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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Thorn Ford Ambush
Loot*
-Silver Earrings (unappraised)
-Wooden Music Box (unappraised)
-Crates of Furs x3
-Polished Wooden Case containing:
---Bottles of Greenish Herbal Liquor** x8 (unappraised)
-Steel Bear Trap (probably not going to get much gp value for this even if it were appraised)
-321sp, 90gp = 122.1G
*Notably absent from the loot is any indication of a Svetlana's wedding ring
**Luka can inform you that this case of booze was meant for the Stag Lord; he's an alcoholic, and without this shipment he'll not be a happy camper.
Retreived Gear
-Studded Leather Armour#
-Mwk Handaxes# x2
-Daggers# x3*
-Potion of Cure Light Wounds#
-Short Swords x4
-Longbows x4
-Even More Arrows x77*
-Rations
-125G
*for the fourth dagger and additional arrows, see Zeran's inventory and ground.
#Perhaps obviously perhaps not, Kressle's gear is tagged thus. Zeran has laid a claim on one of the two handaxes, so if you have a counter claim to the same one, better stake it quickly.
Also, it's probably worth mentioning one more item that doesn't quite rightly go in either Loot or Gear:
-Wagon (req: 2 horses)
EDIT: There are also a handful of tents stashed with the loot, if you're interested. There's also a bunch of food rations and firewood.
--Added to equipment except for chaff loot:
-Studded Leather Armour
-Daggers x3
-Short Swords x4
-Longbows x4
And the miscellaneous treasure-items, like the Music Box (which it appears Zeran gets to keep) and the other thing what was it, or yeah, the pair of earrings.
Posted on 2013-03-13 at 08:30:48.
Edited on 2013-03-16 at 05:43:55 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Hmm... for some reason I'm pretty sure there are details I'm just not remembering...
3 Pharast – Late Afternoon
Thorn Ford Camp; Hex D4
Northern Narlmarches
“Hell,” said the blond man, rubbing a hand through his hair. “That's better than I expected. Better than anything we had here, anyway.” The woman didn't say anything, but the hard edge went partly out of her body language.
“I'm Luka,” he told them, “and this is Adela right here. Gavril is out of camp right now on patrol. He should be back in an hour or two—the sun's close to going down already.
“I don't know what Stefan would have wanted with Gregor, but that's him you rode down with your lance. The other is Osha, if you care. Neither especially pleasant folk.”
"Nice shot with that bow, I couldn't have been an easy target.”
The dark-haired woman named Adela stepped forward to Frodrick, purposefully but without open hostility.
“Here,” she said. She dropped something small and round into his hand. When he inspected it, he recognised the runes and glyphs that marked the small stone as an alchemically treated weapon called a thunderstone, much like the weapon that had detonated near the party on their approach. With this tool as a last-ditch weapon she could have done possibly serious damage to Zeran and perhaps deafened anyone else in the blast. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it might just have been enough to buy her an escape.
(Adela and Zeran)
Adela consented to helping Zeran, albeit silently in contrast to his adrenaline-fuelled rambling tongue. She attended him with a neutral, guarded expression. At one point she did take the opportunity to roll her eyes when the gunslinger wasn't looking, in response to his comments of getting the wrong ideas.
(...)
Meanwhile Krii went about finishing off the felled Gregor with his sickle (Gregor Coup, Dead) and then Zeran took the time to unload his shot into Kressle's head (Kressle Coup, Dead. We can probably assume Osha the same, since it would just be unprofessional to leave them mortally wounded without finishing them off).
Luka showed the party where the camp's loot was stashed, beneath the mundane supplies piled at the foot of the tree supporting Adela's watchpost (see Q&A).
With daylight hours quickly dwindling it was approaching time to make camp for the night and settle down to rest. The clearing formerly known as the Thorn Ford Camp suggested itself for these surfaces, but the captives warned that the ranging bandits might come-and-go without warning, so a watch would be prudent. The only one expected back tonight, though, was Gavril, the former blacksmith.
(I gave you your loot for free on this one since there were folk nearby to point it out. Keep in mind that if there is hidden loot you still have to find it if you want to seize it. I'll try to point out possible locations of loot since obviously you can't see everything, but it doesn't hurt to specify you start searching in certain locations. That said, don't panic. If I remember correctly, hidden loot isn't really that common.
Also, I don't know how many people Kyrie can tend to at once, but I assume at least two shouldn't be over the limit, so Frodrick and Zeran both heal x2 tonight, wherever you sleep)
Frodrick 12/13
Miguel 9/9
Zeran 3/10
Posted on 2013-03-13 at 08:02:53.
Edited on 2013-03-15 at 00:32:00 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Time to find the loot and deal with the prisoners.
"Mercy, milords!" The blond man called. He tossed his sword on the ground and laid down his bow. "We surrender! We bear the Stag Lord no more loyalty than that woman could force us into."
After the skirmish on the road, the man had evidently retreated to the watch post over the camp, the very one which held the remaining sentry. He now raised his arms in the air to show he had no further weapons.
The woman in the post was not easy to spot at first, but she cautiously stood up, having attempted to escape notice by taking cover. When she saw Zeran's pistol aimed at her she redoubled her caution, but betrayed no fear. She pointedly removed her sword and sheath and threw them down from the post, then laid her quiver of arrows down. Finally she lifted the rolled rope ladder and showed it, lest anyone be alarmed when she dropped it over the edge to climb down.
She joined her companion at the bottom, standing a few feet behind him to one side. Barring any sudden returns of the four bandits still unaccounted for in the field, the camp was secure.
The woman's fists were knotted into tight balls. "What are you going to do with us?" she asked.
(With the possible exception of tying up a couple details in terms of expiring spell durations (Kressle's STR pops back up to 16 at the end of Krii's turn next round, not that it would save her) and miscellaneous other details, initiative order can probably for the most part be dispensed with now, merely keeping in mind action economy.)
Posted on 2013-03-12 at 17:12:18.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: I told you it would happen exactly like this. I'm a little sad I didn't get to cut more... =3
Zeran chattered with Kressle idly, calling over his companions as he withdrew his ramrod from his pistol and clenched it in his teeth with the keg under his arm. He transferred the gun to his other hand and popped the cap off his powder horn. Half a shot in the pan and half down the barrel itself, he closed the pan and rotated the flint back into position. Finally he took the lead ball and dropped it down the barrel, hammering it in fast with the ramrod.
His companions valiantly came to their defence, but now they were an obstacle as much as a shield. He had to manoeuvre himself around to the other side of Kressle, a spot far enough away that he would have room to run if she came after him again—and hopefully room to duck if another dagger was forthcoming.
Kressle turned to Zeran, now standing in the open to her right. “Don't worry, honey, I'll come see to you soon enough.” She swung her axe at Frodrick. The blow rattled his shield arm and left a small scar in the wooden surface, but the shield emanating from Kyrie took the force right out of the attack (-3dmg Frodrick 10/13).
The bandit leader turned to Kyrie. “So this little deal here is your doing, eh, girlie?” She swung her other axe suddenly, forcing the girl to take a step back. “I guess that means you nominate yourself first to die.”
Kressle took a step backward, closer toward Zeran but still too far to attack. “Come and get me, then, if you can,” she gestured Kyrie to come in. Zeran, not far behind her, stood outside the radius of Kyrie's protection.
Still working to catch up with the rest of the fight, Krii could almost hit Kressle with his spells from where he ended up after finishing off the big sentry man. Where he stood on the road behind his allies, however, he faced the same wall of backs that Zeran had. Rather he quickly decided on an off-road route, and slipped through the gap between the two massive logs laying on the side of the road. On the other side he followed the log along, using it for cover against Kressle, until he came to the far end.
