Viticulture of the Damned

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

gridley wrote:: ... I think I might bring in a new character, a goliath warden that could act as a guide outside the city. Would that be cool?

OOC: sure!

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

OOC: I think that I'll go with Vox (and his new familiar, Dexter) abroad and Paetros back home. If that is indeed the route we're taking.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

Rolzup wrote:: OOC: I think that I'll go with Vox (and his new familiar, Dexter) abroad and Paetros back home. If that is indeed the route we're taking.

OOC: sounds good. BTW, I think my replacement PC will be a pistol-packing Changeling bard -- who usually appears in the form of a small, anthropomorphized monkey-- named Orlando Curioso, an explorer of some renown from a kingdom bordering the Interior.

Posts : 1078 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: That sounds cool. Just tell me who is going where to do what. Are you going to bring in the Replacement League? I need to know, because I'm assuming they're not as powerful.

I think it would be easiest to keep them all at the same level, since we'll presumably have some of the regular PCs going to the Clutch and some staying in the Port.

Rolzup wrote:: Taking a deep breath, Vox tries to once again assume a professional demeanor. "It seems that we should perhaps begin our investigations with the town of Vine. A bit out of my normal purview, but I have as much authority there as I do here in the Port."

There's a moment of uncomfortable silence before he clears his throat and continues, trying not to look anyone in the eye. "It's far safer to travel the Clutch on this side of the veil; I suggest that we hire the services of a guide. Assuming that you're willing to bear the expense, oh Captain."

gridley wrote:: "While I agree that Vine must be investigated," says Odanais. "I believe stopping Titus from taking possession of Cybelle at the Spiral Jetty is more urgent."

Artichoke listens thoughtfully, saying nothing for a few moments, as he considers the best ways in which to proceed - and how to do so. Finally, he says, "It does sound like both of these actions would be worthwhile to pursue. Luckily, we now have more than enough people on hand to deal with various duties at once. Personally, I need to stay in town, and it seems Odanais will want to help deal with Titus too, but some of you can accompany Vox into the Clutch and find what you can about these grapes. Now we just need to decide who will be going there."

He glances at Vox. "And yes, we can afford to pay for a guide and anything else - well, probably anything else - that the expedition to the Clutch will need. I"m sure the Bureaucracy would be appreciative of our efforts in this direction." He smiles pleasantly at the shadar-kai. I knew we'd benefit from having you around.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

shilsen wrote:: I think it would be easiest to keep them all at the same level, since we'll presumably have some of the regular PCs going to the Clutch and some staying in the Port.

OOC: it would, but I think it would be fun to have some of the replacement characters be lower level, so we can periodically run adventures on different tiers. There are a great many Heroic tier Port NPC's that the League has not yet met or killed.

shilsen wrote:: Personally, I need to stay in town, and it seems Odanais will want to help deal with Titus too, but some of you can accompany Vox into the Clutch and find what you can about these grapes. Now we just need to decide who will be going there."

Heh... we've got Team Odanais going to confront Magister Titus and Team Vox is headed out to the village of Vine.

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

shilsen wrote:: He glances at Vox. "And yes, we can afford to pay for a guide and anything else - well, probably anything else - that the expedition to the Clutch will need. I"m sure the Bureaucracy would be appreciative of our efforts in this direction."

Vox snorts at this. "You're not familiar with the ways of the Beauracracy, are you? Never mind, never mind," he waves a hand. "I'll claim this as a business expense, keep your names out of it. Put you down as guard dogs and pack beasts, I suppose. But, hells away, the paperwork!"

He makes a complex gesture with his left hand, which promptly drops to the floor, landing gracefully on its fingertips with a spatter of blood from its wrist. Vox flexes his own hand, still attached to his arms and points to the door. "Go on now, get started. Form 117 AAL-133B, in triplicate."

The severed hand, rather larger and much more tanned than the one that Vox normally sports, bobs its middle finger, as if nodding, and scurries off...leaving a trail of bloodstains in its wake, which rapidly sublime into clouds of acrid-smelling smoke. Vox gazes fondly after it.

"Gift from an old friend, of sorts," he explains. "Owed me an arm and a leg, but I cut him a deal. It's named Dexter. Comes in....well, it's useful, let's leave it at that."

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

Rolzup wrote:: He makes a complex gesture with his left hand, which promptly drops to the floor, landing gracefully on its fingertips with a spatter of blood from its wrist.

OOC: good lord... now I want a familiar for Yatagan!

Quote :: It's named Dexter.

OOC: don't tempt me like this!

OK, so you're going to expense the trip to Vine. Are you going to inquire about train tickets, or just hire horses and a guide?

