3. PC Central - Homecoming: Kith and Kin

PC Central - Homecoming: Kith and Kin


  • "We've aquired potions of Lesser Mindblank to be distributed, as well as one scroll of Contingency. The Unreal is very much on our trail however, and we lost a whole day attempting to get the supplies, ending up in the Residential area with one hell of a headache after. But seeing as we attained useful things, I count it as a win.

    Now, the question is what to set the contingency to, specifically. Our reasoning so far is that the Unreal's target is the black steel first and foremost, and so I'd say in the event of everyone being down, the contingency to be triggered should be one that sends that cargo far, far away. Perhaps as simple as disabling the Planar Anchor, whereby a pre-set teleportation spell on the chest itself sends it off? Any and all thoughts are welcome on this front, though."


  • George uses a scroll of Sending to contact H'resh ((Will burn it IG)).

    "Battle coming, exact time unknown. Days. Wisp. Five miles north, seven east from docks. Expecting Dopplegangers. Requesting overwatch from the north. No interference unless sunk."


  • All efforts here are being noted.

    Please list any further preparations here prior to the scheduled time.

    They will be accounted for during the event.

    [DM Xanatos Gambit]


  • "Sembians and a certain parade captain." The gray druid gives Reyhenna's lavender doings a familiar inquisitive arch of the eyebrow, but she makes no further comment. Aoth has been quiet since consenting to the plan, but she raised no further objections. Since returning to the surface, she has taken to perching in the rigging of the Wisp in the guises of various lake birds.

    Within her mind, should any passing doppel query, she plays out scenes of what they might do with the black steel in endless variety. Bury them under the Plains of Purple Dust, scatter them across the Trackless Sea, return the steel to the earth in a volcano in Unther, sell them to abused and ireful wizard's apprentices in Athkatla or Eltabarr, launch them into orbit... The wayfaring druid's memory easily recalls dozens more places where few mortals are likely to visit in a century or, conversely, where the steel will find covetous hands.


  • Isolde, meanwhile, flits about making attempts at preparations. First, she pays a visit to the Lighthouse temple and specifically the shrine to Valkur, enquiring about purchasing enough potions of Waterbreathing to cover the party's needs. Despite not typically being the type to rely on faith, she offers a prayer to Valkur while there, too. Thereafter, her path is due south, to the Witch and Seer, to seek out Jonni, Visum or both. She presents the dark-stained handkerchief with the Unreal's ichor on it, asking:

    "Is there a way to use this to create some sort of proximity alarm, or at least increase one's chances at seeing the bastard coming? Since I doubt scrying will work so long as it's still got Triloquist's cloak, I'm wondering if we can think outside the box and yet make use of this for something..."


  • George at first looks somewhat nervous at quite that many open flames on his ship, but hearing Rey's theory, he lets her continue because of reasons. He simply starts putting the candles in glass lanterns for safety. As the scent of lavender permeates the ship and starts wafting off the bow, he cannot help but grin at Rey.

    "Know who else really likes lavender?

    Sembians"

    1 Reply

  • Reyhenna, whether through superstition or otherwise, has cartloads of lavender incense and candles loaded aboard George's ship and ensures they are lighting on all decks at all times, until the place is veritably polluted with lavender. If asked, she shrugs and says it helps keep the mind clear, maybe?


  • Reyhenna nods agreeably.

    "If George is game for blowing up another ship, who are we to stop him?"


  • "The Wisp is just a ship. Wood, rope and sailcloth. If things go sideways, we might need a quick exit. There is a lifeboat, of course, and I am of a mind that we need to end the Unreal at any cost."


  • "Hm, might be worth it, albeit with the risk that we face the same hinderance from a speedy exit via magic. Thoughts, geese?"


  • Devlin, Autonomist Enchanter: "You can cast the anchor on the ship itself. The anchoring field will follow it as it moves."

    [DM Xanatos Gambit]


  • "I'm in favour of George's ship then - while it might be risky to fight the Unreal there, we'll have no bystanders coming to harm and, no least important, it won't be able to get away as easily as the previous encounters. I also think it's a believable ploy for us to have concocted for real, as the ship is mobile and not a fixed target to strike at as the Witch and Seer. On that note, is it possible to cast a Planar Anchor on the container with our bait at all or can only immobile areas be anchored like that?"


  • Berlinne Toews: "We're moving up to the Witch and Seer, like you suggested. I'm sure Aelthasson will be pleased to see us."

    Devlin, Autonomist Enchanter: "Sorry. No layering. You'll have to pick one story for the memory tailoring. And then expect the dread doppelganger to come after you, so you better make it good bait."

    If the party intends to use George's ship as the "strong-point" to bait and fight the Unreal, it should confirm as much in this thread. The Autonomist enchanter will tailor the party's memories, and bring the real black steel to the Witch and Seer for hide-away.

