RangerWickett
Legend
I love trapping a PC under an unconscious bear. And then the reuse of the same pit's teleportation was pretty clever. Nicely done.
Redbadge's Campaign (there will be spoilers)
Isklexi
First Post
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The constables were brought before the Bruse. Lya and her henchmen were there along with Asteron, Shakul, Kenna Vigilante (Ber’s Minister of Dragon Affairs), and Zarkava Ssa’litt (the Bruse’s vizier). The Bruse was impressed with their performance in the maze and decided to give them a fair shot at getting Tinker Oddcog.
After listening to their competing offers, the Bruse decided to make the negotiations more interesting. He proposed a contest. The first contest would have the two groups support competing railroad companies laying a line across the Ber heartlands. The company to lay the most tracks wins. The second contest involved the Bruse’s political rival Cavallo de Guerra. The constables had to persuade Cavallo to publicly reconcile with Bruse Shantus and agree to pay his share for new rail lines. The Danoran’s had to convince Cavallo to attack a nearby Risuri seafort, allowing Shantus to undermine Cavallo’s political standing with other factions in Ber. The group that wins the contests gets the gnome.
Asteron attempted to convince Bruse Shantus that such a contest was ill advised as it would require a great deal of oversight to protect Ber’s interests and prevent cheating. The Bruse took his nephew’s advice to heart and promptly put Asteron in charge of running the contest. The Bruse then left to go stargazing, leaving the rest of the details in the capable hands of his nephew (who regretted opening his mouth). Asteron discussed the rules of the contests and assigned a referee to each location: Asteron would personally oversee things at the Griento railhead with the Danorans; Lady Evora would provide oversight at the Liss railhead with the constables; and Shakul would travel to Citado Cavallo to keep an eye on things there.
Everyone spent the night at the summer court as the contest officially began the next day. The constables spent the evening planning and spying. Bellicose managed to sneak his way to the cottage the Danorans were using and eavesdrop on their plans. Lya planned to circumvent negotiating with Cavallo by tricking one of his ship captains into attacking the sea fort. They also discovered that Lya had bribed Kenna Vigilante in exchange for her vote and some information. Kenna warned the Danorans of the lair of a dead dragon along the train route that is haunted by ghouls.
The next day the party traveled to the Liss railhead using teleportation magic. There they met the industrial tycoon Benedict Pemberton attempting to convince Surtan Liss to purchase a crew of steam-powered golems to help construct the railroad. Liss couldn’t afford Pemberton’s upfront asking price, but the constables were able to convince him to sell them for 10% upfront and the rest after the railroad was completed. The constables then split into two groups. Kirk, Rai, and Maddox stayed at the Liss railhead to help streamline their production and keep an eye out for sabotage. Irony, Bellicose, and Doran left for Citado Cavallo.
Irony’s group first made a stop at the Griento railhead to speak with Damata who was a friend of theirs. Irony asked if there was anything Damata could do to help them in the contest. Unfortunately, Damata’s family was keeping a close eye on his business practices since the loan fiasco. He would need a plausible reason to halt or slow production on the railroad. Irony warned him to be wary of the Danorans and then left with the others for Citado Cavallo.
Cavallo de Guerra wasted no time spelling out his distrust of both negotiating parties. He stands to gain little from helping either group and is in no hurry to decide. He grudgingly allowed the constables to use guest rooms in his palace. At dinner, both parties tried to make a case for their cause. Cavallo remained unconvinced. If the constables really wanted Cavallo to reconcile with Shantus, they would need to do him a huge political favor. Cavallo wants Shantus to name his daughter, Corta Nariz de Guerra, as successor to the throne of Ber.
While the constables try to figure out how to manage that, he asked them to solve a nuisance matter for him. A local Goblin tribe had apparently abducted a foreign doctor. If the constables could put these goblins in their place, it could get them on Cavallo’s good side. However, they still need to keep a keen eye out for Lya’s impending treachery.
Isklexi
First Post
Right now, we're looking at the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop (since they just got official licensing from WotC). With an official license we shouldn't have to worry about getting plenty of support for D&D mechanics going forward (our group is planning on doing some 5E stuff eventually).
hirou
Explorer
Honestly, WotC lost all my trust after the disaster that was official 4ed software and scrapped virtual tabletop...
