A DISCUSSION ABOUT LOOT ----------------------- here is Dolora's argument on why she should be allowed the book. Should one do a power estimate of the group, one would find Dolora way at the bottom (one of her favourite positions) while the others are packed close together at the top. Should Dolora take the book, she would gain another sorcerer class, making her a level 4 sorcerer enabling her ...are you ready for this?... to cast ONE second level spell. Whoopie! This would still keep her at the bottom of the pack in terms of power. Now should someone else take the book, say Morticia or Tormod,to take a divine spell casting class this would Really bump up their power level. Now should Oriana or Shodan take the book to take ANY class, this would Really Really bump up their power level.So the question for the rest of you is, do I really want anyone else other than fluff-head Dolora to gain more power and be the most powerful in the group? Your evil nature would dictate otherwise, I would think. If I cannot have it then my closest competitor will not either is the thought running through your minds. Dolora would be the safest to give it too because then the power structure would not change. As for Baird, yes he would want it to remove the geas Are the rest of you happy that it be given to Lord Bly? Oriana, do you and lord Bly want to relinquish your geas slave so easily? for a mere one level increase? I would think not. And if the purpose is to keep the book out of the group's hand. then well how do you all feel about this. So for all these reasons, plus 300gp for each of you (as well as supporting Oriana in the claiming of the Gaunlets), Dolora asks for your support in the claiming of the book. ========================= Oriana is curious if Barid will be using all of his loot to pay off a small portion of his outstanding debt to Lord Bly? Unfortunately, this will leave Barid with significant sums still to pay for the foreseeable future. Or is Barid willing to take a chance and entertain another option? Dolora has made an offer for the Book of Vile of Darkness. Realistically, would Barid want to see the chaotic fluff-head Dolara become more powerful than he? Or any of the other party members for that matter? In order to maintain a balance amongst the party members, Oriana proposes that Barid use his loot to bid and win the Book of Vile Darkness, with the condition that Oriana is also entitled to the Gauntlets of Destruction. Now, Oriana cannot promise what Lord Bly will do, but she will give her word (she is lawful after all), that she will petition Lord Bly to release Barid from his debt and the Geas in exchange for giving Lord Bly the Book of Vile Darkness. Thus, no party member will be able to benefit from its powers, except for Barid who will no longer be indebted and Oriana, who would get the Gauntlets of Destruction. Oriana is fairly certain Lord Bly would consider your debt for the Book of Vile Darkness fair compensation. Since Barid would have given all his loot to Lord Bly anyway, he is free to spend the entire amount during the bidding in exchange for a much larger payoff (i.e. no more debt). Note that Dolora’s current offer is to give the other characters 300 gp each and in addition, support Oriana in having the gauntlets. Oriana would suggest bidding in small amounts initially, to see if Barid can get Dolora or any others bidding on the book to drop out early, so if he is lucky, he would not need to spend the entire amount, but Barid should be prepared to go all in (5,138 gp/5 = 1,027 gp and 6 sp offer to all 5 of the other players, with the additional condition that Oriana gets the Gauntlets of Destruction). Although if the group buys a new Wand of Cure Light Wounds or black dragonfang light crossbow bolts then the amount available could be smaller. Should this amount still not be enough, Oriana recommends shifting his final offer to the following: 1,700 gp to the other 3 characters not bidding for the book, Oriana only gets the Gauntlets of Destruction, and the opposing bidder or troublemaker gets nothing. Now, if you do get the Book of Vile Darkness, I would advise caution with regards to attempting to get a higher payment for the book from your church superiors in order to pay off your debt, as the High Priest of Bane in Waterdeep, a frail little old man, will likely cradle the book softly in his arms as he gives you his blessing and says, “Your devotion and generosity to our great cause is noted Brother Barid, your donation to the church is well received” and with that, watch him as he retreats to the inner chambers of the church with the book, never to be seen again. Leaving you penniless with only 9 days to go. Also, I would advise caution with regards to using the Book of Vile Darkness to increase your own power. If you have not paid back Lord Bly, you may feel nauseated and suffer wracking pains from the Geas, making it impossible to concentrate and use it. You would also have no funds to pay back your debt, forcing the Knights of the Shield to apply severe interest penalties and instill ongoing methods to guarantee payment. Oriana would hate to see Barid added to Lord Bly’s list of collections… So, will you agree to bid on the Book of Vile Darkness, arrange for Oriana to get the gauntlets in exchange for Oriana petitioning Lord Bly to remove the debt and Geas in exchange for giving Lord Bly the Book of Vile Darkness? ========================================= Dear Oriana, Your proposal has merit But I have some concerns. I think that giving both of these items to Lord Bly would be counterproductive for us as a group, and you in particular. You have strong leadership skills and it seems that you wish to attain a higher level in life and society. Lord Bly is a (somewhat) acceptable leader of the knights, but wouldn't the knights be better served if you assumed a leadership position? By giving Lord Bly the book and the crystal, you will be giving him access to more power, making him too powerful to displace. I would be happy to support you in your ascension within the ranks of the knights, but only if there is a reasonable chance of success. I would see that the book is used to benefit us as a whole and so I can achieve my goals. I want control of Unther. By strengthening your position within the knighthood, I will be strengthening my own. It would benefit both of us. Through a strong application of the law, we can achieve proper control and even benefit society. Let us keep the crystal from Lord Bly. If we need to, we "lose" the