Chapter 13: Q&A / Discussions

[Darren]

I don't care how much experience he gained, playing Pied Piper with a cube and then one-shotting the other one will go down as two of the greatest things Kal ever did.

[Dave W.]

tossing a cube down a well was an awesome thing to watch!

[Brian]

I do so love the conflict!

[Jeff]

Jul 13, 2017 20:21:51 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

tossing a cube down a well was an awesome thing to watch!

I should have tried to make a gif out of that moment. 😉

[Ken]

Jul 13, 2017 22:27:25 GMT -4 Brian said:

I do so love the conflict!

I know! It's rare to see Condign/Melethos lose his cool in general but also specifically at Belarin!

[Brian]

I don't think we can move on until someone answers Llash-Tava, and ideally that should be Kal or Belarin.

[Dave W.]

Jul 17, 2017 18:44:50 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

Shorak looks at the sphinx, then at Belarin, back to the spinx, over to Kal. "A blood sacrifice?" he whispers. "When did we agree to that?"

Now aren't you all glad the paladin is off on his special mission?

[Dave B.]

Yeah, but think of all the roleplaying gold we're missing out on.

[Ken]

It sounds like the decision has been made to stick with the sphinx, but we should wait for Darren to jump in since Kal was the one who was given the terms of the deal.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I'm waiting for Darren personally. He got this ball rolling, and everyone else has benefited from it (for good or ill).

[Ken]

Just so that we're all clear on what's been agreed to and what's going on:

1) Seryssa demanded the blood sacrifice as payment for enabling our covert approach to the island.
2) There was no agreement, however, from the sahuagin on our return to Stormreach.
3) Right now, these boats are our only way back to Stormreach; that is, the sahuagin didn't agree to guide us back, and Llash-Tava isn't taking us.
4) Once the sahuagin get their payment, our dealings with them are done. If they DON'T get the payment, then Seryssa will presumably view this as betrayal and do something nasty as we row back across the water.
5) Llash-Tava wants the sahuagin away from here before she'll tell us anything.
6) She says she'll guide us safely off the island (whatever that means).

Is that right? Am I overlooking anything?

[Jeff]

Best to further clarify with these snippets of what was actually said (some of which not everyone heard, to be sure):

Oct 29, 2016 6:32:20 GMT -4 Jeff said:

When he places the leather folder before her, Seryssa frowns. "Trappings of the 'civilized' world," she says disdainfully, adding venom to the word "civilized." "Your loss may be deep, but its taste may not satisfy the savior of your world." She reaches up with one hand and caresses Kal's face with one soft hand, her long nails sharpened somehow beyond what should be possible for an elven hand. Although wet with cold rain, her skin is warm. She touches him as though appraising a beautiful slave.

"Do you think the Devourer is but one of many deities, a fearsome face hidden beneath the waves...to be ignored or forgotten? Do you think so little of him?" Kal sees moisture around her eyes, and he's not sure if it's just the rain, or evidence of an erratic mind so quickly flushed with emotion. She seems truly concerned about his answer, perhaps dangerously so. When she speaks, he can see that some of her teeth are slightly pointed. But there is nothing undead about her.

Note that Seryssa regarded the original sacrificial item as disappointing. She accepted it, though, but then went on to add the bit about a "living captive."

Oct 30, 2016 9:36:29 GMT -4 Jeff said:

"I will entreat the Sovereign of Whelm and Wave and speak on your behalf. What matters to you does not matter to him, but by your loss perhaps he will accept you." She points to the raft and specifically to its northeastern corner. "The Blue Fin speaks well of you, and your deeds. You have greater courage than others your kind. Go, return to your friends and ready your offering. When the moment is right, you will cast it into the sea." 

Then she leans down close and whispers to him, "But you will do one other thing for me, my human lord. When your errand has ended, you will bring me one living captive. A friend, an enemy, I care not which. Do you understand?" Despite her words of dangerous innuendo and possible blood sacrifice, Kal cannot help but find Seryssa and her low and melodic voice alluring. She clearly spends her life amidst the savage sahuagin and their violent ways, but she clearly retains all the nuances of society. And somehow she's even managed to not smell like fish.

Refresh:

She did not say anything at all about the fate of the "living captive."

Regarding after: "the sahuagin didn't agree to guide us back":

A little while later, when being dropped off at the island from their skiff.

Nov 3, 2016 9:32:42 GMT -4 Jeff said:

The skiff slows and floats up near the coarse gray sandy beach on the island's northern tip, close enough for anyone to simply step out into shallow water. You see a few sahuagin heads bobbing up behind you.

"When you return, we return," one hisses, ready to draw the skiff away once the party disembarks.

A second sea devil rises up so its torso emerges from the water. It remains hunched and wary as though not wanting to be spotted. "Know that there are two guards by the door. Softskins not normally posed here." The twenty-foot-high unattached walls block all view of the door, so if there are guards there, they can't see you now. The distance and the rain dampen any sound that might travel, so casual conversation seems safe here...but once you get closer to the Lighthouse, there's a chance of being detected.

