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10 months ago ::
Aug 24, 2012 - 7:24PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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NIGHT'S DARK TERROR
- Part One -
It is mid-morning when you reach the southern edge of the river village of Kelven. The air is warm with a late spring breeze blowing lightly from the west. The cloudless sky is bright blue overhead, and the Easting River flows slow and clear nearby. An occasional cargo barge or fishing boat drifts by.
The rumors you've heard concern a man looking for "experienced guards" to oversee the safety of a transport vessel up the Easting River. Supposedly, brigands have been attacking cargo and other boats with the intent of stealing the goods. Very few of those who have been attacked have survived the ordeal. According to the rumors, this man is willing to pay quite handsomely for the safe arrival of whatever is on this vessel.
The first several homes you see are the simple houses of fishermen and farmers, both of which can be seen milling about their modest gardens and homes. If motioned or spoken to, these people, all human, will reply in friendly tones and with quaint smiles. Sticking up above some of the roofs toward the west of the village you can see the peak of a church, though you cannot tell which deity it is devoted to from here.
At the first intersecting dirt road you see a small directional sign that informs you that both a tavern and boarding house are nearby. You have no doubt that either of these places will be able to answer your questions and point you in the direction you need to go.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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10 months ago ::
Aug 25, 2012 - 9:20PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2009
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Isan smiles at the sight of the common folk going about their business. It reminds him of home, back in Cormyr. Everywhere the cleric turns, he sees neighbor hailing neighbor, smiles all around. This is a peaceful place, to be sure; the priest of Tempus wonders, for a brief moment, if these folk have ever known true hardship - the pains of war or intrigue. Scowling away this dark thought, he chastises himself for involuntarily thinking of such unpleasantness, and puts a smile on his face for all the locals to see. These are the people he would protect in the Foehammer's name. Should hardship ever darken their doorsteps, it might be up to Isan to intervene.
Still, as he passes street after street and comes to a stop before an intersecting road, he recalls the dangers lurking on the trail that led him here. As a warrior anointed in service to Tempus, Isan knew that trouble lurked in shadows both deep and shallow. He had prepared himself accordingly, but even his preparations had not counted on such frequent hassles rising up in his path. To have been beset by thugs in the wilds; civilization's ring had dwindled in these parts, if such lawless figures could set up an ambush like that. Of course, the whole business was unsettling in and of itself; something was not right, and Isan meant to get to the bottom of things when the time was right.
For now, however, he glanced at the marks indicating the tavern and boarding house. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he turns to the others, seeking their input.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a drink after the road. This 'River's Bounty Tavern' sounds like it will do just the trick."
My Sig
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Reality is but the sum total of all illusions.
Proud Hand of Karsus, now and forever
Mess with one Hand, mess with 'em all
I am Blue/Green
Take The Magic Dual Colour Test - Beta today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.
"just do what LM the lord of magical might does, and you'll be fine" - sfdragon, 10/12/09
My Ravnican Loyalties
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Board Snippets
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"I don't like X, they should remove it."
"I like X, they should keep it."
"They should replace X with Y."
"Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better."
"Why don't they include both X and Y."
"Yeah, everybody can be happy then!"
"But I don't like X, they should remove it."
"X really needs to be replaced with Y."
"But they can include both X and Y."
"But I don't like X, they need to remove it."
"Remove X, I don't like it."
Repeat.
Obstinance?
Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
You haven't lived.
Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War
Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to 
Go!
D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.
Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.
Adding options at the system level is good.
Adding options at the table level is hard.
Removing options at the system level is bad.
Removing options at the table level is easy.
This is not complicated.
Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.
Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.
Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.
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10 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 8:19AM
#3
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Date Joined:
Jan 28, 2012
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" Small town, quiet place," Perren says aloud, not really to anyone. Of course, there is more going on here. There's a seedy element here, I can smell it he thinks to himself. Still, the town doesn't look like the sort the Dead Rats would be concerned with. Maybe a contact or two, but he has his doubts that the brigands are anyone he should be concerned about. " Might poke around a bit, see if I can't find some information in the town. With less," looking at the Tempus clerics he has inexplicably fallen in with, " scary-looking individuals." Actions
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If possible, I'd like to use my background's Thief Signs to try and look for contacts. Brigands are probably moving the merchandise they are stealing, and somebody in the town would probably notice.
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10 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 8:57AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Mar 21, 2011
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As Trenon follows the group, his eyes scan the town for any possibility of finding more of the magical knowledge that drives him to explore the world. He glances at Isan and says, "As long as that tavern has some hot food, that sounds like a great idea. I'll probably also need to find a place to restock some of my spell components while we're here."
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10 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 9:24AM
#5
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"Tavern's a good a place as any to get some food and rest our feet. Besides we can probably gather some insight or information about this quiet little town." says Syga. "I bet even a place like this has it's criminals that need to be brought to justice." she continues.
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10 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 10:27AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Mar 22, 2011
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Illlustrianna keeps the cowl of her cloak pulled over her head. She hates sunlight. Having fell in with this party somewhere along the road a few miles back, she has so far kept her witchly gifts a secret, as the general poulace--and clerics--frown upon it. She smiles back at the people they pass, and accept their quizzical looks when they see her cowl pulled low.
When peren speaks up, she answers. "I can go with you, also. I've got a... proficiency in this sort of thing, as well."
"It's dangerous to go alone, Jerk-wads!" (Borderlands 2) “All right, I've been thinking. When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man whose gonna burn your house down - with the lemons!” (Portal 2) Spoiler:
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10 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 3:20PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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To EDTA: Perren's Actions
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Using your skills, you look for signs of thief activities to include thieve's guids, the marks left by fences, and so on as you go. So far, you have not spotted anything that would seem out of the ordinary.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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9 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 5:59PM
#8
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Ivan follows along silently with an accidental scowl on his face. Isan has yet to lead him astray since they started traveling together after meeting at that way-side shrine to Tempus a ways back... Adventure couldn't be far.
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9 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 6:52PM
#9
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"Yes! To the tavern, and we can talk to others there to find the person who seeks such brave companions." he smiles and adds "Plus, I'd love to get off my feet for a while. Why don't you more adventerous sorts meet us there when your business is concluded, we can compare notes."
Being the kind of person who likes to lead, he heads off towards the tavern, expecting the others to follow.
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9 months ago ::
Aug 26, 2012 - 8:49PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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The River's Bounty Tavern is, from the outside, a very well-kept establishment. A brightly colored sign hangs above the thick oak door, finely carved and embellished. Music can be heard drifting out from within the building.
Opening the door, one first sees several tables of decent size. To the right is a large performing stage with three musicians currently playing a fast-paced tune. A young man plays a lute with what looks like professional ease, a large smile on his clean-shaven face. Next to him is an older man with long white hair playing a large drum. Between and in front of them is a lovely young woman playing finger-cymbals and dancing about the stage, her long, flowing dress whipping back and forth in time with the music.
To the left of the entrance is the main bar. A thin, elderly human is behind it, working busily filling mugs and wiping the bar as he goes. Bar-girls hustle about the tavern delivering drinks to the dozens of patrons. Everyone seems to be having a good time. Against the back wall (directly across the room from the entrance) hangs the mounted head of a large wolf...except the proportions of the wolf's head seem a bit odd. Perhaps it's just due to its large size, but something seems off. It's possible that it might not even be real.
The thin man behind the bar yells out, "Welcome! Come ye in and have a seat!"
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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