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School of Sorcery

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Following up on my earlier post, there's a lot of value to be gained here. Portal magic is straight-up overpowered, the strongest wizard in the setting uses it and long-rang instant travel is absolutely bonkers in applications. If we can get access to that knowledge, it'd be great. Meeting Mishrak could also be a positive experience depending on a number of factors.

The trouble is, we really don't want to actually steal from the literal dragon-god. That's an awful idea. So if we're going through that portal, we have to be doing it for a different reason. Curiosity about a divine pocket dimension? Desire to get the portal spell? The issue is that if we don't come out with piles of treasure the Portal Theft Crew is likely to be angry about it.

So, here's an idea. It's a really stupid metagamey one though.

1) We ask that they give us access to the Grimoire in exchange for our help. Make sure the Grimoire is somewhere we can easily grab it (Preferably in the room itself)
2) We go through the portal, get caught by Mishrak.
3) Explain the situation, offer to hand over the guys who were trying to steal from the dragon because all we wanted was the book anyway, and we never had any intention to actually steal.
4) It's Mishrak, the guy's a total softie and will probably go easy (well, relatively) on the portal theft crew. We get the portal magic book, everyone's happy except the would-be thieves, who instead learn a valuable life lesson.

The problem is, Dorian with the information he has would have to be literally insane to go with this plan. Yeah sure, break into the dragon-god's domain and hand over some teenagers that were trying to steal from him, and hope it works out?

So yeah, unless we metagame to a ridiculous extent here, we should probably be running. Or convincing them to go after a less dangerous target.
 
Seems out of character, he spent his whole initiation test going on about how he found archeology interesting but this is essentially just a thieves guild.
[] "No way!" (Flee as quickly as you can.)
Nevill said:
Being in the same club is supposed to be incriminating now? What about the same class? Walking the same street?

Essentially, you want a man killed to inconvenience a guy you don't like.

Simony's hands are clean. He knows his gambling, and when the game is not worth playing.

If you wanted to, you'd have a stronger case with him not reporting a tomb, but then again he also did nothing to awaken the giant, so he'd only receive a scolding, if that.
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Yes, being in the same thieves guild, knowing you knew the fool stole who stole his shit, and working with him on previous heists would make one complicit. Need I remind you that we literally just had the fact that we now have two examples of stealing from people who can murder us so it wasn't a one time mistake? Or are you expecting the guy Simony left hanging to not snitch?

I hope your prepared for him to cut us off when things get to hot too. Like... I'm not sure what he could do past strait up saying he's going to stab us in the back to make us understand HE ISN'T trustworthy. We even managed to piss off one of his friends in the gambling club and it's pretty clear Simony is closer to that demon than he lets on.
 
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On the topic of Simony, this may be a test from him. A test of whether we're smart enough to know when something's a terrible idea. If we walk out of here and leave Portal Thief Crew to their fate he'll probably offer us a more reasonable job.
 
ImperatorV said:
On the topic of Simony, this may be a test from him. A test of whether we're smart enough to know when something's a terrible idea. If we walk out of here and leave Portal Thief Crew to their fate he'll probably offer us a more reasonable job.
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Which we shouldnt take, I think. Its a thieves guild. And with the guy stealing a world famous gem and tried selling it here, all as part of the club, doesnt seems so smart to me
 
ImperatorV said:
So, here's an idea. It's a really stupid metagamey one though.

1) We ask that they give us access to the Grimoire in exchange for our help. Make sure the Grimoire is somewhere we can easily grab it (Preferably in the room itself)
2) We go through the portal, get caught by Mishrak.
3) Explain the situation, offer to hand over the guys who were trying to steal from the dragon because all we wanted was the book anyway, and we never had any intention to actually steal.
4) It's Mishrak, the guy's a total softie and will probably go easy (well, relatively) on the portal theft crew. We get the portal magic book, everyone's happy except the would-be thieves, who instead learn a valuable life lesson
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Its not really metagaming. Dorian wants the book, and telling mishrak about the thieves is a way to get it. He is gambling here, but as they will probably send someone else if he will go, going to warn mishrak might even earn him some favor. Its a pretty nasty way, but not metagaming
 
Blademaster said:
Its not really metagaming. Dorian wants the book, and telling mishrak about the thieves is a way to get it. He is gambling here, but as they will probably send someone else if he will go, going to warn mishrak might even earn him some favor. Its a pretty nasty way, but not metagaming
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Given we don't know Mishrak personally I can see how its meta gamey to be honest as it relies on our character being familiar enough with and confident enough in their read on a gods personality to take this kind of huge gamble.
 
