[IC] The Trailblazer's League: Aurum Draconiaci (Pathfinder)

[Lord Of Mantas]

The Lord of Mantas presents
A Pathfinder Tabletop RPG Adventure
THE TRAILBLAZER'S LEAGUE
Aurum Draconiaci
or: The Search for More Money

Link to OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?415790-OOC-Aurum-Draconiaci-or-Lord-of-Manta-s-first-attempt-at-DMing)

http://desktophive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Fantasy-Landscape-Wallpaper-1024x499.jpg

Life in the Trailblazer’s League is rarely boring, if only because of Golarion’s seeming predilection for upheaval and strife. Whether it’s an artifact that needs retrieving, a caravan that needs guarding, a princess that needs rescuing, or monsters that need slaying, it truly is the age of adventurers. And with enough skill and cunning, and a good deal of luck, it is perfectly possible for anyone with a sword, magic and sufficient foolhardiness to make a living going out and sticking the pointy ends of weapons into things. Or, if you’re extraordinarily lucky, you can live it up with all of life’s comforts at your fingertips: Rare books, rich food, good drink, good friends –

“And blackjack and hookers-”

Silence! You’re not even supposed to be in this part of the story yet! *ahem* Now where was I…

Anyway, for the last three years, the Trailblazer’s League has produced an abundance of prosperity for all those lucky enough to be accepted into its motley ranks. Although Christoph, the leader of the company, does have a reputation for a somewhat flexible outlook on things, as well as a rather offputting – and uncanny – knack for getting paid multiple times for one job – he is nonetheless a very skilled tactician and charismatic leader, able to unite a highly disparate band of adventurers into something greater – and all of them, yourselves included, have reaped the benefits. Unfortunately, all businesses have their ups and downs, and for the past several months, business has been a tad more quite than usual in Andoran. Couple that with a particularly extravagant New Year’s party, and, well, concerned mutterings and rumors begin to fly.

So it is that you all found yourselves in your current situation.


***

The time is early spring, just after the first melt of snow. Having all been in between assignments, Scarlett sent out a summons for each of you. Answering the call as quickly as possible, you entered Christoph’s rather lavish office, taking a seat as Scarlett produced a series of letters.

“As you are all no doubt aware, there have been rumors going around that our coffers are starting to run a little dry.” Your boss’s right-hand woman sighed, rubbing her statuesque face in a way that, for anyone else, might have been construed as concern. “Regrettably, each and every one of them is true. At the current rate, we have enough money to keep everyone paid for about a month – two at most. After that, we’ve got nothing.” She then tossed her head back, a sly smile peeking out beneath the red locks that were her namesake. “But, just earlier today, we caught a lucky break.”

“One of our glorious leader’s old… clients just sent us a message via magic this morning. There’s a small town about 60 miles west of here, called Woodshaven, and apparently, they were just attacked by a dragon. No-one’s gotten too seriously hurt, thank the gods, but a number of livestock got badly torn off. They want the problem taken care of before it gets too out of hand.” Scarlett leaned forward, piercing green eyes looking straight through each of you. “Of course, on top of stopping the attacks on the town… Where there’s a dragon, there’s a hoard. And that’s where you all come in.”


***

As it turned out, that meant going in the hard way. Having sent all the mages who knew Greater Teleport on extended ‘mandatory vacations’, Christoph had arranged for the six of you to follow a trade caravan to Woodshaven, carrying supplies and a few extra livestock for sale. The man himself was absent, having received an allegedly interesting tip from elsewhere in Andoran, but did leave instructions for each of you, in the form of handwritten letters.

Hey Guardian.
So it’s probably around this point where you’d be saying something about how you should be back at HQ helping to keep order and calm the men in the wake of what’s happening, and let me head you off by saying that out here, on the front lines is where you’re needed most. If the past three years working with you have shown me anything, it’s that you’d let yourself get reduced to scrap before you let someone get hurt – and that’s exactly what I need here. Roy and I were never on the best of terms, but he was deadly serious when he called us in – I’m betting whatever this dragon is, it’s probably very large and very in charge. And unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of supplying you with a legion of archers.
So here’s what I need you to do. You have a natural talent for taking the lead. Keep the others on task, keep them safe, and… one more thing. I’m sending Kiriel along. I know you two have never gotten along at the best of times, but I expect you two to be able to keep things professional – at least when civilians are watching or a giant lizard’s bearing down on you.
Keep safe.
Christoph
Hey Mirana.
So I know that usually we’ve kept you pretty close to home in Almas – mostly to try and keep Narami from doing too much damage. And I know that you and her don’t really ‘get along’. But right now, I have need of both your skillsets. Think of this as the perfect opportunity – Narami gets to come out, and you, hopefully, will be able to learn a little how to keep her in check. You’ve made great strides since we met, but at some point, the training wheels have to come off. Keep calm, watch your teammates backs, and you’ll come out fine.
Keep safe.
Christoph
Hey Brigitte.
So before anything else, I’d just like to say that for the past few months you’ve done great working on new infusions and extracts for us. Now, I’d like you to put those to greater use. I know you’ve always claimed your specialty is in alchemy (and, if your performance at last year’s New Year’s Eve party is any indication, comedy), but you have another talent – the best sleuth’s skills I’ve ever seen. The people out in the country, as it happens, can be a little reticent – last time I was there, trying to get info on this necromancer’s cult, getting info was like pulling teeth. Don’t be afraid to give things a second glance. Oh, and one more thing… I’m sending Stray along on this mission. I know you two have never gotten along at the best of times, but I expect you two to be able to keep things professional – at least when civilians are watching or a giant lizard’s bearing down on you.
Keep safe,
Christoph
Hey Auva.
Usually I wouldn’t be sending you out into the field like this, but as it happens, the team will need both your magic and your negotiation skills. As you no doubt know by now, I’m sending Brigitte along as well. Between the two of you, you have the skills to gather what I’m no doubt sure will be a rather difficult session of trying to gather information. Don’t be afraid to give things a second glance, and remember: If this all turns out well, this’ll make another great tale for the books.
Keep safe,
Christoph
Hey Stray.
I’m not going to lie. You’re a man after my own heart, even if you insist on winging things a little too much for my liking whenever I have “the plan”. But, as much as I’m loathe to admit it, even the best-laid plans can go awry at times, and an alternate perspective will be needed. That’s why I’m sending you out with the others. Of course, don’t think that gives you carte blanche to just go off on your own thing – I need you to keep your eye on the prize. Find the dragon, keep it from attacking the villagers, and find its hoard.
Oh, and one more thing. I’m sending Brigitte along on this mission. I know you two have never gotten along at the best of times, but I expect you two to be able to keep things professional – at least when civilians are watching or a giant lizard’s bearing down on you.
Keep safe,
Christoph
Hey Kiriel.
Ever since the beginning, you’ve had a knack for ferreting out secrets – and hey, what bigger secret is there than what the heck a big dragon’s doing in the middle of Andoran. I know you’re used to working solo, but consider this a team-building exercise. You’ll be the teams eyes in places they normally couldn’t go, and they’ll keep your back when things get sticky. Just keep your senses sharp, and you’ll be fine.
Oh, and one more thing. I’m sending Guardian along. I know you two have never gotten along at the best of times, but I expect you two to be able to keep things professional – at least when civilians are watching or a giant lizard’s bearing down on you.
Keep safe.
Christoph

And so it was, two days later, just after midday, that you came to Woodshaven, that small little town nestled in a forest along the base of a mountain. As the party walked into town with the caravan, a tall, well-dressed man approached you, skin the color of mahogany with a shaven head. His eyes flitting between the many disparate members of the team, he momentarily placed his head in his palms – then drew himself up, an expression of forced cheer on his face.

“Welcome to Woodshaven. I’m guessing Christoph sent you?” He extended his hand, shaking each of yours with a rather soft grip. “Roy Breckenridge. I’m the mayor of this… well, formerly sleepy little town.” He gestured to each of you to follow him. “Come. I’m sure you’re all tired from the long journey – we’ll get you set up at the local tavern, and then I’m sure you’ll all want to get started.”


What do you do?

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, The Shield of Justice

Guardian had simply nodded after reading the letter. He trusted Cristoph. The man was impulsive, but his heart was in the right place. Usually. The hooker were a bit excessive sometimes. He had spent a fair portion of the journey speaking with the mages that had been sent along, learning what he could on the subject of dragons and how to fight them appropriately. The idea did worry him. Those with the ability to use magic were a great threat, and dragons didn't even have the common courtesy to be squishy little robed people while doing it. This could prove a true test of their skill and resolve.

At least the journey had given him a chance to instruct the group in the basic tactics he employed. They were all added to his mental network, enabling near instantaneous and completely silent communication of information between them, in addition to allowing him to monitor their status at any time.

As they arrived, he moved up to the front of the caravan. He raised a large hand in greeting as the man came out, and extended it before him as they drew closer.
Quite pleased to make your acquaintance, good mayor. I am Guardian, one of Cristoph's ranking officers. He spoke well of you when he assigned us to this mission.
He chuckles.
I know we are a strange assortment, but brave souls are sometimes hard to come by. Much less ones with the strength of character to aid in defeating such a mighty creature as a dragon.

[skypse]

For better or for worse... At least I hope this time he won't be so pressuring about methods and the clarity of them. Damn you Cristoph, I was about to become a count for the south region and I had to break out of my alias and disguise for this! Now my riches are gone!

Various thoughts were going on Kiriel's mind when they arrived. It wasn't the most pleasant of times for him to be working with so many others, but the League's business always comes first. He approaches the mayor and while he extends his hand he says:

You seem really happy with us coming here huh? He is Guardian, one of the League's ranking officers. You can address him with whatever you want as well as all the boring stuff about the "assignment", you can tell the caravan's driver where he should go with the supplies and you can tell the rest of us where we can find good wine and food in this lovely formerly sleepy little town

[Rysc]

Auva

Before the party had set out, Auva had taken a moment to skim her letter, and then another moment to roll her eyes at Christoph's and the no doubt extremely useful and capable mages' "preoccupations." Perhaps the mages could've taken mandatory vacations in Woodshaven.

Of course, the League does pay her, and if she wants to keep getting paid there would be nothing else for it but to go along with the others. The experience will be...interesting.

