FORCES(+MISC) WAR TABLE: FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

[katabasis]

WAR TABLE ASSIGNMENT(s): FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

WHAT: Over the last few years, Riftwatch has made connections or been in contact with a handful of anti-enslavement and reform groups within the Tevinter Imperium. The two most notable of these are currently:

VALERIANTUS' BROKEN BLADES - a network of spies and saboteurs actively operating within notable Imperium households and cities. Primarily composed of currently enslaved and a small number of reform minded citizens, the exact identities and number of which remain a mystery. Operates on a strict policy of 'no one knows everyone', but Ambrose Valeriantus, a Laetan mage, seems to be a key figure in the group. Unfortunately, the group also has ties to Calpernia/The Venatori that need to be discouraged.

THE PEOPLE OF THE SILENT PLAINS - A group made entirely of escaped slaves, mostly elves, who operate out of Southern Tevinter. Historically, they’ve worked to smuggle escapees across the border, but more recently they’ve been branching into assassinating slavers, and have gained a small reputation for ruthlessness. Pretty functional and impactful, considering their small size (no pun intended) and lack of resources; Tertia is a member of the group recently dispatched to Kirkwall to reconnoiter Riftwatch.

In the interest of gaining allies within Tevinter in the fight against Corypheus, Riftwatch will be making efforts to ally more closely to these two factions by assisting them in their work... or by sabotaging key efforts by Venatori-aligned individuals who might be looking to do the same.

HOW: A bunch of interconnected plots! These plots (6 in total) are fleshed out and available to claim and run for the next two plot periods (aka from now through September). The long lead time is an effort to make these accessible to everyone even if you're not ready to play in a plot right this second, and to allow for the opportunity to run interstitial player plots and/or assignments that might further effect the relationship building effort. Basically: someone might decide to claim and run Plot 2 of 6, and runs it 3 weeks from now instead of this weekend. Then, if they (or someone else) wants to do a spin off adventure based on that plot's outcome/themes/whatever, you should have time to squeeze it in before the whole string of six assignments is completed and we're done with recruiting allies among these two factions*.

These assignments will work similar to the Jobs Board. You can claim an available assignment at any point between now and the end of September, but assignments are claimed on a first come first serve basis.

Once you make a claim, I'll give you all the prepared info and/or mechanics to run it like a normal player plot. It will then be your responsibility to assemble a team (if you haven't done so already) and do something with the info provided. If your group doesn't do anything with the plot within 4 weeks or fails to file a report by the listed deadline, no harm no foul—the assignment just reverts back to the pool and is available for someone else to claim and run.

Anything that isn't claimed/run in the available time period will still produce a result, it will just be as if Riftwatch never had the opportunity to intervene/assist. This doesn't necessarily ensure a negative outcome, but since we're the main characters here it probably doesn't produce a very significant one either.

*I'm not the boss and there can be other plots focusing on this theme outside of this time frame; but this is building to AN EVENT IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, and are designed to lead in that direction.

WHO: Everyone! But mostly Forces; see the assignment description table for details.

WHEN: Now through September; the calendar is your oyster.

ASSIGNMENTS BOARD:
The below table gives a rough overview of the plots available to claim. This board includes an assignment description (a short, incomplete summary), tone (intended scope and vibe of the mission; you can ultimately do whatever you want with the info provided, but this should give you an idea of what kind of information I'll be providing to you. If it says 'action adventure', the stuff I have prepared is geared toward facilitating action and not stealthy backroom conversations. You can absolutely still thread the latter rather than the former, you might just have to read between the lines of the info you get to do so), the division requirements (only characters who are in the listed divisions can participate in those assignments), and a suggested character number.

To claim one of these plots, please comment in the appropriate thread below and I'll update this table. See the last assignment, 'SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE', and it's related claim comment in the thread for an example of how this will work.

