Aergraith's Sunday C&C: "Heroes and Scoundrels of Xylh"

[Rhuvein]

That's a nice story!!

And i see that we need to school Mercutio on the ways of good, justice and the right thing to do in any world! [Lisette can attend to that education with some instruction or . . some light to medium ear boxing].

[Penny-Whistle]

This is why Lissette (lawful good) is considered so weird in Xylh. The natives would never hurt a child. A little chaos is always welcome. A convivial event is judged by its exuberance. The more laughter and joy the better the food and company.

Seriously though it is a dangerous thing to offend a link boy.

EDIT

Lissett is making the situation awkward for Zumbido. Mercutio was reluctant to help such a large party at first. He bargained for three things: safety, a meal and tip on successful completion. Zumbido gave him a grandma pinky promise and wants to deliver on her end of the bargain. Mercutio is under her protection and employ. If she breaks on the agreement it is her own life that is at risk.

[Penny-Whistle]

This might be a good story beginning for us.

Lissett is annoyed and smacks Mercutio leaving behind a deep bruise because kids bruise easily and he doesn't regularly enjoy good nutrition or care. Mercutio turns to Zumbido accusing her of breaking her word. And he is right. She failed to keep him safe from the party. On top of the guilt are some conflicting feelings. She has more ties to this group than to a random street kid. Yet a promise is a promise.

The link boy guild puts out the word that we should enjoy no protection while present in the city. In fact we are now considered legitimate targets to any and all members of the underground. In a city like this that probably means the majority of the residents. Meanwhile the paladin's god is angered that she failed to protect the weak. He might give her a geas.

The party would have to make our way through the unknown city as complete strangers to its customs. What could have been a short stop over becomes a race to the city gates.

This could lead to a fun and super scary session or two.

Does anyone else want to try something like this or maybe you have a different adventure goal?

[alcyone]

Does anyone else want to try something like this or maybe you have a different adventure goal?

Your characters are always free to decide what they want to do, and I am glad to hear suggestions for your mid-to-long term goals.
Consequences, though, are less under the party's control, so Mercutio and his guild's reactions will be based more on dice rolls and what I think makes sense. It might play out how you say, and maybe not.

[Rhuvein]

This is why Lissette (lawful good) is considered so weird in Xylh. The natives would never hurt a child. A little chaos is always welcome. A convivial event is judged by its exuberance. The more laughter and joy the better the food and company.

Seriously though it is a dangerous thing to offend a link boy.

EDIT

Lissett is making the situation awkward for Zumbido. Mercutio was reluctant to help such a large party at first. He bargained for three things: safety, a meal and tip on successful completion. Zumbido gave him a grandma pinky promise and wants to deliver on her end of the bargain. Mercutio is under her protection and employ. If she breaks on the agreement it is her own life that is at risk.

Perhaps a little chaos, as you say - is good for a lawful good paladin!!

[Rhuvein]

Lisette is weary from a long day of exploration and contemplation of this part of Nuna. She is conflicted about dealing with people who are driven by chaos and/or survival.

And she falls into a deep sleep.

She dreams ~

Her deities awaken her and tell her that they are satisfied with her devotion to the cause of good and law.

But, they tell her that sometimes a paladin must choose the lesser of two evils or occasionally overlook a transgression to the greater good of GOOD. Indeed, you are young and learning the ways of righteousness. YOU WILL SUCCEED! We are with you. And now . .

“To Zubido, you must listen. She is a native of Xyhl and has vast experience in this city and the affairs of the world. She is wise and can help you. Seek her counsel and follow her lead. She will know and instruct you when the time is right for you to use your skills to advance the cause of law and good!”

Sleep well, Lisette. Tomorrow will bring success and fulfillment! WE ARE WITH YOU, ALWAYS!

Lisette takes a deep breath in her sleep and rests well for the rest of the night.

[Rhuvein]

This might be a good story beginning for us.

Lissett is annoyed and smacks Mercutio leaving behind a deep bruise because kids bruise easily and he doesn't regularly enjoy good nutrition or care. Mercutio turns to Zumbido accusing her of breaking her word. And he is right. She failed to keep him safe from the party. On top of the guilt are some conflicting feelings. She has more ties to this group than to a random street kid. Yet a promise is a promise.

The link boy guild puts out the word that we should enjoy no protection while present in the city. In fact we are now considered legitimate targets to any and all members of the underground. In a city like this that probably means the majority of the residents. Meanwhile the paladin's god is angered that she failed to protect the weak. He might give her a geas.

The party would have to make our way through the unknown city as complete strangers to its customs. What could have been a short stop over becomes a race to the city gates.

This could lead to a fun and super scary session or two.

Does anyone else want to try something like this or maybe you have a different adventure goal?

