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Myth: A New Age CYOA
- Thread starter Fangshi
- Start date
Well that could have gone better. I mean if we would have waited a bit and rescued his family we might have free retentive. Now hes going to come after us and if his family doesn't survive then its 100% sure.
Still lets see what advantages would the bracers confer on us if we did split up? Wireless communication? Cant shake off the feeling if we want to pull of clean operation we must split up.
Still lets see what advantages would the bracers confer on us if we did split up? Wireless communication? Cant shake off the feeling if we want to pull of clean operation we must split up.
Fangshi
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
- Messages
- 1,997
GreyViper said:
Well here is what you know about the bracelets so far.
Derryth thinks that instant communication may be a possible application of the bracers but has no idea how to do it. You would have to devote time to examining them and do some proper R&D.
At the moment you only know that they send a still image of Thaïs and whatever is threatening her to you right before it happens (usually less than a minute before it occurs). So far this has allowed you to react with preternatural speed and accuracy to prevent her death or serious injury on over a dozen occasions. When you ask her about it she describes a similar experience, when you are in danger of being killed or seriously injured she receives an image of you and the threat with only just enough time to immediately act.
The bracelets also provide slight protective enchantments.
Beyond that you know nothing about them.
Current Tally:
Baltika9 AA
Smashing Axe AA
Cassidy AB
asxetos AA
Nevill AB
Jester BCB > AD
Kz3r0 AA
Azira AA
GreyViper AA
Grimgravy BAC
Pre Flop:
1.
A) 8 votes
B) 2 votes
2.
A) 7 votes
B) 2 votes
C) 1 vote
D)
3.
A)
B) 1 vote
C) 1 vote
D)
Post Flop:
1.
A) 9 votes
B) 1 vote
2.
A) 7 votes
B) 2 votes
C)
D) 1 vote
3.
A)
B)
C) 1 vote
D)
Last edited:
AA
Fangshi
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
- Messages
- 1,997
Right so AA has a fairly commanding lead at this point. Unfortunately I won't have time to do an update today so I will leave the vote open until tomorrow, it will closed in 24hrs and the update should be out in 36hrs or so.
Edit:
Okay the vote is closed. AA takes it. The update will be out within 12 hrs baring any surprises.
Edit:
Okay the vote is closed. AA takes it. The update will be out within 12 hrs baring any surprises.
Last edited:
Fangshi
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
- Messages
- 1,997
Chapter 11: Berandal
"Urgent message for Ullr," Bari calls out as the three of you approach the door guard.
He tilts his head, "Funny... we are not expecting any messengers tonight."
Bari grins at the man, "No shit, really? Look I have a message for Ullr from Dacey and it is imperative he gets it as soon as possible."
The guard frowns, "Look, why don't you come back in the morning? If I let you in now I have to fill out all sorts of paperwork..."
Bari nods, "Look brother, if I could come back in the morning I would but Dacey just sent a runner back. She has something important for the boss, really important, and he needs to know about it."
The guard rubs his temples, "Alright, alright. Why don't you hand me this message and I will send it up."
Bari gives him a sympathetic smile, "Sorry brother I have orders to take it directly to the-"
The guard cuts him off, "Well you can tell Dacey that she does not have any authority over me, the uppity bitch... You can give me the message or you can wait till morning. No way in hell am I doing all that paperwork..."
The Pathfinder clenches one fist, "You absolutely sure son?"
"Yes, damn it! I am absolutely-" his face goes slack as you reach out with your mind and press into his. While suggestion is a fairly basic spell that most skilled individuals can resist this guard is not one of them.
Surprisingly, you meet some resistance, not because this guard is some genius, not because he is some great sage, rather because he is extremely lazy. He really does not want to fill out the required paperwork. But you are fairly certain that you can get him to do it.
You have been practicing with Thaïs for months now in an effort to better coordinate your abilities and the two of you make an impressive team. You think you know what is required to break a mind now even without the more advanced spells Nine constantly tempts you with. A spell like Dominate could grant you immediate control of this guard. Sadly you do not know it, which means you will have to do this the hard way. You launch your attack and the second you begin Thaïs joins in as well.
