[IC] Map & Compass

[faircoin]

Everyone

It was midnight, five nights before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The sky above the glade was clear, and a cool, gentle breeze would periodically rustle the needles of the evergreen pines. There was a lake, its surface still and mirror-like, reflecting the moon and the stars above.

In the middle of the glade, by the lake, was a large bonfire. It burned brightly in the night.

A woman stood by the bonfire, admiring the scenery. Her black hair was tied into a practical bun. She was dressed in a cloak. She was leaning on a greatsword.

This was her. Case Officer Isolde of the Special Warfare branch. Her facial features were consistent with General Nathaniel's description.

The player characters enter here.

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

Hmm, the government, she thinks as she moves briskly through the forest. She stops and picks fragments of dead pine branches from her hair; she can barely see her flame-red forelock. The smell of this place; moist earth, open air, and the enclosing fragrance of the pines. A nice change of pace from her usual city haunts.

Her feelings are mixed. The project she was part of saved her from the gods only know of street life. She received skills, purpose, and a will to live for herself. But, intellectually, she knows they used her, abused her, and then, when things started to fall apart, they tried to get rid of her for good.

I owe them no favors, she thinks.

She smells something on the breeze. Smoke.

Hard-learned caution and training kick in. In an instant, she is airborne, dozens of feet above the ground, leaping through the canopy. She approaches the site of the bonfire cautiously, well out of sight of the casual observer.

Spoiler

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Darsha expends a use of ki power to activate levitate, as per Leaping Dragon, duration six minutes. She takes 10 on Jump checks (total 32), and makes her way through the air, 30' above the ground (or however high she needs to be to be able to Hide among the trees). Hide check = +17= (1d20+17)[24].

Reaching the clearing, she confirms the identity of the contact with a sleight twinge of disappointment. Such a night...perfect for a fight, she thinks, admiring the flickering shadows cast by the flames as they leap up into the night.

But she banishes the thought from her mind, and sets about observing the terrain from her perch. She watches and listens for any other arrivals.

Spoiler

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Spot- take 10= 20, Listen- take 10= 21.

When her power's duration expires, she falls gracefully to the ground. Without moving from that spot, she ceases the effort of hiding, pushing back her cowl, the folds of her midnight blue monk robes blending in with the darkness.

She silently awaits for what may come, shuriken in hand, watching the dancing flames reflected in its metallic surface.

[TiaC]

A tall man walks through the forest. His draconic appearance and wings mark him as a member of The Order of the Scale, defenders of the realm. His transformation left him with eyebrows and a beard on his chin, making his face reminiscent of a Gold dragon's. He walks with confidence, assured that he has nothing to fear and nothing to hide.

'It has been some time since I have followed another's commands, but this seems to be a good cause.' He thinks back on his last year of travels and the many evils he has seen. Still, this stood out, for a man tasked with the protection of his people to order a massacre, it was an abomination.

As he enters the clearing, he greets the one awaiting him with a hand over his chest and a shallow bow. "Greetings, Case Officer, I am Eldric Iberhardt, Knight Captain of the Order of The Scale. I have responded to General Nathaniel's summons and offer you my aid. I stand ready to hunt down this fugitive who has committed crimes against decency." Despite his ordered and militaristic speech, his eyes flash with anger at the mention of Lord Damsev.

Spoiler

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Diplomacy:(1d20+20)[30]

[DanteTheDragon]

Bachus walked through the forest wondering to himself about what the future will bring. Hed been through many hardships, many battles, and his body had shown examples of these things time and time again, scars running across his chest back and stomach, but surprisingly he did not have any across his arms.

Hed been cut and wounded many a time on his arms from blades and weapons of all shapes and sizes, even catching an arrow once clean through the muscle but none of these ever left a scar. His arms looked untouched and the tattoos had never been ruined. He never questioned this assuming It was a gift that his mother added to his tattoos when he was a young child. But even more so than the ability to remove the scars on his arms he was grateful that he had them because they where the only thing he had left to remind him of his mother, well that and his little sister. She look so much like her.

Snapping back to reality he kept going searching for signs to lead him to the meeting place. He wasnt told where the meeting place was going to be...well not exactly. They had written it down on a piece of paper for him but he never had the opportunity to tell him that he was never taught how to read.

So here he was following there trail and wondering how dangerous this 'Lord' Damsev would be to find acquire and bring back to the city. He heard the risks where great but the potential rewards where also great, and if there was anything he could do to give his little sister a better life hed do it in a heart beat.

