RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Spymaster's Apprentice

15:08, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith.

Posted by ZagFor group 0
Zag
GM, 72 posts
Sun 6 Mar 2022
at 21:02
  • msg #1

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Please respond.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 22 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Sun 6 Mar 2022
at 21:12
  • msg #2

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Hello!
Zag
GM, 85 posts
Mon 7 Mar 2022
at 23:28
  • msg #3

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith



(I'm assuming you have selected that you will operate as an acolyte of Hermes, since I'm writing this before you've responded to that note.  But it can easily be changed if you've selected something else.)

Levician Whyneks is clearly and early riser, up with the sun.  He calls out his praise for Apollo, and instructs Ricka to come see the God's fine chariot.  Only minutes later, a serving girl brings in a tray with some sort of boiled grain, a pile of dates and olives, and a hot beverage that Whyneks declares is 'Glykos Coffee.'  It is strong and sweet, with a delicate foam on top; Ricka feels immediately more alert after drinking some.

Breakfast finished, Whyneks leads her to his office, which looks just like his bedroom, minus the bed.  There is a table with 8 chairs, a desk, and bookshelves all around.  He instructs a boy wearing a white toga to go to Bishop Trismegistus and ask him to stop by at his earliest convenience.

In about an hour, a short man with dark curly hair steps into the office.  "Lev, You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, yes.  Please come in.  This is my nephew's daughter, Ricka.  She is interesting in becoming an acolyte of Hermes.  She is clever, fast, and determined, and she is learning to read quite well, I'm sure well enough to deliver messages and the like.  My nephew sent the usual consideration.  Is it 75 gold?" he asks as he pulls a heavy pouch out from a chamber in his desk.

The bishop looks at Ricka, "No.  She's too short.  And she's too pretty.  And we don't take girls as messengers, girls can't read.  And look at her sandals, they're all worn through."  He and Whyneks both chuckle, "Yeah, sure.  It's no problem.  And it's 85 gold, no, 90, I think.  Is she one of yours, then?" he asks, giving Whyneks a significant look.

"She is," says the Deacon, "but not like that, you lecherous old fool.  So, any messages to me, you'll send her, and sometimes even when there aren't messages to me, at least once a day.  Otherwise, she'll be in your stable of messengers.  I'll try to warn you if she's going to be out of touch for more than a day."  He turns briefly to Ricka, "can you ride a horse, girl?  No?  Then you'll have to teach her to ride before you send her out of the city."

"That's no problem.  I've always got lots in-city.  But a lot of it is to the palace, you'll have to dress her up a bit nicer for that."

Ricka feels like her head is spinning.  The two are obviously old friends, and their banter is like lightning.  After some chatter about church gossip, Bishop Trismegistus leaves, calling Ricka to follow.  He shows her to a moderate room with four beds, one that looks unused.  You'll be staying here, with the three other girls who work for me.  No boys in here, no alcohol.  Do not touch the other girls things, and they won't touch yours.  See that chest?" he points to a chest at the foot of the unused bed, "that's for your things.  Take the key from the lock, and I recommend wearing it on a ribbon at all times.  You won't have any duties today, but I recommend you study the map of the city and be ready for tomorrow."

He leaves Ricka alone in the room, and she is wondering how all of this has happened so fast.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 27 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Tue 8 Mar 2022
at 11:45
  • msg #4

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Must have left that +3 class skill bonus in place when I was shuffling skill points around deciding how I wanted to assign them.  Fixed now, thanks for catching it.  I'll for sure be assigning Ricka at least a few points of Disguise as she levels up though.

An actual breakfast of fresh and hot food is shockingly lavish, a luxury Ricka would never have dared dream of.  Her hard-won instinct is to stuff her face with as much food as possible as quickly as possible, but she tries to pace herself to match the Deacon.  She has no idea what "Glykos Coffee" might be but she happily declares it to be her new Very Favorite Thing.

An indignant scowl darkens her face at the 'girls can't read' remark, though their repartee has already rocketed past it by the time she'd have mustered a protest.

Following the Bishop to her intended chambers, she's again taken aback by the weirdly abrupt upgrade in her circumstances: an actual bed, rather than just a thin pad on the floor?  A room with only other girls, with space enough for all of them?  If she'd known getting accused of stealing from Vinefinger would have worked out so well for her, she'd have tried it long ago.  She nodnods at the Bishop's instructions about her lockbox, though she can't imagine what she might put in it.  Everything she needs in the world is already on her person; leaving anything of value unattended in Vinefinger's den would basically have been a declaration that she never wanted to see it again.

