"We don't know exactly what he might try to discredit us, but what can we do to further assist the town? How do you propose we could beat that trade offer when we don't have much of a stake in Good Mead, Etriel?" Neldak is pensive as they head back to Good Mead.
"I imagine he will try to 'discredit' me by accusing me of putting myself in a bad light with Mr Naerth, the Speaker of Targos..." Etriel Darastrix reflects "A charge that is both futile and overblown - since the Speaker and I parted with polite good wishes to each other. I do not believe this tactic will get him very far - especially if we are arguing in public, where oratory can carry as much, if not more, weight than the logic of the speeches".
"As for the trade offer, Lord Neldak," the foreign traveler proposes "I think the main offer we can bring is the miraculous spring sacred to Silvanus... its waters could not only help those in Good Mead, but also become a pilgrimage site for other cities (and consequently increase tourism and trade) if we spread the word. In the long run, this could bring in even more income to Good Mead (and leverage many favorable trade deals), in my opinion, than a single favorable trade deal".
"Furthermore," the eladrin huntress points out "even the best trades are of no benefit if raiders can harm them. And we have proven ourselves timely and effective in acting against the raiders. Not so Shandar. I'd say that a trade with ordinary profits that occurs is better than a hypothetical trade with increased profits that does not due to a lack of defense of the trade routes. I believe that we still have enough arguments to be ahead in a fair election".
"Last but not least, let's not forget" Etriel Darastrix shrugs "that it is right that the citizens of Good Mead decide their fate freely. We have made sure to the best of our ability that the elections could be held in a fair manner - if as a result of these elections the citizens decide to give their trust to Shandar... why harbor resentment? We are here to help them, not to rule them - in fact, even if I were to win, you know that I would have Lady Olivessa govern in my place in the end".
Danon is moving along quickly, keeping a fast pace, he turns to look at Etriel, saying “Do you want me to catch up with him? Delay him?” He pauses for a minute, a flicker coming over his face and a darker look in his eyes, “Harm him? Let me know. I’m getting rather annoyed by the thought of him speaking against you, also making more trouble in Good Mead…”. Danon hustles along, moving at 2/3’s speed and clearly feeling that he could catch the man before he reaches Good Mead.
"Your attentions to me are both flattering and welcome, sweet guest of my soul" Etriel Darastrix smiles at the elf whose closeness now seems as natural to her as the air she breathes. "And if I were afraid that Mr. Shandar was attempting something truly shady or evil, I would approve of such an intervention as you suggest".
"But for now," the foreign traveler sighs "it only seems that he is leveraging his contacts in Targos to gain what advantage he can... I would therefore be all for playing fair enough as well - perhaps aiding us with magic in any public discussions, but refraining from trying to sabotage him, since he does not appear to be planning that for us".
You head back to Good Mead and using everything you have mentioned up to now, it seems like Shandar has a lot of support with his fellow loggers, but out of the rest of the town, the majority of support is for you (I am still not overly clear on if Olivessa is running with your support, or if you are running with hers and then will have her lead in your place while you are gone. But either way the situation is the same). It seems like you being a local hero has really helped your case.
While you are in the mead hall one evening after a day of campaigning, sat the other end of the hall to Shandar and a group of his loggers, 8 human thugs storm into the hall, shouting about stealing the mead. Before any of you have a chance to react, Shandar jumps up, his loggers following suit and they confront the thugs, throwing them out (one of them physically thrown) and they start fleeing town, as the mead hall goes from stunned silence to erupting in cheers for Shandar.
[[ OOC: I would say Etriel runs with Olivessa 's support and Olivessa leads in her place while she is gone ]]
Etriel Darastrix is rather skeptical about the 'heroism' of the one who has never shown himself heroic before and who had been frightened by the 'banshee' manifestation a short time ago...
"Maybe, after all, Mr Shandar decided not to compete fairly..." the foreign traveler raises an eyebrow, keeping her voice at a level that allows her to be heard by the party, but not by the other patrons "These raiders seemed incredibly easy to defeat... Almost as if they agreed with those who had to defeat them! Do we want to find them and interrogate them? If forced to confess, they could reveal interesting things to the population of Good Mead..."
