The Mad God's Key (Bront Judging)

[GwydapLlew]

Following the directions given to you by the student Geraal Wistroan, you make your way to the uppermost levels of the Menthis Plateau. In the center of the University District rises Dalannan Tower, home of Morgrave University. At the top of Dalannan Tower, the Great Hall of Aureon joins the five spires representing the Five Nations in proclaiming the reputed majesty of Morgrave University.

It is in one of the numerous rooms within the Great Hall that you will find a young woman, dressed in the omnipresent hat and cape of a Morgrave student. She politely requests your name and business with the Provtor of Thaumaturgical History, Altamaic the Younger.

[sblock=Rules of the Road]Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen!

I have a few simple rules (stolen from those far more experienced in PbP games than I!) that I request you follow.
1. Pick a color for your spoken words.
2. Italicize internal thoughts.
3. Put all OOC information behind an sblock.
4. Rolling will use Invisible Castle. Roll and I'll post results; don't wait for me to acknowledge that you want to roll. The worst case scenario would be that you rolled unneccessarily.

I am going to institute a two-day period to recruit players. If we reach five players before that time, I'll kick it off from there. Feel free to RP while we wait for people to show up!
[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Alysina Verani, a slight petite young human woman with long red hair, though neither of these is easy to tell in her flowing scholar's robes, approaches the girl.*

"Greetings, Miss...?" Alysina fishes for a name, "I hear there's a mystery here? Alysina Verani, scholar and invesitgator-in-training, is always on duty! In fact, the good Provost is in luck! Several powerful and skilled sidekicks have agreed to lend their talents to the cause. They'll be around in just a bit! Oh! Can I ask you a few questions about the murder?"

 

[stonegod]

"Several powerful and skilled sidekicks have agreed to lend their talents to the cause. They'll be around in just a bit!

Coming up behind the impetuous woman is a solidly built warforged, obviously scarred and marked from time in the Last War. It carries an assortment of weapons, and, oddly, wears a beaten and battered brown leather coat.

"I am not a sidekick. Sidekicks are features of the broadsheets of the Inquistive. They exist only as a foil for the story's main character. I am a Weapon. Nothing more. Nothing less."

To the waiting woman, the warforged states, "I am Weapon, blade-for-hire. I was informed a job was to be had here. I await instructions."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Really?" Alysina frowns, not upset at being turned down, but seeming upset that Weapon has such a low opinion of himself, "That's not a good way to think of yourself. Mister Weapon, you should cheer up and have more self-esteem. You're more than just a tool--you're a person too. And even if you've never been a sidekick before, know that I'd be honoured to have you as my sidekick in this grave mission. Why, I can't really fight any better than most scholars, so without you, if the investigation turns to a conspiracy or organisation of evil culprits, I would be left to die--though hopefully they'd tie me up after revealing their evil plan and leave me in a complicated trap that I could then escape!--but I'm sure your with your mighty blade and the wits, magic, and power of the others, we won't even be captured at all!"

"Besides--think about it: You and I are great foils. You're big and strong, and I'm lithe and small. You're a great fighter, master in the realm of the arm, but I'm an Investigative, master of the realm of the mind. You seem to be a bit gloomy, and I'm cheerful. You're down-to-earth, and I'm a bit up-in-the-clouds. It's perfect."

 

[GwydapLlew]

Upper Menthis Ward, University District: Delannan Tower (The Great Hall of Aureon)

"Greetings, Miss...?" Alysina fishes for a name, "I hear there's a mystery here? Alysina Verani, scholar and invesitgator-in-training, is always on duty! In fact, the good Proctor is in luck! Several powerful and skilled sidekicks have agreed to lend their talents to the cause. They'll be around in just a bit! Oh! Can I ask you a few questions about the murder?"

"I am Talia ir'Donalin, Miss Verani." She writes the name neatly on a ledger with a stylus and places an asterisk by her name. "I am quite afraid that I cannot answer any questions regarding Proctor Altamaic or his personal business." Her response is pleasant enough, but her tone is direct.

