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 You push past the swinging doors of the pub, a piece of torn parchment in your hand. “Now interviewing for the position of Assistant Brewer,” it reads along with a date for the job fair. “Must be willing to risk life and limb for the sake of ales and lagers. Safety not Guaranteed!” Despite being the middle of the day, the stench of smoke and sweat fills the room. A slack-jawed barkeep cleans a mug across from a couple of patrons already deep in their cups. The tables and chairs that fill the room are all empty, except for a group huddled in the far corner. Sitting at the head of the table is a portly man, whose wide smile greets your approach. “You’re here about the brewer position too, eh? Well, have a seat, we were just starting. My name is Alphonse Heulitz. You did make sure to bring a copy of your Last Will and Testament, yes?” A strange crew sits around the table with you. Maybe you glance at them with wide eyes, taking in all the details of your new friends, or eye them suspiciously, worry pouring into your mind as you wonder what you've gotten yourself into. But however you regard your companions, the founding members of this new magobrewery are:  Doctor Victor Medula, the Medic (played by Unknown Quantity)  Esmeray Birkan, the Outlander (played by occamsnailfile)  Ivy Ernaldin, the Druid (played by Antivehicular)  Gnorlax, the  Sungwine, the  Vinny, the (Wine) Golem (played by Flame112) And lastly, your patron, the alchemist-turned-brewer Alphonse Heulitz:  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First of all, I want you guys to do some establishing, because you're the goddamn players. I'm just here to master the game, like what you do to an album. Unknown Quantity, tell me about the place you're in now. Not the drat tavern, you dolt. The city. Or town. Or roadside taphouse. I figure that Alphonse is renting a room or warehouse in the area to double as an alchemy lab/brewspace, but what about the environs. Is it a bustling place, or Generic Fantasy Detroit™, with abandoned buildings everywhere? occamsnailfile, give me a little history about the place. I don't need War and Peace here. Just a bit about how the place (metropolis / town / Detroit) was founded, some defining events in its past, and any current events that might effect how you guys interact with it. Antivehicular, what is the population like? Is it pretty diverse, or do the humans keep the Lichtenstein, tell me about product. Any major exports or imports that slydingdoor, what about defense or the need thereof? Are Flame112, how does (metropolis / town / Detroit) interact with the rest of civilization? Is there some established kingdom or empire to which it belongs? What about its nearest neighbors? Are they close by? Friendly / hostile / frenemies? Some answers might depend on other answers, but feel free to go in any order, just don't contradict anyone else, you babies. As always, the IRC channel is #beermustflow on SynIRC. We haven't really used it much, and I don't mind a lot of OOC chat happening in this thread w/r/t gameplay, but it's there if you want to talk with your fellow players. As for your first objective, I hope you like water... Doctor Epitaph fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Aug 2, 2014 |
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Aug 2, 2014 02:35
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Sungwine "My affairs are in order." Everything's in a safety deposit box that only he and his daughter, Duchess Maria Vinesong, have a key for. Doctor Epitaph posted:slydingdoor, what about defense or the need thereof? Are The place is like How to Train Your Dragon: constantly under attack by all sorts of supernatural monsters, such that everyone in the settlement is ready to gear up and fight whenever they hear the bell. Monster attacks are so frequent that the guards and volunteer guards are to divide roughly into a Daywatch and a Nightwatch on top of their normal jobs, and you sleep in a fortified place with earplugs when off your shift. Things have never gotten so bad that the sleeping have needed to be woken to help fight, and fatalities are rare indeed, since the werechihuahuas, drakes, and mer-people are usually more about kidnapping than killing and eating us, and having to fight for your lives all the time tends to build camaraderie. Only the richest and most powerful can afford the time and luxury of murder around here. Too bad only someone like Sungwine knows that for sure, and no one would believe him except those who would silence him just for bringing up the subject. Everyone else feels safe though, the blind fools.