And the eladrin huntress already moves to exit (possibly from a secondary exit, without being immediately noticed by the political opponent - but if there is only the main exit, just fine; maybe Shandar will be too busy in celebrating to notice the move - and even if he notices, there is not much he can do anyway) and get on the trail of the 'terrible' thugs as quickly as possible.
Neldak nods in agreement. "That did seem staged unless they have raiders more often that I realized. I agree with Etriel, we should try to find out more about those raiders." He will follow Etriel outside and pursue the thugs.
Cirim laughs out loud as the scene of bravery unfolds across the bar. "That was absurdly fake" she says, almost coughing on her drink.
Hearing Etriel's plan to follow the thugs, she nods. "Sparks go with them so I can catch up to you all. I'll go congratulate Mr Shandar on saving the mead! Distract him so you all can get out."
She then gets up and heads over, casting a minor illusion of cheering, behind Shandar, away from the exit.
Danon nods silently and moves at his fastest speed, dashing to reach the thugs, pleased by the distraction of Cirim. He follows them out and jogs to close the distance, sprinting if needed.
You catch up with the thugs just by the edge of town. There is 8 of them and at this point, no Cirim. You have gone about 600ft from the mead hall. (which dashing and an average speed of 30ft, is about 1 minute of running). The thugs haven't stopped running, but you are close enough for them to hear you (about 70ft away from them), currently not in initiative.
"Do you have anything to slow one of them down?" Neldak gasps between breaths. "I'm afraid I might kill them with most of my magic. And we don't have Cirim to heal one of them if we hurt them too bad."
"I could slow them by sticking an arrow in their legs, Lord Neldak..." Etriel Darastrix ponders "But you're right - there's still a risk of mortal injury".
[[ OOC: Etriel upcasts Longstrider using a 2nd Level Spell Slot to affect both Neldak and herself, increasing Movement speed by 10'. Danon is probably quick enough already. Now we should be able to reach them in not much time... ]]
The eladrin huntress, as she approaches her prey, decides to protect herself with an invisible armor of pure magic - just in case things escalate into violence. Once she reaches the fugitives, she draws her shortsword and dagger and orders: "Stop, while you can still do so of your own free will. That way, no harm will come to you. But if you keep running, you'll force me to slice you into pieces... and we don't want that, do we?".
[[ OOC: Considering what has been posted so far, is our attempt to reach and stop the fugitives successful? Or do we somehow see that it is not working? ]]
You are able to catch up with them with relative ease (they have 30ft speed, so taking into account dashing, the distance reduces by 20ft each 6 seconds, except for Idalie who remains 70ft behind, but that's just 1 round to reach 10ft away), and 2 of them stop. The other 6 seem to be willing to take their chance, and continue running, in separate directions to each other.
If you wish to fight the 6 (or 8?) then we will enter initiative, otherwise if you are sticking with just these two, especially with the other thugs leaving, they will not be fighting back and we remain out of initiative.
Etriel Darastrix murmurs a brief prayer to Sehanine Moonbow then fixes her green eyes on those of the two prisoners and sighs: "Of course, whoever paid you for that lousy performance at Good Mead failed to inform you that crimes against bees and mead are punished unusually severely in the town... correct? Nor were you made aware that, in fact, the last offender who was accused of stealing mead ended up beheaded".
"Fortunately," the foreign traveler smiles encouragingly "it's quite clear to me that you were only playing a part. Therefore, if you confirm this to me and come back in town with us to testify, you will be out of trouble. And you can keep the fee paid to you, because whoever hired you will be kept busy with the trouble he was ready to get you into".
They looked shocked and hurriedly agree to return with you. "We weren't paid for this. But we were told to. You are right it was all an act. We had to pretend to want to steal mead, and let Shandar scare us away."
Neldak smiles as the thugs confess and claps Danon on the back. "Good job keeping on their tail, Danon. Etriel and I had a hard time catching up to you."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
"We don't know exactly what he might try to discredit us, but what can we do to further assist the town? How do you propose we could beat that trade offer when we don't have much of a stake in Good Mead, Etriel?" Neldak is pensive as they head back to Good Mead.
