New thread.

I'm giving Khulekani until tomorrow to respond, after which I just suggest we move on. I can probably make a post.

I will shoot the player a message, but it is likely I will be assuming NPC control of the character.

No, as it is Mallory's summoning, not Astre's covertness that is tested. But it makes sense that Astre should be able to influence the roll. Working Together is applicable, so make the check with Advantage.

It is reasonable to assume Harai has a sense of smell superior to most Humanoids.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:09, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

To clarify, I didn't mean to include Astre's Stealth or Aid in the question.  Rather it was about line of sight; I set it so that Mallory was specifically bringing Astre out in a location where Harai wouldn't be able to see him due to her blocking line of sight.  When characters have varying levels of cover (being lightly or heavily obscured) it imposes a negative on sight-based Perception checks or automatically puts them into being unseen.

However, if Harai's Perception check is based on anything other than sight, then it's a moot point.

Bears,

Do you need checks from Stormheart and Rhydd re: finding a nice, Peryton-less place to set up evening camp? :)

No, I think we can expand upon the Survival checks you rolled earlier if anything.

Sorry for not posting for a while now. Feeling kind of drained, but I'll see if I can't get something up in both threads within the next couple of days.

Certainly nothing to apologize over.  I often get periods of low energy when my workload spikes up with each project season, so I know how it feels to be running on fumes.  Just take your time and recharge however you need to.

In reply to DM Bears (msg # 6):

No worries, as Mallory has already said (using a few more words, admittedly). :)

I have played in games on the other end of the spectrum, where daily posts were de rigueur, and that got to be a bit of a bother before all was said and done.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Wed 25 Oct 2023.

Yeah. I'm fine with no posts right now. It's...been a terrible week so far, I'm just trying to get past it really.

Happy Halloween! It's not a holiday we make much of in Norway, but I should probably expect at least a few trick-or-treaters at my current residence. I guess I need to go buy some candy after work as I never keep it in stock . . . thanks for the reminder!

There was some heavy snowfall in my part of the world tonight, which makes it feel more like Christmas than Halloween. Regardless, it got me in the mood to whip up a couple of posts. :)

I hope this week's going better for you, Stormheart!
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:29, Tue 31 Oct 2023.

There were no trick-or-treaters >:(

I’m going to be in the hospital for a few days. My heart is being a dickbag.

That's unfortunate to hear. I wish you a speedy recovery!

I have returned.

My heart seems to be functioning properly again. Don't know what caused that.

Trouble with the ticker is always a worry, but better that it be something you can deal with at your own pace than something that catches you all a sudden.  Glad to hear you're doing better.

That...was quick. I'm glad you're alright now. =)

You and Rhydd are up in the thread I believe.

In reply to Khulekani Kumalo (msg # 15):

Glad to hear that Bears' wishes for a speedy recovery came to pass. :)

It was atrial fibrillation, which isn't like as bad and deadly as a heart attack, so recovery time is quick.

I guess.

I vote for Bruenor's Climb.

Faster, Drizzt used to brood there, and it has a commanding view for surrounding dangers.

Bears,

I  would think that the weather would play a part in the "night camp" decision (i.e., how far the "Climbing party" should venture before settling down for the night).

Do you need a Survival Check (or some such) from Rhydd in order to glean how much he knows (or suspects) concerning the short-term weather?

Thanks.

I agree, it plays a vital part. I originally had a passage that referenced the wind, but it got lost in the rewrites. No need for additional Survival checks, though.


The wind is mostly still tonight and would register at about 4-6 knots (Light Breeze). Far from unbearable, although it's plenty cold even in its complete absence. It hasn't been building either, so it's unlikely to change drastically.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:12, Mon 06 Nov 2023.

In reply to DM Bears (msg # 22):

Thanks. And yes, I had forgotten your earlier notes about the weather. :)

Rhydd will likely be less affected by the harsh conditions (although, with light winds, not nearly as harsh as they *could* be) than most would be, thanks to his Boots of the Winterlands (courtesy of Mallory).

Based on Stormheart's information concerning his recent stay in the Dwarven Valley (and his reception by the residents thereof), I think that Rhydd would vote for the Daledrop.

It sounds like there is a reasonable likelihood of some real shelter there, plus the possibility of gaining information concerning things of import in the area.

Over to you, Stormheart. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:30, Mon 06 Nov 2023.

Okay, Daledrop it is! Hopefully Mallory and I (and maybe Idrianthe?) will have stuff to do in the other thread while we crunch through that.

Posts coming up in both threads. For the Host Tower thread I plan on jumping to the interrogation, so that'll be meaty. Work is currently busy and I've got my father visiting, so it'll probably be a couple of days.

Certainly no worries there.  Giving more time for the Host Tower thread to keep apace with the events of the Dale thread is why I've had Mallory mulling on spending more days in Luskan, or making day trips out into the city for her own affairs.  Makes for good padding and character beats.

CLEARLY Stormheart is the NATURAL choice to spea...what's that? Khulekani likely way outstrips Stormheart in Charisma and tact, you say? Dang. =P

I'm good with group skill or someone talking. It can even be Stormheart if you want, though there are likely better at Persuasion. I would hope.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Sat 11 Nov 2023.

In reply to Stormheart (msg # 26):

Rhydd is a rather laconic loner by inclination (perhaps brought on by long periods of solitude in the Wilds), so he is a poor choice as a spokesperson (unless the party wishes to annoy the Dwarves). :)

Oh no, whomever does that leave?

Innocent little attractive and compelling me?

lol

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.

Hmm, one roll of two alike has a 20/400 probability of occurring (1/20 * 1/20 = 1/400 to roll two of a specific number, and there are twenty numbers), or 1/20. This happening twice in a row is then 1/20 * 1/20 = 1/400. Which is unlikely, but it's the same probability as rolling two 20's when rolling with Advantage/Disadvantage.

I made two new rolls in the dice roller to check.

23:03, Today: Secret Roll: DM Bears rolled 16 using 1d20+1.
23:03, Today: Secret Roll: DM Bears rolled 12 using 1d20+1.

Nothing funky to report! :)

Edit: I realize I didn’t actually roll several dice at once.

Secret Roll: DM Bears rolled 20 using 2d20+3, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 9,17.

Still behaving as expected.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:02, Mon 04 Dec 2023.

Just me having an odd twist of probability then, I suppose.

Maybe a dumb question, in case my eyes glided right past it, but do we know what Clan these Dwarves are?

The sentries actually gave you two names; Battlehammer and Hammerstone. One is likely to be a clan name while the other is likely a surname. Roll a History to find out which one is which! :)

OOC Mechanics
15:24, Today: Khulekani Kumalo rolled 10,13 using d20,d20. History Battlehammer, History Hammerstone.

