For out-of-character chatter...

Welcome, everyone! I need to get to bed now, but here are the basics for character creation in case you want to get started on your sheets. I'll check in with you tomorrow.

Use the 27-point buy method for determining your ability scores. Don't roll for starting gold but take the equipment provided by your class and background. And feel free to sell (at full price) anything you don't want.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Swell!  It's always a good rush to be starting up a new game.  I'm Gerard, pleasure to meet the rest of you.  Taking the role of Druid and herbalist.  Who else is getting into the party?

Hello everyone! Glad to be on board.

I guess my role is going to overlap Gerards a little because I'm going to be playing a witch-style character of the "magical/fey wise woman" style more than the "dances with the devil" variety. @Gerard; if you want to discuss themes and overlap so we don't tread on one-anothers' toes, I'd be happy to. Shoot me a PM or chat here, I'm easy.

I don't see why a discussion in themes would need to go into PMs.  Gerard's class is Druid and his three highest stats are Wisdom, Intelligence, and Dexterity.  He's an herbalist, healer, and animal handler; and I've given him the Healer Feat (Unless someone can point towards a similar feat that might be a better option).  Also has training in Cook's Utensils, for making great camp grub!

For magic, I'm going to try to focus mainly on utility and combat control.  At this level, it's things like Entangle and Faerie Fire, and healing of course.  Less focus on damage; other classes can do that better than a Druid.

Mechanically, training in Nature, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Survival, Herbalism Kit, Cook's Utensils, and Land Vehicles.  I took the Folk Hero Background to represent the fact that Gerard isn't the forest hermit kind of Druid, but rather enjoys community.

These themes have too much overlap with you Adeline?  I'll admit, I'm nearly finished with my character sheet already.

Hullo!  Dwarf Barbarian, so I'll just do what barbarians do and smash the bad guys.

He will be a Path of Wild Magic and has a tragic history with magical scholarship, so he'll have some Arcana, History, etc.  Not great at them, but he'll have them.

There will certainly be overlap, but I'm ok with it if you are. My Class is Bard so I'm a touch less flexible when it comes to spell choices (inasmuch as I can't switch out my spells on the daily), but I'm going to be looking at glamours, charms and hexes (thematically) along with some of the Druid-y choices, which may be able to save you some slots where it comes to animal communication and (at later level) transmutations. When I've settled on a Spells Known list, I'll be sure to let you know so we don't have redundancy in your daily preps.

As far as Skills go, I haven't completely decided, but I've got a lot more leeway! I'll certainly also be taking Nature and Survival, but I'll be taking Deception, Persuasion and Performance for a more social angle. I'll be picking up more skills later (assuming we get to level 3), so I can diversify then. As far as Tools go, I'll leave the herbalism and cooking to you! If no-one else had taken Herbalist Kit, I was going to, but I'm happy to go a different route.

Tactically I'm definitely going for a utility/support role, like you, but mine will be more debuffs and buffs than area control.

Overall, while we overlap thematically I don't think we'll be treading on each others toes too much. We might even have something to learn from one-another!

Hi there, I am here to answer THE CALL OF DESTINY!

Phew, with that out of the way I'll be bringing with me Malcolm. A Half-Elf Paladin with a nature focused theme going for Oath of the Ancients later on if he survives to level 3. He comes from a wandering group of half-elves, working as a squire for a minor noble for a few decades. Blessed with long life he has not been in a rush to get on with the adventuring life, until now.

I'm excited to get to know all of your characters, looks like we all have some sort of nature adjacent theme going on. Malcolm is comfortable in a social setting, I've given him persuasion, insight, history, nature, medicine and athletics so far. He will also be alright with a flute, to accompany those camp grub meals Gerard is cooking up. I imagine he will be a great wingman to Tornan's barbarian on the front lines also.

Hey all!

I am the resident Eladrin Elf Wizard, that will eventually shift into the Bladesinger Arcane Tradition. My magic is centered around melee combat with some ranged spells mixed in and a bit of defence/mass boom.

I'm glad to see that y'all are chatting and discussing your characters. I know there might be some similarities/overlap between some of the characters, but I'm not very concerned about that; I knew that would be the case when I selected each of you for the game. I really just selected the characters that sounded the most interesting to me, the ones who I wanted to see in action the most. I think you should have a good mix, though.

I've got to run soon, and I may or may not have time to get back on here tonight, but if/when you get your character sheet completed, please send me a PM to let me know. I'll look over your sheets when I get a chance. I'll also provide you with some information regarding how the story will begin sometime over the next few days.

Hi! Qamar is a Sorcerer. I haven't had a chance to start working on my sheet yet, but I hope to do that tonight.

I'm looking forward to playing with all of you!

I've completed my character sheet but have yet to decide on the god whose Holy Symbol I carry. I am curious to hear about what gods you others are picking, if any, so that there might be some cohesion. I am open to any suggestion but so far I'm leaning towards Silvanus, or Chauntea. Favoring Silvanus for the focus on wild nature and Oak themes.

I haven't selected a deity myself.  I don't know what Pantheon we're using so I don't want to make any assumptions.  But a deity like Chauntea is one that Gerard would favor.  Agriculture and community are right up his alley.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Thu 09 Dec 2021.

I will always stand bravely within touch range of the Paladin, sir.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 02:14, Thu 09 Dec 2021.

All while the elf blade dances between the two of you slicing and casting. :)

Oh nice!  I saw wizard but missed Bladesinger!

Path of Wild Magic here....eventually.  Paladin, Bladesinger, and Wild Magic Barbarian should make for an exciting Melee group.