She nodnods at his instructions, though why she'd have wanted to bring boys or alcohol here in the first place was a mystery.  Then she does as suggested, finding whatever map he referenced and unfolding it on her (enormous!) bed to study it.  She was already rather admirably familiar with much of the city, she thought, or at least all those parts of it where people with pilferable pockets and purses tended to congregate, which she imagined would roughly correspond with the sorts of places where people would pay to have written messages sent to by courier.
Zag
GM, 89 posts
Tue 8 Mar 2022
at 22:00
  • msg #5

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

It takes Ricka a few minutes to figure out the concept of a map.  It has lines all over it, with names written on them, but it makes no sense.  Finally it dawns on her that it is like looking down at the city like a bird, and she picks out where the temple is, and the market, and the palace.  But it is sideways -- she thinks of the temple as being at the top of the city, with only Olympus above it.  However, this map shows the temple at the far left and the mountain is not even shown, and the palace compound is on the top.  There's a star near the palace with "north" written on the top point, and Ricka realizes that the structure must be huge, it is almost a quarter the size of the whole palace compound.

Late in the afternoon, she meets one of the girls who share the room.  Pellene is only a little taller than Ricka, with dark skin, almost black, and hair with tight curls.  She moves gracefully and silently, like one of the women that Vinefinger used to hang out with, but she smiles kindly and says, "Happy to meet you."  In the evening, she shows Ricka where to get some supper, which is just a thin stew and some bread, and some weak ale, served at the small chapel to Dionysus.  She hands a coin to priestess serving them, and then another for Ricka when it is clear she has none to offer.

The other girl in the room is Olleth, who is tall, and a little heavy.  She is old enough to have a woman's curves, but does not seem to have much.  She is quiet and gives a tight nod with a brief "hello," but then leaves soon after.  At night when she returns, she goes straight to her bed, changes into night clothes, locking her skirt and top in her lockbox, and lies down to sleep without even a word.  The fourth bed remains empty.

After her first night, Trismegistus brings Ricka a tabard to wear and a pouch with a strap that goes over her head and through a buttoned latch in the tabard.  He says that she is to walk market street and gives her a list of businesses to check in on.  "They are to give you two coppers for a message inside Olympia, four for one to the palace, and a silver, maybe more, for anything outside the city -- they'll usually know.  Deliver any in the city; if you get one for the palace or outside, do not deliver it, but bring it back here, instead.  When you deliver a message, they might give you a copper or two, which you get to keep.  Faster delivery usually means a better tip."  Ricka is surprised to learn that Hermes is not just the patron of tricksters and thieves, but also represents the communication hub of the city.

As Ricka visits these businesses, she enters cautiously, expecting to be chased out as she always has been in the past.  Instead, the tabard seems to make her a welcome visitor.  In the first four places, the person at the reception desk just smiles or waves and says, "nothing today."  At her fourth stop, the man at the desk says he has two messages, one for a sundries shop that Ricka knows is barely a mile away, and one for a winery outside the city.  He hands her the messages, 13 coppers, and bids her a good day.

Suddenly, she realizes that she's not sure of the next step.  Does she deliver this message?  Or does she finish collecting messages before delivering any?
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:01, Tue 08 Mar 2022.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 28 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Tue 8 Mar 2022
at 23:04
  • msg #6

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Pellene's kindness is so astonishing as to beggar belief; the idea that anyone should just give something to someone else - things as important as money or food! - simply because they needed it?  This just does not make any sense, there's no part of Ricka's conception of the world that allows for that sort of generosity to exist.  For a moment Ricka wonders what Pellene's agenda could be, what sort of manipulation the older girl might be subjecting her to, but when there somehow doesn't seem to be one she just stammers a bewildered "thank you."

Ricka figures that if the Bishop didn't tell her what order to do things in, then clearly he wanted her to decide for herself.  Once she's given a delivery, she'll move along to visit the next closest business on the list of check-ins, but as she's darting among the crowds along the street her mind will be occupied with her mental map of the city - or even her paper map of the city, if she's mastered it enough by now - estimating the quickest spot on the itinerary to squeeze in the delivery between check-ins.
Zag
GM, 92 posts
Tue 8 Mar 2022
at 23:58
  • msg #7

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

I realize that this is unusual, but I would like you to feel free to take more creative license in this game as compared to other games you might have played.  This is not meant as a criticism, just as permission to open up more.  For instance, if you had written all of the first paragraph below exactly as it is, I would have had no problem with it.  If you truly don't want to, that's fine, but if you are holding back because you're worried about overstepping, please stop holding back.

