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 Cerzi Foecleaver Cerzi says, "If yer gold's good, I see no reason why not, unless the rest've got pressing tasks elsewhere. We've got business to settle with this Big Boss... and, well, let's just say it's not the dawi way to run away from something like that." Looking to Jarla, Cerzi nods, "You're not wrong there. Way I figure it, best way would be to hold fort here and send out bands to harass their raiding parties and scout them out where they're weakest. If we hit their coin, really squeeze their supplies... that's when people get sloppy. I've seen enough in the tunnels to know that a band lives and dies on their supply line. Big Boss'll be no different." She does help herself to the ample breakfast provided. It's a touch heavy for her tastes, dwarves needing surprisingly little to maintain their bodies, but it wouldn't do to refuse hospitality. She was raised better than that.
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Jun 30, 2018 20:39
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While the other halflings tuck into their meals, Mayor Willowroot merely drinks a glass of water as he answers your questions. "Healing draughts? As I said, I have a few on hand for the militia. If you're going to help us out, well, I could allocate a few to you. So you don't get too scuffed up. Keep in mind, not everything that says 'DOCTOR TAN'S HEALING ELIXIR' is the genuine article." The Mayor brings out a small box. "These three are genuine, I'm sure. This one, looks like some unscrupulous person has mixed it with a bit of water. Probably still has some kick to it, though." He puts the box on the table. "Manglepie, eh? Haven't heard that name in some time. Not everyone is cut out for the idyllic village life, you know? Sometimes people get the adventuring itch, they don't fit in here. Manglepies tend to be like that. Last one left a few years back. Heard she's living out in swamps, near the village of Rennesse." He indicates the village on your map. "I suspect that Big Boss has fallen victim to ambition. He used to be some bandit in the hills. He cut a deal with the miners, and then became their guard. Now he is their master. They've been working hard, digging new tunnels. Exporting more iron. We sell them food, as much as we can. They been buying a lot. He probably wants to be a new prince. This part of the land's been mostly free from that sort of thing." "Raiding? I don't know... we're simple folk. We hunt, we can drive off bandits. Don't know how many of the lad's are up for raiding. That sounds like the kind of thing an adventurer would do..." One of the other councilmembers speaks up. An older woman. She says, "Harvest time's a coming. Don't raid during earth season. We need all the hands we can get for the harvest." sullat fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Jul 2, 2018 |
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Jul 2, 2018 03:15
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 Jakob Surrety, Halfling Militiaman Wounds: 10 / 10 | Fortune: 0 / 3 Jakob, having pushed his plate aside to the center of the table, piped up again. "Pass those draughts around would'ja Mr. Mayor? Let me get a good look at 'em." Sorting through the bottles one by one and shaking them each in turn, Jakob inspected the Healing Draughts until he found two that he approved of. Jakob takes a Healing Draught and a Healing Draught (Poor) for himself! "There's plenty in there for everyone." Jakob suggested, passing the box along the table. "Take one of the off-brand ones and have yourself a sip, Alice. Do yerself some good." "A'course, this's all assumin' that we are helping out the folks here..." Jakob looked around the table to see if those gathered with him were in agreement. He turned in his seat and spoke to the Mayor again. "Mr. Mayor, if it's a hometown militia defense you're lookin' for then I kin do ya one better. See, I was a militiaman back in the Moot, but I was also a bowyer by trade too. I just need the right tools for the job and I kin get myself started on making ranged weapons for you and yours." Jakob paused to let the weight of a good opportunity sink in. "Well, what say you?" Jakob opened it up to the other Middleshire Halflings present. "I kin train the common folk here to swing a sword, to dodge a blow and to fire an arrow, but first things first they need weapons and bows to learn that." "I knows ye've got a smithy around town ta make arms and armor with, but do ya have a bowyer? Failing that, have ya got a Bowyer's Trade Tools for sale, by any chance?" Jakob Gossips: looking for a Bowyer's Trade Tools!: 1d100 23 - Success! (Cost: 50 gc) "Excellent! Any chance ya might give me a discount onnit, on account a' me makin' the bows and fletchin' the arrows for your lads out in the field?"
