OOC:
I'll frame it up there for the moment today... then follow with this TEXT WALL!!! (ugh - sorry, wish we could just talk this over in a short convo at the game table)...
As mentioned some in the past, PBP makes it tough to do precise, give-and-take conversations quickly, especially with multiple people involved. I'm not trying to belabor this scene, mainly just trying to get a general idea of what the party intends to do and/or say. Whether that means going to the Tower, attacking these mofos, withdrawing off into the woods, asking more questions, or anything in between. If it requires more extensive PC/NPC conversation, I'm up for receiving points or inquiries y'all want to make in more of a list or topical form - might be able to work a response quicker than doing long-hand narrative ping-pong between us for another week IRL.
I
'll make've made
a new space on the Forums for private Players' Club talk. I'd say it's pretty well impossible for me to not have access to it after creating it, but you can trust me that I'll just put it in place and not refer to it again if you prefer some privacy on strategy.
A few topics I can't resist writing, for consideration as y'all decide...
I think it best to keep in mind that if the team is claiming this general story as cover: "we are religious clergy, builders, architects, sculptors (plus a guard or 2) - sent by a section of the Amanuctum government, to coordinate with the military and governmental officials out here on trail to survey and plan for the building of temples and religious icons in the near and longterm future." If that is the case, they are indeed at the end of the line, at destination, meeting face-to-face at the last possible site of the cadre to whom they are supposed to report and with whom they are supposed to work jointly. I'll be up front to say that if the party now claims "we are going to camp out here for the night, we have some other business - gotta go" - it would be an unusual response at least, if not incoherent and suspicious.
Eramus did indeed say something like "don't tell the Legion of this business that I am talking about in this letter/message," - but that was the business of getting out here to him in this remote location, bringing a non-Legion force of arms and expertise, and giving him direct support on a yet-to-be-revealed project. The cover story, provided in paperwork by Gulleyloft coordinating with Eramus, was a means to do just that. It is inherent within the plan that you would encounter Legion forces along the way, likely including a prediction of the same at Saromen Fro. No preclusion of engaging with Legionnaire forces, instead an instruction to avoid telling your **real business** out here.
I think Gundus, Syrena, and Xenophon - who each got correspondence - interpreted Eramus to say "get out here to me, don't tell anyone that we are working a secret plan together for a conspiracy here, and we'll put it all in action when we are united on site". In all this, it was clear that he had concerns of subversion, interception, or some other competing faction(s) that was against him or a risk to him. And he had a sense of urgency, mentioning that his situation could change. Remember too that others, both
Gulleyloft and the other legionnaires from
Tower 1 and
Tower 2, mentioned lack of correspondence from Tower 4 that was apparently different in the past.
Two other things that I think wove prominently into the messaging from Eramus was...
1) (
to Gundus) the need for loyalty and traditional Auran spirituality and ritual, a "stress of spiritual darkness," foreign gods roving the land and corrupting and weakening Auran's people, a need for the restoration of order.
2) (more
to Xenophon but also to Gundus) He has something planned to score some wealth for everyone involved. There is a potential fortune to be made and shared in this. This was reinforced later, as
Gulleyloft thought so as well.
I look forward to everyone weighing in to steer this the way you choose here at this junction point. The party has reached the PLACE that they were supposed to be, but not necessarily at the right TIME, and not finding the CIRCUMSTANCE (or PERSON) they had hoped for.
Not exactly working out as expected, but now time to improvise and adapt.
Thank you. I know that was long - whew.