***

The mayor is somewhat irritating. Granted, they are a peculiar group--a strange, scarred man, a monochromatic woman, a self-aware machine, and maybe two-and-a-half humans between them--but for dealing with a dragon, doesn't that seem much more likely to be successful than a squadron of plodding city guards?

After the others introduce themselves, she nods at the mayor. "Auva. And try not to judge the help before they've gotten a chance to do anything, all right?" She waves a hand outwards, vaguely indicating the town. "Though I suppose your attitude may be excused due to your current draconic problem--which I'm sure you'll be able to enlighten us about as we rest our weary feet at your tavern, right?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"You could not drive a little less, ah, bumpy, could you?" she asks the driver. When he doesn't answer, she glares at the back of his head, making a face. The young woman sits in the wagon as it bounces along the road to Woodshaven. She is adjusting her attire, straightening buckles, clasps, vials, and other accoutrements ahead of arriving at their destination. Lastly, she pulls out a small mirror, wiping any dirt smudges from her face and straightening her hair, tied back in a braid. First impressions were very important, she reminds herself.

I know we are a strange assortment, but brave souls are sometimes hard to come by. Much less ones with the strength of character to aid in defeating such a mighty creature as a dragon.
Placing her deerskin investigator's hat back upon her head, Brigitte hops out of the wagon, brushing away the driver's attempts to assist her down. Straightening her clothing, she moves up with the others, following Guardian. As she overhears the Warforged's greeting, she adds under her breath to Auva in passing and grins, "I think he meant to say foolish souls..." She looks at Guardian, eyeing the Warforged circumspectly. Oh, I do hope the old fellow does not rust or break down out here, she thinks. I never got a good look at anything like him, and I did not bring a toolbox!

"Speak for yourself, Guardian!" Brigitte calls out in heavily accented Common, her Galtan origin on full display. "Some of us prefer our brains over bravery," she adds, good-naturedly. As she draws nearer the mayor, Brigitte removes her traveling gloves, tucking them into a belt. After Guardian introduces himself, she steps up and curtsies with a flourish. "Brigitte Lestrade: Investigator, Engineer, Alchemist, and Professor for Practical Applications of Alchemical Creations at Absalom's Arcanamirium, at your service." Grinning at the mayor, she adds lastly, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Monsieur Breck-And-Ridge."

[Lord Of Mantas]

As the first of the party introduced themselves, Roy's expression fluctuated, mildly relaxing at Guardian's address before taking a steep downward curve as Auva and Kiriel spoke. Brigitte's attempt at a joke managed to break his frown, but only slightly. Turning to Auva, he opened his mouth.

"As a matter of fact, I can enlighten you about the problem on the way there. And as for not judging the help-" Roy's voice raised slightly before he clenched his hand, taking a deep breath. "Last time your... illustrious leader came here, all I asked for was a little help taking care of a bandit problem. He ended up bringing them, a roving tribe of orcs, a bunch of necromancers and a baby dragon within a stone's throw of this place, and still had the nerve to demand his money after he'd already looted their corpses. But his ethics aside, you and your League compatriots are effective - and what Herbert was able to tell me about the dragon is even remotely true, I need effective."

Turning to the leader of the caravan, Roy called out. "Take everything to town hall and get it unloaded. I'll stop by after I take care of these folks."

Roy then gestured at you to follow, and began leading you into the middle of town. "So here's what happened. Two days ago, in the middle of the night, one of our local shepherds, John Smith, got woken up by his sheep wailing and the sound of gnawing and crunching. He, of course, went running scared into town yelling about being under attack, and we grabbed the militia. By the time we got back, there was nothing to be seen but a bunch of half-eaten sheep with giant claw marks in them - and the sound of flapping wings. Then, last night, it struck again. We kept Herbert and a few of the local militia around the farm as a precaution, but we definitely saw it - it was trying to tear the roof off his stable before we drove it off. Didn't get a good look at it; it was overcast and the moon's still barely out of the new moon phase, but it was massive."

About half a minute later, Roy and you arrived in front of what was, presumably, the local inn and tavern. Above the door, a lightly worn wooden sign hung, depicting a giant, monstrous chicken breathing fire and the words The Savage Chicken.

"Talk to Sadie inside; she's the innkeeper and will get you set up. Your rooms, two meals and two drinks a day are paid for; anything beyond that comes out of your own pockets." Roy cleared his throat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a town to run, people to calm, and relief supplies to get squared away, so if you have any questions to ask, I would suggest you do so now."

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian nods.
I will accompany you, if you do not mind. I may be able to be of some assistance, and we can discuss matters while you do your duties.
Meanwhile, he is already speaking through the collective's mental network. Though his natural phrasing is the form of command, his mental tone is that of suggestion
Auva, see what the common people might know about these events. Sometimes things slip peoples minds in a crisis.
Brigette, you may want to see if there are any skilled individuals in the village. Mages or alchemists like yourself. Even if they are unskilled, such people tend to pick up useful tidbits of information.
Kiriel, just try not to kill anyone.
Mirana, do whatever you think is best suited to you, but try to stay out of trouble. It took me weeks to get the dent of of my chestplate after the last time you got too excited.
And has anyone seen Stray? Did he wander off to look at some rock or something on the side of the trail while I wasn't looking again?

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"I think it more likely that he saw something alive and female," Brigitte retorts. She turns to the mayor before he leaves, "Monsieur Breck-And-Ridge, are there any mages or alchemists in your town that I may speak with?"

[Mathemagics]

Mirana

Mirana had been content to keep to herself through the majority of the trip and quietly watch the scenery as it rolled past. As the group arrived at the town and followed its mayor toward the inn, she continued to glance around inquisitively. Despite hailing from one of the less heavily settled regions of the world, she had still spent the vast majority of her life in one city or another. The countryside was almost like another world to the girl in that respect. As Guardian began giving out assignments she hesitated, unsure of what exactly she should be doing.


Mirana, do whatever you think is best suited to you, but try to stay out of trouble. It took me weeks to get the dent of of my chestplate after the last time you got too excited.

It's not like I can control Incidents like that... It was Narami's fault...

Tilting her head to one side in thought, she pondered for a few moments what would be a good idea under the circumstances before an idea occurred. Her expression perked up and a broad smile spread across her features as she began wandering off, relaying her thoughts back over the mental connection as she did so.

Right then, I'll take a look around the farm, see if there's any sort of information to be found out there!

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Mirana can feel a small mental laugh.
I was only teasing. I know you can handle yourself. The farm sounds like an excellent idea. Just be careful, and alert us if you need reinforcements.

[Rysc]

Auva



Auva, see what the common people might know about these events. Sometimes things slip peoples minds in a crisis.

Right. I'll talk to the peasants.

And she's probably fine by herself, but maybe one of the people assigned the oh so important tasks of not doing anything could go with Mirana to check out the farm.

Auva turns to Brigitte after the mayor leaves. "In the interest of efficiency, I think I'll be tagging along with you. You get the intellectuals, and I'll cover everyone else in the vicinity."

[skypse]

Kiriel, just try not to kill anyone.


When are you going to stop this? You know my methods are always for the benefit of the League. I am no thug! Also, you better use your trick on a personal level. If you need to address me just call me Jamie ok? I'll go around the town, try and find out as much as I can about the incident and hopefully find that "John Smith".

Kiriel will go into the inn, speak with various people and generally blend in. After a couple of hours he will hit the streets, starting random conversation trying to find out who John Smith is and where he can find him. In case he can find any members of the Norgorber's circle, he will ask for information about the dragon and the farmer.

Gather information Dimpomacy roll: [roll0]
Knowledge religion for Norgorber's circle members: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

I will accompany you, if you do not mind. I may be able to be of some assistance, and we can discuss matters while you do your duties.

Roy seemed a little taken aback at Guardian's offer of assistance, but softened somewhat, his expression growing neutral. "Well, honestly, there's not really much to discuss - but if you were willing to help with the logistics of getting everything taken care of, I could definitely use an extra pair of hands."

Roy then momentarily paused as he noted the group was eerily silent, until...

"I think it more likely that he saw something alive and female."

"Monsieur Breck-And-Ridge, are there any mages or alchemists in your town that I may speak with?"
Roy raised an eyebrow as Brigitte seemingly made a comment out of nowhere, but said nothing. "Your best bet would be to talk to Herbert - he's our resident scholar and a deft hand at magic himself. Go two blocks down the main avenue and then turn right. His house is the most ostentatious one in town, right at the end of the road, two stories. You can't miss it, if only because some smoke from whatever he's been cooking up lately is usually wafting out the window. Alternatively, you might want to try Adelaide - she lives out on the east edge of town, little-run-down hut with ivy on it by the side of the road to the swamp. Pretty hard to miss that one too."


*** Assuming you all then proceed with your described actions... ***


Following Roy to town hall, you found that the trade caravan you were traveling with had already begun unloading its supplies - the usual stocks of food, cloth, and other assorted sundries, as well as other items that were clearly requisitioned in light of the attack such as weapons, lumber, and even a few odd alchemical reagents. The two of you began to order people around, instructing that various supplies be taken hither and thither, when the caravan master, a rather portly fellow with a big bushy handlebar mustache, approached - a copy of what appeared to be the invoice for everything in his hand. Taking it, Roy scanned the document carefully - and balked.

"5,000 gold pieces!? For this!? This is nothing short of daylight robbery!"

"I'll kindly ask you to take your accusations of theft elsewhere, Mister Breckenridge. What's there is the fair price for everything, and not all of it was easy to get."

"But we've ordered almost all of this before! Even including the new things, it shouldn't cost half this much!"

"Seller's market. Most everything is in short supply these days, what with new expeditions out north and all. 5,000, take it or leave it."
You carefully considered the choice of whether to visit Adelaide or Herbert first.
After asking a few random passers-by, you quickly managed to ascertain that John Smith runs a farm a few minutes walk outside the north end of town. One pleasant stroll along a wildflower-lined dirt road later, you saw what looks like a farm and farmhouse in the distance - and what must have unmistakably been the site of the attack, the roof of the barn half torn to shreds and blackened in places. A middle-aged man with a gray mustache and head of hair, a weatherbeaten face, and worn clothes sat on the front porch, looking mournfully out over the pasture. A very small group of sheep can be seen there, grazing peacefully. As you approached, you saw that his eyes were red, and slightly swollen.

