Campaign Notes 11-28-2011

As Ma Lian threw her fish-oil covered robes overboard, the members of the Grimani goon squad who had been knocked into the water and were still conscious struck out desperately for the canal's embankments. The reason for their haste soon became known as Ma Lian's robes - and an unconscious goon - were yanked underwater, only to reappear a few seconds later torn to shreds. As the goons on the bridge hurled paving stones down onto the boat, two pairs of slick, humanoid hands grasped the side of the boat and shook. It soon became apparent that the boat was under assault by a pair of merfolk.

While Periander moved to the prow of the gondola and began hacking apart the net holding them under the bridge, Katsuo scaled one of the ropes left by the goon squad and threw knives at the goons, wounding their leader. However, he was soon knocked back down into the boat, and another round of paving stones stove a hole in the bottom. Periander managed at last to tear a hole in the net wide enough for the gondola to slip through, and the bridge and goons were left behind, but the party still had to drive the gondola to the side of the canal before it sank.

Tsura used her command of the First Tongue to speak with the merfolk, who were happy to explain that after they had killed the people on the boat they would get fish, but summarily refused her counter-offer. The two merfolk used a variety of methods to harass the boat in its progress, from stealing the gondolier's rowing pole, to grabbing at people through the hole in the bottom, to punching additional holes in the bottom of the boat, but the party nevertheless managed to steer to shore and jump out just before the boat sank into the canal. Fortunately for them, they landed in a neighborhood friendly to the Dandolos and were able to proceed to the Doge's palace on foot without further incident. They were awarded 3 gold pieces each as promised, and an additional 5 gold pieces for the information that Grimani's man Luca the Heartless has merfolk allies.

That evening, during a night out on the town, the party happened on a tavern where a masked man was playing what Tsura recognized as Turathi music. When Janissary soldiers entered the bar and made inquiries about the whereabouts of a certain Turathi man, the musician slipped out...

Campaign Notes 11-14-2011

The four characters met on the docks of Venezia. Penniless in a strange city, they set about looking for ways to make money.

Tsura posed as a boy and was given a letter to drop in the stone lion's mouth at the Doge's palace. She unsealed the letter and discovered that Signora Marta Crispo accused Signora Giada Mocenigo of embezzlement. She resealed the letter and delivered it.

Katsuo and Ma Lian learned that there was a lost trunk in the middle of a canal, owned by Lorenzo Venieri. With some effort the four dredged it up and discovered within a draft of a law banning beer and a golden comb. The law was "accidentally" destroyed and the comb returned for a reward.

Periander and Katsuo wrestled in the town square to entertain onlookers. They gained the attention of Signora Ludovica Dandolo.

Katsuo snuck into the house of Giustiniani. He ignored the orichalcum idol in Giustiniani's foyer and entered the hall, where a party was happening. He remained hidden long enough to overhear that Edoardo Giustiniani has a longstanding passion for Giulia Barbaro, before being discovered by Giustiniani's security chief, Ilaria the White. When asked if he was spying for the Pisanis, he replied that he was spying for the gnomes. He was then beaten and kicked out.

The next day, the group encountered agents of Giustiniani trying to form an angry mob to march on the gnomes. Tsura heckled the agents, and the crowd dispersed for the time being. The group then encountered an agent of Ludovica Dandolo who was looking for Periander and Katsuo. She hired them to accompany a messenger as he traveled with important papers from the Dandolo estate to the Doge's palace.

On the way to the palace by gondola, agents of Grimani led by Luca the Heartless dropped a net under a bridge and tried to jump onto the boat. When they were fought off, Luca offered the group double their pay to turn the messenger over to him. They refused, and Luca tossed a bottle of stinking fish oil onto the boat...

