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Excalibur: a NeoGAF Pathfinder Play by Post Campaign

A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
((Unfortunately, I didn't take it, because I figured that it wouldn't be useful outside of RP fluff. I should have just gone with what seemed cool.

Also, I had an unexpected briefing assignment dumped on me, so I don't really have time to type up Tiberious going along with Draco's aid ATM. Though if we haven't moved on by the time I'm done, I'll add something))
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
The tender flicks his grip from the tiefling, saying, "Make your job a quick one then. I don't like people having problems with me, and neither do my customers." He motions to those getting up to sit down.
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
Thaddeus looks woefully out of place in this establishment. His armour is clean and polished, a beacon of hope and authority, whereas the rabble in this sorry place are crude, hostile, and in many cases, unwashed. The sight and sounds of the piano almost don't make sense to him in such a mangy locale, but he keeps that thought to himself. He flanks Dreadstone to ensure that none of the more unruly patrons try anything.
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
On Draco's cue, Tiberious rises out of his chair in preparation of giving a long, fiery shouting speech about being a man and the grisly things that happen to fools who try and face true men. Before he has a chance to start, everyone is already backing down from the group.

Tiberious chuckles to himself while sitting back down and says "Yeah, I didn't think so." He then thinks Wow, I didn't even have to say anything before they stood down. Damn I'm good.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
Going to the piano, the noise of the beeping device begins to fade slightly, drowned by the sound of the piano music continuing innocently.

The floor of the walls are difficult to get to for a thorough search, mostly obscured by tables, chairs, booths and often people themselves.
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
"Hmmm..."

Dreadstone returns in the direction of the bar to sweep that area.

((Any obvious doorways to back rooms or anything?))
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<Eh, I'll just all clear that point.>

If you attempt to get behind the counter to search for other parts of the tavern, the device will get quieter once more, signifying growing distant from the bug should going in there happen. It also makes it clear that the bug would not be near the counter or the tender.
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
"Hmmmmmmmm..." Dreadstone says again. No response at the piano, no response along the walls, no response at the bar...

"I think we're lookin' for a trap door in th'floor here..."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<Actually I never told you that there wasn't a response from the walls, just that you would need to be aware that it would be difficult and time consuming to actually probe them.>
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<Did I guys make you think you didn't have an option you do? You just haven't visited a side of the room where the buzzing is at its loudest, that's all.

Lack of responses over today makes me think I did something wrong (and I didn't intend for to lead you the wrong direction).>
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
((Sorry, just spent the afternoon at my IRL game today is all.))

Invoking his law enforcement training, Dreadstone mentally divides the room into a grid and begins to sweep them systematically as he plays his buzzing game of hot and cold with the bug detector.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
Once Dreadstone realizes that the device is designed to help him with this very task, suddenly what would have been before a very thorough search is broken down to a single area, and the sound will become louder as he approaches a table.

At this table is a man, middle aged with long wispy dark hair but a receding forehead. He wears a brown cloak while enjoying a mead in front of him. Once finally close, the device will begin to rapidly beep as the bug is found, separated from the case it was put in, and dropped under a chair opposite of this peculiar man.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
The man is taken surprise, but is immediately humbled by the formality addressed to him and responds well to the elf's well spoken words, "I receive many that seek the service of my clergy, man of..." he glances at the symbol on the armor, "Heironeous. It is a rare sight to see a man of inner chi still affiliate with a deity."
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
((So my IRL game today ended up with me enslaving two other party members and selling the entire group into slavery to some agent of a chaotic evil overdeity. Playing an evil character is way more fun than a heroic one, apparently))

Dreadstone's face twists upon itself into something nasty and he suppresses the torrent of Abyssal language that rises up his throat like burning bile. Thwarted again.

Conscious of his perception problems even in the most fair of moods, the simmering tiefling is content to let Thaddeus take point on the inquiries as to who has been sitting at this seat.
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
The priestly-type doesn't seem to bat an eye at the sight of a tiefling alongside the noble paladin. In fact, he seems very comfortable at the sight.
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
"Any recently that may've had the burden of belongin' to some sorta Thieves' Guild weighin' 'pon their souls? Maybe mention a kidnappin' or two?"
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
"All due respect, Sir, but I personally believe my power to still come from the grace of Heironeous. I have heard theories of this 'inner chi' concept, and I respect those who hold them dear, but that is not a road down which I wish to travel."