Ricka looks at her list of businesses she is supposed to visit, and sees that the next three are close, within a couple of blocks, so she visits them before dashing out to make her first-ever letter delivery.  The first two have nothing for her, but her decision is rewarded when the third business also has a note to the very same sundries shop!  She runs to deliver both and is still a little breathless as she hands them over.  The shop owner opens the first and his eyes open wide -- clearly this was a big order.  Pleased, the owner gives Ricka three coppers as a tip.  Returning to Market Street, the newly confidant acolyte of Hermes finishes her list, makes four more deliveries, and returns to the temple with 13 coppers for herself and a pile for the church, plus three deliveries outside the city that still need to be completed.

After handing over the letters and the payments to Bishop Trismegistus, Ricka receives from him a note to be delivered to the Deacon, though she can see that there is nothing on it.  Whyneks sets the paper on his desks, closes his office door, and gestures for her to take a seat.  He asks her about her first day delivering, but doesn't really seem to pay attention to her tale.  Finally, he says, "I've decided on a first assignment for you -- it is to train and test you.  You won't be in serious danger, unless you are foolish, but you will want to make every effort to succeed -- it will be worth it, I think.

"You are to find a way into the aerie and I want you to befriend the largest pair of eagles, Landroval and Zan.  They are currently sitting a clutch which is expected to hatch in two weeks.  You'll know you've succeeded befriending them if they allow you to hold their eaglets when they hatch.  These eagles belong to the church of Zeus, and they are smarter than regular birds.  Legend has it that the first breeding pair was given to the church by the Father himself."

Whyneks continues, "I am quite sure that Minister Womack, the master of the aerie, will not be pleased to find you anywhere near his domain, so you'll have to avoid him.  If he catches you once, it will mean a stern lecture; a second time will be a problem; but a third time will be probably a beating and you will have failed the trial.  How you avoid him is up to you, but, obviously, don't kill anyone, don't harm any of the birds."  He waves off any questions with "You'll figure it out," and sends Ricka out of his office and closes the door.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:40, Fri 18 Mar 2022.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 29 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Thu 10 Mar 2022
at 21:23
  • msg #8

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

... eagles?!

What the hell do I know about eagles?

Not very much, that's what.  Ricka isn't even sure she could consistently successfully identify an eagle among other kinds of hawks or falcons or whatever.  And now she's supposed to make friends with some?  Because animals have human friends, apparently?  Well, sure, dogs or whatever maybe, but birds?  Her experience with birds is pretty much confined to the pigeons that spent their days strutting around the streets shitting on things.

But still, in her observation, animals all have one primal thing in common - they're super concerned all the time with finding food.  Kind of like orphaned street kids in that way.  And so Ricka cludges together the basic outline of the beginnings of a plan, the first phase of which involves finding the aerie, and figuring out who this Minister Womack is, thereafter proceeding to more complicated steps like figuring out when he's going to be away from his post, obtaining some of whatever is it that eagles like to eat, and then sneaking into the aerie with said food.  And then seeing what happens from there.

Hmm.  Deacon Whyneks had only given her two rules, don't kill people and don't hurt the birds.  He didn't say she couldn't enlist allies.

She'll turn around and head right back where she came from, to Bishop Trismegistus's office, ask for a moment of his time, and explain that she needs to be the courier who delivers Minister Womack's messages to him for the next few days.  When he inevitably asks why exactly that should be, she'll explain that "it's for a project for Deacon Whyneks."  The Bishop had seemed to be quite aware that the Deacon was more than just the Deacon, and Ricka was training to be more than just a message runner.  Perhaps he'd understand and play along?
Zag
GM, 104 posts
Sat 12 Mar 2022
at 07:26
  • msg #9

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Bishop Trismegistus greets Ricka with a smile.  When she asks if he has a moment, he waves her in.

"I need to be the courier who delivers Minister Womack's messages to him for the next few days," Ricka says boldly.

"Oh?  Why is that?" he asks with a wry grin.  He can sense something fun brewing.

She grins back, "it's for a project for Deacon Whyneks."

