Re: Way Off-Topic: Question for RPGamers
Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2023 4:15 am
I was looking for the thread to bump it. Recap from our most recent work session:
Walking through the toweringly tall tunnel into Palisades, the main group advanced in anticipation of what lay ahead in the city when Ellery and Brennen were returned at the gate by the mysterious figure in the plague doctor mask. Their appearance did not seem to surprise or affect the dwarf guarding the city, who addressed the doctor as Skjótr, commented it was nice to see him again, and it was nice of him to stop by. The doctor returned the pleasantries, but noted he believed while his own business was not complete that the party needed their companions more. “By gate or by stairs”, he almost intoned to the dwarf before disappearing again into a swirl of smoky fog. Brennen and Ellery passed through the gate to rejoin the rest of the party, seeing a significant scene from their lives etch into the stones of the gate as they did so.
Reunited, the party entered Palisades as the city was shifting from the business of daytime to that of evening, but in a manner none of you had seen before. Junior wizards in training practiced their cantrips lighting the street lamps in the city, while levitation and floating disc spells could be seen lifting the goods and people up into higher levels of the intricately formed building that packed the street. Constructs of mechanical wonder could be seen moving wagons and carrying rickshaws through the streets, while fountains poured out pure water into colorfully tiled illuminated basins without any apparent piping or clear source of light. In these and many more ways Palisades was clearly a city where magic was intricately part of its infrastructure and aesthetics.
The party was greeted by a satyr male who introduced himself as Petry, and offered to take you where you needed to go in the city. You informed him you needed to speak with the council you had been told was the leadership here who you believed might be able to help you. He took you to Daegr Hall where you discovered the ruling council not only expected you but had remained to meet you, having been given word you had been involved in something that would be of interest to them from their old associate Thelrom Metalbreaker, the retired Adapt of the Rune Arts. You recalled Thelrom was the male member of the dwarf couple you met back in Duskwich in the Broken Keg and who had promised to assist you in getting an audience with the council in Palisades. Seated behind a dais that formed a quarter circle along the opposing wall from which you entered, the Daegr of Palisades introduced themselves to you:
▶ Banduri, female human Headmaster of The Academy of Arcane Arts, and apparent leader of the Daegr.
▶ Ambrosia Ilk, female Arch-archivist of the Consortium Obscura. Oversees the collection, study, and containment of artifacts of chaos or potential destruction.
▶ Tuaki Tu, male Minotauri captain of the Vigilant, the armed watch of Palisades.
▶ Forvitini, the Most Esteemed, male tabaxi regulator of trade
▶ Gaelsorin, male summer eladrin, ambassador of the Seele court and the fair Feywild.
▶ Rain, small celestial unicat which is a unicorn-like cat, ambassador of Elysium and the celestial planes.
▶ Shiloh, red tiefling female, ambassador of the nine hells.
The party explained recent events you had been involved in, including discovering and rescuing Tweed on your way to the city, who members of the Daegr appeared to know well. You delivered them the damaged wand of polymorph he had apparently acquired and been misusing, and Rain the unicat was happy to also receive Tweed in his new turtle form as a play…mate? -thing? Do cats, including celestial uni-ones, even know the difference?
