The next morning, Taz arrives back to the Olic with a breakfast of fresh roasted behemoth fin and a fungus paste that tastes something like juniper berries – not the most pleasant combination but sufficiently filling. The crew has gathered in the hold amongst the freshly resined cannon to discuss their options. Xisco follows him in, still bleary from his usual evening of gambling and debauchery. It appears his winnings were few, but he brings news of the arrival of 2 new elven ships, sloops bearing at least half a dozen oakthorn. They arrived in the night, carrying a cargo grain and rope. The leafwarden made quite a show of unloading the material on the dock just an hour or two ago while giving a speech praising the Wild and Its bounty. He also laid a subtle threat, by ‘hoping’ these would not be the final vessels bearing such goods. Three trawlers left port within an hour of their arrival, and half the other ships in port are a flurry of activity in preparation to depart.
A new ‘crewmember’ arrived sometime last night after dinner, probably while the council meeting was ongoing. Olla sits off by herself in the corner, tuning the keypins on her new lute. At first, Medicus was unwilling to let her board, but she explained the dwarf had sent her, and that she had given him her entire purse of 37 cogs to ensure silence. She then proceeded to tell the crew not to inform anyone outside of the vessel of her whereabouts, particularly any glowborn, as she has no desire to be found. She joins you for breakfast and seems highly thankful of your hospitality.
Last night's council meeting was closed to everyone except for the councilors themselves, but you’ve heard the result of the Elven Trade vote from Hanover when he stopped by the ship this morning: Dirk the sheriff, Magistrate Hooper, Gertie and Hanover voted against, while Mickey, Arnst, Rybeck and Renault all supported the permanent trade arrangement with its unspoken bargain to harvest the wildlings. Without Milton to cast the 9th and final vote, the spilt is even, and no decision can be made. A new councilor is to be selected by lot tonight, and a new vote taken on the matter immediately following their election. Given the sheer number of loggers and millers - and their general preference for the deal – it does not bode well for the wildlings.
Tooly has renewed his offer to help design a series of increasingly complex weapons for Blendin’s darts, but at current, the wildling has a simple leather cuff with a tie that can hold a single dart safely as long as he doesn’t try to shake a friend’s hand.
The dwarf is not too subtle in his desire to leave and Wung makes no bones about his cowardice in the face of a few 'Shticks.' It seems the orc likes the derogatory term applied by Blendin. Taz and Medicus don't like the look of the elves bringing in more ships; they have spent some time on Freedom Isle during their tour, and know what elven occupation looks like. Taz suggests trade council will likely be unwilling to intervene if the pact is made 'willingly,' and fears that the elves will not be done until they've cleared the woods. Medicus grumbles something about the damn elves having enough trees on their own islands.
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It sounds as if there's a public relations issue; the wildlings have had some negative press recently, reducing their stock with the loggers, while the elves have provided food and rope that has reduced injuries, increasing their stock. To "rectify" the situation one would need to decrease the elves' stock or, conversely, increase the wildlings' stock.
ReplyDeleteThe latter might be more difficult than the former: the wildlings would have to save some number of loggers' lives (or a single very important/popular logger), thus making the loggers potentially feel guilty when the sell out the wildlings.
Decreasing the elves stock might be easier: get them to attack someone in town, seemingly unprovoked; provide evidence that their food is bad (or poisoned...) and is making people sick (making is probably more effective than 'will make'); implicate the elves in the disappearance of the beloved and famed lutist of Timber; show that the increased elven presence will drive away other commerce; et al.
Two options (not mutually exclusive): 'fix' the 'election' of the next councilor (Xisco could probably help there...), or sway the opinion of whoever is selected before he votes on the trade deal.
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As the rest of the crew is finishing their breakfast, Xisco addresses Gardner, "So, Captain, what's the plan?"
"I obviously have blood on my mind, but I don't want to cause trouble for the crew. Captain, I will assist you in any way possible to rid this Island of these Alpha forsaken creatures." Blendin looked around the cabin, being sure the glowborn is not in hearing range. "However, if it becomes necessary, I will remain on this Island and fight with my brothers and sisters. All that I ask is that on your next visit you bring barrels filled with guns, crossbows, and swords, as many as my current shares in this vessel can afford."
ReplyDeleteooc: also, in the 'sway opinion' category, I want to be clear that everyone on the council gets to cast their vote again. You don't necessarily have to guess who mister 9th vote is, but rigging an election never was a bad idea...
ReplyDeleteThe dwarf shrugs when he realizes that swaying the vote could only take a day, rather than the week or more he feared Gardner and Blendin might have required. "Seems to me, we don't have to fix the vote for the new councilor if we can sway one of the opposition. If we can convince Rybeck, say, to change his vote, the elves lose. If you wanna go more extreme, making it look to everyone like the elves are buyibg their votes unfairly with bribes might work, too. Blendin, would you be willing to put up some cash that we could use to frame Mickey? I think Xisco might be able to handle that while I try to convice Rybeck that he doesn't want elves all over the island 25 hours a day. Only one of us would need to succeed, I think"
ReplyDelete-------------------
OOC: Mickey's the guy we hate, right? If I got the name wrong, just substitute the right one. We can also frame more, but they don't all deserve it, and there's a fair chance Tooly can convince Rybeck fairly.
