[Umzamo] Adanar By Cometlight (A Campaign Journal)

[MountainKing]

Flabort, I've been around the block on this lil ol' internet... and I gotta say, you frighten me. That's not even like, a hobby anymore... that's a bloody superpower.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

[Feichi]

Hey, I'm glad you guys liked my aside! I'll keep doing more of them then. :D

Also, as a preview, just... expect a man-sized bird to be smacking people around with the broad-side of his face in the next chapter... and some rather amusing internal dialogue between he and his brainmate.

[flabort]

Flabort, I've been around the block on this lil ol' internet... and I gotta say, you frighten me. That's not even like, a hobby anymore... that's a bloody superpower.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[RdMarquis]

And does this mean I can start taking bets on crack pairings again?

[Feichi]

I put a doughnut on me, myself, and I.

[Fayd]

I put a doughnut on me, myself, and I.

...You're multiple beings already...

[Feichi]

I know. Also, I think therefore shipping myself qualifies me for the rare and amazing term, homomesterbationcest.

[RdMarquis]

I know. Also, I think therefore shipping myself qualifies me for the rare and amazing term, homomesterbationcest.

You might also want to throw in a reference to narcissism, too. Anyway, I give you 3:1 odds on that pairing becoming canon.

[Bharg]

Getting stabbed with a knife would kinda annoy me, Fayd.

[Fayd]

Getting stabbed with a knife would kinda annoy me, Fayd.

Eh, I'll get over it. It came in handy too!

[flabort]

I'd say we'd need the third chapter up before taking bets on crack pairings. So we know a little more about the characters...
besides that bloodhawk thinks humans have no specific mating period, and that guy can change genders.

[Bharg]

You should like fight for your rights and not just throw them away.

[Fayd]

You should like fight for your rights and not just throw them away.

2 points of HP damage is worth not getting lynched. Plus, Guy is painfully optimistic. And the bloodied cloth made things work better... too well, as you'll learn in two chapters (probably, and by probably I'm still wondering about the causality of the situation)

[Cade Rentyr]

Well, we've just completed Session Four on Friday, and things are gearing up to get crazy in a hurry here. If you're wondering how exactly things got complicated... well, Fayd should be uploading Chapter 3 practically as I type this, so I'll let you see for yourself.

[Fayd]

Chapter 3: Setting up Shop. Or: So a Medium-Size Bird and a Cave Gnoll Walk into a Bar…

Spoiler

Show

We approach the gates of Talmar and begin to execute our respective plans. Talmar is a walled port city and is currently experiencing a massive influx of people due to the recent apocalypse. A massive refugee camp has formed outside of the town, and the people are being used to help clear out the Mangrove forest that takes up this entire coastline. Some of them… don’t come back. Other times, groups of men from the town (one guy and some bodyguards, typically) come and talk to a strapping young man or attractive young lady and bring them to the entrance to the city.

Urgrim (whose player wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t present, but gave instructions on what Urgrim would be doing to Tam) doesn’t bother with the main gates and swims/walks underwater around the walls of the city (it has a harbor). It’s only a half mile or so. The rest of us take the front gate.

Gav walks up first and is charged 5 luna (half of a night’s stay at an expensive hotel) by the gate guards to get into the city. He isn’t too pleased by the price gouging, but he grew up here and has largely come to accept it as a part of life. Surprisingly, they’re members of the Lion Talon School… we were expecting this corruption from the Rat Clan who’ve taken root here, not from them.

I execute my plan. For the entire day approaching the town, I look like Marko, only covered in small sores and coughing piteously. I hobble up to the guard and beg him to send help for the village. “We’re starving and sick. We need your help! Please…” They won’t let me into the city and they certainly won’t send to the village for aid. I keep up my performance and they knock me to the ground. I continue to try begging for a bit and then they throw me into a ditch, where I lay for a bit.

