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Bill T's Second War of the Burning Sky: Shelter from the Storm [more spoilers than you can shake a stick adorned with ribbons and kerchiefs at!]
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<blockquote data-quote="Bill T." data-source="post: 8074517" data-attributes="member: 6795693"><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Dramatis Personae</strong></span></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Basel</strong>, an Innenotdaran (aka grey) elf evoker from Gabal's school who previously made his living as a baker.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Dämmek</strong>, a brainy and brawny human swordswoman with keen senses and the Living Blade.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Gusle</strong>, a seela bard who recently escaped captivity from a circus. This player has been through the first few chapters already, so she was able to fill Torrent's role as guide.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Jesús Tillamook</strong>, a half-elf cloistered cleric of the Stormbringer Phoenix, a sect of the Stormchaser Eagle that is dedicated to finding the Aquiline Heart so that they can reincarnate the Eagle.</li> </ul><p>After reviewing the initial part of Jesús plan to persuade the local priests to build a pantheistic temple, the heroes seek out Vennet, the woman to whom worshippers of Quenna usually defer. They want to get the local religion's blessing before speaking to the other priests. They assure her that any temple they build will be on the south shore, and want to seek her input on the temple's reconstruction, so Vennet enthusiastically agrees to participate in the temple.</p><p></p><p>Jesús then leads the party to the mysterious monks from the northern reaches of Shahalesti that have isolated themselves in a forest clearing. The are greeted by a smiling monk who goes by the name Three Weeping Ravens. After the heroes explain what they are trying to accomplish, he continues to smile and replies that his sect does not prosteletize and has no interest in the temple, although he blesses their efforts to promote peace among the refugees.</p><p></p><p>The heroes, however, are insistent, saying that the monks should send a representative to the temple occasionally in order to avoid misunderstandings. They persist and manage to convince the monks to have Three Weeping Ravens visit the temple to talk to people every now and then.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Well, that was an interesting twist. I only dangled the Order of Echoed Souls because they were so intent on learning everything they could learn about anyone. The Order was the only group where they failed to gather substantial information, which likely only further whetted their appetite to learn more.</em></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Amusingly, they have convinced themselves that Three Weeping Ravens leads the Order.</em></p><p></p><p>Before going to visit Hurn, the halfling druid who leads the pilgrims' sect, the heroes swing by the docks looking for a stray cat, eventually coming upon a small tuxedo-patterned cat who is quite attracted to Basel and the fish guts on his hands. Basel decides to name the cat <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_(cat)" target="_blank">Simon</a> and take him, along with a bottle of wine, to hear Hurn's tales of his travels. Hurn also agrees to participate in the temple.</p><p></p><p>The next morning, the heroes track down Estrid, hospitalier-in-chief, as she goes about her morning healing and helping as best they can. Estrid explains that she's been encountering a lot of disease among the refugees because of the lack of shelter and the poor living conditions. In any case, they persuade Estrid that the hospitaliers should participate in the temple. Conversely, Basel is persuaded that they should use the lyre to build housing as well.</p><p></p><p>Jesús then suggests the heroes talk to Laurabec to persuade her to join the temple, but everyone else finds that unnecessary; after all, the temple is Laurabec's idea. Instead, they proceed to talk to Bernard Pascal, the leader of the Wee Jas worshippers exiled from Sindaire. They easily convince him to join the temple as well -- no bear required.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Wee Jas may seem like an odd choice, but was appropriate the last time I ran this campaign and I didn't see any need to change it.</em></p><p></p><p>Gusle amazes the dwarven leaders' when she recites her heritage, ending by pointing to the Living Blade as the remaining portion of the ancestor of all seela. Their gift of incense suitable for casting <em>augury</em> is also appreciated, so the dwarves gladly accept the invitation to join the temple on their ancestors' behalf.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, Jesús chooses not to reveal his heritage to Arick, but instead plays up the fact that they hope to persuade Naizalasa to help defend Seaquen. Eventually,Jesús challenges Arick to non-lethal combat, and they agree to meet at dawn. Arick, of course, is happy to accept.</p><p></p><p>Jesús gets <em>mage armor</em> from Basel before the fight commences, and Jesús casts <em>shield of faith</em> himself, but Arick casts <em>aid</em> and <em>divine favor</em> on himself. Jesús tries some radical maneuvers, including making flying attacks, and Arick manages to fling his staff across the hilltop at one point, but it's all for naught, and Arick is only slightly injured by the time he knocks Jesús unconcious. Arick agrees that the Ostaliner mercenaries should participate in the temple nonetheless.