SotS's War of the Burning Sky campaign

Quest: Unity through Diversity
Laurabec would like to create a panthesist temple where people of all religions can come together and learn to appreciate each others' views. But as a devout follower of a specific faith herself, she's a poor choice of representative and has asked you guys to try and convince each of the 8 religious sects. You gathered info on each in preparation to speak to their leaders:
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Ragesian Philosophers • God of Knowledge
“The high priest loves to hear stories (preferably from someone skilled at story-telling). Giving the high priest an old book or tickets to the Wayfarers’ Theater show would also be well-received.”
“Rumors say the high priest abandoned several of his traveling companions on his way to Seaquen, but when he lost a book on the road he went back for it, braving Ragesian patrols. I heard it's a book of ancient phiolosphy. The guy never parts with it, but if you could read it before meeting him somehow, it'd probably be a HUGE help in arguing to convince him."

Ragesian Hospitalers • Goddess of Healing
The priestess is very busy tending to sick and wounded people, since disease is a problem in the refugee camps. While you can simply wait for when she’s free, helping with the care would get you on her good side. If any of you can cast remove disease or lesser restoration, even better.
The priestess likes to use parables, and so presenting the proposal in a metaphorical way that suggests healing the refugees would be best. However, this temple is at odds with the doctrine of the Order of the Aquiline Cross, and mentioning them or bringing Laurabec along would just anger her.

Ragesian Savages • Goddess of Strength
"The leader of this group is not a cleric, but a barbarian woman. She preaches that people must choose their own way, and that the strongest should lead. She is very prideful, if you approach her first or last to convince, she'll be so flattered that she'll surely automatically agree to the proposition. Otherwise...good luck trying to convince her."

Ragesian Druids • Goddess of Pilgrimages
“The best negotiator would be a druid and/or one who is trained in geography. If you spend a night eating and sharing stories of your travels, you would go far befriending them, and oh yeah...the head druid LOVES cats. Bring one if you can, and be good to it.”

Dasseni Dwarves • God of Ancestors
“They're kinda racist. If the negotiator's not a dwarf, you're off to a bad start. Knowing a lot of history helps to impress them, though. Also, taking the time before negotiations to detail their lineage to three generations would win their favor. (the priests won’t attempt to verify what they’re told, so any reasonable story will do). Bringing a goat as a sacrifice so the priest can cast augury would help a bit, too.”

Ostaliner Mercenaries • God of Battle
“If you're from Ostalin, that'd help of course. The priest, Arick was a former hippogriff rider, and so talking to him about aerial defenses of Seaquen is smart. If the negotiator can beat Arick in a nonlethal fight, he'll be very impressed.. Guaranteeing the temple would be in a central defensible position on a hill is probably something he'd want to hear.”

Seaquen Locals • God of Seas
“The negotiater knowing sailing well would help, as would having someone who draws power from the sea (ie, Torrent) present. If you can promise to put the temple along the coast, they'll be happy. If it's on the south shore so the refugees don't have to enter Seaquen proper, all the better.”

Sindairese Exiles • God of Sorcery
“It's almost essential to have an arcane spellcaster present, if not negotiating herself. If you mention their plight in being exiled, they'll quickly like you.. Bringing a bear — a symbol of good luck in Sindaire — also would help.”[/sblock]

Majestic Creations
[sblock]Paradim Dogwood offers to create custom animals for those who can pay. He effectively can create any aberration, animal, or magical beast with a Challenge Rating of 5 or less, though his creations never have an Intelligence score above 2. His base price is 2,000 gp for a creature of CR 2 or less. The cost increases to 3,000 for CR 3 creatures, 5000 gp for CR 4 creatures, and 9000 gp for CR 5 creatures. Designing and growing a creature takes him one day per 1,000 gp of the price. He does not guarantee the creature’s obedience, though he assures customers that all creatures he designs can be trained as easily as a dog or a horse.
He also offers to perform permanent physical alterations on customers, altering flesh, appearance, and even race or sex for 2,000 gp and a painful two-day submersion in biomancy fluid. The two people who were brave enough to try the procedure report being thrilled with the results, one a half-orc man who became a human, the other a human woman who wanted to grow fur, a tail, and cat-ears. All these changes can be reversed if the creature willingly submits to a dispel magic or break enchantment. Otherwise they are as permanent as a magic item.[/sblock]

I'm guessing due to the party's make-up, you won't be commissioning creatures to be made, but if you do...I reserve the right to nix certain ones, as CR is an art already and low CR creatures could potentially be really broken as a pet.

