Bluemount

003. Mistaken for Foreign Dignitaries

Note: This encounter is tailored to function in a city, re-roll if the group isn't in one or doesn't come across one.  Furthermore, this encounter description is far from comprehensive for the events described.  Take your time and allow the PC's to converse and influence the day's goings-on as they would.  Don't focus on just the "Ambassador" PC, but allow the group as a whole "diplomatic attache" to influence the day and interact with D'ven as a trusted group of advisors might.  This encounter is best because of how the players might choose to react to the mundanity of being a diplomat, the power of being a visiting Lord or Lady, the welcoming environments of upper-class living in the city so be sure to let the players roleplay their characters playing a role too.

Summary
A random PC is mistaken as the Soon-to-be-expected ambassador from Bluemount to the far North.  Bluemount is a hard, militaristic place and the manservant assumes the PC is in their traveling clothes and has brought bodyguards to accompany them.  They are taken to a clothier, a barber, and the local finance minister to hash out a trade deal where the current city provides locally-themed goods in exchange for rare crystals.  This encounter works best in a larger city.

Intro
A disheveled half-elf manservant in a formal uniform rushes up to a random PC as cries “Ah!  You’re a full day early, not that I would expect anything less from someone of your repute, I’m so terribly sorry I missed you as you came in.”

He straightens his coat and bows then introduces himself as G’ven, a house servant of the city and the Ambassador’s appointed local resource.  He explains that the Ambassador was expected to arrive tomorrow night by stagecoach, but had sent word that he would likely arrive with men-at-arms as an attache instead of a formal diplomatic ensemble as they intended to avail themselves of the local bandits to make a good impression with the city’s leadership.

Background


PC’s can make knowledge checks of History or Nobility/Royal to see what they know about Bluemount, as below.  G’ven is in possession of all of these historical facts up to and including DC22, and is unaware of facts requiring additional knowledge below the historical/nobility.

DC18: Bluemount is a massive city of stone far, far to the North that was long thought abandoned.  It is known largely for the onslaught of frozen undead that attack its walls each day when they thaw.  It has always been known as a militaristic city.
DC20: Bluemount’s colors are a two-tone deep cobalt blue and light icy white-blue.  Its crest depicts a dog in plate barding.  It’s major resource is a source of crystals with great magical potential.
DC22: Bluemount has weathered countless invasions, but rarely from humanoids or other countries.  It has been abandoned and rebuilt after being sacked at least three times.
DC24: Stories say that Bluemount was first constructed where powerful mages exiled from unknown parts took shelter from a blizzard by hiding in a crevasse in a mountain made of blue stone.  Other stories claim they sundered the mountain by magic to create the cleft the city now resides in.
DC25+: The city’s current government is unknown to almost everyone; including racial makeup, disposition, population of the city, and intentions.  What is known is that all from Bluemount are considered fine warriors from birth, but not how they choose to make war.  The sudden announcement of an Envoy from Bluemount was utterly unexpected, and the envoy has gone to great lengths to show their good intentions in the past two months but most courts are still hesitant.

Knowledge, Religion.  DC20: Player can discern which god or gods Bluemount primarily follows.  There used to be a pilgrimage to Old Bluemount before it was sacked the first time.

Knowledge, Arcana.  DC20: Player knows that two major ley lines converge on an abandoned city far to the North, roughly where Bluemount is described as being.

Knowledge, The Planes.  DC20: So much frozen death occurred there partially as a result of a manifest zone of a dimension of icy hell.  This causes those who die of exposure or of the cold to rise again as Frozen Undead who walk the world only when the sun defrosts their bodies.  Those born or raised there are naturally resilient to the cold.

Itinerary
G’ven will take the chosen PC first to a clothier to have fitted courtly clothing, free of charge.  The establishment is high-class to the point that it doesn’t have listed prices, who made each piece, or even a name on the storefront.  The store has no customers in it but does have two beautiful elven women and a handsome gnome.  The trio are all exuberant to greet the group after G'ven introduces you.  The two elves, Lania and Hirshian, greet you as a pair and offer to take any coats or arms the group may wish to hang up.

The gnome, Drexel, offers tobacco for pipes or small glasses of fine wines and teas from local and exotic sources.  They cater to any reasonable whim, but chafe when a party member is particularly crass or gauche.

Once the "Ambassador" is fit in resplendent clothing G'ven takes the group to a smithy behind a jeweler's shop in the nicer district of the city.  The smithy is run by a dwarf with a fine, meticulous beard with various beads decorating it.  He seats the PC is a comfortable leather chair and proceeds to cut their hair to the PC's exacting specifications.
He is slightly bawdy, and G'ven is nervous that he will be too familiar with the PC's.

