Homebrew system thread II, part 2

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Oh, good, stuff to action and things happening- new bodies welcome, by the way. The market is under way and the rush to make stuff for it is over; panic stations no longer apply.


Larric's explanation is met with looks of confusion, a whispered huddle, and it seems that they are willing to believe him, for now at least. Tey also- 'You're the first people we've come across who have the faintest idea what's going on'- want to go with you.

It is actually one of them who raises the issue. 'If they, the vals, wanted to raise a mob, wouldn't they have been recruiting or something? I mean, wouldn't they have actually tried to, ah, raise a mob, with ranting in the streets and stuff? Did they just, what, pick people they knew were with them?'

The docks are not far away, and they are in a state of some chaos and shouting- what is burning is mostly scrap and offcuts, they're looking after the good stuff, and there is a mound of timber being seasoned that has people arguing whether to keep building houseboats with it or start cobbling together siege engines.

One of the junior priests comes out to meet Larric- Maker Wright is at temple asking the gods for information. 'Oh, right, it's you. What on earth's happening up there? Have the Valdemironi all gone mad?'


Lisanna and Dirt backtrack, heading towards the sound of eldritch fighting, where you make one important discovery; the tentacle- thing doesn't seem able to stand the sight of blood. It's squeamish as well as squamous; intended as a trick and a diversion, the summoner couldn't have had time to make a real combat monster out of it as well. It seems to be trying to hold the valdemironi back; trying not to look at the slightly squished one.

It's flailing about with it's eyes closed, it has about four fighting limbs and a dozen phantom tentacles that it's trying to be deceptive with, and Dirt has time to look round a little- but Lisanna seems to have a plan, dives straight in, rapier out and glittering; attacks the Valdemironi- Dirt following?

She is very fast and very lucky, her style suits rapier well- fast and flowing, almost dancing. Drops two of them, leaves them glowing and twitching on the ground.

Action?

[Simon_Jester]

The alchemist nods and sighs. "Aye, more or less. They've magicked up a crowd of angry men to hem in the castle. Their plots were brought into the light, they've been scheming with the constable and the treasurer and all manner of folly. The crowd is chanting slogans, half Leveller and half the law of the Chieftain. If we don't stop them before they goad the mob into attacking the castle, I don't know what will happen next."

[Kaelan]

OOC - anybody out there........

[Kaelan]

OOC - and now the page refreshes and I see the posts!

IC - Dirt almost follows thru with his axe in hand, but then has a better idea. Stowing his axe he picks up Mr squish and engages in that most classic of ogre combat techniques - Clubbing the creature to death with bloody Mr squish.

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale adds to the men speaking with Larric:
"The 'vals' have been scheming for some time. They probably aren't ranting in the streets because the seeds for their revolt have been quietly cultivated over weeks, if not months. They are trying to seize control of the castle and destroy the Baron, the baron's family, the baron's retainers and everyone who continues to serve there. If they succeed they'll have no reason not to destroy anyone and anything that disagrees with them. People will die in this plot. If we don't act carefully, more people will die than need to. The temple of Valdemiron must be thwarted before it incites even more damage and bloodshed."

[Simon_Jester]

Larric sighs again, then he twitches his head toward Dale.

"Now he knows what'll happen next."

[Fiji_Fury]

OOC: Eh? There's something I'm not picking up on regarding Larric's actions and speaking in the past couple of posts. I've had remarkably less sleep than usual in the past two weeks and am definitely not on top of my mental game. Can I get you to spell out to me what Larric's after with these gestures and comments?

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

That I have no problem with, but I'm confused as to what 'Mr. Squish' is. Dirt doesn't- yes, he did pick up a club, didn't he.

'Levelling is exactly what the Vals don't want, so I wonder if they're entirely in control; they've never trusted the common man, and even less the uncommon one. If they're trying to stay ahead by pushing harder, hustle the crowd into doing what they want because otherwise the crowd might get it's own ideas-

they were doing their best to take control and run the place before the Baron came back, I don't think this is the climax of a plot as much as a frantic grab at a last chance. They'd rather take over a going concern than have to fight their way into power, so this is them at their wits' end.

Hm. Desecrating their temple might be the easiest way to break the power of their magic, but that's dodgy as hell. Which is where moves like that lead. I think they may be beyond reasoned argument, though, so it may be the least bad option- better than starting a small civil war anyway. I'd prefer a brighter answer than that, anyone-' including the party, the junior priests, workers, bystanders and everyone in earshot- 'got a better idea?'


Dirt and Lisanna end up back to back as she faces the tentacle- thing, and there is a flare of green light and an almost doglike whine rising into the ultrasonic as she does something unspeakable with ancient eldritch magicks to the poor harmless monster.

There are three of them facing Dirt, who (pause for "am I getting paid enough for this?" dice)- two run, one of them is left. He blocks high, expecting Dirt to try to tent peg him, and it is a relatively simple matter for Dirt to swoop under his guard and practically drop the club on his foot, which crunches most decisively.