Isklexi
First Post
We're Back! (but not from outer space)
Irony, Doran, and Bellicose decided that their first course of action next morning would be to warn the Orcs of Lya’s plan to deceive one of the admirals into attacking the sea fort. Irony decided the best person to warn would be Corta Nariz who seemed more level headed than the men in charge. The group went down to the harbor to find Covallo’s daughter already busy running the logistics of the navy. Corta was wary that the constables may be trying to simply sow distrust against the Danoran delegation, but she did agree to keep an eye out for any unusual ship deployments.
With that, the Citado team decided to pursue the Goblin abductors. The directions in Dr. Malaprop’s letter were easy to follow, and it didn’t take long for the constables to locate the Goblin valley. Bellicose scouted the valley before the constables went in, spotting many large arthropods working alongside the Goblins. Irony insisted the team attempt to contact the Goblins (and their giant bugs) peacefully. The Goblin patrols weren’t immediately hostile and took the constables to a nearby cave. Unfortunately, none of the constables shared a language with the Goblins. Fortunately, Irony was able to perform a comprehend language ritual to speak with the tribe’s shaman.
The Fuego Tribe shaman, Willigu, demanded asked the constables why they had come to the valley. Irony told him they had come to free the captive doctor and help deescalate tension between the Goblins and Orcs. Willigu told the constables how the Orcs had evicted them from their ancestral home on a nearby volcano to search the mountain for the dragon Furioso’s lost treasure. He claimed that the Dragon Worm parasite was Furioso’s curse and the Orcs had brought the curse on themselves for disturbing Furioso’s lair. He also refused to release the doctor on the grounds that his tribe needed the doctor’s magic to protect them from the curse.
After some negotiation, Willigu agreed to free the doctor if the Orcs would allow the Goblins to return to their home and live in peace. With that promise, the constables marched back to Citado Cavallo to speak with Corta Nariz. Corta was especially interested in the possibility of getting an effective treatment against the dragon worm outbreak in the city. She said that she would put in a good word for them with Cavallo, but the decision was ultimately his. Before the constables left the harbor, Corta also revealed that Commodore Thrag Vidalia was planning to cruise the bay in his flagship tomorrow morning with a Risuri guest.
The constables were immediately suspicious and went to investigate. It didn’t take long to learn that the mystery guest had arrived via the city’s teleportation circle, and the guards there remembered her for her unusual skin color, purple. The mystery woman’s odd skin tone made it much easier for the constables to ask around town about her, and they tracked her to a rented house. The constables confronted the woman, and Irony questioned her. When pressed about her relationship with Thrag Vidalia, she produced a letter naming her a guest of Cavallo’s wife, but Irony detected traces of discharged enchantment magic on the letter of introduction. With the jig up, the enchantress surrendered without a fight. Irony cast a portal ritual to send the woman back to RHC custody in Flint.
The constables then hurried back to Cavallo’s manor to speak with him over dinner. Irony presented their proposal for Cavallo to meet with Willigu on neutral ground and hash out the differences between their people. Cavallo was moderately disappointed that the constables had not simply killed the Goblins, but he could see the benefit of stopping the dragon worm outbreak. He agreed to see the shaman on the condition that Willigu was presentable and civilized. After dinner, Irony contacted the RHC ship with instructions to assemble a presentable outfit for a person of short stature and a staff more refined than the current bug-head-on-a-stick that Willigu employed.
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Irony, Doran, and Bellicose decided that their first course of action next morning would be to warn the Orcs of Lya’s plan to deceive one of the admirals into attacking the sea fort. Irony decided the best person to warn would be Corta Nariz who seemed more level headed than the men in charge. The group went down to the harbor to find Covallo’s daughter already busy running the logistics of the navy. Corta was wary that the constables may be trying to simply sow distrust against the Danoran delegation, but she did agree to keep an eye out for any unusual ship deployments.
