The party plunders the manticore's lair, and treats with Nogai Khan.?
<<< DM of Gaia has joined >>>
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DM of Gaia: Vasily of bus eh
DM of Gaia: I'm not here yet, I'll be here in 5-10min
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Nikolai: .
DM of Gaia: ..
<<< root has joined >>>
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root: yo?
Nikolai: yo
Nikolai: I think we're waiting on people in WoW.
Albrecht: not me
root: people still play that madness?
DM of Gaia: Well
DM of Gaia: I'm killing dragons while I want
DM of Gaia: *wait
DM of Gaia: Anyone know ETA on Oliver?
Nikolai: No clue
Nikolai: what about chris?
Nikolai: is he still on?
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<<< Graynjahhh is now known as Sven >>>
Nikolai: so
DM of Gaia: Ok
DM of Gaia: Good stuff
Nikolai: we have everyone but oliver
DM of Gaia: Let me text Oliver
DM of Gaia: And ask him ETA
root: Boise State's on! Yay football
Sven: I don't think I've ever heard of anyone root for this
so-called "Boise State" in my life.
root: I would be the first then
DM of Gaia: Now let's see here
DM of Gaia: As I recall
Albrecht: sandy, you did in fact leave screwdrivers here
DM of Gaia: k I'll get em next time
DM of Gaia: So
DM of Gaia: We left off when you guys went to look for the
manticore's treasure, found out what (according to popular legend) was
likely to be its lair, went to sleep to prepare Spider Climb, and got
attacked by snakes.
Nikolai: yep
Nikolai: snakes
Nikolai: most of the small ones out of comission.
root: sounds about right
DM of Gaia: You defeated the snakes
DM of Gaia: All of them
Nikolai: oh
Nikolai: k
root: sneak attacking sleeping snakes usually results in a new
wallet
Albrecht: assuming we took our CdG actions, that is
Nikolai: which we did
Nikolai: undoubtedly
Albrecht: of course, SOP
Nikolai: well in that case
Nikolai: is it the next day?
DM of Gaia: Oliver says 20 min-ish
Nikolai: cool
Nikolai: we can start w/o him
DM of Gaia: We'll start without him yes
DM of Gaia: So
DM of Gaia: ROLL CALL!
Nikolai: hai
Sven: so if I say I've had it with these motherfucking snakes
on this motherfucking plane
Albrecht: ja
root: I can has die rolling?
Sven: does that require some sort of divine ability to take
care of?
DM of Gaia: Yes
Sven: k.
DM of Gaia: Salient Divine Ability: Samuel L. Jackson
Nikolai: so
Nikolai: /roll 1d8
*** DM rolls dice for Nikolai: 1d8 < 1 = 1 > = 1
root: Can't we just ask for divine intervention?
Nikolai: ...
Sven: I can't shoot a hole in the Prime Material Plane and
have them all get sucked out, can I . . .
Nikolai: /roll 1d8
*** DM rolls dice for Nikolai: 1d8 < 4 = 4 > = 4
Nikolai: :p
Nikolai: fuck you dice
Sven: whatever
root: just add the two rolls together
DM of Gaia: Alright so
Nikolai: heh
Sven: at least you're not 120 xp off from level 5.
DM of Gaia: It is teh next day
Sven: :-P
root: agreed
root: Sandy already shot down my idea of finding a sack of 120
XP first thing this morning
root: I guess only AMir can do that
Nikolai: haha
Nikolai: no he couldn't
Nikolai: remember, we tried that every session
DM of Gaia: Now then
root: no, I got it once
DM of Gaia: How many Spider Climbs do you guys now have
root: anyhoo, I suggest spider climb
Sven: I can has 3.
DM of Gaia: Meanwhile someone connect a temporary Vasilol
Nikolai: sigh
Nikolai: someone else do it
*** Sven finger to nose
Albrecht: Manny will play him
Nikolai: Hey Sven
Nikolai: How many of those cure wands do you have
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Sven: 2
<<< Albrecht is now known as Vasilol >>>
Nikolai: Cool
Nikolai: Let me hang on to one
DM of Gaia: Alright
Sven: I'll even hand you the beefier one.
Nikolai: awesome.
Sven: it has 29 charges.
Nikolai: CL?
Sven: I guess it's 5
Nikolai: ok
Nikolai: noted
Sven: you can smash it for mass CLW with targets=charges
Sven: if you wish.
Nikolai: k
DM of Da: Well, like I said, you've got a fissure in the
hillside... the walls of the fissure form sheer vertical rock walls, and
about 100 feet up one of them is a ledge with a recessed cave entrance
DM of Da: Who's going to climb up there and look
Sven: suggestions?
Albrecht: well I have being sturdy, but I won't spot, listen, or
search a damn thing.
root: Is there anybody besides the people casting spider climb
who shouldnt go?
Sven: I am the only people casting spider climb.
root: I'll go then
Sven: so albrecht, boris, and . . . who is the best third
choice
Nikolai: Vasilol.
Albrecht: some caster.
Sven: vasilol it is.
Albrecht: ok
Nikolai: He has levels of search
DM of Da: Ok.
Sven: they get spider clumb.
Albrecht: we may need to beat a hasty retreat and grab your
healing
Albrecht: hmm
Albrecht: also we take all the rope we have
root: good point
DM of Da: Well, climbing up is now trivial due to your newfound 20
ft climb speed
DM of Da: You make it up there without incident
Sven: but if they can let rope down
root: yes, but dispel magic is a bitch
Sven: it'll be awesome.
Nikolai: if you guys hit dispel magic
Nikolai: then like
Albrecht: assuming we reach the top without issue.
Nikolai: gg
Nikolai: for a lot of reasons.
Sven: forrizzle.
DM of Da: You let rope down?
Nikolai: yes
Nikolai: they do
Albrecht: yes
DM of Da: k there is now rope
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Sven: I assume there was something sturdy to attach that bitch
to.
DM of Da: Yeah
Sven: excellent
DM of Da: There's some rocks and stuffs
Sven: so really, at this point we can all go.
DM of Da: Alright
DM of Da: Ling Jian appears hesitant, and looks like he's about to
object, but gathers his courage and comes with you.
DM of Da: Here is what you see.
Nikolai: Good work Ling Jian
DM of Da: As I said, it's a rocky ledge with a recessed cave
entrance
DM of Da: The ledge itself is littered with corpses
DM of Da: They look like they've been picked clean by carrion
birds
Sven: gotta love those carrion birds.
DM of Da: Tattered remnants of Mongol-style clothing indicate that
the victims were a mix of Mongol warriors and civilians
DM of Da: You see nothing of value.
DM of Da: Assuming you enter the cave...
Albrecht: time to look inside the cave
root: indeed
DM of Da: What's your marching order
Nikolai: beefy first
Nikolai: squishy next
root: I think I'm going first what with trap finding
Nikolai: roguey last
Nikolai: or maybe swap beefy and roguey
Nikolai: that makes more sense
Sven: dimensions of formation?
Albrecht: we have two people with trapfinding
root: size of passage is?
Albrecht: hmm
DM of Da: The opening's about 5 feet wide
Albrecht: Boris & Albrecht, Nikolai & Vasilol, Sven & cat
DM of Da: You'll have to stoop to get through
Sven: boo stooping.
DM of Da: Ok
DM of Da: The inside of the cave is dark
DM of Da: Listen checks please.
Sven: /try 3
*** DM rolls attempts for Sven :
*** DM 1d20 < 17 = 17 > + 3 = 20
root: /try 7
*** DM rolls attempts for root :
*** DM 1d20 < 20 = 20 > + 7 = 27
Nikolai: /try 3
*** DM rolls attempts for Nikolai :
*** DM 1d20 < 13 = 13 > + 3 = 16
DM of Da: Sufficient
root: we still have those Ion stones with continual light cast
on them, yes? I'm guessing we use those
DM of Da: Yes
Albrecht: oh yes
DM of Da: You hear a soft mewling, like kittens
DM of Da: The source is quickly revealed... in the corner, upon a
pile of scraps of clothing, are three tiny, miniature versions of the
creature you killed
root: oo, dinner
Nikolai: I'm not eating that
Albrecht: me either
Nikolai: So
DM of Da: They are apparently blind, hairless, and their back and
tail spines are soft and flexible
Sven: now that's what I call an offering.
root: you've just never tried
Nikolai: Let's do a full search
Nikolai: and put these creatures out of their misery
root: ssearch modifier is +9 if we're takign 20
DM of Da: Very well
Nikolai: anyone have any objections?
