Just getting this started. I'm just gathering a few more details from people and then I'll post the Chapter 6 IC thread. It'll start essentially with a summary of what your characters are doing over the next 4 hours or so. The exact nature of it depends on some of the finer details I'm asking for now, and will likely be a fairly long post, but should advance things nicely.

Additionally, for the sake of expediting the flow of the game lets try to avoid line-by-line dialogues unless it is very important (ie. important NPC involved). Instead plans of action and the like can be done in OOC and then communicated succinctly in IC by one player/character who summarizes it. Of course feel free it add in some flavour text/dialogue when describing actions or reactions.

While Vanyra, Yuu, and Qwe are waiting for Zelpuz to return, Vanyra will get some rest.

Just so people are aware I sent a private message to each of you in regards to the start of the next Chapter. So if you haven't responded could you please do so, thanks.

So I need to know a couple things here:

1) What is Zelpuz going to tell Myria?

2) What ship does Yuu want to take, the early one, which doesn't quite go the distance, or the later one that will take him all the way?

Nm.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Thu 19 Nov 2015.

I assume Zelpuz will have no trouble to get to Myrria. He'll communicate mostly mentally with her and update her on what happened (I assume he did that at least a few days ago, so catching up from there). Including the questioning of Lasrane and the vision from Vanyra (to explain the urgency).

Jan, you can respond to Myria's suggestion in IC; basically does he think checking the office is worth it or not, and why?

Could I use a random rodent or similar that is running around and connect via telepathic sight so I can phase to a place that the rodent sees (hoping it won't be in between two walls, maybe a fly or so would be better)?

Unfortunately that is a separate power (Sensory Link), you can read thoughts and memories but not real-time sensory input. Could be an avenue of advancement for Zelpuz.

Also two things:

Brett; what is Yuu doing after he gets the tickets?

Jan; assuming Zelpuz and Myria go to the office please make a Search and Notice check.

I have
Telepathic Sight (Sensory Link 3) (Alternate; DC 13)

And I rolled the dice.

Jan, Search is a skill modified by the Int attribute, do you not have it?

Seems I don't, that's why I just rolled a dice with the note I added, my rule books are on my old computer, I hope, I think it got formatted, so it's hard to tell if I still have them. I'll try to look for them soon.

Right; seems I overlooked the Telepathic Sight power when looking at your sheet. So you could see through the eyes of an animal and use that to teleport. I would suggest a regular animal versus an insect as you are not accustomed to the odd visual input/interpretations that insects, and thus I'd say that it would be inaccurate at this time.

You also don't have any ranks in Search; perhaps something to buy in the future. You have +2 due to INT, but that won't help with a roll of 8.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:22, Thu 26 Nov 2015.

At least he got 10! ;)

He'll make his way to an agency just a little to the left. Order 2 passenger tickets to somewhere totally different. Then go to an agency just a little to the right.. and do the same thing, order 2 tickets to a third destination. Cheapest possible for both. And he'll be a little more open about who he is... like, look like he's hiding but allow a family crest or something else to reveal, but looking like he's keeping it hidden. I think you know what I mean.

If the door of the Order master had a crack, we could have teleported in. Oh well, guess we need to roll better in these situations.

So Zelpuz and Myria arrive back at Vanyra's place.

Need to know what Yuu is going to do about the guards; is he going to try to avoid them somehow or just try to talk his way out? Though so far he's only seen people coming into the area rather than leaving, so he's not entirely sure they'll question anyone walking out.

What's the fastest way out of town from the harbor district, to the North? the West? the South?  And is one of them safer in the sense of being less penned in and allowing more travel options?

The fastest way would be west, heading inland, assuming you really don't want to go via boat. You're in a city of over million people, so there is no particular route that is less crowded as the city was developed around the harbour. Taking the major roads would be easiest.

BTW, are we still holding the Captain hostage here?

He's already been let go (message 2 in the Chapter 6 IC channel).  Its just Myria, Zelpuz, Vanyra, and Qwe in the apartment with Yuu at the docks.

Ah, thanks, I wasn't sure anymore.

Vanyra plans to stick to high ground as much as she can to scout around and help them avoid guards and such.

I'm not sure if Qwe might be someone that various factions might be looking for.  Is there a hood she could possibly wear to help hide it?  And maybe we can hide any distinctive markings on her clothing or possessions.

How well can Myria walk/run/jump/climb?

We'll say Myria can move at 66% of regular speeds, but full run is not recommended. Similarly any intense jumping, leaping, etc. should be avoided.

I don't see anything about Yuu asking Qwe to stay until he returned in the posts.  Yuu went to the harbor first but he was expecting all of us to follow - that's why Yuu is waiting at the harbor for the rest of the group.

Vanyra doesn't plan on coming back to the apartment if she can avoid it, and she doesn't want to split up anymore.

Yuu mentioned several times at the end of Chapter 5 that they were to meet back at the apartment. He is NOT waiting at the docks, he had to wait for the travel agencies to open before he could check for passage out of town. He's now on his wait back to the apartment... once I get a decision about what he's doing about the line of guards questioning people entering the pier area.

Ok so...

I made a mistake and thought that Yuu was not coming back to the apartment so... I might have done things a little differently.

Also, Mike let me know that currently Yuu and everyone else are not actually operating at the same time so...

I'm just going to wait and see if Yuu walks in the door at this exact moment in Vanyra and Zelpuz's lives before worrying too much about asking to modify my posts.  heh heh

Yes, let's get the timelines somewhat lined up.
And even if he doesn't walk in, we'll just wait here for Vanyra, unless you have a better idea that involves Qwe staying here and not splitting up.

While we'll have to wait to see exactly how Brett wants to the handle the situation, presently Yuu would likely return about 1.5~2 hours after Myria and Zelpuz returned to the apartment.

OK, so I would say since Vanyra is so antsy, so let's have Vanyra (and Zelpuz?) run off to find Yuu and then come back.
PS: edited my last post to include the latter option.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:08, Wed 16 Dec 2015.

That would work. It's just up to you guys to determine what an acceptable wait time would be. You know where he went and why (to get tickets for boat passage), so it wouldn't be unreasonable for you to assume that he'd have to wait to a certain hour before tickets would be available, and adjust around that.

To answer your next question, you'd expect that the travel agencies would not open up until about an hour after Zelpuz and Myria got back.

I'll be back home tomorrow and will be able to move forward on this part; I just need to check some stuff on my home computer.

Just waiting for a bit more clarification before I post what happens in IC, but Yuu will return about an hour after Zelpuz and Myria do.

I don't think it really matters if Vanyra finds Yuu before he returns to the apartment or not.  But if there is some kind of plan Erik should roll a D10; just post it here and I'll let you know if Vanyra intercepts Yuu before he returns to the apartment.

Just moving things along. I'm not going repost in IC about what has occurred to each group since splitting up, as I'll assume that information is relayed during the course of the current discussion.

