Cold Ambition - Game Thread

Welcome to the Isle of Karun.
It's cold.
It's dreary.
It's wet.

You own a penguin farm. How novel.

GO!

"Aaahh what a beautiful day it is indeed. I love the smell of mildew on in the crumbling barn house." Come to think of it, why have a barn? These are penguins, they don't use it..OH WELL! I hum a happy tune and walk over to the other farmers, still naked from a full night of prostitution. "Greetings fellow burdens of society!"

I stare at this guy. This guy that I dont like. This turd of a man. "Hi"

Jamros Mageblood wrote:"Aaahh what a beautiful day it is indeed. I love the smell of mildew on in the crumbling barn house." Come to think of it, why have a barn? These are penguins, they don't use it..OH WELL! I hum a happy tune and walk over to the other farmers, still naked from a full night of prostitution. "Greetings fellow burdens of society!"

You have a barn for supplies, for your dry store, for your wagon and mule which you use to haul penguin products to market. And, of course, a stall for you to rut for money. Hey, it's your life.

Tolr'ax wrote:I stare at this guy. This guy that I dont like. This turd of a man. "Hi"

This man is not feces. He just seems to be a ridiculous fellow.

Your penguins are in the large rocky paddock about a hundred yards to your east. Your barn to the north, your house to the west, and the road to your south. You stand - some of you clothed - in the middle of your yard, somewhat muddy at the moment.

There's a man in a haywain drawn by two large horses is coming down the road to your homestead.

"Oh my goodness gracious a visitor! I will welcome him!" I frolick towards the man with a large grin and yell to him, "Hi diddly ho neighbor! What brings you to our humble penguin farm?"

The man on the wagon eyes your nudity for a moment, as if considering his coin for your services. You shameless slut.

This is Roffram. He is the quartermaster for the Skocor Copper Mine, which is your biggest client. They purchase all manner of Penguin meat, blubber, furs, and so forth.

"For birdmeat, you bird brain. Put on some clothes before the cold catches you."

"Certainly, take your pick! Perhaps today is the day you take Steve for a discounted price, or me if that is thy desire, wink wink nudge nudge. Haha come now, let us barter."

I walk over to Roffram and Bryan.

"Good to see you Roffram! How did I hear you say you need meat? No pelts today? Blubber? I even have some fish that Bryan caught with his bare..uhhh, I honestly don't know or want to know how he catches them..."

I look at Roffram with a salesman smile on my face. Gotta upsell!

Roffram spits. "Damn politics. Or fued. Whatever you want to call it. Count Worrall and Count Talley are at it again. Talley's men came in the night and took off with our rations for the mine. I need two pounds per man for fifteen days. Comes to," he pulls out a slip of paper, "twelve hundred pounds. Have you got that fresh, dried, or need to slaughter? I can wait."

"I have it all Roffram, that's why you come to us! How long are you planning on staying? Need a place to lie your head for the night? I'm sure Bryan could sleep in the barn tonight if you wanted the room."

I head over to our stores and start counting taking inventory. I yell to Roffram "So, the Counts are at it again, eh? What started it this time? Worral send his men to harass Talley's villages?"

I try to recall everything I know about the island's history, geography, political environment, and what not.

I over hear the conversation from inside the house. Sounds like Roffram.

I put meh vest on and throw on meh hat. I grab meh handmade pipe and stuff the tobacco in it. I head outside and light the tobacco. I meet meh eyes with Roffram and gesture a nod in his direction.

I puff on my pipe and expertly blow some rings. I walk towards Roffram. The sun piercing down on meh scales and I don't mind it too much.

"Talley's arses scumaging again? Damn blokes. We'll throw in some extra for your men, free of coin. Let your men have there fill and secure yeh business. How are you meh friend?", I say in my deep, gruff voice.

"Aye, I guess we can spare an extra fifty pounds for our best customer."

"Aye, we can survive" gesturing meh pipe towards Sid asking if he wants a drag.

I wave off the offer. "Too much to do to relax. I imagine our orders will gain get larger now that the Lords are feudin' again....I just hope they forget that we exist. Don't need any arseholes comin' here and takin' our stores."

I take one last drag before I dump the tobacco out. I blow out the smoke with a sigh. "Best stay under the radar. We don't need any unwanted arse's on this farm. Remember what happened to the unlucky soul that crossed Pengu's path that one time?"

"Aye, fuck Steve."

"Let the Lords come, I'll gladly put a bolt in their coin purse. I'm sure it would make the Old One pleased if nothing else..praise Cthulhu."

"I'm sure you would put a bolt in his arse too, Bryan" I laugh at my nude companion. "Put some pants on."

Tolr'ax wrote:"I have it all Roffram, that's why you come to us! How long are you planning on staying? Need a place to lie your head for the night? I'm sure Bryan could sleep in the barn tonight if you wanted the room."

I head over to our stores and start counting taking inventory. I yell to Roffram "So, the Counts are at it again, eh? What started it this time? Worral send his men to harass Talley's villages?"

I try to recall everything I know about the island's history, geography, political environment, and what not.