You have a floating tentacle thing that appears to be trying (it's mostly paralysed) to curl up into a ball, and is crying. What's the plan?

[Kaelan]

That I have no problem with, but I'm confused as to what 'Mr. Squish' is

Mr Squish aka:

It seems to be trying to hold the valdemironi back; trying not to look at the slightly squished one.

Think along the lines of the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWqGNITWIEc

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

There are three of them facing Dirt, who (pause for "am I getting paid enough for this?" dice)- two run, one of them is left.

If the Valdemironi minions still have to roll "am I getting paid enough for this" checks, that is a very good sign.

IC:

Hm. Desecrating their temple might be the easiest way to break the power of their magic, but that's dodgy as hell. Which is where moves like that lead. I think they may be beyond reasoned argument, though, so it may be the least bad option- better than starting a small civil war anyway. I'd prefer a brighter answer than that, anyone-' including the party, the junior priests, workers, bystanders and everyone in earshot- 'got a better idea?'

Could anyone or anything blow a crosswind of sensible into their work to control the crowd? We can deal with them, one way or another, as long as they don't set half of Qulan town on us.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

It's frightening how few of the gods actually do 'sensible'...

'Who could? The wizards' guild can blow people up, but not do much to change their minds otherwise; the nature gods, no, or at least not with reason, the war god no, the trickster, yes but to what end, and how much of their own purpose?

Vyr and Elnur, they could affect the situation but not for the better, Urphalion the artist yes but the nearest temple's thirty miles away, Dnor- now there is an idea.' To Dale, 'We'd all have to stand behind you and push, I'd prefer to ask that of an archpriest, we could accidentally remove parts of your head if it doesn't work.

Us, hm. You're not supposed to use people as raw material, it's wrong- it's feasible but it's wrong. I can see how it could be done but I'm not sure it would even be the lesser evil.

The odd thing is I think the best actual power to stop them might be Valdemiron. This is mad, it's a bad move- he cannot be very happy with what his servants are doing. Which still leaves us robbing the temple, at least.

Ah. The wizards' guild can't do what they can do, but they can stop them- attack the magic directly, cancel and counter. We could take the temple and stop them doing it again, hold the crowd in check.'

[Fiji_Fury]

Dale thinks hard for a minute at the comments. He certainly supports ending the Valdemironi plot and doing so with minimal bloodshed in principal, but he's far from confident in having D'nor or himself placed in a position to untangle the threads of influence and domination the Valdemiron Priests have tangled through the mob. Even so...

"We do not have an archpriest. What if we take a two front assault against the mind-weaves? The wizards guild can do some direct countering and pull away at some of the threads of domination, or at the very least distract the Valdemironi acolytes and priests while we set up to call upon D'nor and force back the weakened/distracted mind-bending? I cannot admit to being eager for this... but if it undoes the damage being caused before it gets worse, I'll stake my life on that chance."

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

You really don't have to embrace every challenge, no matter how suicidal.

'Um- I'd rather not do that, I'm not exaggerating- if we have to channel enough power through you, because you're the only one with the right ability to show them at the gut level that the consequences of their madness will lead nowhere but to the grave- if we have to use you to beat down a conclave, then the torrent of power we have to pour through you to match theirs will wash away large parts of your mind. Unless you're extremely lucky. Let's chalk that one in as plan C. Something slightly less destructive?'

[Kaelan]

OOC - painting & decorating house

IC - squish, squish, squish......

[Simon_Jester]

Larric looks back at that 'desecrate the temple' idea, not sure what's involved.

"The court wizard's already gone to talk to the guild, and I hope she gets them to help. What would we have to do at the temple, to cut them off from the power to try this again?"

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

'We would have to, well, the act itself could be as simple as tidying up the altar, pour out the bowl, burn the votive tablet and put the ikons away; it's just that they're not particularly likely to let us do that without a fight. Can't see the place not being guarded, really.'


Dirt has temporarily run out of things to squish, and Lisanna has got to a point in the daemon's interrogation that it seems to be crying, if not actually dissolving slightly. She has it in a cage of swirling dark green light, and it is bundling in something she understands, but that escapes Dirt' s ear. After a few moments stands up.

'I think we have a deal.' She says, and the green light starts to transform into the blade- but Dirt can hear feet. Someone, some many someones, running from the direction of the castle towards you.

[Simon_Jester]

IC:

Larric nods judiciously. "Still, they can't very well have their best men guarding the temple and running the mob at the same time. I wager it'd be our first team-" he looks around at Dale and those priests of Ikhran who are present- "against their second. It's a safer plan, if we can get the wizards in on it."

OOC:

Larric has a sense for how the geometry of the town puts the spatial relations- can we go to the wizards' guild on the way to the temple, or are they in opposite directions, or what? If the castle were at the center of a clock face, where would the following places be, in terms of "o'clock" and roughly how far they are from the center?

