Wednesday, April 27, 2011

SPQM c1s6b: There goes the box...


Early in the morning the patrol and the caravan leaves towards Navalia and Camillius and his patrol travels on towards Sapientia. As they travel on they discuss the latest happenings and Lucius let out a little idea he has; what if someone sent the hare to find out if they were carrying the something? Even if not it's a matter that a lot of animals is able to sniff the big amount of bronze in the box. They decide to shop an iron pig, iron smells more than bronze, and some garlic to camouflage the smell from the something and to make a decoy. The next day they reach a smith by the road and but a iron pig wich they put in a wooden box on one of the bugs who isn't that much loaded right now. They also buy some garlic and put into Dekias bag next to the something to hide the smell (Check: Resources Ob4, they use some of the guard money to protect them from Resources Depletion but that isn't needed as they Pass the Test).
As they travel on they really start to feel the toll of protecting the civilians, the something and not knowing what it is and never being able to really rest or lower the garde. Gaius tries to be a good example and lift his head and struggle on (Check, Soldier On, Passed Health Ob 3). When Lucius the nobiles see his plebeian leader straighten up and carry on he tries to do the same, he can't be weaker but apprently he is (Check, Soldier On, Failed Health Ob 3). Dekia on the other hand gets inspired and find some inner resources and straighten her body and correct the bag hanging and disturbing her all the time and carry on (Check, Soldier On, Passed Health Ob 3).
As they slowly travel on they discuss the matter that they have to visit Navalia after all and get the idea that someone could leave and travel att normal speed and reach Navalia, go inside, check for orders or reinforcements, get outside again and meet up with the others. In the end they decide that it's probably to dangerous (after hearing the resistance to be overcome with the Check). They travel on but decide that they should visit Gaius old friend who runs a tavern outside Navalia and rest there while one of them goes inside to check for reinforcements and orders (Check, get to Gaius friend outside Navalia, Complex Test; avoid Navalia's Liberation Front and robbing attampt at demolished road).
Suddenly their hear the call again ''For the freedom of Navalia!". They throw down everything and raise their weapons and fight well but as they kill two rebels two other knock down Dekia, grab her and the box and run of with her (Avoid Navalia's Liberation Front, Conflict, Rebels Win with Major Compromise, two of them die but they manage to get the box). Lucius and Gaius tell the other to stay beside the road and hide and runs after the rebels. As they run Lucius look for some Mentha and they stop for a short moment while he crush a leave and mix with another leave from his medicine pouch and make a substance to snort to clear the respiratory tracts and make it easier to sniff the rebels as they hunt them down (Lucius lower his Nature from 4 to 3 to raise his Temporary Nature from 2 to 3, Check, Construct a Tool to gain an extra dice in the hunt, Passed Scientist Ob 2).