We are not familiar with mishrak, but its reasonable to presume that he wont punish someone coming to warn him. It is not sure, of course, but its a gamble for the book. Not more than trying to steal from said god
 
Blademaster said:
We are not familiar with mishrak, but its reasonable to presume that he wont punish someone coming to warn him. It is not sure, of course, but its a gamble for the book. Not more than trying to steal from said god
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I mean the saying "Snitches get stiches" came into being for some rather unpleasant reasons and us helping others try to rob him just so we can warn him seems like it'd be taken as rather scummy at best, add in that they're a god and I don't see why one would risk it when there's probably easier ways to get rich.

Hey wait, has anyone considered just teleporting to another country and selling the stolen goods to someone who doesn't know this family they robbed?
 
Vodkasheep said:
Yes, being in the same thieves guild, knowing you knew the fool stole who stole his shit, and working with him on previous heists would make one complicit. Need I remind you that we literally just had the fact that we now have two examples of stealing from people who can murder us so it wasn't a one time mistake? Or are you expecting the guy Simony left hanging to not snitch?
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This is beyond my ability to decipher.

Stealing from gods is not something that falls under the jurisdiction of human courts. Likely because they see no need for there to be a punishment from mortals if you managed to piss off a god. So one case has nothing to do with the other. It's like robbing a tomb; they'd care about not getting a cut and the potential for collateral damage more than the act of robbery itself.
Do you have anything to prove Simony was working with anyone on previous heists? He prefers stupid people doing the dirty work, and if you look at the upcoming Mishrak's heist, he has done his utmost to wash his hands of it. He just heard they needed assistance and gave them a contact, that's the extent of his involvement.
The guy Simony left hanging would either lay really low from now on, or live a really short life. What exactly do you expect him to be snitching about? Who do you expect him to be snitching to?

I am not going to stop you from doing anything; by all means, report this to whomever you like. I am just doubting it would have any noticeable effect on Simony besides making an enemy out of him.

Zam said:
Hey wait, has anyone considered just teleporting to another country and selling the stolen goods to someone who doesn't know this family they robbed?
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Portal magic is beyond the ability of most wannabe-mages, and if you can teleport, you probably don't have to resort to stealing.
Chances are people who own the biggest gemstone in the Empire have money to pay a mage who can, in fact, teleport, and who would hunt you down even across half the world. You need to be Nimble Jack to get away with these things.
 
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I'm enjoying the discussion of this latest problem/opportunity, by the way. Keep it up! :D

Here's the vote tally so far:
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Aug 13, 2020 at 7:11 AM, finished with 30 posts and 6 votes.
  • [X] "Uh… I have some questions first." (Write in: what questions do you want to ask?)
    [X] "Why are we risking someone's life and limb trying to rob a God when say, I could use this to undercut other flowersalesmen in the city via flowers portalled directly to their doorstep? we could split the profits between us? Or if you're feeling ambitious, we could try selling this magic to the military? Suddenly being elsewhere seems like a pretty major boon for the army, depending on how far we can push this portal thing."
    [X] "No way!" (Flee as quickly as you can.)
    [X] "No way!"
    [x] "I'm in!" (Wait for them to open the portal, then jump through.)
    [X] "Why are we risking our lives and maybe more to rob a God when we could pick less dangerous targets and ways to to make money? Magic like this sounds like it could change the world if we use it smartly sneakily, but we don't get the chance if a dragon god eats us or we get stuck in one of his traps and, I dunno, drown forever or something."
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[X] "Uh… I have some questions first." (Write in: what questions do you want to ask?)
[X] "Why are we risking our lives and maybe more to rob a God when we could pick less dangerous targets and ways to to make money? Magic like this sounds like it could change the world if we use it smartly sneakily, but we don't get the chance if a dragon god eats us or we get stuck in one of his traps and, I dunno, drown forever or something."
 
[X] "Uh… I have some questions first." (Write in: what questions do you want to ask?)
[X] "Why are we risking our lives and maybe more to rob a God when we could pick less dangerous targets and ways to to make money? Magic like this sounds like it could change the world if we use it smartly sneakily, but we don't get the chance if a dragon god eats us or we get stuck in one of his traps and, I dunno, drown forever or something."
 
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The Portal Theft Crew
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    • Flashkannon said:
    Highly disagree, Achamat is great, it's such a crunchy name to say!
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    Well, I'm pleased that you think so.

    Anyway, this is a short update, just to answer a few questions. I'll try to update again in a few days.

    *

    The Portal Theft Crew​
    Chandagnac said:
    'What are you planning to do?' you ask, feeling some trepidation.