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Jul 2, 2018 18:15
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 Hepador LaLoche "Hash and eggs!? Don't mind if I do!" Hepador said, tucking vigorously into a plate of second-breakfast. The Mayor continued talking after that, a lot of business happens over food in halfing towns. Hepador paid attention, of course, but it could be said he paid equal attention to the apple-butter biscuits. Fortunately, Jakob seemed to be fully engaged and handling things responsibly. Hepador finished a second pint of cold, fresh milk as the conversation reached a lull. He looked between the Mayor and his caravan mates, smacking his lips and wiping his hands on a kerchief. "Well, I think it all sounds pretty good. That Big Boss fellow isn't a very cordial man. He's already made a less than stunning impression on our party. Aspiring slaver. Aspiring raider. Apparently an aspiring prince as well. Its a loathsome resume to say the least, and I would take distinct pleasure in thwarting his ambitions." "I have to put a condition down, however." Hepador said, placing his hands in his pockets. "There is a lady. Down in the valley. Producing these ... Coins..." He said, removing a handful from his pocket and placing them on the tabletop. "... Lady Markusson. I'm told." He locked eyes with the Mayor and laced his fingers beneath his chin. "I need to speak with her." He took one of the coins and slid it to the Mayor. He took the rest and deposited them back into his purse. "When I first found these coins, I thought they were an atrocity. Everything is wrong with them. On the other hand, one of the things wrong with them is, well ... Amazing. Beautiful. Impossible. What you hold in your hand has the potential to change all of Malaria Coast. Maybe the whole continent. Mayor, sir ... that coin is Almost Ninety Six Percent Silver." Hepador paused to let this stunning revelation sink in. The Mayor raised an eyebrow cautiously, holding the coin between the fingers of both hands. He blinked a few times and returned his gaze to the glimmering coin. "... Oh. Wow. Ninety six percent silver you say? That's-uh ... That's more than usual... In'nit?" He held it up to the morning light pouring through the window. "Nifty." Hepador's jaw dropped. "Nifty?!" He thought, "Nifty?! If we'd found a single one of these in the Capital's Mint there'd have been blood shed about which of the supervisors got to claim he'd made the drat thing. And the Mayor thinks its Nifty." Hepador grimaced and rubbed his temples. "Yes. It's very 'Nifty' sir. Most of the Empire's coins are ninety. Some of the best crafted get up to ninety two and a quarter but those are made for collections, not circulation. They're soft. The higher the concentration above ninety, the softer the coins become. Bite the coin, sir." "... I'd really prefer not to." "Well fine! The point is, this coin isn't soft at all. Its Sharp! There - There isn't enough copper to keep the coin from bending and yet, the coin doesn't bend! Now, I don't know if it's made with a special silver native to Malaria Coast or hardened with some new forge technique but, the four and a tenth percent trace metals in that coin Aren't Necessary For Integrity!" "Ah. Well. That's-uh... That's really Nifty." "I Will Slap Y-Sorry. Sorry. Let me, let me just - Ummm." Hepador took a deep breathe and realized he needed to dumb this down for the numismatically uneducated. "Alright. However those coins are made, or whatever they're made of, the same process could be used to make Pure Silver Coins. There is no such thing as Pure Silvers, none fit for circulation anyway. Now, a one-hundred percent silver coin would contain ten percent more silver than the Captal's ninety percent silver coins, yeah? Meaning that nine Pure Silvers would have the same value as ten Silver Shillings. Follow? 90 times 10 brings you to 900. 100 times 9 brings you to 900. Nine of ours equals ten of theirs. Follow? That's an 'exchange rate'. And it puts you at an advantage when trading with foreign market. A phenomenal advantage. If you buy lumber from the Capital, you spend ten percent less. If you sell the same lumber to the Capital, you make ten percent more. Without doing anything to the product being sold, you make an extra twenty percent through the life of the transaction. On every transaction. So, a lot of merchants are going to want to begin trading in your currency. Which increases the numismatic value of your Pure Silvers because, like a product, there's a limited supply and a high demand. Once whole markets have converted to Pure Silvers, people will start keeping their savings in Pure Silver. Once their savings are in Pure Silvers, financial institutions will start lending in Pure Silvers. And then-" "I'm sorry." The Mayor interrupted, suddenly holding very tightly onto the silver coin in his hand, a single bead of sweat running down his brow. "What exactly are you saying?" Hepador smiled. "Wanna be the next Capital? I'm saying that coin in your hand makes it possible. We can change the face of markets internationally in under a decade, shift the balance of power for the next two centuries. You're holding a myth. With the right tools, I can make it real; mass produce it. And all I need is to talk with Lady Markusson. So ... Go find her will you?" "And also, give Jakob a better deal on the Bowyer Kit. Its an investment. We're gonna do a lot of good for this town." Haggle for Bowyer Kit: 1#1d100 5
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Jul 4, 2018 10:32
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 Jarla Redlich 11/11 Hp | 1/3 Fp The Mayor posted:"... Exporting more iron. ..." "Hm, so they aren't working it there, no smithing? ... Is the export a regular thing then?" The Mayor posted:"Raiding? I don't know... we're simple folk. We hunt, we can drive off bandits. Don't know how many of the lad's are up for raiding. That sounds like the kind of thing an adventurer would do..." "Just want to understand what you're looking for. So what I'm hearing is- you're looking for safety from the Greasy Digging raiders. You don't care about how. You're not paying for an extra bounty on raider heads, but you also don't care if they end up dead. You're not looking to take down the big boss, but you're not looking to prop em' up either. Sound right?"