Yhennon attempts to enter the town, but cannot actually afford the fee into town. At about this time, the Nobleman begins to wonder “Wait. Why am I waiting in line?” So, he cuts to the front of the line and physically carries Yhennon into the town, flippantly paying both their tolls.

The Pink Ninja (apparently her formal title) also enters the town and keeps a VERY low profile. Apparently she’s done a couple things that would make getting recognized rather uncomfortable.

After laying in the ditch for a time I beg for the entry fee from the line of people… and fail. Horribly. So, I do the next best thing: I wander into the refugee camp, duck into a tent, and shapeshift into a strapping Illian man, walk up to the gate, heckle the guards, pay anyway, and go on in. From there I duck into an alley and take on my “Normal” appearance (a Connish face, with just a slight hint of elven blood. It looks just a little Fey)

Wandering through town, I eventually make my way over to the merchant’s district and look for some good marks… there are so many options! I pickpocket 14 Luna completely scot-free. It’s a good day! The sun is shining, the comet is shining, and I have more money! The Nobleman and Yhennon wander about the shops for a bit. Yhennon forlornly examines the various food vendors and once again laments the loss of his Creation magic, until the Nobleman stuffs some iron rations into his mouth and hustles him along in exasperation. Eventually, all of us make our way toward lowtown (minus Urgrim, who stumbled upon an adequate rotgut pub on his way out of the bay). Gav gave us the directions; he has a house and shop there.

Or, much to his jaded irritation, had. They’d been torn down and replaced with a tenement (a really cheap apartment complex.) He’d left his tools (he’d worked for a time as a blacksmith) in the care of one of his neighbors, and it takes him the better part of the morning to track down where they’d gotten to. And what happened to his house. The builders, who have Rat Clan ties, (as does most business in this town) saw an abandoned house and grabbed it. They also bought out his neighbor, who’d recently fallen badly into debt. Said neighbor pawned off Gav’s tools to try to pay off his debts.

So, Gav goes to the pawn shop, Jan’s Oddities, run by a relatively cute young woman named Jan. She has mousy brown hair that is going gray a little prematurely. She is also rather busy trying to keep order in her rather busy pawn shop.

Gav asks about his tools when he doesn’t find what looks like his, and Jan replies. “I do have a set in the back, but I’m holding them for someone. A Mr. Jagger.”

“A Gav Jagger?”

“…Ah. That would be you, wouldn’t it? We managed to get everything but the largest anvil out of the house before they knocked it down.”

Gav still has to pay off the tools and though he has no money, he offers Jan his blacksmithing services to make things for her to sell to make up the difference (and perhaps a little more.) At about this time, the rest of the party begins trickling in. Gav goes and sets up his “forge” in the back along with our belongings. Essentially, we form a very open ended contract with Jan where we help around here for a bit, pay her a little, and we get to stay and sleep behind her shop. The expensive items (Gav’s tools) are locked inside Jan’s shop during the night.

I roll a charisma check as I say hello to Jan, but her only reaction is an exasperated “Oh no, not again.” …ow. I rolled well too. Anyway, we sort of bum around the shop for a bit and I try to at least repair my first impression by offering to help around the shop. She has me polish some of the silver items for her. I begin furiously working, making everything very shiny… and start humming and singing to myself, which makes her look at me like I’m insane. Yhennon covers for me: “No worries, he simply has a passion for shiny things.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t take anything.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it!” I interject. “…Okay, I would DREAM of it, but I wouldn’t ACTUALLY do it!”

She sets me to work on a big bronze mirror while she and Yhennon talk for a bit… he’s been interviewing people about what has been going on, especially with regards to the Comet. Eventually, I finish with the mirror and show it off to her rather excitedly. “That’s good dear. Mind the shop for me for a bit.”