With that, the Citado team decided to pursue the Goblin abductors. The directions in Dr. Malaprop’s letter were easy to follow, and it didn’t take long for the constables to locate the Goblin valley. Bellicose scouted the valley before the constables went in, spotting many large arthropods working alongside the Goblins. Irony insisted the team attempt to contact the Goblins (and their giant bugs) peacefully. The Goblin patrols weren’t immediately hostile and took the constables to a nearby cave. Unfortunately, none of the constables shared a language with the Goblins. Fortunately, Irony was able to perform a comprehend language ritual to speak with the tribe’s shaman.
The Fuego Tribe shaman, Willigu, demanded asked the constables why they had come to the valley. Irony told him they had come to free the captive doctor and help deescalate tension between the Goblins and Orcs. Willigu told the constables how the Orcs had evicted them from their ancestral home on a nearby volcano to search the mountain for the dragon Furioso’s lost treasure. He claimed that the Dragon Worm parasite was Furioso’s curse and the Orcs had brought the curse on themselves for disturbing Furioso’s lair. He also refused to release the doctor on the grounds that his tribe needed the doctor’s magic to protect them from the curse.
After some negotiation, Willigu agreed to free the doctor if the Orcs would allow the Goblins to return to their home and live in peace. With that promise, the constables marched back to Citado Cavallo to speak with Corta Nariz. Corta was especially interested in the possibility of getting an effective treatment against the dragon worm outbreak in the city. She said that she would put in a good word for them with Cavallo, but the decision was ultimately his. Before the constables left the harbor, Corta also revealed that Commodore Thrag Vidalia was planning to cruise the bay in his flagship tomorrow morning with a Risuri guest.
The constables were immediately suspicious and went to investigate. It didn’t take long to learn that the mystery guest had arrived via the city’s teleportation circle, and the guards there remembered her for her unusual skin color, purple. The mystery woman’s odd skin tone made it much easier for the constables to ask around town about her, and they tracked her to a rented house. The constables confronted the woman, and Irony questioned her. When pressed about her relationship with Thrag Vidalia, she produced a letter naming her a guest of Cavallo’s wife, but Irony detected traces of discharged enchantment magic on the letter of introduction. With the jig up, the enchantress surrendered without a fight. Irony cast a portal ritual to send the woman back to RHC custody in Flint.
The constables then hurried back to Cavallo’s manor to speak with him over dinner. Irony presented their proposal for Cavallo to meet with Willigu on neutral ground and hash out the differences between their people. Cavallo was moderately disappointed that the constables had not simply killed the Goblins, but he could see the benefit of stopping the dragon worm outbreak. He agreed to see the shaman on the condition that Willigu was presentable and civilized. After dinner, Irony contacted the RHC ship with instructions to assemble a presentable outfit for a person of short stature and a staff more refined than the current bug-head-on-a-stick that Willigu employed.
RangerWickett
Legend
*scoff* Nothing is more refined than a bug head on a stick! Y'all are just jealous.
Good to have you back.
Good to have you back.
Isklexi
First Post
Of Railroads and Goblins
The constables decided to use their ship as neutral ground for the meeting between Cavallo and Willigu. With their ship arriving in the morning, the Irony’s group set out the next day to rendezvous with the goblins. Irony explained the meeting to Willigu and used a linked portal ritual to take them directly to the RHC ship. Irony got to work making the goblin delegation more presentable, including casting fastidiousness on them.
While Irony was below with the goblins, Bellicose and Doran stayed on deck. They soon spied a fishing boat approaching their ship. It turned out Shakul had hitched a ride on the fishing boat to reach their ship anchored in the bay. Shakul had come for an update on what they were up to and to inform them that Lya Jierre had left Citado Cavallo that morning aboard her ship.
Cavallo and his retinue arrived by ship at noon. The two parties discussed terms for a while. Cavallo agreed that there was no reason to prevent the goblins from returning to the mountain provided they ceased any banditry, and Corta suggested that the goblins could trade in products produced by their insect thralls. The goblins also agreed to release the foreign healer they had been holding hostage to help stop the outbreak of dragon worm, though the goblins were still convinced the plague was a curse from the dead dragon tyrant.