They run further and gain on the rebels and finally catch up with them. They run towards Dekia and tackle the two rebels and run of with Dekia and the box (Check, Complex Test, Catch up with the Rebels and Free Dekia and the box). They quickly ran away and hide (Test 1, Passed Scout with Tool versus 5D, Test 2, Passed Fighter versus 5D). Cautiously they return to the other and move away.
Some days later as they has to pass a part of the road ruined in the summer rains and are stringed out a few bandits appear and distract them as two throw themselves at Dekia, hold her down and destroys two swords and an axe to cut the chain and run off with the box (Robbing Attempt, Failed Scout versus 6D -> Twist).
The patrol gather and Dekia is almost chocked over her luck that they didn't cut her arm instead of the chain. Quickly they send the trader adn philosophers into the bushes out of sight from the road and sets off after the bandits. They run and catches slowly up with the bandits. As the bandits reach an open area they realise that they can't outrun or hide from the patrol (Twist: Passed Scout versus Early Summer 3D). The bandits stop and drops the box with the thing and seem to ready themselves for fight. The patrol slow down and take a look at the surroundings. One of the two bandits raise his spear in a two handed grip and the other one shouts that if the patrol don't leave the box gets it. The patrol stare at them, everyone trying to figure out if they're serious and what they think about the box.
Lucius doesn't care theat much about the box, he rather get the bandits and makes the road safer for civilians guards alike and suddenly he charges the two bandits and then the rest of the patrol can do nothing else but follow. The bandit thrusts his spear into the box, again and again and again but the patrol doesn't stop. The other bandit gives him a nudge and they run off.
The patrol follow the bandits and at small hole under the nearest oak the bandits take a stand. This is gonna be hard fight two desperate bandits at a good position against three pretorian guards. The fight begins and both parties are fighting fiercly and slowly the bandits has to back and suddenly Gaius and Lucius fell one of them. THey're all three quickly after the third and Dekia tackle him to the ground but he get to his feet and run as Dekia tackle him again and he falls down a hole between two small roots and in the darkness they hear him tumble. No one survives that they say and quickly return to the box (Check: Fight Conflict Won with Major Compromise, the bandits wanted to get the patrol to leave and the patrol wanted to kill the bandits, one of the bandits are killed and one disappear in the darkness and are left for dead).
The box broke at the first thrust and the other three or four went into the thin copper housing of the thing and through and into the machinery - a lot of cogs. As they lift it up they hear loose parts tumble around and although they try to carry it carefully it makes clanking and rattling noises and seems quite broken. They don't look forward to telling Aeneas about. Telling their superiors won't be fun either but at least Lucius is convinced that the box isn't worth any greater sacrifices and are ready to declare that standpoint and why he thinks so. During the walk backLucius has a hard time not looking inside Dekias bag with the thing (End of Player's Turn).