She leaves me in charge while she goes into the back with Yhennon to talk undisturbed. Inside, he discovers an apparatus used to make magical potions… apparently Jan was something of a mage before this all began. They trade experiences of when the Comet arrived; Jan had never been to the Gemstone Towers and thus didn’t throw up an emerald, or any gem for that matter, and only felt a little queasy, but she didn’t even really pay much attention to that, as it was that time of the month. They talk for a bit longer while I try to … exaggerate … a little to get Jan a little more money. I don’t really succeed, but at the same time, I don’t cause too much trouble, so that’s fine.

Shortly after Yhennon and Jan emerge from the back room, Jan has me refinish a table… my skill with making masks for myself gives me a small edge in this task. After I’ve worked for a time, a group of five thugs, (judging by the smell, Rat Clan) enter the shop. One goes to Jan’s counter, while the others begin looking around the shop, picking up objects (including vases, a Rat that I keep a particular eye on) and being typical slightly rowdy thugs.

“Well Jan, it’s that time of the month again” the lead Rat informs her. Jan scoots into the back, comes out with a sack of money, and throws it on the counter for the Rat to count. I sidle over and ask the Rat why exactly Jan is paying them… after all, when one pays for something, they get something in return.

He looks at me incredulously and replies that this is so that nothing… bad… happens to the shop and her home. “You’re five Luna short, Jan,” he sneers at our friend.

I think to myself, Of course she’s five short, I just watched you pocket them! and ask him about the five he just put in his pocket… to which he just glares at me and Jan begs me to stop antagonizing them as she goes into the back for the extra five. I tell her to stop and pay myself.

“Such a gentleman!” the Rat floridly bows to me before walking out of the shop with his buddies… and Gav notices that one of them pocketed something from the shop on their way out! He glides out the back and around the alleyway.

Yhennon, realizing he had some questions for Gav, excuses himself, leaving the Nobleman in charge of Gav’s possessions and following closely behind. Apparently Gav had decided to tail the Rats, and they are moving quickly enough that it takes old Yhennon quite a while to catch up. The Rats enter a bar… and by the time Gav is actually close enough to hear them, a bar fight has erupted. He can hear Urgrim yelling something about “HIS NAME WAS ZHAN!” and people are hitting walls, glass is breaking, and tables are shattering… Sounds like all things are normal with our Dwarven friend.

The Nobleman, by this time, is quite bored. He leaves Gav’s stuff in the care of the Pink Ninja and goes to find something to do. He finds a seedy bar and proceeds to instigate a bar fight. Due to his huge AC and DR granted by his expensive breastplate, they physically cannot damage him. The patrons accuse him of cheating, but… what are they going to do, really?

Needless to say, soon enough he’s savoring his victory at the countertop. About then Gav and Yhennon, returned from Urgrim’s raucous melee, poke their heads in and ask if he’d be interested in …another… bar brawl. The Rats apparently came away from the dwarf’s drunken rage better than most; they are only halfway to unconscious, but still there and nursing drinks. Gav has decided he’d like to ‘repossess some repossessions.’ They go back to Jan’s Oddities to collect more allies to make the fight a little easier… I sign on to the mission right away, and in fact, everyone but the Pink Ninja decides to join in… she doesn’t want to take the chance of being recognized. Realizing the advantage, we borrow her ninja-face-mask (Gav wears it), and the Nobleman wears the mask I’ve had for a while, and Yhennon and I won’t be recognized anyway. I ask Jan to borrow her back room for about half a minute so that I can prepare the party for what they’re going to see in the fight.

Once inside, with the door closed, I turn into a Cave Gnoll… a Quaggoth, a bear-man. …And Gav reaches over and honks my nose like one would a clown. …He has no respect for personal boundaries sometimes… Anyway, I warn them that I will do that in the fight, and they shouldn’t get too surprised. We’re already used to Yhennon turning into Bloodhawk, but… I didn’t want to take any chances.

I choose to walk to the bar as the same strapping Illian as whom I entered the city. It is now “Rush Hour,” and the bar is much more packed than it had been, but our Rat “Friends” are still present. Urgrim is sitting in front of the bar on a keg of… something… and drinking heavily.