In that regard, can the remaining metal bands be used to make a belt or something for the other mill like we used the chain? A bribe that benefits everyone is just a donation...
Mickey is the wiry little logger who has a tendency to be a tad nasty. If that means you hate him, then yes.
ReplyDeleteOlla does not appear to overhear Blendin's comments.
Tooly thinks back (smarts roll of 6, notice roll of 5) and can remember a place in the mill's gear system that could be readily converted to metal belts. You'll need a repair roll, TN of 5 to spot-weld the bands together into a single belt using your little brazier as a 'forge', and then another TN of 5 to set it up assuming you can get approval from Rybeck. You estimate that if you started now you could be done by dinner. You suspect that it would last significantly longer than some of the rope-based drives, and be able to use much of the same gearing without modification. You fear that when it does break, there will be some safety concerns as the metal band goes whipping through the sawmill. To avoid that, you'd want to build some kind of housing for the gear track, and that could take days to weeks.
Hey everybody. I'm alive. Sorry for my absence. I like Tooly's plan of a coordinated attack on multiple people. Mickey is the suspicious one who we suspect might have been involved with the elves based on Arnst's story. Arnst seems wary of the elves and is probably swayable. Maybe Renault too if we can remove the need for ropes. I could try to talk to Arnst or Renault to try and do some convincing. Mickey we could try to frame or discredit. How well guarded is the elven ship? Any chance of sneaking on board and finding some incriminating documents?
ReplyDeleteooc: Blendin has been keeping a close eye on the docks over the past few days (notice roll 8. nice.). He has seen that when the elves 'change the guard' in the woods every day after dinner, they leave only a single crew member aboard the Leafwarden's ship. The rest of the time it seems there are usually 2 or 3 crew members in the cabins, but the bulk of the crew spends its time in the tavern. Having been aboard elven ships of similar design, he believes he can navigate the passages quite easily, and knows a few likely places to hide if need be. (smarts roll 19. Damn.).
ReplyDeleteYou do not yet know the patterns of the 2 new elven ships.
Xisco suggests that everyone ask around about the recent massacre on Freedom Isle; he further suggests that the original rumor has the elves decimating the glowborn population, and was provided by some other ship (he gives each of his crewmates a different ship that has been here as the origin of the rumor).
ReplyDeleteHe will then set about fixing the councilor selection such that Mitpic is chosen.
"Blendin, interested in some skullduggery? I know its dangerous and I won't make you go, but you're the best at this sort of thing."
ReplyDeleteGardner will work on spreading the rumor that Xisco suggests, talking to Arnst and Renault about it if he can find them, and if he has the opportunity trying to dissuade them from the approving the elven deal as well.
"I was surprised to hear you vote that way, Arnst, I thought you were as concerned about the elves as I was, and after what you mentioned they did to the wildlings and that incident on Freedom Isle. What you hadn't heard?"
[Persuasion 15]
"With Tooly rigging up that new system looks like you won't have much use for all that rope now, Renault. Still, I guess you've got to make the best deal. Say, did you hear about what happened on Fredom Isle?"
[Persuasion 10]
Tooly drops in on Rybeck at the mill. "Hey, there. I've been thinking. We've got some more space in our hold and I have some metal straps that could be rigged into a drive belt over there. It won't last as long as the chains, but it'll be even easier to repair when it does break. Since the welds will always fail first, the straps will last virtually forever, all you'd have to do is re-weld them. And the time between welds will still be way better than even the best rope. Interested?"
ReplyDeleteAfter settling on a price, the dwarf adds, "Y'know, I stop by here a few more times, we could end up with these mills running almost entirely on metal belts and chains. Lot less downtime, y'know? We're even stopping at Mount Ore before long, could bring a whole mess o' chains and belts an' such next trip. Too bad we won't have much reason to stop here, if the elves take over like Freedom Isle. 'Specially if that massacre was as bad as I heard. Those elves can be nasty customers. I know, I sailed with one who used to make bets on how many times a prisoner would bounce if he threw him overboard."
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OOC: Tooly will try to get something to fill the rest of the hold, but won't negotiate too hard since there's limited space and he wants to get on Rybeck's good side. He'll take raw lumber if he has to to avoid having to deal with the cooper or wait for anything to be made. He really doesn't care much for the price, he just doesn't want it to be obviously a bribe to others, so he has to trade for something. He'll mention the safety concerns when he's installing it and give designs for a housing the locals can build out of wood.
Persuasion 4
Once a price is set, after the little intro above, Tooly will be happy to discuss all the ways he could make the mills run on rainbow kisses and unicorn farts (and metal), making sure to stress that he, personally, will be getting a load on Mount Ore and wouldn't it be a shame if he couldn't come back because of the elves.
Persuasion 3, benny 7
If Rybeck expresses any interest at all, even a raised eyebrow, about the "massacre on Freedom Isle," he'll preface it with "Way I heard it..." and repeat Xisco's version of the rumor.
