Zilean's Revenge

Ramsus wrote:Seven? But, there was just him and the five broodmates. Who's the seventh?

Ah, my mistake. I mistook the "S" in "Skitter" as another name. edited.

I'll get an avatar soon. I'll put a temporary one up sometime today.

Zarhon wrote:Her own role in the war is uncertain: She was probably involved in some fighting, but where and what kind, is unknown

I'm going to say Jeraylia wasn't involved in the war, but the story of it would have spread, and she would have paid attention to it. Perhaps it encouraged her decision to head west.

Using the money gifted upon her for her spirit-raising song,(muahaha) Jeraylia headed into the markets to resupply her travel rations. After a purchase of half a pound of flour, she noticed an unmistakable, striking figure near the stall of the Finder's Guild. With a grin on her face, she went over to greet him.

"Horizon! Catch!" she shouted, and tossed her newly acquired bottle of wine towards him.

Well now I feel like an idiot that I didn't realize Skitter was an Acronym. Did everyone else know that? WHAT ELSE HAVEN'T YOU BEEN TELLING ME!?

Horizon doesn't hear her warning, and gets domed by the bottle Horizon doesn't look up, but catches the bottle before it hits him. He looks at it for a second, before turning to the one who threw it. He hesitates, trying to remember if he knew her from somewhere. "Thanks..." he began after a moment, "whoever you are." He is about to turn back to the Finders, but instead walks over to her. "Now that I think about it... That was a decent song for something made up on the spot. But a word of advice, from experience- This is not a good town for boastful, celebrated heroes. I should know, I killed a lot of them. Just something to keep in mind. Now, should I know you from somewhere? Because you certainly seem to know who I am.

Yes I can do that, because I have cool ninja snatchy gloves. And yes, I know Rolf introduced me to everyone, but just roll with it. Let's see where we can take this conversation.

Rolf

The woman explains that she doesn't have many wands or scrolls to sell. She dabbles mostly in magical trinkets and potions, fortune-telling (no guarantees of favorable fortunes, no money back). Of the wands/scrolls she has, she only has:
- Wand of Detect magic, 5 charges (Cheap)
- Wand of Web, unknown charges (Expensive)
- Defective Wand of Enlarge Person, 3 charges (Cheap, but prone to misfiring or other weirdness)
- Scroll of Cause Fear (Average price)
- Scroll of Color Spray, in a language Rolf does not understand (Average price)
- Scroll of Gaseous Form (Expensive)

She takes an interest in buying your scroll of invisibility (offering you the price of an average item), but is offended when you try to sell her the self-targeting fireball scroll ("Nobody but a mad thiefling would buy such a scroll!"). She is interested in the gem, but also skeptic: She politely requests a demonstration of the gem's abilities before she buys it.

NINJA EDIT

@ Brony: Actually, you still have to roll.

Horizon bottle catch -> nat20

Edit as appropriate.

Yeah, Skitter's going to want to actually talk to the shaman too. But I figured that could wait until after Zarhon tells me which of my purchases I actually acquired. Unless he'd like to leave that up to me. Then we end up with airship motorcycles. =P

Edit: It's not all bad news with the scroll. If Rolf knows a disenchanting ritual he could at least destroy it to gain some magical crafting reagents. Which should be saleable even if he doesn't know any item making rituals.

Zarhon wrote:@ Brony: Actually, you still have to roll.

Horizon bottle catch -> nat20

Edit as appropriate.

Edit what? Nothing changed. This is the music going along with that catch.

Zarhon wrote:("Nobody but a mad thiefling would buy such a scroll!")

Hint hint, thiefling present.

I was gonna ask if I had to roll to throw XD.

"No names, just figures they can look up to, though they already know the wizard. The people could use a few heroes, but that's entirely up to you. If you think you can handle it," Jeraylia added with a smirk. "I'm Jeraylia Shale. Your friends have told me a little about you. I'm here to see how much of it was them being nice. And go ahead and take a drink. It's probably not poisoned, and you look like you could use one."
Oh and edit: She totally sauntered gracefully towards him. Roll for insight?

