That's overly complicated, IMO. Viserys could just use Wild Arcana to Mind Blank both of them to accomplish the same outcome, but far more effectively.
The problem with that is that mindblank is as noteworthy as it is effective. Neither of these guys is a big deal right now But if they vanish and someone's routine follow up divination runs face first into magic way beyond what they have access to then they become interesting.
We need to trick the first pass filters of an institution without doing so in a way that trips an obvious flag; which means multi step coverage plans like physically moving around in a plane where you can't leave tracks and using low level spells to muddle pursuit.
edit: autocorrect again. This is what I get for posting from my phone.
@Goldfish BronzeTongue raises a good point. It's not actually that complicated a plan, compared to what we were already doing, and a flat-out Mindblank sends up more alarm bells than a misdirection.
I'm pretty sure we have the ability to smuggle his group out so long as they aren't literally surrounded by an army by the time we're finished with our little underground railroad sidetrip.
Gentlemen, unless we keep these two forever under mind blank, they will ping the divinations about how they left for our realm eventually.
The only thing to make sure is to not lose our Hassan persona to this. The rest is optional. Now it can be divined that Viserys has been at Hellven and that Garantos had a conversation with him.
I really wish we hadn't identified ourselves to him when we made contact. I didn't think we would be revealing ourselves as Viserys Targaryen when we voted to contact him telepathically. That ship has sailed, though.
I agree that the most important thing now is to preserve the Hassan identity.
[X] Instruct them to go down a blind alley, where Viserys and Richard will be waiting unseen.
-[X] Plane shift everyone to the Plane of Air, then immediately cast False Future on both of them, planting an image of them being waylaid by bandits while traveling to the nearest settlement.
—[X] maintain this effect for at least two days, using scrolls if none of the companions are available.
-[X] As soon as the two of them are covered by the spell, fly for 15 minutes in a random direction then plane shift a second time to SD.
It's not that easy. We can't just Plane Shift from the alley for the same reason we couldn't Teleport earlier. It's seriously unsafe to do that in Hellven except for in specially prepared arrival and departure areas.
Better to Smoky Confinement each of them and tuck the bottles in our cloak, then depart with no undue haste.
I really wish we hadn't identified ourselves to him when we made contact. I didn't think we would be revealing ourselves as Viserys Targaryen when we voted to contact him telepathically. That ship has sailed, though.
I agree that the most important thing now is to preserve the Hassan identity.
It's not that easy. We can't just Plane Shift from the alley for the same reason we couldn't Teleport earlier. It's seriously unsafe to do that in Hellven except for in specially prepared arrival and departure areas.
Better to Smoky Confinement each of them and tuck the bottles in our cloak, then depart with no undue haste.
Okay, I'll edit it into my plan. My overall point was that these guys have to have a house of mirrors equivalent, and that whatever we do needs to be good enough to trick the first pass of the follow up without being so obvious about it that they come back to give it a second.
The moment they run into a mind blank is the moment these guys get a priority upgrade, and then we're directly tangling with a system built with this kind of conflict in mind.
edit: removed extra word.
I really wish we hadn't identified ourselves to him when we made contact. I didn't think we would be revealing ourselves as Viserys Targaryen when we voted to contact him telepathically. That ship has sailed, though.
Any false identity would have been blown. These guys think they are going to be under viserys' command soon. Any persona that related to them would have been compromised, so the optimal choice was to not involve any of them.
And I really don't see a problem with the divination right now. They will realize it eventually.
[X] Instruct them to go down a blind alley, where Viserys and Richard will be waiting unseen.
-[X] Immediately cast False Future on both of them, planting an image of them leaving the city and being waylaid by bandits at some point while traveling to another settlement.
—[X] maintain this effect for at least two days, using scrolls if none of the companions are available.
-[X] cast Smokey confinement on both of them, then leave the city from a randomly select safe plane shift point for the plane of air.
-[X] Fly for 15 minutes in a random direction, then plane shift a second time to SD.
When we leave here as Hassan, we should probably travel to the Plane of Earth. We can't be Scryed, but it would not surprise me to learn that the Infernal powers have beings stationed near the arrival points in the Opaline Vault and other prominent extraplanar trade cities to make note of the comings and goings of persons of interest. Hassan has probably attracted that kind of scrutiny, so traveling back to the Opaline Vault just adds one more layer of credibility to his identity. We can allow ourselves to be seen before blending in and slipping away.
