Adventure : Humanitas Severe

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Mal Malenkirk

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #31

-''DON'T LIE! YOU BEAR ARMS! THAT MEANS YOU ARE NOT CURSED! WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! LEAVE THE GIRL AND TURN AWAY OR WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE OUR CHANCES!'' shouts back the leader defiantly.

[sblock=Pereception 15]That's a weird thing to say, but it occurs to observant PCs that none of the visible villagers bear arms or armor including the guards on the tower. Not even a dagger or a leather armor. The only visible weapons are the ballistas. If the man is to be believed, they also have catapults behind the wall. Still, they are ill equipped to face determined opposition rushing in close quarters. Those things are not great at hitting moving targets.

Characters with military experience have never heard of a force armed with ballistas (and catapults!) yet without at least bows/crossbows and spears to support it! After all, it's damn easier to build and move spears and bows than a ballista!

Small arms without artillery support, sure. Artillery without small arms, never!

[/sblock]

 

Last edited: May 20, 2010

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dimsdale

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #32

Mal Malenkirk said:

-''DON'T LIE! YOU BEAR ARMS! THAT MEANS YOU ARE NOT CURSED! WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! LEAVE THE GIRL AND TURN AWAY OR WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE OUR CHANCES!'' shouts back the leader defiantly.

[sblock=Pereception 15]

Click to expand...

ooc: perception roll: 1d20+2=17
ooc: diplomacy: 19
"You and I know that you don't have any weapons to speak of besides your catapult, and you are smart enough to realize that you are no match for a well armed group like ourselves. Has it occurred to you that if we really meant you harm that we would have attacked you already. We are not here to harm you, we are here to help. Now knock some sense into that thick skull of yours and let us in and tell us what is going on around here. Maybe we can help!"

 

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Mal Malenkirk

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #33

[sblock=OOC]A few post occured while I was writing. I started writing the previous post with only Raiko's post in mind. Hold on...[/sblock]

 

ScorpiusRisk

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #34

EDIT: Wrote this before I saw the last two posts. . . but maybe its fine. . .

"I am not cursed. I am a Jadite!" Raiko shouts back at the man proudly. "We four are all Jadeites! We are trained in war but we do not bring it to you. We have fought both the Oni and the devils of Asmodeus and I assure you sir, if there is goodness here, we have no quarrel with you!."

Raiko's voice booms as far as he can allow it. "But be assured also, that if you bring war to us, you shall fall as all others have done so before you!" He still does not draw his sword, but the threat is clear.

[sblock=ooc]Passive Perception is 15

Diplomacy 13 followed closely by Intimidate 27[/sblock]

 

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Mal Malenkirk

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #35

-''Tevense, please hold on. I think they may be saying the truth.'' says the one called Neva.


-''Don't be stupid. It's just a ruse. You are either captured and cursed or you pay to be here! They want us to open the gate so they can attack.''

-''They aren't equipped for the wilderness, Tevense. They have no water, no bedrolls or camping equipment... They look like they walked out of a city and just stumbled on the Preserve.''

She turns to Jenn and signal her to come. She runs into her arms and they hug.

-''Did they kill your mother?'' she whispers. Jenn shakes her head.

-''I am sorry we shot at you.'' Neva says softly. ''Please stop threatening Tevense, sir.'' she asks of Raiko. ''The burden of protecting us is heavy on him. If you truly mean us no harm, please realize that we are the unarmed villagers and you are the heavily armed strangers. With the balance of power tipping so hard in your favor, you can't expect us not to be scared and react accordingly. It behooves to you to be more understanding because you can afford to.'' she says humbly.

[sblock=OOC]Intimidate is useless with a target who fully expects to be hunted, tortured and killed once the door opens. If the consequences of not complying are perceived as less terryfying than the (expected) consequence of complying, it always fail. Basic politics.
[/sblock]

She is reassured by Max's blunt offer.

