The Closed Eye (DM: Halford, Judge: garyh)

[Graf]

This a thread for the L4W Adventure "The Closed Eye." Both IC and OOC posts go in this thread.

Players Characters (links coming)
Palindrome
Tander
Tristan
Woe

Dramatis personæ (may not be updated frequently)
Doddoddod - Palindrome's reclusive mentor
Lady Glasston - Matriarch of the Glasston's (a Founding Family)
Arnest - the missing grandson

[sblock=Graf's L4W Game Requests]

Rule 0: If you're unhappy or frustrated about something just let me know! I may not be able to give you what you want but it's important to talk about it.

• I'd like you to post every day or so. If you can't that's OK, but if you'll be unable to post for more than a day or two (during the week) please EMAIL ME or POST IN THE THREAD. (I know that posting in some random thread I'll never see is the traditional method for EnWorld, but uh, I don't really like that. It's fine if you make an "absent" thread and link to it from the thread, but otherwise I'll never see it.)
  • One sentence like: Away til next Thurs. Pls NPC me. Is great/fine/wonderful.
• To encourage that... if you post within 24 hours of my post you get +1 to whatever you're doing (this, obviously is particularly important in combat and in combat applies to your attack rolls only).
  • (And just add the +1 in. I'm not going to do it for you and I don't really police it -- it's a gentleman's/ladies honor thing.
  • Of course, if I can't figure out how you got +15 to something then I may ask, but that's usually because I don't know the rules.)
• Please work to keep all OOC talk in the thread.
  • You can sblock
  • you can put OOC: this is OOC talk
  • You can just put things in brackets (see below)

Example: Amicus runs toward the goblin [move action: 3n 2ne]. Calling forth the power of the gods he plunges his radiant spear into it's chest [standard: bolstering attack 20vsAC|17damage and turns into a pickle].
​

• Use invisible castle for rolls.
  • Link when you roll (if you can't because you're traveling or not on a computer that's OK -- if it's a regular problem we'll need to find a solution).
  • The campaign name is Closed Eye
  • (If you get a field or a bonus wrong don't worry. Just use the original roll ad include and explanation of what happened (i.e. "forgot flank bonus so it should be 17 instead of 15")

[/sblock]
[sblock=OOC: Skills, skill checks, goals, throwing dice at problems and rewarding "doing stuff"]
I will, more or less, follow the rules for skill challenges and other DnD social rules in 4e. Some general comments.

[sblock=Rewarding "Doing stuff"]Right now skill checks have a "failure penalty" built in.

-Generally- speaking I'm not a huge fan of that for -most- things. It encourages what I think of as the worst sort of metagaming tendencies. If someone has a +9 diplomacy and someone else has a +5 you always want to maneuver the situation so that you've got the +9 rolling. Even if its more interesting to have two or three people talking.

The book says your supposed to avoid this by "forcing everyone to roll" which I think is.... at best situationally appropriate. (which is to say, is often wrong/makes very little sense/is boring. The guy with -1 to diplo is going to fail a hard roll. I don't really need to make him roll that.)

So my general rule is this: you won't be penalized for doing things. So Woe's diplomacy is +5 but he won't get into trouble for trying to be dipomatic (even if he rolls a one).

Also, for certain skill challenges there may be actions that are "auto successes". I'm still thinking about how it will work, but I loath it when someone comes up with a great idea that makes perfect sense and advances the story and.... somebody rolls a 2.

It's annoying for me as a DM, and I don't like being annoyed.

Autosuccesses aren't "locked in"; even if I haven't thought about a possibilty before if an idea is really good/makes sense/fits the scene then I'll almost certainly reward a success.

A failure state: is, per the book, not "you don't find anything. Sit around and twiddle your thumbs". I'm commited to the idea that failure also leads to story evolution (hopefully I'll be able to excute to the level that I talk...).

[/sblock]

[sblock=Throwing dice at certain skills]4e has improved this signficantly compared with prior editions but there are certain times when a problem can be solved simply by having a large number of people around throwing dice.

If you have a party of 4 people the odds the group not getting a 15 or better on any given perception, insight, etc roll is 68% (or 76% if you've got 5 players).

This bothers me. It makes people who've invested in getting certain skills largely irrelivant and, encourages weird behavior (not that I see any evidence of it in this game).

