Author Topic: Act One: Stolen Land  (Read 6696 times)

Offline linklord231

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Act One: Stolen Land
« on: April 18, 2014, 04:19:19 AM »
Each of you has accepted the call of the Dragonscale Throne of Brevoy to explore and "civilize" the Stolen Lands.  You have been granted a charter by the Swordlords of Restov, though it is up to you how you fulfill its terms. 

Though you may have set out from Restov seperately, you have all met up at Oleg's Trading Post, the last speck of civilization before the wild frontiers of the Greenbelt.  A cold breeze blows through the wooden palisade walls of the fort-turned-store on this, the last morning of the month of Calistril.  Looking up at the sky, you suspect it might snow.  You've got to know the Trading Post fairly well over the last day or so - not that there's a whole lot to see here.
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Oleg, the proprietor of this establishment, and his young wife Svetlana, have graciously put you up while you waited for the last of your companions to arrive.  Normally they're excellent hosts - obviously a bit removed from polite society, of course, but courteous nonetheless.  Today though, they seem a bit... off.  They've been huddled together ever since breakfast, arguing in hushed tones.  Occasionally, Svetlana glances appraisingly in your direction.  When you catch their eyes, Svetlana smiles warmly and Oleg huffs and crosses his arms. 
I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline professorgear

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2014, 03:53:14 AM »
Vian sat at a table with the rest of his party, drinking ale and lost in thought. It seemed to him he could no longer wait for the other members he had hoped would join the party. Konrad and Gror would not be joining them, and if they tried, they would no longer find the party at Oleg's Trading Post, the point from which they had agreed to set out. Vian could not say he was surprised, but he was saddened nonetheless. Ever since that argument with Konrad in Restov, he had worried that Konrad would not be joining them. Konrad and Vian were similar personalities, which is to say they often butted heads. Vian could see in Konrad a definite ability to lead, much like his own. He had potential not just for greatness, but also for goodness. But it was a potential only, one that had been neglected, not nourished. Only his potential for greatness was fostered. Konrad wanted to lead, but his ideas of good government were very much at odds with Vian's. Vian had probably asserted his position too strongly and too harshly. Doubtless Konrad's pride had been affronted. Vian was not much used to failure in persuasion, but Konrad was too like him, too independent and strong-willed. Gror meanwhile had always been of a similar political persuasion, so it was no surprise that the charismatic Konrad had persuaded Gror to split ranks and join him. Join him where? Vian had a guess. The charter which Vian's party held was not the only one of its kind. Konrad perhaps had set out with one of the other parties to establish a kingdom where he would not be restrained by Vian and his morals. Whatever the case, Konrad and Gror were now beyond their grasp. The time had come to set off.

Vian was disturbed from his ruminations by argumentative sounds coming from Svetlana and Oleg. He observed the exchange between Svetlana and Oleg with amused interest. To the rest of the party, he murmured, "What do you guys suppose that is about? Clearly we have outstayed our welcome with Oleg." He did not say to the party what he thought of Svetlana. What is she saying with her eyes? Is she attracted to me? She wouldn't be the first. Many were drawn to his air of exoticism, doubtless from his fey blood, thin though it was. His half-fey mother was a celebrated beauty, and he had not fared the worse for it. Again he murmered, "Well, unless someone objects, I'm going to ask if there's any way we may ingratiate ourselves to Oleg." With that, he began to push out his chair...

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« Last Edit: April 19, 2014, 05:24:53 AM by professorgear »

Offline Scout89

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2014, 09:57:28 AM »
Whatever that is, we will find out soon., Cass wasn't really annoyed about their strange behavior. I know what you mean, but setting out with this weather can be a real problem.
Sneaky_Sable: "Keep the Omega Whatever, I'll take that Dagger. Nice to meet you *sneak attack* I hope everything's alright *sneak attack* how's your liver been *sneak attack*..."

Offline Gazzien

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2014, 11:02:56 AM »
Arella sighed, looking over at the pair from the corner of her eyes, and shook her head. "Even if we have, there really isn't much we can do. We weren't planning on staying here for very long anyways, were we?"