Description	Tone	Division Req.	Suggested Character #	Claimed?
HIGHWAY ROBBERY: The Broken Blades have asked Riftwatch to waylay the payroll of a dawnstone mining operation in the Hundred Pillars. Riftwatch will be responsible for knocking over the (heavily armored) payroll delivery and making off with the cash before it can reach the mining operation.	Action/adventure; heist; point pool mechanics	Forces	3-6	Brooklyn - link; report due 9/30
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: PERIVANTIUM DRIFT: A clandestine meeting of key members of the Broken Blades is planned to occur in Perivantium following the height of the festivities surrounding the city's annual chariot race. While originally tasked to simply run interference to ensure that the meeting isn't discovered, Riftwatch's members instead must infiltrate and compete in the race themselves in order to ensure that a key member of the Broken Blades survives the race.	Action/adventure; dice roll mechanics	Forces + Scouting	2-4	Ammmy and Lor; report due 9/30
A BITTER PILL: A Laetan mage overseeing the distribution of war loot and captive would-be slaves coming in from the South is secretly a reformed minded abolitionist. Unfortunately, her effort to broker the freedom for many captives is contingent on her relationship with the Venatori as an artifact finder. Riftwatch has learned the time and place of their next meeting and now must intervene to ensure an end to the Venatori acquisition efforts.	Sneaky violence; moral quandaries; no fancy mechanics	Forces	2-4	Saved for Later
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES: The manifest and schedule of The Ciconia, a merchant ship plying chattel cargo between Carastes and Seheron, has fallen into the People of the Silent Plains' possession by way of one of the slavers they've recently assassinated. They've now tasked Riftwatch with intercepting the Ciconia, seeing the slaves on her freed (and remanded to the People's care), and the ship's crew executed.	Action/adventure; moral quandaries; point pool mechanics	Forces	3-6	Saved for Later
THERE'S NO ETHICAL CONSUMPTION UNDER LATE-STAGE VYRANTIUM: Adelphus Kyrus, an Altus mage who has made his fortune in the slave trade will be traveling overland from Minrathous to Vyrantium for the summer season; the People have asked for Riftwatch to guarantee that Kyrus never makes it to his vacation home. To complicate matters, Kyrus is also a staunch anti-Venatori voice in high-ranking Tevinter circles and killing him may jeopardize the momentum of some anti-Venatori factions in the Magisterium.	(Psychological/Body) Horror; PvP; no fancy mechanics just bad vibes	Forces + Scouting	3-6	Cass - report due 9/30
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE: An ex-Templar hiding out in the Rivaini village of Sanavo has volunteered to travel to Tevinter in order to join up with the People of the Silent Plains where he can act as a strategist/milita/anti-mage expert. Riftwatch will be smuggling the ex-Templar, and a pile of supplies to the People, and spend a brief stint in the People's company to relationship build and assist with their efforts on the ground.	Mingle log; choose your own adventure	All Divisions	No Minimum/Maximum	Various - link; report due 9/30

Comments

CLAIMS

[katabasis]

To claim an assignment, fill out the form below and reply here.

<b>Player:</b> <b>Characters Involved:</b> (Your Character + Anyone Else, if applicable. You don't have to have the 'Anyone Else' figured out to make a claim, but if you're signing up as a fully formed group then please just make one comment. Note that the recommended character # in the table is a suggestion not a rule. Don't go below the minimum listed, but if you really want to bring 10 people with you then more power to you.) <b>Character Division:</b> <b>Do you want a thread with Flint about this assignment?:</b> (It's fine if you don't/I'm going to oocly info dump you regardless) <b>If I don't use the assignment provided within 4 weeks, I'm cool with it going back to the claim pool and if I need an extension I won't be scared to ask for one because we're all friends here and it's not a big deal:</b>

EXAMPLE CLAIM

[katabasis]

Player: Abby and Hope
Characters Involved: Flint and Tertia + Whomstever
Character Division: Forces (but it doesn't matter for this plot, per the 'All Divisions' note in the table)
Do you want a thread with Flint about this assignment?: I am Flint
If I don't use the assignment provided within 4 weeks, I'm cool with it going back to the claim pool and if I need an extension I won't be scared to ask for one because we're all friends here and it's not a big deal: Yes, we will give ourselves permission to do this thing.

