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Post by pigdish on Mar 6, 2008 0:00:53 GMT -5
((I'm just making up these names and details for this area to tell the story. I will make changes to them if Kaber has more information on it.)) Khedesh the ruling seat of the Jade Empire.  Type: Large city Size: 359 acres Gold piece limit: 24,775 gp Total wealth: 32,373,109 gp Population: 27,380 Constable: Fighter/Barbarian level 18 Full-time guards: 3,220 Conscriptable individuals: 2,103 Power Centers 1. lawful evil sorcerer wealthy noble ruler (magical) - extorts neutral evil thieves' guild - extorts chaotic good warriors' guild - extorts lawful neutral town council - supported by neutral evil theocracy 2. neutral evil thieves' guild (Scarred Shadows) - opposes lawful evil sorcerer - opposes neutral evil humanoid tribe - opposes chaotic neutral thieves' guild (Unknown) 3. lawful neutral mayor (conventional) - distrusts neutral evil humanoid tribe - opposes chaotic good warriors' guild - is allied with lawful evil merchants' guild 4. neutral evil humanoid tribe (monstrous) - extorts lawful neutral mayor - opposes chaotic good warriors' guild - distrusts lawful evil merchants' guild 5. chaotic good prestigious aristocracy (nonstandard) - distrusts lawful evil theocracy - opposes lawful neutral town council - bribes chaotic neutral thieves guild 6. lawful evil theocracy (magical) - bribes chaotic good prestigious aristocracy - distrusts lawful neutral mayor - supports lawful evil ruler - bribes neutral evil thieves' guild (Scarred Shadows) 7. chaotic good warriors' guild (nonstandard) - distrusts lawful neutral mayor - distrusts neutral evil humanoid tribe - distrusts lawful evil sorcerer 8. lawful neutral town council (conventional) - supports lawful neutral mayor - opposes neutral evil humanoid tribe - distrusts lawful evil sorcerer - distrusts chaotic good prestigious aristocracy
The Emperor's CityThe Emperor's City can be reached passing through two massive gates guarded by golem dragons. Past the gates is a massive stone and jade bridge which overlooks a chasm that is over 450 feet deep. One of the two most beautiful sights can be seen and heard from the bridge. The twin waterfalls known as The Emperor's Tears which are born from within the House of 10,000 eyes. Named as such due to the unbelievable amount of windows and openings painted as such to appear like eyes. Emperor City is build out of a massive mountain with concentric rings denoting different levels. In the northeastern corner the peak of the mountain lies and the meeting point of the two rivers that flow out of it. The top most ring is the emperor's family domain. |
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Post by pigdish on Mar 6, 2008 19:50:27 GMT -5
Aramil you feel the air flow past you. Your sliver hair flowing like fine threads of mithril. You are becoming accustomed to the new senses in feeling and seeing the air around you. Using it to glide, see, and hear the different sounds in the air.
It takes you two days of hard flying to reach the outskirts of the capitol city of Khedesh. You are amazed at how big and sprawling it is. The lands around it are verdant with many large farm lands but even at this height you can see that things are in disrepair. The fields look like they have not been tended to. There were close to 50 farms but only 15 looked to be in use. The city overlooked a large bay the waters the color of jade. In the water could be seen several sunken ships and a few ships in the dockyard.
Aramil deciding on a spot to enter the city put his arms to his side, his wings folded close to his back and he fell into a dive. When he was close to 70 feet above the city he shadow jumped out of the sky appearing in a shadowed alleyway near the eastern gate.
A miasma of foul air hovers over garbage strewn streets. The reek of unwashed bodies, offal, and rotting refuse forms an invisible cloud that permeates everything. A rusty sewer grate spurts pea-green sludge that oozes down the gutter, and rats swarm in the alleys. Peasants hustle through the streets, grimy handkerchiefs covering mouths and noses. A figure wrapped in rags bellows, "Pies for sale! Fresh, savory meat pies! Get 'em while they're hot!"
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Post by Davey on Mar 7, 2008 16:18:38 GMT -5
Having landed Aramil uses his ring of reduction to shrink into a less conspicuous and more common humanoid-size and slinks deeper into the shadows that are being cast by a nearby building, and does a quick recon. Using his heightened senses he tries to detect if anyone or anything has noticed his sudden arrival out of thin air. He's looking and listening for any sign of the city guard, commoners, or any roguish individuals who may have spotted him.
