Strangeness on a Train/The Jetty

Posts : 1078 Join date : 2008-08-21

Rolzup wrote:: "If Titus has vampire hussy's soul," Pætros explains, as if to a child, "We do not, yes? And cannot make sacremtnal wine from her, yes?" He raises an eyebrow at Artichoke, and waits for the stunning injustice of this to register.

Artichoke stares at Pætros for a moment and then slowly shakes his head and chuckles. "So that's why you came here? To mug Titus for the vampire so you could try to turn her into wine? And then you do what - feed her to some poor bastard so he can be possessed by Cybelle and come kick our asses? Good plan!"

He chuckles again and then glances at Odanais. "So, Odanais - you didn't say: what's your beef with old Titus?"

Posts : 900 Join date : 2008-08-22

shilsen wrote:: Artichoke stares at Pætros for a moment and then slowly shakes his head and chuckles. "So that's why you came here? To mug Titus for the vampire so you could try to turn her into wine? And then you do what - feed her to some poor bastard so he can be possessed by Cybelle and come kick our asses? Good plan!"

He chuckles again and then glances at Odanais. "So, Odanais - you didn't say: what's your beef with old Titus?"

"Well, I'm still not exactly certain how you do things in this world," says Odanais. "But where I come from it's considered fairly evil to hire a gang of criminals to steal what doesn't belong to you, especially when it involves killing lots of innocent people along the way."

"And his utter lack of concern regarding Larkspur being harmed in his scheme convinces me that he's motivated by interests other than loyalty to Lord Dandy."

"I know precious little about Lord Lively, but he is at least the rightful owner of the mask that contained that vampire spirit and he has offered to pay us quite kindly if we bring it back to him, along with the villain responsible for its theft, who is, if you recall, Magister Titus."

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gridley wrote:: "Well, I'm still not exactly certain how you do things in this world," says Odanais. "But where I come from it's considered fairly evil to hire a gang of criminals to steal what doesn't belong to you, especially when it involves killing lots of innocent people along the way."

Artichoke chuckles sardonically. "I know you haven't had that much time here but ... boy, you are really going to hate some of the people who run this city."

Quote :: "And his utter lack of concern regarding Larkspur being harmed in his scheme convinces me that he's motivated by interests other than loyalty to Lord Dandy."

"I know precious little about Lord Lively, but he is at least the rightful owner of the mask that contained that vampire spirit and he has offered to pay us quite kindly if we bring it back to him, along with the villain responsible for its theft, who is, if you recall, Magister Titus."

For a moment, Artichoke considers repeating what he has already said about proof and whether Lively will actually back them up against Dandy, if it comes to that. But then he reconsiders. Well, we might as well see where this takes us. "All right, then. Since you think we're justified in making a, shall we say, citizen's arrest, I won't bother arguing. Let's do it."

He nods in Titus' direction. "He's all yours. You and Paetros', I mean, since I can't quite reach him while he's flying. Think you two can bring him down?"

OOC: Steve, how about introducing Roxy IC for the group going to the Clutch? Then we can get going there too.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

OOC: Titus is 90ft. away from you.

Also, a few reminders...

Titus didn't know Larkspur would be at the Made Gallery the night of the robbery. Lark sneaked out to hire the League in secret.

From what the blood merchant told you, most stories of Cybelle name the warlock servants of the Far Realms/Beyond-the-Sea as the ones responsible for killing her and binding her to the Mask. That means Titus hired her mortal enemies to steal her. An act which might rouse the bound spirit of Cybelle to furious anger. Sound familiar? Of course, it's possible Titus was simply ignorant of those stories...

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OOC: re: mixing it up with the Magistrates.

I always pictured them as being high-Heroic/low-Paragon Tier enemies, more-or-less. Should they becomes them, that is. The League will, ahem, ascend to Paragon Tier by the end of the next session. Besides physical power, you have property, a fair bit of wealth, notoriety, and a few actual connections.

While I won't comment on the wisdom of putting the League in the firing line of one or more Magistrates, doing so is not entirely suicidal. BTW, I'm not trying to influence your actions, I'm just trying to provide context.

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Mallus wrote:: OOC: re: mixing it up with the Magistrates.

I always pictured them as being high-Heroic/low-Paragon Tier enemies, more-or-less. Should they becomes them, that is. The League will, ahem, ascend to Paragon Tier by the end of the next session. Besides physical power, you have property, a fair bit of wealth, notoriety, and a few actual connections.