Whoa!!!

Are you advancing the story out of game or did I fall asleep at the end of last session???

Dammit, I may have to see the DOC to get my meds adjusted!

[Rhuvein]

Does anyone else want to try something like this or maybe you have a different adventure goal?

Your characters are always free to decide what they want to do, and I am glad to hear suggestions for your mid-to-long term goals.
Consequences, though, are less under the party's control, so Mercutio and his guild's reactions will be based more on dice rolls and what I think makes sense. It might play out how you say, and maybe not.

One thing that is challenging for me is - that Penny knows your world better than I do. So sometimes she is leading the session (which is always OK with me), but I may not see or understand some things that are happening in game with regard to . . well much. I did get the importance of the link boy, but mebbe didn't get the whole picture. It seemed that the quick game movement from talking to Merc and then being in the restaurant happened quickly.

And if you did impart that info and I missed it, then my bad.

[Penny-Whistle]

This might be a good story beginning for us.

Lissett is annoyed and smacks Mercutio leaving behind a deep bruise because kids bruise easily and he doesn't regularly enjoy good nutrition or care. Mercutio turns to Zumbido accusing her of breaking her word. And he is right. She failed to keep him safe from the party. On top of the guilt are some conflicting feelings. She has more ties to this group than to a random street kid. Yet a promise is a promise.

The link boy guild puts out the word that we should enjoy no protection while present in the city. In fact we are now considered legitimate targets to any and all members of the underground. In a city like this that probably means the majority of the residents. Meanwhile the paladin's god is angered that she failed to protect the weak. He might give her a geas.

The party would have to make our way through the unknown city as complete strangers to its customs. What could have been a short stop over becomes a race to the city gates.

This could lead to a fun and super scary session or two.

Does anyone else want to try something like this or maybe you have a different adventure goal?

Whoa!!!

Are you advancing the story out of game or did I fall asleep at the end of last session???

Dammit, I may have to see the DOC to get my meds adjusted!

The clearer we are in our goals and motivations the more the CK has to work with in crafting an adventure. A post game discussion on where we want to go and what each character’s goals are makes the whole game better. When I think of a sandbox game I kind of imagine a choose your own adventure. The choices we make drive the story forward.

Like alternate universes. In one universe, Lissett beats the child. In another she doesn't. Zumbido the character wouldn't be happy about Lissett beating a child. Zumbido's player though can appreciate how that action would have consequences that could propel he story forward. I was trying to assure you that Lissett is free to act in the way she wants and that I as the player am ok with whatever choice she makes.

[Penny-Whistle]

Does anyone else want to try something like this or maybe you have a different adventure goal?

Your characters are always free to decide what they want to do, and I am glad to hear suggestions for your mid-to-long term goals.
Consequences, though, are less under the party's control, so Mercutio and his guild's reactions will be based more on dice rolls and what I think makes sense. It might play out how you say, and maybe not.

One thing that is challenging for me is - that Penny knows your world better than I do. So sometimes she is leading the session (which is always OK with me), but I may not see or understand some things that are happening in game with regard to . . well much. I did get the importance of the link boy, but mebbe didn't get the whole picture. It seemed that the quick game movement from talking to Merc and then being in the restaurant happened quickly.

And if you did impart that info and I missed it, then my bad.

He gave us all handouts in Roll20 and we hired a link boy when we were in Xylh. Mind you that was SO long ago anyone could forget.

[Rhuvein]

Like alternate universes. In one universe, Lissett beats the child. In another she doesn't. Zumbido the character wouldn't be happy about Lissett beating a child. Zumbido's player though can appreciate how that action would have consequences that could propel he story forward. I was trying to assure you that Lissett is free to act in the way she wants and that I as the player am ok with whatever choice she makes.

Hmm, perhaps a misunderstanding of my expression of a light to medium boxing of the ears. (oh, and that was a humorous way of saying how the paladin might deal with Mercutio).

BUT NO, that does not mean a beating of a child!

Lisette might talk and give an attention getting cuff at the ear, much like a big sister might administer to an unruly little brother.

And – all of this chatter on my part is out of game commentary and jocularity, so no worries about Lisette going kick ass on the kid (unless of course, he deserves it).

But then you saw my post above about how she is will deal with these situations in the future – so, rock on Zumbido and help the young in-experienced paly excel!

[Rhuvein]

He gave us all handouts in Roll20 and we hired a link boy when we were in Xylh. Mind you that was SO long ago anyone could forget.

Yep, and we haven't played in a long time . . so, I will re-read the handouts ~ and I'll ask if Aergraith will remind us of when a situation arises that might present campaign world particulars that us players might not remember or realize as we play (perhaps an out of game break for discussion).