Busy today, but posts tomorrow! I promise.

In reply to DM Bears (msg # 59):

It's okay. Think we're still waiting on PC posts in the Dwarven Valley thread anyway.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:36, Sat 09 Dec 2023.

She has been with you all the way.






I might have slipped up on occasionally and forgotten about her since she's for the most part demoted to an extra. Likewise, I don't blame you for not remembering she's not there! :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:17, Mon 11 Dec 2023.

Oh. Well. Yeah that definitely would have changed...possibly several things a few times had I remembered. Dang. I'll go edit my post....and I guess the previous one where I called one of the drunk for pluralizing Goliaths when there WERE actually more than 1.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:42, Mon 11 Dec 2023.

I see you've already edited your first reply (msg #2 in the thread), but it should have stood. The misunderstanding isn't too severe and I tried to resolve it in universe by having Farwalker appear behind him. That way neither Stormheart nor the Dwarf is wrong. I've gone ahead and edited my own reply, as it doesn't make sense in light of the edit. For future reference, it's probably best to not retcon posts to a significant extent, doubly so if it has reverberating effects, unless it has been explicitly discussed and decided in the OOC.

Edit: To be clear, I am only referring to posts which have already received replies. The most recent post is always free game. Although, significant changes to those too should preferably be communicated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:31, Mon 11 Dec 2023.

Very well.

I hope everyone is doing well! Holidays are creeping in (and with it the dreaded transition to the responsive site...), so the pace is naturally bound to slow down. I myself will be traveling today and tomorrow, and will be mostly unavailable the majority of the coming week.

I can't believe it's almost 2024 already.

Seriously, this year seemed to go by remarkably quick for some reason.

But no worries on the usual Holiday Season Slow-Down.  It's the norm around RPOL.  Thankfully I'm not doing any traveling this year, but I do have local family events that will be taking up a fair bit of my time.

Holiday equals = "HAHAHA! WHAT FREE TIME?"

Also...I can honestly say I've never had a Peryton in another game before.

Good times!

DM and I are discussing Mallory's shopping trip throughout Luskan and it occurred to us that we should've taken the chance to see if there's any items the Party in general would want.  Getting to shop at a populated port city is a rare opportunity, so best we make the most of it.  Mallory is already in the habit of buying/crafting items for her friends and coworkers, so it's entirely reasonable for her to be of a mind to buy things she'd think others in the Party would like or could use.

Anyone have any sort of requests that Mallory could serendipitously come across during her shopping?  Special stuff like magic items require dice rolls to see if they're encountered in the first place, but I'm sure more mundane items would be easier to acquire.  For example, Mallory is already going to be buying things like preserved fruits and other foodstuffs one can't find in Icewind Dale to bring back with her.

Likewise, I should have presented you all with the opportunity to visit any shops/smithys in the Dwarven Valley during your stay. Seeing as we haven’t gotten too far in the Dale thread, we can handle that briefly as we go along. You’re primarily getting quality weapons and armor.

Um...I don't think we had any real money to buy anything, did we?

You and Rhydd did. Stormheart did not.

Edit: Correction; Rhydd certainly has plenty of gold. You've also collectively been payed 400 gp in the form of a diamond by Vellynne recently, but I assume Mallory has it on her person.

In any case, you at least have some gold Mallory can spend.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:02, Fri 22 Dec 2023.

Happy holidays, folks.

Happy holidays. :)

Happy Holidays!

Or should I say, Happy Wintershield!

Happy Holidays to all!

AAAAAGGGHHHH!!! No like! Things different!

Ugh, it's going to take forever to get used to this new format... I don't like it, honestly.  I've enjoyed the previous site design for years, but now this?  It feels too modern.

It’s probably a lot better on mobile, but I’m not a huge fan of it. The previous site was more compact while having a more structured visual hierarchy. The new design, for instance, clumps the author, system, and time posted (and possibly some other things) into one column. Ugh.

Making a custom dark theme that is easier on the eyes did help a ton, though.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:41, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

It doesn't look much better on mobile, I'm afraid.  Mobile does compact the menu options into drop-down boxes hidden at the top of the screen, which I wish the desktop version would do as well rather than having them perpetually at the side.  But the way the mobile version does the name banners is pretty obnoxious and really interrupts the visual flow of the layout.

-edit-

Fiddling with the Width of the display in the Custom Theme settings seems to help a little.  I increased mine to 1800 pixels (default is set at 1350) and it helps the desktop version feel far less cramped.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:41, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

When I say it's better on mobile, I mean compared to the old site on mobile, not the new site on desktop. Both look equally awful in my honest opinion. But responsiveness, which was the goal of the new design, is vastly improved. The previous site was optimized for desktop. Things scale a lot better in the new version. The old site essentially didn't scale at all; for all things not just a straight message feed, the desktop site and the mobile site corresponded one-to-one. This is huge no-no.

I'm not sure which setting fixes the horrid gray for the player information on posts. If you figure that one out, please tell me! :) See second edit.

I tried increasing the display width as you did, but the space between the title of the game and the author becomes so jarring (https://i.imgur.com/fXF2tbi.png). I'm fairly certain this bleeds into other aspects of the site, too. The previous site benefited greatly from being more horizontally compact. Vertically not so much.

Technically, the responsive site is superior. Design wise, I'm not so sure.

Edit: My r.rpol settings also didn't transfer to the rpol site... ffs.

Edit 2: I figured out how to adjust the player information background: https://i.imgur.com/pEjSaq6.png. Looks a lot better with a darker color: https://i.imgur.com/ogO3Vag.png.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:37, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

Yeah. It's...been a challenge. I looked a few times before the change, mostly as I HAVE to have things set up more dark-mode-style for my eyes. I dislike the new setup. I can't see all my games at a glance anymore (which, yes, I understand, I'm in too many games, lol), but it's also other things like for some reason taking away from all but the GM to see when someone last logged in to a game. Seems unnecessary. A lot of the changes feel that way. The change to the dice roller setup. Having to scroll down to see the Post Message button if I want to Preview a post first (spoiler alert - I ALWAYS preview since I always making mistakes, lol). Just...frustrating minor stuff but still.

AND MOVING MOST OF THE MENU TO THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE FOR SOME REASON! Sigh. smh.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:46, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

Ah, that's where I didn't understand.  I never use mobile apps at all; every company wants an app but rarely puts any genuine effort into developing or securing it, so I don't trust their often egregious security flaws and data demands.  So I'm always accustomed to desktop sites that aren't optimized for mobile viewing.  I was always used to it and it never bothered me, so that didn't even occur to me in review.