The two of you hit him with dozens of suggestions, each lasts for less than a second but for the moment he experiences them they are as real as anything he has lived. You tip him off balance with the image of a sweet dwarven maid bouncing on his knee. He smiles as his eyes glaze over. She hits him with an experience of sheer terror as his eyes open wide in shock and horror. You follow that up with a vision of his dead wife. For a moment you wonder if he has a wife, or had a wife but you shrug it off. For your purposes it does not matter. His eyes tear up. Then she slips him a memory of success and he positively beams at you.
You take turns pushing him from one extreme to another, fear, lust, jealous, happiness, hatred, grief... after ten minutes of constant assault his mind is clay in your hands. He is simply too worn out to resist any longer.
Slowly you begin to build him back up.
The way you want him to be.
You slip a suggestion into his mind...
He should let you though.
"I... I should let you through..."
He will give you the necessary paperwork.
"I will get those papers for you right away," the guard draws up your passes and hands them to Bari.
He is sorry for delaying you.
"I am sorry for delaying you."
He will tell you where to find Ullr.
"I... I should tell you where to find Ullr, third floor, second door on your left. Impossible to miss really."
He will go take a nap, this has all been a horrible dream.
"I... um... I need to go take a nap... yeah... just need to rest for a while."
As he stumbles off into the night the two of you smile at one another.
Bari stands dumbfounded, "Wow... just wow... that was amazing! Can you..." he hesitates for a moment, oddly unsure of himself, "Can you do it again?"
You give him a little swat as the three of you enter the inner compound.
-------------------------------------------
With the proper paperwork it is simple enough to get to Ullr's room. Naturally though, once there things prove slightly more difficult.
"He is not alone," Bari whispers. The Pathfinder leans against the door while the two of you serve as lookouts.
"How many people?" you give the dwarf a quick glance over your shoulder.
"Hard to say," he frowns, "I only hear one other voice but who knows..."
"Well are we going in?" Thaïs asks and you both look to Bari for an answer.
The dwarf tilts his head back and forth, swaying as he weighs his options, "Well we are not leaving without him and we are on a schedule..." his usual wolfish grin spreads out across his broad face, "Ready?" you give him a nod and he bursts through the door with you and Thaïs close behind.
Bari was right. Ullr is not alone.
The dwarf is seated facing the door, across from him, seated with his back to you sits a human, his short, tight hair more grey than black. From what you can see he is dressed completely in black with gold trim. On either side of him stand guards, dressed in similar uniforms though less ornate, each has a sword at his side and a bow in hand. The three figures turn as you enter the room...
You observe the behaviour of each in turn.
The seated man gives you an appraising look, more amused at this interruption than annoyed. A certain peculiar light plays behind is deep hazelnut eyes.
The first guard eyes you warily not sure yet whether you are friend or foe. He is a large man with a simple face. You doubt he is terribly burdened with the curse of weighty thoughts but he looks like he would be good in a fight.
You turn your attention to the third man and that is when you see him.
The captain from the Black Arrows compound.
The man you knocked unconscious.
He gives you a look of confusion and annoyance, thankfully he does not seem to recognize, you at least not yet. He just stares at you, deep in thought.
The older man turns his keen gaze back to Ullr, the slightest hint of a smile plays upon his lips, "Is it the habit of your employees to burst into your offices at all hours of the night?"
Ullr sits in his high backed, plum chair. The dwarf is livid. His face quickly shifting through various shades of red, it finally settles on a purple that perfectly matches the upholstery. He manages to sputter out a few words, "No... no it is not!" the first word for him is the hardest but once that damn is broken the rest comes naturally, "If you three do not have a very good excuse for this then I will have you hung! Do you understand me!"