-Our place near the lake
-The temple of Valdemiron
-The wizards' guild

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Qulan is built on the shore of a lake, beside where a river feeds into it; the river flows down from the foothills on the eastern side of Mount Honeycomb. Town's almost entirely on the western side of and a litle way back from the river, the castle's on a reasonably convenient hill;

taking that as the centrepoint, the town is blob- shaped; not really planned, irregularly concentric aroiund the castle mound, street plan pulled by the major roads radiating to the gates. From the castle, the docks and the Ikhrani temple are about 5 on the clock face; the posh end of town is inland and upstream, the north east quarter, so that's where the wizards' guild will be, about 2 from the castle. The main temple of the Valdemironi is going to be in the same general quarter, closer to the edge of it, about 12.390 or thereabouts.

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

Ah, good. Convenient for us.

IC:

The alchemist concludes: "So maybe we'd better head for the guild, on the way to the temple. Who's coming?"

[Kaelan]

Dirt can hear feet. Someone, some many someones, running from the direction of the castle towards you.

"Either the Baron's sallying forth, or lunch is coming" Dirt looks over to Lisanna to see if she's entering fight or flight mode and will base is actions accordingly.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

'Not going to be a small group- first and second watches of the temple guard?' Looks up, gets nods. Almost all the temples have some kind of force- the Ikhrani larger than most of the others, actually, because they are also the town's fire and rescue service.

Some of the people milling around, who are just as confused and trying to figure out what is going on, will be willing to go too. Expect about a hundred and twenty total, two priests and four acolytes with magic. It will take a little moment to get this all organised- anything else you're doing or chasing up before heading off?



Dirt, Lisanna looks in the direction of the sound, it's obvious she doesn't think they're friendly, but she is not the running away type.

'Any acting tips?' She asks. 'I'm going to try to face this lot down. I have you, and I have that.' meaning the tentacle thing. 'I'm going to try to come across as a blood crazed madwoman willing to incinerate them all where they stand; back me up.'

[Simon_Jester]

Larric trots over to the shed where his things are stored, to restock.

He saved only a limited number of chemical reagents from the fire back in Peredburh, and some of what he saved most likely wound up in storage along with his books and glassware. Some of those items might be of use to him as feedstock for chemical-manipulating/creating magic. Especially since Larric does not at this point in his career believe in transmutation of the elements (or rather, believes that it is insanely hard and/or dangerous and greatly overestimates the prowess required to make it happen).

Some time when there's a spare day, he's going to go shopping.

All this should only take him a relatively few minutes; anything he can't find in a hurry or doesn't foresee much use for, he won't take, relying on his own knowledge of alchemy to predict what might be useful in combat. Based on my experiences with trying to get a hundred people together, the amount of cat-herding involved should give Larric time to at least dig out a few things.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Just a general note on transmutation of elements- local lore and legend (and for that matter professional opinion) suggests that while it is feasible, it is also almost always temporary.

Living things polymorphed, people healed, a big part of stabilising the result is getting the target to agree, at the subconscious level. Given the choice of 'change or die', most things choose change- even if they are consciously bitterly opposed and fighting against it.

Dumb matter doesn't so much resist, as it is that there is no switchover point, no acceptance of fate; it never stops wanting to return to it's normal self, and will do so if given the slightest chance. If a block of lead-turned-to-gold passes through a field of antimagic- or through high static- it will usually revert, at which point the wizard who tried to pass it off as the real thing had better have other talents like 'flee quickly'.

Transmutation is difficult, no question; getting something to stay transmuted is another problem to face once the basics are done. Priestly technique actually works better here- get the bystanders to believe in it also, make enough of a show of it that they contribute to stabilising it in its' new form.

Past the merely technical (there is a question here about gamma radiation that I'm trying not to think about), it also oddly becomes a question of showmanship, which is not Larric's best thing.

Actually, given this resistance, it should become quite easy to spot which substances are singular things in themselves, and which are combinations of others; drawig up the periodic table should be well under way, hadn't thought of that until now. Hm.

And there is a take off point for the improbable, if you make something exotic that subsequently becomes legendary, you have the pressure of all the people who believe in it helping it stay permanent- witness Johanna's crystal sword.

[Kaelan]

"Bongos?"

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

'Made from skulls? Should be good.' Compared to most human responses to these things Dirt has come across so far, this should be worryingly reassuring. (She was apprenticed to a necromancer for a while.)

There is a substantial force of them- fifty, two leaders, one in armour and one in robes, the rest half temple guard, chainmail and proper weapons, the other half militia.

I really forgot to describe the scene, didn't I? A crossroads with added space at the corners, houses set a little back, almost a miniature market square. You have room to fight, if it comes to that. Lisanna and the daemon-thing are glowing, slightly, well her swords are. How it looks from their point of view, as the drumming starts, well...

saying or doing anything, as a small bold handful separate themselves from the rest and come forward?



Is Larric picking up anyhting that I need to worry about the rules and stat effects of, or are we skipping to the cat- herding stage and beyond?