Thanks for posting the quest.

Sadly I am going to miss the next two games because I will be out of town. Sorry I didn't mention it sooner, I was thinking we would have one more session in between. I will be back the 13th of June.

Fjord says he may be able to run Tansley for me in the meantime, though he might have to cancel at the last minute or leave sessions early if he has a lot of schoolwork to do.

I'm pretty busy tonight, but I do plan to also include details about Paradim's shop and the services it can render in the above post at some point, I'll just edit it in.

begooler said:

Thanks for posting the quest.

Sadly I am going to miss the next two games because I will be out of town. Sorry I didn't mention it sooner, I was thinking we would have one more session in between. I will be back the 13th of June.

Fjord says he may be able to run Tansley for me in the meantime, though he might have to cancel at the last minute or leave sessions early if he has a lot of schoolwork to do.

Click to expand...

Ok. Next few sessions will probably be a lot of roleplaying unless the party really wants to do another side quest first. It'll be interesting to see how Fjord will portray Tansley (maybe when you come back, she'll be dating Lily? )

Lily wouldn't mind having a little... gnomish fun, assuming it bathes first... But her eyes are pretty well set on a shy shapeshifter... with the occasional tryst just to keep herself entertained.

Advance notice on game cancellations:

I will be on a plane on July 3rd during the game time, so no game that week.

Also, on Aug. 7th I have to drop my wife off at the train station. It's 1.5 hours or so away from here and I'm doing it after work. So I will likely be late. But I am planning on running the game, it'll just be a short session. I'll just have to call/skype/AIM everyone when I get back in.

Ok guys, I want to get some input for the next session. The next major plot point is the War Council, and you don't have much time to do other things before it (it's tomorrow, day's almost half over now) but you will have free time after.

The War Council is a LOT of talking by many different NPCs. I want to know...would you prefer i just post it on the forum for you to read through, or have it play out in game? The campaign assumes it'll be done in game so the party has a chance to voice their opinions and interject (whether how they do it is polite / at the proper times or not), but...if you're sick of all-RP sessions (it seems to be a common theme that RP in this setting comes in giant clumps spaced between nearly zero...) and reading long blocks of text in the chat window....I could just post most of it on here. Your call.

I will try to keep it brief but comprehensive. Depending on your reading speed, if I were to post it all in maptools during the game, with no reply/reaction from any of you, it'd take under 10 minutes to read through it all, so it's not THAT horrible...

Personally, I prefer rp sessions among the party, rather than involving several NPCs. So, my vote is to post it to the forum and preserve our game time for things that actually involve our characters.

The other thing is, I would put the conversation...at least the speeches by each NPC...in an info token as I post it and leave it there for posterity. I don't mind posting it on here, but sadly we didn't quite reach the next morning last session, so I don't know if I want to post it *before* the session anyway... If you go around town you might meet some NPCs who'll be at "tomorrow's" meeting; or you could potentially do something that would then get brought up by someone in the meeting, so I'm very uncomfortable posting it "out of sequence."

I will be updating an info token with the speeches by the NPCs as it goes along if it's easier for you to read that than in the chat. I actually have been updating info tokens around Seaquen as you go to the areas, not sure if anyone's been checking them.