I think it might be for tablet users?  I see a lot of sites designed with tablets and "easy thumb reach" in mind, which is really frustrating when the layout isn't suitably ported for non-tablet mediums.  I'll often see video games on PC or Xbox which were clearly designed to be played on a phone/tablet device, and the devs didn't bother to adapt anything about the format for PC/Console use.  Super frustrating.

But yeah, agreed - it's annoying having those all in the omnipresent right-column when there's so much space at the top row banner they could be nested into, as they are in the mobile version of the site.  There's no hierarchy of importance in functions either; everything is just jumbled together.  And I really don't like that the Logout function, let alone all the Account options, is just right there in the midst of everything.  Account options should always be nested out of the way - certainly not present within an individual game's sub-menu and control functions for that specific game - and Logout should never be mid-way through a list of operations.  Worse still, it changes based on what page you're viewing:



What really gets me is the variety of menu options on the main RPOL homepage.  The root homepage defaults to an overall layout of your games and the links on the right column are broken up into four different categories.  But none of them seem to do anything since the root homepage already shows all of the game categories.  Clicking on them doesn't filter anything out.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

I wouldn't be surprised if the dissimilar arrangements of the of the 'Your account' menus is simply an oversight. Looks to me like it was originally like the in-game menu, then when the developer rearranged it they only did so on the homepage and forgot to do it elsewhere.

It also appears to be sticky along with the rest of the sidebar, so in order to access the latter options while in a game thread on my 13 15.6'' laptop, I have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the thread... that's quite unfortunate behavior.

I believe all three menu 'boxes' at the side were different colors as well, until I changed them. Colors are tools to maintain or enforce hierarchy, no need to clutter the page with unnecessary ones. In the wise words of Syndrome: https://i.imgur.com/81Ns7Gy.png

Edit: I also don't understand why we go through all the trouble of boxing in the threads, only to not center the contents: https://i.imgur.com/dc4CAC5.png. Bottom looks infinitely better in my opinion.

I also see that my em dashes (—) have disappeared from the thread titles. I had hoped the responsive site would be better at supporting characters, not worse...
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:23, Thu 28 Dec 2023.

It's a bit odd having to go through growing pains with a site I've been on for decades.  ^^;
From the looks of the News post about the update, the admins' main focus was on stability and mobile compatibility over anything else.  So it's possible we'll be seeing more small updates and tweaks filtering in over time for the fine tuning after his major overhaul.  I'm sure there's plenty of users giving the admins their opinions over the changes via rMail and Discord.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:49, Thu 28 Dec 2023.

Heh. Syndrome. =)

Yeah. It's a bunch of small things that bug me (along with the fact that ahead of time went through a lot of trouble to set up a custom theme and now after the transition I'm just on the 'dark' theme. Really don't relish doing it all again. Sigh.)

I just saw what a new rMail looks like and the notification that used to be so noticeable is gone. It just highlights the word rMail at the top in a different color and that's it. Not sure how long that rMail was there before I noticed, lol.

So the 2 biggest annoyances for me are the dice roller screen is setup in a funky way that for some reason is difficult for me.

But the biggest one is that when I craft a post and then Preview it? I have to then scroll ALL the way down past the preview AND the original post to get to the Post Message button. And I HAVE to preview since I mistype a lot sometimes (especially when my brain goes faster than my fingers can keep up, haha). Le sigh.

This was actually way, WAY more hassle than it should have been, at least on firefox. The color picker kind of remains, even though it is invisible, when you switch to another window (which you have to do to copy the value), so when you navigate back you can’t do anything but choose a random color, overwriting the previous value you pasted in. Insanely annoying.

I figured out a way to do it though, and it involved clicking the next, not the input field, then tabbing to access the input field.

Why on earth it didn’t transfer between sites as it’s just a user setting is beyond me. Being able to export and share a custom theme would be nice, too, but that is a bigger request.

Oh. No. I mean I went to the responsive site before the transition, went through setting up a custom theme on THERE, but didn't just keep using the new site until I had to and now it just says I'm on the 'dark' theme instead of the custom one. But...shrug. Whatever. It's not the end of the world. But I'm tired and grumpy and dealing with this new site is annoying.

Yes. I understood what you meant. :)

Happy new year, all.

To you and everyone else as well

Happy new year!

Update coming to the Dale thread, but I want to put together a battlemap for it. Can't do that from my laptop unfortunately, so I'll have to wait until I'm back on my desktop tomorrow.

So, how's everyone doing lately?  Keeping busy?  I baked a cake last night which, unfortunately, turned out with the dryness and flavor of sand.  -_-  I'll try again today.

Busy start on the year in terms of work, but otherwise everything's good on my end.

Except for the damn weather. It's been near -30 °C (-22 °F) this past week, with the max at about -17 °C. I don't know who decided this, but I shall be writing them a very sternly worded letter. >:(

I owed the Dale thread an update, and I'll see if I can't get to the Luskan thread tomorrow.

My second cake attempt turned out better overall in terms of texture and moistness, but lacks enough sweetness.  I could probably fake it with the addition of a chocolate topping or drizzle, but I'm still not satisfied with the result itself.  >_<  Third attempt will be later this week.

I'm giving Rhydd until the end of Friday to post, after which I will be moving the Dale thread along.

Sorry, to be clear, I wasn't sure if I should post again as well, as it seemed like Rhydd was discovering things and I didn't want to step on that being that Stormheart is nowhere near that, lol.

Will put an IC post on the Board for Rhydd once I learn the result of his Survival Check (and have a little keyboard time).

Thanks!

P.S. Stormheart, you can assume that he will be coming out of the cave and revealing the result of his exploration.

Based upon the map so helpfully provided by Bears [see the end (bottom) of Msg. #75], it appears that the cave is one long, meandering passage. It seems to me that Rhydd would have peered into all the dark corners, and would not have seen the Frost Salamander (based upon the results of Rhydd's Survival Check, it sounds like it is a rather large creature).

Do I have the right of it, Bears?

Thanks.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:08, Sun 21 Jan.

Not entirely correct. There are additional, unexplored tunnels, and Rhydd would have been able to tell that one of them was just an alternate route to the Owlbear den. I didn't want to immediately lift all Fog of War the second you stepped into the cave, but due to the nature of PbP we'd just get bogged down if I had to prompt you for a direction at every crossroads. So I chose for you, and I tried to let the Stealth check you rolled dictate the extent to which the cave is revealed. Worked out better in theory, I will admit . . .

Regardless, I should have revealed the 'shortcut' tunnel. Here's an updated map: https://i.imgur.com/9pMx38Y.jpg

I will post tomorrow.

In reply to Khulekani Kumalo (msg # 102):

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! She's gonna post...tomorrow! It's only a day awaaaayyyyy! =P
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Sun 28 Jan.

Well, that's gonna be stuck in my head for the next twelve years again.