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Jul 4, 2018 20:01
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Hepador's tirade leaves the Mayor stunned for a few moments. "All we want is to be left alone... That's the point, innit? The bandits want to take our food, I suppose they'll take all our coins, too. We only use coins to deal with outsiders, you know. Otherwise all dealings are in credit. We all share the fruits of the harvest, we all share the luxuries that traders bring through our town. If we hire adventurers to give these bandits a bloody nose, they'll think twice about bothering us. Of course, if there's a permanent ending to Big Boss's ambition..." One of the other council-halflings adds, "Lady Markussen is another of those ambitious princes. She's asked us to swear 'fealty' a few times, and we tell her we'll think about it. But she'd want us to pay 'taxes' and quarter soldiers in our town. Seems like a bad deal, if you ask me, although I suppose she'd see Big Boss off. Or put him in charge, you never know with these princes. She has her seat in the town of Nieuwdam, if'n you want to meet her." "Quite right, Mr. Potts. We're happy here. A couple of the lads like to make their own bows and arrows. You can use their tools while everyone's at the harvest. You want to keep them? I suppose we can always get some more. The glue's the most expensive part, of course," muses the Mayor. "If you want to take it with you after the bandits are chased off and you move on, I suppose you can take it for half the normal price. Also, our smith can bang out a new scythe or shoe a horse, and I reckon Greasy Diggings has someone who can do that too, but mostly they send the iron and tin elsewhere. The dwarfhames to the north are always happy to buy, as are the princes of the Borderlands. There's a dwarf living in Balavega who makes fine weapons. She buys a lot of iron and coal, I know. Our little valley is really the only way for trade to go to the north and to the west, so a lot of it passes through here."
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Jul 4, 2018 22:14
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Jakob Surrety, Halfling Militiaman Wounds: 10 / 10 | Fortune: 0 / 3 Middleshire's Mayor posted:"If you want to take it with you after the bandits are chased off and you move on, I suppose you can take it for half the normal price." "Half price fer the Bowyer's Tools at job's end? Heck, I s'pose you've got yerself a deal then, Mr. Mayor. Pers'nally, I'd like to get a crack at some proper woodworking tools that'll let my ply my own trade as I travel, as it were." "Also, if I'm not mistaken you were about to mention something about us making a 'permanent ending to Big Boss's ambition,' weren'tcha?" Jakob Gossips: Reward for the Head of Big Boss?: 1d100 40 - Success!
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Jul 4, 2018 23:41
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The Mayor starts getting somewhat uncomfortable. "Well, violence doesn't really lead to a permanent solution, does it? The cycle will continue. I mean, a true solution would be for the miners and workers of Greasy Diggings to take control of their own destiny, so we could enter into a co-operative relationship? I mean, we trade with them now, but if we could enter into solidarity with them..." There is a coarse laugh from an old woman. She pushes aside her cleaned plate, and says "I'm Huberta Mayfield, the miller. I run the mill, that is. On behalf of the town. Our Mayor is something of an idealist, bless his heart. If you remove Big Boss from power, however that may be, I'm sure we can come up with an extra 30 gold crowns for you lot. Once he's removed, perhaps then the Mayor can put his anarcho-syndicalist theories to practice."
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Jul 5, 2018 00:55
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Jakob Surrety, Halfling Militiaman Wounds: 10 / 10 | Fortune: 0 / 3 From all the way across the table, Jakob nodded at Huberta Mayfield and her forthright proposition. It was fine by Jakob if someone wanted to talk some straight sense around here. "Thirty gold crowns for the head of a would-be slaver prince, izzat right?" "Now let me see here. That would make..." he started counting on his fingers for a long while, looking around the table and muttering to himself. "..One hundred and thirty five. Crowns, that is. You would pay the seven of us one hundred and thirty five gold crowns to get rid of your slaver problem. Yeah?" "Sure. Seems fair enough, dunn'it?" Jakob looked to Alice for the go-ahead. "Alice, what d'ya think we should do? Should we help these fellas out?" "Furthermore - now that I think about it - what should be done with those three human scoundrels we've got tied up over in the inn's basement? What's typically done with them in times like these?" Jakob tests his Common Knowledge (Halfling): Traditional Treatment of Human Criminals: 1d100 70 - "I simply have no idea what'd be standard 'round these parts."
