Dang, why didn't ya'll tell me this quest had been rebooted. I would have been all over it, @Zioneer.
[X] Plan Information Magical and Mundane
@DragonParadox, any thoughts on magically Blinding the thug? For interrogation purposes, I mean. When he wakes up, bound and gagged, Domeric hits him with Blindness after saying something suitably threatening then offering to let him live if he doesn't cooperate, but as a blind beggar, perhaps even a lamed one if we have to physically torture the information out of him.
That seems like a pretty solid intimidation tactic to push him toward being a bit more forthcoming with his answers to our questions.
Of course, we're still going to kill him after wringing anything of use from him, I assume? I'm hoping Sahbra is experimenting with Valyrian Steel and needs to make a sacrifice to progress in her work.
I know I'm late to the party, but there is an alternate version to the Haunted flaw. It's actually the original one from before Pathfinder was released, that might be less onerous and more appropriate for Domeric given his heritage.
A -2 penalty to saves vs Evil spells is going to be rough in Essos, and Qohor especially. There aren't a ton of such spells we're likely to run up against, but none of them are something we are going to want to tank if we can help it.
A -4 penalty to Stealth and Perception (Hearing) is not insignificant, but it's also not something likely to get us dead, or worse, in mid-combat. The effects of the flaw itself could be used for IC fluff, too, such as being a product of Domeric's newly awakened magic.
Poor guy has points in Perform (String Instruments) and you didn't even let him start with his harp. That could have been a useful way to earn our keep for a while, not to mention give us an excuse to hang out in taverns to pick up gossip and rumors.
She was going to kill a pig, that is not really standard steel forging. We have at least some hint that she has magic lore, or at the very least magic ambitions.
She appears to have been bringing it to the priests, as part of the daily sacrifices mandated by the faith of the Black Goat. Additionally, from talking to Qohorik merchants on the way to the city, you do know that humans are generally only sacrificed on holy days except for... "unusual circumstances". The Qohorik travelers you spoke to did not clarify what those circumstances were.
Generally the big sacrifices are made by the priests, in cultures that go for that kind of thing, either that or they are public so everyone can see you feed a pig to a goat. That sounds really odd now that I think of it. Shouldn't their magic be based on the sacrifice of lettuce or something?
Also we know from canon that Totho Mott, who is a Qohorick smith who can forge Valyrian steel also uses pig's blood for the task.
The sacrifices are public; the city was founded on the public worship of the Goat, after all. And as far as Domeric can tell, there's not some big goat lurking somewhere, though to be fair he just got here.
Can you direct me to where Mott uses pig's blood, by the way? I've been using the ASOIAF wiki for most of my lore needs, and I may have missed that.
Maybe it's a common name in Qohor, maybe she's a relative.
Though if it's the latter she might be in danger. A mage-smith fleeing the city will not leave anyone here happy, I could see people taking extreme measures to make sure he doesn't teach any outsiders, like taking her hostage.
I know I'm late to the party, but there is an alternate version to the Haunted flaw. It's actually the original one from before Pathfinder was released, that might be less onerous and more appropriate for Domeric given his heritage.
A -2 penalty to saves vs Evil spells is going to be rough in Essos, and Qohor especially. There aren't a ton of such spells we're likely to run up against, but none of them are something we are going to want to tank if we can help it.
A -4 penalty to Stealth and Perception (Hearing) is not insignificant, but it's also not something likely to get us dead, or worse, in mid-combat. The effects of the flaw itself could be used for IC fluff, too, such as being a product of Domeric's newly awakened magic.
Poor guy has points in Perform (String Instruments) and you didn't even let him start with his harp. That could have been a useful way to earn our keep for a while, not to mention give us an excuse to hang out in taverns to pick up gossip and rumors.
I'll be honest, I completely forgot about the harp. I think I can certainly figure out a way for him to get a new harp or retcon it so he ends up with his old one.