Sven: wait a minute
root: hmm...
root: just remember spider climb probably wears off by then
Sven: picture for a moment
Sven: if the khan could have one of these to raise as his own.
Albrecht: we still have the rope for now
Nikolai: oooh.
Sven: as I said
Nikolai: Ling Jian says?
root: there goes dinner
Sven: this looks like an offering to me.
Sven: but yes
Sven: what does ling jian think
Nikolai: as a question for when Ling Jian is not listening...
Nikolai: hm
Nikolai: no there's no way the diplomacy angle could work
Albrecht: ?
Nikolai: I was thinking
Ling Jian: Though the Khan's wealth is unimaginable as it is, for
him to have such a fierce guardian would truly strike terror into the
hearts of his enemies... indeed this would please him, I believe.
Nikolai: what if we could find a way to get on the Khan's good
side and find the location of the hoard for ourselves that way
Nikolai: but there's no way we could actually pull that off
Albrecht: well...
Albrecht: we don't have to give the hoard if we give this, I think
root: giving him 3 <unpronounciable Mongol Word>s would be a
good start
Albrecht: 1-3 baby manticores
root: (I know)
Nikolai: yeah it would be a good start
Nikolai: but
Nikolai: the qwuestion then is how do we turn the good will there
into "hey we hear you have a cave full of gems"
Nikolai: "can we has it"
Nikolai: and I don't see that working out
Nikolai: no matter how we spin it
root: that's called lots of hide and listen checks
Nikolai: especially given the hidden message on the note
Albrecht: well let's see what the treasure is first
Nikolai: yes
DM of Da: Alright
Nikolai: onto the treasure
DM of Da: Your searching reveals:
DM of Da: A crudely concealed opening, little more than a large
rock rolled over a down-sloping tunnel, with some dirt piled in the
cracks
DM of Da: Do you investigate?
root: of course
DM of Da: k.
Albrecht: what sort of adventurers would we be if we didn't?
DM of Da: The tunnel is as narrow as the cave entrance - 5 feet
across - and leads to a smaller cavern
Sven: the smart kind?
DM of Da: Arrayed around the walls of the cavern are a great
number of bladed weapons - swords, for the most part - and various
styles of helmets from a variety of armors
root: do go on
DM of Da: There are many Mongol scimitars, several cavalry sabers
of Cuman or similar design, a few distinctly Cherkess daggers, a short
sword similar to those used by ancient Greek hoplite warriors, a
longsword of Russian design, and a tremendous Seljuk shamsir
DM of Da: The various helmets essentially match the swords in
terms of origin
Sven: tremendous?
Albrecht: I believe someone should detect magic
Nikolai: I do so!
Nikolai: Detection up!
DM of Da: Ok
DM of Da: None of the helmets are magical
root: I believe either way, I have a new short sword
Nikolai: looking around
Nikolai: for anything magic
Nikolai: at all ever
DM of Da: sec
DM of Da: The Greek short sword, one of the Cherkess daggers, and
the shamsir radiate faint transmutation.
Albrecht: who had party loot>
root: don't tell me it's Oliver
Albrecht: ah, vasilol
Sven: of course it's oliver.
Nikolai: it's cool
Nikolai: his char sheet is available
Albrecht: I have noted those
DM of Da: Alright.
DM of Da: There are no other sources of magic.
Nikolai: ok
Nikolai: we collect the lot of stuff
Nikolai: throw it in our bag of lolding
Albrecht: i'll make him update the sheet itself, but i'm noting it
here
root: I hold onto the short sword
Nikolai: and bounce
root: unless someone else wants a short sword
Nikolai: it's yours.
*** root treats it as masterwork for now
Sven: I don't want any of this nasty metallic crap.
Albrecht: anything nonmagical, non sword/armor, that looks like it
might be valuable
DM of Da: Do not treat the short sword as masterwork
root: ok
DM of Da: It is in fact fairly crudely made
root: interesting
DM of Da: And the blade is pocked and pitted, as if from multiple
battles
DM of Da: Additionally
DM of Da: You notice that the shamsir has inscriptions on it
DM of Da: Much of the blade is covered in a curving script you do
not recognize
Albrecht: well
Albrecht: i think we'll be finishing off that wand of identify
root: sounds about right
Nikolai: obviousl
<<< Vasily (of bus) is now known as Vasily >>>
Sven: a ha.
Albrecht: yo
Vasily: yo.
<<< Vasilol has left >>>
<<< 08:44:36 PM >>>
Albrecht: you can now update the party loot
Vasily: No, not a Ha. A Him.
DM of Da: Outstanding
Vasily: I can? Excellent.
Nikolai: yep
Nikolai: Sandy I assume you'll send a email
Nikolai: with the loot
DM of Da: I will send nothing
Albrecht: well as soon as we're not moving around we'll work that
wand
DM of Da: Yeah
DM of Da: Anyways
DM of Da: What now
Vasily: sounds good
Nikolai: you'll send nothing
Nikolai: what about all the mundan shit
DM of Da: What mundane shit
Sven: all the weaponry and armor that didn't radiate shit
Nikolai: ok so
DM of Da: I mean
Nikolai: you said:
Albrecht: and anything else that might be around
Nikolai: DM of Da: There are many Mongol scimitars, several
cavalry sabers of Cuman or similar design, a few distinctly Cherkess
daggers, a short sword similar to those used by ancient Greek hoplite
warriors, a longsword of Russian design, and a tremendous Seljuk shamsir
Vasily: #s?
Nikolai: right
Nikolai: we're taking it all.
Nikolai: so I want a detailed list.
Nikolai: with numbers.
DM of Da: k.
DM of Da: Will do
Nikolai: and the helmets
Nikolai: if they have worth
Nikolai: everything
Nikolai: of value
DM of Da: Alright
DM of Da: Anyway
DM of Da: What do you do now
Nikolai: so
Nikolai: that's a full search
Nikolai: ?
DM of Da: Yeah
Albrecht: devise a way to transport and feed three baby
manticores.
DM of Da: Totally full
Nikolai: let's bounce then
Nikolai: sven uses druid powers
Nikolai: somehow
DM of Da: Roll Knowledge: Nature
Sven: /try 12
*** DM rolls attempts for Sven :
*** DM 1d20 < 4 = 4 > + 12 = 16
root: /try 4
*** DM rolls attempts for root :
*** DM 1d20 < 9 = 9 > + 4 = 13
root: wow
Sven: boy do I rule.
root: next we will use Wild Empathy to calm them down
DM of Da: Alright
Sven: they're probably too smart for wild empathy
Sven: or that.
DM of Da: Not when they're babies they're not
DM of Da: Try it
Sven: /try 6
*** DM rolls attempts for Sven :
*** DM 1d20 < 1 = 1 > + 6 = 7
DM of Da: Wow.
Sven: I am the fucking man.
DM of Da: Well, they're definitely not calmed down
root: /try 2
*** DM rolls attempts for root :
*** DM 1d20 < 20 = 20 > + 2 = 22
DM of Da: OR MAYBE THEY ARE
root: take that
Sven: excellent
Albrecht: Worst.
Albrecht: Druid.
Albrecht: Ever.
Sven: you can handle them.
Nikolai: seriously
Nikolai: sven
Nikolai: you're fired
root: COrrection -
root: THat's a 21, not a 22
DM of Da: Boris can handle them
root: stupid Charisma modifier
Nikolai: you're getting outdruided by a rogue
Sven: yup.