The new facts are a) a higher guard presence in the city, b) the presence of patrols of soldiers on the city streets and c) the apparent closure of the harbour gates to all traffic.

I think the plan remains to leave the city, but you will likely need a new way out. There are a few roads leaving the city, but only three real gates for overland travel. There are fishing villages and such just outside the village and outside the harbour proper that would have watercraft, but again you have to get out of the city somehow.

If you are in need of any more info just ask here and I'll let you know what, if anything, your characters know about it. Let's keep the IC chat reserved for important declarations only please.

I am just waiting for Yuu to return. Then we start heading out.

I'm back. I know you meant it in game, but just saying. My computer was in the shop for repairs almost as soon as I arrived on holidays due to battery issue. Have it back now, thankfully.

So I'm just waiting for Brett to pass along a bit more info to me; I'll likely have to go back and edit that last IC post I made as the timing will have changed somewhat.

Brett, just the private message; I'll post the results of your inquiry into IC when I edit the last entry I made so that we can keep things moving along.

Ok, I updated IC with some new info that Yuu collected on his way back to the apartment. Question now is what you guys wish to do and how to do it.

Again specifics can be discussed in OOC and summarized in IC.

Brett, who is this last sentence addressed to? Are you back at the apartment? Or just mumble it somewhere in the docks?

That would be when he's back in the apartment; he's announcing it there.

What he said =)

OK, so just for clarification, when is that? I assume Vanyra has been out, we have been waiting and catching up on things (mostly Myria and me). Then the door opens and Yuu comes in? Or is Vanyra with him? Did they bring pizza? I feel like there is something missing.

Both at the same time; everyone is back at the place together... at the same time, now.

OK, so let's assume we walk on smaller roads, Vanyra and me maybe skipping along the rooftops to guide the way, staying in touch with Myria mentally to guide Myria, Qwe and Yuu around road blocks etc. Towards the next exit of the city. Let us know if something happens and what the general scene is we see.

So just wondering in what basic direction you guys hope to exit the city; the choices are North, West or South.

Travelling north would take you towards the wealthier area of the city and the noble district, which I can imagine Yuu and Qwe would like to avoid for now.

Travelling west is probably the shortest route out of the city for you, and would deposit you on a road leading inland.

Travelling south will take you down through the harbour and some of the merchant districts, and then possibly some middle and lower class neighbourhoods. Eventually you could end up on the other side of the hills sheltering the harbour of Ossylia and have the open ocean available to you. There are a number of medium and small town along that coast.

I'll leave that decision to Yuu and Vanyra.

I edited my post, suggesting we try the quickest route.. being the west one.

So you guys can stay at this gate and try to get through, or try another one. There's about 20~30 people ahead of you, but most seem to be merchants and the like with loads of goods, and hence why it is taking so long for the line to progress.

do the guards seem more interested in the people, or in the goods?

Also, what's the gate and the surrounding wall look like? Could we use other routes to the other side of the wall? Can we see through the gate? And how far?

The walls are 30 feet tall, the gate is an large arch that can be shut with a portcullis, so you could see through to the other side to the buildings beyond. There are buildings within 10m of the wall.

The guards seem to be interested in people and goods, they're asking questions and poking through people's stuff, if their stuff is large (ie. carts, big sacks, etc).

Jan, if you're thinking of teleporting through I'll just let you know that as it stands you cannot teleport with someone, except maybe Qwe, since you have a weight limit of yourself and 100lbs. If you put someone in the dimensional pocket there mass is still there, thus when you teleport they'll stay where they are and only you will move, essentially forcing them out of the dimensional pocket. I kind of messed up that interpretation with the Captain on the boat, but that's water under the bridge now.

Ah, so you are suddenly (preemptively) changing my powers ;)
Of course that is what I was thinking about.  Could you somehow send me the rule books again? Since I moved computers it seems I lost them, which makes it hard to look up anything really.

OK, so other questions:
- Do they let anyone pass?
- How many guards are there?
- What is Yuu's reaction?

And how many guards are there?

Here's your answers:
1. You haven't seen them turn anyone away.
2. 6 guards in total.
3. I don't know, you'll have to ask him.

Speaking for Erik here, but it wouldn't be too difficult for Vanyra to move a bit closer and possibly overhear the conversations between the guards and the people wanting through, since she has exceptional hearing ability. That may give you some more insight into what's going on.

Yes, the last question was aimed at Yuu.
And yes, very good suggestion.
Let's try to figure out what they want, then go for it and be ready to blow stuff up as a distraction, do we have some bomb on a timer? Or maybe an illusion on a timer?

And thanks for the books.

Yuu looks concerned. It's reasonable to assume him and his sister are on someone's wanted list. He just doesn't knows whose.

I like the idea of Vanyra listening in closer. Also, how wide is the gateway?

Vanyra will happily eavesdrop on the conversations.  As long as Vanyra is within 100 feet, she could hear pretty easily (her penalty is -1 per 100 feet instead of -1 per 10 feet).  So she might not even have to move closer.

Since the line is moving slow, Vanyra can spend more than a minute listening in and 'take 20' which would result in a 32 Notice.  If this is deemed not possible, taking 10 is fine and the result is 22 Notice.

If this does not work, Vanyra can consider mentally linking with one of the normals who are closer to hear everything that they hear.

For getting past the wall...
Zelpuz could teleport to the top and to the other side of the wall with a rope for everyone.  Vanyra could also probably get to the top of the wall by jumping or climbing, but the teleport up is probably easier and quicker. (too bad Jan doesn't have that 1 character point to increase the weight limit on Zelpuz's teleport)

The gate is about 20' wide. Three guards man each side, one team address folks going one way and the other the opposite.

Vanyra: You won't be able to take 20 to a listening check as the conversation is fluid and thus spending 'extra' time to do something doesn't really apply. Additionally, there will be a -2 penalty due to all the sounds, voices and general noise around the area. But you wouldn't have any trouble approaching within 20' of the gate, as long as you don't try to skip ahead into the line.

As for teleporting and dropping down a rope, please remember that you're in the middle of a city, the walls are there for a reason (keeping people in/out) and given the general mood in the city at this time there's a high possibility that a group of people scaling the walls will draw a lot of attention.

The 4 of us together is far more suspicious than separate. I'm going to take my sister off to the side, and purchase a few random cheap supplies, basket of wood or vegetables. I'll dirty us up a bit (probably don't need much), and aim to work through the gate on service to some tavern keep on the other side.

Hell, I could probably find an old lady or man, and offer to carry their goods through for them if I see an opportunity.

Zeluz could probably just teleport, and be done with it. Vanyra and Myria could theoretcially just walk through as normal. It seems the goods are the focus, more than the people. And any reason for her to be wanted? Doesn't seem likely. If any questions, you entered town seeking medical attention for Myria. You received it, and are now departing back to the wilds. Plausible enough story.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:40, Tue 12 Jan 2016.