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Aug 2, 2014 03:54
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"My last will and...? Oh, my things! It's okay, I don't have anything besides this! The spirits'll know if something happens to me, anyway! So what are we doing?" Doctor Epitaph posted:Antivehicular, what is the population like? Is it pretty diverse, or do the humans keep the The population around here is actually pretty diverse! The Really, with the monster problem being what it is, practically nobody who's not wearing a necklace of human ears will be denied entrance to the city, especially if they express interest in the guard. If you want to be a guardsman, you can probably even have the ears, as long as they aren't too terribly fresh. Antivehicular fucked around with this message at 08:56 on Aug 2, 2014 |
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Aug 2, 2014 06:51
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"It doesn't work that way", Gnorlax said, shaking his head. "A skald from the North is about to arrive in three or four days. He'll sing you a song about my life and deeds. The last verse will cover my glorious death and what happens afterwards. Your own skald should learn it, but in a pinch taking notes should work out fine. Oh, and as I'm technically your servant, you're legally bound to uphold my last will against false pretendents by means of trial by combat, Mr. Heulitz." quote:Lichtenstein, tell me about product. Any major exports or imports that make that bank drive commerce around here? (Beer might or might not be a good answer here, depending on why you think Alphonse has chosen here to set up shop.) Once upon a time, the place was a relatively major pumpkin producer. Not only in terms of volume, mind you, it was a place where you could buy the most exotic cultivars one could find. Alas, the constant monster incursions disrupted the works, polluted the ground enough to kill off the most delicate types, while the rest was simply overtaken by the vampire pumpkins. Nowadays, what drives the commerce is contraband. The proliferating monsters drew all the traffic wardens away and therefore the town became a major drug route to the Troll County. I'm guessing Alphonse appreciates access to black market ingredients, as well as the ability for us to bring him anything without much in terms of legal trouble. Lichtenstein fucked around with this message at 08:49 on Aug 2, 2014 |
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Aug 2, 2014 08:47
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Esmeray Birkan, the Outlander (played by occamsnailfile) Esmeray strides up boldly and slaps a hand onto the tabletop. "I want my possessions to go to whoever is strong enough to have bested me in combat! They deserve them!" Doctor Epitaph posted:
It wasn't always like this, they weren't always constantly under siege by monsters. Originally this was kind of a distant community, remote enough to let the denizens live in fairly contented peace. However, settlements expand and begin to encroach on other territories, and the raid timers start going off and whatever civilization is closest begins invading the fortress. The city had long enough to grow that it was fairly diverse by the time the fighting started, which helped it avoid the trap of becoming a humans-only enclave. One other reason it is a fairly diverse city and has come under such constant attack is that there are a lot of ruins from one of the great Befores littering the region. Adventurers have always been drawn to the city, and their meddling was probably at least partially responsible for the state of relations with the neighboring monster races. However, the adventurers also brought in a lot of gold and helped kill a lot of the retaliatory invasions, so an uneasy toleration of their antics remains. This, and the city's constant danger, make it a great place to hire up dangerous crews. The city's uniquely situated location has resulted in a number of colorful personages dotting its history, including Tranfaust, tamer of Wyverns and Symnelia the Silver Snake--so called because of her manipulations of currency markets. Statues of notables dot many public places and smaller versions are common decorations in homes and businesses, moreso than religious works.
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Aug 2, 2014 09:08
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Doctor Victor Medula "All in this lockbox, same with my medical license and other important things." Vic gestures towards a small iron lockbox he's holding. Of course, given that he isn't the most sociable man, his will's current contents involve having everything he owns converted into gold bars and donated to the clinic he got his license from so as to evade taxation. Doctor Epitaph posted:Unknown Quantity, tell me about the place you're in now. Not the drat tavern, you dolt. The city. Or town. Or roadside taphouse. I figure that Alphonse is renting a room or warehouse in the area to double as an alchemy lab/brewspace, but what about the environs. Is it a bustling place, or Generic Fantasy Detroit™, with abandoned buildings everywhere? This place? Welcome to hot sun, temperate climate, tall cliffs and low vegetation, also known as Paradise Cliff. The place is so named because it's the perfect retreat for anyone who wants to get away from it all: the only way to it is either flying or going up a cliffside trail until you get to the top, where the settlement is, with a river and waterfall just a stone's throw away on the other side of it. Between a place with only one direction to attack it from and a way to escape pursuit if you're brave, it's no wonder its land is valuable. Evidently Alphonse paid quite a lot for this particular venture. The city itself is mostly stonework, a relic of the past generations of builders who made this place. The actual population is rather low, considering several people are only temporary residents and there's only so much room up here, but it does have a constant influx of people. Still, it's got all the amenities, and there's enough people to let you know this isn't a ghost town no matter what time of day it is, so it's got that going for it. (Like I said in the OOC chat, think Generic Fantasy Mexico)