"Oooo.  Are we playing a trick on old beak nose?  Do tell."  The delight on his face reminds Ricka that she is talking to the high priest of Hermes. after all.  "He doesn't get a lot of messages, but I'll let the others know to bring any for him here to the office.  Usually they would just bring them straight to him.  I don't suppose anyone will have any problem with it -- he's not exactly known for being generous with the tips.  I don't think he's parted with a copper since Kronos ruled the skies.  If he confuses you with Aphrodite and does give you a tip, you'll have to pass it on to whoever had the message originally.  Are you OK with that?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:27, Sat 12 Mar 2022.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 31 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Sun 13 Mar 2022
at 00:43
  • msg #10

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

"I'm completely fine with that," Ricka confirms.  A few coppers' investment seemed like a bargain price.  And as long as Trismestigus seemed enthused about the idea of being an accessory to hijinks, maybe she could press her luck a bit and gather some more information?  "Do you know things about his schedule, when he's at the aerie and when he's somewhere else?  Nothing's getting hurt or damaged as part of this, I promise.  In fact if everything works proper he'll be even better off than before."  Inasmuch as having happy well-fed eagles was probably a good thing.
Zag
GM, 107 posts
Sun 13 Mar 2022
at 00:58
  • msg #11

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

The bishop wrinkles his nose, "Why would I know that old crank's schedule?  Unless I miss my guess, though, he has it posted on the wall somewhere in his office, or -- no -- in his assistants' room, or maybe in the hall between them.  He has two assistants, both lads.  You go in towards the aerie, the door on the right is the assistants' room, the one on the left is his office."  He explains how to get to the aerie -- it is up the mountain from the temple to Zeus, making it the highest building in Olympia.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 32 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Wed 16 Mar 2022
at 02:09
  • msg #12

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Ricka thanks the Bishop for his time and his help, and runs out the rest of her evening according to what she assumes to be a normal routine around here; dinner and map studying and sleeping in her enormous bed that she somehow had all to herself.  The next morning though, after what she assumes to be a normal morning routine and after checking in with the Bishop to be given the one note that's slated for delivery to the aerie, it's time for a break from routine: on the endless stairs up towards her destination she wants to read the note.  Maybe there's something in it she can use?

On reaching her destination, she'll make her entry as unobtrusive as possible, hoping for a few minutes to snoop around for that schedule the Bishop had mentioned before she actually encounters the master of the aerie and has to hand over the only plausible reason for her to be up here.
Zag
GM, 118 posts
Wed 16 Mar 2022
at 04:14
  • msg #13

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

21:54, Today: Zag, on behalf of Ricka Bellsmith, rolled 25,18 using d20+9,d20.  Stealth, Luck.
Well, hell.  What am I going to do with those?
22:05, Today: Zag, on behalf of Ricka Bellsmith, rolled 30 using 1d20+12.  Disable device to open the note
I'm burning up all your luck, I think.


Ricka heads through the temple to Zeus, admiring the incredible sculptures, the huge columns, and the towering ceiling.  She had, of course, seen if from a distance, as all citizens of Olympia had, but it is too huge, too abstract, to appreciate from a distance.  It is not until one is standing inside it that the size and grandeur can be appreciated.

Once she finds the right exit that leads to the aerie, she sees a small hollow with some candles and a platform.  Perhaps this is a small chapel to some other god, maybe one associated with Zeus?  It provides her a bit of privacy to take a look at the note, something that she was told never to do, but it was almost with a wink.  Saying a quick prayer to Hermes, she slides her knife perfectly between paper and wax.

 
Minister Stibu Womack,
Master of the Aerie of Zeus
Temple of Zeus, Altis, Olympia
 
 
My dear Minister Womack,
 
 
On behalf of my master, the Regent for Queen Shenea I, long may she reign, I would like to make a request of a presentation of some of Zeus' eagles in the palace compound after luncheon Zeus' Day.  The Marquis has several important guests visiting from Crete, and they have expressed an interest in seeing the fine birds.  Of course, the Marquis will compensate you for any expenses in preparing the birds and bringing them here, and he will also be very glad to make a generous donation to the temple to show his gratitude.
 
 

 
 Very Sincerely Yours, 
 Baron Alivert Markson 
 Assistant to His Lordship
Davin Chesterson
Marquis of Harfeld
Regent for Queen Shenea I
 
 

After making note of the details, Ricka waves the exposed wax over a candle and reseals the letter perfectly.  (Today is Tuesday, or Ares' Day.  Zeus' Day is Thursday.)

Just as she approaches the stairs up, Ricka hears footsteps coming down.  Ducking quickly into an alcove, she watches as an old man with a large, sharp, arched nose, thin lips, and gray hair walks past.  He is trailed by a boy of about Ricka's age who struggles to keep up as he makes notes in a ledger that seems too big for him.  The man is busy lecturing the boy and seems to have no awareness of his surroundings.  "We'll have to get a new source for fresh straw.  I can not believe that they would try to pass moldy garbage on to us.  Write that down:  New source for straw.  If it costs a copper more, that will be worth it."  The pair turn a corner and continue into the temple to Zeus.

