around the courtyard.

[Breton]

There will be no harvest.
There will be neither peace nor war.
The people of Malen will wither like leaves in a fire...

Several isolated screams come from the crowd at the dire prediction.

...and by the seventh dawn...
...their number will be counted on fifty hands.

Suddenly everyone in the courtyard starts talking at once, and people jostle into each other as everyone tries to storm the exit back out into the city. On the balcony, the Queen turns to the court wizard, her smile faltering.

Was it good news?

The elderly half-elf, court wizard and queen engage in panicked conversation over the next minute as the crowd continues to surge out of the courtyard. They've apparently either forgotten or are beyond caring about the voice amplification magics woven into the balcony, and you keep hearing fragments of a hushed conversation between them.

Looking around, you see several people standing near to you - the only ones you can see who aren't panicking.

[Breton]

This is the IC thread for Rodrick Stonecutter (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html?_=1427246043#id=135546), Chiva (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=135568), and Zeela Thranwe (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=141508).

To get you into the swing of rolling, the discussion happening on the balcony is barely audible, and maybe you can catch a few snippets of the conversation with a listen check. You can flow with the crowd and eventually end up in the city, or you can try strength checks to elbow your way out as a group and reach the streets considerably ahead of the crowd.

For those of you who have forgotten, people typically need a few things to survive - food, water, shelter, and not being beaten with clubs by doomsday cultists. If your goal is going to be survival, then you might want to focus on seeking out and securing these. If you want to stop the disaster, it's going to be tough, but you'll need information. You know several locations in the city to begin with, and you can learn about other places and resources with local knowledge, gathering information or by asking people. Things will be pretty quiet for the first in-game day, after which time things will get interesting.

None of you know much about the setting, but your characters do. To reflect this everyone can make Knowledge (local) checks for specific questions untrained at a -5 penalty. If you have ranks in Knowledge (local) then you can make a penalty-free check as normal, and more specific knowledge skills (religion, arcane etc) can also be used to roll for answers on relevant questions. In addition, news in pre-newspaper societies travels by word of mouth, so don't feel bad about using gather information or just asking NPCs to get an idea about events in the city and wider world.

Finally, not everyone in your party will necessarily see eye to eye about worthy goals and necessary actions, if you physically leave your party for more than a couple of posts, you will get your own thread for the duration of the separation. Good luck.

City Map (http://i.imgur.com/iKIOTnu.jpg)
Walking from the Palace to Kirk Gate takes around an hour on empty streets. The unlabelled locations are generally shops, homes and warehouses, and I will use them to point out where things are as they come up. Alternatively, you could visit them in game to find out what they are.

Country Map (http://i.imgur.com/tSpoXRA.jpg)
Walking from Malen Vale to Nerris takes a day, and to By Far and Port Weddrin takes four days. There seems to be little to draw you out of the city for now, though you're probably less likely to encounter people out in the wilderness. Riding makes travel on the roads considerably faster, but a group moves as slowly as its slowest member.



Progress
Soothed
Saved


Souls
3

[Solophoenix]

As Zeela listens to the dire prediction, the panicked reaction, and the hurried conversation, one thought dominates her mind, shutting out all others.

This is...BRILLIANT!

So many questions needed answers. So many mysteries to solve. So many puzzles to challenger her. This was going to be the best apocalypse ever.

What kind of doomsday leaves 250 people behind? What was the change in the magical light? Did some other influence hijack the fortelling? Can we trust it to be accurate?

Zeela strains her keen elf ears to hear what insights she can glean from the conversation between the queen and her advisors.


Using Cunning Knowledge

[roll0]

[Breton]

You're able to make out quite a lot of the hushed conversation.

They apparently have similar concerns to Zeela regarding the prophecy's authenticity, but the Queen seems sure that it's accurate.

... can we trust that it's accurate? ...
... it was a true connection. Gods, less than two hundred ...
... can we use.. 'that'? ...
... ritual of True Augury will take days, if there's even anyone suitable left ...
... we should evacuate ...
... pointless without knowing exactly what ...
... should fortify the palace until the ritual's complete ...
... hope there's time ...
... prepare an announcement ...
Eventually the noise from the rest of the crowd becomes too loud to hear anything more.

[TelinArtho]

Rodrick is almost as stunned as the rest of the crowd at the news, but he shrugs it off. Lot of good it is doing these people knowing in advance. Maybe they would have been better off like me and just perished in the fire without knowing it was coming.