The constables returned to the goblins’ valley to meet the healer and discuss how they would combat the outbreak; Shakul came with them to act as a translator so Irony didn’t have to use ritual magic to communicate. The constables were surprised to see that Dr. Wolfgang von Recklinghausen was the healer the goblins had held hostage. Wolfgang was quite happy to see the constables again. He explained the finer points of the dragon worm parasite. He explained the modified healing ritual used to extract worms form a host and that the worms lacked resistance to magic in their aquatic larval form.
The constables wanted to begin curing the people of Citado Cavallo as soon as possible, but Wolfgang pointed out that they should focus on locating the source of the outbreak first to prevent reinfections. The constables suspect that soldiers working in the mountains became infected and brought the parasites back to the city with them. Irony suggested making a map of all the disease cases in the city to narrow down what water supplies in the city were contaminated. Given the stigma associated with the disease, they’d need Cavallo’s help getting people to come forward.
Meanwhile at the railroad, Kirk, Maddox, and Rai were trying to keep a close eye on things, suspecting sabotage at any moment. As the rail approached a river crossing, Kirk went ahead to look for any traps at the river. Rai stayed at the railhead construction and Maddox rode the supply train to guard it. Maddox managed to spot Rush Munchausen coming out from underneath a train car while they were resupplying at Aigotsura. Maddox gave chase, but he didn’t get far before a large commotion came from the staging town. Maddox was forced to let the grinning saboteur flee and return to Aigotsura.
Maddox found the staging town under attack by bandits. Teaming up with the railroad guards, Maddox forced the bandits into a hasty retreat amidst volleys of grenades and blaster fire. Maddox quickly marshaled the train engineers to perform a car-by-car search of the train looking for signs of sabotage. Maddox himself checked beneath the rail car he had seen Rush crawl out from under. He managed to find a small immovable rod wedged into the car’s axel. Knowing what to look for, the train engineers quickly located several other rods placed along the train cars.
The constables have made progress on negotiations at Citado Cavallo and have foiled a sabotage attempt on the railroad. Questions still remain for the constables though. Has Lya really given up on Citado Cavallo or is this a trick? When and where will the Ob try to sabotage the railroad next and should the constables resort to sabotage themselves? The constables will have to find out next time.
The constables decided to use their ship as neutral ground for the meeting between Cavallo and Willigu. With their ship arriving in the morning, the Irony’s group set out the next day to rendezvous with the goblins. Irony explained the meeting to Willigu and used a linked portal ritual to take them directly to the RHC ship. Irony got to work making the goblin delegation more presentable, including casting fastidiousness on them.
While Irony was below with the goblins, Bellicose and Doran stayed on deck. They soon spied a fishing boat approaching their ship. It turned out Shakul had hitched a ride on the fishing boat to reach their ship anchored in the bay. Shakul had come for an update on what they were up to and to inform them that Lya Jierre had left Citado Cavallo that morning aboard her ship.
Cavallo and his retinue arrived by ship at noon. The two parties discussed terms for a while. Cavallo agreed that there was no reason to prevent the goblins from returning to the mountain provided they ceased any banditry, and Corta suggested that the goblins could trade in products produced by their insect thralls. The goblins also agreed to release the foreign healer they had been holding hostage to help stop the outbreak of dragon worm, though the goblins were still convinced the plague was a curse from the dead dragon tyrant.
The constables returned to the goblins’ valley to meet the healer and discuss how they would combat the outbreak; Shakul came with them to act as a translator so Irony didn’t have to use ritual magic to communicate. The constables were surprised to see that Dr. Wolfgang von Recklinghausen was the healer the goblins had held hostage. Wolfgang was quite happy to see the constables again. He explained the finer points of the dragon worm parasite. He explained the modified healing ritual used to extract worms form a host and that the worms lacked resistance to magic in their aquatic larval form.
The constables wanted to begin curing the people of Citado Cavallo as soon as possible, but Wolfgang pointed out that they should focus on locating the source of the outbreak first to prevent reinfections. The constables suspect that soldiers working in the mountains became infected and brought the parasites back to the city with them. Irony suggested making a map of all the disease cases in the city to narrow down what water supplies in the city were contaminated. Given the stigma associated with the disease, they’d need Cavallo’s help getting people to come forward.