So generally speaking I'll roll 1 die for the group using the best score, and "that PC ususally succeds". So if it's "insight" with the starting group then Tander's bonus will be used and (most of the time) Tander's the one who'll get the info.
If the roll is high then most (or everyone) will get the same info. (see this post for an example where the roll was high and everyone got the basic info. Tander got some more because his total was above a 25)

I see that as being more common in shows and making a bit more sense.
Everybody who can reasonably help them (generally speaking being trained) and is helping gets a +2.

[/sblock]

[sblock=Goals (related a bit to autosuccesses)]People have being rping fantastically so far, which gives me a lot of info and so I'm typing this more as a note to myself than anything else.

You'll get more from me for being specific about what you're doing. So if you're searching an area, or interrogating someone and you tell me what you're looking for/up to you won't be penalized but I may hand out a bonus (or potentially an autosuccess).

I'm not looking for a paragraph of text or anything. A setenence is sufficent (or if it's clear from your character acitons, or speach you're character is making and so forth.)[/sblock]

[sblock=Skills]
Here's the list of investigative skills you've got. It's actually pretty impressive.
Woe's spent two feats on skills, getting the party access to stealth and adding some thickness in the diplomacy area (using my system the group weights in at a pretty impressive +12 when Tander, Palindrome and Woe are trying to convince someone to do something).

Tristan's used his eladrin skill to pick up Perception, which is nice for a group that's investigating and otherwise doesn't have it trained.

I'll generally allow Tander's 18 wisdom to count as "trained support". 18s are expensive and a +4 is almost the same as a +5.

The group doesn't have Bluff (which could be an issue*) or History (which is less of an issue since you can consult with outside help and/or Palindrome can try to spoof it... +4 with a reroll at +6 once a day when he visits the library).

*=This is an issue because you can't "outsource" a bluff. A lot of what Paldindrome seems to want to do (convincing the servants to take a day off, making people think things that he obviously doesn't believe himself, etc) falls under "bluff".

Bluff is also one of those skills that "doesn't stretch well"; it's reasonable to have Woe looking for something and have Tristan notice he's looking for something and then "notice that thing" (or at least it's not unreasonable). So Perception stretches reasonably well.

It's very difficult to imagine a situation where Tander (who has the best bluff skill, untrained at +3) can "bluff for Palindrome".
Palindrome has bluff now.

Senseing
Arcana +9 (Palindrome) - this is the "detecting magic" ability
Heal +9 (Tander) + Woe [6]
Perception +6 (Tristan) + Tan [4u]
Insight+9 (Tan),

Social Engeering
Bluff +6 Palindrome
Intimidate +5 (Tristan)
Diplomacy+8 (Tander) +P [6] +Woe [5]
Streetwise +5 (Woe)

Knowledge
Arcana +9, (P) + Tan [5]
Dungeoneering +6(Palindrome) +Tan [4u],
Nature +6(Palindrome)
Religion +9(Palindrome) +Tan [5]

Other
Stealth +5 (Woe)
Thievery +7 (Palindrome)

Don't have trained
History (Palindrome +4u/Tristan +2u)

[/sblock]


[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

Cobblestop and Doddoddod's Tower

[sblock=OOC - If you're not Palindrome]If you're not Palindrome you may still know the things in the Palindrome spoiler boxes. He just definitely knows them, and I don't have time to come up with better titles.[/sblock]

Doddoddod's tower stoops commandingly over the entryway of Cobblestop, the arcanists ward of the city.

A simple arch denotes the beginning of the neighborhood; below the arch Clackers Run cascades down the hill, a host of small tradesmen sell a variety of unusual goods brought from around the world to nobles with more money and sense.

Above the arch Clackers Run turns into Magi Walk for about 30 meters before running into the tower's front door and splitting into Sinister (which heads left toward the apothecaries, herbalists, and fortunetellers) and Dexter (which curves right toward Scholar's Plaza with it's scribes, linguists, loremasters and sages).
[sblock=Palindrome]Everyone insists that Magi Walk is not called Magi Walk because most wizards can only make it 30 meters up the steep slope before they start wheezing and need to stop for a break.[/sblock]

Magi Walk itself features almost a dozen shops with comfortable chairs both inside and out that serve tea, coffee along with cakes and sweets. More exotic drinks from around the Shifting Seas are available, but the shops strictly obey Cobblestone's prohibition on alchohol.
[sblock=No drinking for wizards]This prohibition, naturally, doesn't apply in peoples homes.[/sblock]

Above it all looms the Shattered Spire at the highest point of the hill that makes up Cobblestop. The shattered loops of stone a testament to the terrible troubles that beset the city only a year ago.

