The Golden Gear (OOC Thread)

[Llyarden]

So I've had a bit of a mix-up with my mechanics so Valros may end up changing race (!), so I won't unprivate his thread until I've ironed that out, in order to avoid confusion. Fortunately, his race doesn't have very much impact on his character.

The potted summary is that Valros is big and imposing at first glance but kinda nervous and shy, and very inexperienced when it comes to adventuring (making up for his inexperience in combat mostly just through brute strength.) My preference would be for him to not know any of the others and just happen to be in the village at the time - he's not an Apsu paladin (despite the holy-symbol-of-Apsu dragonbane sword he uses as his only weapon) but he does vaguely pay some respect to its code, so he's kinda been wandering about a bit for the [insert time period here, probably just a few months] since he started adventuring. Failing that, I'd imagine he's probably the newbie of the group.

And yes, he is also a tailor (and jeweller), which came about because of him being a worshipper of the empyreal lord Falayna. Although neither of those two things would be obvious to a first impression.

[BBK]

11 hours ago, Boogie Woogie Wookiee said:

Lance: With a similar gift for the telekinetic arts, and a knack for "acquiring" things (though his is obviously aimed more at reacquiring stolen objects d'art than otherwise just robbing folks), there's definitely some easy openings for us to have met on a mutually exclusive heist. You know, the traditional archetype of two unrelated thieves bumping into each other while hitting the same location, even if their objectives were different, only to wind up having to work together as everything goes pear-shaped. And, despite being a paladin, he also has little problem with theft, though he might try to steer Lance (and Bolt) towards a more enlightened use of their gods-given talents, albeit in a totally nonconfrontational "lead by example" sort of way. Or encourage them to pause and think a bit more before they act at the very least! 🤣

If I totally got the wrong vibe from both of you after having only skimmed your applications, I apologize. Feel free to correct me!

I think having met mid-heist would be hilarious. "Oh, you're here for the Couzan Tapestry? I'm here for the Gold Bangle of Lauramon. Oh yes, the tapestry is in the east wing. I tried that one first, so the security is already disabled. If you hear shouting from the west wing in the next several minutes, do me a solid in return and light something on fire or something for me. won't you? I might benefit from a good distraction at that point. Have a good evening!"

 

7 hours ago, Llyarden said:

And yes, he is also a tailor (and jeweller), which came about because of him being a worshipper of the empyreal lord Falayna. Although neither of those two things would be obvious to a first impression.

As Lance spends an inordinate amount of time & money (about 15% of his starting gold lol) on both clothing and jewelry, either would be a very easy in with him as far as previous acquaintanceships go! A chance meeting at some point would be all it would take for Lance to keep Valros in his good graces - one simply does not spurn tailors or jewelers. They don't grow on trees, after all. :)

Edited October 18, 2023 by BBK (see edit history)

[Arklytte]

10 hours ago, Llyarden said:

So I've had a bit of a mix-up with my mechanics so Valros may end up changing race (!), so I won't unprivate his thread until I've ironed that out, in order to avoid confusion. Fortunately, his race doesn't have very much impact on his character.

The potted summary is that Valros is big and imposing at first glance but kinda nervous and shy, and very inexperienced when it comes to adventuring (making up for his inexperience in combat mostly just through brute strength.) My preference would be for him to not know any of the others and just happen to be in the village at the time - he's not an Apsu paladin (despite the holy-symbol-of-Apsu dragonbane sword he uses as his only weapon) but he does vaguely pay some respect to its code, so he's kinda been wandering about a bit for the [insert time period here, probably just a few months] since he started adventuring. Failing that, I'd imagine he's probably the newbie of the group.

And yes, he is also a tailor (and jeweller), which came about because of him being a worshipper of the empyreal lord Falayna. Although neither of those two things would be obvious to a first impression.

That's perfectly fine, Llyarden. He could simply already be at the Inn, having gotten there the same day as the other PC's. I can easily bring him into the story, so long as he's at the inn.