While I won't comment on the wisdom of putting the League in the firing line of one or more Magistrates, doing so is not entirely suicidal. BTW, I'm not trying to influence your actions, I'm just trying to provide context.

Thanks for the info, though obviously that's not something our PCs would actually have, or at least not in anything other than very general terms. From Artichoke's POV, the problem with having a Magistrate as an enemy has nothing (or little) to do with their actual power as individuals, but is all about their connections and position. He'd be equally concerned about them if they were all 5th level.

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"Well I have no respect for authority. Let's kill this bastard."

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

"Is a little out of reach at moment," Pætros tells Artichoke, "But easily remedied, yes?" Twirling his staff in a jaunty fashion, he starts down the jetty. The pig follows behind, appearing for the briefest of moments to be even larger than the real Treasure, looking as belligerent as a spirit-swine can manage.

Pætros pauses in his advance, and glares at the pig. "Make self useful," he snaps.

The pig, curiously obliging for a change, vanishes. And reappears directly below Titus, where it begins to dance what the charitable might be inclined to call a jig.

"Is good," Pætros grunts, resuming his march. "Choppy man, degenerate, vegetable man! Come along!"

OOC: Summon Spirit Companion has a 100 ft range, so.... Not that the poor thing can do much, but it's a distraction, sure as sure.

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

shilsen wrote:: From Artichoke's POV, the problem with having a Magistrate as an enemy has nothing (or little) to do with their actual power as individuals, but is all about their connections and position. He'd be equally concerned about them if they were all 5th level.

OOC: seems reasonable, and I didn't mean to stress raw, mechanical, hack-and-slash power, though I did come off that way.

Though I will remind you the League has a contract (written in Infernal) with Lord Lively, for the sum of 5000 gp, payable upon the delivery of the name of the party responsible for hiring the Petitioners to steal the Mask of Cybelle. In addition, you have another contract, contingent on the first, for the sum of 50,000 gp, for killing the party responsible.

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The Jetty

Rolzup wrote:: And reappears directly below Titus, where it begins to dance what the charitable might be inclined to call a jig.

"Shift-Eyed Mistress!" shouts Titus, interrupting the ritual. "What is that thing?! Away with it at once!" The towering ghostly Cybelle twists in the wind, straining to escape the center of the spiral.

The Bailiffs with Titus panic for a moment as what look to be pieces of shattered coral rise up for the sea. They hastily regain their composure and down their growth-droughts, swelling to near- giant height.

Titus risks another sentence in Commoner. "If you continue to interfere, you doom Lord Dandy's daughters to a fate worse than death. It may already be too late, except for Larkspur!"

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The Jetty

OOC: even if all you do is bluster, banter, and send jig-dancing pigs to harass Magister Titus, let's roll initiative. I'm going to roll once. Anyone beating my roll can go, then we'll alternate sides.

Titus and the Bailiffs go on 10.

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The member 'Mallus' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 2

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Mallus wrote:: The Jetty

OOC: even if all you do is bluster, banter, and send jig-dancing pigs to harass Magister Titus, let's roll initiative. I'm going to roll once. Anyone beating my roll can go, then we'll alternate sides.

Titus and the Bailiffs go on 10.

OOC: Sounds good. Everyone please remember that you get a +3 to initiative due to Artichoke (yes, it used to be +2, but he got better).

Also, since it's pretty certain that Mike won't be posting, I think we should assume that it's just the four of us here. Mike's last iteration of Heyoka posted was 7th level, and I'd rather not come up with a 10th lvl version just for this fight. Scott, if you think we should have a 5th PC present, let me know and I can run Penelope instead.

IC: Artichoke grins faintly as the dancing pig appears below Titus. "I think you guys are going to need to do something stronger to stop him," he adds sotto voce to his companions, before calling loudly to Titus, "Beg pardon? Why are Lord Dandy's daughters in danger?"

As he speaks, Artichoke walks closer, though with no signs of aggression.

OOC: Go full defense and move 25 ft closer.

Initiative - 17; HP - 74/74; Healing surges left 10 (19 hp); AC 28, Fort 26, Ref 27, Will 24; AP 1

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The member 'shilsen' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 10

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shilsen wrote:: "Beg pardon? Why are Lord Dandy's daughters in danger?"

As he speaks, Artichoke walks closer, though with no signs of aggression

"Lord Dandy's daughters suffer from a hereditary malady. Surely you've heard the stories about their suitors. Cybelle holds the cure."