Bari feigns terror and gives a deep and trembling bow, "I am sorry milord, but we just got word in from Dacey... it... it is important and-"
Ullr leaps from his chair filled with manic energy, "Marvelous! She succeeded then!" he turns to his guest, "Well I am afraid we will not need to retain your services after all, Mister Ceannard. My people have done what yours could not it seems!"
If the seated gentlemen, this Ceannard, is upset by the news he does not show it. He calmly stands, walks to Ullr's bar and pours himself another drink. He does not speak until he has returned to his seat, "Are you sure that you no longer wish to retain the services of my people?"
The dwarf is practically dancing as he gathers up his cloak and hat, "What? Of course I am sure. You had the girl and you let her slip away! Well now my people have dealt with the problem for you. Why on earth would I want you for anything?"
"Very well then. I hereby officially close your account Mister Ullr," as he says those words he throws a quick glance over his shoulder at you, a confident smirk rests comfortably on his thin lips, "Should you require my services or those of my people in the future you have but to ask though we will of course have to negotiate a new rate."
Ullr ignores the man and rushes towards you, "Quickly, quickly. Take me to her this instant!"
Bari gives the dwarf a triumphant grin, "Of course milord, you will be with her within the hour."
A few seconds more and you will have him... of course when has anything been easy for you...
The captain has been studying you since you entered the room. Staring into your eyes... finally he speaks, "Sir I think I know those two."
Ullr stops half way between you and the Black Arrows. Ceannard turns to his man, "Oh really, where from Captain Otto?" part of you suspects he already knows the answer.
Otto eyes you and Thaïs suspiciously, "Well Sir, I can not be sure but those women remind me of the two that abducted the inventor from our facility."
Ceannard's voice takes on a hurt tone though a slight current of humour remains, "Oh Ullr, I should hope you did not rob us of our prize. I doubt you wish to anger the Black Arrows."
Ullr's face begins the transition back to purple as he takes a couple steps towards his guest, "How dare you! How dare you accuse my people of such things! How dare you accuse me of such things! Do not try and place the blame for your incompetence on my staff! House Eberhardt could crush you entire organization in an instant if you cross us! Don't you ever forget who I am!"
Ceannard's demeanour stands in sharp contrast to that of the dwarf, Ullr is a picture of barely contained fury. A small bundle of malice just looking for a target and an excuse. Ceannard by contrast could not be more relaxed, he reminds you of some great cat. No movement by him is wasted. Calmly he begins, "Ullr, what happened at our compound a few nights ago was unfortunate, but those responsible for that lapse in security have paid for it fully," Otto shudders slightly at the word paid, "As for who you are. I know exactly who you are. I know exactly who you work for. So ask yourself why am I not afraid? Perhaps that should concern you. At any rate if you go with those three you will have more pressing concerns to worry about than me I should think..."
Ullr is in a word, uncertain, he does not have any concrete reason to distrust you but Ceannard has made him uneasy, "Ah... you... you are one strange fellow Ceannard," he considers the three of you then shakes his head, "Maybe, maybe I will wait here for now. Tell Dacey that I will come and see her in the morning."
Bari gives Ullr another stiff bow, "Milord, I was ordered to tell you that Dacey has important information that could impact the fortunes of the entire House. I must urge you not to listen to these charlatans," at the word charlatans, Ceannard lets out a slight laugh, "We must go at once milord."
Ullr nods and takes a step towards your group. Then he hesitates and stops. He looks back at Ceannard, "Could I contract you and your two men to escort me to this meeting with my people. I... I do not want to take any risks..."
So close... so very close but you are losing him.
Ceannard sips on his drink, letting the idea roll around in his head, "Perhaps, Ullr, perhaps... but we will have to negotiate a new contract... and at this point there may just be other bidders," you are almost certain he means you though he does not look in your direction and Ullr shows no signs of understanding.
You could try to slip Ullr a suggestion but something about Ceannard worries you. You just can not place it but the man is strange.
You could always try and attack them while they negotiate. It might surprise Otto and the other guard though you doubt it would catch Ceannard off guard.
You are not really certain of what to do but Bari is getting impatient and you are certain he will act in a moment if you do not take the lead.