Rodrick never counted himself lucky at surviving that horrible ordeal, but he would be remiss if he didn't at least try to throw back whatever problem was coming. He turned his good ear to the queen, trying to catch what few glimpses of conversation he could grasp, but even on a good day, his hearing was not as good as it could have been.

[roll0]

Blast these ears! Or the crowd anyway.

Noticing the others who are not quite so panicked, he turns to them. What are you two waiting around for? Don't you fear for your lives?

[prufock]

Chiva stares dreamily at the sky just over the balcony, swaying a little on his feet in response to the Foretelling. He thinks So they were right all along. And now they'll never allow me back in. I am doomed.

Gazing at birds fluttering from rooftop to rooftop, he muses aloud The birds don't mind. They will go on as they were, pecking and flying, scraping up a living as they can, oblivious of the coming end times. Ah, to be a bird.

Wait a moment. Fifty hands? The Hindsight couldn't have more than a fifth of that remaining among their number. Then there is still hope for some of us. His eyes pass through the crowd, mostly lost in panic, as he forms a sad smile. He speaks as they jostle and push him. Two hundred and fifty. Do none of you want to survive?

Chiva isn't fighting to move against the crowd, but more attempting just to stand where he is, and let them pass around him. Not sure if that's a strength check (possibly at a lower DC) or if some other check is needed.
Strength check: [roll0]

He is also making a rushed diplomacy check to see if anyone will listen, but he doesn't have the most forceful personality.
Diplomacy: [roll1]

[Breton]

Rodrick manages to make out a few fragments of the conversation. A ritual is mentioned, but it's hard to make sense of any of it.

... trust that it's ...
... true connection. Gods ...
... we use.. 'that'? ...
... True Augury will take days, if ...
... evacuate ...
... pointless without knowing ...
... fortify the palace until ...
... hope there's time ...
... an announcement ...
Chiva gets a few glances from people as he speaks to the crowd, but nobody sticks around to listen. In the distance he can see an active member of the Hindsight being held up on someone's shoulders, but can't see whether that man is having any more success.

OOC: Just a reminder - SRD diplomacy has been replaced in this game with Burlew diplomacy (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/jFppYwv7OUkegKhONNF.html). On one hand there's no penalty for rushed checks, but on the other you can't diplomagically make people friendlier, and it requires that the player try to be convincing.

[TelinArtho]

Rodrick boldly starts working against the flow of the crowd. Slowly, steadily, he pushes his way towards the center. He wasn't interested in causing trouble after all, so when the flow of the crowd was too much, he allowed himself to be carried by it. When it lessened, he used the opportunity to move in closer.

He wasn't sure what he would do if he got close enough to the Queen. He just wanted to get closer for now and maybe see if there was anything he could do. Maybe there was something else they knew that he could use to help stop or prevent whatever it was that might happen.

Strength check to move against the crowd [roll0]

If there is no admittance to the area of the queen (which I expect), Rodrick will just try to get close enough to yell up and maybe catch someone's attention.

[Breton]

Rodrick finds that moving against the crowd is quite easy, and people seem happy to let him past without a struggle. As he draws closer to the palace his suspicions are confirmed - there's no way up to the balcony from within the courtyard, and the only entrance to the palace on this side is a half-open portcullis leading to what looks like a mustering hall for the Palace Guard.

As he enters shouting distance to the balcony he's approached by a squad of six Guard members wearing chain shirts, and armed with a combination of long swords and halberds. One of them, a handsome yellow haired human with a sword and shield, addresses Rodrick in the strict, barking voice of a military commander.

Halt! You will not approach the Royal balcony! State your business.

The blonde guard doesn't seem overly concerned, but a couple of the guardsmen behind him are skittish, levelling their halberds in Rodrick's direction.

[Solophoenix]

Her concentration interrupted by the strange words of the Dwarf, Zeela ponders.

Fear for my life? I don't think so...I've lived this long without dying, I don't see why I'd start now.

She falls into step behind the Dwarf as he advances towards the balcony.

Look for the things that are different, and they will often lead you to the solution...

[TelinArtho]

Not at all surprised to be stopped in his tracks, Rodrick did his best to look calm and collected. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke up, not at all sure whether he really had any business getting closer.

As you can see by my face, I have endured hardship. It appears that our home, all of our homes, are about to endure a similar fate, perhaps even a worse one than I have survived. I am approaching to merely do what the rest of the crowd seems incapable of offering. That is, I am offering my help, if the Queen would have it.

Rodrick kept his weapons away and held his helmet in his hands to show that he meant no harm by his approach.