"I imagine he will try to 'discredit' me by accusing me of putting myself in a bad light with Mr Naerth, the Speaker of Targos..." Etriel Darastrix reflects "A charge that is both futile and overblown - since the Speaker and I parted with polite good wishes to each other. I do not believe this tactic will get him very far - especially if we are arguing in public, where oratory can carry as much, if not more, weight than the logic of the speeches".
"As for the trade offer, Lord Neldak," the foreign traveler proposes "I think the main offer we can bring is the miraculous spring sacred to Silvanus... its waters could not only help those in Good Mead, but also become a pilgrimage site for other cities (and consequently increase tourism and trade) if we spread the word. In the long run, this could bring in even more income to Good Mead (and leverage many favorable trade deals), in my opinion, than a single favorable trade deal".
"Furthermore," the eladrin huntress points out "even the best trades are of no benefit if raiders can harm them. And we have proven ourselves timely and effective in acting against the raiders. Not so Shandar. I'd say that a trade with ordinary profits that occurs is better than a hypothetical trade with increased profits that does not due to a lack of defense of the trade routes. I believe that we still have enough arguments to be ahead in a fair election".
"Last but not least, let's not forget" Etriel Darastrix shrugs "that it is right that the citizens of Good Mead decide their fate freely. We have made sure to the best of our ability that the elections could be held in a fair manner - if as a result of these elections the citizens decide to give their trust to Shandar... why harbor resentment? We are here to help them, not to rule them - in fact, even if I were to win, you know that I would have Lady Olivessa govern in my place in the end".
Danon is moving along quickly, keeping a fast pace, he turns to look at Etriel, saying “Do you want me to catch up with him? Delay him?” He pauses for a minute, a flicker coming over his face and a darker look in his eyes, “Harm him? Let me know. I’m getting rather annoyed by the thought of him speaking against you, also making more trouble in Good Mead…”. Danon hustles along, moving at 2/3’s speed and clearly feeling that he could catch the man before he reaches Good Mead.
"Your attentions to me are both flattering and welcome, sweet guest of my soul" Etriel Darastrix smiles at the elf whose closeness now seems as natural to her as the air she breathes. "And if I were afraid that Mr. Shandar was attempting something truly shady or evil, I would approve of such an intervention as you suggest".
"But for now," the foreign traveler sighs "it only seems that he is leveraging his contacts in Targos to gain what advantage he can... I would therefore be all for playing fair enough as well - perhaps aiding us with magic in any public discussions, but refraining from trying to sabotage him, since he does not appear to be planning that for us".
You head back to Good Mead and using everything you have mentioned up to now, it seems like Shandar has a lot of support with his fellow loggers, but out of the rest of the town, the majority of support is for you (I am still not overly clear on if Olivessa is running with your support, or if you are running with hers and then will have her lead in your place while you are gone. But either way the situation is the same). It seems like you being a local hero has really helped your case.
While you are in the mead hall one evening after a day of campaigning, sat the other end of the hall to Shandar and a group of his loggers, 8 human thugs storm into the hall, shouting about stealing the mead. Before any of you have a chance to react, Shandar jumps up, his loggers following suit and they confront the thugs, throwing them out (one of them physically thrown) and they start fleeing town, as the mead hall goes from stunned silence to erupting in cheers for Shandar.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
[[ OOC: I would say Etriel runs with Olivessa 's support and Olivessa leads in her place while she is gone ]]
Etriel Darastrix is rather skeptical about the 'heroism' of the one who has never shown himself heroic before and who had been frightened by the 'banshee' manifestation a short time ago...
"Maybe, after all, Mr Shandar decided not to compete fairly..." the foreign traveler raises an eyebrow, keeping her voice at a level that allows her to be heard by the party, but not by the other patrons "These raiders seemed incredibly easy to defeat... Almost as if they agreed with those who had to defeat them! Do we want to find them and interrogate them? If forced to confess, they could reveal interesting things to the population of Good Mead..."
And the eladrin huntress already moves to exit (possibly from a secondary exit, without being immediately noticed by the political opponent - but if there is only the main exit, just fine; maybe Shandar will be too busy in celebrating to notice the move - and even if he notices, there is not much he can do anyway) and get on the trail of the 'terrible' thugs as quickly as possible.
