[X] (Hotel Plan) Upgrade to a private room, and connect your apartment. 1 GP, opportunity for 'enjoyment', and would let you game for a while after that. (You did promise to keep in practice…)
[X] (Tavern Plan) Hit the tavern and perform, see if that grants you some opportunity.
[X] (Tavern Plan) Hit the tavern and buy a round to loudly celebrate your victory; besides the 6 GP of food, would run around ten gold, but immediately grant all three of you Charisma checks to get some extra rumors and make you all-around more popular.
Two of the plans have tied; this time I'm reconciling with a "Why Not Both?" - Also, intentionally writing very early in the morning
Senaz, you clever, clever girl! You're a Succubus! You don't sleep! Your candle can burn at five ends! Shaped like an inverted pentagram! That's not actually a common symbol among demons or devils in this world, now that you think about it. Almost like they needed something trademarkable for some reason.
… Maybe you don't want to think about that too hard. Back on topic.
"Okay, so, first, inn. Let's snag a room," you say. "We've got the gold for it, after all, and it lets me keep up with some of the 'other' responsibilities."
Helen pauses. "Right. Those." She's careful not to name them aloud, instead continuing, "That seems like a plan."
Eira nods. "Definitely comfier than the common room. But it shows we have more money than we had earlier."
"And we're going to lean into that," You respond. "Big time."
---
First step, go get the inn room. You toss one gold down immediately for the night… Tossing more down to book a week ahead could be an option to consider tomorrow, but for now, just the one.
Checking the actual room out before sundown tells you… Yeah, this should be reasonably private. A dedicated intruder could be a concern - but frankly, not likely yet. Lock the window and block the door a bit and you should be good for now. Probably.
You'll need better security over time if you want to keep the apartment a secret… The fact that you'd considered outing that trick so you could get Helen and Eira to safety for a second is chilling in that context, honestly. Any tool you reveal is a tool that enemies might try to find ways to handle.
Still, this is enough to pop open the apartment, tune your guitar, and go over the plan.
"Okay, so. We were almost assuredly spotted by several people having brought in an entire group of bandits," you observe. "So, we're going to lean into that. New performance, big meals for all three of us, and a round of drinks clearly funded by some of the loot. We see what we learn, but more importantly, we burnish our reputation in Arnstey Keep something fierce."
Helen nods. "Though it will depend on our ability to keep that reputation up - by doing this, we're committing to getting more money and spending it to build and burnish a reputation. There's advantages, of course - a positive reputation can open doors that may be very important further in - but it'll only keep up as long as we keep going."
You nod, and consider. "And of course, there's how we deliver it to account for, too," you respond. "For this, all three of us should be spreading the rounds of drinks, I think. Just buying could be good, but-"
Helen interrupts. "- But doing so while playing up our victories should burnish our reputation as possibly able to solve this."
[X] (Round Delivery Method - Senaz) Deliver in a showoffy way like you're quarter-trying to seduce everyone in the room. Take an extra +1d6 on the Persuasion check... But you're really counting on Helen to notice you're not using charm magic and keep the church off you. If an actual Flammite priest were in this'd be easier.
[X] (Round Delivery Method - Helen) Join in the delivery of drinks, emphasizing that you just took on a force four times your number and arrested them nonlethally. Will burnish your reputation as a potential solution to the problems in Arnstey Keep.
[X] (Round Delivery Method - Eira) Deliver in full flirtfloof mode. You've even got the clothes that are just the right hint suggestive for it. Helen won't be as annoyed at YOU doing it as she would if it were Senaz, after all! Take another +1d6 to the check.
Eira chuckles. "And letting me handle this with my full potential and the right outfit-"
"Is that really the best way?", Helen responds. "At that point, you may as well have Senaz go full charm mode."
"Maybe not with magic," you respond, "but that could work really well, actually."
"... I'm going to have so much to keep the church off you, you know that, right?", Helen practically sighs out.
"Well, knowing I'm going to do it with pure natural skill oughta be a big win there." You resist the urge to stick your tongue out. "So, yeah, I'm gonna go for enjoying this a bit too."
"... Ugh, all right. Just don't ask me to try the same thing."
"Of course not!", you reply. "I don't think it'd go well if you tried that, no offense."
"None taken," Helen responds, Eira visibly chuckling a bit at that.
"If all three of us go for it, though, what it should exude more than anything, is confidence. That could also help us with starting on technological developments later on," you ponder.
Helen blinks. "... I'm glad you remembered that."
You nod. "If the worst case result is we have to run a sexy planetarium in a bigger city to play off our reputation… Well, I can make that happen."