Spoiler

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Tracking the others to the meeting place
(1D20+13)[14]
edit: Omg a natural 1 XD i knew i should have taken ten but i told myself nooo id rather toll. thatll teach me lol.

It wasnt difficult following them at all, they weren't really trying to hide there presence all that much, It unnerved him a little simply because of the thought that someone may be trying to do this to him in the future if he stayed on this job.

Finally making it to the clearing with the bonfire, Bachus looked around

Spoiler

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In case they are being watched
(1D20+4)[18]

then acknowledged His case officer with a bow of respect simply saying My name is Bachus, Its a pleasure to meet you miss. I apologize for being late....complications arose. He then removed his travelers cape folding it as he sat down on a nearby log adjusting his greatsword as he did so. He made very sure that he took care of it and cleaned and polished it often, It was very special to him and it was polished enough to reflect the campfire light brightly. He looked around at the others waiting for Officer Isolde to begin to brief them on there job.

[NM020110]

Resting on a tree branch above the clearing, optical camouflage active to prevent accidents, Nitori wrote.

Spoiler: scroll

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Spoiler: note

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This is written in a constructed language shared by Rika and Nitori. You'll want a decipher script roll if you're somehow reading this.

It looks like the group is getting together here. There's the case officer, an Order of the Scale member, and a tattooed man with a greatsword so far.

Rolling up the scroll and placing it in her hard leather scrollcase, Nitori turned to look more closely over the assembled.

So far, this wasn't looking like it would be a stealth mission.

Spoiler: rolls

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Hide: Take 10: 12+40(invisible)=52.
Move Silently: Covered by silence effect.

[BassWalker]

The gargantuan of a man waded through the forest, gliding with ease through the trees despite his size and moving towards the bright point of light that was the nearby bonfire. This man was Van'Baelrah, guardian of these natural lands and true ascetic if ever there were one.

Taking no effort to be as... stealthy as any others, the Half-Ogre's bulk broke the treeline with little fanfare. His long muzzle bothered with no words as it looked over those who had gathered, pale orchid eyes glinting eerily in the flickering light. In his hand was a simple staff, though it looked as though it were nothing more than a felled sapling, if not a branch taken off a tree; tied to it was a large cloth sack, but there were no contents within to speak of. He stayed some distance from the fire, blocking it from his view with a palm for it strained his eyes.

"G'evening," He spoke in a gruff, low voice and nodded his head to each that was present, even the red-haired woman a short distance away.

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

Ah, teammates, she thinks to herself. Like a good ol' song, but one that's been played too often; just when you think you've gotten rid of it for good, it pops back into your head unbidden, only to drive you mad.

She steps forward out of the shadows, her small form moving gracefully.

"When it's necessary to address me, I answer to 'Darsha.'" She makes a point of looking into the elevated eyeline of the tall men that surround her. "Only 'Darsha.' I'd rather appreciate it if you didn't make a habit of speaking to me in the first place." She casts her gaze in the direction of the tree where Nitori is perched.

Spoiler

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Unless there is a reason for her to have it down, Darsha's blndsense is always up. Range 30', but it's not defeated by silence. I'm totally unclear on the interaction of the abilities that Nitori is using, but Darsha can probably tell that there is a gap between what she "sees" and hears from Nitori's direction. We should iron that out, as it's always nice to have a stealth technique that allies can bypass, but enemies can't.

It's not clear if it's just tall men in particular that don't scare her, but she certainly is not even fazed by her new teammates.

[NM020110]

Spoiler: ability interactions

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The Optical Camouflage currently projects an illusion removing Nitori from the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste(you never know...) while she is within five feet of it. Since you have a sense that isn't covered by the illusion, you can make a DC 52 skill check against each component using the relevant skills once per day, with a +5 bonus for every sense you have that isn't covered and you can detect with.

If you do manage to beat the illusion, you can switch it on or off as a free action; it's like an optical illusion at that point.

If you didn't have your extra sense, there wouldn't be an issue here.

Well someone is observant. I'll have to find out how she saw though the Camouflage later, but for now...well, let's send this message off first then join in.

As the Camouflage deactivates, a girl fades into view approximately twenty feet up the tree. She is dressed in a rather blue dress with a green hat. As she turns she drops a quill into one of her many pockets, despite the quill being rather larger than said pocket.

"Kawashiro Nitori, at your service!"

Nitori doesn't drop down to join the group, but does lean forward to look interested.

[DanteTheDragon]

Noticing the Half-Ogres predicament, Bachus scooted over removing his greatsword he began looking it over making sure it was in it's best condition. It looks like im going to need new leather for the handle it's starting to tear a little on the edges. It should last a month or so though Taking out his things he began the process of caring for the edge of his blade making sure it was sharp enough to cleave and slice but not sharp enough to break apart and chip if hit to hard.