Arctica produced the Mallus Deus from her magical haversack, which had an immediate effect on the council as Banduri leaped to her feet on seeing it and cast a spell encasing it in a protective bubble that then hoovered up over the floor between the Daegr and the party. You heard multiple members murmur it was a “single digit”, identified as CO 004. Ambrosia explained that chaotic items are assigned a number by the Consortium Obscura whose work involved the identification, study, and, when possible, containment of dangerous magical artifacts of chaotic potential. Single digits are all known to have world-ending effects that are easily unleashed by the gullible and unwary, and the lower the number the more dangerous the artifact was considered. Ambrosia informs you that the only known objects of greater chaos-unleashing potential than the one you had brought into Daegr Hall are Asmodeus’ Ruby Rod (CO 000), the Wand of Orcus (CO 001), the Book of Vile Darkness (CO 002), and the Sphere of Annihilation (CO 003). Your possessing CO 004 concerned the Daegr, given it was known to belong to the demon lord Graz’zt who would not have let it manifest on the material plane without some nefarious scheme tied to it. You explained how you had come to acquire it, understanding Graz’zt had given it under contract to a Lamia who had been killed, whose jackalwere followers had been seeking to earn enough money to resurrect her by making magical copies of the book and selling the copies. You had discovered that the original had been recognized and stolen by Richard Fox who, having opened it while at the Jensen’s farmhouse, had unleased a small part of its power in Duskwich. You had been told by Ciara, the mayor there and former cleric of Melora the Wild Mother, that in her past travels as an adventurer the researchers in Palisades had been instrumental in helping her own party find information they needed. So you had come here seeking help in determining what to do with the Mallus Deus.
The Daegr needed time to determine how best to handle this unexpected revelation, while also conveying that they needed to know you were not part of the plotting of Graz’zt. Ambrosia then informed you they had a task that, if you helped with it, would assist the Daegr in both resolving a matter the Consortium considered important to address while going a long ways in proving your own trustworthiness. Null asked that the goliath guard that had been escorting you since you arrived at the hall also accompany you, somewhat to Keno’s chagrin. But with Tuaki Tu’s agreement to the request, Keno found himself joined to the party. The task involved the recovery of another, much less dangerous chaotic artifact recently acquired by the local Grinning Sinners guild house. Artifact CO 5337 is a portrait of the supposed most beautiful male who ever lived named Boselli. The portrait’s magical abilities were not well known as it had only recently been brought to the awareness of the Consortium Obscura, but they did know it is sentient and has the ability to magically defend itself. It is believed to be used specifically for spying as it is able to listen in undiscovered on conversations and then share what it heard with those who control it. The local guild mistress of the Grinning Sinners was named Rijal, and she was known to be well connected with the merchants and travelers who came and went within the city. The Consortium knew she had acquired the portrait through a carefully orchestrated theft that had involved getting the artifact out of the Archive itself, and had intended to fence it to a buyer but then missed the delivery date. The Consortium had a person on the inside of the Sinners local guild house whom they had brought to the Archives and had been questioning him. Ambrosia led the party to him to allow you to ask him what questions you thought relevant to your attempt to recover the portrait. An obese, greedy man named Grinky sat alone eating at the center of a long dining table, greasy handed from eating roasted fowls and other meats with little regard for cleanliness. He provided you with a hand-drawn, now grease-stained map of the Grinning Sinner’s guild house. He answered what questions you asked as best he could, with a sense of self-importance disproportionate to his actual utility.
Ambrosia then left you to the archivists to assist you as you saw fit in your planning. After some deliberation and planning, you decided to visit a tavern, the Tipsy Tankard, known to be frequented by members of the Grinning Sinners, especially one of Rijal’s trusted named Elix, also known as The Saint. Keno knew of Elix, and also that he was known to enjoy gambling a bit too much. The party made your way to the Tipsy Tankard and found Elix along with six other members of the Sinners enjoying themselves there. Null made his way to the table where Elix was playing cards and winning, playing himself off as someone who had recently came into some money and looking for a game while not being particularly good at it. Elix booted another player to make room for Null and began the business of stealing his money legally using cards, not catching on that Null intended to get him to lower his guard through letting him win.