3 hours ago, BBK said:

I think having met mid-heist would be hilarious. "Oh, you're here for the Couzan Tapestry? I'm here for the Gold Bangle of Lauramon. Oh yes, the tapestry is in the east wing. I tried that one first, so the security is already disabled. If you hear shouting from the west wing in the next several minutes, do me a solid in return and light something on fire or something for me. won't you? I might benefit from a good distraction at that point. Have a good evening!"

ROFL!!! 🤣 Like literally every great heist movie ever!! 😁

3 hours ago, BBK said:

As Lance spends an inordinate amount of time & money (about 15% of his starting gold lol) on both clothing and jewelry, either would be a very easy in with him as far as previous acquaintanceships go! A chance meeting at some point would be all it would take for Lance to keep Valros in his good graces - one simply does not spurn tailors or jewelers. They don't grow on trees, after all. :)

@Llyarden Or this. 😄 If Valros is already there, then him already having met Lance at some point makes it even easier to draw y'all together. However you want to play it.

[Llyarden]

7 hours ago, BBK said:

As Lance spends an inordinate amount of time & money (about 15% of his starting gold lol) on both clothing and jewelry, either would be a very easy in with him as far as previous acquaintanceships go! A chance meeting at some point would be all it would take for Lance to keep Valros in his good graces - one simply does not spurn tailors or jewelers. They don't grow on trees, after all. :)

I'd be good with that, yeah - although the question then becomes whether or not Lance knows that Valros is actually capable of fighting or whether he thinks he's just a really buff tailor.

(I unprivated Valros's thread, incidentally.)

[BBK]

2 hours ago, Llyarden said:

I'd be good with that, yeah - although the question then becomes whether or not Lance knows that Valros is actually capable of fighting or whether he thinks he's just a really buff tailor.

(I unprivated Valros's thread, incidentally.)

I can only imagine his response at learning of his tailor's martial prowess would be something along the lines of, "Oh, that's interesting! Now about that silk vest that I ordered, can you also make a very tiny one to match for Bolt?" *holds up a diminutive ferret*

[Starhawk]

What does Trellis do exactly? Can't seem to see a character sheet.

[Boogie Woogie Wookiee]

So, how's this sound to everyone? Oh, and apologies for any typos or grammatical mistakes; it's late and I'm about ready to pass out. Also, if you like where it's going, feel free to fill out some details from your own character's points of view, and/or correct any mistakes I made in assuming anything.

 

Lucrezia and Killian

I'm thinking that the first two of us to have met up was Lucrezia and Killian. It was early in their career as adventurers (say level 2 going on 3, and maybe six months to a year prior to the start of the game). I'm not sure where they would have originally met, perhaps at some dissertation a famous artist was giving in a large city? If so, Something™ goes down—maybe some overzealous critics decided to do some nasty things to the artist, or the henchmen of the corrupt governor was trying to shut it down through nefarious means; something like that—and the two end up working together to end the disruption, much to the gathered crowd's celebrative cheers.

Whatever happened, after introducing themselves and getting a solid read of one another, they decided that they shared compatible views of the world and complimented each other's skillsets, and because of that working together seemed a wise move. Since it was just the two of them, however, they couldn't exactly call themselves an adventuring company, and were instead more of "a loose partnership of convenience with similar interests."

A few months and a couple of interesting adventures go by without a hitch, with their friendship growing stronger by the minute.

Then one day while passing through a large town, Lucrezia heard some rumors on the street about this incredibly shifty nobleman that had been hiring even shadier n'er-do-wells to steal valuable pieces of art for him. Amongst his recent acquisitions was a rather famous tapestry that detailed the story of the construction of the elven observatories on the edge of the world. Unwilling to let that swine hoard such an important piece of history, the two conspired together and came up with a plan to reacquire it for the greater good. As they were wont to do.

Enter Lance

Unbeknownst to them, the wily cad Lance and his even more wily companion Bolt had made similar plans, though their target was a collection of exquisite jewelry that they were convinced would go to waste in the fat slob's vaults. Something that beautiful should be displayed proudly upon one's person! Or at least be up for sale at a local pawn shop. You know, whatever.

