The third door on the right is labelled "Laicos - Collections", and a raspy voice responds "Enter," at your knock. Inside is a small room lined with shelves holding identical books bound in black leather and labelled in neat, tiny script. The balding man who placed the notice outside looks up from his desk as you come in. He wipes his pen, carefully blots his current book, and sets it atop a neat stack on one corner of his desk before standing. There is nowhere to sit in the room.
"Come in. You're here about Hoofchew? Good."
When everyone has crowded into the room, he continues briskly. "You lot know that the servants of Lauto sometimes extend credit to those who pass to our Master in the belief that they have not completed their life's work or some such nonsense. Lauto is a benevolent god, and offers terms that we feel are quite generous, given the alternative. Still, every so often some idiot thinks he can get out of paying. Normally, that's not a problem, since we employ some very good professional collectors. However, the agent we sent to discuss matters with Algarezh Hoofchew has not returned. He left over a month ago, and now our divinations reveal that he has gone to serve our master more directly. In short, there is good reason to believe that Hoofchew killed him rather than paying.
"The Temple employs... specialists... for situations like this as well, but at the moment they are unavailable, for reasons which I won't discuss, so don't ask. This is where you come in. I want you to bring me Algarezh Hoofchew's head. Whether it is still attached to his body or not is relatively unimportant.
"Hoofchew is an orc. He fancies himself a shaman of some kind, and he has a bit of a following among the kind of orcs who go in for that sort of thing. He'll probably have bodyguards. Our divinations report that he has been seen recently in the area of Overgrowth.
"Any questions?"
ooc
Everyone who's coming along on this should post here to let me know you're here, even if you don't have anything to say in character at this point.
I'd love to be able to promise that I'll post here every day, but if I did I'd probably be lying. I'll do my best to keep things moving as quickly as possible, though. Part of that means that if we're in combat and I don't hear from a player for a while, I'll NPC that player. How long "a while" is will depend on what's going on and whether there's anything obvious for that character to do.
Rolls should be done in Invisible Castle, and link to them, please. I won't check often, but I will sometimes. I'll make sure to link my rolls, too.
Les strides into the room with the others and looks around. Those must be the collection books. The temple has such organized records of everything...I hope to never get my name in those. The speech Laicos gives them draws a brief frown from Les. So he's a magician and likely to be protected by others...I wonder how many? Would Laicos know? It would be beneficial to ask. At least we don't have to worry about bringing him back alive. Les looks over at Raiyek, wondering what thoughts cross his mind. Then she glances to Cross and Vashik. Vashik will likely have no problem with killing the man. What are the other two thinking now? Wait, where is Overgrowth? I'll let someone else ask that...perhaps it will spur a memory.
"Bodyguards? Any ideas on how many we can be expecting?"
Last edited by Dawn Raven; 7th December 2008 at 04:07 PM..
Merenwen had slipped silently into the room, standing slightly behind the others. So their combatant was a magician, likely with body gaurds as well. Well if the priest didn't mind how he came back then perhaps it would be more simple to just shoot the villain dead. Though no doubt the gaurds would be alert for assasinations. "Overgrowth? what are the details you can give me of that area... The layout, cover, other life and citizens. The more detailed the better?" The wild elf paused and looked at the priest of Lauto for more information.
I see, it's that kind of collection. While I normally wouldn't, this Hoofchew is a murderer as well, it seems. And if he has followers as the priest suggests, he also shouldn't have trouble raising the money needed for his debt. This orc killed to escape a legitimate debt? Very well, if that's how it's going to be, that's how it will be.
Another dark look crosses Raiyek's face, but this time it isn't one of doubt. He looks ... angry. He gives a deep bow, then returns to his ramrod-straight military posture. "Raiyek Meliam, paladin of Palladys, at your service, Master Laicos. We will bring back this Hoofchew one way or another." He turns with a determined look on his face to nod at Les and Vashik, noticing Merenwen in the process. Suspicious thoughts once again flit through his head as he nods at the other elf as well before turning back to face Laicos again.