Posts : 1078 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: I think it would be easiest to keep them all at the same level, since we'll presumably have some of the regular PCs going to the Clutch and some staying in the Port.

OOC: it would, but I think it would be fun to have some of the replacement characters be lower level, so we can periodically run adventures on different tiers. There are a great many Heroic tier Port NPC's that the League has not yet met or killed.[/quote]

Fine by me, though I think it's easy enough to challenge Paragon-level PCs with Heroic-tier NPCs, with the right situation/strategy/tactics. On that note, are you planning to move the PCs up to Paragon tier soon?

Quote :: OK, so you're going to expense the trip to Vine. Are you going to inquire about train tickets, or just hire horses and a guide?

I'd recommend the train, since that has a lot of great potential for interaction with NPCs, action of various kinds, etc.

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: OOC: good lord... now I want a familiar for Yatagan!

OOC: They're a delight, ain't they? Now that I can make it big and ride the damned thing, I couldn't possibly be happier. And it's got a better Thievery skill that Vox himself; I can only assume that Dexter's a kleptomaniac.

Mallus wrote:: OOC: don't tempt me like this!

OOC: Give in to the dark side, man! But god, what kind of familiar would Yaigan have? You could always take the stats of the snake familiar and...but no, that way lies total madness. And possibly something that William S. Burroughs would write about

Mallus wrote:: OK, so you're going to expense the trip to Vine. Are you going to inquire about train tickets, or just hire horses and a guide?

OOC: Guide, yes -- I assume that we'll still have some overland travel, and besides: we have a replacement PC to add. But I agree that the train sounds like good fun.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

Rolzup wrote:: I can only assume that Dexter's a kleptomaniac.

OOC: I am now picturing a horse-sized hand attempting to pick someone's pocket...

Quote :: OOC: Give in to the dark side, man!

OOC: I meant that Dexter is an... inauspicious name cf. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

Quote :: But god, what kind of familiar would Yaigan have?

OOC: A detachable two-headed penis, naturally cf. "Detachable Penis" by King Missile. In fact, he would name it King Missile because that fits him to a tee!

Quote :: And possibly something that William S. Burroughs would write about

There's a bit of the City of Interzone in all my fantasy cities.

Mallus wrote:: OOC: Guide, yes -- I assume that we'll still have some overland travel, and besides: we have a replacement PC to add. But I agree that the train sounds like good fun.

OOC: OK, so Artichoke will go to Gog-Magog Station, Vox will contact Our Man in the Middling Lands ie Steve's new Warden, and then Team Odanais will pay Magister Titus a visit out on the Spiral Jetty...

... I'll get right on it.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

Also, make your characters --all of them-- 10th level.

Merry Christ-less Christmas!

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: OOC: I am now picturing a horse-sized hand attempting to pick someone's pocket...

While whistling innocently, no doubt.

Mallus wrote:: OOC: I meant that Dexter is an... inauspicious name cf. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

That was in the back of my mind, in truth. But the main reason was to name a detached left hand "Dexter" instead of "Sinister". I ain't proud.

Mallus wrote:: OOC: A detachable two-headed penis, naturally cf. "Detachable Penis" by King Missile. In fact, he would name it King Missile because that fits him to a tee!

God, but the Gospels of the Crotch God are going to be the stuff of nightmares....

Mallus wrote:: OOC: OK, so Artichoke will go to Gog-Magog Station, Vox will contact Our Man in the Middling Lands ie Steve's new Warden, and then Team Odanais will pay Magister Titus a visit out on the Spiral Jetty...

... I'll get right on it.

Sounds perfect! And leveling to come....

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

Rolzup wrote:: God, but the Gospels of the Crotch God are going to be the stuff of nightmares....

"I looked, and beheld a penis the size of a pale horse. With two heads, even! And the name that sat on it was Yatagan, and hey, he's brought fireworks!" - Revealings, 6:8.

Posts : 1078 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: OOC: OK, so Artichoke will go to Gog-Magog Station, Vox will contact Our Man in the Middling Lands ie Steve's new Warden, and then Team Odanais will pay Magister Titus a visit out on the Spiral Jetty...

... I'll get right on it.

Sounds good.

BTW, Artichoke will be planning to go to the Spiral Jetty with Odanais and whoever comes along, since he figures they'll need all the help they can get, plus even if they win this might go badly for the League considering Titus' connections. So if going to Gog-Magog Station would mean he can't accompany them, he'd send someone else to the Station.