"Well... you're clearly not from 'round town. I guess you must be the adventurers Herbert an' the mayor sent off for?" His voice, though clearly tinged with grief, holds a small note of optimism, and he shakes your hand firmly. "Name's John. How can I help?"

After Stray asked about the possiblity of examining the corpses, John nodded and began leading them round the back. "Most people would've just tossed 'em straight into the ground - worry about disease. But..." He sniffs. "It all happened so fast. The missus is in a better place, the children are all grown and moved away now. Ain't got much company besides them. Not ready to say goodbye yet. Besides, I reckoned you all might be able to tell somethin' bout that dragon from the wounds."

Escorting you around the back, John showed you the corpses of no less than eight sheep, no more than two days old. Immediately, Stray snapped out his hand, drooping his hand and swirling it clockwise while uttering an arcane-infused phrase. After using magic to probe the wounds for a moment, he came to a sudden realization - there was something off about the claw marks in the sheep, as they did not appear to match those usually made by dragons. In fact, it looks almost as if a smaller animal, with more fingers than a dragon's three, did the initial damage before someone used a knife to try and make the wounds bigger. Then, by sheer luck, Stray happened upon what he truly sought - a talon. Concentrating on it fully, his suspicion was confirmed.

It was not a dragon that killed those sheep.
With Brigitte having made her own choice as to a destination, you began idling around the streets of town, asking people what they know about the dragon attack. Most of them couldn't really tell you much; many of them having been asleep during both attacks. You did manage to locate a few members of the militia, but even they were largely unable to tell you more than what Roy already did, some of them visibly shuddering at the memory of the flying hulk.

Oddly, one of them appeared to only be able to utter the sentence, "Welcome to Woodshaven!" in response to your every query before what appeared to be his wife came and clobbered him over the head with a frying pan, dragging the dazed man out of the street with a hurried apology.

After about half an hour, however, you came across what appeared to be a brawl in the middle of the street, with two men tearing it up in the gutter, clearly at each other's throats.

"So this was yer plan, then?! Call in a dragon to finish the job from 20 years ago?!"

"You're touched in the head, Gobbo! If anything, we should be suspecting your lot! I know your weird whisperin' ways!"

"This was our home before you lot came and ruined it! We have no reason to want it burned! You, on the other hand, probably just want to destroy it because we won't let you have it! Well, you're not getting away with it!"

With this, one of the men, a rather wild-looking sort with a long flowing beard and mane of blond hair, decks the other, sending him sprawling in the dirt. The other, a more immaculately groomed sort with jet black hair and a plain mustache and goatee, gets up, spitting out a tooth.

"Funny. I was just about to say the same thing about you."

Many of the nearby onlookers looked at the scene with clear worry in their eyes, though none dared approach the pair.
Entering The Savage Chicken, you made your way up to the bar and introduced yourself to the rather buxom, freckled brunette who runs the place, Sadie Hawkins. Though initially taken aback at your strange appearance, after making some conversation she readily warmed up to your natural charisma and answered your question.

"Oh honey, John's farm ain't far at all. Right at the north end of town, just a few minutes walk away - take the dirt road that runs through that wildflower field right off the main thoroughfare. Can't miss it."

The others at the bar chimed in with much the same sentiment, and posing questions to them revealed that they could not tell you anything beyond what Roy informed you of, as most of them were inside town during the attack. Over in the corner, however, yo did spot one oddity. A mysterious-looking stranger, his eyepatched face half-hidden by a hood and a long grey beard drooping down over his robes, sat staring and muttering into his drink.

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

The large machine looks over at the caravan master
That hardly seems fair, good sir. These people are suffering. Due to recent events, they have been forced to rely on the aid of others. And you come here, raising your prices above what you would normally charge? That is truly disgusting. Are you so desperate to increase your profit by a small margin that you would bring suffering to those who are in need of help?
Though his tone remains level and steady, the volume rose slowly as he spoke, like that of a preacher approaching the high point of a sermon.

While he is giving his speech, he reaches out to the others in the collective
Did anyone get a good look at what was in the caravan? And, more importantly, can anyone give me a reasonable estimate of the price?

Diplomacy: [roll0]
Appraise: [roll1]

[skypse]

Kiriel moves closer to the hooded man silently and discretely. He sits on the table in front of him and whispers:
With One Hand I Give
Just in case you don't know, this is one of the two phrases that the followers of Norgorber share to identify themselves. This is usually used as a salutation in cases like this one.

EDIT: In case Kiriel has can answer what Guardian asked.
Perception: 1d20+18
Appraise: 1d20+2
And I just realized that I forgot to put a rank in Appraise.. pfff

[Othniel]

Brigitte Lestrade

"Ah, yes, very good!" Brigitte replies. "I shall seek out this Monsieur Herbert, and find out what he may know." Turning to Auva, she smiles. "You are more than welcome to go with me, Auva."

[Rysc]

Auva

Having spent the last hour or so near the house of "Monsieur Herbert," Auva is somewhat relieved when something does actually happen. Nevermind that it is currently taking the form of a street fight.

While black-hair-goatee is getting up, she puts on a smile and strides between the two.

"Now, gentlemen, no need to fight. This is about the dragon, am I correct? If so, then, firstly, it is somewhat absurd to toss around accusations of working with dragons. You speak of them as if they are dumb creatures that would answer to every beck and call, which is hardly true." She looks first one man then the other in the eye, partly to determine whether or not she's lost them yet.

"Secondly, if you do want to get all worked up about this, punching each other in the gutter will just end up with one or both of you knocked out or arrested--and guess what, dragon's still on the loose! Problem not solved. We are currently trying to work on that, but it'll be harder with accusations flying around. If you are completely certain of your position, I suggest you take your arguments to either the mayor or the, ah, leader of our group, Guardian."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Following Roy's directions, you quickly came across a very stately manor. A verdant and colorful garden of many exotic herbs and flowers lay out front, with what appeared to be purple mist delicately drifting out the attic window. The house itself appeared to be made of fine oaken timber, and the door of rich mahogany. Walking up, you knocked on the door (the knocker itself being a brass minotaur's head), and about half a minute later, a rather portly man dressed in fine silks answered the door, a jolly expression on his copper-topped cherubic face.

"Well well! I'm not a gambling man, by any means - I prefer to avoid games of chance - but you must be from the League! Come in, come, come!" Leading you inside, the man escorted you into a sitting room, offering you your choice of seating before taking one himself. "The name's Herbert, Herbert Felmacht. Alchemist, scholar, man of many disciplines, and a bit of a deft hand with magic if I do say so myself. What can I help you with?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte Lestrade

"Ah, Monsier Felmacht, I see that your interests align well with mine." She smiles pleasantly, removing her hat as she sits down. "My name is Brigitte Lestrade. I am an alchemist and scholar myself, and I teach at Absalom's Arcanamirium. More importantly, I am a member of the Trailblazer’s League. We have been hired to put an end to the dragon plaguing the countryside. Monsieur Mayor Breck-And-Ridge gave me your name and that of a Mademoiselle or Madame Adelaide (though he did not say what she does). I was hoping to find out if you could provide any insight as to the dragon and its behavior."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray

Stray had chaffed under the Guardian's relentless mental chatter and slipped away from the group as soon as they arrived in town, as well as severing the telepathic link. He didn't need the Tinman or anyone else to tell him to investigate the scene of the crime, and finding his way to the slaughter was easy enough. When he spotted Mirana coming the same direction, he joined up with her.

Holding the talon aloft and cleaning it with magic, Stray chirps, "Ah ha! Just as I thought. Our quarry is no dragon."

He turns back to Mirana and John with a lopsided, smug grin. "Though they delight in brutality, a chromatic dragon wouldn't leave so much meat. Reds char their food. Blacks let theirs rot. This? A beast didn't do this to feed."

"Dragons? They make good neighbors. Attacking a village is bad form, it draws needless attention to their presence. Whatever did this, they wanted to send a message."

His coattails swirl as he spins and catches the farmer's gaze. A lazy flick of his wrist and the way he squeezed two fingers against his palm were the only warnings he gave before he beguiled John.

[roll0] vs Will

Assuming a 16 works: Stray muses, "The man who carved into these sheep with a knife, what was he trying to say?"

[Mathemagics]

A perplexed expression crossed Mirana's features at Stray's sudden announcement. Her head tilted to one side as she gazed at the man confusedly.

"Buuut... Didn't everyone say it was a dragon? Also that barn definitely looks burned to me... It seems like it would be pretty convoluted if it was something else pretending to be a dragon, doesn't it?"

The girl decides to not voice her concerns over the opinion that a dragon makes for a good neighbor. Based on everything she'd heard, dragons tended to make very very bad neighbors, at least most varieties of them. But given her own admittedly sparse knowledge on the topic and Stray's perceived confidence on the subject, she merely smiles and nods.

"Ah, but maybe you're right? I'll um-" She pauses momentarily upon seeing the somewhat eccentric display that is Stray's spellcasting. "-I'll just... be over there uh investigating the barn I guess? You've got things handled here, yeah?"

With a small shrug of the shoulders, Mirana turns about and makes her way over towards the barn, gingerly picking her way about the scene so as to not disturb any potential clues.


Perception to look for anything unusual: [roll0]
Survival to see if there's any tracks: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

As the sun ticked ever onward in the sky, the various members of the party continued their investigation...

During your journey to Woodshaven, you found that you did not have much time to examine the contents of the trade caravan in detail, and after tdhey started being unloaded all over the place, evaluating their worth was that much more difficult. As a result, after several moments of hard thinking, you realized that you had no firm idea of what a fair cost for it all would actually be - it could be anything from 1,000 gp to 10,000.

However, you had more luck with words, as at your speech, the caravan leader uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm just trying to run a business here. I know times are tough, especially after the dragon attack, but I have to make a living too. 4,500 gp. That's more than a reasonable price."

Roy looked a little less scandalized, but still looked to you with visible discomfort.
Herbert gave a cheerful laugh, and clapped his hands.

