[PF-1e] Prison Colony Krakengard - The Daylight War

[Captain Devonin]

*Waves her hand.* There is no secret text here.

[Squeak]

Sweet! An Inem adventure, and a dark one at that!!!

Question... If we go the Druid route, will there be an opportunity to 'find' a companion once we start? Not sure if it is possible to be banished WITH his dog, but if anyone could it would be Manus.



Will be submitting Manus LochLain, Human Druid (Bear Shaman, but his companion would be a Scottish Wolfhound).

Not sure of his crime --- but will most likely be poaching and/or assaulting a member of the royal family.

[Judgement of God]

Cool looking game, GM.

[suburbanplankton]

Along the same lines as Squeak's question: would a Summoner have any trouble summoning his eidolon inside the prison...or in the lands outside?

[OneDarkness]

You ever get going on your background and get a few paragraphs in and realize you have a long road still to go and start looking for shortcuts to get to the real meat of the story.....sigh

[suburbanplankton]

Originally Posted by OneDarkness

You ever get going on your background and get a few paragraphs in and realize you have a long road still to go and start looking for shortcuts to get to the real meat of the story.....sigh

Every. Single. Time.

[Humble Athena]

+1

[Inem]

I need to get caught up on posting in my games which was cut a little bit short the last two days due to extra work, but once I'm through with that I'm going to hopefully find the time to read through some of these applications and get started on those reviews.

Originally Posted by Squeak

Sweet! An Inem adventure, and a dark one at that!!!

Question... If we go the Druid route, will there be an opportunity to 'find' a companion once we start? Not sure if it is possible to be banished WITH his dog, but if anyone could it would be Manus.

I can't imagine anyone would get banished with their animal companion, so if you wanted that you'd have to come up with one hell of an explanation why the powers that decided that would have considered that a good idea, as opposed to just banishing Manus and putting down the dog. It's not like the dog is going to be mining ore for them, it is however likely that the dog would cause disturbances in the colony.
There will definitely be the opportunity to find an animal companion once the game starts, though like the wizard's spellbook, this would probably be part of the plot rather than just randomly running into one 5 minutes into the colony. However, this also probably limits the animal companion choices to animals that occur in the colony, and I hadn't really planned for dogs to be on that list. How set are you on wanting a dog? Because there might well be more exotic choices that you've never heard of available within the colony

Originally Posted by suburbanplankton

Along the same lines as Squeak's question: would a Summoner have any trouble summoning his eidolon inside the prison...or in the lands outside?

For sake of simplicity I have decided that summoning spells work just fine in the colony, so a summoner could summon their eidolon just fine both in the colony and outside.

[suburbanplankton]

Kenneck Keensong

Halfling Bard

Appearance Standing just over 3 feet tall, Kenneck towered over most of his halfling brethren, but was still able to escape notice when surrounded by 'big people' as he so often was. His hair had once been a rather shocking shade of blue, but is has faded during his time jail awaiting trial, now providing just a hint of what used to be his most glaring feature. A thin layer of stubble covers his cheeks and chin, but it will never grow as thick as the tufts of rough curls that blanket the tops of his feet. At one time, Kenneck dressed in brightly colored tunics and kilts, his fife and drum ever-present at his side...but now he wears only the simple grey shift given to all the prisoners before they are sent away. The most striking element of his appearance now are his eyes, shimmering pools of pale blue within his ruddy face, still twinkling despite his bleak and dreary future.

Personality Like most halflings, Kenneck is inherently an upbeat person, always looking on the bright side of life. He grew up in a middle class family, never knowing any great hardship, never wondering where he would sleep at night or where his next meal would come from. Working in his parents' tavern gave him a glimpse into all sorts of peoples' lives, some good, many not-so-good...but patrons almost always left the bar happier than they had arrived, supporting his "life is good" philosophy. Even as he sat through trial, knowing he was destined for a prison sentence, he never despaired. His recently awakened social activism had engendered in him a sense of 'greater purpose'; he felt certain that his stay in prison would be short-lived, either through action by external forces securing his release, or by his captors coming to the realization that his imprisonment was unjust in the first place. His resolve is to make the best of his current situation, confident that his fortunes will soon improve.