As for the alternate version of Haunted, that does sound good but I'd like to see if anyone else in the thread also wants it to be changed to that.
@DragonParadox, any thoughts on magically Blinding the thug? For interrogation purposes, I mean. When he wakes up, bound and gagged, Domeric hits him with Blindness after saying something suitably threatening then offering to let him live if he doesn't cooperate, but as a blind beggar, perhaps even a lamed one if we have to physically torture the information out of him.
That seems like a pretty solid intimidation tactic to push him toward being a bit more forthcoming with his answers to our questions.
Of course, we're still going to kill him after wringing anything of use from him, I assume? I'm hoping Sahbra is experimenting with Valyrian Steel and needs to make a sacrifice to progress in her work.
I'm leery of using the one spell we can flub in front of our new companion for now. I don't want to show a lack of competence. We can threaten to break his legs instead, nice solid threat anyone can understand.
First Day of the Ninth Month, Year 292 after Aegon's Conquest
Domeric makes a knowledge arcana check, rolls 10+8=18, beats DC of 16, rolls Spellcraft 20+10=30, beats DC of 16.
Taking hold of your magic once more, you whisper a word of knowledge, of knowing the source of the amulet's power. As you speak, the magic does its work, leaving you with a feeling, no, a taste. The taste of enchantment lingers on your tongue, and the same part of you that knows this, also knows that the magic tastes of godliness. A faint impression yes, but an impression of fire upon the tongue, the flavor of law and tyranny, though your merely mortal mind struggles to understand the idea of such abstract concepts having a taste. What you can tell is that this small trinket has a blessing laid upon it, an infinitesimally tiny scrap of divine power.
Your mind reels slightly at this information. House Bolton had always held to the Old Gods, and your experience in the Vale had taught you somewhat of the tenets of the Faith of the Seven, and of course you knew of the Black Goat from your journey to arrive here in Qohor, yet here was the reality of another god, not of Westeros, but of Essos. The Lord of Light. R'hllor the Red. And if the Red God is real, then might not the Old Gods, the Seven, and even the Black Goat show signs of their existence as well?
Leaving aside questions of theology and gods, you turn to Sahbra, who had efficiently tied up the thug while your thoughts were woolgathering about deities. Blushing slightly at your inattentiveness, you turn to Sahbra.
"Is there any reason the Red Faith would have to wish you ill? Or for blacksmithing in general?"
Sahbra frowns. "I've only met a few of the fire worshippers during my apprenticeship, and fewer still when I watched nuncle Tobho at his forge, most came from Fort Quen just outside the city, needing fresh steel for their tools. They wore red scarves and bits of cloth, nothing as open as that amulet. Red cloth can be explained away, but that necklace, it would be a death sentence to wear openly."
Pondering whether to question her on the legality of the Old Gods or the Faith of the Seven in Qohor, you instead ask a simpler question.
"Would they have any reason to harm you?"
She shakes her head.
"None that I can think of, they always seemed more interested in the forge itself, the fire and sparks, anything they thought had any sign of their god. They were always cordial, moreso than some priests of the Black Goat, I'd say." The young blacksmith frowns in thought. "The Goat blesses some men with an abundance of pride, and others with little of it."
You clear your throat. There is still the matter of the man you have bound, after all. You draw your dagger from within the folds of your Qohorik tunic. Summoning all the grim, pitiless confidence of your lord father, and perhaps of long-dead Boltons more dangerous than he, you tap the thug on the top of the head. He stirs, shaking off the magic of your spell.
As he blinks his eyes open, you glower at him.
"I have questions for you, criminal."
The thug sneers at you, seemingly not impressed.
"I won't say a word. You're not half-grown a man, you do not scare me."
In response, some instinct of your Bolton blood compels you to step forward, to lay the flat of your blade against his cheek, gently, almost lovingly caressing the thin, soft skin of the man's face with the cold Qohorik steel.