Motioning to him to take a seat he said Here you can look behind us into the forest and listen to the conversation, better than holding your hand in front of your face through the whole thing and It's safer this way.

[BassWalker]

"Thank you," Again, his gruff voice broke the night air. After a moment spent blinking, he lowered the hand to reveal that his eyes had lost some of the yellow gleam from their centers. "I prefer to stand."

[faircoin]

Darsha Emberstorm, Kawashiro Nitori, Van'Baelrah, Eldric Iberhardt, and Bachus

Spoiler: Darsha Emberstorm

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Your spot and listen rolls do not catch anything that you cannot already see or hear.

Spoiler: Bachus

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Your spot roll does not catch anything that you cannot already see.

Isolde turned to face the arrivals and looked over each of them. "Well," she said, "let's delay introductions for now. We're still waiting on one person. It's uncanny you all arrived at nearly the same time."

She inhaled and exhaled. "Beautiful view, isn't it? Travelers don't often come here; it's too remote. The bonfire's been attracting animals all night, though. Foxes, rabbits, wildcats. The like."

She adjusted the clip holding her hair in a bun. "If you have any questions before we begin, now's the time to ask."

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

"What exactly are the terms of our employment?" she asks the instant Isolde opens it up for questions. "When do we get paid? Any conditions? Do we get to keep the loot? Are there any other goals aside from the capture of the target? Is his condition upon delivery important?"

Darsha looks at Isolde with piercing gaze, trying to gauge the intelligence of the case officer with the flurry of questions.

"And the view is nice; makes me wish I could see more of it," she adds in a more subdued tone before Isolde can respond.

[faircoin]

Darsha Emberstorm, Kawashiro Nitori, Van'Baelrah, Eldric Iberhardt, and Bachus

"It's best to discuss these subjects when everyone's arrived," said Isolde. "For now, I'm able to answer questions not task-related."

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

"Then what is your favorite color? Your favorite drink? What is it that everyone sees in greatswords? Are you seeing someone at the moment, or otherwise spoken for?"

Whoa, Darsha thinks. Where'd that last one come from?

Still aiming to judge Isolde's intellect, Darsha had intended to rattle off some random inquiries. Sometimes the randomness of her subconscious really troubled her.

She brushes her forelock out of her eyes, and stares into the fire; biting her lip, suddenly nervous, she half hopes that Isolde won't answer.

[TiaC]

Eldric blinks, thrown for a moment by that last question. 'For one who does not wish to be spoken to, she certainly asks a lot of questions.' he thinks.

He then asks a question of his own "Why was this chosen as our meeting place? It can't be just for the view, beautiful as it is."

[DanteTheDragon]

What is it that everyone sees in greatswords?

Bachus chuckled a little at her questions as he continued with his work. You will see given time small one. It may not be what you expect to be but in the right hands most anything can fall to a Greatsword and if not then you either get magic or run away.

I don't know if you have or have not been in a war though looking up at her briefly you dont look like you have been in one from the way you are equipped but Greatswords especially ones that are well made have been know to cleave through armor and bone very easily. Other blades tend to rupture and break apart if you try that with them.

Shivering a little to himself he quieted down. Remembering about war was never a good thing and it showed at times.

[Pseudo_Nym]

SELEMYR

An elderly elf runs in, thin to the point of malnurishment, looking rather winded from the exertion. Within moments, he recovers and straightens himself, looking around the group. His skin is gray as ash. His clothing is dark, including a black and silver cloak, and he wears a silver crown. His eyes twinkle kindly.

"Not too late, I hope? Had a little trouble finding the place. Demons are terrible with directions; I'll ask a devil next time." He gives a friendly smile. "Name's Sel." He bows dramatically, then starts to look serious. "What'd I miss?"

[DanteTheDragon]

looking over the man What a thin creature. He should eat more it looks like hed break with a stiff enough wind. Bachus started putting his equipment away he was done making sure it was alright for the most part and it would be rude to make to much noise among the talking. Shiething his sword and placing it back on its resting place leaning by the tree he said. You didnt miss much, we had decided to wait upon your arrival. We can begin now i asssume.

[BassWalker]

"Aye," Van'Baelrah nodded in agreement, also looking in bewilderment at the Elf's frail appearance. To the woman, "If I may, 'less there is another yet to arrive, what all does this task entail? I don' imagine that we were told everythin'."

