Let’s go with Drayven’s proposed scenario for simplicity and see where we get…
Sunday October 2nd, 402 (8:55 p.m.) [17]:
[At this point it’s assumed everyone has memorized the spells necessary to execute the plan, hence the 4+ shift forward in time – he’s mentioned what spells he’s considering, but which ones will Drayven memorize specifically, considering the plan that’s in place?]
[At this point Quinn is no longer with the party but, as mentioned in my last email, Quinn can see Caleb’s approach of the ship from a few docks away while he’s meeting with Cyralix.]
[Since I don’t think anyone has seen the captain yet, Caleb will have to disguise himself as a generic sailor to attempt to board the ship]
“Okay, back safe and sound,” Caleb announces, sliding into his chair in time to watch the rest of the party finish off their meals. They’re once again at Tomosso’s, this time inside and at a large booth in one of the establishment’s darker corners. “They let me on the ship without any trouble, they don’t seem too concerned about people getting on board. I wasn’t able to move around easily, though, had to stay close to the quarter deck with the other sailors, and they started to get suspicious after a while when I kept to myself a little too much. I got away for a little bit and made it down to the hold. There’s not much there, a bunch of barrels. I swear, though, I smelt dog while I was down there. But no sign of him. I wish I could have had a better look-see, but there just wasn’t an opportunity, too small quarters, too many curious eyes.
“Anyway, I had to stay on the main deck with the others after that to avoid suspicion for as long as possible. And while I was there, I heard a big ‘woof’. I don’t know exactly where it came from because there were no dogs in sight, on the boat or on the dock, and it was muffled, which suggests it’s coming from somewhere below. But yeah, there’s a dog somewhere on the ship, out of sight. I’d call that confirmation, more or less. I was hoping to find a place to hide, but it’s too cramped there, too risky, I thought it best just to get away and come back here.”
“How many on board?” Whispin asks.
“No more than a dozen while I was there,” Caleb replies, ” But I had the impression not everybody was on board yet while I was there, so that count is probably unreliable.”
“What’s the ship like?” Konishi asks. “Anything we should be aware of, be concerned about?”
Thinking for a moment, Caleb finally answers, “Not really, the layout’s similar to our ship, the bulkheads are laid out differently, of course, but it’s just a regular ship as far as I could see. The sailors seem on edge, but maybe that’s because they have illicit cargo.”
“Did you see the captain?” Kai asks. “Where was he?
“I didn’t actually see him,” Caleb confesses. “His quarters are at the back of the ship, or so I heard, I never got back there. He bunks around where everyone else does, but I imagine he has a room to himself. But no, never saw him. I’m not too surprised, he’s probably busy before they set sail. Then again, maybe the dog’s with him, in his private room. That would explain why the bark was muffled.”
“Oh,” Caleb adds, “They do plan to leave in the early morning, so we need to strike tonight. I’m guessing if they’re up early they’ll be asleep before midnight, probably before eleven o’clock. Maybe we should wait until then to act.” Does anyone else have questions? Does the information Caleb provides change Drayven’s plan at all?
J
Doggy Guile
Sunday October 2nd, 402 (8:55 p.m.) [17]:
[Drayven would’ve memorized 2 CLW and Command.]
[Did Kai cast locate animal? I may have missed it. If so, was she able to roughly estimate what part of the ship had a dog?]
[Drayven’s plan was really a subset of his many ideas, nothing he was really set on. Since this mission is a delicate matter, especially for Ydoran’s future in Omnisterra, I’d be more comfortable waiting to enact the plan when Ryan is available. That said, the elf does have some additional thoughts.]
After the diminutive sleuth finishes his tale, the paladin pauses politely and offers:
“I must admit my preferred method would be to board the ship and demand the dog, no ruses or the like…but I also know that wouldn’t be the best approach due to the political nature of our endeavor. So, I think we’re going to have to be extra crafty in our planning…but not so much that we have a convoluted set of actions that could fall apart should one part fail. Also, despite what I’d suggested earlier I’m thinking we need to get onto the ship without causing a disturbance on the pier with the ship guards, as that could involve the town guard and cause a mess. Sure a fight on the deck could be problematic in the same manner, but less so…hopefully.”
Drayven will suggest the following to get on board:
Regardless of the option picked, the party should make it sound like not finding the individual could lead to trouble for the crew. For example, if the party were looking for a murderer or thief it could make the crew uneasy. Another option is to say the person had a contagious illness which might make them nervous and even let the party search for fear of catching the sickness themselves.
Depending on the story having the whole party present might seem suspicious and/or make it harder to gain entry. So maybe just 2 to 3 members of the party approach while others either sneak aboard while invisible or via another method.
