A Golden Eye in the deep

From DQWiki
Revision as of 09:17, 4 July 2021 by Kelsie2 (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigationJump to search

Scribe Notes

Summary

Adventure: A Golden Eye in the deep
GM: Jono
Season: ~Winter 821 WK
Night: Starting Monday the 14th of June 2021 at an Albany (Kelsie's place).
Area: Carzala and some tropical wilds.
Level: Medium+
Info: Information from players for Jono
House Rules: Jono Quickness and Slowness
Playtest
Please note - Lowered specialisation to 1 per rank (from 3). See change log on last page of each doc.

Four or five guild party members -
  1. Marseille - Mind Mage played by Michael McFadden.
  2. Boris - Necromantic Mage played by Michael Haycock.
  3. Lila - Celestial/Air Mage played by Kelsie.
  4. Rhiain - Ice Mage Human played by Chris R.
  5. Marco - Earth Mage played by Michael Young.

Employer

Syrene a friend of the guild.

Mission
Background
Syrene The Keeper of the Great Heart, has been visiting New Seagate and Carzala over the last few years. She is normally and currently still protected from evil spirits & undead. Recently she has been receiving odd dreams from what she thinks is an unsettled spirit. These dreams show a scene set on the shores of hot tropical island thought to be close to the Great Shallows.
Mission
Deliver a message and then if acceptable assist a pure spirit who is known to be riding a white charger.

Payment
If needed Syrene will financially back a commissioned voyage to the area.
10,000 silver pennies for the party half in advance.

  • Spell training for Thaumaturgies 10,000 sp each member.
  • Spell training for Elementals 15,000 sp each member.
  • Spell training for Entities 10,000 sp each member.

Two healing potions in advance.

The Artiste Marseille's Adventuring Journal

Day 1

Lila is elected party leader based on her Aesthetics (20 pb?). She will look best at the front of the "triumphant heroes return" work I will produce to celebrate our success. Rihan our Icemage will be Military Scientist - not sure how smart her regiment was but seems multi-skilled & practical… not likely cavalry.. I am elected party scribe due to my skills with a paintbrush & easel…

A carriage has been prepared for us to meet Syrene, keeper of the Great Heart, our employer, out front of the guild. A guild rep, introduces Rosemary Syrene’s representative a "human looking elf woman." On board I enquire discretely as to Syrense’s eligibility – but she already has 3 husbands & a tree… must get a permanent Patron soon…

The carriage takes us to Turf’s household. We meet three women – 2 humans and an elf at Turfs housegold. Brandy, food and cushions! Syrene is an average good looking elf maybe 20 pb.

She wants to employ us on a delicate job (why the guild – delicacy not our forte apart from the odd artiste like myself & perhaps Silverfoam the Elf) Over the last 3 moons she has had unusual dreams which she has identified as coming from an unsettled spirit- maybe a dead/ maybe living – who appears to Syrene as an attractive naked woman on a white horse… (symbolic of something I am sure - although based on my portrait commissions, mostly a theme favoured by fat matrons married to carriage salesman done good) Syrene wants us to deliver a message (why not a pigeon I wonder – but she is paying – artiste’s rule – never turn down a commission.) The Dream comes from a hot tropical area – - she points on an map to the northern shore line near the Great Shallows

She offers offers items to assist - armour, potions, back pack, never ending water bottle etc and the like, training 10,000 ep to start / 10,000 at the end. We dice for these.

I negotiate a side deal with Syrene for 2 art works in oil featuring Syrene & our party en adventure (5000 sp each). A discount price but unlikey to get any paying commissions aboard a ship - sailors are not generally well heeled... & what would I want with Scrimshaw or a ship in a bottle? I spend an initial week painting the first work of Syrene & party posed & contemplating a chart table while a ship is arranged.

Syrene will finance the voyage. She suggests we approach the local captains giving consideration to factors such as – whether the ship comes with watermage, its size, cost/ month, whether the crew can fight/ etc. We debate what qualities a good ship will have. Floating is a popular choice. Rihan claims we want a Caravel. I want one with billowing sails & fluttering flags that will make a good image for a seascape. Marco the Druid is silent on the subject of venture by sea - not his best element really. We decide we want to trade – at both ends ideally to finance the trip & profit. Syrene offers to introduce as to a merchant so we don’t get fleeced when we hire a ship & actually might make it there and back…

Much more importantly Syrene prepares a letter of introduction her seamstress/ tailor!! Anticipating fashions in the tropics is a concern – much bare flesh I am sure and maybe pastels, parasols & big hats ? At the seamstress, we discover yes pastels it is and maritime themes. Boris the orc orders an orc "garment" that can be turned inside out & has a camouflage design so he can hide in the jungle. Being green perhaps he should just disrobe for the same effect?