As a side note Myria and Zelpuz already have legit reasons to be in the city or leaving it as members of the Order of Ashes. I mean they hunt down deviant Mespah as a job, and that's pretty much what they're currently involved in no matter what side you look at if from. Vanyra's a bounty hunter, so more or less the same.

It wouldn't be difficult to get some stuff to haul through gate, and a change of clothes. Just take some time.

If simply going through the gate is going to be tried:  While dressed in her simple primitive outfit (sans cloak), Vanyra can go through immediately behind Yuu and Qwe.  This would probably draw the guards attention away from Yuu and Qwe and make the guards more likely to send Yuu and Qwe through quickly without paying much attention.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 00:25, Wed 13 Jan 2016.

Good call.

Ok, I'll grab some cheap junk, with Qwe, and make the cross.

Sounds good. Zelpuz and Myria can go a few people ahead and ask a few questions about the 'added securities' for Vanyra to hear. Maybe it'll point to what they are looking for.

Also, how many guards usually attend each person at the gate?

2, if any.

Ok, so you're splitting up into 3 psuedo-groups to get through the gate? I'm going to list the supposed stories each group is going to use for questioning, let me know if anything needs to be modified. Secondly, if you've got bluff or diplomacy skills please roll them if you plan on being the one talking... preferably diplomacy unless you're actually going to BS these guys.

1) Myria and Zelpuz: Essentially sticking with their real story; they've been tasked with hunting down a dangerous Mespah who's apparently allied with smugglers (Blood Runners), and suspect he's making to leave town.

2) Yuu and Qwe: Sob story of sorts, orphaned in the recent harbor explosion and are moving to the countryside to be with their aunt and uncle... or something like that?

3) Vanyra: She's a bounty hunter and looking for a bounty? Probably be good if she had a specific name or something; I'm sure she'd know a few of the current prime bounties off the top of her head.

For Vanyra, she'll probably keep the story truthful and even simpler.  She is heading out to look for her next job since the city life isn't agreeing with her.  Then, on further inquiry, she would name bounties that she would be interested in investigating that would also take her out of town.

She will also be using her charms to get nicer treatment from the presumably male guards.

Taking ten will result in 17 for those who find her attractive, 13 otherwise.

If necessary, she will use Sense Motive/Empathy to help in guiding the conversation.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:33, Fri 15 Jan 2016.

All right, this dice roller officially has it in for me! That's the third 1 I roll in 15 rolls, more if you include 2s.
Right, so besides that, I would add potentially attractive (+4) and fascinate. But I guess it doesn't matter. On the other hand, it might turn out positive in the way that my blatant failure of trying to smooth-talk the guard makes him suspicious of me so Yuu might be ignored.

Yuu rolled a 13. He's +8 for both Diplomacy and Bluff.

My Master Plan feat - as we've had time to plan this out, could we get some bonuses? I'll do the Intel roll for the bonus if so.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:34, Fri 15 Jan 2016.

OK. 1) For Vanyra, that works perfectly. Except for the one gay guy her charms will be in full effect.

2) Zelpuz, reverse situation since only one guy would find Zelpuz attractive. After he begins bumbling and explanation of what they're there to to, Myria will take over speaking with the guards. As a side note, please remember you can always just take 10 in most non-combat situations, so when I say roll... remember about taking 10, taking 20 wouldn't really work in this situation because instead of a 1minute story it would be 20mins, and the guards don't have that much patience.

3) Yuu, Master Plan would work in this case I think since you're not in a big hurry to get through this gate so Yuu could gather particular goods that would completely support his story, scuff up said goods to make them look used and other such things.

Ah, thanks, I wasn't sure if the taking 10 or 20 was something special for Vanyra, would have done that, but also wouldn't make a difference, I'd just have mumbled 10 extra minutes.
Also, attractive bonuses I think should not only apply to 'opposite sex' (or the one gay guy there). If you talk to someone and he looks good, you are more willing to accept what he says, in nearly any situation. The only limitation to that bonus I think should be, if for example the the guards think Mespah look like bugs (i.e. non-attractive).

The attractive bonus is ONLY effective against those who would find the character appealing. IF you want a bonus that applies to everyone then you just have to buy up ranks in that skill, feats provide a limited bonus, and in this case it's presumed to be effective only on those people who would find the character sexually appealing (whether or not they could actually have sex).

Real life example would be Brad Pitt or someone like that; he's a good looking guy but his good looks would not really provide an advantage for him over a regular looking guy versus your average heterosexual male.

Provided I think the bonus would kick in for both sexes in some situations, but this is not one of them since you're dealing with cranky guards. If you were giving a performance in a tavern though I'd say at least some of the bonus could apply universally.

As for Taking 10 or 20, you can usually do that only in situations when you're not under duress. Taking 10 is easy, and just uses up the regular amount of time; the logic being you're putting in a routine amount of effort into whatever it is. Taking 20 means you spend 20x as much time, and thus a lot more effort and care. Also in some contested rolls you may not be able to take 10 or 20.

The dice roller in this thing seems kinda crappy to be honest, lots of low rolls all the time. At any rate, is there a particular event in Yuu's story that makes the city unsafe? I only ask because it may not be common knowledge around town that things are afoot, and so stating the city is unsafe to the guards may raise some suspicion.

Well, if Brad Pitt asks me to help him vs. the guy with the metal teeth from James Bond, I'd probably be much more willing to help Brad Pitt. But ok, this effect is certainly stronger for someone who finds them sexually attractive. I gotta remember what I actually thought about when I created the character... I think his focus shifted a bit over the story.

All Mespah have the Attractive feat Jan, so it's not like you chose it for a specific reason really. And they are typically charismatic, hence their bonuses to social skills (+4 bluff, diplomacy and sense motive).

Brett, I just rolled for Yuu's INT check for Master Plan... and in typical fashion after my last comment I rolled a Nat 20, so it's a maximum effect: +3 to everyone's rolls. I'm going to say that in coming up with the story for Yuu and Qwe he just kept going with this fanciful tale, roping everyone into it so that you'll also get a group bonus to the check.

We'll take the best diplomacy/bluff check of the group, then add 3 and then another 4 for the assisting tale weavers. I think everyone's made their checks, so I'll adjust appropriately and put it in IC.

So now that you're past the gate you guys wish to proceed towards the western outer gates, correct? You'll likely want to take some public transit or something to make good time; the outer city is MUCH bigger than the inner harbour city area (sort of the old city area versus the new city sprawl area).
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:58, Mon 18 Jan 2016.

Getting out relatively quickly is important, and not all of the party can move quickly, so it would be good to find a wagon, cart, litter, or whatever to speed our trip out of town.

How about we keep heading to the western gate and the more rapid movers (Vanyra and Zelpuz) can look up and down side streets, or from rooftops, for something to help.

I'm not sure how much Myria weighs, but Vanyra could easily carry Qwe and still move faster than a normal person if it would help.  (She can carry up to 130 pounds and still move at 2/3 speed - which even reduced is twice as fast as a normal person)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Mon 18 Jan 2016.