You just have to figure out what the best course of action is... how hard can that be?
A) Attack, nonlethal - you lash out now while they are negotiating. You will attempt to incapacitate the Black Arrows with your mental spells. You think you might be able to manipulate the large guard but you will not know till you try. Though you will try to spare them, if you have to kill them so be it.
B) Attack, lethal - Ceannard worries you too much to take half measures. You will go all out and try to kill the Black Arrows with Firebolt and your attack oriented spells.
C) Suggestion - you plant a suggestion in Ullr's mind and try to guide him towards your group.
D) Negotiate - You are almost certain that Ceannard knows who you are. You drop the charade and hire his services to help smuggle Ullr out of the compound. You doubt he will come cheap though and he may want more than gold.
E) Play along - You let Ullr hire the Black Arrows, you will just have to deal with them once you get outside the compound though you are not sure how well that will work.
F) Follow Bari's lead - The Pathfinder is the professional here. Though knowing Bari things might get a little messy.
G) Incapacitate Ullr and ask Caennard for his card, who knows when you might need a little muscle that can work to contract.
H) freeform
"Urgent message for Ullr," Bari calls out as the three of you approach the door guard.
He tilts his head, "Funny... we are not expecting any messengers tonight."
Bari grins at the man, "No shit, really? Look I have a message for Ullr from Dacey and it is imperative he gets it as soon as possible."
The guard frowns, "Look, why don't you come back in the morning? If I let you in now I have to fill out all sorts of paperwork..."
Bari nods, "Look brother, if I could come back in the morning I would but Dacey just sent a runner back. She has something important for the boss, really important, and he needs to know about it."
The guard rubs his temples, "Alright, alright. Why don't you hand me this message and I will send it up."
Bari gives him a sympathetic smile, "Sorry brother I have orders to take it directly to the-"
The guard cuts him off, "Well you can tell Dacey that she does not have any authority over me, the uppity bitch... You can give me the message or you can wait till morning. No way in hell am I doing all that paperwork..."
The Pathfinder clenches one fist, "You absolutely sure son?"
"Yes, damn it! I am absolutely-" his face goes slack as you reach out with your mind and press into his. While suggestion is a fairly basic spell that most skilled individuals can resist this guard is not one of them.
Surprisingly, you meet some resistance, not because this guard is some genius, not because he is some great sage, rather because he is extremely lazy. He really does not want to fill out the required paperwork. But you are fairly certain that you can get him to do it.
You have been practicing with Thaïs for months now in an effort to better coordinate your abilities and the two of you make an impressive team. You think you know what is required to break a mind now even without the more advanced spells Nine constantly tempts you with. A spell like Dominate could grant you immediate control of this guard. Sadly you do not know it, which means you will have to do this the hard way. You launch your attack and the second you begin Thaïs joins in as well.
The two of you hit him with dozens of suggestions, each lasts for less than a second but for the moment he experiences them they are as real as anything he has lived. You tip him off balance with the image of a sweet dwarven maid bouncing on his knee. He smiles as his eyes glaze over. She hits him with an experience of sheer terror as his eyes open wide in shock and horror. You follow that up with a vision of his dead wife. For a moment you wonder if he has a wife, or had a wife but you shrug it off. For your purposes it does not matter. His eyes tear up. Then she slips him a memory of success and he positively beams at you.
You take turns pushing him from one extreme to another, fear, lust, jealous, happiness, hatred, grief... after ten minutes of constant assault his mind is clay in your hands. He is simply too worn out to resist any longer.
Slowly you begin to build him back up.
The way you want him to be.
You slip a suggestion into his mind...
He should let you though.
"I... I should let you through..."
He will give you the necessary paperwork.
"I will get those papers for you right away," the guard draws up your passes and hands them to Bari.
He is sorry for delaying you.
"I am sorry for delaying you."
He will tell you where to find Ullr.
"I... I should tell you where to find Ullr, third floor, second door on your left. Impossible to miss really."
He will go take a nap, this has all been a horrible dream.
