OOC Kingdom of Ashes (Spies Like Us)

[The_Universe]

(1) We need to find out *who* Tain's friends are, now. We have killed a lot of them lately. So, we need of find out if they've been replaced and the like.

Probably not find-outable from this distance. The potential characters in this game will be your spies in the Thanesport, which means they'll be the ones who can find this stuff out.

However, he tends to hang out with the dastardly types - his inner circle is *mostly* people who served under him when he led the naval expedition before he became king.

(2) We need to find out if any organizations are working with Tain, if we can. If we can get into those organizations, we can get into his inner circle.

There are no organizations working for Tain so much as they are working for the the Throne that Tain occupies. High-ups in the Church of the Light, the Nobles Council, the Talons, the Military, etc. all have a reason to be around Tain. However, they may not be in his true "inner circle." Nightgrove was, and he didn't really occupy an official position in the Kingdom.

(3) We need to find out Tain's extended family tree. Could pass off as very distant relations... or, maybe we could even *be* some distant family relations.

He has a step brother named Relin Nightgrove. His mother is dead. His father is dead. His step father was killed by you. His mother had no family (she was a servant, originally).

He has cousins on his father's side. Jaine and Archon among them. Tain, though a bastard, is a noble, and is thus tied in some distant way to most of the human and half-elven houses.

(4) We need to *know* the city surrounding Tain's palace.

Probably not possible until you're there, and I don't see it as being a necessity for all types of plans. If this is going to be more cloak and dagger than it will be face and con, you need to know this. If this is going to focus on lying and not sneakery, This is not so important.

(5) We need to know the workings of the palace - at least from the outside.

Have to scout when you get there. Guess what it would be, and work from there. You might be able to ask people in Caer Albion what that palace was like, but that's as close as you could get.

6) A blueprint of the palace would be very helpful.

But not available.

(7) We need to be really good at mundane forms of sneakery and the like. The less magic we have glowing all around us, the more powerful we'll be once into the palace.
Gadgets and magic items are nice - but in a situation like this, we need to be able to operate without them so that we do not pull too much attention to ourselves.

Probably true.

(8) Resources - money. 'Nuff said.

Yep.

(9) Detailed, fully worked out deceptions. If we are to work our way into Tain's inner circle, our stories about who we are, where we come from, etc need to be absolutely flawless.

Yes they do - and remember that friendships and true trust take a long time to foster. If you don't need any information out of him for a year, and you're willing to do some BAD things to get it, you can probably get into his actual circle of close friends and advisors - outside of that, you may have to be a little less direct.

(10) Everyone that participates in the planning process needs to be detachable. No "solid" characters necessary - this is so that, when some people have time, we can play without worrying about hurting people's feelings because they are left out.

Yep. Exactly.

After we have this - and probably some other things that I haven't thought of, yet - we can make a plan.

No intelligence is perfect. I can answer general questions, but assume that there are no spies there, already. You're going to be the spies - how do you get in, starting at square 1 (or 0).

 

[Laurel]

That works, too. Don't know if Tain is dumb enough to talk in front of his servants... but, I've always wanted to get someone drunk and get information out of them!

However, I don't think this is a sneaking through sewers type of thing... that's the point I was trying to make.

We don't need to sneak into the city or anything like that.

Hoseholds are well organized. If a battle is truely going on then that can be worked to the advantage. But if posing as a friend, family member, or new servant just knocking on the wall doesn't work.
The sneak through sewers I was mentioning was 1) to get into the city unnoticed and 2) all of those questions you asked some will need to be scouted out somehow or we send them in knowing they are blind or without some information.
But before all there is the bigger picture, and deciding what will happen inside will tell us how the scouts/pheonix troops need to get in.....

 

[The_Universe]

Yes, but those friends that I tell things too I didn't gain over night. And as has been stated many many a time in all the different threads pretending to be someone close can be dangerous... if he asks questions only his best bud would know (like who did you kill last week?) that PC is stuck.

Sevants were and are known for being big secret carriers or the biggests gossips. If you want to know about the royalty you don't talk to thier family or friends or to her, you talk to her personal maid.
Severvants are the shadows that go unnoticed, moving from room to room to beneath anyones notice for them to care. But necssary for more wine, or books or anything meanial to have done.
Generally servants are the ones that see people at thier worst, and at the same get to overhear the most.
If our people are sneakies they just have to have a place there, as a high servant to the king they can go around late at night without being asked questions.
From most books and stories and movies and such that I have seen people have done far more damage, gotten further and learned more by pretending to be a servant then by working through all the nuances of becoming someones best friend.

I am not saying that by posing as a servant this individual would become the most knowledgable about everything Tain is doing, but it may be easier to keep a servant close to Tain for a longer time.

We may only be playing this as a one-time deal, but I thought the hope was for these PC's to become NPC's that can continue to feed information to Hywrl.

I think this is the safer bet. You'll get *more* information if you're closer and more friend-like (as Liz suggested), but the chance of getting caught is also much higher.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Getting into the city unnoticed is not really important. Just random people coming into the city is not dangerous. If it were the circle, it would be. But, these characters should be able to simply walk in.