Dramatis Personae: the Player Characters

Periander, Minotaur Pankratiast

• Owns a deed to a tower in Ispana
• Met Ma Lian when they had to share a room at an inn

Ma Lian, Hobgoblin Ritualist

• Owns a packet of blue dye powder
• Met Katsuo when they were thrown out of a theater

Katsuo, Yuan-Ti Unspoken

• Owns a small silver mirror
• Met Sura when he traveled with her caravan

Tsura Badi, Halfling Storyteller

• Owns a packet of candied fruit
• Met Periander when they searched for an address in a foreign city

Rituals and Tales, round one

Travelers' Tale
A story of wanderers who always had lightness in their steps.
Level 1 Tale
Time: 10 minutes
Duration: 8 hours
Key Skill: History (no check)
For the ritual's duration, you and up to 8 allies travel more quickly by foot. For the purpose of determining distance traveled in an hour or day, treat the group's speed as that of the slowest ally + 2.

Predict Weather
A reading of the wind and rain, predicting natural changes in the weather.
Level 1 Ritual
Time: 10 minutes
Duration: See below
Key Skill: Nature
The ritual's duration is a number of hours equal to your Nature check result. You accurately predict the natural prevailing wind direction and amount and type of precipitation for each hour of the duration at the location where you perform the ritual. This ritual does not predict supernatural changes in weather.

Change Wind
A burnt offering on your ritual altar induces the wind to change direction.
Level 1 Ritual
Time: 10 minutes
Duration: See below
Key Skill: Nature
Cost: 50 gp
The ritual's effect duration is 10 minutes times the result of your Nature skill check. For the duration of the ritual's effect, the wind at the location where you performed the ritual will blow in a direction of your choice, and up to 20 miles per hour faster or slower than it would have otherwise blown at that time and place.

Call Rain
A libation offered to the spirits of the air causes the clouds to open.
Level 1 Ritual
Time: 10 minutes
Duration: See below
Key Skill: Nature
Cost: 50 gp
The ritual's effect duration is 10 minutes ties the result of your Nature skill check. For the duration of the ritual's effect, the location where you performed the ritual will be subject to precipitation appropriate to the local climate.

Class Hackdown: Storyteller

The Storyteller occupies a privileged role in the lives of the nomadic halflings. They are charged with responsibility for the history of their people - both past and future. By weaving tales in languages and rhythms older than the gods, they are invested with the tiniest fraction of the power of the very first creators, to tell the story of the world.

Role: Leader

Primary Stats: Charisma, Dexterity, Wisdom

Class weapons: One handed melee, one handed ranged
Class armor: Light

HP: 5
Surges: 6 + Con
Defenses: +2 Will

Class perks:

• You have the ability to tell stories in the First Language, and know the Travelers' Tale.
• Once per day, you may converse with other creatures in the First Language. Your conversation will be mutually comprehensible even if you do not share known languages. This effect lasts for 5 minutes.
• You can heal your allies with the power of the Inspiring Tale.

Class powers:

Inspiring Tale

Storyteller Feature

Your story tells of how your ally rallied from the brink of defeat and shook off the attacks of their foes.

Encounter * Arcane, Healing
Minor Action                 Close burst 5

Target: One ally in burst

Effect: The target may spend a healing surge, and also gains a bonus to one defense of your choice equal to your Wisdom modifier until the end of your next turn.

Special: You may use this power twice per encounter, but only once per turn.

Dire Fortune

Storyteller Attack 1

You tell the story of how your enemy will fall prey to their worst nightmares.

At-Will * Arcane, Psychic, Implement
Standard Action                 Ranged 10

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will

Hit: 1 psychic damage, and the target takes a penalty to attack rolls equal to your Dexterity modifier until the end of your next turn.

Mortal Mark

Storyteller Attack 1

You strike a blow against your foe, and describe how the blow that fells them will land in the same place.

At-Will * Arcane, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee weapon

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC

Hit: [W] damage, and the target takes a penalty to a defense of your choice equal to your Dexterity modifier.

End it All

Storyteller Attack 1

Your terrible tale engenders a deep melancholy in your foe. Wracked with fear and doubt, they try to take the easy way out.

