darkbard
Legend
[Once again, dear readers, I consolidate herein this tidy post multiple Moves and fictional components made by both @Nephis and myself for clarity and concision.]
Considering the magical sensor before her, TWYLL's blood runs cold. Then her brain kicks into overdrive, considering the various protocols for dealing with magical surveillance of this nature gleaned through years of spycraft.
Twyll Spouts Lore for methods to bypass occasionally the magical scrying device, e.g. the use of pencil and paper, a language that Valindra might not understand, etc? For example, can I Spout Lore to see what Twyll, a Bregan D'aerthe spy, might know about how to do this? Or does Valindra simply know everything?
SPOUT LORE
When you consult your accumulated knowledge, roll +INT: on a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the topic at hand; on a 7-9, the GM will tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful; either way the GM might ask, “How do you know this?”
r4,5 +1 INT = 10.
The next morning, TWYLL rises early and makes her way to the drow encampment at Castle Never to sign with Kimmuriel Oblondra in the drow secret language about someone - not Twyll - teaching Pritchard some rudimentary drow hand signals... stuff that would indicate that what Twyll was actually saying is a lie, or some of it is...
* * *
PRITCHARD stiffens at the knock on his door later the next morning. Nimor Ironvice and his gang of lackeys?!?
He grabs his swordcane, plants one knee against the door interior as a brace, and stammers with all the confidence he can muster, "Who ... is it?"
A voice behind him says simply, "A friend sent me."
Pritchard whirls. "How?!?"
A male drow reaches out to halt his hand at the swordcane, the window visibly open over his shoulder. "I am a friend of Twyll's. There is something you need to know," he states plainly.
* * *
The sun begins to sink below the horizon out over the docks and shores of the Sword Coast, sending out a dazzling display of crimson, salmon, and tangerine through the distant clouds, before Lady Lily-Rose saunters up to join PRITCHARD and Twyll, twirling a parasol playfully over her shoulder.
Twyll rolls her eyes when the Lady's back is turned.
Halted at the counter by the presence of the beefy clerk intervening himself between the otherwise-engaged Belyse and the trio, Pritchard smiles winningly and says, "Ah, yes, good clerk, right so, right so. Would that you could help us, indeed. But no, our business here is personal business, I'm afraid, not transactional. Personal business with Belyse, you understand. We are old friends from the City of Splendors come to speak," he leans in, conspiratorially and whispers, "of private matters. Perhaps you can pry the good woman away from her current charges for just the briefest of moments so that we can converse. In private." Pritchard strokes his mustache gently as his eyes smolder during the connection.
Pritchard is pressing the clerk to convince him to neglect his duties and let them pass.
PARLEY (vs. NPCs)
When you press or entice an NPC, say what you want them to do (or not do). If they have reason to resist, roll +CHA: on a 10+, they either do as you want or reveal the easiest way to convince them; on a 7-9, they reveal something you can do to convince them, though it’ll likely be costly, tricky, or distasteful.
r6,4 +1 CHA = 11.
Considering the magical sensor before her, TWYLL's blood runs cold. Then her brain kicks into overdrive, considering the various protocols for dealing with magical surveillance of this nature gleaned through years of spycraft.
Twyll Spouts Lore for methods to bypass occasionally the magical scrying device, e.g. the use of pencil and paper, a language that Valindra might not understand, etc? For example, can I Spout Lore to see what Twyll, a Bregan D'aerthe spy, might know about how to do this? Or does Valindra simply know everything?
SPOUT LORE
When you consult your accumulated knowledge, roll +INT: on a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the topic at hand; on a 7-9, the GM will tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful; either way the GM might ask, “How do you know this?”
r4,5 +1 INT = 10.
Per @Manbearcat :
Something interesting and useful.
She wouldn’t know drow hand signals/cant. You could surely teach Pritchard rudiments of that to communicate sensitive content that you don’t want her to know.
Also, she doesn’t know that you know about the sensor. So you could feed her false intel with a move like a sneaky effer!
And, again, you could use it to Uno Reverso and triangulate her position if you could figure a way to do that.
The next morning, TWYLL rises early and makes her way to the drow encampment at Castle Never to sign with Kimmuriel Oblondra in the drow secret language about someone - not Twyll - teaching Pritchard some rudimentary drow hand signals... stuff that would indicate that what Twyll was actually saying is a lie, or some of it is...
Per @Manbearcat :
I think (i) your 10+ Spout Lore along with (ii) your Bregan D'aerthe Spy theme along with (iii) the pre-existing drow encampment and their purpose therein is enough to just resolve this.
It isn't some kind of massive advantage that requires a move to be made. So go ahead and just put your Spout Lore move in there along with this fiction above as a flashback-equivalent before you head to the trade house.
Kimmuriel Oblodra would demand that you (a) continue to intentionally draw Valindra's surveillance so that you can countersurveil her with the limited means you have (olfactory) when you do; each instance of this we'll call a "Clue" (The Between parlance). You have 1 currently (from your last DR move). Once you've nailed down where she is, Oblodra will outfit you with a crew of shock troopers to assault her lair.
We'll treat this like a custom move version of The Between's Answer a Question:
Locate Valindra Shadowmantle's Lair
When Twyll is confident she has countersurveiled the Thayan Leader enough to locate her position, roll +Clues.
On a 10+, the answer is correct. Kimmuriel Oblodra outfits Twyll with a crew of BD shock troopers and the lead can be pursued.
On a 7-9, as above, but the GM will add an unwelcome complication to the answer.
On a 6-, the answer is incorrect. Do not mark xp, and the GM makes a hard move.
* * *
PRITCHARD stiffens at the knock on his door later the next morning. Nimor Ironvice and his gang of lackeys?!?
He grabs his swordcane, plants one knee against the door interior as a brace, and stammers with all the confidence he can muster, "Who ... is it?"
A voice behind him says simply, "A friend sent me."
Pritchard whirls. "How?!?"
A male drow reaches out to halt his hand at the swordcane, the window visibly open over his shoulder. "I am a friend of Twyll's. There is something you need to know," he states plainly.
* * *
The sun begins to sink below the horizon out over the docks and shores of the Sword Coast, sending out a dazzling display of crimson, salmon, and tangerine through the distant clouds, before Lady Lily-Rose saunters up to join PRITCHARD and Twyll, twirling a parasol playfully over her shoulder.
Twyll rolls her eyes when the Lady's back is turned.
Halted at the counter by the presence of the beefy clerk intervening himself between the otherwise-engaged Belyse and the trio, Pritchard smiles winningly and says, "Ah, yes, good clerk, right so, right so. Would that you could help us, indeed. But no, our business here is personal business, I'm afraid, not transactional. Personal business with Belyse, you understand. We are old friends from the City of Splendors come to speak," he leans in, conspiratorially and whispers, "of private matters. Perhaps you can pry the good woman away from her current charges for just the briefest of moments so that we can converse. In private." Pritchard strokes his mustache gently as his eyes smolder during the connection.
Pritchard is pressing the clerk to convince him to neglect his duties and let them pass.
PARLEY (vs. NPCs)
When you press or entice an NPC, say what you want them to do (or not do). If they have reason to resist, roll +CHA: on a 10+, they either do as you want or reveal the easiest way to convince them; on a 7-9, they reveal something you can do to convince them, though it’ll likely be costly, tricky, or distasteful.
r6,4 +1 CHA = 11.