Again, you have the advantage Penny on the rest of us with your detailed knowledge of this world. And so, we may miss things (or perhaps it's just me) that would be helpful to PCs.

[alcyone]

Penny has played in Nuna/Xylh, but this is the first time any of you have been in the world of Palmartizen. Maybe things work how you expect, and maybe not. You can't really deal with it in a right or wrong way; whatever you do has natural consequences, and the world will reveal itself as you poke and prod it.

The link boys are important in Xylh because they know the city, and the mooncurser guild is also paid by other guilds for information, and at times works with the beggars, the thieves, the assassins, and even the constabulary from time to time. But they aren't a necessity. (They are also my out of game way of making the big cities work; instead of needing a giant map that has every location on it, they can take you where you need to go.) They also aren't the only guides in the world. They have been known to mislead tourists or important visitors, because another guild has paid them well to do so. But a wise traveller often seeks them out and pays them well, because they see and hear everything. Link boys like Mercutio, Aziz, and Daouid are around 9-13 years old, though there are older ones, like Bartholomew, who develop their skills and become professional adventuring glimjacks.

Also, places have something like alignments, though just as people are, they are subtle and variable. Xylh is neutral, with an unbalanced economy, ruled by Count Oridon by appearance but truly ruled by the 3 powerful wizards who luckily war with each other more than meddle in local matters. The poorest are practical and will usually do whatever needs to be done to survive. But they have their own codes and principles that in some ways are as important as those of paladins and clerics. Because of their cynicism and hubris, they can seem to tend toward evil ever so slightly, tempered by law, though this is often less about being good than being in control.

Bygnorum is neutral also, but tends a little toward good. Part of its goodness is nothing more than pride of not being like those crazy people from Xylh, simply by doing the opposite of what they do they have some virtue. They are also a culture looking forward and working to better itself. Xylh was founded by people who found a weird, ancient, empty city and claimed it for themselves. Bygnorum on the other hand naturally grew around the mouth of the river and the trade routes on the coast. But it's no Camelot either. There really isn't such a place near the city-state of Xylh, though Nuna is huge, there may be places that are totally different.

The desert and hills between Xylh and Bygnorum are mostly people getting by. Merchants and miners, and people who live in small villages who pray neither large city ever notices them. And lots of danger. Djinn and giants, wyverns, scorpions, and worse. The people tend to be hard-working and good, if suspicious. Hospitality, kindness to strangers, and an obligation to their kin, near or distant, has kept them alive against the odds. Rare is the desert dweller who wouldn't give bread and water to his enemy if he requested it, for a night at least, but rare is the enemy who would request it, knowing his own obligation in the arrangement.

Little is known of the desert elves, though of course Triss would know them very well. They are a very small clan and very old, and uninterested in the entanglements of civilization or even their own ancient history.

You don't know much about Palmartizen. Where you landed there were gnomes who had been shrouded in mist for a very long time, who forgot much about the outer world. And now you are learning more about the world as you travel. Your new companion hinted at a somewhat evil land, and physically it's a grey, hopeless, barren place. But in such areas there are always pockets of people who strive for something better.

Overall, the campaign tends toward the type of dying world you might find in the writings of Jack Vance, John Jakes, and Clark Ashton Smith, where greedy thieves have duels of wits with vain wizards, where barbarians try to get the better end of a deal with wealthy and corrupt merchants who know every trick, and where adventurers are the pawns of bored gods who send them into the darkness for their own amusement. None of this really dictates what your characters must be like, but it is the setting in which they exist. The mentioned authors are just inspiration, and of course this world is shaped by the deeds of the players, not of any character from those books.

"Grim slog" is how I often characterize the campaign.

[Rhuvein]

Excellent!

Thanks for posting this.

[Rhuvein]

Excellent!

Thanks for posting this.

[Gringnr]

Hey, gang, I will be there tonight, is Aergraith running?

[alcyone]

Plan on Rhuvein running, maybe either way.

[Scitzz]

Game tonight?

[alcyone]

Let's do it next week. Penny-whistle is sick and sounds like Rhuvein has plans.

[Scitzz]

She still isn't feeling well? Pass on my best wishes for quickly recovered health! Perhaps she needs a CLW cast on her

[Gringnr]

You got it, guys. Get better soon, Penny!

[alcyone]

I believe game on for to-morrow.

[Gringnr]

I will be ready

[Scitzz]

Prepping now

[Gringnr]

I am in Roll20 now

[Rhuvein]

Hi. Sorry, be along in a few minutes . .

[Scitzz]

Tomorrow?

[alcyone]

Yep, tomorrow.

[Gringnr]

See you then!

[alcyone]

New moon -- you feel your luck decrease!