Voadam doesn't see anything really fiendish with the hostess. It really appears to be a simple masquerade. As he puts his arm around her waist, the tall bouncer takes a step toward them but he stops when the 'succubus' holds out an hand and slightly shakes her head. "I'm here to help kind sir." She tells Voadam with a smile. "Ah, the devil's mark ... Intriging, is it ? You see, it depends. If you just lose but don't cause any trouble, you get mine." At that, she blushes a little and kisses Voadam softly on the cheek, leaving a bit of lip rouge. She then pulls back. "But if you cause any trouble in here, you get his Mark." She says, pointing to the tall bouncer who simply grins and cracks his knuckles. "And you're right, I'm not Old Scratch. I go by the name of Lixy. No, Old Scratch is the devil you must rob tonight and he's already here." She points to the middle of the gambling hall where Voadam can see that a bird cage containing a little devil is hanging from the ceiling. Voadam has seen such creature before and knows them well. It's an imp, the little devils from hell that often act as spies, councilors or trickters. An imp is resistant to normal weapons, only blessed or silvery weapons can hurt it fully. Voadam also knows that its tail sting is poisonous and that it has a few magical powers like invisibility and the power to suggest actions to others.
Voadam takes this time to scan the rest of the casino floor. A large chest is placed on the central podium, just below the imp's cage, and it is flanked by a pair of bouncers dressed in a way similar to sultans' guards from the far south. Painted panels depicting grinning devils and hellish fires are nailed on some walls while 'heads' made of straw are planted on upright spears and pitchforks. Finally, the chandeliers hanged on the ceiling and the coal burning in copper braziers light the room in an 'hellish' way. Voadam also sees a few tieflings amongst the varied clients but, from what he has seen of Riddleport so far, this isn't unusual for this city.
The young hostess giggles at the notion that the bearded 'wizard' has no soul. "Hi, hi, don't be silly, everyone has a soul. But if you insist that you have none ..." She lowers her voice. "... you can sign anyway. It will be our secret, I won't reveal anything." She concludes with a smile and another wink.
OOC : Just fyi, you rolled a 13+8=21 for diplomacy and 19+6=25 for knw(planar) here.
Ti declines to sign the pledge. "Thank you but no thank you. Last time I gambled I lost 3 days and won orange hair. Tolly, I won't be gambling but I will watch you back if you want to give it a try."
Once the place starts to get busy, Ti will start to circulate. If Tolly want to play and doesn't mind, Ti will keep him company.
For a time the small slate-coloured dragon surveys the crowd of humanoids milling about in line in front of the Golden Goblin. Nestled in the shadow of a rain-barrel at the mouth of an alleyway a few buildings further down the street, the creature carefully studies each mark in turn. It looks for the telltale signs of easily gotten gains; bulging purses & pockets as well as the glint of jewelry. As part of its detailed analysis the wily dragon memorizes pertinent details for each person; whether they display right or left handedness, the type of armaments and armor they're sporting and if they show signs of old injuries or early drunkenness.
Once satisfied, the small creature waits for a horse and carriage to trundle past before folding its wings tightly around its shoulders and scurrying across the street into another shadowed alleyway. Padding softly through a ditch, the stealthy dragon ducks through a vacant lot and circles to the back of the Golden Goblin. Taking momentary shelter in the midden, the creature studies its approach before making its way over to the tiny disused coal chute. With a last look behind, the small dragon pulls open the rusted iron hatch and leaps inside to gently slide down into the coal pit beneath the scullery.
Once inside the small slate-coloured dragon pulls its dark goggles up onto the top of its horned head to reveal a pair of glowing red eyes. Cautiously, the stealthy burglar pushes up the wooden trapdoor atop the pit to make certain that the scullery is empty before clambering out.