"I have heard that your god is generous to those who fill his coffers with souls" Cross muses aloud, "and I can't help wondering what additional gratitude we will recieve for the extra souls Lauto will recieve as we cull Hoofchew's followers.
Diplomacy Check (Negotiation)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1848645/
I predict that his coffers will be well-filled, even before Hoofchew's head crosses the temple's threshold."
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Mini Stat
Cross- Male Tiefling Wizard 1 Passive Perception: 12, Passive Insight: 18 AC:15, Fort:12, Reflex:14, Will:14 -- Speed:6 Fire Resistance/5 HP:25/25, Bloodied:12, Surge Value:6, Surges left:5/8 Action Points: 1, Second Wind: not used Powers- Blood Hunt (+1 vs bloodied foes) Magic Missle Scorching Burst Ghost Sound Light Mage Hand Prestidigitation Burning Hands Infernal Wrath Flaming Sphere
Last edited by SeaPainter; 8th December 2008 at 10:58 AM..
Brother Laicos's smile is dry and slightly amused. "A common misconception. The Lord of the Dead has no need to pay for extra souls. All souls will be his, in time, and he is most patient.
"As for Overgrowth, it is an area near the edge of Daunton. I gather it used to be quite affluent, but now it is a maze of ruined buildings and lawless alleys. An excellent hiding place for criminals. You will earn your reward, should you survive to claim it.
"The number of Hoofchew's followers is not known to me. They are, to put it bluntly, your problem, not mine."
ooc
So we've currently got a warlord, two wizards, a paladin, and a ranger? Not bad. I'll wait another day or so before moving on, to see if anyone else shows up.
"Patient, but displeased with unpaid debts, I take it?" notes Raiyek, raising an eyebrow.
"No matter. Would the temple have any significant or useful contacts in the area that we might make use of? I realize that whether or not our souls join that of your collector is not a concern to you, but any assistance would no doubt help us collect on Hoofchew's debt."
Diplomacy
Diplomacy: 1d20+9=12. Bah . Well, better to get the bad rolls out of the system now, right?
ooc
I believe there's a fighter (Kruk, played by dimsdale) on the way as well. Looks like a pretty solid group.
Larinza strides in now wearing her armor, carrying a shield and a large sword.
"Hello, I'm always happy to be in service of the Gods, Perhaps if I complete this service then maybe the priests of the temple might be able to answer a question dear to my heart."
The door opens, and the sunlight from the street pours in. An elf with golden hair and a greenish cloak with lighter green leather armor enters. A hardwood lute is strapped to his chest. That's rather...odd. Is he in the wrong place? As the door closes, you can see that a rather large and noticable scar runs from his chin across his face and up into his hairline.
When he speaks it is a reserved, gentle voice.
"I do beg pardon, but the bartender at the Tavern said there was an adventuring party forming, and that I should come bid welcome. My name is Baltharial Landdowin Brinjairrand. Balth for short, if you prefer. I would like to commit the aid of my bow to assist in your task."
After listening to the sage, he wonders to himself whether this is an enlightened task; but after his recent days, some silver in his pocket would be good for him.
As the sage asks for questions, the only one he can muster is, "Where shall we look, and when do we start?"
He glances around the bookshelves and stacks of paper, trying not to be noticed, but to see if there's anything he can glean about this place they're going.
Perception
1d20+11=15 Looks like I'm joining you in contributing to the bad early rolls LOL
OOC
Thank you for the invite
Last edited by balth; 9th December 2008 at 12:35 AM..
Reason: Had to find code for sblock
"Kilbeth Serral, ranger and scout.", The minotaur says quickly as he strides into the room. "From what I hear, you have a welcher on a debt. I'd be glad to help you recover your lost gold." He then stands silently, listening to the officious Brother Laicos, inspecting his company.
Merenwen turns her attention to the new group, she is still lurking somewhat in the shadows. She studies the new elf, at last another member with ranged ability. A longbow is his choice of weapon as well, so not only ranged ability but possibly very capable ranged ability. She continues her check of the other party members, all the while really focusing on the priest and his room in an attempt to either percieve some useful object or sense if his motives are true. Dealing with the would be dead is not something she is going to relish and knowing as much about your prey is always preferable.