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Jul 6, 2018 08:43
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 Wounds 6 / 10 | Fortune 3 / 3 Alice sits silently for an uncomfortably long period after being asked to throw her life on the line fighting bandits again. She thinks about refusing - her injured leg throbs painfully, and she's still finding dry blood in her hair from the man she killed - but then she looks around at the frightened faces of the halfling townsfolk, and her resolve hardens. Seven against an unknown but undoubtedly superior number of hardened killers? It'll make a magnificent story. "Mr Mayor, we'll take the case. These thugs have been pushing people around for too long, and it's time someone stood up to them." She stands up to make her point, and drinks the healing potion Jakob passes her. "You say they plan on raiding you after the harvest? How long does that give us to get ready?" Trade (Farmer) TN 50: 1d100 74 It's been a long time since Alice did any farming of her own, and she's not sure how ripe those crops looked. how many wounds does the potion heal? On the subject of the prisoners: "By Imperial standards these men would be looking at long prison sentences of hard labor, potentially execution if the judge was feeling ornery. Helping bandits is considered the same as being a bandit, although usually harder to prove. Out here? It's the Mayors call. We probably don't want them running off to tell Big Boss that you've hired us, but you don't have a prison. Maybe you can keep them on as indentured workers for the harvest?" She's too polite to suggest that killing the prisoners might be tactically advantageous, and not exactly murder if you squint right. Academic Knowledge (Law) TN 50: 1d100 17 thatbastardken fucked around with this message at 13:36 on Jul 9, 2018 |
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Jul 9, 2018 04:56
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Karina "I'm not much good in a fight, but I can do what I can about chatting up anyone who might know about the Big Boss' place. Hell, we've got those mooks tied up. Might be time to see if anyone wants to cut a deal soon. Well... maybe let them stew another day or so."
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Jul 9, 2018 23:14
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"We don't know when he'll come. But we'll start harvesting in a week or so. Usually takes about four weeks to clear the valley. The threshers and the millers will be working full time. Obviously they'll want to wait until everything's milled and bagged, since it's easier to carry. I hope they don't realize we heard their plans... His lair is in Greasy Diggings, if'n you want to pay him a visit." The Mayor considers the fate of the prisoners for a few minutes. "We don't usually keep people prisoner... when outsiders make trouble we either fine them or let them cool their heels in the stocks for a spell. Every once in a while we'll banish someone, but that hasn't been done in many decades."
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Jul 10, 2018 03:09
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Jarla Redlich 11/11 Hp | 1/3 Fp "Sounds like we're in agreement to the terms then." Jarla moves to stand up. "We can question those three before you sentence them or whatever. A few days in the stocks would give us time to check out Greasy Diggings without any of them tipping them off."
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Jul 11, 2018 22:58
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Wounds 10 / 10 | Fortune 3 / 3 quote:"We don't know when he'll come. But we'll start harvesting in a week or so. Usually takes about four weeks to clear the valley. The threshers and the millers will be working full time. Obviously they'll want to wait until everything's milled and bagged, since it's easier to carry" Alice nods. "So we should have at least some time to gather information and make plans. I'd advise deferring to Ms Redlich on the practical aspects of holding your prisoners, but I will need to talk to them all the same. If your militia could consult with Mr Surrety and Ms Foecleaver on the current defences of Middleshire some time before second lunch that would be ideal." KhediveRex posted:And all I need is to talk with Lady Markusson. So ... Go find her will you?" "As thrilling a concept as you put forward, I feel that we should focus on the task at hand before engaging in a grand financial venture. I would very much like to speak to Lady Markusson or at least find out her opinion on Big Boss, which I imagine will involve travelling to her capital. Schedule it in for the day after tomorrow, perhaps? Alice pulls out her writing kit and begins preparing a document: pre:Contract of Employment The undersigned individuals are hereby employed by the Village of Middleshire for the following purposes:
Charm (Council Meeting) TN 53: 1d100 5 astute persons may notice the contract gives the party a great deal of latitude Vicissitude posted:Karina "Would you care to join me? I'm just going to see what they'll tell me for a little false hope."
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Jul 12, 2018 06:31
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Karina "Oh, absolutely. I think they've earned a little payback. They wanted to kill us. I think it's the least we can do to stick it to them."
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Jul 12, 2018 08:57
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Cerzi Foecleaver Cerzi grins, "Now you're thinking like a dawi." Looking back at the mayor, she clarifies, "I ain't about to send your boys out, just thinkin' that there's more than one angle that our band can take on the matter. And, yeah, I'd be happy to drill your boys and organize the defenses. If you've all got half the fire as Alice, that Big Boss is going to have a rude awakening when he sends his men in to attack."
