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Excalibur: a NeoGAF Pathfinder Play by Post Campaign

K

KittenMaster

Member
Draco will join Dreadstone where he is holding up a stranger in the home. Whoever he is, he hesitate to follow Dreadstone's instructions.. before finally his head trembles in a shaking of it.

<People downstairs, roll perception, then stealth>
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
Code: 
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=76465]Perception: 1D20 + 5 = [6]+5 = 11
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=76466]Stealth: 1D20 +1 = [17]+1 = 18
[/url]
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
For once, Tiberius will be able to hear the noise from outside and be able to find a quick bit of cover to get behind. He hears something along the lines of, "Biggins! Frink! Where are.... ... to escort...." but his voice got more level after the names were yelled.

Soon the front door is unlocked with a click, and a man, you can assume to be Charles and was seen at the thief ambush, enters in. Nearly instantly after he mutters, "Where are those two..," his face darts over to Thaddeus with a shooting glare.
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
((Gotcha. Not sure if he's standing close enough for a signature move, so Tiberious will just initiate a normal grapple))

The moment Charles turns his eyes towards Thaddeus, Tiberious springs into action, grabbing him from behind and pressing him into the nearest wall.
Code: 
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=76477]Grapple: 1D20 + 19 = [14]+19 = 33
[/url]
"Your main guards have already been taken care of. I wouldn't try anything if I were you. Besides, we have someone you'd be interested in seeing. Come along without trying to fight and this will end a lot better for you."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
Charles grunts soon after his face is slammed against the wall. He manages to speak with a disgruntled and almost mangled tone, "I see the guild hasn't cut your balls off because it takes some damn huge ones to come back here!"

As soon as it registers in her head what was just done to her brother, Lovegood steps forward, yelling loudly, "Don't! Don't hurt him! Please don't hurt my brother!!

At that moment the man's demeanor changes with genuine surprise, "Rosina is alive!?"
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
Tiberious smirks at his change of expression and says "See? I told you you'd be interested, feeling more cooperative now?"

Looking up at Lovegood, he says "Don't worry, I haven't harmed him at all, I'm just keeping him from lashing out for the moment."
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
"Yes, your sister is alive," says Thaddeus. "And it is true - your guards have been neutralized. You must be made to answer for your crimes."

He steps closer to the restrained man. "This does not have to end in bloodshed, however. Perhaps if you were to clue us in to the whereabouts of a woman known as Excalibur, we might be persuaded to exercise leniency on you. The more information you're willing to provide, the better things will go for you."

Diplomacy check (1d20+16=33)
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
His head shifts against the plaster of the wall, "Excalibur...? I have no idea what you're talking about." Of course, you already know he is lying. He tries to bargain, "If you want revenge, fine, but leave my sister alive and free to live her life and career."
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
Dreadstone hustles the cook ((because that's who I assume that he is)) down the stairs and releases him with one of these numbers.

watching-you-gif.gif

((Lemme know if I need to roll intimidate to make sure the cook just stays put and doesn't do anything stupid))

"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for deals, Charles," Dreadstone says. "This is larger than just you an' us now. You're comin' with us, whether you like it or not, it's just a question of how good'a shape you want t'make the trip in."

Code: 
Intimidate check: 1d20+15=34
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
The cook scuttles away, "Don't hurt me! I don't know what is going on here!" If allowed, he'll find his way into a corner.

As the pot in the kitchen begins to tremor under its excessive pressure, Charles takes a deep breath, "Fine! Fine! I'll tell you what you want only if you let Rosina go."
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
"You'll notice that Rosina is not restrained," Thaddeus says calmly. "She is free to go. Now, please start talking."

He casts Zone of Truth, centered on Tiberius.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
He looks over to his sister, "Then run. Run as fast as you can. If they stay true to their word, they won't grab you."

Lovegood hesitates, "Will I be able to see you again, brother?"

Charles attempts to say something, but his mouth freezes and stutters.. the power of the zone of truth denies him the word he truly wishes he wants to say.. finally, he is forced to let out a "No.. But I thought I wouldn't have gotten to see you once more... Now run!"


Do you allow Lovegood to escape?
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
Thaddeus stays true to his word and doesn't stop her. If she chooses to go out the front door into town, though, he'll look visibly worried.
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
Dreadstone makes no move to stop her, but calls out, "You're safer with us than without. Excalibur has pinned her slander of us on yer murder, and she don't seem the type t'allow inconsistencies in the story to surface."

((16 on diplomacy. Maaaan, all those ranks of intimidate, but nothing for playing nice.))
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
Suddenly, Charles is quick to correct, "Excalibur doesn't kill unless it's a war! The slandering of your 'good' names was all my doing, I had no intention of telling her about it until you were all dead."
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
Tiberious makes no moves towards Lovegood either. He doesn't want to ruin Thaddeus's word, and as he sees it, she doesn't exactly have anywhere to run to. One thing Charles says catches his ear though.