The Nobleman and I approach our targets. I try to be subtle by forcing my way into a nearby table, whose occupants quickly and effortless repulse me. The Nobleman decides to take the much more direct approach --and clobbers the first Rat in the jaw. With a shrug and an ‘eh’, I bloom into my Cave Gnoll form while Yhennon, standing in the doorway, is replaced by Bloodhawk.

Immediately, the entire bar erupts in a cheer and everyone (minus the barkeep, who immediately goes down a trapdoor behind the bar) leaps to their feet and starts punching their neighbors. We question Tam on this, but this is apparently what some people COME HERE FOR. Huh. Everyone’s looking for something different, I suppose.

I eat a few attacks the first round and feel them rather painfully. And my paws aren’t dealing as much damage as I feel like they should… I’m, physically, a bit of a wimp. Especially compared to Gav, who, unable to reach any of the Rats past myself and the Nobleman, is going to town on some of the random bar patrons who tried to jump him from behind… they fail. MASSIVELY. The Nobleman is similarly invincible, due to his combination of high DR and high AC. We begin to work our way through the Rat Clanners, and the Nobleman is proving to be a devastating fighter.

Bloodhawk, in the doorway, is a terribly confused bird. His natural instincts are being constantly overridden by Yhennon’s will (contested Will Saves) and thus does some rather strange things for a bird. For example, he starts the battle by yelling: “The vegetables grow greenly in Adanar!” He parries a few attacks (also an action guided by Yhennon) until a bar patron gets a lucky crit, and does a whopping two nonlethal damage after damage reduction. Bloodhawk trips him for his luck, then intimidating the next poor sod in line with an avian glare… “Don’t do that.” The patrons backed off, wheedling “Nice birdy… niiiice birdy…” and hiding back in the calm(est) corner.

Gav, who has effortlessly handled his two opponents, still can’t reach any of the Rat clanners. Since no one is actively harrying him at the moment, he takes the opportunity to lounge casually against the bar counter and watch the Nobleman pummel and me get pummeled. A few moments later another random patron rushes up to him from the side… and Gav drops him with a readied straight-arm to the jaw without so much as a glance his way.

Around this time some poor fool who was not here this afternoon to witness the carnage decides to take a swing at the dwarf. Another crippling blow to the unmentionables later and the pitiable man is flying over Urgrim’s shoulder into two or three more patrons who were by now minding their own drinks again.

Then… my luck runs out. I’ve been relatively effective in battle, even with my pitiful damage. I at least manage to HIT every round. (Largely by blowing every part of my Fairy Godmother feat…) But this fight wasn’t a rogue’s fight. Or rather, I didn’t approach it that way… I greatly overestimated how effective Cave Gnoll form would be. I get knocked out by bar patrons, and one of them begins to go through my pockets for money.

He is interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. A quizzical glance shows him Gav’s smiling face. “Hi!”

PUNCH! And another one bites the dust!

It doesn’t take much longer to mop up the Rats (Ironically, the bar patrons themselves actually got more of them than we did!) and we advance on the rest of the bar because they don’t quite know when to QUIT. That, and someone had already pick-pocketed the stuff we wanted to get ourselves.

In any case, to assist in the last vestiges of the fight, Bloodhawk (who has been spouting a nonstop stream of nonsense sentences) makes liberal use of his Spring Attack feat; dashing in to bash people and then dashing back to stand in front of the door. Yhennon overrides Bloodhawk’s feral instincts in order to deal nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. The Nobleman grabs one of the men, and the next round, throws him at the guy who pocketed the 40 Luna that Jan had lost. The hit isn’t terribly strong, though the man who served as ammunition did fall unconscious from hitting the wall after he hit the target. The Nobleman grabs the final fighter on this side of the bar for Urgrim’s famous windup. (wince) Then the Nobleman advances on the rest of the bar, simply so we won’t have any witnesses… or at least coherent ones. Ironically, this was also the reason Yhennon/Bloodhawk was spouting his random gibberish; hopefully anyone with enough clarity to remember this brawl through the concussions and hangovers will dismiss it as a drunken dream.

