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paper bag with a face
Jun 2, 2007

A
FGHL

Theantero posted:

M: Our name is Thorgrim Ironscript.

N: Our 'guild' shall be the Ironscript Tyrannofauna Extermination Company, or ITEC for short. Clear, professional and to the point.

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Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
A couple questions. First how well does our cousin fare with the bow when compared to the frog lady? Second, does axedwarfship cover throwing axes?

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer

Theantero posted:

A couple questions. First how well does our cousin fare with the bow when compared to the frog lady? Second, does axedwarfship cover throwing axes?

The difference is mostly one of range. Kvelar has fought with a shortbow and hand-crossbow, firing of a few shots before getting into glorious meleé, whereas Skvababt has a longbow and prefers to stay at range at all times.
As previously stated, your cousin can teach you the basics of archery. How to hit a standing target, which end of the arrow to rest on the string and so forth. His knowledge is broad and shallow, whereas Skvababt is more specialized
At the distance of the furthest target in your shooting range, they are about equal, but any further than that and Kvelar simply does not have the range (or eyesight) to match the alluring frog lady. She tells you she is more accurate the further away the target is, but, the absurdity of that statement aside, you have no way to prove her boast in your current facilities. You aren't even sure she was talking about archery, the way she was looking at you, smiling softly.

Secondly, Axedwarfship includes all uses of the noble Dwarven Battle-Axe, from trimming your beard to trimming your opponents head off of his neck. Throwing it is absolutely included.

Voting closes in thirty minutes.

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....

Swedish Thaumocracy posted:

Secondly, Axedwarfship includes all uses of the noble Dwarven Battle-Axe, from trimming your beard to trimming your opponents head off of his neck. Throwing it is absolutely included.

Fabulous.

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
Ironscript Tyrannofauna Extermination Company



You handed the Census Agent the filled out form and bade him good journey. "To you as well, Ironscript" he replied and was out of your life, for now. A few days later you managed to track down a sign-maker and now your Proud Name shall adorn the façade of your guildhall for all ages to come. Or until you sell the property or die. Whichever comes first.

The next two weeks is spent in training, both with your cousin Kvelar and the four recruits you could afford to hire. The three brothers where overjoyed at your wise decision. Khami merely smiled knowingly. Though you did not tell the brothers this, it had been a tough choice between the eldest of their number and the frog lady archer. She gave you the address of a small building on the outskirts of town before she parted, presumably where she lived. Said to come by if you ever changed your mind. Blew you a kiss. You felt dizzy for hours afterwards, and it was only when your cousin threw a bucket of water in your face that you could resume your axedwarfship training.

---



The dwarven battleaxe is a remarkable weapon it turns out. When properly balanced to the individual user by a master smith, it can cut, crush and parry. When thrown it usually sticks where it lands and does so with gumption. Unfortunately you are not your cousin, and his axe does not fit you in the slightest. For the first week of your training, you have to make do with a wooden training axe. But perhaps that was just as well. You see only middling improvement in your form, having not used an axe other then ceremoniously before. Your background in accountancy not really preparing you for a life of battle. But no matter, that was why you hired some help!

Konnie, Johakim and Tommy spend little time in your guildhall over the coming weeks, only checking in to see if any jobs have popped up. They do put in some hours of training, but you get the feeling it was only because they didn't have anything better to do. Khami on the other hand spends most of his time in meditation but has at least taken up residence in the barracks.

At the end of the first month of your new career, you gleefully consult your inventory, budget and personnel as is custom. Because you have only really seen yourself and your cousin in action, you have no idea as to the relative skill levels of your other employees.

---

~ Ironscript Tyrannofauna Extermination Company Ledger ~

Buildings:
Fine Quality Stonework two story Garrison building.
Good Quality Barracks. (6/20 bunks filled.)
Good Quality Cantina. (Provides unlimited good-quality rations for all recruits in the vicinity under current conditions. As long as you spend the time making them.)
Low Quality Shooting Range. (short-range standing targets only, no tracks for moving targets.)

Personnel:
Thorgrim Ironscript
Novice Axedwarf
Competent Accountant

Kvelar Ironscript
Talented Axedwarf
Competent Crossbowman
Adequate Axedwarfsmanship trainer.
Novice Archery trainer.

