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gambithq · 3 years

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CATELIA, THE RINGED ISLE

An island just off the eastern coast of Haelion, Catelia lies just south of the Haelion desert only a short boat ride from the coast. The city is famous for its colorful buildings and its sprawling canals, in place of roads, connecting each of the island’s three rings to one another. The outer ring of Catelia, called merdociara, or “the Merchant’s circle,” is home to shops and stalls selling famously delicious food and sturdy, well-crafted supplies; the second ring of Catelia, called arziciara, or “the Artist’s circle,” is the source of some of Haelion’s most beautiful museums and talented artist’s collectives; the third ring of Catelia, called politiciara, or “the Noble’s circle,” is home to Catelia’s substantial noble class and their intricately decorated estates.

Of course, Catelia is as dangerous as it is beautiful: infamous for the warring political factions of its powerful noble families, the city is constantly caught in an elaborate war of intrigue far beyond the comprehension of most of its citizens, who end up becoming collateral damage in the wake of a near-constant string of shifting allegiances and coups d’état. After all, the thing Catelia is most famous for aside from its gorgeous canals is its highly competent and highly mercenary Assassin’s Guild. Catelian assassins are highly regarded and well respected, bringing honor to their families even as they forsake their names and renounce all family ties upon entering the guild to train. It is commonly said that the canals of Catelia run red with blood in the night—and nothing you’ve seen or heard thus far disproves that.

But Catelia isn’t just a convenient stop along the coast to resupply after a stint in the harsh desert. It is also home to a prime target for ferreting out both information and valuable items to steal. And the Gambit happens to be arriving in town just in time for one of the Catelian nobles’ largest parties—and easiest marks—of the year.

THE VERDICCI FAMILY’S ANNUAL MASKED BALL

The Verdicci family is one of the lower noble families in Catelia—high enough to have plenty of power but low enough that no one is vying to overtake them any time soon, a comfortable middle spot that allows them to live in the lap of luxury without too much fear for their heads. The matriarch of the family, Eliara Verdicci, loves any excuse she can find to flaunt her wealth and relatively safe status, inviting nobles from across the politiciara and neighboring cities to attend her annual masquerade ball.

With the extensive guest list and general easy chaos of such a large event, all the Gambit will need to charm their way in are appropriate costumes: the fanciest clothing possible and, of course, a mask. Once inside, they’ll have access not only to every noble in the city to pick pockets and uncover secrets, but also to Eliara’s secure art collection, rare books library, and a vault of valuable jewels and artifacts.

There are several possible leads that Gambit members attending the masquerade may follow up on:

1. LOOSE LIPS. Between the Catelian nobles and wealthy diplomats from nearby cities, a number of important people will be in attendance—people with a wealth of far-reaching information, and possibly the promise of further jobs, further marks, and perhaps some desperately longed for secrets. A charming face and a keen ear will find no trouble circulating the party to gather information; you hardly even have to know the right questions to ask. ( REWARD: valuable secrets ) OVID & ZHENYA

2. DEEP POCKETS. By around a third of the way through the party, most of the distinguished guests should be too intoxicated to be keeping close track of their possessions. Never has a pocket been easier to pick, nor so full. If you have some extra time, try the coat room—you never know what you might find in there. ( REWARD: up to 270 tal or valuable items of equivalent value ) OPEN

3. ANCIENT TOMES. The Verdicci family library is the pet project of Elaria’s wife Marialena, who inherited the project from Elaria’s mother, through a line tracing back generations. The lofty, ceilinged room is full to the brim of incredibly rare tomes kept safely behind charmed glass, and the value of these targets are two-fold: there are books in here that people would pay a fortune for, but there is also information most would consider lost to time, trapped away here where no one else can read them. ( REWARD: up to 350 tal in rare books or information from said books ) DARCASSIAN & ZHENYA