OOC: Tosh will wait till it hears the sound of gamblers making their way into the gambling hall before covertly using stealth to duck through the kitchen to enter the hall itself. Its main aim is to lurk unseen beneath the various gaming tables as it covertly picks the pockets, belt pouches and boots of seated gamblers while they suffer distraction penalties to perception rolls for being firmly focused on the gambling action going on above. Since it's executing a slow and carefully planned heist, Tosh will take 10 on his Sleight of Hand and Stealth checks as much as is possible.
Voadam doesn't see anything really fiendish with the hostess. It really appears to be a simple masquerade. As he puts his arm around her waist, the tall bouncer takes a step toward them but he stops when the 'succubus' holds out an hand and slightly shakes her head. "I'm here to help kind sir." She tells Voadam with a smile. "Ah, the devil's mark ... Intriging, is it ? You see, it depends. If you just lose but don't cause any trouble, you get mine." At that, she blushes a little and kisses Voadam softly on the cheek, leaving a bit of lip rouge. She then pulls back. "But if you cause any trouble in here, you get his Mark." She says, pointing to the tall bouncer who simply grins and cracks his knuckles. "
Voadam smiles "Ah, your devil's mark is a prize worth seeking for its own sake. You are tempting me to enter and lose gracefully you she-devil."
Quote:
And you're right, I'm not Old Scratch. I go by the name of Lixy. No, Old Scratch is the devil you must rob tonight and he's already here." She points to the middle of the gambling hall where Voadam can see that a bird cage containing a little devil is hanging from the ceiling.
"Oh, ho, I see. Thank you Lixy. Rorgar." Voadam turns back to his orcish companion. "Isso é um verdadeiro diabo, vulneráveis à prata, ele pode ir um homem invisível e corruptos da mente com sugestões. <orcish>
Spoiler:
That is a real devil, vulnerable to silver, it can go invisible and corrupt a man's mind with suggestions.
Go ahead and grab us a table and some drinks while I chat with Lixy." He then returns his attention back to Lixy with a smile. "And so is old Scratch running the show here or was he summoned up by a socerer?"
Quote:
The young hostess giggles at the notion that the bearded 'wizard' has no soul. "Hi, hi, don't be silly, everyone has a soul. But if you insist that you have none ..." She lowers her voice. "... you can sign anyway. It will be our secret, I won't reveal anything." She concludes with a smile and another wink.
"I ask because I felt you steal my heart and soul the instant I walked in." He laughs good naturedly at his own silliness. "I came to spend my coin on wine, women, and a warm hearth after a long travel, but you've tempted me well, I'm intrigued at the story here. What more can you tell me of old Scratch? I'm an honorable black-hearted rogue and will only cheat and steal for the right reasons after all."
Tosh watches the clients arriving at the Gold Goblin for a while. This being the wharf district, most of them look like sailors and pirate crews perhaps wanting a bit of fun before leaving the shores. Tosh notices, for example, a group of large Ulfen men (i.e. Vikings) that might be part of a docked longship's crew. Another large part of the gamblers are filty looking dwarves, possibly workers from the gas forges. Other notable clients include a noble-looking and dark-haired woman with 2 menservants, a richly dressed gnome, 2 men that look like foreign merchants (one is a dark skinned Garundi and the other is an almond-eyed Tian), another woman with all sort of weird symbols on her dress and a dark haired man that has the look and dress of a wizard. He also notices another group, not for their apparent wealth, but for the oddity they represent. One of them is a wild looking half orc wearing leathers decorated with animal skulls, another is a wild-eyed dwarf with a necklace of dead squirrels and the last one appear to be another Ulfen but he certainly doesn't dresses like one ; he wears a simple black robe and carries no weapon.
With some effort, the little kobold is able the squeeze into the small coal chute and finds the coal dump almost empty. It doesn't waste time in there and, after a quick verification, founds the pantry empty. From what it could gather with a quick peek, the kitchen is another matter. The staff is in a flurry of activity, some of them entering with empty platters and other leaving with full ones.