EXAMPLE REPLY

[katabasis]

Thanks for claiming an assignment, Myself! Below you'll find all the details you need to run this:

Here's some information that I haven't actually made up yet oops. Pretend there's like 100-250 words about the mission details, the setting, IC expectations and what might go wrong (or right!)-- basically all the things necessary to write a log about this stuff.

You'll be responsible for assembling your team (please make sure the characters meet the division requirement...which in this case is everyone), and posting the log/threading about it in some fashion, and returning here with a link to that within 4 weeks. You don't have to be done by then, that just lets me know I don't need to re-open the assignment to be claimed by someone else.

Please plan to file a report within 6 weeks of this claim; don't hesitate to reach out if you need an extension.

highway robbery.

[luaithre]

Player: Brooklyn
Characters Involved: Marcus and I will find some party friends.
Character Division: Forces
Do you want a thread with Flint about this assignment?: Go on then
If I don't use the assignment provided within 4 weeks, I'm cool with it going back to the claim pool and if I need an extension I won't be scared to ask for one because we're all friends here and it's not a big deal: Ya

[katabasis]

I'll blow up your inbox for a Marcus n' Flint thread here shortly, but as far as the ooc info dump goes:

At the request of the Broken Blades, Marcus (and company) will be sent to intercept a supply train transporting payroll to a mining operation in the Hundred Pillars. The intelligence available outlines the route the caravan will take, how well defended it's likely to be, an an exceedingly rough estimate of their traveling time table, and a rendezvous point with a Broken Blades agent where the agreement is that the recovered payroll will be divided 50/50 between the Blades and Riftwatch.

Marcus will be responsible for actually figuring out how to locate the caravan on the road, organizing the tactical approach of the assault, making the rendezvous, and transporting Riftwatch's half of the payroll back to Kirkwall. He will have the usual Riftwatch resources at his disposal to do so.

On paper, this all seems very reasonable. In reality, Marcus (and company) must locate a small wagon train across many days worth of road. To make matters more difficult, they'll find themselves beset by unseasonably poor weather. Heavy rain and flash flooding make surveying the craggy landscape challenging, and drastically complicate the travel estimate of the payroll caravan. Is the caravan playing it cautious on the road; or hurrying to keep ahead of the storm? Do Marcus and company miraculously spot the caravan early and get to choose their point of attack, or are they forced to post up in a less than advantageous position late on the route in hopes of guaranteeing that they don't miss the caravan in the heavy weather?

Once they intercept the caravan, they'll find that the payroll is split between two heavily armored wagons. Resistance should be respectable, although it's possible that the caravan has suffered some personnel issues thanks to the miserable turn of the weather. There should however be at least two moderately talented mages to contend with, in addition to various environmental hazards created by the less than ideal weather. OOCly, feel free to use these factors as a viable 'excuse' if it seems like you're not going to get the ideal outcome you're aiming for.

This plot is designed to use a point poll system, the spreadsheet for which can be found HERE. The point collection period starts whenever the log (or whatever) goes up, and should end in time for you to collect the mission results and file your report no later than four weeks after the assignment starts. While the mission info is action oriented, the bonus point pool is designed to be flexible and reward downtime threads as much as action adventure. Please write whatever you feel like in relation to the mission, be it the actual assault or getting caught in a downpour and having to cuddle for warmth, and feel free to make up NPCs among the caravan guards for your purposes. They're fairly normal mercenary, guards-for-hire types and not in any way associated with the Venatori (although some may be adamant supporters of the war).

THINGS I (EVENTUALLY) NEED FROM YOU:

• Assemble your party. Please make sure all participants are members of Forces division. I recommend a minimum of 3 PCs (including Marcus) and a max of 6, but feel free to wiggle these numbers if it seems more fun to do so.
  