As we travel through the city guided to our Merchant mentor by useful Rosemary. The streets are crowded & we encounter mobs extolling the vitues of Mayoral candidates - its election time. Halflings dispense sausages on behalf of the populist hobbit candidate Roderigo – the little People's Champion they call him, although those that do business with him or frequent his "Three Star" Sausage Restaurant tell they would absolutely not let him kiss their baby & would definitely count their fingers after he shook their hands… a drunken mob of dwarves beat drums for another candidate – (the beer is watered & poor according to Rosemary ) & as such their leader wont be elected).

We are lead through well paved secondary streets – tough looking hobbits everywhere – we are taken to a merchant Master Flynn – large armoured guards are about the front of his premises.. Master Flynn, a large bearded man reads our letter of introduction. He knows Rosemary, Syrene and listens to our plans : to travel to the Great Shallows, our request to source a cargo & our need for an appropriate ship. (Rihan who has been upon a boat twice informs master Flynn that a caravel is the answer.) Encouragingly, he refers to the Great Shallows as the ships graveyard – maritime wit!

Our cargo should be “worked goods” he says which is anything that is made. We could obtain pearls, corals & other items - at Palestrina? The greater shallows specialise in cinnamon as a trade item. He suggests we pick up guides, etc as we go. He has contacts in Palestrina who he will alert of our impending arrival. There are three possible ships from which to choose - “Red Crow” & “Griffin’s Nest” – the two fastest, & Wave Prince which has the best fighters.

We decide to try for the Griffins Nest which has the bonus of insurance & ransom prearranged. I am unsure if it is a caravel.

We will be send an order to pick up at Palestrina from the port mage. Master Flynn advises that for the best profit we enter a "buy own and sell arrangement" backed by Syrene. Syrene who has had a windfall recently- will front for an 80 tonne cargo while we secure a ship. he also suggests: - We might consider kidnapping a bushman when we get to Palestrina to act as a guide… Boris presumably would know about that, Orcs I am sure are experts at kidnapping - We should arrange bribes for officials – the Captain will know what about this, part of doing business. - We must contact Yasmin – which refers to 3 sisters / air mages all - & tell them what we need to be inspected so they can check it out – we are given a code book which I memorise before destroying - nice to be doing a bit of field work - listening for gossip in Court can bore the paint off your brush… & even a bit of risk to add frisson as if we are caught it would be certain death, yawn … I will send messages back via the Yasmin sisters ..

Boris talks to the guards outside who reveal that the Red Crow has no descent Mil Sci & that the Griffins Nest comes with a Maritime soldier crew.

Our choice is of the Griffin’s nest appears confirmed. Apparently her captain Captain Teyonah is fond of pretty ladies. Lieutenant Taylor, in charge of Marines, favours rough trade. Boris, Marco, Rihan & Lila may get the best cabins if they play their cards right!

Next we travel to a Sailor’s tavern – “The Shallow Grave”. Three tough looking bouncers cover a narrow entrance. We surrender weapons other than daggers & enter a crowded, raucous & “salty” establishment where all the best & stylish folk won’t be seen… it extends a long way in three buildings deep. A performer is at one end, singing shanties & dancing. There is drinking and many games of chance...that definitely look ripe for the taking, but one should make an impression & I desist... Sailors are on shore leave, spending it all in one night, each seven sheets to the wind as sailors say. Jugglers perform – men & women in the nude & twirling sharp objects with fingers still intact…

We find Captain Teyonah Baroo who turns out to be a handsome woman of dark hue - she shakes the lovely Lila’s hand firmly & stares her in the eye with a steely & professional (only) gaze. Strangely she seems to be using her other eye to ogle Boris the orc & Marco the hairy druid. I must have her preferences mixed up with Lt Taylor's. Boris & Marco most definitely are not ladies & you dont get rougher than an Orc who plays with the undead or a man with ginger eyebrows who turns into a tiger... This does not however completely eliminate alternative bedding options for four of our party members.

