The Icon of Chaos - Main Game Thread

Postby **Julia Pseudo** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:17 pm

Interested in joining?

It's not too late! We're accepting up to 6 players at a time, so if you still want to play be sure to check out the sign-up thread! Even if there are already 6 players active, feel free to submit a character. You'll be called on to joined as a backup player in the case of someone dropping out.

The Icon of Chaos

a Mario Universe D&D campaign by Pseudo from the SMBX community

Backstory & Premise

It’s been hundreds of years since the end of the legendary war between the Koopa Kingdom and the Mushroom Kingdom. While relations are still strained between the two countries due to their violent history, it is a much more peaceful time than the era of human warriors battling against the ruthless Koopa King and his many children (or maybe they were just his henchmen – no two historians agree on that account).

Humans left the land long ago, but they are still spoken of as the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, and stories about them are told around the campfire in the Koopa Kingdom. Sometimes they are even venerated as religious figures, arbiters of justice in what is now seen as a world without concrete heroes and villains – in either kingdom.

The Mushroom Kingdom is ruled by Princess Chai T. Agaria, the sixth member of the Agaria Toad dynasty, and a relatively conservative figure in the ever-changing Mushroom Kingdom. She is beloved for bringing an end to trade disputes with the Beanbean Kingdom at the beginning of her rule a decade ago, and yet also loathed by some for continuing the official denial of Toad participation in some historical conflicts.

The Koopa Kingdom is ruled by King Iggy Koopa IV, a member of the very same dynasty that ruled the kingdom during the legendary war. Viewed as incompetent by his critics and a hero by his followers, he is somewhat unusual in Koopa history for attempting to work toward peace with neighboring kingdoms, seen as capitulating to the oppressor kingdom’s draconian trade stipulations by more traditionalist Koopas.

The party has found themselves staying nearby each other in Stompwood, a small Mushroomish logging town near the Koopish border inhabited mostly by Goombas. Rumors of a dangerous cult with an interest in ancient history and lore run rampant in local communities, putting everyone a bit on edge. Still, politics at the border are more peaceful than they’ve ever been – what could possibly go wrong?

Setting Information & Maps

The Koopa Kingdom

Spoiler: show

The Mushroom Kingdom

Spoiler: show

A Quick Refresher on How This Sort of Thing Works

- This is play-by-post. The general idea is that I (the Game/Dungeon Master) will post with updates about what's going on in the game world, and so on.
- You, the players, post saying what you want to do in the thread.
- Since you can't really interject in my posts as you would in a live session, I will assume that players use their reactions for attacks of opportunity against enemy creatures unless otherwise noted. If you'd like to use your reaction to do something else, like cast a spell such as Shield, or specifically not make an attack of opportunity, be sure to note this in your post.
- All dice rolls will be handled by me. You'll see the results of any dice rolls that would be made public in a live session. Similarly, don't worry about keeping track of hit points or limited use per day abilities; I'll pay attention to how many uses remain.
- Prepared spellcasters should post which spells they're preparing after a long rest.
- Experience points will not be used; leveling up will happen whenever it makes sense progression-wise instead.
- Be sure to pay attention to what's going on in the thread and don't fall behind too terribly much.

The Party

Spinda as Lunaga Lassia the Noki Warlock
Danny as Shif T. the Toad Rogue
Electriking as Sergeant Y. the Yoshi Fighter
thehelmetguy1 as Darian the Green Koopa Troopa Fighter
MECHDRAGON777 as Shina Essette the Yoshi Sorcerer

Character Sheets

Spinda's Character - Lunaga Lassia

Spoiler: show

Backstory: https://goo.gl/55Kod9

Danny's Character - Shif T.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q5S ... sp=sharing

Electriking's Character - Sergeant Y.