It seem to the small dragon that while a lot of people have entered the gambling hall, there doesn't seem to be a lot of actual gambling happening just yet.
"Old Scratch is here to get a bunch of new souls, of course !" Lixy looks at Voadam with a big grin. She then shrugs. "I'm not fooling anyone with my theatrics, am I ? I better stop yapping my rathole. To tell you the truth, I think the old Saul won the service of the little devil somehow. I don't really know the details."
Tosh patiently watches the activity in the kitchen from behind the crack of the scullery door. Keeping track of the various cooks and servers' comings and goings, the small slate-colored dragon waits for the right moment to move unnoticed. When their backs are turned, Tosh silently opens the door and quickly scurries from cover to cover behind armoires, barrels, and tables and out through the main hall door in the wake of an outbound server.
Following in the shadow of the human woman's voluminous skirts, the dragon snakes its saurian head around swiftly to survey the disposition of the crowd before diving into the shadow beneath a nearby table. Catching its breath beneath the table's curtainous tablecloth, the wily dragon cautiously tastes the air with its serpent's tongue as it studies the patrons and staff for a time; this time from the inside of the Golden Goblin.
Tolly reads the contract, laughs, and signs it without hesitation.
"I'm sure my soul's worth less than ten silver sails anyway," he says.
Later, he wanders the casino floor, checking out the games on offer before he decides on one to enter. Whilst doing so he also surveys the crowd, sizing up his audience for later.
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Later, he wanders the casino floor, checking out the games on offer before he decides on one to enter. Whilst doing so he also surveys the crowd, sizing up his audience for later.
Tolly surveys the clients inside the Gold Goblin for a while. This being the wharf district, most of them look like sailors and pirate crews perhaps wanting a bit of fun before leaving the shores. Tolly notices, for example, a group of large and loud Ulfen men (i.e. Vikings) that might be part of a docked longship's crew. Another large part of the gamblers are filty looking dwarves, possibly workers from the gas forges. Other notable clients include a noble-looking and dark-haired woman with 2 menservants, 2 men that look like foreign merchants (one is a dark skinned Garundi and the other is an almond-eyed Tian) and a dark haired man that has the look and dress of a wizard. He also notices another group at the entrance mostly because of the oddity they represent. One of them is a wild looking half orc wearing leathers decorated with animal skulls, another is a wild-eyed dwarf with a necklace of dead squirrels and the last one appear to be another Ulfen but he certainly doesn't dresses like one ; he wears a simple black robe and carries no weapon.
OOC: This post is me being lazy and mostly copying another I made for Tosh . I've posted the description/rule of the 4 main games at the tournament in the OOC thread. Also, you can check out post 41 for a description of the main casino floor (Tolly just doesn't know about all the imp's powers and weaknesses however).
"I saw them setting this up earlier," he says, pointing to the Ghoulette Wheel. "It looks like fun, fancy a go? That 'Dungo' head thing is pretty funny."
He heads for the Ghoulette wheel, but keeps an eye on the dark-haired noble woman, and the two foreign traders. They seem the most interesting characters (from a gambling standpoint), and he checks to see what games they are playing. Ghoulette will serve as a warm-up, but perhaps a good game of golem to really test skill later on, performance allowing.
"I'll put two silvers on..." he looks around and spots the dwarf with the squirrel necklace. "...hygiene."
OOC
Assuming that unused chips can be exchanged back, he'll change 10gp into chips of various denominations.
2 sp on Hygiene, please.
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OOC: Should I be posting specific details as to who's pockets Tosh is trying to pick and what's being taken? I'd kind of just assumed it'd be handled abstractly based on circumstance and opportunity with you handling any die rolls and telling me the results.
"Old Scratch is here to get a bunch of new souls, of course !" Lixy looks at Voadam with a big grin. She then shrugs. "I'm not fooling anyone with my theatrics, am I ? I better stop yapping my rathole. To tell you the truth, I think the old Saul won the service of the little devil somehow. I don't really know the details."
