Beyond the City of Thieves OOC

[WalkingTheShade]

Rosa, since she's Good, is more interested into breaking bad guys jaws than stealing rubies.

Also, since she's Chaotic, she's open to differing interpretations and suggestions regarding how aforesaid bad guys are identified.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rosa, since she's Good, is more interested into breaking bad guys jaws than stealing rubies.

Also, since she's Chaotic, she's open to differing interpretations and suggestions regarding how aforesaid bad guys are identified.

To Borgrim, breaking jaws and stealing rubies is pretty much a toss up. Whether the guys are good or bad is likewise a toss up. It propably wise to keep Borgrim out of any temples you'd prefer to keep the ruby eyes of their giant idols =)

[Wogwoggle]

Oh, don't act all surprised about it, that's what Borgrim said all the way back at ... that house. Where we broke in. Borgrim's attention span isn't enough to recall whose house it was, or why we were there, but he's sure he mentioned robbing them blind. Including the rubies in the eyes of the giant Crow God idol (implied).

That might be a little difficult, as At'ar isn't a Crow God, but there may well be rubies to find nonetheless .

[Kaptin Keen]

Fair warning: I'm going on vacation tomorrow, which may impact posting. But I'm in Europe, after all - there's internet everywhere.

[WalkingTheShade]

Where in Europe? Not coming to the Paris area I hope? We might inadvertently meet IRL O_o

[Kaptin Keen]

Where in Europe? Not coming to the Paris area I hope? We might inadvertently meet IRL O_o

Well - Paris is the actual goal of the journey. So, yea. The plan is thus: Select bi-roads rather than motorways, travel slow, visit everything of any consequence we pass, eventually reach Paris, doodle around being all touristy, go home when we feel like it. Visit Alsace somewhere along the way, get drunk on expensive white wine.

But we're going to be all over Germany, Netherlands, Belgium - and France.

[WalkingTheShade]

Sent you a private message with contact information. I'd be very happy to offer you an actual real life beer : )

[Kaptin Keen]

Sent you a private message with contact information. I'd be very happy to offer you an actual real life beer : )

And I'd be happy to accept. The girlfriend is likely to conceed the point, even though she considers us nerds =D

[iTookUrNick]

And I'd be happy to accept. The girlfriend is likely to conceed the point, even though she considers us nerds =D

Can you blame her?

If you are passing through in Alsace, you should make time to visit Strasbourg (obviously). In addition, if the lady allows, there's at least one and possibly more than one good looking castles in the surrounding mountains that are worth checking out (but that I can't remember the name of).

[Kaptin Keen]

Can you blame her?

If you are passing through in Alsace, you should make time to visit Strasbourg (obviously). In addition, if the lady allows, there's at least one and possibly more than one good looking castles in the surrounding mountains that are worth checking out (but that I can't remember the name of).

No - she's right, after all. I think we've reached an accord (just now) that we're going through Netherlands and Belgium on the way out, and Alsace on the way home - on account of the wine we'll be bringing home, and how lying around in a hot car isn't ideal for it.

[WalkingTheShade]

No - she's right, after all. I think we've reached an accord (just now) that we're going through Netherlands and Belgium on the way out, and Alsace on the way home - on account of the wine we'll be bringing home, and how lying around in a hot car isn't ideal for it.

Good call.

The question is now what you're bringing back from those other parts of Europe you just mentioned. Beer from Belgium and...

(Also, I try my best not to look like a nerd too much.)

[WalkingTheShade]

... I'll go look for this Petra, remarks Borgrim, and walks off to do just that. When he's a couple of steps away, he turns back to the priest, and asks: Are you sure they were going to kill the goat? I mean, did you see a .. sacrificial dagger or some such? If they had nefarious intent, why did they simply run and not even fight back?

Ever watched that Inspector Columbo TV series? Borgrim is applying that Columbo schtick. He's all about hidden depths, like the good inspector (or maybe lieutenant, actually?). RIP Peter Falk.