Spoiler: show

thehelmetguy1's Character - Darian
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IXT ... sp=sharing

MECHDRAGON777's Character - Shina Essette

Spoiler: show

The First Actual Post of the Campaign

The party members, independent adventurers traveling near the Koopish border of the Mushroom Kingdom, all happened to check into the Gentle Galoomba, a local inn in the small logging town of Stompwood. Stompwood is a peaceful place with a temperate climate at this time of year, although the locals seem a bit wary of outsiders, probably due to historical border troubles - the Koopish border is a short 10 miles or so from the edge of town. Stompwood is a small town filled with wooden buildings, with no more than a single local pub and a few shops that cater to travelers. There is also a large statue of an ancient Mushroomish hero, a tall, mustachioed, human figure who seems to have graced the town with his presence centuries ago and saved it from disaster.

The party members awake in their individual rooms after a long-night's sleep to hear a commotion going on downstairs in the inn's lobby. It's a bit difficult to tell what's going on exactly, but the local town sheriff, whom the party has not met, seems to be speaking to the inn's proprietor, an elderly, soft-spoken Mushroomish Goomba named Pete Stangoom, about a crime that has occurred.

Thehelmetguy1 · Postby **Thehelmetguy1** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:30 pm

Darian decided to leave his hometown, Shellton, some days ago. He didn't have much knowledge of other cities since he rarely traveled to other places. The Koopa decided to settle at an inn in Stompwood, since that was one of the few towns that he had already visited in the past. Darian woke up at the morning, and went downstairs, wanting some water and food. He came to talk to the Inn's clerk, when he heard a conversation between an old goomba(The innkeeper?) and someone else. They seemed to be talking about some sort of crime. Darian decided to ask what they were talking about, but he was definetly interested in solving whatever problem was going on at the moment.

Postby **ElectriKong** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:22 pm

Sergeant Y was returning from a warzone some 300 miles northwest of the the Koopa Kingdom. He was sleeping at the inn after his boat stopped at the river in the Forever Forest. He will be retiring soon and hopes to travel around the world. He has healed from the injuries during combat. Upon waking up, he went downstairs for some breakfast. He too wanted to know what was going on and what Darian, the goomba and the other guy was talking about.

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 6:30 pm

Lunaga woke up with traces of memories from a dream she had last night remaining. Ever since she formed her pact, she's been having dreams more frequently before. They're usually about foreign landscapes and people, but any details vanish from her memory upon waking up. The Mother of the Stars told her that these are experiences of warlocks from other planets that they reported to her and that she shouldn't pay too much attention to them, but she hopes that there'll be a point where she remembers those visions.

The experiences from her dreams make it necessary for her to first refocus herself to her surrounding, forcing her to retrace her steps. The Mother told her to investigate some local forests, so Lunaga decided towards the area around Stompwood. She never was too interested in the forests of the Mushroom Kingdom, and her recent research didn't change her mind. However, she had to keep working towards her goal...
After arriving in the town at sunset, she immediately headed to the closest inn and paid for a room, after which she compiled her experiences from the day into her journal. After she was finished, she headed straight to bed, and that was where she woke up.

As soon as she got up, she realized she hasn't eaten anything since the previous morning and she hasn't gotten her share of water since then, either. As such, Lunaga went to the lobby to get some breakfast and ask the innkeeper if there was a nearby lake or some other opportunity to keep her from getting too dry.
As she arrived there, she noticed the proprietor speaking with another person. She didn't want to butt in, so she sat down at an empty table near the two people, waiting for them to finish their conversation so she could have her breakfast. Although it wasn't her intention, she ended up listening to the two as well as the Koopa that joined them.

Danny · Postby **Danny** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 9:45 pm

Shif had been working several complicated spy jobs for various entities, and he was partway into one such job before he was distracted by a small town pub and ended up passing out in the inn, which would normally be uncharacteristic of him had it not been for the immense stress in recent days. Regardless of the length of his sleep, it was still rather restless, and he was quite disgruntled to have awoken to such a commotion. Making his way downstairs rather quietly, he sat in the corner and observed the situation, still half-asleep.

Postby **Julia Pseudo** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:01 am

The town sheriff, a burly, purple-skinned Pianta, looks around the room slowly at the three individuals who have just entered. Mr. Stangoom's eyes widen as he seems to recognize everyone all of a sudden, horrified that he had them stay in his hotel.

"Well, well, well," the sheriff says. "I've been looking for you all over town!"