4. DARK SECRETS. Among the books in the library, one in particular stands out: a very recent acquisition, the book is rumored to be cloaked in shadow and—if you believe the tales—to have come from another world altogether, its cover made from strange material no one has seen before, its pages of flesh, or impossibly thin vellum, or blood-red parchment, depending on who you ask. The Nightmare Tome, whispers call it, and they say it belonged to the Lord of Nightmares, taken mortal form. ( REWARD: The Nightmare Tome and information ) ESKAREL & HEPHIREUS & LUCKY

5. DEALER’S CHOICE. Eliara is a renowned collector and dealer of fine art, and hosts a significant collection of her own in a private museum on the top floor of the mansion. The museum is open for browsing during the party, so in order to secret away a piece or two, you’ll either need to be particularly stealth—or you’ll need a way to blend in. ( REWARD: up to 350 tal in rare art ) OPEN

6. HIDDEN VAULT. Somewhere deep in the basement of the mansion lies the hidden entrance to a magically secure vault which is said to house the Verdicci fortune, all in jewels and rare artifacts. If you can find the vault’s location and get in without setting off the spelled lock keeping it sealed, no one should be around to notice you taking whatever you please. ( REWARD: up to 350 tal in jewels and non-magical artifacts ) CASSIAN & TATSUO

7. INTERFERENCE. While the rest of the Gambit does what they can to extract every bit of value from the ball, at least two people will need to serve as their eyes and ears, running interference to keep them from being discovered. Circulate the party, make sure no one suspects your friends, and have a lovely time enjoying the food, drink, and entertainment on offer while you’re at it. ( REWARD: a cut of the spoils, up to 130 tal ) CALLIOPE & GWYN

OUT OF CHARACTER

Thanks to news of the Masquerade gathered by Ovid from a Catelian noble in Fahyrst, Catelia is as good a place as any to restock on food and supplies after the brief trek south through the edge of the Haelion desert. A ferry will take the Gambit from the coast to the island, where they will spend about four days before continuing south along the coast. A shop inventory of items available for purchase in the city can be found below the cut – please message the main if you would like to purchase anything while in town.

In addition to the Masquerade-specific missions listed above, further missions in and around Catelia can be found below the cut. To claim a mission, please post the title of the mission and the two characters claiming the mission in the #mission-claims channel on discord. Catelia missions should, to the best of your ability, wrap up around the 13th of June.

MISSIONS

1. PROTECTION RACKET. Marzara Morducci, a nobleman in one of the highest houses of Catelia, is seeking two bodyguards to escort his teenage son to their countryside villa a short ways from the coast on the mainland; Morducci has received credible threats on his family’s life from Catelian assassins, not to mention the usual monsters and bandits found on the road between the coast and the villa, and he is willing to pay through the nose to ensure his brat of a son arrives safely. ( REWARD: 120 tal ) OPEN

2. A TRAINEE’S TRICK. Melodiae Myrdo, a young trainee at the assassin’s guild, has a problem: as a part of her training, she needs to convincingly fake her own death well enough to fool the guild’s examiners. Unsure of how to proceed, she asks for your help planning and executing the task, which should be as bloody and spectacular as possible. ( REWARD: 75 tal ) ADRIK & ANTNAR

3. THE MASKED MENACE. A number of merchants in the merdociara have reported their most valuable items being stolen in the night, each describing the same strange, masked figure who seems to be able to disappear at will. This rash of thefts has caused merchants to be unusually wary of outsiders, but if their items were to be returned to them and the thief apprehended they would be more than happy to pay whoever helped them for their troubles. ( REWARD: 85 tal ) ANTNAR & BEL

4. A RARE INGREDIENT. Savabella El, a renowned artist known for the vivid colors of their paint and the almost hypnotizing effects their paintings have, is looking for new components to mix into paints to imbue their canvases with magic. They have heard rumor that there are trees, somewhere in the politiciara, that bear fruit whose seeds create a pigment so bright it could blind if not used properly—and they would like you to find some and bring it to them. ( REWARD: 70 tal ) OPEN