Ramsus wrote:Yeah, Skitter's going to want to actually talk to the shaman too. But I figured that could wait until after Zarhon tells me which of my purchases I actually acquired. Unless he'd like to leave that up to me. Then we end up with airship motorcycles. =P

Edit: It's not all bad news with the scroll. If Rolf knows a disenchanting ritual he could at least destroy it to gain some magical crafting reagents. Which should be saleable even if he doesn't know any item making rituals.

Well, that depends on your money. Right now, you've probably only got enough for a decent crossbow, after you sell your food to a food merchant. You'll have to sell/trade the rest of the stuff via haggling though (diplomancy/RP involving shopkeepers or finders guild).

Regarding the availability of said items, you can get:

Crossbows (Free strap for each):
-Repeating ( 4x shots before reloading, simple reload )
-Miniature ( Pistol sized, silent, easy reload)
-Hunting ( Long range, powerful, penetrating with good bolts)

Bolts (Free quiver, thirty per purchase):
- Wooden/bone (Shatter easily, non-penetrating, painful injuries if shattered in wound)
- Iron/metallic (Sturdy, don't shatter easily)
- Silver (Expensive, good vs undead, vampiric, ethereal, unholy, werewolf creatures. Same as metallic ones otherwise)

Magic Bolts (Very expensive, limited supply)
- Fire (burns)
- Guiding (moves to hit moving/living/undead targets)
- Ice (freezes/slows)
- Electrical (minor stun)

Thief tools - Expensive, if good quality. Cheap otherwise.
Climbers kit - average price
Miniature poison making/mixing kit - average price

Poisons (Shady thiefling, needs diplomacy for trust) (bottled and prepared are slightly costlier, ingredients available for listed):
-Paralysis (Expensive )
-Delayed deadly ( Cheap )
-Fast-acting deadly (Average price )
-Blinding ( Cheap )
-Corrosive ( Expensive )

Magic swords/armor - None available. Armor is any kind of leather/chain/plate armors, or modifications on commission.

Trap making supplies - Specify what kind of trap you plan of making (to determine ingredient availability)

Throwing weapons
- Stars
- Caltrops
- Small axes
- Daggers
- Spoons (Don't ask)

Diplomacy -> 18 + 5 = 23

Skitter leverages his fame to get the following items free:
Air Freshener
Change of clothing
Gloves
Piano wire
Gloves

Baths and airship motorcycles are not available here.

"Well, Wine isn't my first choice, but one should never turn down a free drink." Horizon removes his helmet, uncorks the bottle, and takes a swig. "As for me, the fact that you approached me at all means that whatever they told you was 'them being nice'. Can I assume then that you'r coming with us? Because if so then you can judge for yourself." Horizon hands her the bottle, and resecures his helmet. "And, if you are coming with us, I hope that means you'll be bringing more to the party than just a pretty face and some wordplay?"

I'm going to ghost the shopping, you already have my wishlist, and I should have enough money for everything, the knives being the only expensive thing.

Also, apparently I need to roll Insight. That's not a 3.5 term so I have no idea how good that would be.

Edit: Nevermind

No I meant, I wanted to roll insight for Jeraylia on your response. Insight is like a perception check, but specifically about emotions or reactions of people. It's a 4e thing. A bit like Sense Motive but more broad. Then again, it's not like Zarhon would know how your character would respond, I guess. More for NPC's.

What? You're actually going to make me pay for poisons and a kit, which are part of my class features? Stuff I'm supposed to have every day for free? If I have those, well, I don't really need the purchasable stuff you listed (I'd still want it of course but, I doubt I could afford it and I'd be sacrificing other things we need more).