Konnie 'Cowfoot' Loman

??? 'Dagerteer' (claims expert)
???

Johakim 'The Chisel' Loman
??? Combat Medic

Tommy 'Woodhead' Loman
??? Clubuser

Khami
??? Chainwielder (claims mastery)

Equipment:
One master-crafted Dwarven Heirloom Battleaxe. ('bound' to Kvelar due to intricacies of dwarven crafting.)
One bog-standard hand crossbow.
One bog-standard short-bow.
An assortment of broken or semi-repaired wooden training axes.
An assortment of wooden training swords and shields.
One bog-standard military surplus battleaxe.
Two suits of fine-quality leather armour.
Two small bog-standard iron bucklers.
Two weeks worth of utilities (Torches, consumable camping equipment etc.)

---
1:
Your cousin broaches the subject of procuring additional equipment to you, having also looked over the state of affairs. You could easily purchase minor low quality items, but anything decent would make a dent in your finances. Still, it's something to consider.
The various rooms of the guildhall could equally be improved, but with the mortgage payment looming it seems a distant prospect at best. You could get some better quality training equipment for everyone, or perhaps spend a fair bit on getting some decent armour for yourself or someone else.
Perhaps there is something specific you wish to purchase? There is a general store and a smithy in town, but without knowing what you want and at what quality giving you an estimate is impossible.

Fortunately, no one is hurt, so you have no need to visit the Grand Unified World Church Chapel of Prescription Charity.

Where do you focus your spending this month? As you are just starting out (and quiet heavily in debt) you only have two points with which to distribute your wealth. These are your current options, more might open up as you progress or hire new people.

A: Savings.
Gotta pay off the mortgage somehow. You need at least 30 points saved up in the next five months or Bad Things will happen.

B: New training equipment.

C: Better / more weapons.

D: Better / more armour.

E: More utility.

Things like bandages, torches etc. Everyday consumables for Mercenary work.

F: Maintenance.
Repairing everyday damage to your facilities, company payroll etc. Expect morale drop or worse unless this gets one point per recruit each month. Since you are just starting out, your recruits have agreed to put off their first paycheck by one month. Thus you require twelve points in this category by next month, although everyone would be pleasantly surprised if you got it to them earlier.

---

2:
Not long after your monthly budget meeting, the first tips begin pouring in.

The nearby village of Sockne (some days travel to the west) has suffered a culling of lambs recently, and some villagers suspect a monster. The Imperial Army believes it to be the work of a wolf or a farmers dispute and refuses to intervene. The villagers offer a meagre sum of to whoever solves their dilemma.

Tommy also has a lead for you, apparently something he overheard in a local tavern. Some nobleman’s pet has gone missing and they are offering a substantial reward for it's return. You'll have to be quick if you want to collect, that kind of money will bring out the competition.

The Lord of the Fortress City of Gruw (a weeks travel to the north west) has put out a request for aid. Apparently the deliveries from his silver-mine have ceased altogether. There have been reports of banditry in the area for many years now but they usually leave their victims alive, if only so they can rob them again. That the deliveries have stopped entirely is unusual and highly disturbing. The Imperial Army is busy quelling an attempted uprising in the area and have no manpower to spare. If you where to figure out what happened and slay the monster responsible, you could be well rewarded indeed.

A worried grandmother gives a knock on your door one evening, complaining about a strange noise in her attic. Would you be a dear and see to it for her?

Additionally, a pamphlet is brought to your attention.



Apparently the local office of construction had a bit of a leak a few days back, loosing most of their stock of green breeding slimes in the process. They are offering a (small) bounty on any live slimes captured and brought back to their compound. Rarer slimes would bring in more, but are much harder to capture and not really native to the area.

The world of Monster Hunting can be very hectic, as monsters rarely stay in one place for any length of time. Or if they do, cause so much havoc that your client can no longer afford to pay you. Either way, these are the missions that are currently available. What you now need to decide is which of these missions are off interest to ITEC and what priority you should give them. You can't be in two places at once, after all, and your company is much to small to do more than one mission at a time.