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Jul 12, 2018 16:48
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The Mayor scans the contract briefly. "All in favor of hiring these adventurers at the terms discussed?" he asks. The other council members say, "Aye." He signs the document with a flourish. Councilor Mayfield signs as well. He says, "I'll make a copy of this for you, we'll keep the original in our records. Thank you for your help in this matter. We will have the prisoners placed in the stocks once we drag them out of storage." He sighs. "It's a shame that it came to this. Our trade with them has always been profitable, but some people can't be content with what they have. Harvest time is always the busiest time here, too. We have a lot of planning to do. If you have any more questions for us, please stop by this afternoon or this evening and we can try to help you." The Mayor gives you a curt nod. Back outside, the merchants are just getting their last mules hitched up. "Thanks for your help," says Balderico. "I'm glad someone's going to teach those bandits a lesson. I hope our paths cross again in more prosperous times." The merchant's party shakes your hands, and then gets the train moving, heading east along the road out of the valley. The summer sun is rising in the sky. You have maybe four to six weeks before the bandits come.
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Jul 13, 2018 04:42
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Wounds 10 / 10 | Fortune 3 / 3 quote:In the cellar of the Merry Giant The three captives stare blankly at Alice as she begins to read through a dizzying list of the crimes they've committed and the draconian Imperial punishments associated with them. When she reaches the end of the gruesome description of the penalty for 'aggravated abandonment' she turns on a smile that has all the mirth of a shark, and less of the good intentions. "Of course, we could be persuaded to allow the local court to lower the charges to a few misdemeanors, get you out on parole here in Middleshire. A few weeks helping with the harvest and you could be on your way as free men! You just need to tell us everything you know about this 'Big Boss' and their activities in Greasy Diggings. Impress me with your eagerness to help and I'll put in a good word for you with the Mayor. He's really quite furious and was suggesting we have you rendered down for tallow, but I think I can talk sense into him." this is either a Charm or Intimidate (based on fellowship because it's blackmail, basically) to get the prisoners to do something they ordinarily wouldn't (snitch on the boss and not run away while on parole). Intimidate is untrained so I rolled against both: Charm/Intimidate prisoners, TN 53/27: 1d100 1 they get to oppose with willpower thatbastardken fucked around with this message at 13:23 on Jul 29, 2018 |
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Jul 13, 2018 10:20
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Kasper's Story The caravan master glares at Alice, and then seems to deflate under her stern gaze. "I was born in Greasy Diggings. It was a shithole then. Wanted to get out as fast as possible. Joined a mercenary band, became a scout. Did some light adventuring. Eventually took up as a guide. Hadn't been home for thirty years. Heard tell me mum died, so I went home to plant her in the ground. Found Big Boss in charge of the place. He's turned it into a big, sprawling mining camp. Runs the place with an iron hand. 'Step out of line, go into the mine', they say. He was going to throw me into the mines, too, but I hatched a plan. Since rumors were floating around about gold, maybe we could lure some fortune seekers to the camps? He'd be attacking caravans anyway, this way we could do it without bloodshed. And I'm getting too old for all this hard work. Just need some nest egg to retire on..." "About the town. He's had a ditch dug around the palisade. Three gates. He took over the old boss's manor, I didn't see inside. Out in the hills are the mines. One tin, and one iron. The laborers are kept in two camps outside the mines. He's got his men divided up. Some of them watch the camps, while his best men live in the manor with him. His kid, Junior, is his second in command. In theory. But he's got two hardcases that run the camps. Rabid Reiner and Mad Dog Daryn. Don't call them that to their faces, though." He sketches a map in the dirt of the cellar. "Don't let them banish us! We'll play along. Help with the harvest, whatever. And then never come back. Maybe I'll go out to the gold fields meself, strike it rich! Luck can't get any worse than it already has." 
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Jul 15, 2018 02:55
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Jarla Redlich 11/11 Hp | 1/3 Fp "Tell me about the camps. How many people are held in them? How are they secured?" Jarla looked at the map they had sketched out. "And you have a well? Where do you draw water?"
