Keyrie can instantly light or snuff out a candle, torch, or small campfire, with druidcraft, and can help with the fire whenever needed. She also can also, and often, use druidcraft to predict the weather at their location of the next 24 hours so they can be prepared for any rain or storms.
"While you guys are in town I can just stay here and uh... Guard our river crossing logs... In case we need to use them again..." Keyrie looks around the group hoping to get permission to not have to enter town. She notoriously hates most civilization, especially large cities like they are getting prepared to enter. Because of her large build and ability to control animals she was often forced to go into town anyway on errands. She glances at Genny and sighs lightly, knowing this is another case where she is going to have to go into town. "I have a disguise self spell that lets me look more human, it only lasts an hour though and I need to let myself rest before I can use it again. Or better idea I could use Wild Shape to turn into some sort of beast of burden, that way I could carry Nev and Genny and run away if anything goes wrong. Plus it lasts for two hours." Keyrie mumbles under her breath. "I also wouldn't have to interact with people which is always a plus."
Try as they might, the tree is too close to the river to position a fire directly behind it and obscure all views from the city. The fire does warm them, at least. As they are deciding what to do for the night, a trio of guardsmen on horseback ride up to the party.
"Ho there," the lead one says. There is great caution in his voice. "It is not safe outside the city tonight, strangers. Staying here just makes you bait that will draw infernal creatures to the gates of Karkarus. Kindly present yourself at the gates or make camp further from the city."
"We'll be inside shortly, thank you for the warning, and sorry if we were a trouble. When do the city gates close? And would you have a place that you might recommend someone who's not used to city life staying?"
"The city is closed indefinitely while the hells spill forth. But anyone may seek asylum in Karkarus at any time. If you are permitted entry," the guardsman says, "You may ask the clerk who records your entry for directions."
Tockrecalls what the letter said, "The letter said this:Your next stop is the town of Karkarus at the temple of Tymora."
He continues, "Do we have any other leads? I mean aside from what we were presented earlier by other parties. If the city is closed we might get in, but we might not get out if our journey would take us elsewhere?"
Dog had completely forgotten about the temple part of the letter. (OOC: do we know much in-game about Tymora? Assuming it's similar to the Forgotten Realms deity but I didn't want to assume.)
Once the guards have moved off toward the city out of earshot, and as our group prepares to move along, he speaks quietly.
"Should we just follow Merxina's letter's instructions? Nev do you want to give it a try? Merxina did try to murder us all but the things she left behind are making the case that she may have had our best interests in mind. I'm happy to play this above-board and tell the city clerk that we're expected at the temple. Still, it may be smart to disguise ourselves, if Tock feels up to helping us relive some circus costume days."
Tock says, "We best make it into the city in the darkness now and find some shelter. There we may have time in the morning to figure out the disguises."
Neventi strokes her sleeping daughter's hair. "I don't want to stay out here," she says. "Being stuck in Karkarus is better than being vulnerable out here. And we have more reason to plea for asylum than anyone else. They have to let us in."
"Then Nev, we will go. I said before, I trust Merxina. She left us all those supplies, I don't know why I trust her, but everything is so strange... and I feel like believing in something is better than walking around skeptical of everything. You lot have been through a lot more than me at this point... so maybe I'm wrong... its just a feeling I have. I don't know."
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Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
The party douses their fire and heads towards the city. It is only a 15 minute walk, though a fallow field to a well-worn road that quickly turns from hard-packed dirt to stone. Quiet farms surround the city and no lights appear to be burning in any of the homesteads that the group can see. As they approach the north gate of the city, the pass by several well-kept buildings, apparently stores, stables, and other businesses that have spilled outside the walls. They too are dark, giving the approach to the gates an otherworldly feeling of desolate abandonment.
The 20-foot tall heavy wooden gates are closed. Guards walk along the top of the wall and a single guard station on the west side of the gates holds two guardsmen. One of them emerges, chewing on some dinner that the party has interrupted. "Ho there," the guardsman says, echoing the mounted guard who approached them by the river. He looks back over his shoulder at the second guardswoman, also eating her dinner, and lifts his chin. She nods and pulls on a sturdy cord. The male guard turns back to the party. "State your purpose," he says, almost sounding bored.