If we are using Forgotten Realms deities, Tornan would follow Thautam (Dwarf God of Magic, Darkness, Mystery) but also favor Dugmaren Brightmantle (Scholarship and Invention), followed by the rest of the Morndinsamman (Dwarf Pantheon).  Not sure the dwarfiness is helpful to those looking for gods
This message was last edited by the player at 11:27, Thu 09 Dec 2021.

If I walk on my knees, I'm sure I could pass as a dwarf.

Only for a "short" while.

So I've toned down my nature-focus a fair bit, at least in terms of proficiencies, in favour of social. Thematically and narratively, she's still very much a fey/nature witch-style character but aiming more at "fey enchantress" than "woods witch" now

Skills: Survival, Deception, Intimidation, Peformance and Persuasion (Yup! All of the Charisma skills)

Spells:
Cantrips Dancing Lights, Shape Water, Vicious Mockery
1st Lvl. Animal Friendship, Bane, Command, Sleep

All the Charisma Skills; especially Survival.  There's no surer way to survive than to get other people invested in your well-being!

We'll be using the Forgotten Realms deities.

Let me look over everyone's sheets now...

It looks like we're just waiting for a couple of you to finish up your sheets. We'll get started once everyone is done.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:26, Fri 10 Dec 2021.

Great!  What kind of opening do you have in mind?

Think I'm all about done with my character sheet and I've updated my character description. Think I'm about ready to go!

I'll get the game thread up shortly. I'll leave things wide open for you at first. Once everyone has posted, I'll start throwing some things your way. There's no need for you to try to bring everyone together; I'll take care of that. And your characters can be from Rendrick or just visiting for the festival.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I've deducted some copper for sweets & treats. How much for a colourful, festival-bought hairpin GM?

Why not buy a magnificent flower garland?  Perfect for the festival and hand-woven by a druid's best handiwork!

Thanks, but no. I've already got half a forest on my noggin; can't say I need to be lugging around the other half as well!

Far be it for me to foist a forest where it isn't fancied!

Better to be having half a forest on your noggin then to look like a tree from the forest!

@GM: I assume from your introduction of him, that anyone that's been at the festival for a decent amount of time would recognise Lord Jonas by name and sight from e.g. addresses/speeches he's given, competitions he's judged or the like?

@Theirastra: I take it you and Gerard know each other? Or is you wrapping an arm around him a blatant breach of personal space due to unfamiliar customs, etc.?

Adeline, I would have addressed you in my last post as well but it seemed to me you approached alone as well so I didn't want to assume you were there with the other three.

Yes, Adeline, that's correct. Even if someone couldn't remember his name, s/he would recognize Lord Jonas as an important local figure and an organizer of the festival.

The latter. She has a small personality quirk regarding personal space, as you can see. And uh...it'll get worse under certain circumstances. :)

I need an adult!

LOL! What? No green skinned elves for you? She can become a red skinned one if you'd rather? More whitish?

To tell the truth, Gerard the druid is probably far more accepting of a green-skinned semi-fey elf invading his personal space than most people.

The evening got away from me. I'll post tomorrow.

@ Qamar Silesa: Could you give us a physical description of what Qamar looks like? I know you're a Sorcerer (or you were during the Character Creation process earlier), but from your profile picture you could be anything from an Elf to a Gith! Cheers.

I honestly thought you were human at first Adeline.  Then I read your description.  Yeah...not quite human.

Speaking of which, am I the only human here?  Once I get level 2 I should just spend all my time shapeshifted.

In reply to Gerard Frontalier (msg # 39):

Got any guesses? ;) (there's a clue in my spell list)

I don't think I can see your spell list, but my knowledge of Celtic lore tells me to call you a Selkie.  Don't know if they're in the game though, or called something else.

Oh, you mean the spell list you posted up a bit here in OOC don't you?

That's an astute guess! You're partially right and I'm basing my spell choices off of that theme, to a degree. I'm playing Adeline as a Water Genasi with Selkie heritage (not that her parentage really means anything in game-terms, per se).

Haha, at least Malcolm is half-human if that counts for anything? I'd love to see Gerard spend his days as some sort of shape shifted gardening rabbit or some such.

So I've been wracking my mind trying to work out why "the" and "wanderer" are recognised words in the Language groups (anyone that can't speak Sylvan will notice that those words are unscrambled in my last post)...

...then I just figured it out. It's all Malcom the Oaken Wanderers fault! Character names are always "recognised" by the language filters and left unscrambled, even in part.

I know it's a small thing, but "the" is quite a common word to be recognised by all languages (not just Sylvan!). Any chance of changing your handle to something without common language in it Malcom?

She just wants to be able to talk about you behind your back.

It did cross my mind when I read your post but I didn't give it further thought. I'll PM the DM, it was never my intention to have his monicker also be his full character name any way. Feel free to continue talking about the best dressed party member behind his back.

Should be simple enough to have The Oaken Wanderer in your biography line anyway.

It's true. I'm just a dirty gossip.

I get the feeling you're in to playing favorites too.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:28, Thu 23 Dec 2021.

In reply to Gerard Frontalier (msg # 50):

Well if he will go around wearing all that iron! Urgh! It's sends a shiver down my spine just thinking about it!

;D

Some people get ice flowers and others get looks of disgust, it's rough world out there Gerard...

Io Saturnalia! Joyous Yule! Happy Solstice! Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays all.

Thank you!

I hope everyone enjoys their holidays! From Norway, god jul!

You can't forget CATMAS!

The Amazon busy season is over finally, so now I'll be able to get back to regular posting again! I apologize for my haphazard posting the last several weeks and am glad to be able to get back to posting normally now!

That's the best part of the New Year.  It signals the end of the Holiday Season shopping madness.

Here's to a great 2022 for everyone!

Go ahead and purchase any additional supplies you need for the journey, then let me know when you're ready to proceed.

Sorry for the silence; I've had a busy week. I'll move things along this weekend.