He fixed his eyes on Kressle and called up the energy within himself. Krii thrust his hand toward the bandit chief and, with care not to hit Jargon standing closest to her, unleashed a coruscating bolt of violet energy at her. She couldn't dodge fast enough and she was struck full on in the side. Half the strength seemed to leave her body at once, apparently drained by the effects of the spell. (Kressle -4Str)
Miguel saw the tide of battle shift clearly in favour of the Greenbelt Charter party. The first hit in no doubt several to come had been landed on Kressle. Though she was still unharmed, her strength was failing her. The blond duelist found words leap to his throat, spilling out into a song. After the first few notes rose tentatively into the air, the magical force he was capable of summoning from his virtuosic soul redoubled the strength of his voice—and with it a subtle pulse of magical zeal and vigour inspiring his companions to fight well and strike true.
The first strike, predicted by Miguel's song, followed immediately after. Answering to Kressle's challenge, Kyrie stepped forward, with a mind to keep everyone in range of the bandit leader inside the shield. She knew that if Kressle hit her, the shield radiating from her body would do little to protect her from the brunt of the damage the vile woman could do.
Summoning the width and depths of her courage and righteous indignation in her body, the farm girl turned guardian warrior swung her shovel into Kressle's side, the same side that Krii hit. Kressle at once rolled away from the attack, which connected hard with her armour. Kyrie felt a meaty thump rattle through her weapon—it wasn't a felling blow, but it had cost the sadistic woman. (-10hp Kressle—Yellow)
Kressle reeled for half a step, spitting an unkind word back at Kyrie. Frodrick didn't give her time to respond.
“Oi! You!” Frodrick shouted at Kressle over the growing din. “Keep yer eyes on me, girlie, never you mind the rest o' them. It's me first, axe to axe.”
Frodrick's axe, fueled by the strength of his conviction in taking down Kressle and the half-forgotten dwarven zeal for battle in his blood, swung true. The sadistic woman had just enough time to realize she couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Her face when pale and she released a gasp of breath as she collapsed, blood pouring from the axe wound in her side, opposite the bruises from Kyrie. (-9 Kressle KO)
Frodrick 10/13 – Bastion Aura, Challenge (ended), Courage +1, Zeal
Jargon 13/13 – Bastion Aura, Courage +1
Krii 8/8 – Shield (4/10) Ix2
Kyrie 13/13 – Bastion of Good +3 AC, Courage +1
Miguel 8/9 – Bastion Aura, Courage +1, Perform (6/7), Frodrick's Ward (ended)
Zeran 1/10 – 5:105 boolet, Courage +1
Sentry-B: ???, elevation 20ft.
Thug-A: ???
Kressle: Unconscious, Dying – Bastion of Good *Target*, Challenge *Target*, Weakened -4Str (1/2r)
Sentry-A: Unconscious, Dying
Thug-B: Unconscious, Dying
(BATTLE END—wait, what? You mean there are still two bandits running around? What have they done recently? Oh? They haven't done anything since two rounds ago? That sounds worth looking into. Perhaps that's the next step.
Also, I don't know much about black powder, so I'll say what the hell, you can salvage the loaded shot and the powder both. Or you can discharge it into Kressle's unconscious corpse, that would work, too. Coup de grace. I can't think what else to say in this here so I'll let the discussion commence in the proper fora for that.)
Posted on 2013-03-12 at 04:01:01.
Edited on 2013-03-12 at 04:02:20 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Alright we got her on the run! ...right? I can't tell, she's still at full health.
Zeran closed one eye and did his best pistol-wielding squint and took aim at Kressle. Miguel was standing too close for a clean shot—he had to adjust his aim to avoid the chance of possibly striking the man who came to his defense. He responded to Kressle's taunt and prayed for success to follow up his bravado.
The Water Rat god of the river was not in a benificent mood today, it would seem. Whether for overcompensation or the natural scatter of the advanced weapon, when he pulled the trigger and the flint hammer descended on the combustion chamber, the ball flew wide of its mark.
Not to be deterred for long, he popped to his feet with a pang from his belly and started to step away. Frodrick's gruff voice made him pause.
“Focus, boy! Get off the barrel and keep shooting!”
Kressle laughed at Zeran's commentary. “Maybe I'll keep you alive, then. I'll need someone to replace Happs now that he's run in over his head. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll learn to enjoy it, in time.” She drew her second axe from her belt.
“But first—the competition.” She struck with such ferocity and zeal, Miguel barely stood a chance defending himself. (-8hp Miguel 1/9)
Across the field of battle, down the path, Krii couldn't help but hear the bandit muttering some choice words. The sorcerer was livid. What the hell did a simpleton like this know about his family, anyway?
The man, clutching his shoulder to try to stop the bleeding, hobbled away to the north. It was a simple matter for Krii to close the range he would need. He brought up his fingers and summoned another sudden jolt of electricity, arcing across the stream to fell the man (-2dmg Sentry-A KO). At least one wouldn't escape to wreak his evil ways elsewhere.
With two down and more pressing matters to tend to, Kyrie ignored the blond man, the last still standing. He wasn't doing much, anyway—merely running back in the direction of the camp. With bigger fish to fry on her mind, and the cries of pain of at least two allies, she beat a hasty advance, arriving point blank in front of Kressle just as Miguel was stepping back.
With no time left to think, she merely acted. She drew upon the energy granted to her to smite the wicked and lay low the cruel. She was not the kind of holy avenger to cleave the finishing attack—it was more in her nature to use that divine energy to protect.
From Kyrie spread a defensive aura, protecting all around her from Kressle's powerful blows, creating a bubble of protection out to ten feet from where the girl stood.
With a quick word of command, Frodrick redirected Jargon's ward while dropping his lance to the ground. It was bloody well time to get bloody. He took his axe from his belt and dropped from Jargon's military saddle to the ground, phsyically interposing himself between Miguel and Kressle while the bard quaffed his healing drink.
Kressle grinned at the dwarf. “Ooh, I'm getting popular am I? No matter, I'll cut you down as quickly as I did the other two.” The woman was apparently undaunted by the mounting numbers against her.
She called over her shoulder to the rest of the camp. “To me, ya bloody curs, this isn't over yet!”
Frodrick 13/13 – Bastion Aura
Jargon 13/1 3 – Bastion Aura
Krii 8/8 – Shield (3/10)
Kyrie 13/13 – Bastion of Good +3 deflection AC
Miguel 8/9* –
Zeran 1/10 – 5 shots remaining, 105 powder
Kressle: Uninjured – Bastion of Good Target
Sentry-B: ???, elevation 20ft.
Thug-A: ???
Sentry-A: Unconscious, Dying
Thug-B: Unconscious, Dying
(Oh yeah, and Jargon move around so that she could protect Miguel's flank. He's now basically saved on most sides of him. Both Frodrick and Kyrie give soft-cover to Kressle against Zeran, but he's gotta reload long before positioning becomes an issue.
Oh yeah, for posterity I took Kyrie's posted actions over Skype rather than as shown above at last check)
*Looks like I wrote Miguel stepping back, but I completely forgot to put in the damage he healed from the potion. (+7dmg Miguel 8/9)
Posted on 2013-03-11 at 07:29:59.
Edited on 2013-03-12 at 01:38:06 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Except that Kressle is entirely uninjured, the battle is looking up... for now.
Frodrick yanked the tip of his lance out of the sentry's shoulder. “Kressle you cowardly whelp! Get your scrawny ass over here so I can show you the true use of an axe!”
He spotted a bandit woman with a sword rushing from the bushes. She wasn't Kressle, he could tell on a glance. He pinwheeled the lance above his head for clearance and thrust it at her as she ran up behind him. He caught a bloody scrape along her thigh, partially puncturing the leather cuirass she wore. (-3dmg Thug-B Yellow).
She wasted no time thrusting her sword at him which he easily brushed aside with his shield. Several feet behind her another man, this one blonde with a short ponytail, rushed in carrying a sword (moved too far to attack this round).