"Well, my good madam, you have certainly come to the right place! I must admit, I don't often see many people from Galt. A splendid people, they are, very tenacious - and very beautiful." Producing a shimmer of magic from his hands, Herbert pulled over a cart with a steaming kettle on it, pouring a cup of tea for each of you before taking a sip himself. "In any case, like I said, you made the right choice in coming here. Adelaide, bless her heart - she's got the advantage in years, but too many of those living on the road to the eastern swamp has left her a touch paranoid. Spends half of her time muttering about figures moving around in the mist, odd groans, other such nonsense."

"Here's what I can tell you. No-one actually saw the dragon on the night of the first attack - by the time Mister Smith got back with the militia, it had long since left, nothing left but half-eaten sheep. But just last night, it attacked again. Went for the roof, scorched it a good bit before a couple lucky arrows and a few spells from yours drove the thing off in search of an easier meal. But, as it happens, we managed to spot it going north, towards the mountain range." Herbert paused for another sip. "From what I remember, a lot of fel creatures have made their home in that place over the years, but one of the more recent ones was a coatl nest, right at the heart of a cave. Your best bet would likely be to start there."

"Although, there is one more thing." Herbert leaned closer. "About 20 years ago, a bunch of foul cultists took root here, in the wilderness surrounding the village. Even struck at an old Druid encl-"

"Master Herbert!"

Suddenly, your chat with Herbert was interrupted as a sprightly young lad, no older than nineteen, bounded down the stairs. Dressed sharply, although not as finely as herbert, with an apron on and thick gloves over his hands, he had piercing blue eyes set in a very handsome and youthful face, accentuated by oak-brown hair and a soul patch.

"Master Herbert, I've finished setting up that tincture of wolfsbane to brew. May I be dismissed for the day?"

"Did you remember to add the copper sulfate? We don't need a repeat of last time. Alembics are rather expensive, you know."

The young man's face flickered with doubt for a moment before nodding vigorously.

"Very well then, you may leave for today. But be back tomorrow! 8:30 sharp! It's time we taught you how to create something a tad more general-use."

The young man practically bounded out the door, barely stopping to give you a quick "good day" before slamming the door. Herbert chuckled good-naturedly.

"Bardolph Falstaff, my apprentice. Good lad, rather sharp mind, but he's been a tad... distracted lately. As if his mind is elsewhere. I don't blame him, really, with what his father and the Gobbo clan being particularly at each other's throats lately. Anyway, as I was saying, there were a bunch of cultists that struck at an old druid enclave 20 years ago - never did track them all down, but occasionally a few odd happenings have been reported up in the mountains. Be on your guard for anything seeming out of sorts."

Reaching over, Herbert then offered to mark the location of the abandoned Couatl nest on your map.
John looked positively shocked at Stray's revelation. "You... you mean it wasn't a dragon that attacked that first night? But we heard the roar, the flapping of wings! And then just last night, when it torched the roof! Why would... what message could anyone possibly send by butchering my poor fluffy children!?" John breaks down sobbing. "I've raised them... I've raised them from little lambs, and their parents and grandparents before them! I mean, sure, occasionally we'll take one for some nice mutton, but they deserved a clean, quick death... Not like this... Not like this..."

Stray, in the meantime, determines the claw to be none other than the talon from a bloodthirsty, slavering ghoul - and a particularly strong one, judging by the length of it. Mirana's quest, while not revealing any items of interest, does reveal some humanoid-looking racks mixed in among the sheep's. While most of them head back toward the road, there are a few that head southeast, into the forest.

After a few minutes, Mirana decides to redouble her search efforts, eventually finding one item of interest: A small clump of moss and lichen, clearly not attached to anything similar in the vicinity.
As you walked in between the two men, they jumped back, clearly startled at the sudden interference in their fight. As you continued with your speech, the two of them, though still clearly angry, began to lose some of their fire, a brief flicker of what might have been shame crossing their faces. After you finished, a moment passed. Silence reigned, all of the onlookers seeming to hold their breath. Then, the bearded one raised a finger, pointing it at the goatee'd and mustachioed one.

"This isn't over, you Falstaff twit."

All of the onlookers sighed in relief, many of them shooting grateful glances in your general direction.

As he stalked off, the goatee'd and mustachioed one turned to you, shaking his head. "I apologize that you had to see that ruckus. We usually try not to involve outsiders in this little... Blasted druids think they run the place." He drew himself up, trying to dust himself off in a vain attempt to look slightly more presentable. "Tybalt Falstaff. I'm guessing you must be one of those adventurers Herbert and Mayor Breckenridge sent for?"

All of a sudden, a young man with oak-brown hair came bounding out of the house where Brigitte disappeared, quickly running down the road before skidding to a halt as his and Tybalt's eyes met. "...Father."

"Bardolph. I presume you were headed straight home this time? No dilly-dallying?"

"I... yes, father."

Falstaff looked back over at you. "My sincerest apologies, Miss, but we must be going now. I hope you understand." Assuming no further action on your part, Tybalt and Bardolph then walked down the street, turning a corner out of sight.
During your journey to Woodshaven, you found that you did not have much time to examine the contents of the trade caravan in detail, and after they started being unloaded all over the place, evaluating their worth was that much more difficult. As a result, after several moments of hard thinking, you realized that you had no firm idea of what a fair cost for it all would actually be - it could be anything from 1,000 gp to 10,000.

Moving back to the present, as you uttered the passphrase to the hooded, bearded man, he looked at you with a face of utter confusion. "Hold on half a tick, that's not how this goes! You're supposed to say 'Excuse me, dear sir, I couldn't help but notice you sitting in the corner staring at your drink. Are you in need of the assistance of an adventu-'"

But before he could finish his sentence, a particularly hard and stale loaf of bread whizzed by your ear, clonking the walking reference poor sap in the head and sending him sprawling across the table. A quick look back reveals the perpetrator to be none other than Sadie, who calls out.

"Rachel! Your brother-in-law is at it again!"

A random woman then entered the bar, profusely apologizing as she dragged the sprawling, unconscious man out of the tavern - and, as she did so, revealing his eyepatch and hood to be fakes.

Suddenly, however, you feel a light touch on your lap, and you pick up a small piece of paper. On it are inscribed five words.


With the other I take.
The rest of the page is blank.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray

Stray screws up his face, uncomfortable, but not untouched by the man's display of emotion for his flock. Sighing, he counts out eight platinum coins and presses them into the farmer's hand (making a mental note to invoice Christoph for the expense as he does).

"Oh, cheer up, man. Here, this should buy you a few yearlings. The uh... Trailblazer’s League conveys its deepest sympathies for your loss. We'll get to the bottom of this!"

Calling for Mirana, Stray taps a finger to his temple, "Have you still got a connection with the Tinman, or is he out of range?"

After Mirana shares her discovery of the tracks, Stray has a look. Perhaps he can determine how many creatures there were and better estimate the size of the big one that left the claw.

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva nods, but keeps an eye on scruffy-yellow-hair as he stalks off. "I am indeed with them."

Down that street, and--ah, did he just come from the Monseuir's house?

She takes mental note of the son's reluctance, but simply nods again as they leave. "Good day." She bows slightly, and when they're gone, abruptly turns, coat trailing behind her.

Can't have gone too far.

Auva will attempt to follow scruffy guy! Not sure what's needed, so have a Perception: [roll0]


Auva strides up alongside the man and taps him the shoulder if she needs to. A serious expression on her face, she first glances behind her, then back at him. "Just so you know, I'm inclined to believe you."

Bluff: [roll1]
Auva leans in conspiratorially. "I wanted to keep everyone out of trouble back there, but there's something off about that Falstaff. Probably just as no good as twenty years ago..."
Auva puts on her best smile. "Oh, sorry, I'll take myself elsewhere. Looking for someone else."
Apologizes for all the nesting.

[Othniel]

Brigitte Lestrade

The young woman accepts the tea with a polite "Thank you," taking a few sips as the man speaks. Show off, she thinks to herself at his use of magic, accidentally broadcasting the thought to the others. She nods sympathetically as the man speaks of Adelaide, broadcasting to the others, We should also pay a visit to this Adelaide person on the edge of town. She lives on the road to the eastern swamps. At Herbert's offer to mark the location, Brigitte quickly nods. "And can you describe the dragon, assuming you were afforded a close enough look?" She pauses to sip some more tea, hesitating before asking her next question, "I do not mean to pry, monsieur, but is there anything my group should know involving the Falstaff and Gobbo clans?"

Knowledge (Nature?) check for a coatl: [roll0] (+[roll1] w/no Inspiration cost on knowledge checks I'm trained in).
Craft (alchemy) check on uses for Tincture of Wolfsbane: [roll2]
Sense Motive to see if Brigitte thinks he's telling the truth on everything (If you want, you can use the same result for whatever he tells her next): [roll3]

[Mathemagics]

Stray

Stray screws up his face, uncomfortable, but not untouched by the man's display of emotion for his flock. Sighing, he counts out eight platinum coins and presses them into the farmer's hand (making a mental note to invoice Christoph for the expense as he does).

"Oh, cheer up, man. Here, this should buy you a few yearlings. The uh... Trailblazer’s League conveys its deepest sympathies for your loss. We'll get to the bottom of this!"

Calling for Mirana, Stray taps a finger to his temple, "Have you still got a connection with the Tinman, or is he out of range?"

After Mirana shares her discovery of the tracks, Stray has a look. Perhaps he can determine how many creatures there were and better estimate the size of the big one that left the claw.

Mirana perks up from her search upon hearing her name being called. Noticing Stray, she wanders back over towards the man to see what he wants.

"Hmm? Ah, I think it still works? Did you want me to tell him something? Oh, I also found this, not really sure what it's for, but it was just sitting around over there by the barn."

The girl holds up the clump of plant matter, holding it in a spare piece of cloth just in case touching it directly turns out to be a bad idea.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray

"Ah, good eye," he gives the girl a warm (flirtatious? It's hard to tell with him) smile before pilfering the bit of moss with mage hand. He sniffs at it cautiously, testing it for residual moisture and familiar scents.

"If you don't mind, tell the others we're after a ghoul. A big one. Maybe one with wings... that also breathes fire. Also he may have a dragon friend, but THIS is definitely a ghoul's claw!" He wags the claw at her before securing it in his breast pocket. "Oh, and on top of everything, someone has been at those sheep with a knife, trying to make their wounds look bigger. It's beginning to look like someone is trying to frame a dragon for this."

