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balance_logs2019-06-03 01:54 pm
balancemod) wrote in balance_logs2019-06-03 01:54 pm
Field Mission 4, Etude in Blue, Part One
 1. ETUDE IN BLUE: WELCOME TO THE SEA OF FALLEN STARSA. A WATERY LANDING You'll be going down from the Moon Base via glass spheres, shot by the flight technician staff member Avi. As usual, each capsule can hold up to 4 people, although it does get increasingly uncomfortable the more people are crammed together. You're shot down to the planet in the most horrifying way possible, seeing the landscape violently change quickly and without remorse or guilt towards your possible motion sickness or uneasy feeling. The landing this time, is a canonball. All along the middle of the Sea of Fallen Stars, blips of orbs will be falling straight down into the water. From the Moon Base, Lucretia watches on as the majority of you land. It's quite a spectacle to see the splashes from this high up. And once you're there, you're... kind of up a creek without a paddle. Without a propulsion or engine system to move your orb forward, you don't have a lot of choices here. If you're lucky, you might find a mercantile ship out in between voyages. If you're extremely unlucky, you're going to have to swim... or maybe you can pop the sphere hatch open and find something to paddle with. Be careful of the sharks? Definitely be careful of the sharks. Your destination? Lyrabar. 2. THE LAP OF LUXURY, THE DANGERS OF LYRABARB. THE CITY OF MERCHANTS' DREAMS  Let's get something out of the way first: Lyrabar is a gorgeous city — and when you step off the S.S. Codfather and onto the docks about a hundred yards from the edge of the city proper, you'll be treated to a clear view of the entire skyline: Ornate, twisting towers of marble, stone buildings and finely crafted wooden structures form the city into a neat semicircle, with the marketplace at its epicenter. At the far end of the city stands a castle, a nearly glittering, extravagant structure, a maze of hallways and towers that seems to be stretching high toward the other planes of existence themselves. Lyrabar is on an entirely new level compared to Vista Virs, New Aspen, or even the comforts of the Moon Base itself. This is by far the most luxurious corner of Faerun that you've encountered yet — even the standard-level rooms you might find in an inn around Lyrabar are well maintained, the sheets are clean, and the food is delicious. The food, though! Pretty much anything you can think of is on the menu somewhere, and, no offense to an enduring and malfunctioning robot back on the base, but his cuisine chops can't even compare to what's on offer in Lyrabar. If only the people of Lyrabar were nicer. Weren't so suspicious of anyone new who passes through those gates. There is a lot of gold passing through the city gates, after all. And the pirates who are slowly overrunning the city are well aware of that.  C. THE HOBBY HORSE A lot of you strong archetype Reclaimers, and even the ones who aren't, will probably eventually find your way to The Hobby Horse, a tavern that is absolutely just a tavern, if a bit more crude compared to the other watering holes nearby and around Lyrabar, and absolutely not a place where pirates higher up on the pecking order go for a bit of Jabba-the-Hut-lair entertainment. Of course it isn't. That would be silly! In any case, maybe you've signed the waiver, paid your 20 GP, and had a go at The Death Cave — essentially a long hallway, leading from one ring to the next, with waves of aggressive monsters brought in from the ocean and beyond for you to fight through. And for some of you, those of you who have played a hand in reclaiming three Grand Relics at this point ... honestly, The Death Cave might seem a little too easy. The man taking your payments and signed waivers, a man who goes only by Old Numbers, a gruff, bearded old fart who seems to be more battle scar than human, seems to have a solution for that. He leans forward over the counter, eyeing you near suspiciously. "Oi ... if it's an actual challenge yer lookin' for, Old Numbers can whip you up somethin' more ... randomized. Y'seen those Sea Quartz around town, right? Those rainbow lookin' stars that the fancier folk keep grindin' up into shampoo. Bring me three of those, and I'll give you a fight worth yer chops." True to his word, you pay Old Numbers three SQ, he'll have you sign another waiver (essentially, you're going to have to name a next of kin — someone who's fit and willing to drag your corpse out of The Death Cave, because Old Numbers here sure as hell isn't going to do it), then he'll draw a random placard from a stack of three and affix it next to the entrance of The Death Cave. The excited energy in the crowd is palpable. Now the real battling betting begins. Your goal here isn't to defeat all the enemies: It's simply to make it to the final exit. Here's what the placards mean (As a further warning, these are highly dangerous encounters! You signed a second waiver for a very good reason.): ○ Sword: In the final room of The Death Cave, you will be pitted against a swordsman who seems to have been taken in by some sort of Faerun equivalent of malevolent corruption — and boy, is he having the time of his life. He is extremely fast, his blade is freshly sharpened, and he will not hesitate to strike down anyone who was unfortunate enough to roll him, while laughing about it. He does have what you might consider an ultimate attack: Gathering up energy into his blade, he swings it, channeling said energy into one devastating plume of magic shot directly toward you. You're going to want to find a way to avoid it.  