What public transport options do we have?

Pretty similar to what we have now. There are trains and vehicles of a sort like buses and taxis; sort of steampunk meets techno-wizardry in terms of technology.

Cool, I want the three horned dragon pulled hovercraft with extra boosters.
Or whatever comes closest to that and is fast.

Agreed, whatever is close and moves fast with little hassle.  Opportunity may rule the day here.

Considering there are no three-horned dragon pulled hovercrafts in Calgary; I'm going to rule that out. Instead you'll be taking the train.

To some of us, the train might as well be a dragon. ;)

You guys just want to head out of town via the nearest gate, correct? Don't want to stop off anywhere or do anything before departing?

Once you get to that gate it'll trigger a cut-scene and save point, so you won't be able to go back and reload if you missed something... hence why I ask.

So we'll walk there.

Oooooh, save point!

Hm, there was that vorpal sword I saw in the shop window earlier. I'm sure I can slay rats long enough, farm their tails, and save up for it. May take a couple weeks, but dammit... vorpal!!

Assuming 1 centum for a dozen tails you'd have to kill 3,440,279 rats to afford that sword. But if you managed to kill that many you'd probably get some sort of special title anyways and the rewards that go with it. That's a pretty solid life goal to work towards.

Well, throwing a comet into the city may just do the trick ... sure, there is some collateral damage, but all 3.5M rats are gone, too. Of course they'll repopulate faster than people can even walk in afterwards.

Also, Yuu, at what point do you say that? We could try to grab the next guard on the way, or once we get to the next wall, I assume we left the first gate by now.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:54, Thu 28 Jan 2016.

I'm going to assume you'll just ask someone as you get to the gate since you guys are pretty dedicated on leaving, unless there is some objection to that.

Sounds good to me.

Yeah, the IC order is pretty much being followed. We're near the final gate area, and I just meant to ask one of these guards. I'd have Yuu ask, but... he's not really wanting to be remembered at this time.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Fri 29 Jan 2016.

The action can happen pretty much as stated, Zelpuz would have tried to notice if the guard seems to have a clue why the gates are closed and then maybe try a surface mind read while asking about it. I made some rolls just in case.

I'm assuming you're going to attempt to stealth mind read the guard? It's a contested roll, if he saves then he'll know you're trying to read his mind, and that will naturally provoke a hostile response.

I'll send you a private message if Zelpuz is able to detect anything from his surface thoughts.

Since you guys are likely going to doing some travelling I've uploaded a basic map of the Kingdom of Ossylia, or the approximate boundaries claimed thereby.

It's a topographical map (See Game map #2), but I've highlighted where Ossylia, the capital is, and then also where Yuu's cousin's apparently are (Hasheli Island). For reference the distance from Ossylia to the island is about 450km as the crow flies, so obviously longer if you actually travel by land or water there.

Given the river flows down into the ocean I don't think it would be many sailing craft moving up the river. They would have various powered ships that do go up and down the river though that you could use.

The river is not too far away from where you are, it essentially cuts through the northern section of Ossylia, so it wouldn't take you too long to find the nearest town along the banks and hopefully find some transport.

The reason I split the groups up as I did was a) all the PCs are in one place, and b) having one person from Ossylia in each group provides a certain level of local credibility and knowledge that may be necessary.

For the group looking for the boat, what kind of vessel do you want to get on? There's a number of options on how you want to go about it; straight-up passenger ship, stowing on a cargo ship, wanting to be smuggled somewhere. Obviously it'll take some streetwise to effect the later request.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:17, Tue 02 Feb 2016.

On the way, Vanyra wants to do two things.

The first is scouting for some food as time permits.  "Taking ten" on the survival roll will result in a 16, which could get some food even if its not a full day of travel.

She also wants to talk to Myria on the way.  If the group is disjointed, she will do so privately, but even if she doesn't get some time alone with Myria, she will still talk with her anyway.

Regarding the boat, Vanyra is not concerned about hiding as much at this point (not to say she is correct about this, she just doesn't expect as much trouble out of town).

Please be aware that you're essentially walking through the suburbs of the city of Ossylia; it's not exactly the type of environment you forage for food in. There is plenty of food for sale at the occasional road-side stand or in the towns. You could take produce off of the trees in orchards you pass by as well, though that may be construed as theft if someone sees you.

Group is travelling together the whole way. Is there anything in particular Vanyra wishes to speak with Myria about?

Oh, I see, outside the walls not forest immediately.  Then no foraging yet.

Vanyra will approach Myria and convey her sadness that Myria will be departing so soon.  Essentially, she will share that she was looking for Myria specifically in Ossylia (because she trusted Myria from her previous encounter).  She will describe how she was seeking Myria's help with abilities she didn't understand.

If someone has a good Gather Information skill, we could ask around.  (Vanyra has +1, +5 with heterosexual males).

That's about what Yuu would have as well, minus the +5 for good looks =P

So is there anything a PC wants to do while traveling? Given that you're in civilized territory and booking transport on reputable vessels I'm inclined to jump over the journey unless someone really wants to do something important.

This would jump us ahead to the island province of Hasheli. It will take a few days to get there, about 2 days traveling north on the river, and then another couple days via a major road to the coast, and then maybe a day to get over to the island itself.

During this time you'll each be awarded 8 power points, which should put everyone at a total of 105, and the Power Level for characters will increase to 7.

Can we actually spend those points now, too? And did I get one or half a point for posting the 900th message?

Depends. If we skip ahead you can spend them now, but if there is stuff people want to do in the meantime then no, you can't spend them now. Also depending on what the points are going to be spent on you may not be able to spend them in the next little bit.

So once you decide how you want to spend the points send me a PM or email about it, and then I'll let you know.

If it was the 1000th post, and it was in IC I'd consider it, but 900th isn't worth xp.

Sorry, was wishful thinking, I remembered something you wrote about the 900th post, found it now:


So who gets a re-roll voucher?

That was 356 posts ago, and no one spoke up so I suppose no one.

We'll say that once each player reaches 1000 posts their character will get an extra point of xp. All posts must be game related though.

I'll just add that I'm content to jump ahead.  There are roads and towns throughout the areas we will be traveling so it shouldn't be any problem.

And apparently there are trains as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:11, Wed 10 Feb 2016.

That seems to be the consensus, so I'll plan on that. In the meantime if you wish to spend those power points, which should bring all characters to 105 total, give me a breakdown of what you want to buy.

Power Level is 7 now, so  you can push things up a bit if you so desire.

There will be some time skipped in game so this is your chance to develop some things with your xp. If you don't use it now it may be a little bit until you can spend them, depending on what you want to purchase.

Sounds good. I'll try to look at the books and my notes to figure out what would I wanted to do, I remember there were several things that I still need.

While they stay in the city, Zelpuz will try to gather some more information about what's going on in the city, preferably with a pint in a pub.