Persuasion 1, benny 9
OOC: Also, since there was nothing to persuade Hooper about when I talked to him 6/15, I assume I didn't use a benny then?
ReplyDelete"Hey, Rock, wasn't that you telling me about Freedom Isle? Check. No? Must have been Sanderson then. Call. Well you were there, too; maybe you were too drunk to remember. Said something about the elves decimating the glowborn. No, I think throw off the island is defenestrate; decimate is kill one in ten. Are you sure it wasn't you telling me about this? Well I'd ask Sanderson, except his boat left this morning. Who's up for a new game?"
ReplyDelete"Yes sir," Blendin responded. "I know that ship design damn well and I know when it is least guarded. I think I can get a pretty thorough search in during the changing of the guard."
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------
ooc: How many bennies do I have?
After dinner, during the changing of the guard, Blendin will make his way on board and begin the search. [Stealth: 8]
BR, Xisco is going to attempt that thing we discussed earlier; if Wung won't get involved (doesn't like the boots, or something), then Xisco'll try to persuade The Medicus to assist him (it'll be up to The Medicus as to how said assistance is 'performed'... payment in rum). Obviously he doesn't have time to practice. He'll ask one of the local ladies about the process and attempt to filch some samples. One will be what he uses when the time comes; if he thinks it's possible, he'll try to swap out some of the others in place of legitimate local slips before they are added to the hopper (when he gets up from his card game for a 'refill'). Let me know if they exclude 'outsiders' from the tavern during the event, and I'll give you the plan of action for that.
ReplyDeleteDrawlight and Fang take a stroll to the treeline and find Arnst and his crew preparing to head to their day’s logging. He sees the captain coming and turns in greeting. After exchanging pleasantries, Gardner lays out a highly believable tale of elven oppression, including a rather compelling timeline, detailed list of settlements and persons, the TC ships involved and other ‘vital’ information. (vs. a 3) He feels that this extra effort is wasted, as Arnst quickly caves. “Cap’n, I was just lookin’ after my men. I’ve not known many elves, aside from the one who used to travel with you, ‘course. But if they are killin’ innocents for thrill or profit, maybe the best thing I can do is to look after my men is keep them off our island.” He looks over his shoulder at his crew, some distance into the trees. “Well, I got work. Thank you captain, you are a trustworthy man. But I’ll tell the boys what you said. They should know what we’re getting into before the vote tonight. You heard about that? It’ll be something to see. Your crew should drop by the tavern, oh, ‘round last call. It’ll be an open night, free drinks and whatnot.”
ReplyDeleteRenault meets Gardner in his drawing room over a series of maps and papers, and pours him a mug of dark green tea that smells like the forest. “Captain, so good of you to drop in again. Are there additional details that require my attention?” Gardner chats amiably for a few moments before broaching the subject (vs. 7 unmodified). “Captain, I understand what you’re trying to do here, I do. You have been a good trading partner and no doubt, even with that terrible price you gave us on the first batch, a fair one. Your employer, or is it former employer? He has only sent decent men to work with us. And that dwarf priest of yours is a miracle worker in our mills.
“But we cannot afford to be subject to a single trading partner, that was never our bargain. The elves have their problems, to be sure, but I have already modified the deal to include stipulations for random inspections of their vessels to assure that no wildlings are transported from our harbor. The elves freely agreed to this; perhaps it is not as bad as you suggest?
“As for happenings on Freedom, well, I also hear of happenings on Shadowhaven. A certain man was indicted on high treason against the Trade Council, they say. And yet, I find his dealings with us honest. I’m sorry captain, I will not bend to conjecture when I see a reasonable bargain in front of my eyes.”
Rybeck looks over the dwarf (vs. 5 unmodified). “Sorry, friend, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to take the mill offline again this week. We’re already _backlogged_ and with the elves’ new ships come more orders for worked wood. Who’d have thought they’d want our wood, eh? Anyway, I thank you for the offer, but must decline. Unless you’ll be here in two weeks?” He listens to Tooly’s suggestion for future trades, “Say, now that’s not a bad idea. I tell you what, I have a pallet of nice planks, already planed and joined I can give you today as a down payment on more metal chains. We love the ones we have and if these belts were half as good, it’d be an improvement worth having. If you get a chance to bring more by, we’d be willing to receive them, I imagine. How ‘bout you leave that design for the tracks as your half of the bargain, and we’ll get them installed and then go from there when you get back?” Tooly extols the virtues of the elves (vs. 5 unmodified), “Well, what can I say? You flew with him, probably because for all his faults he was worth the trouble. Look, I cut wood. Renault says the deal is in our interest and I tend to believe him. As for rumors on Freedom, yeah, I heard some of the boys at the gamblin’ table earlier going on about it. It’s a shame, but so are the bodies we’ve found of loggers mangled by falls and sailors bludgeoned beyond reason by the little beasties.” Tooly gives a more lengthy accounting of the brutality against the glowborn at the hand of the elves, feeding off the version the Rybeck has heard and extrapolating as far as he dare. The miller looks positively pale at the end (vs. 3. There ya go.). “I don’t have time for this, Oresmith. Good day.” Tooly exits politely, feeling his words may have found their mark.