Forgive me, but I just want to check - that looks like it kind of dead-ends there, and is there another area that has not been searched yet? I'm looking at the map but my eyes are having a bit of trouble this week due to new meds.

No, that'll be all the tunnels. I acknowledge the map with fog of war is a bit hard to read. I should have erased more, so that the walls were clearly visible.

Awaiting a response from Rhydd. In its absence, I will post on Wednesday.

Bears,

Rhydd made a Survival Roll (21) to identify the Frost Salamander glob (Msg. #75 of the "Guardians of the Dale" thread).

I assume that Stormheart's question about the ability of Frost Salamanders to "travel" through snow and ice or stone (Msg. #86) means to tunnel through them solid barriers made of snow or stone.

If so, does Rhydd need to make another die-roll in order to answer the Goliath's question? If not, what is the answer? :)

Thanks.

Using the previously rolled Survival is a good call. I'll update the thread with the information needed to answer Stormheart's question.

Yeah! you better! <ducks> lol

Rhydd and Stormheart, currently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdJg6Duzzf4

Oh not this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fNuxOCSZzQ

Oh, do I miss that show.  Season 2 wasn't as good as the first, but it was still grand all around.

Trying to give Rhydd a chance to catch up and post.

Yep, I think that's wise. We've put Stormheart in a state without much to react to as it is right now, so Khulekani's input would also be appreciated. If Sunday rolls around without a post, I think I shall be moving us forward.

I was also giving Rhydd a chance to roll, to see if he could see even more than I.

But I can post now if it helps.

Bears,

Are Frost Salamanders deemed to be malignant/Evil (with a capital "E"), such that they should be destroyed on sight by Good-aligned peoples of the Realms?

Or not? :)

Thanks.

They are unaligned, should we appeal to alignment.

It might be worth to also keep in mind that they are not Beasts, but rather Elementals.

DM Bears - for clarification's sake: is the Portable Hole that Colmarr is demonstrating a standard version or some kind of smaller iteration?  The way you described it makes it seem like the latter but I wanted to confirm before having Mallory comment.

I can't read.

Yes, I suppose this is a smaller version. Let's however say he has some ordinary sized ones in stock as well.

Honestly, I kind of like the idea of a more portable Portable Hole.  ^^  The official standard size always seemed really huge to me since you have to spread it out to activate it.  A smaller version you could whack onto a tabletop, with perhaps suitably less capacity yet a similarly reduced cost seems like a natural evolution of the item.  Akin to how the Bag of Holding branched off with Heward's Handy Haversack.  Same general item function, but with minor tweaks to change its finer behaviors.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:46, Wed 21 Feb.

I don't know why, but I always pictured them as being fairly small. The fact that they are huge certainly changes my conception on how they should be used.

I have updated the thread with the dimensions Colmarr carries, as well as prices for all the items in his inventory.

No, I understand the misconception; I was the same way.  I think it's because whenever we've seen Portable Holes in their original media - namely, Looney Tunes cartoons or "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" - they're always more handheld-sized items that a person could only just barely slip through.  More like 2 or 3 feet diameter, if anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ1ygyUQZik

Meanwhile, the official D&D Portable Hole artwork shows it actually being pretty dang huge.  In terms of mechanics, it's so it'll occupy basically the same grid space as a standard creature token for the sake of battlemap convenience, but at least 6 feet of open floor or wall space is actually a lot more than it sounds like in practice!

This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 18:12, Wed 21 Feb.

Actually, that's a very good question.
The Ise Rune Stone fell by the wayside in my inventory because we were so focused on the Dragon attack immediately following its acquisition.  But Mallory's had it for a long while now and reasonably had plenty of opportunities to examine it in downtime thus far.  DM Bears - is there room for a retroactive "Identify" or should I just roll with it in the moment with Mallory realizing she'd never gotten around to it?

The answer from me is always going to be that she has retroactively Identified it. I have updated my last IC post with the result. For orientation; this is not a Shard of the Ise Rune as it is written, but a toned down version.

Question about the Portable Holes: is the depth still the same even with the reduced scale of the opening?  Like, are they all still 10' deep pits but just with a more narrow mouth?  Or is the interior space/potential holding capacity of the Portable Hole reduced to the same ratio?


Which rule set are we using for the prices?  Are we using the "Buying a Magic Item" rules or the "Selling a Magic Item" rules for the barter?  If the former, a Rare-tier item would be set at 2d10 x 1,000 GP.  If the latter, it would be 4,000 GP flat with a check to modify that between a 50% less-or-greater profit.  I don't want to needlessly muddle things up with a bunch of haggling or number crunching, but I'm just confused in trying to make sense of the disparity between presented values.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:20, Mon 26 Feb.

Roll an Animal Handling DC 22, with Advatange due to Animal Friendship.

22? Yikes. Can I cast Guidance on myself first? LOL!

11:27, Today: Stormheart rolled 22 using 2d20+4, dropping the lowest dice only with rolls of 18,14.  Animal Handling.

By the SKIN of his TEETH! lol

Yes, Guidance would have been fine, although now that you don't need it I'll leave whether or not you want to up to you.

I'm willing to just let you kill it with the 2nd level slot if you'd prefer, even if you're unlikely to do so with 4d10.

To be fair, if the intent is to kill the creature outright, then it would be reasonable for all present Party members to simultaneously attack to deal the most immediate damage.  Since all melee attacks and the Inflict Wounds would auto-crit the monster in this situation, it would surely be enough to kill it one way or another.  So the outcome would be the same regardless.

Right, I forgot it would autocrit. 8d10 should probably do the trick, then. But it is as you say, it's going to be dead if they want it dead, so it's not like we're benefiting from drawing this out. Had it been of a higher level, maybe, but a single Peryton is not a challenge for four sixth level characters.

No we have to play it out! lol

I'm more than fine with not drawing it out. Just need to keep Hootie safe.

In reply to DM Bears (msg # 132):

Since it appears to be a foregone conclusion, let's just dispatch it with a DM's all-encompassing hand-wave. :)

I'll leave the Guardian thread be for another day to allow for further opinions, but it does sound to me like Khulekani is outvoted in the matter.

Now, I am going to need the Dale thread to decide where to head next.

With our powers combine....wait, no. With our combined knowledge of the Dale, do we know a 'good place' to take the owlbear to that would be a new lair that wouldn't already be taken? Even if it's...maybe a little unusual for an owlbear.

You're going to be able to find a suitable cave if you just walk along the mountainside for a little while, so no worries there. I was more so wondering about where you'd head once that was taken care of. You can shew on it for a little bit, I can get up a post in the meantime to wrap up the Owlbear situation.

Hmm alright. Second owlbear or whale ferry, ya'll?