(By the way, if anyone does NOT want to enter the city, that is fine! I will not assume everyone goes through the gates. Just write into your next post how you proceed.)
Before they approach, Dog's going to suggest everyone drape the blankets Merxina gave us around their necks and heads as cloaks to try to not obviously be themselves, to anyone other than the guards they're talking to.
In response to the question from the guard, he'll say, "We wouldn't be vagrants. We have a longstanding invitation from the temple of Tymora. They should be expecting us." (He'll look to his companions, specifically those who are better at talking than he is, for [action]help[/help] in explaining themselves (vanilla d20 roll 14 which is exactly Dog's skill with persuasion and also deception, though he's not explicitly lying at all, as far as he knows, though he's certainly not telling the whole story).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The guard's expression softens at the mention of the temple. He looks over the motley assortment of people, an expression of puzzlement on his face, as if he cannot understand how such a group could come to travel together. Some internal explanation seems to satisfy him and he looks up to the people on the top of the wall. A woman clad in full plate armor stands looking down at them. Her eyes glow faintly. She nods silently and departs from view.
"Alright," the guard says. "Be quick. They won't hold the gates open long."
The party moves through the gates, which only open half way, and find themselves in a space between the gate and a portcullis, the city visible through the square holes in the heavy iron barricade. A halfling standing at a podium dips his quill in the ink well as he looks up through tiny spectacles. Next to him stands a devout man of the cloth with the symbol of Helm hanging on a chain around his neck. The halfling assesses the party out loud, listing off each of their races and asking for their names, which he writes down diligently, clarifying spelling when necessary.
"We have a brief series of questions to ask and then, barring any deception on your part, we shall grant you entry. Galmund here," the halfling says, gesturing to the human cleric beside him. "will be providing us with a Zone of Truth while I review your answers. Are you ready to proceed?"
DM shield:
CHA(15) saves (if you did not enter the city, ignore the roll below):
Neventi: 4
Doggear: 20
Feytok: 2
Tock: 13
Lucien: 11
Keyrie: 18
Gash: 5
The clerk then begins to ask the following questions (answer in the order provided. You don't need to be the one to answer every question, though.)
What is your business in Karkarus? (One person may answer)
How long do you intend to stay in the city? (One person may answer)
List any residents of the city that can vouch for you. They will not necessarily be called. (One person may answer)
Do you have any outstanding fines, warrants, or subpoenas in Karkarus or the kingdom of Alcion? (All must answer)
Do you have any illegally obtained items in your possession? (All must answer)
Please list all weapons you are carrying. (All must answer)
Neventi, Feytok, and Tock are not compelled to tell the truth but everyone else must speak truthfully.
(Do we know anything about Karkarus? Has the circus ever come by here? I'm actually not sure where most of us are from, so have any of us been here before to be able to tell if this is longstanding tradition, or the reputation of how it treats visitors, or a new development? Do we know anyone who lives here? Also wow MD, so cool, as always!)
(You can decide that! But I can tell you that the circus has never come here. This is definitely a strict entry protocol that does not feel like it is the norm, however.)
"Hello. My name is Gregory. I do not have any outstanding warrants of fines, I try to keep my nose clean, sir. I don't have any illegal items or items on my person acquired illegally. I have one dagger, which I am more than willing to surrender to you if you will be so kind as to grant me entry."
(Since, Gregory is a name he goes by often I don't see that bit as a lie, but like he said, he keeps his nose clean and tries to be a good person.)
