maxinstuff
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Post by maxinstuff on Oct 21, 2013 12:43:32 GMT -8
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 21, 2013 13:34:36 GMT -8
(continued) The party decides it's time to interrogate their prisoners . . . being mindful of the ethos of their Patrons there will be no torture!!!. There was at least a good half hour of in character discussion about a) how they can interrogate the sister b) what to do with her? Eventually Jaroo the Druid of the Grove is summoned to contribute to the round table discussion. Canon Terjon had been called earlier to stabilize the Sisters condition. While the discussion proceeds the sister is kept in a separate cell made appropriately habitable given her condition. The round table discussion resolves that 2 PC's, the brother and the dwarf, will question her . . . afterwards, when she is strong enough at Jaroo's insistence, she is to be escorted to the Gnarley Forest. There to be cared for and administered by the Druids people until she gives birth. Jaroo explains that to the Druids there is nothing 'unnatural' about the child of such a union, "it happens in nature . . . only your civilization and it's concepts of polite morality makes it a problem". First the PC's enter and insist she hands over her unholy symbol, as suggested by Canon Terjon. She reluctantly agrees . . . the PC's noting that she flinches protectively, guarding her abdomen, when ever they approach. The brother just asks "why?", she laughs and sneers "why what?" . . . "why did you do this to me, why do you serve the Temple?". There are a lot of derisive and dismissive answers from the sister, all to avoid giving any real information, before she suddenly turns it around and says "he didn't tell you did he? your mentor, the one mother sent you away to live with, he knew and he never told you . . . ?". Suddenly the gaming table goes quiet and the PC asks "told me what?", she replies "what really happened to our father". Suddenly the brother finds out the truth . . . he has another older brother who like his father serves with the Order of the Knight Protectors. That their father was a Warden of the Bone March until it fell to humanoid invasion when the PC was born. That their father, in trying to facilitate the safe retreat of his family and household fell in battle while facing off against the opportunistic forces of The Great Kingdom. That he was then raised again to serve the Diabolical OverKing Ivid as one of his Demonic Knights of Doom. That as child she saw her father weaken and fall and rise again as something stronger excepting that he is a puppet to the will of another (The OverKing). In that she moment she understood . . . "Evil always wins, the strong take what they want!". She tells how their mother sends her baby brother away somewhere safe from the conflicts of their homeland, how her older brother goes away to fight the just, but ultimately hopeless, cause of the Knights Protectors. How their mother in her "weakness" sickens and dies because of the tragedy that has befallen them, leaving her, the sister, on her own to fend for herself and find her own way in the world. She tells how she wanders into the Lands of Iuz and how the their ways make sense . . . "the strong survive, right of might guarantees reward" and how she hates the OverKing because the likes of her father are held in his thrall rather than allowed to do what they want as they want. Eventually the brother presses . . . "why did you seduce me?" and "to what end?". She laughs softly, "to make you join me, so we could be a family again and this time we'd be strong and take what we want from the world so that it could never hurt us. To bring you to my side". The brother (and the player) look a little aghast for several seconds . . . "but it didn't work". She whispers, "it nearly did though didn't it? it was worth the gamble and I nearly won". At that point the PC suddenly realizes, "you wanted me to kill you, it was deliberate!!!", he turns to the dwarf "she is SO fucked up". Then the best moment happens . . . he turns to her, gets right up to her face and says one thing: "I forgive you" and walks out. The sister looks stunned, she doesn't know what to think . . . she looks at the dwarf who has yet to leave and he simple nods "we all forgive you, if you can truly be redeemed then even I with the honor debt I owe you for your part in the death of my brother and cousin can forgive you". The sister suddenly bursts into uncontrollable sobbing that doesn't stop, the next day she is escorted to the Gnarley Forest and passed into the care of the Druids. She speaks not a single word as she is led off . . . having withdrawn into a semi-catatonic state. It worked out much better than I ever hoped . . . shit I didn't even roll for her reaction it was obvious once the brother acknowledged how fucked up she was and still forgave her. Will she be back? hell yeah . . . she'll never be 'good' but with a bit of guidance she may redeem herself enough . . . Aaron