Domeric rolls 14+8=22, beats DC of 11-1=10
"Do you know the sounds a man makes when he is flayed alive? No? Would you like to?"
The cold, almost hungry certainty in your words breaks the courage of the man, and he shakes his head vigorously, expelling a tiny whimper from his lungs in lieu of words.
"Good. Now, tell me. Who are you? Why did you wish to kill Sahbra? Did someone send you? Where did you get the necklace?"
The unnerved thug begins to answer your barrage of questions, stuttering slightly as your dagger continues to lay against his cheek. His name was Jaqio the Mace, named on account of his favored weapon. He was approached by a man with scars about his lips, forehead, and with just one eye. He did not know the man's name, but thought the man carried himself like a cutpurse. The man paid him those Silver Hoofs to kill Sahbra while carrying the necklace of the R'hllorites, telling Jaqio to let himself be arrested, that he would have a "friend in a high place" to let him go. He did not know where the man got the necklace.
You press further, digging the point of your dagger into the man's neck, not enough to make him bleed but quite enough to make him feel it.
"Where do you reside when you're not partaking in murder for coin? Do you owe allegiance to a master of the streets, or perhaps many masters? Who else might know your perfidy?"
The thug Jaqio babbles, taking your threat of flaying quite seriously. He knew of several gangs of ruffians and bandits, the Cutters, led by Tregen Two-Fingers, the Brothers of Carvers Street, led by Brachelos the Gladhand, and an unnamed gang led by Haro the Strange, mostly known to Jaqio as "The Haromen". He added that some men amongst the gangs swore they saw a priest of the Goat lurking amongst the three factions, though he had not seen a priest himself. Hesitating only slightly, Jaqio roughly summarizes the territory of each gang, and where outsiders may contact them.
Sahbra, who had stood silent throughout your questioning, murmured to you that she knew of these gangs, and that while Tregen generally did not stray far from the native-born quarters, the Gladhand's thugs and the so-called Haromen had been known to strike upon the Street of Strangers.
You ask him if he knew of any city guard that might be in the pay of gangs. He looks confused before Sahbra notes that the Unsullied have been the guard of Qohor for hundreds of years, since the Century of Blood. They answer only to the priests. Legally they answer to the noble magisters as well, but everyone knows that the magisters themselves are the lapdogs of the Priests of the Black Goat. You manage to suppress a smirk as you see the would-be murderer nodding along to his intended victim's assertion about the magisters and the priests.
Speaking of the priests… you ask Jaqio of any notable priests; of that he knows little for while the priests do not abandon their names like the High Septon in your native Westeros, most prefer to use the weight of their office to impress, rather than a renowned name. He can only tell you of two priests of note to those of the streets. First, there is Nesirah, Commander-Priest of the Unsullied, who has been known to try and convert the slave soldiers to worship of the Goat with little success… and who makes no secret of her desire for the lithe forms of the Unsullied under her, though they are quite unable to fulfill all passions of the flesh. Second, there is Hareqor, known for his rough, lowborn demeanor and uncompromising faith in the Goat. Jaqio mentions that Tregen Two-Fingers used to be known as "Tregan Trueblade" before he attempted to bribe Hareqor. Jaqio also knows of High Priest Lazero but Lazero is an old man and had not been seen in public in months.
Digesting this information, you ask the last of your questions, namely, where does Jaqio the Mace sleep and where does he store his money. The thug, slightly more confident by the fact that you have not actually harmed him thus far, merely says that he intended to spend most of the coin at the Forest of Delights, a brothel in the Gladhand's territory. According to your captive, all manner of men save the Unsullied frequented the den of ill repute, be they cutthroat, priest, merchant or mercenary. Even women frequented the Forest of Delights on occasion.
Having pried a great deal of information from the thug Jaqio, you turn to Sahbra. You had learned much, and yet had many more questions. The would-be murderer's words gave you many leads, so which would you choose?
[] Investigate the coalmakers at Fort Quen, mayhaps they would be glad to see a blessed necklace back in their care.