It also wouldn't be a bad opportunity while we're in the city to try to arrange a meeting with the Shaitan Vizier. We do need to speak with him about the war effort with the Efreeti and delaying the raid on the Living Brass Forge if at all possible.
When we leave here as Hassan, we should probably travel to the Plane of Earth. We can't be Scryed, but it would not surprise me to learn that the Infernal powers have beings stationed near the arrival points in the Opaline Vault and other prominent extraplanar trade cities to make note of the comings and goings of persons of interest. Hassan has probably attracted that kind of scrutiny, so traveling back to the Opaline Vault just adds one more layer of credibility to his identity. We can allow ourselves to be seen before blending in and slipping away.
It also wouldn't be a bad opportunity while we're in the city to try to arrange a meeting with the Shaitan Vizier. We do need to speak with him about the war effort with the Efreeti and delaying the raid on the Living Brass Forge if at all possible.
I kind of disagree on this one. We do need to talk to the Vizier, but we shouldn't mix separate intrigues if at all possible. If we have to depart from SD again after dropping them off then it doesn't matter what are in between layer is. I also don't think that going to the plane of air is necessarily suspicious, or that going to the plane of earth substantiates Hassan's story in any real way to the devils.
There's all kinds of legitimate reasons for Hassan to travel to the plane of air, especially since just being here demonstrates a propensity for traveling far from home. Going to the plane of earth gets us nothing because whatever subconscious inclinations are exploitable in humans, any kind of diabolic intelligence officer isn't going to consider plane shifting to an thematic layer of reality an indication of anything.
If we want to reduce their distrust by creating a pretty picture out of background details we're going to need to do it with ones that have substance to them. Things that ping off of prior expectations or pin down why we're doing something consistently, not stuff like the destinations we pick on an unknown itinerary that they have no patterns to compare against to determine what qualifies as suspicious.
Hmmm, could any of our current archers gain levels in cragtop archer? I have new respect for how bullshit an archer with magical gear increasing their abilities can be after this video.
Feel like would be super useful on those who can fly and turn invisible.
[X] Keep it simple, they go down a blind alley where you and Ser Richard wait unseen within a wall, one spell and you are in the deep beyond prying eyes and ears
[X] Keep it simple, they go down a blind alley where you and Ser Richard wait unseen within a wall, one spell and you are in the deep beyond prying eyes and ears
b/c I'd kinda prefer to get Research Actions and some reports out of the way before the very end of the month - spending over a whole week OOC just to cover them all is jarring, imo.
Hmmm, could any of our current archers gain levels in cragtop archer? I have new respect for how bullshit an archer with magical gear increasing their abilities can be after this video.
Feel like would be super useful on those who can fly and turn invisible.
[X] Keep it simple, they go down a blind alley where you and Ser Richard wait unseen within a wall, one spell and you are in the deep beyond prying eyes and ears
Mereth could pull something like that off, and to a lesser extent so could Aradia. The other Erinyes in our service would need a bit more gear and buffs to pull it off, too, though mostly just new or upgraded bows like the one Mereth has.
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Jun 16, 2020 at 6:06 AM, finished with 35 posts and 16 votes.
[X] Keep it simple, they go down a blind alley where you and Ser Richard wait unseen within a wall, one spell and you are in the deep beyond prying eyes and ears
[X] Instruct them to go down a blind alley, where Viserys and Richard will be waiting unseen.
-[X] Immediately cast False Future on both of them, planting an image of them leaving the city and being waylaid by bandits at some point while traveling to another settlement.
—[X] maintain this effect for at least two days, using scrolls if none of the companions are available.
-[X] cast Smokey confinement on both of them, then leave the city from a randomly select safe plane shift point for the plane of air.
-[X] Fly for 15 minutes in a random direction, then plane shift a second time to SD.
"Lovely," you reply absentmindedly. You had not been sure why they were arguing but when they settled into the swift detente, the easy closeness and way their body language flowed showed intimacy beyond what friendship alone could account for. Perhaps Azema's flirting had struck closer to the mark than you had anticipated all those years ago.
Fixed. I think that got mixed around in beta and I did not catch it
Vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jun 16, 2020 at 11:07 AM, finished with 42 posts and 18 votes.
[X] Instruct them to go down a blind alley, where Viserys and Richard will be waiting unseen.