Background Kenneck had made a small name for himself, attaining a modest amount of fame in the city. His performing career began simply enough in the tavern his parents ran, singing songs and performing tricks for drunken patrons, mostly soldiers from the barracks nearby his home. As he honed his craft, he developed a larger repertoire, and began to craft more elaborate stories, mixing song, dance, and oratory. Over time he incorporated more and more social commentary into his routine: satirizing the local social customs, the military (always a hit with his 'target audience'), local government, and even the nobility. All was going well for Kenneck; he was living a life of (minor) celebrity, without a care in the world, until the war reached the region. There had long been tension in the area, accounting for the barracks that had traditionally provided the bulk of Kenneck's audience. The city had sprung up around the nearby mines, rich in gold and silver- geographically it belonged to the Kingdom, being on its side of the Argent Mountains...but the majority of the inhabitants in the area were of Nekorran descent, their forefathers having been brought here, many as indentured servants or outright slaves, several hundred years earlier to work the mines for the Kingdom. The two countries had for generations fought over which should control the wealth of the area, but now for the first time in living memory, armed conflict had broken out when a Nekorran warship had blockaded the port and seized a ship full or silver ore. The change in the city was slow, almost imperceptible at first, but after a few months it was unmistakable; where once citizens were free to wander where they would, any time day or night, now their travel was severely restricted; where taverns were once filled with revelers shouting loudly about whatever topic was on their tongues, now conversations were hushed, lest someone be accused of disloyal thoughts; where once soldiers, politicians, and common folk mingled freely, now all persons were expected to 'keep their place'...all of this of course was 'for the common good' - these measures were 'necessary to protect the populace' in this time of war. As the changes happened in the city, so too were they reflected in Kenneck's act. It became less 'simple entertainment', and took on a decidedly political tone, with sharp jabs at the government and especially its treatment of the local populace. As the days and weeks passed, Kenneck's audience changed; fewer and fewer soldiers were available and allowed to frequent the tavern, and many of the 'regulars' no longer felt comfortable braving streets after dark - but Kenneck found that he had new fans: loud, outspoken, politically active, many local but increasingly more from other towns an cities, even from as far as the Capital itself. And as the makeup of his audience changed, his act did as well. Looking back he still isn't sure if his message drew the new audience, or if the audience influenced the message; regardless, the end result was something that he should have seen coming. One night, he sat at his usual table following his act, enjoying a late supper and a few pints of ale with some of the regulars, when the doors opened, and four soldiers strode through. Without a word they marched directly to the table where he sat. "Kenneck Keensong, you are under arrest for treasonous acts against the crown"

 

Kenneck thrust his rapier toward his foe, aiming for center mass, but the ranger spun nimbly away, and caught him square in the small of his back with his sword, and again across his shoulder as Kenneck fell to the floor.

"Aaargghh! Not again!"

Brian reached out and helped Kenneck to his feet. "You bite on that feint every single time...if this were for real, I would've killed you ten times over today. Have you had enough yet?" The ranger smiled as he sat down on a stool and toweled the sweat from his forehead.

Kenneck joined him, rubbing at his back. Brian's training sword might be blunted, but is still stung; he would have a brand new set of bruises in the morning. They had been working for several hours; Kenneck wanted to work a swordfighting scene into his act, but was intent on it looking realistic, so he had engaged his friend to provide some martial training.

"I suppose that will do for tonight. I'm certain your sword arm must be getting tired by now; after all, there's only so many blows one man can strike in a day - we wouldn't want to wear you out..."

The pair washed up and went downstairs into the main room of the inn, for a late supper and some ale. There were still a dozen or so patrons at this late hour; enough to justify keeping the doors open, but far fewer than before the war had made its way to the region. The soldiers that once filled the tavern were now at their posts, and with the disruption in trade many of the townsfolk no longer had the coin to spend an evening out. Tonight, fully half of the customers were seated at the same table...lot locals, if their dress and accents gave any indication. Kenneck had seen them before, though; they had been in the tavern the last several nights, and had sat at a stageside table to watch his performance earlier in the evening. Tonight they were engaged in hushed conversation, and seemed to be arguing some matter, frequently glancing over at the table where he sat with Brian eating his supper. Kenneck raised his mug and gave a nod to their table, which seemed to cause a stir among the party, but seemed to end their interest in him, at least for a time.