What mission(s) do you accept, and in what order? Note that there is no guarantee that your second choice will still be available after you finish your first one.

G: The Culled Sheep

H: The Missing Pet

I: The Silver-mines of Gruw

J: The Noisy Attic

K: A Bounty of Slimes

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:

E
HJKGI

Green Intern
Dec 29, 2008

Loon, Crazy and Laughable

D

H G I J K

Armor for our employees, and missions with probable larger payouts. Sorry grandma.

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
Before I vote on anything, I'd like to apply our accounting knowledge to figure out some things. First, what kind of profit can your average starting Monster Hunting Guild expect in this region. Second, how much variance does that contain, e.g. what portion of them fail outright, how many of them just barely scrape by, how many of them strike it rich etc. Third, what sort of work do the more successful guilds take early on. Hit the books at the local tax offices and bureaus to figure this out if necessary.

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer

Theantero posted:

Before I vote on anything, I'd like to apply our accounting knowledge to figure out some things. First, what kind of profit can your average starting Monster Hunting Guild expect in this region. Second, how much variance does that contain, e.g. what portion of them fail outright, how many of them just barely scrape by, how many of them strike it rich etc. Third, what sort of work do the more successful guilds take early on. Hit the books at the local tax offices and bureaus to figure this out if necessary.

Doing the numbers on this is what made you decide on this career choice in the first place. For the sake of not making the game an excellsheet, most of the accountancy will be handwaved as having been already performed by Thorgrim himself. Equally, contracts that would not give any sort of profit or reward do not often make it to the vote since you are clever enough to realize when your time is being wasted. Still, money is pretty tight right now, can you afford to be stingy?

You haven't met the competition yet, but this is a business both dangerous and profitable. Those who survive strike it rich, those who fail end up dead. Simple as that. Barely scraping by is not enough.

Theantero in IRC posted:

Yeah, I'm mainly interested in getting to know some expected profits so that I know how much I'd dare to invest
That's why I'm asking some general pointers for the expected points. To figure out if we should save or invest.

That is entirely up to you. Both have their merits. If you invest, you might take on tougher jobs and hope to survive. If you save, at least you'll have enough for rent?
You will have to scrutinize the available job offers and balance the risk/reward ratio vs your inner caution. The first few months will be difficult, but you are confident that you can do it if you work really hard.

The mission briefings do not list a set point reward because there is no way to calculate your profit before the mission is over. Instead, I try to include a sense of worth to give you an estimate of what to expect should things go smoothly.

Swedish Thaumocracy fucked around with this message at 11:49 on Oct 15, 2015

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
Right. I suppose we should go with something to actually keep us alive, so D. Nothing prohibitively expensive though.

I suppose we could try our luck at H, since Khami might be pretty adept at catching things alive. The brothers can pursue leads, and the thief in particular might know how we can avoid getting shanked by other guilds if we actually manage to catch the thing. We should not spend too much time on this one however.

J and K seem like easy and reliable money makers to begin our careers with. I am loathe to risk spending large amounts of time on long treks to the wilderness at the moment. Maybe later when we are a bit more established, have a better understanding of our capability and don't have huge debts looming right over us. Nevertheless, if we manage to bank on those three and have time left, I suppose we could go check out G since the village is not so far away.

Anybody voting for the silver mine, please take into account that the traveling time alone will eat half the month. If we whiff that one, we will be very strapped for time.

Wentley
Feb 7, 2012
Sooooo. Do we have a safe place we can set up if we capture slimes, and sell their kids for a bounty?

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:

Wentley posted:

Sooooo. Do we have a safe place we can set up if we capture slimes, and sell their kids for a bounty?
Monster Rancher is a fun game.

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
Slime of Life

Wentley posted:

Sooooo. Do we have a safe place we can set up if we capture slimes, and sell their kids for a bounty?

Ever since the The Forest appeared on the edges of creation, the price of lumber has sky-rocketed. So much so that today you would be hard pressed to find a new construction of any sort that uses it unless absolutely necessary. What lumber would be safe to harvest is needed for the fires of industry, the maintenance of the Imperial Fleet or as a safe haven for game to procreate in. Yet not all buildings can be made of stone, either.

Enter the Slimegineer.