"I... um... I need to go take a nap... yeah... just need to rest for a while."
As he stumbles off into the night the two of you smile at one another.
Bari stands dumbfounded, "Wow... just wow... that was amazing! Can you..." he hesitates for a moment, oddly unsure of himself, "Can you do it again?"
You give him a little swat as the three of you enter the inner compound.
-------------------------------------------
With the proper paperwork it is simple enough to get to Ullr's room. Naturally though, once there things prove slightly more difficult.
"He is not alone," Bari whispers. The Pathfinder leans against the door while the two of you serve as lookouts.
"How many people?" you give the dwarf a quick glance over your shoulder.
"Hard to say," he frowns, "I only hear one other voice but who knows..."
"Well are we going in?" Thaïs asks and you both look to Bari for an answer.
The dwarf tilts his head back and forth, swaying as he weighs his options, "Well we are not leaving without him and we are on a schedule..." his usual wolfish grin spreads out across his broad face, "Ready?" you give him a nod and he bursts through the door with you and Thaïs close behind.
Bari was right. Ullr is not alone.
The dwarf is seated facing the door, across from him, seated with his back to you sits a human, his short, tight hair more grey than black. From what you can see he is dressed completely in black with gold trim. On either side of him stand guards, dressed in similar uniforms though less ornate, each has a sword at his side and a bow in hand. The three figures turn as you enter the room...
You observe the behaviour of each in turn.
The seated man gives you an appraising look, more amused at this interruption than annoyed. A certain peculiar light plays behind is deep hazelnut eyes.
The first guard eyes you warily not sure yet whether you are friend or foe. He is a large man with a simple face. You doubt he is terribly burdened with the curse of weighty thoughts but he looks like he would be good in a fight.
You turn your attention to the third man and that is when you see him.
The captain from the Black Arrows compound.
The man you knocked unconscious.
He gives you a look of confusion and annoyance, thankfully he does not seem to recognize, you at least not yet. He just stares at you, deep in thought.
The older man turns his keen gaze back to Ullr, the slightest hint of a smile plays upon his lips, "Is it the habit of your employees to burst into your offices at all hours of the night?"
Ullr sits in his high backed, plum chair. The dwarf is livid. His face quickly shifting through various shades of red, it finally settles on a purple that perfectly matches the upholstery. He manages to sputter out a few words, "No... no it is not!" the first word for him is the hardest but once that damn is broken the rest comes naturally, "If you three do not have a very good excuse for this then I will have you hung! Do you understand me!"
Bari feigns terror and gives a deep and trembling bow, "I am sorry milord, but we just got word in from Dacey... it... it is important and-"
Ullr leaps from his chair filled with manic energy, "Marvelous! She succeeded then!" he turns to his guest, "Well I am afraid we will not need to retain your services after all, Mister Ceannard. My people have done what yours could not it seems!"
If the seated gentlemen, this Ceannard, is upset by the news he does not show it. He calmly stands, walks to Ullr's bar and pours himself another drink. He does not speak until he has returned to his seat, "Are you sure that you no longer wish to retain the services of my people?"
The dwarf is practically dancing as he gathers up his cloak and hat, "What? Of course I am sure. You had the girl and you let her slip away! Well now my people have dealt with the problem for you. Why on earth would I want you for anything?"
"Very well then. I hereby officially close your account Mister Ullr," as he says those words he throws a quick glance over his shoulder at you, a confident smirk rests comfortably on his thin lips, "Should you require my services or those of my people in the future you have but to ask though we will of course have to negotiate a new rate."
Ullr ignores the man and rushes towards you, "Quickly, quickly. Take me to her this instant!"
Bari gives the dwarf a triumphant grin, "Of course milord, you will be with her within the hour."
A few seconds more and you will have him... of course when has anything been easy for you...
The captain has been studying you since you entered the room. Staring into your eyes... finally he speaks, "Sir I think I know those two."
Ullr stops half way between you and the Black Arrows. Ceannard turns to his man, "Oh really, where from Captain Otto?" part of you suspects he already knows the answer.