The wounded sentry saw his chance, with the dwarf's attention directed two different ways. He stepped in and drove the point of his sword at Jargon's flank, but she side stepped at the same time he thrust, dealing hardly a glancing blow to her armour.
Zeran and Miguel managed to regain control of their horses, now that they were outside the battlefield. Zeran, anxious to get back on track with the plan, dismounted quickly, leaving Miguel behind as he ran with the keg under his arm.
He was just drawing his pistol from his belt as he moved when he heard a voice from his left.
“Hey, pretty boy!” Zeran turned sharply in surprise just a half second before a thrown dagger struck him, buried almost to the hilt between the plates in the armour over his belly (-7dmg Zeran 1/10). “Catch.” The same voice cackled with sadistic glee at the shock and pain on his face.
Kressle was shorter than anyone quite pictured, but it was undoubtedly her. She held an axe in her other hand, that hadn't thrown the dagger, and obviously counted most of her weight in muscle.
Miguel, still dismounting looked up sharply at Zeran's outcry. Filled with sudden urgency he almost fell off his horse in his haste to dismount. He ran between Kressle and Zeran and swung his saber, only for her to easily side-step the attack.
“Sorry,” she sneered. “I didn't mean to kill your boyfriend without you. Don't worry, you'll be together in the end.”
Around Frodrick Krii and Kyrie went into action. Krii crossed the stream again for a clear shot at the sentry bandit with the black hair, and released a crackling arc of electricity at him. The man groaned in pain and growled a handful of invectives about the parentage of sorcerous individuals, but his breath came laboured and he almost doubled over. Insults about breeding aside, he wasn't in a fighting mood anymore (-3 Sentry-A Disabled)
Kyrie for her part ran into position to flank the woman that now flanked Jargon and Frodrick. With a single powerful blow of her spade to her chest, she knocked the breath of of the woman and threw her to the ground. She didn't get up again after that (-8 Thug-B Dying).
Frodrick cast a quick glance about himself. Only one of his attackers remained even able to fight at all. He quickly decided to leave the last one standing to be dealt with by his comrades. The dwarf spurred his mare, directing her with his weight into the bush even as he commanded Jargon to defend Zeran.
Instead of riding to the attack, Frodrick found it more suitable to do as he was trained to do—protect others. He rode in and harried Kressle with his lance, forcing her to react to him and giving Miguel a chance to defend himself better (Aid Another).
Noticed only by Kyrie, the third and last remaining bandit (Thug-A) raised his sword to strike Frodrick as his back was turned... but then seemingly thought better of it.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Shield (2/10)
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 – Combat Expertise +1 Dodge AC, Aid Another +2 AC
Zeran 1/10 – BAAALLLLSSS, 6 shots remaining
Kressle: Uninjured
Sentry-B "Lady": Uninjured, elevation 20ft.
Thug-A "???": Uninjured
Sentry-A "???": Disabled
Thug-B "Osha": Unconscious, Dying
(Hey, guess what? Ian was right about you two being in grave danger. That was a dagger she just threw for damage on par with a longsword. Also I know the aid another was for Zeran, but given that he's actually almost wedged between Jargon and Miguel, the bard is the one in the most danger right now.
PS. I rather love how quickly a battle post can get done when people are actually on Skype to tell me stuff XD)
Posted on 2013-03-09 at 22:49:05.
Edited on 2013-03-09 at 23:13:07 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Mappiness.
This here blank map should help y'all along. I almost forgot I was planning on posting the book maps whenever I could.
K1 - This is just the clearing the bandit camp is in, mostly obscured from your current position by the trees
K2 - The woman using the bow is currently stationed 20' off the ground in this post. If you paid attention to the aside earlier, Kressle referred to her as 'Lady'.
K3 - The black-haired big man left this post last round and got stabbed by Frodrick with a lance.
K4 - These are a pair of massive logs stationed on the side of the road. The other two bandits are hanging out back there at the moment, but only because they're still trying to run into combat and their movement speed was not up to the task for one round.
K5 - Doesn't exist. Wagon is not on the road right now.
Miguel and Zeran are currently between that little fork in the stream at the top of the map, while Frodrick stands in the stream just 10 feet south of the rocks at the middle of the map the first time the road crosses the stream. Still behind the logs but well on their way are the two footmen-thugs coming for Frodrick or somebody (Frod closest). Krii and Kyrie stand next to each other, with the little girl standing defensive in front of Krii--they're about 10-15 feet south along the stream.
Posted on 2013-03-09 at 20:02:09.
Edited on 2013-03-09 at 20:07:17 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Now for something completely different... wait, we did this battle before, too?
Kressle sat on the log bench, staring into space while tossing her one axe into the air and catching it by the haft. It had already been three days—they should have been back by now. Wondering where they were was beginning to grate on her patience.
“What are the odds you think they took the loot and ran?” Osha asked. Kressle stood up, still flipping her axe. She'd heard enough of this question already. She paced around to the far side away from her two thugs.
She wasn't far enough to miss the reply. “Then Happs is even stupider than you are, Osha. He may not be bright, but he knows between the Stag Lord and the Swordlords of Restov there'd be no where left to run to.”
No, Kressle knew Happs was no great thinker, but he knew better than to turn against her for no reason. He was bloody tough and a good woodsman, too, so there was nearly no chance the party had been overcome by some wild animal. That didn't leave many options left, and unless it they were so late because they'd run into a lone, plump merchant's carriage, none of them looked good.
She threw her axe into her favourite stump, striking it with practiced force that it stayed haft in the air without getting stuck.
“If they're not back by this time tomorrow,” she said, “pass the message around for the men to stay in camp until further notice. I want everyone in full force.” The two looked at her. It was beginning to dawn on them how tense the situation might just be.
Just then the sentry called. It was Lady. “Horses approaching from the south! They're back!” A layer of tension fell off her men's shoulders. The next words completely ruined the effect.
“Wait, that's not Happs—intruders! Get up! We're under attack!”
With Zeran leading the charge, the plan was to ride in fast and hard, toss the keg into the middle of them, and close them in until the fuse ran down. He held the keg under his arm in one hand and the reigns in the other. Behind him rode Miguel and Kyrie, with Krii taking up the rear on Vilify. Frodrick rode the right flank, guiding Jargon with his knees in order to keep his hands on his lance and shield and keeping a clear charge between him and his enemies.
As all good plans must, the moment it crumbled on contact with the enemy. The five rode up the path and saw the two large wooden logs to the right of the path they had been told to look for. Zeran raised the keg high and prepared to give Krii the signal to ignite. Things never quite developed that far.
Frodrick saw it first, then Krii a moment after. No sound they could make would come fast enough to warn the others. No sooner had they spotted the sentries in the trees than the forest filled with a deafening sound.
Miguel, being the closest, was the only one to see the stone fall from the trees. Whether lady luck though to bless the party or damn the bandits, the throw fell far short of its mark, but even outside the radius of the thunderstone the sound was immense. On Zeran's side, an arrow sprouted from the ground a few feet in front of his horse.
Immediately both men's horses spooked and reared into the air. Both managed to keep their seat in the saddle, but both horses remained unruly, eyes rolling and ready to bolt. Through the bushes two more bandits could be seen approaching.
The woman with the bow atop the right watch post loosed another arrow from her bow at Zeran. It struck him in the thigh but didn't bury deep into his flesh (-2dmg Zeran 8/10). From the left post, meanwhile, a rope ladder dropped and the big man who threw the stone dropped down to ground level and drew his short sword.
Zeran's steed had more than enough of this by this point—the gunslinger lost control of his horse and the frightened beast bolted, jumping across the small stream that criss-crossed the path and up the road north, carrying Zeran holding on tightly.
