WotL OOC Thread IV

[Haahque]

About thief skills:
Regular: 10% Pick Pockets, 15% Open Lock, 5% Find/Remove Traps
Mouse: 5% Open Lock

[JadedDM]

Okay, done.

Anything anyone else wants to discuss before I start up the next chapter? Goals, downtime, etc.?

[Haahque]

I want to discuss downtime, and I'm guessing it might take a while. While I still have some thinking to do to think of plans with any chance of success and how Haahqae is coping; here are things that defiantly are on the list:

- Scout out the city for possible prison locations and possible hideout locations
- Scout the city for garrison locations and gathering places for the church - maybe burn down one or more of these places out of frustration and/or steal from them.
- Find where Xleena/Yvette are staying - Decide if he can stomach pretending to like them and get included in one of their schemes. Or maybe just make their lives hell.
- Teach Miracle about everything (one thing at a time)
- Find out what the army wants (like really want a lot, would they consider a trade? If he can figure out that they would, perhaps pursue this avenue)
- Probably have a few emotional breakdowns
- Follow up with Gobax to have him help free Ismene (Does he have any ideas?)
- Follow up with Myriam and Jaymes, how willing are they to help? (Do they have any ideas?)

And there's a few other things he's considering doing:
- Track down Arulia and spy on her a bit to find out if she was really as poor as she said she was. Also figure out what all this working with Yvette/Xleena was about.
- Track down Elana and do some spying on her. What is her deal and who is she working for?
- Figure out a system where he can stay overnight somewhere not at the Steel Tankard while staying safe, so that he can scout out farther afield in the city without running into time constraints of having to be back at the tankard by curfew (It sounds like you can't really walk from one end of the city and back in a day).

[TristenC]

-Let Haahque know he is still alive (as he suspects he will nerd help freeing Delharn, and promised to help the gnome)
-Try to find some details about how/exactly where in the temple prisoners are held. Any info he can get on the guards.
-Find where Yvette and Xyleena are (possibly after making contact w/ Haahque, or before)
-look for an abandoned place to stay for when he runs out of coin (eminently)
-visit the site of the destroyed tavern, poke around the rubble a bit and brood

[BishGada]

Tulbas doesn't have down time, right?

[JadedDM]

- Scout out the city for possible prison locations and possible hideout locations

What criteria is he searching for on either?

- Scout the city for garrison locations and gathering places for the church - maybe burn down one or more of these places out of frustration and/or steal from them.

The Old Fort is where the soldiers are all garrisoned. The only gathering place for the church is the church itself.

Find where Xleena/Yvette are staying

How does he do this?

Find out what the army wants

I suppose it depends on what you mean. The army (specifically, the Red Dragon armies that are currently occupying Haven) exist to serve the Dragon Highlord, Verminaard. Verminaard wants Haven locked down in and in control (that is, no rebellions, no resistance) so they can use it as a source of income (via taxes and such) and as a staging ground for invasions into the nearby Qualinesti, Hill Dwarf and Mountain Dwarf communities (the former two having already been conquered now).

Individual soldiers, on the other hand, have their own reasons. Some are in it for the money. Some are in it for the violence and power. Some truly believe in the cause or have faith in Takhisis or the Dragon Highlords. Some just really hate the humans, elves, kender and/or dwarves.

Follow up with Gobax to have him help free Ismene

We'll assume this happens after Gobax reveals to Haahqae that he is still alive.

Follow up with Myriam and Jaymes, how willing are they to help?

Out of character, I'll be up front and say Miriam and Jaymes are NPCs that are higher level than the PCs are (although some of you are getting close to catching up with Jaymes). Thus any role they will play will likely be of a more passive one, so they don't wind up doing all of the heavy lifting for you, like in the giant quest.

In character, it sort of depends on what you want them to do. Keep in mind that Miriam is a soldier and while good at fighting and strategics (with large groups, like armies, not small parties, mind you), she isn't any good at things like stealth, intrigue, or deception. She's willing to help Ismene, but how she can help is fairly limited. Jaymes, on the other hand, has no emotional attachment to Ismene so he's not willing to risk his neck without good cause. Also, he's a ranger, so most of his useful skills don't apply in an urban setting like Haven. So again, I'm not sure how much help he can be.

Track down Arulia and spy on her a bit to find out if she was really as poor as she said she was.

He would learn pretty quickly that Arulia and her family are barely scraping by. She isn't as skilled a blacksmith as her father, so while he is imprisoned, she isn't doing as well as his replacement. Her mother and two of her sisters don't work, and the third sister that does work is routinely abused by her employer.

Track down Elana and do some spying on her.

On the surface, Elara is a simple young woman who sells clams on the docks to passersby for coin. But deeper investigation suggests more to it than that. She often questions people on the street on things about the old gods. She routinely visits the church (and not always during regular worshiping hours, either).

Figure out a system where he can stay overnight somewhere not at the Steel Tankard while staying safe

I guess he could rent out rooms in multiple inns, so there's always one nearby. Or ask to be allowed to stay overnight at friends' houses. (Although, he has no friends.)

