Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

DM Hijack!

This event series has been requested by athornforyourheart and several others, and considered by the DM staff as a whole. We've agreed that this would be an excellent opportunity for players, and a trial of sorts to see if this use of 'MPCs' ("Monster Player Characters") is a possible avenue for roleplay on the server. After speaking with the players intent on this plot, we developed guidelines and rules that the players will have to follow.

MPC characters for the plot can be created, and the DM staff will level up and provide gear for them, locked to the character.

This is to adhere to the 'play your sheet' rule. The players will have characters in their vault that are used exclusively for this plot.

The MPC characters cannot be used outside of the plot.

The MPC's cannot do dungeon runs, or make potions, or use shops outside of the plot of the story. Interactions are fine with the general populace, but they must treat the character as an NPC. By and large, MPCs will not be hanging at the campfire after killing the balor three times.

Further, the players will be creating a new account for this plot. The name and password of this account will be supplied to the DM's and Admins so that they can feel free to edit and add their own posts to the plot line as they do so. This is also so that if there are any issues, the DM staff has the immediate access to go in and amend.

They will be deleted at the end of the plot.

After the plot is over, whether or not they live, they will be deleted.

The plot will run for one month, as a test.

We've placed a degree of trust in these players, and we'll be watching them closely. Depending on how this goes, it may serve as a way for players in the future to run something similar.

Every event has to have a substantial log of the actions and rolls taken place.

DM's are under an obligation to record any serious interaction we have concerning ongoing plots on the server, because we need the documentation for future DMs and future plots. These players will be going to be acting as a DM in a way, so for every single interaction they have as a MPC, we will get documentation of it.

DM's reserve the right to alter the event as needed.

If after reading the logs we note something is off, or has the potential to alter server lore, or if we feel as though it was an incorrect call, we reserve the right to alter it after it happens. If we find something is off, we'll change the plot as we se fit.

Any interaction with non-plot NPCs will have to have a DM in charge of the NPC.

The players are free to interact with the world at large with their MPCs, but NPCs who are not involved in their plot directly must be played by a DM. For example, if the MPCs killed someone in Nashkel, we would play the guards who arrested them if they came back to town, not the players.

What happens in this plot is canon.

What happens, happens. Because the intent behind this endeavor is to have a more regular plot presence among the PCs, it's going to count, whatever they do.

We look forward to this as a possible way for players to run small interactions and plots without the constant need of DM presence, within set limits. We'll be speaking to any and all players involved after it is through, and taking feedback to see if players enjoyed it or not.

If any players have any questions on this, and how it'll stay within the server rules, they are more than welcome to PM me and the staff.

Jones McSteele
Bubba McSteele
Billy McSteele
Bobby McSteele
Grakh McSteele
Jarl McSteele (R.I.P)
Robert McSteele


Ace Harlowe
Aela Whitcross (R.I.P)
Arthur Swann

Copycat

Heart Breaker
Maurik Drakezii (R.I.P)
Radolf Wulfram
Whisper
Locked


Luane Arele
Samuel Mourntalon
Randal Jorn (R.I.P)

((under works, other profiles coming very soon))

TRICKSTERS RETURN: ACT I

The Amn Incident (3 years previously):

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• Aiden is kept at Saerus’ Keep under the authority of Dravolich, a foul entity.

• Aiden escapes Saerus’ Keep and into the wilds of the Small Teeth mountains, with the help of an unknown ally. It is believed Aiden was able to overcome the entity which gave him the will to escape his prison.

• Iolanna finds Aiden dying by the riverside and nurses him back to health.

• Saul Hallowcrest is sent to retrieve Aiden; he comes across Iolanna and questions her. When she refuses to help him, he attacks her. Aiden comes to her rescue and kills Saul. Iolanna encourages vines to grow over the body to return it to the earth.
  Aiden and Iolanna continue to survive in the wilds, eventually making the decision to travel north, back to Bauldr’s Gate.

The Bounty is Delivered:

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• A bounty is posted in Greenest for the arrests of Aiden Vega and Iolanna Arele. The public reception is mixed.

