PDA

View Full Version : [PF] Kingmaker IC



Cardea
2016-11-01, 10:53 PM
http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/40767/kingmaker_banner.jpg (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?503294-PF-Kingmaker-OOC&p=21297115#post21297115)



Player
Character
Race
Class
Archetype
Campaign Trait
Notes


Eotyrannus
Cassian Wood (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=948389)
Human
Hunter
Courtly Hunter
Pioneer
Lady Gracious (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=948522)


OracleofSilence
Aedan nic Vasilyev (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=950617)
Half-Elf
Mesmerist
Vexing Daredevil
Bastard



Aldurin
Dimeski Surtova (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=952677)
Half-Elf
Stalker
N/A
Noble Born (Surtova)



Athaleon
Gavril Sokolov (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=951229)
Human
Bard
Chelish Diva
Rostlander



Exthalion
Iremiel Politrophos (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=959233)
Elf
Artificer
N/A
Rostlander




In the Court of Heroes

Hearing about heroes, of their exploits and adventures, is one thing. But to learn from them, to hear from them, the things they accomplished in their lifetime? There's no better ingredient to the mix to make another hero of another generation. Perhaps Cygnus undersold her influence, but even with the keywords, even with the right things said, people were eager to bring you aboard. Too eager. She mentioned political plots long before the official call for explorers to the Greenbelt came, long before the Swordlords began to pass judgement on those they deemed in line with their cause. Others they interviewed, questioned, lay into with probing inquiries. But you? They looked at the letter, nodded, and asked how your day was. And now here you are, on this road, with four other strangers on foot, for the horses loaned to you were taken back as you crossed the border. Who truly decided you could play hero? You? Cygnus? Or someone else, waiting to twist your arm for their own version of heroism?

Devil's Knight Out

The night before you left on horseback, the night you were publicly, "officially", chosen to be one of the few to head to the Greenbelt, you isolated yourself. No family, no friends, no one. Atop a rooftop terrace, overlooking a garden, you ate your dinner in silence, mentally readying yourself for this endeavor. Ten thousand different sword strikes, and you had chosen words as your way to cut. A lifetime of balancing between bloodlines, so you could one day attain an unnoticeable life. But lifetimes of political maneuvering leading to you, and this is when you chose to swing down a hammer. You could have fought it, sure, but the thought of wolves tearing at you as a pack, bears standing double your height and roaring, brigands and cutthroats eyeing you for blood? These things mattered little. Staying here with the act, staying here with the balance, staying here and fading into the annals of dust? That was something to be terrified of.

Patriot Stalker

You weren't necessarily selected, more so drafted and volunteered. By your higher ups, by your blood relations, by the Swordlords, you didn't care, and it didn't matter. Brevoy had given you all the sights it had, and still you desired more. Maybe service abroad would give you sights you can't get here, Maybe give you actual challenges. Doing fine in school is one thing, but you'd never know how good you were unless you were slammed against the real thing. You were overseeing the final provisions, making sure the stipend given was used wisely, double checking it with the other members of your group. An apprentice with a wasp, another noble's outcast, a performer, and an elf stranger than others you've met. These were your allies now, making a hand to grasp the Greenlands.

Saga of the Bard Abroad

Debtors, thieves, political maneuvers, brute tactics, intimidation rackets. Maybe there was some other way to avoid the wrenching of your arm into this fate, some way to free yourself of this shackle, but when it came to, you smiled inwardly. They made the offer, but you put the ball and chain on, lying through your teeth as you solemnly accepted "their" terms. Maybe it was their initial idea, but you were running with it across the country. Gold, land, jewels, lumber, mineral, food. Any number of things laid bare in the Stolen Lands, waiting for someone to reclaim them. Waiting for you to claim them. You might be forced to go, but they'll need to force you to give up anything you find. Its one thing to cross swords with a swordlord, but are you prepared to fight a sword with words, ones of denial and defiance?