"Don't just sit there dumbfouded. Stand up and face the law! I'm Sheriff Alessandro, and you four are going to have to learn that I'm the law around here. You violate that, and you're going to have to deal with me. Capiche?"

"Uh-uh-uh-" Mr. Stangoom stutters a little with anxiety as a Koopa walks in the entrance of the inn, then steps back out as she notices the chaos going on in the lobby. "Perhaps you could take this up with the-uh... suspects in your sheriff's office? If you don't mind, Mr. Sheriff, sir."

"I think that's a fantastic idea," Alessandro says calmly, producing handcuffs from his belt. "Alright then, you four - the Noki, Toad, Koopa, and Yoshi who just recently came to town - are coming with me. You're all under arrest for the theft of the statue of the legendary hero." And looking outside through the lobby's front window, it's easy to see what he's talking about - where there was a statue yesterday, there's now only a gray pedestal, the plaque ruined and barely readable.

Thehelmetguy1 · Postby **Thehelmetguy1** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:57 am

...
"May I ask what evidence you have against me?" Darian answered. He was quite confused about what had happened. Did the real thief frame him to get away with the crime? In any case, Darian would prove his innocence, even if it meant that he would have to do it as a fugitive. He was ready to rush out of the inn if he couldn't convince the sheriff that it wasn't him.

Postby **ElectriKong** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:10 am

"I don't see why you are taking me!" Sergent Y told the sheriff, "I just came back from a Warzone and now you do this to me?"

"My grandfather was said to have been a friend of the hero. You honestly should know this. Why would I want to steal the statue of the hero? I fight on the side of the Mushroom Kingdom and so your statements seem to make no sense. So where is the evidence?" The Yoshi continued.

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:15 am

Lunaga tries her best to assess the situation. Being detained would put her mission on hold for a while, but she can tell that trying to argue with the sheriff would do more harm than good. On the other hand, if her belongings were to be seperated from her, her orb or her research notes might be taken away, potentially forever. As such, her approach is to try and argue her innocence.
Lunaga is very much aware of Piantas' strong sense of justice and how it can mislead them. As a result of that knowledge, she tries appealing to what is the right thing to do.

((This is the initialization of the Diplomat Feat's ability))

Lunaga stands up and faces the sheriff. "While I can't speak for the other three people present here, I can assure you I did not steal the statue. You as a Pianta are probably aware of the Nokis' dependancy on water, are you not? I haven't had contact with any water for almost a day, and staying dry for any longer might seriously jeopardize my health." She points at her dry skin.
"It would be very unfortunate if I came away with injuries due to a simple mistake, would it not? If you would so please, I would like to hear your reasoning for suspecting us. If it does hold up, I'll gladly come along, but arresting an innocent bystander and risking them being harmed would be even worse than letting a criminal run free, would it not?"

Danny · Postby **Danny** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 4:36 pm

Shif just rolls his eyes at the sheriff, having been apprehended by the law probably a dozen times. He does seem slightly surprised at the sudden disappearance of the statue though, and he's willing to listen to what the others have to say.

Postby **Julia Pseudo** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:25 pm

Three of the adventurers take to conversation with Alessandro. Although visibly stressed and frustrated, he listens to them all individually. He's particularly interested in hearing what Lunaga has to say, evidently the least upset out of all of them (Persuasion: 15+5), but is ultimately not completely convinced by her charms. He does have some sympathy for what she has to say, though, albeit agitated at the same time especially by Sergeant Y.'s shouts.

"Now you all calm down!" he says. "Eyewitnesses in the plaza last night reported an unfamiliar group of strangers - a Noki, a Yoshi, a Toad, and a Koopa - tampering with the statue. Nobody's really sure where or how it was taken, but it could've easily be hidden by magic or something."

"Here's the deal. You all find me some evidence of who the real criminal or criminals are, something, anything that shows you didn't do it, and we'll talk. Until then, I don't wanna see any of you leave town. Capiche?"