"I'll have a look at the roof and have a last look around the fields. You go ahead and join the others if you like. Or you can watch me work? he adds slyly.

Stray goes to examine the barn to see if he can deduce what burned it.

Perception
[roll0]

Nature (to see where the Moss is from)
Take 10 for 22.

Perception for tracks
27, rolled OOC

And he scans the area with Detect Magic to be thorough!

[skypse]

During your journey to Woodshaven, you found that you did not have much time to examine the contents of the trade caravan in detail, and after they started being unloaded all over the place, evaluating their worth was that much more difficult. As a result, after several moments of hard thinking, you realized that you had no firm idea of what a fair cost for it all would actually be - it could be anything from 1,000 gp to 10,000.

Moving back to the present, as you uttered the passphrase to the hooded, bearded man, he looked at you with a face of utter confusion. "Hold on half a tick, that's not how this goes! You're supposed to say 'Excuse me, dear sir, I couldn't help but notice you sitting in the corner staring at your drink. Are you in need of the assistance of an adventu-'"

But before he could finish his sentence, a particularly hard and stale loaf of bread whizzed by your ear, clonking the walking reference poor sap in the head and sending him sprawling across the table. A quick look back reveals the perpetrator to be none other than Sadie, who calls out.

"Rachel! Your brother-in-law is at it again!"

A random woman then entered the bar, profusely apologizing as she dragged the sprawling, unconscious man out of the tavern - and, as she did so, revealing his eyepatch and hood to be fakes.

Suddenly, however, you feel a light touch on your lap, and you pick up a small piece of paper. On it are inscribed five words.


With the other I take
The rest of the page is blank.

Kiriel puts the piece of paper in his pouch immediately after reading it, standing up and following the strange woman.
Let me give you a hand miss... Rachel right? My name's Jamie. Please let me carry your brother for you.

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian's shoulders move as if he were sighing. Kind of weird, since he doesn't breathe.
"If you are going to insist."
He reaches into his bag and pulls out two small bags.
"I will assist the mayor in covering the cost. 200 platinum sounds about right to me."

[Mathemagics]

Mirana

Hey um... everyone? Can you hear this? I'm still at the farm with Stray. He says that it wasn't a dragon that killed the sheep and to watch out for a ghoul. We're going to keep looking around here for a bit more I think.

Having broadcast the status update out over the telepathic connection, Mirana moves to follow Stray. She tries to stay close enough to see what's going on but also far enough back so to avoid getting in the way as the man picks over the scene one final time.

"But why would somebody try to make it look like a dragon attack anyway? Seems like if they were going to make up a story in the first place something less....exotic? might be a better choice. I mean it seems like there really isn't anything to gain from that..."

The girl's tone is musing as she voices the question, though it remains difficult to tell if it's actually directed to Stray or merely speaking her thoughts.

[skypse]

What? What do you mean? How can someone confuse a whole freaking dragon for a ghoul? Have you seen the size of a dragon?! Are you trying to tell me that a whole town came to the conclusion that a dragon attacked them, without ever seeing the dragon?

[Mathemagics]

Mirana

I don't know! I'm just repeating what he told me! Please don't yell at me!

Mirana glances at Stray with a distressed look on her face as he continues investigating the scene. Taking a deep breath, she tries the mental connection again.

Um... sorry. I think what he meant is that there's no way a dragon is what killed the sheep. We're still trying to find out what happened to the barn.

[Lord Of Mantas]

The wheel of fate is turning...

The caravan leader looked surprised at your reluctance to bargain further, but shook your hand on the deal, and took your proffered coin. Roy, for his part, gaped as he handed over his own part of the cost, turning to you as the caravan leader left to supervise the unloading of the sheep.
"I... I honestly don't know what to say. John's sheep, their meat and wool, are pretty much our only dependable exports, and when they were threatened..." Roy rubbed his head. "It wasn't cheap, getting word to someone willing to provide wood for repairs, replacement animals, and weapons to better arm the militia at a moment's notice. And just now, when he jacked up the price..." The mayor shook his head. "It was hard enough scraping together more than the usual to pay for all this, and I feared for a moment that we would be put permanently in debt, but you, my friend, not only just saved us from bankruptcy, but also put us back under budget. Thank you. Truly."

The rest of the unloading went rather smoothly, your tasks rather mindless and allowing you ample free time to concentrate as the others took a more active role...

For the record, this isn't the only thing I have planned for you, but to move ahead now would require warping time somewhat.


Space is warped and time is bendable!
Herbert leaned back in his chair and drained his cup before pouring another one.

"To answer your question, Madam, I did not get a very good look at it in the dark, what with the moon not being very far into its phases and all. Best as I can tell, it must have been a red dragon, seeing as it breathed fire, and if I were to guess at its age I would say it was likely a young dragon, not more than a few years past being a wrymling. As for the Gobbos and Falstaffs... Well, that is truly a tragic tale."

"The Gobbo clan was once part of a small druid enclave out in the eastern swamp called, unimaginatively enough, Swamphaven, while the Falstaffs have traditionally had a bit of a knack for strength of arms - their partriach, Tybalt, is the captain of the militia here in town when such an occasion arises. That said, occasionally, one of them, such as Bardolph, displays a talent for arcane magic, and 20 years ago that was also the case for Bardolph's aunt, Maria. Anyway, 20 years ago - not long after I'd moved here, incidentally - a young mage by the name of Randolph came to town, and sought shelter with the Gobbos. He claimed to be studying the native plant life for magical properties, and offered help gathering them for the Gobbos famed tinctures in exchange for the chance to use small pieces in his own work. They agreed, reluctantly. He also began to strike up a friendship with the current Gobbo patriarch's brother Henry, and apparently began to become enamored of Maria, who he would talk to from time to time."

"A few weeks later tragedy struck. One day, Maria and Henry both disappeared, and shortly afterward Swamphaven was attacked by a mix of undead and summoned monsters. Only a few members of the Gobbo clan escaped. Relations between Falstaff and Gobbo were never cordial before, but afterwards they devolved into outright animosity. Each believes that the other was responsible, you see, for allowing Randolph - who was part of a cult of necromancers - to attack. The Falstaffs believe that Henry, blinded by jealousy, killed Maria and attacked Randolph, who charmed him into summoning monsters to help attack while Randolph had one of his fellows impersonate Maria as a way to frame the Falstaffs. The Gobbos believe Randolph corrupted Maria with his charms and killed Henry, their greatest defender, before helping to unleash destruction on the village before Randolph stabbed her in the back. Maria's body was recovered with several knife wounds. Henry's body was never found."

Herbert set down his cup. "Ever since, local legend has held that the swamp is haunted. Pure nonsense, of course, all the necromancers were driven out years ago; they'd never go back to where someone would be actively looking for them - but reports have been seen of strange activity from elsewhere around here, like I said originally. Abandoned coatl nest. That's where you should start."

Throughout Herbert's talk, you began to get a rather eerie sense. While nothing he's said has seemed untrue, you get the distinct feeling that he is holding something back. In particular, his insistence on visiting the Coatl nest seems a bit forced. Then, as he sets down his cup, he brushes back a stray lock of hair beside his right ear. By chance, through some well-positioned light, you spot two things. A small, almost unnoticeable black mark, in the shape of a three-toed claw, and a small scar below that.
As John looked at the platinum coins Stray dropped into his hand, he started trembling, his tears flowing like rivers - and his face overwhelmed with gratitude. "...th-thank you. Thank you, good sir!" With a great leap, he sprang forward and embraced Stray. "I-I didn't know what I was going to do. My woolly little ones, well, they're my sole means of support, and I was worried that I was going to go utterly destitute... but this will be more than enough to get me through the year, and get the seeds for a lovely new flock besides! Thank you! Thank you!"

After Stray extricated himself from the immensely grateful farmer, who then went bounding off into town, the two of you began a more thorough investigation. As far as you could tell, there was no magic lingering in Farmer Smith's fields. The barn roof, being torn half to shreds and clearly burned with fire, left no doubt about it - this was the work of, if not a dragon, another creature capable of flying and breathing fire, of which there aren't many others, if at all. The tracks led southeast, away from the farm and into the fields, presumably in an overall easterly direction relative to the town. The moss, according to Stray's expert deduction, was a species of swamp moss native to this region.
With your keen eyes, it was easy enough to catch up with the scruffy bearded man Tybalt had been fighting with, and with your gift of the gab he visibly relaxed and smiled, albeit somewhat gruffly.

"I wasn't aware news of the Falstaff's treachery and the fall of Swamphaven had spread outside the local area. Seems like almost no-one outside this town knows of that attack, and all the lives it cost... But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth." He extended his hand, shaking yours with a very firm grip. "Shylock Gobbo. My family and I come from a proud line of druids native to the region, though of course you'd know that if you knew anything about the massacre conducted by those blasted necromancers." His face darkened. "Of course, those Falstaffs, they claim they had nothing to do with their little harlot of an aunt luring our greatest defender away from the village and murdering him, leaving the enclave without a vital part of its defense, but lies, lies, all of them!" The last few words were shouted, and Shylock looked around in brief embarrassment before facepalming. "Sorry. They say time heals all wounds, but this one... it can never heal until those responsible are brought to justice." Shylock turned and looked up at the sun briefly, noting its position, before he began to walk away. "My apologies. My daughter, Jessica, said she would be finishing early with her work at Adelaide's hut today, and we've an important occasion to observe tonight, so I must run get her. I'm sure you've work to do, uncovering the truth behind that dragon attack, but if ever you want to stop by for a good meal, just look us up. We live at the south edge of town, just beside the great oak tree. There's a sign out front, you can't miss it." Assuming no further action on your part, Shylock then began to walk away, heading toward the east edge of town.
Rachel turned her head at your offer of assistance, a weary look on her face. "Thank you, Mister Jamie, but trust me when I say you want as little to do with my brother-in-law as possible. He and my good-for-nothing husband make it a game to go around pranking adventurers by luring them in with common storytelling conceits from bard's tales and the like before spouting nonsense phrases until they give up and walk away in exasperation. The mayor reckons they've lost our town at least one thousand gold in income over the past year alone, and I already had to bean my husband with a frying pan when he was talking to some gaunt grey-skinned woman with yellow eyes earlier with his 'Welcome' schtick."

