The Legonater Posted December 22, 2013 Posted December 22, 2013 If we can avoid any rash moves, this plan may actually work. I say we give it a start. I'm ready.
Capt.JohnPaul Posted December 22, 2013 Posted December 22, 2013 Alexandre gets startles as a magical z-mail package appears in front of him, and 3 Grating Stones fall to the floor. He picks them up and buts them in his inventory. "Er, yes, let us start. I'd like to hear all the clans' feelings."
CMP Posted December 23, 2013 Author Posted December 23, 2013 "Good. Now we begin." Olmstyr approached the table, leaving the party to hover back and observe the room in its entirety now. The atmosphere was thick with tension, as was the air with the smoke from both oil pipes. "Yreg vohln Tarok, ir styr, ir rohk, ir oroc. Ash dir balo dol amor durm calm dir vahl gausho. Grog iiv dir laz ei kon caz ir krahno ei ta. Yreg Tarok, vahl gaun." Each orc bowed their heads in silence for a moment. Then the old one spoke up again. "The six hundred and thirty ninth Clanmeet has thus begun. Do any wish to pose an issue for discussion?" "I do." This orc's voice was low and commanding, experience bleeding through his tone. He crossed his muscular arms over his armored chest. "I want to know why we have humans present. Eight of them, in fact. I very much would like to hear the reasoning for their presence." "I thought I addressed th-" "I found your answer lacking, Karstaal. Not once has a human set foot inside the Taaln. There'd best be a reason for this break in tradition." A female orc on his left spoke up next, her voice gravelly and annoyed. "Bah, no reason they could give us would be adequate. Perhaps a sacrifice would appease Tarok for this transgression. Yes, surely his favor would fall upon us if we were to once more shed the blood of his enemies..." "These six are here on my request, and there will not be any sacrifices here, we left such barbaric practices ages ago. I know what you would say, that they've no place here or in discussion of matters so significant, but I think they're necessary." "How do you find this so?" "Unless anyone seriously thinks we can come to an agreement on the bridge in this very Clanmeet, we need a team to monitor the issue until we do come up with something. They're here to delay the time when we must come to a decision as long as they can. That is, of course, assuming nobody has a decisive compromise for us all right now....am I wrong?" There was silence for a few ringing moments. Olmstyr looked from each Clanmeet member to the next with raised eyebrows. "You speak boldly, Olmstyr...but not untruthfully. I see no reason the humans cannot stay, as long as their allegiances lie with you. Should their goals stray from yours, however, they will be treated as enemies and killed in what way the first passing orc deems fit." "That's all I ask. Can I ask we lay off them, at least for some time? They've journeyed far to get here. And, as we all know, humans and elves are far more...delicate than our kind. They need some time to rest." A young, bright voice giggled in response. "Of course, dear Olmstyr. Their kind are so fascinating, such a shame how frail they are...I also would like to clear up the issue regarding your aepyorni hunting so near our capital, Karstaal, before we launch into the real issue at hand. One can get sick of fish far more quickly than you realize..." Several of the Clanmeet members broke into discussion with one another, but several stayed back, instead only watching the heroes intently. Olmstyr looked sideways at them. "Could've gone worse, but it's far from over. It looks like we've got a bit of time before the...bit about the bridge comes up. I could give you a rundown on the clan representatives - I can recognize them all - and you could go to speak to some of them yourselves if you think it wise. Don't waste their time, but be careful. Things will get heated, that I know, but it'd be best to avoid it as long as possible..."
Capt.JohnPaul Posted December 23, 2013 Posted December 23, 2013 "Should we ask the representatives what they honestly think about the bridge?"
Scubacarrot Posted December 23, 2013 Posted December 23, 2013 "Go ahead. Give us that rundown, Olmstyr. I recognize those you told us about, but who are the rest of the people here?" The raider coughs, and asks a second question. "And why is there surprisingly little Orcish spoken here?"
Masked Builder Posted December 24, 2013 Posted December 24, 2013 "Who is the woman in the black hood?"