• Aiden is reported to have been brought into the Greenest Inn, bloodied and severely wounded. When Iolanna goes to him, he is nowhere to be found. Iolanna believes him to have been taken.

• Iolanna takes the bloodied sheet to scry with but finds nothing.

• Iolanna contacts Borte Suul and updates her on the situation.

• Rocky Creek Trade Company speaks up on behalf of Aiden and Iolanna, taking down bounties and reminding the locals of Greenest who their friends are. Bounty hunters in greenest now receive much colder receptions and find the locals unhelpful.

The Bounty Hunters Arrive:

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• Gaius first confronts Iolanna and some of the Druids of the Crescent Moon Circle at Silvanus’ Shrine. He tells her that her mother has a counter reward for Iolanna, wishing to bring her back to Amn in order to save the family name. Iolanna escapes with the druids.

• Randal Jorn attacks Iolanna and the druids in the Misty Forest. Holly, Aelenar, Nathriel and Runa are able to get information out of him - but not enough before he is executed, a crossbow bolt fired into his head from unknown origins.

• Iolanna makes contact with Gaius; she feels safe speaking with him outside the Rocky Creek Trade Company. Iolanna pays him off in order to buy time and help her gather information. She first hears of Priscilla and the Sinister 9.

• Iolanna and Gaius discover the last message Aiden had left for Iolanna. It is revealed the scene at Greenest Inn was a ruse. He tells her that Saerus, the Trickster, is the real danger, and he is her greatest liability. Aiden is now in hiding and sending help from afar.

• Iolanna contacts her allies and updates them on the situation.

• The McSteele brothers arrive on the scene led by one, Jones McSteele. The McSteele’s are a makeshift family of rebels and bandits who fall under the helm of bounty hunters. They aren’t the most skilled at their job but their numbers help account for many of their successes.

• Tovah is informed of the dangers present.

• Aaron and Iolanna speak; Gaius, Jackard Marks, and Florena are present. They run into Jones McSteele again and interrogate him. He gives up the name ‘Aela’.

• Jones mentions during his interrogation of the man who signed off on the Bounty. Sameal Mourntalon. He further mentions that Samael might be working for Saerus or have a plan to have Iolanna and Aiden kidnapped and taken to Saerus if recovered.

• Florena manages to track Aela, and gets a lead on how to find her.

• Alyssia is informed of what is going on and begins preparations to fight Saerus. She has researched and prepared a ‘Gaes’ to help protect Vanira and is creating multiple scrolls to protect people’s minds from manipulation. She takes additional steps to discredit the bounty posted in Baulder’s Gate.

• Members of the Radiant Heart are approached by Bobby & Jones McSteele, who attempt to recruit them to their cause. The end result is their being very unsettled by the dwarf. After their failed attempt, the McSteele’s gain a sense of animosity toward the Radiant Heart.

• Aelenar pledges to act as Iolanna’s protector until Aiden can be retrieved.

• Word has gotten out by the McSteeles that Iolanna is to be considered armed and dangerous. All Bounty Hunters are now taking up a more hostile approach to capturing the druidess.

• Io gets a reply from her mom, organising a meeting.

• Blake talks with Nathriel and Holly after meeting the Mcsteeles. He had seen Nathriel argue with Jones the day before and wanted to know more. He learned of the Trickster involvement and warned them to be careful.

• Alyssia has cast the Gaes, in order to protect Vanira done in secret through a protected and soundproof room while Vanira was left unaware devouring a pie. It was done as promised so that she would not know who or when it was cast. She also handed over full scroll cases of Protection from Spells and a wand of Remove Fear.

• Alyssia met with Iolanna and pledged herself to the Druidess of Greenest to see that her love was also not ruined. She made several scrolls of Mind Blank, Protection from Spells, and Etherealness for the Druidess, along with wands of Remove Curse, and Remove Fear.

Confrontations:

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• Avery is confronted by a possessed Jones McSteele. She tried to intimidate her into revealing what Aaron Lyonaler’s weaknesses are but ultimately reveals he already knows and has likely been testing her own instead. She figured out that it could take up to three exorcism spells to rid a person of the Trickster’s influence once possessed.