Anyway, rather than make another post.... Recap of last session:
[sblock]Sophia went off on her own to investigate Paradim Dogwood's shop and what she discovered seemed to scare her. Something related to the abducting of young women around the town. She cavalierly brought four drugged out barely able to walk girls back to your ship in plain view of various townsfolk without offering any sort of explanation, and some saw through her disguise (making it look even sketchier....catsuit didn't help, either). She urged the party to rush back to investigate Majestic Creations for evidence...w/o any idea what "evidence" there was left to find, but a crowd of angry townsfolk lead by the ever-irritating Pickens Frankart swarmed around you. Lyceum guards broke it up, escorted you back to your ship, took the girls back to deliver to their families, and ordered you not to raise anchor for the foreseeable future and not to go back to the shore and stir up trouble again tonight.

After some debate about going back anyway, you rested and headed to Lyceum. On the way, you met Tiljann again, who said you should check out the Wayfarer's theater in the (north) Harbor District. In Lyceum, Kiernan Stekart had you help interrogate Jezka. She gave a list of the many people she charmed in the town, said she was sent by the inquisitor Guthwulf (who also sent Kazyk) for the military intel, and vaguely mentioned that teleporting within town was not a good idea. In return, you got Kiernan to dismiss her rather than public execution, and she offered you one free planar ally/binding service of up to 9 days.

Then you met Headmaster Simeon, a simply dressed man with a country accent, who is the most knowledgeable person in Lyceum. You discussed the intel, which his divinations revealed:
[sblock]The book was written by Kreven, second in command of the Ragesian Inquisitors, and it was read and approved of by someone who is immune to divinations, most likely Leska herself. Magic was used to scramble the words in order to encrypt it, and Kreven believed that protection was so secure that he was lax in actually making sure the book did not get stolen. The book, and what is detailed within, is somehow tied to the Scourge, Leska’s military order to capture hundreds, if not thousands of “disloyal” mages. Something odd came to Simeon in the divination, as if the name “Scourge” had another meaning that he wasn’t aware of. Finally, both Kreven and the unknown person who approved of the book were concerned with legends surrounding something called “Trillith.” Simeon has never heard of the name.[/sblock]
But, the cypher is very difficult and he can make out no more right now, so you agreed to let him hold onto the book. He also requested you to attend the War Council tomorrow, and invited you to visit and stay at Lyceum as much as you want.
Finally, you learned about the Spell Duels the students here enjoy taking on each other in and that Katrina indeed has a reputation here. Angir wanted to use AC's though, so instead he ended up in a pokemon battle.
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Lyceum's War Council

Here is the full synopsis of the speeches given during the War Council (without the PCs' additions, I forgot to save a log...).
[sblock]Polite students greet you at the entrance to the Aurad Tower, drying you off with prestidigitation spells while simultaneously using arcane sight to provide a modicum of security. "Please, follow Remini, she will lead you to the council room." You are then escorted to a fifth floor lecture hall with a vast curving window that looks out across the harbor.

Once everyone has arrived, Simeon appears and ushers everyone to an adjacent classroom that resembles an operating theater — a comfortable yet small area for discussion, surrounded by balconies where students would normally look down and watch an instructor demonstrate the intricacies of a particular spell. The room is well lit, and the Head of the War Department, a darkhaired dwarf named Kiernan Stekart, places a short stone rod carved of veiny black stone on the table in the center of the room. "Thar, now noone c'an endanger us here; just stay within 20 ft of tha rod." He then steps to the side of the room, where stands a shield guardian crafted to look like a gnarled stone treant.
A speaker begins announcing the presence of all foreign dignitaries. Aside from the party, the war council is attended by Headmaster Simeon Gohanach, Head of the War Department Kiernan Stekart, Magistrate Lorb Votberd, Lee Sidoneth, Commander Xavious Foebane, Laurabec Adelsburg, and Wayfarer representative Giorgio, plus Dassen ambassador Kiefer Numhaut, Sindaire ambassador Cranston Snord, and Ostalin ambassador Kazha Lonam, plus Katrina and Torrent.