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Aug 2, 2014 18:05
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Vinny the Wine Golem "I don't have a will. All I own is my carafe, and I don't expect anyone would care enough to claim it it if I were to expire." Doctor Epitaph posted:Flame112, how does (metropolis / town / Detroit) interact with the rest of civilization? Is there some established kingdom or empire to which it belongs? What about its nearest neighbors? Are they close by? Friendly / hostile / frenemies? Unfortunately for Paradise Cliff, it lies almost perfectly equidistant between three major kingdoms who would just love to take over the settlement and its easy access to treasure-filled ruins for themselves. For the last hundred years, there were massive wars between the three kingdoms over control of the area, with Paradise Cliffs unfortunately stuck in the middle. After one kingdom would gain control, they would quickly find themselves unable to hold it against the frequent monster attacks and defend themselves from the other two kingdoms, so nobody was able to control Paradise Cliff for long. And as soon as one kingdom lost control, another war would inevitably start up again. Currently, however, the three kingdoms exist in an uneasy peace with Paradise Cliff. After realizing that they were wasting so much money and so many lives fighting pointless wars, the three nations agreed to let Paradise Cliff exist independently (while they plot other ways to take control) Definitely a frenemies situation. Meanwhile, Paradise Cliff smugglers get rich off of smuggling goods to and from the rival kingdoms and adventurers from all over the kingdoms travel to Paradise Cliff to get rich. Flame112 fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Aug 5, 2014 |
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Aug 2, 2014 21:12
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Paradise Cliff Alright, so this place is a lot more interesting than I thought! It seems Alphonse had a couple of reasons to set up shop. There's both a black market available, and not so much tax obligation, since no one kingdom controls the city. Plus, with the constant come-and-go of adventurers and monster attacks, libation is pretty much a necessity. Lichtenstein posted:Gnorlax Up until the point, Heulitz will nod approvingly at the responses, but at this, he'll snap his agape mouth shut and smile silently, hoping that's good enough for the orc. Let's hope it doesn't come to that! Letting the rest finish, he'll continue. "Well, alright. As I said, I have a building rented a few streets over to set up the brewery. It isn't huge, but large enough to start on a couple of casks. I'll probably begin experimenting on a couple of mundane brews to make sure the equipment is in order and the process efficient. Well, I would, except for a minor setback. Ok, maybe not so minor. "You see, the local well water might be good enough for drinking by itself, might be good enough for the unassuming riffraff, it isn't good enough for me. Too many minerals, too much to contaminate the whole process. We aren't in the business to make horse-piss, as I'm sure you'll agree. We need something more pure, and while I could ask some of the merchants to secure for me a shipment of spring water, after shipping costs, after taxes, after the cuts that the middleman will take, it's just going to be too expensive. I've already spent a small fortune securing all the necessary equipment and rent...it wouldn't pay off until we could be pumping barrels out every day. "And," he continues, looking at the more uh, refined, among you, "in case you were wondering, yes, I thought about hiring a mage to just purify a whole batch, but that would also be cost-prohibitive. Most mages already make a killing here using their skills in the raids or working for the Guild. Besides, I'd have a steady stream of water, pardon the expression, instead of relying on some Tower dropout looking for the coin for the next hit. He glances at you all, probably clearly emoting a "get to the drat point" expression.  "Now, I've thought of a couple of solutions to this. Solutions which might get you used to your new line of work. Specifically, there are three options, and they all involve these things." He produces two silk pouches and places them on the table in front of him. "These are a set of linked portable holes. Magic items in which something goes in one of them and goes out the other." He touches each pouch in sequence to accentuate the point, in case one of his "My first thought is that there is a mountain range far to the south of Paradise Falls. I have heard stories of a tribe of giants who uses the melting water from the tips of the mountain in their brews, which has granted the product a natural chilliness unlike any other. Now, the giants may not be so happy to give up some of their supply for the sake of art, but you should be able to negotiate