Griever: The Ravenlords, part 1
Log Info
- Title: Grievor: The Ravenlords, part 1
- Emitter: Whirlpool
- Characters: Un'eth, Halani, Braelnoir, Cryosanthia, Thyrson, Merek
- Place: In a safe, secure, planning room.
- Time: Sunday, October 03, 2021, 9:30 PM
- Summary: The ambassadors to the Ravenlords meet in a secure place and attempt to determine the best way to get there while avoiding Charn. Teleportation and Airships are suggested, they finally decided on both. Teleport to Tashraan, then commission an airship to take them the rest of the way over the mountains.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing, in Order =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Cryosanthia 7'2" 391 Lb Dragon Female A sickly, white dragon with a crippled wing and tail. Un'eth 6'2" 275 Lb Sith-Makar Female An ebon-scaled female Sith-makar. Braelnoir 5'11" 146 Lb Human Female A tall, pale Acanian woman, branded in silver. Merek 5'10" 215 Lb Human Male A black-haired, dusky male with golden eyes. Halani 5'4" 120 Lb Human/Xian Female Shortish, dusky skinned woman with almond shaped eyes. Thyrson Joton Male A older Jotun Mage. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NPCs of Note -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Little Fang 'Lily' Kobold Female A pinkscale youngling wearing a skeletonized broach. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Whirlpool Otyugh A pile -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
So the first big question: not a whole lot is known about the domain of the raven lords. They don't exactly take visitors very often, but they're known for having a long history of conflict with Charn of some kind. Their domain is fairly small, but given that they have survived on the fringe of the Dominion's territory, it speaks at least to something enduring.
So... *how* do you intend to get there?
Un'eth naps, letting the others decide.
Cryosanthia has gathered her team of trusted advisors, friends and even family. She tackles the first question. "So. How to get there. We could hire an airship and fly in, which gives them plenty of time to contact us and we can explain our presence."
"Or..." the whitescale looks at Merek and Thyrson, "Perhaps magic is a solution? Scry someone in the capital, send them a message, then group teleport in?"
"Tellssport." Lily votes. Her vote doesn't count.
GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/local: (15)+8: 23 GAME: Braelnoir rolls knowledge/military theory: (6)+12: 18 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls knowledge/military theory+10: (14)+4+10: 28 (+10 Mask of a Thousand Tomes) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls knowledge/geography+10: (6)+4+10: 20 (+10 Mask of a Thousand Tomes) GAME: Cryosanthia rolls knowledge/history+10: (4)+4+10: 18 (+10 Mask of a Thousand Tomes)
"Rather not end up blinkin' inta a rock fer jumpin' in blind." Brae notes dryly from her crouch, where the Korite is reaching out to stroke Lily's headscales, while she holds the haft of her scythe like a banner for the duration.
She looks up to the others, then, "We wanna go in an'n make nice-nice, it may do us ta do it yer way. Long as no one brings trouble up on us 'fore they contact us."
Thyrson nods slowly, the older giantborn standing there, leaning heavily on his staff. "It would be best not to arrive to precipitously. Travelling to a nearby location and walking the rest of the way in is probably much better." He pauses. "Where did you say they are located?"
Teleporting in is probably a bad idea. You'd stand out like sore thumbs! You can, of course, teleport close to their borders with Charn, but those are likely militarized to some extent. It'd get you attention. Honestly, had any of you ever even *heard* of the raven lords before now? Come to think of it, no.
Weird, that.
Still, perusing books and more indicates they supposedly had a long history fighting Charn, and are the remnants of a slightly larger empire that broke when Charn began its aggressive campaigns of conquest. There's not much beyond 'they exist' and 'they don't talk to us'. Isolation is their middle name. getting them to talk to you is going to be ... hard.
Very.
They don't even engage in much trade. There is something about 'annual wars', like clockwork, however.
"That might explain an annual war." Cryo adds. "Hmm. I really don't want to teleport into Charn to walk into their lands. Is there nothing bordering them than isn't Charn?"
"I think we will need to use the airship, it's fast and will avoid looking like we're invading," Merek will note, when thinking about it. The man wears a dark attire with the beltcape and a hood about his features, taking the time to adjust the tech visor which he wears, Kulthian make. The man nods a little bit to everyone, "Bought a scroll we can use to make a base."
"Or they've got terrain seperates'm from their enemies." Brae observes, "Mebbe routes flood out come springtime or whatever, keeps'm from makin' the march."
She rises to her feet and looks at the crew as observations are bandied about, "That'll come in useful." she notes to Merek.
Halani swings her feet, slowly, chin dipped as she tries to contribute ideas. Or at least an idea. She has bad luck when it comes to thinking, sometimes. "What've they got for border patrols? A wall? Checkpoints? Maybe teleporting to the very edge of one, calling on them there? Going by airship... maybe a big chance of getting intercepted by Charn, maybe shot down, yeah?"
"This one really doesn't want to go near Charn, overfly Charn, look at Charn, have anything to do with Charn." Cryo says, then laughs, "Find a dungeon, teleport ourselves into it, save the Ravenlords some time? Talk our way to the top."
The whitescale hiss snickers. Hissickers. "Perhapss not. I like that near a patrol, wall, checkpoint idea, and thanks Merek. A secure base will help a lot."