"I've my axe and daggers, we don't have anything stolen or illicit. I've never had issue with the law or been wanted for a crime." Feytok starts to volunteer more information but realizes he truthfully doesn't know what the next step or timeline is.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"No outstanding warrants, no illegal items, I have a scimitar and a sling." After answering Keyrie moves to the back of the group, she looks around seeing if she can find any clues as to why this process is so strict, and to see who is around them, if worst comes to worst they have to fight. Perception: 4 Investigation: 1
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Keyrie can instantly light or snuff out a candle, torch, or small campfire, with druidcraft, and can help with the fire whenever needed. She also can also, and often, use druidcraft to predict the weather at their location of the next 24 hours so they can be prepared for any rain or storms.
"While you guys are in town I can just stay here and uh... Guard our river crossing logs... In case we need to use them again..." Keyrie looks around the group hoping to get permission to not have to enter town. She notoriously hates most civilization, especially large cities like they are getting prepared to enter. Because of her large build and ability to control animals she was often forced to go into town anyway on errands. She glances at Genny and sighs lightly, knowing this is another case where she is going to have to go into town. "I have a disguise self spell that lets me look more human, it only lasts an hour though and I need to let myself rest before I can use it again. Or better idea I could use Wild Shape to turn into some sort of beast of burden, that way I could carry Nev and Genny and run away if anything goes wrong. Plus it lasts for two hours." Keyrie mumbles under her breath. "I also wouldn't have to interact with people which is always a plus."
Try as they might, the tree is too close to the river to position a fire directly behind it and obscure all views from the city. The fire does warm them, at least. As they are deciding what to do for the night, a trio of guardsmen on horseback ride up to the party.
"Ho there," the lead one says. There is great caution in his voice. "It is not safe outside the city tonight, strangers. Staying here just makes you bait that will draw infernal creatures to the gates of Karkarus. Kindly present yourself at the gates or make camp further from the city."
“Thank you sir. We will pack our things, now.”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"We'll be inside shortly, thank you for the warning, and sorry if we were a trouble. When do the city gates close? And would you have a place that you might recommend someone who's not used to city life staying?"
"The city is closed indefinitely while the hells spill forth. But anyone may seek asylum in Karkarus at any time. If you are permitted entry," the guardsman says, "You may ask the clerk who records your entry for directions."
Tock recalls what the letter said, "The letter said this: Your next stop is the town of Karkarus at the temple of Tymora."
He continues, "Do we have any other leads? I mean aside from what we were presented earlier by other parties. If the city is closed we might get in, but we might not get out if our journey would take us elsewhere?"
Dog had completely forgotten about the temple part of the letter. (OOC: do we know much in-game about Tymora? Assuming it's similar to the Forgotten Realms deity but I didn't want to assume.)
Once the guards have moved off toward the city out of earshot, and as our group prepares to move along, he speaks quietly.
"Should we just follow Merxina's letter's instructions? Nev do you want to give it a try? Merxina did try to murder us all but the things she left behind are making the case that she may have had our best interests in mind. I'm happy to play this above-board and tell the city clerk that we're expected at the temple. Still, it may be smart to disguise ourselves, if Tock feels up to helping us relive some circus costume days."
Tock says, "We best make it into the city in the darkness now and find some shelter. There we may have time in the morning to figure out the disguises."
(Yes, Tymora is well-known, as in Faerun.)
Neventi strokes her sleeping daughter's hair. "I don't want to stay out here," she says. "Being stuck in Karkarus is better than being vulnerable out here. And we have more reason to plea for asylum than anyone else. They have to let us in."
"Then Nev, we will go. I said before, I trust Merxina. She left us all those supplies, I don't know why I trust her, but everything is so strange... and I feel like believing in something is better than walking around skeptical of everything. You lot have been through a lot more than me at this point... so maybe I'm wrong... its just a feeling I have. I don't know."
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
The party douses their fire and heads towards the city. It is only a 15 minute walk, though a fallow field to a well-worn road that quickly turns from hard-packed dirt to stone. Quiet farms surround the city and no lights appear to be burning in any of the homesteads that the group can see. As they approach the north gate of the city, the pass by several well-kept buildings, apparently stores, stables, and other businesses that have spilled outside the walls. They too are dark, giving the approach to the gates an otherworldly feeling of desolate abandonment.