Neldak nods in agreement. "That did seem staged unless they have raiders more often that I realized. I agree with Etriel, we should try to find out more about those raiders." He will follow Etriel outside and pursue the thugs.
Cirim laughs out loud as the scene of bravery unfolds across the bar. "That was absurdly fake" she says, almost coughing on her drink.
Hearing Etriel's plan to follow the thugs, she nods. "Sparks go with them so I can catch up to you all. I'll go congratulate Mr Shandar on saving the mead! Distract him so you all can get out."
She then gets up and heads over, casting a minor illusion of cheering, behind Shandar, away from the exit.
Danon nods silently and moves at his fastest speed, dashing to reach the thugs, pleased by the distraction of Cirim. He follows them out and jogs to close the distance, sprinting if needed.
You catch up with the thugs just by the edge of town. There is 8 of them and at this point, no Cirim. You have gone about 600ft from the mead hall. (which dashing and an average speed of 30ft, is about 1 minute of running). The thugs haven't stopped running, but you are close enough for them to hear you (about 70ft away from them), currently not in initiative.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
"Do you have anything to slow one of them down?" Neldak gasps between breaths. "I'm afraid I might kill them with most of my magic. And we don't have Cirim to heal one of them if we hurt them too bad."
"I could slow them by sticking an arrow in their legs, Lord Neldak..." Etriel Darastrix ponders "But you're right - there's still a risk of mortal injury".
"So, alternatively, since my magic can't slow them..." the foreign traveler sighs "...I can always speed us up!" And after saying that, with an elegant flourish of her sprig of mistletoe, she intones a musical chant, touching herself and the other. The two are suddenly able to run faster!
[[ OOC: Etriel upcasts Longstrider using a 2nd Level Spell Slot to affect both Neldak and herself, increasing Movement speed by 10'. Danon is probably quick enough already. Now we should be able to reach them in not much time... ]]
The eladrin huntress, as she approaches her prey, decides to protect herself with an invisible armor of pure magic - just in case things escalate into violence. Once she reaches the fugitives, she draws her shortsword and dagger and orders: "Stop, while you can still do so of your own free will. That way, no harm will come to you. But if you keep running, you'll force me to slice you into pieces... and we don't want that, do we?".
Cirim will small talk and try to distract the loggers and Shandar for about 5 minutes, then leave and find the group with the help of Sparks.
[[ OOC: Considering what has been posted so far, is our attempt to reach and stop the fugitives successful? Or do we somehow see that it is not working? ]]
You are able to catch up with them with relative ease (they have 30ft speed, so taking into account dashing, the distance reduces by 20ft each 6 seconds, except for Idalie who remains 70ft behind, but that's just 1 round to reach 10ft away), and 2 of them stop. The other 6 seem to be willing to take their chance, and continue running, in separate directions to each other.
If you wish to fight the 6 (or 8?) then we will enter initiative, otherwise if you are sticking with just these two, especially with the other thugs leaving, they will not be fighting back and we remain out of initiative.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
*I think we'd stick with just the two that stopped.
Neldak would hang back a little and let Etriel speak.
Etriel Darastrix murmurs a brief prayer to Sehanine Moonbow then fixes her green eyes on those of the two prisoners and sighs: "Of course, whoever paid you for that lousy performance at Good Mead failed to inform you that crimes against bees and mead are punished unusually severely in the town... correct? Nor were you made aware that, in fact, the last offender who was accused of stealing mead ended up beheaded".
"Fortunately," the foreign traveler smiles encouragingly "it's quite clear to me that you were only playing a part. Therefore, if you confirm this to me and come back in town with us to testify, you will be out of trouble. And you can keep the fee paid to you, because whoever hired you will be kept busy with the trouble he was ready to get you into".
If Intimidation, Persuasion or Deception is needed, here's the roll (Etriel has the same bonus in all of them): 10
They looked shocked and hurriedly agree to return with you. "We weren't paid for this. But we were told to. You are right it was all an act. We had to pretend to want to steal mead, and let Shandar scare us away."
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Neldak smiles as the thugs confess and claps Danon on the back. "Good job keeping on their tail, Danon. Etriel and I had a hard time catching up to you."