CMP Posted December 24, 2013 Author Posted December 24, 2013 "Should we ask the representatives what they honestly think about the bridge?" "No. Not yet, anyway. I'd rather you just feel them out before confronting them with that question...probably safer, too." "Go ahead. Give us that rundown, Olmstyr. I recognize those you told us about, but who are the rest of the people here?" The raider coughs, and asks a second question. "And why is there surprisingly little Orcish spoken here?" "Before Tarokai's time, we spoke Baltar. After the Invasion, when the few surviving orcs returned to Baltarok, they brought with them knowledge of the Common tongue. Sometimes they'd even forgotten their native language; it was a long war. Common dominated our land for maybe a century, then the clan leaders made a push for revitalizing the old language. But Baltar tended to be needlessly complex, and there were countless clan-specific dialects. We've picked up some new words and customs of speaking from Common, however. So now, most orcs speak Common, a few of the Broken Tribes still speak Baltar, but almost all of us speak Modern Orcish, a conjunction of the two." "Anyway...you've already Clan Musalnav." Olmstyr scratched his chin and pointed out the group near the ogre. "Those are the representatives of Clan Aj-Kahr." "The ogre is Helrak. He's more or less the voice of reason of Clan Aj-Kahr. If Marga brought unity to the clan, Helrak brought stability. Joined up not long ago and took up the unofficial role of negotiator. He's prevented several skirmishes with the Broken Tribes in the west. Despite his appearance, everything I've ever heard him say points to him avoiding conflict." "The one next to him is Gor the Fevered. Vicious Goblonian warlord. Gets his name from his sheer brutality in battle. Loses himself completely - if you're lucky. If you're not, well, then you're facing one of the most effective battle tacticians in Baltarok. He's put an end to many would-be civil wars in his land with ease. I don't how he ended up being the in the service of Clan Aj-Kahr, but their army has never been in better shape." "In the middle there is Marga Pointed-Crown. I've already told you about her. Religious to the bone. Blunt in her motivations, though. She's got nothing to hide; she's made it very clear in the past what she thinks about having humans right across the river. Tarok is her only drive, and she rules Aj-Kahr in his name." He pointed to the back of the room. "Those three are of Clan Tarokin." "The older one is Tarknal the Lidless. As the eldest member of the Clanmeet, he initiates the Rite of the Meet. Formalities, mostly. He only serves as an adviser to the current clan leader. As with all the representatives and leaders of Tarokin, his line descends directly from Tarokai himself. He's old now, but in good health, and of widespread fame. High Kingdoms scouts crossed the Navaosh a few decades back, harassing and pillaging a few fringe villages. He pushed them all back without any major casualties. Won himself quite a lot of glory for spilling the first Kingdoms blood in centuries. Destroyed half a dozen well-trained assassins after they ambushed him in his sleep after, lost his eyes doing it. He has the respect of everyone here." "The other bearded one is Tarvalk, Tarknal's third son. We discussed him. Half of Baltarok would follow him knowing they were to die. He's the symbol of everything orcs stand for. Honor, glory in battle, determination. He would declare war as soon as our homeland is threatened...but he's not an idealist. The power balance is fragile, and he wouldn't want a civil war; the wellbeing of every orc alive is his primary concern. He would not attack the High Kingdoms for what they did hundreds of years ago; he would crush them utterly to free every last slave in the Kingdoms. His strength lies in the glory and the horrors of the past, but he would use both to carve us a better future." "The woman in the back is Tra-Serral. Tarvalk's daughter, and believe it or not his only child. She's been at his side in every Clanmeet since she was a young girl, but I don't think she's spoken a word. She doesn't have to. Her reputation precedes her. She is Tarvalk's enforcer. I don't know if she values honor as much as her father or grandfather, most of what I know about her is in rumor. These rumors are...unsettling. They speak of a ceaseless hunter, greatest of the clan of the greatest warriors, destroying entire groups of the Broken Tribes by killing each of their leaders in a single day. And her presence is disconcerting. Even for an orc. Best way to describe her would be effective." "Who is the woman in the black hood?" Olmstyr nodded towards the last trio of orcs. "Those are the current representatives of Clan Irlaz." "The hooded one, Miss Fenral, is Bastala, of whom I've told you a great deal already. You can see now what I mean when I said she is unlike most orcs. And when I said she enjoyed her wine....this is only her second Clanmeet, after Grishnod was taken. She's settled in quite well; in her own eyes. I've not heard one ultimately positive word about her leadership. She was spoiled like a princess back when she was but the clan leader's daughter, now that she's the leader, she acts as though she's the queen. The other clan leaders disprove of her strongly, but it seems she only makes significant changes on her own whims..." "The armored orc is Garohn Ironshin. The Ironshins have protected the leaders of Clan Irlaz since shortly after the Invasion. Ironshin the Greater became a legend when he faced down a giant during the assault on Castle Fortaan, one of the few who was able to delay the six...assassins, before they reached King Tarokai. As the tales have it, he was thrown through the roof, over the wall, out of the castle, and into a boulder. Broke every single bone in his body but his leg, yet led his force nearly intact all the way back to Baltarok during the purge of the orcs once Fortaan was abandoned. The leg was fashioned into a weapon after his death, and now represents unwavering loyalty. Garohn himself's real quiet, though, even moreso since Grishnod's kidnapping. I'm not sure if he approves of Bastala, but she seems plenty happy to keep him around." "Cerisea is a mercenary from Azzurat. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. I guess she must've done something significant, even Bastala knew the risk of bringing a human to the Clanmeet."