[] Try to contract one of the three gangs.
[] Head to the Forest of Delights, maybe the whores there will know something, if they serve nearly everyone.
[] Seek an audience with the Commander-Priest.
[] Seek an audience with the stern priest Hareqor.
[] Write-in
Additionally, whether before or after you begin your investigation, you will have to deal with the thug, Jaqio the Mace. What do you do with him?
[] Kill him yourself (write in method)
[] Take him to the Unsullied and their strange commander (can be taken with option to meet with Nesirah)
[] Take him to the priests to be sacrificed, perhaps it will make up for the loss of Sahbra's pig.
[] Write-in
OOC: I hope this fleshed out Qohor well, I tried to give lots of worldbuilding and kind of show some of the city's major players. If I contradicted anything I've said before or if anything is confusing, please let me know. Also, to be clear, Tobho Mott is specifically Sahbra's great-uncle, but ASOIAF doesn't really have anything like "great-nuncle".
Hmm... OK some interesting notes here. Firstly that amulet is actually worth wearing, +1 to attack is no joke at level 1, particularly to a Sorcerer whose BaB is 0. However that item is also our best lead to whoever wanted to do the killing... or most likely whoever wanted to frame the R'hllorites so that could drum up support for a purge. 'The Mace' over here was told to allow himself to be captured and he could have been made to confess that he was in fact and adept of the Red God under torture.
If Domeric were some other sort of mage I would say go trade in the trinket back to the Red God worshipers for favor, but the fact of the matter is that we are drawing on the sorts of powers they are unlikely to see kindly so I say keep the talisman and hand the thug over to the priest for some good will with the local authorities. It will probably be worth more than a sacrifice to a god we don't believe in
[X] Plan Powers that Be
-[X] Seek an audience with the Commander-Priest.
-[X] Take him to the Unsullied and their strange commander (can be taken with option to meet with Nesirah)
-[X] Try to put on the talisman under your shirt of course, see if you can do so safely
Domeric's level is too low and his resources too limited to be attempting anything that could put him into conflict with others. He also doesn't have any party members to help him. That makes investigating the coalmakers or trying to contact one of the gangs much less attractive options. Likewise, he has a small amount of money and no good way to earn more of it at the moment, so visiting the brothel could end up being too costly for what we actually learn, since the residents probably won't part with any useful information for free.
We're going to be stuck in Qohor for a long while and we're basically at the bottom run of society. Sahbra is a useful contact and perhaps even a friend in the making, but we need to start making more contacts. That's why I would like to try to meet with one of the clergy of the Goat. The Commander-Priest feels like a better option, if only because Hareqor seems like he might not take kindly to us being foreigners, given the attitudes we've seen in the city thus far. She might also try to convert us to Goat worship, which we can use as an excuse for further meetings.
@DragonParadox is right about Bless being a great effect for a 1st level Sorcerer, but I'm not sure having it is worth the potential danger at the moment, not unless we're willing to kill the thug ourselves. Otherwise, wherever we take him he might try to implicate us as R'hllorites. If anyone can be convinced to search us, we would be in serious trouble.
We also have to consider that if R'hllor's magic is in play that the clergy of the Black Goat might also have access to magic. Falling afoul of a Zone of Truth spell wouldn't be a good outcome at all. It might not be the best route forward, but I'm leaning toward full disclosure at the moment.
[X] Earning Favor
-[X] Seek an audience with the Commander-Priest.
-[X] Take him to the Unsullied and their strange commander (can be taken with option to meet with Nesirah)
-[X] Tell her what we learned from Jaqio, including what he was paid to do, and turn over the amulet as evidence.
@DragonParadox is right about Bless being a great effect for a 1st level Sorcerer, but I'm not sure having it is worth the potential danger at the moment, not unless we're willing to kill the thug ourselves. Otherwise, wherever we take him he might try to implicate us as R'hllorites. If anyone can be convinced to search us, we would be in serious trouble.