    [DM Xanatos Gambit]


  • "I was going to suggest my ship as well. I can sail it out onto the lake and leave it anchored away from shore to help sell it, too.

    Can we layer a fake memory beneath the fake memory? If the Unreal suspects foul play, and doesn't believe the first, or if it does bite and we can't catch it, can we have a second fake if it tries to pry? Given its own skill, it might not fall for that, of course."


  • "And third, as an alternative we can use if the Unreal 'doesn't' bite - I still have a piece of cloth with its vile ichor on it, for scrying attempts."


  • "Two things - first, given Harlow's lead pointed us in this direction and knowing he's currently in doppler captivity, I don't recommend the Autonomists keep using this same hide-out, just in case it all goes topsy-turvy. It might also be best that we genuinely don't know where they'll contain it, if the Unreal's memory skills extend to recognizing others handiwork in tailoring.

    That said, I'm in agreement of the plan as a whole. 'Normally' we'd stash anything of this sensitive nature at the Witch and Seer, but we could have our memories tailored to a double-bluff on that count, given Berlinne may wish to utilize that if she so chooses. So! We'll pick what we think we decided was an 'unexpected' location, yet still relatively secure. We'll have to remember having thoroughly ascertained the nature of our illicit goods, as well, to avoid the risk that some nosy nelly goes to double-check.

    So we'll want a secure location, and one where there's little to no bystanders risking hurt. George's ship, in a chest lined with lead for non-detection? Cormac's place, for our canny reasoning that he's the least likely suspect to have it? I'd like it to be somewhat remote, but it does have to make sense to our own reasoning too..."


  • The Crazy PDCDS Switcheroo Gambit

    Deep below the ruins of an underground Unseelie garden, the Golden Geese have finally located the missing Permanent Death Causing Danger Steel aka the PDCDS aka the Black Steel. They have found it in the hands of the Autonomists, under the leadership of Berlinne Toews, who have been hiding out in the depths. Now they must decide what to do about it, for their enemy, the memorybending doppelganger known as the Unreal will surely read their minds upon their return and discern the location of the missing shipment.

    Upon being informed the Autonomists have an enchanter capable of tailoring memories, Reyhenna, after a healthy screaming match with Berlinne, puts forward one idea.

    "We know the Unreal doesn't know about Berlinne and the Autonomists, so we should leave the PDCDS in their custody. However, we can't leave here knowing that they have it. Since the Unreal is probably expecting us to find and retrieve the steel, I propose we fool it into thinking we did just that.

    However, in order to fool the Unreal, we must fool ourselves. Everything we know, it knows.

    We've come down here, found the black steel daggers, verified it's the real deal. So I propose we take some decoy daggers back up with us. Berlinne's mindbender there can ensorcel us to think we're leaving with the real daggers - the Unreal will read our minds, think WE have the steel and be forced to try and attack us directly to try and relieve us of them. It is so used to working with perfect information, this will be a prime opportunity to bait it into a mistake and take it out.

    Obviously, this plan doesn't work if we realize at any point before the Unreal that our daggers are fakes - it'll just read our minds and rumble the plan that way. To avoid this, we need to plan out exactly what we will do with the daggers now, so that we'll carry that plan out immediately after leaving here with our memories altered.

    I am thinking we pick a strongpoint to contain them, the Unreal will expect us to put them somewhere we think is relatively secure from its reach, we should do just that. Then it is only a matter of waiting for the inevitable attack from the Unreal on that strongpoint. We'll also need Berlinne's enchanted to be ready to restore our memories once the Unreal has attacked, if possible.

    Thoughts? Alternatives?"


  • Isolde, in the days after a certain interrupted performance at the Commons, slips out towards the Docks district instead, red hair covered and dressed casually (for her) to blend in. Should she find the black-haired bard playing, she'd listen well, making sure to give the performer a tip and a subtle wink before leaving to analyze the song with care.


  • OOC Note: I have mistakenly used the name Whitedune, in reference to that noble family involved in the plot, when I should have used the name Kildarn.

    That is my error.

    I will be updating this thread, including your posts, to read "Kildarn" throughout.

    In character, please act as though the family involved was always Kildarn, and not Whitedune. That includes the last name of the murdered Cedric, as well as Antony, whom Aoth visited.

    [DM Xanatos Gambit]


  • Isolde, in reviewing her notes after a talk to the usual suspects at the new and improved table outside the Mermaid, jots the following down:

    "Priorites:

    -Kildarn estate, basement: are those blasted doors in use or not?

    -Find Rowe

    -Learn whether Snydders golems were stolen or remain at the house's estate"

    With that written down, Isolde then slips out after hours, hooded and masked, to reach out to a few of her more elusive contacts.