ReplyDeleteXisco’s lost 17 cogs today keeping the tables stocked with players to hear his tale. He also learns details of how the ‘election’ is to occur. Each ‘citizen’ of Timber that attends tonight meeting is given a simple disc of green ash wood, with 9 equal sides. They can write the name of any member of the community on their piece, and place it into a large wooden barrel. The magistrate will then select a single disc from the barrel, naming the new council member. There is an opportunity at that point for the other members of the council to unanimously veto this choice; however, such a veto is exceedingly unlikely.
He explains the rules to Wung as he is trying on his new boots, from Xisco’s earlier winnings. And lays out his plan; he has convinced Madge Hornberg to agree to let him cast her vote for her, for luck (persuasion roll, 5 vs. 1 unmodified); he’ll only have a few moments to scratch out her first choice and write a new one, but it should be long enough. Then, he wants Wung to pick a fight with, well, whoever happens to be close to the magistrate as he makes his draw. The hope is that the magistrate will drop his disc, giving a well-positioned Xisco the opportunity to ‘retrieve’ it, and make the swap. Wung looks dubious but shrugs, “Boots for fight? You promise not leave in cold guardhouse, we have pact.”
The crew takes their dinner early aboard the Olic and shares their stories from the day. They then part ways as Medicus desires to remain aboard with Olla, and Blendin is off to complete his part of the task. The rest including Taz and Wung of arrive to find the Fogshark bursting with activity already. Most of the town has shown up, and all the tables have been stacked against the walls to make room. The only people present who do not appear to be citizens of Timber are the dozen or so elves that are seated quietly at the bar, drinking wine from willowy wooden tubes. They seem unaware of the insanity about them. The magistrate stops by, with the cooper in tow. “’ello, Captain. Boys. I heard you were planning to leave earlier today, didn’t expect to see you here. Should be quite the show; haven’t had one of these since Gertie’s oh, 4 years back.” He leans forward, confidentially, “So, did you hear about Freedom Isle?” Hanover and Gertie seem to be having an animated conversation with Gael, and Xisco’s lady friend from earlier waves him over, “I got what you need,” she giggles infatuatedly. “See if you can find it!”
ReplyDeleteThe cooper approaches Tooly, “Hello Clovis. Thank you again for your service to me! I desire so much to find my darling Olla, but she has not been seen in the tavern tonight. Have you seen her down by the docks, perhaps? Or near the new mill? I heard she was playing at both places during the day to keep her income up.”
Blendin walks carefully in his bare feet along a thin rope connecting the bow of the elven vessel to the docks, out of site of the neighboring ships. He left his armor behind so that he doesn’t jangle so much as he walks (other equipment with you?). The port has gotten quieter today, and he does not believe he was spotted. Once aboard, he opens the ventilation hatch, a leafy mass about the size of his torso, and squeezes his way into the hold. His eyes adjust to the low light quickly enough. The hold is empty. To a layman, the wooden clasps and rope on the wall would appear as simple tie-downs for cargo, but Blendin sees the familiar spacing of wildling wrists and ankles and know this ship once was used for another purpose. From here, he knows there are options. The bow is all cargo, of course, and exits into a single hallway running to the stern. A ladder is at both ends of the hallway, going up to the gundeck and ballista, perhaps other heavy weapons. The guard was on the gundeck the last few days, at least most of the time. Staying on this level he can access the portside armory, the starboard galley, or the sleeping quarters to aft. The hallway is the most dangerous portion, and the most likely spot he will be spotted. The Leafwarden on this ship, if he is like those that Blendin remembers from his earlier years, has likely taken the armory as his private cabin, but its possible he uses a different location. Blendin listens to the other side of the door, and does not hear anything in the hall beyond.
Blendin makes his way quietly to the armory in hopes of searching the Leafwarden's private quarters. [Stealth: 5, Bennie: 5 (really?)]
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------------------
Blendin brought his new glove, a belt or satchel (whatever is quietest) of darts and the blowgun.
Blendin arrives at the door to the armory, apparently unheard by any crew members currently aboard the vessel. He listens quietly at the door and hears no sign trouble on the other side. He does hear movement above him (notice 15) - it sounds like a single set of boots pacing back and forth on the covered gun deck.
ReplyDeleteThe door to the armory is an oval of living wood in the elvish fashion, with a twist of vines from the jam wrapping around a small 'budlike' knob. He tries the knob and finds it unfortunately locked. He briefly thinks of Moira with her little satchel of picks. He takes one of his darts and tries to slide it into the orifice on the knob in a desperate attempt to open the door (lockpicking roll 6-2+1 for improvised tool. You lucky little bastard.) The vines recede, and the door juts open.