Another crazy week! Sorry about that.

In case you haven't figured it out, we're down to just Qamar and Tornan. I'll continue to control the others until this adventure is over, then we can recruit new players to replace them. Thanks for sticking around!

Tornan's player had to bow out due to RL issues, so it's just Qamar left from the original group. However, I just added a new character, Daphne, and will be recruiting for additional characters, so we should be able to continue.

Thanks for your patience!

That's too bad... Oh, well. At least we'll get to keep going. :)

Popping in to say hello. I'll be playing Gason, a halfling bard who is equal parts duelist and poet.

I'll put together a character sheet today.

Just want to confirm that we're all still level 1?

Yes, we're still at 1st level.

Use the 27-point buy method for determining your ability scores. Don't roll for starting gold but take the equipment provided by your class and background. And feel free to sell (at full price) anything you don't want.

Hello there!  I'm looking forward to joining the team

Greetings all, I'll be playing your resident Tiefling Paladin. (for the moment).

Hello, I'm playing Rinn, a half-elf with what I hope will be a fun background to play along with.

I'll be putting together a sheet shortly.

Hello, everyone. You don't need to worry about dieing when I'm around. I'll make sure your corpses are cared for and properly laid to rest.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:13, Sun 20 Mar 2022.

Would people care to try and establish relationships before we join the story?

Gascon is a proud person and liable to try to resolve many interpersonal conflicts with a duel, but he is also fiercely loyal to those he deems worthy and he prizes bravery quite highly as a trait in himself in others. He is loathe to turn down any kind of challenge and revels in the attention of the crowd.

In reply to Gascon (msg # 70):

If others are interested, and the connections are logical, I'm up for it.

Melek is a Mercenary Veteran.  He is a disciplined, reserved Tiefling.  Slow to trust, but very loyal once his trust is gained.  He is meticulous in the care of his equipment, tending to it first, before his personal comforts.  He prefers to think through problems first, before jumping to a solution.  He hired his services often to help those who can't help themselves.

Graves was raised in a graveyard chapel of Kelemvor, and since has been wandering through rural villages offering her services. She has the folk hero background, but it stems more from the traditional obligations to her order than being a beloved local hero.

It wouldn't be hard to connect her to anyone passing through rural areas, particularly if they had lost a friend or loved one.

Hi-

Finished Rinn's stats, equipment, and general writeup. Not totally sure about the portrait, but there's time to change it if need be.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:44, Mon 21 Mar 2022.

In reply to Melek (msg # 71):

It's possible that Gascon served with Melek as either a soldier or a mercenary.

In reply to Graves (msg # 72):

Gascon is also a wanderer, he and Graves might have crossed paths. More likely though it's that Graves may have buried some local hot shot who didn't know when to give up and forced Gascon to kill them.

So, I've asked to work some stuff out with the GM, but the general deal is that Rinn is heading into town for the first time when we start up. Not sure what town, but "town".

Daphne is a scribal apprentice who was studying history and magic under a local wizard.  She has lived a fairly sheltered life, and has been struck by an urge to see the world and all the places she's been looking at in books.

   Either could work Gascon, depending on whether your character came from the same village or not would dictate whether they met as soldiers or mercenaries.
   The village that Melek comes from was large, by village standards, just a bit smaller than a town.  If Graves worked there, it is possible they ran into each other, or met in the daily life of the village.

Daphne might be involved with people any time writing or historical records are involved.

Perhaps she and Graves worked together during the recording of information at an important person's death.

Perhaps one of the warriors might have been hired by Daphne's mentor to guard her as she delivered important or valuable papers to a merchant family during a reading of a will.

Perhaps she helped Gascon with research into an ancient song or story

That could easily work for Melek Daphne.  Being hired to guard her while she did something/traveled somewhere would work quite well.  Given the Mercenary Veteran feature, he might even still be employed by her mentor to guard her.

As a side note, I like how everyone is trying to find connections between their character and at least one or two others.

Exactly, Melek.  I figure,  in a small town, there will be lots of small but meaningful connections

I'll start looking over everyone's sheets today and then adding you to the story. Thanks for your patience.

In reply to Daphne Peatmonger (msg # 76):

Daphne, it's likely that Gascon has borrowed books from you before. His studies haven't had any particular focus, but they have been extensive. Depending on the types of books you have, he would have been mostly interested in histories and literature.

Melek, why don't we say that Gascon is from your village. We served together as soldiers, but have gone our separate ways since.

I figure Gascon is in town now to perform for the festival which is why he missed the previous night's excitement.

That makes sense for a bard, definitely   :)

Sounds great Gascon.

Ok, summing things up that happened since I last logged on. I'm in the Philippines, so time zones and all.

Graves and Daphne: both led sheltered lives, could have met through Daphne's research, and eventually decided to head out into the world together.

Malek and/or Gascon: Being soldiers, (maybe hired to defend Graves' and Daphne's village) would likely have at some time been involved in a death or two that required Graves' services. And Gascon would likely have met Graves if his researches involved a local dead person.

Rinn: Besides a connection I mentioned privately,  nothing jumps out at me.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:39, Tue 22 Mar 2022.

Sounds great Daphne.  I'll work out the details on Meleks' side, and get back to you.  You've given me an idea.  Thank you.

Garish? Qui? Moi? Just coming out swinging, eh? I can respect that.

No offense meant on my or Graves' part, I assure you. Now Graves could easily be accidentally offensive, but thats another matter.

In Graves' defense, almost anyone is garish compared to a Goth.    ;)

In reply to Daphne Peatmonger (msg # 89):

That is a very good point.

Hey guys... just a 'gonna be AFK' note: In a little bit under a week, I'll be going to the hospital, and will probably be off for a few days.