D. IN WHICH LITERALLY EVERYONE WANTS YOUR COINFor those of you who have gold burning a hole in your pocket, the shopping available in Lyrabar is near endless. The marketplace, located at the center of the city, seems to sprawl on forever, with stalls, storefronts and eateries that seemingly cater to every fancy, whether it's fashion or weaponry. If it's souvenirs you're looking to take home, the most popular items are necklaces made out of those ever popular Sea Quartz, that are being used at The Hobby Horse and ground up into shampoo, and very sarcastic postcards: Think, "I visited Lyrabar and all I got was this crappily printed postcard" sort of sarcastic. Generally, though, as long as the item is not magical, and as long as the tech is not more advanced than what you'd find on the Moon Base, you can probably find it at the Marketplace. If you're not sure about an idea, feel free to ask right here! Some other things of note about what you'll find while shopping: ○ There are a lot of pickpockets. Maybe you shouldn't actually have a hole in your pockets. Even with the people of Lyrabar as distrusting of each other, and of you, as they are, those looking to pilfer a little extra cash off an unsuspecting visitor will find no shortage of targets. Perhaps you're one of them. Perhaps you're the sort willing to start a brawl in the middle of the Marketplace to get your most valued possessions back. Maybe, if you look close enough, you'll see that many have the same insignia branded on their arm. It seems, if you'd like to join in with, or infiltrate a pirate crew, this band of kleptos might be a good place to start off.  E. JUSTICEMaybe by this point you've had something valuable snatched from you, or you can't quite figure out how nobody's put a stop to some very clear money laundering happening at the Auction House, and you feel the need to serve up some serious justice to the pirates out there who have done you wrong. Who runs the justice joint around here, anyway? That inquiry will lead you straight to the royal guard — the captain of which is going to groan in exhaustion/annoyance at you questions, or even your bid to help out. You think he hasn't heard that story before? The second a silver-tongued charlatan charms their way into the ranks of the royal guard, they're looking the other way while their visiting pirate friends rob the rest of us blind. He's got no time for this. If you want to truly help, you are going to have to prove it first. And so, with that, you will find yourself immediately thrown into an undercover operation, one the captain doesn't mind doling out, because at the end of the day he loses nothing from it except for a few disguises. That's right: you'll be given a disguise, whether it's a smelly pile of peasant rags or, if he's feeling less charitable with his budget, a pair of these (look, it's not like he actually cares about your safety here), and a piece of paper with one or two names on it. Your mission? Bring these suspects back to the captain without causing a scene. Or, well, go ahead and cause a scene. He has little shits to give, remember? Pull this off, though, and consider a private audience with the one member of the royal family who still keeps an audience nowadays, Princess Irene, secured. 3. OUT ON THE OPEN SEAF. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU'RE THE NEW OWNER OF A YACHT  Whether you've had your fill of luxury, bar fights, enforcing the long arm of the law in town, or just gorging out on incredibly tasty food, eventually you'll recall that Lucretia had actually sent you down here with a purpose. She asked everyone to find a way to obtain a ship- one that isn't the S.S. Codfather (thank you very much, Sans!)- as the investigation into the Grand Relic can only get so far within the streets of Lyrabar. To that end, there are a number of options and opportunities for you to obtain such a vessel.○ Steal it. This is how pirating works in a place like this. You find something, you take it, and you put a nice new flag on it to make it yours. Of course, there are some complications with that. Get caught, and you're going straight to nautical prison- don't pass the Hobby Horse, don't collect $200. But the docks district of this port town is known to be rather quiet at night, when the merchant fleets are out swindling cash at the bar, drinking themselves blind, or maybe just settling home with their family after an honest day's work. There are hired guards keeping watch, but it shouldn't be that difficult to incapacitate them. When they wake up in the morning, they'll assume what it always is around here. Someone forgot to pay the red tithe. G. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA There's some adventuring to do out in the open sea, and treasures both vast and mighty. It's not entirely uncommon to find islands dotted along the landscape, and those are particularly good for docking and getting a sense of what's gone down around here since Captain Ferryn's taken command of the high seas. You might've gotten the sense that loose lips really do sink ships- that evidence is coming up pretty bill in your search for actual piracy going on around here. The good captain is incredibly skillful at both deception and infiltration, and with the Soul Blade helping him, there's almost nothing stopping him from completely dominating the entire sea and crowning himself the new royal in town. Mum's the word around these parts, so you're going to have to do some exploration. Pop some of those shrimp chips and head down to explore the underwater depths of the seabed.  