Well, that makes it easy, Ricka thinks.  She continues up the stairs, finds the office, and casually lets herself in.  Hmmph.  Not even locked.  She looks for a schedule of some sort, but finds none.  Then her eyes alight on the small bookshelf.  There are only a dozen or so books, so she quickly looks through them.  Three that catch her attention are Aviary Construction and Maintenance for Healthy Birds; Care and Feeding of Birds of Prey; and Birds of the Mediterranean.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:18, Wed 16 Mar 2022.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 33 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Thu 17 Mar 2022
at 11:17
  • msg #14

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

In her entire life Ricka has rarely even held a book in her hands; certainly the only ones she's ever done any actual reading from are whatever primers Whyneks used in teaching her.  But still she'd always had the vague impression that books were a thing important people used for important purposes, and they'd held a sort of totemic fascination for her.  The idea that she's somehow suddenly finding herself among the echelons of people who had a practical use for information contained in a book was yet another symptom of her ongoing mystification at her recent upgrade in circumstances.  It seemed too bizarre to be true, and yet it was somehow true nonetheless: I am a girl who needs to know things about the Care and Feeding of Birds of Prey.

Which is of course not to say that she's grown out of a thief's instincts.  She needs it, therefore she will steal it.  She rearranges the other books so its absence is less obvious and tucks the book into her courier's tabard.  And so a few details of her vaguely-conceived plan begin to condense into a more solid agenda: tonight after her round of pickups and deliveries she'll try to puzzle from the book whatever information she can about how to win the favor of eagles - which she still suspects will have largely to do with food.  Therefore tomorrow night she imagines she'll be spending trying to acquire some of whatever yummy eagle treats the book might recommend to her.  And the day after that, she'll have to be finished with her rounds by "after luncheon," so she can spend the afternoon up in the theoretically temporarily abandoned aerie, chumming up to a pair of probably terrifying birds.

For the present moment though, there may be a brief window in which there's only one assistant left to sneak past in the aerie, an opportunity she's not about to let pass by, especially in light of her holding a genuine reason to be up there in her left hand.  Up the stairs she creeps.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:52, Thu 17 Mar 2022.
Zag
GM, 121 posts
Thu 17 Mar 2022
at 14:20
  • msg #15

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith



BTW, The office where you found the book is considered to be part of the aerie, but I know what you meant.
09:03, Today: Zag, on behalf of Ricka Bellsmith, rolled 19 using 1d20+9.  Stealth


Ricka climbs up farther into the aerie, emerging from the building and entering the area where there are cages with birds.  The path she is on is a winding path up a steep part of the mountain, with many stairs, switchbacks, and occasional platforms, interspersed by cages which are all open to the air.  Her natural love of freedom makes Ricka want to open all the cages, setting the birds free, but she resists.

When she comes out into the bright sunshine, several of the eagles start shrieking, and she shrinks back into the shadow, worried that she has been revealed.  However, ahead she hears the voice of a young man, "Quiet down, quiet down.  I'll get to you."  The voice seems not alarmed at all, only slightly annoyed.

Now that she has located the remaining assistant, staying out of his sight is easy.  She observes him for a while.  He goes to each cage, housing one or two eagles; reaches in through holes barely enough for his arms and puts hoods over the heads of the birds; then opens the cage to clean it out.  Once clean, he closes the cage, then removes the hoods from the birds' heads.  Some of the birds he pats to comfort them; others he ignores.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 34 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Fri 18 Mar 2022
at 01:05
  • msg #16

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

[I may not be clear on the layout here.  The aerie offices are part of the temple complex at ground level, then there's stairs leading outside and up the mountain where the eagle cages are?]

As long as she's out here, she'll want to at least get a look at the particular pair of eagles she's supposed to become super good friends with.  She has no special idea of where to find them though, other than a suspicion for which she has no evidence whatsoever that the biggest eagles get to live in the highest places.  So upward she continues, avoiding the notice of the cage-cleaning boy, seeking for a pair of birds that seem particularly huge, that happen to be guarding a clutch of eggs.
Zag
GM, 122 posts
Fri 18 Mar 2022
at 02:50
  • msg #17

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Stairs up from the temple complex to the aerie.  At the lowest level of the aerie are the office and sleeping quarters.  Then more stairs up to where the birds are, but everything from the offices up are considered part of the aerie.  There's even a sign to that effect, which I just made up.