Additionally, many of the things on the list that I made are *not* things that I expect us to have access to right now. But, things that I thought the new characters playing could learn once they get into the city.

I assumed this mission would be more lying, sneaking, and intrigue than smashing and killing. Information gathering... planting people in his circle to *stay* in his circle so that we can continue to gain information. Eyes and ears, not hammers and swords.

 

[Laurel]

I could be wrong but in the middle of war people generally are not just wander in and out gates... and if a specific battle is being waged then they definitly will not just be letting walk in.

Even if option one is to walk through the gates they should still get a back-up plan. Gates closed, too many guards, everyone being imprisoned if not from the city, or whatever the case may be. If someone is even suspicious at the gate at that early of a stage of who the new people are it taints the whole project.

So far everything people have suggested or thought of are all leaning toward the deception, intrigue, sneakery, non-raging warrior type of scenarios. If they start killing everything in sight or battling everything as we have learned the game is up. One of two kills planned out way in advance of place and timing can be accomplished if needed, but I agree that it is more simply info. gathering mission for the longer term. Spies of our own inside.

 

[The_Universe]

*If* there's a battle going on, you'll need a way into the walls, since the gates will not simply open. However, if there isn't, you can probably just stroll in, as long as you're not carrying crates full of illegal steeldrakes or something...

 

[Laurel]

Even if option one is to walk through the gates they should still get a back-up plan. Gates closed, too many guards, everyone being imprisoned if not from the city, or whatever the case may be. If someone is even suspicious at the gate at that early of a stage of who the new people are it taints the whole project.

So possible plan A:
-Teleport directly into city, Jaine, the circle, Preston, and who knows who else know certain areas well enough to get someone else inside safely

If that doesn't look like it will work when they get there, possible Plan B:
-Teleport to outside city somewhere
-Story: They are from Oceanus (can get enough info on area, places, events, etc. for this) refugees with cities on Pyrdain over crowded, grouped up to get however they could to family in Thainsport.
-reason for being there: Trying to find work and family make a new home in Thainsport

If that doesn't look like it will work when they get there, possible Plan C:
- use water ways to get inside city to docks, use the draconids tactics.

If that doesn't look like it will work when they get there, possible Plan D:
Scale wall sneak in without getting caught or raising alarm or killing anyone or anything

 

[The_Universe]

Looks like a decent start.

 

[Laurel]

just a little more

However they get there, once inside story stays the same as it would have at the gate.
Go to palace need work- it's all talking and usin' the old noggin' to get through things now... may help to have each person with some sort of skills before hand (made up or real doesn't matter) and doesn't need to be decided till day of.

Big thing I can't figure out is how to keep people together though.... if use persuasion correctly and get placed where we want, they could all get placed to the same wing. Occationally meet up to chat, as they only know each other in the palace. The times for chat can be to 'write letters home.' Actually reports for Hwyrl.

Reports get back to hywrl:
A) Through messenger pigeons, messenger bird of another sort
B) Through scrying on off duty from palace go to place outside city in a set up hide out-- mage comes at appionted time and takes them away
C) Carry a Ring gate and pass messages through gate
D) Hide messages in wall in Palace in one month time? Whenever one leaves city returns to Hywrl, then another... etc.
E) Mage at appointed time teleports into city sewers Scout hands package over
F) One gets to learn the message spell
G) One gets placed in messenger/scribe part of palace? unlimited access to ink and paper and any forms of sending messages
H)???

 

[Xath]

One of the things we really have to worry about if we want to be close to Tain is the Shadow Path. Some of his uppy ups have walked it, some have not. Anyone that goes should have Undetectable Alignment permanancied on them ahead of time.

These people should know as little as possible about the inner workings of the Army of the Phoenix in case they are caught. The less they know, the less can be tortured out of them.

They also shouldn't be spellcasters, or at least obvious spellcasters. I know Blackadder is in Tain's inner circle, but he greatly admired Nightgrove who has a known hatred of spellcasters. It may or may not be more difficult for a spellcaster to get close to Tain, but it's safer not to chance it. For contingencies, put lots of ranks in use magic device.

All members should have a "Contingency: Teleport" keyed to go off if their cover is blown. They may be in a no-teleport area, but it at least gives them a chance.

You could combine the ideas above. Have one person, as a noble, try to get close to Tain. With him/her will be personal servant(s), who will have access to areas of the palace nobles do not go.

No member of the party should be LG. In order to get close to Tain, any of them may have to do deeds that are downright distasteful, and we don't want any unquallable morality bells going off.

No magical appearance altering devices should be used. Any True Seeing can see right through that. Any needed disguises should be mundane.

I'd recommend that all members have at least 1 level of Ranger with favored enemy Draconid. It may become necessary to pretend to be one at some point in the mission. It could be that all of Tain's servants are shadow pathed, and someone with a deep knowledge of the way the species works would have an advantage in pretending to be one.