Beyond (notice 5) he sees this is indeed a converted quarters, and no longer a simple armory. A small table of woven bark, covered in scroll tubes, small wooden vials, a wooden jar and a single small bag, a long low chest of hardwood perhaps even ironwood, and a vine hammock lined with downlike furs. On one wall is a fine dagger in a suede sheathe, and a small easel sits in the corner, with a partially completed painting of the Leaflord. More paintings of the Leaflord at different angles and in different lighting line the walls. Pigments stand on a low table by a plant with brushlike leaves.
current benny count is 2. I think this will go smoothest if you give me need a search order, along with what you're looking for. For instance 'I'll start by searching under his hammock furs looking for elvish porn he's keeping from his mom, then I'll check the painting and put a mustache on the tree, etc.'. Realize that as you will be making a series of stealth rolls against any guards aboard the ship's notice rolls. If you want to give me a few notice rolls as well for your searches, that's cool, or I can handle the dice either way. Also, if you find what you're looking for, what's your next move in terms of exiting the vessel or going to another room?
The dwarf grins at the cooper. "She's avoiding you, eh? That's a good sign, if you don't blow it." He pulls the glowborn aside, muttering under his breath "Where's a troll when you need one...?"
ReplyDeleteFacing the cooper again, he begins. "Alright, listen. A couple of ships left the island since I gave her your gift, so if she's still here, she's just playing hard to get, not fleeing. It's a danger when giving too nice a gift. There's three possibilities, here. One: she thinks if she acts coy you'll give her more gifts. Two: she figures you're desperate and she wants to prove she can control you. Or three, and I think this is the likely one in her case: she thinks you're desperate and is afraid that if you are, you're not good enough for her. The solution to all three is the same and very easy: just play it cool. Don't chase her. Act like the gift was nothing for you. She'll realize you're not desperate, and come to you. I recommend staying where she can find you when she does. At home, in your shop, or at the inn. Best of all, stay at home or in your shop. That way when she DOES come looking for you, you can take advantage of the situation, which'd be hard to do in public, eh?" Tooly gives one of his odd one-eyed winks. "It might take her a few days, but they all come around eventually, in my experience."
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OOC: This is one great thing about play-by-post. Blendin's in the belly of the beast, looking for secret documents while dodging guards, and the next post is Tooly dispensing relationship advice.
Blendin is searching for evidence of wildling trafficking first a foremost. Secondly looking for evidence that the elves are cheating Timber, or somehow harming this Island.
ReplyDeleteHe will start with the small table of woven bark covered in scroll tubes, small wooden vials, the wooden jar and the single small bag. He will search/examine each of these. Next Blendin will check the long low chest of hardwood perhaps even ironwood. If his search continues to be empty, Blendin will examine the paintings, searching behind each. Finally, he will search the bedding. Before he leaves, whether successful or not, Blendin will grab the fine dagger and the paints if they can be carried without spilling.
sorry for the delay folks - update inbound after my lunch meeting today.
ReplyDeleteLong lunch.
ReplyDeleteLong meeting. ;_;
ReplyDeleteThe cooper nods vigorously as he takes in the dwarf’s advice (8 vs. 3 persuasion, after mods. Way to go Tooly). “I’ll go now, then. If you see her, tell her… no wait, say nothing. Say you’ve not seen me, yeah. Tell her I was busy, maybe, working on important tasks for the good of the city.” He continues mumbling to himself as he exits the building into the cold.
ReplyDeleteTaz raises an eyebrow, “So, Captain sah, since the engineer sees fit to lie even to the locals that like us, and the wildling is still indisposed, I think its best I make ready the boat. In case we need it.” He grabs his mug, pauses, and takes Xisco’s full mug of ale and pours into his own, filling it to the brim. “With your permission, sah, gentlemen.” He makes his way out as well. Wung looks ready for action as usual, and empties his third mug of ale, calling loudly for another round.
After your drinks arrive, it seems that things are beginning to get more serious. The Magistrate and other council members have gathered towards the bar. The tavern gets silent without an obvious signal as everyone begins to pay attention of their own accord. Without saying a word, Hooper hold aloft a large shapeless bag made of skyler leather, turning it inside out for all to see that it is empty. He lays it open on a table as Renault turns over an hourglass. Each of the council members toss in their chips in total silence. Then the room erupts as discussions begin loudly with people debating who best to write on their chips. There is a scuffle near the cellar door and a man is quickly bloodied and unconscious. No one steps in to stop the violence. A shuffle of people around the bar forms as the members of the community who have made up their mind begin to put their chips into bag. Dirk stands watch over the bag itself, literally astride it standing atop the bar, with a naked shortsword, rusty and familiar to the crew in his hand.
Xisco’s lady friend Esme grimaces at him, “If you ain’t interested in finding it, maybe your friends here are. Cmon boys, who’s gonna buy me a bottle to take home for this here chip.” She sulks past the silent dandy and sits on the Captain’s lap. Fang gives his master a lopsided look.
Aboard the elven warship, Blendin begins shuffling through the assorted goods on the table, trying to be as quiet as possible as he opens every container he can. He finds paper after paper: old manifests, prayer recitations, crewmember reports and logs, letters to a family member – seems its a brother? Unless the papers are in code, he sees no clear evidence of wildling exchanges in these documents. Pungent smells emanate from some of the vials. He doesn’t know for certain what they contain, some have gels and others powders. Perhaps they are alchemical ingredients or medicines, but he doesn’t know their purpose and feels little reason to try experimenting just yet. The top of the wooden jar opens to reveal a dark watery fluid, with motion inside. He’s seen these before: these little leeches are used in healing poisoned wounds. Perhaps they have had some experience with poison lately from his brothers in the woods after all. The thought gives the wildling a smile, and his wrist seems to chuckle along with him. The bag contains seeds of various shapes and sizes, some appear ready to sprout at any moment.