Posts : 900 Join date : 2008-08-22

shilsen wrote:: BTW, Artichoke will be planning to go to the Spiral Jetty with Odanais and whoever comes along, since he figures they'll need all the help they can get, plus even if they win this might go badly for the League considering Titus' connections. So if going to Gog-Magog Station would mean he can't accompany them, he'd send someone else to the Station.

If things go really bad, we might be joining them on the next train!

Posts : 1078 Join date : 2008-08-21

gridley wrote:: If things go really bad, we might be joining them on the next train!

Good point!

Scott, do we re-equip our PCs for 10th level as usual?

Also, in the interests of working out which PCs are going where, here's what I think we've got thus far:

Going to the Clutch:
Vox (John)
Yet-to-be-named Goliath warden (Steve)
Mike's PC (?)
Ed's PC (?)
Penelope or Christabel (Shil)

Going to deal with Titus:
Odanais (Steve)
Paetros (John)
Lizzy (Ed)
Fagin-Gepetto or Heyoka (Mike)
Artichoke (Shil)

Sound about right?

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

Looks right to me, at least. I want more details on this Goliath fellow, though...how can he possibly be bizarre enough to fit in, eh?

Posts : 242 Join date : 2009-02-04

I need ANOTHER character?!? I am not nearly as creative as you guys...

Posts : 1078 Join date : 2008-08-21

overeddie wrote:: I need ANOTHER character?!? I am not nearly as creative as you guys...

I think the term you're looking for is "lacking the ability to stick with one PC" Razz

You could always run one of the existing PCs, if you want, Ed.

Posts : 900 Join date : 2008-08-22

Rolzup wrote:: Looks right to me, at least. I want more details on this Goliath fellow, though...how can he possibly be bizarre enough to fit in, eh?

Hehe... tune in tonight when Roxy will be added to the forums.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

shilsen wrote:: Scott, do we re-equip our PCs for 10th level as usual?

OOC: yes!

overeddie wrote:: I need ANOTHER character?!? I am not nearly as creative as you guys...

OOC: Ed, I can loan you Yatagan. Or you can play the cat!

gridley wrote:: Hehe... tune in tonight when Roxy will be added to the forums.

OOC: oh noes...

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

gridley wrote:

Rolzup wrote:: Looks right to me, at least. I want more details on this Goliath fellow, though...how can he possibly be bizarre enough to fit in, eh?

Hehe... tune in tonight when Roxy will be added to the forums.

Please tell me that it's Roxy Horror. A cross-dressing Goliath is what this world needs, I tells ya.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

shilsen wrote:: So if going to Gog-Magog Station would mean he can't accompany them, he'd send someone else to the Station.

An hour after Artichoke and Odanais leave to confront Titus, Sir Fracas returns from Gog-Magog Station bearing news, verbiage, and 5 Provisional Tickets

"I admit" says Yatagan, after drawing a worryingly deep breath, "I had no idea how purchasing tickets for the Gog-Magog Line operated until this evening, which is embarrassing, since my noble old fluid-rich race built the ragged thing out of metal, slavery and pure shining hubris... where was I?

Oh yes. Did you know there's no schedule? It comes when it does. A particularly Dragonborn sentiment, no? You see, the Line relies on more than a score of fortune-tellers known as "Railway Oracles" to discern it's movements. They interpret the creaking of the great adamantine Chain that draws the cars. They read the positions of the two great golems Gog and Magag that tirelessly pull. Mayhaps they even use the old devil called mathematics to calculate the average speed? Who but they can know such things?

At any rate, fortune favors the righteous! All signs point to the train arriving sometime tomorrow morning, going southbound. Just in case, I bought Provisional Tickets, good for two weeks. The train will take you as far as Fae Point Station. From there it's just a few miles west to Vine. Or so the man I met in the ticket line said. A fine, distinguished chap, and knowledgeable! I believe he was a member of the Geographical Society. Denham Twixt was his name...".

OOC: let's continue this in a new thread...

Posts : 900 Join date : 2008-08-22

Rolzup wrote:

gridley wrote:

Rolzup wrote:: Looks right to me, at least. I want more details on this Goliath fellow, though...how can he possibly be bizarre enough to fit in, eh?

Hehe... tune in tonight when Roxy will be added to the forums.

Please tell me that it's Roxy Horror. A cross-dressing Goliath is what this world needs, I tells ya.

Awww... you peeked inside my brain!

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

gridley wrote:: Awww... you peeked inside my brain!

OOC: So the Port is really some post-apocalyptic fantasy version of Berlin during the Weimar Republic?

I am now tempted to base my next character on Christopher Isherwood, or, better still, on the Emcee from "Cabaret".