Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II

[Vehrec]

Randolf muttered about damn peculiar elf behavior indicating there was something more happening here. Meanwhile he tried to get the attention of someone at the inn who wasn't here for the meeting and might be able to meet his...frankly bizarre dietary rules for what was and wasn't acceptable fare. He's been hungry for days because most dried trail rations doesn't fall into that obscenely narrow category, and if he doesn't find the appropriate balance of spices, root vegetables and beans at this place, he may just have to give in and get some porridge or even worse, meat. He's not supposed to eat meat until tomorrow and eating it today would disrupt his whole schedule.

[Simon_Jester]

"Mm-hm." The alchemist scratches his jaw, rasping a bit- he would have shaved the last time he got the chance, which was at least two days ago. He looks a bit doleful- someone's got to tell them the truth sooner or later, and this might be as good a time as any. Or not, but he biases toward truth telling.

"When you've one trouble, you've trouble. When you've two troubles, you just might step out of the way and let them worry each other. The baron's turned up, with most of his men that vanished with him. All afoot, but they're coming down out of the hills looking for a meal themselves- we were here to tell you in the first place. About X hours out.* They'll just be passing through to Qulan, and they've no cause to puff themselves up to look bigger- so I doubt they'd eat you out of house and home as bad as the elves would. And if we tell them the elves are trying to run off with all the food..." He shrugs "Worry each other. I'm sorry we haven't got better news, but at least the elves won't have it all their own way."

*Larric can estimate this accurately; I can't.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Tamarin is most unimpressed by that.
'I had expected better from you.' she says, sadly, to Larric. 'We owe these people more than that, and we have to try.' She doesn't sound as if she's going to be easily- if at all- persuaded out of it. 'If these elves are genuinely in need, something could be done, we could ask them at least to pay for what they take.

If they are demanding with menaces, more than they need, then they're little better than bandits, elder race or not, and should be faced down- or put down.'

She doesn't sound all that healthy, but definitely determined.


The main body is about three hours away, it'll be dark in one and a half.

[Simon_Jester]

IC:

Larric looks at Tamarin without any hostility or cynicism, but from the other side of a wide gulf of socioeconomic birth status. He shrugs and smiles a bit.

"What, did you think I was counseling us to run out from between the middle? Help them fight the two here, if there needs to be fighting, that's one thing. But there's more than just two out there-" he waves in the general direction of the river- "not so?" And if a dozen, or two score, or a hundred elves are about to come here, it's well that there's more than just us coming to put some weight behind our side of the dickering, no?"

"If we've a little time, perhaps we'd best get ready for bear before we head over to the other place to see what the trouble is." He tries to catch Randolf's eye and nod toward Tamarin; he's pretty sure she needs a doctor to check up on her.

OOC:

I can only wonder what Hara would have said to her about all this...

[Panzersharkcat]

"I'd rather keep the two elves alive for interrogation. Find out their numbers and strengths if we must conflict."

[Simon_Jester]

"I'd rather we talk them round to deal fairly and not have a fight at all. If we fight them and they lose, I don't know if they'd tell us much."

[Kaelan]

“Let go talk to elf. Dirt change words if you want. Maybe make elf go with Baron. Help in new fight. Better than elf go to caves.” (Dirt says with a shudder thinking back to what they have just left).

[Kaelan]

OOC
Skill point spend at this moment of time as follows:

1 Human Culture (fellowship), 1 Plant Handling (Charm Based), 1 Axe, 1 Shield,
Magic front: ½ Fauna, ½ Earth, ½ Flora, ½ Motion

Getting better at speaking to the Humans....

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Dirt's build looks odd; half a point in each of earth and motion at their current level, yes, but not the powers- they take more to raise, remember? Fauna or flora, pick one. Fifi gets an extra point in perception and grows a little.


Hara would think about it a little, mutter something along the lines of "I haven't got anything against elves in general; never needed to, after a few seconds of trying to talk to them I usually find I have quite enough against each of them in particular. This bunch aren't heading for Elven lands, they're half a horizon out for that, so these could be the extra- obnoxious ones even their mates can't put up with. Good; that means they won't be missed.

They could be sensible and trying to avoid all the other loonies- but not if they're behaving like that, though. This bunch aren't armed or trained so ambush is out, can't lead the flock into the hills if we're trying to feed the humans, so, can't fight, can't run... what if we pretend to play along? Say you've got to fetch the herd in and give them one or two sheep or something to keep them going- and keep them talking while I try to concoct something to poison an elf warband with via the sheep."

Of course, and probably just as well for interspecies relations, she isn't there. Dirt's idea sounds good though.