The Whale Ferry is fairly far. I also intended for it to take up some screen time as it is one of the written quests, so I’m not sure it’s the wisest to start that right away. I’ll chew on the additional Owlbear if you want to pursue that thread, but I’m fairly certain we can run a heavily abbreviated version of it.

Perhaps Mallory should chime in? It’s about time you coordinate your reunion. I have previously stated Harai can help with communication via a Sending spell, so assume your characters can plan with perfect information.

I've broadly kept hands off the other side of events since i didn't want to intrude on things.  But if the Whale Ferry is designed to be a bigger/longer scenario, it might be best to wait until the whole Party is back together.

I suppose it does depend on where Mallory is going to end up being Teleported to as well?  Whether she's dropped off in Bryn Shander or Easthaven, as the latter would certainly give the rest of the Party more time to do another sidequest before they all reunite.  Since Mallory has "Phantom Steed" in her pocket now, she can travel among Ten-Towns fairly swiftly and relatively safely - she could solo travel among any location in Ten-Towns in a a little more or less than an hour.  So long as she knows where the rest of the Party is going to be, she can get there herself quickly enough if she's traveling by ease of narrative convenience.

Mallory will emerge in the crypt below Bryn Shander.

Ah, I'd forgotten about that specification.  That decides it, then.  But Mallory still wants to visit Easthaven sooner than later.

I'm fine to meet back up together instead if we want. Other than the 2nd owlbear, most of the things on Stormheart's 'to do' list aren't the kind for just a couple of people on an afternoon jaunt it sounded like, lol.

Yeah, it was never meant for you to do in one big go anyway. More so to set up future events and keep the world busy.

I’m of the opinion that our next endeavor should simply start off with you meeting up back in Bryn Shander. As the astute might have already realized, we also have a fresh recruit among us who I know is just itching to get some writing in! :)

If Mallory wants, she can do a closing scene with the Host Tower and the conversation with Dendybar in parallel. I’ll also remind you that the two groups can plan on perfect communication, as Harai had offered to cast a Sending spell on her behalf. Whether or not he already has done so or if he is going to I’ll leave to your convenience.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:04, Sat 16 Mar.

Oh ho, so we do have a new face in the crowd!  Welcome aboard!

As for Mallory and how things are timed, it's fairly up to discussion.  Mallory doesn't have anything specific to discuss with Dendybar that should take too long - she's just making a contact at Harai's suggestion to discuss a bit about the Illithid and Bulette Ceremorph given the field of interest.  So that could be done quickly enough or, if we're pressed for time to make sure everything's keeping on track, narratively handwaved and summarized rather than fully played out in-character.  Rolling it all into a closing scene so Mallory can at least say her goodbyes would be nice.

As for communication via Harai, that would be good to have set up ahead of time.  Mallory would've asked Harai to contact Khulekani - as she would reasonably be the most familiar with such magics of the trio as far as Mallory knows.  She wouldn't necessarily want to risk freaking out Rhydd or Stormheart by having a sudden magical voice pop into their head, and wouldn't necessarily trust Farwalker to promptly convey the message rather than taking it at her own tempo as suits her usual manner.  ^^;  Further, since the meet-up place is the House of the Triad's temple, Khulekani would be best suited for leading the way there.

Also, while we're in Bryn Shander, Mallory would like to arrange a brief meeting with Duvessa for a personal discussion.  It doesn't need to be anything private or involved, but she does want to have a word should the chance be there.

Welcome Tympani! :)

I'll catch up on my reading and post IC for Rhydd some time later today (U. S. Eastern time zone).

Thanks to all!  <waveslittlehalfinghand>

Busy weekend.  Did not get around to the things I needed to do for this game.  Sorry.

I've left an opportunity for you to interject with the Sending message, Mallory. It's not strictly necessary, but might have been fun to formulate. Otherwise, we'll just move on under the assumption the Dale party has been instructed to travel to Bryn Shander.

We'll be starting a new chapter there. I can make an introductory post in a few days. Tympani and I will work together to weave her in.

Best I not muddle in the Sending message; it would ultimately just be a simple matter of explaining a date and location for where Mallory will return to, but I'd just spend all day trying to make the message as succinct and efficient as possible.  ^^;  Better to leave it to you or just handwave the specifics in general.

Also, I've updated the Notable Characters list with some new entries for Luskan, as Mallory is on her way out shortly.

Completely fair. I believe I also have some paperwork piled up in that thread which I'll see if I can't get to.

I got bronchitis over the weekend, and today a grown adult accidentally diarrhea'd all over my legs and chest when I tried to help them stand up.

...I need...like, a day or two.

Gah! I'm sorry! That sounds awful. =(

Oof.

Rest and take care.

Get well soon!

OOC, I do not recognize the name (or description) of Maerthryl. However, that does not preclude Rhydd's having met her before (or not).

How do you want to handle this, Bears?

Thanks.

Unless DM Bears says otherwise, I don't see a reason that Rhydd knows anything about Maerthryl.  That's a bit of Tympani's background that I don't think is relevant to anyone else.  At this point, at least.  I don't know what DM Bears might have in mind.

The DM does not say otherwise. :)

Got it -- thanks to the both of you. :)

I'll get an IC post up on the board for Rhydd some time this afternoon or evening (U. S. Eastern Time: GMT-4), depending upon how my keyboard time shakes out.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:18, Mon 25 Mar.

I don't know if the switch from Blue to Green is intentional on your part, Rhydd, but I've considered usurping the Blue for a time. The Gray has potential issues with readability. It's been working fine for me on my setup with my eyes, but it might be different on your ends.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:11, Tue 26 Mar.

Gray is fine for me.  Though, I tend to prefer Gray for OoC as it does blend into the background, allowing me to pretend that it is somehow apart from the story elements.

One of the first rules of Improvisational Theater:  Never say No.  If someone establishes a fact, then you roll with it.  So, now that Scamsax has referred to you as a Ranger, Tympani will now know you as, and think of you as such.  Until, of course, such time as story elements prove otherwise.  At which time, the new revelation will probably become another element of the overall story.

I hope you don't mind.

Ah. We switched threads! I was going to post yesterday but the day got away from me.

In reply to DM Bears (msg # 161):

Yes, the switch to varying shades of green for Rhydd's thoughts and spoken words was intentional on my part. I've been thinking for a little while now that it suited his persona/aura better. :)

So I have officially ceded any claim to blue to anyone who might wish to use it -- lay on, Macduff Bears. :)

In reply to Tympani Major (msg # 163):

No problem whatsoever. Based on Tympani's IC knowledge/understanding, Rhydd is, in fact a Ranger. And, as observed in his own IC post, he walks like a Ranger and quacks like one. :)

Thanks for checking. :)

In reply to Stormheart (msg # 164):

If you have any substantial to add to the previous thread, then by all means. Or just cram it into the post you've already made, whichever you'd prefer.