Skitter starts with trying to acquire to a hunting crossbow. Instead of seriously haggling over the price, he tries to persuade the merchant to give him a a few quivers of silver bolts for free. "Look, I understand that it would cut into your profits but, I think you going to make good money today either way overcharging panicked fools and if not for us, you'd likely be dead or dead soon and then your profits wouldn't really matter now would they? We're likely to wind up fighting a lot of undead and any we don't kill is another that might make its way back to you. If you feel like throwing anything magical in, well, that's up to you. Certainly couldn't hurt." ((Diplomacy: 18+8 = 26. I had +8 for that right? I know it'd be at least +5.))

I'll wait and see how that goes before the next items on the list, probably the climber's kit and thief's tools. As for trap making supplies, probably just simple arrow (more likely bolts really) traps or things to trigger explosives/poisons, though snares could be useful too. Probably a lot of wire and simple gears and springs and stuff like that. I've already got the only way you can have a ready made pit trap and it's pretty hard to have a pre-made trigger plate with matching wall of spikes or such that isn't so obvious and heavy it wouldn't ever be useful.

Zarhon wrote:

She takes an interest in buying your scroll of invisibility (offering you the price of an average item), but is offended when you try to sell her the self-targeting fireball scroll ("Nobody but a mad thiefling would buy such a scroll!"). She is interested in the gem, but also skeptic: She politely requests a demonstration of the gem's abilities before she buys it.

Rolf nods. "Understood, madam. As it so happens, I have the means to demonstrate this gem's capacities." He pulls out the trapped self-targeting fireball scroll. "As you have stated, it would take a madman to try and use such a dangerous scroll. But these cultists are prepared to die and take others with them. I got this scroll from one of their bomb kits. Please examine to determine that it is trapped, but I urge you not to open it if you value your life." He lets the gypsy woman examine it for a moment, then takes the scroll. He then proceeds to stand a good distance away from the gypsy's stall. "Now observe as I take this gem and safely unseal the scroll."

Rolf takes a deep breath, and mutters, "Calculated risks, Rolf. It'll all be fine." He then takes the "letter-opening" gem and uses it to break the seal on the scroll.

...Given the inclusion of the gem in the bomb-kit, the idea that the bomb-kit should contain everything required to use the other items in the bomb kit, and the fact that a "dirtied" gem was found next to a scroll that had been safely opened, this should work. Otherwise, Zarhon's got some explaining to do.

Don't worry, Ramsus. You can sell these suicide scrolls to the thiefling. He'll prefer an "exchange of goods", and frankly nobody else is gonna buy them.

Hmmm, I suppose it's not like you need money to buy spells and rituals from your own mentor.

That's the plan. Well, a plan. I still might buy a few things from the gypsy, though.

Speaking of which...Zarhon, was the gypsy able to identify the extract?

Still talking to Horizon.
"Yes, I do think I can be of assistance," Jeraylia asserts, following as Horizon moves off to another stand. "I've had my share of fighting, even such things as vile as we have seen today. One cannot persuade a mindless corpse to lay down his arms, so I am prepared lay them off for them." She twists slightly to show Horizon the equipment on her back, a bow, shield and longsword. "We might as well talk strategy while we can. Generally, would you prefer I take an up-close-and-personal approach, or send assistance from afar? I can do either, but perhaps with undead, an arrow through the shoulder would slow them down a lot less than your average creature."

By the way, how tall is Horizon? In fact, how tall are all of you? Wondering if I'm the biggest target .
Edit: Also by the way, happy belated birthday Ramsus. I was going to say it at the end of a post yesterday, but I forgot. And it still would have been late anyway. While I'm making this edit (didn't think a birthday greetings was worth the mess of a whole new post), do I know if Skitter is Vampire/dampyr/lampyre? Gives Zarhon something to do if I need to make a check XD.

Well, this is a quote from my first post of the game: "Well he's light gray of skin scale and has red eyes and is about four feet tall. He's wearing rather worn dress clothes underneath his black drider silk cloak. No idea if it's actually made of drider silk but, he'll totally claim it is anyway. And of course he's hiding a short sword under there somewhere."

