The chamberlain, the king, and the dragon (drobe)

[sheadunne]

Thurgon stands patiently while the Lord Chamberlain berates him.

Thurgon (and his player!) has a feeling that conflict may be pending, but he will not initiate it, at least not yet.

"Lord Chamberlain, we do not come to distract you from your Council of War. We come to speak to that Council! Your city is guarded by stout defenders, with valiant hearts. I know - I have spoken to them, fought alongside them, called forth the blessings of the Lord of Battle upon them. But they want for leadership! The Council is remote, up here in the high citadel. The people feel abandoned. Above all, they ask "Where is their king?" Will His Majesty not come forth to see personally to the defence of his city?"

I am rolling Diplomacy, and calling upon my +1 consumable from my earlier blessing of the soldiers going to the granaries. That is +16. My d20 roll is 2, which is an overall result of 18.

I believe that fails a Medium DC.

[MENTION=27570]sheadunne[/MENTION], it may be that things are about to get ugly!

PS: Don't forget your +1 from being within 10' feet of me. Not that that helps much, but still

Theren stared at the guards and their dogs and barely heard Thurgon's speech. What he did hear seemed uninspired and was far too polite for the situation. He should have challenged them directly, not asked nicely. People who do not do their jobs do not require sympathy, they require a kick in the ass. This was war not a tea party. Was he wrong in granting service to Thurgon? He could feel the tension in the room rise and readied himself if things turned violent.

 

[Manbearcat]

Pending go-ahead from Campbell to either potentially retcon or continue as-is. Stand by.

 

[Manbearcat]

[MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION], mark off a Healing Surge; frustration, patience wearing thin, the physical taxation of having to exercise restraint when you really just want to bop an indignant bureaucrat in his head?

[TABLE="width: 500"] [TR] [TD]0 Successes[/TD] [TD]1 Failure[/TD] [TD]6 Advantages remaining[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
[MENTION=27570]sheadunne[/MENTION]

The Lord Chamberlain leans forward. In a hushed tone he says to Thurgon; "Good Sir Knight, please do not think me unsympathetic. I know your Order. I know you are oathbound to your actions here so for all intents and purposes, you are without choice..." <Dog barks loudly> The Chamberlain looks over his shoulder to one of the stairwells were a dog is barking viciously...at the 4 of you...at something else...who knows. All manner of smells, including that of roasted pheasant permeates the air. The dog strains against the guard’s grasp, snapping the leather leash multiple times as the command "Heel, heel boy!" cuts the air. The Chamberlain shakes his head and says "Do get that beast under control." Looking back to the 4 of you, boldly eying you (Theron) specifically, he sighs "My apologies...a necessary precaution, you understand I'm sure. Hounds have endless utility but you have to keep them properly leashed. Where was I..." <Bark, Bark...SNAP> The leash snaps in half at the tension. Two other dogs tear free from their masters' grip, sending the men sprawling to the floor and quick-crawling after the leashes to no avail. The dogs bound down the steps in great leaps. One makes a beeline toward you and your four companions, while the other two dart left, in the direction of a screeching female servant whose garments are soiled in animal fat from cooking.

What is your action and intent Theron?

 

[sheadunne]

<Dogs>

What is your action and intent Theron?

Theren, whose eyes were focused on the dogs, lets out a great howl. He had been raised with dogs likes these, wild creatures, worse than wolves since their masters raised them to kill. He'd need to move the distance between the one charging and the other two toward the serving girl. He bounded the equal distance, slamming his great spear down on the ground in a loud thump. He howled again, lowered his mass, and challenged the dogs.

Come and Get It (Intimidate) 15+8+2 = 25.

My intent is to draw the dogs to me. I expect the take the bites.

Endurance (14+18=32)

I don't intend to kill the dogs. I'm giving them a target until their masters get them under control.

 

[Manbearcat]

Theren, whose eyes were focused on the dogs, lets out a great howl. He had been raised with dogs likes these, wild creatures, worse than wolves since their masters raised them to kill. He'd need to move the distance between the one charging and the other two toward the serving girl. He bounded the equal distance, slamming his great spear down on the ground in a loud thump. He howled again, lowered his mass, and challenged the dogs.

Come and Get It (Intimidate) 15+8+2 = 25.

My intent is to draw the dogs to me. I expect the take the bites.

Endurance (14+18=32)

I don't intend to kill the dogs. I'm giving them a target until their masters get them under control.

I'm going to abstract the entirety of this action into a Nature check as (i) we need one applicable action to superimpose itself upon the rest as the primary arbiter and (ii) I think the most important aspect of this would be understanding the fundamental primal nature of the dogs (as Theron would with his background of life on the badlands) and applying that understanding a challenging fashion. The usage of CaGI will be Intimidate by player fiat (automatic). Looking at your numbers above, your first roll was an 8. 8 + 12 (your Nature check) + 2 for deployment of CaGI exceeds the Medium DC and is a success. You don't need to roll Endurance. Both Endurance and intimidate are still good as Primary Skills at normal DC. You aren't charged with a surge.