Over rums (sufficiently maritime & harsh on the palate) she explains her water mage Betty has been stolen by a rival Captain Yasmin & wants us to. She thinks Betty has been tricked, drugged or be-spelled. We are expected to fight on board (pirates or foes that is) when necessary as part of the deal. We plan to leave in three days if all goes well.

We learn Betty was last seen with a handsome Marine, Lt Max who has signed up with the Red Crow… maybe cupid's bow had more to do with her defection than the drugs or be-spelling….


Ship details

Griffon’s Nest

Griffon’s Nest with Captain Teyonah Baroo
Caravel 120 tons, 70 crew, missing water mage
Best wind speed 9 knots, normal wind speed 5 knots + magic (around 5.5 mph + magic)
Max 90 tons cargo

Lieutenant Taylor 15 mercenaries 15,000 sp per month & 500 sp per person per fight.
Hard fighters, they are insured, they have three 25,000 ransoms.

Total cost of the Caravel ship, 7 officers, 63 crew, 1 water mage, 1 lieutenants, 14 mercenaries & party will normally cost 30,000 sp per month. Recovery of the water mage will give a 4,000 sp discount making the total 26,000 sp per month.

Prize shares captain 25% to be split with captain and party. Officers & mercenaries 25%, Crew 50%

Buffs & Mil Sci

'A = Always on.

Long Term

Long Term (assumed always on)
Magic (caster) Rk Effects Dur Bor Lil Marc Mars Rhi
Strength of Stones (Ma) 19 +20 EN or ST 20 hrs Y Y
Armour of Earth (Ma) 14 +30 def melee, 1 armour 7.5 hrs Y
Shadowform (Li) 15 +32 def melee, ranged; +16 def close 8 hrs
spell (caster)

Short Term

Short Term - Cast as Needed
Magic (caster) Rk Effects Dur Bor Lil Marc Mars Rhi
Strength of Darkness (Li) 12 +7 PS 130 min Y
Feather Falling (Li) 6 Fall no more than 5'/pulse 5.5 hrs N
Shadow Wings (Li) 6 36 mph, 126 miles range 3.5 hrs
Witchsight (Li) 7 4 hours
Lightning Strike (Li) 5 [D-4]+7, save for 1/2 5hrs
Barrier of Wind (Li) 4 20 def vs missiles, 15 in melee or close 150mins
Walking Unseen(Li) 6 7 hrs
Weapon of Cold (RH) 10 +11 SC, +4DM Cold Damage(doubled vs fire enemies) 15 minutes
spell (caster)

Senses

Ambush/danger senses/skills/magic
Magic (caster) Rk Effects Dur Bor Lil Marc Mars Rhi
Sense Danger %
Ranger Detect Ambush % Base %, -5*OppRk, SpecArea +6%
Thief/Assassin Sixth Sense % BC 10+2xPC+5xRk

Misc Buffs

Watch Order

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Boris Marco Rhiain
Marseille Lila Boris

Marching Order

Skirmish Formations (Front)
Double File

Marco
Marseille Lila
Boris Rhiain

Single File

Marco
Lila
Marseille
Boris
Rhiain

Calendar

Winter

Moonday Duesday W'ansday Th'rsday Frysday Reapsday Sunday
Samhain
Frost (7)
  1 Guild Meeting 2   3   4   5   6  
7   8   9   10   11   12   13  
14   15   16   17   18   19   20  
21   22   23   24   25   26   27  
28   29   30    
Snow (8)
  1   2   3   4  
5   6   7   8   9   Moon enters "The Camel" 10   11  
12   13   14   15 Solstice 16   17 The Duke of Carzala's Winter Ball 18 Yuletide
19 Days of Chaos 20 DoC 2 21 DoC 3 22 DoC 4 23 DoC 5 24 DoC 6 25 DoC 7
26 DoC 8 27 DoC 9 28 DoC 10 29 DoC 11 30 Twelfth Night  
Ice (9)
  1   2  
3   4   5   6 First Plough 7   8   9  
10   11   Wotan exits retrograde. Thunor enters "The Spear" 12   13   14   15   16  
17   18   19   20   21   Freya passes "The Lovers" 22   23  
24   25   26   27   28   29   30