Sven: woe is me.
Nikolai: (/ranger but that's funnier)
root: (rogue ranger)
Nikolai: (it's funnier if we don't mention the ranger part.
Vasily: (road runner?)
*** root waves his arms shouting "WILD EMPATHY"
*** Sven quietly sobs in a corner
DM of Da: Ok
DM of Da: So
DM of Da: You bounce eh
Albrecht: well then... seems we're bouncing.
DM of Da: And continue on your way
Albrecht: with 3 pets.
Nikolai: yes
Vasily: Indeed.
root: aye
Albrecht: and now we will make tracks towards the Khan
DM of Da: You've got about...
DM of Da: 5 days of travel left
root: ...we travel for 5 days?
Vasily: Time passes.
DM of Da: Some time does indeed pass
Vasily: Everyone dies (of old age)
DM of Da: As you travel
root: we name the Manticores Larry, Curly and Moe
DM of Da: Ling Jian continues to make conversation...
Albrecht: we also wave that wand until we've either ID'd all three
weapons or run out of charges
Vasily: (What's his craft(banter) rating?)
DM of Da: (handling identification in a bit)
Ling Jian: Before we arrive, I feel I must instruct you further on
the appropriate manner of addressing the Khan.
root: (+10 - +3 charisma, 5 Ranks, and +2 circumstances for
being too young to know when to shut up)
Ling Jian: Many a petitioner to his court has been turned away, in
shame and disgrace, for offending his exalted person, or worse - put to
death for a mortal insult.
Vasily: Always nice to know who we'll be dealing with. What can
we expect?
Ling Jian: I should very much dislike that to happen to you.
Vasily: oh my.
Ling Jian: The first thing you must remember is to speak only when
you are spoken to.
Vasily: but...
Ling Jian: By speaking out of turn in the Exalted Khan's presence,
you place yourself as equals to the Khan, of which there obviously can
be none.
Ling Jian: Pay him the utmost respect and reverence; maintain eye
contact, but do not address the Khan directly; you must say instead
"Does His Exalted Supremeness wish..." or "I would like to offer His
Exalted Supremeness...", and so on in that vein.
Ling Jian: Realize also this.
Ling Jian: It is almost certain that the Khan will say nothing
himself; he generally relies on his advisors to voice his will. Yet know
that you are speaking with the Khan, and not with the advisors; do not
address them unless they speak for themselves explicitly.
Ling Jian: Do you understand all this?
*** Nikolai nods
Vasily: indeed
Ling Jian: Good... I do sincerely wish you luck in whatever your
business here is.
Ling Jian: I have already had, thanks to you, adventures such as I
could not dream of!
Albrecht: .
DM of Da: ..
Sven: ...
Albrecht: .
DM of Da: Ok so
DM of Da: A couple days' travel pass uneventfully
DM of Da: At some point you Identify shit?
DM of Da: How many charges do you have
Nikolai: a good question
Vasily: between 1 and 6. You've never specified exactly how
many charges it had.
DM of Da: Mmhm
DM of Da: /roll 1d6
*** DM rolls dice for DM of Da: 1d6 < 3 = 3 > = 3
DM of Da: Bam
DM of Da: You exhaust all your charges on the 3 weapons
DM of Da: Wand is now empty.
Vasily: Bam.
DM of Da: So
Albrecht: urgh
DM of Da: Let's start with the ancient Greek short sword
Albrecht: wireless is being difficult
DM of Da: More properly this weapon is called a falcata; it has a
single curved edge and a simple grip.
DM of Da: Feel free to google it for a pic.
DM of Da: Identify tells you that it possesses no enhancement
bonuses or special abilities whatsoever.
Nikolai: but it is magical
Nikolai: somehow
Vasily: indeed.
Sven: that is a strange-looking sword.
DM of Da: Seems that way
root: anyone have a dispel magic available?
Nikolai: ...
Nikolai: dude
Nikolai: pay attention to our levels
DM of Da: k
DM of Da: Next up
DM of Da: We've got the massive shamsir
DM of Da: Identify informs you that it is +1 keen, but you also
get the distinct sense that there is more magical power within it, in
some sort of dormant state
Albrecht: yoink
Sven: rofl.
DM of Da: Perhaps, if you could decipher the engraved writing on
it, you would know more... but moving on.
Albrecht: at some point we should blow a comprehend languages on
it
DM of Da: The Cherkess dagger.
Vasily: Deeecipher script?
root: yes, would decipher script do anything
DM of Da: Comprehend Languages is the way to go here, yes.
Vasily: perhaps read magic?
Vasily: So... out of curiosity, is there actually a purpose to
decipher script?
DM of Da: Deciphering magical writings
Vasily: besides prereq filling?
DM of Da: And such
DM of Da: So
DM of Da: Anyone got a Comprehend?
Vasily: Easy enough to prep.
DM of Da: You've had like 2 days of uneventful travel so if
someone wanted to prepare it
Vasily: Yeah.
DM of Da: Ok
Nikolai: Sure
Nikolai: why not
Albrecht: there is a purpose... but it's pretty heavily outshone
by a 1st level spell
Albrecht: unless it lets you do more than read stuff
DM of Da: The language used here is flowery and poetic, and says,
more or less...
Albrecht: but yeah, we can try your +10 as well
Vasily: (Sandy just said it wouldn't work :P)
Vasily: (and eh, frees up skill points in the future)
Albrecht: // if available, exact text is probably good
DM of Da: "This weapon, bane of infidels, has been forged in the
flame of jihad, consecrated by the Imam of Anatolia. Akhmet, the Blade
of Allah, is its chosen bearer. May it serve him in faith and in truth
even as he serves the Almighty."
root: interesting
DM of Da: Ok
DM of Da: The Cherkess dagger
Albrecht: ah I see, decipher would theoretically allow one to draw
a conclusion from text
DM of Da: It possesses no enhancement bonus, but does have the
following unique power:
DM of Da: If a spellcaster wields the dagger while casting a
spell, the dagger obfuscates his actions, serving to increase the
Spellcraft DC for anyone trying to identify what he's casting by 10.
Vasily: cute.
Sven: silly cherkess.
Albrecht: not extremely useful, but not useless either
DM of Da: Additionally it acts as a Ring of Counterspelling - but
again, only while it is wielded.
Nikolai: cool
root: Hah!....that is cute
Nikolai: that's pretty badass.
Albrecht: well then
Vasily: Ring of Counterspelling does what
Nikolai: you give it a spell
root: counterspell is awesome
DM of Da: You cast a spell into it
Nikolai: like a spell storing
DM of Da: And when it's cast at you
Vasily: Ah, but in reverse.
Nikolai: and then it will autocounter that spell
DM of Da: It's automatically countered
Sven: that's actually pretty hot.
Nikolai: it is an amazing item yes
Albrecht: yes
Albrecht: one of you two should take it I suppose
root: someone cast holy word into that
Nikolai: yep
Vasily: Hmm...
DM of Da: I believe there's a level cap
Vasily: preference?
root: (yeah, probably)
Sven: there is, yes
DM of Da: Yes L6
DM of Da: Is the max
Sven: which is still plenty of use.
DM of Da: Anyways
Nikolai: yep
DM of Da: Moving on
DM of Da: brb a sec
Vasily: hmm.
Albrecht: yay 15-20 crit range
Vasily: Well, I assume Nikolai is interested in the dagger...
Nikolai: I guess
Nikolai: I mean
Nikolai: if you want it
Nikolai: I dunno the counter spelling part is pretty much
awesom,e
Nikolai: the spellcraft checks is meh
Vasily: The other part is something I could probably put to good
use...
DM of Da: Alright
DM of Da: You guys can figure this out amongst yourselves
root: is it one of those "if it targets you" items, or would
it work against area affect spells?
DM of Da: Targeted
Vasily: In fact... I vaguely recall asking how I might do this
with skills or whatnot.
