Captain Carlino Orsini, human fighter, veteran soldier, hopeless UNromantic?
Guglio, dwarf rogue, treasure hunter, chosen of the Dwarven Moon Goddess?
Don Pantaloni d'Oro, elf wizard, skilled illusionist, having a dry spell?
Sister Ysabel, halfling cleric, holy priestess, too short for Orsini?
[Note: Q1x is now Q1b, as per the 2013 edition of the 9Qs, coming soon!]
1b. What actions consistent with the heroic motivation do the heroes take that bring them into conflict with a looming hostility inherent within the setting?
Be the player first:
Encounter: infiltration
Place: Stefano's Tower, Northern Wilds, afternoon
After the harpy incident, the heroes of Avanti know that they need a first line of defense. Stefano's tiny tower in the Wilds seems to fit the bill, but it's full of weird magic because of the old man's de-magicking ritual and, of course, it's still really tiny, the result of Stefano's Perpetual Shrinking Potion Fountain on the top floor. The fountain must be deactivated in order for the tower to become the five-story stone structure it originally had been. Orsini, Guglio, Sister Ysabel, and Don Pantaloni and his three elf retainers take on the job. Count Cabravino also insists that Liliana, now healthy thanks to the harpy feathers provided by Orsini, go along to put the young woman's impressive cleverness to good use. Don Pantaloni hits on Liliana, [rolled a 1!] but he fails because the girl has eyes for Orsini! [I like that failure result!] Orsini uses Ponzetti's incantation key to allow them all to enter the tower's first floor.
Be the GM next:
Story Cube: ray gun
In the darkness of the first floor corridor as the heroes ready their light sources, an indistinct figure in the shadows casts two magic missiles at [two random rolls] Guglio only! The bolts hit the dwarf, and the caster's footsteps are heard echoing up the stairs to the second floor.
Be the player once more:
Taken by surprise so soon, the group decides not to immediately follow their attacker. Instead, Don Pantaloni casts Change Self to appear like Ponzetti. If the mimic that's in love with Ponzetti is still in the first floor library, perhaps it could shed some light on their shadowy assailant before they proceed further.
2 What overtly troubling event remotely tied to the results of Question 1 occurs, confirming that something seriously adverse to the heroic motivation is afoot?
Be the GM first:
Story Cube: chasing a butterfly with a net
Encounter: combat
Place: Stefano's Tower, first floor, same time
Upon entering the library, the heroes see the mimic being chased by two spider-humanoid monstrosities carrying a large silken net that they're trying to put over the mimic. As soon as the monstrosities notice the heroes, they shapechange into large humpbacked spiders with extra arms and hideous features!
Be the PCs next:
Guglio recognizes the monsters as aranea and warns the others that they are magic in nature. Working as a team, the heroes are able to quickly dispatch one, but the other climbs up the wall and takes cover atop a bookcase where it shoots webs and casts spells. Guglio (using a shiny new level-two skill trick) climbs the sheer side of the library wall and harasses the remaining aranea with his crossbow while Orsini does the same with a javelin. The evil creature is soon killed.
Be the GM once more:
Although Don Pantaloni spent most his time covered in webs while his retainers vainly tried to free him, the mimic, believing the elf to be Ponzetti, rushes over to him and sings his praises as its brave savior while Orsini gets Don Pantaloni out of the webs. Meanwhile, Liliana tells Orsini that she is impressed by his combat prowess and she gives him a smile. Once the mimic is done praising "Ponzetti," it tells the heroes that it has never seen the aranea before and it has no clue why they wanted to capture it.
3. What elements of the results of Questions 1 and 2 suddenly get twisted in a surprising manner, increasing the danger to the heroic motivation?
Be the GM first:
Story Cube: crown
Encounter: betrayal
Place: Stefano's Tower, second floor, minutes later
Orsini leads the others cautiously to the second floor which is [Story Cube: abacus] the site of Stefano's former workroom where he designed many of his early magical contraptions before becoming a full-time, non-magical clockmaker. Amid the messiness of spare parts, odd objects, and broken trinkets, there stands a very young man wearing wizard robes and an angry expression. He tells the group that he knows why Guglio is here, and that he won't let the rest of them take his tower away! He threatens to make them all part of his collection, and then, with a word, the wizard springs several traps: [Story Cubes: keyhole/glasses] four magically-animated manacles and three pairs of magically-animated glasses of blinding!
Be the PCs next:
Guglio and Ysabel are certain that the young wizard is a younger version of Stefano, but, before they can address him, they are attacked by the magic manacles and glasses. Don Pantaloni almost immediately gets his wrists restrained by one set of manacles, and his retainers, once again, vainly try to free their mortified master. Orsini and Ysabel struggle against the animated articles, but Guglio fares well, using his trap knowledge to destroy one after another, even when one of the glasses clamps down on his face and temporarily blinds him! In a few minutes more, the animated objects are all destroyed.
Be the GM once more:
Liliana giggles when Orsini has to free Don Pantaloni a second time. Once the group has control of their situation, they see that young Stefano has left the door to the stairwell leading to the third floor conspicuously wide open...
[Another note: I promise that Don Pantaloni's amusing failures in front of Liliana during all of these Qs were totally the result of the dice! I never deliberately made any of them happen. I wasn't sure what Liliana would bring to the party when I "as GM" added her, but so far, her inclusion has been very entertaining at the elf's expense!]
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