Miguel's horse, not to be outdone in an flee-off, quickly broke his master's control and bolted after the other two, tossing Miguel in the saddle like a sack of potatoes. Vilify, deciding to quit the scenario for his own reasons, turned and cantered back the way they came, as his master had already dismounted and was in no position to debar his progress.
Krii, having had the foresight to dismount at the first opportunity, waded across the small five-foot wide stream, reflecting briefly on myths about running water. He came up on the other side between Frodrick's and Kylie's horses, shielded by both of the warriors from the immediate attention of all aggressors, and cast a protective spell on himself. (Krii - shield)
For Jargon's part the steely war-trained mare was scarcely alarmed by the proceedings, but Kylie's horse began to grow nervous, so the farm girl decided to dismount while she was still ahead. She dropped down off the right side of her horse into the stream and took up a defensive posture next to Krii on the bank.
With Miguel and Zeran gone there was more than enough clearance for Frodrick's lance, and he spurred Jargon into a short charge of no more than twenty feet, ploughing through the river and sending up a tide of water in all directions. With a brief moment's adrenaline-fueled exhilaration, the charge ended with Frodrick's lance impaling the black-haired watch post bandit through the right shoulder. (-6dmg Sentry-A Bloodied) The big man's face twisted, but he didn't crumple under the force of the attack like Frodrick might have hoped.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Shield (1/10)
Kyrie 13/13 – Total Defense
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 8/10 – 6 shots remaining
Kressle: Unsighted
Sentry-A: Bloodied
Sentry-B: On post, elevation 20ft.
Thug-A: Uninjured
Thug-B: Uninjured
This here is a blank map of the bandit camp. Just like the last time, ignore the wagon, it's not actually there in this scenario. The party approached from the bottom left along the path, with Zeran and Miguel now sitting at the very top. The bandits close in on the road while K2 still shoots.
(Hehehe, well that went differently than planned. Of course, there were a lot more unknown variables than there were the last time. You can't have your plans going the way you want them -every- time, that'd just get boring. Anyway, you'll notice there are like four bandits total so far that you see, as opposed to the some 8-9 odd that we ran into in Kingmaker Retro. I'll let you wonder about that on your own.)
Posted on 2013-03-09 at 07:30:31.
Edited on 2013-03-09 at 19:39:27 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: I feel like we've been here before.
3 Pharast – Late Afternoon
Thorn River; Hex D4
Northern Narlmarches
The dreary grey sky from the day before persisted and sometime around midday it started to snow. The flakes fell gently and sparsely, and the weather gave out before it had a chance to do more than leave a thin dusting for the horses' hooves to leave a trail in. Nevertheless, the whole day remained cool enough to drag cloaks out and keep them well closed. It had been a warm early spring so far, but it was far too early to say that winter was entirely done with.
On the directions provided by the captive bandits, the party rode south west into the Narlmarches for the better part of the day. On the way they passed a trapper bound for Oleg's, asking after a man named 'Breeg Orlivanch'. Since they couldn't say that they had, he left them to their business, commenting that the man in question owed a fair amount of money to several people in gambling debts.
Other than startling a few elk ruminating over some tough winter grasses, they encountered nothing else for the rest of the day. The forest floor was still covered in a thin layer of snow that hadn't quite been melted entirely away, thanks to the cover of the hibernating trees, but already the boldest of new growth was beginning to test the encroaching spring.
Toward the latter half of the afternoon they came upon the Thorn River, named for the abundant thorny plants that grew along the riverbanks on both sides. From there it was a simple matter to follow the tracks in the soft dirt downriver to a shallow point in the river that could be easily forded.
The aptly named Thorn Ford Camp was, assuming the ex-bandits' directions continued to be as reliable as they had been thus far, to the north along the path leading from the ford, criss-crossing with a thin stream branching off the main river.
At the sight of the path the group grew serious and their chatter died down. The camp was said to lay no more than sixty feet north of the ford along the path. They were close enough now that excessive noise might give them away.
(You have your choice of attack plan now. You're still upriver from the ford somewhat, since you want to have time to plan and equip outside of the area they might accidentally bump into you. You can ride straight up the path, look for the camp (reportedly hidden from the path but you'll know where to look for it), come up with some kind of stealth mission (none of you have much training in sneakiness I note, though, could be dangerous), or even infiltration by pretending to be bandits (it could work in theory, but I wouldn't count on it given that the camp is relatively small), or something else that I hadn't thought of but is no less than crazy enough to work (or fail hilariously).
For Zeran's plan, I can't say which is most likely to work, but I'm going to operate unless told otherwise, underthe assumption that the fuse plan was chosen, being the best bet to light and ditch the keg safely while still being economical with party resources.)
Posted on 2013-03-07 at 03:36:18.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: All the men and the ugly women on the left, and all the fine women on the right
2 Pharast
Oleg's Trading Post
South Brevic Border
There were muted grumbles and unhappy looks among the prisoners, as would be expected among any group so accustomed to wanton freedom finding themselves forced into labour. If any of them were motivated to complain, a quick glance to where the rope that held Happs' body was enough to silence any protest and redouble efforts.
By the time supper came, the three bandits had worked up a good sweat and moods were not much improved. Nikodim in particular seemed to sneer at every one and everything he directed his face at, though he was not stupid enough to direct this at any of his captors, so he ended up spending a lot of his time staring into his food.
The supper Svetlana made, supplemented with the roots, berries, and even a rabbit that Frodrick brought, smelled and tasted delicious. Combined with the modest, but by no means lacking portion Svetlana gave the prisoners served to lift spirits somewhat. By the time the music and the cards were brought out the ex-bandits were almost able, for a time, to forget the undesirable situation they found themselves in.
Before they were closed into the shed for the night, Tanya found Frodrick in the stables. The way he kept calling her 'lassie' annoyed her, but that wasn't why she was here. Besides, he was a dwarf. He was probably so old everyone else looked like a child to him—maybe it was because neither she nor Stefan had the stubble Niko did, so he couldn't tell.
She decided the term didn't annoy her so much.
The dwarf's stocky horse nickered, and the dwarf looked up. Busted. She never believed in being shy, and so she stepped forward to speak her mind.
The dwarf was, as always, stern and gruff, but with an undercurrent of long years' wisdom. When he called her back she felt her face reflexively harden into a mask of suspicion, but all he wanted was to ensure that nobody caused any trouble for either party.
She had learned too well not to let her guard down, to relax her skepticism so easily, but the old dwarf and even most of his companions seemed to genuinely bear no ill-intent.
But then, they always do.
3 Pharast – Morning
Oleg's Trading Post
South Brevic Border
“You mean you want us to choose which of our erstwhile companions are most deserving of life and death.” Nikodim flashed a short-lived toothy grin. He was always so damned convinced of his own cleverness.
“We simply want to know if any o' yer old friends are worth the time it'd take to feed 'em to the dogs,” Frodrick retorted.
Niko at least had sufficient presence of mind to look chastised. “None that I care about, gods take 'em all, especially that bitch, Kressle.”
“You just be grateful you were taken alive, Niko, some might say the same for you,” Tanya retorted, but whatever the former's reply, Stefan interrupted.
“Luka. He's helped me out before. If he could be pardoned I think he'd do it.”
Tanya nodded her agreement. “Gavril, too. I think he used to be a blacksmith from Brunderton before he couldn't pay his taxes.
“And Adela.” Stefan provided the final name. “Oh, and if you get the chance to put Gregor out of his misery, don't. Let him suffer.” Even Niko seemed to agree to this sentiment, albeit silently.
After the discussion was over, the three prisoners were given their chance to walk around the fort before they were returned to their makeshift cell. Until the guards arrived, they would have to leave their prison only one at a time under Oleg or Svetlana's close supervision. While they were to be treated fairly as prisoners, they were still prisoners and scarcely to be trusted so easily.