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Jul 18, 2018 14:24
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Jakob Surrety, Halfling Militiaman Wounds: 10 / 10 | Fortune: 0 / 3 Jakob Surrety was seated at a small table in the back of the Inn's basement, watching over the proceedings with their captive prisoners and half-listening to Kaspar's story. He was divvying up the gold crowns he'd collected into seven separate piles. Jakob had brought the three men's boots with him, too, as a sign of good faith. He got some questioning looks from some of the others present for handling so much gold out in the open, but Jakob waved them off while he was concentrating. Jakob was no super-numerate, but he'd handled plenty of coin in his father's old shop, so when he was done parceling out the coinage he was pleased to count the gold crowns in one of the seven piles and find that it came out to be fourteen. "Hot diggity - that's fourteen gold crowns apiece!" Jakob interjected into the conversation. All eyes turned to him. "That's right, y'heard me. These fellas had been sayin' that they accepted payment fer our "safe delivery," as it were. So I fig'erd they musta had some a' that dirty Big Boss money on 'em somewhere, and - well - I found some! Then Jarla went ahead and searched through their cruddy boots and found sum'more gold stashed away." "Feel like this is slaver's blood money and so it belongs to all of us, so here's y'all's cut." Jakob goes around the party and hands 14 gc each to Jarla, Cerzi, Alice, Hepador, Karina, and Urist. "Oh, and I suppose you can have yer boots back then, fellas." Jakob concluded, almost as an afterthought. Jakob tosses the boots back to Kaspar, Martin, and Nicolas "Now," Jakob fully addressed the humans, "tell us what y'can about the man himself: Big Boss." Jakob Gossips: Asking about Big Boss' weaknesses and personalty flaws!: 1d100 90 - "What do you mean, 'you don't know?'" "What about his lackeys, Rabid Reiner and Mad Dog Daryn? Surely you know them from somewhere." Jakob Gossips: Asking about lackeys' weaknesses and personalty flaws!: 1d100 35 - Success! "Lastly, what do you know about secret or hidden avenues into or out of parts Greasy Diggings? Jakob Gossips: Asking about secret or covert paths around Greasy Diggings!: 1d100 74 - "What do you mean, 'you won't say?'" "Fine," Jakob tossed up his hands in resignation and walked back to his chair in by the table the corner. "They're all yours, guys." pre:Name: Jakob Surrety Race: Halfling Height: 4’0” Weight: 80 lbs. Hair: Ash Blonde Eyes: Brown Mark: Broken Nose Siblings: 2 Sign: Grungni’s Baldric - Sign of Martial Pursuits Age: 36 Birthplace: The Moot Favorite Pie: Beef & Beer Career: Militiaman PROFILE: Primary : | WS | BS | S | T | AG | INT | WP | FEL| Starting : | 21 | 40 | 20 | 27 | 42 | 30 | 29 | 36 | Advances : | 10 | 05 | 05 | 05 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | Taken : | 10 | -- | -- | 05 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | Current : | 31 | 40 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 30 | 29 | 36 | Secondary : | A | W | SB | TB | M | MAG | IP | FP | Starting : | 1 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Advances : | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Taken : | - | -- | - | - | - | - | - | - | Current : | 1 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | SKILLS: Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry) (INT) Animal Care (INT) Common Knowledge (Halflings) (INT) Dodge Blow (AG) Gossip (+10%) (FEL) Outdoor Survival (INT) Perception (INT) Search (INT) Speak Language (Halfling) (Reikspiel) (INT) Swim (S) Trade: Bowyer (AG) Trade: Cook (INT) TALENTS: Night Vision (30 yards) Rapid Reload (Reduces reload times by a half action.) Resistance to Chaos (+10% to Will Power Tests to resist magic and Chaos effects, Chaos mutation immunity; No magic skill.) Specialist Weapon Group (Sling) Strike Mighty Blow (+1 to damage rolls with melee) Strong-Minded (No Insanity checks until 8 IP) TRAPPINGS: Leather Armour (Leather Jack [1 Body, 1 Arms], Leather Skullcap [1 Head]), Uniform Common clothing (Shirt, Breeches, Worn Boots, Tattered Cloak, Belt) Moot-Leather Belt Sling Bag Blanket Wooden tankard & cutlery set Rations (1 week) Bread, Loaf (stale) Cheese (1/4 lb) Water Skin (full) Antitoxin Kit (3 uses) 5x Healing Poultices 1x Healing Draught 1x Healing Draught (poor) Rope (20 yards) Spade Lantern 3x Lamp Oil (4 hrs/use) Tinder Box (6 uses) 22x Matches 20x Marbles Large Pouch Uncut Quartz Dagger [Damage: SB-2] Sword [Damage: SB+1] Shield [Damage: SB-2] [+10% Parry] [-10% BS on incoming ranged] Sling [Damage: 3] [16/32 range, Half reload] (with ammunition) Bow [Damage: 3] [24/48 range, Half reload] (with 20 Arrows) Coinpurse: 100 gc 17 ss 8 p -> 17 gc 17 ss 8p ADVANCES: Free: +5% Toughness 400 XP: +10% WS, +10% AGI
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Jul 19, 2018 04:20
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Karina "That's rather forthcoming of you guys. Though, given your current situation, I can hardly blame you." Given that the little lawyer seems to have gotten so much out of them, Karina just sits back and strums her lute along with her partner's conversation. Music has a strong effect on people. She can think of a half dozen times easy when a light tune kept a room filled with rowdies from getting violent. If she needs to, she can switch to something a little more ominous. If only she had thought to set up a room with the right lighting and acoustics. That might have gotten them to spill even more.