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 21, 2013 13:45:53 GMT -8
Sorry for the wait but do you know how long it takes to type a big post on smartphone? For-fucking-Ever - seriously I had to give up and wait til I got home and had access to a proper keyboard before I could finish it. Smartphones can still be pretty dumb . . . Aaron
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Post by jazzisblues on Oct 23, 2013 6:42:04 GMT -8
Excellent story Kainguru and the stuff of legends in terms of gaming amazingness. JiB
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 23, 2013 12:09:06 GMT -8
Excellent story Kainguru and the stuff of legends in terms of gaming amazingness. JiB Funny thing is, despite trying to get them (the players) to listen to the podcast but they're just not podcast listeners, I was hoping for something like this could happen (as with your campaign with the slavers). . . so when the player of the dwarf turned to me afterwards and said "you didn't expect us to do that did you <wry grin>" I had to bite my tongue really hard because, yeah, I didn't expect it but I did hope for it (I came very close to just wanting to say 'you magnificent, unpredictable, bastards') Aaron
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Post by jazzisblues on Oct 23, 2013 12:29:37 GMT -8
Excellent story Kainguru and the stuff of legends in terms of gaming amazingness. JiB Funny thing is, despite trying to get them (the players) to listen to the podcast but they're just not podcast listeners, I was hoping for something like this could happen (as with your campaign with the slavers). . . so when the player of the dwarf turned to me afterwards and said "you didn't expect us to do that did you <wry grin>" I had to bite my tongue really hard because, yeah, I didn't expect it but I did hope for it (I came very close to just wanting to say 'you magnificent, unpredictable, bastards') Aaron It is one of those moments of magic that as a gamer I live for. JiB
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maxinstuff
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Post by maxinstuff on Oct 23, 2013 12:33:07 GMT -8
Funny thing is, despite trying to get them (the players) to listen to the podcast but they're just not podcast listeners, I was hoping for something like this could happen (as with your campaign with the slavers). . . so when the player of the dwarf turned to me afterwards and said "you didn't expect us to do that did you <wry grin>" I had to bite my tongue really hard because, yeah, I didn't expect it but I did hope for it (I came very close to just wanting to say 'you magnificent, unpredictable, bastards') Aaron It is one of those moments of magic that as a gamer I live for. JiB *sniffle* *wipes tears from all three eyes*
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 23, 2013 14:21:40 GMT -8
It is one of those moments of magic that as a gamer I live for. JiB *sniffle* *wipes tears from all three eyes* would one of those eyes be brown? Aaron
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maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
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Post by maxinstuff on Oct 23, 2013 17:22:24 GMT -8
*sniffle* *wipes tears from all three eyes* would one of those eyes be brown? Aaron japs actually.
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 23, 2013 23:46:32 GMT -8
would one of those eyes be brown? Aaron japs actually. Where the other tears for not winning the biscuit? . . . Aaron
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maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
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Post by maxinstuff on Oct 24, 2013 12:00:46 GMT -8
Where the other tears for not winning the biscuit? . . . Aaron No, they were for the epic story you have laid out in this thread. I have a whole pack of biscuits here, so I'm well sorted out.
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 24, 2013 21:10:53 GMT -8
Where the other tears for not winning the biscuit? . . . Aaron No, they were for the epic story you have laid out in this thread. I have a whole pack of biscuits here, so I'm well sorted out. awww, now you're giving me tears . . . and it's not because I don't have any biscuits . . . Thank you for the compliment *slaps maxinstuff on the back, firmly but not too hard* Aaron
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D.T. Pints
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JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
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Post by D.T. Pints on Oct 25, 2013 7:08:33 GMT -8
*David Attenborough voice* "And as we see the ex-pat aussie returning the gesture of bonding, they both will return to their nests until the next season of courtship begins, and the biscuit gathering commences anew..."
*cue sunset and pan flute soundtrack*
How many players are in your group Aaron ? How long has this campaign been running ? Just curious about RW time in regards to our "slow burn" discussion.