Care to give me a Stealth check, Mallory?

Stealth
Mallory Bonheur rolled 8 using 1d20+2 ((6))

Aaaaaand we're off to the races!

Hope it's okay that I had Mallory snatch a few Peryton feathers as a given.

I was holding my tongue throughout the entire Owlbear Adventure; Mallory would've been eagerly scooping up various elements, especially from the Frost Salamanders' passing, for crafting mats.  ^^;  But I couldn't rightfully say anything because none of the rest of the Party would have any reason to collect any of that stuff as they went.

Certainly. :)

As a side note, I have told Rhydd that Mallory's appearance is not entirely unexpected. The contents of the Sending spell was never hammered down after all, so it remains fairly fluid and can suit our needs as they have arisen. Even though there's been some confusion and back and forth between us for how long Mallory wanted to spend in the Host Tower, I don't see a need for that confusion to extend to the characters.

Agreed; the notion would've reasonably been that they'd all meet up at the Northlook sooner or later.  Precisely when that would happen would be up in the air due to various circumstances and travel times, after all.

I'm back. I'll catch up in the morning.

In reply to Mallory Bonheur (msg # 170):

Mayhap Mallory can put together a "Magical Essences Field Collection Kit" for her less magically-inclined companions to use whenever they happen to wander out of her sight. :)

I'll allow some room for more replies, but will otherwise post tomorrow morning, my time (GMT+1).
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:02, Fri 29 Mar.

Over 10 posts in the last day and a half since I posted. Sheesh.

I wonder if Mallory plays a character named Stiletto as well, lol.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Sat 30 Mar.

Not I, if you're talking about some other game around here.

Allowing some room for Tympani to reply, but I can post later. Probably early tomorrow.

Wow! Thanks Mallory!

Those are Boots of the Winterlands mechanically, right?

Yep, you've got a set for yourself; they need to be Attuned to, so keep that in mind for your Attunement slots.  The supplies Mallory acquired from the Ice Trolls were basically handwaved as sufficient to supply the Party - minus the Goliaths, who don't need them - with such boots before she ran out.  Since Idri has stepped out, there's still enough kit on hand to make a set for Tympani later as well, if she'd like a pair.  Going to need to do some more quests first though; Mallory's purse is tapped right now from all the crafting and spell acquisition she's been doing.

Mallory also has a basic Potion of Healing for everyone, and a few diamonds for Stormheart as the usual Cleric Tax for Revivify.  We'll get around to having everyone sorted out once we've all had a chance to settle a bit and get past our introductions.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:19, Tue 02 Apr.

There may be some conflicting motivations on where the characters should head that we need to sort out, but I suggest we wait until Mallory has had her meeting with Speaker Duvessa. Does anyone else want to join Mallory for that?

I'll tag along.  But someone has to stop Tym from trundling off to Lonelywood.

Rhydd would probably go, if only to pull the sunbirds [the polar opposite of what us Floridians call tourists: snowbirds :)] out of any snowbanks that they tumble into (I have a mental image of Tym or Mallory emulating the Wicked Witch of the West, with only some wiggling feet sticking up out of a snowbank). :)

Anyone else want to chime in on anything before Mallory infodumps on a serial murder plot line?  It's kind of a mood shift.

In reply to Mallory Bonheur (msg # 184):

Thanks for checking, but I recently posted IC for Rhydd, so I'm good. :)

Sorry, getting crushed with work and a little sick, so not much of  post from me.

I made some edits to my most recent post.  Stormheart and I posted at the same time, so I changed up my reply to factor in his comments.

Hey, I posted a good...14 minutes before your post was made, haha. No worries. I've done that myself before.

lol, well, "at the same time" being that I took about half an hour of fiddling around with the post before I hit to publish and you'd posted in the meantime.  ^^;
This message was last edited by the player at 23:57, Tue 09 Apr.

I was wondering what went on there.  I read Mallory's post.  Then came back and it was different.

I'm content with the current scene, let me know if you are as well. The next piece on the agenda would be the meeting with Duvessa. Does Mallory wish to visit the Geldenstag as well to see Dannika?

I'd say so but only if Dannika or someone else at the Geldenstag has narrative/other plot goals to bring to the Party's attention, otherwise it might best be briefly summarized as opposed to being wholly played out.  Mallory 100% wants to see Dannika and the Chwinga again, as an in-character drive.  As exemplified with Luskan, I'm quite happy to socialize with NPCs all the live-long day, but I think that'd be terribly rude of me to make everyone wait while Mallory checks names off her dance card.

So if there isn't any broader information/opportunities for the Party as a whole, I'd say we can keep the visits brief in compilation.  Mallory's primary focus with Dannika would be to hand over the gifts she's bought and maybe some of the Netherese Tomes she got from the Spire, and bring Dannika up to date on everything that's happened.  As for Duvessa, that's also mostly a personal visit on Mallory's behalf, though it does concern future events with Naerth and Targos as well, so that bit should be given a proper address.

As a reminder, the gifts Mallory has in this case are:

- Fine Woolen Scarf (Sapphire with tassels); gift for Moyrah, will be handed over directly before they part ways.
- Chwinga-Sized Doll Clothes (3 outfits); gift for the Chwinga.
- Book; "From Ghouls to Ghosts", unknown author; gift for Dannika.
- Book; Original Netherese Tome - Ajamar's Guide to the Phantastic; gift for Dannika.
- Book; Original Netherese Tome - The Unfettered Mind; gift for Dannika, with expressed interest as a contribution to Candlekeep's archives for future networking.

Mallory will also spare a bit more of her general foodstuffs to make sure Dannika has something sweet or sour to enjoy, based on her own personal tastes.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:11, Fri 12 Apr.

We'll do a scene with Dannika, although I suggest we keep it to a minimal amount of posts (as a fun exercise! :) ).

Is there are problem with the rest of the cast joining Mallory for the meeting with Duvessa? I have no idea what you want to discuss. It's natural for Rhydd and Khulekani to be there, less so for Stormheart and Tym, although I foresee that we will manage.

Once I hear from the rest we can wrap things up in the Northlook.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:14, Fri 12 Apr.

There's no problem with the rest of the Party being there; it's just that Mallory's intention is to have a personal conversation - not private, necessarily, but simply something that's important to her rather than linked to any larger scale Party business.  It may lead to more Party stuff, depending on where the chat goes, but Mallory plans to say her piece and would be satisfied if it just ended up being that alone.  It's a character beat thing.

Roger that. We'll do the meeting with Duvessa in plenum, then Mallory can request a briefer private audience should it be necessary.