ReplyDeleteHe moves quickly to the chest, finding it tied shut with silky rope. He opens it easily enough to reveal priestly vestments. He tousles through them, but finds nothing more than the fine clothes and waxy wooden prayer beads on a flaxen cord.
One of the paintings begins to fall as he searches behind it, but he catches it handily on an outstretched foot before it can clatter to the ground. He finds 35 cogs secreted behind the largest painting, but nothing else of particular note. He quickly draws the dagger, finding an ironwood blade inside the sheath.
Blendin hears the elf boots above walking with purpose towards the aft section of the ship.
ooc: sorry again for the delay fellas. I’ll try to be more on the spot. Blendin, you’ve aced so many checks in a row that if you want to depart and join the rest of the crew with whatever you can reasonably carry, feel free to do so and just lemme know what all your taking in addition to the dagger and paints. If you want to examine another room, we should talk about that.
The dwarf mutters defensively after Taz, "Hey, it's good advice, just not for this case. Nothing will help the poor guy in this case..." He trails off and gets a drink, then settles in to watch the "voting."
ReplyDelete----------------
OOC: Since Tooly couldn't install the belt now, he would have turned down the down payment from Rybeck, not wanting to take payment for something not yet delivered. And also because he might not be coming back anytime soon.
ooc: Fair enough - no payment for the non-deal.
ReplyDeleteWhen Esme's back is turned (while occupying Gardner's lap) Xisco strikes. Thorough search. Gardner can thank Xisco later...
ReplyDeleteXisco takes the disc in hand, and carves the name 'Mitpic' in it with the edge of his knife. He saunters over closer to the bag, but stands off at a slight distance, waiting for his opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWung is already in position when the room quiets around the now full bag. The Magistrate steps forward, pulls the drawstring closed, and holds it aloft, giving it a furious series of shakes before dropping it on the ground by his feet.
Hooper reaches into the bag while stooping over, and Wung takes his chance. He grabs a nearby logger, a particularly large one, by the collar and bellows, "Human! You patriarch die in bed!” His left hook is unexpected as it hammers down, and it appears that orc doesn’t believe in pulling punches (Fighting 9, 10 damage). The man sails unconsciously through the air, spewing teeth and spittle, crashing into the magistrate. The magistrate losses his footing and is sent sprawling (agility 2) but retains his grip on the disc in his hand (agility 15).
No one is quite sure what to do with the orc and there is a long uneasy pause as Hooper begins to get up. The logger remains where he fell.
Blendin thanks Alpha for his luck, but damns his inability to find anything helpful. He quickly and quietly empties the bag of seed (is the bag easily recognizable as belonging to the elves or is it an ordinary bag? This could change this action) on the floor of the room and fills it with the Elf's papers, vials, paints and jar of leeches making sure that nothing is leaking or mixing within the bag.
ReplyDeleteBlendin will then make a quick exit off the ship, and once he is certain that he has not been spotted and is not being followed will return to the Olic to hide his loot and then join the crew at the tavern.
The dwarf looks stunned like the rest of the people present when Wung hammers the poor logger. Unlike those of Canopy, he's not used to such brawls, and its apparent suddenness would raise suspicions of glowmadness anywhere else. After he realizes this isn't that unusual for either an orc or Canopy, he begins to guffaw loudly. "That big lummock! Ha! That's orcish voting for you!"
ReplyDeleteBlendin's new bag is likely identifiable by its owner, but to most it would appear to be a largely unornamented leather bag.
ReplyDeleteBlendin enters the Tavern as Tooly is attempting to calm the situation; it appears the orc has laid out a logger. Dirk looks to Hooper, who shakes his head. “No need constable. I have it on good authority,” he shoots a glare at Drawlight, “That these gentlemen will be making way by morning.” You think you note a small smirk, but perhaps it was just a nervous tic.
Blendin joins his crewmates and signals he does not have anything more to add to their case against the elves. It seems things are now, quite literally, in the hands of the Magistrate.
Hooper holds the chip close to his nose so that his aging eyes can read the undyed scratches in the wood. “Gael. Any of you lot have a problem with that?” He looks up over raised eyebrows at his fellow council members. Mickey looks sour, but says nothing. Arnst bellows, “It’s fair. The tavern owner has had a say for as long as I can recall.” And with that the issue of his acceptance on the council appears decided.
Gael steps forward, rubbing his stump of an arm as if in memory of its loss. “I vote against.” The Magistrate nods. “Anyone want to change their vote or are we done here?” Leafwarden Britas appears to be catching up and sputters loudly as he stands up. Compared to the delicate politics in Roseport, Timber’s decisions lack in finesse, but not in finality. “If I may, Magistrate, I wish to remind the council, and particularly the distinguished new councilor, of the many benefits of our trade arrangement before they…”
“Shut up, Britas.” Hooper grumbles as he shoots a glance at Dirk, who whistles to his men. They climb off their stools and adjust their weapons on their belts, eyeing the Oakthorn. The oakthorn seem curiously unconcerned. “Now then, anyone changing their vote?”