Also, in the interests of not stalling things: I'm interested in getting going with character interaction, but TBH I'm not seeing a way in yet- this is all reunion stuff that Rinn simply isn't party to. Ideas?

In reply to Rinn (msg # 91):

Since many of us made connections with other characters, we had a bit of a head start in making conversations.   Since you're a stranger, it's just taking longer
But rpol.can be slow at times, so if you give us time, we can reach out to you in a bit,  my friend

I can't speak for everyone,  but Daphne can't wait to meet new friends!!   :)

I'm thinking that Melek found you by happenstance originally, when he brought back the bodies of three mercenary companions to be buried, and paid for the rights to be performed.  Leaving two silver in each person's hand for passage to the afterlife.  And later, left her payment for his own future burial, with two silver to be placed in his hand for his own passage.  What do you think Graves?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:16, Fri 25 Mar 2022.

That could certainly work, though money like that might be better left with Graves.  Still, Daphne would be happy (well, not happy, but you know...) to hold your final money for you if you desired it.   Though she might have told her mentor she hold it if she's leaving town

Sorry Daphne, I got you and Graves confused when typing.  I have edited my message above to correct who it is addressed to.  I had been going with Melek having guarded Daphne under payment from her master, while she delivered something, travelled, etc..  Does that still work for you, or do you have another idea you'd like to pursue?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:18, Fri 25 Mar 2022.

No, that sounds perfect.   *smiles*  i was wondering what was happening.
Don't worry,  my friend,  I've definitely gotten characters confused before, especially this early in the game.   It's very easy to do.  :)

Rinn, this is a bit of an odd idea, but since Daphne is a big history buff, perhaps she sees your unusual coins and comes over to say hi?
Being a history nerd, she might be very fascinated (and she speaks Elven)

That works! Also, I don't think anyone's going to take Really Old Money at this bar. :)

Fine with me. Seems natural that you'd have lost a friend or two in your line of work. And since you've prepaid, it's only natural you'd have a cloaked mortician following you around to make sure she fulfills her obligations.

Graves see Melek enter the tavern, "Better keep an eye on him," she thinks to herslf, "in case he dies."

In reply to Rinn (msg # 98):

It might take a few posts, but I'll get there soon.   :)

Pirate dens and goblins.  Are we talking about Goonies Daphne?  *L*

In reply to Graves (msg # 99):



This made me laugh out loud.    It's absolutely perfect!!!
It's like something a nerdy Wednesday Adams would say

In reply to Melek (msg # 101):

To a townie like Daphne,  who's only heard of these kinds of things in books or drunken tavern stories, that's a real possibility

Hi,

Not the best of news, but I will be going to the hospital Wednesday next week, and should be out from Tuesday of next week to about Thursday or Friday.

I will be here over the weekend and through about Tues afternoon, however. Plan however you feel is best. If something important happens, while I'm out go ahead and NPC Rinn's actions. I'll post when I go and again when I'm back.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:17, Fri 25 Mar 2022.

In reply to Rinn (msg # 104):

No worries. Hope everything works out.

I hope whatever the reason is, that everything turns out well for you.

In reply to Rinn (msg # 104):

No worries,  my friend

My apologies,  Graves, for cutting our conversation short.

Rinn's Common should get better, soon. It's just punctuation, mostly. :)

I'm happy to tutor a fellow Adventurer,  certainly.  :)

Ok guys, I'm out now, for the thing I was talking about. Should be back day after tomorrow.

Our characters don't know each other Daphne?  That's cool,if that's the case.  I'll just edit my posts accordingly.  Just want to be clear.

I may have lost track of all plans with other characters.   If so, i apologize.
If you'd like,  we can say that Daphne, in her distraction and excitement,  she didn't recognize him or remember him.
When she meets him again,  it'll come back to her.  :)
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Wed 30 Mar 2022.

Hey, all, back.

Welcome back!  :)

In reply to Rinn (msg # 114):

Hey! Hope everything went well.

Thank you! Yeah, it'll be a few days before we get all the answers, but it went okay. I was so out of it yesterday, though- I'm glad I held off on posting.

Welcome back!

It's been an unusually busy week for me. I'll get a post up tomorrow.

Welcome back.  I hope all goes well.

Good to see you again!  :)

A few out of character questions:

• How far are we from the marshlands now?
• Are there other towns between here and the marshlands or would townsfolk around here be the people to ask about paths through the marsh?

Quick question, as well:

-If Rinn 'gets a head start' by carefully examining the direction they're going, heading out now and getting back by nightfall, will that help anything? I figure if he gets a head start doing it methodically and marks his trail out, he can help the whole group get further when they leave on the first day.

You are about a week's travel south of the marshlands. A town farther north would be more likely to have information about the trade route.

I assume we're basically good to go? (I'm assuming we're not seriously going to turn  down the adventure over not having the proper paperwork, right?)

Rinn pitches in, in whatever seems like the fastest way forward.

Daphne was planning on taking advantage of her resources in town to do some preliminary research,  but we can skip that if the party wants to move on

Research is good too, you did say that.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:46, Fri 08 Apr 2022.

I'm set. Sounds like we need to head north (post research) before talking to people will yield much useful information.

I've been busy, but I'm anticipating having some time this evening to get caught up. Expect something from me soon. Thanks for your patience.

I'm sorry all.  I got hit with having to work twelve hours shifts.  I'm back now.

I'm not ignoring anyone.  I'm working on a post.  I should have something up today or tomorrow.

Okay, I've got a post up.  Hopefully everyone's having fun.  It was not my intention to offend anyone by posting and discussing a charter, it is just what Melek would do.  *L*. Wasn't even his intention to offend anyone.  Just to get down in concrete, written form the rights and responsibilities of the group.