crystal in a safe location and tell Lord Bly that it is outside of our reach. Not a lie, just a slight extension of the truth. You would not be breaking any oaths to Lord Bly. Plus, this will give us a better understanding of Lord Bly's leadership capabilities. His reaction can help us gauge if he is truly worthy of leading the knights. The gauntlets would be beneficial to you and would help us to achieve much in terms of our goals. I would support you in getting the gauntlets. If I feel some nausea (and other side effects from the geas), I can deal with that when it comes. I would rather use the book to our benefit than strengthen a lesser person's position. Barid Belmedar =============================== My Dearest Barid, Be aware that my LORD knows all, sees all and hears all. And I am not talking about Lord Bly. We all have our place before the one true LORD, and a duty to carry out his will, and I am doing mine. The one flaw in your plan about “losing” the crystal, is that the others are expecting to collect on the reward. No crystal, no reward, or at least no payment from Lord Bly. The others are expecting payment, and would likely attempt to take it from us by looting our dead corpses): - You will be bringing your back-up character, right? I think we should honor our commitment to Lord Bly and collect the reward, lest he sees this team as incompetent and instructs me to seek more capable agents. - You will be bringing your back-up character, right? As for exchanging the BOOK in order to clear your debt to Lord Bly, it was presented as an opportunity to free you of your obligation to us. As I have said to the others, so long as I get the Gauntlets, I will renounce my claim to the book. Hopefully, you will succeed in your claim to the BOOK and then use it to help achieve your control of Unther. NOTE: another reason for collecting the reward for the crystal is that you are likely to need your share of it to “convince” (a.k.a. pay-off) the others to accept your claim. - If it helps to get the others to agree to not contest my claim to the Gauntlets and your claim to the BOOK, my share of your pay-off can be used to increase the amount given to convince them (so you only need to pay-off 4 others and I get the Gauntlets). However, if you do not intend to clear your 13,870 gp debt using the BOOK, then before using your funds to “convince” the others, I suggest you set aside at least 1,000 gp so as to first pay off a portion of your debt to the knights. This will reassure us that you are serious about paying off the rest in the next 9 days. The 1,000 gp should reduce your debt from 13,870 gp to 13,000 gp. The other 130 gp is interest and “handling” charges of which I will take care of. Any lesser sum, I am sure, would make you sick to your stomach from the guilt of not honouring and paying what you owe on your debt. Hopefully, you will still have enough funds to succeed in your bid, and that no one else bids you up. Be prepared, you may need to offer other valuable items you may have as “gifts”. But do not be too generous, I would hate to see you have nothing of value left in 9 days when it comes time to pay off your debt to us. - You will be bringing your back-up character, right? Sincerely, Oriana (P.S. what has “Bane” done for you lately, except get you exiled from your birthright. My LORD is real and walks amongst us. Unther could be yours to control if you but pledge your undying fealty to HIM.) ======================================== Dear Orianna, Don't get too excited. I'm just looking out for our mutual interests. Your Lord of Baator clearly has a plan and you are executing your part of it. I'm just wondering if it wouldn't expedite the plan if you were in a higher position? That's all. So if you want or need to give the pretty bauble to Lord Bly, then so be it. I was just thinking of the future. That's all. As to the book, I just think that giving it to Lord Bly could be a mistake. Admittedly, this could help me immediately, but I have longer term goals (as do you and your Lord). I want to be free of this "obligation" to the knights as quickly as possible and I will be providing compensation to the knights directly and accordingly. There is no need for a handling fee. I do not renege on my debts. Again, I am just saying that Lord Bly could become too powerful and this could lead to problems in the future for us all. As for our respective faiths, it is not a contest. My Lord Bane provides his strength and his support to me every day. He is above the need to walk amongst mortals in a bid to impress them. Barid PS Don't worry about my back-up character. I'm sure I will be fine. Or I might not wake up... Ah well. ========================================== Barid, Just to be clear, that I have no objection to you bidding on the book and keeping it for personal use. Just keep in mind when bidding, that if we do not have an agreement to pay off your debt using the book, then I will be insisting on a first installment payment. Something to keep in mind, since we may not have the reward in hand when the bidding starts. Once I get the reward from Lord Bly for the “bauble”, I will be subtracting 1,000 gp from your share before handing it out. 870 gp will be applied to your debt, the other 130 gp will cover interest and service charges to date. If you have funds left over, after the bidding process for the book is over (whether you get it or not), we can talk about your next installment payment. Happy Bidding Oriana ======================================= Oh Orianna, Again, there is no need to micromanage the money. Everyone gets their share and I will pay for services rendered to the knights. You may even accompany me to witness the payments. So do not concern yourself with allocating my funds that I have rightfully earned. I will see to it the knights are paid in kind and soon. I have no desire to have this hanging over my head. Barid ======================================= Oh Barid, I do not question your intention to pay back the knights. I am simply ensuring that payments are made in a prompt and timely matter, and at regular intervals so that the burden of this debt becomes less and less. I would not like to see you so ill and nauseous from not having made regular payments. I am simply looking out for your continued good health. Oriana ************************************* For unknown reasons, shortly after this discussion, Barid quickly arranged to have some other mysterious benefactor pay-off his debt to the Knights of the Shield in full.