Regardless, while Lucrezia was downstairs distracting the anything-but-nobleman and his guards with her vampish charms, both Killian and Lance were snooping around upstairs. Killian found it quite odd that all the various traps and other security features he was expecting were disabled, but he just figured his beloved goddess had simply given him her blessing and continued on without a worry in the world.

After eventually finding and gathering up the tapestry, Killian was making his way back out when he heard a small commotion around the corner. Curious as always, he took a gander only to find that one of the guards had slipped away from Lucrezia's womanly ways and was doing his rounds. He had stumbled upon Lance and Bolt, both of whom were too busy trying to crack the safe to notice, and he was sneaking up to sap the larger of the two upside the head.

Killian felt that the guard's actions were most unbecoming. He also had finally put two and two together regarding Lance and all the traps, and felt he owed the rogue for serving as the unwitting hand of his goddess. Thinking quickly and not wanting to give away his own position just yet, the paladin decided to use a bit of tomfoolery to help out the thief. A little wiggling of the fingers later, and a few pieces of nearby furniture and other bric-a-brac slowly lifted up off the ground as a spooky "oooOOooOoOoOoooh" sound filled the air behind the guard.

Like most guards, this one was every bit the superstitious and cowardly sod. Dropping his truncheon, he gave a bit of a scream and bolted out of the room frightfully muttering something about poltergeists and not being paid enough for this drek. Both the guard's caterwauling and the ethereal ventriloquism had also garnered Lance and Bolt's attention, and they turned around with a puzzled look on their faces.

That's when Killian stepped out from his hiding position. Lance could clearly see the fancy tapestry rolled up and flung over the massive half-orc's shoulder as Killian flashed a warm and gentle smile at him. The knight said something to the effect of, "as one knave to another, perhaps we should get out of here before he alerts his friends downstairs of our intrusion. I have a lovely friend of my own distracting them who will doubtlessly be making a quick exit once she realizes the jig is up, and we have a couple of horses waiting just outside. Care to tag along until the coast is clear?"

Lance saw the wisdom of sticking together, at least for now, and Killian wisely followed him to the preplanned exit point the rogue had set up earlier. As the half-orc promised, Lucrezia was at their rendevous point with the horses, and the three of them quickly made off into the night while the nobleman and his guards were still trying to figure out what in the Nine Hells just happened.

Traveling through the night until they were a few villages away, the trio finally took the time to find a tavern where they could get some food and relax a bit. There they talked, realized they made a pretty damn good team, and they collectively decided to stick together for a bit longer. Was a trio enough to qualify for an adventuring company? Mmm, probably not. They'd clearly need at least one or two more before they could pull that off.

Several more months passed along with a handful of successful adventures. Then, after having helped a halfling village with some trouble they were having with an old wishing well (which was actually the lair of a pseudodragon that had gotten stuck at the bottom; he was giving out "wishes" in exchange for apple pies and grew too fat to get out), the would-be company found themselves entering some spooky ass woods on the way to some middle-of-nowhere village called Canismini.

You see, Killian had learned some time ago that a famous but incredibly reclusive sorceress, Kasin, resided somewhere therein, and that she was friends with a famous artificer named Humbert. Having come by a letter of introduction with the sagely wizard, and realizing they were near his residence, the paladin convinced the others to travel thereto in order to see if he could convince Hubert to introduce them to Kasin, as she was said to own an extensive and incredibly valuable collection of ancient elven artwork that he hoped to acquire from her and send back to his home in Emain Ablach.

Lucrezia, having heard of Humbert—himself having access to a wealth of knowledge she'd be fascinated to peruse—quickly jumped at the idea. For his part, Lance was just excited to go to see what all the excitement was about from the other two, especially after hearing the words "incredibly valuable."

Trellis Shows Up

So, they continued into the woods. The further they traveled, the spookier it became. After their fourth or fifth day of traveling, they set up camp and tried desperately to forget just how skincrawling this place was. While sitting around doing the various things they tended to do while camping, the trio were startled when they discovered this fascinating tree-man just shambling down the road seemingly without a care in the world.