Using a special highly secretive technique, an experienced Slimelord can shape and calcify a slime to almost any form he desires. Once calcified, additional improvements can be made to the resulting structure with regular construction tools. Green slimes, being the most common, are used for everyday architecture and infrastructure. Red slimes on the other hand are used in heavy industry due to their fire resistant properties. Suffice it to say that the rarer the slime the more specialized a structure can be created and the safer the finalized product will be.

Green slimes, especially when young, are harmless. They avoid warmth and stick to shadows and damp environments, and move at a slow crawl in either case. A basement with the occasional nutrient thrown in (like a dead rat) would be enough to start your own colony on the cheap. Your garrison has a small basement but it is used for item storage and would have to be cleared out first. You could try keeping them elsewhere, but the basement would be the ideal spot.

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:
Build Slime Ranch

We can use them for training practice too!

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
Maybe not yet, we have other stuff to do.

Wentley
Feb 7, 2012

Nyaa posted:

Build Slime Ranch

We can use them for training practice too!

That Slime of Life was magnificent.

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
Question time!

How involved is gaining a Slime Breeder certificate paperwork-wise?

Do any of the brothers know what that noble's pet actually is? If not, ask them if they could snoop around for that knowledge.

Klingtron
Sep 10, 2011
D

JGKHI

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer

Theantero posted:

Question time!
Do any of the brothers know what that noble's pet actually is? If not, ask them if they could snoop around for that knowledge.



"Word is it's some senile old Darkelf what's pet has gone missin', so could be anythin'. Hard to tell anything else, they are a secretive bunch."

Theantero posted:

How involved is gaining a Slime Breeder certificate paperwork-wise?

You would have to apply with the Slimgeneers Guild for a laymans package which would allow you to keep a small breeding colony for entertainment purposes. Any 'pods' would be confiscated by the Guild and they would send regular inspections to make sure your lot is up to OSHA standards. The fees involved would mostly invalidate anything you could gain by selling off a few on the side, and the consequences of being caught would be severe. Alternatively you could go to slimeschool and dedicate your life to the fine art of Oozemastery and hope to one day become a Slimegeneer yourself. It is a lucrative career for the common man but would do nothing to solve your current debt crisis and would not grant you the untold piles of gold your dwarven dreams crave.

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
So yeah, building a slime ranch is not the best use of our time at the moment, as entertaining as it might be.

GloriousDemon
May 1, 2009
How does one catch a slime? Do we just throw some rats and bugs in a large tempered jar and wait for them to feast, or do we run around like assholes with some specialized slime net?

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:
Does monster trap covered in E choice?

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer

Nyaa posted:

Does monster trap covered in E choice?

No, basic consumables only. You don't really have the knowledge on-hand in how to make a monster trap, and all monsters are different at any rate. Maybe the gnome you didn't hire could have made something for you, but you decided to go with the four human recruits instead. Alas!

If you knew exactly what you wanted to catch, perhaps you could procure the services of a smith or inventor to make it for you? This would probably not come cheap however.


GloriousDemon posted:

How does one catch a slime?

For green slimes, thick leather gloves and an acid-proof bag. Other then that it's mostly legwork.

paper bag with a face
Jun 2, 2007

DF

JIHGK

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
Preparations


You consider your options carefully. The mission to find the Nobleman's pet seems very lucrative, but the kind old grandmothers Noisy Attic could be a nice, easy job to get you into the groove of things.
This first month has been slow, and everyone is eager to see some action. The mood is cheerful, but your group has yet to be tested. You don't know what to expect, perhaps it would be prudent to make some preparations?

Voting remains open for the top two choices. J and H.

3:
L: Write-in: Who do you bring with you?


4:
M: Write-in: Would you like to make any special preparations before you go?

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
I suggest we go with H.