Heading for the other inn to talk to the elves (or maybe hit them later), most of the houses have their doors closed- many of the people are out at one or the other, and those that aren't are either leading their animals to safety or hiding.
The sound of ranting in elven is coming out of the windows; the doors are closed. Dirt can grasp a little of it to translate- and Randolf can do the same in fact; the elf in question is losing the plot. They suffer from dietary imbalances too- with the chemistry it takes to keep them going, it's not unusual- and this one is obviously well gone, ranting like a human under the influence of powerful stimulants and psychotics.
There is another one, playing good cop and trying to keep his colleague under some kind of impulse forward to a solution instead of thrashing about randomly; with mixed success.

[Kaelan]

Will place one point in Flora for the time being.

[Simon_Jester]

Larric is moving a bit carefully, trying to think before he speaks. He nods slightly toward the calmer elf, asking a question of one of the locals.

"Was it him that told you what they're asking for?"

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

I like that first sentence; and the new sig line- mind what happened to him in the end, though. I prefer Trotsky's quote on the forming of the fourth international, which admittedly raises practical problems.


Ther locals here in this inn have all been exposed to, cowed by, this posturing lunatic in full scale who has been exhorting and haranguing them and waving a very sharp sword around; he nearly takes his mate's face off with a careless flourish.

'They want everything.' the half- hypnotised local says. 'Take all our herds and seeds for their own. They're the elder race, they have more life than we do, we should sacrifice ourselves for them- what am I saying?' wandering in and out of it.

[Vehrec]

Randolf snorts loudly at that, but speaks quietly. "As a doctor I can tell you that is a extremely ridiculous statement. 'More life than we do', it doesn't work that way." Even if it did, saying so would be not what these people need to hear. "And that sounds more like banditry and pillage than anything else, doesn't it? It's such a ridiculous demand on the face of it, I don't see how they can expect anything but rejection and attempts on their lives."

He hasn't gotten a good chance with all this running around to sit the Lady down and give her a proper examination, but now that he's here, he's starting to think that maybe his efforts would be better spent trying to bring these elves to their senses.

[Simon_Jester]

Quietly Larric tries something- a pulse of Insight magic to put a little good sense in the air, hopefully counteract the hypnosis effect a bit as it seems to be getting out of hand. More interested in affecting the local humans than the elves.

To the elves, unfortunately in Kuquani, he says "I once heard of a man who tried to milk a herd of wild cattle. It didn't work very well, whatever he thought of the rights and wrongs of the matter. Wouldn't it be better to have a straight deal?"

If they don't respond, hopefully someone will translate.

OOC:

Gotta run.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

As you all enter the inn- large ground floor with square tables, mostly pushed aside to make room for the elves holding court- Larric tries a speech of pacification, and gets a very strange look.

What it is is obviously some kind of elvish religious magic, insofar as they have discernable religions instead of politics; some kind of hero cult, with the power to compel- he's trying to herd the humans, to get them to submit to the elder race, yield everything they have over to him including their own flesh and blood because they are better beings, longer- lived, more intelligent, more graceful;

humans are of the earth and nothing but by comparison, lumpen and graceless and it's hardly worth bothering to be one, should serve the older and the better breed; it is a charm to mesmerise and enthrall.

the fact that he's currently most of the way out of his tree doesn't help, though, there keep coming through flashes of the raw hatred that motivates him that entirely undermine the glamour, and allow Larric to slide out from under it easily enough.

There is a brief snappish conversation in elvish- 'What do you mean to achieve by bringing all the old anger and agony with you? One slip like that facing them and we are not going to get out of here except in very small pieces.'

'This is what we need, therefore it has to work. Back me instead of interfering.'

[Simon_Jester]

Temporarily interrupted by the need to let the glamour slide off, Larric's wits are rallied by the forces of sheer perverse impulse to march toward honesty.

Which, if there were to be mind war, are probably best visualized as an impractical but sincere officer waving a swagger-stick; that feels about right symbolically. Whether said waving is being done on the parade ground or on the Somme is an open question and the answer may be "take your pick." Grit and "won't be having that, I knows my rights!" are definitely among the rank and file, not in command, but tend to be first over the top if things get nasty.

He hiccups internally, does a slight double-take, then shakes his head rapidly and tries to clear himself some space with the aforesaid pulse of Insight magic. Then he says- pretty much what he'd have said before, a bit louder and irritated.

"I once heard of a man who tried to milk a herd of wild cattle. Don't know what he thought of the rights and wrongs. Ended wrong, though. Let's at least try to have an honest deal; some of us are feeling bullish as it is."

How does the glamour take the others?

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

They're sliding in and out of it; not massively able to resist, but what the elf is trying to do doesn't make massive amounts of sense in the first place.

