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

[Dunamin]

[sblock=Ghost Whisper to Woe]Good one, friend!

Keep it up, because I've an idea that should give us the run of the place once we arrive. I'll start with some humbug about "objectivity" so that we'll be left alone, and then request a master key so that we can move freely about the place and acquire "clues".

If one of us can keep goody-two-shoes occupied, then the other could slip down to wherever the valuables are kept....

Of course, if the almighty and allknowing Dudduddud enchants another blasted animal messenger with specific instructions about our activities, then requires us to gave said animal to the client...

Ah, you know the drill.

And it's your turn to carry the damned thing. I'm STILL finding rabbit pellets in my satchel.

I don't think the Triple Dud will invest the effort in the animal, though. He's only had one breakfast, and as you know, he has two more to go before lunch.[/sblock]

Woe cannot help but smile. Though he knows better than to risk his local reputation and thus livelihood by being implicated in accusations of overt robbery, the Glasston matriarch’s blatant ignorance hints that a modest “bonus” slipped down a pocket would likely not go missing.

If there was one thing he had learned during his time with the city guard, it’s that many a treat in the homes of fat wealthy merchants oft goes astray. “If you keep the peace you deserve to keep a piece,” his drunkard sergeant Deben would say.

The complacent warrior puts a hand up to his mouth to cover some mild coughing which might be heard as conveying the words “in due time”, waving a bit of purple smoke clear to add weight to the ruse.

 

[Graf]

[sblock=Woe's Hook]

One seems to recall said incident lasting six DAYS, not hours.

And if that blasted windbag would hire a proper exterminator, rather than a band of sword-swinging, novice 'adventurers' to deal with his rat problem, we wouldn't have been there in the first place![/sblock]

[sblock=In all fairness...]Doddoddod had no idea they were thaumavoures, or that they would consume the rituals of communication he'd prepared.

And he did spend considerable effort attempting to contact you, using rituals (of course) from his comfortably appointed study.

How could he have known each ritual would just make the rats larger, and more powerful?[/sblock]

Face hidden behind his parchment, Palindrome winces at Doddoddod's display of "inscrutability".



I praise the wisdom of your choice, good lady. None can be as discreet as the mentally handicapped, and allowing such unfortunates a position of service removes many a would-be beggar from our fine streets. I assure that we shall be as gentle in our questioning of her as we have been to you.

The matron seems to struggle to say something but the flood of verbage that follows seems to be overwhelming.

Now, I have some rather specific questions addressing some salient points:

First: Who is this elven girl? Where can we find her? Has she dissappeared as well? (If so, perhaps our sinister vanishing is nothing more than an elopement.)

Lady Glasston is holding her hand to her left temple, and pressing it slightly. I doubt that is the case.She asserts.

Second: You spoke of your grandson's interest in topical matters. Was there anything specific? Such information may bear upon our investigation. For instance, if one topic of interest was teleportation, it would suggest that our dissappearance was quite literal--in the sense of your beloved grandson's elemental particles scattered throughout the aether.

That is a perfectly reasonable supposition, I am sure. The servants say that he was most interested in the Screamer, but not only in it. I was told by the incompetents we had looking into the matter before there were no significant magical.... she makes a vague guesture... magical.... effects? in the room.

Third: You stated that your grandson possessed "strange tastes"? Have you any particulars regarding these? Mayhap these, rather than the missive of which you spoke could have led to his dissappearance.

The matron's hand is curled up into a ball and pressing rather forcefully into her temple. Unusual. Perhaps unfortunate, but hardly what a reasonable person would consider unsavory. Or so I was told by my advisors. People tolerate all sorts of nonsense these days.

I don't, precisely, understand why he liked this paper, there are others like it, I have heard it is the best of this sort of trash, but his states were never really sordid before; and it was so nice to have him out and about and back to himself more or less. It didn't seem wrong to indulge him a bit during his recovery.

Finally: Forgive my inexcusable rudeness in being so blunt, but I must ask if your grandson had any enemies, owed money to "colorful" individuals, enjoyed playing with large, man-eating beasts, or somesuch?

The matron is grinding her knuckles against her forehead quite forcefully now.

Palindrome pauses in thought, tapping his quill against his chin.

He returns to writing. Now, scratching the nib as loud as possible against the paper. In an absent-minded fashion--obviously deep in concentration and unaware that none can hear him clearly--he says to himself, "Eaten by beasts?"

With a flourish and a solid tap, you see him complete the question mark.

He continues, "To do: Once at client's residence, check piles of offal for teeth and clumps of human hair. Also, check local neighborhood to see if anyone owns a large collection of swine."

The matron's sour pursed face turns into a polite smile. Her hand rests on her lap. I would be most indebted if you could make a complete investigation.
[sblock=ooc]Failed insight for tander.[/sblock]

“In addition to my sensitive and judicious colleague’s concerns, we would also humbly request a moment’s time with the servant most familiar with this elven girl. Of course, this would not perchance be the very same maid of alternatively gifted mental faculties?”

.

Woe steps slightly forward to appear clear from the slowly expanding purplish fog that emanates from Doddoddod, and gives lady Glasston a firm look of grave seriousness, indicating that the situation is dire indeed and she would do best to put her faith in experts.