Drayven will stop there, wanting to get consensus on the initial approach before adding to the plan.
S
Sunday October 2nd, 402 (1:22 p.m.) [17]:
With his gambit for additional leverage failed, Ydoran can do nothing but assure Chardes that he’s the man to make good on Engstrom’s promise of the safe return of his beloved pet, with his standing at Omnisterra depending on the outcome of this sensitive mission.
“Yes, we’ll return the animal.”
Sunday October 2nd, 402 (8:55 p.m.) [17]:
Acknowledging the findings of the others, and suggestions put forward so far, Ydoran advises. “I do have the power to become invisible. I could perhaps use it to get myself aboard, and from there use my magic to stir up trouble amongst the crew. I’m just not yet sure how to get us all aboard. Perhaps those about to get aboard by stealth should do so first, and the rest can make their way on board after my quicksilver phantasm has taken effect…” Ydoran trails off as if still thinking about how the plan should work.
Ack! Good point, Shane, I totally forgot about Kai’s Locate Animal spell – I think I’ll be unavailable for the next few weekends with spring cleaning and taxes, but I’ll fill this missing bit in now, sorry about that!
Sunday October 2nd, 402 (8:55 p.m.) [17]:
Kai, still tipsy from lunch, searches around her pack for a piece of paper, briefly considers ripping a page out of her notebook but thinks better of it, and then, before anyone in the party can offer an alternative, shouts out, “Barkeep! A sheet of paper over here!”
The man to which she seems to be speaking steps over to the table and says quizzically, “Paper? We don’t have any paper, sorry. And I’m a waiter, not a barkeep.”
Undeterred, Kai contemplates for a moment before answering, “Bring me a bowl of your finest shrimp sauce!”
Annoyed by the interaction, the server skulks off muttering, “Only have one shrimp sauce, it’s fine enough for you I guess.”
He returns momentarily with a bowl of the reddish concoction and sets it down in front of her. She thanks him while rolling up the sleeve of her left arm, holding out her forearm, dipping her index finger into the sauce and painting a surprisingly detailed schematic of the ship onto herself with the condiment. “Okay, so there is the front of the ship there [pointing to the area between hand and wrist]. What I saw was a glow at about the midpoint, around here [pointing to a position midway between wrist and elbow].”
“And above the waterline?” Caleb asks.
“Yes, above water,” she confirms.
“So it’s not in the hold, then,” Caleb surmises. “Which means it’s on the main deck somewhere – if it’s staying put, that is. That’s where I spent most of my time while I was on board, and I didn’t see anything. The only place you could maybe hide on that deck…” he thinks for a short bit before concluding, “There are four sets of stairs, two to the quarter deck and two to the foredeck. It could be hiding under any of those, the stairs are open, no risers, but we shouldn’t rule them out, there’s enough space to store a few provisions under there, or a dog. There are boxes, crates, some of them big enough that they could hold a large dog I guess. The biggest space, though, is behind or under the rowboats, there are two overturned and stacked on the main deck. At any rate, there’s not a lot of area to search if it comes to that, only twenty-five by thirty feet or so.”
Kai takes a sniff of her arm and then a long, indulgent lick. “Oh, this is so good!” she gushes, holding out her arm as though offering it to the others to try. “Barkeep! Another bowl of shrimp sauce!” she shouts, waving down the hapless server she accosted before and almost knocking over the nearly full bowl in front of her in the process.
“Very useful, very useful,” Whispin murmurs, ignoring the boisterous companion on his right. “So how does that change our plans, if at all? What should we do here?”
With this more precise information, what would the party like to do? Since Quinn has gone off on his own mission we don’t need a contribution from you, Kane, and Ryan may not be able to respond, so it may be up to Shane to firm things up.
J
The Bold Plan and the Quay
I’m struggling somewhat on how to proceed. I’m trying to stay true to Drayven’s character [in that he tries to avoid deception and prefers to be upfront] so it’s been a bit of a challenge to come up with a plan he’s suggest for a situation that appears to require a lot of duplicity.
For example, I think the plan below would work, but I don’t see Drayven doing all the lying required. Perhaps one of the NPCs could do the speaking? I don’t mind writing the dialogue for the NPC but just don’t like the idea of Drayven being the speaker. Is this an okay request?
Campaign:
In response to Ydoran and Kai’s additional information, the elven paladin offers:
“Main deck, eh? That simplifies things…well in theory….four sets of stairs, some crates, and a few rowboats…with the biggest space being the rowboats. Still, odd why they don’t have him in the hold or captain’s quarters, unless they’re attempting to keep him out of more obvious areas.”
Drayven will then put the following option forth:
S