Meanwhile, a feverishly mumbled phrase emanated from the half-conscious no-longer-so-mysterious stranger. "I used to be an adventurer like you... then I took an arrow to the knee..."

[skypse]

Kiriel looks the woman carefully as she talks, trying to decipher any hidden messages or clues about her."Well in any case, I insist on helping. I was about to leave the inn anyway and take a walk around the town."

While saying that, he tries to pass a secret message to make sure if she's the one who dropped the note.
"Let's go somewhere quiet and discuss my matters my sister."
He turns to the man laughing:
"An arrow stopped you? Damn, it must have been a huge one right?"


Bluff for the secret message. DC 15 (autopass) if you believe the message is simple, 20 if it is complex. If someone else wants to understand the message, they must pass my bluff with Sense Motive. She understands it automatically.
Bluff: [roll0]
Perception to see any clues about her being in the circle.
Perception: [roll1]
Sense motive to understand any hidden messages
Sense motive: [roll2]
Diplomacy to make me likable :D
Diplomacy: [roll3]

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte sets her cup down, gathers her hat, and rises to go. "Thank you Monsieur Felmacht; you have been most helpful. And now, I must see to my compatriots and share with them what you have shared with me." Taking her leave, Brigitte steps outside, but instead of heading back to the caravan, she makes for Adelaide's home, thinking to get another opinion. As she walks, she shares what she knows with the others:

"The local alchemist did not see much of the dragon, though he surmises it to be a young red, as it breathed fire. There is also apparently something of a feud going on between the Falstaffs, a family that has served much in the militia, and the Gobbos, a family descended from druids living in the swamps. They appear to blame each other for the attack of some necromancers in the swamp led by one Randolph, a necromancer who came to town one day. Monsier Felmacht told me that the necromancers are all gone, but insists that we should start with a coatl next. I also spotted a claw-shaped mark and a scare on the right side of his head near his ear, if that is important. I think he is holding something back, and I do not trust him. I am going to seek out this Adelaide on the east edge of town."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray

Dismayed that he hadn't turned up anything more substantial, Stray sighs, "It looks like we have three monsters to find: the ghoul, the man who helped slice up these sheep, and a red dragon."

"Hmph! One more thing before we go. Let's have a look inside the barn. What was inside that the dragon wanted so badly?"

Take 20 on Perception for 43

Once concluded, Stray goes to join the others in town and share notes.

[Rysc]

Auva

Hearing Brigitte's information, Auva jogs slightly to catch up with the druid. "Actually, I'm going in the same direction--have to meet a friend at Aidelade's, so if you don't mind I'll just walk with you."

She mentally adds, "Heading to Adelaide as well, with one Shylock Gobbo no less, so be prepared. Something that might interest us, Brigitte, is that a Tybalt Falstaff's son was working for your Monsieur Herbert, and apparently Shylock's daughter works for Adelaide."

"Also, what's this about a coatl? Are we looking for an oddly named place or a creature?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte continues on her way, responding to Auva so that everyone may 'hear," "Yes, Tybalt Falstaff was there at the alchemist's when I paid him a visit, though he did not say much, nor stay very long. As for a couatl, they are beautiful winged serpents, intelligent, and typically good. Monsieur Herbert Felmacht has told me that there is an abandoned couatl nest in a cave in the mountains to the north. He suggested starting there, and marked the location on my map. I can show everyone once we come back together." Brigitte hesitates, and then continues, "There is something about this place and the people here that makes me uncomfortable. There is far more going on than dragon trouble."

[Lord Of Mantas]

A sense of progress began to wash over the group...

Soon, the last of the administrative work involved in getting all the relief supplies work seemed to dissipate. After the brief excitement of negotiating with the caravan master, it was comparatively dull, broken up only by a highly excited figure bounding up to the people unloading the sheep and quickly exchanging several handfuls of coin before making off with a small group of yearlings. Turning to you, Roy wiped his brow.

"Well, all that's taken care of. At this point, the only thing I really have on my plate that you could assist with is a quick address to the townspeople. They're all scared in the wake of the attack, and if what you pulled with the caravan master is any indication I'm sure hearing a few words from the people investigating the matter would help put their minds at ease."
At hearing Auva's declaration of intent to also visit Adelaide, Shylock nodded. "Well, I'm certainly not one to refuse a spot of company. Come, I'll show you the way - easier than having to pick your way around on your own, right?"

A few short minutes thereafter, thanks to some timely telepathic communication, Brigitte joined the little group, and Shylock led the both of you out toward the eastern gates of town, and down a winding dirt path. Five minutes later, you came across a small cottage, the very picture of humility, covered in ivy, with a small waterwheel at the back half-submerged in a gurgling creek. A couple of chickens scratched in the dirt around the yard, pursuing their neverending quest to pick out tasty seeds and insects, while an older woman, well into middle age, sat on the front porch, a table of various plants sitting upon them. In her hands, she held a small mortar and pestle, and sat grinding something as she hummed a soft tune. Approaching her, Shylock nodded his head in greeting.

"Adelaide. Is Jessica around?"

"Is that any way to speak to your elders, Shylock?" Adelaide cackled softly, setting aside her mortar and pestle. "You may have known me since you were in diapers, young man, but we can't just go chucking social graces out the window willy-nilly now, can we?" Adelaide stood up, cricking her neck. "Unfortunately, no, she left just five minutes ago. Said there was some 'important family business' going on tonight."

Shylock frowned. "But if that's true... We would have run into her on the way... Augh, that girl!" Turning to the both of you, Shylock raised a hand in apology. "I'm sorry. It seems my daughter's run off again, and I've got to find her before tonight's ceremony. Good evening to the both of you, and good luck with the dragon."

Adelaide, for her part, squinted at the two of you before coming down the steps. "You're the adventurers Master Felmacht sued for, I wager." A clear note of disdain was present as she uttered Herbert's name, but her expression recovered quickly as she regarded you with kinder eyes. "What brings you to this old lady's house?"
Poking his head into the barn, and examining it thoroughly from top to the bottom, Stray comes to the conclusion that it is...

Just an ordinary barn. With tools. And rope. And lots of fluffy, fat, well-cared for and happy sheep. Perfect snack-size for a hungry dragon.

Please select a specific destination to continue your quest.
As you attempted to communicate with her via hand signals, Rachel looked at you in a rather confused manner, apparently failing to comprehend why you would want to go and talk elsewhere. After a few seconds, she laughs.

"Oh, don't get me wrong good sir, my husband may be an exasperating idiot..." She then sized you up and down, apparently scrutinizing your appearance with a wry half-smile, "but I still love him. And, well, he makes up for his idiocy in... other ways."

"Turns out that marrying the son of a cook has distinct advantages, especially come holidays."

"Although if you insist, I suppose I would appreciate a bit of help hauling around this lug. I swear, he must be eating Sadie out of house and home..."

"...horrible night to have a curse..."

At hearing these words, noting the fact that she doesn't appear to be reciprocating your hand motions, and after a rather thorough examination of her bearing, build, and appearance... you start to get the feeling that Rachel is probably just an ordinary civilian. And come to think of it... weren't both she and her brother and law on the other side of the table the whole time, with both their hands where you could see them?

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Though his face does not show it, his tone indicates that the great machine would be smiling.
"Of course. I would gladly address your town."
Mentally, he begins flicking through similar speeches he has given. No, the one from the Cheliaxian slave revolt wouldn't do. That was about throwing off shackles. Perhaps the one from his visit to Trunau could serve as a base point... Yes, that would do nicely! They'd had dragon problems shortly before his arrival. Though some knights had arrived ahead of him and had already dealt with the menace, he did still feel it had been a nice speech.

When the mayor had had time to gather the citizenry, Guardian began to deliver his speech, his powerful voice booming throughout the town.
"People of Woodshaven, attend me for a moment. My name is Guardian, and I am a member of the Trailblazer's League. Our leader, Cristoph Carloman, is an old friend of your esteemed mayor, and has sent us here to help you with your recent troubles. My companions are already dispersed through the town, searching for any hints they can find about the attack. I beseech you to cooperate with us, so that this issue may be resolved quickly and you may resume your normal lives."
He draws his shining sword, and holds it in the air before him, allowing the sun to gleam from the polished silver surface.
"I give you all my word of honor, as the sole Servant of the Singer upon this plane, that I shall end this threat to your livelihoods. So do not fear, good people. Justice has come, and it shall be your shield!"

And I'll be making 3 checks here.
Artistry, to write the speech: [roll0]
Diplomacy, to bring the town to our side: [roll1]
Untrained Perform (Oratory), to aid the diplomacy (seems fitting to me): [roll2]

[Nefarion Xid]

In the barn, Stray stands contemplatively, with his hands neatly folded behind his back. After a long moment of silent pondering, his eyes narrow and he hurls an accusative finger at the nearest sheep, yelling, "I'm on to you! Oh ho! You think you've outsmarted me, you beady-eyed surreptitious ovine bast- .... stop ... stop licking my finger. I'm trying to be dramatic. Can you just let me have my moment?"

Defeated, Stray pets the sheep affectionately for a while before exiting the barn and securing the doors. For a moment, he'd been certain that the barn contained something worthwhile -- like a lesser artifact buried beneath the hay. He didn't like when things were deceptively parsimonious. A dragon attacked the barn because he was hungry? How banal. Perfectly ordinary and sensible explanations hardly fit into his grandiose world view.

At least there were ghouls to hunt and likely a necromancer pulling the strings. Stray delighted in destroying the undead. Their makeshift collection of cognitions and memories that passed for a "mind" repulsed and terrified him. Anything he couldn't control made him uneasy and their nature rendered them completely impervious to even his most powerful magics. Fortunately, he had a gung-ho party of adventurers he could point towards the ghouls. That would be entertaining!

Stray hurries back to locate the rest of the group, following the clarion voice of Guardian.

"You look a little young for this line of work, and you're a long way from home." He glances sidelong to Mirana as they walk together, quickly explaining, "Magnimar, originally, judging from your accent. And half Shoanti. Pronounced philtrum and brow ridge. Wide mouth, plump bottom lip. Hard to tell with half-elves, but... seventeen?"