Now the the Ambassador is looking pristine and proper, G'ven informs them that the finance minister is available today but the rest of the PC's appointments will need to wait until tomorrow.  The finance minister, Ruina the Nimble, is an elderly elf with a greatsword on a plaque behind her desk and a magically animated quill ready above a piece of fine parchment.  She shuffles a few papers and scrolls about her desk when the group enters and asks the PC to leave the majority of the group in the lobby so that they can conduct business.  Ruina can be convinced to allow others in, her concern is more about comfortable sitting space in her cramped office than anything else.  She asks several questions about production quantities and supply chains including if the shipments from Bluemount will be by land or sea, if they are well secured, how often Bluemount can make deliveries, what coinage Bluemount uses or prefers, and both the grade and amount of raw gems and crystals Bluemount will be capable of sending.

During the course of this conversation, Ruina will expect the PC to be asking similar questions of the city's trade capabilities and will express surprise if the PC fails to respond in kind, but will keep her surprise to herself should the PC continue to fail.  She is a calm but determined minister and gains +8 to Sense Motive checks, +4 to Bluff, +6 to Intimidation and +8 to Spot.  She speaks Common, Elven, Sylvan and two other languages as locally appropriate and can perform greetings in most other common languages.

This diplomatic exchange should be only as arduous as the PC will make it, and requires several skill checks to navigate successfully.  Once the information is established, Ruina will make an offer that is almost fair but errs on the side of her locality.  Improving the deal requires 5 skill checks to be rolled, with three successes needed to improve the deal to fair and each additional success will only improve it further.  Set the DC for each depending on what the PC says, but assume an average response would have a DC of 16-20, depending on PC level and the tone of the previous conversations.  Each failure increases the DC by 1, and an additional 1 for each 5 it fails by.

Upon the agreement being reached Ruina takes the simple, one-page deal penned by her magic quill and signs it; she then presents it to the PC to sign.  Ruina will then stamp and seal the document whereupon cheeses, liquor, wine and cigars are produced to formally celebrate.


If the PC's are on friendly terms, they are offered room and board within the keep.  If they are on poor terms, they are comped a set of rooms in a nearby hostel.  Depending on PC's dallying and at what point of day they first encountered G'ven, it should be mid afternoon to early evening when they are released from formal duties.  Should they stay in the afforded lodgings, however, they are in for a rude awakening.


The next day, early in the morning, the real Ambassador from Bluemount arrives by the name and title of Ambassador Caanon of Bluemount, Master of the Morning Vigil.  He awaits the PC's in a nearby room and sends one of his companions to rouse the PC's early and bring them to him.  He is a human with strong features and flowing black hair wearing ice-white furs and a blue-smoked breastplate who carries a firm bastard sword in a scabbard at his hip with an ice-like crystal in the pommel.  His blade acts as a +1 Frost Bastard Sword of Undead Bane with the aesthetic effect of leaving a trail of frost in the blade's wake and his breastplate acts as a +1 Mithril Breastplate of Daylight.  Lord Caanon will arrive with an attache of companions equal to the number of PC's +2.  His group will comprise of one cleric with Ghost Ward Splint Mail, one wizard with two wands, and the rest are footmen each with a crossbow, a war horn, and spear.

If the PC's negotiated the trade deal well with 3 or 4 successes or has given Bluemount a good reputation in the city then Lord Caanon will commend the PC's on their assertiveness and cunning and will not fault them for pressing the advantage when they saw one.  He will grant the party a boone of their request but very strongly urges that they leave diplomacy for his home to him, he will then go to re-negotiate the officiated trade deal.  If the PC's negotiated very well with 5 successes, established Bluemount's reputation very well, or otherwise conducted themselves in a manner that speaks highly of Bluemount then Lord Caanon will commend the party and grant them both a personal boone and the official title of "Friend to Bluemount".

If the PC's negotiated poorly but conducted themselves well, he will admonish them and demand answers angrily but without threats.  Lord Caanon will be sitting in a dining room with his companions at his side and demand to know why the group sought to impersonate himself and his friends.  He will be more irritated with the city than with the party, however, and will simply let you be without conflict.  He is amenable to having the PC's help him, however, to show the city that Bluemount wishes to be a friend by aiding him and his allies to clear out several groups of bandits and undead.

If the PC's conducted themselves very poorly, Lord Caanon will be waiting in an empty room with his companions at his side.  He will demand answers but after a short explanation will accuse the group of being scoundrels and saboteurs, then demand a trial by combat.  He emphasizes that this battle isn't to the death, and his companions will all kneel once they hit 15-20% health or otherwise think that they're about to be taken down.  If the PC's are defeated, they will be shamed across the city by Lord Caanon and his cohorts but if the PC's win then the Lord Caanon will give the group his blade and freely admit his defeat.  Only if the group kills someone outright (not just render them unconscious) will the Lord Caanon and his cohort attempt to kill the PC's.  If this happens and Lord Caanon is close to death, he will attempt to flee so that he can attack the group later.