-[X] Immediately cast False Future on both of them, planting an image of them leaving the city and being waylaid by bandits at some point while traveling to another settlement.
—[X] maintain this effect for at least two days, using scrolls if none of the companions are available.
-[X] cast Smokey confinement on both of them, then leave the city from a randomly select safe plane shift point for the plane of air.
-[X] Fly for 15 minutes in a random direction, then plane shift a second time to SD.
[X] Keep it simple, they go down a blind alley where you and Ser Richard wait unseen within a wall, one spell and you are in the deep beyond prying eyes and ears
'Where there is a will there is a way also', the saying goes in Volantis, spoken in different tones by slave and master both, though in tones much different and in this city fallen from heights the First Daughter could never imagine to depths beyond human knowing that is no less true. Where there is a will there is a way, and where there is magic the way is broader still. You blind the eyes of lesser seers to the futures of Garantos and his lover, and then you bid them slip into the shadows of a nearby alleyway and from there you carry them off, a secret in a bottle not to be opened until you are back home.
Thankfully two can dance to the tune of the future unseen. You observe the imp giving his report and then you follow its supervisor, a harbinger devil in crimson and grey looking rather hairier under the heavy bureaucratic splendor of his robes. Hassan had not been marked as a person of interest, the false tale of being waylaid by madmen and bandits of the wastes not questioned. Another devil might do so in the future, but you doubt they shall, for all that Baator's resources are vast they are not endless, not deep enough to chase after one dead messenger, but the messenger might yet introduce you to people you are very much curious to meet.
***
Garantos takes one look at Sorcerer's Deep from your window and quips: "I like what you've done with the place, pirate Valyrian is it?" He has more in common with Azema than you remember.
"I've also done a bit of gardening," you note dryly, motioning towards the great tree rising in the distance, a pale shadow against the star-strewn sky.
The conversation that follows is long and sometimes meandering, filled with more jests at your expense than most would dare, but it is certainly enlightening. Unlike many of his kin Garantos is not driven by some great flame of duty to regain past glories, nor does he seem worn by the state of the Sundered Spheres.
"If I die doing the best I can then I would have died content," the azata says between one jape and the next, but still you feel it encompasses the truth of his being more than any other phrase could have. He wishes to see Braavos again, to visit Rella 'and take whatever lumps she's minded to give me'. Though he is hesitant at first to look into the Inquisition, almost wary, but when you explain their purpose and the limits you have placed upon how they may handle citizens Garantos is more open to the notion, not sold on it my any means, but his love of riddles also makes for a love of secrets.
And secrets aplenty he has from Heaven's Shore. There are apparently four major resistance bands in the city and its outskirts, all working towards what they see as the betterment of its people through different means:
The Heralds of the Even Hand Goal: An end to the slave trade and the slums, more equitable living Methods: Freeing slaves in transit to and from the market, assassinations of those who support or promote the trade in souls Leader: Syleth Star Eye (Yamah Azata Medium 6) Military Strength: 13 Economic Strength: 5
The Guardians of the Fallen Tower Goal: Ridding Heaven of the taint of Asmodeus' rule, returning the Spheres to their proper dominions Methods: Name Theft, conjuring assisted assassination
Leader: Ar-Im (Axiomite Wizard/Conjuror 10) Military Strength: 12 Economic Strength: 6
Those Who Remember Goal: Honoring the memory of the fallen Empyreal Lords of old, maintaining what remains of Heaven's sanctity
Methods: Striking against the interests of those who would defile old temples, offering secret sanctuary to those fleeing Hell or other dark powers
Leader: Reziel (Fallen Iophanite Angel Paladin of Law 11) Military Strength: 13 Economic Strength: 2
Gardeners Goal: Building a new order from small shoots, encouraging the expansion of free mortal citizenry that can eventual take up the mantle of the dwindling celestials Methods: Economic sabotage against infernal interests, infiltrating the institutions of power, propaganda against the current regime Leader: Toriel (Spyglass Archon Rogue 7) Military Strength: 1 Economic Strength: 18
Note on stats: Range from 1 (insignificant) to 100 (About to launch a major uprising/buy out considerable amounts of the city)
What do you do next?
[] Try to get in contact with one of the resistance bands
-[] Write in which
[] Visit the slave market
[] Try to find the ill smith you met earlier
[] Write in
OOC: Sorry this took so long guys, I was both busy IRL and a bit distracted by another quest for the time I did have on SV.