[Mathemagics]

"You look a little young for this line of work, and you're a long way from home." He glances sidelong to Mirana as they walk together, quickly explaining, "Magnimar, originally, judging from your accent. And half Shoanti. Pronounced philtrum and brow ridge. Wide mouth, plump bottom lip. Hard to tell with half-elves, but... seventeen?"

Mirana

"Ah, eighteen actually, and yes Magnimar. I'm a little surprised you were able to recognize all that though. Hardly anyone from around these parts has even heard of the Shoanti. At least it seems that way most of the time. Have you been to Varisia before?"

Mirana's voice carries a tone of pleasant surprise at being so exactly profiled. (Especially considering the fact that Stray seemed rather... eccentric, and maybe not all there...) The smile that graced her features turned contemplative as she walked along beside Stray, her hands clasped neatly behind her back.

"And well, it's not like I planned to end up adventuring or anything. There was just an... Incident and I ended up in Almas. Christoph was nice enough to help me out."

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte watches the exchange between the two villagers, and as Shylock leaves, she bids him farewell for now. "Aha!" thought Brigitte at the woman's mention of Herbert, "There is something of an animosity, perhaps a rivalry, between Monsieur Felmacht and Mademoiselle Adelaide." Keeping these thoughts to herself, she greets the woman kindly, "Good day to you, Madamoiselle - or is it Madame - Adelaide. My name is Brigitte Lestrade, and this is my compatriot, Auva Vesari. We are here with several others at the behest of your Mayor Breck-And-Ridge to remove the troublesome dragon. He mentioned that you and Monsieur Felmacht may have information you could share regarding the town's trouble of late with the dragon? I have lately come from Monsieur Felmacht's residence, and he had much to say. We now seek to gain your knowledge on the subject, and anything else you think may be helpful, if you would be so kind. We are especially keen for an accurate description of the dragon, as Monsieur Felmacht was unable to provide one."

Diplomacy: [roll0]
Sense Motive on whatever she tells me: [roll1]

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray

"Oh, I've been all over Varisia, hunting for the Runelord's scraps. Never quite found what I was looking for and a group of Pathfinders beat me to the best spots. But I did find this..."

He stops for a moment to dig through his black leather satchel and produces an exquisite silver hand mirror, encircled with reliefs of demons and mortals entwined in carnal acts. An inscription in Thassilonian follows a ribbon running through the whole scene. He offers it over for examination.

"Runelord Sorshen's," he beams proudly, "Taken from her bedroom. Well, one of them, at any rate."

"Shoanti trackers helped me locate the ruins. I spent less time with the Shundar-Quah as I would have liked. Fascinating oral tradition. But the Varisian nobility began to bore me and I missed the Inner Sea. And, of course, I got tired of coming up empty-handed except for one lousy mirror."

"Christoph has a talent for making friends with talented people, doesn't he?"

[skypse]

Kiriel analyzed the situation for a moment, realizing the full he has made of himself. He tried to recall the whole situation, an exercise they used to have when he was training with his mentor. The image in his mind was clear now. The piece of paper was thrown by someone else, probably the one who threw the bread to the poor man's head.

"Umm, I think you misunderstood my intentions my dear. I merely want to help, nothing more. Not that you are not a very attractive woman, but it's just not my style to try and do such things with married women. Anyway, I wouldn't like to be any more burden to you madame. If you still want me to help, then I will but please don't have a wrong impression of me."

Diplomacy: [roll0]
Bluff: [roll1]

After that, Kiriel will help Rachel to take her husband home if he sees that she is convinced and she still needs help. Afterwards he will return to the inn. He will take a good look at Sadie, trying to figure out if she could be the one who is part of the circle. After all, her aim was impeccable. If she looks like she could be in the circle, he gives her back her note.

"I think you dropped this before beautiful."

Diplomacy: [roll2]

[Lord Of Mantas]

A party, once fractured, begins to reassemble itself...

Having brought Guardian along to the town meeting called in the village square, Roy watched carefully as he spoke to the people of Woodshaven. Initially, the assembled townspeople, tension visible upon each and ever face, regarded Guardian somewhat suspiciously. However, as he continued to talk, the tension visibly drained, until by the end there was scattered clapping, a large portion of the townspeople now visibly relieved. Even those who did not appear to be as visibly moved by his speech seemed to relax, murmurs of approval reverberating through the dispersing crowd.

Roy turned to Guardian. "They've had a rough couple of days, but if my eyes aren't deceiving me, I think you just gave them a reason to hope for things to improve. Thank you, Guardian." Roy shook his metal hand. "Right now, I only have more menial matters to attend to, so I'll leave you and your compatriots to the investigation. Make sure to let me know if you discover anything or need help."

As Roy walked away and the crowd left the town square, Mirana and Stray walked into the impromptu meeting place from the northern avenue, the three members of the adventuring team making eye contact once more.
As Brigitte uttered the phrase "he had much to say", Adelaide snorted contemptuously, but waited until she was finished before speaking.

"I'm quite sure that Master Felmacht did have a lot to say. Typical of that man, a whole lot of words and nothing but hot air." Adelaide began pacing about in the garden before coming to a halt at her fence, resting herself upon it. "I'm afraid, dearies, that I can't really help you with the dragon; I was not present for either attack. The townsfolk have always appreciated me more for my potions and tonics than my battle prowess." Adelaide cackled before looking back at the two of you, a very serious look on her face. "It's a serious problem, especially if it comes back again. But..." She drew herself up, staring directly into your faces. "There's something else going on, I fear, something that could be far more insidious."

"By now, I'd wager, you've at least heard whispers or utterings of what once happened to Swamphaven? The Gobbos and Falstaffs won't shut up about it given half the chance. Now, it's always been feared that the swamp," Adelaide gestured down the dirt road that lead into a forest before disappearing, "was haunted after the terrible things that happened that night. Now, I've never seen any monsters or the like in my excursions for herbs, but... In the past few weeks, I've seen things. A mysterious figure, sometimes two, passing by my cottage in the dead of night, trying desperately not to be seen, heading for the swamp. And lately, I've been hearing noises. Weird noises, unlike any of the local fauna, who, as it happens, are more silent than usual."

"Most of the townsfolk would just dismiss these as the ramblings of an aging woman, but... Let me confide something in you." Adelaide lowered her voice. "I've never trusted that it was coincidence that brought Herbert to our doorstep shortly before the massacre. And he's always the one most actively trying to discourage people from going in there, says there's nothing to worry about. And when that dragon attacked..." Adelaide frowned. "He was the first one to tell the mayor to send for you. Not just any adventurers, specifically the League. Christoph, if at all possible, not that that ended up happening. If, by any chance, you have time to spare, give it a look... wouldn't you?"

As Adelaide talked, Brigitte listened to her words and watched her body language carefully, coming to the conclusion that the elderly apothecary was completely earnest and meant every word.
Rachel laughed."Oh, believe me, sir, I took no offence. I may be a married woman, but it's still nice to know I can turn heads. A hand would definitely be appreciated, if you're willing."

"...you're in my way, sir..."

After helping Rachel haul her semi-conscious brother home, you traipsed on back to The Savage Chicken, where you were promptly greeted by a sympathetic look from Sadie.

"Sorry about that, sweetie. I probably should have let you know about Bartholomew - he's always up to that sort of nonsense."

As she turns around to grab you another drink ("This one's on the house for your trouble."), you take a long, appraising look at the innkeeper. She's not quite middle-aged, and rather curvy, with auburn hair tied up in a bun. A simple apron-and-dress getup betrays none of the markings of the Crimson Mantis or circle of Norgorber, nor does she bear herself as an assassin would.

Then, almost as if in idle thought, you take the note that had dropped into your lap shortly after you'd uttered the passphrase. Running your thumb over a blank spot, you realize something.

A small part of the paper is textured differently from the rest, almost as if in a pattern of some sort.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray, with Mirana and Guardian

"Truly stirring speech. I'm inspired, are you inspired?" Stray asks with a turn to Mirana. "Oh, she's inspired. That is the face of inspiration."

"A-buh-buh..." Stray shoots his finger into the air as if to say, don't interrupt me while I'm mocking you, but instead of further sarcasm he produces the ghoul's claw from his coat pocket.

"This is what slaughtered the sheep. I found it in one of the carcases. The wounds were too small to be inflicted by a dragon and some of them were opened up with a knife. There were no burns on the sheep. And, please to note that while I have... eh, two-three-four fingers and a thumb, true dragons only have three plus a thumb.

Ignore for a moment the red dragon that nearly tore through Mr Smith's barn. There are four sets of tracks leading east to the swamp from the farm. Three ghouls. One man wearing boots, likely armed with an athame. Smart money is on a necromancer and the ghouls' handler."

Visibly pouting, he adds, "So, no, we're no closer to locating the dragon. But we did find some undead for you to go stomp. If we leave presently, we may return before nightfall so as to not leave the town unguarded. Or, I may take an hour and scry on the monster that lost this claw. Your choice."

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"There does seem to be something...off...about the man," Brigitte agrees. "And I shall tell our leader what you have shared with us. If we do have the time to spare, we will investigate for you." She then turns to Auva, her eyes asking the other woman if she had anything to ask or add.

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian doesn't even rise to Stray's bait. He had known what to expect from the moment he had seen Stray at the meeting. This headache was even worse than Kiriel. At least the assassin understood the need for trust and loyalty among a group. Well, even if Stray did not trust him, Cristoph had made the team assignments, and that itself was a sign of his trustworthiness.
"Excellent work Stray. What details will your scrying be able to uncover? I would prefer not to go in blind, but I also do not feel that it would be a good idea to leave this necromancer and his minions to their own devices any longer than necessary."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray shrugs, "Oh, not as much as I'd like. I can look and listen. Maybe catch a glimpse of its lair and anything else nearby. Where there's three ghouls, there's a dozen, you know? Importantly, I'll be able to tell exactly what sort of monster this is. Whatever ripped into those sheep was strong. Not dragon strong, but not Timmy the Boy Adventurer's first ghoul either."

He folds his arms as he speaks, looking up and down the street for the rest of the party.

[skypse]

"No problem my beautiful lady! A drink would be perfect right now, thank you for your kindness! However, I will need to use the little boys room for a minute if that's ok. Could you show me where it is?"