Try to find some details about how/exactly where in the temple prisoners are held. Any info he can get on the guards.

How does he do this? I assume he doesn't walk up to the guards and asks them.

Find where Yvette and Xyleena are

Again, how does he do this?

look for an abandoned place to stay for when he runs out of coin

There is an abandoned place in the Harbor District. It's a small, one-room building that was previously occupied by a local blacksmith who left the city. It was then taken over by a gully dwarf, but he died. So now it stands empty. However, the lock on the door has been broken and the place has been ransacked since then.

visit the site of the destroyed tavern, poke around the rubble a bit and brood

It's mostly ash and rubble now. No bodies are found (vaporized).

Tulbas doesn't have down time, right?

That's right. We're going to pick up where we left off again.

[Chris1234]

Shima
1.) Recover his weapons
2.) Clean out (this section of) sewer
3.) Get on speaking terms with Arulia ===> Delete #3
4.) Help Ne-Chanz find the two female thieves
5.) Win the trust of Haahqae & Grubnick
6.) Remove the curse on himself

[JadedDM]

Okay, updated. But why narrow it down to the central section of the sewers, specifically?

[Chris1234]

Because that was the only section that the pair had been told to cover, correct?

[JadedDM]

Not sure where you got that idea.

"This is your job. Clear them out of every living thing. Lots of monsters down there."

"The deal was to kill all living things down there; well, anything bigger than a rat, that is. That includes whatever is beyond those locked doors. The job isn't over yet."

These are quotes from the woman who hired you. She never said anything about a specific section of the sewers. She wanted you to clear out the whole thing. 'Every living thing.'

[TristenC]

Try to find some details about how/exactly where in the temple prisoners are held. Any info he can get on the guards.

How does he do this? I assume he doesn't walk up to the guards and asks them.

Yeah... that one's going to be difficult. The only thing i can think of is to try to get in touch with others opposing the dragon queen and strike some type of bargain or something. My first instinct is to trh to get in touch with the local thieve's guild. The only roguish/shady characters he knows are Haahque and Shima (who he doesn't really know or trust yet).


To try and find Yvette and Xyleena he will ask around in local taverns and inns, particularly the Tankard. He may also ask at shops in the market.

The abandoned place in the Harbor District sounds like it has potential. What kind of building is it (aside from small 1-room). Was it like a storage building or was it a small home or shop or something?

[JadedDM]

Yeah... that one's going to be difficult. The only thing i can think of is to try to get in touch with others opposing the dragon queen and strike some type of bargain or something. My first instinct is to trh to get in touch with the local thieve's guild. The only roguish/shady characters he knows are Haahque and Shima (who he doesn't really know or trust yet).

Okay. He can reach out to Haahqae or Shima (or both) in-game then.

To try and find Yvette and Xyleena he will ask around in local taverns and inns, particularly the Tankard. He may also ask at shops in the market.

Even though this exact strategy failed, repeatedly, this time it actually bears fruit. This is because the two are now famous as the ones who captured the rebel cleric and are now Agents of Takhisis, so everyone has heard of them. It's revealed that they live in the Noble District. This is why the party could never find them before--it's the one city district none of them have access to.

The abandoned place in the Harbor District sounds like it has potential. What kind of building is it (aside from small 1-room). Was it like a storage building or was it a small home or shop or something?

It's residential. The other buildings around it are likewise residential homes.

[TristenC]

Yeah... that one's going to be difficult. The only thing i can think of is to try to get in touch with others opposing the dragon queen and strike some type of bargain or something. My first instinct is to trh to get in touch with the local thieve's guild. The only roguish/shady characters he knows are Haahque and Shima (who he doesn't really know or trust yet).

Okay. He can reach out to Haahqae or Shima (or both) in-game then.

Would it be possible to do some of this during the time skip? I really just can't see Grubnick sitting around while Delharn is potentially on borrowed time.

in that same vein is there anyway he would have a clue as to whether or not his mentor have been killed? Maybe some kind of announcement that they were keeping him as a symbol of their power? or some announcement that they plan to execute him, possibly even publicly?

[JadedDM]

Would it be possible to do some of this during the time skip? I really just can't see Grubnick sitting around while Delharn is potentially on borrowed time.

Sure. But you and Haahque went radio silent for a week after my last post, and I was trying to move things forward to start the new chapter.

in that same vein is there anyway he would have a clue as to whether or not his mentor have been killed? Maybe some kind of announcement that they were keeping him as a symbol of their power? or some announcement that they plan to execute him, possibly even publicly?

Yes, I suppose a public execution would fit in with their agenda--to maintain order and law. They'd have a very strong security presence, to be safe--having learned their lesson from last time.

[TristenC]

Yeah, sorry for the delays. Life gets in the way of gaming sometimes. We had a huge qualification audit at work this week and i've been doing a lot of extra work to prepare for it; plus dealing with crap at home but that's irrelevant.

I was struggling to keep up with the other games which i'm running, much less participating in, but i should be back to normal for a while now.