Yhennon, back in human form, helps get me conscious with the heal skill, and the party goes through the pockets of everyone in the bar, netting the item that was stolen, the 40 Luna from Jan, 80 more from the other stops on the Rats’ extorting route, the 5 that I gave in her place, and 15 more Luna… we distribute the extra Luna to the group of people in the bar who didn’t throw first punches at us. Yhennon admits to his own surprise that this has actually been rather fun --exhilirating, really. Gav gives him a hearty slap on the back and a grin. We also notice that, quite suddenly, the Nobleman and two of the Rats are gone. A short time later, he re-enters the bar with the both of them over his shoulders… and they don’t look good. At all. Almost as if they went from a Con score of 10 to a score of 4 or something. Huh. Regardless, I take everything they have, and I mean everything. I am going to need a disguise for the city, and they’ll work well enough. Especially because these Rats have begun to irk me. However, I can’t be seen as a Cave Gnoll in town, so I transform back to normal… and fall unconscious from the nonlethal damage again. Someone, either Gav or the Nobleman, carries me back… where the Pink Ninja Ki-heals me to consciousness.

Jan only unlocks the door for us before going back to sleep… she’s had a long day.

Gav then drops a … rather large surprise on us. “Well gents, re-robbing Rats is well and good, but does anyone fancy a… tougher challenge?” He taps the side of his head, saying “Get out here Bug, and share ‘our Lady’s’ glorious task with the rest of us.” His voice is dripping with frustration and sarcasm, but we hardly notice that when a Lantern Archon hovers out of his head and pleasantly introduces itself. “Bug,” as Gav calls him, is a servant of Sanselie, the Lady of Command, goddess of planning, strategy, tactics, maps, and vigilance, and Gav is her Instrument. (“More like her suckered patsy…” mutters Gav.) Semantics aside, earlier today Gav was struck with a mission for the sake of the Plan: “Kill Master Tozi of the Lion Talon.” Master Tozi is the Grand Master of the Lion Talon, and administrator of the city. He is probably the strongest man in the city, behind perhaps the head of the Rat clan. We have one week to end his life.



Session break.

[RdMarquis]

This was a cool chapter, and it'll be fun to see how you plan to take this guy down (Try poison. It always seems to do the trick with old kung fu masters).

By the way, I hope Pink Ninja isn't descriptive. Otherwise, it'll be very hard for her to sneak around.

[DancingMonkey]

Someday I hope my group can accomplish as much per session as you all seem to. It always fascinates me how much advancement there is in each journal entry, or at least seems that way to me. Definitely look forward to each one!

[flabort]

"Bug".
Nice name.

So your shop hands, helping a pawner so you can buy back what's rightfully yours, and your tasked by a ball of light with wings (Listen!) to kill a guy who is most likely stronger than all of you combined within a week.

a week isn't going to be long enough to gain a level, and your stuck in a shop anyways. I'm worried for you now.

[Fayd]

This was a cool chapter, and it'll be fun to see how you plan to take this guy down (Try poison. It always seems to do the trick with old kung fu masters).

By the way, I hope Pink Ninja isn't descriptive. Otherwise, it'll be very hard for her to sneak around.

Pink, near as we can tell, is just some title, not actually descriptive. She's quiet, we're still not sure why exactly.

We accomplish so much through judicious multitasking. Tam is amazing at keeping it all straight in session when the party has dispersed itself through the city.

Bug is a very funny name, we're rather pleased. He doesn't have wings, though you pretty much have the right idea.

As for how we're going to kill Tozi? Well, he's not dead yet (speaking from the end of session 4) but we have made significant progress in that direction. We have had the idea of poison, but can you guys think of any other ways to efficiently take down a ruler who rules through might (and got the position that way) and come out of the town alive?