In reply to Melek (msg # 131):

I'm presuming than any offense on anyone's part was just Roleplaying, though for the record Daphne, a maven for paperwork, appreciated the effort

I certainly hope so.  But, it is always good to check OOC.  I have no problem with IC conflict between characters, as long as everyone is enjoying the game OOC.

It's all good. Graves has got the big L, too, but more of an oral, you can trust my word, type than an everything must be written down and in order type.

Mostly IC, though tbh I've been able to get through entire campaigns without having the characters sign a "I won't rape or torture" pledge at all. And we still managed not to do either!

If it makes the campaign drag to the point that we never go on the adventure, I'll drop it. (I have three of these in my Games You Play list, already- games that stalled for a 'strategy session' or something and just plain stopped cold, sometimes for months at a time.)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:27, Wed 20 Apr 2022.

In reply to Rinn (msg # 135):

It was a strictly RP thing.  I used Pirate charters for reference, as I could not find medieval mercenary charters.  I've played many characters that haven't even considered a charter for the group.  Melek has his reasons.  I'm fairly certain the game won't stall over it.

As long as the details are worked out off screen, so to speak, should be fine. I agree that wasting 3 weeks debating the finer points of Provision MCXVII would tend to drag the game down.

It does make me wonder if we ought to have a quick discussion on tone expectations for the game. I'm not envisioning this as a particular gritty or grimdark game.

I am with Rinn and Graves that the finer points probably ought to move to off-screen/out-of-character. Especially now that a couple of people have left the scene. Is 'the big L' a lawful alignment? I've never heard that expression before.

Perhaps we could open up a sepperates thread, and keep the discussion in character, but not obstruct the game moving forward.

OK, I've just reread my last post, and, since I HATE when people post snarky IC posts about OOC things, I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that as a player, I have no problem with anything thats happened. My post is just about Graves realizing that, while she doesn't understand why the others feel the need to do what they are doing, they also probabaly don't understand why she reacted the way she did.

No problem at all Graves.  I took it as strictly on character.  For what it's worth, you're doing an excellent job of portraying her.  *L*. I actually feel bad for Graves.

Fwiw, Rinn was all IC, and you got a chunk of his background.

Edit: I'll lean off the idea that his Common isn't that great. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Thu 21 Apr 2022.

Hopefully we'll be able to work on this IC during the adventure

Let's try to wrap up the evening soon. I'd like to move on to the next day and the start of your journey by Monday.

I'm gtg.

I'm okay with continuing

I'm good with moving on.

Ditto.

Yup

Do we have an initial destination for tomorrow?

The original idea I had was "start from here, work toward where we know the original trail ended up". I think I had Rinn ask our sponsor about it at some point.

[Like, in American terms, if we knew the trail started in Washington DC, ran along the coast, and ended in Philadelphia, we would have a general idea of what we were doing already. This seems like it wouldn't be especially hard-to-find info about a well-known trade route.]

Also: everyone remember to add a piece of chalk to your inventory if you haven't already, Rinn bought some when we were in 'prep phase'. It's on me.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:03, Sun 24 Apr 2022.

That works for now, i suppose.   :)

It also sounds like if we head north, we can ask around in villages closer to the marshlands to get more information.

Davani didn't know where the trail began or ended, just that it passed through the marshlands, most likely through the middle.

Okay, now that sounds unusual. I should've asked more questions at the time.

In reply to Rinn (msg # 155):

To stick with your analogy Rinn, I think the problem is we're asking for directions in Atlanta right now.

Ready to roll, in any event.

Sorry. I've been busy this week. Expect something from me tomorrow.

Do you want to set up a schedule for keeping watch while you rest? We can work that out in this thread and I will make a note of what you decide on as the default shifts for keeping watch.

Gascon will volunteer for first watch.

Daphne was feeling exhausted, and didn't think she'd be able to stay awake for an early watch, so she offered to go last.

Given Qamar's 120' darkvision, a shift in the middle of the night makes sense for her.

Rinn's Darkvision also makes him suitable for a later shift.

Graves will take any shift. because everyone can see in the dark, right?

Nope. Halflings don't get dark vision.

That's actually something that Graves doesn't know, in character wise.

Rinn has a +3 on Survival, if Helping with that helps anyone.

In reply to Graves (msg # 166):

Graves' inadvertent insults crack me up.

I like that she's a big ol' cheater at thunb wrestling. :)

I'll be out of town much of this weekend. I'll move us along when I get back.

Here's what I have so far:

First Shift: Gascon
Second Shift: Rinn
Third Shift: Qamar
Fourth Shift: Daphne

Graves, you said any shift would work, and Melek hasn't mentioned when he wanted to keep watch (unless I missed it). You already have all shifts covered, so it's really up to you to decide when you want an extra set of eyes and ears keeping watch.

It won't matter for this night, but I'd like to have something set for the future.

Melek said he would take the darkest watch.  So third, or fourth, I would guess.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Mon 09 May 2022.

I'm convinced that Somewhat Valuable Peat needs to be a band name.

*laughs*   I'll talk to my father about getting a royal patent.

Not to be confused, of course, with my unmotivated male cousin, Somewhat Valuable Pete.

Any Evil Dead fans know what I mean when I think we might want to "Get an axe"?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:43, Thu 12 May 2022.

Yep.

In reply to Graves (msg # 175):

You're not allowed to be this suspicious at level 1.

In reply to Gascon (msg # 177):

Respectfully, i disagree. As a sheltered city girl, I'm paranoid about everything

Sorry, Melek! I missed the part where uou got hit!

In reply to Graves (msg # 179):

It was very subtle, I'll admit.  I missed that as well

*L*. No problem.  I figured you all just missed it OOC.  I, it just feeds into Meleks' experiences.