(I had begun a post for later that evening, arriving at the Thorn River and finding the camp, but it started to get lazy and I didn't like it, but didn't feel like staying up much later than I already am to turn it into something halfway presentable.
Obviously, don't let little ol' me interrupt what you have going in terms of roleplaying. I should have something for you to prepare for battle with tomorrow mayhap. Except for Roderick who specified otherwise I assume everyone dons the same gear they had the first time? Do tell if you seek otherwise).
Posted on 2013-03-06 at 09:56:01.
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Haha, why does everything you inquire after worry me?
Oh no, we've already started the thing with the bandits--the book gives instructions on what to do with them given certain reactions from the party, whether attacking right away or ignoring altogether. The sandboxy part is in, for example (since we are all already familiar with this part) even if we set out on the first day to the Mite Warren, the kobolds would be no less dead, but at the same time, Mikmek doesn't have an expirey date, say, if we left that adventure until the last hex explored.
As for Rivers Run Red, I can't say for sure (currently dl'ing the file to this computer from my e-mail) but I would imagine you the heroes could find some tenement once you found your own city in the middle of the wilderness to call your own. I'll have a quick peek and let you know if it's nothing that could spoil parts out of this adventure.
Okay, after a quick look I can't find anything specific about your living accomodations, just that it's assumed you use the fledgling kingdom as a base when you're not either actively being town officials or else exploring the Greenbelt. I did however find to my amusement that some NPCs have listed as their 'prefered Leadership role' that they want to be the Ruler XD
Posted on 2013-03-05 at 17:22:50.
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Welp
Looks like no post from me until maybe tomorrow or more likely Wednesday; getting nice and past my bedtime already. In the meantime, do your best to come up with some kind of plan of action (or inaction, I suppose) and then I'll have as much work as I can imagine to keep up with you.
One thought I had was to elect somebody (doesn't have to be the party leader, in or out of character--could act in-character as an advisor) to make general decisions about where to go next (i.e. pick a hex and take off like that). Not that this person gets final say where we go, just when the situation comes that most of us aren't worried about which direction, there can be at least one person decided before hand to say 'that way', and then when someone does get an inclination to explore a certain area then they can pipe up and a discussion can happen if it even needs to.
BTW for as far as I know your plans, you will stay in camp until sometime on the morning of 3 Pharast. I recall Krii had plans to wait around to protect the fort until the guards arrived, but nothing was said of that after Oleg reassured the group that they would be fine if the group decided to start wandering. Technically we could -probably- wait for just about as damn well long as we pleased, since this is a sandbox-style adventure and things typically wait for us to run into them before they start happening, but this being an adventure, it might be a good start to journey out into the Greenbelt.
Posted on 2013-03-05 at 06:41:11.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Looks like it's time for the hangman to earn a new pair of boots.
Happs watched in horror as his bargaining chips were thrown out the window one by one. His eyes flicked nervously as he struggled to think of something he could use in his defence. Krii was almost ready to declare Happs finished when he finally came up with something.
“Wait! None o' you know about the wagon trap, huh? Hah! Told you I knew things.” The bandit's self-satisfied grin lasted several long seconds before it changed to horror at the realization that he'd thrown away his tip.
“No wait!” Happs' sudden urgency struck a pang from his wound and he sunk in his chair. He heaved a few breaths before continuing, hoarse. “That's not everything. There's more. Let me live and I will tell you everything you want to know.”
Sense Motive*: 18 + 1 = 19
It wasn't a particularly good lie, and it didn't take much to see through it. Krii smiled widely at the stupid bandit lieutenant. “Well, if that be all you got for us, there's no use keeping you alive anymore than there was a moment ago, is there?”
“Nooo.” It sounded more like a moaning protest than an agreement. Nevertheless Happs went on trying to save his worthless skin. “Hold on. You can't kill me. I gotta wife. And kids.”
Sense Motive: 20 + 1 = 21
He wasn't lying. Not that anyone could tell. Whether from curiosity or real concern, the group paused to let him speak.
“They live in Restov. I was a city guard there, only I was framed and I had to skip town to escape. I didn't have much time so I had to leave my family and promised I'd be back. I was forced to join Kressle's group in order to survive out here, and I've been trying to make it back to them since. If you kill me now they'll never know what happened to me.”
Almost everything, starting from the second sentence reeked horribly of a badly concocted lie, obvious to everyone in the room even more so with the unnecessarily sappy tragic ending. Whether or not he was actually lying about having a wife and kids (that much seemed to be rooted in truth, at least), there was nothing about this man that gave the impression he was any kind of tragic figure, beset by the cruel misfortunes of life.
There was an expectant pause from Happs in which no one said anything about his story. Finally Krii turned to leave, turning his back to Happs.
“I shall take pleasure in watching you hang.”
(*For the chief Sense Motives I rolled for all of Kyrie, Zeran, and Krii, but since Krii was the one talking I didn't bother including the rest of the rolls in the narrative. If you're curious Kyrie succeeded in noticing the bluff, but Zeran didn't spot the signs, perhaps being distracted. For the last two everyone had the same impression—either they couldn't tell he was lying about his family or they were pretty sure he wasn't, and finally for his little tragic story the DC to beat is 0, so good luck.)
(Just wanted to mention here, it has been my assumption that more or less the whole party has been watching the proceedings, albeit quietly and in the back, letting Zeran and Krii take centre stage with Kyrie hanging nearby as silent intimidating shovel-bearing sentinel. Without further ado it'll be time to hang Happs and decide what to do from here. For the record, if anyone's curious about potential rumours of Happs' family, you could send a letter or message to Restov to inquire.)
Posted on 2013-03-03 at 21:12:39.
Edited on 2013-03-03 at 23:18:00 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Where's a dark room with a single hanging light when you need one?
2 Pharast – Mid Morning
Oleg's Trading Post
South Brevic Border
Flanked by Kyrie dutifully carrying her trusty shovel over one shoulder and Zeran with his hand resting on his holstered (and still unloaded) pistol, each bandit captive was lead dejectedly to where there were to be questioned. Each bandit avoided facing his or her captors, though when mentioned that a decision had been reached to put them to hard labour instead of death their eyes darted around, suspicious.
Not expecting this lenience, the bandits were thrown slightly off-guard and proven willing to answer all questions carefully. Their knowledge proved to be broad, if not comprehensive, and they were able to answer almost all questions if only to a limited degree.
They confirmed their camp was no more than a day's ride, laying along the Thorn river just a few hundred feet distant from a ford which they controlled. They are in fact led by the mad woman with the axes, named Kressle. Happs is her second-in-charge, and occasional lover.
One very interesting tidbit they revealed they mentioned that the camp would send a portion of their ill-gotten gains south once a month, a tribute to some self-styled bandit lord who called himself the Stag Lord. The aura of mystery surrounding the man had some believing he might have been just as much beast as human, and others believing he was no more than a man with an intimidating mask, though none of the bandits questioned could say they had met him. They were pretty sure out of the camp only Kressle had actually met him, and very few had even seen him.
It seemed the bulk of the booze the camp acquired was usually sent south to the Stag Lord, which made some of the bandits unhappy, but they didn't dare to question Kressle.
Happs still wasn't awake by the time the others were finished being interrogated, so the group took some time to lounge until the leader woke up. Miguel played with his newly claimed pony while Krii rode out for a bit.
When Happs did finally wake, after only about an hour despite his great injuries, he did so with a string of pained curses and tried to get up immediately, resulting in another, loud curse which itself proved to cause pain, so he fell back down with another, quieter curse. He muttered another few curses when he saw Zeran and Kyrie in the doorway of the shed, and had to be half-dragged to his feet.
Krii rode in on his black gelding, Vilify, just in time to witness the miserable sight of a grumbling Happs sullenly stumbling to his interrogation. He quickly hitched Vilify up to his feed and followed the other two into the room.