He follows up after Dreadstone. "Indeed. We have reason to believe that a... person of interest was sitting in that chair as recently as half an hour ago ((just a guess at how long it's been since we were with Dortumn))."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
A glance is spared towards the mention of the thieve's guild, and an answer is failed to surface before Thaddeus speaks. At the mention of where he believes his source of powers comes from, the man keeps in a heartily chuckle, "Is that so? So you can tell the difference between your inner power and..." He suddenly comes to a revelation, "Oh! Ooh. I see how it is now. Yes, that makes quite a bit of sense."

"I like to keep the people I provide service to.. anonymous. Respect for privacy is why I am trusted after all."
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
Thaddeus looks the man in the eye and smiles, taking the seat across from him. "Forgive me for neglecting to introduce myself. I am Sir Thaddeus Birchwood. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

((Assuming the man gives his name...))

"Mister _____, as a Paladin of Heironeous and devoted member of the church, I understand more than most the need for discretion. I myself have heard many a confession that I would never speak of if the King himself ordered it.

"But you see, as you've no doubt ascertained for yourself, my companions and I are peacekeeping officers. Two young ladies have been kidnapped, and we've good reason to believe that the man who was sitting in this chair not thirty minutes ago was heavily involved in these kidnappings. One of them is a fifteen year old girl. She was kidnapped within the last day or so, so there may still be time to save her.

"But without your help, Sir, we have no leads. So I ask you, not as an officer of the law but as a concerned citizen who only wishes to see two innocent women brought to safety, to please help us."
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
"You may simply call me 'The Friar'. It is a pleasure to have a simple audience with a knight such as yourself, Sir Birchwood."

He allows himself to listen to the tale of the Paladin, lightly grasping his chin with a tilted face while tapping his finger slightly against the table. Soon after the story ends, he gives careful thought as to what he had heard, and finally... nods, "Very well.. I normally distance myself which my services are used, but it seems that you have brought me knowledge of a situation where I will most certainly fail to avoid consequence. I am a true neutral cleric of the post-deity world, and I offer young warriors like yourselves with the power they found within themselves a chance to be hired as.. protection.

"I was met with by a strapping fellow, well groomed and well tailored short of nobility.. hell, what is nobility these day with the rise of the rich merchant, anyway? He had a shirtless man wearing a mask, the kind of bodybuilder that draws glances. They wished to have a couple of clerics as extra bodyguards, even with the one he had now; not that is such a bad thing, clerics are wonderful for magically improving even the most uncouth brute."
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
Thaddeus's smile broadens. "I thank you for your candor, Sir Friar. May the days be well to you. Should anything else occur to you that you would like to share, you are welcome to seek us out. I shouldn't think we would be difficult to find."

He gets up from the table, but doesn't walk away yet, in case anyone else wants to talk to the man.
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
((It's probably time to start asking around town for men who fit that description. KM, how do you want us to handle that? Gather Information seems to not be in the skill list in Pathfinder anymore.

Also... sorry but what level are we supposed to be at? I just realized that I may have forgotten to level up the last time we dinged, but I'm not sure. Right now my character sheet is at Level 8))
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
"Sir," Thaddeus says to Dreadstone once the party has left the bar, "I recommend we canvas the area in search of men matching the descriptions given to us by the Friar, as well as relay those descriptions to Commander Dortumn by way of the scrying stones. What are your orders?"

((I feel like we can handle this best by using Aid Another. Whoever has the highest bonus to Diplomacy can be the main roll, and everyone else can try to help. For the helpers, if you hit a DC 10 diplomacy check, it'll give the main roller a +2 bonus.

My bonus is a +15))
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
((Sounds good to me. I'm at +9, so Tiberious won't be leading, but he can definitely hit the aid other DC.))

Should Dreadstone agree with Thaddeus's idea, Tiberious will jump up to help with the search.

"Good idea! The friar said there was a shirtless, muscular man with a mask, right? Maybe I can give the people we ask a frame of reference."

With that, Tiberious removes his armor and his shirt, preparing to venture around with the others as a shirtless muscleman. To finalize a look that will help people recall the man they're looking for, he practices dramatically throwing his hand over his face to simulate a mask.
Code: 
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=72030]Aid Another (Diplomacy): 1D20 + 9 = [13]+9 = 22
[/url]
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
((My Diplomacy is a fat goose egg zero. Womp womp. But I rolled a 20, so I guess it evens out.))

