Someone
Adventurer
Basra. A cozy patio, under the shadow of Omar Jayyam's astrology tower. Omar is a famous astrologer, mathematician and poet, a close friend of the vizier and, some say, an atheist. Nonetheless, he's the perfect host and spending the night in his and his friends' company is a pleasure.
This night Omar entertains several people, among them Abdoul, a merchant, who's come with his sons and other members of his house. He's enjoying the opportunity to speak.
“Thank Allah, my ships return and my fortune grows.” says the merchant, as he accommodates his voluminous belly so he can rest more comfortably among the cushions. “My sons can tell you marvels from Cathay and the wild islands beyond. But the most curious thing is this”
Abdoul produces a singular piece, a frame of gold approximately triangular but with one curved edge, that holds inside an intricate design or lattice of golden wires. It's obviously done with great skill, though you can't discern it's purpose.
“The former owner was an old man, who wanted passage in one of my ships. He offered this piece as payment, though it's value, even as the metal alone, is far greater than the cost of the passage. The old man, who never told us his name, disappeared the next time the ship made land, and the crew never saw him again. I've consulted sages and travelers alike, but no one can tell me what's this piece is, or what does it mean.
Omar takes the golden frame and examines it. “It's just a piece. These flanges and indentations at the sides means it's designed to form a complete work with other two parts, completing a circle. Though to what purpose, I can't fathom”
[sblock=ooc]
It's time to think on your characters. You're obviously one of Omar's guests.
[MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] will be the narrator for this scene once you've decide who'll be your characters. Copying and pasting from the ooc thread:
The narrator
At the start of the scene one of the players will act as a narrator. He’ll be the one who sets the wheels in motion for the scene.
The player will imagine he’s in a tavern or another situation when he’s telling the tale of what happened to the party, and address them roleplaying as required. During this scene, the Narrator can talk about the other people on the show, shed some light on current events or comment on events which have already happened in the past but you have yet to see.
During the Narration you set two things:
- You add a trait to one character (other than your own) that lasts for the whole scene. You narrate how that character is suddenly flirtatious, or brave, or modest, or developed an annoying cough, or acquired a sudden mistrust for the captain of the guard, or whatever. That character’s player must play his character according to this new trait, and gain an additional experience point at the end of the scene for the trouble.
- You add a plot device. You describe in some vague terms what’s going to happen, and is the work of the whole group, DM included, to fill the blanks.
Example: The narrator of the opening scene writes, in a summarized version:
Though we had our ship ready, things weren’t going to be so easy. The farewell party had Maruf’s favorite drink in abundance, and he’s not a good drinker. Soon things when out of hand and it wasn’t without a lot of effort that we could escape the guard and board the ship.
In the scene that’s going to happen, Maruf’s player must be sure he drinks more than what he can handle, and the whole group must make sure something in the party happens that attracts the militia and get into trouble with them, and somehow escape.
Notice that he could have perfectly Narrated how they got into the ship without problem and sailed directly into a storm. Or how they discovered a homunculus spying on them that belonged to a dreaded mage. Or whatever other possibility he could think of. [/sblock]
This night Omar entertains several people, among them Abdoul, a merchant, who's come with his sons and other members of his house. He's enjoying the opportunity to speak.
“Thank Allah, my ships return and my fortune grows.” says the merchant, as he accommodates his voluminous belly so he can rest more comfortably among the cushions. “My sons can tell you marvels from Cathay and the wild islands beyond. But the most curious thing is this”
Abdoul produces a singular piece, a frame of gold approximately triangular but with one curved edge, that holds inside an intricate design or lattice of golden wires. It's obviously done with great skill, though you can't discern it's purpose.
“The former owner was an old man, who wanted passage in one of my ships. He offered this piece as payment, though it's value, even as the metal alone, is far greater than the cost of the passage. The old man, who never told us his name, disappeared the next time the ship made land, and the crew never saw him again. I've consulted sages and travelers alike, but no one can tell me what's this piece is, or what does it mean.
Omar takes the golden frame and examines it. “It's just a piece. These flanges and indentations at the sides means it's designed to form a complete work with other two parts, completing a circle. Though to what purpose, I can't fathom”
[sblock=ooc]
It's time to think on your characters. You're obviously one of Omar's guests.
[MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] will be the narrator for this scene once you've decide who'll be your characters. Copying and pasting from the ooc thread:
The narrator
At the start of the scene one of the players will act as a narrator. He’ll be the one who sets the wheels in motion for the scene.
The player will imagine he’s in a tavern or another situation when he’s telling the tale of what happened to the party, and address them roleplaying as required. During this scene, the Narrator can talk about the other people on the show, shed some light on current events or comment on events which have already happened in the past but you have yet to see.
During the Narration you set two things:
- You add a trait to one character (other than your own) that lasts for the whole scene. You narrate how that character is suddenly flirtatious, or brave, or modest, or developed an annoying cough, or acquired a sudden mistrust for the captain of the guard, or whatever. That character’s player must play his character according to this new trait, and gain an additional experience point at the end of the scene for the trouble.
- You add a plot device. You describe in some vague terms what’s going to happen, and is the work of the whole group, DM included, to fill the blanks.
Example: The narrator of the opening scene writes, in a summarized version:
Though we had our ship ready, things weren’t going to be so easy. The farewell party had Maruf’s favorite drink in abundance, and he’s not a good drinker. Soon things when out of hand and it wasn’t without a lot of effort that we could escape the guard and board the ship.
In the scene that’s going to happen, Maruf’s player must be sure he drinks more than what he can handle, and the whole group must make sure something in the party happens that attracts the militia and get into trouble with them, and somehow escape.
Notice that he could have perfectly Narrated how they got into the ship without problem and sailed directly into a storm. Or how they discovered a homunculus spying on them that belonged to a dreaded mage. Or whatever other possibility he could think of. [/sblock]