[Breton]

The blonde guard captain turns to look at another guardsman to his left, this one a half-elf wielding a long sword with a short bow slung across his back. The half-elf shrugs noncommittally in response to the captain's gaze, and the captain turns back to face the group in front of him. When he speaks his tone is considerably softer than before.

That's very.. civic minded of you.

Unfortunately there's nothing to be done right now. The Royal staff are preparing an announcement which will be broadcast across the city at noon, until then we're advising people to return to their homes.

Wait.. give your names to sergeant Tully here, he says, indicating the half-elf. If there're any relief efforts later on you'll be at the top of our list of volunteers.


The half elf steps forward, pulling a wax writing tablet and stylus from a belt pouch at his back. He grips the stylus and looks up expectantly.

Awlright -sniff- What's your names?


I'm not sure if Chiva wants to approach the balcony as well. If he did, then the captain was addressing him as well as Rodrick and Zeela.

[prufock]

Chiva stares off after the two figures approaching the balcony. Interesting, there are some who are not unhinged by the news. He follows somewhat behind the other two, gazing after them inquisitively.

[TelinArtho]

Rodrick Stonecutter - I'm a tradesman, so you'll find me near the markets most likely. That is if they survive whatever looting is likely to occur.

Having done what he could for now, Rodrick steps back and considers the other(s) who approached as well.

So in lieu of waiting, what is it that we can do then? Assuming you are interested in providing aid anyway.

[Breton]

The half elf sergeant scratches something on the tablet and turns expectantly to Zeela.

An' you?

Behind sergeant Tully, the captain moves off quickly, taking two of the halberdiers with him.

OOC: If/when Zeela looks towards the crowd of people exiting the courtyard, she should make a spot check.

[Solophoenix]

"Zeela Thranwe, at your service."

She makes a bow, hiding her eyes long enough for a quick glance to keep abreast of the developments around her.
[roll0]

"You may leave messages for me at the Crooked Cockrel."

[Breton]

Ah, that's awlright. We got ways of finding people he says as he scratches Zeela's name into the tablet.

What about 'im back there? He says, nodding towards Chiva. Don't be shy, you putting your name down too?

OOC: Zeela sees nothing more than a crowd of frightened people.

[prufock]

Chiva blinks in surprise at the man's words. Me? My name is Chiva. I am a servant of The Hindsight. I humbly submit to be on your list, but know that only Hindsight determines the true list. He gazes through the dwarf and elf. You are different than the others. You wish to survive, no?

[Solophoenix]

Zeela considers the strange man.

"Well, having briefly considered the alternative, I believe I do."

[Breton]

Hindsight, hah. Your ship's finally come in eh. the half-elf mutters while scratching the name into his tablet, but otherwise doesn't interrupt the conversation.

[TelinArtho]

I do not wish to survive. I wish to help. If you are of the same mind, then your aid would be welcome. If not, then go about your survival and I wish you luck, by the name of Augur.

Rodrick appears to know nothing of Hindsight, or what it might be a part of.

[prufock]

Help? The foretelling was clear. Only two hundred fifty will survive whatever pestilence is to come. If you know of some way to halt fate, I will gladly render my services. Chiva glances up to the balcony wistfully. I do not yet rank in the number of the fifty hands that are to survive, and would gladly stave off this threat until I do.

[Breton]

Awlright, thanks you lot. If we start making up support teams we'll call you in. You'll, uh, you'll hear like a little whisper in your ear tellin' you what to do. Don't worry though, it's jus' magic. Tii then we're tellin' people to go back home. Or, to your inn I guess.

I'll be off now, looks like we've 'ad a bit of a scuffle over there..

The half-elf runs off in the direction the blonde captain went before, and the remaining guards go with him. In the distance, you can see the blonde captain and a dwarf escorting a wild elf towards the portcullis set into the palace wall opposite the entrance. Behind you, the crowd has now almost completely exited into the city, leaving behind only the occasional straggler in an otherwise empty courtyard.

In the distance by the entrance, you can see that the mad rush has had a terrible cost, as several bodies are lying scattered around the exit, trampled by the crowd in its panic. They're not moving, but whether they're dead or alive is impossible to tell at this distance.

[TelinArtho]

I know not of a way to stop fate. But then, I'm not going to sit idly by and wait for fate to happen either. My face is written with the story of fate. I have no intent on allowing it to happen again.

Rodrick took a look at the fallen people and said nothing more on the subject. He jogged over to them, figuring that he wouldn't be able to provide any meaningful help, but hoped he could find something. Anything.