Artificial Doorways

Five candles lit in a dark chamber of ember red clay bricks, white chalk outlining spaces and distances around you. This was your study, growing up among the sages and loremasters. Each year you'd draw a new line, noting another doorway you had learned. Its beginning, and when it was lose. Years passed by and the chamber was a spokewheel of dimensional travel, though you yourself had never gone. But one day, you felt a tugging, like something had hooked into your skin and pulled slightly. You alerted your elders, told them what you were experiencing, and they in turn wrote letters. They sent you away, far away, to the land of Brevoy, to join some expedition. There's a gateway across the world, Iremiel, they told you. There's a gateway in the Stolen Lands, a land that no one has grasped, no one has grabbed, in memory. A gateway lies somewhere in there, waking up. It would recognize out blood, so you must go in our place. You must go and see what made it turn its gaze away from the world. As your group travels on, these thoughts expand in your head.

Location: Oleg's

The five of you have spent the past few days and nights traveling, heading to a place known as Oleg's Trading Post. The Swordlords have assured you that there, you'll find a roof over your head, and good, simple meal. The owners are a couple, Oleg, and his wife Svetlana. They've owned and run their Trading Post for several years, and the Swordlords have, again, assured you of what you'll find. After days of travel, you see a building. An old stronghold, a palisade of wood rising up 10 feet, with each corner marked by a 20-foot-square watchtowers. On top of each you can see a catapult. Rounding the stronghold, you find a single, open entrance into the stronghold's palisade. You find the entrance to Oleg's Trading Post.

There are four buildings inside this place. Two to your right, and upon the smaller of the two, a man is hammering away on the roof. To your left are the stables, in which you see one horse. Inbetween the two buildings on your right, however are two benches and table sets, with a small fire between.

As you enter, you see a woman approaching you from the larger building on the right, a cheerful smile on her face. "Yer jes in time, ye are!" She says. "Stew is nice an' warm, jes' like tha bread, and we got a nice bot'le o' wine for ye troubles. Ahm' Svetlana, and ah'd like to thank ye for comin' fer us. Stables are free fer tonight, as per the letter paid fer. Now c'man, we ain' had company like yers in a long while." She waves for you to join her at the benches and tables.

Athaleon
2016-11-02, 01:49 AM
"Oh, excellent!" Gavril grinned widely as he moved to join Svetlana at the table. "A solid roof and a good hot meal again. Has it been only a few days?" He was no pampered dandy, but he was not used to roughing it in the wilderness either, and it must have showed. But where are my manners? I'm Gavril," he introduced himself briskly, "and these are my fellow brave explorers." He stood aside slightly to allow the others to introduce themselves.

OracleofSilence
2016-11-02, 03:32 AM
Aedan moves to the table as well, nodding cordially to Oleg as he passes. "Well, since Gavril decided to start the introductions, you can call me Aedan. And a pleasure to meet you." His smile is beaming and genuine. After all, if there's one thing his time in court had taught him, it was that you should always be nice to the innkeepers and there wives. And besides, for all it's simplicity, the trading post seemed pleasant enough. Certainly better then some of the establishments back in New Stetven.

Eotyrannus
2016-11-02, 07:19 AM
(Activating Focus, +4 Cha to Cassian)
(Current passive Focus: Aspect of the Eagle, +4 Cha to Lady)

A large yet surprisingly slender man joined his comrades, taking a seat with a curteous nod and a warm expression. He moved smoothly, with imperceptible emphasis. "My name is Cassian," he introduced, "and-" -he took a moment to gesture at a giant yet calm wasp, stopped just beside him its shell with a strange luster- "-this is my companion Lady Gracious, excuse her waspishness." The giant wasp curtseyed politely. "If you feel she might disrupt your other customers, she will understand if any reasonable restrictions should be put in place." With that, he left the other two to their own introductions.

Aldurin
2016-11-02, 06:13 PM
Dimeski had kept fairly quiet during the initial journey, reciprocating small talk some but never initiating it. He was more concerned with anticipating the dangers of the road and taking in the soothing sounds of the outdoors. He had also kept quiet about himself, never mentioning his surname. Announcing himself as a Surtova would only mean complications and he had nothing to gain from informing others of his heritage.