L: Bring Khami and his chain obviously, he has the best shot at capturing the thing alive. Bring Johakim, since he can treat our wounds and hopefully treat poisoning (Question: does his first aid kit contain any sort of antidotes?) and he can also hopefully treat the monster too if we have to wound it. Wouldn't want to kill the thing after all, since that would cost us our reward and also might make yet another noble mad at us. Bring Konnie, less so to fight the monster, but more to snoop around for clues where it might be hiding, what it is in the first place, and also to keep an eye on other guilds on the hunt. Reconnaissance seems like it would be useful in this mission. For additional muscle, bring Kvelar. I feel he is better suited to a mission like this, since he has actual experience with this line of work and might know how to handle monsters better than Tommy. Tommy seems to be more of a 'brute strenght' kind of person, and this mission requires a certain amount of finesse. Leave Tommy to guard the office.

M: Bring nets, rope, thick reinforced gloves, other such things that we might need to restrain, handle and pull the monster. Question: Are there alchemists/pharmacists or other such people around? If so, can we afford monster sedatives or sleeping potions or equivalents? Do those even exist?

Theantero fucked around with this message at 13:09 on Oct 16, 2015

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
Preparations continued


Theantero posted:

Does his first aid kit contain any sort of antidotes?



"Got me a soothing salve for nettleburns and a small bottle of pills they say will cure the worst of the Highland Moccasin Shivers, but for monsters? For starters I'd need to know what we're up against. I ain't no alchemist though, I mostly stitch people back together."

Theantero posted:


Question: Are there alchemists/pharmacists or other such people around? If so, can we afford monster sedatives or sleeping potions or equivalents? Do those even exist?

After some inquiry you find your way to one of the local alchemists. A relatively small house built of of thick stones on the outskirts of town, away from anything easily flammable.



A small gnome greets you excitedly as you step into his store and begins showing you around.



Sleepingpotionsyousay?Whyofcourseicanhelpyouwiththaticouldnthelpbutnoticebyyourfineleatherandseriousdemenourthatyoumustbeamonsterhunteramicorrect?thissleepingpotionwoulditbeforamonsteriwouldassumeso!
Nowyoumustrealizethatsedativesarenosimplematteroryouwouldnthavegonestraighttotheexpert(yourstruly)
nosiricantellyouknowexactlywhatitisyouwantbutsirImustremindyouthatsedativesareaveryseriousscienceindeed!!
It'snotsimplyamatterofbrewingalittlepotionandjustexpecitngittowork!nosirit'smuchmorecomplexWhyifihadadollarforeverypotioni'dbrewnI'dhaveawholebunchofdollarsyessirthatswhyimanaclhemist
andhaveallthosedollarsbecausethatsISwhatIdoANDwhatichargeifidontsaysomyselfahahahaha
Anywayyouneedtoconsidertheweightandmassandtheinherentmonstryresistancetnottomentionthefactthatyouneedsomewaytoapplyit.
Doyouhaveanyideawhatitisyouarefacingsir?no? wellitellyouwhaticandoforyousiricanbrewyouadroughtindeedbutyoudhavetomakesuretofollowmyexactformulateforapplication
norIcannotassureyouoftheconsequences!Butnottoworrysirmypotionsalwaysworknearlyeverytime!ahaha
Tellyouwhatifyouwanticanbrewituprightnowhowdoesthatsound?Itwonttakemorethanacoupleofdaysmaybetwoandyoucanbeoffwithyourveryownsedativewontthatbegrand?
Ofcourseicouldspeeditifyouallowmetousemorenontraditionalmethodsfpotionbrewing!Whyyoucouldhavethepotioninbutanhourortwoandyoucouldbeoffmuchsoonerwhatdoyousay?!!?!

...

It looks like the gnome is offering to sell you a potion? For one requisition point (which would be deducted from your final reward) you could have the potion within two days.
Alternatively you could have it much sooner if you allowed him to use more non traditional methods of brewing. The price would remain the same, however.

N: Do you purchase the sedative? and If so, do you want it done safely or quickly?

Swedish Thaumocracy fucked around with this message at 19:47 on Oct 16, 2015

Wentley
Feb 7, 2012
Would the gnome be up for a quid pro quo? We bring him exciting and interesting monster bits and he provides us with potions.

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:
How much it cost to rent a fighter/other-class for one mission?

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
Gnomish Alchemist

Wentley posted:

Would the gnome be up for a quid pro quo? We bring him exciting and interesting monster bits and he provides us with potions.