He'll take a look for any signs of life:

Heal (untrained): [roll0]

[prufock]

Chiva chuckles to himself. What a curious fellow! He jogs forward to join Rodrick at the mass of trampled people. He focuses his inner strength to his crown, scanning the bodies for undead.

Are they... deceased?

[Breton]

Rodrick finds the first couple of bodies he approaches to be completely dead, but by searching through them he finds three people who are still barely alive - two young men and a little girl, and is able to stabilize them.

Chiva is unable to detect any undead. The bodies seem to be either inert, or alive and badly wounded.

If anyone else makes a DC15 heal check, they can save an additional person who perished while Rodrick was busy with the first three.

[Solophoenix]

Why didn't you look into medicine at some point? You can't seriously have thought it would never come up!

Zeela curses to herself as she tries to intuit the right thing to do.

[roll0]

[TelinArtho]

Rodrick seems little satisfied that he has managed to only save a few of the trampled people, but he could only work so fast and the reality was that he was not well trained in the healing arts. He mentally put it on the list of things he should learn though.

Standing up, he turns to the others.

What has happened here is a tragedy and I expect it will only get worse as panic really sets in. Would you each help in transporting these injured, but surviving people to the nearest healer?

He looked around, trying to remember who would be the nearest one to them.

Knowledge (Local) (untrained) [roll0]

Shaking his head, Rodrick cursed under his breath.

My brain is addled. Do you know of any healers who might be able to help? We shouldn't just stand here and wait for them to recover, but I don't feel comfortable with just leaving them behind all the same.

[prufock]

[roll0] for the location of the nearest temple or healer.

I will lend you my help, though I'm not sure aiding these people to the healers will help stop the Foretelling. I believe it is this way. Chiva shoulders one of the injured and waits to see if the others comply.

[Breton]

Rodrick & Chiva

The adrenaline rush from battling death on behalf of the wounded peasants drives every other thought from Rodrick's mind, but Chiva remembers:

Part of the Noble's quarter closest to the palace is given over to a small collection of temples, all of which provide healing services.

The temple to Augur is the largest of the temples, and being state sponsored, offers healing for free. The smaller temples charge the fees listed on the SRD Goods & Services list.
In addition, the party glimpsed a mustering hall for the guard beyond a portcullis set into the far palace wall. That might have medical facilities to take care of wounded guardsmen.


Zeela

The wounded civilian Zeela was attending, a very old man in expensive clothes, dies.

[prufock]

Seeing no one move to follow, Chiva takes a couple tentative steps in the direction of the temple of Augur before looking back at his newfound acquaintances. Shall we?

[TelinArtho]

Rodrick takes the burden of another of the wounded and takes up the point behind Chiva.

Sorry - thought I had responded earlier

This is of course, only the beginning. What will be our next step? I'm sure there is already looting and grabbing as much stuff as people can manage, but that can't be helped at this stage. If people are going to be dying in seven days, that's quite a bit of catastrophe. I don't think it has anything to do with the harvest though - no one is going to die of starvation in three days after all. Wither like leaves in a fire... I suppose an actual fire might not be out of the question.

What do you think?

[prufock]

Drought, perhaps. That would explain there being no harvest, and it said the people would "wither." Without water, very few would survive a week. But prophecy is rarely literal.

[Solophoenix]

Zeela does her best to keep up, half carrying, half dragging one of the smaller wounded along with her.

I shall have to study medicine at the next available opportunity, this kind of incompetence must be overcome.

Between gasps of exertion, she manages to speak.

"Indeed, the prophecy as is stands is vague. But such colossal events rarely come without smaller ones preceding them. If we look hard enough, in the right places, I believe we shall be able to find the truth."


Over the next few hours, Zeela will return to her inn to retrieve her horse and belongings before some opportunistic looter snaffles them. She will then try to find a library containing records of previous prophecies, and search through the volumes for anything similar. If she can't find that, she'll just try to build up a knowledge base of previous interpretations/results, in the hopes that it might shed some light on the current one.

Taking 10 on Knowledge(local) to find the library, using Cunning Knowledge, for 17.
Taking 10 on Gather Information once in the library, using Cunning Knowledge, for 15.
If time permits, taking 20 on Gather Information, for 23.

[Breton]

Zeela, Rodrick and Chiva drag the three survivors of the crush at the courtyard entrance to the nearby temple of Augur. The streets around the temple are packed with frightened people, all hoping for some guidance from the clerics within. As people see you approach carrying wounded bodies, the crowds part, allowing you to bring them within the temple. Inside, the clerics take them off your hands, and lay them on three of dozens of pallets being prepared on the temple floor. It looks like the clerics at least are expecting casualties.