Ellery made friends with the other Sinners, playing for them before joining them in drink at their table. The remainder of the party mixed in amongst the guests in an attempt to appear unaffiliated. Keno in particular made sure that he came in separately from the rest of the group so as to appear he had just dropped in for drinks after his guard duty shift had ended at the Daegr Hall. Good times were had as the party played, drank, enchanted and poisoned your way into the Sinner’s trust, leaving them pass out except for Elix who, under the influence of multiple substances and a bad DM roll, found himself welcoming Null’s advances and offering to share his room at the Grinning Sinner’s guild house that night…
Walking through the toweringly tall tunnel into Palisades, the main group advanced in anticipation of what lay ahead in the city when Ellery and Brennen were returned at the gate by the mysterious figure in the plague doctor mask. Their appearance did not seem to surprise or affect the dwarf guarding the city, who addressed the doctor as Skjótr, commented it was nice to see him again, and it was nice of him to stop by. The doctor returned the pleasantries, but noted he believed while his own business was not complete that the party needed their companions more. “By gate or by stairs”, he almost intoned to the dwarf before disappearing again into a swirl of smoky fog. Brennen and Ellery passed through the gate to rejoin the rest of the party, seeing a significant scene from their lives etch into the stones of the gate as they did so.
Reunited, the party entered Palisades as the city was shifting from the business of daytime to that of evening, but in a manner none of you had seen before. Junior wizards in training practiced their cantrips lighting the street lamps in the city, while levitation and floating disc spells could be seen lifting the goods and people up into higher levels of the intricately formed building that packed the street. Constructs of mechanical wonder could be seen moving wagons and carrying rickshaws through the streets, while fountains poured out pure water into colorfully tiled illuminated basins without any apparent piping or clear source of light. In these and many more ways Palisades was clearly a city where magic was intricately part of its infrastructure and aesthetics.
The party was greeted by a satyr male who introduced himself as Petry, and offered to take you where you needed to go in the city. You informed him you needed to speak with the council you had been told was the leadership here who you believed might be able to help you. He took you to Daegr Hall where you discovered the ruling council not only expected you but had remained to meet you, having been given word you had been involved in something that would be of interest to them from their old associate Thelrom Metalbreaker, the retired Adapt of the Rune Arts. You recalled Thelrom was the male member of the dwarf couple you met back in Duskwich in the Broken Keg and who had promised to assist you in getting an audience with the council in Palisades. Seated behind a dais that formed a quarter circle along the opposing wall from which you entered, the Daegr of Palisades introduced themselves to you:
▶ Banduri, female human Headmaster of The Academy of Arcane Arts, and apparent leader of the Daegr.
▶ Ambrosia Ilk, female Arch-archivist of the Consortium Obscura. Oversees the collection, study, and containment of artifacts of chaos or potential destruction.
▶ Tuaki Tu, male Minotauri captain of the Vigilant, the armed watch of Palisades.
▶ Forvitini, the Most Esteemed, male tabaxi regulator of trade
▶ Gaelsorin, male summer eladrin, ambassador of the Seele court and the fair Feywild.
▶ Rain, small celestial unicat which is a unicorn-like cat, ambassador of Elysium and the celestial planes.
▶ Shiloh, red tiefling female, ambassador of the nine hells.
The party explained recent events you had been involved in, including discovering and rescuing Tweed on your way to the city, who members of the Daegr appeared to know well. You delivered them the damaged wand of polymorph he had apparently acquired and been misusing, and Rain the unicat was happy to also receive Tweed in his new turtle form as a play…mate? -thing? Do cats, including celestial uni-ones, even know the difference?