This time, both Helen and Eira tilt their head. Damn it, you should've known that reference would miss. (Actually, you don't even know that reference, you just saw it online once.) You sigh. "Never mind. Point is, we sell with me and Eira being hot a bit, we still sell, so to speak."
Eira nods, getting what you're saying. Helen seems to have gotten lost in thought, turning a bit red and a lot confused at your reference.
… If it keeps her being annoyed at your weaponizing your strongest social weapons, that's fine.
"To the tavern?", you ask.
Eira nods. "To the tavern."
Helen pauses, then nods. "To the tavern, I guess. Just keep it somewhat appropriate."
"Naturally."
---
The Stretching Goat is busy tonight. And you and Eira are dressed for the part.
Shortish skirts, thigh-highs, blouses with visible cleavage, confident smiles, and a lightly armored woman in between you. (You convinced Helen to go with just her gambeson layer, because you shouldn't need to expect a fight and looking like you can walk around freely was more important. By now, you knew that a skilled fighter could move as fast in fullplate as in a gambeson, but most people don't.)
Eira wasn't surprised to see that the symbol of Solaria was on the chest of Helen's padded layer. You… Shouldn't have been, honestly, but whatever.
Helen immediately moves for the last empty table along the edge, as you and Eira approach the bar. Bumbo the barkeep blinks. "Well, you two are looking mighty different tonight than today."
"Yeah, a thing or two happened," you say, reaching into a purse to pull out several gold pieces, sliding them over the bar quietly. "Permission to perform again, with a buy-a-round after?"
"Wow, you really want people liking you," he can't help but respond. "Just don't let that blouse dip any lower, or I'll have Deirbhile on my ass."
"Of course~", you respond, heading towards the stage, lute already in hand and immediately drawing attention…
Okay. So, you didn't plan this part as well, but you're a Bard. You know how to do improvisational storytelling. You've literally practiced this with situations where you were just making shit up - this time, you have the advantage of facts.
So, you start to play… Then start to sing of what happened today. Minus details like the teleportation. Of how you wound up separated, then hastily reassembled, your bardic magic combining with Helen's swordmanship and Eira's bowmanship to take down a dozen foes, without the benefit of a premade plan for the situation. Of how the bandits are now imprisoned and out of the way (carefully avoiding words like 'rot' in favor of emphasizing that they may yet earn a chance to do better).
Senaz's Performance Check: 18+8 = 26
… You feel a lot better about this one than last time, based on people's attention seeming more focused on your performance than your (excellent) looks. That's pretty much the gold standard for a Succubus Bard having done a good job.
And now, for the flourish. "Thank you to listening to my, well, venting about the unexpected thing that happened to me since my last performance. Now, as you might've guessed, we took most of the bandit's stuff as a reward, since the town bailiff didn't have enough info to post up anything yet. No diss on him, there's enough going on right now that we intend to keep working on. But, it only seems fair to share a bit of that with you, in the form of-"
Eira's ears flatten reflexively as a cacophony of various shouts ensues. Even with your hearing, it's hard to make anything out. You let it die down before finishing your sentence with: "A few rounds of the good stuff."
Cheers ensue immediately, as Helen and Eira slip over to the counter. First step of the plan is a full success. Now it's just time to talk to people, burnish your reputation, and see what you can learn on top.
What were the old lyrics? "I've got dozens of friends and the fun never ends, that is as long as I'm buying?" Yeah, Styx had it right there. Pretty much anyone can be popular when delivering free beers to a crowd of people who are into beer. But while you easily command a hell of a lot of attention, and Eira gets a fair share from the simple power of Shake Fluffy Tail A Bit, the performance that surprises you is actually Helen's - especially accepting and, with surprisingly little effort, winning an arm wrestle against the strongest man in the room.
By a half hour or so in, you're being cheered as "The Visiting Angels of Arnstey" - pretty much everyone here thinks you're up to the task of taking down the cult and saving the city. That reputation will be all over town in a day or two… Especially if you keep burnishing it through further victories claimed, demonstrated, and shared in.
Yep. Pretty badass. Almost enough to not think about how terrifying the situation was until you're back at the table, enjoying a round of… Like, half the menu. One portion of roast lamb joint to split, meat pies, venison stew… The chefs seem impressed enough with you that six gold probably stretched particularly far today.
You just kind of laugh uneasily. "... We didn't have that in hand until we did, did we," you admit.
"The fight, you mean?", Helen responded. "... I've been in worse, but that was quite a time ago."
You shudder. "... First time, for me."