Theren intercepts the dogs before they slaughter the servant girl or engage the group as whole. A successful defense of their assault forces them into whining, submissive postures long enough for the guards to sheepishly thank him and round the dogs up. A unified exhale is emmitted from the now gathering hall. One dog, however, is oddly missing. In the chaos of the scrape, one of the dogs has gone down into the descending ramp leading into the bowels of the hold. The guard assigned to him puts his fingers in his mouth at the top of the ramp and whistles loudly, beckoning him sternly. The dog ignores him. Its scraping at the base of the great double doors that separate the keep proper from the lower levels and what lies beneath. It whines, it continues to paw. Then it growls low and ominously at whatever is on the other side of the door...until the doors open abruptly and powerfully. @sheadunne What is behind those doors?

 

[sheadunne]

What is behind those doors?

A captured troll. He was being interrogated in the lower levels and the war counsel now wants to question him directly.

 

[Manbearcat]

A captured troll. He was being interrogated in the lower levels and the war counsel now wants to question him directly.

[TABLE="width: 500"][TR][TD]1 Success[/TD][TD]1 Failure[/TD][TD]6 Advantages Remaining[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

[MENTION=386]LostSoul[/MENTION]

The War Troll is bound and shackled in chains with links as thick as a man's leg. It ducks out from under the entrance to the lower tunnels, shambling up with the accompanying rattle and clatter of a chain gang. Behind it, a troll-drawn, heavy wooden open wagon features a large brazier and a vat of acid. Rounding out the grisly precession are several armor-clad men featuring shields and torches. The metallic shuffling echoes off the walls of the huge entrance hall. The troll is commanded to stop and it does.

Looking on, the Lord Chamberlain smoothly reaches into a pocket of the inner lining of his coat. He pulls out a tin, removes a delicate blue flower from it and deposits it on his tongue. "Move these people to the lower tunnels. I'll not be held responsible for any collateral damage that may ensue due to this tempermental beasts flailings." He looks directly at Quinn and Lucann, "I'm well aware of the exploits of Thurgon and Theron. I assume that the two of you are either members of Thurgon's Order or at least useful in some capacity. The 4 of you may not see the King but you may loiter while the War Council does its business. Make yourself useful and you will be handsomely rewarded if gold is your master."

As the people are being ushered into the lower tunnels, the woman that Theron saved beseeches the Lord Chamberlain "Let them see the King!..." A rally cry breaks up as other courageous voices break in as well "Let the noble Knight see the King...Please, by the Gods..." As if on cue, the beast menaces the few that dare to open their mouths nearest him. He can't get to them but he flings his chains around one of the great columns, catches the either side and yanks with all of his giant might, attempting to rend the column in two, hopefully causing maximum carnage on those nearby.

 

[LostSoul]

"Your beasts are causing trouble, my lord", Quinn says as he works his magic. "Perhaps you should deal with them."

[Intent: I want to know if the Lord Chamberlain is directing these beasts against the people here. Task: I'm casting the Charm of Misplaced Wrath to draw the war troll towards the Lord Chamberlain and having it attack him, and then I'll watch his reaction.

Roll: Charm of Misplaced Wrath (1d20+18=26)]

 

[sheadunne]

Task: I'm casting the Charm of Misplaced Wrath to draw the war troll towards the Lord Chamberlain and having it attack him, and then I'll watch his reaction.

Nice!

 

[Manbearcat]

"Your beasts are causing trouble, my lord", Quinn says as he works his magic. "Perhaps you should deal with them."

[Intent: I want to know if the Lord Chamberlain is directing these beasts against the people here. Task: I'm casting the Charm of Misplaced Wrath to draw the war troll towards the Lord Chamberlain and having it attack him, and then I'll watch his reaction.

Roll: Charm of Misplaced Wrath (1d20+18=26)]

That passes the Medium DC and is a success.

You twist the great beast's sense and fill its mind with unbridled rage; rage that is controlled by your will. Its binding chains prevent it from its normal explosive athleticism, but the reach of the chains is severe. The creature swings them twice around its head for momentum and roars to the sound of hushed gasps as the surveyors take in a macabre scene. The chains slam into the chamberlain, centrifugal force winding them around his body...to which he looks on with detached bemusement. A great tug, the sickening sound of evisceration, and the upper half of the torso of the Lord Chamberlain is airborne, its lower half still in place. It rolls near your feet where it stops. With the formal attire removed, you get a good look at a torso that has been stitched and restitched many times over. Where red blood should flow, only a thick, black ichor comes forth. As it comes to a stop, you get a look at the nape of the neck; the same Arcane Glyph you saw on the men outside meets your eyes.

The husk, flesh golem, whatever it is, spits out an epithet that is barely audible with the twisted mouth and the waning power that animated this thing; "You fools. The dragon will have its kingdom and I will have my army. You gain nothing here, save for my vengeful ire."

A moment later, the Troll, now regaining its faculties, roars in protest and its bindings finally relent under the weight of its otherworldly strength. Dogs bark viciously, men with torches back away fearfully, and screams of terror and confusion fill the grand hall as the noble families stampede for the front of the hall, away from the loose, mottled horror before them. Apparently unconcerned, the creature picks up the vat of acid and prepares to launch it in the direction of your motley crew.

[TABLE="width: 500"] [TR] [TD]2 Successes
[/TD] [TD]1 Failure
[/TD] [TD]6 Advantages Remaining
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[MENTION=16586]Campbell[/MENTION] You're up. The world is not so vibrant and beautiful right at this present moment and your enemies definitely seek to impose their will on it. I hope you've gained the understanding you've sought because its time to take action!