DM of Da: Yes you did inquire about this
Nikolai: fine you take it
DM of Da: Now then
Nikolai: but when I get killed by some sort of death attack
Nikolai: it's your fault
DM of Da: lol
Vasily: :P
DM of Da: l2deathward imo
Nikolai: working on it
Vasily: s'rsly
DM of Da: Now, the rest of the trip is also fairly uneventful
DM of Da: Several times you are met and confronted by Mongol
warriors, out hunting, on patrol, or traveling
DM of Da: But the letter of passage you received does its job
flawlessly
Sven: flawless victory.
DM of Da: Just one time a particularly ornery warrior doubts your
word, but Ling Jian invokes his grandfather's name, and that of his
master the prince, and you are allowed on your way
root: good bye XP, we'll meet again
Sven: hah.
Albrecht: now, before I get served in combat...
Albrecht: I try that new sword out
DM of Da: Finally, you see the a coast in front of you; you have
come to a narrow strait, and looking out across it, you can see a
fortress of immense size on the other side
DM of Da: You try the sword out eh
DM of Da: It is very sharp
DM of Da: Also well-balanced
DM of Da: The blade is in fact flawless
root: have vasilly prestidigitate and apple or two to cleave
Vasily: I prestidigitate a small bushel up and start tossing
them.
DM of Da: k
Vasily: Juggle a few while I'm at it.
DM of Da: Yeah it's pretty much a +1 keen shamsir
Albrecht: good, i'm not getting served for being an infidel
DM of Da: ANyway, as I was saying, you've come to this straight
DM of Da: Across it is an immense fortress, a series of
fortifications, towers, walls around an extremely elaborate palace of
marble and granite
DM of Da: It stands on a tall cliff, overlooking the coast
DM of Da: It seems the Mongols operate ferries at various points
along the strait
Ling Jian: We have arrived!
Ling Jian: The stronghold of Tmutarakan... I have been here once,
as a boy, and was not allowed within the palace.
Ling Jian: Come... the closest ferry is this way.
Nikolai: ok guys
Nikolai: whats' the plan
root: take the ferry and walk right in?
Vasily: Sounds good. We're just messengers, yes?
Albrecht: with some pretty impressive gifts for his exalted
supremeness
Nikolai: ok so
Nikolai: then what.
Nikolai: i mean
Nikolai: our general plan is obvious
Nikolai: what's our secret plan
Nikolai: like
Nikolai: are we just going to see what he says
Vasily: (said away from Jian) Well, we want to find out where
this treasure is.
Nikolai: or should we figure out where his gems are coming from
somehow
root: good point...I suppose we're keeping an eye and ear open
for any knowledge about where the hoard is
Nikolai: (yes obviously we are whispering amongst ourselves here)
Vasily: Definitely try to steer the conversation in the right
direction...
Nikolai: from what ling jian has said, it will be difficult to
steer conversation at all
Albrecht: we pass the letter on and await a response to it that we
can carry back.
Albrecht: anyone know detect thoughts?
Vasily: But we don't have nearly enough info to properly plan
this out atm.
Nikolai: ok
Vasily: and no. That's L3 I think?
Sven: also decipher mongolian?
Albrecht: it's L2
Nikolai: comprehenmd languages we will go in there with
Vasily: Aye.
DM of Da: That only works when you touch someone/thing
Albrecht: ok, that's good
Albrecht: well
DM of Da: For auditory comprehension you need Tongues
Nikolai: oh
Vasily: Hmm...
Vasily: Touch eh?
root: could still touch Ling to hear one side of the
conversation at least
root: or are we speaking in Russian to the Khan
Vasily: Alter Self: Hot chick <.<
Albrecht: hmm... yeah we could only understand one person's speech
via comprehend
Vasily: Still.
Vasily: One person's better than none.
Albrecht: and we'd need to touch that person
Albrecht: we're not going to get to touch any advisors
Vasily: That's what the alter self is for <.<
Albrecht: and touchingLing Jian would only let us understand his
speech
Albrecht: though if he's talking for us at all, it pays to know
he's saying what we think he's saying
root: hah....alter self hot chick. I Always a good decision
DM of Da: Ok
Vasily: What was the technique? Kage bushin no jitsu?
root: POsitives - we know what he's saying
negatives - none
root: that was shadu clone
DM of Da: So
Nikolai: henge no jutsu
DM of Da: Unless anyone else has any other ideas
root: you want "Henge" which I think just translates to
"transform"
Nikolai: is the one you're thinking of
Vasily: Ah, yes.
DM of Da: Let's proceed here
DM of Da: You take a ferry across
Vasily: The sketchy technique.
Nikolai: actually naruto called it sexy no jutsu
DM of Da: And are met on the other side by warriors of the Khan's
personal guard
Sven: naruto was also pretty good at it.
DM of Da: They inquire about your business, inspect your letter of
passage, and you are allowed past the other walls of the fortress
DM of Da: You are escorted to speak with one of the Khan's
civilian officials, most of whom appear to be of the same descent as
Ling Jian and his grandfather
Nikolai: them chinese make good officials
DM of Da: The official informs you that your request for an
audience will be examined and you may have lodging here while this takes
place
Sven: also chicken
Nikolai: yep
Nikolai: mmm kung pao
Vasily: Also mexican.
Nikolai: yep
Nikolai: that too
Sven: now that's just false
Nikolai: pssht
DM of Da: The next day, you are summoned to see the same official,
and are told you may have an audience in one week.
Nikolai: ok well
DM of Da: Anything you'd like to do in this week?
Nikolai: is it possible for outsiders to do trade here
Vasily: Scribing seems like a good idea.
Nikolai: also that
root: gather information on the troops and the hoard
root: crafting if anyone can do it
Nikolai: lol crafting
Nikolai: you're funny
DM of Da: Yes, this is absolutely a trade nexus as well as a
military stronghold; the reason the Khan is so busy is that he is
visited by all manner of foreign dignitaries, trade representatives, and
similar
Albrecht: anything we need to go buy?
Nikolai: so let's liquidate the mundane loot
Albrecht: or sell?
Vasily: K.
Albrecht: yes
Nikolai: from the cave
Nikolai: and then see if there';s anything worth having here
Nikolai: and nikolai and vasily will write things down
Vasily: Selling the gobbo gear, and will mark down however much
cash we get from the place.
DM of Da: Alright
Vasily: We should buy a Det Thoughts scroll if possible.
root: yeah, had to throw the idea out there though. Scribing
scrolls is practically crafting....kinda
DM of Da: Tmutarakan is very well-stocked in terms of mundane
goods
Vasily: Resist Energy, Blur, Bull's Strength, Fox's Cunning,
Bear's Endurance are up on the list.
Vasily: I'll nab RE, Blur, and one other if you want.
DM of Da: As for magical items, though they are unquestionably
present, you find the Mongols generally refuse to sell their unique
magic to outsiders
DM of Da: But you can buy any scrolls of common spells up to 4th
level
Albrecht: so generic magical gear is purchaseable, but nothing
special
DM of Da: Indeed
Vasily: Det Thoughts might be useful. That's what 50g + 200g
for scribing mats for the 2 of us?
Sven: hooray utilitah
DM of Da: Ok
Nikolai: well
Albrecht: hmm
Nikolai: detect thoughts is what level?
Vasily: 2
Nikolai: and it wasn't on our list eh
Vasily: Nope.
Nikolai: ok let's pick that up
Vasily: Resist Energy, Blur, Bull's Strength, Fox's Cunning,
Bear's Endurance, Detect Thoughts
Vasily: I'll grab RE, Blur, DT
Vasily: unless you want one of them.
Vasily: or two.
Nikolai: hm
DM of Da: The day before your audience with the Khan is scheduled,
a messenger from the official who scheduled it is sent to visit you
Albrecht: legend lore is going to be too expensive for us to
handle right now
Nikolai: let me get Blur
Vasily: k
DM of Da: Who informs you of certain rules you need to know
beforehand
DM of Da: i.e.:
Vasily: I'll grab Fox then.
Nikolai: and I'll take Bear's Endurance
Nikolai: and Bull's Str then
Vasily: Ok.