“We trust that upon our arrival at the premises, the staff will extend the same courtesy and goodwill that you, fair lady, have graced us with, by providing us full cooperation and accessibility for where the investigation may take us.”

“This matter shall be dealt with swiftly, efficiently and with the utmost discretion, though as professionals we must insist that concerns for personal space do not compromise the investigation. Indeed, Arnest’s very life may depend on it.”

[Woe Diplomacy=Nat1 ->effective 15]
Lady Glasston nods. Naturally.
Of course. She's not unnaturally stupid, we wouldn't employ that sort. The children have their own assistant, Spinthresh. He's quite good; he's met this elven girl and oversees the children's activities day-to-day. You should address all your requests through him.

Is there anything else?

 

[Graf]

ooc: this post is my first draft really. So I encourage feedback and I may change stuff as the game progresses.
ooc: Once we've had a chance to talk about this I'll move it to the first post.

-->moved to first post in thread<---

 

[nerdytenor]

Tander looks over at his companions as they speak, raising his eyebrows slightly at their somewhat baroque wordplay. Life just keeps getting stranger and stranger, he thinks, considering the situation.

"Lady Glasston," Tander intones, bowing his head towards her just enough to indicate respect, if not outright deference. "You have been very forthcoming with your information in this most uncomfortable of situations. We thank you for making our task that much easier. I believe my associates and I will be able to explore any further avenues of inquiry with Spinthresh," he says, looking in turn at each of the others.

"I don't see any reason to detain Lady Glasston any further. Shall we be off then?"

 

[nerdytenor]

[sblock=OOC - skillz to pay the billz]
Thanks for laying that all out, Graf. I am not totally at ease with the out-of-the-box 4e skill system. N successes before M failures just seems a tad forced. In defense of WotC, I can see it as being a useful structure when playing in person with time constraints. But with PbP, there's so much time to consider and reconsider the flow of the story in the light of role-playing that the skill-challenge structure could prove more of a straightjacket than a help.

Your point about having a great idea and making a bad roll is hard to argue with as well.

I guess what I'm saying is I like what you've suggested thus far.
[/sblock]

 

[hafrogman]

Tristan inclines his head slightly towards Tander.

"I believe you are correct. From here we shall continue our investigation with Spinthresh. I see no reason to detain Lady Glasston any longer."

He offers a slight bow to the lady in question, and then turns to his other companions while awaiting their input.

[sblock=skills, ooc]Sounds feasible to me. I've always liked the social skills more as vague measurements of aptitude than actual rolls. I'm open to a loose interpretation.[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

It does not escape Woe’s notice that the matriarch isn’t the epitome of serenity and has a very finite tolerance for their antics. Not seeking to push his luck, he nods in agreement with Tander’s and Tristan’s words while mustering his least-fake smile.

“I concur. Dearest lady Glasston, you have been most helpful and have our utmost gratitude for sacrificing a moment of your precious time.”

“My companions and I shall confer on how to progress and then forthwith proceed to visit the estate.”

 

[Dunamin]

[sblock=OOC]
I don’t have that much experience with the system yet, but off-hand all your notes sound good to me.
As to skill challenges, I heard that there was an issue initially with the base DCs being too high and that WotC addressed this in errata or somewhere else by changing them. If for some reason the system shouldn’t work satisfactorily, I noticed an alternative by a user on EN World that seems pretty well-thought out, though I haven’t really looked into it that much.

I thought I would mention in advance that Woe usually will use Stealth while not wielding his shield, thus making it +7. That will generally also be true in dangerous locales - he’s more prone to prioritize the element of surprise and then get his shield up after getting the drop on someone.[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

In even MORE fairness...

[sblock=In all fairness...]Doddoddod had no idea they were thaumavoures, or that they would consume the rituals of communication he'd prepared.

And he did spend considerable effort attempting to contact you, using rituals (of course) from his comfortably appointed study.

How could he have known each ritual would just make the rats larger, and more powerful?[/sblock]

[sblock=Once again, history is written by despots...]I suppose it's like the time Doddoddod thought he could save feed money by using stirges as subjects for his animal messenger spells?

Palindrome could keep it on his person at all times, providing the stirge with a suitable host.

And--of course--all the great medical texts speak of the benefits of a good leeching...[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

Palindrome...

Palindrome leans towards Doddoddod and stares in expectation.

And...

Nothing happens.

Palindrome clears his voice, raises his brow.

And...

Still nothing happens.

*Ahem* Palindrome gestures for his master's attention.

[OOC: Palindrome casts Ghost Sound in the general vicinity of Doddoddod.]

The aged wizard responds with a cryptic, wizardly mutter. His beard is so thick that you do not even notice his lips move.

"What was that, master? Ah, yes! Certainly, I'll escort the matron to door."

Palindrome gives the matron the bum's rush. "Dear lady, my master thanks you for your time. He says not to worry. He will do everything in his not inconsiderable power to resolve your difficulty. Thank you! Good day!"

Palindrome slams the door.

"Phew! Is it just me, or did the old bat seem to have some sort of brain injury? The way she kept rubbing her head, I thought I'd end up having clean brains out of the carpet. That's something you really only want to have to do once--or at most, no more than twelve times..."

"Oh, and for the record, you'll notice that I got her to actually say 'Screamer'."