When they approached the trading post, Dimeski's demeanor warmed slightly. He liked small places like this, where people took what they had and made it something they could proudly call their own, and appreciated those with the persistence to survive away from the cities. "Thank you for the hospitality. There isn't as much of it out on these roads as we'd like." Dimeski said after Svetlana made her greetings. "I'm Dimeski, served in Brevoy's scouting division before this assignment. How's the wilderness in these parts been treating you?"

Exthalion
2016-11-04, 04:19 PM
The hooded elf nodded politely, adding a short "I go by Rem." Before the goodwife could get to answering Dimeski's question. On the road his primary contribution had been to keep all equipment in good repair, fixing the thousand little scuff and cracks anything accumulated on the road.

"May I lend a hand with the roof?"

His traveling companions could handle the conversation well enough without him. He could add a few words here and there, but would do little to build a good opinion or charm favors. But working, given a free hand to examine the place, and he would learn a host of little things about these people. Some of them that the couple couldn't have articulated aloud if they had tried. So much of life could not be put into words, or at least into words anyone knew how to speak...

Cardea
2016-11-07, 10:24 AM
"Like @#*!, lad!" The man on the roof hollers, his voice old and gruff, the age in his being now apparent. The woman's smile waivers a bit, but stays there. "Oh, don't mind him none. He's naught but an old dog barkin' at a new face." She curtsies as much as she can, with her old bones and age halting her movement, giggling like a schoolgirl, to Lady Gracious. As you all sit down, true to her word, Svetlana brings out a thick stew. Beef hunks, radishes, carrots, onions. She gets help from one of you with a small cask of ale, covered in dust, but she brings out two loaves of bread as a follow-up.

Oleg comes down from the roof, and shakes his head at the elf. "Don't be needin' no help no how with the roof, son. What I need is your hand in what we've got. I need to know what you plan to do with the bandits."

Eotyrannus
2016-11-07, 11:50 AM
Cassian, being the largest one there, assists the woman as she brings the ale in. The old man starts talking as he hauls it onto the table- he listens intently as Lady Gracious begins picking out the meat chunks from his serving of stew. "Bandits, you say?" he asks. "It's such a shame that men do such things to each other... But they are hunters of men, and we must hunt them right back." He pauses for a moment, thinking. "We'll need to consult with ourselves to figure out our tactics, but the more information we get, the more we can assist in the matter."

Lady Gracious taps the table lightly with a forelimb, giving him a look. "...Though I doubt the exact details should be explained at the table," he says, conceding the point. "The gist of it, could you kindly?"

Athaleon
2016-11-08, 07:31 PM
Gavril's ingratiating smile disappeared at the mention of bandits. He knew they'd be out here, of course, but that didn't mean he relished the thought of facing them in person. "Hunt them right back is all you can do with that lot. Banditry only gets popular when people forget the occupational hazards," he said bitterly.

Aldurin
2016-11-08, 09:18 PM
Dimeski listens to the others talk over the supper of stew, eating his fill before speaking. "I'm willing to deal with the local bandit problem. Once I have some more details I'll take a look around the trading post to see what I can get of their tactics, which will help with formulating a plan. What will be most useful to me are how many of these bandits you've seen at once, how they've attacked and how recent their last raid was."

Exthalion
2016-11-09, 04:21 AM
The woman had asked about what the group would do prior to informing the of the problem. Either the nature of the problem was implicit in the question, doubtful given the numerous and obvious followup questions, or she had assumed they already knew. Which meant there might be more things they were supposed to know but apparently did.

"Why did you think we would already be aware of the bandit situation? What else are you expecting?"

OracleofSilence
2016-11-12, 04:40 PM
"Well, we may not have been given the details, but clearing the area of bandits is in our charter. And of course, even if it were not, it would be the proper punishment for their crimes regardless."

But then again, of course the Swordlords wouldn't offer details about the local situation. Even if they knew, it seemed unlikely that they would care much.