*** Nikolai notes that
DM of Da: You must surrender all weapons, magical or otherwise,
before being granted entry into the Khan's palace
DM of Da: Furthermore you must be aware that your will be
monitored with magic detection spells at all times while inside
Albrecht: meaning detect thoughts might be frowned on
DM of Da: Spellcasting is expressly forbidden except by permission
of the Khan or a member of his court
Albrecht: well we would have cast it in advance anyway
Nikolai: ok well
Nikolai: we can just leave our shit behind then right?
Nikolai: or do we need to give it to them at the door
Nikolai: I dunno I don't have much weaponry anyway
Vasily: You get 4 more days of scribing... Darkvision, Darkness,
Hasan's Magic Aura, Minor Image, Resist Energy, Fox's Cunning, Detect
Thoughts are on my list but not yours.
Vasily: Likewise.
DM of Da: Spying of any kind, magical or mundane, is punishable by
death
DM of Da: That's about it
Nikolai: Glitterdust, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Locate Object,
Arcane Lock, Knock, See Invisibility, Rope Trick, Blur, Bull's Strength,
Bear's Endurance
Nikolai: that's my list
DM of Da: And yes you can leave your shit behind
Nikolai: Ok let's see
Vasily: Yep, I've got your list.
Albrecht: guess we're not casting DT then
DM of Da: Ok.
Sven: :/
DM of Da: Everyone ready?
Nikolai: I'm picking out Darkvision, Minor Image, Fox's Cunning,
Detect Thoughts
Nikolai: and yes, ready
Vasily: Scorching Ray, Knock, See Invis, Rope Trick
Vasily: yep, ready.
Nikolai: wait
Nikolai: I don't have invis
Nikolai: Alter Self, Invisibility, Darkvision, Darkness, Minor
Image, Resist Energy, Fox's Cunning, Detect Thoughts
Nikolai: that's what I have for your list
Vasily: eek...
Vasily: sorry, didn't include level up spells.
Nikolai: hold on
*** DM of Da holds on
*** Sven is scurred
DM of Da: So?
DM of Da: Ready?
Sven: when our spell preppers are.
Vasily: ready.
Vasily: we're PCing.
Nikolai: we're ready
Nikolai: go ahead
DM of Da: Ok
Nikolai: took the spellbook chat away
DM of Da: The next day, the same messenger comes for you
Albrecht: note the detection spells and spying is death.
DM of Da: And informs that the Khan is ready to receive you
DM of Da: You are all escorted to the Khan's palace
DM of Da: You're checked for weapons upon entry
DM of Da: Before you enter, Ling Jian whispers to you...
Sven: I left my weapons behind.
Ling Jian: A last thing...
Sven: of course.
Nikolai: ooh question for Ling Jian
Nikolai: should we present our gift first
Nikolai: or our business first
Ling Jian: I do not ask your intentions, but know this: it is not
the Mongol way to punish messengers for the message they bring. Speak
the truth only to the Khan; even if it is unfavorable to him. Lying is a
great insult; speaking truth is not.
Ling Jian: As for your gifts, present them first.
Nikolai: Ok.
Ling Jian: In this way you show your respect.
Nikolai: Vasily, make note of that
Vasily: Of course.
DM of Da: (you have the 3 baby manticores and the big manticore's
head, yes?)
Albrecht: ok then
Albrecht: I'll carry the dead head
Albrecht: the empathy people can carry the little ones
Vasily: Mine's so huggable and cwute!
root: I'll carry Moe
Vasily: dibs on curly.
DM of Da: Alright
root: it's cure when he tries to impale my finger on his tail
root: cute*
DM of Da: You are taken to a massive hall
Sven: I guess I get larry?
Nikolai: I'm hanging onto the box
Nikolai: so you all deal with the livestock
root: Moe isn't live stock!
root: He's a living thing
Nikolai: whatever
Sven: but all my wild empathy checks on inanimate objects
autosucceed
DM of Da: At the end of it are a series of steps, leading up to an
elaborately carved dais, upon which stands a towering throne of
malachite, bronze, and darkwood.
Nikolai: lol
root: (brb, finding food
DM of Da: There sits the Khan.
Sven: <insert description here>
DM of Da: He looks toward you, saying nothing.
Vasily: I think a bow might be in order.
DM of Da: Several steps below him stand three elaborately attired
courtiers...
DM of Da: And below them, near the bottom of the steps, stands a
somewhat less expensively dressed man, who addresses you as you enter.
<<< Nogai Khan has joined >>>
<<< 10:03:31 PM >>>
<<< Advisors has joined >>>
<<< 10:03:37 PM >>>
<<< Translator has joined >>>
<<< 10:03:40 PM >>>
Vasily: (nu pa ruski?)
DM of Da: (shush)
Sven: (I will ruski your face)
Vasily: (Face ruski-ing is nothing I haven't sean before.)
Translator: You are welcomed to the domain and presence of His Most
Exalted and Surpassing Supremeness, Nogai Khan, the Son of the Sky, the
Chosen of Tengri, Great Ruler of All Crimea and the Lands Beyond.
Nikolai: (only because Siegfried lets you live)
Nikolai: (much like Chuck Norris but more badass.)
Translator: I will serve as the medium between you and His Exalted
Supremeness.
*** Nikolai turns to Vasily
*** Nikolai mimes "do you want to do this or should I"
Translator: You stand also before three honored advisors to the
Exalted Khan: his Minister of Trade, his Advisor on Foreign Matters, and
his Overseer of Arcane Matters.
Vasily: (I can take it.)
Nikolai: (k)
DM of Da: Each of the three advisors nod their heads in turn.
DM of Da: The Khan makes a slight nod toward the Advisor on
Foreign Matters, who addresses you in Mongol, and the interpreter
translates...
Translator: Inform us of your place of origin and purpose here.
Vasily: We are but simple messengers from Russia. However, as
we are grateful that HEaSS has given us welcome in his hall, we wish to
thank him presenting HEaSS with a few humble gifts.
Vasily: /present
Sven: //hahaha, HEaSS
*** Nikolai clears his throat
Sven: //that's "DuMAS".
Nikolai: We were informed by our guide that this creature is
feared and respected
DM of Da: The Khan says nothing, but the advisor motions to one of
the many guards standing at attention at the edges of the hall, who
comes forward to take your gifts
*** Sven presents the cute manticore
Nikolai: So we thought its head would make a token of
appreciation for hearing our message for HEaSS
Sven: //oh, we're just on the head right now.
Nikolai: Furthermore we came across its lair and younglings,
which we are also presented to HEaSS as tokens of our appreciation
Nikolai: //I wanted to describe them :p
Sven: //sure sure :-P
Nikolai: presenting*
*** Nogai Khan raises his eyebrows slightly and nods thoughtfully,
stroking his beard
Vasily: (Care for these as you would care for a nation?)
DM of Da: The Overseer of Arcane Matters speaks, and the
interpreter translates...
Translator: Your gifts are impressive, and you choose them well and
appropriately to the Exalted Khan's divine station. His Surpassing
Supremeness is curious, however, and would have you tells us of how it
comes to be that ones so skilled in combat as to defeat such a creature
would serve as mere messengers?
Sven: //he's good at this whole mind-reading thing.
root: // use wild empathy on him
DM of Gaia: //That's why he's the Khan and you're not imo
Sven: //you have a death wish boy?
Sven: //Worst Druid Ever.
Sven: //(tm)
DM of Gaia: So who's going to answer :P
Albrecht: so how do we answer?
Albrecht: ah yes
Albrecht: our answer is as follows:
Vasily: May we present our message to HMEaSS? I believe it will
explain matters more clearly.
Albrecht: our employers wanted people who they felt they could
guarantee would arrive with the message
DM of Da: Ok.
DM of Da: When your response is translated, the Khan nods in
satisfaction, and the Advisor on Foreign Matters responds...
Vasily: It is unfortunate news, but comes with hope. Our
employers wished to show their good faith.