WhysiryoubringupaveryinterestingpropositionImusttellyouyesiwouldbeinterestedinsuchadealofcourseiwould!Doyouknowhowharditistofindsomeofthepartsineedformywork?
Impossible!IncrediblyfrustraingiswhatisisItryanditrybutallihavetoworkwithareboringchemicalsthegovernmentlabeassafe!Whataworldthatisdontyouagree?
Whenhassafeeverledtoprogressitellyou!WhatIcouldntdowithsomemonsterparts!Ohwhataworldthatwouldbe.YesyeswecouldworktogetherIcanseeitnowwhatanopportunity.
Letmegetyoualistofthingsineedandwecanstartworkingrightawaythisisgoingtobeawesome.

The gnome disappears for a moment into a back room filled with boxes and returns to you looking flabbergasted. It seems he forgot what he was doing. You remind him and he gets a big smile on his face but before he starts monologuing again you remind him he already said that. He nods thoughtfully and tell you that if you happen to find anything, bring it here and he will see what he can do for you.

---

Nyaa posted:

How much it cost to rent a fighter/other-class for one mission?

This is something you could theoretically do but it is against your better judgement. You keep a permanent stable of recruits because these are the people you will fight and hopefully not die with. A ringer, whilst potentially useful would be an outsider to your group and would not know the dynamics or tactics of your team.

Swedish Thaumocracy fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Oct 16, 2015

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
I'm not sure about this potion. One wealth point into single use item that we have no guarantees will even work or that we might not even know how to use correctly. Also, we would have to wait for several precious days or alternatively take a risk with untested manufacturing methods. I say we pass.

The potions for ingredients deal seems good though. We should keep that in mind and return to it when we are not so strapped for money/time.

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:
no to potion

Wentley
Feb 7, 2012
Okay, future trade is good, but waiting is silly now. Let's go monster hunting!

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
J, N

Pinche Rudo
Feb 8, 2005

Theantero posted:

I suggest we go with H.

L: Bring Khami and his chain obviously, he has the best shot at capturing the thing alive. Bring Johakim, since he can treat our wounds and hopefully treat poisoning (Question: does his first aid kit contain any sort of antidotes?) and he can also hopefully treat the monster too if we have to wound it. Wouldn't want to kill the thing after all, since that would cost us our reward and also might make yet another noble mad at us. Bring Konnie, less so to fight the monster, but more to snoop around for clues where it might be hiding, what it is in the first place, and also to keep an eye on other guilds on the hunt. Reconnaissance seems like it would be useful in this mission. For additional muscle, bring Kvelar. I feel he is better suited to a mission like this, since he has actual experience with this line of work and might know how to handle monsters better than Tommy. Tommy seems to be more of a 'brute strenght' kind of person, and this mission requires a certain amount of finesse. Leave Tommy to guard the office.

M: Bring nets, rope, thick reinforced gloves, other such things that we might need to restrain, handle and pull the monster. Question: Are there alchemists/pharmacists or other such people around? If so, can we afford monster sedatives or sleeping potions or equivalents? Do those even exist?

This, No to the Potion for now. Bring tommy don't leave him

Pinche Rudo fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Oct 17, 2015

Theantero
Nov 6, 2011

...We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you....
I'm not that averse towards taking Tommy too, it's not like there is much to guard at our office at this point and we could potentially use him. I suspect this is one of the tougher of the starting quests and extra help is always useful.

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
The Nobleman's Pet

You take your leave of the Gnomish Alchemist empty handed, but with a promise of trade should you bring him interesting monster bits in the future. You do not yet know which part of a monster can be considered interesting, but you believe this is something you'll figure out with time.
At the end of your meeting with the gnome you had almost begun to understand him, and you think that you you have the knack for it now. Future encounters will hopefully be easier to decipher.

Gained Novice Gnomespeaker
Gained Contact: Gnomish Alchemist

Having gone over your finances you decide that spending your last dime on protection seems prudent. After all, casualties bite into profit harder than anything else in this business.
Your group seems pleased at your decision, more so when the new armour arrives. Now everyone is clad in leather of varying qualities, save Khami whom as you remember brought his own chain mail.