[sblock=Palindrome]10 years ago this was the cheapest tower in the neighborhood; and the only one Dod*3 could afford. While the wealthy visiting the tower think it's quite an impressive location Dauntonian wizards very much prefer the back streets.

(You could have gotten a wonderful house with a lovely private guarden for a fraction of the price, of course, but it had to be a tower).[/sblock]

Doddoddod's tower is an impressive affair. All told there are almost 30 rooms of various sizes, each room as a theme and Doddoddod uses them on a rotating basis informed by his intensive studies of astrology and the fates.
[sblock=Palindrome]He moves around the tower a lot, more or less at random. One days he's sleeping on the 3rd floor, in the Sylvan Room, the next on the 1st Floor in the Room of Long Grasses.

You've noticed that the fates seem to be very insistent about his sleeping in the Oak room above the kitchen during the coldest nights of the year. The fact that this is the warmest room in the house is surely a coincidence.
[/sblock]

There are no servants in the tower. Everything, from the heating of the water for baths to the impressive booming doorbell that rings out when someone touches the knocker on the front door, is accomplished by magic. There are even certain rituals and items in the kitchen that allow the preparation of specific foods.
[sblock=Palindrome]He spent six months getting his "egg poaching ritual" right. He won't tell you how much he spent but you're sure it was a lot.

If anything happened to the little egg cup that powers the whole thing you think he might suffer some kind of psychotic fit.[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

You're meeting with someone who is quite important, in the Golden Hall, the most impressive room in Doddoddod's Tower.

You know that because it's sunrise and Doddoddod, who does not customarily get out of bed before noon is awake, fully dressed, and sitting in one of his best robes. And he also has all four of you arrayed around the room and looking very competent.

The woman in front of you is very old; with piercing eyes and large hooked nose give her a hawk-like mien. Her last name is Glasston and she speaks in long drawn out half-sentences that suggest no-one ever interrupts her.

[sblock=The Founding Families]The Founding Families who lead the battered survivors to settle on Daunton. Centuries ago the families were composed of great heroes, men and women of considerable personal power and, the stories say, impeccable moral character.

Now the families are content to simply be extremely rich, supremely important and looked up to by all. Save for interactions with each other at fantastically impressive private events they hold in their richly appointed estates they don't interact with the outside world save through servants.

No one gets to go to these events but everyone hears about it the next day anyway.

It is hard to overlook the fact that Lady Glasston came with only two servants and wearing a very large cloak.[/sblock]

My grandson Arnest was always very creative. A bit sensitive. He'd had a few unsavory friends; young people are wont to.
He had an... episode last year. During what I understand people are calling the days of darkness, a bit of overdone melodrama if you ask me. Tragedy of course. But in my day a bit of cloudy weather was nothing to get worked up about.
[sblock=The Days of Darkness]Refers to the attacks by the Brotherhood of the Bright Eon.[/sblock]

Anyway after this episode Arnest was... well he got quite fixated on things. That paper in particular.

She seems to be struggling to find a way to mention the Screamer without actually saying it's name.

That... one about the yelling.... He was convinced about all sorts of strange things. And he fell in with an odd crowd...

Then a few weeks ago. He disappeared. We've made normal sorts of inquires but they've been... less than satisfactory. Nothing anyone with a lick of sense couldn't figure out themselves. He disappeared around the same time the paper stopped.

She puts her fingers together; the cascade of shimmering light from the more than the dozen jeweled rings is quite dazzling.

I hope you'll be able to get my grandson to come back from wherever he's wandered off to.

 

[hafrogman]

[IMAGEL]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1104331/TristanAv.jpg[/IMAGEL]Tristan maintained his customarily impassive expression throughout the woman's meandering story. He considered once again the strange path that had brought him thus far. No longer was it his place to watch without listening, a simple bodyguard no more. Why was he here to listen to this woman? It was obvious that this . . . wizard, Doddoddod, expected something from them. But he certainly hadn't proffered any response himself. Was he simply trying to impress her with his servants? Doubtful, obviously he wanted them to find this boy for themselves. Why lift a finger when there are so many others at hand to lift theirs. Still. . . this was his job now.

