[IC] Death & Taxes (Session 3)

Jul 14, 2020 2:15 am

Remnant Inactive forever!

Eswyse blanches at Nekurr's suggestion of tracing the pig's origins. "Well... Madam Anzila got the pig from me. Yuletide gift a couple years back. The sow's mine, and I ate the sire a few weeks ago for breakfast. Soft spot for bacon, even though I know it can kill ya." He looks to Wayland. "But I haven't seen anything like this from my swine, Mayor."

Tronus Granitebreaker

Jul 14, 2020 12:11 pm

"Sounds like a good one points out the obvious and thinks with logic... Third one? I'll not be the fourth mind you... Don't know why you'd be afraid of me. First you don't know all the details or any of the details of the hog you raised then you know all the details and things go array when a dwarf who daft at raising pigs comes along and looks... maybe the husband aren't the problem... besides if you're trying to pick a fight I've no qualms socking you proper in the mouth though." Tronus spits back, "Look at this one flirting." jabs a thumb at the woman while looking at Nekur a bit shocked. He shakes his head walking to the pig before cocking back his shield arm to dwarf his way into the pig's gut.

"Step back if you don't like getting dirty." he warns others.

OOC:

Using clever retort. And you added for Dwarven Stubborn being one of those setbacks right? Let me know if I have to roll to 'slice' pork belly with the lip of a shield... XD

Last edited July 14, 2020 12:19 pm

Jul 14, 2020 12:26 pm

Nekurr laughs nervously as he puts his paw on Tronus shoulder Ah ah, no one if picking any fight right?" he asks Anzila, trying to convince her to be slightly less... oppositional. "So the pig came from you and all the other are healthy?" he asks Erfan. "This would suggest that he got sick later." he then turns to Anzila with a serious expression. "I believe I saw the pig before my friend here approached it, and it looked like it was not doing very well, next to you"

OOC:

I'll refer to when Nekurr spotted her dragging the pig to the festival.

OOC:

GM edit: Adding difficulty, accounting for Motivations.

Last edited July 14, 2020 12:30 pm

Rolls

charm

3 Success, 3 Advantage

Total: 3 Success, 3 Advantage

difficulty

2 Advantage, 3 Failure, 1 Threat, 1 Despair

Total: 3 Failure, 1 Advantage, 1 Despair

Mayor Castor Wayland

Jul 14, 2020 2:12 pm

mcneils5 Inactive for 9 months

OOC:

I think trying to gut a hog with a shield is probably impossible without destroying what's inside. If Tronus wants to do this, he'll need to flip a SP and roll, maybe versus PPP? May be easier to just borrow a dagger from someone. Cutting it open with a blade would succeed automatically.

OK, Nekurr has failed to charm the weaver, and he also got a Despair! That gives the mayor an upgrade on his next check, plus I'll flip a SP:

The mayor stands up tall and slams his open hand into the fence post with a thwack. "Enough!" he cries to both the out-of-town investigators and the villagers. "I won't abide a bunch of paper-pushers harassing citizens of this village! Now, you folks're welcome here. We're happy to oblige your inquiries insofar as they pertain to your duties to collect the baron's taxes. But this hog's got nothing to do with any of that, so I'll kindly ask you to not overstep your role here."

You all get the impression that pursuing this line of inquiry may be risky. Antagonizing the weaver is unlikely to win you any friends in the village, and the mayor, like many of the villagers you've met, seems reluctant to cede authority to a bunch of outsiders.

OOC:

I'll use the mayor's 2 advantage to say you'll all get a setback on any checks that go against his orders here until this scene wraps.

Nekurr does have 4 advantage to spend from his check on the weaver. How'd you like to use it, CESN?

Rolls

Leadership + 2 upgrades + Knack for It

2 Success, 4 Advantage, 2 Threat

Total: 2 Success, 2 Advantage

Hildar Erathnir

Jul 14, 2020 2:20 pm

Hildar blinks in surprise but nods to the mayor "You are quite right of course. I think these surprising events may have shaken everyone somewhat so if you will please excuse any offence." he turns to his companions and quietly suggests that maybe they should withdraw and let the villagers sort the mess out

Jul 14, 2020 2:38 pm

Remnant Inactive forever!

OOC:

Can I use Clever Retort on the mayor to block that setback?
Once per encounter, your character may use this talent to add automatic 2 threats to another character’s social skill check

also, I got the weaver's motivation already right? maybe I can use 3 for the fear and 1 to avoid anyone else seeing help "help" negatively?

Last edited July 14, 2020 2:40 pm

Tronus Granitebreaker

Jul 14, 2020 2:47 pm

"Fair enough next person about to die shouldn't be helped by paper pushers. This still goes into the report since we can't investigate it'll be vague but we'll state what was said. It's your job to watch and protect the villagers well being not ours." Tronus states back with malice and gets out of the would be pen and walks back to the house and the stable.

Anzila

Jul 14, 2020 6:52 pm

CESN says:

OOC:

Can I use Clever Retort on the mayor to block that setback?
Once per encounter, your character may use this talent to add automatic 2 threats to another character’s social skill check

also, I got the weaver's motivation already right? maybe I can use 3 for the fear and 1 to avoid anyone else seeing help "help" negatively?