Also, I realized that I never told you the names of the eagles.  They are Landroval and Zan, and I've edited the note above where Whyneks gave you the assignment, so you knew it all along.


Ricka has no problem avoiding the young man.  He tends to talk to himself and to the birds a lot, and he seems to have no awareness of what is around him.  He wouldn't survive a week in the streets, she thinks.  Climbing up past another switchback brings her well out of his view, such that she can't even see him, though occasionally she can still hear him talking.

She stops at one pair of eagles which are sitting comfortably in their nest, as if there are eggs under them, but they don't feel right.  They are, in fact, a little smaller than some of the ones she has seen so far.  Finally she reaches the highest cage, and the two eagles housed in it are noticeably larger than the others.  They stare at her in a manner that seems defiant, as if daring her, or maybe judging her.  She calls out softly, "Landroval?  Zan?" and the birds both cock their heads to the side at their names.

I'll pause here so you can react.  You'll only have a few minutes before you will hear the assistant coming up.  The mountain around is pretty steep, but climbable, barely.  (DC 12.  If you fail, you'll take a d6 and need to make a DC 16 roll or take another d6.  Either way, you'll be at the bottom at that point, so if you were headed up, you need to start the process over again or give up.  If you're headed down, well, gravity was your friend, sort of.)  If you choose not to climb out of here, you'll need a stealth roll to get past him, which will be compared to his Perception roll.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 35 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Sat 19 Mar 2022
at 15:09
  • msg #18

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

[Well at 1st level, 2d6 damage could easily be fatal, so that's not really going to be a plausible option!  :) ]

Ricka approaches her (hopefully) new bird friends slowly, cautiously.  She likes to think that this is reflective of a courteous respect, rather than a trembling fear of a pair of badass expert predators each with a wingspan wider than her own.

"... hey there, birds."  She regards them curiously despite her apprehension.  "How's it going up here?  Anything I can get for you guys?"  She keeps her voice hushed low, both to keep from spooking the birds and to avoid the notice of the cage-cleaning boy just down the mountain.  Obviously she has no expectation that anything resembling an answer will be forthcoming, but it couldn't hurt to try to establish a nice pleasant conversational rapport.  "I see you're working on some kids there, that's fantastic, congratulations."  She nods admiringly.  The eagles respond with EAGLE STARE, which Ricka discovers is more than a little unnerving.  "... yeah, okay, so.  I'll be back later, I just wanted to, you know, introduce myself and so on."  It occurs to her that she has failed to actually introduce herself.  "... my name is Ricka.  It's very nice to meet you."

Assuming no mystical bird-communication powers abruptly manifest themselves in Ricka's brain, she'll bid Zan and Landroval a polite goodbye, and begin working her way back down the mountain, sneaking past the mostly oblivious assistant again the same way she got past him the first time.  If he should happen to notice her, she'll use the Get Out Of Trouble Free card she's carrying, and just nonchalantly hand him the note she's actually (mostly) legitimately up here to deliver; otherwise she'll leave it on the aerie master's desk on the way back through, and return to her new morning courier routine out in the city.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:16, Sat 19 Mar 2022.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 36 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Sat 19 Mar 2022
at 15:15
  • msg #19

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

[... sorry, forgot to add:

09:14, Today: Ricka Bellsmith rolled 27 using 1d20+9 ((18)).
]
Zag
GM, 125 posts
Sat 19 Mar 2022
at 16:22
  • msg #20

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Well, sure, it's a possibility, but it's pretty slim.  You will have to take some chances in this game.  Also, I'm not going to let characters die because of bad dice rolls when they are doing fairly reasonable things, though I have to admit that that is on the edge.  Note that, just like in real life, there are actions you can take to mitigate damage when climbing.  Talking to a climbing expert might help.

He won't even see you with a natural 20 so there's no need for me to roll for him.


As Ricka talks to the birds, they cock their heads back and forth in that eerie bird way that makes one wonder if they actually have bones in their necks.  They seem expectant, waiting, she imagines, or at least they seem slightly less hostile.

Ricka easily slips past the unaware assistant, back down the stairs to the office, and leaves the message on the desk.  Once through the temple to Zeus and further down into area which doubles as a temple to Hermes and the communications hub of the city, she stops to put the book in her locked chest and checks in with Bishop Trismegistus.  He has assigned her the same route she did the previous day, the businesses along Agiou Charalampous and Platonos.  Ares' Day is a quiet one, she guesses, for messages, because she only had a few messages and she is done by mid afternoon.