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>The fight scene didn't go very well. I over-optimized Arick (can't help myself!) and new-player syndrome resulted in Jesús attempting a bunch of combat actions (bull rushes, grapples, and trips) that he wasn't good at. In retrospect, we probably should have had Dämmek fight Arick just to give her some time in the spotlight.</em></p><p></p><p>Convincing Levitch and the other followers of Boccob takes the heroes a bit more preparation. They do manage to scrounge up some theatre tickets from Tiljann and track down a copy of Levitch's favorite philosophical treatise in the Lycueum's library, but Gusle, rather than having someone take the effort to understand the text, decides to spend an afternoon cramming on its comments and then see if asking a few leading questions of Levitch will let him get on his good side. With some difficulty, the heroes manage to convince him that the Boccobists should participate in the temple as well.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>This was a near miss. Unfortunately, no one thought to have Basel and Dämmek study the book while Gusle and Jesús plied other priests, so they barely made the diplomacy check.</em></p><p></p><p>Finally, they go visit Sappho, the loud leader of the kratocratic barbarians. As soon as they explain to her that all the other sects have agreed to participate, she proudly agrees to participate as well.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>I learned "kratocratic" from the prep work they did before going a-perusading.</em></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Mission accomplished, with honors -- they managed to convince <strong>nine</strong> of the eight sects to participate!</em></p><p></p><p>Now all the heroes need to do is build a temple. They spend a bit of time putting together a strategy as to how to convince Naizelasa to lend them the <em>lyre</em> and then go strong-arm Laurabec into flying Gusle out to negotiate. Laurabec is a bit taken aback, but Basel suggests that they fly very high before crossing over the border patrol the Shahalesti have so kindly provided Seaquen, convincing Takasi to go along with this plan. Gusle manages to get Naizelasa to veer off rather than eating Takasi in mid-air, but Gusle's wings are terribly sore from the constant drag they produce at the speeds Takasi flies at. After a bit of small talk (in which Gusle learn's that Naizelasa's daughter, Jewel, has hatched), Naizelasa listens to Gusle's proposal and asks for time to think about it. She says she'll fly to Seaquen with her response, but only after she receives word that she can enter Seaquen without being attacked by the Lyceum's spellcasters.</p><p></p><p>The heroes use a feather token to send the word, and Naizelasa land's at Lee's Isle the following afternoon. She says she is willing to let the heroes use the <em>lyre</em>, but under the following conditions:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">She be recognized by Seaquen's leaders as the Defender of Seaquen.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The fort west of Seaquen be named Fort Naizelasa in perpetuity, and that the name of the fort be painted above its main door in blue letters.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The armies of Seaquen have her visage painted on their armor, facing to the wearer's left, representing her role as defending the people of Seaquen.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Her likeness be carved as the bowsprit of Seaquen's flagship.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">She be invited to all the Lyceum's war council meetings.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The first structure they build contain a shrine, facing west, in honor of all sapphire dragons.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">She have authority over the design of any barracks they construct.</li> </ol><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Hat tip to [USER=11990]@Ragnar_Deerslayer[/USER] for his suggestion on having Naizelasa get carried away with her demands.</em></p><p></p><p>The heroes explain that they will have to consult with those who will be making the agreement and that they will send her another messenger when they've finished negotiating on her behalf.</p><p></p><p>The heroes first approach Simeon. Simeon manages not to roll his eyes at the first demand, and seems quite relieved when they reach the end of the list. As far as he's concerned, inviting Naizelasa to war council meeting strikes him as quite reasonable, and he's willing to start work on a bowsprit should Seaquen actually come up with a flagship.</p><p></p><p>They then approach Mayor Votberd, who is also agreeable. Commander Foebane is interested to learn he is now in command of Fort Naizelasa. He's also agreeable if a little blue paint gets him some barracks. He then invites the heroes to a game of Conquest, which Jesús eagerly accepts.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>The simulation of a game that is the Conquest rules never did excite me, but he had a total blast. I went full foreshadowing on him and let used the results of the die rolls to predict various events along the adventure path. I mentioned a cleric (guess which one!) who makes a heroic sacrifice, and the ultimate defeat of Leska in her lair.</em></p><p></p><p>So, the heroes request Naizelasa's presence once again, and Gusle spends an entire day strumming away at the lyre, first building the pantheon and then a huge barracks facility, including family housing, rec centers, etc., etc. Gusle's fingers are worn to the nubbins by the end of the day.