With everyone is present, Simeon encourages them all to sit, while he remains standing to present an introduction:
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ll pardon me if I’m brief. Our enemies are many, and we know their eyes are constantly watching. We don’t have much time for this meeting, so, even though I encourage each and every one of us to have our time to speak, I need to ask that we not get too bogged down in discussions of minutiae and other small things.
“We have a great task ahead of us — a task that we do not do simply to protect ourselves, but to save the lives of all our families, brother, and sisters. The new emperor of Ragesia, Leska, who proudly calls herself the Supreme Inquisitor, has set her armies to conquer all our nations. Everyone is in danger, from lowliest warrior to mightiest mage. I have vowed as my duty that I will fight against this Scourge from Ragesia, but I don’t know much about running a war.
“What I do know is that we all have knowledge and skills that will be valuable in this fight. I hope that you will trust me to lead this fight against tyranny, and I will trust you to give me your best wisdom and aid so that we may be victorious.
“Our goal is to stop the Scourge, to drive back the armies of the Ragesian Empire, to dethrone Leska, and to ensure our families and homelands are safe. Now, I hope you all have some idea how to do that. My ears are open.”

Magistrate Lorb Votberd:
"In accordance with my role presiding over the government of Seaquen, I feel I must use my time to air the greivances of this fair town's citizens..." (He goes on reciting a long list of grievances against the refugees, who he says are bringing chaos and crime to their town.) "I am in favor of recruiting able-bodied refugees to a new, broader police force to get things under control in a hurry. In particular, I want to systematically bring in every refugee for questioning, so they can put into custody those who appear suspicious." Finally reminded by Simeon that the primary goal of the meeting is about foreign policy, Lorb simply replies, "I am very leery of any arrangement that forces Seaquen to answer to another power."


Lee Sidoneth
Charged with maintaining the security of Seaquen’s harbor, the bald, relaxed hydromancer weighs in on naval affairs. "My lords, currently the north harbor is so crowded that they’re sending new ships to the south harbor. Though there aren’t adequate docks for all the refugee ships, I advise that the north harbor's ships not be piered, so they can move quickly in case of an attack. In general, my stance is to wait and build strength, rather than rush to action." As he sits down, he sneers at the ambassador from Ostalin, saying, “Some war-mongers might disagree with me, but they are motivated by the flow of gold into their coffers, not the safety of refugees or our city.”

Laurabec Adelsburg:
"Greetings, m'lords, it is an honor to be here and able to share the plight of the diverse lot of refugees camped out in--" She is interrupted by Magistrate Votberd, "Get on with it." Simeon politely asks her to continue. "Right... well, I am less concerned with broad military matters and more worried that the thousands of people who have come to Seaquen to make a difference in the war might tear themselves apart!" She exclaims. "It’s clear that Ragesia is partly to blame," she says, "for example, the erinyes who had infiltrated the town." (Simeon promptly interjects, explaining to the others that it has been dealt with, looking a bit flustered).
"But just as many problems are the result of inadequate food, water, and shelter; bitter religious and cultural differences; a perception that Seaquen and Lyceum view the refugees as outsiders and pawns, rather than vital allies; and the clear fact that more than a few people are here looking for an opportunity to profit from the war. I speak unofficially on behalf of all the refugees, but I request that someone pay more heed to the local affairs, since it will take weeks anyway before any military actions can be coordinated."
She starts to go into specifics, but Magistrate Votberd interrupts her, having gotten more irritable with each sentence she uttered. "You are just coddling potential hostiles! The refugees are nothing more than thugs fighting amonst themselves and causing terror to the true citizens of this town. However, I am confident stricter laws will get things under control. The refugees, after all, have come to Seaquen, and should follow Seaquen’s rules."
Simeon speaks up, "Lord Votberd, I trust you from experience over tha years, and while you may be too brash, you do havn' a point. I don't want ta devote Lyceum’s students ta helping the refugees when they could be trainin' for war. I'm sorry, Laurabec." Nodding glumly in defeat, she sits back down.