Roffram spits. His grizzled face fits these rocky islands, all hard angles, dark stubble, and an unforgiving jut of a lip. He would win no contests of beauty.
"Only long enough to load the goods. Know what? I also need a couple casks of blubber. Just in case. Can't have our lamps getting low."
He climbs down off the wagon, rearranging the scattered contents of the wagonbed.
"You know these fools. Soon as one of them feels strong enough, they hawk more of their wealth for whatever scum they can get to brutalize the island. Not as though they need a reason. One says it's their birthright, the other says it's theirs. I tell you, they've been at this off and on for two decades. You'd think they'd have settled things by now."

You, Sid, don't really remember crap about politics. It's not your cup of tea.

On the other hand, you've been all over the islands in the region, and know this one like the back of Pengu's head. Worral sits upon a rocky spit in the north, overlooking the smaller Isle Barvu to the northwest, and the tiny Isle Kelet to the northeast. His keep is little more than a tower of stone, surrounded by the village of his ancestral House. Tower and town share the same name - Lunreed, after the hardy native flora that grows in abundance in the area, and one of the primary exports to fill his coffers. Lunreed is a cane plant, white as the moon in appearance, and serves as a healthy astringent when processed properly. It brings a handsome price for being such a simple item.

To the south Talley occupies the southern edges of the Nogewood, the spruce and fur forest that dominates the midlands of the island. The trees his men cut for lumber for their ships and for export. The wood is milled upon Sweetwater Run, the sole 'river' on the island, the watershed coming of the highlands farther south. Talley's seat and the largest settlement on the island sits at Sweetwater Run. It also hosts the largest market on the island, drawing mainlanders to haggle over the island's copper, amber, and - yes - Worral's Lunreed.

In between the Spit and the Nogewood lie three primary settlements - North to South they are Pegrenfyfe - a quiet and prosperous farming community generally under Worral's sway, Dagensep - a seaside settlement flush with fishing, smuggling, and brothels, and Skocor itself, handles the mine and most of the basic smelting, lacking the sophistication found in Sweetwater.

As to the island history. You're generally considered to be at the ass-end of civilization, though near enough to a moderate trade route that you sometimes get the odd overflow of goods, lost shipping, or even a pirate refuge. Come to think of it, that *might* have been Talley's House origins, but you can't be sure. Might be just rumor, bad press by Worral's men.

Dook wrote:I over hear the conversation from inside the house. Sounds like Roffram.

I put meh vest on and throw on meh hat. I grab meh handmade pipe and stuff the tobacco in it. I head outside and light the tobacco. I meet meh eyes with Roffram and gesture a nod in his direction.

I puff on my pipe and expertly blow some rings. I walk towards Roffram. The sun piercing down on meh scales and I don't mind it too much.

"Talley's arses scumaging again? Damn blokes. We'll throw in some extra for your men, free of coin. Let your men have there fill and secure yeh business. How are you meh friend?", I say in my deep, gruff voice.

"Much obliged. Can't much complain. Talley, you know." As if that's explanation enough. On the islands, it usually was.

Dook wrote:I take one last drag before I dump the tobacco out. I blow out the smoke with a sigh. "Best stay under the radar. We don't need any unwanted arse's on this farm. Remember what happened to the unlucky soul that crossed Pengu's path that one time?"

"The feck is a radar?"

Jamros Mageblood wrote:"Let the Lords come, I'll gladly put a bolt in their coin purse. I'm sure it would make the Old One pleased if nothing else..praise Cthulhu."

Roffram makes a sign of the Star over his heart. "Blessed Be, sonny! Don't go spilling that jibbering nonsense around! You'll bring a curse on us all!" Roffram is ardent in his protest. Folks don't generally get along with... well, the Otherworldly sort.

"Curse you? Seems you don't need me to bring you misfortune, but whatever you say." I help load the meat into the cart. "We may need to up our security if raiders are beings paid to steal rations." I investigate the cart when Roffram isn't looking to see if there is anything of value we could snatch as a bonus.

Jamros Mageblood wrote:"Curse you? Seems you don't need me to bring you misfortune, but whatever you say." I help load the meat into the cart. "We may need to up our security if raiders are beings paid to steal rations." I investigate the cart when Roffram isn't looking to see if there is anything of value we could snatch as a bonus.

You find nothing of value. (6 Investigation)
You also don't seem to feel the cold. (Nat 20 Con Save)

[DM: Great Old One warlock patrons are the creepiest out there, tends to put people off worse than devils and fiends even. So, ya know, going around saying "Praise Cthulu" is going to put you in some interesting situations from time to time...]

I decide to put on my clothes and make myself suitable for normal work. Telepathically to Sid, "Nothing of value in the cart, get his meat and he can be gone."

We load up the meat and the containers of blubber. "We are all cursed upon this island with the Lords in a feud. Bryan, quit with that shite. You know how Roffram is when you start talkin' of the Old Ones."

I finish loading the supplies. And calculate up the cost [To DM, you can determine how much penguin meat and blubber costs]

"Well, I wish you well on your journey back, Roffram, we'll send a wagon to the mine in a fortnight with another order if you'd like."

"I don't like the idea of people stealing from our customers, good as it may be for business. Any idea where these bandits ran off to with your food? I'd be inclined to pay them a visit, and "persuade" them not to show their faces again." I grin, fiddling with my lucky silver coin. It is strung on a small chain wrapped around my wrist; this also happens to be my arcane focus.

To Bryan: "Aye, we could make sure that they don't come after us. If they are gathering supplies, they might come for our penguins. I don't want to lose poor Pengu."