</p><p></p><p>Naizelasa makes one additional demand of the heroes: She wants to be taken to the cell Natalie is being held in so she can confront her. Basel, erm, extemporizes, but Naizelasa doesn't seem fully convinced and gives the heroes until tomorrow to organize the meeting.</p><p></p><p>Our next session is on the 31st. Everyone will level up to start with, and then they'll be off to round up Natalie before going to the theater!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Bill T., post: 8074517, member: 6795693"] [SIZE=6][B]Dramatis Personae[/B][/SIZE] [LIST] [*][B]Basel[/B], an Innenotdaran (aka grey) elf evoker from Gabal's school who previously made his living as a baker. [*][B]Dämmek[/B], a brainy and brawny human swordswoman with keen senses and the Living Blade. [*][B]Gusle[/B], a seela bard who recently escaped captivity from a circus. This player has been through the first few chapters already, so she was able to fill Torrent's role as guide. [*][B]Jesús Tillamook[/B], a half-elf cloistered cleric of the Stormbringer Phoenix, a sect of the Stormchaser Eagle that is dedicated to finding the Aquiline Heart so that they can reincarnate the Eagle. [/LIST] After reviewing the initial part of Jesús plan to persuade the local priests to build a pantheistic temple, the heroes seek out Vennet, the woman to whom worshippers of Quenna usually defer. They want to get the local religion's blessing before speaking to the other priests. They assure her that any temple they build will be on the south shore, and want to seek her input on the temple's reconstruction, so Vennet enthusiastically agrees to participate in the temple. Jesús then leads the party to the mysterious monks from the northern reaches of Shahalesti that have isolated themselves in a forest clearing. The are greeted by a smiling monk who goes by the name Three Weeping Ravens. After the heroes explain what they are trying to accomplish, he continues to smile and replies that his sect does not prosteletize and has no interest in the temple, although he blesses their efforts to promote peace among the refugees. The heroes, however, are insistent, saying that the monks should send a representative to the temple occasionally in order to avoid misunderstandings. They persist and manage to convince the monks to have Three Weeping Ravens visit the temple to talk to people every now and then. [INDENT][I]Well, that was an interesting twist. I only dangled the Order of Echoed Souls because they were so intent on learning everything they could learn about anyone. The Order was the only group where they failed to gather substantial information, which likely only further whetted their appetite to learn more.[/I][/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT][I]Amusingly, they have convinced themselves that Three Weeping Ravens leads the Order.[/I][/INDENT] Before going to visit Hurn, the halfling druid who leads the pilgrims' sect, the heroes swing by the docks looking for a stray cat, eventually coming upon a small tuxedo-patterned cat who is quite attracted to Basel and the fish guts on his hands. Basel decides to name the cat [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_(cat)']Simon[/URL] and take him, along with a bottle of wine, to hear Hurn's tales of his travels. Hurn also agrees to participate in the temple. The next morning, the heroes track down Estrid, hospitalier-in-chief, as she goes about her morning healing and helping as best they can. Estrid explains that she's been encountering a lot of disease among the refugees because of the lack of shelter and the poor living conditions. In any case, they persuade Estrid that the hospitaliers should participate in the temple. Conversely, Basel is persuaded that they should use the lyre to build housing as well. Jesús then suggests the heroes talk to Laurabec to persuade her to join the temple, but everyone else finds that unnecessary; after all, the temple is Laurabec's idea. Instead, they proceed to talk to Bernard Pascal, the leader of the Wee Jas worshippers exiled from Sindaire. They easily convince him to join the temple as well -- no bear required. [INDENT][I]Wee Jas may seem like an odd choice, but was appropriate the last time I ran this campaign and I didn't see any need to change it.[/I][/INDENT] Gusle amazes the dwarven leaders' when she recites her heritage, ending by pointing to the Living Blade as the remaining portion of the ancestor of all seela. Their gift of incense suitable for casting [I]augury[/I] is also appreciated, so the dwarves gladly accept the invitation to join the temple on their ancestors' behalf. On the other hand, Jesús chooses not to reveal his heritage to Arick, but instead plays up the fact that they hope to persuade Naizalasa to help defend Seaquen. Eventually,Jesús challenges Arick to non-lethal combat, and they agree to meet at dawn. Arick, of course, is happy to accept. Jesús gets [I]mage armor[/I] from Basel before the fight commences, and Jesús casts [I]shield of faith[/I] himself, but Arick casts [I]aid[/I] and [I]divine favor[/I] on himself. Jesús tries some radical maneuvers, including making flying attacks, and Arick manages to fling his staff across the hilltop at one point, but it's all for naught, and Arick is only slightly injured by the time he knocks Jesús unconcious. Arick agrees that the Ostaliner mercenaries should participate in the temple nonetheless. [INDENT][I]The fight scene didn't go very well. I over-optimized Arick (can't help myself!) and new-player syndrome resulted in Jesús attempting a bunch of combat actions (bull rushes, grapples, and trips) that he wasn't good at. In retrospect, we probably should have had Dämmek fight Arick just to give her some time in the spotlight.