[sblock=OOC]Best diplomacy check in play. Max is seen as the more reassuring interlocutor and convinces Neva to be forthcoming with information.[/sblock]

-''Yes, there is a quota. The fey capture travellers who were unlucky enough to stumble near one of these place where Arcadia touches the world. Then they curse us so that we can't bear arms or wear armor and turn us loose on the preserve as game. The fey lord, Ethan Severus, sells the right to come hunt in this place, which he calls the Preserve. Depending on how much you paid, you are allowed a limited amount of liberties. Some are just allowed to maim, torture and rape. Those who paid enough can kill one or more people. Once they have reach their quota, they are teleported out of here. But us, we're trapped.''

 

TwoHeadsBarking

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #36

Haruka looks as though she's going to comment on something Raiko said, but she says nothing for now. She watches a little sadly as Jenn leaves her side. However, her expression hardens as she listens to Neva's story, "A fey lord is responsible for this? I wonder if he'll burn like the other one. I look forward to finding out." The gentleness she showed with Jenn has burned away, leaving a frightening intensity in its place, "It's time for this to end. Tell us how can we find him."

 

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Mal Malenkirk

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #37

Neva Shrugs.

-''I don't know how you can find him. Never met him, only heard of him from the old timer like Tevense. I am sure he doesn't live in the preserve. That thing is like a sphere and barely twenty miles long. If you walk constantly in one direction, you will end up at your starting point in a amtter of hours. It's a prison.

But if you stick around, maybe he'll show up. See, this village is becoming a nuisance. Tevense built it. You said you are jadites? He's a fellow countrymen then. He's the captain of a small squad of scouts from the Iron Shogun's army. They stumbled in Arcadia during a recon mission. He organized this village. Built the defenses, tested the limits of the curse. Bearing arms and weapons causes wracking pain but building traps is okay. Apparently so are building these big crossbows. The closer it is to operating a machine as opposed to wielding a weapon, the better the odds are that the curse won't work. For the past few months, it has kept us safe. But we are harboring too much 'game' now. Severus is pissed. We have been ordered to disband by sundown or face the consequences. People are terrified, we don't know what to do. If you are serious about helping us, won't you stay and help?'' she pleads.

[sblock=OOC]Reminds you of any movie?[/sblock]

 

TwoHeadsBarking

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #38

[sblock=Spoilers in a spoiler block? How novel!]

Mal Malenkirk said:

Reminds you of any movie?

Click to expand...

If it's the movie I'm thinking of, or the movie that inspired the movie I'm thinking of, then that doesn't say great things about our chances of survival.[/sblock]

Haruka looks at Jenn while responding to Neva, "I said I wouldn't let anyone hurt her." Her eyes dart up to meet Neva's, "How can I help?"

 

renau1g

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #39

"A fey lord? Sounds dangerous. I do agree we cannot allow harm to come to these villagers no matter the risk. If it were Jadites begin threatened I know we would react the same, I do hope we can if he can burn" Ashir says, conjuring a tiny ball of fire in his hands, then snuffing it out. "Wait a second, Haruka, what did you mean when you said "like the other one"? Have you met this type of creature before?" he asks.

[sblock=ooc]
Oh...man! Fey Lords and Haruka? Suh-weet... they are the proverbial thorn in her side... [/sblock]

 

ScorpiusRisk

First Post

• May 20, 2010

• #40

[sblock=ooc]The following post assumes that the woman's statement does not seem fault against Raiko's Passive Insight of 21.[/sblock]

Raiko listens carefully as the woman speaks and his nerves calm considerably. He lowers ahead, slightly ashamed of how quick he was in response. He calmly nears the walls and reaches for the sheathe of his sword sliding it from his belt.

"Captain!" He shouts. "Duck!" He hurls his sheathed sword over the wall. He then takes his helmet off and begins circling the fortifications, checking the defenses. He speaks loudly as he does.

"I am Raiko, son of Gathar, graduate of the Academy of Radiant Truth! I wield the power of our ancestors! And I say that if you sir, you Captain under the Iron Shogun, my Shogun, have built this fort in defense of the innocent, then I say this is a fort of the Jade Empire. If you choose to give me back my sword, then I I think we can improve its defenses considerably."

[sblock=ooc]Diplomacy 17

Then Raiko gathers more information about the defenses.
Dungeoneering 23, Perception 22[/sblock]