5. A ROCKY VOYAGE. Renowned treasure hunter Sar Veden has traveled to Catelia in pursuit of a treasure rumored to lie somewhere deep in the water beyond the island. The waters beyond Catelia are perilous and rocky for several miles beyond the shore, so Veden is hiring a small team who can help him safely navigate beyond the rocks and recover the lost treasure. ( REWARD: a share of the lost treasure ) OPEN

6. A FERRY INFESTATION. The ferry that connects Catelia to the mainland is the only passage onto or off of the island, due to the narrow strait which ordinary boats cannot navigate. Unfortunately, the ferry is currently out of commission due to an infestation of vicious, bipedal frog-like monsters that have taken up residence belowdecks, spitting poison at anyone who dares approach. The ferry’s captain, Luca Attara, is hiring adventurers willing to attempt to shoo them out or exterminate them, to get traffic flowing on and off the island again. ( REWARD: 80 tal ) EZEK & GAVRIL

7. SIREN SIGHTINGS. Several citizens in both the merdociara and the arziciara have claimed to see what they believe to be a siren swimming through the canal between the two rings at night, and the city authorities believe this siren to be responsible for a series of missing persons cases the city has experienced over the past several weeks. For either bringing in the siren responsible or bringing in proof that the siren did not cause these disappearances, there is a steep reward fee being offered. ( REWARD: 95 tal ) BEL & VASHKA

8. A NOBLE ERRAND. A noblewoman named Giacoma Cal is preparing her estate for hosting a diplomatic guest from out of town, and needs someone to fetch a large cask of a very particular fine wine from one of the merchants in the merdociara. She swears the man owes it to her on credit, but he has sent four different servants back to her with refusals, claiming he owes her nothing. Maybe it’s time for a different approach to retrieving the wine for her. ( REWARD: 80 tal ) OPEN

9. A PUZZLING FRESCO. There is a strange fresco in one of the open-air marketplaces in the arziciara, displaying a pattern of interlocking circles, an orange fruit, a blue bird, a diamond of blood red, and a symbol that is said to be the symbol of the no-longer worshipped god of ancient Catelia, Marsei. Legend has it that the fresco is some sort of puzzle, that it opens the way to an ancient temple beneath the stones of the marketplace, and that great treasure lies within... and possibly something much more dangerous. ( REWARD: an impossibly rare artifact ) LUCKY & TATSUO

10. NIGHTMARE PLAGUE. All around the city, strange nightmares have been plaguing the citizens of Catelia in every district and of every class. Shadowy figures seem to appear on their walls as they wake, and disappear as soon as the lights are lit. Those affected report feeling watched—no matter where they go. Desperate for answers, a local doctor has asked for help collecting stories, and hopefully finding a remedy. ( REWARD: 70 tal ) BEL & GWYN & HEPHIREUS

SHOP INVENTORY

if you would like to purchase any gear or supplies from the shops in Catelia, message the main. the following items are available (estimated prices listed):

a masquerade mask ( 5-10 tal )

a custom perfume ( 35 tal )

a rare, old book ( 20 tal )

a fine bespoke outfit ( 25 tal )

a piece of fine jewelry ( 60 tal )

a fine-quality blade ( 95 tal )

an ornate, custom weapon ( 110 tal )

#loc #catelia

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gambithq · 3 years

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FAHYRST WRAP-UP

the sun has finally set on Fahyrst and the Festival of the Endless Day, and—following a lead Ovid picked up from one of the partygoers—they will be traveling to Catelia, the Ringed Isle, a ten day trip south along the Haelion coast, through the edges of the desert. new members may join the Gambit during this ten day trek or once the party arrives in Catelia.

the location post for Catelia will be posted at 5pm EST today, and will include information about the city, information about the Gambit’s job there, and extra missions in and around the city. missions can be claimed in the #mission-claims channel on discord—there should be enough for roughly every character to have one mission related to the job and one outside mission, though if more are needed, I will add them at a later date.

please take a look at the rewards from any Fahyrst missions you completed, and add these rewards, and anything purchased in Fahyrst, to the gear section of your shipper. all members of the Gambit are now considered level 3-4, so feel free to add new skills and abilities to your shipper as appropriate.