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:41 pm

Lunaga is satisfied. It's a shame that she won't be able to leave town for the day, but she definitely prefers this over landing in the sheriff's office.
"Thank you very much for your understanding. If I might ask, who are those eyewitnesses? I'd like to get some more detailed reports in order to prove my innocence."
She then faces towards the innkeeper. "And I would also like to order some breakfast if that is alright. No special preference on my end, I'd be content with whatever you usually serve at this time."

Thehelmetguy1 · Postby **Thehelmetguy1** » Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:52 pm

"I am fine with that. I will get the evidence you want, and prove that I have nothing to do with this crime."
Darian answered, accepting the sheriff's conditions trying to look as confident as possible. He would do whatever he could to prove his innocence. The koopa walked out of the inn, and started analysing the statue pedestal to see if he could find something that could help him(Perception check?)

Postby **Julia Pseudo** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:37 am

First of all, a few quick notes:
- Just to be clear, since these rules often come into question, all d20 rolls succeed on a tie with the target number: an attack roll of 15 hits a target with 15 AC, and a saving throw roll of 15 succeeds against a DC of 15.
- Also, from now on, I will list only the total number on all dice rolls, with bonuses and penalties factored in. Just wanted to make this clear in case anything seems off.

Spinda wrote:Lunaga is satisfied. It's a shame that she won't be able to leave town for the day, but she definitely prefers this over landing in the sheriff's office.
"Thank you very much for your understanding. If I might ask, who are those eyewitnesses? I'd like to get some more detailed reports in order to prove my innocence."
She then faces towards the innkeeper. "And I would also like to order some breakfast if that is alright. No special preference on my end, I'd be content with whatever you usually serve at this time."

The sheriff seems to think hard for a second to answer Lunaga's first question. "Yeah, uhhh... Well, several folks came into the office this morning, 'bout right after I opened up and saw the statue was gone. First guy who came by was this, uh, kinda angry-lookin' Bob-omb who I think works at the old lumbermill. Think his name's O'Napal - he says he heard a loud kinda knock outside - I guess his house is pretty close to the town square - at about 3 in the morning last night and when he came out to check, he said he saw a Toad, Koopa, Noki, and Yoshi makin' off with the statue."

"Second one who came by was this red-shelled Koopa fella who didn't give me his name, don't think I've seen him around before. Said he was headin' out from a late night at the pub when he saw a Toad, Koopa, Noki, and Yoshi actin' all suspicious around that statue."

"Then, uh, the last was this old Goomba lady who lives on the west end of town, uhhh, think her name is Goomlena. Don't think she saw you fo–uh, ahem, the suspects specifically but they matched the description from the others, alright."

The inn's owner, Mr. Stangoom, nods quickly at Lunaga's second question. "Oh, yes, yes, I suppose you're still my customers! Apologies, Mr. Sheriff, Ms., er, Lassia!" He retreats into the kitchen briefly and returns with a plate of grilled mushrooms. "Here you are! Enjoy!"

thehelmetguy1 wrote:"I am fine with that. I will get the evidence you want, and prove that I have nothing to do with this crime."
Darian answered, accepting the sheriff's conditions trying to look as confident as possible. He would do whatever he could to prove his innocence. The koopa walked out of the inn, and started analysing the statue pedestal to see if he could find something that could help him(Perception check?)

"Yeah, alright," Alessandro says reluctantly, doing a "keeping my eyes on you" gesture with his hand toward Darian. "Just be sure you stay in town."

Darian takes a quick look at the remains of the statue (Perception: 18) and is able to make out the faint writing on the plaque to an extent, written in an old dialect of Mushroomish:

[redacted, due to Darian not knowing Mushroomish]

He also notices that the statue appears to have been removed from the pedestal somewhat crudely: the top of the pedestal is rather rough and covered in gravel from the remains of the statue's bottom.

Postby **ElectriKong** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:40 am

Sergeant Y decides that he wants to also have a look at the remains of the missing statue to see what he can find from it.

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:53 am

"Oh, I almost forgot..." After finishing her breakfast, Lunaga renembers that she still needs some water. "Mr. Stangoom, is there a lake or something similar in this town I could use to submerge myself in water? Us Nokis have to regularly do so else we risk damage to our health."