Twenty minutes later, Kenneck had finished supper, and Brian made his exit, having the early morning watch. As Kenneck sat finishing up his ale, he looked up to see one of the men that had been so interested in him earlier, standing next to his table, a mug in each hand.

"May I join you?"

Intrigued by the visitor, and never one to refuse a free drink (even in a tavern owned by his family), Kenneck motioned the man to sit down.

"Certainly. Welcome to our humble inn. What brings you here from so far away?"

The man smiled at him as he took his seat. Passing one of the mugs over, he answered.

"Well, to tell the truth, you do. You may not realize it, but you have some fans in the Capital. There are many there who find your act to be...most entertaining...quite thought-provoking and provocative. My companions and I had heard tell of your wit, but we had to come to see for ourselves. You don't hear many people saying those sorts of things back home these days...for obvious reasons..."

Kenneck was, for just a moment, speechless. From the Capitol? All this way to see my act?!? I can't believe it! Shortly he composed himself, and replied,

"Why thank you! I do hope that I was able to make your journey worthwhile. How long will you be in town? I am working on some new material now, and should be ready to debut in in just a couple days." The second part of the stranger's statement only then registered on Kenneck's mind, "What do you mean, 'obvious reasons'?"

What followed was several hours of conversation. The stranger was one Drest Hightower, a prominent merchant in the Capitol. He and his companions, all merchants and businessmen, had indeed travelled specifically to see Kenneck; one of their associates had seen his act a few months earlier while visiting the city to finalize a trade agreement. He told Kenneck that the war had been very hard on the citizenry in the Capitol; the hardships that Kenneck was seeing in his hometown were magnified tenfold there. The common folk were very much feeling the brunt of things, while the nobility and aristocrats retreated behind their walls and gates, keeping their lavish lifestyles even as they insisted on more and more sacrifice and enacted tighter and tighter restrictions on the people. The inns and taverns were the only thing that the common folk had left to fill their need for fun and relaxation...but none of the singers and poets in the Capitol were saying things like Kenneck. Drest told him that his message was powerful, that his commentary and observations could provide a spark of hope to people who were having their hope stolen from them. He exhorted Kenneck to be even more bold with his humor, to send a message to all the common folk, that someone understood their plight; and to the men and women of power, that someone understood their hypocrisy.

Kenneck was more than flattered by the admiration; the stories the man told resounded within him, and motivated him to do what he could to help these people. Kenneck had seen with his own eyes how the war had affected people in his own town, but had no idea of the plight of those who were more directly affected. Drest told him many stories which Kenneck knew he could turn into songs, jokes, and commentary; he could make an entire new act just from the tales this stranger was telling! By the time they concluded their discourse, it was well past midnight, Drest's companions had long since retired, and there were only two other patrons left in the inn. Drest was overjoyed when Kenneck proclaimed that the evening's bill was on the house, and left happily, promising to return soon to see the new material.

Not ten seconds after Drest left, the last two patrons, also from the Capitol region judging by their attire, rose from their table, and with a nod to Kenneck tossed a handful of gold coins on the table and followed the merchant out the door.

 

Medium of height, medium of build, with short-cropped brown hair and brown eyes, Caldor Hightower was the very epitome of 'ordinary'. He always had an almost supernatural ability to blend into the crowd, to be forgotten minutes after he left a scene. As a young boy, he took advantage of these abilities to make a living picking pockets, supplemented by the occasional petty theft. As he grew older he fell in with a local band of thieves, and spent his days in and out of jail.

It was during a rather lengthy stay during his twenty-second year that he was introduced to the Crimson Hand: a group who advocated the elimination of the monarchy and transition to an elected government. Upon his release from, he threw his efforts wholeheartedly behind his new cause, attending meetings, organizing rallies and protests. After the kingdom went to war, the Crimson Hand increased its efforts, moving from protests and rallies to acts of 'civil disobedience', and later to sabotage. After a nighttime raid that sunk a ship full of arms destined to resupply troops, Caldor and several of his associates were arrested and charged with treason.