[Kaptin Keen]

Ever watched that Inspector Columbo TV series? Borgrim is applying that Columbo schtick. He's all about hidden depths, like the good inspector (or maybe lieutenant, actually?). RIP Peter Falk.

That is exactly what he's doing, yes =D

i'm immensely pleased you caught that!

[WalkingTheShade]

Clarification: First, let's talk to Petra. If possible, it'd be better if we talked to her alone. It's possible she noticed a symbol or marking on those cultists.

Then, we need to make her point out where the cultists where standing, and Rosa will take her smoke there. It seems the pipe works with smells, and it might be hard to catch a specific smell in a temple that sees much daily traffic and that must be cleaned up on a regular basis, but a sacrificial goat might leave a noticeably different smell. Who knows...?

...

...

Wait, the GM knows, of course : )

[Kaptin Keen]

I had frankly forgotten about the pipe. Good show!

[Wogwoggle]

Sorry about my absence. I'll have a post up tomorrow.

[iTookUrNick]

No problem. it's summer for all of us, after all.

[iTookUrNick]

I will candidly admit that, despite my character being "the copper", I am not quite sure where this investigation is going. I export my fellow players (not the DM) to take the lead on the subject, or at least remark on the clues you spot.

[Kaptin Keen]

Um ..

I think we have zero clue what's going on with the cultists in the temple, right?

Maybe I shouldn't be posting this until I see if there's a new post IC? Hm.

[Kaptin Keen]

So .. we agree that it's all going down at the festival, right? It's like .. a timed mission.

Also, Furtha is a crook. Right? He lied about the goat, and his own acolytes think he's a bit off. So he has some sort of terrible secret. Actually, we should push him, see if his upper lip get's sweaty - that's sure proof of villainy.

Also, the leaf symbol - we must be able to dig that up somewhere, find out what that is all about.

Also, I'll stop rambling about Borgrims runaway testosterone levels - it's fun for only so long, then it just becomes obnoxious.

Um ... no, I don't think I have any more ideas.

At the festival, there will be some sort of ... maybe a big effigy or some such, right? Like a burning man, and the opposition, who ever they are, will animate that, and it will go rampaging through the streets. Do we think the Raven is actually the good guys?

[WalkingTheShade]

So .. we agree that it's all going down at the festival, right? It's like .. a timed mission.

This also made my plot sense trigger. Seems appropriate.

Also, Furtha is a crook. Right? He lied about the goat, and his own acolytes think he's a bit off. So he has some sort of terrible secret. Actually, we should push him, see if his upper lip get's sweaty - that's sure proof of villainy.

I'm going to roll Insight in the IC thread on that part, but I'm ready to accept Petra's explanation at face value.

We can confront Furtha, see just how he reacts. One other way to play it is go propose our services to Furtha to secure the temple during the Festival, agitating the threat of the cult coming back, see how he reacts. It might make him nervous, in case he's really crooked, and not just a stubborn and deluded old man.

Also, the leaf symbol - we must be able to dig that up somewhere, find out what that is all about.

It's a FEATHER symbol, not a leaf one. Come on! Make an effort! And they're crow feathers, because it's a crow cult, not a raven one... ... ... at least I used to believe so, now I'm as confused as everyone else...

Also, I'll stop rambling about Borgrims runaway testosterone levels - it's fun for only so long, then it just becomes obnoxious.

The handstand thing in your last post made me smile.

At the festival, there will be some sort of ... maybe a big effigy or some such, right? Like a burning man, and the opposition, who ever they are, will animate that, and it will go rampaging through the streets.

This trope seems to be a natural ally of the trope linked above... However, I'd bet on the giant crow-thing that's been murdering people through town rather than a giant burning-man thing.

Do we think the Raven is actually the good guys?

Seems a stretch. What we know about them (supposing the connection between the amulet found at Nicodemus' place and the not-leaf-but-actually-feather dagger is genuine):

• One of them fought an unknown party at Nicodemus' place,
• Nicodemus knows of them neither as allies nor enemies,
• That crow cult conducted a ritual to contact or spy on somebody in a church,
• One or more giant possible crow thing(s) have been attacking rich folks doing shady business in town.