It's possible that a deva would have encountered dhampyr before and I suppose the shaman might pick up on it later but, so far there haven't been any real reasons Rolf or Horizon would have figured it out. It would probably involve at least a decent roll of some kind to know right now.

Thanks for the birthday commentary. =P

Ramsus wrote:It's possible that a deva would have encountered dhampyr before and I suppose the shaman might pick up on it later but, so far there haven't been any real reasons Rolf or Horizon would have figured it out. It would probably involve at least a decent roll of some kind to know right now.

Thanks for the birthday commentary. =P

Upon reading more this post and my sourcebook Zthulan should probably know something is wicked and undeady about Skitter. The spirits and aura know that it is unnatural and the things that qualify as those are either demons(whose primary goal is the destruction of the world) or undead.

Rolf might suspect something is off about Skitter, given their...conversation earlier.

Skitter wrote: "Excuse me, Rolf. I've grasped from the play and that madman's words that this town has certain beliefs about the undead. Would you say you have a problem with all undead?" Skitter eyed Rolf somewhat intensely as he asked.

However, given that Skitter seems an okay guy, has promised to behave, hasn't disintegrated in the temple wards, Rolf's probably not going to ask any more questions unless he is given a good reason.

Well, honestly the reasons you guys don't know yet is just because an opportunity hasn't presented itself. So no worries about not getting that info Aza, it's not like your check result was all the high anyway, you'll end up with it sooner or later anyway.

I thought we had all come to that assumption already as well. Luckily, nothing played on it, so whatever.

Horizon is 6', so just a bit shorter than you. Not necessarily imposing, and you will by no means be the biggest target, not the way I get everyone's attention.

"So far we've been engaged at close range, no more than the length of a hallway. We have also dealt with very few zombies." Horizon makes eyes her weapons for a second, and then looks back to the merchant stalls. "I don't know how that will change whenever we get to...wherever we end up next, but you'll probably have to mix it up." They continue down the line. "If you want some practical advice? Find a new place to carry those. On your back they are hardly accessible, and all get in the way of each other- especially in an ambush." Horizon finally comes to a stop, leaning back against a wall. "It doesn't matter to me how you do it, but just be ready and able to do some damage. It'll be a nice change of pace to finally have some competent backup."

"Sword and shield it is," Jeraylia decided, nodding once. "And thanks for the obvious advice. No, really, thanks for the concern. It's just easier for me to carry all this stuff on my back while I'm traveling. As soon as I find somewhere to dump my bags, I'll shift my gear around to something more combat ready. Once you see me in action, you won't be able to take your eyes off me," she boasted with a wink and a sly smile. "Anyway, I should go see what else I can do for the cityfolk. A necromantic fueled invasion isn't something to scoff at." Jeraylia makes a sharp about face and lopes off, back towards the scene of the beasts demise.

Maybe you'd like to suggest somewhere to drop my stuff, Bronymous? When I get there, Zarhon, can I make a nature and arcane check to see what I can tell about the corpse? It'd be nice to have a summary of it, plus any other fascinating details you might have. *cough*weakness*cough* Probably not XD. Afterwards I'll see if I can aid in the nursing of the injured. Is there some form of first aid tent around? Depending on the heal role, or whatever, I might make a quick song.

Well, Skitter has a portable hole. Probably the place we all want to put stuff our characters don't want to/can't carry that we want to keep.

Yes, the safest place in the world to keep your valuable is with Skitter. It's so safe, you won't ever have to check on them. Or see them again period. Which is convenient, because you won't see them again. Ever.

Because he is a thief.

That said, we'd be hard pressed to get anywhere else secure, like my room, so... This is why I have a fantastic system of pouches that allow me to carry all of my things if needed, but don't hinder my mobility or agility in any way.

Or we could just dig a hole and bury it all, come back for it later.