Since being imprisoned in Krakengard, facing a life sentence, he has sought to rally the prisoners to his cause, with the intent of provoking a mass uprising against their captors, culminating in the wholesale takeover of the colony.

[suburbanplankton]

Originally Posted by Inem

For sake of simplicity I have decided that summoning spells work just fine in the colony, so a summoner could summon their eidolon just fine both in the colony and outside.

Thanks...but as it turned out, when I sat down to work up the background, the Summoner just didn't "speak to me". So I set him aside for the moment, and I'm going with a Bard instead...

[Squeak]

I can live without a dog, I guess... As long as the animal companion I get is cool enough.
I mean, I don't want a pet cockroach or three toed sloth, cause Manus has standards...

[Eachan Delras]

Whats wrong with Sloths?

[Muggins]

How would you feel about a changeling, Inem? I'm rather taken by the idea of a dreamweaver witch.


Regardless, you can consider this a post of interest.

[Inem]

Originally Posted by Squeak

I can live without a dog, I guess... As long as the animal companion I get is cool enough.
I mean, I don't want a pet cockroach or three toed sloth, cause Manus has standards...

Well I was going to say you can wish for any two things you want for your animal companion, but I'll just put down "No pet cockroach" and "no three toed sloth" in the respective fields of the request form for you to save us time
I'm pretty sure we'll manage to find something you'll think is cool.

Originally Posted by Muggins

How would you feel about a changeling, Inem? I'm rather taken by the idea of a dreamweaver witch.


Regardless, you can consider this a post of interest.

Both changeling and dreamweaver witch would be acceptable.

[Fon]

- I know I have written awfully a lot even though I'm applying with a race that still needs approval. But how can I sell my case without presenting it first? Here goes nothing!