Sven: //these are totally more respectable mongols . . .
Brunhilda would be pleased.
*** Nikolai takes out box
Translator: Well spoken. We will receive your message.
*** Nikolai This is the parcel we have been entrusted with by our
employers.
Nikolai: nonoptions
Nikolai: bah
Nikolai: This is the parcel we have been entrusted with by our
employers.
*** Nikolai holds it out
Nikolai: This is from Danil and Anastas of Russia.
DM of Da: The Minister of Trade motions to another guard, who
takes the box
DM of Da: The guard brings it to the minister; he inspects it,
then calls something out
*** Ling Jian whispers
Ling Jian: He is sending for a court wizard.
Sven: //uhh, is that good or bad?
Albrecht: // well there was magic on the box
DM of Da: A Mongol man in simple robes steps out from a shadowy
corner of the hall, approaching the minister
DM of Da: The man bows, and begins to spellcast
Nikolai: ?
DM of Da: I'm going to assume you guys can make trivial Spellcraft
checks here, so...
Nikolai: sure
Nikolai: aswsume that
Sven: fine with me.
DM of Da: He casts Detect Magic, peers at the box, then casts
Knock
Albrecht: it's a safe assumption
Vasily: Aye.
DM of Da: The minister opens the box; after inspecting the
contents of the pouch, he breaks the seal on the letter and skims it
briefly
DM of Da: While he does this, the wizard whispers something in his
ear
DM of Da: The minister nods; the wizard returns to where he was
standing before, and the minister has the guard bring the letter to the
interpreter, who turns to the Khan, bows, and begins to read it
DM of Da: All the while, as the letter is being read, the Khan
maintains an impassive expression, looking not at the interpreter but at
you, surveying you with mild interest
DM of Da: When the interpreter is finished reading the letter, the
Khan speaks for the first time.
DM of Da: He says a brief few words to the Minister of Trade - the
one still holding the box - who responds even more briefly
*** Ling Jian whispers
Sven: //is we fizzucked?
Ling Jian: The Khan asked the minister if the box contained
anything else, and the minister told him it held only a pouch of
platinum pieces.
DM of Da: The minister then turns and addresses you; the
interpreter translates...
Translator: The Exalted Khan wishes to know whether you knew the
contents of the box you carried before today.
Vasily: Only insofar as we knew the purpose of its contents.
*** Translator furrows his brow, glancing at the Khan briefly
Translator: I must be sure of your meaning if I am to convey your
words properly. What do you mean by this?
DM of Da: //anyone?
Vasily: //typing
DM of Da: //k
Vasily: As I'm sure HMEaSS knows, goblin attacks south of Kiev
have risen sharply. The woods are no longer safe, even for armed
caravans. As far as I know, our employers had been negotiating a deal
on behalf of HMEaSS and lost something of value pertaining to this deal.
We are here to beg him for another chance on their behalf. As you can
see from our gifts, we can handle ourselves considerably better than
even an armed caravan.
Vasily: *lost something of value pertaining to this deal in a
goblin attack.
DM of Da: //k just to clarify here, are you planning to say all of
that deliberately, or did you fail to pay attention during the session
when you guys opened and read the letter
Nikolai: //what do you mean
Nikolai: //as far as I can tell, that is exactly what Vasily
knows about the job
Vasily: // everything I said, we knew without the letter
Nikolai: //we didn't read any letter
Nikolai: //officially
Vasily: // yep
DM of Gaia: //yes I know you didn't
Nikolai: //ok then what did he say wrong there
Nikolai: //I must be missing it
Vasily: // Likewise.
DM of Gaia: //I guess I'm just confused by wording there
DM of Gaia: "As far as I know, our employers had been negotiating a
deal on behalf of HMEaSS"
Nikolai: that is probably the wrong words
Sven: //that's where I was confused
root: //.... I think he means "with" instead of "on behalf of"
Vasily: // yeah.
DM of Gaia: Ok
Vasily: // well, it is a logical conclusion...
Vasily: // but yeah, no sense revealing too much.
*** Translator nods, and translates
*** Nogai Khan narrows his eyes
Vasily: // Based on what I know of them, they're very clearly
middlemen.
Vasily: // thus the on behalf of.
DM of Da: //Oh absolutely that is consistent with your knowledge
of them
DM of Da: The Minister of Trade speaks, his tone of voice carrying
a tinge of displeasure, and the interpreter translates...
Translator: If your masters had indeed been negotiating with His
Exalted Supremeness, and had committed the absurd blunder of losing
items of value to this negotiation, then they would hardly be worthy of
continued dealings with the Exalted Khan, had they even been so to begin
with.
Translator: In any case it is obvious to us that you knew and know
nothing of the message you carried, as His Surpassing Supremeness hears
about these employers of yours for the first time.
Vasily: /boggle
Nikolai: /alsoboggle
Sven: //ruh roh.
Albrecht: // and now we have to wait for them to see the secret
message
Vasily: // do we know what they lost? i.e. gems?
Translator: However the Minister of Trade advises you to choose whom
you serve more carefully in the future, as the Rulers of All Crimea and
the Lands Beyond should hardly be expected to take notice of petitioners
who cannot even provided gifts of greater value than those offered by
their own messengers!
DM of Da: *provide
Sven: //rofl.
Nikolai: // I think you might
Vasily: // hah
Vasily: // sandy?
Nikolai: // after all it was you that was entrusted with their
care originally
DM of Da: //you don't know, no
Nikolai: //hm
DM of Da: The Overseer of Arcane Matters now speaks, and his words
are translated thusly...
Sven: //"Hadoken"
Nikolai: //lol
Translator: Were it not for one circumstance, your presence here
would serve no further purpose, and we would send you back to your
masters in disgrace and failure. This we will still do, but not yet. You
are ordered hereby to remain within the limits of Tmutarakan until such
time as His Exalted Supremeness or one of his court sends for you.
root: //Siegfried???
Sven: //hah.
Translator: This audience is concluded.
DM of Da: The guards who escorted you in now approach you again
Albrecht: either we're useful or they saw that there was a secret
page and don't want us to hear what's written
Vasily: Thank you for your time.
Vasily: /bow
<<< Translator has left >>>
<<< 10:55:00 PM >>>
*** Sven bows deeply
<<< Nogai Khan has left >>>
<<< 10:55:01 PM >>>
Nikolai: /bow
<<< Advisors has left >>>
<<< 10:55:03 PM >>>
Sven: I don't think anyone wanted the entire court to hear
about it.
DM of Da: You are escorted out of the palace.
Sven: so if anything
Sven: we might get approached later for a much more private
talk
Nikolai: maybe
Nikolai: or maybe it will be about the manticore
Nikolai: who knows
Sven: or maybe we'll discuss the local sports team
Nikolai: that too
Sven: "Yes Khan, the Knicks still suck."
Sven: "Yes Khan, the Yankees are out too."
root: The Russians are playing a new game. They call is
hockey
root: Yankees eh?
root: // http://mrcab.homelinux.net:9090/moogleville/song.mp3
Sven: //every year, eh? :-P
Sven: //it's been how long now?
root: / they havent won since
root: / seven years
Sven: //that's quite a grudge :-P
Nikolai: //rofl
Albrecht: so
Albrecht: anything for us to do here?
Sven: back to wherever we're hanging out, I guess
Vasily: more scribing?
Nikolai: //well I found my favorite character design in FF12
Nikolai: // doctor cid
Albrecht: I assume we can't afford getting Legend Lore or similar
spells on those new swords
Nikolai: dear god no
root: I'm not talking to that witch again
Sven: that's like umpteen gold
Albrecht: and there's really nothing between Identify and Legend
Lore
Sven: or, like umpteen/10 platinum
Nikolai: lol
DM of Da: That is like ump.teen
DM of Da: Or teen.ump
DM of Da: 10.ump?
DM of Da: 1.ump
DM of Da: There we go.
root: / in fairness, "I'm sorry Khan, it's best if we don't
even discuss the Mets"
DM of Da: Alright
DM of Da: The very next day
DM of Da: You are sent for once more.