Happs sat with yet another curse and looked down. There were so far no special plans to pardon his behaviour, so he was not briefed with the hard labour speech as the others were. Rather they started him on the questions immediately.
Unlike the rest, however, Happs made no effort to answer the first question, or even acknowledge any one or thing in the room with any sign above a baleful glare, and that much only begrudgingly.
After a few moments he finally did speak, interrupting Zeran in the middle of a repeated question. “I got no reason to talk. I'm dead after this either way, so you'd better sweeten the deal if you want anything I know.” As soon as he said this he noticed Zeran had his silver amulet—he glanced to this conspicuously before returning to sullen silence.
Posted on 2013-03-02 at 22:53:26.
Edited on 2013-03-06 at 09:56:22 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Horse pronoun trouble
Holy wow, has the Handle Animal skill been updated since the last time I looked at it? Those are certainly a lot of pony tricks I had to look up because I'd never seen them before XD
Also, I've been referring to Jargon as a mare this whole time, have I been mistaken? I'll keep assuming she's a chick until convinced otherwise. Beyond that, though, do I also get to assume she's grey? I've been meaning to get some description of the party's two horses.
Anyway, referring to tricks, Jargon already knows 6--she came Combat Trained which means she already possesses:
Attack (1st degree only)
Come
Defend
Down
Guard
Heel
I'm pretty sure it can be assumed that Jabbers can be assumed to have been already taught as many tricks as she can learn (in this case 6 + 1 bonus) before the start of the game, but if you feel it would make more sense for her not to know her bonus trick, you can do that as you please. I think it only takes 3 hours out of each day, so that can be fit in during your travel time, I think >.>
For the rest o' all y'all horses, Vilify and the six liberated from the bandits are all trained for Riding, which entails:
Come
Heel
Stay
Posted on 2013-02-28 at 23:00:25.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Not everything I could be saying, but I wanted to address certain details quickly. On a time limit.
Miguel tied the sleepers up with his rope. By the time they finally woke, at first with a great roar of indignation and then suddenly intimidated silence, they were disarmed and surrounded. They resigned to their fate quickly on seeing their leader’s body already laying in the shed, divested of its armour and weapons. With a good deal impertinence they took off their own armour when commanded, and threw it into a pile on the ground. One by one the bandits, two men and one woman, filed into the storage hut. Oleg closed the door on their sullen faces with a bang and locked them in.
After the division of loot, the party sitting around the table discussed what to do with their new prisoners.
(Frodrick)
Oleg nodded his approval. “There ain’t no weak-stomached city-folk out here that can expect to last long. You already know my mind, but I say if we hang ‘em, we do it right here ourselves. Anybody who’s not prepared to take a man’s life, has no business sentencing them to die in the first place.
“They’re your prisoners, though, you’re the charter folk—this is your land to clear. You do what you decide is right.”
(Krii)
“Nah, they’ll know enough to leave us alone for the time I expect. They’ll find out soon enough why their men never returned this evenin’, and it’ll more likely ward ‘em off from us for a while, especially once the guard gets in.”
Oleg’s brow furrowed in concentration as he stared off into the distance. “They’ve been getting bolder and bolder for some time now, it just remains to be seen if they’ll be bold enough to try again. They’re cowards and bullies all, but I could see their leader cookin’ up something clever. I reckon the only sure way to make sure they don’t try to take revenge would be to wipe out the lot o’ them as soon as you can. Don’t you be worrying about Svet and I, though, we can take care of ourselves in the meantime.
(Zeran)
Oleg rubbed his chin, “I suppose I could find work for a couple extra hands of cheap labour. Good, honest work might do them some good, put their bad habits out o’ them. Once the guard arrives they can watch the prisoners and I won’t have to worry.
(If you missed it on Skype, btw, you were awarded 150 XP each for the encounter, plus an additional 50 XP each for Miguel's highly effective plan and everyone's excellent job actually defeating all the bandits before they took their first turn in initiative order. Seriously, I was expecting 2-3 rounds with the plan working out; that was kind of fantastic.)
Posted on 2013-02-28 at 18:08:17.
Edited on 2013-02-28 at 18:14:53 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Oh hell XD
By the way, I just spotted my old "Marching Order" post for when we went to head into the Mite Warren at the bottom of page 12 of this Q&A.
Reading my descriptions for each role I noticed that our party fits pretty nicely in some of the descriptions.
Lead is obviously Kyrie as the party's main tank
Second has some options, but best is probably Miguel, since he may take a healing spell eventually (could happen) and is currently the highest damage dealer without magic. The fact that he will have to spend a little time starting a Performance is the only reason why he might not be here.
Middle has Krii who is kinda squishy and our arcanist, despite his future plans as a battle mage. Even once he gets to battle-mage status, though, it would probably be best to keep him as the third or fourth so as to have that buffer between him and the attentions of the enemy anyway.
Zeran also goes here, since despite his non-squishiness he's the only character who explicitly desires a minimum range from opponents. Just like all the ranged characters last time, the sooner you have Precise Shot, the less you will hate the meleers in front XD of course your init means you'll probably have time for one shot before things get to hairy, hopefully.
Rear Guard I think best fits Frodrick's description as the highest perception, one of the best visual accuity, and tough enough to bitch at anything that tries to take him by surprise. Besides that, it sounds like his modus operandi will be to shout orders and encouragement from the back rather than lead the charge anyway. Also it keeps him closer to Krii if there happens to be an emergency with the caster. Finally, this way if we happen to need to cross a crumbling stone bridge suspended miles over a pit of lava, the heaviest two (Jargon and Frodrick) go last XD
Posted on 2013-02-28 at 17:14:19.
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: That was probably the most effective ambush plan I've ever seen.
Look at me posting again so soon! Never fear, though, there's more for me to write but I'm giving you a few moments to collect your thoughts (mostly because I can't move that fast anyway, between work and school).
Y'all still need to secure the sleepers before they wake up (in approximately a minute) but from here it should be easy to get them tied up without problems. When Oleg sees you won't be killing the bandits right away he offers his storage hut as a temporary jail, as it has a nice thick lock on it normally. He also offers his suggestion to hang the bodies from the south wall as a warning to other bandits.
After collecting the weapons and other possessions from the bandits (and removing them from Happs' still unconscious body) you have the following additions to the party inventory. As before, if you wish to claim something to add to your personal inventory, notify here and maybe use Skype to quickly check if no one wants to contest.
Loot
-Alchemist's Fire Flask x2*
-Leather Armour x4
-Dagger*
-Longbows x3
-Comp. Longbow (+2Str)
-Silver Stag Skull Amulet*
-Short Sword x3
-Arrows x80
-Rations x8
-65 Gold total
For everything else I'll put it into your shared inventory, and sell off the generic equipment like the arrows and swords. I added asterisks * to Happs' personal items so you can tell which were carried by the boss mook. You'll note he has two flasks this time because he never threw one.
Also while I'm at it I may as well copy the rest of the post from page 4 of this very same Q&A
Oleg's Stock
-Leather Armour
-Heavy Wooden Shield
-Hand Axe x2
-Javelin x5
-Longbow
-Arrows x24
-Scythe
-Spears x2
-Antitoxin x2
-Torches x6
-Rations x14
-Furs worth 120G
-308.5G (1,080 cp, 577 sp, and 240 gp)
Furthermore, Oleg rewards you (later, when the bandits are securely place away and I have time to scribble up reactions) for protecting the post with the following
Rewards
-Potion of Cure Light Wounds x2
-Potion of Shield of Faith +2
-50G
(that +2 is intentional, it's one potion with a plus two mod, note that it's italicized like the rest of the spell's name)
Posted on 2013-02-26 at 23:51:58.