something. Or perhaps not even ask at all. "The second location I've heard about is a string of islands to the east called Daelwyn's Archipelago. The land is truly exotic, containing lush vegetation and fruits many haven't even heard of, much less feasted upon. Rumor has it that this is caused by the magical springs on the islands. Unfortunately, the isles are inhabited by indigenous elves, which have forsworn their civilized brethren. They may kill you before they talk to you, in all honesty, but maybe an agreement can be reached or, again, maybe you ignore them altogether. "Finally, I have a particular contact from way back in my Academy days. Whit is himself a mage, a geomancer is what he likes to call himself. The man was a bit eccentric, no more than most of the wizards you meet, however. I heard he's in the city of Whitehall to the east. scraping together a living with his ...experiments. Nevertheless, the man is competent at manipulating the elemental planes. Well, at least he was competent. It's been a while. I believe he would able to open a rift to the Elemental Plane of Water to siphon off the absolute purest of H2O, but surely he'll ask for some exorbitant sum or, worse yet, a favor. I'm sure one of you could convince him of a reasonable offer, though." Motioning back to the pouches, he says "Of course, mundane transport of the water is out of the question, unless one of you can pay the costs." He glances again at Sungwine, who is certainly the best-dressed of the party. "Which is where these holes come into play. If you can affix them in such a way to catch the flow of water, even a small stream, I can attach its partner to a spigot or hose of some sort to provide the equivalent of running water. "So! That's my input. Naturally, I'll let you guys decide what path to take. If any of you have any better ideas, I'd be glad to hear them as well. As long as I can get a reliable source of perfectly-purified water that won't get me into any trouble on down the road, I'm fine with it." Here's the current World Map so far. The gray dots are various ruins throughout the area. There also scattered woods through that area as well, but not as notable as the dense Wilderness under the cliffs. Caravans like to swing wide around them as they travel up to Paradise Cliff.   Achievement Unlocked: Creeped out of the DMPC (Gnorlax)Achievement Unlocked: The Best Dressed (Sungwine)
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Aug 5, 2014 05:12
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Esmeray is full of bluster, but she knows when to listen. She waits through all of the listed options, though her eyes light at the mention of untasted fruits and vegetation in the isles. Her gaze flickers up again, over the pouches containing 'holes', and she has some suspicion, but ultimately it seems like something that will not be her duty to deploy. "Never killed an elf I don't think. A giant neither, but they just have falls, not islands of stuff. Unless we want to rough up some competition a bit I guess." No need for too many chilliest brews. "But don't see much reason to mess about with wizards if we got good water ripe for the taking." The idea of opposition doesn't seem to strike her as a particularly serious obstacle to acquiring a proper supply.
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Aug 5, 2014 11:15
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Sungwine, Vampiredad Relying on foreigners for one's water supply was a foolhardy notion indeed if avoiding trouble was one criterion. "The noble thing to do would be to elevate the water of our land to world class. Any spring we could steal from could be fouled just as easily, and even if we negotiate for access that would require... ongoing relations. In these troubled times there is no guarantee that another could outbid us, sabotage our alliance, or worse--attack our allies. "'Twould be best for us to retain an enchanter of our own. You see, the reason they command such high prices around here is their exorbitant student loan debt. They all believe that their gift of magic will allow them to make the world a better place, but end up risking their lives as mercenaries lest clairvoyant, teleporting debt collectors hound them until the end of their days. Forgiving their debt sounds to be outside of your price range, so I suggest we find a debt-free graduate of the ranks of the nobility to retain. From my time in court I can tell you they will have little financial sense and at least the ego of an artist, if not the work ethic. I suspect a graduate of Sowpox, the private school, will do nicely. I shall send word to my contacts." Maria had mentioned some friends of hers in her letters that fit his descriptions. She was a correspondence student with a privately hired tutor, and met them at her own soirées as fellow nobles rather than at school. They'll have been cultivated as allies of House Vinesong, of course. Recruit: 2d6+2 10 When you put out word that you’re looking to hire help, roll: +1 if you make it known what you’re setting out to do +1 if you make it known that they’ll get a share of whatever you find ✴On a 10+, you’ve got your pick of a number of skilled applicants, your choice who you hire, no penalty for not taking them along. ✴On a 7–9, you’ll have to settle for someone close to what you want or turn them away. ✴On a miss someone influential and ill-suited declares they’d like to come along (a foolhardy youth, a loose-cannon, or a veiled enemy, for example), bring them and take the consequences or turn them away. If you turn away applicants you take -1 forward to recruit.