OOC:

Sure; narrate your Clever Retort, and that's a great use of it to "block" the mayor in this way. We can reserve the "help" advantage to grant a boost to the next PC to make a check. And Anzila's Fear coming up: displeasing her deity.

The weaver seems content to deescalate. She looks to Nekurr and says, "I'm sure as a priest, you understand that I would never do something to displease my deity. Perish the thought!"

Mayor Castor Wayland

Jul 14, 2020 6:57 pm

Wayland gives Tronus a nod. "I know you folks are just trying to help. Fortunately, we can leave things be for a piece." He looks at the smoldering hog carcass and winces. "I suppose this means there won't be any meat this year. But at least we can rest easy that the rest of the food is safe. Our traditions say the person who provides the hog doesn't bring anything else."

Jul 14, 2020 7:15 pm

mcneils5 Inactive for 9 months

OOC:

replying to the other post, though I can't remember how I wanted to reply... well, here's something :)

"As far as we can tell, this deity of yours... " Nekurr looks at Anzila "... seems to enjoy causing trouble to us paper-pushers." he looks at the mayor putting him in his place "Putting baronial representatives in danger is something that concern us". Once it is clear they made this our business he adds "But let's not ruin the festivities, we can all look into this later"

Hildar Erathnir

Jul 14, 2020 8:39 pm

Hildar moves after Tronus and once he is sure they are out of earshot of any of the locals begins to speak quietly "I examined the carcass of the hog. There are no traces that any kind of magic was involved and i seems that the poor creature was infested via some other method, I suspect we are dealing with some sort of creature. In addition to the spiders there seemed to be the husks of several silkworms"

Jul 15, 2020 1:02 am

somebox Inactive forever!

As Hildar shares his revelation about the silkworms, you notice three flurries of activity. First, the mayor seems to be asking Anzila to leave the festival. Two large villagers seem to be escorting her away. Meanwhile, a burly man is dragging the remains of the hog toward the nearby river, presumably to dump it in.

Meanwhile, Vanya Tabbins, the shopkeep, seems to be giving a pep-talk to the handful of pageant contestants over at the stage.

Finally, Chandy Galbernost and other villagers are finishing preparations on the food, while other villagers get in line to get their helpings.

It looks like you have a couple of options: First, you could stay for the rest of the festival, eat, drink, and be merry while the pageant goes on. You still have your half-case of wine to gift the villagers, and Nekurr has candied fruits for the winner of the pageant.

Alternatively, you could make leave and pursue the matter of the corpse bugs in the pig if you'd like. You might make some excuse to leave, or you might try to convince the mayor to let you investigate on his behalf.

OOC:

Feel free to decide what you want to do IC or OOC.

Nera

Jul 15, 2020 3:28 am

"That is extremely gross. I liked it better when we were ransacking the mansion. Next thing you know the pageant winner will receive a tiara which transforms them into a giant worm." While not counting on it, Nera makes a face of disgust. "I think we should follow the mayor; we're qualified investigators after all."

Jul 15, 2020 7:23 am

"Oh look! the Pageant is about to start!" Nekurr immediately forgets whatever happened with the excitement of the festivities.

OOC:

I think we should follow Anzila/Mayor as well. But would everyone disappear from the festival be too obvious?

Jul 15, 2020 2:04 pm

Remnant Inactive forever!

OOC:

As outsiders, you all stick out like sore thumbs here. Whatever you decide to do, it'll be obvious to just about everyone. If the plan is to sneak around, you'll have to figure out a way to excuse yourselves from the rest of the festival to do so.

As a reminder, you all have the impression that there's a strong expectation that you'll stay, and folks have intimated that you'll even be expected to help judge the pageant. Leaving now (whether to pursue the matter with the weaver, or under some other excuse) is going to raise eyebrows.

This isn't me saying not to do it, of course! Go where you think the case is leading you. I just want to set expectations right that leaving now will require some extra legwork.

Jul 15, 2020 5:31 pm

somebox Inactive forever!

OOC:

Tronus is still leaving the festival. =)

Nera

Jul 15, 2020 6:33 pm

OOC:

We could split up again! Nera could go with Tronus and lie, saying she needs to help him get back to the manor and get some rest, he's so old and hurt something.

Mayor Castor Wayland

Jul 18, 2020 12:17 pm

After a few moments, you see Anzila being led out of the festival area by two large village men. A third trots behind them, having disposed of the hog carcass in the river nearby.

Mayor Wayland strides toward the now-empty hog-wrestling ring, his face split by a huge grin. "Sorry 'bout that unfortunate interlude, folks. But we're back on schedule. Nature's Lady works in mysterious ways. Looks like this year she wants us to focus on her bounty, all those beautiful pumpkins and squashes and beans and pipeleaves she's given us this year."

Rolls

Charming the villagers

5 Success, 2 Advantage, 5 Threat

Total: 5 Success, 3 Threat

Erfan Eswyse

Jul 18, 2020 12:29 pm