Scubacarrot Posted December 24, 2013 Posted December 24, 2013 "Bastala's skin is unusually... light. Is she a half orc?"
CMP Posted December 24, 2013 Author Posted December 24, 2013 "Bastala's skin is unusually... light. Is she a half orc?" "That's been a bit of a scandal, though Grishnod dispelled most rumors about it in public in his time. It's hard to say for cetain. She's also skilled in the field of magic....question is, is she a mage because she's half human, or does she look half human because she's a mage?
Scubacarrot Posted December 24, 2013 Posted December 24, 2013 (edited) "I've seen Orc Mages in the past. Orcs are very different to the south, the orcs were never enslaved as in the Kingdoms, or Eubric, nor did the war reach that place. Orcs are treated as any other." Edited December 24, 2013 by Scubacarrot
CMP Posted December 25, 2013 Author Posted December 25, 2013 "I've seen Orc Mages in the past. Orcs are very different to the south, the orcs were never enslaved as in the Kingdoms, or Eubric, nor did the war reach that place. Orcs are treated as any other." "Few orcs these days try to leave Baltarok. Even fewer can. Most of those outside are descendants of those who left our country long ago, and are likelier to have a non-orc in their bloodline somewhere. Pure orcs, I suppose you could call us, have very little magical potential. If we had more, well...the Invasion might've gone very differently." I'll actually move things along tomorrow. I doubt I'm the only one with stuff to do today.
swils Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 Sorry, my internet is being really spotty right now. There's a lot in here to try and catch up on through my phone, heh.
Scubacarrot Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 "And that's something your people are proud of?" The raider asked sceptically.
Capt.JohnPaul Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 "How open do you think the clans are to trade? We know Mrs. Pointed Crown doesn't like them, but the other clans, do they accept the bridge? I just want to clarify." Alexandre whispers.
swils Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 "And just, uh, outta curiosity, is there anyone who'd want to sabotage this clanmeet and prevent discussions of the bridge from even takin' place?"
CMP Posted December 26, 2013 Author Posted December 26, 2013 "And that's something your people are proud of?" The raider asked sceptically. "What, lacking magical potential? In a strange way, I suppose so. It is no small feat to defeat one enemy wielding magic, much less the hundreds of mages there were in the High Kingdoms." "How open do you think the clans are to trade? We know Mrs. Pointed Crown doesn't like them, but the other clans, do they accept the bridge? I just want to clarify." Alexandre whispers. "Karstaal and Bastala don't see the harm in trading, I don't think. Marga doesn't like anything about the bridge, nor does Tarvalk. But unlike her, Tarvalk is fully prepared to take advantage of it and use it to fight back." "And just, uh, outta curiosity, is there anyone who'd want to sabotage this clanmeet and prevent discussions of the bridge from even takin' place?" "No," answered Olmstyr without a hint of doubt. "None of the clans, anyway. It wouldn't be the first time some hired assassins would try and assault the Clanmeet. But none of the clans would ever dare interfere with such an ancient tradition. Clanmeets stem from the 'tribe meets' we had when Baltarok was consumed in wars with one another, they took place for thousands of years. No orc would ever violate that. We're an honest people. If another clan doesn't like yours, they say so. Our politics might not work very well, but they're a damn sight better than all the backstabbing and blackmailing in the Kingdoms." "Quite true," remarked Karstaal suddenly, having caught this last sentence. "Many things from the Kingdoms I value more than our own, but not their politics." "That is some small comfort, given how much else you envy those human swine," snarled Marga. "Have you no respect for your own kind?" "Now now Marga, don't be so hard on old Karstaal. Some of these customs we have are quite strange. Cerisea here was just telling me how in her own land-" "This is not a human's land. This is our land, girl. Our customs. Our traditions. Our history." The clans soon all disintegrated into a mess of arguments and harsh words. Only a few were left out of the din. Olmstyr looked from one person to another with a sigh, then glanced at the heroes. "This will take some tact." -AGGRESSIVE NEGOTIATIONS- -The Clanmeet has fallen into disarray. To prevent further discord, the heroes must try and get each Clanmeet member to peacefully withdraw from the discussion. -Each Clanmeet member has a given alignment that the heroes must try and discern throughout the Clanmeet through their actions and behavior by speaking to and influencing them. While doing so, they must also keep their moods within the alignment spectrum. -At the beginning of each 'round', the atmosphere will change at random – it will be either good, evil, chaotic, lawful, or