This situation is definitely curious, though. How come so many people independantly saw the four of then during the night? Maybe the other three are actually guilty and she's being framed? No, that doesn't sound right, why just her?
But if all of them are being framed, why? Are the three eyewitnesses cooperating, or did all of them actually see what they claim to have witnessed and someone else used magic or something like that to pose as them? She'll definitely need to talk to them to get further information. It seems the Yoshi and the Koopa are already checking out the statue, so Lunaga plans to talk to the witnesses. She pulls out a sheet of pergament and writes down some notes about the current situation:

statue vanished - nagic?

three witnesses:

O'Napal, bob-omb, lumbermill - heard loud knock at 3 am - was it not magic at all? or was that sound caused with the intention of attracting people's attention? did anyone else hear it? if he saw us making off with the statue, was it not magic?

red-shelled koopa - not from around here? did he not hear that sound?

Goomlema, goomba, west end - when did she see us? what were we doing at that time? did the culprit escape westward?

probably best to split up to cover more ground

Thehelmetguy1 · Postby **Thehelmetguy1** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:51 pm

Darian saw the Noki taking some notes, while the yoshi joined him with the statue, and the toad hadn't left the inn yet. The koopa thought for some seconds, and he concluded that he should go talk to the others. Darian then, after telling the others what he knew about the case, most notably what he noticed in the pedestal top and the faded writing, he decided to ask the innkeeper for a water bottle, but not before suggesting to the others that each of them talks to a different witness. But how would they cause a loud noise? Maybe an explosion? But the pedestal would have likely have suffered more damage if it was the case. His conclusion is that someone either somehow removed the statue with brute force and/or tried to break a part of the base to remove it, considering what the witnesses said and the state of the statue.

Postby **ElectriKong** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:03 pm

Sergeant Y asked what the text meant because he had forgotten Mushroomish and asked "Can someone who knows Mushroomish please translate the writing on the plaque into Yoshi or Common please?"

Postby **Julia Pseudo** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:05 pm

Electriking wrote:Sergeant Y decides that he wants to also have a look at the remains of the missing statue to see what he can find from it.

Sergeant Y. goes outside after Darian to investigate the pedestal. (Investigation: 4) He doesn't find anything interesting.

Spinda wrote:"Oh, I almost forgot..." After finishing her breakfast, Lunaga renembers that she still needs some water. "Mr. Stangoom, is there a lake or something similar in this town I could use to submerge myself in water? Us Nokis have to regularly do so else we risk damage to our health."

"Oh, uh-yes, Ms. Lassia!" Mr. Stangoom says, balancing the plate on his head and taking it away quickly. "Next to the mayor's house, there's a small pond - I think you'd be quite comfortable in there!"

thehelmetguy1 wrote:Darian saw the Noki taking some notes, while the yoshi joined him with the statue, and the toad hadn't left the inn yet. The koopa thought for some seconds, and he concluded that he should go talk to the others. Darian then, after telling the others what he knew about the case, most notably what he noticed in the pedestal top and the faded writing, he decided to ask the innkeeper for a water bottle, but not before suggesting to the others that each of them talks to a different witness.

"Oh, yes - the water down by the mayor's house is quite potable, the stream that leads to it is where everyone in town gets water. Feel free to fill up there," Mr. Stangoom says, nodding graciously.

(I know I didn't fully respond to everything here - a lot of this is interaction between the party, so that's up to you to handle!)

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:20 pm

Lunaga thanks the innkeeper for his explanation before facing the Koopa. "Thanks for the info! The rough texture makes me think that it might not have been magic after all, or something akin to an explosion as you suggested. Aside from talking to the witnesses, we should also ask others in the area around the town square if they heard that loud noise - it must've awoken some other people as well. I'll first head over to the pond near the mayor's house to soak myself with some water, you can come along and get some yourself if you want to. We should also be on the lookout for the red Koopa, assuming he hasn't left yet. After that, I'd personally like to talk to O'Napal - either of you are free to join me if you want to."
As Lunaga's halfway through the door, she adds "Oh, and my name's Lunaga Lassia - I think we should at least know each other's names if we're gonna investigate together."
She then heads over to the pond.