Otto eyes you and Thaïs suspiciously, "Well Sir, I can not be sure but those women remind me of the two that abducted the inventor from our facility."
Ceannard's voice takes on a hurt tone though a slight current of humour remains, "Oh Ullr, I should hope you did not rob us of our prize. I doubt you wish to anger the Black Arrows."
Ullr's face begins the transition back to purple as he takes a couple steps towards his guest, "How dare you! How dare you accuse my people of such things! How dare you accuse me of such things! Do not try and place the blame for your incompetence on my staff! House Eberhardt could crush you entire organization in an instant if you cross us! Don't you ever forget who I am!"
Ceannard's demeanour stands in sharp contrast to that of the dwarf, Ullr is a picture of barely contained fury. A small bundle of malice just looking for a target and an excuse. Ceannard by contrast could not be more relaxed, he reminds you of some great cat. No movement by him is wasted. Calmly he begins, "Ullr, what happened at our compound a few nights ago was unfortunate, but those responsible for that lapse in security have paid for it fully," Otto shudders slightly at the word paid, "As for who you are. I know exactly who you are. I know exactly who you work for. So ask yourself why am I not afraid? Perhaps that should concern you. At any rate if you go with those three you will have more pressing concerns to worry about than me I should think..."
Ullr is in a word, uncertain, he does not have any concrete reason to distrust you but Ceannard has made him uneasy, "Ah... you... you are one strange fellow Ceannard," he considers the three of you then shakes his head, "Maybe, maybe I will wait here for now. Tell Dacey that I will come and see her in the morning."
Bari gives Ullr another stiff bow, "Milord, I was ordered to tell you that Dacey has important information that could impact the fortunes of the entire House. I must urge you not to listen to these charlatans," at the word charlatans, Ceannard lets out a slight laugh, "We must go at once milord."
Ullr nods and takes a step towards your group. Then he hesitates and stops. He looks back at Ceannard, "Could I contract you and your two men to escort me to this meeting with my people. I... I do not want to take any risks..."
So close... so very close but you are losing him.
Ceannard sips on his drink, letting the idea roll around in his head, "Perhaps, Ullr, perhaps... but we will have to negotiate a new contract... and at this point there may just be other bidders," you are almost certain he means you though he does not look in your direction and Ullr shows no signs of understanding.
You could try to slip Ullr a suggestion but something about Ceannard worries you. You just can not place it but the man is strange.
You could always try and attack them while they negotiate. It might surprise Otto and the other guard though you doubt it would catch Ceannard off guard.
You are not really certain of what to do but Bari is getting impatient and you are certain he will act in a moment if you do not take the lead.
You just have to figure out what the best course of action is... how hard can that be?
A) Attack, nonlethal - you lash out now while they are negotiating. You will attempt to incapacitate the Black Arrows with your mental spells. You think you might be able to manipulate the large guard but you will not know till you try. Though you will try to spare them, if you have to kill them so be it.
B) Attack, lethal - Ceannard worries you too much to take half measures. You will go all out and try to kill the Black Arrows with Firebolt and your attack oriented spells.
C) Suggestion - you plant a suggestion in Ullr's mind and try to guide him towards your group.
D) Negotiate - You are almost certain that Ceannard knows who you are. You drop the charade and hire his services to help smuggle Ullr out of the compound. You doubt he will come cheap though and he may want more than gold.
E) Play along - You let Ullr hire the Black Arrows, you will just have to deal with them once you get outside the compound though you are not sure how well that will work.
F) Follow Bari's lead - The Pathfinder is the professional here. Though knowing Bari things might get a little messy.
G) Incapacitate Ullr and ask Caennard for his card, who knows when you might need a little muscle that can work to contract.
H) freeform
Last edited:
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
This is tough. I am not sure Bari is well-suited for subtle missions like kidnapping and smuggling.
I'd also assume that negotiating now is not an option. How are you going to negotiate when Ullr is standing right there? They also might want Melete... and just who the hell is that Ceannard guy and what does he want? I am uncomfortable with dealing with him when there are so many uncertainties.