[faircoin]

Everyone

"Then what is your favorite color? Your favorite drink? What is it that everyone sees in greatswords? Are you seeing someone at the moment, or otherwise spoken for?"

Isolde stared at Darsha. She said, "Uh, one at a time. Let's see. My favorite color is blue. My favorite drink is hot chocolate. I don't know what others see in greatswords, but with Parierhaken the greatsword is effective against pikes, which are generally overused in contemporary militaries."

She ignored Darsha's last question with a lopsided smile.

~~~~~~~~

"Why was this chosen as our meeting place? It can't be just for the view, beautiful as it is."

"Lord Damsev's scouts are numerous," said Isolde. "But here—I don't think the scouts know of this place. The pines will cover the light of the bonfire from afar. Not that being spotted is necessarily dangerous; we look like adventurers as is. But it's best we avoid attention whenever possible."

~~~~~~~~

I don't know if you have or have not been in a war though. You dont look like you have been in one from the way you are equipped but Greatswords especially ones that are well made have been know to cleave through armor and bone very easily. Other blades tend to rupture and break apart if you try that with them.

"I'm always willing to discuss combat theory," said Isolde, "but now's not the time."

~~~~~~~~

"Not too late, I hope? Had a little trouble finding the place. Demons are terrible with directions; I'll ask a devil next time. Name's Sel. What'd I miss?"

"You're not late," said Isolde. "Nor did you miss anything important."

~~~~~~~~

"If I may, 'less there is another yet to arrive, what all does this task entail? I don' imagine that we were told everythin'."

Isolde looked around. Addressing everyone, she said, "Alright, I think we're ready to begin. Listen up. General Nathaniel probably told you who I am. I am Case Officer Isolde. You all come highly recommended for your talents, so it's probably unnecessary for me to walk you through training. Our task is to bring Lord Damsev back to the capital to face trial for his crimes. Failing that, we may execute him on the spot. As a personal preference, I'd like to avoid the latter, but if it's unavoidable, I understand.

"Lord Damsev is a capable warrior and a veteran of many battles, but this shouldn't be a problem, since presumably most of us are also competent and experienced. What worries me is our lack of information. We know very little of Lord Damsev currently. We don't know Castle Arbhun's security detail. We don't know where Lord Damsev is hiding. We don't know how loyal his people are to him. We don't know much of anything about him or his situation. We are effectively walking in blind.

"What we do know is that, historically, Lord Damsev has always been present at Hewick's Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. Whether he shows up this time is anyone's guess. As Case Officer, I will be running communications with the Imperial Army in Cantal. Stay in contact. When you have secured or killed Lord Damsev, return to this glade. You will be paid, in total, a sum of nine hundred platinum, and six bags of holding to carry the coins.

"One question I'll answer preemptively, as I'm sure it'll be asked, is why we know so little of Lord Damsev. The Imperial Institute for Intelligence has never considered him of any importance, and with such short notice since Lord Damsev's descent into war criminal status, they have not been able to develop any agents in the Hewick or Castle Arbhun region. We are, in fact, the first—you can consider us the first agents in this region. That aside, even through magic we're not able to learn much of Lord Damsev. The Institute for Intelligence's divination specialists tell me that Lord Damsev is protected against divinations.

"That's it. If you've any task-related questions, ask them now."

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

So, research, recon, and capture or kill, she thinks. Sounds suspiciously straightforward.

Swallowing her embarrassment, Darsha forges ahead.

"So, you addressed payment," she says to Isolde. "What about loot? Will Lord Damsev's lands and possessions be forfeit to the state, or may we have first pick of the lot?"

She begins to circle the bonfire slowly, standing perilously close to its edge. The pain from the heat...the chill of the breeze. A study in contrasts. She takes the opportunity to get an up-close look at her companions in the firelight as she listens to Isolde's reply.

[TiaC]

Eldric asks "If he remains in his castle, why is an army not being sent against him? A small force such as this can hunt a fugitive, but will find it difficult to fell a castle."

[faircoin]

Everyone

"What about loot? Will Lord Damsev's lands and possessions be forfeit to the state, or may we have first pick of the lot?"