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Mallus wrote:: "Lord Dandy's daughters suffer from a hereditary malady. Surely you've heard the stories about their suitors. Cybelle holds the cure."

Odanais pauses in his wrath to listen carefully for lies in Titus' words.

Insight: 29
Initiative: 14

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The member 'gridley' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 19, 2

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gridley wrote:: Insight: 29
Initiative: 11

Spending the majority of his adulthood fucking his own sister grants Mr. Dare an almost supernatural ability to read the people around him. Such is the lot of a salon outlaw.

Titus's primary motivation is to make you leave. He's quite worried. Also, while he's not lying, there's much he's not saying.

OOC: doing anything else?

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"Can give good reason not to strike floating man down?" Pætros asks aloud. "Wasting of time is sin; have just decreed this." He continues to stride confidently forward, and as he does his skin begins to glow and crackle with an eerie light. "Wrath of Divine Treasure of Heavens is approaching," he calls, "Please to be noting: violence against Porcophant is mortal sin, punishable by horrible horrible things! Advise not risking it!"

Initiative: 24

Continue to advance; two move actions, placing him 60' closer. Also use Astral Splendor, to give enemies -2 to hit him and illuminate the area.

AC: 24 Fort: 23 Reflex: 20 Will: 24
HP: 64 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 16

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The member 'Rolzup' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 9

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Mallus wrote:: Titus risks another sentence in Commoner. "If you continue to interfere, you doom Lord Dandy's daughters to a fate worse than death. It may already be too late, except for Larkspur!"

Mallus wrote:: "Lord Dandy's daughters suffer from a hereditary malady. Surely you've heard the stories about their suitors. Cybelle holds the cure."

Mallus wrote:: Titus's primary motivation is to make you leave. He's quite worried. Also, while he's not lying, there's much he's not saying.

Odanais thinks for a moment, an action that makes him visibly uncomfortable, then shakes his head in disappointment. "Fine! Save Lord Dandy's daughters, Titus! But we shall accompany you for much about this still has the stink of great wrongdoing about it. If you agree, let us be on our way. If not, then prepare to defend yourself."

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shilsen wrote:: Christabel, who has been looking around with a slightly bored expression and stroking Oothoon with one hand (or at least letting the fingers of one hand trail gently through the spectral armadillo's side), says, "Artichoke said that she'd be meeting us here." She looks at a scrap of paper with some scribbling on it. "Says here that her name is Roxy Hurrah. And that we can't miss her." The rotund deva frowns. "I wonder what that means."

Two figures part the crowd at the train station as they approach, many staring as they step aside. One, a dwarf in a sequin gown and lace-up boots, the other a virtual giantess, more than twice her companion's height, her long dark body barely clad in a silver fur mini-dress.

"Oh, honey," says the larger of the two, in a smokey, husky voice, "that man done lied to you again. If that had been real dragon oil, do you think your cute little Dwarf ass would be sashaying like it is this morning? No, you'd be out sitting in a tub of snow like Donella and I were last spring."

She sizes up Christabel's curvy angel body and claps her big hands together. "Ooh, goody I think I have found my clients!" She and the dwarf exchange distant air kisses, as much out of the physical necessity of their differing heights as anything, then the dwarf continues onward in the direction of one of the station's bars.

The taller woman, her skin glistening as though coated in metallic dust, casts a coquettish look at Christabel's crew and smiles. "Hi there. My name's Roxy. Were you all looking for me?"

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gridley wrote:: The taller woman, her skin glistening as though coated in metallic dust, casts a coqettish look at Christabel's crew and smiles. "Hi there. My name's Roxy. Were you all looking for me?"

Vox bows, a look of obvious relief on his face. "I do believe so, madam. I am Vox Cadaveris, and these are my...." he mumbles something indistinct, and probably libelous.. "Companions, I suppose," he says in a louder voice, "And you're to be our guide into the Clutch, then?"

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gridley wrote:: Odanais thinks for a moment, an action that makes him visibly uncomfortable, then shakes his head in disappointment. "Fine! Save Lord Dandy's daughters, Titus! But we shall accompany you for much about this still has the stink of great wrongdoing about it. If you agree, let us be on our way. If not, then prepare to defend yourself."

"Consistency is virtue," Pætros grumbles. "Attacking, then not attacking? Is frustrating."

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Rolzup wrote:: "Consistency is virtue," Pætros grumbles. "Attacking, then not attacking? Is frustrating."

"I'm with you Popey. Let's kill something." Lizzy spits.

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