Meanwhile at the railroad, Kirk, Maddox, and Rai were trying to keep a close eye on things, suspecting sabotage at any moment. As the rail approached a river crossing, Kirk went ahead to look for any traps at the river. Rai stayed at the railhead construction and Maddox rode the supply train to guard it. Maddox managed to spot Rush Munchausen coming out from underneath a train car while they were resupplying at Aigotsura. Maddox gave chase, but he didn’t get far before a large commotion came from the staging town. Maddox was forced to let the grinning saboteur flee and return to Aigotsura.
Maddox found the staging town under attack by bandits. Teaming up with the railroad guards, Maddox forced the bandits into a hasty retreat amidst volleys of grenades and blaster fire. Maddox quickly marshaled the train engineers to perform a car-by-car search of the train looking for signs of sabotage. Maddox himself checked beneath the rail car he had seen Rush crawl out from under. He managed to find a small immovable rod wedged into the car’s axel. Knowing what to look for, the train engineers quickly located several other rods placed along the train cars.
The constables have made progress on negotiations at Citado Cavallo and have foiled a sabotage attempt on the railroad. Questions still remain for the constables though. Has Lya really given up on Citado Cavallo or is this a trick? When and where will the Ob try to sabotage the railroad next and should the constables resort to sabotage themselves? The constables will have to find out next time.
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Isklexi
First Post
Protests & Politics
Rai ran into unexpected trouble at the railhead. Many of the workers had stopped working in protest. When Rai investigated, he found rumors circulating amongst the workers that the Risuri constables planned on having them all replaced for foreign workers. The rumors cited the steam powered golems and druids that the constables had brought in to help with construction. Rai was unable to pinpoint the source of these rumors and attempts at reasoning with the workers went nowhere. Ria devised a different tactic to combat the rumors. He used his hat of disguise to appear as one of the rail workers and attempted to calm things again. The laborers proved more willing to listen to one of their own, and Rai succeeded in quashing the rumors and ending the protests.
The next day at Citado Cavallo, Irony left aboard the RHC ship to return to the summer court, hoping to convince Bruse Shantus to accept Corta Nariz as his successor. Doran and Bellicose stayed behind to help Dr. Recklinghausen with ending the Dragon Worm outbreak. Wolfgang also offered to reattach Doran’s foot once the outbreak was contained. The map of the city marked with parasite cases revealed two sources fueling the outbreak: a river from the mountain contaminating wells in the poorer sectors of the city, and an upscale bathhouse contaminated by soldiers returning from the mountain. With the sources identified, it will only require time and diligence to stamp out the parasite in the drinking water.
Meanwhile at sea, Irony discovered a note planted in her belongings. The anonymous note claimed that Irony’s attempts to convince Bruse Shantus would never succeed. The note advised her to visit a friend at the café in Seobriga that Asteron ate at when they went to meet with Melissa Amerie. Given their previous impression of the Bruse, Irony decided to follow up on the tip. Irony Teleported directly to Seobriga rather than continue the voyage by sea. She waited at the café in question for a few hours before a Minotaur soldier approached her. The soldier’s armor was emblazoned with a halberd wrapped in an anchor chain, the Shantus family crest. The soldier led Irony back to Asteron’s family residence. The manor hosted a significantly larger number of guards than the last time Irony had seen it. Irony was lead to the back porch overlooking the beach to meet the “friend” mentioned in the note.
The friend turned out to be a Minotaur woman taking tea while attending to correspondences. The woman introduced herself as Theodora del Shantus, Asteron’s mother and the Bruse’s sister. Irony learned that Shakul had arranged their meeting. Familial ties dominate politics amongst the Minotaur city-states; Theodora explained that it’s very much a game of “who you know”. While Asteron took his role as an impartial mediator for the contest very seriously, his husband was not above playing favorites in arranging this meeting. Irony made her case for appointing Corta Nariz to be the Bruse’s successor. Theodora agreed that Corta would make a fine ruler as well as the appointment helping to cement relations between Ber’s different political factions. In exchange for persuading her royal brother to appoint Corta, Theodora asked a favor of Irony. She gave Irony a contract to deliver to Shakul, asking that Irony ensure Shakul signed the document and personally see it delivered into Asteron’s hands. When asked about the nature of the contract, Theodora said it was a private affair and Shakul could explain if he chose to.