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Aug 5, 2014 18:22
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Vinny the Wine Golem "I think that if we want the best water, the purest water, we can only get it from the Plane of Elemental Water. It's important to seek out the very best materials. If not, well...your end product may disappoint you." Somehow, Vinny's perpetual smile looks mournful. "Perhaps your Sowpox contacts could perform the necessary rituals to tap into the Plane? They might be cheaper than Whit, and we would not have to keep paying them to maintain the clean water supply."
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Aug 5, 2014 19:07
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Gnorlax "Well, if we want to distill an elemental, there's really no need to travel that far," the orc said, turning ominuosly towards Vinny.
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Aug 5, 2014 20:31
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Ivy Ernaldin "I'd rather not steal water from other places that might need it... but the Elemental Plane of Water has plenty, doesn't it? More than they need, and you know it's good! Let's try that! ... Or there's the wizard thing, that's fine too..." Ivy glanced towards Gnorlax and Vinny. "He's not made of water, though! That would be too much trouble. Besides, he needs what he has."
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Aug 5, 2014 20:36
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Vinny the Wine Golem "Turning wine into water?! It would take a miracle. Or the opposite of one. It would be easier to remove the water from your body! You fleshy creatures give up so much of it already. And besides, even if you could take my water, I'm not an endless source of it."
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Aug 5, 2014 20:58
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Doctor Victor Medula "I know a thing or two about water purification. Pumping pollutants out of liquids is pretty important in medicine, I'll have you know. While magical purification or taking it directly from the source of all water would be good too, we have to account for the containers. Plus a little redundancy never hurt anyone." He starts on a lecture about basic principles of water purification and various devices used for it. It uses a lot of technical terms and probably flies over your heads in some places, but you get the gist. Spout Lore about Water Filtration: 2d6+2 7
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Aug 5, 2014 21:41
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Paradise Cliff Alphonse listens to Sungwine's plan, nodding approvingly. "Glad to hear we have someone with connections on the team. I'm not sure any enchanter talented enough to handle the task is going to come cheap, but I'll let you take care of that." Listening to the others talk about draining each others liquids makes Alphonse frown and gulp conspicuously, but he turns to listen to the doctor's explanation of filtration. Spout Lore: You know that reliable, non-magical filtration is a lengthy process. A regular alchemist like Alphonse probably has the necessary equipment for small batches, but we're talking several tens of gallons here. Recruit: You absolutely can get in contact with some fellow noble mages. For the mechanics' sake, I'll give each one Loyalty 2 since they're all looking to curry favor with your established house, maybe even hoping to marry into the Vinesong family eventually. Aside from being able to magically purify the water, they'll have Adept +3 as well. However, I'll let Maria determine their Cost: Money, Uncovered Knowledge, Fame and Glory, or Debauchery. It'll also take a couple of days to get the whole process completed, from contacting Maria to having the enchanter show up in Paradise Cliff, so if everyone is ok with the plan, tell me what kinda things you guys are doing in the interim. Alphonse could also give you some ideas for special ingredients if you wanna get started on that.
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Aug 5, 2014 23:21
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This is also a good time to add Sowpox and your house's manse to the map. Are they near Paradise Cliff at all? Closer to one of the three kingdoms? If the latter, give some info on that Kingdom.
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Aug 5, 2014 23:23
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I'm okay with the plan, but Ivy is still going to want to talk to Whit about this Elemental-Plane-of-Water plan, at least to figure out if his cost is feasible. It might be nice if she had someone who has experience interacting with wizards along, though. She's also more than happy to forage for ingredients anywhere convenient to do so.
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Aug 6, 2014 00:19
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Doctor Epitaph posted:This is also a good time to add Sowpox and your house's manse to the map. Are they near Paradise Cliff at all? Closer to one of the three kingdoms? If the latter, give some info on that Kingdom. They're both nearby Paradise Cliff. House Vinesong is near the coast, with a maritime climate and loose, gravelly soil, unsuited to grow staple crops. But as Shelly used to say, "To grow fine wine we must settle where the grapes can suffer." Perhaps the same can be said of students of wizardry, Sowpox is nearby coastal area, where the sun only rarely pierces the rainclouds. It's said that students who cannot master the cantrip of Light wash out before long, and that no duels can occur outdoors lest someone empower the storm and force the mighty bolts to ignore the lightning rods that protect the buildings and people.