#fahyrst

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gambithq · 3 years

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the swarmkeeper

name: antnar do’ervs gender, pronouns: cis man, he/him race: drow alignment: chaotic neutral age: 300 faceclaim: avan jogia

STR (10) DEX (15) CON (13) INT (11) WIS (12) CHA (08)

Through the Underdark, the drow and his swarm have made a respectable living finding things lost and want to be found. Some may take to the tunnels and caverns as dreary and horrifying, but Antnar calls them home, a welcomed respite from the colder, harsher prison he once endured, a mistake he committed as a desperate man, struggling to support his now estranged lover and their young daughter. It was meant to be a life-changing quest from a strange-looking elf: Find the half-abandoned gnome workshop, and retrieve some sort of armor. That unfortunately did not end well, and Antnar found himself moments from death, floating face-down in a lake by another, to whom he will forever be grateful.

Antnar firmly believes in the old adage of “Live and Let Live.” To him, meddling in the more intimate affairs of other people is a great way to get squashed like a bug, and still, he always ends up meddling in the more intimate affairs of other people. Like moth to flame. He’s also quick to remind them he could kill them in their sleep, though. Or just put centipedes in their bedroll. Sometimes, he gives voice to the whispers of his swarm, which no one else but him alone is privy to.

Despite no longer identifying as a thief, Antnar still can’t help but pocket any trinket or coin he comes across, no matter how worthless. To him, it’s but a force of habit, though deep within, far from his own knowledge, the crossing of lines is a remembrance of what he used to have, memories he can no longer find his way back to.

played by Joe

#char #swarmkeeper

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gambithq · 3 years

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the relentless

name: eskarel, formerly istraen-ilir gender, pronouns: genderless, he/they race: nightmare alignment: lawful evil age: ancient faceclaim: lewis tan

STR (13) DEX (15) CON (11) INT (10) WIS (08) CHA (12)

Of all the horrors lurking between sleep and waking - and there are so very many - few are so direct, so primal, as the chase. A crack of branches; a rustle of leaves. Then, the scrambling, wild-eyed rush to escape, from something, somewhere, too far to quite see, too close to comprehend, hot-breathed and hungry. Always gaining, unshakeable. Doom, snapping at your heels. Even beasts have such dreams, running helplessly in their slumber. And so it’s no surprise, is it, that this ancient terror was among the first dreamlings to claw their way into being. Summoned into substance by Carsvad, Lord of Nightmares, Istraen-Ilir haunted the Plane of Dreams with all the menace of every primeval predator, lapping up the fear of any unlucky enough to stumble into their endless hunting grounds. In all those ageless eons, there was never any shortage of prey.

When it came to companions, though… most dreamlings were meager things, compared to them. Footsoldiers, in Carsvad’s campaigning armies, while they were a nightmare of rank. Truly, they cared only for their most uncanny colleague: Kaiveth-Khad, a crafter of magics as subtly unsettling as Istraen-Ilir’s were simply vicious. Masters of their sinister sorcery, these dreamlings strode before the rest of their kind, into their Lord’s graces. Or, so it seemed. But even Carsvad could fear, and as the ages turned and its grandest generals grew ever mightier, their Lord began to scheme how best to set them at one another’s throats. It wasn’t terribly difficult to stoke their ambitions into a roaring rivalry. And yet, Istraen-Ilir never imagined that Kaiveth-Khad would, or could, be the one to send them shattered into the dark and empty sleep of death. They were dreamt into existence again, as nightmares are, of course. And they awoke to fury.