"No, you're doing fine Lixy. I like your banter better than the pitchfork motif." Voadam grins encouragingly. He scans the crowd again taking in the people as people this time, considering who to chat up. "Before I go grab a mead though, three more quick things. First, what does Saul look like in case I run into him? Second can you tell me anything about the Lady over there? Is she local nobility? And third . . . " Voadam smiles. After requesting another Devil's mark to be twice blessed and twice damned for the road he'll head over to the table Rorgar has gotten and let the druid know he'll be off to chat up some others.
"Ever since I hosted a ship casino party I can't look at gambling dens like this without immediately seeing how the odds always favor the house. Still they are good for creating an atmosphere to spend money in. Anyway I'm more in the mood to spend my gold on warm food and drink tonight than on dice and bones and I'd suggest the same for you. I don't fool around with infernal contracts real or not. There can be power and snares in agreements made even under false pretenses. After I get some decent food I'll start chatting people up and getting the lay of the land. The dark haired one has the look of a mage to me. Either of you know anything about the Lady over there? What house she is from?"
Tosh patiently waits for the right moment to exit his hiding spot. At some point, one of the cooking aids drops a pot of fish stew on the floor. Tosh uses this distraction to move toward an open cabinet close to the other kitchen exit. Unfortunatly, as it's just a few paces from this new hiding spot, the floor creaks under his small weight. Tosh rushes forward and quickly hides inside the cabinet before anyone can see it. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU !" Tosh hears a loud feminine voice as it huddles in the small cabinet. "But I thought I heard ..." "SHUT YOUR RATHOLE, YOU GROG-BLOSSOM IDIOT. Clean up your mess and go fetch me some more earth apples in the basement ... STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT, GO !"
Soon, the commotion dies down, and Tosh eventually get the right opportunity to get into the casino floor, following one of the staff inside. The small kobold soon finds another hiding spot, this time under one of the gambling tables with a tablecloth. Tosh surveys the room, thinking of his first target.
OOC : I rolled a few stealth rolls for you here (I think this situation is a bit too stressful for taking 10). I rolled poorly on the first one but it was still enough. As for your Tosh's pick pocketing, unless you want to get someone in particular (with some patience and maybe a few stealth roll you can try to steal from any characters I mentionned before), I'll just 'fudge' something like you said. Also, using 'it' for a person is really weird. I keep correcting myself .
Ti follows Tolly over to the Ghoulette table, all the while surreptitiously looking round at the other players. Ti will be particularly interested in anyone who appears to be paying attention in him or Tolly.
OOC
TRM Do you want to roll Perception checks or shall I use Invisible Castle? Anyway Perception (sight) is +5.
Lixy makes a slight frown at Voadam. "That Lady ? I haven't seen her before. She acted like she was superior to everyone here. I bet ya that's she's a bridge-monkey or a pyramid-devil noble. She probably think she's back in her home city where her title actually matters. Riddleport will ..." "Lixy ! Stop your chatting, there's other clients to greet." Interjects the bouncer close to the entrance. "I'll be right there !" She answers before turning back to the bearded mage. "I'm sorry but duty calls. Look, if your friends don't want to sign the parchment, that's ok ... Nobody cares if you really sign it, you just need to understand the rules. I was nice chatting with you, may the Devil's or Desna's blessing be with you during the tournament. Which ever you prefer !" The young woman then focuses her attention to the clients that came in behind Voadam, Kronk and Rorgar.
Just as Tolly settles for a game of Ghoulette and Voadam rejoins his 2 companions, members of the staff caring torches start putting the various straw 'heads' on fire. Some of the gathered crowd goes silent in expectation while other laugh, applaud or cheer. A short man climbs to the central podium, accompanied by two gorgeous “succubi”, and stands before the gold, chain-shrouded chest there with a demoness on either side. He wears a formal suit, and his thinning black hair is slicked back. His left arm ends in a stump just above the wrist, and affixed to it is a bronze cap from which protrudes an oddly shaped key. He bows before the crowd and clears his throat before speaking.
“Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall and your chance to cheat the Devil and win back not only your soul but all of his gold as well.” He says this last as he pats the large chest before which he stands. “I'm Saul Vancaskerkin proprietor of this fine establishment and your host for tonigh. I hope you found your reception by the Devil’s lovely temptresses suitably entertaining.”
This is met by a general murmur of laughter and a few catcalls.
“Let’s take this moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event. Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell itself to provide the gold for this tournament.”
With this, Saul directs the crowd’s attention up to the imp in the birdcage. At the sudden attention, Old Scratch flies into a flurry of rage, banging the cage bars, spitting, howling, and screaming vile epithets in Infernal at all assembled. His theatrics are received with guffaws and even a smattering of applause. As the crowd dies down, Vancaskerkin continues.
“Of course, he plans on replacing what he loses in gold with the souls of those of you who don’t win. The tournament rules are quite simple—as you play, you’ll earn more chips. And with those chips, you’ll be able to bribe your way out of the current Hell you’re trapped in, working your way down deeper until you get to Old Scratch’s treasury. Currently, all of you are Old Scratch’s prisoners in the first of the Hells, Avernus. If you want to work your way down to the ninth circle, you need to win games and more chips. Golden eyes, a silver teeth or copper hearts, these bits of flesh and bone are what the devils use in Hell for currency, and they’re what you’ll need to pay in order to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first player to win a game after reaching Nessus not only keeps his winnings for that game, but also earns back his soul and the ten thousand silver coins that the Devil put up for this tournament. You can, of course, decide to cash out your winnings at any time you want, but if you do, or if you run out of money entirely… well, that means Old Scratch gets you.”
Vancaskerkin grins evilly and the caged imp cuts loose with another profane tirade. “And that earns you the Devil’s Mark and an escort out of the game hall until the tournament is over. What, you ask, exactly is this Devil’s Mark? Well, it’s something too utterly horrible to even contemplate. The forfeiture of your very soul, it is. But I suppose I can show you what it is—gods know I more than deserve the Devil’s Mark. In fact, better make it two, girls!”
With that, the two succubi accompanying him lean over and each firmly plants a kiss on Saul’s cheek with her ruby-red lips. When they pull away, their lip rouge has left clearly visible prints in the same shocking red on his cheeks. Saul beams as he cries out, “The Devil’s Mark, everyone!” which is greeted by a flurry of shouts, catcalls, and hoots. “Now, let’s cheat the Devil and take his gold!” which prompts one more rabid flurry from the imprisoned fiend above, and with that, the tournament begins.
At the Ghoulette Table
Tolly makes his first bet of the night on 'hygiene' as Chan Ti looks around for any threats. The only Ghoulette table seems pretty popular and Tolly find himself in close quarters with the nearest gamblers. He looks around but doesn't see the noble woman or the 2 foreigners at his table. Instead, he spots them elsewhere. The woman is at a starting Golem game, the Garundi at the gold skiff table and the Tian is playing dice. "No more bets ! Time to choose, Dungo." The croupier calls out before spinning the head that gives the game its name. The ghoulish head turns and turns before finally stopping in front of the section called "Your Bloodline". By some necromancy, it starts talking. "A Prince, you ? Money talks but your grandfather was the scurviest pirate on the seas, your grandmother was a poxy whore and your father was a noseless thief." It says above the mixed cries of deception and joy. The dealer is quick to press a button and all bets fall under the ghoul head. He then proceeds to pays the winners. Tolly isn't one of the lucky few, however.
OOC : If you read the parchment again Dr. Simon, you'll see that you can cash the chips at any point but if you do that before reaching Nessus, you'll only get 50% of their value. Tell me if you want to change the amount you change.