Dreadstone nods in agreement. "Sounds like a feller with a tendency t'stick out," he muses. "If people saw 'im, chances are they'll remember."
 
D

DeadPhoenix

Member
((If my 10 minute per level buffs are still up(they last and hour and a half now) I have a +21 to gather information currently.))

The next step in their search decided, Draco leads the group in the search for the strange men.

Gather Information(+2 if my heroism is still up): (1d20+17+1d6=42)
((Welp... there you go. Total of 50 with heroism and aid another checks. I'll let the gm decide how long our search takes(normally 1d4 hours).))

With that, Tiberious removes his armor and his shirt, preparing to venture around with the others as a shirtless muscleman. To finalize a look that will help people recall the man they're looking for, he practices dramatically throwing his hand over his face to simulate a mask.
Click to expand...
((I knew you were doing the Jojo thing before, but I actually started watching the show this last week, so now its even more obvious...))
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
<I've figured out one good use for Rogues
for the DM as cannon fodder enemies.
>

<@Thaddeus: you should be level 9. I went ahead and gave a level up even after I dropped the quest line.>

Gather Information(+2 if my heroism is still up): (1d20+17+1d6=42)
((Welp... there you go. Total of 50 with heroism and aid another checks. I'll let the gm decide how long our search takes(normally 1d4 hours).))
Click to expand...
It isn't so long after the party steps out of the bar that one of Draco's connections is easily available for his personal use, idling between stores, trying to feed a pet rat in a cage. When questioned about the man, he aaahs, "We know all about someone like who you may be describing. Markrow Leigh, a real budding entrepreneur. Was a former gladiator sponsor in a foreign land, and it seems that he brought his favorite warrior as a personal bodyguard to Emerald Bay. We think the man's trying to make business in 'new ventures'; after all, he makes his way to some of the shadiest characters we know about the town's comfort spots."
 
T

ThLunarian

Member
((I just started playing in a 5e game and they seem to have fixed Rogues. They're kind of great now. Overall I'm pretty happy with most of the changes they made in the new version. It's only been 2 sessions though))
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
((I'm assuming the party was within earshot of Draco and his contact. If not, this post is already retconned))

The immediacy with which Draco finds someone has Tiberious putting his shirt and armor back on almost as soon as he took it off.

Tiberious's eyebrows raise when he hears that the man they're looking for used to be a gladiator sponsor. "A former sponsor? That's odd, though I suppose it's not surprising. There were a lot of sponsors that were less than reputable men. If one of them got tired of managing gladiators or wanted to switch nations, it makes sense that they would come over here and get involved with men of crime."

Tiberious appears to be in whatever passes as deep in thought for him. "Yes, I could imagine a lot of sponsors that would do something like that. Not my former sponsor though. I liked Mean Pete. He was a bit surly, but a real man, and taught me a lot about the art of manliness and gladiatoring in general. I've known him for as long as I can remember. I wonder how he's doing? . . ."
 
D

DeadPhoenix

Member
ThLunarian said:
((I just started playing in a 5e game and they seem to have fixed Rogues. They're kind of great now. Overall I'm pretty happy with most of the changes they made in the new version. It's only been 2 sessions though))
Click to expand...

((Paizo is actually coming out with a book, called Pathfinder Unchained) that will change a lot of stuff... ignoring 3.5 compatibility(thus, Unchained) completely if they feel like it. changing action economy and stuff. But it will also have a fix for Rogue(making them not suck), Barbarian(making them require less math every time you rage) and Summoner(making it not broken) and some more general stuff, like the Fatigue pool that will let martials have nice things(especially fighters).))
 
A

Axelhortsemchi

Member
Once he's done talking about his old sponsor, Tiberious walks over to the contact to ask him a question.

"I want to know just what kind of sponsor this man is, and I can only think of one way to do that. The hired man he has with him, was he one of his former gladiators or just a paid bodyguard?"
 
K

KittenMaster

Member
"I'm sure he has been going around browsing for the most marketable investment, legal or otherwise. His home should be somewhere in the residential district, where the upper class reside. He was a very successful sponsor, but possibly largely due to how well he could get away with fixing matches for bigger payouts. His boy only ever had to face challenges weaker than him."
 
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