Giorgio:
The flamboyant Wayfarer walks slowly around the table, thumping his staff on the floor with every stride, and he simmers with enthusiasm. He presents the Wayfarers’ knowledge about the dangers of teleportation, and says that they are working to find a solution. In hushed tones he hints at what amazing mobility the Wayfarers could provide them if the Cirque were willing to violate its long-standing neutrality. Then, with a smile, he says that the guildmistress, Sheena Larkins, is willing to do just that, if Lyceum can prove it has a legitimate chance to defeat Ragesia.
Before sitting, Giorgio produces a ticket for each person present and gives a bombastic speech:
“These are for a performance in one week of The Spectacular Trial of Toteth Topec, which you’ve no doubt heard will be premiering at the Wayfarers’ Theater in two days. Though there will be other performances before the night of your tickets, the ageless beauty that is Guildmistress Larkins wants to be certain we have everything perfect before we show it to you, the city’s most respected citizens, and those dignitaries visiting from similarly respected nations. Think of the symbol it will be, for all you to attend a show together! I dare say it may be wholly disastrous to morale if even one of you fails to attend!”

Katrina:
Katrina gets up to begin, as Torrent whispers, "...They gave her speaking time?"
"Ladies and gentleman assembled, it is my great honor and priviledge to present to you the greatest resource at all in this war effort!" She motions to each of you in the party. "These unstoppable heroes have already defeated a Ragesian inquisitor, and they are already a thorn in the Empire’s
side, so much so that the inquisitors sent not one but two children of hell to track them down!
"I, too, have faced an inquisitor and defeated him, and my brother Rantle, whom I spoke to recently via a sending spell, is a vital member of the resistance in Gate Pass. But, that is enough from me, surely you are on the edge of your seats with anticipation to hear what these icons of the resistance have to say about their travels and trevails." And with that, she looks to you guys and sits down, throwing the spotlight on you.
[PCs talked about fighting Boreus and retrieving the military intel]

Dassen Ambassador Keifer Numhaut:
Keifer Numhaut, the tall, blond human ambassador of Dassen, starts. "I have not much to say, and will get right to the point. King Steppengard is displeased that Seaquen’s rallying call has brought so many refugees through his lands, making his kingdom a target for Ragesia. While Dassen is not above lending its support if there is a legitimate reason, for now the King believes it wiser to make a pact of neutrality with Leska, and leave Seaquen to its own fate." He calmly takes his seat as murmurs and arguments break out between the guests.
Simeon quiets them down and says, "I will talk ta you, ambassador, in great length, an' show you copious information that I believe makes it clear that Ragesia willn't accept any neutrality." Keifer nods, looking disinterested.

Sindaire Ambassador Cranston Snord:
The aged gnome from Sindaire says that his nation’s people want to resist Ragesia, but the politicians cannot pledge their support to Seaquen and risk drawing Leska’s ire. He suggests that if Seaquen could defeat Ragesia in a notable battle, such a victory might be enough to make a difference.
As for the Torch of the Burning Sky, Cranston says that he is confident he knows where it is; it’s just impossible to reach. “The evening that the Old Dragon was slain,” he says, “a storm of fire opened up in the skies above the late emperor’s castle, a place called Korstull, a canyon in a broad field. Now everything there is dead, burned by months of searing rain. Sometimes the dead wander out of the storm. I don’t know how anyone could have gotten into that firestorm to retrieve the Torch, nor do I know how you would expect to either.”

Ostalin Ambassador Kazha Lonam
Slender, with sharpened black fingernails and voluminous robes that probably conceal weapons, the half-elf ambassador stands up. Several council speakers have alleged her nation is only interested in lending its aid if it will profit them, but she presents their desires as generous. She says, with a self-important air:
"Khagan Onamdammin, our ruler, deeply regrets that his neighbors might be endangered by the Ragesian armies, but is willing to lend his elite, fierce armies if his neighbors are reasonable. Ragesia intends to conquer your entire nation. Would it not be reasonable to trade us one-third of your land, so that you may keep the rest from the greedy, cruel Ragesians?”
She speaks sourly and with pointed sarcasm, hardly even trying to sound like she actually cares about any of the other dignitaries' nations. Outraged by her audacity, and letting other simmering feuds finally boil over, the ambassadors begin feverishly bickering amongst each other.[/sblock]

After this, a Shahalesti envoy lead by the princess herself, Shalosha made an entrance, attempting to get Seaquen to hand over control of the town to their forces so it can be better managed. Obviously that was rejected and she left the hall saying that a blockade by her fleet would continue “for Seaquen's protection” while the two sides attempt to reconcile their differences.