illern (a) illertass.se

Thursday, April 14, 2011

SPQM c1s6a: And everyone considered...


Early Summer, 1 Weather Twist
Suddenly they hear the thunder of a hare or two coming from the side of the road. Lucius tries to get the foremouse and the bugs close to a cliff where the the hare will take a jump over them if it comes that way while Gaius and Dekia tries to get the others into safety in holes. Before Dekia can get Aeneas safe the hare lands among them, turns around and jumps towards her, topples her and starts to sniff her intensely (Nature versus Hare Nature 6, Failed with a Twist).
The hare that toppled Dekia and sniffed at her or rather the box suddenly sets of in long jumps and the beaten patrol and body guards can cool down a little. Almost everyone got a nudge from the big animal as it landed among them and went for Dekia and the box. Dekia is quite upset and tries to corner Aeneas and force him to tell why the hare was so obviously interested in the box. He doesn't know, or at least he says so. Dekia's skeptical but he seems honestly surprised. Both he and the other philosophers suggest that hares maybe are a little crazy. There must be a reason why an animal almost as intelligent as mice hasn't built a civilization. As one of them comment ''Even the weasels has completed more''.
They move on towards Navalia. The vegetation and on top of that a hard rain makes it hard for them to move on in something that at least could be compared to advancing towards Navalia. They take shelter for a while until the worst is over. Lucius then takes on the weak old and philosophers (Aeneas is younger, fitter and more interested in getting to Asylum) and they take another route to avoid the muddiest main road. Lucius uses all his instruction tricks to get the philosophers along the route without falling and getting entangled and after a while the get back to the road and has even managed to keep the cadence (Twist: Pathfinder versus Early Summer, Failed with a Twist. Twist: Instructor versus Early summer 3D, tied, Succeeded with Will Roll). 
After some days more they're almost halfway from Cyprios to Navalia and enter a bigger village and the tavern there. As they take up most of the floor there and are preparing for the night three ragged mice walk in. At first the patrol ready themselves but then they see that it's mice in guard cloaks and when they fold down their hoods Lucius see that one of them is his old friend Camillius. What are he doing here in a guard cloak? Has he joined the guard?
As they sit down to talk they that Camillius is bringing a diplomatic message from The Senate and the Mice People to Sapientia and that the whole guard knows that Gaius' patrol is on a secret important mission. The not so discreet message they got at the gate when they left gave that away. Gaius' patrol sighs heavily. They also learn that the patrol escorting Camillius lost a member in an ambush from Navalia's Liberation Front. Gaius warn them for the liberations groups further on down the road and that both Navalia and Sapientia have got one each. After a while it becomes obvious that Doros' patrol, the one escorting Camillius, somehow also has found out that Gaius' patrol is escorting an important something. Camillius is strongly convinced that they should rather destroy the something than getting it lost or making the guard suffer losses while Doros speaks for getting it to Asylum at all costs and in between Gaius' patrol sits with orders that they should bring the thing to Asylum even at significant costs. From the patrol they also get a copy of an order to wait for reinforcements or new orders in Navalia which upsets the patrol since they’ve working the philosophers to accept not staying in Navalia since that will be dangerous and probably uphold them on their journey.
Although the trader and his foremouse and bodyguards wants to sleep the discussion goes on and in the small dinner room it's impossible for them to sleep. Especially since the philosophers also sit up and talk about the spheres that make up the sky firmaments and how to calculate the music they make. After a while the discussion gets animated and arguments fly through the air as spear thrusts and sometime defenses are made like shield blows and Camillius tries some sneaky maneuvers but he's not used to these small companies but rather the big masses at forums. Suddenly Gaius has it and hit the floor with his paw says that the discussion ends here. They have their orders and they're leaving early tomorrow. Doros and Camillius give up but meanwhile Dekia and Lucius has changed their mind. In the beginning they were totally on their centurio's line but now Lucius thinks that the thing shall reach Asylum at all costs and Dekia thinks that they should rather destroy than losing it or The Guard losing any members. Gaius is still prepared to follow the orders and make some sacrifices to get it to Asylum. Doros and Camillius isn't unaffected either and actually has switched opinions and Camillius now thinks that it must reach Asylum at all costs and Doros thinks that that it would be better to destroy the thing than make sacrifices for it.
(Conflict: Part 1, Camillius, wants to convince the others that the thing should rather be destroyed than The Guard losing any members. The guard members are more valuable in the long run. Part 2, Doros, wants to convince everyone that the thing must reach Asylum at all costs, obviously it's very very important. Part 3, Gaius’ patrol, the patrol sticks to their orders and want to end the discussion as soon as possible. The conflict sways back and forth and it seems like the patrol is getting it and Doros and Camillius will slug it out over the heads of the patrol with probably Camillius winning but then Camillius makes a mistake, using Feint, and loses a lot of stance and it gets quite even and everyone sets in their final move and everyone's Disposition reaches 0. Everyone reach their goal. We decided that Camillius manage to convince one patrol member and Doros, that Doros managed to convince Camillius and one patrol member and that Gaius managed to finish the discussion without getting his opinions changed).
(End of GM's Turn)
<GM's Note>A lot of Checks were earned in the obstacles, totally the patrol has seven checks, so we decided that it would be better to take a whole Player's Turn the next meeting rather than splitting it up. Also the Conflict was pretty intense and everyone excited.</GM's Note>
illern (a) illertass.se