There are an unbelievable amount of ships that have been wrecked and forgotten under the violent chops of the aquatic basin. With a few hours' search, you're incredibly likely to find one, waiting for you to go down and pluck whatever's down there. Be careful, however, since The Drowned are fiercely protective of their death locales. Fight through them and live to the tell the tale, and you'll come back graciously rewarded.Many of the ships seem to have crates still on them- all with the official royal seal of Lyrabar stamped plainly on their lid. When popped open, you'll notice there's an abundance of sea quartz- the gems that are used to constantly provide a source of energy to the town. Hard to tell why pirates wouldn't be interested in that, when the trade is absurdly lucrative. You'll also find areas where ships aren't present. Instead, you might come across entire fields of sea quartz. But in their current state, they're pretty useless and look like the trinkets you might have found on the streets of Lyrabar. Devoid of any magical energies, they lay deep on the ocean floor, a nuisance and an eyesore to nature. You'll also notice that natural enemies like sharks and Sahuagin steer clear of these areas, for better or for worse. Good luck down there, and make sure you have a buddy system set up. Getting a glass sphere down into the water is near impossible, but Dr. Tank is on board the S.S. Codfather for emergencies. H. NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLES I'VE SEEN  Know that the sea is not calm in temperament or safety. There are things to be weary of at every step of the way, and it's best to ensure that you have a good, seasoned crew to man your boat in order to keep you passing through safe waters. While you're out there, though, danger truly does lurk around every corner.Pirates, for one, are particularly good at various ways of warfare. Many of them don't even look or appear to be like the ones you might have heard of in stories or experienced elsewhere. Some even fly under the banner of Lyrabar, cruising safely without notice by anyone that would be wise to what they're up to. Sail out for too long without a purpose or linger in an area too long, and a ship will approach, lining up side by side with you. They'll tell you that they're part of the Royal Navy, and hell, they might even be wearing the garb of the official uniformed ranks, and when they announce they're here for usual inspection, they'll request to board your ship. Protocol, you see, because of the rampant acts of piracy out in the open waters. Refusing might make you look more suspicious, but letting them on board as inspectors and tax adjudicators can be equally dangerous. Some of them are legit, and some of them will look to take command of your ship and leave you out in the ocean to drown. You're going to have to be cunning to figure out which one is which. Storms rage all over the Sea of Fallen Stars. With the encroachment of the warmer months ahead, the weather itself battles for its rightful claim to the area. The signs of a storm coming are easy enough to spot, and they're frequent. Some will last 2-3 days and make travel nearly impossible. Getting out of the water is an important step in keeping your crew safe; and spending a night on an island or in a grotto is always better than running the risk of joining the armies of The Drowned below. Maelstroms are an equal threat of immense dread. If you happen to see a swirling vortex of water, start heading in the opposite direction immediately. There's a certain magnetic pull that they have, and once you've been caught in the outer rings, it's going to take a lot of teamwork to get yourselves out. Good thing you've had a month to build upon that, or else you might be toast. For those of you who are highly less fortunate, you'll notice yourselves getting sucked in, closer, and closer. You can look over the epicenter and- good god, is that a tentacle!? What is that thing!? The Prespuran Triangle also poses a major issue while traveling across the sea. Legend has it that if you sail too close to its navigable coordinates, your ship will vanish and you'll never be heard from again. It might seem like a wives' tale, but it's absolutely true. Come too close to it and you'll notice your compass begin to spin out like there's no tomorrow. Continue inward, and, well. You'll see something, alright. It's a tower that stretches into the sky, tall and unwavering. And also, completely impregnable and without doors. You're going to have to get yourself out of there somehow, and for your sake, let's hope you know the exact coordinates you came in through or else... you mind wind up on a completely different side of the world. Last but not least, the pirates aren't the only ones looking to hop aboard your newly crowned baby. Don't forget about the Sahuagins, either. They seem to attack only during the dead of night, when the moon is ripe and full in the sky. They bring with them charming magics and are particularly good at getting people to willfully walk over the edge themselves, without even drawing a blade. 4. OOCThis is your story to write, and your setting to play with! Anything on the OOC post is fair game, and if there's something you'd like to try, please don't hesitate to let us know on the RNG thread. But most importantly, Reclaimers, be amazing. blurb code by photosynthesis |
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we'd also request to put the second roll on hold until we learn the outcome of the first roll, since we might make some changes depending on what happens. thank you!!
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We'll do a pre-roll: DC 8, and if you succeed on that, we'll slap another +2 onto the latter result. The 16 still feels right from a difficulty standpoint, but it'll increase your odds of success if you pull it off by quite a bit from the bonus. Sound good?