Spot:
[dice=20]+20=38
Listen:
[dice=20]+13=17
Hide:
[dice=20]+20=24
When the coast is clear Aramil will disguise himself as a filthy beggar. He will round his shoulders, and hunch over appearing as though he is a deformed hunchback who spends more time staring at his boots than looking people in the eye. Then he will rub some of that oozing puke on his clothes and roll around in some refuse like a dog. Also, he will change his gait as well, and shuffle a long mumbling to himself in a voice that is not like his own normal timbre. He coughs frequently, mutters a lot, and scratches himself as though he were infected with lice. He mumbles something about hobgoblins taking over the world with the burning light of Pelor, or some such nonsense. Anyone who overhears will think it absolutely ridiculous.
disguise:
[dice=20]+22=36
After the coast is clear, he turns his attention to the fellow who is wrapped in rags pushing meat-pies. He thinks to himself, "Odd, that does not look like a butcher nor a baker." His eyes narrow as he scrutinizes the fellow. Aramil, still hunched over, looks up and makes eye contact with the fellow, his fingers trace an intricate sign in the air. Using the secret language of thieves, Aramil asks, "Who are you?" He waits for a response, but does not linger too long for one.[rand=91766427868348861369353767913242246945271746465992604598389679693]
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Post by Kaber on Mar 8, 2008 14:58:52 GMT -5
The man see's you and speaking a heavily accented common answers with interjections of theives cant.
"You want fresh pie? We sell Secret sauce. Hot for you.
He accompanies this with subtle signs. Some things you do not understand but the overall meaning is clear.
"Outsiders not welcome. Eye's are watching. Dangerous here."
With that the man hollars out his sales pitch when three bulky men with bowed heads, wearing ing dark robes walk past. Their faces hidden by large, nearly flat, conical straw hats. The seem oblivious to the presence of others around them and the crowds give them a wide berth. As they pass you feel all the hairs on your body rise, then fall. A faint sent of ozone and a crackeling in the air is the only trail they leave as they turn down a narrow path between some buildings. The man with the meat cart quickly gathers his things and moves deeper into the masses without further conversation.
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Post by Davey on Mar 8, 2008 15:51:55 GMT -5
After the three figures in robes pass by, Aramil nods his head and replies to the man with the pies, "No, I don't want your crummy pies, probably filled with rats and cats." At the same time his nimble fingers are signing, "I need to lay low for a while, is there a safe house nearby?"
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Post by Kaber on Mar 8, 2008 16:29:35 GMT -5
The man does not seem to hear you as he disappears in the crowd.
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Post by Davey on Mar 8, 2008 20:22:31 GMT -5
Aramil, an apparent bum, is shuffling after the man and is trailing him from a safe distance all the while mumbling, "Meatpies contain nothing but rats and cats, rats and cats, I say!" And occasionally, Aramil 'fishes' for information by signing, Bretheren in need of shelter, will pay handsomly.
Aramil is spotting, listening, and searching for any watchers that are spying on him, including that meat-pie pusher.
Spot:
[dice=20]+20=31
Listen:
[dice=20]+13=15
Search:
[dice=20]+20=28
Gather Info:
[dice=20]+17=31
[rand=5036756186591078494800969811075368772918552018687807329447497009]
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Post by pigdish on Mar 8, 2008 20:28:42 GMT -5
Aramil in the alleyway where you shadow jumped in you just notice a cat chasing a rat. With your sudden appearance the cat seems to stop and watches you as you create your disguise. The cat turns and returns chasing the rat down the other end of the street.
Moving about the city you notice that a lot of the people in the city have a lost look on their faces. There are others with strange growths on their faces and bodies while others are scampering around yelling or speaking nonsense.
Pies for sale! Fresh, savory meat pies! Get 'em while they're hot! You hear the voice of the pie merchant that you had met earlier. Getting a closer look you see that he is a half-orc with mottled green skin and a gut that hangs well over his belt. He moves his cart to the side and nods his head towards you.
"Might I trouble you fer a moment?" The half-orc asks you. "Mung's the name. I'm a baker by trade. Best meat pies in town! One of my suppliers, a fellow named Algie, has gotten himself lost. No one's seen him for a week. I wouldn't worry, except that four others have gone missing in the last month. All ratcatchers. Two showed up dead. I don't have much money, but everyone in town knows Mung. Help me out and I'll make yer life a lot easier. Whut you say?"
As you are talking a group of large yak folk guards stomp past pushing everybody out of their way.