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Jul 19, 2018 05:17
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"I don't know how many people are there. The town was pretty small when I was a kid... I think he's kidnapping travelers. Other ones, I mean. And maybe raiding other villages. I think there's maybe three score toughs that keep order? I didn't count, but, uh, there's a lot. Water? We go to the river to wash and bathe, but there's a well in the town square. Probably another one in the manor, I never been though. Never met his men personally..." One of the scouts says, "I was in a mercenary company a few years back. Fell apart. Daryn was there, he's a real nut. Gets battle drunk. Earned his name, no matter how much he hates it. Heard Reiner came down from the Empire a few years back. Dunno why, but he seems the sort that makes enemies real easy." One of the halfling guards comes in. "Sorry, we only got two human sized stocks. Think either of them can fit in a normal sized one?" He peers at the men's necks. "Probably not. Guess you'll have to take turns. Who wants to go first?" Outside, supervising placement of the stocks is one of the councillers from the meeting. She sizes you up, and says, "Hi! I'm Belinda Gotfried. I usually help organize field patrols here. Mostly we just chase away crows and wolves, that sort of thing. Maybe string up a goblin or three. Haven't had any real trouble in decades! So exciting! But also scary. What should we do?"
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Jul 20, 2018 03:16
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Cerzi Foecleaver Cerzi looks Belinda up and down, trying to make her measure in turn. She says, "Aye, well met, Belinda. Cerzi. Now, what sort of equipment and manpower do ye have to work with? I'm not thinkin' we make this a fair fight if they come callin'. It'd be more settin' snares and layin' down fire from walls. If we limit the ways they can attack from to just the one, me 'n mine can hold the line while the lot of you pick 'em off."
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Jul 20, 2018 04:46
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"I'm glad we hired you! You sound like you know what you're doing. We usually have anyone between 20 and 60 years taking turns patrolling with slings or bows, looking for trouble. Maybe a few people on the job every day. If you lined everyone up at once, that'd be... like seventy people? The wall and the ditch keep most trouble out of the village." She points at the village wall. It's a brick wall, about 4 feet high, with steps behind it for the halflings to stand on. In front, there's a ditch. At the moment, it's bone-dry. The fields start a few dozen feet from the walls, with the crops standing tall at the moment. Once the harvest is over, the fields of stubble will predominate. "We've got lots of stones! The riverbed is full of them! Enough to keep our slingers in stock. Arrows are more of a pain, since there aren't many trees around, but we've got a few hundred stashed away. Also have a few boar-spears and such like around. And I bet we could find some old heirloom equipment in people's houses if we needed. Last time we had something big like this... I think was maybe 50 years ago? Before I was born. My grandad said some goblins tried to raid the valley. We hired some expendable... I mean, dependable mercenaries to help us then, too. I wonder if those crazy humans up in the hills will help us? They don't have much, but we give them food every once in a while."
sullat fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Jul 24, 2018 |
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Jul 24, 2018 01:58
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Jakob Surrety, Halfling Militiaman Wounds: 10 / 10 | Fortune: 0 / 3 Jakob listened intently to Belinda Gotfried as she spoke openly about Middleshire's locally-trained defenses. They had a field patrol of about seventy-odd Halflings here, or so she told it, which seemed like a good enough size of force but wasn't nearly big enough to throw things in Middleshire's favor, especially considering that Big Boss was said to have some three score human thugs and enforcers under his direct employ, most of whom would likely be raiding the village on horseback. Manpower aside, the enemy's horses were a major factor in determining where to shore up the town's defenses the most, since even one loose horseman allowed free reign inside the town's walls during a raid could wreak havoc across all of Middleshire. Jakob spoke up out of the group and addressed Belinda. "Now see here Ms. Gotfried - I'm worried that a rather determined horseman might be able to leap clear over that wall a' yours, 'epecially if'n he and his horse had room t'charge first. What d'you think can we do t'add an extra layer of security against jumpers? Dig the ditches wider? Plant stakes? Haystacks? Use flammables? Water? Could we divert the river to flood the fields or the ditches below the walls? I've got all sortsa questions about the lay of the land, come to think of it..." "Like these hill-dwelling crazies you mentioned - who are they and where might we find them?" Jakob Gossips: Asking about the Crazy Humans in the Hills!: 1d100 27 - Success! "D'these humans got anything t'do with the Goblin raids on Middleshire fifty years ago? Those battles sound fascinatin' ta me - what else can you tell us about the history and artifacts of the Goblin raids? Jakob Gossips: Asking about Goblin Raid of Middleshire: 1d100 1 - Success!