Hey, all! My family and I were sick with COVID this past week. We're on the mend now, though. I'll try to get caught up today/this weekend.

Take care of yourself my friend

Melek, are you with the rest of the party? Everyone else followed Onver to the site where he and Shalana were attacked. There are no bodies there.

Apparently not.  *L*

Following up on something, we are all 1st level, yes?

In reply to Rinn (msg # 186):

Yes.

Ah.

Graves' cure wounds is awesome. Love it. Starting to wonder if the entire character is an excuse to make that joke.

In reply to Gascon (msg # 189):

If it is, I'll a fan.   :)

Just thought it up while I was writing the post, actually. I try to work the shovel into all of her spells, and the old coaches adage came to me. I almost added that she just needed to walk it off.

It's definitely a good flavoring.

it doesn't matter to me if we go to the village or not. Just wanted to get Graves feelings in.

Makes sense

How we doing? I'm eager to get rolling again, apologies for the diversion. At least we know now.

I'm waiting for Graves and Melek to post their actions. If we don't hear from them by tomorrow night, I'll NPC them.

Note that Melek is still unconscious. He's at 0 hp but stable.

Sorry all.  I didn't see the updates.

Are you looking to attempt a long rest?

Do we need one?  Daphne only used Cantrips, so she's good for a short rest, butni thought someone said we were stopping for the night

I dunno, I think if we defeat a wolfpack, we take a nap. :)

In reply to Rinn (msg # 201):

True enough.   I suspect Daphne's adrenaline crash is almost making her catatonic

I was thinking long rest, but I can keep going if we do a short. I don't have any spells left though.

Gascon's a late riser so I'll give everyone else a change to wake up early.

Noooo one sleeps like Gascon/ No one snores like Gascon / No one delays in-evit-able chores like Gascon!

:)

In reply to Rinn (msg # 205):

He's especially good at procrastinating....

On the one hand, this is mean. On the other, a good song.

When you get immortalized in song, it's best not to get too picky

Are you all about ready to move on?

Daphne was asking a question,  but we can chat as we walk

Ready to go!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 209):

Yup!

We good? I'm up for backstory, too, but we're going, right?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:30, Sun 24 July 2022.

I can talk as we walk, certainly

I will be away to Monday August first.

Is anyone going to respond to Zhaiket?

I was letting someone else answer, because i don't have any wine

Me neither. Also, trying not to hog the mic. :)

I'll be on vacation for a week starting on Saturday. I don't know how often I'll be able to post while I'm gone.

Have fun!

Have fun!

When we get back to it, I'm set to go.

In general, I want to pose as little barrier as possible to things happening.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Wed 17 Aug 2022.

I'm back!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 223):

Welcome back!

Good to have you back!

Gascon, the creatures have surrounded the party, so a faerie fire spell won't be very effective. I will pause the round to give you a chance to change your actions.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 226):

Action amended to stabbing. Thanks.

Got it. My last post has been updated.

We're waiting for Rinn to post. If we don't hear from him today, I'll post the next round tonight.

Sorry! The last couple of days have been busier than I had expected. I'll post tomorrow.

Howdy howdy! Your neighborhood cleric has returned and is definitely 100% the same person. ;)

I'll be reading through the thread tonight. Looking forward to playing with you all!

Welcome... back? Lol.

Glad to have you with us

Okay, so I underestimated how long it would take to read through. Regardless, I'm all caught up and will be fashioning a post now.

Rinn, what are you attempting to do? A healing kit cannot restore hit points.

What can it do, then?

Without the healer feat, I think it just stabilizes a downed person without needing a medicine check.

I'm missing something.  I didn't see Melek get damaged, but he's at 1 HP..  Am I missing something?

I thought I remembered him getting hit by a plant creature during the battle, but now I'm not sure when that happened.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:28, Thu 08 Sept 2022.

Rinn, a healing kit is used to stabilize a dying person.

Melek, you weren't hit during this most recent battle. Did you update your hit points after the last long rest?

I thought I had, I guess I didn't.  Fixed that now.

Melek, I believe we're waiting for you to post...

Sorry all.  Apparently autocorrect screwed up again.  That was supposed to be "What assets do we have to produce fire?".  I have corrected it.

In reply to Melek (msg # 243):

I've updated my post as well.

Okay, guys- I was only volunteering because Qamar was saying she thought what we were looking for was down there. I don't want to go round and round on this- if nobody thinks it's a good idea, I'm staying up.

Didn't Graves indicate in her last post that she was going down into the ravine?

Yes, she did. If we're splitting up, she would rather be in the front going down into it. She has a couple ranged options, but we might as well make use of that high AC.

I'm good if we want to split up going high and low. Something to keep in mind is that if anyone falls unconscious, try to do it within 60 ft of Graves so she can healing word you.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:38, Thu 15 Sept 2022.

Let me know what you decide to do. Right now, it looks like Rinn and Graves are going into the ravine, while Daphne, Qamar, and Gascon are staying above. I don't what Melek wants to do.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 248):

That's my understanding.

Melek, which group are you going with?

I'm gtg.

I'm waiting to hear from Rinn and Melek. I'll try to move things along tonight whether they post or not.

Sorry for the holdup, I've been really sick. Back asap.

If the trigger for my held action never happens, are we saying that the spell slot is still spent?

No.

Do I even have a prayer of making my way around to where these demons are? Like am I halfway?

Well, if everyone keeps missing with their attacks... No, even then, it will take several minutes for Gascon to make it to where the creatures are.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 257):

Lol. Damn stubby legs. Well, I suppose I can head back and shout encouragement at the team. Probably ought to pick up a crossbow.

Level 1 makes me so anxious. I want to use my spell slots but I'm also terrified that the second I use them, people are gonna start dropping like flies and we're going to TPK.