Gained three suits of decent-quality leather armour

You arrive back at base to find everyone there waiting for you, eager to get started. You briefly consider leaving Tommy behind to watch the guildhall but decide against it after some deliberation. There isn't much to guard and there is safety in numbers.
Your affairs settled, you go over what you know about the mission with the group. Since Tommy was the one to overheard the rumour, you let him describe what he knows to the others.



“Right, well, I heard this juicy bit of intel down in the Tavern. See this 'ere nobleman's gone lost his pet, and demented as he is has gone promising an outrageous reward should anyone find it an' bring it back alive.
Don' know much else but I hear the guy is some Drow over in the fancy part of town. Lives in a big mansion surrounded by dead trees and whatnot. Keeps a tight guard around the place too, even tighter now I'd expect.”
“Anyway, them dark elves are a peculiar lot. No telling what his pet actually was. How should we go about this boss?”

You think for a moment and decide that the most expedient way to get this done is to go over and introduce yourselves. This would let you get a better look of the land and perhaps some more insight into what could have gone wrong. Not one to waste time, you set off as soon as everyone has geared up.


---


(some time later)


The wrought-iron fence surrounded the mansion might be the spikiest thing you have ever seen, but then there weren’t many dark elves living up in Tukatt hold and before this whole mess started you hadn't really been one for travelling.
You are met at the gates by a guard who, after hearing your stated mission, escorts you further into the mansion.
You are taken through several corridors, sometimes doubling back through one you could swear you had already taken and sometimes taking more than four left turns in a row.
Finally you end up in a reception hall and told to wait as the manner lord makes his way to see you.

A pair of double doors at the end of the room open and two guards step up, seemingly in a rush.
There is an attempt at a fanfare from a servant dresses entirely in black wielding some sort of spiky flute, but he is quickly interrupted as a very obviously dismayed elf-lord runs into the room, panic in his voice.



“FLOPSY!” “YOU MUST SAVE MY FLOPSY!”

Devastated, he collapses into a fancy chair that one quick-witted (and fleet-footed) servant managed to pull up in the nick of time.

“Oh Lolth below am I glad to see you! My beloved Flopsy was taken from me but two nights ago! I haven't been able to think straight since! My torture chamber lies dormant, my work piles up undone! You must aid me, brave fellows! I simply cannot bear to be without my Flopsy!”

A silent moment occurs whilst you take this all in. You try to enquire with the man about Flopsys last whereabouts, species, characteristics and anything else you can think of, but the Lord is too upset to give you much more information.
He simply begs and sobs at you. After a minute of this, he raises an arm melodramatically to his temple and faints, whereupon several servants come out and bring him back beyond the double doors in front of you.

Another servant removes the chair and the guards follow their master back into reaches unknown. After one minute of awkward shuffling, your original guard sighs and turns to face you.



'The Lord means well but this whole thing has taken it's toll on him. Now I don't have Manor-duty, but I know my way around the grounds. I can take you to Flopsies residence but I'm afraid I can't tell you anything else. Follow me.”

Yet more travel. More corridors. You are taken outside, into what looks very much like a cemetery. In the centre rests a Mausoleum, the engraving above the entrance spelling out the word FLOPSY in the spikiest of gothic lettering.
There is a giant, ceramic bowl outside with the same lettering. You don't like the smell of whatever is left rotting inside of it. The guard stands at attention besides you and says that you are free to look around and do whatever it is you need.

How do you proceed?

Tran
Feb 17, 2011

It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.
Hold your nose and investigate the food bowl's contents. Might give some insight into what we're here to find.

Wentley
Feb 7, 2012
Look for shed fur, scales etc, that will give us a hint on what flopsy is.

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RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
1: Ask the guard to describe Floppsy in detail, looks, likes, dislikes, height, weight, the whole nine yards.
2: Ask the guard if his lord has any enemies who might do a thing like this.
3: Ask if there are any other creatures like Floppsy in the area that Floppsy might have run away with.
4: Send Kevlar and the others to examine the masoleums exterior and interior for any clues. Holes that could have been used to steal the creature away. Items that look out of place. Things that could be used by a bloodhound down the road.


Edit: 5: After we've finished investigating the masoleum, investigate the graveyard and the graveyard fence for any mysterious holes, gaps in fences, hastily repaired fencework, etc.

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