To the business at hand then.

"And do you have any sort of picture of Arnest?"

 

[KenHood]

Palindrome...

[sblock=OOC]Oi! I laughed and laughed at the Palindrome snark.[/sblock]

Bedraggled and bemused, Palindrome looks up from the scroll onto which he dutifully transcribes the words of the good Lady.

[sblock=Palindrome]Bedraggled: Because *someone* had to dress Dod*3 this early in the morning. Bemused: Because he is about to enjoy increasing her discomfort.[/sblock]

I beg your pardon, dear Lady. But for the sake of both clarity and posterity, I must request specificity in the identity of the aforementioned paper 'about the yelling'. Is this some sort of tractate detailing volcanic exclamations that have somehow addled the nerves of your sensitive nephew?

[sblock=Nasty Thiefish Thought - In Character, but for DM Only]Can P make a Thievery check or something of the like to determine the likelihood of filching one of those rings off the lady. Perhaps after kissing her hand...[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

Some men might think that throbbing temples from a new import of the local taproom, a woozy focus from sleep-deprivation, and a slightly torn shirt when last night’s lass got too enthusiastic was a bad start of the day. Not Woe. If he couldn’t feel the events of yesterday upon waking, they clearly had not been worth it.

Woe suppresses the urge to massage his temples and concentrates on the task at hand. It was hard, though. Old crone Glasston’s endless blabbering was tolerable, but the booming doorbell by the front door of the wizard’s mansion did not do wonders for his hangover.

The momentary silence makes him come to his senses – the woman had finally stopped talking. With a concrete statement of what she needed them to do. Woe clears his throat.

“All efforts shall be directed to provide a swift return for your grandson, madam.”

“To speed this recovery, any further information you can provide on your grandson’s affairs would be very helpful. Are there any particular locales Arnest frequents? Routines he normally goes through? And there was mention of an… episode… just prior to his mannerisms changing during the… days of darkness?”
Woe tries his best to sound sympathetic and engaged, motivating himself by thinking of what manner of monetary reward a Founding Family can provide.

 

[KenHood]

Palindrome...

[sblock=Palindrome]Why in the hells is Doddoddod letting us take the lead in the conversation? The old windbag loves the sound of his own voice almost as much as he longs for poached eggs on toast with mermaid roe. Has he fallen asleep again with eyes open? Oh, I bet that he has.

I'll make up some foolishness about him in deep "wizardly" meditation. Yes. That's the idea.

Gods, I hope he doesn't start snoring.[/sblock]

Ah, and yes, dear lady, as my compatriot says, a picture would be MOST helpful.

As would some means of identifying your grandson's corpse. Should the worst have occurred and say, his face was mauled or his head chopped off, then thrown in the river, so his flesh was consumed by fish, causing said head to be unrecognizable.

Not that I would desire even a tiny bit to disturb one of such delicate and rarified sensibilities as yourself...

[sblock=Palindrome]Oh, yes, I would![/sblock]

But as my master oft says, "As the porpoise prances not in the path of the packet*, so should a proper person propose preparations for all possibilities."

Is that not correct, sir?

Palindrome surreptitiously jostles the chair of his master.

---

*Packet - a type of boat.

 

[Dunamin]

[sblock=Re. Woe's hook]I'm not sure what sort of arrangement it is implied that Woe has with Doddoddod.

Is he hired to be a man-at-arms on retainer for the wizard? If so, is it just for this job or is it for a set period? Or is Dod*3 simply being a middleman for arranging a deal between Lady Glasston and this group, and getting something from the Glasstons in return?[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

[sblock=Woe's hook]All employers have their challenges. Dod*3 is one of those people who likes to have people "around".

But you're always working directly for Dod*3; sometimes you know who his ultimate employer is, sometimes you're not sure. Sometimes he doesn't seem to even have an ultimate employer.
He likes it if you give the impression that you're one of his people and that's about it.

The actual jobs and pay vary widely, he doesn't give out gold for free, but he has an inflated sense of the importance of his activities and many of his clients are not excessively concerned with finances so getting your fair pay is never an issue.

You've been asked to turn up, showed up, sat around for outside of a room while a man talks with Dod*3 for fifteen minutes and been sent home with a days wages.