Cardea
2016-11-13, 09:24 AM
"Those gods damned..." Oleg says, in disbelief. He screams, and throws his hammer across the keep, and it makes a dull thud as it hits a wall. "So you ain't here to help us out, none of you are. You're here for the Swordlords to just, to just pry and take away and chip at the land, is that it? We be sendin' letters, lads. Three months now, we be sendin' letters to your gods damned Swordlords, askin' for help with these damned thievin' rats, and the first people they send aren't even here for us?" He takes a seat on the bench next to Svetlana, head down, hands on his head. Svetlana puts her hand on Oleg's back, and he seems to calm down, and he takes her hand in his.

"Ah'm sorry 'bout him. This ain' been no recent trouble, and it ain' been nothin' small. They be comin' fer t'ree months now. The first time was a threat to burn down all we ownin', and takin' me wit' em. We had to give all our furs and herbs and stock jes ta get them a leave. And that weren't no good for them, no. They come, second o' the month, jes an hour after sunrirse. They come, we hav' to trade 'em what we got. First time they came, there was a wee lass who makin' threats over what her men'd do ta me. Took the ring Oleg gave me." On her hand, you can see that on her wedding hand, there is a piece of twine tied where a ring would rest.

Oleg speaks now, raising his head, considerably calmer, but still angry. "Twelve came first. Ten men, one hooded man, and that damned woman of theirs. Next there was only six, and the hooded man, and then four, and the hooded man. They got bows and horses aplenty. They never pack for long distances, so they're somewhere in the Green. Maybe a day or two away."

Aldurin
2016-11-13, 09:46 AM
Upon finishing his food, Dimeski stands. "They show up with a smaller force each time? Might be confident, leaving some behind. There might also be conflict among them, division of the loot and such, that is prompting them to have a smaller group. I'm going to take a look outside and see if I can find any more information. If we can learn their movements, then we should be able to deal with them easily." He leaves and begins examining the ground outside of the walls, looking for tracks and studying the terrain.

Perception [roll0] to try to spot tracks or any other relevant clues about the bandits.
Knowledge: Nature [roll1] to find any clues about the surrounding wilderness that would help indicate the route that the bandits take.
Stealth [roll2] just in case

Athaleon
2016-11-14, 01:38 AM
"Don't call it trading, ma'am," Gavril sighed. "The way I see it, we're going to have to deal with these bandits at some point or another. If they're due in the next day or two, what say we ambush the few they send, and have them give us information on the rest?"

Eotyrannus
2016-11-16, 11:21 AM
"How would we stock such an ambush, so they would not escape?" Cassian questioned, humming in thought. "I may be able to assist with that- in my learning of the least spirits of plants, I've figured a way to prompt them to clutch and grasp- but it is unlikely that all would be restrained for as long as is needed. Though," he considered, "if we would be able to plant a few thorn-bushes around the meeting-spot..."

He pauses for a moment as Lady passes over his serving with her jaws, the meat chunks gathered onto a small bowl of her own. "Irimiel," he asks, "would you be able to prepare anything in addition to that?"

Exthalion
2016-11-18, 12:26 AM
"Only so we consider all options, what if we allow them to take what they wish but lace the edibles with some long-onset poison? I have heard their are mushrooms with such an effect."

Athaleon
2016-11-18, 07:52 PM
"Do the bandits actually come into the fort? If so, it'd be as easy as shutting the gate on 'em. Showing them they're trapped and outnumbered might even be enough on its own." Gavril suggested.

Cardea
2016-11-21, 01:18 PM
Perception: There are tracks, but none are distinct. The freshest are from your group, but dozens and dozens of others are beneath them, much older.

"Aye, they do. Threaten us with their weapons, arrows, swords." Oleg says, nodding. "The gate needs about two people to shut it quickly on good days, so not sure if that'd be somethin' to consider."

Athaleon
2016-11-23, 03:16 AM
Gavril frowned at the news. "At least it's something to think about. Hmm. I can point a pike but, I'll be the first to admit, I'm no expert in these matters. If my companions believe they can intercept the bandits in the field, before or after they show up here, I will follow their lead. But let's have a try at that gate and see how hard they actually are for us to shut."