So it began - eons of eyes for eyes, flesh for flesh, so far as either of them had matter to take their revenge on. But, perhaps Carsvad’s cruel trick worked too well. Consumed by their own warring, the Nightmare Lord’s once most-dedicated creations were unable to defend that dark throne. They felt its emptiness, though, as their Lord was cast out. Where to? Istraen-Ilir would find the answer, hunt their master out and restore it to its rightful, terrible place - and be prized again, the most dreadful of nightmares. Slipping through the planar veils, they became what they had to - material, how wretched - to follow the trail. Eskarel may not be the god he is, not in the Fade, but he’s certain he’ll be more than enough to track their Lord down. That is, after all, such stuff as his dreams are made on.

played by Gray

#char #relentless

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gambithq · 3 years

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the restless

name: hephireus, formerly kaiveth-khad gender, pronouns: genderless, she/they race: nightmare alignment: chaotic evil age: ancient faceclaim: zoe kravitz

STR (08) DEX (11) CON (12) INT (13) WIS (10) CHA (15)

In ancient times the Great Old Ones bore witness to the rise of Carsvad, most nefarious of night terrors. With a legion of nightmares of its own creation, it seized the Plane of Dreams and declared itself regent. Now it steals through the dreams of sleepers to see what new dreamlings might be called forth - bitter, desperate creatures clawing for life. And one night it encounters an uncanny valley: the dream of familiar faces that speak unfamiliar tongues, living things with neither breath nor warmth in them. Kaiveth-Khad. Their name is a hiss from lips of stone, their face a fantasy of a thousand eldritch eyes. They hide in plain sight from unsuspecting dreamers to better reveal the farce of the waking world, a nightmare of burning revulsion and self-loathing. And they serve only the Lord of Nightmares.

But they do not serve alone. Even nightmares long for kindred spirits, and Istraen-Illir is such a one. Shoulder to shoulder they rise above the petty rivalries of other dreamlings, quick to become the favoured servants of the Lord of Nightmares. Threatened by their power, Carsvad lavishes praise on Istraen-Illir’s accomplishments, and the seeds of doubt and envy thrive in Kaiveth-Khad’s jealous mind. Perhaps there can only be one favourite. They take the bait and lure their sworn brother to the Eventide Plains, the darkest hour of endless night, when they are strongest; it’s absurdly easy to kill the only one they might have loved. Easier still to kill again, when Istraen-Illir resurrects.

Vengeance and grief and the clash of blades are distraction enough for rival dreamlings to breach the fortress of the Nightmare Lord and banish it from this realm. Kaiveth-Khad and Istraen-Illir drop their blades and give chase, through the elemental and ethereal planes, finding themselves at last in the Fade. They hide in plain sight, as is their wont, behind a mortal form with cold eyes. And they choose their own name at last. Hephireus sleeps with her eyes open, if she can be said to sleep at all. She keeps her silver tongue, and loses all but the most rudimentary magic of a young dreamling. They have never been so trapped, but patience, patience. A reward awaits them.

played by Char

#char #restless

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gambithq · 3 years

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the admiral

name: wyndom “the cold” kind gender, pronouns: trans man, he/him race: ice genasi alignment: lawful neutral age: 47 faceclaim: tobias menzies

STR (13) DEX (10) CON (11) INT (15) WIS (08) CHA (12)

there are no choices in his life. born into a long line of naval officers, serving the vast, ruthless realm of Bleaklow in the frozen tundra of Haelion, from the first moments of his life––still, quiet, cold––warmth is a rare thing, something that feels foreign, when it is found. a blessing from the permafrost, he’s called, a gift from the god Ulegelu, the Lord in the Ice, a sign his family’s service to god and country were being rewarded, elemental amongst humans. Wyndom is raised as close to royalty as someone might be in a realm of equals, planetouched, blessed, but with purpose. still, he follows the footsteps of every other ancestor before him with a sort of blind ardor, rises easily through the ranks of Bleaklow’s navy, except with the power of the ice itself on his side. there is no resting on the laurels he was born with, though, and his years of service are marked by hard work, a sense of focus that seems inhuman, is inhuman, with it a coldness that matches, respect garnered through a strange combination of tradition and otherness.