We also have to consider that if R'hllor's magic is in play that the clergy of the Black Goat might also have access to magic. Falling afoul of a Zone of Truth spell wouldn't be a good outcome at all. It might not be the best route forward, but I'm leaning toward full disclosure at the moment.
That is a fair point, though that being said I would rather just kill him and keep the amulet. To be entirely honest is is worth more to Domeric than answers in this case would be IMO. I say we kill him, keep the thing, maybe make a case for it to clip into and wear it around our necks like that. That way it would be hard for the symbol to be revealed by mundane means and if someone looks at us with detect magic it will just look like Faint Enchantment.
That is a fair point, though that being said I would rather just kill him and keep the amulet. To be entirely honest is is worth more to Domeric than answers in this case would be IMO. I say we kill him, keep the thing, maybe make a case for it to clip into and wear it around our necks like that. That way it would be hard for the symbol to be revealed by mundane means and if someone looks at us with detect magic it will just look like Faint Enchantment.
If we do that, though, I don't think we have any good reason to justify trying to arrange a meeting with the Commander-Priest. Assuming she isn't in on the entire plot, informing her that there is someone trying to manipulate the city guard, for whom she is responsible, could work out quite well for us. Foregoing this option, we're left with investigating the brothel and the R'hllorites.
That we saved one of Qohor's blacksmiths from the plot, one of the city's claims to fame throughout the world, might also buy us some brownie points.
I'm really wary of using the amulet in Qohor. Automatic death sentences are no joke, and we aren't even close to being able to fight our way out of the kind of situation we would find ourselves in if the amulet is discovered. It's also a loose end that someone else knows about and may come looking for.
If we do that, though, I don't think we have any good reason to justify trying to arrange a meeting with the Commander-Priest. Assuming she isn't in on the entire plot, informing her that there is someone trying to manipulate the city guard, for whom she is responsible, could work out quite well for us. Foregoing this option, we're left with investigating the brothel and the R'hllorites.
That we saved one of Qohor's blacksmiths from the plot, one of the city's claims to fame throughout the world, might also buy us some brownie points.
I'm really wary of using the amulet in Qohor. Automatic death sentences are no joke, and we aren't even close to being able to fight our way out of the kind of situation we would find ourselves in if the amulet is discovered. It's also a loose end that someone else knows about and may come looking for.
Maybe the Commander-Priest will give us a different shiny as a reward? I wouldn't turn down a Goaty Bless Amulet in exchange for the Burny Bless Amulet.
Maybe the Commander-Priest will give us a different shiny as a reward? I wouldn't turn down a Goaty Bless Amulet in exchange for the Burny Bless Amulet.
[X] Earning Favor
-[X] Seek an audience with the Commander-Priest.
-[X] Take him to the Unsullied and their strange commander (can be taken with option to meet with Nesirah)
-[X] Tell her what we learned from Jaqio, including what he was paid to do, and turn over the amulet as evidence.
I'm really happy to see all the discussion! I worked very hard on giving some intriguing leads and some colorful characters to make things more interesting. I'll let the votes go for one more day and see where that gets us. Might do an informational post as well, for fun.
[X] Dipping a Toe In
-[X] Investigate the coalmakers at Fort Quen, mayhaps they would be glad to see a blessed necklace back in their care.
-[X] Allow Sahbra to decide his fate. It was her life and livelihood that were threatened.
Thank you so much for the feedback; is there anything in particular you find interesting about him? I tried to portray him as a nice guy with dark instincts in waaaaay over his head.
Thank you so much for the feedback; is there anything in particular you find interesting about him? I tried to portray him as a nice guy with dark instincts in waaaaay over his head.
Yes that aspect in particular is quite compelling. I must say I do enjoy seeing him fend with the aspects of his heritage, and seeing a Westerosi dealing with a magical set up/conspiracy is fun!