[Bharg]

So Snowstar changed from popsicle butterfly to Pink Ranger?

How about starting a revolution to bring that Tozi dude down? :>
Probably he has some kind of treacherous little brother that wants his position... something like that.

[2xMachina]

Kill him, take his place :P

You're in the position to doppelganger him.

[Fayd]

Kill him, take his place :P

You're in the position to doppelganger him.

True... but for reasons you'll learn soon, I want to be rid of this town as quickly as possible. That and I have one small issue: while I can look like him, I can't replicate his unique fighting style.

Yes, and Snowstar went from popsicle butterfly to the Pink Ninja.

[flabort]

Snowstar: Now in stealthed Strawberry flavor!

[LordShotGun]

Poison seems the best choice. Its hard to find the poisoner, its easy to skip outta town right before his poisoning becomes common knowledge, there are several ways to poison him, (food/drink, poison needle or blowdart, indigious posionous creature), and movie/bookwise, poison has the best track record of killing martial artist masters. (Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)


Anyway to lure this guy into an ambush, perhaps with some dangerous demon or natural creature? Heck, have your mage just try and summon some more unintentional plant demons near this guy.

[Cade Rentyr]

Poison seems the best choice. Its hard to find the poisoner, its easy to skip outta town right before his poisoning becomes common knowledge, there are several ways to poison him, (food/drink, poison needle or blowdart, indigious posionous creature), and movie/bookwise, poison has the best track record of killing martial artist masters. (Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)


Anyway to lure this guy into an ambush, perhaps with some dangerous demon or natural creature? Heck, have your mage just try and summon some more unintentional plant demons near this guy.

The problem with that last solution is that Yhennon's magic isn't just berserk anymore --it's totally dead. He was only able to summon anything at all in Chapter 1 because the comet was just freshly arriving, sending all magic into chaos before shutting it down the entire -5 CL.
But as for poison, that's essentially the route we're most heavily considering as well. In fact, there's an even better reason supporting it than the ones you've listed here, revealed in the next chapter. (Which will be done as soon as I find the time to edit it. Sorry 'bout that.)

[Bharg]

In theory Guy can do whatever he wants to do since he has no own identity. He is also able to change his clothes with his appearance, right? And he doesn't splatter the whole place in blood, skin, hair and teeth and so on if he shapechanges.

I was wondering if there was a way to identify him in this scenario by his Chi or something else.

If someone else was wearing his mask he would also have kind of an alibi...

Did Yhennon actually try to cast something again?

[Fayd]

In theory Guy can do whatever he wants to do since he has no own identity. He is also able to change his clothes with his appearance, right? And he doesn't splatter the whole place in blood, skin, hair and teeth and so on if he shapechanges.

I was wondering if there was a way to identify him in this scenario by his Chi or something else.

If someone else was wearing his mask he would also have kind of an alibi...

Did Yhennon actually try to cast something again?

Near as I can tell, the feat lets me change my skin (And other external and internal organs), not what I'm wearing.

Thankfully, this isn't a martial school that uses Chi or Ki... but I have no martial arts power whatsoever. It would be fairly obvious that I'm not the guy... deception checks only go so far.

Yhennon has tried to cast something, but absolutely nothing happened.

[Bharg]

Well, you could also change into something like a Geisha to sneak in...

Did Shapechanging into a gnoll burst your clothes?

[MountainKing]

Well, you could also change into something like a Geisha to sneak in...

Did Shapechanging into a gnoll burst your clothes?

You know, common sense says it should've, but, technically speaking, Gnolls are still Medium (at least in regular D&D; Tam might've changed that). In theory at least, his clothes (while maybe a little loose from stretching) should be fine.

[Gametime]

All humans are medium size, too, and I can think of several humans who would tear another human's clothes.

Though if I were a shapechanger, I'd probably buy some loose-fitting or easily-stretchable clothes if they were available.