Zeal's Evil Campaign

[Ascension]

"Halfling blood isn't green at all, my friend. Is a gnome's blood green? I haven't had the pleasure of killing one to find out yet..."

[An Enemy Spy]

"Tha was a reference ta yer name, ya dope. Why are we still sitting here? He signs the contract and stands up and leaves, still peeved about not being served the ale

[Ascension]

"You do realize we're still waiting on someone, don't you?" Horace calls after the departing gnome.

[SoD]

Amana

Amana smiles smugly. "Well, Maru. You've certainly pulled together a well oiled team. I'd assume you've still got my contract to secrecy from the last time, or are there additional clauses?"

[sonofzeal]

Dr Maru turns to Amana. "They will learn to work together... or they will not. As to your secrecy contracts, they are still secure, but if you want this mission you must sign the contract for it." With that, he slides over a copy of the mission contract.

[Ascension]

"The gnome is going to be more trouble than he's worth," Horace opines, "I say good riddance."

Horace steps forward and takes up a pen.

"I hate signing contracts... but I suppose it's necessary. Could you hand me one of each?"

[sonofzeal]

Dr Maru glances down at the contracts in front of Horace and raises an eyebrow.

((they were passed out in post #19))

[Ascension]

Spoiler

Missed that line. Oops.

Horace scans the contracts to make sure he isn't signing away anything that he doesn't want to sign away.

Spoiler

Would this be an INT check? WIS?

[An Enemy Spy]

Wrackpsurt returns from the bathroom. "Still no ale?"

[Zarpasphankaris]

Ugruk turns to the halfling

'ey! now's not the time! We have business to attend to. Once we kill the man, we can claim our reward and spend it on all the ale you want. He says with a grin.

He then scans the contract for anything fishy. Search or anything like that required?

[sonofzeal]

Spoiler

Checking the contracts would definitely be an INT check to parse the legalees. Both Horace and Ugruk are a little overwhelmed in places, but neither finds anything suspicious. It all seems to line up with what he said. The only worrisome thing is a clause specifically absolving Dr Maru of any liability in the case of insanity or loss of your soul, in addition to the usual caveats.

And no, there's no ale.

[Ascension]

"I couldn't exactly sue you if I didn't have a soul, now could I?" Horace muses aloud, but he signs the contracts.

"Here. Now you have your documentation. Now, who is it we're waiting on again?"

[SoD]

Amana

"Theft seems a bit undignified, but I guess it'll keep me in the game." Amana peers over the contract, muttering to herself, occasionally "Loss of soul? Ah, some things never change." After looking over the contract, she signs it, and hands it back.

[Zarpasphankaris]

Reading over the contract Ugruk speaks up

Hmm, loss of soul eh? Sounds like my kind of contract. And with thhat he signs it and hands it to Dr. Maru.

[An Enemy Spy]

Wrackspurt absentmindedly drums his fingers on the table humming softly in Gnomish

[sonofzeal]

Dr Maru pauses for a moment, looks at the door expectantly, then shrugs. "You may go."

You are each left with a copy of the second contract, which contains the address of the DeFoe residence. The house is three stories high and wider than it is long, but the architecture is fairly simple. The property is surrounded by a very tall polished stone wall on three sides, and an iron fence along the front. Anyone can see the two Wolfkin guards out front, but only someone who knows where to look will spot the Rattakin on the roof. How and when you choose to approach it is up to you.

[An Enemy Spy]

Outside, Wrackspurt runs up to the merchant selling the magical trinkets and says, huffing and puffing, accent completely gone. "Your wife (or husband) has been badly injured! She (or he) told me to come and tell you to go home immediately! Don't worry about the merchandise, I'll make sure no one steals it or my name isn't Winton Jaysworth. Go, GO! She (or he) is in horrible pain!

Spoiler

Bluff (1d20+1)[17]

[Ascension]

"His name isn't Winston Jaysworth," Horace assures the man, "Come along, gnome. We have serious planning to do. We don't have time to let you play with every passing salesman."

[An Enemy Spy]

To Horace the Paladin. "Ye do realize tha' those items could be useful on our mission don't ye? As the smartest one of us 'ere, I think I know wha' I'm doing.
(OoC) what languages do you know? And seriously man, we are playing evil characters

[sonofzeal]

The shopkeep stands there blinking in confusion for a few moments before turning visibly furious and attempting to chase you out with a broom.

Spoiler

He passed his Sense Motive; rolled well, and you don't survive as a businessman without at least a few ranks there.

Now that you're in the store, you realize that most of the items are purely decorative or trite; there's a magical stone for removing wine stains from clothing, an "anti-gravity" pen holder that magically suspends your pens an inch off the ground, a thermos that can be set to warm or chill things, and a wide variety of items that glow or beep or turn by themselves or sparkle if you touch them.

[An Enemy Spy]

The gnome grumbles to himself in giant about how that stone could be useful for wiping Horace's blood off his shirt.

[Ascension]

Spoiler

Agh! I forgot to pick my extra language! I think I'll pick... Gnome.[/metagame]

And as for "Horace the Paladin"... every evil campaign needs a straight man. A sadistic, cold-hearted straight man.

Besides, if we're wanted as thieves that will make all the rest of our jobs harder.

"Cease your muttering and come along. We've already drawn too much attention to ourselves here as it is."

[An Enemy Spy]

(OoC) You didn't hear that because it was in Giant
And theres a difference between a straight man and a stick in the mud
And we wouldn't be wanted because i gave him a false name

[Ascension]

Spoiler

Oh, come on, it's not like we wouldn't stand out in a crowd. They'd get us by description.

[An Enemy Spy]

Spoiler

One gnome with blond hair and a goatee looks just about like every other gnome on the planet and he didn't even know you guys were with me.

[sonofzeal]

Spoiler

Let me direct you guys to the OOC thread. If you want to argue it through, do it in-character or do it there. If you want to fight it out in the street, that's acceptable too.

[SoD]

Amana

Amana sighs and shakes her head at her companions goings-on. "May Pyremius blessing be on us for this...I fear we'll need all the help we can get." she mutters to herself, before stepping in between the other two. "If you want something from here, you should just buy it, instead of trying to convince the store owner his wife is dying. For now, lets just focus on our contract, yes?" as she speaks she gives the gnome a look of disdain.

[Ascension]

"That's what I've been trying to say! Anyway, I say we go in by night. Frontal approach, through or over the fence. The only way to make sure the guards don't squeal and attract too much attention will be to kill them all as quickly and quietly as possible. The problem there is the guys on the roof... How will we get up there fast enough to take them out before they sound an alarm? Ideas?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Why don't we pretend to have an appointment with DeFoe to get in? Is there a chance the guards will believe that?"

[Ascension]

"We might be able to get in that way, but how would we get out? It would be easier to deal with the guards quietly if we eliminate them on the way in than it would be to eliminate them on our way out."