his reputation proceeds him, wherever he goes, not just defending Bleaklow, but conquering the ships that threaten their peace, hunting down those who are against the Lord in the Ice. he’s as ruthless as the realm he was born in, gifted his own ship, along with command of the fleets, after a war hard won on the treacherous waters of the Rift. the Grief of the Cold, it’s called, along with his own monicker, bestowed from elemental abilities aiding the victory. and then he nearly loses it to pirates, making a mistake he vows never to allow again, underestimating the untrained, the unlawful. it becomes an obsession, these pirates, one that those around him become more and more uncomfortable with; he calls it a divine mission from Ulegelu, they call it delirium. he knows they’re right. and yet that does nothing to stop the strange fire lit within him.

it’s a diplomaticmeeting that changes it. asked to meet face to face with his enemy, Bleaklow’s enemy, to stop a pointless war, the one deemed worthy of stopping the Cruel Return, ordained by god himself, after all. and it feels like supreme irony from the Lord in the Ice that it comes to a meeting, when he wants a fight, but he does what is expected, as he always has. only when they meet, face to face with this Will of the Rift for the first time, he meets their eyes, and suddenly it all feels wrong. there is no personal malice to what they do, simply the need to survive in a world that didn’t give them the benefit of purpose without choice. and it makes him wonder if purpose without choice really has been a benefit. and then, there is a choice. the choice between his men, and them, and for the first time, he has the chance to choose for himself, instead of every moment preordained. and so he chooses them. and how strange it is that they choose him, too. and he chooses them again and again after that, chooses them over god, and country, exiled to repent, repentance he doesn’t feel that he needs, as long as he’s with Ezek. will continue choosing them until his last breath, no matter what that means, even if it’s a life traveling without home besides their arms.

played by Roman

#char #admiral

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gambithq · 3 years

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the corsair

name: ezekiel “ezek” kind gender, pronouns: agender, they/them race: half human, half selichiad alignment: true neutral age: 53 faceclaim: toby stephens

STR (13) DEX (10) CON (11) INT (08) WIS (15) CHA (12)

they are born on the sea. on a merchant ship crossing the treacherous waters of the Rift, ferrying goods back and forth between the continents, barely stopping to do more than unload on either side. they spend a childhood and beyond on their parents’ ship, more familiar with the rocking of the waves than they will ever be with the unsettling stillness of static ground. their mother tells them they were born with a storm in their blood and the sea in their heart and they never question her, because they can’t imagine ever wanting to be anywhere but here.

their parents die, because parents die. their parents die and, suddenly saddled with the finances involved in their little trade operation, they suddenly understand why their parents never stopped in the port cities they delivered to overnight: a berth at a dock is cheaper than a room, and their parents were absolutely broke. making ends meet by taking out loans they could never afford to repay. hounded by loansharks, desperate for food, unable to operate the ship on their own, Ezek does what any sane seaman would do: raise a new flag, re-christen their parents’ boat after a legendary pirate ship, The Cruel Return, and find a crew willing to threaten, steal, and kill. they become a pirate—the Will of the Rift, destroying more ships in their wake than the tides or the beasts or the shoals.

the mutiny shouldn’t come as a surprise. they get... distracted, after all. distracted by politics, making negotiations with an army that their crew cannot abide. distracted by the strange, cold man who boards their ship to make these negotiations. distracted by everything that comes after. it shouldn’t come as a surprise when their first mate holds them at swordpoint and tells them to go, and never to return. they lost their crew’s trust, after all; they would have done the same, in her position. it’s a betrayal they feel to their core, but they know their crew feels the sting of it all the worse. still: they hardly know how to walk on still land, after all these years. hardly know how to live without the salt-sweet spray of the Rift. there are other ports, far from the Rift. there are other boats. but none of them are Ezek’s. none of them are the Cruel Return.

played by Christine

#the corsair #char

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