Arctica produced the Mallus Deus from her magical haversack, which had an immediate effect on the council as Banduri leaped to her feet on seeing it and cast a spell encasing it in a protective bubble that then hoovered up over the floor between the Daegr and the party. You heard multiple members murmur it was a “single digit”, identified as CO 004. Ambrosia explained that chaotic items are assigned a number by the Consortium Obscura whose work involved the identification, study, and, when possible, containment of dangerous magical artifacts of chaotic potential. Single digits are all known to have world-ending effects that are easily unleashed by the gullible and unwary, and the lower the number the more dangerous the artifact was considered. Ambrosia informs you that the only known objects of greater chaos-unleashing potential than the one you had brought into Daegr Hall are Asmodeus’ Ruby Rod (CO 000), the Wand of Orcus (CO 001), the Book of Vile Darkness (CO 002), and the Sphere of Annihilation (CO 003). Your possessing CO 004 concerned the Daegr, given it was known to belong to the demon lord Graz’zt who would not have let it manifest on the material plane without some nefarious scheme tied to it. You explained how you had come to acquire it, understanding Graz’zt had given it under contract to a Lamia who had been killed, whose jackalwere followers had been seeking to earn enough money to resurrect her by making magical copies of the book and selling the copies. You had discovered that the original had been recognized and stolen by Richard Fox who, having opened it while at the Jensen’s farmhouse, had unleased a small part of its power in Duskwich. You had been told by Ciara, the mayor there and former cleric of Melora the Wild Mother, that in her past travels as an adventurer the researchers in Palisades had been instrumental in helping her own party find information they needed. So you had come here seeking help in determining what to do with the Mallus Deus.
The Daegr needed time to determine how best to handle this unexpected revelation, while also conveying that they needed to know you were not part of the plotting of Graz’zt. Ambrosia then informed you they had a task that, if you helped with it, would assist the Daegr in both resolving a matter the Consortium considered important to address while going a long ways in proving your own trustworthiness. Null asked that the goliath guard that had been escorting you since you arrived at the hall also accompany you, somewhat to Keno’s chagrin. But with Tuaki Tu’s agreement to the request, Keno found himself joined to the party. The task involved the recovery of another, much less dangerous chaotic artifact recently acquired by the local Grinning Sinners guild house. Artifact CO 5337 is a portrait of the supposed most beautiful male who ever lived named Boselli. The portrait’s magical abilities were not well known as it had only recently been brought to the awareness of the Consortium Obscura, but they did know it is sentient and has the ability to magically defend itself. It is believed to be used specifically for spying as it is able to listen in undiscovered on conversations and then share what it heard with those who control it. The local guild mistress of the Grinning Sinners was named Rijal, and she was known to be well connected with the merchants and travelers who came and went within the city. The Consortium knew she had acquired the portrait through a carefully orchestrated theft that had involved getting the artifact out of the Archive itself, and had intended to fence it to a buyer but then missed the delivery date. The Consortium had a person on the inside of the Sinners local guild house whom they had brought to the Archives and had been questioning him. Ambrosia led the party to him to allow you to ask him what questions you thought relevant to your attempt to recover the portrait. An obese, greedy man named Grinky sat alone eating at the center of a long dining table, greasy handed from eating roasted fowls and other meats with little regard for cleanliness. He provided you with a hand-drawn, now grease-stained map of the Grinning Sinner’s guild house. He answered what questions you asked as best he could, with a sense of self-importance disproportionate to his actual utility.
Ambrosia then left you to the archivists to assist you as you saw fit in your planning. After some deliberation and planning, you decided to visit a tavern, the Tipsy Tankard, known to be frequented by members of the Grinning Sinners, especially one of Rijal’s trusted named Elix, also known as The Saint. Keno knew of Elix, and also that he was known to enjoy gambling a bit too much. The party made your way to the Tipsy Tankard and found Elix along with six other members of the Sinners enjoying themselves there. Null made his way to the table where Elix was playing cards and winning, playing himself off as someone who had recently came into some money and looking for a game while not being particularly good at it. Elix booted another player to make room for Null and began the business of stealing his money legally using cards, not catching on that Null intended to get him to lower his guard through letting him win.
Ellery made friends with the other Sinners, playing for them before joining them in drink at their table. The remainder of the party mixed in amongst the guests in an attempt to appear unaffiliated. Keno in particular made sure that he came in separately from the rest of the group so as to appear he had just dropped in for drinks after his guard duty shift had ended at the Daegr Hall. Good times were had as the party played, drank, enchanted and poisoned your way into the Sinner’s trust, leaving them pass out except for Elix who, under the influence of multiple substances and a bad DM roll, found himself welcoming Null’s advances and offering to share his room at the Grinning Sinner’s guild house that night…