Arnst steps forward. “I’ll change mine. Against.”
Hooper waits a few seconds as that sinks in. Renault looks positively sick, and Mickey fumes at his erstwhile comrade’s back. The magistrate nods sagely, “Done then. No deal. I should hope we can continue trade on an as needed basis. See Renault for details as usual.”
The elf’s grey-green flesh appears now all the more cold and unfeeling. “Indeed. The Wild’s Blessings upon you all.” Britas’ contingent makes a quick exit, and the bar begins to thin out as loggers return to their homes. A few stop by to congratulate Gael, who has returned to pouring drinks with his one good arm. Wung stomps over in his new boots, and claps Xisco on the shoulder thunderously. “Plan work good. Go now?”
I actually made a d20 table for the selection roll. Initially the draw with 1-16 against you, but your actions opened it up a bit where you could have had a friendly logger get elected – that would have been more suspenseful perhaps, but this has a pleasant irony. I hadn’t decided what the navigator would say in this case, and now I don’t have to. Here is the table, if you’re into that sort of thing. Roll was (obviously) 17.
1 unconscious logger
2-13 logger opposed
14-16 arnst loggers, friendly
17 Gael (by himself)
18 Navigator
19 Cooper
20 Mitpic (by Gertie)
guess I should be more clear - when I write logger opposed, I mean pro-deal, as in opposed to you.
ReplyDeleteBlendin will follow Britas and his entourage at a distance. He wants to ensure that they return to the ship and do not head into the woods.
ReplyDeleteIf they head into the woods, Blendin will stealthily follow with his blowgun prepared.
If they return to the ship, Blendin will return to his own a keep a an eye on the elves' activities.
Gardner coughs, swallowing down a mouthful of beer as the woman sits on his lap, always having been uncomfortable around women. "Ma.. madame this is quite unorthodox."
ReplyDeleteHe is almost relieved by the fight breaking out and alleviating the need to deal with the situation. "Wung! That's it. I hope you enjoy taking lashes as much as you do starting fights!" Then in muffled Orcish in Wung's ear, "Nice boots. Everything seems to have worked out."
Sorry for delay in posting. :-/ Seems things worked out well in any case, so Xisco will refrain from helping the magistrate up, swapping the chips in his hand. Instead he'll just keep standing to the side of the room looking like an idiot.
ReplyDeleteTooly drains his mug of ale and thumps it down on the table. "Ah! Well, it seems there's a reason to come back here, at least. Y'know, everything here's wood instead of metal and stone, and the people are too tall and it's too damn cold, but...Timber reminds me of Deepsky sometimes. Maybe it's all the shade. So...are we heading out, then? After Wung pays that poor logger for a set of wooden teeth, that is."
ReplyDeleteBefore heading back to the ship, the dwarf buys a bottle of strong brandy and stops by the cooper's home.
"Hey, there. Sorry, it's not your lady love yet. I just wanted to deliver this." He hands over the bottle. "Figgered you might want it for later." He gives a rueful smile, hoping the cooper will interpret it as jealously rather than pity.
"Also, I wanted to mention: with that flameproof goo of yours, and a ready source of logs, you could become a major cannon-maker, here. All you'd need is a good source of metal bands and you'd have the best guns outside the Lower Reaches. I'll see what I can do to be that source, eh?
"Anyway, I'd best be off. Your ladyfriend might come by tonight. I heard she was staying on a ship, and tonight someone at the inn mentioned they saw her on the elves' ship. They'll probably kick her off before they leave, what with the voting going against them tonight and all. Then she'll need somewhere to go. So long as they don't forget about her and take off with her aboard, anyway. Anyway, I'll be going so's not to scare her off if she comes by." The engineer nods and heads back to the ship.
----------------
OOC: Persuasion 8. Aw, yeah, Tooly's getting good at this.
Since Blendin just burglarized the elves' ship and we have our secret passenger eager to leave, it's probably best to take off at this point. Immediately. With luck, any attempts by the elves to pursue will be delayed by a lovesick glowborn looking for his lady love.
Blendin follows at a safe distance and is reasonably certain he is unseen. The contingent makes straight for the docks and is joined by a party from elsewhere, perhaps the treeline, as they arrive at the pier. All three elf vessels are a flurry of activity, as they appear to be making ready to sail.
ReplyDeleteBlendin takes a seat on the gundeck of the Olic, surrounded by the smells of newly coated cannon and fresh stores of behemoth flesh. From here he has a clear view of two of the elf vessels, including the Leafwarden’s ship. Taz, Olla and Medicus get a distracted update on events and seem pleased with the outcome before returning to their other duties.
Gael appears to be closing the tavern down for the night, and ushers Wung, Drawlight and Fortuna out the door with the other council members and loggers that remain. “G’nite gents and Fair Winds. Try not to cause so much trouble in my bar next time, eh?”