Then just minutes ago:

Jul 13, 2017 10:39:43 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Looking around, Llash-Tava says, "I must find Argushem. But I will help you from this island first. There is a raft? Perhaps I can pull it for you. Where?"

Them's the facts.

[Ken]

Jeff, what sort of "normal" sea creatures (e.g., seals, whales) would we have seen during our voyage on the Merrow Down and while we've been in Stormreach?

[Jeff]

I don't quite follow. Just look back. If you mean things not specifically mentioned, than any mundane sea creature could have been spotted. Dolphins, maybe a few distant whale tales. Tons of fish. Sharks for sure. Seals wouldn't be too close to the docks, but likely nearby around the coast—but you guys wouldn't have seen them. In the middle of the Thunder Sea, maybe even some jellyfish. But I don't think anyone was specifically looking.

[Ken]

No, that's fine. I'm just trying to figure out what sort of sea animals might pop up in this specific area, based on Belarin's limited experience.

[Jeff]

Xen'drik is by default tropical. BUT crazy magical cataclysms have certainly altered the possibilities.

[Jeff]

Everyone gets 7,000 XP for freeing Llash-Tava. When the group begins a long rest and is safely away from where they're at, there'll be a bit more (and some leveling will begin).

[Jeff]

Jul 22, 2017 10:10:03 GMT -4 Darren said:

Jul 21, 2017 17:38:58 GMT -4 Jeff said:

The sphinx merely looks to Shorak when Kal asks.

Shorak knows precisely where the Tents of Rushemé are—just outside of Southwatch, in the west and southern part of the city, open to the jungles. And Kal himself heard Huru, the half-orc woman of House Tharashk, mention it a couple of times.

If I ask, I get this. If I don't ask, I get the patented Jeff-LaSala "none-of-you-know-where-to-find-this". I can't win!

Oooh, I have a patent!? Fun!

Aw, c'mon. Searching for words that have come up is super easy and something I use all the time to find links to past posts.

Click this:


 

[Darren]

Bah! Fie on thee!

[Dave W.]

Jul 22, 2017 20:30:11 GMT -4 Ken said:

Belarin lingers in the back, close to Melethos. "What would you have done?" he asks quietly, seeking an answer. "You're about to start climbing up a tunnel, and Adamant says, 'Excuse me, my good friend Condign-Who's-Not-Condign, but I'm not coming with you. I need to fulfill my promise to a disembodied person. Please don't tell anyone. So sorry they're going to hate you. Okay, bye!'

For the record, this is a radical retelling of the narrative that may not be entirely factual.

And though it would be interesting for Condign to head butt Adamant, I'm glad you didn't... I was afraid you guys would see through the "I'll just hang back here with Belarin..." thing

[Jeff]

Even so, Adamamt is adorable when he gets sneaky.

For the record, a head-butt would be an unarmed attack, which is just 1 damage plus your Strength modifier. I'd probably add another point or two to that because of a tiefling's horns.

It would have taken a lot of head-butting to take down a warforged who's just had some healing.

[Brian]

At the time I was considering the head butt, Adamant had 4 hit points. I remember double checking if one good head butt would do it. Either way, I think it played out the best way.

[Darren]

I'm imagining Condign ramming his head into Adamant over and over again and Adamant just standing there saying, "Ummm....what are you doing?"

[Ken]

Jul 23, 2017 12:23:13 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

For the record, this is a radical retelling of the narrative that may not be entirely factual.

Well, of course, it's a radical retelling. It's Belarin! 😉

[Jeff]

Guys, what with character leveling happening soon, I wanted to ask: does anyone intend to throw curve balls at me? Will you each be proceeding to the next level of your current class? Belarin's recent comment about dagger practice made me realize that some of you might want to make some kind of gear shift. But if so, we need to do that together. I want to make sure there's story reasons for multiclassing decisions, an in-story support for how it could be pulled off.

[Ken]

I'm considering taking one level of rogue. It would get Belarin back to some of his original traits and better set him up for what he feels he needs to do, both short term (Branash) and long term (his mission for the Wood Mistress).

[Darren]

Nah. Kal has been Frankenstein'd enough for one lifetime.

[Brian]

Straight up fighter class leveling for Melethos.

[Jeff]

Ken, ah. In which case I'd think Belarin would want to spend more time with Shorak. Especially as picking up a level of rogue would also give him Sneak Attack, Expertise, proficiency with thieves tools, and Thieves' Cant. That's a lot of skulduggery, more than Big Red would be comfortable with.

[Dave W.]

Way back when we were on the bottom of the ocean and Adamant opened the chest, I kept thinking he should multi into cleric... the vision told him he's not just a soldier any more and all that...

but when I look at it, there's so much paladin-y goodness that I keep backing out of it. I'll probably just stick to paladin-ing...