Settling in to her bunk with a mug of Glykos coffee, she starts to study her new acquisition.  She is at it for several hours, and the book is exactly the wealth of information she was hoping for.  It includes a section on the foods that they like, with the special detail that they especially like rabbit, rodent, and (for some species only) fish, the fresher the better.  It says that the livers are their favorite, and it suggests chopping the liver to make a paste and smearing that over all the meat.  It also includes a section on how to train the birds, and how to capture and tame wild birds.

Having studied this, you now have a free trait:  +1 bonus in Animal Handling when applied to birds of prey, and Animal Handling is always a class skill for you.

After four hours of difficult reading, she comes out of her reverie when Pellene walks into the dormitory.  She looks distraught, almost ready to cry.  Her tabard is dirty and torn, and her feet are bare and bloody.  When asked what is wrong, she resists, but it takes only a little persistence to get the story out of her.

She starts slowly, with an occasional gasp holding back a sob, but finally picks up steam.  "I went this morning to buy these boots I have been saving up for; they're so much more comfortable than sandals.  Anyway, I got them and was breezing through my route, when I got a message at Thimatou, for fast delivery to Volou Larisis.  Yeah, I know I shouldn't, but I cut through those alleys at Trellsen Street, thinking that saving the minutes would get me a big tip.  Anyway, these two thugs block the exit.  I turned to head back, but this one really big guy blocked the exit that way.

"I think he was a little, you know, simple, because he had that look and because he didn't figure out that two steps closer he would have blocked the side alley, too.  I ran that way and almost got away, but they chased me for almost half an hour before I finally was caught.  They took everything I had: my pouch, all my money, and my lovely boots!  I had just got them.

"Anyway, I had to go back to the client and tell them that the message was lost.  They were really nice, gave me a drink while they wrote it out again.  They did say it was urgent before, but they didn't give me any grief and just asked me to deliver it as fast as would be safe.

"But now I'm stuck.  I tossed my sandals when I got my nice new boots.  I've got no money, and Trismegistus says I still owe for the fees for the messages I delivered, since it was my fault for cutting through Trellsen alleys."  At this point, she starts to break down, "I don't even have a coin for supper at the Dionysus chapel."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:36, Thu 24 Mar 2022.
Zag
GM, 351 posts
Thu 29 Dec 2022
at 18:01
  • msg #21

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

The days pass swiftly by for Scarlet.  Delivering messages for five or six hours a day, catching rabbits and mice for another hour or two, then finding time to visit Landroval and Zan.

She spends whatever time she can studying the book on bird care.  When Whyneks learned she had stolen the book in the same trip that she dropped off a letter, he chastised her soundly.  "He would never think to suspect you, but once he realizes a messenger was in his office, even a dullard like him is going to put two and two together."  Fortunately, she is able to return the book before Womack notices.  Eventually, she learns to track his movements until it seems almost as if she has a psychic connection to the man, and he never even comes close to discovering her perusing his personal library.

Free trait:  You can designate any one person as your "target."  Any use of Perception against the target is at +4.  You can change who is your target, but it takes 4 days of steady observation of the person, during which time you have no target.  You can only have one target at a time.

This ability also helps her visiting the eagles, and she is only discovered a single time, and that a fleeting glance which Womack is never sure who it is he saw.  After the one near catch, Ricka decides to learn how to climb the side of the mountain safely.  With a little tutelage from a climbing expert, she acquires some climbing gear that reduces the risk as long as she climbs slowly.  (Move at 5 ft per turn, placing pitons.  A severe climbing failure means that you will only take d6-1 damage.)

Ricka helps Pellene through her short term troubles, paying for her dinner and arranging to borrow a spare set of sandals for her.  Of course, when the girl described the rogues who stole her new boots, she immediately recognized Iarain, which led to the rest of the crew.  After several nights of reconnaissance, including a daring climbing stunt she never could have attempted before her new-found abilities, Ricka retrieves the boots from Blavhert the Brat.  He had stretched them out a bit, but Pellene says that they still fit perfectly.  (The girl does have pretty big feet.) 

A month slips past, and Landroval's and Zan's eggs hatch producing 6 ugly, featherless little chicks with tiny hairs all over.  They look hideous!  But after offering Landroval his usual treat of rabbit flesh smeared with liver, Ricka is able to pick up a chick without the protective father plucking out either of her eyes.  She returns the chick and reports to Whyneks her success.  The spymaster instructs her to be hanging around near the entrance to the eyrie the following morning, and to play along with whatever he has going.