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 25, 2013 7:45:19 GMT -8
*David Attenborough voice* "And as we see the ex-pat aussie returning the gesture of bonding, they both will return to their nests until the next season of courtship begins, and the biscuit gathering commences anew..." *cue sunset and pan flute soundtrack* How many players are in your group Aaron ? How long has this campaign been running ? Just curious about RW time in regards to our "slow burn" discussion. 5 players plus one who has RW complications. lunafeline was stepping in in his absences but I used this juncture to semi retire the character for cameo attendances (he is escorting the sister back to Gnarley). lunafeline has just rolled up her first old school character of her own. It been exactly 12 months with, on average, fortnightly sessions of about 2 to 4 hours (on average and depending how long it takes the bard to finally stop talking (player not PC) it's not what he says it's how loud he is when he says). One of the players has dogs so he can't stay longer than 5 hours or he has to clean up the kitchen when he gets home). It took a long time between the moat house and getting to Nulb because I generated (and plain stole) a raft of related side quests before they were ready for the horrors beneath. Thus included a trip to Emridy Meadows to settle the ungrateful dead, uncovering Temple spies in nearby Penwick (the sherrif was a spy for Elemental Fire) and a short jaunt to Gnarley Wood for the dwarf to met his list brother Montigrim (that one was purely to commemorate the passing if the actor who played Uncle Monty in 'Withnail & I' - my favourite film). Montigrim will figure again in a bit - the Temple is good at finding out secrets and exploiting them <evil grin>. It took the PC's about 3 months to realise that there was much much more afoot than simple bandits and an old moat house. They've pissed off Iuz directly by defiling one of his alters and have have been advised by mysterious figures who refuse to get involved that they know only as Jack (thin anaemic looking not bothered by the snow or cold) and The Hooded Man (think very Norse looking with ravens and crows always nearby). Jarro has been seen conversing with them in his grove but remains very coy about who they are, only that their return signals how very serious things have become. They're actually hierophants 'Jack Frost' and 'The Hooded Crow' (yep I'm a Jethro Tull fan). They've come back from their esoteric studies in the para elemental planes (ice and air) because of the disturbances the nodes under the Temple are creating. All they want is them destroyed - who wins (good or evil) isn't relevant. The brother sister story arc started after they killed Lareth at the Moat House about 2 months (RW) in to the game. Bearing in mind that that story hasn't been the only one . . . She has always been there as the main antagonist pulling strings behind the scenes and setting events in motion - their direct meetings have been few and spaced apart . . . Excepting the times she was right in front if them in disguise and the hints went unnoticed (the old lady in bar, the crone gypsy reading fortunes for a silver piece etc ) Aaron Sorry if my spelling sucks - damned smartphones turn logical sentences into crap :/
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Post by Kainguru on Oct 25, 2013 8:12:03 GMT -8
Addit: the end game is afoot. The interrogation of the sisters assistant yield results. They promised him consideration to release him in return for information. He failed his wisdom check and sang like a bird with a few half truths and out right lies (that he believes are true). They know the names of the major antagonists on the fourth level and they now know of the fourth level and it being the Greater Temple (ie Temple proper). He was going to say more until "his eyes suddenly roll back to the whites, his body jerks up and his head twists with a sickening crunch as it is turned about his shoulders by a large gnarled spectral hand which then disappaites leaving a chill in the air". Iuz doesn't take fondly to having his plans revealed. Edit: the brother sister arc is only one of several PC centric arcs. The elven magic use from Celene is the son of a minor noble: he's just found out the reason his father rarely wears his dress uniform is that he's basically the head of the Elven KGB in Celene and maintains its isolationist policies with vigour (the opposite attitude of his missing mentor). The human illusionist from GreyHawk gave me a list of names for his backstory - people who were responsible for the torture and murder if his young love when they accidentiallt got mixed up in the theives guild beggars guild war of many years ago. I've been dropping these names in here and there in written letters and notes they find - tying it into the Slavers for after the Temple (I've swapped/added a few personages in the Slavers to make it work) . . . If they choose to follow that lead of course. Plots abound and I'll happily go in which ever direction the players take it . . . They're already talking if going north to fight in the wars if they survive the Temple (except the illusionist who wants to go to Nyr Dyv to look up a name and meet an old acquaintance) Aaron
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