Lance was the first to react, jumping to his feet and rushing up to introduce himself to the wyrwood. Lucrezia was soon to follow, while Killian was slower to react as he was just completely taken aback at the beauty and awe of the creature; he had heard stories of their people but never thought he'd have the honor of meeting one in person. When he finally snapped out of it and came to greet the verdant being, he was quick to welcome him to their camp, as per the laws of hospitality. It was a terribly bad habit of his, but at least on this occasion Trellis—as the wyrwood introduced himself—seemed a kind and peaceful soul. If only they knew!

When Trellis revealed that he, too, was heading to Canismini, the trio invited him to join them the rest of the way. After all, these woods were pretty ominous, and a large group was certainly safer than a smaller one. Besides, if things worked out, they'd be a foursome, and a foursome could totally be an adventuring company!

Two more days rolled by and the group finally found themselves in Canismini. They quickly made their way to local pub, The Golden Gear. Therein, they secured a table, ordered a round of Korova Creams to see what all the hulabaloo was about, and planned their next move.

And Then Came Valros

Not long after their drinks arrived, a towering (to most; Killian didn't see what all the fuss was about) tiefling entered. He definitely seemed out of place, and the locals didn't seem all that thrilled to have a "half-demon" show up out of nowhere... but ol' Lance certainly seemed to recognize him. Not wanting him to feel out of place, he invited the slovenly-dressed tailor to their table and offered him a seat. If things worked out, they'd be five. And five was absolutely an adventuring company! Maybe they should start working on a name for their charter...

Edited October 21, 2023 by Boogie Woogie Wookiee (see edit history)

[Llyarden]

If we're going to start all sitting at the same table or the like, if BBK's okay with it I'm thinking it would probably be Lance who invites Valros to the table, given that he met Valros before.

Or he can be entirely separate and just Lance mentions he knows him when whatever gets us all together happens.

[Keante]

On 10/18/2023 at 7:50 AM, Starhawk said:

What does Trellis do exactly? Can't seem to see a character sheet.

I haven't moved my talents and feats to the proper sheet yet, so take a look at the table in this post.

For basic stats you can now see my sheet here.

Lots of Nature sphere geomancing, also Alteration sphere for turning us into elementals and plant creatures. Salve from Alchemy for some party healing, baseline Divination sphere (no additional talents in it).

[BBK]

I am 100% down for all of the Lance interplay business. :)

[Boogie Woogie Wookiee]

That was totally my bad, I had meant to include that in the summary, but I was so on the verge of passing out, lol. I've amended the ending.

[Starhawk]

Lucrezia's voice, just in case you were wondering..

Edited October 22, 2023 by Starhawk (see edit history)

[BBK]

54 minutes ago, Starhawk said:

Lucrezia's voice, just in case you were wondering..

Oh, good reference! I sort of picture Lance's Voice being that of Henning May.

Skinny human man dressed like a dandy fop with the voice of an orc bard that smokes a pipe all day every day, and a speech pattern of an English politician with slips here and there that indicate that he grew up in a bad neighborhood. lol

Edited October 22, 2023 by BBK (see edit history)

[Boogie Woogie Wookiee]

+5 coolness points for referencing a Carry On film.

I imagine the tone of Killian's voice is something like Kevin Michael Richardson's but with a posh and slightly concealed British accent akin to Charlie Hunnam's. Though when speaking in his native Elvish, he goes full Irish, much to the ladyfolk's delight. <keeps a straight face at all costs>

[BBK]

With a +9 Modifier in all the normal Knowledge skills, Lance can't fail a DC 10 Knowledge check unless it's a non-standard category. Pretty much the dictionary definition of 'knowing a little about a lot'.

Also, @Arklytte I added a new section called 'Passive Skills' to Lance's Mechanics spoiler, and included pertinent information like Darkvision range to Perception, and Bolt's 'Freeze' ability to Stealth, etc - essentially the stuff that would modify the results of the three requested skill mods. If you would like it in a different format, please let me know!