Encounter * Arcane, Psychic, Charm
Standard Action                 Ranged 5

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Will

Hit: 1 psychic damage, and the target makes a melee basic attack against themselves with a bonus to the attack roll equal to your Dexterity modifier.

Certain Doom

Storyteller Attack 1

You describe how each foe to be struck by your weapon is sure to die.

Daily * Arcane, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee weapon

Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC

Hit: [W]+1 damage, and the target grants combat advantage to you and your allies until the end of your next turn.

Miss: 1 damage.

Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit an enemy, that enemy grants combat advantage to you and your allies until the end of your next turn.

20 Quick Venezians

Roll once for a quick person, or three times for a more random individual. Table most definitely not balanced for accurate demographics.

1	Francesco	Rossi	Laborer
2	Giulia	Russo	Merchant sailor
3	Allesandro	Ferrari	Glassblower
4	Sofia	Esposito	Lacemaker
5	Andrea	Bianchi	Importer
6	Martina	Romano	Slavetrader
7	Matteo	Colombo	Innkeeper
8	Sara	Ricci	Fisher
9	Lorenzo	Marino	Priest of Bahamut
10	Chiara	Greco	Choirmaster
11	Gabriele	Bruno	Scholar
12	Giorgia	Gallo	Painter
13	Mattia	Conti	Sculptor
14	Aurora	De Luca	Smith
15	Riccardo	Mancini	Shopkeeper
16	Alessia	Costa	Errand runner
17	Davide	Giordano	Beggar
18	Francesca	Rizzo	Thief
19	Luca	Lombardi	Nobility
20	Alice	Moretti	Slave

Things I couldn't have made up about Venice

Getting voted off the island

Any Venetian citizen could accuse someone of misdeeds by writing the denunciation down and slipping it through specially placed "Lion's Mouth" slots in the Palazzo Ducale's walls. While this activity sounds like prime breeding ground for backstabbing, it was a highly regulated procedure. All accusations had to be signed and witnessed, and if they proved merely to be slanderous and not actionable, the would-be denouncer was in serious legal trouble of his own.

Secret corridors of power

The real governing of the Venetian Republic was not done in plain sight. True power was wielded in a network of low-ceilinged, wooden-plank corridors and tiny offices wrapped around the public palace like a clandestine cocoon, the entrances hidden behind secret doors set into all those fancy oil paintings and carved woodwork of the public rooms. Here private secretaries kept records and compiled accusations made against people both lowly and high-placed.

(above excerpted from ReidsItaly)

Government By Paranoia

• The Doge is the elected monarch for life. For this reason, the chosen candidate is usually quite old - don't want him around too long.
• The Major Council is 480 patrician family heads who vote laws into power.
• The Minor Council is 6 advisors to the Doge, chosen by the Major Council to limit his power.
• The Quarantia is a supreme tribunal of 40 members, the final court of appeal in Venice.
• The Council of Ten is a secret group selected from the Major Council who wield most of the real power.
• The Supreme Tribunal of 3 state inquisitors uses secret methods to ensure that no one person rules Venice from behind the scenes. The one red inquisitor is chosen by the Doge, and the two black inquisitors are chosen by the Council of Ten.

Election By Insanity

"New regulations for the elections of the doge introduced in 1268 remained in force until the end of the republic in 1797. Their object was to minimize as far as possible the influence of individual great families, and this was effected by a complex elective machinery. Thirty members of the Great Council, chosen by lot, were reduced by lot to nine; the nine chose forty and the forty were reduced by lot to twelve, who chose twenty-five. The twenty-five were reduced by lot to nine and the nine elected forty-five. Then the forty-five were once more reduced by lot to eleven, and the eleven finally chose the forty-one who actually elected the doge. None could be elected but by at least twenty-five votes out of forty-one, nine votes out of eleven or twelve, or seven votes out of nine electors."

(above excerpted from Wikipedia)