For soothing three souls and their families in their final week, the party receives 50 experience points each.


As the party leaves the temple, they hear the voice of the Queen booming across the streets. The milling crowds grow quiet, and look around for the source of the voice, though it seems to be coming from everywhere.

Malen Vale.

Today, during the annual foretelling, we have all received dire news from Augur. Seven days. Fifty hands. These are the limits that the great god Augur have placed on our survival - death on a massive scale will befall us, caused by an as yet unknown catastrophe. But do not despair, even now we work to perform the ritual of True Augury, and thereby hope to prevent this disaster.

I implore you, remain calm, remain in your homes. Whatever fate awaits us will only be worsened by chaos. Please do not entreat the clerics at the temple of Augur for aid unless you truly need it, all of their energies in the coming days will be spent casting Auguries and treating any wounded who need their help.

My people, trust in us, trust in Augur, and please preserve the peace. We will see you through this, as we have all other crises.

A burst of noise follows the announcement as everyone in the crowd seems to be talking to each other. There seems to be no move from the crowd to leave the temple, despite the Queen's request. As you stand by, a line of a dozen members of the City Watch appear at the end of the street near the palace, armed with wooden shields and cudgels, and begin marching down the street towards the temple, pushing and dispersing the crowd as they go.

Rodrick, Chiva and Zeela break their nascent party to go about their own business.


Rodrick & Chiva
Look for an inn to pass some time away from the chaos of the streets, and find the Crooked Cockrel. It's a large building situated in the poorer part of East Side. Nearby to the slums, the Crooked Cockrel offers clean rooms at reasonable rates, but without any of the pomp or luxury of the city's more up-market inns. When they arrive, they find that the staff are busy helping many of the current residents prepare to leave. Without homes in the city, it seems that many of those renting rooms at the inn have decided to leave town.

The common room contains a few locals sitting alone and drinking quietly, it's unclear whether these are people who haven't heard the news, or have nothing better to do than drink themselves into oblivion.


Zeela
The concept of the public library hasn't yet appeared in Malen, but Zeela remembers that nobles and temples often have their own private libraries, and that temples usually allow the devout access to them. She also knows that there are numerous private libraries in the homes of individuals and private clubs throughout the city, and the owners of these often offer access to them to their friends, club members or to those who pay a fee or subscription.

Since she's looking for information about past foretellings, she seeks information in the library of the temple of Augur. The clerics allow her access easily, having more important things to deal with. In the temple's records of past foretellings, she finds that they're often terse and poetic, but rarely cryptic, misleading or ambiguous. She also confirms that the foretelling is not set in stone, and is provided by Augur as a warning so that his faithful might avert whatever dangers it foretells.

She finds the following information on past foretellings:

On midwinter's eve, ten tens will lie charred beneath black skies. (5 years ago)
This was analysed over a period of weeks, and was assumed to refer to a fire in a major city. New safety legislation was passed, and funding in local fire suppression teams was increased. On the morning of midwinter's day a team of twenty clerics successfully extinguished a granary fire in By Far with dozens of Create Water castings. The promised disaster never occurred.

A black dragon arises. The harvest will see the reaping of those half-sized. (4 years ago)
Two months after the cryptic foretelling, the City Watch in Nerris became aware of an underground hate group calling itself the Black Dragons. They were violently anti-halfing, dwarf and gnome, and when discovered the Palace loaned almost fifty 'Fate Watch' agents to the Nerris city watch. In the following weeks the Black Dragon cell was successfully captured. They were found to be in possession of over a dozen Aberrant Spheres and were training a squad of assassins all capable of a Skulk Alter Self form. Their documents indicated a plan for a mass assassination to take place around the harvest.

The darkness comes. The gate will open. The flood shall rend the land and exterminate the people. (2 years ago)
There's little information about this. What Zeela is able to find suggests that an interplanar invasion was thwarted by a band of three almost impossibly competent independent adventurers.

There may be older records in the temple library, but Zeela wasn't able to find them in the few hours she spent researching.
After her research in the temple library, Zeela returns to the Crooked Cockrel. She finds her equipment and horse safe - the stables are probably the safest place in the city for the beast outside of the palace. She finds that she doesn't have time to take 20 on a gather information check - she spends a few hours taking 10, but learns less than she discovered at the library.