Edited on 2013-02-27 at 23:48:00 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Krii can add his own threatening presence later, but frankly, it was overkill to begin with
Bluff/Intimidate: 18 + 9 = 27
The last man standing never stood a chance. He glanced to the pack horses, nervously flicking their tails but remaining docile for the moment, then back at Zeran's outstretched weapon.
At the same time Zeran was shouting at the last bandit, Miguel was running for the gate. He jogged down from the tower along the wall walkway and leapt off, landing in a roll that brought him to his feet directly in front of the open gates, sword still in hand. Acrobatics: 17 + 6 = 23
Then Frodrick, emerged from the stable, already picking up his lance as assurance that any escape attempt would be hard-fought.
Even if he avoided Zeran's (admittedly non-existant) shot, even if he made it all the way to one of the horses and got it turned about, even if he rode down Miguel without being struck, he would still have to outride the dwarven knight with the lance. Frankly, hanging would be easier.
The bandit dropped to his knees, raising his arms into the air.
Meanwhile Happs' condition was already beginning to stabilize, and with Kyrie's help he would likely live for a while yet, whatever good it did him pending the judgement alotted for him. Heal: 14 + 4 = 18
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 –
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 6 shots remaining
Happs: Unconscious, Stable
Bandits
A: Uninjured – Sleep (2/10)
B: Uninjured – Sleep (2/10)
C: Uninjured – Surrendered
(I couldn't decide whether it was bluff or intimidate, so I went with intimidate, but under the understanding that basically any show of force would pretty much cause him to cave. Seriously, if you had just walked into melee range he would have buckled. As it is you didn't even have to... it didn't take much imagination to see how difficult his escape would have to be.)
(Amusingly, Happs actually stabilized on his own turn, despite all the damage done to him. By the time Kyrie's action rolled around all she had to do was bring him to treated condition)
Posted on 2013-02-26 at 23:33:51.
Edited on 2013-02-26 at 23:43:48 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Let's do this thing once more, boys and girls, this time with feeling!
2 Pharast - Morning
Oleg's Trading Post
South Brevic Border
Oleg's trading post was already live with activity in the predawn twilight of the next morning. The temperature took a turn down a couple degrees overnight and breakfast was served inside the small dining room inside the main house.
The eastern sky had only just begun to reveal a dreary grey morning when the driver of the wagon paid Oleg for his room and board and departed back for Restov and away from the dangerous affairs of the border fort.
After breakfast each member of the Greenbelt charter party went to see to his or her own preparations, drawing weapons and armour out of backpacks and bags and arming for battle.
Krii wore no extra armour than his regular clothing, but had produced a steel sickle from somewhere to defend himself with if the melee came to him. His real arsenal, however, lay behind the strange orange-red eyes of his and in the magic that flowed through his blood as his birthright inherited from his mother's side of the family.
Both Zeran and Miguel donned vests made of leather, filled with steel plates sandwiched into the body of the garment and held in plate with metal studs. Each stood on opposite sides of the yard and limbered their muscles with training excersizes with the unique weapons product of each of their upbrinings. Zeran practiced with an unloaded pistol taking aim at imaginary enemies around the yard whilst Miguel danced with his duelling sword among a crowd of the same.
Kyrie still carried her shovel as her weapon, though now she dressed herself in a cuirass of fire-treated wooden plates sewn into a leather body. She stretched out her body and then sat down to concentrate her mind, to focus on her reasons for fighting, and get in touch with the source of her powers.
Meanwhile in the stables Frodrick finished saddling Jargon. With a creak and protest of old limbs he swung himself into the saddle. His gleaming armour was naught but old, worn hide and a barrier of scarred wood, his face was well weathered and his beard showed easily as much grey as its former amber red. His valiant steed was no more than a stocky but dependable mare but nevertheless, arrayed such atop her in the confines of the stable the old dwarf cut an imposing figure no less. Svetlana didn't mind saying so when she came in to feed Claptrap, the jittery Leveton horse.
Miguel climbed to the southwest catapult tower to keep watch while the remainder took their places. Svetlana disappeared inside the house at Oleg's request, to hide in the bedroom, while he himself took up position to act as bait.
The party didn't have to wait long before Miguel signalled that he had seen the bandits approaching from the south—six horses and all, mounted by four riders. He waited until the last minute he could before pointing at Krii standing in the yard and whispering his messaging spell. After that he lay himself down on his stomach, hidden by the very lip of the wooden walk.
At long last, the sound of hoof beats sounded over the palisade and came to a stop outside the gate. “Open up, or we’ll throw some fire in there to hurry your asses up!” There was a brief chorus of laughter at the crude jape.
Oleg stepped out of the main building. He glanced one last time at the yard as if one more look would reveal some flaw in the plan that had not been thought of yet. With a quiet breath he pulled the gate open.
“Well it’s about time.” The hooded man stepped into the fort, leading a group of three thugs. “Where’s that darling wife of yours, Oleg?” the man asked with a lazy grin, “I was fancying myself a quick tumble while my friends here were loading up the month’s taxes.” They brought the two pack horses into the yard with them, but left their own riding horses at the gate.
Oleg’s scowled but said nothing back. The man took his silence in stride and laughed at his own joke. He strode out into the middle of the yard while the lower ranking bandits took to the furs laid out on the table.
Miguel watched the bandits for a couple seconds, then determined the best chance to strike. He could only hope he wasn't sending Kyrie into a trap when she burst out of the stables, and that his spell would take at least half of them.
“Get ready.” he told Krii through his connection, the spell manifesting as a tiny voice whispering just behind the sorcerer's ear. The next words he heard were those of the duellist's spell.
Miguel aimed well, catching all three of the thugs in the burst of his enchantment. An almost invisible pulse radiated from the centre of the spell to its full 10' radius. Those caught in the radius suddenly felt an overwhelming need to pass out and collapse into a pile. Two of the three affected did, spilling their load of furs and goods to the ground.
The remaining two bandits, one thug and the cloaked man, both jumped out of their skins like kids caught with their hands in the candy jar.
The doors to the stables flew open and Zeran raised his pistol. The cloaked man whirled around and frantically grabbed for his bow, but his wits were still scattered a half a dozen places about the yard in utter shock and confusion.
With a unique burst of sound Zeran's arcane weapon fired. The small ball propelled by the explosion of powder buried itself deep into the cloaked man's chest, creating a hole that was quickly beginning to bleed red (-8hp Happs, bloodied).
Even further bewildered, the man had no time to recover from the surprise of Zeran's strange weaponry. When the young farm girl charged him he was still off balance. There was no way to escape her attack.
His last thought before the obliviating embrace of unconsciousness; “Is that a shovel?” (-9hp Happs, unconscious)
Only one bandit remained standing. He stared aghast at the occupants of the stable, his mouth hanging open in shock. Any second now he would probably panic and flee as long and far as he could.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 –
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran – 6 shots remaining
Happs: Unconscious, Bleeding
Bandits
A: Uninjured – Sleep (1/10)
B: Uninjured – Sleep (1/10)
C: Uninjured – WTF? (??/??) (unarmed and flat-footed)
If you've forgotten what Oleg's looks like: Partake. Zeran stands alone in the doorway, with Frodrick on his horse directly behind him. A little to the left of them Krii stands next to Jargon's neck. Happs is 10-15 feet from the door, and Kyrie stands next to his body. The remaining standing bandit is right by the table on the side of the main house.
(That last bandit is definitely going to rabbit any second now. You have precisely initiative seconds to try to apprehend or catch him before he does. Also if you've forgotten how I'm planning to do health, 'bloodied', is when the target is starting to get worn down and unable to protect his or herself from attacks that would normally only be superficial. It's cinematic.)
Posted on 2013-02-26 at 06:02:44.
Edited on 2013-03-06 at 09:56:39 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: I am an endless BARREL of Exposition!
“I didn't get a letter to my knowledge.” Miguel hopped from the roof of the roof of the guest house to land a few paces behind Oleg. “What is it exactly we should be knowing?”