In reply to Graves (msg # 259):

I know that feeling.  Endless Cantrips is comforting, but I'm worried about using up my magical might

Rinn's player hasn't logged in lately, but Rinn is currently at 1 hit point.

Oof and a half. How would the party feel about short resting before continuing? That way we can expend hit die

I'm still hurt,  so I'm up for a rest

In reply to Graves (msg # 262):

Fine with me.

A rest would be good, but I don't think we should rest in the darkened part of the woods.

In reply to Qamar Silesa (msg # 265):

My concern is that Melek, Rinn, and Daphne have all taken damage. I can heal 2 but then I have no way to bring someone up if they go down. We could exit the ravine but there's a chance that we come back to more monsters that have moved forward in our absence.

Gascon won't like it, but I think falling back is not a bad choice here. Our fawn's wife has been missing for days so a few hours shouldn't make a difference.

Let me know whatever you decide to do.

Okay so we back up out of the immediate spooky area and then short rest.

In reply to Graves (msg # 269):

Agreed

Hey guys. Back! Turns out it was Covid. Recovered now, will be catching up on my games asap.

I'm very happy you're feeling better!

Graves and Melek are uninjured, so we're just waiting for Rinn to post before we move on.

Rinn, are you not going to heal?

Oh, yes, that too.

Okay, Rinn, I went ahead and rolled for you: You only regained 5 hit points.

We love a nat 1

In reply to Graves (msg # 277):

Sometimes the universe says No

@GM did you already make the concentration check for Gascon?

I did not.

Rinn, are you going to attack this round?

Well, it was worth a try, I guess.

Graves would not have tried to bury them. Just perform funeral rites. She'll want to bury them when we're not on a time crunch. I edited my post because I can see how it would have been misinterpreted.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:54, Tue 08 Nov 2022.

In reply to Graves (msg # 283):

Oh, okay.    Sorry for the misunderstanding

Little did we know that this whole cavern was the elaborate set up to a knock knock joke.

Knock Knock....

Who's there?

Giant.

Giant who?

GIANT MISTAKE COMING IN HERE!!!

Daphne, on a critical hit, you double the number of dice rolled. I rerolled for you.

Oh, i forgot!  Sorry about that

@GM: is the chest locked? Or, does it appear locked at least?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:16, Sat 10 Dec 2022.

It does not appear to be locked.

Is the cloud dissipating or lingering? Has Qamar also taken damage?

Sorry, I realized after Rinn's post that I should have been clearer: The cloud has dissipated.

Also, yes, Qamar has taken damage, too. Both she and Gascon will need to be stabilized.

Okay cool. I wanted to make sure I wasn't gonna accidentally kill myself by staying in the room lol

Oops. Qamar doesn't need to be stabilized; she is not at 0 hit points. Gascon is at 0 hit points, though, and will need to be stabilized. Sorry for the confusion.

I have the excuse this time of being a precocious and impulse driven character, but maybe I'm just a trap magnate.

Graves, Qamar does not need to be stabilized; Gascon does, however.

Also, Rinn's putting on a good show of it, but he's at 1 HP.

I misread your post on 12/12, sorry about that.

Rinn, I feel that. I'm at 3 hp right now. Unfortunately, I don't have any spell slots. How is everyone else doing on resources? Is it worth holing up in this room for a long rest?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:55, Fri 16 Dec 2022.

I'm out of all offensive spells except cantrips, so I'm not opposed to rest

Yeah, I'm out of spells (and unconscious). So I vote rest. It's frustrating because we're on the cusp of level 2, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:41, Sat 17 Dec 2022.

Let me know what you decide to do.

So three for rest so far

Rest!

Short or Long? And where?

Long rest in the room that we're currently in. The doors can be closed and barred with the interior furniture.

I’m referring to the healer’s kit that was in the chest, not your healer’s kit Rinn.

Daphne, what are you hoping to learn from inspecting the scrolls?

Mostly who can use them.

(I'm still a  bit new to 5th edition,  so I'm not sure what's automatic knowledge)

Goodberry is a ranger/druid spell, animal messenger is druid/ranger/bard, locate object is Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Wizard, and charm person is Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard.

I believe RAW, Daphne wouldn't even be able to tell what the spell scrolls for Animal Messenger and Goodberry are because they're not on her spell list. DM would be able to clarify that, though.

Edit: I don't have any need for Locate Object, so I'm fine with that going to Gascon or to Daphne to be copied into her spellbook.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:50, Sun 25 Dec 2022.

Oh I didn't realize that I'm the only one who can use animal messenger. I guess I can take that for now. If someone else would like charm person, I'll give it up.

Daphne I know that IC Melek is still with us, but since he is NPCed at the moment I was meta-gaming a bit to cut him out of the split. I guess it depends on whether we're planning to get him a new player or not.

Correct, Graves; only those who can cast the spells would be able to identify the scrolls, but I figured it would be easier/quicker to list them all. I guess I should have not mentioned what the goodberry scroll was, though, since you don't have a ranger or druid. Oh, well.

Melek is indeed an NPC, and I will not be replacing him--he'll leave the party when you reach a town; however, you should still give him a share of the loot until then.

And Daphne, check your math; there are only 20 gold pieces.

Corrected, thank you.  :)

So I'll add a party pool to my character sheet to track that as well. Here's how things are divided up at the moment:

Qamar took her share of the coins, but nothing else.
Daphne took her share of the coins, the candles, and the perfume.
Graves took the healers kit and put her share of the coins into the pool.
Rinn put his share of the coins into the pool and took nothing else.
Melek took his share of the coins and nothing else.
Gascon took his share of the coins, the holy water, and the scrolls.

I'll be more than happy to pass out the holy water or scrolls as necessary.