To pass the time on the river, Yuu's curiosity will be to explore what he can of the ship. Maybe check out the cool engine. He also wants to ask about the rise and fall of cargo demand. See if any interesting patterns emerge.

Obviously he's going to chat, and throw these questions more in as a kid looking to learn all about these cool river boats.... maybe look to the business himself one day... and what does this button do... kind of way.

OK, so we'll be moving ahead several days.

Zelpuz:
I'll assume you meant while you're staying in the town outside the city that you're inquiring about things. And since you've just come from the city you have way more knowledge about what's going on inside of it than the travelers at the inn do. So there will not anything gained there.

Or do you mean you want to know about what's going on in this town? Or did you mean you want to find out what's happening in Ossylia once you get to Hasheli?


Yuu:
As for the boat's engine it's nothing special. Such nether-powered motors are quite common around the world. Yuu may obviously not have direct knowledge of them the same way a mechanical engineer may not have direct knowledge of a modern outboard motor, but's it's in same league.

In terms of cargo since this is a passenger vessel things have been fairly regular and steady; same type of people every week.

OK, I assumed that there might have been an influx of other people that left around the same time we did, basically everyone that heard the doors are closing and wanted to get out before. But if there's not much information to be gained from them, he'll basically check out the town, talk with Myria about the next steps, for example just go back and check in with the Order, file a report etc, try to find out more or go back and follow orders (i.e. get Lasrane again), and other than that, practice or work on something (let's see what I want to spend my points on).

OK, so you're at the coast. Yuu's relative's estate will be on the island of Hasheli itself, which is not too far off the coast. Anything in particular you want to do before going there?

Yuu is pretty keen to get there as quick as possible, especially with Qwe in toe.

Sorry for the slow down, but I've been busy with work and also trying to figure out the best way to move forward with the game since this is the first major junction in about 4 years of real time we've encountered.

So I'm going to throw out some info in IC today/tomorrow to push things along. Obviously going to be a fairly big schism in the atmosphere of the game since you're out of Ossylia and somewhat free of the roller coaster you were on.

So I'm not sure what you guys want to say to them. Easy enough for you to put an abridged version of your stories in the IC. No need to go through and give a play by play, unless you want to. Mainly looking to see what is being said and what is not being said.

If you've questions about the situation or the room/surroundings please ask, but I think it's fairly self-explanatory.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:24, Mon 07 Mar 2016.

I'm guessing Zelpuz and Vanyra are fine with just leaving the details as they are? Or are there a few things you want mentioned? I'm going to assume that they explain how they met Yuu and then how they ran into each other at first. Other than that I'm going to guess the cards will be kept close to the chest.

I'll move the conversation along these lines unless someone wants to add something in IC.

If there's anything in particular you guys want to do in this time let me know. Similarly if you've questions about the place then ask.

Each room has it's own bathroom with tub/shower, along with some drinks and fruit. Each person has their own room save for Yuu and Qwe, who are in a double room.

Me thinks they be occupied with real life.

Yep, seems so... Car! Game off...

If you guys want to do anything at the beach let me know, and also how long are you guys planning on staying there?

I'm going to assume you brought some beach towels, sunscreen and some beverages and fruit down with you.

We'll stay until they kick us out or don't serve fruit and drinks anymore ;)

Or at lest for a few days and try to hear more about the city. If nothing else happens, I guess we'll be heading out soon and going our ways. Zelpuz might want to go back to check on things and see if Lasrane ever shows up at the 'meeting point', but it probably is a better idea to make sure the Order headquarters know more about this. So ... chillin' for now.

The core reason for Yuu to come to this place was to get his sister out of harm's way. He himself wanted to help in some way, but not when facing sibling responsibilities. With Qwe out of the hornet's nest, he may find himself wanting to get back to the big smoke for some payback... Mel Gibson style. But not before some moment to breath.

OK, so Zelpuz is happy to hang out a bit, and he is interested to find out more about the happenings in the city. But he's also happy to just head somewhere else, less chaotic.
Let's see how things play out.

Yeah, it's not a big deal for the PCs to take some downtime here as long as they need. We could perhaps initiate in IC discussion about what each character wants to do next over dinner or something. I won't be pushing forth any major storyline stuff until I'm back from Japan, so it'd be nice if we arrived at some sort of game plan by then.

I'm back now, if you need to ask something.

Hey you drunken gaijin, welcome back. Shame about our abortion of a skype call, but the intention was certainly awesome

Yeah, guess the wifi unit just wasn't cutting it with the video, but oh well.

So in IC are you guys ok with skipping ahead to dinner, or is there some more stuff you want to discussing on the beach? The dinner will act as a pseudo-planning event, where the characters can announce their intentions as it were.

Sounds good.

Yep, that was the last thing i had in mind, after that head back to the rooms.

I just did a mass roll of swim checks for Yuu and Zelpuz; with 40 successes needed it was 40 vs 39 at the end; so really tight race.

If you've any questions for ZhuLi right now you can ask, similarly once her parents get to the table some more info/questions will be available.

Lastly, I've uploaded a pic of ZhuLi into the "Game Map" section, under Map U. Since it just uses pics for the maps, I'll use this to display pics of NPCs and/or places/things.

That post made me hungry, where can I find some good sashimi here?

Zelpuz will ask a few questions about how the life out here is, how close their interactions with the city are etc. Of course the question of what are the latest news will come up, too. Otherwise he's just enjoying the food and leisure for now.

Hah... seems we both suck at swimming.
Yuu has decided to keep the dinner conversation light, and away from current issues. At least for himself. He'll wait till afterwards, when meal is concluded, before touching on the subject in more depth.

I can't seem to see the ZhuLi image in the maps section btw, unless you haven't uploaded yet.

Select Game Map up at the top, then use the dropdown menu below to Select Map Image U and hit view. Should load the picture. Works for me.

*Edit* I found the issue; you guys weren't set as part of Group U, so you couldn't see it. You're all part of every group now, so should be all set.

By the way, I'm heading to Houston for 6 weeks starting on Monday. Shouldn't disrupt my posting here for the most part though. Erik and Sarah sold their house though and are in the process of moving to Ontario, so I'm not sure how much participation we'll see from him for some time. They've got to be out of their current house by the end of June.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:42, Thu 05 May 2016.

Ah, good, now I see the image, fits with the sashimi that we just had.
Houston is starting to get very humid, I was just there for 2 days. Maybe you can make a detour via Boston on the way back (depending when, we'll also be in Germany some time).

That's a hell of a detour, lol. Only 4hrs flight from Houston to Calgary, and flights are only $430 CAD now, round trip! Same cost as flying to Vancouver.

Yep, spending summer in Houston versus here or Montana isn't very appealing, but them's the breaks.