"So, the character assassination stuff was all you? If that's true, it's within your power to undo that particular campaign, isn't it? I don't have much reason to hurt you myself, and if you can do that, it may bring around some of the others too. I told Lovegood this could all end with you both walking away, and while I didn't really believe that, you just might be able to make it happen."
 
D

DeadPhoenix

Member
"On the other hand, I feel I have a lot of reasons to hurt you, so I'm gonna need a bit more then just a promise you will stop telling people we are bad guys."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
"Apparently word of your arrest in Alydar has been spreading.. and without me, the Guild won't care about what Excalibur wants concerning you or anything else.
 
D

DeadPhoenix

Member
"Yes, that is in large art why you are not already dead. And if we are going to keep it that way, you should probably start talking. Preferably about something we don't already know this time."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<By now Lovegood should have been running out of the door, I really shouldn't have tried to wait on Thaddeus to post first before the questioning started.>
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<Sorry, Thadds, I'm gonna go ahead and let Lovegood leave so I can continue on uninterrupted.>

At 'no', the young girl's face immediately breaks up, and swells into a stream of tears.. As she is commanded to run, she does so, bolting out of the front door to escape your presence.

---

Once Lovegood is gone, the man looks downtrodden with feeling of his own.. He states, "I had put my own sister up to being the bait for a trap... and with the information I am about to give you in exchange for her life.. I will have betrayed Excalibur.. and with my capture, I am as good as dead at the hands of the thieves."

Knowing that his life is about to come to an end regardless of the hand that does it, he begins, "Excalibur couldn't have become a general without me. I forged papers, tampered with orders, adjusted protocol.. just to get the brass to favor her as much as possible. Had she been a man, she would be leading the army right now, but the Keep is skeptical of women as soldiers.." He gives the others a knowing look, "Just as they are of Drow and Tieflings."

"Excalibur's army is a guerrilla warfare operation.. they have many tunnels and bases they've dug up to establish position to attack from below, but many of those are built independent of the main underground lair that serves as their home and are often abandoned once the Keep becomes aware or are no longer needed. Only one location offers access to where you can go deep enough underground to navigate to their base.."

"In Iron Keep mountain, there is a near endless tunnel that leads through the entire land mass, and where a river runs through. I can't tell you the exact location, but somewhere in there is a tower that they had built to go deeper into the ground from there.. and from the bottom of that tower, you must travel the entire country under the vast underground to get to where they are at: underneath Wormwood."

"The reason they had built a tower in that mountain is simple.. nobody dares to expore the vast darkness out of fear of starvation and becoming lost, but the Drow had mastered that environment already. That.. and the mountain leads straight into Ruby Keep."
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
Tiberious loosens his grip on Charles, but doesn't release him just yet.

"So, we just need to go underground, travel across the continent to a tower, and then stop Excalibur and her army? Sounds fun!"

Tiberious then looks to Dreadstone and says "Should we take him with us? Dorthlene mentioned wanted to see him, and at this point that might be less mean than leaving him to the thieves."
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
((I actually posted that I would let her go, you must have just overlooked it. All good :) ))

Thaddeus scratches his chin. "Well, he believes what he's saying," he says. "Some are capable of resisting a Zone of Truth, but his failure to do so toward his sister shows that he is not."

He thinks on it for a moment. "I suppose the pertinent question is what to do now. We're short a water ring, and.... Oh, damn! Rosina just took off with another one."

He face palms. "Returning to the boat may be difficult even without Charles. Unless there's a boat along the coast that we can procure, I'm not at all certain of how to escape WITH him."
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
((Well, we don't have enough rings for everyone to swim back. Is Charles a good swimmer? We could also just go back by land if we're not expected to return to the boat. Of course, if Charles wants to take his chances alone, we could just ditch him, but we'd still be a ring short (which I guess could work depending on how many swim checks you'd require) ))
 
D

DeadPhoenix

Member
((I got an extract of fly, so if Thad feels like carrying Charles since i hope the ship is to much more then 9 minutes x 80 feet per round away... I could even throw in a haste to get them started with 100 feet per round.))
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
((At 100 feet per round that would get us 9000 feet, or just shy of 2 miles. Did the boat anchor close enough for that to reach? If so,then yeah let's do that))
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
((Okay, I'll get the ball rolling))

Thaddeus sneezes when the extract is injected into his arm ((I'm picturing it as a syringe so that's what it's going to be)), and the momentum from the sneeze sends him slightly airborne. He looks around, floating weightlessly through the air.

"Draco, I had no idea you had access to such powerful magicks," he says, flapping his arms awkwardly. He gradually gets a handle on how to control his movements over the next few seconds. "A fellow could get used to this."

Realizing that there is not much time to waste, Thaddeus scoops up Charles and slings him over his shoulder. "I'll meet the rest of you at the boat. Smooth sailing to you."

He takes off, soaring through the air. A wave of exhilaration overtakes him, and he relishes every moment of the journey.