Application Name: Tiktak Race: Kobold Class: Investigator Gender: Male Description:   Description Tiktak is a small reptilian humanoid standing just a bit below 3 foot tall. He is a bit skinny and has no muscles at all. From afar, it would seem like Tiktak is covered in yellow scales, however when close up one can easily see that his scales have a metallic sheen to it, thus identifying him as one of the rare golden-scaled kobold. Aside from his scales, Tiktak looks like a typical kobold: he is sprouting a reptilian snout with slit nostrils, has no visible ears or horns, and has a thick lizard tail. His eyes are yellow with black slit pupils. Tiktak was equipped as bandit before he surrendered-- wearing light leather armor and not much else. After he surrendered, he is stripped of his armor and given some dirty rags like everyone else. Personality:   Personality At a glance Tiktak is your typically meek and cowardly kobold, who usually acts polite and has a surprisingly good common sense. However those observing him interacting with different people will notice that he sometimes changes his behavior and tone depending on who he is speaking to. He is constantly trying to adjust to his surrounding, all in the name of survival, even though Tiktak is fed up with that. Tiktak has a heart of a gold dragon inside. Someday he hopes to be himself, and maybe, be happy and cheerful. But what can he do? For now, he has to try and survive... Background:   Background Tiktak never wanted to join a raid, but what choice did he have? He was already quite hated among the other kobolds, and he would have been killed if he didn't join the others. Thanks to the war, there were less patrols on the roads, as most soldiers are sent to the front-line. Tiktak's kobold tribe took the opportunity to set up ambush on one of the roads, and soon a merchant wagon guarded only by four men came along. Seeing that there were more than a dozen of kobolds, it should have been easy. But it was not. The kobolds were easily slaughtered by the guards, but before the soldiers can finish off more than half of the kobolds, Tiktak dropped his crossbow, yelled at them to stop and surrendered. The few other surviving kobolds were surprised: a few of them continued fighting to their death anyway, another few ran away, and few more others surrendered along Tiktak. It was the one of the most pathetic ambushes. The soldiers tied up Tiktak and the other surrendered kobolds, before taking them to a city and handing them to the authorities. The kingdom needed more miners, the merchant knew that and quickly struck a deal with the right person. The kobolds didn't even get a trial-- not that there were precedents to trialing the monster race anyway. Just six years ago they would have been executed on spot, but compared to some of the people they're throwing into the mines these day, the surrendering kobolds almost seem tame. As a precaution, they split up the kobolds just in case they decide to conspire, and that's how Tiktak was thrown into the colony by his lonesome with complete strangers... which in actuality isn't a bad thing, seeing that Tiktak's fellow kobolds don't really like him, and are just going to place the blame on him anyway. Tiktak's Crimes: Assault, Attempted Murder, Attempted Robbery RP Sample:   RP Sample Tiktak watched the other kobolds throwing themselves at the soldiers with some pity and sadness. Just what is it that drive them to be so loyal to that dragon? Is it fear? But is it worse than being cut down by someone else' sword? As the gold-scaled kobold wondered, he half-heartedly aimed his light crossbow near a distant guard. The bolt flew by, nowhere near to his supposed target, and hit the merchant's wagon instead. Before Tiktak could resume his thoughts, he watched yet another kobold getting cut down by one of the guards. Tiktak didn't get along with the others, in fact, he didn't even want to do stuff like this at all. He could blame the other kobolds for being stupid, but he still feel bad watching them foolishly throwing themselves away... at least, until one of the soldier turned his gaze to him. At that instant, Tiktak's eyes widened and the death of the other kobolds seem to flash before him-- he was struck by fear, fear of suffering the same fate. "Stop!" Tiktak cried out, in decent common (for a kobold), and dropped his crossbow. Even though it was in the middle of a combat, everyone turned to the odd-colored kobold for a second. "I- We surrender!" Tiktak put his hands up, voice trembling. Some of the guards were puzzled, and some kobolds took the opportunity to strike, only to be struck down soon after. Some of sling and crossbow-wielding kobolds tossed their weapons aside and began running away as fast as they could. A few others, dropped their weapons and put their hands up, like Tiktak. After the hostile kobolds were cleared, the soldiers were almost going to execute the surrendered kobolds on spot. However the merchant who has been watching the fight from inside the wagon called the guards to stop. He suggested capturing the kobolds instead... since he knows the king can sure use more miners. The guards weren't truly convinced, however none of the remaining kobold moved or fought back. They moved to each kobold, and then slammed them down to the ground roughly-- rougher than necessary-- before tying them up. Being the furthest away from the melee, Tiktak was the last to be secured. He was reminded of his fear once more, and closed his eyes when the soldier approached. However the fear was quickly replaced with pain, as he was slammed roughly to the ground too. After being tied up, Tiktak was thrown onto the wagon along with the rest of the surviving kobolds. The other kobolds glared at Tiktak angrily, which ignited something inside Tiktak as well. He DIDN'T want to do this after all. But instead of arguing, Tiktak just looked away from his fellow kobolds in annoyance. 'At least we're still alive.' He thought to himself. Yet rather than feeling better, he found himself frowning more than before. Bonus NPCs:   Bonus (All kobolds have the same crimes: Assault, Attempted Murder, and Attempted Robbery) Name: Derzen Race: Kobold Class: Fighter-type (melee, two-handed weapon) Gender: Male Derzen is a blue-scaled kobold, and also the strongest kobold among those who came with Tiktak. He would have killed one of the guards, if Tiktak hadn't surrendered and threw everything off. Derzen is usually violent and brutish thanks to his superior strength, but he is not stupid, and knows when to stop being violent if it will get him what he wants. (Double so if being violent is the means to the end!) He would be more careful when dealing with races bigger than him. Name: Lana Race: Kobold Class: Rogue/Ranger-ish (ranged, sling) Gender: Female Lana is an average green-scaled kobold. She is actually pretty meek like Tiktak, and has joined the raid because the others are doing it. She can be mean too, but rather than meaning it, she is most likely just copying how the others behave. She is really simple-minded-- which is why she surrendered instead of running away. She only wants to live, and doesn't think too much of other things. Name: Kip Race: Kobold Class: Rogue (melee/throwing, dagger/shortsword) Gender: Male Kip is a red-scaled kobold, and a typical opportunistic, sadistic, yet cowardly kobold. He is obviously not THAT smart, since he surrendered instead of running away. He wouldn't hesitate if he can take advantage of the others, but he also wouldn't hesitate to submit if things are sour for him. He wants to survive, like Lana, but wants a fair bit more than that too.