• Start the thing; you have 4 weeks from today to get the ball rolling on this. Please come back here and provide a link once that happens. Otherwise, this will go back on the market to be claimed by someone else (and we'll just pretend whatever thread we do with Flint and Marcus was for something else/never happened/we can cross that bridge if we get to it).
  
• File a report no later than 4 weeks after that, meaning that at the maximum there should be a report filed for this 8 weeks from now (unless you request an extension).
  
• If Marcus and company successfully make off with the payroll, but fail to rendezvous with the Broken Blades agent then please include in your report what they did with the payroll cache. Feel free to get creative with this.

If you have any questions, need additional info, or need to file an extension then don't hesitate to hit me up.

ethical assassination under late stage magisterium

[hassaran]

Player: Cass
Characters Involved: Yseult + TBD
Character Division: Scouting
Do you want a thread with Flint about this assignment?: Already am
If I don't use the assignment provided within 4 weeks, I'm cool with it going back to the claim pool and if I need an extension I won't be scared to ask for one because we're all friends here and it's not a big deal: Yep

[katabasis]

Grudgingly scratches 'force Cass into another thread with me depsite us having plans for like ten things already' off my to do list.

At the request of the People of the Silent Plains, Yseult (and company) will move to intercept Adelphus Kyrus en route to his Vyrantium summer home. The intelligence provided by the People of the Silent Plains has a very rough sketch of his traveling companions, and news that he will be stopping en route to Vyrantium in the coastal town of Thyrale. Thyrale is famous for its salt tide pools, its abundance of delicious food, and it's interesting coastal rock formations; and while Kyrus and his company are likely to be the definition of vigilance while traveling on the road, it's probable that his guard will be down while loitering in tide pool salt baths, eating his way through the local marine life, and suffering a daily massage.

The People have arranged for Riftwatch to make contact with one of the many enslaved members of Thyrale's Servus Publicus—a state owned slave—who will assist in smuggling the members of Riftwatch into the palatial proto-resort where Kyrus is staying under the guise of being fellow enslaved. This will require having the left ear pierced with a black stud (though, as with any pierced ear, if you get done with the mission and decide you don't want to be rocking an earring anymore then removing the stud will see the hole eventually close).

Once inside, Riftwatch is on its own to figure out how to get to Kyrus (who is very much an older, spry statesman type). Feel free to make up the Minrathous friends he's traveling with, how he spends his time, and the degree to which he's solitary. Notable companions include: a grizzled bodyguard, and a handsome woman named Cyrene who is respectably close to Kyrus' own age. Getting to Kyrus can be as difficult or as simple as you want, with the acknowledgement that you're in Tevinter and there may be some magical security measures in place to make things like sneaking through bedroom windows more complicated.

The important part is: at some point Riftwatch will be forced to grapple with Kyrus' lady companion who turns out to be his actual bodyguard. Using magic, Cyrene will take bodily control of various members of the party and turn them against one another. She can only fully control half the party at once (so if 4 people go, 2 will be subject to her control; if 6 Riftwatchers go to kill Kyrus, 3 will be), but can change who she's controlling with some alacrity. Line of sight isn't strictly necessary, but it does help and there's a range at which her ability to manipulate a body will fail. Being controlled by Kyrus' companion doesn't have any mind-altering effects; the subject is locked in while their body goes about attempting to murder their colleagues, intervening in the assassination attempt, etc.

While getting past Cyrene is the biggest obstacle, Kyrus is an able mage in his own right. That said, his talents are ward- and creation- based, so knocking out his offensive companion somewhat trivializes him if it does come down to a fight with both of them—which ideally, it doesn't! Since Riftwatch needs to skedaddle safely away after.

