OOC Chat Thread

The restriction on the Long Rest was only for the night of the Tavern/Dock crews Skill Challenge.

After that was completed (you got back to your place a bit after sunrise), your time is/was yours/the groups to do what they want with. So Onar can be/is in the middle of a Long Rest right now.

Cirion and Seonaid went to watch. Presumably that was gonna be for 8 hrs, but things may have changed that.

Eothain did the legwork to drum up an interpreter for the following day, preventing him from Long Resting while the others watched.

And Onar and Duinhir are resting, presumably with the goal of a Long Rest.

However, it sounds like Cirion and Seonaid are returning/returned with what they saw.

Whether or not that changes Resting plans has yet to be determined I think. But I believe your all can discuss that without disturbing the period of a Long Rest.

First of all sorry for the radio silence, I have also been traveling to a country where I only had limited internet access.

Duinhir is going for a long rest, he is rather useless in his current state.

Yes, all good.

Onar and Duinhir's Long Rest takes us to the afternoon.

Cirion and Seonaid taking a Long Rest would take us to midnight, of the day after the Docks and Tavern search.

Is that (still) the plan? If not, or if so, then what?

Acting this afternoon, following Onar and Duinhir's rest?

Acting that night, following Cirionn and Seonaid's?

Waiting to the following day (Eothain could even get a full rest then, and you'd have the interpreter)?

The question over all this is: what is going on with the children in the meantime?

And I apologize if I'm being a little pushy/leading with my questions, but I don't have a good sense of what you all want to do moving forward, or what you all think is happening, or what you think you need to do, or would like to see happen.

And I'm afraid if I don't ask direct questions, that these choices would take longer than they need to.

@emsquared For me railroading is expected in the scenario where quest/goal is as abstract as "prevent war", because players will naturally have different visions of the story they want/expect to be told.

Now answering "what would I like to see happen": I would like to see party spending a day to do some basic preparation/planning and use cover of the night (and while most people sleep) to get into the ship and rescue children.

Mechanically I may advocate story turning into a detective since Scholar is actually less about covert ops and more about intelligence gathering, but I just did not expect that from a "Tolkienian" tale.

Because a small team going behind enemy lines, into the heart of the enemy's homeland, to destroy the enemy's greatest weapon isn't a covert ops story? 😂😉

No, I get your meaning. But, yet again, I will point out that I did say - this is still D&D.

As for "the rails", again, I will point out that I did say up front that this would be a linear campaign. And that player agency would be found in how you all choose to address any given situation, not so much in what the situation would be.

Sounds like we have 2 for continued investigation, and I think Eothain was clearly of that mind as well, securing the interpreter for the following day, so that's more than half right there so let's do that, yes?

Everyone is rested up and we're at the morning of the second full day in Umbar?

Sound agreeable?

Sorry for ambiguity. What I mean to say is
Despite my PC would probably be able to shine at investigation, I am as a player surprised we even consider doing that in "Tolkienian" tale.
I vote for action. The obvious action of getting onboard the ship and rescue children.


P.S. There are game systems much better suited for investigation ( Vampire: The Masquerade; Call of Cthulhu, just to name few). For me 5e investigation is as simple as a single skill check.

Just a heads-up that I was ill all last week and have returned to work, which is our busy period. So might be a bit slow responding as I try to catch-up in RL

No problem Drakis, thanks for the heads up.

So I know the initial plan was for others to watch while others rested.

Is that going to continue to be the plan while Seonaid and Cirion rest? So, Onar and Duinhir watch?

And same for when Eothain rests?

Or is the watching done?

Once rested and rid of his exhaustion, Duinhir can go watch the ship.
There is also the interpreter, who had that contact?

I am on a family vacation and am offline a lot more than I thought I’d be. I’ll go with whatever the party decides. @emsquared can run my character for the next few days so I don’t hold up the game.

By the way, can I double check my logic. Based on my calculations and what I remember as a player the ship shoukd have been here in the city almost a week already. Is that right?

P.S. I am really surprised the chests are carried away at this time not loaded back to the ship. Feel like I am missing something important

Both of those things seem like reasonable conclusions that a reasonable person could come to, yes.

Sorry gang it's been a busy start to the week. Well get the new in character post up when I can.

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here.

I had a couple of all day trainings last week that kept me from posting, and now I'm having to catch up on work that I also couldn't get done because of the trainings.

Bear with me please, thank you.

Sure. No worries.

this is very convenient my PC is out of game right now as I will have little to no time to participate the game next week. Good luck with your encounter.
P.S. An I have a reason my PC survived till "dwarf's old age" :)... danger sense.