As to the question of “What now?”... You (along with all the others attending the War Council) got tickets to go see a play called The Spectacular Trial of Toteth Topec performed by the Wayfarers in a week, other than that you have nothing really on your “calendar” right now so to speak. There's plenty of options for stuff to do, though. Including but not limited to:
[sblock]1. Explore the parts of town you haven't yet – North Coast, Harbor District (where the Wayfarer's Theater is), and Sunken Ruins.
2. Try to find new leads on the whole Paradim Dogwood / abducted girls issue.
3. You've heard a few times about a goblin tribe in the marsh that's been attacking refugees heading for Seaquen.
4. Angir read news reports that some dragon attacked a Sindaire ship south of the marsh on its way to Seaquen, demanding that someone find her “missing egg” and threatening to step it up to lethal attacks on other ships if not.
5. The “Unity through Diversity” quest from Laurabec you already did a bunch of leg work getting hints on how best to go negotiate to the various religious leaders with. It'll still take a few days to complete.
6. Getting stuff upgraded (and being w/o it during that time). May as well get it done sooner than later. Zayed at least had something he wanted to add to a piece of his gear.
7. Turn the Seraglio into a party boat and piss away the time enjoying grand drunken orgies that would make even the Borgia's blush.[/sblock]

News of the War

Another thing. The party was supposed to wait around to be let in to the lecture hall for the meeting and hear about all sorts of news of the war going on. In my rush to finish the session on time and the sheer deluge of text I was already set to unleash on the party, it...kind of slipped my mind. Sorry. In any case, you've already heard some of these points, and I have an info token for all of them in Lyceum, but here you go:

[sblock]**In Gate Pass, the war wizard Gabal emerged from hiding when the city council let Ragesian inquisitors inside the walls. Gate Pass soldiers kept the inquisitors busy while Gabal and his students assaulted Ragesian camps outside the gates. Reported Ragesian losses were nearly two thousand in one day. Sadly, one of the inquisitors managed to locate Gabal and dispel his fire protection, and a mighty firebreathing dragon incinerated the mage.
**The Shahalesti are believed to be providing supplies to Gate Pass, forcing Ragesia to turn from siege to repeated assaults.
**The first Ragesian army, led by General Magdus, has halted hostilities because of bad weather and now roams the eastern plains of Sindaire, pillaging as it goes. A fleet from Ragesia is sailing for the capital of Sindaire, and the leaders of Seaquen suspect Magdus’ forces will link up with the fleet in the coming weeks.
**The second Ragesian army, led by General Danava and aided by a branch of the third army, has breached the first district gate of Gate Pass.
**The third Ragesian army, led by General Revulus, is preparing to march south to Dassen, though bad weather has halted it for now.
**Meanwhile, the fourth Ragesian army attacks Shahalesti around the northern edge of the Otdar mountains.
**Leska seems to be foolishly splitting her forces: Ragesia’s armies are winning all of their battles but cannot hope to occupy territory. They seem simply to be on destructive marches.
**Shahalesti has sent out diplomatic envoys to each country in the region, looking for help against what will eventually become a twofront war when Gate Pass falls. They were rebuffed by King Steppengard of Dassen, who seems to think Ragesia is not an enemy.
**Ragesian garrisons in Sindaire have begun fighting with locals after attempting to round up mages per Leska’s orders.
**Ostalin is relatively unaffected by war so far.
**There is no word of what has happened to the hundreds of mages captured by the Scourge.[/sblock]

You can talk to each other or NPCs about any of the items if you want, though there might not be much more information to glean right now.