Framed (again)

D&D. Serious business.

I mean, to me. I swear, I'll start taking whatever Arch says on streams with larger amounts of salt from now on.

Well, i kinda think that's the GM's kindness, but thanks for putting it that way.

And i'd be lying if i said i don't consider what you might be thinking of doing when i'm planning my actions, but frigging frell, that's not the overriding factor.

(talking to Arch here, not Javan, btw)

Zeiss wrote:

Rory wrote:"...you'll also have to roll deception for adding personal opinion of the members of the party to why you hid knowledge of the alleged mission and intent from them..."

I already explained to the interrogator why I "hid" that knowledge from you guys : it wasn't your place to know. In the Sho Empire, social status is clearly defined and who and what you are determine how much power, money and information you can have.

Yes, but do you believe in that? Do you believe that who and what a person is--and with us, there are specifics--determines a person's "place"? That is what you imply.

I wonder if the Vyeotians know of my presently afflicting malady. I wonder if they are prepared. For their sake, they'll have to be.

Just eat them. Thug needs to have some Vyeotian pudding.

I think we're waiting for you Kolson.

I also think that WoW's latest acclimation patch might have something to do with it.

So, Arch--Did you decide what you want to do in response to my post yet?

While browsing the spells, I realized that the damage done by Fierneceal in the Tusker city/capital must have been an equivalent to Merton, and that we may have managed to stop her from repeating the action.

At some point, we're going to have to address the absence of Fierneceal in-game. I've been assuming for a while now that during the party split-up, she left with the others. Why did she leave, what was the manner of her departure? Did we branch off permanently? Were there any proposed endeavors or missions for us to further the common main goal of stopping Gaerlan?

Arch's friend Gary was visiting him at his home and they were streaming all week Kolson, which is why he hasn't responded until now.

As for Fierneceal and the other group, they branched off permanently. They take care of Gaerlan (and I think they already did from the hints I heard during the Primus streaming) and we focus on the assassins. Assuming the rest of the party wants to fight these villains of course.

Oh, okay. Thanks for the heads up. I really need to watch the stream more, lol. Wish my internet wasn't so stupid about it.

Down to business though what should Rory and I grab to help us with busting Zeiss and Javan out? Are we going crazy-go-nuts for an assault mission or are we looking to go more subtle than our usual MO?

I'm thinking at the very least we should procure some weapons for them just in case. After that I really don't know. I would think explosives or alchemical corrosives would be pretty useful either way.

Arch, does the guy have any of those communication stones we talked about ages ago?

*rolls a dice* He has exactly two with a range of 500 feet.

Zeiss wrote:They take care of Gaerlan (and I think they already did from the hints I heard during the Primus streaming) and we focus on the assassins.

This disquieted me for a time. There must be something worse. If I know the DM, there is. And we must be involved.

Now then! They may have magical traps set, or alarms set to check people for authorization, so maybe two one-use dispel items would help to dispel them if they've been activated without our knowledge, or if they're just unavoidable. I hope that doesn't require Use Magic Device, because I don't think anyone ever took ranks in that skill. Additional items of interest: darkness oil and levitation oil.

There are going to be people around the prisoners who aren't going to let him leave their sight. If you can come up with a way to fool the guards(in case the prisoners are being visually guarded, that is), I'm all ears. Perhaps something involving a grappling hook and a wall and possibly planned silent takedowns, and getting our allies and leaving before the patrols come around or the next guard rotation. The sneakies would have to be me and Higaide, while Kolson observes from a vantage point with a comm stone(Higaide gets the other one until our great and powerful assassin is sprung). I'll be going over a plan to punch the shark though, as it were, just doing it old-fashioned.

I think we can assume they will be without weapons and that we should have non-enchanted equivalents ready for them when we spring them. I think we'll have to go with steel as our highest "within reason", so two steel rapiers and one steel spear. Better yet, let's just go higher. It's better to be told what we can't use and what's too much rather than assume blindly, not knowing we could have taken that +1 or that extra "thingy".

As for our entry, we could use smokebombs(more for an explosive entry) to move in unseen and again to snatch our friends with little resistance, acid(or explosives) to cut through any durable walls or doors in our way, then spill grease over caltrops behind us to slow pursuit...for extra measure, we could set it on fire to discourage direct pursuit.

Even better, we could set up caltrops and grease around the convoy's access points(passages between buildings) and have someone from a vantage point set the grease on fire with arrows when we escape, just after we throw down caltrops and grease behind us to block off the final path of pursuit barring flight(after a while the fire will burn away the grease, leaving caltrops).

Something tells me intervention as a Tusker is discouraged at the moment. I got no problem with that.

I think you guys should do a recon mission before deciding on a plan. Everything will depend on how this little "parade" will take place.

I am also wondering if a rescue mission will also be necessary. Can I roll knowledge politics for that Arch? I'm guessing that we're not considered guilty anymore, but they might not be willing to let us go just like that. How much time are we most likely going to stay in custody of the gracious Sho authorities? And whta kind of treatment should we expect?

*taps chin* Zeiss's K:P roll results in him knowing that this entire parade circumstance is highly irregular, and that if you are to remain in custody it will not be pleasant. If they considered you innocent they would have already released you, if they considered you guilty they would have already killed you.

*shaking in fear*

Save us! SAVE US!

Let's get our equipment back too and skip this town. Might need the Exit materia if things get out of hand...

Well, all you gatta do is tell your ghost friend so he can tell us and we'll just not bother with avoiding detection. Turning into a Tusker is also back on the table for me personally.