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beandice footage.no subject
While Lion has a group of Sunday bible school nerds along with them, the attempt to glean information about their past dealings at the auction house come up... spectacularly poor. That's a critical failure. They get awfully suspicious of you both, and a leader emerges among them. His name is Isaac Bassot, and he steps forward, citing categorically immense loopholes in The Good Word. They believe that their newfound faith is stronger than yours is, and Isaac, who... you can't really tell if he actually believes in this, or thinks that he's about to make a quick rich scheme like a televangelist, rises in popularity.
He spreads the word that Lion is actually a secret worshiper of Shar. Which- GASP! Ultimate betrayal. No longer friends with Lion, their best friend is now Isaac.
Needless to say, Isaac becomes the Joel Osteen of this town (sadly, he might even kind of look like him a little bit). His presence rivals the rising star of Sayori's epic poetry celeb status, and as he continues to gain followers and a massive amount of money, he begins preaching that Selune would not want to see the people of this good city give into the vice of poetry and heroic story. And thus, you've created a monster. Really, really freaking weird goods start making their way into the auction house. A moon globe, said to tell the perfect position of the moon against the planet via illumination, sells for over 500,000 gold coins. It doesn't nearly do what it's supposed to, and honestly reeks of scam.
With the dominance of the New Church of Selune now weighing its not-so-invisible hand on the auction house, it gets a lot messier for a major illusion attempt to try to smuggle and heist the place up. You see, Selune and her followers are experts at illusion magic. They can smell it a mile away- and with a 7, Isaac is personally called in to oversee the commotion that happens when you both try. "Typical Shar antics, I see."
You're banned from the auction house, indefinitely.
You also... really, honestly do know that this is entirely fucked up. Perhaps you should invest in a little trip to a local... you know, real temple of Selune? Maybe you should look for some divine retribution against this asshole. We're not telling you what to do, of course, but maybe this snake wearing human skin deserves whatever he gets.
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Lion and Shinji DO get the sense for something super fishy about this brand new selune cult that cropped up overnight, because both of them sure are familiar with Shady Bullshit from their respective ends of the societal ladder. They'll be looking into getting more information, first. Is there a real temple of Selune in town? Or at least a dedicated shrine somewhere? They'd also like to read up on Selune and her temples in advance to see how much of what the televangelists are selling matches up with the actual lore about Selune.
If there is one they can actually visit, Lion and Shinji will be heading on over there. Lion will be trying to pull off the cleric thing, asking around for whether people know any Deets about these snake-oil salesmen, and depending on how amenable any potential acolytes are to their presence, might go for a good-cop/bad-cop approach if they're reticent to talk.
which one's bad cop, it is a mysteryany DCs are fine for this!
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Anyway, you've rolled a 16. That's pretty darn tootin' great. There's definitely a temple devoted to Selune in town, as it was said/mentioned before to someone else on this mission, "a lot of these people are a little gay for the moon-" and that's not just a weak statement. You can read up on here over here. She's a pretty great goddess to serve, but she does have a bit of an ancient feud going on Shar that's hard to ignore.
Ironically enough, the televangelists are pretty legit in their proselytizing. They know their facts, and have read up on everything- taking into consideration all the tenants her followers embody. Despite that, it is pretty twisted from its actual intent. It's similar in kin to a Christian saying Jesus turned wine into water, and then turns around selling wine to everyone that they possibly can saying that transubstantiation definitely occurred here.
As for the gang that's suddenly gaining popularity - yeah, the actual temple is pretty freaking ticked off about it. They also know that causing waves in the political landscape of town would go against the nature of their beliefs. This douchebag, however, has been amassing followers left and right. The real temple of Selune has never seen that many people interested in converting.
Which... might actually work out to your benefit, if you play your cards right.
Your move, kids.
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in the course of the conversation about the televangelists, lion & shinji will make the argument that isaac jumping to accuse people who aren't on board with him of being shar supporters (even weaponizing selune specialties such as illusion magic as evidence of a Shar alignment) is suspicious and he might in fact be one himself, especially combined with the obvious fiscal schemes involved. he might be trying to cover his tracks with this new cult and make a mockery out of selune in the process. they'd suggest that the temple wouldn't be affecting the politics of the town but rather protecting people from being exploited by someone who IS trying to politicize selune.
if this works and the temple becomes motivated to intercede, we'd also like to see lion and shinji try to convince them into offering supplies and shelter for those at risk of getting caught in the crossfire of the upcoming pirate turf war.
finally, lion would be interested in seeking selune's guidance in terms of next steps in the whole lyrabar situation! however since there's no RNG in the current log, if the next phase of the plot is already set in stone, we understand! ♥
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But you know my luck- you rolled a 2 on the communicating with Selune to find out what's going on. And although she doesn't communicate with Lion, Lion will notice that their umbrella is starting to rattle a little bit in their... umbrella belt? (how are they even carrying this thing?)
It seems itching to intervene with Isaac's bullshit on account of the lack of a higher, more holy option. It'll act as a dowsing rod, leading them straight to his location.
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