This plot doesn't require any fancy mechanics or spreadsheets, but if you do want to use dice to help with guiding the mage-controlled hostage situation then feel free to use as much or as little of the following as you like:

• Puppetmaster - Establish Control: Roll a d20; 1-15, Cyrene successfully takes control of the most nearest person; 16-19, Cyrene successfully takes control of someone else; 20, Cyrene fails to take control of any additional party members, or (if she's at her max # of puppets) her control over a previously puppeted victim fails.
  
  Maintaining Control: Once control has been established (up to half the party), roll an even-numbered die. On an even number, Cyrene swaps control to another person; on an odd number, she maintains her current selection(s).
  
  
• Actions: If your character is currently being puppeted, roll a d20. 1-15, take an offensive action against a fellow Riftwatcher; 16-20, defend Cyrene from harm.

THINGS I (EVENTUALLY) NEED FROM YOU:

• Assemble your party. Please make sure all participants are members of Forces or Scouting division. I recommend a minimum of 3 PCs (including Yseult) and a max of 6, but feel free to wiggle these numbers if it seems more fun to do so.
  
• Start the thing; you have 4 weeks from today to get the ball rolling on this. Please come back here and provide a link once that happens. Otherwise, this will go back on the market to be claimed by someone else.
  
• File a report no later than 4 weeks after this starts, meaning that at the maximum there should be a report filed for this 8 weeks from now (unless you request an extension).

If you have any questions, need additional info, or need to file an extension then don't hesitate to hit me up.

[katabasis]

Hey! Just checking in since today is theoretically the 'proof I'm doing something with this' deadline day. But I know that there's a lot going on - did you want an extension? If so, let me know what day you're aiming for and I'll update my dorky check in calendar.

[katabasis]

Hey there! Following up on this. Let me know if you would like to:

- Handwave a resolution and/or backtag a log for this; please file your report by no later than 1/31 so that I can work the results into the assignments to be published in February.
- Retcon the mission, so that I can recycle or re-work it for redistribution.

If I don't hear back or see a report by 1/31, I'll assume we're retconning this assignment and that it's good to go for rework and redistribution in the future.

LOOKING FOR GROUP

[katabasis]

Want to find some people to run an assignment with? Comment here/use this for plotting space/whatever.

WHAT'S MINE IS YOURS (interest check)

[katabasis]

Hey! Hope and I are planning to do a big mingle log for this assignment sometime late in July; due to the nature of the plot, there won't be formal sign-ups, but if you're interested in getting a heads up once we put it together then let me know and I can make sure to drop you the link once it's ready to roll.

All divisions welcome; we have stuff planned (think the 'A Thousand Wrongs' plot vibes) that can be relevant to anyone.

[elegiaque]

i love a mingle log :>

[grindset]

yes please!!

[clawings]

Meee

[portalling]

hell yea mingles

SIGN-UPS

[katabasis]

Swapping this over to sign-ups as the scope of the mission has changed somewhat. Still open to all divisions, there will be two distinct portions to this log: 1) vibes based mingle log with Riftwatch providing aid/training/etc. Be aware that all npcing is going to be loosely handwaved, but enough context to play with will be provided, and 2) an action-y side quest on a Tevinter supply line, which will lead to a (non-combative) opportunity for Research nerds to do some research nerd stuff.

Sign-ups are open now and close on 8/25. The log for this will go up on 8/26, with a report due by 9/30.

To sign up, comment here with the following form filled out:
<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Division:</b> <b>Is your character nominally combat ready, and do you want in on the supply line raid adventure?:</b> Yes/No

Vintel Information Station

[altusimperius]

Benedict is an available resource for insider info on Minrathous, the Magisterium, Tevene translation, etc etc, and would also likely be a useful asset in interfacing with members of the Altus class.

but he's in diplomacy so he ain't coming

[katabasis]

Not entirely intel related, but I figured I'd throw it out there just in case - Benedict might be a good resource to trot along with this all divisions mission.