Tym has no objections to tagging along with Mallory.  Always nice to meet new people.  A nice change of pace from rushing around in search of Maerthryl as well.

BTW, you mention Moyrah accompanying Mallory to Geldenstag's Rest.  Are the rest of us there as well?  I'd hate to barge in where not wanted.

And, if you'd like a little private time with Dannika later, I'm sure that Tym could find other things to do later.

I'd say it's up to you?  Everyone is welcome to follow along as they please or maybe spread out/remain where they are before we set out for Easthaven sooner or later, so feel free to chime in where you like.

We're not spending long in Geldenstag's. I find it natural for Tympani to remain in the Northlook.

I will set up a thread for the meeting with Duvessa shortly. Mallory can post in parallel should it be necessary.

Not gonna lie, I'm mostly not posting to try and make sure Rhydd and Khulekani have a chance to post before Mallory and Tymphani flood the scene again anyway, lol.

I think that Rhydd would stay put in the Northlook, drinking a little and catching up on the news with Scramsax -- discussing mutual acquaintances, the current rumors, and whatnot. Social calls are not his cup of tea.

However, he would have given strict instructions not to start out for Easthaven without him. :)

Do you mind if I keep going in the Come Storm thread?  I still need to get some grounding in the story so far.  I'm also not entirely satisfied with Tympani's voice yet, and it would help to exercise it.

By all means, go ahead! I've opened a new thread that concerns the meeting with Duvessa, but you are welcome to post in parallel.

Speaking of the Duvessa thread, it's currently locked.  Is that intentional until the Dannika conversation is done, or was there just an overlooked toggle to click on when making the thread?

No, that's a mistake on my end. I must've misclicked. It's open now.

Sorry, I'm a bit under the weather right now. Having trouble with thinking coherently.

Hope it's not covid.  Get well.

I was gonna say, the Northlook probably calls for a Persuasion check, depending on where Tympani wishes to take it. Or not. I'll leave that up to you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Fri 19 Apr.

Does it help that Tym cannot roll lower than a 20?  She currently has Persuasion 10.  And, with the Silver Tongue ability from the bardic College of Eloquence, any roll less than 9 becomes a 10.  But, just for the heck of it ...

Tympani Major rolled 21 using 1d20+10.  Persuasion.

Gotcha. At last, someone who's taking care of the Charisma checks! Not that Mallory hasn't been a fine temp :)

Do you want to post? If not, I think I'll edit my last one.

I like to fill in where I perceive a need.

I'll post.  We'll see how the unsubtle approach comes across.

Bards™.

Mallory's presence as The Face for the Party has been driven less by her +1 CHA modifier and more by her being the only one present who has, like, a genuinely structured social life and ability to run a business.  ^^;

Uhhh....Okay. That's a lot of posts from 2 characters and the DM only in like 3 threads.

If it helps, a lot of Mallory's part in the avalanche of words is mostly just summarizing prior events of the game.

I considered not opening a new thread and instead only continuing the main thread, but there was interest in continuing the scene in the Northlook.

Stormheart is free to choose if he wants to join the meeting with Duvessa. Otherwise, the main thread, which is presently in the Northlook, remains open.

I apologize.  Consider this preliminary.  I'm trying to find the character voice, and it helps to post a lot.  I'll adapt to the normal routine as I get my feet on the ground.

What is an acceptable posting rate here, BTW?  I didn't see anything in the General Rules thread.

Also, BTW, I appreciate the recap of recent history.  I think it's helping shape Tym's character as well.  She's turning out grittier than I'd first imagined her.  And, I'm taking notes.

No, look, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad about posting, it's just 3 PCs haven't posted in a few days (...okay, it's been longer than that for 2 of them) and it just feels like...Honestly, the game's posting rate is higher than what I can post at usually, and the only reason I've been able to hang in is because Khulekani rarely posts and Rhydd posts in spurts but then gives me a bit of time to be able to hang in there. Mallory's always been a frequent poster but she's been off on her own so it hasn't affected me. But...shrug...now with 2 frequent posts and a DM that can keep up, I gotta face the facts.

If it helps, it's not like this all the time.  The clustered posting is kind of a side-effect of both having two new players rolling into the roster, and the story being in a sort of crossroads point where we're getting everything ready to set up for the next big direction of the adventure.  Things should even out in terms of posting rate and tempo once we get back out onto the road/a clear course of events to follow.

Quite frankly, I was beginning to be concerned about the rest of you.  I'm glad you said something Stormheart.

How do you suggest we proceed, Stormheart?

I've no qualms, though I was unsure of how much Mallory might actually recall of the map since - at the time it was shown - there was specific narrative mention that the Bugbears snatched it away to prevent too good a look from being had.  Mallory doesn't have the "Keen Mind" Feat, so I could always roll an INT-based skill check for recollection's sake, unless you'd rather just hand wave it instead.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:26, Mon 22 Apr.

No problem.  Just a bit of roleplay.  Nothing practical need come of it.

I guess you should look at recruiting people who like a faster posting rate, since you have one player that rarely posts, and two that don't post often enough to stay relevant to conversations and plots.

In reply to Mallory Bonheur (msg # 221):

Tympani raised the exact same issue, and I recalled a previous discussions Mallory and I had on the topic. In this case, I do imagine an approximation would suffice since it's not serving a functional use anyway.

Edit: In other words; no roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:42, Tue 23 Apr.

I also have a suggestion in a similar vein.  I would put a posting requirement / suggestion / expectation in the RtJ and/or the General Rules.  One of the things that I look at when deciding whether a game will be compatible with my style of play is the rules.  Call it Front Loading expectations.  I think it will help you get a group of people who's styles of play are more compatible.

One of the things that drew me to this game was your mention of the use of Past and Present tense in rule number 2.  It showed that writing style was, at the very least, something important to you.

Back when I started the game, the omission of a posting rate was intentional on my end. Mostly, I wasn't comfortable specifying anything before the game had started rolling, and trying to predict it would likely have done more harm than good. In essence, my thinking at the time was that we would go as fast as we go, with me adapting as needed. Now, however, as we've had plenty of time to settle into a comfortable rhythm, a posting rate can absolutely be specified. I'd set it to 2-3 posts per week, which I feel reflects our average output. This is pretty damn fast compared to most other games. The rate been slower or faster at times, of course, and some posts are more substantial than others.

I'll update the RTJ thread with the posting rate, so long as we hammer something down.

I'm comfortable with two / three times a week.  I can go up to once a day for and indefinite period of time.  Sometimes I can sustain multiple posts per day, but can't keep that up for long.  Once a week or less, and I start losing focus.  I begin forgetting the details and goals of the story between posts.