GM Note: Water Dancers are a group/guild/organization of "performers." Their art is naturally called Water Dancing and involves numerous styles, forms and techniques all based around the flow and properties of water. Typically this does take the form of elaborate, dexterous and mesmerizing dances involving solo performances to large group numbers. The other side of the art is martial, and much respect is given to masters of the martial side of Water Dancing from fighter types across the worlds (this group is not native to any particular world, Khalyun included).

You seem to get down there often, better when it's winter season though, definitely.
I'm seeing the ZhuLi photo now as well.

You guys can state what you want to do and a time frame if you have one; then we'll see where we go from there.

Yuu is considering resting a couple nights, then heading back to the capital to help the Fundementalists try to push back the tide of violent maneuvering. He wants to avoid Qwe in the immediate discussion because he doesn't want to worry her or get her thinking she's going to be coming along.

Hey everyone, I'm trying very hard to get back on here for some real posts.  Life has just been crazy lately.

Ok, after more than 3 weeks out of my house, a month selling my house amidst which I went to California for a week, and then weeks working on buying a new house in Ontario...

Why did we go to the Governor's residence?  I thought we were going to Yuu's cousin's house on an island?

Who are the Reforgers?  Who are the Fundamentalists?

Vanyra would have hopefully spent time during the day either fishing (in her own fun way) or getting out of town to do some hunting if allowed to.

Do we need to roll Sense Motive to detect Yuu's innuendo?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Thu 12 May 2016.

Welcome back!!

Sounds like you got hit with a cat 5 hurricane of life.

The Governor is Yuu's uncle, his cousin is ZhuLi, their daughter. Admittedly, I'd implied that his cousins were the governors when I first RP'd the scenario of leaving Ossylia, but it played out a bit different, probably due to RL time scale kind of fuddling details.

There are 3 factions in Ossylia, Fundamentalists are the middle ground dudes, who like change but progressively.
The other two... I've forgotten the details.

I'll also hit up your PM, but I'll have to do some back reading before I can.

Yeah, and 'cousin' is one of those loose terms, especially with nobility. We'll just assume Yuu was using the colloquial version of the word rather than a specific familial relation.

Jan, if you've any ideas on how best to communicate between the Order and yourself while in Ossylia let me know. From what Zelpuz knows currently, the city is shutoff from the world, though that is unlikely to last very long due to the economic stresses it puts on it and the whole country.

Brett, Erik any else in particular that Yuu and Vanyra are going to do? From the conclusion of Vanyra's tour there's about 45mins left before meeting the governor and governess to discuss matters further.

So just wondering who is going to sit in on the late night plan discussion and who' doing other things during that time?

*raises hand for plan discussions*

Vanyra will participate.

Totally in for the plan discussion. But also, currently on holidays in Germany (just finished a conference in Prague). So my response times may be varying. Will be back on 6/13.

Sounds good; that's why I tried to keep the description of the attendees as ambiguous as possible. So we'll assume that all 3 PCs are there.

I'm not missing anything right? The conversation just kind of paused here...

Ya, my fault. RL distractions.

Just to let everyone know, we are moving to Ontario next week.  On Monday our container arrives for our stuff, on Wednesday we fly to Ontario and stay at Sarah's house for a couple weeks.  I shouldn't be internet absent for too long during this time.

Sorry, busy, should be back early July (after recovering from the 4th).

I guess Zelpuz is off somewhere with Myria? Not sure what kind of possibilities there are for communications, Zelpuz could send a message via bird/messenger/? regularly to some contact person to keep her informed, or just directly communicate with the Order. I assume there are ways to arrange such communications assuming the city is not completely blocked off once we get there.

Also, I am mostly back, will reply when Zelpuz appears again somewhere.

I guess I kind of assumed this being an island... shipping trade would be a major focus. A lot of vessels would stop through etc.

Would Yuu have seen some clues that could better inform him of how to proceed with an ocean ship?

Also, I thought Zelpuz and Vanyra were in the room as well, or did I misread?

"a staff member comes to guide Yuu and Vanyra to a salon on the second floor with a open patio"

I guess Zelpuz i planning potential contact options with Myria. Or we could say that that was before and he (they) are actually there. Probably doesn't matter too much.

By the way, I forgot, did we have a chance to spend some points? And how many do we have?

You guys retconned it so that Zelpuz IS there for this discussion. :)

Sounds good. Then I'll jump in when he has to something to say.

Everyone now has a total of 105 points and the power level is now 7, so max of 7 on your powers.

Are people busy in RL or are they waiting for someone else to respond? Kind of just hit a brick wall in the middle of this conversation. I can advance the storyline to the next day if necessary.

I am waiting for a reply, and in the meantime, trying to figure out how the system worked and what I can spend my points on.

Sorry, Mike, been a long week. Lots of great things happening though!
Was also looking for a bit more direction with this question from earlier, how I take the dialogue with Yuu.

Ah, must have forgotten or missed that one. There are numerous ships travelling up and down the coast on a regular basis; no reason to for Yuu to think they wouldn't be able to get passage somewhere. The only concern would be vessels travelling straight to Ossylia, for ships may be reluctant to head there until it is confirmed the gates are open. Having said that there should be vessels go near or around Ossylia.

In absence of any protests or approval, Zelpuz just assumes they can stay another day.

For Jan's sake, Mike appears to be moving right now(?) and isn't really available.  As an update for me, we are still trying to get our new house back East livable and are still in the process of "moving" as well.

Thanks, I saw that Mike is moving.
Where "East" are you now?

We are in southern Ontario now, in Waterloo.

Cool, that means if you want a nice beach day, you could just drive down to Nahant, MA. Drop by for some BBQ and beach fun.

Yeah, I'm going to more or less be out of it for a couple more days. I fly back to Houston tomorrow morning and then I'm running around getting my apartment sorted. Throughout August I'll be back and forth between Calgary and Houston, so I may be intermittent in responding.

Good luck with your move.

So I'm in my new apartment in Houston; just me, some clothes, a sleeping bag and a chair for now. But I have 75mbps internet that was setup as soon as I arrived. I must say AT&T's service here has been stellar.

So I'll be able to keep up with stuff until near the end of August, at which point I'll be moving my stuff down here, and thus be on the road for a bit.

Just want to know if the PCs are going to bed now or not; if so we'll just jump ahead to the morning and the search for transportation.

I think we'll go to bed now, tomorrow Vanyra wanted to run around do something, Zelpuz wanted to go swim and relax another day and that's about it, so we can kind of skip to 2 days from now when we start looking for boats.

And welcome back to the world of internet. You should consider buying a table for the computer.

I'm dealing with a lot of crazy myself right now.  We got our stuff brought to the house only to find that both of our containers had been flooded with over an inch of water.

So we basically lost nearly all of our furniture and are dealing with damages to a bunch of other stuff as well.  In the meantime, I also had to unload two shipping containers in one day and we are now trying to unpack everything into the house in a totally disorganized and hectic fashion.  So... still moving.

Anyway, I will be trying to continue this as I can, but moving like this has been difficult to say the least.

That sucks, sorry to hear that Erik. Hopefully things are smoother from now. Seems everyone's planting roots anew.