I'd take them out of the compound and negotiate with them there... if anything, the Black Arrows don't want Pathfinders on their toes, but I am not quite sure that they will be willing to re-negotiate once they accept the contract, as any mercenaries that want to stay in business would. Though if there are no witnesses, I suppose that might be acceptable to them.
Attacking them... is unwise. Ceannard is definitely a strange one, and he is ready for your attack.
I wonder what would happen if we slip a suggestion and seed distrust between the two groups. Can Ceannard call us out on that? Fangshi, how noticeable is it for the third party when the mage is casting something like a suggestion? How does it look like?
Then again, it was mentioned that "suggestion is a fairly basic spell that most skilled individuals can resist". How does a failed suggestion look like from a victim's standpoint?
Ultimately, all of these choices will have to pass certain checks to succeed. We are just trying to find the one with the most beneficial modifiers.
I'd also assume that negotiating now is not an option. How are you going to negotiate when Ullr is standing right there? They also might want Melete... and just who the hell is that Ceannard guy and what does he want? I am uncomfortable with dealing with him when there are so many uncertainties.
I'd take them out of the compound and negotiate with them there... if anything, the Black Arrows don't want Pathfinders on their toes, but I am not quite sure that they will be willing to re-negotiate once they accept the contract, as any mercenaries that want to stay in business would. Though if there are no witnesses, I suppose that might be acceptable to them.
Attacking them... is unwise. Ceannard is definitely a strange one, and he is ready for your attack.
I wonder what would happen if we slip a suggestion and seed distrust between the two groups. Can Ceannard call us out on that? Fangshi, how noticeable is it for the third party when the mage is casting something like a suggestion? How does it look like?
Then again, it was mentioned that "suggestion is a fairly basic spell that most skilled individuals can resist". How does a failed suggestion look like from a victim's standpoint?
Ultimately, all of these choices will have to pass certain checks to succeed. We are just trying to find the one with the most beneficial modifiers.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,835
I don't think Cennard will interfere so long as his services are not engaged, but this is a complete guess based on what I have seen so far of the group's emphasis on contracts. If we use suggestion to make Ullr leery of hiring them, then they shouldn't interfere. I think using suggestion to play up his suspicions of them would work, but who knows what Cennard has up his sleeve.
I don't think negotiating with the Black Arrows at this time is wise, not in Ullr's stronghold where he can outbid us.
C>F
I don't think negotiating with the Black Arrows at this time is wise, not in Ullr's stronghold where he can outbid us.
C>F
Zero Credibility
Arcane
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
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edit: make that C > G (knock the guy out).
The reasoning being that with Thais around we are really good with this spell and the guy already wants to go with us, we just have to push him a bit towards us (or better, just push him away from the other party). The main risk here is that Ceannard will react to this, but even if he notices what we are doing he may be just amused by this. After all, it is such a basic spell, anyone should be able to defend themselves against it. And we didn't actually cause any damage to these guys when we rescued the inventor (apart from making them look incompetent of course).
Other choices are much riskier - I don't want to attack these guys because we have no idea what Ceannard is capable of. Negotiating also sounds dubious as our target will promise everything for his life and we will have a difficult time meeting that bid. Playing along is suicide because these guys will strike at us the moment they make a deal. And I'm beginning to think that even Bari is out of his element here - when we did our thing with the guard he seemed unsure and asked us if we could do this again.
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Fangshi
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Nevill said:
It is not a spell that requires movement or vocalization so it is quite subtle. An observer might be able to tell if the target begins to behave strangely but it would require knowledge of the existence of the spell and a reason to believe that a mage is influencing the target instead of an more mundane explanation such as stress or drug abuse.
Now another mage could probably tell immediately that someone is casting provided they are paying attention but they would not neccesarily know who is casting or what is being cast if they have no experience with such spells.