Higaide wakes up, with Advoc going all Timmy on him.

"Zeeiiisss.... daaaaaaanjah. Musssst resssssk---...-.-..."

Also, i think he's out of comm range, anyway.

Well he could stop following him and backtrack to us for like ten seconds, it's not like he's gonna die.

Well, the rescue plan is in your hands guys. Rory had a beginning of a plan so let's work from there.

*go drink some tea*

Equipment So Far-
1. Communication Stones  

@K- When you looked at the base what kind of perimeter defenses and defenses in general did you see? What was the terrain like?

@Everyone- Looking at our skills lying our way in or blending in are out of the question. I'm with Rory on the quiet infiltration but I don't expect it will last very long. Which means you guys are going to need to be ready to fight your way to them and out again. I'll do my best to help you from the outside but I won't be able to stay very long after I let loose with ye old magic.

We'll also need to secure an escape route away from the prison and an escape route out of the city (one way or another). That means horses and a ship, if we don't want to take the overland route to a different port with even less friendly contacts. Perhaps those smugglers Kinzh'Lizakh mentioned could do us a solid in exchange for the promise of more work in the future.

The infiltration team will need a quick way to neutralize multiple targets and a way to secure them once they are down.

@Arch Here are some questions/shopping list for you.

1. What are we looking at as far as explosive charges go? I'm hoping for something for blowing doors out, not leveling a building.

2. What kind of corrosives are available?

2a. Can I make them more concentrated with my own Weaving? If so, what kinds of containers would we need for after?

3. Does our Fixer (couldn't resist the Shadowrun lingo) have binoculars or something equivalent?

4. What do Glittermuck Bags do again?

5. Does he have anything equivalent to zip ties?

6. Does he have fireworks?

7. Does he have caltrops?

8. Does he have any saps?

9. We'll need some rope, maybe two lengths of 60 ft.

10. Daggers, say 4 of them in the best quality we can get.

11. One rapier of the best non-magical quality.

12. One spear of the best non-magical quality, sized for a fairy of Javan's size.

1. What are we looking at as far as explosive charges go? I'm hoping for something for blowing doors out, not leveling a building.
He has 3 small door charges, which will be good for mundane doors of not-too-strong wood and weaker walls and the like.

2. What kind of corrosives are available?
After a lengthy pause he produces a single Steel vial of some kind of caustic material you don't recognize, that he does not know what is in it but it is bubbling and smoking rather unpleasantly.

2a. Can I make them more concentrated with my own Weaving? If so, what kinds of containers would we need for after?
It's a roll to succeed but theoretically yes. You would want something of at least Steel quality to contain it.

3. Does our Fixer (couldn't resist the Shadowrun lingo) have binoculars or something equivalent?
He in fact has several pairs of binoculars.

4. What do Glittermuck Bags do again?
Basically an aoe glue bomb.

5. Does he have anything equivalent to zip ties?
No.

6. Does he have fireworks?
Yes, several sparklers and noise makers.

7. Does he have caltrops?
Yes.

8. Does he have any saps?
No.

9. We'll need some rope, maybe two lengths of 60 ft.
Easily done.

10. Daggers, say 4 of them in the best quality we can get.
Iron.

11. One rapier of the best non-magical quality.
Iron again.

12. One spear of the best non-magical quality, sized for a fairy of Javan's size.
Still Iron.

The terrain, i expect was fairly flat, considering it was a run-down part of town. We might be able to use any abandoned buildings to our advantage. What i know about it is what Arch posted in the March 2nd thread, but we do know they have tanks.

If you ask me, there is the possibility that they're orchestrating this parade as a trap for us. I mean, it does their objective of stomping down righteous while shaming Alluvia pretty well, but i would expect them to expect someone to try and intervene, and try to capitalize on that.

What i'd suggest is using that Exit Materia for all it's worth once we're able to reach Zeiss and Javan. I doubt we'll be able to otherwise make our way out with any kind of ease.

Also, considering the kind of material we'll have to breach, i'd get from that gentlemen as much Iron Oxide and powdered Aluminum as we can get (or some other set of materials with the same effect, there's plenty of them). We can mix those and make some Thermite, which will be far more effective than any charge, and more localized. We'll just have to be careful with the mixing, cause that stuff doesn't take much heat to ignite, and will melt through nearly anything.

Sadly he is fresh out of Iron Oxide and Aluminum as the Thermite Monsters recently came through town.

I guess we could use the Exit materia if danger starts flashing red. We might actually get to use it this time. As for our destination, Hebian-To!

Once at Hebian-To, we'll have immediate access to a main road that can act as a north-south divide of the mainland. We could travel south to Mayoi or north to the Earth temple, picking up clues along the way about where to find the Vyeotian base, how to get in, what its defenses are, and the overall manpower residing there.

Meanwhile, we got to spread the word about the Exchange and make deals, which will expand into the Sho Empire, and eventually we can invade the base with a bloc force of our own. That's a bit long term, though.

K, I heard them creatures are a plague for adventures and one of the many reasons of the decline of the Guild, not to mention buying, selling or keeping iron oxide and aluminum are outlawed in many places around globe in order to discourage adventurers bringing Thermite Monsters, knowingly or not, into civilized areas.

I will also agree that the Exit materia is quite clearly the best bet for our flight, except I fear the military probably has a way to intercept the materia in some way, because they are The Military. So a possible escape route could be do a straight escape from horses into a ship, then Exit from there. This has another set of complications, but I promised myself to stop over-thinking considering what it did to the party last time.