[/I][/INDENT] Convincing Levitch and the other followers of Boccob takes the heroes a bit more preparation. They do manage to scrounge up some theatre tickets from Tiljann and track down a copy of Levitch's favorite philosophical treatise in the Lycueum's library, but Gusle, rather than having someone take the effort to understand the text, decides to spend an afternoon cramming on its comments and then see if asking a few leading questions of Levitch will let him get on his good side. With some difficulty, the heroes manage to convince him that the Boccobists should participate in the temple as well. [INDENT][I]This was a near miss. Unfortunately, no one thought to have Basel and Dämmek study the book while Gusle and Jesús plied other priests, so they barely made the diplomacy check.[/I][/INDENT] Finally, they go visit Sappho, the loud leader of the kratocratic barbarians. As soon as they explain to her that all the other sects have agreed to participate, she proudly agrees to participate as well. [INDENT][I]I learned "kratocratic" from the prep work they did before going a-perusading.[/I][/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT][I]Mission accomplished, with honors -- they managed to convince [B]nine[/B] of the eight sects to participate![/I][/INDENT] Now all the heroes need to do is build a temple. They spend a bit of time putting together a strategy as to how to convince Naizelasa to lend them the [I]lyre[/I] and then go strong-arm Laurabec into flying Gusle out to negotiate. Laurabec is a bit taken aback, but Basel suggests that they fly very high before crossing over the border patrol the Shahalesti have so kindly provided Seaquen, convincing Takasi to go along with this plan. Gusle manages to get Naizelasa to veer off rather than eating Takasi in mid-air, but Gusle's wings are terribly sore from the constant drag they produce at the speeds Takasi flies at. After a bit of small talk (in which Gusle learn's that Naizelasa's daughter, Jewel, has hatched), Naizelasa listens to Gusle's proposal and asks for time to think about it. She says she'll fly to Seaquen with her response, but only after she receives word that she can enter Seaquen without being attacked by the Lyceum's spellcasters. The heroes use a feather token to send the word, and Naizelasa land's at Lee's Isle the following afternoon. She says she is willing to let the heroes use the [I]lyre[/I], but under the following conditions: [LIST=1] [*]She be recognized by Seaquen's leaders as the Defender of Seaquen. [*]The fort west of Seaquen be named Fort Naizelasa in perpetuity, and that the name of the fort be painted above its main door in blue letters. [*]The armies of Seaquen have her visage painted on their armor, facing to the wearer's left, representing her role as defending the people of Seaquen. [*]Her likeness be carved as the bowsprit of Seaquen's flagship. [*]She be invited to all the Lyceum's war council meetings. [*]The first structure they build contain a shrine, facing west, in honor of all sapphire dragons. [*]She have authority over the design of any barracks they construct. [/LIST] [INDENT][I]Hat tip to [USER=11990]@Ragnar_Deerslayer[/USER] for his suggestion on having Naizelasa get carried away with her demands.[/I][/INDENT] The heroes explain that they will have to consult with those who will be making the agreement and that they will send her another messenger when they've finished negotiating on her behalf. The heroes first approach Simeon. Simeon manages not to roll his eyes at the first demand, and seems quite relieved when they reach the end of the list. As far as he's concerned, inviting Naizelasa to war council meeting strikes him as quite reasonable, and he's willing to start work on a bowsprit should Seaquen actually come up with a flagship. They then approach Mayor Votberd, who is also agreeable. Commander Foebane is interested to learn he is now in command of Fort Naizelasa. He's also agreeable if a little blue paint gets him some barracks. He then invites the heroes to a game of Conquest, which Jesús eagerly accepts. [INDENT][I]The simulation of a game that is the Conquest rules never did excite me, but he had a total blast. I went full foreshadowing on him and let used the results of the die rolls to predict various events along the adventure path. I mentioned a cleric (guess which one!) who makes a heroic sacrifice, and the ultimate defeat of Leska in her lair.[/I][/INDENT] So, the heroes request Naizelasa's presence once again, and Gusle spends an entire day strumming away at the lyre, first building the pantheon and then a huge barracks facility, including family housing, rec centers, etc., etc. Gusle's fingers are worn to the nubbins by the end of the day. Naizelasa makes one additional demand of the heroes: She wants to be taken to the cell Natalie is being held in so she can confront her. Basel, erm, extemporizes, but Naizelasa doesn't seem fully convinced and gives the heroes until tomorrow to organize the meeting. Our next session is on the 31st. Everyone will level up to start with, and then they'll be off to round up Natalie before going to the theater! [/QUOTE]
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Bill T's Second War of the Burning Sky: Shelter from the Storm [more spoilers than you can shake a stick adorned with ribbons and kerchiefs at!]
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