Mung begins to push his cart again and whispers in between shouts for the meat pies. "This was never the nicest part of town but over the last month things have really gotten bad. First, the garbage collectors stopped coming around. Then the sewers started backing up. Now the ratcatchers are turning up dead. Vermin everywhere-- and they're getting vicious!
Algie is a ratcatcher, a good one. Supplies me with nice juicy rats for my pies. Lately he'd been talking about trouble in the guild. Someone was leaning on them, threatening to hurt the catchers if they killed any more rats. Weston, the guildmaster, might know more. He lives at the guild house on Spit Street." Just as he finishes a cat jumps onto the cat grabbing a meat pie and runs off. "Blasted cats should be going after the live rats not my pies. No good the lot of them either. Find then all over the city."
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Post by Davey on Mar 8, 2008 22:14:56 GMT -5
Spot check on those 'growths'.
Spot:
[dice=20]+20=25
While Mung is speaking, Aramil squints one eye closed as if he has just tasted something tart and sour. He is taking this opportunity to sense motive:
Sense Motive:
[dice=20]+21=26
After the cat ran off with the meatpie Aramil thought to himself. Damn, the cats are too scared to go after the real thing that they have to swipe them off the butcher!...these are sad times indeed!
Scrutinizing Mung, Aramil says, "Aye, I s'pose I could help ye'....'Algie,' ya' say?" *cough* "Lost? Seek Weston on Spit...Thank-ye friend... Turns, out, I think I will have one of them meat pies." He deftly maneuvers his fingers to make a gold piece appear out of thin air, then hands it to Mung... but takes no pie.
Sleight of hand:
[dice=20]+21=33
Then Aramil turns and continues to shuffle on towards Spit Street, the whole way there Aramil is working the crowd looking for information, contacts, all the time being vigilant to make sure he didn't run into more of those Yaks, or those strange figures with the straw hats.
[rand=18577425229664846885318218290876495201185842068253890481101139267]
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Post by Davey on Mar 10, 2008 11:31:02 GMT -5
Aramil returns close to a week after he departed. Upon arriving he finds his old quarters to rest and have some food and drink. He sends out a servant to report to Tusk that he has arrived and will be ready to make his report shortly.
After his refreshment, Aramil struts into Tusks' tent and plops down on a pile of cushions. Still munching on an apple, Aramil, gazes at the apple, juice running down his chin and says, "I ran into a diplomat from the Conclave...sent by Max himself." Reading the face on Tusk, Aramil then continues, "Yeah, he was none too pleased to see me there. He says, we should abandon this foolish crusade to claim the Jade Empire. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning...
"When I got to town I met up with a meat pie maker named Mung. He is a surprisingly well connected fellow...just don't ask what's in those meat pies of his. Anyway, he charged me with a task to find one of his 'meat' suppliers. The meat supply he is referring to is supplied by the many rats you find running around the city. And let me tell you, the city was a dump when I found it. Trash piling up, sewers overflowing...the stench was horrible. Not only that, but there was a drug called the Green Welcome that was being distributed to lull the locals into a state of lethargy. I've since cleaned the city of its trash and drug problem. W-oops...there I go again, getting a head of myself..."
Aramil takes another bite of his apple before continuing.
"Anyway, I did some detective work and found that the local rat catcher guild has lost several members including the guild-master himself, a man named Weston. So I went undercover as a rat catcher to find and rescue Weston and another rat catcher named Algie. I gained the trust...or curiosity, rather, of a local named Alina. She assisted me in rescuing them in the sewers. I also found papers belonging to the deceased guild-master of the trash collectors. and I gained title-ship as the new guild-master and soon put the collectors back to work. I really cleaned up the city...literally. I'm considered a hero there. Aramil looks all proud of himself and rubs the apple on his cloak.
Then continues...
"But that is not all. There was a drug problem as well. A drug called the Green Welcome. People who took the drug would succumb to a state of lethargy, or wonder around in a state of euphoria, or bark like mad dogs and eventually turn into some sort of swamp thing then run off into the swamp...most likely to die. So I went undercover again and infiltrated the drug supplier, a man called Pen`Phar Thrissek, a merchant who ran the Mystic-Eye Shoppe, who himself disappeared. After a few close calls I eventually found the source of the drug and took care of that problem as well."
"All in all, it was a rather successful mission. My purse is a little heavier than it once was, I've gained title-hood to the trash-collector guild which provides me with all the information I need. I've made contacts: Mung, Hassan, Weston, and Algie who are friendly to our cause. And I've acquired some rather nice 'cutlery' and 'finery' as well!"