The 20-foot tall heavy wooden gates are closed. Guards walk along the top of the wall and a single guard station on the west side of the gates holds two guardsmen. One of them emerges, chewing on some dinner that the party has interrupted. "Ho there," the guardsman says, echoing the mounted guard who approached them by the river. He looks back over his shoulder at the second guardswoman, also eating her dinner, and lifts his chin. She nods and pulls on a sturdy cord. The male guard turns back to the party. "State your purpose," he says, almost sounding bored.
(By the way, if anyone does NOT want to enter the city, that is fine! I will not assume everyone goes through the gates. Just write into your next post how you proceed.)
Tock shivers visibly, "Shelter and warmth. P-please"
The guard stops chewing and squints his eyes at the kenku. "We are not interested in taking in vagrants. What is your business in Karkarus?"
Before they approach, Dog's going to suggest everyone drape the blankets Merxina gave us around their necks and heads as cloaks to try to not obviously be themselves, to anyone other than the guards they're talking to.
In response to the question from the guard, he'll say, "We wouldn't be vagrants. We have a longstanding invitation from the temple of Tymora. They should be expecting us." (He'll look to his companions, specifically those who are better at talking than he is, for [action]help[/help] in explaining themselves (vanilla d20 roll 14 which is exactly Dog's skill with persuasion and also deception, though he's not explicitly lying at all, as far as he knows, though he's certainly not telling the whole story).
The guard's expression softens at the mention of the temple. He looks over the motley assortment of people, an expression of puzzlement on his face, as if he cannot understand how such a group could come to travel together. Some internal explanation seems to satisfy him and he looks up to the people on the top of the wall. A woman clad in full plate armor stands looking down at them. Her eyes glow faintly. She nods silently and departs from view.
"Alright," the guard says. "Be quick. They won't hold the gates open long."
The party moves through the gates, which only open half way, and find themselves in a space between the gate and a portcullis, the city visible through the square holes in the heavy iron barricade. A halfling standing at a podium dips his quill in the ink well as he looks up through tiny spectacles. Next to him stands a devout man of the cloth with the symbol of Helm hanging on a chain around his neck. The halfling assesses the party out loud, listing off each of their races and asking for their names, which he writes down diligently, clarifying spelling when necessary.
"We have a brief series of questions to ask and then, barring any deception on your part, we shall grant you entry. Galmund here," the halfling says, gesturing to the human cleric beside him. "will be providing us with a Zone of Truth while I review your answers. Are you ready to proceed?"
DM shield:
CHA(15) saves (if you did not enter the city, ignore the roll below):
The clerk then begins to ask the following questions (answer in the order provided. You don't need to be the one to answer every question, though.)
Neventi, Feytok, and Tock are not compelled to tell the truth but everyone else must speak truthfully.
(Do we know anything about Karkarus? Has the circus ever come by here? I'm actually not sure where most of us are from, so have any of us been here before to be able to tell if this is longstanding tradition, or the reputation of how it treats visitors, or a new development? Do we know anyone who lives here? Also wow MD, so cool, as always!)
(You can decide that! But I can tell you that the circus has never come here. This is definitely a strict entry protocol that does not feel like it is the norm, however.)
"Hello. My name is Gregory. I do not have any outstanding warrants of fines, I try to keep my nose clean, sir. I don't have any illegal items or items on my person acquired illegally. I have one dagger, which I am more than willing to surrender to you if you will be so kind as to grant me entry."
(Since, Gregory is a name he goes by often I don't see that bit as a lie, but like he said, he keeps his nose clean and tries to be a good person.)
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"I've my axe and daggers, we don't have anything stolen or illicit. I've never had issue with the law or been wanted for a crime." Feytok starts to volunteer more information but realizes he truthfully doesn't know what the next step or timeline is.
"No outstanding warrants, no illegal items, I have a scimitar and a sling." After answering Keyrie moves to the back of the group, she looks around seeing if she can find any clues as to why this process is so strict, and to see who is around them, if worst comes to worst they have to fight.
Perception: 4
Investigation: 1