Friday, April 8, 2011

SPQM c1s5: Threats and curses


Early Summer, 0 Twists
As they sit at the inn, the respectable but not luxuary one, in Cyprios they are approached by a well clothed but not spectacularily clothed mouse who presents him and asks if they're Gaius' patrol. They answer ''yes'' and he seems relieved and says that he has asked a few patrols already. He starts the conversation by asking if he should address the nobiles or the centurio, the patrol leader, first and they indicate the centurio. He continues by brining up that Gaius' siblings has got childrens. ''Well, yes that's natural.'' Gaius says. The mouse then continues ''It would be very un-natural if that was to be made undone''
Bam!
Gaius is standing up with his small stool in the hand and the muse is lying on the floor bleeding from the head and the whole inn falls silent and mice move away.
The patrol calms Gaius and says that he could have been there to warn them as well as threatening them. Dekia turns the mouse over so that he should not choke on his toungue or saliva where he lies but can't do much more for him. Instead she goes out to find someone from the city guard. After a while she finds a patrol and manage to get them to come over to the inn since it's quite a respectable place and because there's been fighting which might start wider unrestfulness.
When they arrive they and patrol, from an iron ring and a diploma like neck band, find out that the mouse is a freed mouse from a lesser nobiles family. The city guard immediately gets less interested since there's no concern for any citizens of Cyprios although they fine Gaius for disturbing the city peace, an action that _could_ have resulted in wider violence. By literally emptying their purses Gaius and Dekia manage to pay the fine. Lucius refuses to help Gaius pay the fine and consider it to be a private matter, not a guard matter (Reources Ob4, Succeed with Condition Resources Depletion, -1 Resources). The guard leaves them with the knocked down mouse leaving the care taking to them. They decide to sleep in the dining room that night in case he should wake up from the coma or if there could be anything they could do. In the morning he is dead, probably from internal mixing of body fluids. According to Dekia that's not at all uncommon when blows are dealt to the body.
The atmosphere is not that good in the morning, everyone is feeling a little worried about what the mouse meant and also what to do with him. In the end Gaius picks him up and disposes him in an alley. The worries are eating at the patrol althoug Lucius manage to shake off his worries. Gaius was directly aimed at as he experienced it and Dekia is really, really skeptical and anaslyses everything (Trait Skeptical) but in the end the analysis goes berserk and she comes up with a lot of new ways that her family might be threatened (Roll versus Deceiver 5D + Trait Calm 1D + Scary-wise 1D, Lucius Pass and Dekia and Gaius Fail and get Undiciplined (Angry) Dekia gets a Tie and uses her Trait Skeptical to Fail and get 2 extra Checks). They decide that they need some rest, food and try to find out if there's a tribunis in town (End of GM's Turn).
Dekia asks the owner of the inn if she knos if there's any tribunis in town. She says that there might be. She doesn't know but she got the impression that a guest at finer inn closer to the main agora was connected to The Pretorian Guard but he was living at a citizen's house and might have left now. Dekia decides to try to find out and hopefully find him and get a meeting. She finds the inn but no tribunis, hard without a name when the tribunis is there as a private person and not on duty. Politics! She return later without completing her task (Check; find tribunis, Circles Ob3, Failed with a Twist).
During this Lucius is sitting and memorizing and thinking about the strange ancient pictograms on the inner metal box that holds the very secret thing and Gaius takes it slow. They both later orders some extra food and drink to at get in balance again (2 Checks: Resources Ob 1; Lucius pass and Gaius pass). Later they gather and talk about the strange wax mouse inside the box. When Aeneas is told he gets very upset, maybe mot so much that someone might try to cast a curse on them as that someone in his workforce has betrayed him and put it there. He agrees on opening the outer box a little to get it out.
Dekia and the philosophers talk about what to do with and among other things point out a few important things; all real mouse material must be removed (whiskers, fur and so on), the miniature cloak should be lost somewhere in the wilderness where it will go back to the earth, the lead thread around the mouse shall be removed and melted and divided into several pieces and the mouse itself remolded and melted to wax with no similarity to a mouse. The last part is the most dangerous because that's when it's the biggest risk that any effects are transferred to a real mouse. The remolding should also be done at anti zenit as the philosophers call midnight. 
Sometime during the day a letter is delivered to them. In it someone explains that they now has to actually set their plans into action and that it's totally their own fault. This doesn't help Gaius to get less nervous,upset or angry (Check: Failed Will Ob 2, still Undisciplined).
Dekia is skilled in ceremonies and take on the task armed with the philosophers knowledge (Check: Passed Ceremony Master with Tool, philosophers' knowledge, Ob 4). When they melt the remodeled wax they all start to sweat, apparently there's still some connection between them and the wax.
In the morning, just before they leave the city, they go to a smith who melts the lead and divide it and then they chek the post office and set off towards Navalia.
illern (a) illertass.se