And if you don't want him to actually come, I think it might be extremely fun for Flint to corner him and pump him for info they could trade to Tertia's people that he could send along with the party that does go. :^)))

[evervescent]

Eli isn't Forces and not really A Fighter (also I suck at fight logs whoops @ myself) but I don't do enough here and I wanna do more! Eli is a serial killer charming and very good at playing people but also has absolutely the worst morality (this is not info anyone but Victor knows about him yet). So he'd probably be good at diplomacy but also literally does not care if people die, especially mages (SORRY I HATE MYSELF ABOUT THIS TOO/j) bc he has a Thing about God and magic and blah blah. He might come around to mages one day but he sure as hell hasn't yet.

Might not be the right plot for him but I figured I'd throw a hat in the ring and see if anyone had any angle ideas that might work even without being Forces

[katabasis]

Throwing this out here just in case! There's going to be some non-fight mingle log opportunities for an all divisions assignment that might suit. Signups for that are here.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: PERIVANTIUM DRIFT - SIGN-UPS

[katabasis]

Sign-up for a highstakes chariot race adventure. This is locked to Forces and Scouting division members, max 4 characters. If we have more than that signed up, I'll rng to determine who's going.

Signups close on 8/25. OOC plot information and play aids (optional dice mechanics) provided by 8/26. Players to organize and run the plot with the provided information sometime in the month of September, with a report filed by 10/31.

Post here with the following form filled out:
<b>Character Name:</b> <b>Division:</b> Forces/Scouting <b>Can they drive (a chariot)?:</b> Note that this is NOT a required skill, I just think it's funny to know.

[laruetheday]

Character Name: Clarisse La Rue
Division: Forces
Can they drive (a chariot)?: YES she's extremely good at it actually

[katabasis]

Hey, and thank you for signing up!

Perivantium, one of Tevinter's great cities, hosts a chariot race each year to celebrate the end of summer. Historically, the race once involved competitors nominated strictly from the immediately regions immediately and featured teams decked out in notable regional dress, colors, and insignia—the bright yellows of the Elossos foothills renowned for its trade in Dawnstone, or the orange and green of Nyla, a town famous for its ochre and malachite dyes, and so on. These days, the competition is rather more fierce and significantly more astro-turfed: while every team still nominally has a tie to a local region, town, or industry, it's common for outside parties to pay for the opportunity to deck their own athletes and carefully bred racing animals with the requisite colors to participate in the race. A lot of money and prestige is now involved in the event, and (mostly wealthy, because who else travels?) visitors from all over the Imperium flock to Perivantium to enjoy the spectacle.

Which makes it a perfect meeting point for key members of the Broken Blades to have a clandestine meeting. Given that many of the group's members are actively enslaved and must go where their households and masters demand, this may be one of the few opportunities available to them to coordinate their work without having to relay secret messages across long, complicated, and highly vulnerable lines of communication.

With all this in mind, Riftwatch—specifically, Vanya and Clarisse—have been given what should be the relatively simple directive to safeguard the meeting that's meant to occur. But before that can happen, one of those aforementioned key members is thrust into participating in the race personally.

Solvara is a member of one of the Tevinter Army's many enslaved companies. In fact, so notable is her reputation for valor and bravery during Tevinter's recent military campaigns that some Tevinter citizens know her by her own name. More pressing, she's won real recognition and power (and therefore, enemies) for her master. Intelligence intercepted by the Broken Blades's agents in the city suggest that a number of those enemies plan to use the chariot race as cover to assassinate Solvara and see her master knocked down a peg or two. Vanya and Clarisse will be sneaking into the race in an attempt to help Solvara, and the intelligence provided by her advantageous position in the military, survive it.