• Alyssia and Iolanna had a run-in with Jones McSteel in Greenest. He offered Iolanna to come peacefully with handcuffs back to Amn. He let slip that Ace Hawthorne was one of the new ‘Hunters’ that had joined in attempting to acquire the bounty. At first, Alyssia attempted to woo the man until Aaron showed up to remind him that he was not welcome and chased him off again.

• Aaron Lyonaler, Avery, Blake Hightower and Rolas were ambushed in the Northern Farmlands by the McSteele Gang. They had been goaded into giving chase after Jones McSteele threw a rock at Avery in an attempt to injure her. They managed to defeat the ambushers and came into possession of three ‘McSteele Steel’ swords. Jones managed to escape into the woods towards Ulgoths Beard. Bobby stayed to talk to the group and warn them away, informing them of the considerable bounty Captain Morgana Bennet still had on Avery. Grahk is also introduced as the main muscle of the McSteeles. (DM Ghost participation)

• Arthur Swann was seen by the Eastern Farmlands watchtower. He delivered frank messages of warning to Florena to stop hunting Aela, and a warning to Avery that her own bounty (though not legal) was valuable enough that she might be worth leverage or trade for the McSteeles.

• Florena and Nathriel tracked Aela to Soubar. They found her speaking with a McSteele possessed by Saerus, who questioned her conviction, and made her prove it by murdering the McSteele once released. Aela tricked him into drinking poison before escaping the tavern. Nathriel and Florena followed her, luring her outside Soubar. Initially, they attempted to threaten her into speaking. She could not be intimidated or coerced. Nathaniel noticed she was, however, uncertain about Iolanna’s guilt, and used that to leverage information from her. She gave them information on three of the nine still to come: One will change her face all the time, one you won’t see till her arrow is in your neck, and the last, a malarite, who knows the wilderness like any druid. Before they could get more information, Aela was possessed, and very soon died.

• Nathriel returned to examine and bury the body. He found a marking on the back of her neck that may indicate she was linked or tied to Saerus, which may have been how he was able to inflict the spell that killed her during possession.

• Ser Thistle ran into Jarl Mcsteele in Soubar who tried to hire the Blackroses into tracking down and delivering Florena and Nathriel. After some questions, it was revealed Iolanna was the target and wanted for murder. With Amos' previous history with Iolanna the situation with Jarl Mcsteele turned sour which resulted in Jarl being run through by Ser Thistle's sword and his body being dragged off to Fort Prominence.

• Iolanna was speaking with Lamthari in the woodlands and sharing a meal when they were confronted by a Malarite named Radolf. He was frank about his position and purpose; namely, that he was sent to ‘clear the path’ to iolanna. This means eradicating her protectors. He was given an opportunity to show not only his strength but his bloodlust, by killing a McSteele and beginning to eat him while still alive. Iolanna escaped with Lam via tree stride.

• Vanira is introduced to Ace, a charismatic bard who is overtaken by her beauty. With good manners and polite conversation he is able to secure a “not-a-date” as Vanira calls it. In this “not-a date” Ace wishes to know Vanira more… to gain insight into what makes the warrioress- a warrioress.

• During this meeting, Avery, Nathriel, and Amos Thistle caught one another up on matters regarding the situation. After learning of the nature of Aela’s death, Avery speculates if it is possible to reverse such a connection or link, and in doing so find some way to inflict Saerus with an injury while he is possessing someone else.

• Florena happened upon Radolf and a small elf woman named Whisper in Soubar. They made it clear they knew who she was and believed she was one of the people responsible for Aela’s death. Florena escaped before they could make good on their threats, though she was wounded when Whisper shot an arrow into her leg.

• Avery apprehends a… hin… who (#2) himself… throwing poop everywhere… he claimed to be one of the Mcsteeles and slipped a stone into her pocket. (DM contact for this stone information) - Foster McSteele be the hin and troublemaker.

((The DM staff have posted an update under the OOC information portion.))