Finally, he spots the boat and lands on the deck, neatly placing Charles on his feet.
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
((Sorry, NaNo is eating my life))

Dreadstone marches past Leo into the surf, the water gradually climbing higher on his thorned leather armor. "Pretty sure Draco could just whip more of that stuff up if y'wanted it so bad. Let's get a move on an'get back to the boat 'fore the heat comes down on this place."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
Not long after Thaddeus brings the leader of the thieves' guild on board his vessel, that the rest are brought back aboard from the sea itself (I assume you're carrying Frink and his ring on board as well).

<As you were returning, Biggins had a Belt of Strength +3 on him>

---

Once Thaddeus sets down the captured target, Dorthlenne walks up, seeming pleased, and kneels down to meet level with the fallen man, "Ah, Charles my old friend. I'm afraid business is gonna have to come between us." Alarmed by the presence of the elf known as Dorthlenne, Charles gives a near hiss, "..you!" Dorthlenne smirks, "Yes, me. Come on now, did you really think your shroud of mystery and layers of connections would keep you in the game forever?" Quickly, a response is given in defense, "As far as the public knows I'll only allegedly the leader of the thieve's guild. I am Lovegood's manager to everyone else and the law."

Nodding, Dorthlenne's smirk grows wider, "Yes, yes, you are good at hiding evidence of your involvement with the guild.. which is why one of our best agents went in to take part in your very own operation.. we're still not sure what we should do with the two-hundred thousand gold's worth of ingots we have sitting in my office. Legally, the good regent gave it as charity."

Charles' eyes widen, "...Markrow Briggs!"

"Yes, him. I gave him that little name, only later to realize I had accidentally gave it extreme similarity to a fiction I had read sometime prior. Really embarrassing to do, naming people subconsciously especially when he's nothing like the man in the book, but I am glad you didn't catch on." Dorthlenne soon stands up to address the rest of the party, "The evidence includes a testimony that you were attempting to track down the guild to rescue the songstress. It will take some time for the truth to process. It should get Markrow's bodyguard out of jail too."

He continues further instruction, "We'll be stopping back at Alydar so I can pay you services rendered for catching the leader of the Thieve's Guild, and then you should most definitely head to Ruby Keep."

<Everyone levels up.>
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
Thaddeus would much rather part ways in North port and get the show on the road, but the promise of payment and the relative lack of funds suffered by the party is a formidable motivator. He refrains from refusing, and sets about tying up Charles.
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
Code: 
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=76558]Health: 1D12 + 3 = [7]+3 = 10
[/url]

((And with that, Tiberious has broken the 100 HP mark. Not a whole lot to change with this level otherwise. The only other big thing besides stat ups is that he has improved grapple now.

Also, I could use that belt if no one else needs it, he's had +2 gloves of strength for a while now. Of course, there will probably be a lot of item juggling once we're back in town since I'm also trying to get his dex high enough for two-weapon fighting if we level to 11))

Tiberious makes no objections to returning to Alydar and getting paid. Some time in Alydar means some time to improve his equipment.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<New trait:

Bearer of the Symbol of Kord
You get Two-Weapon Fighting, but only when brandishing the weapons that make up the 8-pointed symbol of Kord (spears and maces)​

I will probably just fast forward you to Alydar even if somebody objects, since you are going to be paid there and it'll be the last place you can shop.>
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
Upon arrival back in Alydar, Dorthlenne brings Charles to the gate guards and brings him and everyone else past, but urges you to stay with him for now, "I want you here with me until the lineup of guards called in arrive to escort him."

Soon the guards finally arrive to arrest Charles. As one of them declares the charges the guild leader is under, one of the guards moves over to Thaddeus, carrying some sort of object wrapped in a brilliantly dyed wrapping lined with silver strings weaving delicate, fine designs. He passes it and a letter over to Thaddeus:

Thaddeus, I wanted to have come to talk to you in person, but I know that my presence would only upset you once more. I will be leaving the country to sail to the larger continent where my daughter is studying as there is nothing for me in Alydar anymore, at least not until I can see my husband once more.

Even from afar I could sense that you had finally begun coming to terms with yourself, and had begun to overcome the darkness in your heart. As such, you may have this sword, let it light the way for you and give you a brighter future. I hope maybe someday we can be friends once more, and that I can see the Thaddeus I knew all of those years ago.

Sincerely, Arianna Reyneel​

Upon unwrapping the cloth, a bright light nearly blinds you from the unexpected sight of it. It is the same sword you saw in the basement of Arianna's home, the Sunsword.

iAFWUsb.png


<Rules of the weapon here>

---

Later on, Dorthlenne comes back to you holding a briefcase.. You will recognize it as the one used as bait during the mission, "This is your payment. I recommend not spending it in Ruby Keep as they're still minted."

<You receive 200,000 gold to split between the party.>
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
Thaddeus marvels at the shining blade, turning it over in his hand with amazement at its light heft. "Remarkable," he utters quietly.

Before visiting the local shops, he goes to Arianna's house and knocks on the door, in case she has not yet left the continent.
 
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