If you wish to keep track of the party treasures,  that works for me as well, Gascon

DM, is 9 a high enough insight check to notice that Daphne is staring at the copper or no?

Are we 4 strong or 6 for the purposes of splitting this gold and these gems?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Sat 21 Jan 2023.

There are five of you for now, though I'll probably write Graves out of the story soon.

Before we leave town I'd like to pick up better armor and a shield. If we can sell these gems I'd like to do that to get even better armor.

I'm sorry to see Graves go, but we'll try to carry on

You won't be able to sell the gems in Lamaltee, but you will be able to get a discount on anything you purchase from Shalana's mother.

How did you divide up the loot?

And those of you who leveled up, please let me know when you've updated your sheet; I'm waiting to move on until you have done that.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 320):




So, I'm guessing we get 20 gold and two moonstones each?
I'd love a potion of healing,  since i have none of my own, but we can debate that

In reply to Daphne Peatmonger (msg # 321):

As the last remaining frontliner (for the time being at least), I'd also like a potion of healing. 20 gold and 2 gems each seems the reasonable split to me.

@GM: What level of discount are we talking? Ideally I'd get a Shield (10gp) and Scale Mail (50gp), but I've only got 43gp and my current Leather armor that I can sell.

I'd like to buy a sling and bullets as well

She'll give you a 10% discount. So Gascon, the 43 gp + your old armor will be enough to buy scale mail and a shield.

Also, Rinn's player left due to RL issues. Once you are all ready to move on, we'll get you out of the woods and somewhere where we can find some replacement characters/players.

How are we dividing up the potions?

In reply to Qamar Silesa (msg # 325):

Here's my suggestion:

• 1 potion of healing each and the extra goes to the party stock pool to be given to a replacement player.
• Potion of climbing goes to the party stock pool until it's needed.

This message was last edited by the player at 17:28, Sun 29 Jan 2023.

I'm fine with that.

Hello, happy to be here

Greetings and well met to all!

Hello everyone!  Lovely to see you!

Welcome!

Oh man.  I just realized I typed that Dargrimm kicked off hos boots rather than kicking the dirt off his boots.

Oh well, I'm not changing it.  :)

In reply to Dargrimm Ironbeard (msg # 332):

Depending upon how much dirt we're talking about, it might look the same to us.   ;P

In reply to Dargrimm Ironbeard (msg # 332):

Hahah

Gascon - I have to ask - how do you pronounce that?  I have a 4 year old little girl so I just hear the Gaston song every time I read your name right now.

No one's slick as Gaston
No one's quick as Gaston
No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston
For there's no man in town half as manly
Perfect, a pure paragon
You can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley
And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on
No one's been like Gaston
A king pin like Gaston
No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston
As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating
My, what a guy, that Gaston

More or less the same as Gaston, but with a hard k sound instead of the t.

It's a reference to The Three Musketeers. D'Artagnan is from the Gascony region of France so other characters often refer to him as "the Gascon".

In reply to Gascon (msg # 336):

One for all, and all for one!

In reply to Gascon (msg # 336):

Definitely only accept halflings from the Gascony region of France, otherwise they're just "sparkling halflings"

Sparkling halflings! :)

In reply to Daphne Peatmonger (msg # 338):

This made me snort out my drink.

Then my work here is done....

Sparkling halflings indeed.  That's great.

@Dargrimm: Moving the conversation out of character briefly. I think it would be better to resolve cinematically, though we could roll if you prefer. I'm envisioning that classic trope where we both hit at the same time. One hit's usually obvious and then there's a slow pan to the opponent holding a dagger to the gut or something.

I suppose it would be slightly anti climactic to have a couple of bad rolls ruin a good first impression

@Gascon - Totally agree on handling cinematically. Feel free to include more of my action in your post than you normally would.

@Daphne - Can you imagine a Nat 1?  Swing, miss, and hit myself?

Daphne whispered to Gascon: 'let's let him walk in front....'

In reply to Dargrimm Ironbeard (msg # 345):

Feel free to do the same. Shouldn't drag this out too long :P

Bring on....the mustard?

I'd admittedly stalling a bit for Gerdeth.  Looks like she logged on yesterday but didn't post.

Yup, we can vamp.

I'll send her a PM. Hopefully, she'll be back on soon.

In reply to Dargrimm Ironbeard (msg # 349):

Sorry all a bit of a hectic week here.

Sorry for the delayed response; I had difficulty finding time to post this week.

Do you want to close the gate entirely? You have time to do that before the kobolds reach it.

I was thinking that we were closing it, if only to slightly slow them down.

I ask because Gascon had mentioned closing it partially to create a bottleneck. Let me know what you all decide.

Sounds like the group would rather close it all the way so I'll defer and we can do that.

In reply to Gascon (msg # 357):

If we were planning a trap or ambush, leaving the gate open as a tantalizing way in makes sense, but if we're retreating we might as well close it

In general I'm on with Gascon's plan.  Letting them in may help limit where they come in at.

Unfortunately, I'm thinking that they won't wait in line to come in thr partially open gate.   We'll get some to come in that way, but the rest will look for other, undefended ways in.

Gerdeth is team, "close the gate"

Let's close the gate all the way.

What other buildings are in the town?

There is no town.

The only other building inside the palisade is the privy.

So it's just a tavern with a wall around it?

Yes.

I'll try to get a post up later tonight.

But I must say, those were some stellar rolls for the first round. It's a good thing you're just fighting rats. :)

I blame the mustard.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 367):

You're not kidding.

Qamar don't forget that you have Bardic Inspiration.

Nicely done, Gascon!!

Dargrimm? Gerdeth? Are you two still with us?

I think we might have lost both of our new PCs; I haven't heard from either of them... :(

Oh no!!  I hope everything is okay