neutral. At the end of the round, every Clanmeet member’s mood will shift towards whatever the atmosphere is, or they will remain the same in the case of neutral. (If the atmosphere is Chaotic, and the end of the round, a Clanmeet member in a Lawful Good mood will change to Neutral Good, a True Neutral mood will change to Chaotic Neutral, etc.) Plan carefully; if a member’s mood goes beyond the alignment spectrum, they will storm out of the Clanmeet. If the atmosphere is Chaotic, any Clanmeet members in a Chaotic mood at the end of the round will storm off. -Each round, a hero may choose to influence a Clanmeet member, again in either a good, evil, chaotic, or lawful way. Their mood will change accordingly and immediately. The order of these changes is decided by the party leader, and listed like a battle order. Heroes with Diplomacy, 'Diplomacy', Intimidation, or Promiscuity may choose up to influence up to two Clanmeet members in the same round. Multiple heroes can target the same Clanmeet member. Influencing a Clanmeet member is the best way to gain some insight into their alignment. -At any time, a hero may choose to guess a Clanmeet member’s alignment. When their mood reaches that alignment, the guess will be declared correct or incorrect. There is no penalty for being incorrect, but a guess cannot be changed until the current guess has been tested. Each hero may only guess one alignment at a time. A correct guess will result in the Clanmeet member being satisfied, and they will withdraw from the discussion peacefully as soon as they reach the guessed alignment. -The goal is for at least six Clanmeet members to be satisfied and withdraw from the discussion peacefully. Current Atmosphere: Chaotic Bastala: Neutral Evil Garohn: Chaotic Neutral General Gor: True Neutral Helrak: Chaotic Good Jaret: Lawful Evil Karstaal: Neutral Good Marga: Chaotic Evil Tarknal: Lawful Good Tarvalk: Lawful Neutral Hope this is clear enough....basically, talk around to gain some perspective, keep their moods in check while doing so, and when you're ready try and figure out who belongs to what alignment. The current moods have all been randomized.
swils Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 Just so I understand: 1. None of the moods for this round represent their actual alignments, only their current states, aye? 2. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "alignment spectrum". If someone ends a round at Lawful, and the next round shifts towards Lawful, will they then be out of the spectrum?
Scorpiox Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 Haldor pushed his way through the crowd until he neared the lightly-skinned Bastala, hoping to influence her in a good manner. "Hail there, missy. Mind if I talk? That is if my inferior norse and human presence don't repulse you too much. Are these meetings always so... enthusiastic? I reckon you've been to a fair few of the things, strong, capable girl like you is bound to know what's what. Since you seem to handle yourself so confidently, do you reckon you could fill me in on some of the other folks we've got here? You know, who are the type to likely knock my block off just for stepping near? And who is as reasonable and accepting as you? D'you get what I'm saying? I'd rather not have to waste time pissing off a bloke for my humanity when I could be spending it cheerfully with a delightful and authoritative leader who deserves my respect." He adopted what he imagined to be a winning smile.
CMP Posted December 26, 2013 Author Posted December 26, 2013 (edited) Just so I understand: 1. None of the moods for this round represent their actual alignments, only their current states, aye? 2. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "alignment spectrum". If someone ends a round at Lawful, and the next round shifts towards Lawful, will they then be out of the spectrum? 1. Correct. 2. If they end the round in which the atmosphere shifts towards Lawful in a Lawful mood, yes, they will be out of the spectrum. But you have that entire round to influence them Chaotically to prevent it. Take this round for example, it'd be in your best interest to influence Helrak, Garohn, and Marga lawfully to keep them within the spectrum. Edited December 26, 2013 by CallMePie
Scubacarrot Posted December 26, 2013 Posted December 26, 2013 I'm not sure what you mean with guessing their alignments. Do they have a secret hidden alignment we have to guess, and when that is reached they automatically leave? Guts clutched his Stag Antler Halberd. That'd make him slightly more intimidating between the orcs.
CMP Posted December 26, 2013 Author Posted December 26, 2013 I'm not sure what you mean with guessing their alignments. Do they have a secret hidden alignment we have to guess, and when that is reached they automatically leave? Yes. Each Clanmeet member has a set alignment. By talking to them and such, you must try and figure out what it is. Then you make a guess, you get their mood to shift towards your guess, and if you're correct, they withdraw from the discussion.
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