OD&D in-character thread

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OOC: Would Cosar know how likely the Orcs are to break Waylon's mind control and roughly how long it would last? i.e. does he know something equivalent to Charm Person's description in Book 1?
Cosar is a higher-level magic-user but what spells does he know?
 
OOC: Only Hold Portal and Sleep. I was wondering if in the setting a wizard would typically have passive knowledge of the effects of spells he can't perform.
 
OOC: Only Hold Portal and Sleep. I was wondering if in the setting a wizard would typically have passive knowledge of the effects of spells he can't perform.
He might have a vague idea from having seen his superiors cast it. He thinks it may last a few hours at most, but he's not quite certain.
 
He might have a vague idea from having seen his superiors cast it. He thinks it may last a few hours at most, but he's not quite certain.
oh I was assuming OD&D rules for charm person is that not what we are using? If so what are we using.
 
oh I was assuming OD&D rules for charm person is that not what we are using? If so what are we using.
We are, but Cosar does not have perfect knowledge of the spell as he has not yet learned it.
 
"Or perhaps," Sarbaturi says, "we understand that the Tower of Zaporizhio is the root cause of the wickedness that allows the ogre and his vile cultists to flourish and, unlike you, we are not frivolous and do not get distracted from our goals by every shiny object we come across. Eliminating the curse of Zaporizhio is of paramount importance. We will guide you to the red rocks and then you can march to your doom alongside treacherous orcs like the fools you are. If you believe the orcs will keep their word, more power to you."
Cosar understands the sense in what they're saying, but if Waylon's spell manages to hold long enough it could be worth it.

"What exactly is in the tower if you know?" he says to the Elves "Or at least do you think the lot of us stand a decent chance of triumphing as we are?"
 
Cosar understands the sense in what they're saying, but if Waylon's spell manages to hold long enough it could be worth it.

"What exactly is in the tower if you know?" he says to the Elves "Or at least do you think the lot of us stand a decent chance of triumphing as we are?"
"Cruel inventions of an evil mind with bizarre intentions and a warped morality. The products of compacts with demons and dealings with devils. Fetid, vile, immoral things that creep and crawl in the darkness. We only know from ancient writings, for none who has entered the tower has ever returned. Some say those who enter go mad and are transformed into rabid, bloodthirsty monsters themselves. As for our chances, who can say? But there is no telling what fortune awaits should we prevail," says Crocefissa.
 
"So you know nothing. But whatever it is, we still stand a better chance with the help of the orcs than without. If my friend Boyan was here, he would have told you as much, ans way more clearly than I can...but I can only do so much to persuade you", Cacoy answered.
"Of course, don't let logic stand in the way of your hate. It would be so...un-Elvish!"
 
Seri eyes the orcs nervously... she turns to the tall ones engaged in argument.

“Alright, what are we doing, folks?”
 
"Why killing an Ogre then destroying a tower. Do you happen to know if ogres wake up early or stay up late? How about the orcs. I know all this walking is making me beat. Perhaps we should rest a night and tackle this is the morning while they're all sleeping." Waylon says.
 
"Why killing an Ogre then destroying a tower. Do you happen to know if ogres wake up early or stay up late? How about the orcs. I know all this walking is making me beat. Perhaps we should rest a night and tackle this is the morning while they're all sleeping." Waylon says.
"Ogres are diurnal, like humans. We orcs are crepuscular but can function day or night," says Abnegar. "If you want to attack while Hokkam sleeps, we should wait until nightfall."
 
Waylon looks askew at Abnegar and says "I think I've sorely underestimated orcs. You're vocabulary is quite impressive."
 
"Yeah, let's wait for nightfall and finish off this ogre"
 
“Good idea. Let’s set a trap for the big son of a bitch.”
 
"Eh hemm!" Waylon clears his throat.
"No doubt you're a boon to your race, at least in comparison. But they can't even see that!"
Cacoy turns to the others snd nods.
"I agree with that plan. Let's attack in the night! How hard would it be to approach the place where he sleeps?"
 
"I wish I had the time this morning to prepare my magics. Would an attack tomorrow evening be possible or is there a time pressure I'm unaware of forcing us to act tonight?" Waylon asks the group.
 
"We will be missed if we don't return by morning, and probably search parties will be sent to scour the trails to find what has become of us," says Abnegar, "but that could possibly be advantageous as well, for it would mean fewer orcs in the caves. Unfortunately I have never been deep enough into the caves to tell you the exact location of Hokkam, for he allows no orcs, not even Chief Mogresh, past a certain depth. It is said he communes with demons there, but I can't speak to that."
 
"Hmm is this Ogre unusual smart by any chance?" Waylon asks
 
"Hmm is this Ogre unusual smart by any chance?" Waylon asks
"I would compare him favorably to your present company," Abnegar says while looking directly at Sarbaturi and then Crocefissa, "no offense intended. But no more intelligent than you or I. As you can see by my drawing, my literacy is poor as I never attained much formal education, but my native intelligence is, all false modesty aside, superior to most."
 