"However, this mission has made me some enemies. The assassins guild, The Scarred Shadows, tried to kill me several times. The council members are being bribed by the sorcerers guild. The mayor is a good guy, but is stymied by the council. There is word of a group calling themselves the Cult of Sehan. They are supposedly enslaving people, but their purpose is unknown to me."
Other noteworthy items:
6-800 Yak-folk serving as guards.
1200-1600 various guard (orc,ogre and half breed types)
The council is not very popular.
There is an enterance to the underdark beneath the city in the sewer system.
"Also, there is rumor that the emperor will throw an 'ascension party' shortly. It's a big to-do for all the rich folk. Apparently the emperor has not showed his face for at least 20-30 years."
"Which brings me back to Max. He was extremely agitated with what we are about to do. His diplomat spoke of a covert and secret mission. I could no surmise what it is, but something BIG is going down in Khedesh."
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Post by Davey on Mar 10, 2008 15:03:26 GMT -5
After Aramil has paused to help himself to some Urgona-Url, he continues on with more information that he has gleaned form Kedesh.
"There are four major street gangs. The Hakuzu, Dragons Claw, The Barakuda, and the Shi Ton.
The Hakuzu, a ruthless gang, is lead by Chimoto, he and his two personal guards worship a Lightning Elemental. This in turn allows them to channel electricity in a variety of ways.
Kiro is the leader of the Dragons Claw. His people have mastered earth based attacks. Long ago the masters of earth worked under the Emperor to build the city and its walls. Now the clan is little more than a vigilante street gang who wage war against the other factions for control of the city. They do seek to overthrow the current emperor though.
Kimto and Siam are twin sisters who are also lesbian lovers. They are known as the Baracuda and hold the power of fire and Ice. They have little interest in politics or warfare but seek to maintain their wealth and status in the city. They use any means necessary (bribe, swindle, extortion, blackmail, etc) to maintain a foothold on everyone....my kind of ladies! Interestingly enough they are a kind of checks and balance in the city. Ensuring one group does not get more powerful than another and become a danger to them. This means that they often aid the good guys as well. They have spies in every gang, temple and even in the Emperors Palace. They only fear the Shi Ton.
Shi Ton are the dark force here. They hide in the shadows, lair below the city and are never openly spoken about. They are a force dedicated to the deity of death. Their numbers contain assassins, necromancers, murderers and the like. They keep company with creatures from under-dark and may even be lead by the Illithid (though such is not confirmed). No one knows their numbers or their true motivations but they have been known to deal with the Hakuzu and the emperor.
Show Min is one of the few friendly people. He owns a very small dojo where he trains his 8 students. They keep to themselves mostly but when trouble arises they fight for the people. Show Min is actually the high priest of a small temple dedicated to nature, in a small valley outside the city. His shrine is guarded by a gold dragon who lives in the small lake nearby.
"Well, that's what I found out...ah-hem." Aramil holds out his hand, palm up, fingers gesturing to-wards him. The universal sign that a tip is due.
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Post by pigdish on Mar 16, 2008 16:19:24 GMT -5
In a private meeting Tusk listens to every word of Aramil's account of his mission. There were a few points that did not make sense but Tusk brushed them aside as quirks of the rogue.
"Ju hab done well Aramil. Actually ju do betta den me had hoped fer and me mean dat in gud way. In few days time me wud hab ju go back and make arrunge munts. By da next "weekend" bab yer contacts in da city create as much trouble as possible. But no tell dem more den ju need to. Me want major chaos in da city but avoid killin' too many people an' find way to ged doors of city open. On "sunday" make sure word of attack ged to guards an' dem ready fer attack on da walls. Me wunt dem distracted an' unfocused."
Tusk gets up off his divan and gives Aramil a big hug. Tusk was proud to call this person one of his closest friend.
"Ju stay safe and we meet soon in a few days. Pray to yer gods dat tings go our way."Tusk says somewhat solemnly. "Oh and ju know dat dis infurmation need to be kept between just us two right." Tusk's question was more a statement.
Just as Aramil had departed a messenger brought word that Seamus had returned from his reconnaissance mission.
"Bring him!" Tusk grunted to the messenger.
<--- Continued in the Warchief Thread. ---
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Post by Davey on Mar 16, 2008 19:03:18 GMT -5
"Information I gather for clients and friends remains strictly confidential. You have my word that the information shared here, stays here. I will return to my quarters to rest and prepare for my departure."
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