OOC: Roll Lookup, roll of 12 for perception.... 2 ftw. Insight :1d20+3 → [11,3] =(14) Roll Lookup
Finally how do i do those neat little attachments that you guys do Would make everything so much more tidy.
Les leans over to Raiyek and whispers quietly to him loud enough so that Cross or Vashik might overhear but no others. Well, I suppose more is better...although I've never seen some of these faces before. What do you think of this Overgrowth area? It seems like traveling through will be hard enough...
Cold eyes turn to the two newcomers and turn up slightly at the corners. A brief nod is given to both the elf and the minotaur. Kilbeth's proclaimation draws a frown. Speaking of which... Les turns back to Laucos and demands in a strong voice, "You want us to bring back Hoofchew's head. But anything else found on him or his followers is ours, correct? You made no mention of returning any payments to the Church.
Les leans over to Raiyek and whispers quietly to him loud enough so that Cross or Vashik might overhear but no others. Well, I suppose more is better...although I've never seen some of these faces before. What do you think of this Overgrowth area? It seems like traveling through will be hard enough...
Raiyek whispers back in kind, "Me neither ... and where did Kruk get to? I thought he was right behind us... I've never heard of or been to this Overgrowth, but it sounds like the kind of place we might find more trouble than just Hoofchew's followers. Speaking of trouble, shouldn't you get your armor and weapons at some point?"
Turning to the newcomers, the paladin introduces himself and the rest of those present. "Greetings. I am Raiyek Meliam, paladin of Palladys. Here also are Les, Cross, Vashik, Merenwen, and Larinza," indicating each in turn. "Your offers of assistance are appreciated." Smiling as he goes into a graceful bow, Raiyek surreptitiously examines the newcomers and thinks them over. Another elf, and this one from the Imperium by his accent. He's more of a risk than Merenwen. And a minotaur scout ... never thought I'd hear of such a thing. We certainly have assembled a motley group here, heh.
ooc
@Brutoni: if you want to see the specific coding for how someone did something, hit the Quote button.
@Brutoni & balth: just RPing about the paranoia and awkwardness, no worries. Feel free to read Raiyek's background if you want to know why
Sorry Coyote - I guess I wasn't clear in my last post. Raiyek was addressing both Kilbeth and Balth both as the 'newcomers', since the rest of the characters here have met each other, at least briefly.
Edit: Also, a shy minotaur?! Wow, I really have to read your background now!
Thinking that it would be best if the group were somewhat acquainted with each other's abilities before they started pursuing Hoofchew, Raiyek tries to stir up some friendly conversation. "It seems we have quite the group here. A pair of wizards," glancing at Cross and Vashik, "a pair of archers," with a nod to Merenwen and Balth, "and, I believe, four warriors of a more up-front approach, including myself, it would seem," the paladin finishes with a look at Kilbeth, Les, and Larinza. "So now, what exactly is it that each of us are skilled at on the battlefield? Myself, I specialize in holding the enemy's attention and staying alive more than anything else, and Palladys has also gifted me with some healing powers. What of the rest of you? I'm interested to see how our various styles will mix."
"I am skilled in the ways of the sword, and tactics. With the right tactics and the right inspiring words a group can overcome any odds. I'm here to lend my arm, and my words."
Larinza looks about the now very large group, wondering if she can really provide tactics for this many all at once, supposing she'll have to choose to devote her attention to a few at a time.
She tosses her hair and adjusts her bootstraps, aggitated by the waiting.
no worries sessadore, i got it. Kilbeth is just fraught with social awkwardness. And he's kind of quiet. I, unlike him, got the gist of what you were saying.
Kilbeth gestured at his swords. "I'm fast, and Kristen and Clardenhelt will drop foes quite quickly.", his quiet voice belying the strength of his frame.
. Well, better to get the bad rolls out of the system now, right? 
Linear Mode
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