Renault is waiting outside under the awning. He does not look amused, but not angry either. Perhaps he is just tired. “Captain. I have to hand it to you, that is a fine mess you made of my bargain. Now, I’ll guess you did it for what you think are good reasons, so, well, just so. But every time they bring a logger in with his head twisted ‘round from a bad rope, I’ll be thinking of you lot.” He reaches out to shake your hands, “I hope you can make good on some of those deliveries your crew is always promising or there will be a lot of blood for you to buy next time you visit.”
Tooly hands over the expensive bottle and gives his advice. The cooper starts rubbing his hands at the idea of being a cannoneer in addition to his other duties. “Not a bad idea, dwarf. You always have an answer to my problems, you do!” The cooper reacts not as all as he expects though when he passes on the news of Olla’s residence on the elven vessel (8 vs. 10, failure). “What do you mean, she’s on the elf ship? ‘Mother keep her!” He charges out the door with his leather apron still on, and a pair of tongs clattering together in the pouch on the front. Tooly’s attempts to stop him go unheeded as he charges towards the pier.
Blendin (notice 14) sees the crew has gathered some distance away by the door of the fogshark with Renault, and he sees Tooly trotting towards them. He also notes the cooper charging up the gangplank of the far elf sloop, almost ready to depart, screaming incomprehensibly in his people’s tongue. A pair of Oakthorn, stolid and removed, halts him at the top of the plank, half-visible as they stand just inside the deck of their vessel. The glowborn raises his tongs menacingly, and for his trouble is rended apart by thorns the length of the wildling’s forearm by the wooden sentinels (14,9. Damage is 8 and 9. Vigor check is 3, unconscious.). The sharp points punch through his soft flesh, leaving red wells gushing down his downy suit. He crumples to the plank and after a moments consideration they kick him overboard and he spirals down into the Void. They kick the plank loose as well, as their sail begins to unfurl.
OOC: Well, that was a bit of an overreaction on both parties... I probably could have saved him if they hadn't kicked him into the Void, too. Was anyone else around to witness the cooper's murder?
ReplyDeleteooc: unintended consequences are a bitch, as are hilariously low intimidate rolls against generally pissed off soldiers.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone besides Blendin saw it, they aren't saying anything.
OOC: For that matter, did Tooly see the murder? Also: that was actually almost exactly the reaction I was hoping for from the cooper, apart from the murdering part. How was that a failed persuasion roll, exactly?
ReplyDeleteI suggest a change of plans, now. Instead of leaving right away, we should report the killing. Maybe Renault will feel less bad about the deal falling through when presented with proof that the elves are, in fact, dangerous, bloodthirsty jerks. Tooly will testify that he told the cooper that the lutist was on his ship, but the cooper outran him and apparently went to the wrong ship. The rest explains itself.
Does Blendin know anything about the cooper he just witnessed murdered?
ReplyDeleteThe fail is that he went directly there angry and combative as opposed to dealing with this in a curious and careful manner. His smarter move (a success on your roll) would have sent him to Dirk for assistance. Which would have slowed the elves down as he asked to board and search the vessel and they argued about jurisdiction, etc., which was your stated goal of the action.
ReplyDeleteI expected that Tooly expected him to hurry out (as per your post) and thus I didn't expect Tooly to follow him. Instead, I expected Tooly to try to meet up with his fellows and head back to the ship. Therefore, he did not witness the murderin'.
Reporting is obviously a possibility, but by the time Blendin could make such a report, the ship in quiestion is likely out of port. Other elf vessels may remain. Plus, the word of a wildling may be considered somewhat unreliable on this subject without a body - right now its a missing person in the middle of the night after a big drunken party.
Even if they do believe you, as skyfarers you know that on government ships, its often government rules unless the TC gets involved. Private vessels can be searched, but searching a ship of the second largest military force in the skies after pissing on their shoes in a trade deal might be considered a bad idea. These elf ships are in essence diplomatic vessels. If the cooper boarded, and made threats, its kinda like if you guys went into the chinese embassy and did the same. The jurisdiction gets fuzzy at best.
Blendin knows the cooper as one of the very few glowborn on the island and is aware of Tooly's general dealings with him. He is also aware of some of Olla's dealings with him.
"Well Olla," Blendin stated without changing his position, "looks as though your glowborn worshiper is no longer an issue. He just threatened two twigs and ended up in the void. You may not have to leave after all."
ReplyDeleteOOC: I just figured it'd be a good way to spoil the reputation of the elves if they kill people just for yelling at them. Unless Blendin tells Tooly about it, though, he'll just assume we're shipping out.
ReplyDeleteOlla pokes her head out the porthole, peering down for some time. She gives Blendin a shake of her head and a rueful smile but says nothing.
ReplyDeleteShe returns to her pallet between the cannon, picks up her lute with the care one would pick up a newborn and begins tuning it.
"Are we ready to be off then? Seems like we've done enough damage here, though at least we didn't crack this one open and cause a landfall."
ReplyDeleteooc: is that the plan then? book to bridgeways?
ReplyDeletehaving difficulty seeing my posts here. if I don't hear anything else from you guys, I'll assume you want to head to bridgeways shortly, and will start laying that out.
ReplyDeleteclosing thread. new one up now.
ReplyDelete