DM of Da: It seems the Khan wishes to receive you for a second
audience
Sven: well that was fizzast.
DM of Da: You are once again escorted into the palace
DM of Da: This time, however, instead of the three advisors that
were there before, the Khan is attended by only one of them - the
Overseer of Arcane Matters.
DM of Da: The same translator is there.
<<< Nogai Khan has joined >>>
<<< 11:02:53 PM >>>
<<< Overseer has joined >>>
<<< 11:02:57 PM >>>
<<< Translator has joined >>>
<<< 11:03:00 PM >>>
DM of Da: After you are welcomed once more, the Overseer speaks,
and his words are translated thusly...
Vasily: /bow
Sven: //"Shoryuken."
Translator: His Exalted Supremeness wishes to know whether you serve
your employers out of loyalty or obligation stemming from a likeness of
purpose or natural duty; or whether your services have been bought by
the same wealth these employers offered the Exalted Khan.
Sven: //hah.
Albrecht: // so are we just hired help or do we want what they
want...
Vasily: // I'm leaning towards wealth here. No sense lying
about it.
Albrecht: // officially we are just hired help... but in reality
we want the stuff
Sven: //that sounds like option B to me.
root: /we serve our employers though, because we were hired
Vasily: // sure, but here we stand to gain little from having
the Khan think we're close friends of these guys.
Nikolai: //yeah
Nikolai: //we have no loyalty or obligation here
Vasily: The latter. My femur itches whenever there's a good
deal to be had, and I felt that these gentlemen had a good deal to
offer.
Sven: //. . . your femur?
Albrecht: // that is pretty weird
DM of Gaia: roflmaozedong
DM of Gaia: femur.
*** Translator raises an eyebrow
Vasily: // why not. Is it any better than lobes?
root: roflmaozedung?????
*** Translator translates
root: wtfbbq
Sven: yeah . . .
Sven: it's his new thing . . .
Nikolai: lol.
Vasily: Shadap young'n.
root: wow
DM of Da: The Khan's expression remains impassive; The Overseer
nods in satisfaction and continues...
Vasily: (the shadap was at Sven, and only whispered if I said it
at all)
Translator: Tell us what you know of your employers, and know this:
you have much to gain from the generosity and beneficence of His Exalted
Supremeness if your answers please him.
Nikolai: both generousity and beneficence, eh?
<<< Vasily has joined >>>
<<< 11:14:47 PM >>>
Vasily: Indeed.
Vasily: Well, what does HMEaSS wish to know? They are
businessmen with a marginal reputation in Oleshie for getting things
where they need to be. They seem confident in their sales ability.
Nikolai: //should we just outright tell him about the sapphires?
Vasily: Unfortunately, their caravan met with some bad luck and
the ... they were some sort of gems if memory serves... were lost to the
goblin hordes of the forest.
Nikolai: //keep in mind, we didn't know about the sapphires
Vasily: // let me know if Oliver says something Vasily would
know to be false.
Nikolai: //they were in a knocked box
Nikolai: //locked.
Vasily: // or not part of his "supposed" knowledge.
Vasily: // this includes that bit about the gems above.
DM of Da: //Good so far
Vasily: // Vasily knew about the gems, yes?
Nikolai: //no he didn't
Nikolai: //not officially
DM of Da: //Hm yeah
DM of Da: //You didn't
Vasily: // officially, I mean.
Vasily: // ok, scratch that
DM of Da: //Not officially exatly
DM of Da: k
Vasily: ... bad luck and the box that was being transported was
lost to the ...
DM of Da: k.
DM of Da: The Overseer snaps his fingers
DM of Da: And a servant emerges from the shadows, carrying the
letter
DM of Da: He hands it to the interpreter, who says...
Translator: The Overseer of Arcane Matters commands that I now read
to you this letter you had carried, such that further discussion of this
matter be conducted in full awareness.
DM of Da: (he had previously read the letter in Mongol, of course)
DM of Da: He now re-reads it to you in Russian, as it is written
DM of Da: Of course you all have read it before so I won't bother
repasting
DM of Da: But officially you're hearing its contents for the first
time
DM of Gaia: The relevant portion
DM of Gaia: Is
DM of Gaia: It is our most fervent wish that you accept our
expression of admiration for your resourcefulness and power, for news
has reached even to these lands of your singular achievement in securing
that which has eluded all seekers for three and a half decades, the
treasure of the fearsome and legendary beast whose name, we trust, needs
not be set down here.
DM of Gaia:
Vasily: could you summarize just for posterity?
Vasily: ah, yes.
DM of Gaia: And then blah blah offering blah another sample blah
etc.
Vasily: also, they don't mention the secret page?
DM of Gaia: No there's no mention of that as yet
DM of Gaia: Basically the letter is "We heard you'd parted with a
small sample of this treasure, we would also like some, can we has it
plzkthx"
DM of Da: Aaaanyway
Sven: hahahaha
Albrecht: // here is some money also we can help you with
information or something
DM of Da: The Overseer speaks again, and his words are translated
as follows...
Vasily: /boggle
Vasily: Indeed. They said this deal was big. They didn't say
how big.
Sven: //I CAN HAS BIG FUCKING GEMS?
Translator: Know this, messengers!
Translator: Your employers are fools and the people they deal with
are thieves.
Nikolai: So wait
Albrecht: // good thing they paid us in advance
Nikolai: They're saying that someone else gave them the gems on
behalf of the khan?
DM of Da: //To recap
Vasily: They are? /shock
DM of Da: //What you'd been told before
Vasily: We
DM of Da: //Is that the Khan gave/sold (unspecified) a small big
of the treasure away, it made its way to Oleshie, where Danil and
Anastas bought it
Vasily: What appaling behavior. They claimed they'd had
legitimate dealings.
Nikolai: //i see
Nikolai: //now it all makes sense
Vasily: //oooh... ah well. Might as well keep smearing them.
Play off it to get into the Khan's good graces :)
root: //not like we like them anyway
Translator: Your employers may have thought this, but they were
deceived, or else willingly bought stolen riches that were the rightful
property of His Exalted Supremeness.
Nikolai: We apologize to His Exalted Supremeness, and assure him
that we had no idea.
Vasily: That is most unfortunate. Is there anything we can do
to help the situation?
Translator: What this letter claims was given away freely was not,
but rather was stolen from the Exalted Khan's possession!
Translator: However...
Translator: There is another matter.
Translator: Enchanted upon this letter is a hidden message.
Vasily: o.O
Nikolai: *gasp!*
root: 0_0
Vasily: sneaky.
Translator: It claims to have knowledge of the kind that would not
be possessed by simple merchants, especially those so foolish as the
text of the letter appears to indicate.
Vasily: Oh?
Translator: His Surpassing Supremeness has commanded that it must be
acquired for his possession.
Translator: To that end...
Vasily: What sort of knowledge?
Translator: The Exalted Khan will provide that which the letter asks
for.
Translator: You will carry it back to your employers.
Nikolai: //sandy
Nikolai: //remind me what it said
DM of Da: //gems
Nikolai: //no
Vasily: // we can read it.
DM of Da: //the letter asked for more
Nikolai: //the secret message
Vasily: // we can read the text of somethingorother.
DM of Da: //"We can decipher the words of the demon. Help us, and
his power will be yours."
Translator: You will convey to them the Khan's promise of riches
from the treasure the letter mentions, riches a thousand times greater
than the sample you will provide.
*** Nikolai waiting for more
*** DM of Da typing
Nikolai: k
Translator: You will give them a letter of response, which will say
that the price for these riches is twofold: That they return to His
Exalted Supremeness one thing that was stolen along with the gems, and
that they come themselves to his court, bringing with them whatever or
whoever is able to provide the knowledge they claimed to possess.
Vasily: (bahaha. And of course... guess who has said thing.)
Nikolai: (who)
Vasily: (<.<)
DM of Da: (you do)
Vasily: (>.>)
Nikolai: (ohhh)
Nikolai: (the paper)
Nikolai: (right?)