    'You've heard of Mishrak, right? The dragon-god of the deep sea. Everything which falls into the deep sea, he claims as part of his hoard. Well, he's got a vast amount of wealth which he isn't using, so he's not going to notice if we take a few sacks full…'

    As his voice trails away, Xanthippa takes over. 'We have figured out a way to open a portal into Mishrak's private pocket dimension. It'll take the three of us to hold the portal open, so we need a fourth person to go through the portal and grab as much loot as possible.'

    'We'll split it four ways,' says Regimander. 'Like the man who couldn't pronounce his effs or tees, I can't say fairer than that.'

    'Just think about it. Enough gold that you'll never have to worry about paying tuition again," Philomond says dreamily. "What do you say?'
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    You glance around at the trio of intrepid thieves who are keen for you to do their dirty work. Philomond is a thin, bespectacled young man, fifteen or sixteen years of age, whose hair already appears to be receding and to have a touch of grey about it. Xanthippa has long stringy dark hair and would be quite attractive if not for her very flat and pale lips which almost seem to have merged with the rest of her face. Regimander appears to be a few years older – but still a fourth-year student, for whatever reason? – his face red and blotchy with eruptions of teenage acne. Looking at them doesn't exactly fill you with confidence.

    'Why are we risking our lives and more to rob a God when we could pick less dangerous targets and other ways to make money?' you ask. "Portal magic sounds powerful enough to change the world if we use it cleverly, but we won't stand a chance of doing that if the dragon-god eats us or we get stuck in one of his traps and – I don't know – drown forever or something."

    'What do you mean "we"?' Regimander says with a scowl. 'You're an independent contractor we want to hire for a job. When it's over – or if it falls through – you've never heard of us, all right?'

    'It would be better to earn money slowly, carefully, and safely,' Xanthippa admits. 'And I'm sure we'd all like to change the world while we're doing it. But we need the money now.'

    'We're all in debt. School is expensive,' says Philomond. 'That's one of the reasons why we need a big score.'

    'And the other reasons?' you ask.

    'We're…' Philomond hesitates, hugging the grimoire protectively. 'That is to say… technically, we're not supposed to have this book.'

    'If we were to make use of these portals for legitimate purposes – of which there are many, I'm sure – someone would realise that where we'd learnt it from,' Xanthippa adds. 'We'd be in a lot of trouble.'

    'Don't tell anyone,' Regimander warns, looming over you. 'If you do, we'll know it was you.'

    'Where did you get the book from?' you ask. 'Did you steal it?'

    'Do you promise not to tell?' Philomond asks, looking ever paler and sicklier than before.

    What do you say?
    [] "Yes, I promise not to tell." (Continue with the 'Portal Theft' storyline.)
    [] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)
    -[] Report them to the Headmaster, Opernus Prentigold.
     
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    • [X] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)

    I'm having serious doubts about how the school even lasted this long.
     
    [X] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)
     
    This is hilarious, these thieves are terrible. Portal magic is huge, and they haven't even questioned why it's not being used?

    I bet the spell has a trap in it, like any portal will collapse after the first person/object goes through it.
    [X] "Yes, I promise not to tell." (Continue with the 'Portal Theft' storyline.)
     
    [X] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)
    Were stealing from a god thats, always a bad idea, and it's a dragon.
     
    So, our choices are either let curiosity and our lust for power get ahead of us and get ourselves involved in another situation that is probably Gods and bullshit politics that will drag us through the mud.

    Or, we can just leave.

    I wanna lie about our promise then book it to the Headmaster immediately.


    [X] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)
    -Report them to the Headmaster, Opernus Prentigold
     
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    [X] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)
    Schmuck bait is written all over this storyline to a level where I have to believe Achamat is low-key hypnotizing everyone in the city somehow.
    As for why it exists like this? Headmaster is fine with it. He wants to weed out the people who would take shortcuts, right? That means leaving hazards around to wring the idiots out of the population, so he doesn't have to waste his dwindling time and energies keeping them safe and around.
    he CAN also be losing edge cases where someone who might otherwise be able to reach his standards gets dragged down with the fools or is removed because of the demonic shenanigans, but he also seems like enough of a jerk to write that off as acceptable losses. Especially if in the end he's not entirely sure how to make things better.
     
    Also, their story seems really weird to me when I reread it.
    How did they get into so much debt? Are they not fourth years? I mean, the enchanting magic we just learned can be great for making money, and we are first years.
    Shouldn't fourth years have multiple ways to make money?

    They can't be too stupid either, or else they would have been thrown out of the school in the first year or two.
     
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    [X] "No, I don't want to be involved." (Leave them, abandoning the 'Portal Theft' storyline, at least for now.)
     
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