Offline linklord231

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2014, 02:15:55 PM »
As Vian approaches, Oleg throws his hands up and says to Svetlana Fine!  Do what you think is best.  I'm going to go fix the roof before it snows again.   He abruptly pushes his chair back and storms off, deliberately not making eye contact with anyone.  Svetlana, surprised by Oleg's admission of defeat, takes a moment to compose herself.  She closes her eyes and mutters Desna, please let this be the right thing to do before arising herself and coming over to address the party. 

My friends, it seems my husband and I find ourselves in a bit of a pickle.  About 3 months back, we received a visit from a bunch of thugs, who threatened to do unspeakable things to us if we didn't pay them to go away.  Since then, they've come back twice more to demand their "taxes" - always on the first day of the month, so I'm terrified that they might be back tomorrow!  Normally, Oleg and I wouldn't stand for that kind of behavior, but there's just too many of them for us to deal with ourselves.  We need your help, but my stubborn ass of a husband is too proud to ask you himself.  Of course, we'd be prepared to offer you free room and board - At this, you hear a loud coughing and sputtering sound from where Oleg is fetching a ladder from the storeroom, followed by a loud crash and even louder cursing.  When it subsides, Svetlana continues:  - As I was saying, we'd be prepared to offer you free room and board for as long as you wish to stay as thanks for your help.
I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline professorgear

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2014, 12:58:42 AM »
Vian chuckles on the inside while a smile escapes to his lips. He replies, "Milady, your offer is very generous. I think we would be honored to be of service to such hospitable hosts. How many hours do you think we have before these brigands arrive? This inn was once a fort, was it not? Do you not have means about the place to fortify it again? I'm thinking mainly wood that we might use to bar the doors and board the windows." Turning to his companions, Vian said, "Do you all want to go forward with this? Now is the time to air objections and also strategies. I think it would be a waste to not take advantage of this building's defensive characteristics, even if I am much more skilled at war on the back of my horse."

Offline Scout89

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2014, 08:11:12 AM »
I knew it would not take long to discover what the problem was. But it's better than I thought. I thought you were gonna ask us to leave. Sure, we can take care of these bullies. How many are them?
Sneaky_Sable: "Keep the Omega Whatever, I'll take that Dagger. Nice to meet you *sneak attack* I hope everything's alright *sneak attack* how's your liver been *sneak attack*..."

Offline linklord231

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2014, 02:23:15 PM »
Svetlana looks absolutely relieved that you've agreed to help so readily.  Well, we don't have much in the way of materials.  We tried locking them out the first time they came, and they threatened to burn the whole place down.  I expect they'll make good on that threat if we tried it again.  If we're lucky it will rain or snow tonight, and the wood will be that much harder to get burning, but we can't really count on that.  But I've given it some thought - what if you all hid in the guestrooms or stables, then ambushed them as they load our goods?  Of course, I'm no soldier, so I'm sure there are many places such a plan could fail. 

They always come about an hour after dawn, so we have almost 24 hours to prepare. 

The first time they came, there were a little more than a dozen of them, but they've been sending fewer and fewer of late.  Last time, there were only 5 of them.  Their leader is the one you have to be careful of, I think.  She's a truly evil woman, who laughs at the idea of pain.  She was positively giggling as she described all of the things she was going to let her men do to me if we didn't comply.
  Svetlana shudders in horror at the memory, then starts crying as she explains the next part.  She- She- She threatened to cut off Oleg's hand with her hatchet because he wasn't working fast enough, then when I begged her not to, she took my wedding ring right off my finger as "payment". 

She takes a deep breath to calm herself before saying Thankfully, she only came herself the first time.  She's been sending her lieutenant ever since.  He's just as cruel, but half as smart.  If we're lucky, it'll be just him and a few men. 