"I see the beginnings of an excellent working relationship Abnegar. We can work on your literacy. Now my studies usually placed ogres at the lower end of mental faculties. If this one is truly as smart as we are, and I have no reason to doubt you my good friend, then we should assume he will be smart enough to use a portion his orc companions as night guards. After all I assume you, like I, would do something similar. Fighting as we both know has inherent risks associated with it. If possible I would like to reduce said risks. We must confront the ogre and violently I suspect to release his grip on your people. How likely would you wager his evening guards are to take a bribe or otherwise be convinced to abandon their post? As you all seem quite reasonable I would like to do my best to avoid causing casualties to your brethren unless they simply won't see reason to falling in line with you. Don't you agree? As an aside would you be amenable to me calling you Abe? I must admit you've caught me a bit flatfooted. Until today I would have written any prolonged contact with orcs off as an exercise in torture but you have convinced me I would have been wrong. You should be proud as I do believe that is only the 12th time in my considerable years that I can concur I was or would be in error." Waylon says complimentary
 
"I see the beginnings of an excellent working relationship Abnegar. We can work on your literacy. Now my studies usually placed ogres at the lower end of mental faculties. If this one is truly as smart as we are, and I have no reason to doubt you my good friend, then we should assume he will be smart enough to use a portion his orc companions as night guards. After all I assume you, like I, would do something similar. Fighting as we both know has inherent risks associated with it. If possible I would like to reduce said risks. We must confront the ogre and violently I suspect to release his grip on your people. How likely would you wager his evening guards are to take a bribe or otherwise be convinced to abandon their post? As you all seem quite reasonable I would like to do my best to avoid causing casualties to your brethren unless they simply won't see reason to falling in line with you. Don't you agree? As an aside would you be amenable to me calling you Abe? I must admit you've caught me a bit flatfooted. Until today I would have written any prolonged contact with orcs off as an exercise in torture but you have convinced me I would have been wrong. You should be proud as I do believe that is only the 12th time in my considerable years that I can concur I was or would be in error." Waylon says complimentary
"It would depend on the bribe, naturally," says Abnegar. "Perhaps if we gave them the hobbit and the exceptionally homely one--" he points at Seri and Pustar "--they would find it more to their liking to roast a meal over a spit than to guard the caves."
 
Waylon nods "I can see how that might entice them..."
 
Waylon nods "I can see how that might entice them..."
"I doubt either of those two would agree, though. Maybe we should go hunting today, and catch them a bribe?", Cacoy suggests. "That would give us tomorrow morning to rest, and for you to prepare your magics. And then we could attack tomorrow evening."
 
Pustar, having had his fill of both elves and orcs, amuses himself by imagining some of the more excruciating torments that await both heathen races in the bowels of the seven hells.

By Theona's hairy armpits I pray that they all get precisely the rewards they deserve... he thinks to himself.
 
Almost as if reading Pustar's mind, Waylon daydreams of reading rare and powerful occult texts while being bathed by nubile young elves and guarded by muscular orcs....
 
If possible I would like to reduce said risks. We must confront the ogre and violently I suspect to release his grip on your people. How likely would you wager his evening guards are to take a bribe or otherwise be convinced to abandon their post?
"If worst comes to worst, I could subdue some or possibly all of their number with my sleep magics"
 
"If worst comes to worst, I could subdue some or possibly all of their number with my sleep magics"
"You overestimate your ability to bore a man to sleep. While you're conversation has been far from scintillating so far it hasn't reached the level of boring me to tears let alone sleep." Waylon replies to Cosar.
 
"You humans amaze me. You live such short frantic lives. And yet what I learned in fifty years at mage school prepared me only slightly better than you. Granted I also trained for twenty five years with the blade and the obligatory forty years in Elvish poetry, heraldry, pottery, five spice cooking, whittling, and others. I suppose when you take sixteen hours out of each day to practice meditation it does eat into your study time. Well whatever. When we have time we should swap knowledge. " Waylon says aimlessly
 
"Exchanging knowledge, you say? Gladly", Cacoy nods. "When we have both time and safer wasters, I'd like to see how elven sword moves would fare against the Eight True Wards school".
 
"Right then, so we wait for nightfall. Head in, see if we can bribe the guards or similar. If not magics and violence?"
 
"Right then, so we wait for nightfall. Head in, see if we can bribe the guards or similar. If not magics and violence?"
"Well that's a nice order of operations. My understanding of people who explore the larger world is they generally prefer the reversed order. Violence as a last resort is a refreshing change of pace. Now we'll see if it's truly a last resort or if current public pressure has simply forced lip service to the other two options.." Waylon says amused with himself.
 
"You seem to only be acquainted with unexperienced explorers, then!", Cacoy observed.
 
"You seem to only be acquainted with unexperienced explorers, then!", Cacoy observed.
"I believe the innkeeper I learned most of this from refered to them as 'murderhobos'. He seemed quite glad they moved on to 'help' another city.". He replies.
 
"No doubt, and they've probably died already, too. There's always enough violence you can't avoid. If you add to it, you're waiting for the lucky strike. Probably in a fight you could have avoided in the first place".
 
I'm quietly monitoring to let you play it out as you will. Once you've decided on a course of action--or I get a good wandering monster roll--I'll update. :devil:
 
"OK, where shall we make a camp while we're waiting?"
 
As your group dithers as to how best to proceed and where best to camp, you hear a sort of buzzing sound, reminiscent of hummingbird wings, descend from the dark forest canopy, and soon see a swarm of strange flying bird-like creatures resembling a cross between a mosquito and a bat, with reddish-brown plumage, yellow feet and eyes, and long pink needle-like proboscises. It's difficult to determine the number due to their small size and fast flight, but you think there must be at least two dozen of the things and they'll be upon you in but a moment.
 
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