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Yes, I'm sorry about the kender too. The group's powerlessness to help them is a real example that fantasy heroes have their limits, too.

And I agree with Jenara's plans to move on.

The light warhorses will sell for 75 steel each. That comes to a total of 375 steel. Imani's horse, however, is quite exceptional and will go for 150 steel. I'll need to contact her, though, and find out if she's willing to sell it or not.

Where is the party wanting to book passage to?

It will cost 2 steel to pay up for the rooms again.

Malika's clothes will cost 6 silver.

No, we will not sell Imani's horse! That was never the intention.

Silvanesti was the destination was it not?

Okay...and you guys realize the place is still under Lorac's nightmare, right? That'll make for an interesting adventure, to be sure.

Which is what i believe Jerrard was refering to.

The plan is to go nearby, not to, and some would be reclaimed, but not all.

All right.

Passage on the boat will cost 10 steel a person and 25 steel per animal. Locky will have to keep her hood up, and disguise herself as a child, or they'll charge her a lot more.

How ironic, the original 'Locky' was a Kender Urchin, she pretended to be an Elven Child and 'borrowed' from the grown up Elves.

And now she has to act as one.

I forgot to consider the saddles, saddle bags, etc., in the price, so you guys get a little more than I said before. I moved any gear you were storing on the horse to your own inventories.

Locky sells Denel for 82 steel. Locky is now in moderate encumbrance.
Babushka sells Bey for 85 steel. Babushka is now in light encumbrance.
Ulster sells Goldana for 82 steel. Ulster is now in light encumbrance.
Jerrard sells Eila for 82 steel. Jerrard is now in light encumbrance.
Thuskar sells Bethany for 82 steel. Thuskar is now in light encumbrance.

All sound good?

By the way, Imani has no money whatsoever, because of Malika's enchantment. She can't afford her room tonight, or for her ship passage the next day.

Jerrard will pay for her, both the room and the passage.

Jerrard.

Jaded, is there a reason why you are closing down every avenue we have for our plans?

This was the game we used to like best, but now it has become frustrating.

Gotta agree with you here Breila, I try to take things forward, and Splat! Roadblock.

Well, Breila, I see two possibilities here.

Either I set up a series of obstacles in the party's path and am playing them out logically, like I always do, whether those obstacles be combat encounters or non-combat encounters.

Or...

I am deliberately going out of my way to 'close down' every plan you guys think up; possibly because I'm just being a jerk? Who can say?

In all honesty, I thought I was doing you guys a favor by having Ulster bring that point up. Because I was originally just going to say nothing, and then when you guys freed Malika and found yourselves on the wrong side of the law, you'd have even bigger problems than you do now.

I'm not making things easy or hard for you guys. I'm just making things happen that are logical. Yes, Malika is a slave, and slavery is bad. But it is legal in Khur, so what you guys are planning to do is essentially theft. I'm sorry if nobody thought ahead enough to realize that, but that's how things are. With all of the slaves you've encountered so far, including the kender, I thought I was really nailing that point home.

I realize you guys are looking to right some wrongs, but the thing is, the entire culture is corrupt and supports these wrongs. This is not a land of Good with small pockets of Evil; it is a land of Evil with small pockets of Good. If you walk into a town and start toppling dark regimes, freeing slaves, and sticking up for the little guy--you aren't heroes, you're criminals. At least, in Khur, anyway.

So these are the challenges you face. You can't possibly expect that you can steal a man's property (especially one he particularly cherishes, even if for terrible reasons) and for him to make no effort to stop you; to not call the constables when he realizes she is gone. That's just plain common sense, right?

This is like delving into a dark dungeon, and then complaining that every single monster and trap you encounter hurts you. "It's almost like the DM is trying to kill us or something!" No, it's not that. That's just what would logically happen if you step into a very dangerous place full of monsters and traps.

When I plan out scenarios, I don't have a specific plan that the party is supposed to follow. I don't say, "If the party does X, they succeed. But if they do Y or Z, they fail." I just say, "Here are the obstacles in the party's way." It's up to you guys to decide how to get around them.

I'm sorry if you find it all frustrating. My goal here is to challenge you. To make you think things through and carefully. Yeah, I could just give you everything you want on a silver platter with no effort at all on your own part; but would that really be any fun?

All I know is Jen is pretty fed up and frustrated right now, don't like seeing her this way.
Perhaps I need to insist she looses a few games. :O

The important thing to remember here is there is no script. You guys seem to be operating under the idea that I am trying to corral you in some specific direction. That I don't want you to rescue the kender or Malika, and that I am deliberately trying to stymie all of your efforts until you give up and do whatever it is I want you to do instead.

But that's not the case at all! I want you to succeed at whatever it is you are doing, but I will not intervene and rearrange things so that they work out in your favor, especially if it defies all logic and reason to do so.

This is just something that is going to require a little thought, that's all. Like I said, Ulster pointing out the big hole in your current plan wasn't meant to discourage you guys, it was meant to help you make the plan better.

I will have to think about this more, I will discuss with Brelia tomorrow.

Sorry if this pauses the game, but... We want to get it right.