Then there was that time you and Palindrome spent six hours in the sewers....
[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

[sblock=Nasty Thiefish Thought - In Character, but for DM Only]Can P make a Thievery check or something of the like to determine the likelihood of filching one of those rings off the lady. Perhaps after kissing her hand...[/sblock]

[sblock=Palindrome only]Without some sort of excuse, like kissing her hand, it would be quite challenging; people's hands are sensitive her rings have all been adjusted by master jewelers to be -just- the right size.

Getting her to offer you her hand (quite unlikely given the way the conversation is going) would probably require some sort of subterfuge.

And, if she is the sort of person who has lots of servants, one of them, probably a senior one, is almost certainly in charge of her jewelery. So it's loss is likely to be noted at some point.

You're not really sure [insight: 7] how flustered she is, or more, precisely whether she's the sort who gets flustered when they get angry or just gets... angry.
[/sblock]

I beg your pardon, dear Lady. But for the sake of both clarity and posterity, I must request specificity in the identity of the aforementioned paper 'about the yelling'. Is this some sort of tractate detailing volcanic exclamations that have somehow addled the nerves of your sensitive nephew?

It's... a....
Piece of paper of dubious origins that says entirely inappropriate things about people in an entirely inappropriate way. I had the servants bring me one last evening and, frankly, I was disturbed and unable to complete my repast.

Lady Glasston looks slightly green.

Frankly, I am quite pleased that it seems to have stopped circulating.

[sblock=Insight:Everyone]You think this is a true statement[/sblock]
[sblock=Insight:Tander]26
You have an instinctual feeling that Lady Glasston does not lie. She feels that the activity is demeaning and beneath her station.[/sblock]

[sblock=Palindrome]Why in the hells is Doddoddod letting us take the lead in the conversation? The old windbag loves the sound of his own voice almost as much as he longs for poached eggs on toast with mermaid roe. Has he fallen asleep again with eyes open? Oh, I bet that he has.

I'll make up some foolishness about him in deep "wizardly" meditation. Yes. That's the idea.

Gods, I hope he doesn't start snoring.[/sblock]

Doddoddod has been staring portentously at his immense stomach throughout Lady Glasston's explanation.

"And do you have any sort of picture of Arnest?"

Ah, and yes, dear lady, as my compatriot says, a picture would be MOST helpful.

We have several portraits taken a year; I am sure I could have one brought over.

As would some means of identifying your grandson's corpse. Should the worst have occurred and say, his face was mauled or his head chopped off, then thrown in the river, so his flesh was consumed by fish, causing said head to be unrecognizable.

Not that I would desire even a tiny bit to disturb one of such delicate and rarefied sensibilities as yourself...

Lady Glasston daintily touches a handkerchief to her brow and looks rather disturbed.

But as my master oft says, "As the porpoise prances not in the path of the packet*, so should a proper person propose preparations for all possibilities."

Is that not correct, sir?

Palindrome surreptitiously jostles the chair of his master.

I am quite certain that...

His apprentices gentle nudge rocks Doddoddod forward slightly; the wizards eyes rising to meet Lady Glasston's.

Madam, I am quite certain that we do not yet have enough of the right sort of information to make an informed decision. The wizards voice has a deep soothing tone.

My associates will have to visit your estate.

Lady Glasston flutters her fingers, sending shafts of light around the room.

With your reputation, for... I had hoped...

Time. The wizards voice flows over the room like molasses.

Time?

Indeed.

I had hoped...

Doddoddod lifts an immense hand from his stomach. Yes?

...that you would be... discreet.

With a casual gesture a pipe appears in the hand. He lights with a small blueish flame from his outstretched finger.

Of course. When Doddoddod says it the latter word seems to have a dozen or more syllables. Are you not here?

A smoky haze of unusually purplish smoke envelopes the wizard with startling rapidity. Lady Glasston seems to be struggling to respond. I suppose I am.

Doddoddod nods firmly and smiles widely as if something important and mutually beneficial has been agreed upon by all. The matter shall have my undivided attention, and that of my associates as well.

[sblock=Palindrome: Acoustics]All together You have spent, literally days, and possibly weeks, sitting Doddoddod's chair making sounds while he walks around this room, head down listening intently.

It's for a concert of course. Doddoddod very much intends to have a concert here, once all the runes are properly arranged and the sound is just right.[/sblock]