Just on a general note most mental spells are very subtle, they rely directly on the willpower and mental fortitude of the caster so a good mentalist can still cast even when bound and gagged. Of course if you drug them or otherwise undermine their ability to focus the spells become far less useful.
They reject the thought and subsequent attempts to influence them become more difficult as the target learns to defend themselves. If you are using a light touch there will be no physical changes, if you are really pushing them then they may suffer some minor whiplash and the like. The smarter/wiser the target the more likely they are to deduce that they were attacked at which point they will attempt to defend themselves or flee.
Smashing Axe said:
Nine either does not know or is unwilling to teach you a 'tracer spell' but it might be possible to take something like Retrieve Item and modify it to mark an object without recalling it. You would need to take a look at the magical theory involved but it is a possible avenue of development.
You could plant a compulsion/false memory combo in his mind keyed to a particular trigger but you would have to be careful in setting up the contingency. You are right in that it is probably beyond your ability to do individually but your Circle could pull it off if it was set up like a ritual. It would take time to properly weave but it could certainly be done. You might need a few weeks or months of brainstorming together to get it right however.
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Nevill
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I highly doubt it. What for?
If he was interested in serving Ullr, he would have revealed us immediately. He is playing a game that we don't quite understand yet.
Other than make them lose on a bounty? We robbed them of their money and reputation, and that is a great damage in itself, especially for the mercenary company.Zero Credibility said:
I wonder if Caennard guessed which party is it that we serve. Two low-life mages would hardly come inside Eberhardt's stronghold if they didn't have a backing of equal or greater power behind them.
Fangshi, what would be the suggestion that we are going to plant in Ullr's mind? He is uncertain if he should go with us alone, so pushing him in that direction might not be all that successful. On the other hand, if we suggest to him that the other party is just wasting his time attempting to get something out of their deal when they previously got nothing, that might just hit the spot. He did think that way just a moment ago. Or will we try several approaches?
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Hell yes, we should develop this ritual and use it upon all our high-ranking enemies whenever we capture them. Then let them go, let them plan and scheme against us. All the while they'll be serving as useful pawns to our cause. I like that a lot.
Take over the Empire, one foe at a time.
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Why would they? It's a magical alteration achieving a non-magical permanent effect. That being an implanted memory with an overriding personality set to the right mental trigger. The only way to really detect it would be through some sort of mind probe. Unless a spell is required to maintain the effect or something, but I don't see why that would be.
It'd be like detecting that a rock was once moved by telekinesis after the fact.
It'd be like detecting that a rock was once moved by telekinesis after the fact.
Nevill
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Then again, Ullr is just about to sign the contract. Will Cennard let go of the opportunity like that? We might be interfering with his business here.
I don't like this line one bit:
If that's our WIS 8 instinct speaking, then it might really be a bad idea. On the other hand, short of letting Bari handle it or attacking them with extreme prejudice, I don't really see better options.
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To be fair, our internal voice is pessimistic about every option.
As for the contract, I'm speculating that these guys have a strange sense of honour in regards to how they do their business. No contract, no conflict, unless you go out of your way to attack them. I have no reason to think this, other than the fact that their name is similar to the Black Company and ergo they share all their traits.
As for the contract, I'm speculating that these guys have a strange sense of honour in regards to how they do their business. No contract, no conflict, unless you go out of your way to attack them. I have no reason to think this, other than the fact that their name is similar to the Black Company and ergo they share all their traits.
It seems that Caennard is using suggestions of his own (or something similar). We really should not attack them because at this point we are acting as representatives of the King and we cannot know the implications of our actions. F seems to be the way to go but, Fangshi, is it possible to inform Bari that the Black Arrows probably know who we are and that their boss might be a magic user before he desides?
Nevill
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Hmmm... that is actually quite funny, and it might work, too. No worse than C would, anyway, with the other party knowing our allegiance.
I'll flop to it, then. G.
Zero Credibility
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It could work, yes. Less subtle than C, but also probably less chance of the spell just failing. Of course, what his guests have to say about it is a different matter. But I'll add it is a conditional vote.
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