“Sounds like the courier dropped a few pages again.”
“No, that's not quite what I—,” Oleg rubbed his face with one thick hand, deflated from the rancour of a moment ago. He turned to his wife. “Svet, would you...?”
At once Svetlana hopped to the main house. “The top drawer?” Oleg nodded. In just a moment Svetlana returned with a letter in her hand, stamped with the official seal of the Swordlords of Restov. She handed the letter to her husband.
“This came to us a couple days ago in response to our requests for reinforcements at the post.” He gave it to the party to read. “It says that our requests for reinforcements are just about approved, but it will be a few days before a patrol can be sent. It would be too late for this month's stock, but at least we'd have a way to fight back the next time they came. That's not the end of it, though.
“The next part is about you. It says that they've given a charter to a group of adventurers to explore the Greenbelt, and that you could be able to help defending the post against the bandits. It says that part of your duties in exploration involve clearing out outlaws living in the area, and that it would be in your best interest to protect the post while matters concerning reinforcements are finalized.”
Oleg gave the party a moment to look over the letter. “I don't know what sort of game they're playin', sending you lot out here without first telling you what you're getting into. This is exactly why I moved out here in the first place, to get away from all that politician 'n' bureaucratic nonsense.”
(Figured I'd drop this off for ye while I work on the battle proper. As mentioned on Skype Oleg tells Krii as much as he can remember about the bandits, which isn't especially much other than what's already mentioned)
Posted on 2013-02-26 at 03:39:21.
Edited on 2013-02-26 at 04:03:12 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Good wishes for Eol
Subject: Woooooooot
Eeeeoollalallalalaaa!!! *tribe of dwarven pigmies bursts from the bushes and begins enthusiastically spearing everything in sight*
Eh, whoops. I've been training them to deliver a welcome-back message for you but things haven't gone exactly... well at least they've managed to learn your name. That they've taken to with gusto. I'm still working on getting the rest of the syllables... and the choreography... and the endemic stabbing.
Well, it's a work in progress, but welcome back no less!
Posted on 2013-02-25 at 23:35:05.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: We (mostly) all know how this song-and-dance goes, so let's get it gone mayhap.
The driver happily let Frodrick and Krii to take care of their own horses and began unloading the supplies he had brought to the fort. Vilify and Jargon received their due care for the journey while the others spread out into the post.
By the time Svetlana returned with a bowl of diced turnips for the pot, most of the group had congregated around the tables. Krii sat with a game of cards laid out for himself a few spaces across from where Zeran maintained his prized weapon. She poured the bowl into the pot while Kyrie looked on.
(Svetlana and Kyrie)
Kyrie gave a smile to Svetlana, "Thank you for the hospitality."
"It's the least I could do for you all helping us out with our troubles." Svetlana return with a warm smile herself.
"Is it okay if I watch? I've been meaning to learn."
"Oh, hun, it's hardly no thing at all. You just gotta know what good food tastes like, my gran said. Of course Oleg will tell you I make the best cookin' for the next thirty or forty miles--also the only cookin', for that matter."
(...)
The party had more or less taken Svetlana's cryptic parting comment from earlier in stride, but there was only one detail left to work out--who was coming tomorrow? Frodrick took it upon himself to inquire.
"If there be hooligans botherin' ye and yer husband, say the word mam, and I be giving them the thoughts on me mind--delivered by me ol' friend here."
Svetlana returned the comment with a blank stare, her ladle hand frozen. It didn't change when Krii added his own concerns about the forthcoming trouble.
"You don't--" Svetlana pushed her hair up with one hand and blew out her cheeks. "You don't know." It was a conclusion by now, not a question. The ladle in her hand dripped carelessly onto the dirt. She met the expectant looks of each of the four adventurers and saw the same uninformed expression on each of them.
Not knowing how else to begin, Svetlana called for reinforcements. "They don't even know!" she hollered to Oleg.
"What?!"
(Oleg and Miguel)
Oleg had been very studiously pretending he hadn't seen the free-spirited cheerful Miguel come up the ladder and wander the post's walls, making his body language very closed and uninviting, so he was entirely at a loss for a moment when the man had the audacity to interrupt him.
"Hey big guy, need any help over there?"
Oleg pause his hammering for a second to glance at Miguel out of the corner of his eye. He grunted noncommittally, then added, "That's the question of the day, isn't it then?" He seemed to consider going back to his work, but perhaps thought it best not to intentionally offend the people he'd have to be working with for the next few months. Besides that, if one looked closely at his stack of shingles, there was only one left anyway.
/potential short conversation here as Oleg pounds the last shingle in/
(...)
"They don't even know!" Svetlana shouted from the ground.
"What?!" Oleg looked at Miguel, bewildered, his mouth agape. He grit his teeth and took the ladder directly down from the guest house.
He was sweaty, cross, and hardly friendly looking. "They sent a letter, the bastards! They told us you would be able to help!"
::We can assume that a question an answer period goes down and you learn the same details as last time. If you forget what those were you can always go back to the third page of the original game (it starts with "Pussy-footing arse-lickers") but if you want the abridged version you can have it here. Insert roleplay reactions and responses as you see fit during communication of this info::
- The bandits first visited 3 months ago, threatening to burn down the post and abduct Svetlana unless they gave them all the furs and trade goods over the last month.
- The bandits have returned twice since, always an hour after sunrise on the second (tomorrow) of each month--the Levetons have learned to have the 'taxes' ready to hand over, as the bandits seem eager to return to their camp in the Greenbelt. Svetlana thinks their camp's probably about a day's ride.
- The first time the bandits visited there were a dozen; ten thugs lead by a woman carrying two small hatchets and a cloaked man with a bow. The hatchet woman had a black sense of humour and did most of the talking--she was sharp and observant compared to the man's foolish crudeness. That and the way she smiled when she spoke of the cruelties that she could inflict on the Levetons made them believe she was by far the most dangerous of the lot. She nearly chopped off Oleg's hand in a jest and took Svetlana's wedding ring as payment for not disfiguring her husband.
- On each visit since the first the number of bandits has decreased, evidently letting their guard down with the belief that the owners of the trading centre have been completely cowed. The second visit halved the number of men, led only by the cloaked man, and the third was down to four thugs and their leader.
- You have the remainder of the day and all night to prepare. The Levetons favour a plan to ambush the bandits when they're distracted with loading the furs, with the party hiding in either the guest house or the stables. Oh, and for additional note, the surrounding landscape is mainly flat grassland for several miles, so hiding outside the post would mean getting somewhere behind the fort itself probably.
(Alright, now begin your plotting! Whether it be out of character in the Q&A (probably the best place to discuss this--y'all should have a peek down there to get discussions away) or perhaps in a separately organised Skype convo. I can provide Svetlana's and Oleg's further reactions as necessary.)
(In other news, it sounds like you've agreed to make the poor driver the brunt of your responses, but of course that's really my fault, so I'll roll with it. Poor sentence structure results in more cases of discontinuity than probably any other source.)
Posted on 2013-02-23 at 01:08:12.
Edited on 2015-08-21 at 00:48:43 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: You lie, you totally can.
I forgot to mention completely, but the group has also been furnished with a rudimentary map of the Greenbelt. You notice it is dated almost a decade old, and it features only sparse landmarks. You will still have to fill in the details of the map for yourselves. The first page of the Q&A, naturally, has exactly this.
Posted on 2013-02-21 at 09:13:25.
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Four humans and a dwarf walk into a border fort trading post
Yes, the other four (to date) are all humans. Two are Taldans from Rostland (once long ago a colony of Taldor), one a Varisian from Ustalav (where Varisians are common especially among the noble), and one Chelaxian from the River Kingdoms. Basically a bunch of white guys and girls, and a maybe-albino.
Posted on 2013-02-21 at 07:30:11.
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