DM of Da: //Right.
Vasily: (I'm guessing)
Nikolai: (well we have one of two)
Nikolai: (if we had the knowledge they claim)
Nikolai: (we could just right now do the deal)
Nikolai: (should we attempt to bluff our way through?)
Nikolai: (might work)
Sven: (umm what)
Vasily: (The paper is the less important of the two)
Nikolai: (yeah but)
Nikolai: (maybe we can come up with something)
Albrecht: // well we have what we have
Nikolai: (if we knew more about the situation)
Nikolai: (my theory is)
Albrecht: // we have a paper, and we've now officially been given
indication that there's more to this
Nikolai: (let's see if he'll tell us what this knowledge is
Nikolai: //maybe we CAN decipher the words of the dmeon
Nikolai: //who knows until we know what we're dealing with
Nikolai: //granted he has spellcasters working for him
Nikolai: //hmmm
Sven: //I'm sorry, you guys lost me
Nikolai: //ok that's probably not going to work then
Vasily: // Unless the page IS the words of the demon.
Nikolai: //we got that from Arkadiy
Nikolai: //right?
Vasily: No, it was traveling along with the gems.
DM of Da: //It's one of the two things you looted from the caravan
DM of Da: //Box o'
DM of Da: //gems
Nikolai: ok
Nikolai: ok
Nikolai: so
DM of Da: //And scroll case with a torn page from some massive
tome (page is blank, radiates faint illusion magic)
Nikolai: right
Nikolai: hmmmmm
Nikolai: ok forget it then
Nikolai: we can't promise anything about deciphering any demon
stuff
Nikolai: anything we can do his casters can do better
Vasily: yep
DM of Da: //And now the Khan is saying it was stolen from him and
implying it was part of the treasure from the Demon of Fire and Storm
Sven: I heard a song about that once.
DM of Da: Well
DM of Da: Time to reply to what you're being told to do here
DM of Da: And presumably leave
DM of Da: Or say other things
Sven: That was my presumption as well
DM of Da: Whatever it is you're planning on doing here
DM of Da: Say/do/etc.
Vasily: // can we do anything else? I don't think so.
Sven: //I think we're done here.
Albrecht: // yeah I think all we can do is at most ask to get that
in writing
Nikolai: //well I assumed he was going to give it to us
DM of Da: //That's already the plan
DM of Da: //Repasting:
Vasily: Very well, we shall convey HMEaSS's message to our
employers. Thank you for your audience.
Translator: Translator: You will give them a letter of response,
which will say that the price for these riches is twofold: That they
return to His Exalted Supremeness one thing that was stolen along with
the gems, and that they come themselves to his court, bringing with them
whatever or whoever is able to provide the knowledge they claimed to
possess.
Vasily: err...
Sven: //and a fine repast it is.
Vasily: s/you/HMEaSS
DM of Da: Ok.
DM of Da: You are escorted out
Sven: bounceunt.
DM of Da: Later that day one of the Khan's guards arrives and
hands you a pouch with a sealed letter
DM of Da: What's the plan now?
Vasily: homeward bound?
Vasily: Oh, and did we have scribing time while waiting?
DM of Da: You had the week you waited for your first audience plus
another day
DM of Da: Now when you say homeward bound
DM of Da: Be specific
DM of Da: You are going to Oleshie to deliver the message as
planned?
Sven: boy will things be better once I have transport via
plants.
Albrecht: are we headed to Oleshie or to Kiev?
Vasily: Oleshie I'd say.
DM of Da: That's my question, yep
DM of Da: k
Nikolai: well
Vasily: We haven't learned anything too new.
Nikolai: I'd say we're going to deliver the message
Nikolai: it's true, we have nothing new
Nikolai: he told us what's in the message
Nikolai: we know the pouch has gems in it
Nikolai: all we can do is see what this deciphering the demons is
Sven: forrizzle.
Nikolai: and watch those guys panic when they can't find the page
DM of Da: Alright
Vasily: If we have the message itself, we should DetMag it.
Nikolai: which message
Sven: DetMag? is that the new technical term?
DM of Da: The return letter?
DM of Da: There's no magic
Nikolai: k
DM of Da: Your travels through Mongol lands are uneventful
Vasily: (and Nikolai gets one of Darkvision, Darkness, Hasan's
Magic Aura, Resist Energy, Fox's Cunning)
DM of Da: Ling Jian escorts you the entire way back, returns to
his grandfather, and bids you farewell
Nikolai: (taking Darkvision)
root: can't we fight something worth 200XP?
Sven: //was Ling Jian at the second audience?
DM of Da: //Only if you wanted him to be
DM of Da: //In fact, that's not even true
DM of Da: //The answer is no
Sven: //k.
DM of Da: //You were sent for explicitly without him
DM of Da: And as you exit Crimea and return to the mainland, that
is where we end for the night
Vasily: (Yes, please... some 1k-ish XP monster would hit the
spot)
DM of Da: btw everyone gets 500 rpxp
Sven: very well.
root: sweetness
DM of Da: I'll put that in an email
Vasily: ...
Vasily: damnit.
root: rogue or ranger....
DM of Da: :x
DM of Da: Any QUESTIONS or COMMENTS?!
Vasily: 222 xp left.
Sven: /roll 1d8
*** DM rolls dice for Sven: 1d8 < 1 = 1 > = 1
*** Vasily rolls dice for Sven : 1d8 < 5 = 5 > = 5
root: /roll 1d6
*** DM rolls dice for root: 1d6 < 6 = 6 > = 6
*** Vasily rolls dice for root : 1d6 < 3 = 3 > = 3
root: nice
Sven: umm . . .
Vasily: err..
Vasily: /disable-diebot
*** Vasily is disabled
DM of Gaia: REROLL
Sven: /roll 1d8
*** DM rolls dice for Sven: 1d8 < 4 = 4 > = 4
Albrecht: yeah 500 doesn't get me up :(
DM of Gaia: k.
Albrecht: guess I should do some dishes
Albrecht: stupid dishes
Sven: haha, I have no hit points.
root: yours diebot rolled
root: I'm taking my 6
DM of Gaia: Why would you want hit points
DM of Gaia: Are you intending to have battles
DM of Gaia: Or enter combat for any reason
Sven: I mean in general
Sven: not right at the moment.
Nikolai: heh
Vasily: I needs me mah skills!
DM of Gaia: Are you intending to enter combat EVER
Nikolai: yes
Nikolai: otherwise why would we need all these hit dice.
Vasily: Next Tuesday.
Sven: also
Sven: tarpeian rock has to go down at some point
Vasily: Right after they install the deflector dish.
Sven: that wil require combat.
Vasily: Unless we talk our way through it.
Sven: why would I talk my way through eradicating them
Vasily: /shrug
root: just give me a few levels of assasin and lots of rounds
to work with
Sven: now . . . let's see what's useful at level 3 on the
druid spell list
Vasily: /sob
root: hmm...5 ranks of Decipher Script are useful to anyone
wishing to Use MAgic Device a scroll
Vasily: Ever since I was a little halfling, the other halflings
would always mock me. All I wanted was to become uberpowerful so I
could go back there and kill them all!.
Vasily: And it'll never happen now.
Vasily: Today's OOTS.
root: oo
Vasily: "The little psion who could."
Vasily: Best pun ever.
root: :)
Albrecht: UMD isn't quite useless
Albrecht: it appears to allow you to make sense of archaic forms
assuming you can comprehend the language
Albrecht: err
Albrecht: decipher
Albrecht: UMD is awesome
root: that would be why I have ranks in it
DM of Gaia: WOW
DM of Gaia: Rich Burlew is just cranking out the comics
Albrecht: read the news
root: Decipher synergizes to UMD checks involving scrolls
Albrecht: this is catchup
Albrecht: yeah, but the main purpose appears to be to have the DM
fill in the blanks on the missing words of a half-ruined parchment or
translate poetry to prose
root: etc etc
root: yeah