I tend to be more available and of the habit to post frequently than not, as my post count surely tells.  This is, admittedly, in part because I tend to stretch conversations across multiple posts even when I could potentially get it done in one, simply because I enjoy writing long-form story telling.  Under normal circumstances I can certainly post once a day without issue and multiple times a day depending on the timing - my work schedule is changing currently and will continue to shift over the next few months, which will limit my posting rate since I can't really post during working hours.

In any case, I personally don't want to be the cause of any strife and if my habit of frequent posting causes any sort of issues, I'll most certainly dial it back as necessary.  I don't want anyone to feel like they're stuck playing catch-up after being away for a day or two, after all.

On a semi-related note, I'm rather miffed that the RPOL site update has made it so that we can no longer see each others' last-online timestamps in the Cast List anymore.  That was very handy for being able to figure out when folk were keeping an eye on the game but simply not posting, or if they'd gone AWOL for a while because of life, versus how it currently is with being unable to tell.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:19, Thu 25 Apr.

Okay, that's most of your opinions laid out. We'll wait to hear from Rhydd as well, and I will likely be speaking with Khulekani more closely over PMs. It does seem like 2-3 posts is what we should specify going forward, and adapt to better suit this stated rate. This means two things;

1) If anyone at any point goes faster when there is opportunity for everyone to weigh in on a scene, we have to occasionally mandate 1-2 day breaks. No more rapidfire posting everyday; if two participants exchange more than four posts total over two days there is probably cause for at least a one-day break. Again, there are posts that warrant more speedy exchanges, and that should be determined on a case-to-case basis. OOC is not counted in this rate.

2) If anyone goes significantly slower, you'll get a PM from me.

Works for me, sure.  Best we get our group dynamic growing pains out the way early, after all.

I'm good with that too.

And I hear you on the site revamp.  I've learned to do without it.  But, I always found it an interesting little factoid.

I'm holding off on posting until Tym has had the opportunity to respond.

I've refrained from replying for a couple of reasons - only one of which is our posting rate agreement.

I'll respond in a PM.

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things: of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax -- of cabbages -- and kings . . ."

With apologies to Lewis Carroll, I believe that the time has come for me to step away from this game. Sadly, my interest has waned to the degree that I am just not fulfilling my end of the bargain any more.

And while I am not one for ghosting games with nary a word to old friends, nor am I one for long good-byes. So I shall leave you with what I have come to think of as the Old Salt's Benison: "Wishing fair winds and following seas to all on this Board, both here on RPoL and in RL."

Adios, amigos.

Sorry to see Rhydd go.

I make no guarantees but I'm going to try. =)

I am so very tempted to quote Master Yoda here.  But, I'm happy that you're here, and I applaud your desire to try.

A word of advice: Don't feel pressure to produce a lot of content.  Capturing a feeling with fewer words can be just as satisfying.  And, just before you hit that Post Message button, read what you wrote.  Ask yourself if you're happy with it.  If you can answer yes, then congratulate yourself, and carry that feeling with you for the rest of the day.

I have to read everything I post several times before I hit the button, even if purely just to catch misspelled words, missing words, and to check that it makes senses! Lol!

Oddly, my friend had me proofread some things of his years ago and since then it's harder for me to read for enjoyment as I catch errors in other people's writing - but not easily in MINE! Which is frustrating. As I have to go back and edit posts more often than I'd like because I'd be reading it again after someone's reply and then let out a curse as I notice something I missed, heh.

Let me tell you, you are not alone.  All the time.  All the time I catch mistakes or things that I later think should be phrased a different way.  Ugh.

Maybe it's because I'm a 'child' and 'sax' is in the name, or it sounds like what happens after a good kick to the groinal region, but the name Scramsax makes me giggle every time.

Awaiting a response from Mallory in the Speaker's Palace thread. And for the record, I'll have you know I'm not ignoring Rhydd's letter of departure; I am withholding a post until he replies to a PM.

We can cut to Helka if you want to. If not, the plan is to proceed to Easthaven.

Edit: I am not getting the 'Scramsax' = sex vibe, but that is perhaps because my native tongue implores me to pronounce it with a hard 'a' as opposed to a soft 'e'. I remember a case when I was visiting the US several years ago, where a flight attendant asked me "if something sucks?" when I had discussed my seat number with my family, which contained a '6'. I always assumed that sounded more like 'sex', so props to the flight attendant for keeping it PG. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Sat 04 May.

No need to visit Helka on Tympani's account.  She just likes to know who everyone is.

Roger that, although I will say that it is Stormheart's imperative since he is invested in the particular plot line. If he wants to take the time, we will.

Awaiting a response from Stormheart before we move on. I believe Mallory has gotten to everything she wanted to at this point?

I believe so, yes.

So, to clarify the plan going ahead: we're off to Easthaven to settle Mallory's matters with laying Apple to rest, as well as seeing if her hunch about Sephek Kaltro being in the area pays off.  Otherwise, we'll potentially be picking up other adventure threads that might be in the area if we're so inclined/looking for money.

Beyond that, we'll be backtracking through Bryn Shander (or any other relevant Ten-Town) on our way to address the Whale Ferry situation.  Is that correct?

I'm too new here to have locked in an agenda.  I'm pretty sure I can schedule Tympani in with anyone's plan.

No, no, no FIRST we talk to...Helka, was it? THEN we can move on, lol.

Sorry, weekends are always iffy for me and yesterday was...a bad day. This week is rough with my dad having 2 surgeries but I'm gonna power through.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:44, Tue 07 May.

I suggest we move forward to Easthaven fairly soon, regardless of Stormheart's conversation with Helka. It can be played out concurrently, even though it means we'll have to open a new thread for the main storyline.

I'm good to go whenever.

As a matter of course - and just in case we don't get to it before we leave - Mallory will give each Party member one Potion of Healing.  Each Party member except Stormheart also gets one diamond worth 100 GP which are intended as the Cleric Tax.  If anyone goes down, they'll already have the diamond material component on their person in case Stormheart needs to Revivify.

As for transportation, Mallory will take the necessary time to ritually cast "Phantom Vehicle" for a wagon or sled - whichever best suits the road leading to Easthaven - and "Phantom Steed" so we can ride in relative comfort, unless Khulekani can supply her summoned steed for the towing instead.

I can.

Awesome, thanks.  Having two steeds would be useful in theory, but Mallory's version only lasts an hour before she has to re-cast, so it can be a little cumbersome compared to a sturdier and longer-lasting magic horse.

I have neglected Stormheart from my tradition! It has been fixed:

I'll let Mallory do a Survival on Winter Wolves in general, if that would help at all?

It was more a question of "does this creature look injured or like something is wrong with it", but if general knowledge applies, then no reason not to roll.

Astre - Survival
Mallory Bonheur rolled 5 using 1d20+1 ((4))