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Aug 6, 2014 01:25
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 Maria Vinesong, Mourning Duchess The maiden in black places a letter, signed and sealed, in a small cedar box, and gives the container a shake. The slight rustling of paper she hears will also be heard by its twin, in the possession of her Father the Duke--former Duke. This was how they corresponded now. The missive recommends a bookish and shy postgraduate who traveled to the manse to proctor an exam for her, and met the criteria. As propriety demanded, a noble matron was also present lest they be alone in a room together.  Against expectations, the matron seemed quite fond of the young man, and insinuated that perhaps Maria's mourning time could be abbreviated. She has other plans, having discovered his interest and enthusiasm for Uncovered Knowledge that he shared with her after she eroded his shell with a dose of Vitae. Perhaps if he could impress her father he had a chance. Needs a name.
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Aug 7, 2014 22:07
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Doctor Victor Medula "So, it seems we have the basics of water covered, but now we need the other basics. Barley, wheat, hops, possibly grapes or rice. These aren't exactly the most fertile of farmlands, you know." Considering the fact that most of the land is either stonework, waterfall or ruins of stonework, there really aren't any places to plant crops, making outsourcing them a potential issue. He furrows his brow, obviously irritated with the fact that this place is going to have to outsource or hire additional workers to make almost everything just to get the basics, let alone the premium ingredients.
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Aug 8, 2014 04:29
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Paradise Cliff A few days pass. Almost effortlessly, Sungwine calls in a couple of favors, and a carriage arrives at the brewery, carrying Victarion Pegason. The man dresses well, befitting his noble station, but not extravagantly either. A careful observer might notice hints of elven blood in him. Not-so-careful observers will still notice a look of perpetual disgust on his face, as he cautiously scans the environs. Promised a chance at research in a ground-breaking industry, Pegason could not resist, but his resolve is certainly being tested with the humid weather of the city, and the constant hustle and bustle of the militia as they man their posts and prepare for defense, and other unsavory folk as they greedily eye this newcomer in his fancy carriage. Being a brewer isn't what Pegason had in mind for a career, but the prospect does interest him, nevertheless. It only takes a couple of hours of working with the man for Alphonse to assure you that Pegason is more than sufficient for the task. Should all go according to plan, the three locations he presented to you earlier may also warrant visits later, less for water and more for the strange properties they exhibit. However, Alphonse already has your first major He explains that fire hops are considered all but extinct from his world. Supposedly, ancient dwarven recipes were toying with their use before their kingdoms began going silent due to attacks from subterranean foes. Luckily for you guys, no small part of the nearby ruins date back to some of the old dwarven kingdoms. Alphonse was able to hit up some rangers passing through town for some more info, and they give him a rough map to a promising start. Gnoll Patrol What they didn't give him, however, was information on the monsters lurking around. Naturally, you guys expected some resistance and have been able to handily avoid or dispatch a couple of straggling goblins along the way. However, you unexpectedly stumble upon a group of gnolls that sit around a fresh kill--blood and gore reveals a humanoid corpse of some kind. Too busy devouring their meal, they're caught equally off guard, but at least you guys are standing. What do you do?
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Aug 8, 2014 05:59
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Ivy Ernaldin Ivy freezes, taking in the scene in front of her as quickly and quietly as she can to figure out just what danger these gnolls pose besides the obvious. Or making sure it us just the obvious, whichever. Discerning Realities on the Gnoll Patrol: 2d6+2 9 Question: "What should I be on the lookout for?"
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Aug 8, 2014 06:52
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Sungwine, Vampiredad The sight catches Sungwine off guard, and the smell of the blood on a fresh kill changes his countenance as suddenly as a slap in the face. His sneer isn't fury though, but bestial dominance. This is his territory. That kill? His kill. Before he even realizes what is happening, he's run through one of the gnolls, then booted it off of the blade into its fellows with a snarl. Lunge: 2d6+2 10 When you attack a surprised or defenseless enemy with a melee weapon, you can choose to deal your damage or roll+DEX. ✴ On a 10+ choose two. ✴ On a 7–9 choose one. You don’t get into melee with them You deal your damage+1d6 Reduce their armor by 1 until they repair it damage of lunge: 2d6 6
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Aug 8, 2014 07:06
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Gnoll PatrolAntivehicular posted:
slydingdoor posted:
Sungwine skewers a gnoll, a noodly intestine hanging from its mouth as it flies off his blade. Turning around, he finds that charging through the group has now put four of them between him and the rest of the party. They grin evilly at him, ready to dogpile him, bloodlust causing them to turn their backs to the rest of the party. What's the rest of the party gonna do about it?