The next morning, she waits as instructed.  A bizarre looking woman, covered in tattoos, comes down from the eyrie and calls, "You there, messenger, come up here."  Ricka follows the woman up to the cage she has visited so many times in the past month.  Beside the cage are many of the most important dignitaries in the Church.  Archbishop Pelschion, whom Ricka has seen but never spoken to, stands with his second in command, Bishop Seever.  Ricka knows Bishop Seever because he so often receives and sends messages; the man is kind and funny and delights in tricks and jokes that are often awkward but never truly harmful.  On the other side stand Whyneks and Womack, the latter looking a little sick and confused, as if he knows something is happening but he doesn't understand what.

Minister Stibu Womack declares, "No.  Only someone in Zeus's service could approach a mated pair with chicks.  You are risking this poor girl's eyes if she approaches the cage."

Bishop Seever waves at the man dismissively, then winks at Ricka, "There's no risk.  I can put such a glamour on her that these fine birds will believe she is blessed of Zeus himself."

"Never," says Womack, "she would have to be genuinely blessed.  I say this is too risky."

After more argument, the high priest finally speaks, "Enough.  Cast your glamour, and let us test this."

Seever makes some arcane-looking gestures and speaks some made-up words, then gestures towards the cage.  "Go ahead, girl.  You now will be able to grab one of the chicks without being molested."

"Ridiculous," says Womack.  "Girl, keep your eyes averted, and hold your fingers tight together, so you don't lose one."  To the others, he declares, "If she is so blessed, then I will grant her one of the chicks.  But this could never happen."

When Ricka steps forward, Landroval makes a querying sound, as wondering where his treat is, of course.  The girl slowly and gently scoops up a chick while the huge eagle Papa rubs his head on her arm.  Ricka brings the chick out to show the others, to gasps and smirks, respectively.

Standing tall and trying to appear as a chosen of Zeus, Ricka declares, "I am grateful for your kind offer, Minister Womack, I name this (you choose, girl or boy eaglet), (choose a name)."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:07, Thu 29 Dec 2022.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 41 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Mon 9 Jan 2023
at 01:01
  • msg #22

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Standing 'tall' for Ricka is perhaps not quite as impressive as she might hope.  Nonetheless she does her level best to project a sort of air of serene grandiosity as she presents the proof of her being 'genuinely blessed.'  "I'm grateful for your kind offer, Minister Womack, I name her Zana," she declares, not knowing if there's any sort of traditional eagle-naming customs, but harboring the vague conviction that it's proper that the bird should be named for her mom.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 42 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Mon 9 Jan 2023
at 01:08
  • msg #23

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Zag:
Ricka helps Pellene through her short term troubles...

Even she's participating in this relationship, it remains utterly incomprehensible to Ricka that it doesn't seem to be based entirely on transactional self-interest, unlike every other relationship she's ever known in her life (except her mom, of course).  Is this what people mean when they say "friends"?  The phenomenon is both fascinating and vexing, it just stubbornly refuses to fit into her conception of the world.  Like finishing a jigsaw puzzle and being pleased with the pretty picture it presented, and then noticing that there's still a couple of pieces in the box, demanding to be fit in somewhere.  Clearly some contemplation of this situation is going to be required.
Zag
GM, 374 posts
Mon 9 Jan 2023
at 05:44
  • msg #24

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

Ricka may not understand the concept of altruism, but she definitely understand favors owed.  She has owed Pellene a favor for her help on her first night here.  Now that's paid back, and then some.  Maybe that's all friendship is, that you trade so many favors that you lose count?

This reminds me of a great line in one of the Dresden Files books, where the little nerdy guy whose name I don't recall saves Harry Dresden.  Harry thanks him, and nerdy guy remarks that Harry has saved his life several times.  Harry's comment is, "when it comes to saving each others' lives, you stop counting at one."

I'm headed to bed right now, but I'll work you into Chapter 2 tomorrow.  Meanwhile, what are you thinking about for 2nd level, especially the special ability?  The next level of Animal Companion, Animal Sight, is especially valuable for someone with an eagle.  On the other hand, if you want to get working towards your Nameless One face-morphing ability, you will need to take an Innate Skill.  It's up to you.  You don't need to feel locked in to your original character plan.

This message was last edited by the GM at 05:48, Mon 09 Jan 2023.
Ricka Bellsmith
player, 43 posts
Riffraff, street rat
I don't buy that
Mon 9 Jan 2023
at 16:17
  • msg #25

Chapter 1: Ricka Bellsmith

[I believe you're referring to Waldo Butters there.  :)  And, I think Ricka would be more drawn towards working on the Innate Skills path first, and the Animal Companion stuff later on down the line.]
Sign In