"I was sure they would have an embassy in Alexandria, but I couldn't find one. Maybe because they're small. Wasn't Charn part of the Millenium Kingdom, that then broke into it and Myrddion?"
The reality is both Charn and Myrddion view themselves as the true inheritors of the old empire's legacy, and the sides supposedly split at the end of the demon wars, but by that point it's thought that the Empire was itself already a pale shadow of its former glory.
Thyrson nods slowly. "Let's go to the library and find a good map -- what /isn't/ Charn around them?" He pauses, then looks at Cryosanthia. "That's not a terrible idea, you know."
"Might be they just don't like anyone, yeah?" suggests Halani, looking up at last, regarding each of the others. "If they have no embassy here.. might not have embassies anywhere.>"
A little further thought, and it seems decided: commission an airship. This raises the next question: Where to get one from?
Tashraan might be the best bet for avoiding weirdness from Charn. It's on the eastern and south border of Charn.
Halani says, "WE could use the spellcannon to do the furthest shot human cannonballs ever."
Braelnoir grins ferally, "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...........!"
A fun but not practical alternative. Tashraan is best in this case.
Merek takes the time to check on his equipment, and nods to Cryo and considers things, "I will commission an airship from Tashraan, if you'd like to avoid it being Charn. We can easily try through the mountains to get there," the man offers, while he takes a moment cough a little blood along into a hand, and lifts up the scarf which he wears.
Cryo reaches into her haversack and pulls out a small paper back. It crinkles as she holds it out towards him. "Candied Cricket throat lozenges. Might help." She pulls one out and hands one to Lily, who eagerly pops it into her mouth, paper and all.
She needs the fibre, it's fine. It'll be fine.
"Tashran then the mountains, sounds fine. We can scry a safe teleport spot for Tashran and go immediately, right? I'm all packed."
Braelnoir frowns and steps over to Merek as she notes he seems to have caught himself a cold. Her hand reaches out for his shoulder and she asks quietly, almost a whisper, "You ok, Bro?" <Merctalk>
She turns to the others, taking in their suggestions as this is a little out of her wheelhouse as it were.
Both it is then. Teleport and Airship.
Merek will nod a little bit to Brae, "I'm fine," the man notes. The blood upon that glove would probably note he isn't. All the same, he will take what Cryo offers, then a smile to Lily, while he notes that she's back. Then he's beginning the preparation for magic, "Alright. I can take a few people, if anyone else wants to take anyone." That probably to Thyrson.
GAME: Thyrson casts Teleport. Caster Level: 16 DC: 24 <pre>GAME: Thyrson rolls 1d100: (86): 86 GAME: Merek casts Teleport. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20 GAME: Merek rolls 1d100: (59): 59
Cryo's so many questions
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "So, 2 questions actually Whirl. 1st, is this real time concurrent with grid, so we're not RPing there if we're here, or does it start when it ends? There are certain PoP events for Cryo that are happening now and also down the line, and I'm not sure how I should work them in. 2, kinda relating to 1. If Cryo puts a backpack on in her Dragon Form, and switches back to Sith'makar form, does the backpack vanish into her? This is a less severe version of swallowing something as a large Dragon and turning back. If it does, then I was planning to bring Junior, hiding him there. Related, if I put a backpack on in Large Dragon and switch to Medium dragon, is the backpack still there or gone, ie: Potentially 3 'otherspace shifterspace' storage spots, or only two."
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "I would say it's not concurrent, exactly. :)"
<OOC> Merek says, "Most staff plots are non-concurrent in general."
<OOC> Merek says, "Because they can last a looong time."
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "I would say you can not explot shapeshifting to carry more stuff that way. :)"
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "As clever as that is!"
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Well it was more super secure storage idea"
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "like I said, like swallowing, but less painful"
<OOC> Un'eth notes that only items you cannot carry in the other form are merged.
<OOC> Un'eth says, "In other words, if the slot does not exist on the other form or it is something wielded and you don't have hands."
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "aaah I thought it was everything"
<OOC> Un'eth says, "Only invalid things. If you can wear a clocak in both, the cloak stays. If you polymorph into something with opposable thumb/can wield weapons/shields, you would keep those."
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "so Cryo PoP wise, had an IC argument with Zeke and Seldan, and while fleeing Alexandria because an IC argument with Zeke and Seldan might never get stale, I will perhaps, not mention it. However, Cryo & Zeke are 'planning a nest' and. um. I was planning that Cryo be eggladen, like, now-ish, and laying in december to explain her being unavailable past the reset for quite a while. As it's a weird topic I can perhaps not include that aspect - although impending eggs and still going on a diplomatic mission might impress birds."
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "I mean, that's a lot of stuff for me to try to work in :)"
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "this isn't likely to include combat so it's really up to you, but I can't imagine Cryo would leave eggs."
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "So it might be best to say 'that hasn't happened yet' for simplicity sake, and remember that the reboot is still months away."
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "She wouldn't leave eggs, no. Lizards usually aren't too badly inconvenienced until they do the nesting thing and are stuck on it. So okay, seems that might be okay and I'll downplay it so it isn't distracting. Also planning to bring Lily and 'Junior', because leaving either behind seems a bad idea. did bring the heavy hitters, un'eth, merek, thyrson, brae because of that. Will minimize them being distracting. Hoping to have Merek/Thyrson cast the MMM as our home base there. Trying not to be high maintenance, but there's a lot spinning plates."