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Aug 8, 2014 07:43
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The last few days of preparations had seen Esmeray somewhat sullen, eager to get moving--she was used to her own nomadic whims, and all this 'being actually prepared' was new and strange. But at last, they were on the road! She was perfectly fine with evading straggling goblins; such were barely worth notice. But gnolls--gnolls were another matter, and they seemed to have found takings already. As she unlimbered her axe, Sungwine leapt into action, and pulled the attention of several of the creatures. There is a long tradition of honorable combat among the savannah clans, with elaborate posturing and ritual challenges. None of that honor stuff applies to people not of the clan, or who have not shown themselves worthy of respect in combat. Gnolls did not require warning, and Esmeray, slightly surprised at Sungwine's enthusiasm, raced forward on silent feet to sink her axe into an unwary gnoll-back. The expression on the gnoll's face will be one she'll keep in memory. Sungwine's is as well, but for other reasons. Damage to a defenseless enemy: 1d10 7
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Aug 8, 2014 14:55
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Vinny the Wine Golem Vinny, paying little attention to his surroundings, doesn't even notice the gnolls until Sungwine's already skewered one. The gnolls quickly circle around, cutting Sungwine off from the group. "Sungwine! Watch out! They're all over!" Vinny was never any good at being a mascot, but carelessly smashing into things is definitely something he can do. "I'm coming! OH YEAAAAH!" he shouts gleefully. Vinny charges into the fray, slamming several hundred pounds of wine and a giant carafe into a couple gnolls and knocking them to the ground. Oh Yeah!! (Knock down some gnolls): 2d6+2 14 Now that's a fuckin' roll. I get 3 hold, and I'm spending one on: Distract, lift, or force aside an obstacle long enough for an ally or two to get past it.
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Aug 8, 2014 17:59
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Ivy Ernaldin "Watch out! There are a lot more gnolls around here!" Ivy wasn't the most subtle strategist, but she was mostly eager to warn her comrades of the threat. With that warning barked out, she closed her eyes, and her shape began to waver and change into the form of a massive crab, carapace a silvery white save for telltale blue streaks. Shapeshifter (giant crab): 2d6+2 11 That lets me hold 3, which I can spend for animal-form-related moves. I presume crab moves would be things like using both claws to Hack and Slash at once, but let me know if I'm wrong or if this crab thing is just silly.
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Aug 11, 2014 06:10
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Doctor Victor Medula Vic analyzes the situation: Sungwine just tore into what was obviously their leader, and now we have a giant crab as further intimidation factor. Clearly, it's time to begin negotiations. "Alright you primitive screwheads, here's the proposal: your tribe leader is all but dead and you'll all be soon to follow. At the same time, though, we're looking for a few live bodies, and I can save the guy's life right now if you act quickly. You've got ten seconds to decide." Parleying with these savages: 2d6+1 9 I figured between medical services and the giant crab we have Leverage.
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Aug 11, 2014 16:47
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Gnoll Patrol The creatures barely have enough time to react to Esmeray hacking away at one of their brothers when the huge glassman bursts into their midst, his catchphrase booming. They take a couple of steps in every direction, dispering, their attention on everyone instead of just Sungwine. Meanwhile, Ivy slipped into the skin of a man-sized crab. I'm thinking a crab's signature traits include a hard carapace (extra 1 Armor?), piercing claws (add Piercing to your damage), and underwater breathing. Before she can wade into melee to make a test-run, however, the good doctor attempts to talk down the gnolls. It only half-worked, as the three remaining dogmen bolted into the woods, each in a different direction. In a couple of minutes, you can hear increased activity coming from the northwest, (you were traveling west, so it'd be around your right side). It sounds like several people are coming your way, in no means leisurely. What do you do?