'How can you have an honest deal with witchery like that?' one of the locals demands- and there is an angry murmur as they all start to shake it off, aided by Larric's defiance. The two elves look at each other, one of then calls the other a bloody idiot, and they move back to back, draw swords.

[Simon_Jester]

Probably won't work, but-

"Oh come on, do there have to be lies and magic? Can't you just talk like civilized beings?"

Larric's making sure thunderbolts and shockwaves will come to his mind when he calls. If the vicious elf attacks, Larric's going to try and englobe his fool head with an inbound pressure wave and box his pointy little ears. Stun, batter, deafen, that sort of thing.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

One of them says 'Never!'

The other one says 'Yes- come on, you idiot, you want to be a martyr? Their heroes are here now.'

'But, but-' and he drops his sword and starts crying. Mentally well balanced he is not.

Eventually you manage to get them both- they want to be in a corner; too paranoid for anywhere else. Most of the locals are now baying for blood, incidentally.

[Kaelan]

Dirt slowly makes his way forward, ducking where required due to head clearance, and sits at a table close to the elves as he can get, Looming and budging up the occupants as required. Setting his crossbow, axe, and pile of salvaged chain shirts on the table with a loud thump, he will then sit Fifi down on the table and pull out some food for her (the non-elf ones just in case).

Motioning for Larric or Alfred to come over he’ll whisper in a semi quite voice “We finished today? Dirt would like sleep. If not can you get humans to get in groups so dirt know who to fight? Dirt not want to hurt people who no want to fight.”

[Simon_Jester]

OOC:

I know a guy who's like that... it is not pleasant to deal with him.

IC:

"We'll have this sorted out soon enough." If there'd been a fight, Larric was planning to try and fight it with a fistful of lightning, not crossbow, so he sets aside his own weapon lightly.

Addressed to both parties: "Let's get this over with with all the blood staying on the inside of people, all right? They're desperate men, one of them tried a crazy trick that he shouldn't have done, let's just get everything on its way before anyone gets hurt."

Turning to the elves, eyes narrow and suspicious and as alert for a trick as he was a moment ago: "You've not won many friends here, but we can still work this through. How much food do you need, really? And why that much?" He's looking to the other party members for support on this- trying to combine and reinforce social skills to spot any lies.

OOC MK II:

Panzer, where the hell are you...?

[Vehrec]

Randolf isn't exactly supporting Larric right now, but on the other hand he is dividing the elves attentions by asking them a lot of pointed questions about anything that might remotely have any impact on their health. Diet, sleep habits, if they have been riding especially hard in a way that might have disturbed their equilibrium. He's introduced himself to them as having worked with elves before, but not mentioning what kind or for how long.

He frowns slightly at the sudden pressure for answers, but waits for something actually objectionable-or to be the good and sympathetic human here and let them cry out all their tears on his shoulder while they blubber their secrets.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

They are both Alavanirimirean, and their dialect is brutal and coarsened by any standards, let alone Elvish. It's not easy ot get them to repeat themselves in case of misunderstanding- that just sets the emotional one off.

There are several misunderstandings, and several of what you hope are such; the core of it is that they are from an environment in which humans were the enemy. They were driven out fo that and are now on the run.
Diet has been what they could scavenge, wandering in the wilderness, avoiding people; the local elves are a particular sore point- the alavanirimireans view them as compromised, race traitors, unwilling to look coldly at truth.

They basically wanted to strip these people bare to start their own community high up the slopes of the mountain, by the sounds of it; definitely more than they could spare. They'd rather plunder and rob than accept charity, especially from a human.

Will not say explicitly how many of them there are- presuming Rohal's gone to have a sniff- but from the sounds of it it's not a large number, lowish double digits; an extended family, maybe.

[Simon_Jester]

Hm.

Larric's thinking, how much would one of those horses be worth in trade to these villagers? Probably a lot, they're very fine specimens after all.

That is, of course, if these elves are capable of dealing with anyone fairly at all, if the idea of commerce doesn't press their heresy buttons.

EDIT: Note, I did get word from Panzer, he's got work to do and may not be posting for a few more days. Alas.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

This is going to come out very wrong, but-
Tamarin is fending off Randolf's attempts to get inside her breastplate, (see what I mean)- and says, mainly to Larric but everyone else can hear 'I think I have an idea. If Sir Alfred's still shaking off the effects of the dust, and I am about to fall into the clutches of the doctor, then you may have to put it to them- no-one in the Baron's company still has a horse; those animals- in better condition than their riders- would be of value to them.

If they are capable of an honest bargain- which I doubt. Deal with them, then protect them from the people they tried to rob?'