The race takes place throughout the city itself, winding along multiple miles of Perivantium's broad thoroughfares and winding, narrow stepped neighbors. It climbs switchbacks and circles palatial fountains. It races across bridges designed for foot traffic, and through narrow archways barely wide enough to permit a chariot to pass. The route is beset with various hazards as well—some designed by the race officials, and some rather less official and more cheating and sabotage shaped. Luckily, chariot teams can wear whatever their sponsored regions desire. Given how dangerous the competition has become, most teams are bedecked in some version of armor and their dracolisks and horses (there's fierce debate over which is the preferable animal) sport a considerable amount of protective (and offensive) tack. Spikes are a popular accessory for chariots, riders, and racing animals alike. Double lucky: this should make it doable for Vanya and Clarisse to step into the relatively anonymous shoes of another team. (I'm not going to specify how they do that—could be that a Broken Blades agent helps them accomplish it, or they knock out a team, stuff them in a broom closet, and take their clothes—and you shouldn't feel obligated to either.)

Each chariot has two riders: a driver and a brakeman. The driver does exactly what you expect, while the brakeman is nominally responsible for engaging the heavy wheel brake to assist with taking hairpin turns and various tricky maneuvering. In reality, the brakeman spends a lot of time playing defense against rival teams.

During the log, you can optionally roll a d6 to receive a prompt for your tag. You can also include the prompt at the end of your tag for the next person to deal with. You aren't required to roll a number for your tag if you have something else you would like to do instead. Any prompt that doesn't specify a target may be directed at either an ally (including yourselves) or a rival.

1. A magical or alchemical environmental hazard is triggered—blinding smoke, a gout of hot fire, a patch of the raceway is iced over, etc.
2. A rival racer attacks either Clarisse and Vanya's chariot, or Solvara's—spiked wheels, vicious dracolisks, backup drivers with sneaky weapons smuggled on their persons.
3. A mechanical failure occurs with a chariot—a damaged wheel, a snapped piece of a driving harness, etc.
4. A section of the raceway is damaged or partially obstructed—the work of a saboteur on foot, a street tightening, a narrow bridge.
5. Interference! An attack from an assassin hidden among the spectators against either Clarisse and Vanya's chariot, or Solvara's—a crossbow bolt, a bag of vipers dropped from an overhead pedestrian walkway, and so on. That's not very sportsmanlike!
6. Disaster is averted! A rival racer takes a hit meant for Clarisse and Vanya's chariot, or Solvara's instead. Maybe this was an accident; maybe you made a friend. :')

If you roll for a prompt, include your rolled number in the subject line of your comment so that you both know what it is. If at any point the same number is rolled two tags in a row, this triggers a MAJOR THREAT—something negative happens such as an assassin closing in to make a major move against either Vanya and Clarisse's chariot, or to Solvara's, or a major mechanical failure opens them to attack. Racking up two MAJOR THREATs against either chariot over the course of the log will result in Solvara dying (though I promise failure is absolutely a dramatic option for this assignment and won't result in destroying alliances or cutting off access to future plots). If this happens, Solvara doesn't have to die instantly following the trigger of the second major threat. Events just must somehow conspire to see her bumped off before the end of the race.

Because Clarisse is actually good at this (!!!), you have the option to re-roll twice.

(ty to MJ for the dice mechanic idea that I'm ripping off)

Please file a report by no later than 9/30. Please make sure to include whether Solvara lives or dies in it. If you want any aftermath information for report/wrap-up purposes, feel free to hit me up.

Good luck, and happy racing!

[katabasis]

Hey there! Following up on this. Let me know if you would like to:

- Handwave a resolution and/or backtag the log; please file your report by no later than 1/31 so that I can work the results into the assignments to be published in February.
- Retcon the mission, so that I can recycle or re-work it for redistribution.

If I don't hear back or see a report by 1/31, I'll assume the mission was completed but that Solvara (tragically, and through no fault of Clarisse or Vanya's own) didn't make it to the end of the race. The remaining agents of the Broken Blades will have still successfully met though! So think of this as a particularly downbeat half-success, not an outright failure.

[wearyallalone]

Character Name: Vanya
Division: Forces
Can they drive (a chariot)?: Very good on horseback, does not know how to drive an actual chariot