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Jul 26, 2018 07:33
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Wounds 10 / 10 | Fortune 3 / 3 While the more martial types among her companions consider the physical defenses of Middleshire Alice sits down in the common room of the Merry Giant and makes a list. Lists are vital to the success of any enterprise more complicated than eating a pie, and it seems to her that driving away a bandit gang might fall in to that category. She's no general, but hopefully her legal training will allow her to strategize by analogy Her quill scratches away at the parchment as she adds sublists, assigns possible tasks to adventurers, and tries to squeeze as much activity as theoretically possible in to the next few weeks: Middleshire v Big Boss posted:
She looks skeptically at her own handwriting. Boiling these objectives down to a couple of words makes them looks deceptively simple.
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Jul 29, 2018 13:53
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Cerzi Foecleaver Cerzi looks over the ditches. They were a little shallow to be really defensive, could probably use some stakes at the bottom as well, but this was a fairly promising start. It'd make a charge a risky prospect, at the least, and she had no doubt that the halflings were a fair shot with their slings. She says, "Aye, a solid start. If we can get those ditches a touch deeper, I'd dare say they'll have trouble breaching your walls."
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Jul 30, 2018 01:48
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Prince of Space posted:"Like these hill-dwelling crazies you mentioned - who are they and where might we find them?" "They have a monastery up in the hills to the south. A few miles away. Just over the edge of the valley." Prince of Space posted:"D'these humans got anything t'do with the Goblin raids on Middleshire fifty years ago? Those battles sound fascinatin' ta me - what else can you tell us about the history and artifacts of the Goblin raids? "...I hope not? They've been here about 10 years or so. This was back in my grandpa's time. He led the militia! Used to tell me about it. The goblins had been raiding out of the desert. Cut off trade. Caravans were waiting here when the goblins came out into the valley. He organized the militia, put the caravan guards up front as an expendable blocking force, and fought them off. Said one of the caravan guards, a knight or somesuch, charged into the middle of the battle and chopped the goblin leader in half! Pity about the wolves, though. Anyway, they broke and fled, haven't bothered us since then." Tricky posted:"Aye, a solid start. If we can get those ditches a touch deeper, I'd dare say they'll have trouble breaching your walls." "Sigh. It's always a pain when they get filled with water. Seems to attract bugs or something. Not so bad in the summer, but in winter and spring? Yecch."
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Jul 31, 2018 01:53
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Cerzi Foecleaver Cerzi looks thoughtful, then says, "Y'ever think of putting some pipes in at the bottom that drain it out towards the fields? We've used 'em in the mines to drain pockets of water."
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Jul 31, 2018 04:08
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Wounds 10 / 10 | Fortune 3 / 3 Day One, Week One: "Mr Mayor, has anyone ever drawn a proper map of Middleshire and the surrounds? It could be useful to the defense effort if they have." gossip (map) tn 53: 1d100 45 (PROJECT - map. COMPLEXITY ?/? RESULT: ?)
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Aug 1, 2018 15:05
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"A map?" the Mayor asks. "Don't recall ever needing one. We all know where everything is... And everything is owned in common, so we don't need to keep track of property lines. If you want one, I suppose I can have someone draw one up for you. Might take a few days. Or you can do it, if'n you want to get the lay of the land yourself." Meanwhile, Cerzi examines the fortifications more closely. Making the ditch deeper would be fairly straightforward, as it stands now it is only a slight impediment to a man-sized foe. In the dwarf-homes, a watermill or windmill (or a few burly pump operators) would easily fill the moat from the river, but out here in the wilds, that might be difficult. Another option is to use the creeks coming down from the hills. It would be also straightforward to divert one into feeding the moat, and then afterwards, let the water drain out into the river. Let gravity do the work. Well, that and a few days of hard labor in the sun.
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Aug 2, 2018 02:05
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 14:32 |
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Jarla Redlich 11/11 Hp | 1/3 Fp "That building looks close enough to set alight, toss an oil lamp over the wall. At the least get a distraction going while they put it out. And the slaves camps seem a good place to target, seems like they'd not be too happy with our 'prince'. Could be what we need to swing the numbers in our favour. Cuts greasy diggings' resources too. I can scout it out. See if there are any details we need to know, about the manor, or the mining camps. Will be a few days each way. And depending on the route, we could try and trap some of the way here, slow them down."
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Aug 12, 2018 17:12
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