Yuu will probably be too antsy to sleep, so may go for a late night stroll, sit on a wall and watch the waves and stars.

Btw, Netflix has a new series out, Stranger Things. It's a mix of Goonies and ET, if written by Stephen King.... VERY worth watching. They set it back in 1983, and nail the era perfectly. Even starts with some kids sitting around playing old school D&D.

Yeah, Stranger Things is kick-ass. Essentially throwing a ton of classic 80s tropes into one solid show. In some ways the premise is not that far off of numerous RPGs. 100% recommended.

Erik; that uber sucks. Was your stuff insured with the moving company? Seems like a major screw-up on their part.

Sure sucks. On the bright side, you get to have all new furniture.
Good luck getting everything organized again.

Should we just jump a day ahead to the ship search? I assume we can do that without Eric, or even without me, Zelpuz would be fine with nearly anything. And I assume until we get closer to the city there is not too much action that requires constant input from all of us.

That poor breakfast... being scoffed at like that. ;)

I'm still checking periodically. I'm back in Houston for a week and then I'll be out of touch for about 10 days while I move down my stuff from Canada.

Just waiting on Brett to move along the securing of a vessel. If we could get that done before I start to move down then I think we'll close this current chapter there, and open a new one once I get back down here.

Would it be dangerous for Yuu to use his real identity going back?

I'm going to assume very dangerous, as he has no idea what power shifts have occurred, or who might still want to use him to leverage his family.

It would be best for him to use a different travel name for sure, which would also mean travelling without using family funds. There are number of possible avenues there, like working on the ship, protection services, etc.

In Khahlyun the banking and credit system is advanced enough that you can use your accounts across nations, but just like today it will leave a trail for those who may want to track it. Up to you on how best to proceed; it is a relatively small port for spies to be looking for a credit check on a ticket, but you never know.

Another option is to do a inter-family transfer, grab some cash and move from there. Purchasing big ticket items with cash draws its own attention, but there's no trail really.

Ya, he'll definitely change his name, combine something local.

Another option is sell some magical services. Maybe he can build or pawn off an ether device for some travel funds. That way he's not digging into any traceable accounts, but still leaves him some liquid cash.

Yes, that's also a good option. It would also be a marketable trade skill for certain types of vessels with nether-powered engines. While such ships would certainly have a nether-engineer on board to troubleshoot any issues and provide the necessary power, Yuu may be able to offer design upgrades for enhanced performance.

Not a bad idea. Though I may want to avoid pushing that too far, as Yuu I'm sure has a reputation somewhat for nether devices.

I am not sure how much money we are talking about here, but I think Zelpuz has some, and Vanyra probably too, so we could also use our 'available' funds that I doubt people here would be looking for before we go crazy on how to obtain enough money for the trip.

Yeah, it's not the money that would be the issue as much as the trail. Prices for passage will be higher than normal because of the closure of Ossylia and the queue for entry, but nothing you guys couldn't manage. What's more important is a plausible story.

My point was, if Zelpuz for example uses his money to buy tickets, there would be no trail connecting that money to Yuu, right?
And we could make up some strange story about Zelpuz being some rich boy from somewhere with his entourage. Or some local story, or just say we hear there is money to be made for mercenaries.

Indeed, that is a possibility. But given the current situation that Yuu is with ZhuLi buying tickets, it may be a little late for a change of course.

Another thing to consider is what you're going to do when you get there. It may be much more difficult to enter than it was to leave.

That's why I figure, if I can skirt as close to the truth as possible, then it's probably a solid enough alibi. Which also means I may forge an Academy acceptance letter, or some other documents to show Yuu actually is a student. Maybe forge what he already has for himself, and simply alter the name. From Yuu's point, he's assuming no one would think him dumb enough to walk around claiming he is what he actually is... minus the name.

I think Zelpuz and Vanyra could simply play the merc card, because it's pretty much what they can do. And if Ossylia is in a bit of turmoil, there's bound to be good paying work.

Yep, the best lie is usually the one closest to the truth.

All good with me, I'll stay out of the conversation until they are back ;)

I like the part where Zelpuz pays for everything, though. I think I can work with that. /cackle ;-)

Don't worry, he'll ask for a favor back ... maybe some additions to the rifle ;)

Sorry, but I'll totally get a response from ZhuLi in today. Just been getting the last bits of my place together.

Vanyra can play the merc card.  In fact, given her rare and exotic appearance, there are not as many cards she can play as other people.

I think Vanyra and Zelpuz can also play the "we sneak over the wall at night" card. And I assume Yuu can too.

What's a wall?  Vanyra just knows horizontal and vertical surfaces. ;)

Sneaking isn't quite Yuu's forte, but... he's not adverse to giving his best shot. And failure may lead to some pretty fun situations! =D

Well, we can always 'help' him sneak in. By now transporting in a dimensional pocket has been established as an option in the group ;)

I'm not going anywhere near your "dimensional pocket"........
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:26, Sat 24 Sept 2016.

While Yuu is with ZhuLi tracking down this marine biologist, is anyone else doing something of note?

Wouldn't there be some form of public transport?

... but my stamp collection is in there, wanna see?

And as I said, go swim, relax and enjoy the day. I think I added some target practice and caught some lunch. That's pretty much it. There'll be enough action to come.

Yes, there is public transportation and taxis, which would make the journey much shorter.

In the meantime, Zelpuz is having some fish at the beach.

Yep, just waiting on Brett to advance the IC thread.

So anything in particular Yuu would want to know aside from the obvious basics of life and study of a marine biologist, and Sarcen's life here?

Unless something completely catches him off, not really. His goal is to adapt as much of this guy into himself as possible, so he can corroborate any questions that come his way.

Just need a consensus call on when you guys actually want to leave for Ossylia; earliest would be the day after the next, but you could go later if you wanted.

Sounds like a reasonable time as any. I think Yuu would be eager to get back as well, his main purpose being to make sure his sister was made safe before putting himself out there.

Yeah, Zelpuz just wanted to relax a bit, but no special reason to procrastinate.

Seems just fine.

Is there anything the characters want to do over the next couple of days while they're on the ship, and before they arrive in Mercli?

I'm going to have to double check the travel time with my global map to insure that 4 days is a reasonable amount of time given the average speed of the trimaran, so I may need to revise that.

Yes, replenishing some stocks in the dimensional pocket sounds good, some first aid stuff, some basics (drinks, a bit of food, maybe a torch and a knife etc).
Otherwise sounds good to me. Unless something happens on the way, we can skip ahead.

Yuu would have purchased supplies he thinks he'd need to change his ID. Maybe visit a garage sale or pawn shop and pick up random stuff he thinks have tinkering potential for projects he's working on or planning to work on.