To the waiting woman, the warforged states, "I am Weapon, blade-for-hire. I was informed a job was to be had here. I await instructions."

"Weapon. Thank you." She also notes his name and, in parentheses indicates that he is warforged. An asterisk is placed by his name as well.

"Please have a seat. There is fresh water and biscuits available while you wait." The stylus in her hand dips to indicate a pair of seats and a couch long enough to accomodate several human-sized occupants comfortably. A low table holds a crystal pitcher and a crystal plate containing the proffered refreshments.

 

[Aristeas]

Next through the door is a young gnome, dressed in a smaller version of the ubiquitous scholastic robes. Following behind the warforged, she seems comically tiny. She smiles up at the woman. "I'm Sirrel. Skilled sidekick and foil, I suppose. Let us know when the Provost is ready to see us." She takes a biscuit, thanks Talia for it, and seats herself to wait.

To Alysina, she adds, "We should probably wait until we're actually hired to start the interrogation. Just as a formality. It might also call less attention to us."

 

[GwydapLlew]

[sblock=OOC]So we've got two people in scholar's robes. Excellent. Feel free for everyone to make Knowledge (local); untrained checks cannot score a higher DC than 10. Sirrel will gain a +2 circumstance bonus on the check due to her status as a student of Morgrave University.

Aristeas, based on your background I am assuming that Sirrel's dragonmarked status is not generally known. Feel free to correct me if that is in error.[/sblock]

"Sirris." The stylus scratches across the ledger again, indicating the latest arrival's name and a parenthetical statement of her race. Another asterisk is placed by her name. "Once the Proctor is finished with his current class, he will see all of you."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Talia, eh? I knew a Talia once. She was a ship's captain. Pretty as a flower but wits as quick as a whip. Donalin, is it? Ah yes, a great family, and as a woman of privilege, you have made an excellent choice to become a young scholar here at Morgrave."

*Alysina grabs a biscuit and takes a bite.*

"Ah, but these biscuits are delicious! Did you make them yourself, Talia? You are an excellent cook, you know!"

*Alysina nods and smiles to Sirrel.*

"Subtle and perceptive, my dear Sirrel. Why, some day, you could make a great investigative, perhaps even greater than I!"

[SBLOCK=OOC]Ah yes, I was ahead of you on that roll

Knowledge Local 26 (the labeled one--I misrolled before that without saying what I was doing ) on the Provost and his doings and dealings, plus the Donalins. On the Donalins, she's not looking for anything major for the investigation--just a little-known tidbit or two she can mention in conversation to make it clear she knows what she's talking about.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Aristeas]

"Sirris." The stylus scratches across the ledger again

"Sirrel," corrects Sirrel, mildly, and hopefully in time to keep the mistake out of the ledger.

Why, some day, you could make a great investigative, perhaps even greater than I!"

"Oh, I doubt it. I could never aspire so high."

[sblock=OOC] Given a few minutes of looking up university records, it'll be evident both that she's a student here and that she's a d'Sivis. The fact that she's a dragonmarked d'Sivis is a recent development.

19 on the knowledge check, goes to 10 since I don't have any ranks in it, sadly. I haven't used Invisible Castle before, or indeed, played a PBP game before, so let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.

Good to see we all came dressed for the part. If we just put a sticker on Weapon saying "Property of the Department of Alchemy and Artifice" nobody will even look twice at us. [/sblock]

 

[GwydapLlew]

[sblock=To Sirrel]Welcome aboard! You've got good company - Rystil Arden (RA) and Stonegod (SG) are two players I've (oddly) done almost all my PbP with. If you have any questions, we'll be more than happy to help you out. You used Invisible Castle /almost/ perfectly - normally under the 'notes' field you will want to list what kind of roll you are making.

Knowledge (local) results: The Department of Thaumaturgical History focuses on deciphering magical effects and then passing those results on to other departments.[/sblock]

"Sirrel. My apologies." She scratches a single line through the gnome's name and then replaces it with the correct spelling.

"I assume all of you possess identification papers?"