Rollohi-ep05-script

 5.1 Brigands for breakfast

Watch 3: Encounter: brigands. Are these related in any way to the false knight? No and have no idea this campfire has fought a local group. 

Have they fled the vicomte? No but are somewhat aware of him. 

Number appearing: 10, half mounted half foot.  

Kylie hearing approaching horses (advantage owing to mounts scenting or hearing) Yes. 

Does Kylie bother to wake the others Yes and warns them that she will be in hiding. 

 

"We smelled your cookfire! Mind if we share supplies with you?" 

The brigand is just a normal 1HD and fails his CHA check. 

Ingle rolls just on his CHA of 12 so that's a near miss.  

"Oh, are you riding for the vicomte?" 

 

"No, we're uh... foresters... riding for Sir Jax of Hoggrider" 

 

"Never heard of him" 

 

"Makes sense, if you're new to this neck of the woods." 

 

Jack can smell a lie like this and winks to Umbert. He begins to ease around so as to take the newcomers on their unshielded side. 

 

Does Umbert pick up on the "use Charm Person" wink? Yes. 

"Say friend" he begins...  

Are the brigands surprised by Umbert's ploy? 

Yes. 

 

Surprise round: Umbert casts Charm Person and asks what the newcomers are really here for 

"Oh I was going to kill you, rob your corpse, and maybe sell the halfling chick but I've changed my mind since you're a friend" the brigand spokesperson says. 

 

Kylie has surprise attack on a brigand that seems to be a threat. She kills him with a 4. 

Jack takes a backstab, scoring a light wound of 1 as the brigand is not as unaware as he seemed. He spins to face the thief. 

 

Round 1: character 2, brigands 1 

Each character will move either into melee or away in order to fire from some cover. Kylie will shift cover and fire again.  

Kylie, halflings, and Ingle: Pod and ingle score, wounding more brigands but no-one is down. Kylie and Cied max out. 

No spellcasting. Umbert is preparing his sling in full cover. 

Eryn, Jack, and Xantu: really good set of three attacks. Eryn, using her sword, finishes the brigand Pod hit, while Xantu and Jack slay a brigand each.  

Brigand morale: With a 10 it's fighting withdrawal. Five brigands leap onto five horses, one Charmed brigand attacks the fleeing brigands at advantage. He kills the remaining wounded brigand and seizes the mount. 

 

Round 2: characters 2, brigands 4 

The brigands kick the four horses into a gallop and make Ride checks. Only one gets clear, the others have to roll Evasion. One is successful. 

All characters with missiles let drive at the two targets, who fall dead. 

Victory! Two brigands got away. 

 

What has Yormsely done? Nothing, though he did not hinder the others. He has pretended to lack fighting ability and pretends to hide in cover, while he watches the adventurers carefully. 

 

"Let's take brigand trophies... there could easily be a reward out for them" 

"Yes" [5] 

 

Yormsley pretends to be impatient while this is progressing. 

"Your trophies are your own. I am not an adventurer and I do not plan to travel north. Fare you well, I shall be heading back west." 

 

Jack rolls an 07 on WIS and picks up on this lie. It seems an unnecessary one, as though the man wanted to lay a false trail. In future he will be more suspicious of statements from Yormsley. 

5.2 Vicomte Coen's Champion

The vicomte is known to be intellectual but ruthless. He operates through the agency of a mystic, rather than paying vast sums to spies. He has five banneret knights in his demesne, of which three are situated over this side of the foothills. In his domestic arrangements he is abstemious, having a lawful wife and no more. His age is very advanced, and his eldest son is a banneret awaiting the succession (impatiently? Yes and... making plans to speed things up) 

 

Do they reach the lodge in the first watch of the march? Yes and... it's really close. Their campfire was noticed during the night. 

 

Is the lodge one of the banneret keeps? No 

 

Does the vicomte have his full domestic staff with him? Yes 

Is he hosting all local bannerets? No but his son is within the walls. 

 

By 'walls' are we including a curtain wall? No and it really is just a lodge. 

 

Were the brigands actually there at the heir's behest? No and he would be angry about them 

 

Watch 1: weather not as fine as the previous day, but no wind. Moon, waning and a half-moon. Encounter, but of the vicomte's champion and his attendants. Remember the vicomte is aware that one of his patrols through the foothills was slaughtered by something ferocious. 

 

Let's meet the champion. Using the Strongholds rules, he is serving a level 12 fighter. Accordingly he will be at least Ftr6. D4 tell us yes, he is Ftr6 and is of course armored and armed to perfection. His own entourage comprises three level two fighters, all on warhorses with plate armor. 

 

Name: Iain of the Echoing Dusk 

 

Initial attitude: 9, unmodified by Ingle's CHA or Ajiwe's CHA. Not exactly friendly but far from hostile. 

 

Do the adventurers get the benefit of any doubt? 

 

No. They will need convincing accounts. 

 

The champion is lawful right? No.  

Is he in league with the heir? Yes. 

 

Three party members, one Ajiwe and the other two human and demihuman, are escorted separately. Once at the lodge, the two not interviewed are kept apart. Then the champion repeats the exercise twice over. 

 

The lowest-ranking cleric available keeps records. 

She is completely honest and loyal to the vicomte. 

Her name is Sr Uulwx, presents as female. 

 

CHA check, all three interviewees make their checks. The party is able to remain in lodging. 

 

Will the vicomte receive petitions tonight? Yes. 

With his story accepted Ajiwe rises after the dinner relaxes. He hails praises on the vicomte's name and lineage and petitions that his business plan be heard. 

 

Will the vicomte listen to that tonight? No 

 

Will anything happen tonight? Yes but... it is background stuff the heir is still arranging. 

Does "horrible accident while hunting" seem cliché? No and... that's exactly what the heir has in mind. 

 

Is there a listening ear loyal to the vicomte? Yes but... they are very humble. 

5.3 Night: before Hunt Day

Is it a peaceful night in the Warrior Hall? 

Yes but... there are comings and goings 

 

Is it a peaceful night in the clerestory? 

No. 

 

Does the serf report? 

Yes but... only Ingle is available 

How much does Ingle understand 2 almost nothing. WIS check? Or speak to another acolyte? 5, the latter  

 

Ingle to Uulwx: 05 cha check "you can trust me" 

 

Let's break out to look at religion 

 

"Law" is the full scope but within that 

Are separate deities a thing yes and... they each have their own loyalties 

So Ingle is (d20) hard down at 2 and Uulwx is (d20) in the middle at 12. 

Use cairn 2e spell list d100 to look at spells near those ranges. Ingle is Divination and Comms while Uulwx is trade and pacts. So quite a lot in common. 

 

"Ill tell you what i was told, you tell me if it means something to you." 

 

Uulwx may 1, decide to stay completely out 

2, dither 

3, discuss and escalate 

4, escalate 

5, request direct aid from the party 

6, both the last2 cases  

 

It's a 3. So Ingle gets the general idea. While Uulwx attempts to make a higher order aware, Ingle heads to 

1 Eryn 23 Jack 46 Umbert 

It's Jack 

Ingle 07 CHA v Jack 

 

Jack is motivated 6 and... doesn't stop to worry about legal niceties 

 "Take me to this servant... and let th others know we might need to run" 

 

Jack stealth v elite guard 

DEX 10 and 09 w disadvantage - success 

1 is utterly passive 6 is hyper proactive it's a 5 Jack wakes the vicomte and explains  they heard that he is to be accident victim. 

"I have crept past your guards since we don't know who to trust. But my information comes from another source" 

Jack CHA 03!