Corco's Villa (IC)

[TGLS]

OK, more questions:

1) What kind of security is there at world portals? i.e. like airport security, just and ID check, full searches of luggage, etc.
1a) Would there be less security if we pretended to be priests?
2) Would Monstri be too low tech to get false identities?
3) Any information about practices of the local underworld (so we can find a data hacker)?
4) Is there enough information in the books so we can learn to blend in?

[11] 21-06-10 15:21:27 BST
3d6 <= 15 : 5 + 3 + 6 = 14 ... success
[10] 21-06-10 15:21:04 BST
3d6 <= 15 : 3 + 4 + 4 = 11 ... success
[9] 21-06-10 15:20:53 BST
Research x3
3d6 <= 15 : 6 + 5 + 2 = 13 ... success

[8] 21-06-10 15:20:24 BST
Research
3d6 <= 15 : 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 ... success

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

1) What kind of security is there at world portals? i.e. like airport security, just and ID check, full searches of luggage, etc.
1a) Would there be less security if we pretended to be priests?

In low-risk areas, most people just drive through. In areas where rebels are a threat, there may be soldiers, and checkpoints established in which cars are quickly scanned for weapons and identities checked.

Priests can circumvent security, but only if word has been sent ahead.

2) Would Monstri be too low tech to get false identities?

Monstri has the low-tech people, but it has high tech hubs, so it would work as a place to get fake identities.

3) Any information about practices of the local underworld (so we can find a data hacker)?

Nothing explicit, but reading between the lines gives you some pretty good guesses where you can find one.

4) Is there enough information in the books so we can learn to blend in?

Yes, though it will be much easier in big cities.

[the_matrix_walker]

"Is this level of subterfuge required? You mentioned calling upon them for military aid at one point, does Corco's organization have any contacts we could take advantage of? Perhaps a channel of communication remains from the previous encounters?"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

"Is this level of subterfuge required? You mentioned calling upon them for military aid at one point, does Corco's organization have any contacts we could take advantage of? Perhaps a channel of communication remains from the previous encounters?"

Corco is gone by this point, and its hard to find him: he finds you. the "military aid" question is best answered by Gurdo, Coro's uncle. Gurdo spends all of his time in the dungeons below the villa. While the family in most of the villa have a vaguely renaissance look about their dress, the dungeons are full of varied military kit that identifies them quite readily as roman legionaires, line infantry, knights, and more. Gurdo is wearing a splendid Green double breasted uniform today, saber at his side, and enourmous hat on his head, complete with feather. He doesn't need the hat to appear large and intimidating: he's around six foot six inches, built like a barrel, and has an long slashing scar on on the left side of his face.


"Contacts in the Maximus Skerry? Standard Operating Procedure is to request help in a certain room of the temple. Maximus has left instructions with the priests explaining things and they mobilize men rather quickly. Maximus has stopped waking up for it. Normally, they lend us men, we fight the invasion, and then they go home and tell stories for a generation. Last time we used them was about 150 years ago. They've gone fully to ranged combat since then, and that reduces the sort of things we call them in for."


"We could contact them and ask for something else. I don't know how well such a non-standard request would go over."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Maximus has left instructions with the priests explaining things and they mobilize men rather quickly."

"Any idea what specifically Maximus wrote?"
I'll try to use Memetics to estimate how the priests (?) would react to a request to meet with Maximus. I imagine that my estimate is probably going to be very different from reality if there is someone is manipulating the situation in the temple.

[12] 21-06-12 16:47:57 BST
Memetics
3d6 <= 15 : 4 + 2 + 2 = 8 ... success

[the_matrix_walker]

Vassarious looks over the research and considers what kind of staff may be admitted to the temples for operations and maintenance beyond the priests.

"I wonder how it would be perceived if we were to appear in the temple to offer aid, rather than request it."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Any idea what specifically Maximus wrote?"

Gurdo: "I haven't seen the exact orders. There is a big preamble about providing others with peace and safety, righteous combat, and about trusting the emperor. They always appoint a general, and they're pretty courageous troops. Which given what we usually fight, is a great thing. They seem to think they're in some sort of heavenly war, and I don't know that they treat the whole thing as real. Not at first anyways."

I'll try to use Memetics to estimate how the priests (?) would react to a request to meet with Maximus. I imagine that my estimate is probably going to be very different from reality if there is someone is manipulating the situation in the temple.

So if no-one is manipulating the situation, you'd expect other-worldly visitors with a weird carte-blanche authorization who request to see the tomb of the emperor to be politely entertained for half a day or even overnight while the request is formally processed and the priests go nuts looking for the appropriate action, a precedent, the catch, or the scam, and then eventually be granted a fair amount of time at the emperor's tomb.

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Vassarious looks over the research and considers what kind of staff may be admitted to the temples for operations and maintenance beyond the priests.

There are the animal soldiers, of course. Further research reveals that the priests themselves do a great deal of manual and technical work: many areas are completely off limits to someone who is not a priest, thus many low ranking priests look a great deal like janitors, plumbers, and technicians. He does discover a potential opening: If something very specialized is needed and no priest is trained for it, an expert can be formally brought into the preisthood for the job. They will remain a priest, though a very dormant one.

"I wonder how it would be perceived if we were to appear in the temple to offer aid, rather than request it."

Gurdo: "Depends on how you phrased it. A general always wants more resources, but he can do without yet another someone second-guessing everything he does."

[TGLS]

"Maybe we should try a dual approach; one or both of us could try to infiltrate the temple and somebody could be arranged to arrive so they could meet Maximus. That way we'd have an idea of whether the meeting is being interfered with in some way."

[ericthered]

Gurdo: "If you can meet afterwards, that may gather more information than the alternatives."

[the_matrix_walker]

"It's an interesting possibility... I would be willing to attempt an infiltration, but if they have a magical means of detecting trespassers, I would hate to put them on the defensive while we are trying to gain diplomatic access.

I think we should stick together and attempt the diplomatic path, and we can find out where we stand, and both infiltrate the temple if that proves unfruitful."