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I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline professorgear

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2014, 12:38:45 AM »
"What do you guys think? Does an ambush sound like a good strategy? Personally, I prefer the siege strategy. If we didn't have such a good defensive position, I might warm to the ambush plan, or if our environment lent itself to an ambush. As it is, we lose a great deal of the fort's advantage as soon as it's penetrated by intruders. If we had an expert trapsmith, we could change the environment greatly to our advantage, but I don't think any of us have those skills."

Offline Gazzien

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2014, 02:35:55 PM »
"If you all want to try a siege, it might work. I may be able to get one of the men on our side, and convince them that if they help us remove the others, there's more loot for them." She shuddered, and shook her head. "I'm normally not one for violence, but it seems like with these thugs, it would be the only option."

Offline Scout89

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2014, 06:28:19 PM »
Yes, I guess we can benefit from this place's defenses.
Sneaky_Sable: "Keep the Omega Whatever, I'll take that Dagger. Nice to meet you *sneak attack* I hope everything's alright *sneak attack* how's your liver been *sneak attack*..."

Offline professorgear

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2014, 02:23:35 AM »
After getting some barrels from Svetlana for himself and his horse, Vian set out for the nearest watercourse.

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Offline Scout89

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2014, 11:52:27 AM »
Cass walks around the building looking for weak spots to reinforce.
Sneaky_Sable: "Keep the Omega Whatever, I'll take that Dagger. Nice to meet you *sneak attack* I hope everything's alright *sneak attack* how's your liver been *sneak attack*..."

Offline cantankerouspedant

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2014, 09:28:52 PM »
As the group were talking about what fortifications to make, Acacius walked in.

Acacius is a young man of average height with short, black hair. The pale tone of his skin says that he's spent much more of his life in libraries than outside. His weak, atrophied form also speaks of little time spent in physical pursuits. But his eyes, there's something in his eyes. They make him look old, much older than he would usually look.

He glances briefly at the party, then quickly turns away, apparently shy. But then he stops. In his brief glance he recognized one of the faces. Turning back, he says in surprise and happiness "Vian? Is that you? What are the odds. I thought the chances of seeing you again were slim, let alone in this wilderness. Are you staying here long? I am exploring these regions. I have heard tales of mysteries in the woods that have awakened my curiosity. Perhaps we could join forces."

Offline professorgear

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2014, 09:41:03 PM »
"Acacius! It is great to see you. I was just on my way out to fetch some water, but now we must talk. It is good seeing you, and we could certainly use your help. It doesn't sound like your exploration is in any hurry? If you could tarry here and help us now, we could help you later, as we too intend to explore, and hopefully tame, the Greenbelt. First, however, this lady and her husband are in need of our help for they are being extorted by wild men. Can you spare yourself?"

Offline cantankerouspedant

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2014, 10:09:41 PM »
"Well as I was planning on staying here for the night anyway, I might as well help you. Then we can set off together. Though I should like a day of rest."

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Offline Scout89

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2014, 09:01:56 AM »
Cass doesn't  stop hitting nails with his hammer while saying, Yeah, yeah, long time friends, missed you so much. We got it. Now get that hammer and start nailing those planks to the windows.
Sneaky_Sable: "Keep the Omega Whatever, I'll take that Dagger. Nice to meet you *sneak attack* I hope everything's alright *sneak attack* how's your liver been *sneak attack*..."

Offline cantankerouspedant

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2014, 01:57:08 AM »
"I see you don't waste words. Sounds good to me." Acacius starts work on the fortification.

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Offline linklord231

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #18 on: May 19, 2014, 07:27:52 PM »
Working together, you manage to soak the walls enough that they won't catch fire easily, and reinforce the front gates.  You work in shifts, managing to catch enough sleep to not be too tired for the coming conflict. 

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About a half hour after dawn, your watchman notices 4 figures off in the distance.  They're approaching openly on the main road, each mounted with two spare horses. 
I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline cantankerouspedant

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Re: Act One: Stolen Land
« Reply #19 on: May 24, 2014, 12:06:16 AM »
To the defenders in general, Acacius says, "Four men? Well it isn't a large number after all. We have a good chance, but keep wary, a lot can change in a battle."