For Yuu I'll need a Craft: Artistic check to create the forged documents; how legitimate you want the documents to look will determine how much time it takes: Rudimentary (1hr), Decent (12 hrs), Legitimate (24 hrs) and Perfect Forgery (60 hrs). You'll only have about 80 hrs on the boat to make them, and unless you're only doing the rudimentary one you won't have enough time to take 10.

Anyone else doing anything of note while the vessel is on the way?

The ship is making good time, averaging about 20knots, which should shave about a day off the total travel time. So you'll have about 2 full Khalyun days (~90 hrs), including an extended stopover after the first day of travel in the port town, where you can probably pick up some things if desired.

Nope, Zelpuz just goes with the flow here. He will listen to people talk trying to figure out what's going on in the city and if anything points to the local Order being involved. Other than helping his friend, that's his main interest. He'll practice his mental skills as much as he can so next time he won't fail.

I'll have Yuu go with a perfect forge. Anything less just wouldn't be in character, and he'll spend the necessary time cutting, pasting gluing, inking, as needed. He'll probably forget to eat if he isn't reminded, and he'll eat in his cabin so he can continue to work.

Ok, make the Craft: Artistic roll then. Since you don't have the skill, but do have the Jack-of-all-Trades feat, you just make a straight-up INT check effectively.

People on the boat don't really know anything more about what's happening in Ossylia than you guys do, and in fact they generally know a lot less since you guys were actually there when things went down. So the ship isn't a good information source.

Secondly, we'll be starting a new chapter once the ship arrives in Ossylia. Once we're done with the ship journey I'll post some additional info in OCC and then start the new IC thread regarding entry to the city.

I rolled, miserably. Guess forging documents isn't as easy as he expected.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Tue 22 Nov 2016.

Jesus; that's brutal. I swear the rolling engine in this forum produces an overabundance of 1s; seems like they're always coming up.

Well Yuu won't be impressed with his work; it's better than nothing but may not stand up to close scrutiny.

It definitely adds an element of excitement to our entrance... on top of the unknown it already was. Woo!

If you guys want to discuss the plan for the arrival to Ossylia you can do that in this thread, otherwise I'll finish this one off and we'll start the next Chapter.

In regards to doing things on the ship, Vanyra will go for swims when she can and (as best she can) try to work on mental focus/meditating and becoming more aware of herself in the hopes that she understands her abilities better.

Maybe she can continue the mental training with Zelpuz a bit ... I remember we had some discussion about it or so, can't quite remember.

Also, what were the reports about people trying to enter? Did it include people just being turned away or random people being dragged off and never seen again?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:02, Thu 24 Nov 2016.

All of the above; it is obvious after the first six stories that no one telling them has any direct knowledge of what is happening, so very little of it can be considered reliable information. Aside from the security blockade and likely some sort of inspection process, which is consistent across the stories, you guys should probably be prepared for whatever.

Having said your characters would likely deduce that people are not be dragged away by the military in any notable numbers, or that you can just walk right through, as both of those events would likely be reiterated by everyone if they were true. Reality is likely somewhere in the middle.

That would also bring your attention to any weaponry you guys are sporting and how to justify it or conceal it. With all the tension there are certain to be restrictions on that sort of thing.

We kind of messed up the timeline here; it'll take Yuu pretty much the entire journey to make the documents and you're only halfway in during the shore-stop; so we'll have to interpret Yuu's posts as taking a break midway when he's frustrated at his lack of progress.

As for stopping off before Ossylia, that's a pretty big time delay, several hours at least, which would require notable amounts of money. Aside from that it would certainly paint you guys in the minds of all other passengers and the crew as those people who got off just before the city in an unscheduled stop... just a little suspicious.

Hiding his things is not too hard for Zelpuz, it'll just go into the dimensional pocket. Unless they come with some specialists that should be OK.
How are boats inspected? On the water or once they dock? I assume we hear reports of both again?

To clarify, is it thought that Vanyra will have a problem getting in officially?  Was she going to pretend to be something other than herself?

Its not a big deal as she can sneak in if need be.

No more a problem than anyone else really; you guys are operating on rumours and hearsay. In reality your characters know very little about what is going on.

The inspections are being done just outside the harbor gate of the city. Apparently the navy has a number of smaller frigates stationed outside the gates which are used to board vessels for inspection.

OK, so sounds like we just go ahead and hope the worst rumors are not true. And then deal with whatever happens. In retrospect, entering through a land gate seems less dangerous, oh well.

Vanyra's spent time figuring out places she can hide on board (with her blending) to avoid interaction.  (high-up places, dark places, anything that makes it hard to spot her with the blending even).

Of course, there is also making a swim for it.  (hmm, swimming not as good as I thought, have to avoid that one a bit more)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Mon 28 Nov 2016.

There's no indication that getting in over land would be any easier; it is highly likely they have setup inspection stations there as well.

As a matter of course you should insure that everyone's character has a story to get into the city, it is pretty much a given that questions will be asked not unlike going through customs and immigration. Furthermore, given the recent events it will likely be more akin to going through customs just after 9/11. Keep that in mind.

So unless there's something important to do we'll jump ahead to when the ship is arriving in the waters outside of Ossylia and mark that as the start of Chapter 7.

So from general mood/experience would Zelpuz assume that a story of being sent to his local chapter is likely to raise suspicion? Since it's only been days, he could have been sent way before the insurgence, but that might of course also mean he'd just be turned away.

And I didn't mean it's easier to get in over land, but to escape or find alternate routes in case of trouble.

Well that's a likely story, especially since he's got all the credentials to prove he is a member. The problem comes with whether or not they want to let an armed Mespah from some outside group into their city, and/or if they seek to corroborate that story with the Ossylian chapter of the Order... who knows how that would play out.

It's a solid cover, because it's essentially true, but that's also the problem depending on how they treat it.

Basically it is logical and reasonable to assume that they'll be viewing everyone with a degree of suspicion and likely that they'd rather not have armed outsiders in their city.

I could hide my weapons, but besides that, the main problem remains of being an outsider of some group that may or may not be welcome.
I could try to pretend to be Lasrane (or someone similar from the local order), his shared memories might help a little, but it would be a shallow cover. Otherwise, Vanyra and I are likely obviously at least suspicious. So we could either try to hide (although they probably ask for a headcount and start a search if someone is missing) or come up with some story of why we live in the city and were out.

Could I hide inside my own pocket? And what would happen if the ship moves while I am in the pocket?

Yeah, I'd say since you can put creatures inside the pocket you could put yourself, but then your just going to in that pocket dimension with no contact with regular reality, and when you exit you'll be exiting right where you entered.

In terms of entering the city you should simply be prepared with a couple story options depending on the situation, like one where you are a member of the Order of Ashes and one where you're just a regular Mespah. And hiding your weapons is likely a very good idea.

Yes, that's about the plan, with some skills in Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive and Notice, he should be able to react to the responses he can read, kind of a cold reading, starting with something general and then adding as the story goes along, maybe at some point mentioning some names of the Order if they seem knowledgable, which is unlikely. Let me know when you want some rolls.