Eira sighed. "Same here, honestly. I'm amazed I managed to keep my cool. Knocking down half of them with one cast-"
"One lucky cast," you specify.
"- was basically the only way we survived."
Helen nods. "We've got… Probably a lot of training to do, for one. But not much time for it."
You sigh. "Yeah. For now… Enjoy what we've got and then we get some rest. Tomorrow… Hopefully something where we're a bit more in control of the situation."
---
By the time you're returning to your inn room, it is, predictably, capital-N Night. Some torches, a couple even of the arcane everburning variety, keep the streets somewhat lit, but there's definitely dark corners.
Your guesstimate that you're pretty darn safe regardless holds up more than well enough for moving a single door over. No point testing beyond that tonight.
Moving into your inn room, you look to an empty bit of wall… Soon, there's a door there. A door opening to a slightly warmer location. (Well, 'location'. Does a mobile lair that doesn't exactly exist on a specific planet count as a location? Depends on your definition. Does thinking about this qualify as intrusive? No clue there either to be honest.)
Helen immediately moves toward her room to get her gambeson off. Eira doesn't look like she's going to wait that long…
Which, you mean, predictable, but… Oh, what the heck.
You are behind her right now, and easily place your arms around her, then up her blouse, to grab both of her breasts from behind, drawing a slight 'yip' of pleasant surprise from Eira.
"Now, now, Eira," you say, your tone suddenly sensuous. "Just because you've been enjoying showing off a bit, doesn't mean we should just do that in the hall~"
The fox squirms a bit, but stays quiet as you tug on her nipples to get her moving into your room, lightly tapping the door shut with your foot. And then you pull her blouse up. She smoothly cooperates as you free her breasts from their showy containment.
Almost as quick, you apply shapeshifting to switch your own outfit from a match of hers to… Your Succubus uniform's gloves and thighhighs, and nothing else. (You keep reconsidering which of the Succubus abilities you have gained is the best, but this trick is definitely Up There.)
Eira gasps at the shift in sensation. "Oh, my~"
"Not too loud for now, all right~?", you say, before gently guiding her towards your bed, finally using your magic to charm her like she prefers. She practically melts into your grasp at that, purring a little as you guide her down, watching her pull her skirt loose and start towards her underwear, all as your attention remains along her breasts, even as you slide around to be facing her, smiling easily even as your hands move behind her, starting to slide your hands along her tail. She lets her tail practically melt into your touch, even as her hands move for your own ample bosom, drawing a pleasant gasp from you in turn.
It's so good-feeling… But you want to be a bit discreet, moving your mouth in to kiss Eira before she gets the chance to moan loud enough for Helen to hear, tasting her with confidence.
Slowly, you savor the touch, before finally leaning back… "Mmm… How far should I go this time?", you ask.
Eira giggles a bit. "How far do you want to go~?"
… You calmly lean her down, until you're atop her on the bed. She shifts a bit so her tail is loose, but clearly is enjoying the bit of roughness… But you're not into the idea of going too hard, instead just sliding a silk-clad leg in between hers, drawing a bit of a squeak of pleased surprise.
"Don't worry about me tonight, mm? Just take the pleasure~", you purr, even as your head starts to slide down, kissing along her chest, her breasts, her stomach…
Eira squeaked, realizing what was coming, even as she tried to follow the cue to keep at least a bit quiet… Not easy when you were lapping along her core, tongue teasing, and finally starting to go in on her properly.
Suffice it to say, it didn't take her long before she was biting her lips, "MMMMPH-"-ing intensely, and, well, climaxing over your face, even as your hands grasp 'into' her tail.
Being a Succubus is so nice, other than the many complications it comes with.
As Eira settles down a bit, you slide up until you're more level with her. You are such a mess… Probably best to use a bit of prestidigitation to clear both of you off a bit, a tingly feeling Eira seems to find quite pleasant, especially when you're practically rubbing against her to guide it.
… Again. So nice.
(Summary for those who Skipped: Senaz, with no modest hint of sensual aggressiveness, pulled Eira into her room and promptly proceeded to pleasure her - notably not focusing on her own pleasure as much. Apparently, shapeshifting to change clothes in mid-motion is one of the better Succubus racial abilities in Senaz's opinion.)
---
Helen's Perception Check: 18+4 = 22
You pause, think, and sigh. Okay, just close your door and hope this apartment's got good soundproofing.
… Seems like it might, so far. Yay.
You usually run a tighter ship than, well, this. But then, you're not precisely the captain here, either. It's literally the Succubus' apartment, after all.
