Correct - buuuuut that WOULD require you to make a roll and make an IC post. =P

I hope everyone's had a nice weekend!

Sorry for the long delay, real life got the better of me this last week. I'll also be away on a seminar for the next few days. The Dale thread will be updated once I return.

Certainly no worries; we're coming into the holiday months anyway, so everyone gets distracted this time of year.

Ah, that’s right, Happy Thanksgiving to you Americaners! :)

gobble, gobble, gobble! Happy Turkey Day to those in America!

Don't get killed by Turkie this year!

I've made so many test batches of pies in the build-up to Thanksgiving that I'm now utterly sick of cutting apples... -_-  On the plus side, they are rather tasty pies.

In reply to Khulekani Kumalo (msg # 34):

Wow -- thanks for the warning! I didn't even realize that Turkie might be lurking in the bushes. :)

And by the by, happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate the holiday.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate

Whoo, one holiday down, now for the build up into Christmas...



Much obliged for the additional context there, but I'd intended the roll more for my own sake than any specific information.  It was one of those "I, the Player, knows a ton about Liches in the setting but Mallory as a character may not", so I just needed to gauge how much she would or wouldn't know for the sake of characterization.  I'll often make rolls in the dice roller tagged with "for the sake of context" or "for fun", which are just for when I want to leave such things up to random chance and see how they shake out.

Oh, I see. I misunderstood then! If for nothing else, it's a good opportunity to check whether the game's information aligns with canon. Which I would say it mostly does in this case.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:30, Sat 25 Nov 2023.

I'm generally less concerned with ensuring campaign/canon accuracy than I am finding fun ways to integrate lore references into characterization.  Like Mallory's earlier nerding-out about magical history after recovering the Netherese spellbook, or her griping that a spell she learned from a 2nd edition-era source is now weaker in 5th edition "modern times", as it behaves differently pre/post Spellplague.

Same for Liches, for example.  Based on the canon lore implications, it's actually nigh-on impossible for any new Liches to come into existence during the 5e era.  The process to become a Lich has always been left broadly vague, but the 2nd edition splatbook "Van Richten's Guide to the Lich" actually details some specific spells and magical elements required in the known ritual to intentionally achieve Lichdom.  At least one of those spells simply doesn't exist post-Spellplague, so presumably that means that ritual is no longer functional either.  There are other means of becoming a Lich, of course, but that tidbit always strikes me as interesting for the implications it has on the general lore of the setting, and how characters (especially Liches or people who want to destroy all Liches) might react to such shifts in power.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Sat 25 Nov 2023.

Okay, I realize where our wires were crossed now. When Vellynne presented you with the 2-carat diamond (post #126 in 4-A), I was fully under the assumption you took it (she folded the rest back before pocketing them). If this was not the case, then of course she doesn't consider any agreement, formal or otherwise, fulfilled.

Originally I wanted to resolve this IC, but this seems to be a genuine case of misunderstanding that is better settled OOC.

Oooh, I see the confusion now.  Yeah, I thought that was just Vellynne showing that she had the money on her but not actually extending any payment.  We hadn't actually covered any of the Party's findings with her yet, so the value of the information or items recovered was still up in the air.

I guess it can be handled both ways then?  Go with Mallory having accepted the 400 GP diamond when it was presented for the full report of their findings, and then her pressing on the contract still being active now because they still had more to cover; interrogating the skull, information about Hadar, and such.  That additional information had yet to be appraised, so it could reasonably be considered its own thing.

-edit-

I've gone back and edited my IC post to reflect the money that's passed hands so far, and clarify what specifically Mallory is referring to with the contract now.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:48, Sun 26 Nov 2023.

*krsch* Come in Rhydd and Khulekani, you are needed in the Dale thread, I repeat, you are needed in the Dale thread, over.

Minor brain fart moment/request for clarification:

So Mallory intends to head out and explore Luskan around the Tower/do some shopping.  Is that occurring before, during, or after her dinner excursion with Harai (and possibly Vellynne)?

Also, for locations on the map to visit, I figure large swathes of it are basically blocked off for the sake of being too dangerous or simply not relevant for Mallory to visit.  The entire north portion across the river, and surely the docks as well.  The High/Captains' Courts sound like official residences/government buildings, where she has no business going, and Rat Alley sounds like a great place to get your kidney stolen.  So probably going to steer clear of all those places.  ^^;

So what's to know about Colmarr's, Half-Moon Street, The Cutlass, The Market, The Prisoners' Carnival, the Illusk Ruins, and the Winter Palace?  Also, would there be any temples or places of worship in Luskan for Tymora or Mystra?  I'm not saying Mallory intends to visit all those places, but it'll be easier to figure out whether we even need to make a thread in the first place if I can get an elevator pitch for those spots to figure out if they're worth visiting as opposed to just doing a shopping list OOC.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:30, Sat 02 Dec 2023.

Before. The sun has already set and there's not much left of the day. I'd say the interrogations finished around 6 PM, add on another two hours and we get to 8 PM before the dinner excursion. So some stores would likely be closed if she decided to do it after. But there's always tomorrow!

I'll do a write-up of the various locations and post in 'Setting Information' thread later today.

Thanks for the clarification.  Let's go ahead and say Mallory saves the shopping trip for tomorrow morning then, as wandering around Luskan at night sounds like a great way to get stabbed and robbed.  At least, with more casual impunity than it may occur during daylight.

Double-post ahoy: I realized I'd let the Notable NPCs listings fall by the wayside and have updated the thread, including new NPCs encountered and updating past NPCs with their current known status.

Wonderful, thank you! I have no revisions to propose.

I'll try to post in both threads later today.

In other news, it's Icewind Dale conditions in Norway currently. -17 °C (1.4 °F) this morning. Not fun! >:(
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 09:24, Mon 04 Dec 2023.

I'm a filthy liar. On the entry for Jendrik you describe him as the leader of the Arcane Brotherhood. This is untrue; he is Overwizard of the Southern Spire only. The leader of the entire Arcane Brotherhood is titled 'Archmage Arcane'. As far as anyone knows, there is currently no Archmage Arcane.

Not that there was any way for you to know that, but I figured it's best to nip this one in the bud before further confusion blooms. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:52, Mon 04 Dec 2023.

Sorry, I know that was a little silly, but as I, the player, had to look up what that word meant, I thought it appropriate that Stormheart might not know it also, lol.

If I have any regrets in this campaign, it was that Mallory was not present to hear that line and snicker coyly into her fist.


Ah, thanks for the clarification.  I've edited the entry accordingly.  When I read the name "Overwizard", I just assumed. So I suppose it's more of a middle management position with each of the spires having their own Overwizard?

Correct. Each Spire of each cardinal direction also operate for the most part independently.

Out of curiosity, has anyone else noticed something amiss with the Dice Roller lately?  The other day I rolled two 1s in a row, and just now I've ended up rolling two 15s in a row.  I've never seen doubling-up like this so frequently before.