Rodrick, Chiva & Zeela
The three who met in the palace courtyard find each other again in the common room of the Crooked Cockrel. The number of revellers gradually increased during the day, and now the common room is somewhere abouts three quarters full, with people drinking, laughing, and spoiling for a fight. They sit together at a table, alone, but with a common bond. Outside the sky is getting dark, and aside for increasing numbers of City Watch patrolling the street, there has been no further response from the Palace.

[prufock]

Throughout the day at the inn, Chiva does his best to direct those leaving to visit the Hindsight if they want to survive the disasters to come. He bends Rodrick's ear about the Hindsight as well, and asks if he knows anything about them.

Maybe I can't personally rejoin the fold, but perhaps I can still gain favour by directing others to do so, he muses silently, reciting the Hindsight's fourth principle.

He also passes the time with Rodrick (and Zeela, when she joins them), discussing what they can do to stem the coming time of trouble.

[Breton]

Throughout the day at the inn, Chiva does his best to direct those leaving to visit the Hindsight if they want to survive the disasters to come.

OOC: Please can you make a diplomacy roll to represent your day's efforts at convincing people?

[TelinArtho]

Rodrick is disappointed in himself for not being able to do more about the situation, but he does what he can to keep a cheerful smile. As Chiva turns the discussion to Hindsight, he admits he has not heard of them.

Never needed much in my life once things got burned down after all. Places a whole new perspective on things and although I am still very strong believer in Augur, I can't say I have much place in my life for anything more... religious I'd say. Still if it works for you, no qualms from me.

Rodrick does make sure he has the rest of his gear in hand, and busies himself with thoughts about the potential for a water shortage.

Even a drought, the severest of all droughts even, wouldn't likely be enough to get rid of the stores that people have accumulated. Still I think it would bear some good to take a look at what the city has, just to make sure. Maybe even check the waterways and make sure nothing is blocking them.

[prufock]

[roll0]

Chiva feels that he may have pointed some people in the right direction, but only they can decide their own fates.

[Breton]

Over the course of a day's proselytizing, Chiva manages to convince three people to visit the local Hindsight chapter. One was a burly man who carried a sword, another was a wiry man with a moustache and a dagger at his belt. The third was a woman in a courtiers outfit with a wicked gleam in her eye.

For saving 3 lives from the coming catastrophe, the party is awarded 100 experience points each.

OOC: I need to be able to award XP for saving people as it happens, even though it means revealing information. For now don't worry about why some actions seem to save lives while others only sooth souls - you haven't missed anything. Your characters don't know what will befall the people they try to help, but I'm not going to come down hard on metagaming if everything stays plausible.

[prufock]

Remember, though, Chiva replies to Rodrick, that most stored food is dried or salted, not much water in those. A severe heat wave would mean we would all need more water, and water sources would be diminished. Still, it's just one possibility. Hopefully the diviners can learn the truth of it.

Chiva looks around at those diving into their cups. Disaster would appear to be good business for the brewers, at least, laughing loudly at his own joke.

[Breton]

As the party talk over the table, the night wears on. Eventually the room clears of other patrons, the innkeeper sends his serving staff to bed and extinguishes the room's fire and lamps, leaving only a small oil lamp hanging above the party's table to light the room.

Everything's locked up you lot, just turn yer lamp off and set the lock before you turn in or head out. Night! the innkeeper says, heading up the stairs himself.

OOC: If anyone wants to turn in for the night, let me know, and let me know whether you're staying at the inn or going back to somewhere else in the city. Otherwise you can continue to talk over the table. Anyone who does hang around in the common room, or goes outside the inn should make a spot check.

[prufock]

With the conversation moving in circles, and nowhere else to be that night, Chiva bids his companions a good night. Perhaps things will be clearer in the morning. He finds a quiet corner to sit and meditate for a while before he beds down for the night.

In meditation, Chiva's eyes are closed, so spot checks would not apply.

[TelinArtho]

Probably a good idea. Let's see how things are in the morning.

Rodrick agreed and took up his things to his room.

[Solophoenix]

Bidding the others good night, Zeela withdraws from the table, and heads up to her room. Feeling her Elven instincts gently guiding her, she looks for a path to the roof of the inn, from where she, not having to trance for as long as others need to sleep, will sit upon the apex in contemplation of the city around her and the night sky above.


Taking 10 on Climb, if necessary, for a total of 10
Taking 10 on Spot and Listen, for totals of 16 and 15 respectively. Zeela also has low-light vision, if that will factor in.

EDIT: If Zeela is unable to get onto the roof, she will limit her contemplation to a window.