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Aug 13, 2014 02:58
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Sungwine, Vampiredad The enraged ex-duke doesn't let the runners pass him by for free. He flings a dagger into one of their backs, then follows them to recover his weapon. Volley; damage: 2d6+2 9 1d8+2 10 Choosing danger.
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Aug 13, 2014 03:07
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Vinny the Wine Golem "Yeah! We did it!" shouts Vinny excitedly, oblivious to the approaching newcomers. "Look at them run!"
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Aug 14, 2014 02:23
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Esmeray, the Outlander Esmeray drew up short and frowned, then placed a hand upon Vinny's great forearm. "They regroup my friend. We may wish to seek better fighting grounds."
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Aug 14, 2014 04:49
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Gnoll Patrol???slydingdoor posted:
So intent on ending the fleeing dogmen and feasting upon their life's energy, Sungwine doesn't notice the two growling gnolls hiding behind trees on either side of his path as they leap toward you, fangs bared. Your allies are oblivious to this. Sungwine, what do you do?
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Aug 16, 2014 04:52
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Sungwine, Vampiredad The pack animals jump at him as though he's inert meat, and the faster one to him will be fatter from the feasting. Poor simple fools. Sungwine stops abruptly and cuts backwards, attempting to let them bash into each other that he might skewer them both in one blow. They recover faster than he'd like, so he makes for the shadows and the party that seemed too triumphant to follow him. Hmph, routing the gnolls before they could organize and leaving them too broken and scared to strike back was how he meant for this to go, but the others seemed content to bloody their noses then taunt them into counterattacking en masse. Perhaps they were that confident... or perhaps it was sloth. DD dex (make them run into each other): 2d6+2 8
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Aug 16, 2014 05:14
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Post-Ambush Sungwine barrels deeper into the woods. He heard the gnolls smash into each other and yelp in surprise, but they will continue to pursue him after they push each other away. Ahead he seems some thick stickerbrush he thinks he can duck into to hide from the gnolls, but there is a path between the trees he can continue running down if he thinks that's too risky Basically, your DD choice is duck into the brush and take 2 damage to avoid the gnolls or just keep running and Which do you do?
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Aug 16, 2014 06:22
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Doctor Victor Medula "Oh for Juniper's sake!" Vic, realizing that the wealthy noble has run off, sighs and runs off to his aid. He can't afford to let this guy's bloodthirst be the end of him, after all. Not having much time,, he does the only thing he can think to do at a moment like this: leap forward and try his hand at some invasive surgery. Hack and Slash (DEX) vs a gnoll.: 2d6+1 12 Damage roll!: 1d4 4
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Aug 16, 2014 23:03
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Sungwine, Vampiredad Tsk, savage beasts ever think they hold the advantage against mere humans, but how could they even comprehend the advantage that their cunning provided? A bag full of crucifixes adorned with an extra silvered spike is emptied behind the vampiredad as he continues his circuitous retreat back to rest of the party. He strains his ears for the whine of pain that indicate the success of his tactic. -1 castlevania flavored adventurer's kit uses. Running back to the party for real this time. slydingdoor fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Aug 17, 2014 |
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Aug 16, 2014 23:38
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 Ivy Ernaldin (crab form) Being a giant crab didn't give Ivy a lot of ability to communicate, verbally or non-verbally, but she skittered forward to be ready for more gnolls as both Sungwine and Dr. Medulla disappeared into the woods. From the sound of the footsteps, they'd be back soon, and they'd have company... I'm assuming there are no gnolls in our faces at the moment, or even necessarily visible? I'm not entirely clear on where Medulla and Sungwine are relative to the remainder of the party.
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Aug 17, 2014 09:18
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 17:02 |
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Gnoll Patrol? Correct, the only two gnolls are chasing Sungwine madcap through the woods. Well... Sungwine looses a bag of holytrops as he veers back toward the clearing. He almost runs straight into the doctor, who throws a scalpel like a shuriken at the yelping gnolls. Both men double back and are reunited with the group. The thunder of footsteps is right in front of you, and you can probably see the furry hides of several gnolls through the trees as they approach fast. It seems like you can either Stand Your Ground like Generic Fantasy Florida or get the hell out of dodge, hoping to find sanctuary in some ruins. What do you do?
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Aug 21, 2014 04:48
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