Amongts others, two possiblities are of interest to us:

1. They're enemies of Nicodemus, and thus possible allies of Zanbar Bone. Meaning whoever opposes them (the guy from Nicodemus' place, the guy who's hair they had, their next murder targets) are potential allies against Zanbar Bone.
2. They're enemies of Zanbar Bone, and whoever else they're fighting is potentially our enemy too. They went to Nicodemus' place because they were after the other party who broke in.

The core of the issue for us is to figure out what actually happened at Nicodemus' place, and who was fighting whom there, and why. The crow guys seem (for now) easier to track down than that lone guy they fought there.

Another possibility is to bring the hair to Nicodemus, and see if he can figure out something about its owner.

@GM: Are the hair Nicodemus' color? Or even the same color as that guy the were-crow was fighting at Nicodemus' place?

EDIT: Did you guys ever watch/read City Hunter? Borgrim is starting to give me a Ryo Saeba vibe. If only Rosa could conjure the proverbial 1000T mallet...

[Kaptin Keen]

It's a FEATHER symbol, not a leaf one. Come on! Make an effort! And they're crow feathers, because it's a crow cult, not a raven one... ... ... at least I used to believe so, now I'm as confused as everyone else...

Details, details. We should definitely go smoke some pibe near the altar - see if that get's us anywhere.

But increasingly, I'm leaning towards the crow dudes being the good guys.

[Wogwoggle]

@GM: Are the hair Nicodemus' color? Or even the same color as that guy the were-crow was fighting at Nicodemus' place?

Nicodemus' hair long ago turned white, and the break-and-enterer who fought the were-crow had short, dark brown hair. Quite distinct from the shiny, very black lock of hair that Petra gave you.

EDIT: Did you guys ever watch/read City Hunter? Borgrim is starting to give me a Ryo Saeba vibe. If only Rosa could conjure the proverbial 1000T mallet...

I've not read the manga or seen any animated version of it. It's possible I've seen the Jackie Chan/Hong Kong adaptation at some point, but I don't really remember any of it if I did. Looks like it could be a fun series though.

[Kaptin Keen]

.. the shiny, very black lock of hair ..

It's raven black, isn't it? :p

[iTookUrNick]

Further could be delusional, or could be the only sane man around with true sight. Probably the former.
I thought they might be summoning or controlling the crow beast, but the timing is off...

It's raven black, isn't it? :p

That's the first thing I thought.

[WalkingTheShade]

Who thinks the bony apparition is Zanbar Bone?
I'll post IC in 10 hours. If you can't wait until then, you can go on, Rosa will explain everything she saw in detail.

[Kaptin Keen]

Who thinks the bony apparition is Zanbar Bone?
I'll post IC in 10 hours. If you can't wait until then, you can go on, Rosa will explain everything she saw in detail.

It hadn't even really occurred to me ... but it's a very obvious name for him, isn't it? =D

[Wogwoggle]

So I wasn't sure whether or not to spoiler the visions granted by the Pipe of Reminiscence. I kinda assume everyone will read it anyway, and I'm not at all worried about meta gaming. I feel since they tend to contain (and will probably continue to do so) a lot of exposition, I don't want to exclude anyone from reading them. And it also means we can just assume Rosa tells César/Benedict and Borgrim what she sees (of course, don't let that stop you from RPing aspects of it if you feel it fits). I might spoiler the visions in the future just for the sake of formatting.

[Kaptin Keen]

Oh - I forgot.

Deception: (1d20+1)[20]

Or Intimidate - if the whole wounded hand and dripping blood routine is unsettling to the acolyte. If so, then it's +3.

Hahah ... who needs actual profiency, when you have blood on the floor =D

[WalkingTheShade]

Borgrim is more socially apt than Rosa. I think the RNG is trying to give me a message here...