Irony returned to Citado Cavallo via teleportation. She wanted to aid in combating the outbreak while waiting for word from the summer court. She delivered the contract to Shakul, who didn’t seem terribly pleased to see it. He explained that the document was a breeding contract. Minotaur culture in Ber places a heavy emphasis on breeding and bloodlines, and the vast majority of children are born “under contract”. Shakul didn’t have a very positive relationship with his own family, and Asteron had been pressing him to mend fences by fulfilling familial obligations. Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Irony elected not to ask any more questions.
Rai ran into unexpected trouble at the railhead. Many of the workers had stopped working in protest. When Rai investigated, he found rumors circulating amongst the workers that the Risuri constables planned on having them all replaced for foreign workers. The rumors cited the steam powered golems and druids that the constables had brought in to help with construction. Rai was unable to pinpoint the source of these rumors and attempts at reasoning with the workers went nowhere. Ria devised a different tactic to combat the rumors. He used his hat of disguise to appear as one of the rail workers and attempted to calm things again. The laborers proved more willing to listen to one of their own, and Rai succeeded in quashing the rumors and ending the protests.
The next day at Citado Cavallo, Irony left aboard the RHC ship to return to the summer court, hoping to convince Bruse Shantus to accept Corta Nariz as his successor. Doran and Bellicose stayed behind to help Dr. Recklinghausen with ending the Dragon Worm outbreak. Wolfgang also offered to reattach Doran’s foot once the outbreak was contained. The map of the city marked with parasite cases revealed two sources fueling the outbreak: a river from the mountain contaminating wells in the poorer sectors of the city, and an upscale bathhouse contaminated by soldiers returning from the mountain. With the sources identified, it will only require time and diligence to stamp out the parasite in the drinking water.
Meanwhile at sea, Irony discovered a note planted in her belongings. The anonymous note claimed that Irony’s attempts to convince Bruse Shantus would never succeed. The note advised her to visit a friend at the café in Seobriga that Asteron ate at when they went to meet with Melissa Amerie. Given their previous impression of the Bruse, Irony decided to follow up on the tip. Irony Teleported directly to Seobriga rather than continue the voyage by sea. She waited at the café in question for a few hours before a Minotaur soldier approached her. The soldier’s armor was emblazoned with a halberd wrapped in an anchor chain, the Shantus family crest. The soldier led Irony back to Asteron’s family residence. The manor hosted a significantly larger number of guards than the last time Irony had seen it. Irony was lead to the back porch overlooking the beach to meet the “friend” mentioned in the note.
The friend turned out to be a Minotaur woman taking tea while attending to correspondences. The woman introduced herself as Theodora del Shantus, Asteron’s mother and the Bruse’s sister. Irony learned that Shakul had arranged their meeting. Familial ties dominate politics amongst the Minotaur city-states; Theodora explained that it’s very much a game of “who you know”. While Asteron took his role as an impartial mediator for the contest very seriously, his husband was not above playing favorites in arranging this meeting. Irony made her case for appointing Corta Nariz to be the Bruse’s successor. Theodora agreed that Corta would make a fine ruler as well as the appointment helping to cement relations between Ber’s different political factions. In exchange for persuading her royal brother to appoint Corta, Theodora asked a favor of Irony. She gave Irony a contract to deliver to Shakul, asking that Irony ensure Shakul signed the document and personally see it delivered into Asteron’s hands. When asked about the nature of the contract, Theodora said it was a private affair and Shakul could explain if he chose to.
Irony returned to Citado Cavallo via teleportation. She wanted to aid in combating the outbreak while waiting for word from the summer court. She delivered the contract to Shakul, who didn’t seem terribly pleased to see it. He explained that the document was a breeding contract. Minotaur culture in Ber places a heavy emphasis on breeding and bloodlines, and the vast majority of children are born “under contract”. Shakul didn’t have a very positive relationship with his own family, and Asteron had been pressing him to mend fences by fulfilling familial obligations. Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Irony elected not to ask any more questions.
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