Ghostcat, you can roll a perception check with IC.
Ambrus
Tosh barely listens to Saul's speech. He uses the distraction to cut the money pouch of a nearby dwarf. There's only 7 silver coins, 10 'copper' chips and 5 'silver' chip in it but the evening is still young and there are still plenty pigeons to be had. OOC: I rolled a 11+10=21 for this.
OOC : Most of this post is copyright Paizo publishing 2008.
Last edited by The Rolling Man; 12th February 2009 at 02:20 AM..
The little dragon pockets its ill gotten gains while surveying the surrounding patrons for other larcenous oppurtunities.
OOC: I hadn't originally counted on the use of gambling chips at the tournament. Hm. Please keep in mind that Tosh might also attempt to lift other valuables aside from coins if it comes across them: gems, bracelets, necklaces, rings, holy symbols, small vials, decorative or small masterwork weapons – whatever a mark might have on hand.
As for the choice of mark, Tosh isn't in a hurry since the tournament will likely last for hours and so it'll carefully pick its targets based on timing, proximity and opportunity. That being said, Tosh would eventually like to try pilfering the Ulfen men, the noble woman (when her servants happen to be not watching) and certainly the gnome.
Since it's proceeding calmly according to a carefully laid plan, I don't see why Tosh couldn't take 10 on the rolls while benefiting from the marks' circumstantial penalties for their being distracted. Seems there should be some inherent benefit to taking one's time and waiting for the right moment rather than acting on the spur of the moment.
And, if ever a mark succeeds in noticing Tosh's pick-pocket attempt and then also succeeds in beating its Stealth score to spot the little culprit, it'll try to quickly and quietly gain their attention so as to parlay with them before they can raise an alarm; the wily dragon's got a plan...
OOC: I wonder if Paizo is going to have a member of the Vancaskerkin family in every AP? Orik in Runelords, Verik in Crimson Throne, now Saul
As for the money, nah, I'll stick with what I said. Tolly's got a fairly casual attitude towards cash!
"Hey ho," says Tolly. "Perhaps one more go."
If the rules allow, he'll put down 1 copper token on each of five options - Appearance, Hygiene, Skill, Body and Brains. If you can't make bets in this way, he'll stick another silver down on Hygiene.
All the while he doesn't let the game absorb him completely. He continues to surreptitiously scan the crowd for anyone interesting (keeping watch on the same people as before), likely troublemakers or likely stooges.
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IC
Ti watches Tolly play for about 10 minutes before he gets bored. "Tolly, I am going to have a look round. I'll see you before the show starts. OK!" Ti starts wondering around the gambling hall, mostly listening but occasionally chatting to anyone who seems amenable to conversation.
As Ti has taken to Tolly, he will keep checking that he his OK. Although he is sure that Tolly can take care of himself.
TRM
Ti is actually surreptitiously gathering information as per his primary mission.
OOC: I wonder if Paizo is going to have a member of the Vancaskerkin family in every AP? Orik in Runelords, Verik in Crimson Throne, now Saul
OOC: We actually have come full circle as Saul is actually the father of the 2. It's a detail that might be important later ... Of course, in all probability, none of your characters knows about it. As for the next AP, it is set very far from Riddleport, but who knows ? Saul's progeny seem to have developed a propensity for travelling far away.
Oh and the Ghoulette's minimum wager is 10 copper.
Last edited by The Rolling Man; 12th February 2009 at 04:55 PM..
Reason: correcting the quote
![Shadow in the Sky, Chapt 1 of TRM's Second Darkness [IC]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/iconimages/playing-game/shadow-sky-chapt-1-trms-second-darkness-ic_ltr.gif)
. I've posted the description/rule of the 4 main games at the tournament in the OOC thread. Also, you can check out post 41 for a description of the main casino floor (Tolly just doesn't know about all the imp's powers and weaknesses however).
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