So, instead, you focus inward. A simple prayer to a god who does not demand too much. An affirmation that you remain confident in your quest. And a hope that those you were forced to leave behind are okay.
It's a different sort of satisfying, you think. Perhaps in time, you'll find someone, but not yet. And probably not Frisky Fox or Gamer Succubutt. No offense to either of your allies, of course, but seriously, that level of thirsty is a bit much…
---
… So, you just did that.
And now it's time to quickly glide Eira back to her room. Easy enough - just lift and carry her, she's sleeping so it's fine. Fiiiiine.
Your back is fiiiiiiiiine. Like, in the appearance sense. Also your spine is somewhat better adjusted.
You make it into her room, and manage - barely - to set your vulpinae friend-with-benefits down on her bed reasonably softly without collapsing.
"Mmmm… Off to your own thing for a while~?", she asks, stirring a bit.
"I did promise," you respond. "Good night, Eira."
"Good night, Senaz. Thank you."
And then you step back, and there's Helen between you and your room.
You blink. "Um… Hi."
Helen smiles. "You'd best order some acoustic tiles or something for your room."
How the hell does that get you redder than… Okay, sure, completely failing at being subtle about sexytimes is more embarrassing than doing things that are well in your natural realm as a Succubus, but still.
Helen shrugs. "But… I can tell you're doing what she wants and not hurting her. So, props where they're due. You could easily become all sorts of unscrupulous with those abilities. Instead… Well. You're using them kindly."
You pause. "... I guess. It just… Mmm. I don't know. May as well enjoy what I got, right?"
Helen nodded. "I guess. Personally, I'm more satisfied with the potential of what I've sought, but I can see the path you picked and I kinda get it. Kinda."
"Like you wouldn't love having a chest as good as mine."
"It'd get in the way, how I fight."
"Point taken," you respond. "... Hopefully, the next time you fight will be in much better circumstances."
"We were kind of improvising," Helen responds. "Proper training might be a good thing, when we get the time. For now, keeping moving is probably the best route. We may be on a bit of a time crunch, after all."
"Yeah… And my apartment's a bit small for training while we stretch time, so that's not an option."
"Thus," Helen responds, "We just have to keep fighting, and learn that way."
You nod. "... But for now, I'd rather think about a less dangerous sort of fighting."
Helen shrugs, and nods. "Leave the main door ajar, and I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Helen."
"Good night, Senaz," the paladin responds, as she shuffles back into her room - looking like she was considering saying more, but thinking better of it.
… The nightwear she had on isn't bad looking, but you do have to wonder…
[ ] (Online Shopping?) See if you can get Helen a couple items - nothing sexy, but some more modern practical picks.
[ ] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[ ] (Online Shopping?) Might come across as too flirty, don't.
[ ] (Online Shopping 2) See if you can get Eira a modern item or two, too - something she can easily conceal or use about the apartment.
[ ] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
[ ] (Online Shopping 2) Better not, actually.
***
Okay, this post's gotten long and involved enough - I kind of just kept going and going and going - that I'm cutting myself off here. Please be aware, the effects of this vote will be somewhat delayed - the next post is going to set up a couple-posts-long focus on Senaz's gaming life. (By which I mean I have the entire next post already written out - it'll be shorter than this one, and updated partially - and then one more before we get the consequences of the shopping decision and set up the next wave of the main adventure.)
However, I do have to raise one other point…
See, after a recent… Thing, shall we say, I may need to (and might anyways even if it doesn't become necessary) convert the quest going forward away from its existing design core of '5e but I ignore a lot of the details' to a different system (but I ignore a lot of the details). This is going to involve a lot of work I'd been using 5e-but-skip-details as a cheat to avoid previously. Ask me how happy I am about that, I say with a certain level of sarcasm.
I am open to ideas on this - favoring CC-licensed or other actually open systems (frankly, I've been of the opinion for 22 years that the OGL is only Kind Of Open), or systems that I can create a legally distinct, CC-friendly expression of to work with.
Current front runners are something in the Fate Core family of systems, or a hack of Valorous Games' Valor Heroic Roleplay System. The cause of this change means I'm not necessarily comfortable using Pathfinder as a baseline. I do not intend to limit myself to specific mechanical limits; Helen and Senaz in particular both explicitly break the power curves that are the norm in various ways, and that being in the mechanics and blatantly visible was one of the entire reasons for using a popular system in the first place.
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
They're basically trying to declare the OGL that powered 3e and 5e invalid, to force all existing third-party content to be under their functional control. The wording appears to specifically include Pathfinder, and several systems that used the OGL but are not, in any way, D&D, including older editions of Fate among others.