"You understand," said Isolde, "there are no conventions in our field of work. Legally, what I suspect may happen is that, if and when Lord Damsev faces trial, his regent will temporarily take his place as ruler. Then, if and when Lord Damsev is executed, his eldest son will inherit Castle Arbhun and the title of Baron. With the passing of Lord Damsev's leadership, so goes his property and possessions. Contrary to popular belief, working as clandestine agents for the Special Warfare branch does not give us a blank check to commit crimes, which means it would technically be illegal for us to 'loot'. That said, the Military Court has always turned a blind eye to our activities. I can't draw a line at how much 'looting' is appropriate, but if you don't do it too much, you won't be punished."

~~~~~~~~

"If he remains in his castle, why is an army not being sent against him? A small force such as this can hunt a fugitive, but will find it difficult to fell a castle."

"Indeed," said Isolde, "if the Imperial Council had instead sent a dreadnought to Arbhun and demanded that Lord Damsev be handed over, even his most loyal knights would unhesitatingly comply. However, to march into a vassal's territory with the Imperial Army would show, among other things, internal instability. This would be a less-than-optimal outcome. It's best done covertly, with Lord Damsev quietly removed from his seat of power."

[Pseudo_Nym]

Selemyr smiles. Between not being late, dealing with professionals, and hearing no objections to his casual mention of fiendbinding, he has reason to. He chuckles, not unkindly, at the armored man's question. To Isolde's reply, he adds, "It's politics, boy. Swore I'd never get mixed up in them, but this is a special case."

He turns to Isolde. "What's our timetable look like? The faster we move the better, of course, but are we being hired to spend a week on reconnaissance and another on setting a trap, or just to run in blind and... improvise?" He puts a funny kind of emphasis on the last word. One might get the impression his "improvisations" tend to end in large amounts of fire.

[BassWalker]

Van'Baelrah nodded occassionally as he listened to the woman speak of their task. He couldn't help but to feel a bit of contempt for the red-haired one's questions of looting and fortune, but that couldn't be helped. Such trivialities and work such as this attracted the type, after all.

"Pardon me, Draconic one," He spoke to the one known as Eldric. "But I think we can use the festival. If this Lord is to attend, then we can take him without trouble. And without stormin' a castle." He looked at the woman Knight again. "Or am I mistaken about a detail?"

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

Isolde seems quite knowledgeable about this brand of covert work, Darsha thinks with a slight smile. Bodes well.

And she could hardly complain about the "policy" on looting.

Still pacing around the fire, she begins to form impressions of the mannerisms and personalities of her companions. The better with which to allow predictions of their early performance capabilities and tendencies.

At the mention of a move to action and "improvisation" by the pale elf, Darsha sighs loudly. Improvisation, she thinks. Ah, mmm. A warm, fuzzy feeling fills her at the thought of recklessly running in, flying by the seat of her pants, and somehow, against all odds, surviving and succeeding.

She mentally pinches herself. And does a quick backflip to focus her nerves.

[faircoin]

Everyone

"What's our timetable look like? The faster we move the better, of course, but are we being hired to spend a week on reconnaissance and another on setting a trap, or just to run in blind and... improvise?"

Isolde said, "Unfortunately, I don't think even the Imperial Council knows how long they're willing to put up with this sort of covert action. On a whim, they might decide to drop us tomorrow. Or perhaps they won't mind us working here for a year (I certainly hope we don't have to, though). These are the kinds of bureaucratic uncertainties inherent in this line of work."

~~~~~~~~

"Or am I mistaken about a detail?"

"Strictly speaking," said Isolde, "we don't know if Lord Damsev will be attending the upcoming Festival celebrations. All we know is that he has consistently attended them in the past."

[Phelix-Mu]

Darsha

"Either way," she chimes in with the big one, "the festival will be an excellent venue for gathering info. Large amounts of drink. Widespread time away from work obligations. Lots of non-judgmental strangers to complain to. Tongues will wag."

Teammates usually slowed down her tempo. But with such a wide-ranging group, maybe there will be operational gaps big enough for her to do her normal schtick and get away with it.

[BassWalker]

"It's best to assume his habits will hold, then." Van'Baelrah spoke slowly, his eyes distant as he thought. "If nothin' else, breakin' our way into the castle is a better back-up plan than none."

[NM020110]

So, plan one seems to be to gab him while he's in public. Plan two is to storm the fort...right, neither option seems optimal. That fair is a publicly known vulnerability, so he'd be foolish not to have traps in place.

Well, let's float a few ideas...

Nitori draws two coins with identical markings, and flicks one across the clearing. When it reaches the ground, Nitori teleports to it.

"Given enough time, we could probably corner him, and given enough luck we could probably defeat him at the fair despite any traps that might be present. Might I suggest a third idea of luring him away from the majority of his guards, say for a business transaction?

"Also, regarding payment, might I request to provide my own method for transport of the platinum? If I'm remembering right, a proper bag of holding goes for 250 platinum at minimum, which would nearly be enough funding to commission a generator with. Certainly a good start towards making a personal flightpack."