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
They're basically trying to declare the OGL that powered 3e and 5e invalid, to force all existing third-party content to be under their functional control. The wording appears to specifically include Pathfinder, and several systems that used the OGL but are not, in any way, D&D, including older editions of Fate among others.
I've very much been looking forwards to Eira's Internet Adventures. Shopping is a bit of a narrow focus, but I'll take what I can get.
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
I've very much been looking forwards to Eira's Internet Adventures. Shopping is a bit of a narrow focus, but I'll take what I can get.
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
The next post, being borne of content I had to trim from the most recent because I was already at 4k words, is going to be Very Much In Your Realm I suspect.
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) See if you can get Eira a modern item or two, too - something she can easily conceal or use about the apartment.
Though I don't mind where the vote is going, I do suspect Eira's needs would wind up causing a scheduling conflict.
As for the apocalypse... yeah, I don't blame you for switching systems.
[X] (Online Shopping?) Offer Helen the chance to research and pick a couple items.
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
[X] (Online Shopping 2) Introduce Eira to online shopping and let her pick a couple things. (This could Take A While, given it could be a total immersion into all kinds of future technologies. Helen would likely find the conversation interesting.)
Post intended for Soon - there's some redevelopment based on the vote results, plus I want to extend it further from where it was. Again, the real consequences of exposing a floof to the Internet will come later.
The tentative answer on the 5e Thing may depend on the actuality of what comes from WotC amidst, well, everything. It's doubly frustrating for me because I was using a 5e conversion of a classic adventure path; suddenly I have to decide how comfortable I am with that.
So, here's a secondary vote, which will last However Long Discussion Goes (which may mean this vote ends alongside the next vote):
[ ] (Switch Adventure?) With what's been established, switch things around to focus on one original dungeon with less going on in the surrounding region; use this to phase away from Keep on the Borderlands.
[ ] (Switch Adventure?) Stick to it being a modded Keep, which should legally be OK under the Fan Content Policy (which since this isn't run for profit is fine)
[ ] (Switch Adventure?) Go the extreme route, restart Arc 1 entirely, and go for an Etrian Odyssey reference. Probably with fewer F.O.Es. No stolen maps. (Several segments would be kept as-is to 'catch up'.)
This is independent of the System question, note; there, I'm leaning either a Fate Core derivative, or Valor variant (though it sure as hell won't be a balanced one), since both are under Creative Commons licenses which frees me up a lot.
[X] (Switch Adventure?) Stick to it being a modded Keep, which should legally be OK under the Fan Content Policy (which since this isn't run for profit is fine)
[X] (Switch Adventure?) Stick to it being a modded Keep, which should legally be OK under the Fan Content Policy (which since this isn't run for profit is fine)
That said... Even if the 1.1 OGL actually goes through for some reason, you'll be fine? If you're earning nothing from it, the Fan Content Policy and it not being for profit means you're covered.
But I honestly wouldn't even freak out about 1.1 ever actually seeing the light of day, because if it does then Disney will eat WotC alive and parade their wizard hat around as a trophy in the next Fantasia, since KOTOR was built using the 1.0 OGL as its base and you know they aren't going to give up Star Wars or hand them 25% of their profits from it.
But I honestly wouldn't even freak out about 1.1 ever actually seeing the light of day, because if it does then Disney will eat WotC alive and parade their wizard hat around as a trophy in the next Fantasia, since KOTOR was built using the 1.0 OGL as its base and you know they aren't going to give up Star Wars or hand them 25% of their profits from it.
The video games made on a d20 Modern chassis were never an OGL product, instead being licensed between peer corporations. The OGL isn't for corporate lords, it's for us peasants.
The video games made on a d20 Modern chassis were never an OGL product, instead being licensed between peer corporations. The OGL isn't for corporate lords, it's for us peasants.
Yeah, I've heard this point enough times that I have to specifically remind that KOTOR Was made on Star Wars d20, which was never OGL, nor was Star Wars Saga Edition. (The closest there's been was Genesys, the genericized version of FFG's Star Wars RPG, has a DM's Guild-like setup available.)
There are companies that absolutely are affected by this that may dissuade WotC, such as Steve Jackson Games, a licensor for the Tolkien Estate and with them the Tolkien Estate, and Hajime Kanzaka (The Slayers) among others, but Disney isn't one of them.
[X] (Switch Adventure?) Stick to it being a modded Keep, which should legally be OK under the Fan Content Policy (which since this isn't run for profit is fine)
Though for future adventures, probably best to avoid adaptations of TSR/WotC stuff unless they seriously reverse course.