After Sadie directs Kiriel to the restroom, he starts paying close attention to the piece of paper, trying to understand if there is anything hidden like a message or a sign of sorts. If he doesn't find anything, he will put on his Mantis Mask if noone sees him, use See Invisibility and retry.



Take 20 on perception for 38

[Rysc]

Auva

As Adelaide has been speaking, Auva has been sorting through the information and slicing it up into sizeable chunks to sort and match--handy for when they had to hear other peoples' stories later.

In response to Brigitte's silent query, she subtly shakes her head, but then adds a farewell. "We thank you so much for your help. The dragon will, I hope, be dealt with--and then perhaps the swamp." The kayal bows with a flourish, before turning to follow Brigitte.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Jigsaw falling into place / So there is nothing to explain...

By now, the majority of the crowd had filtered out of the town square, only a few stragglers remaining by a decorative fountain. The cool bubbling of the water provided a backdrop as Guardian, Mirana, and Stray continued to discuss the team's next move.
Adelaide nodded gratefully as Auva and Brigitte bade their farewells. "Thank you, dears. You've put an old woman's mind at ease. And remember, if ever you need to buy potions or oils for your journey, I have the best ones in town."
Sadie gladly pointed Kiriel out back, where a pair of surprisingly clean outhouses were located.

As Kiriel donned his mask and activated its latent powers, ghostly words appeared on the back of the note - a message written in invisible arcane script.


To the Member of the Circle who finds this note,

Hopefully, my idea to attach this to the underside of the table and set a spell to drop it when the passphrase was uttered did not go wrong. Chances are if you are reading this now you went over to that gibberish-uttering idiot in the corner. That s***face stole 5 minutes of my life, and if not for the need to evade suspicion I would have likely run my saber through his head.

Woodshaven. For the most part, this town is a dead end, nothing worth of note, and if not for a strange discovery out in the swamp, I would likely have reason to say it stole another day of my life.

While going out into the swamp on a hunch, investigating the ruins of an old druid enclave, I found scraps of arcane-marked paper and artifacts that point to the possible presence of cultist activity in the swamp, I saw movement of hooded people at the southeast edge and attempted to follow, but was accosted by an angry ghost and had to leave before I was discovered.

Also have heard that weird lights have been spotted in the nearby northwest mountain range. Coincidence?

The letter was dated approximately one month ago.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"We should rejoin the others and compare notes," Brigitte suggests to Auva as she starts back toward the town center, "And see what our next step is."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Roll up! Roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour!..

The following post is made under the assumption that you two do, indeed, go back and rejoin the others. If I'm jumping ahead, feel free to tell me off and I'll redo this post.
Making their way back into Woodshaven, Auva and Brigitte worked their way down the eastern avenue until they came to what was, presumably, the Town Center.

Despite the village's small size, it was not an unimpressive vista. As the two paused to take in the sight, they noted that many of the buildings were well-constructed and prime examples of Chelaxian-style architecture, oaken homages to a time before Andoran's independence. In the middle lay the crowning jewel of the whole town, a marble fountain with an angel bearing the sun spitting out cool, clear water. At the southern end of the plaza, a stately chapel stood, a sigil of a Longsword ensconced by a starburst emblazoned over the entrance. At the eastern edge, a rather stately manor stood, with the front door marked by a sign bearing a rod emblazoned in magical fire. At the western edge was a more humble-looking building; what appeared to be a schoolhouse of some sort. And finally, at the northern end, what appeared to be the town Hall, outside which Guardian, Mirana and Stray stood talking amongst themselves.
As Kiriel sat idly contemplating the message, he noted that, far from the smelly odors of fecal matter and god knows what else one would expect from an outhouse, this one smelled remarkably pleasant. A quick examination revealed the reason: A fresh spring of lavender lay ensconced behind a conveniently placed mirror.

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva waves jauntily to the others and strolls over, expecting Brigitte to follow suit. What she says is much less upbeat than her demeaner. "Naturally, there are several other complications to this whole "dragon" matter. We seem to have mysterious happenings in the swamp at the edge of town, which also happens to be the site of the old Gobbo-Falstaff feud. Sneaky figures at night, odd noises, absence of local wildlife, all that set-dressing."

She has been punctuating her words with sweeping gestures, but pauses here to discreetly glance around the square. Passerby may just be passerby, but they also may not.

"Of the two alchemists--Ms. Adelaide also believes Mr. Herbert Felmacht to be suspicious. He apparently arrived soon after the...Gobbo-Falstaff incident, and tries to discourage people from entering the swamp. Of the commoners--none could give me concrete descriptions of any dragon, other than that it was large, terrifying, etcetera: all the common draconic story traits."

[Othniel]

Brigitte

The Investigator follows Auva over to the others, and listens as the other woman explains what they learned. Once done, she clears her throat and begins to pace back and forth in front of the others as she explains what she learned on her own. "Now then..."

"First, according to Monsieur Herbert Felmacht – who, I might add, seems to think himself something of a charmer – no one saw the dragon upon the first night it attacked, leaving half-eaten sheep.

Second, on the second night (which was last night), it scorched a building, but was driven off by Monsieur Felmacht through the use of arrows and spells. Despite this, he did not obtain a good look at the dragon, but surmises it to be a young red, as it breathed fire.

Third, it flew north toward the mountains, and in these mountains many creatures have made their lairs in the past. One of the most recent such lairs was a nest (in a cave) of couatl, which are beautiful winged serpents that are typically goodly creatures.

Fourth, twenty years ago there was a cult of necromancers that attacked a druid enclave named Swamphaven in the swamp not long after Monsieur Felmacht moved to this village. It is from this incident that the feud between the Falstaff and Gobbo families originates. Apparently, a young mage named Randolph came to town and begged shelter from the Gobbo family. In addition to this, he struck an agreement with the family in which he would help them gather alchemical ingredients in return for his being allowed to keep some. He also became friends with the Gobbo family leader, Henry, and one Mademoiselle Maria.

Several weeks later both Maria and Henry disappeared and Swamphaven was attacked by undead and summoned creatures. Apparently this Monsieur Randolph was a member of a cult of necromancers. Many Gobbo family members perished.

Each family blames the other for the attack. The Falstaffs claim that Henry killed Maria in a fit of jealousy and attacked Randolph who retaliated with the undead. In addition, they claim that Henry was charmed by Randolph and summoned creature to aid him. Lastly, they claim that one of Randolph’s cohorts impersonated Maria in order to frame the Falstaffs.

The Gobbos claim that Maria was corrupted by Randolph through his charms and that she killed Henry before aiding Randolph in his attack. The body of Maria was found with multiple knife wounds, while that of Henry was not recovered. After the incident, the necromancers were rooted out, but rumors of strange goings-on in the swamp persist.

Brigitte stops her pacing and stands still, arms folded and a troubled look upon her face. "Finally, I noticed that Monsieur Felmacht has a small black mark near his right ear in the shape of what appears to be a three-toed claw with a small scar below. He seemed overly insistent about the couatl nest, and I do not trust him. I believe he is up to something, but whether he has some connection to the events of twenty-years' past, or whether it is something else entirely, I do not know."

[skypse]

Out of cat-like curiosity, Kiriel tries to move the mirror around to see if anything else was there besides the Lavender. He wasn't disappointed when he found nothing, at which point Kiriel puts the note back to his belt-pouch and his mask in his backpack. He walks out of the restroom trying to send a message to Guardian.

Hey big guy! I think I got a break. Something's going on in the swamp. From what I know, there are some hints that point to a cultist activity in that area. I believe it is worth taking a look there. I'm starting to get the feeling that this is much more than a dragon. Catch up with the others and let me know where you want to meet. Oh and don't worry, noone's dead as far as I'm concerned.


Kiriel then walks back to the bar, smiling at Sadie and waving at her to come closer and says with a grin.
"So, that drink you were saying my beauty?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray shares with Brigitte and Auva what he told Guardian just moments prior, and hands his ghoul claw over to Brigitte for a second opinion. While they deliberate on the next course of action, he inspects the fountain. At first, it seemed to him too fine a piece for the small town.

Still eying the marble angel he gestures towards the chapel at the south of the town square. "Iomedae's devout have been conspicuously absent for a town beset with dragons and ghouls."

Detect Magic. I'm on to you, fountain!

Appraise
[roll0]

If the fountain remains uninteresting, Stray wanders into the chapel to look around.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Taking the claw from Stray, Brigitte turns it over in her hands several times, examining it. "A ghoul, you say?"

Knowledge (Religion) on ghoul claw to see if there's anything else we can learn: [roll0] + [roll1] from free use of inspiration
Does the claw, by any chance, bear resemblance to the marking on Herbert Felmacht's head?

[Mathemagics]

Mirana

Mirana listened to the exchange of information with a slight frown on her face, her hand cupped thoughtfully beneath her chin. As the others wrapped up their summations, her expression grew more perplexed.

"So... it sounds like nobody actually saw the dragon attack? Then, how are we even sure that's what it was? I mean... I know we saw the whole burned barn and everything but..."

She glanced first from one companion to the next to see if any of them also thought the whole situation strange.

"Doesn't it just seem weird? Almost like someone might just be making the whole thing up?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

You / Are my angel / Come from way above / To bring me love...

As Brigitte turned over the claw in her hands, she was quickly able to deduce several interesting tidbits of information about it.

Given the length, curve and sharpness of the talon, Brigitte surmised that it must belong to a ghoul variant known as the Imperial Ghoul, a slightly more resilient type than the bog-standard undead monstrosity. Thinking hard, she mentally recalled a page from the ever-handy Adventurer's Comprehensive Field Guide to Undead...


Over twice as hardy as a regular ghoul and much more vicious with their bites, the Imperial Ghoul, so named due to it first being encounter by the Chelaxian legions, has a couple of important differences from the ordinary ghoul. Most notably, it is capable of burrowing beneath the ground, using its long claws to dig through soft dirt at about half an ordinary adventurer's running speed. Like a regular ghoul, it can see in the dark and cause paralysis, which is harder to resist than in an ordinary ghoul; Elves are immune to this effect. Their hides are also tougher than regular ghouls, meaning that care should be taken when engaging them without magical weaponry.
Upon examining the talon, Brigitte thought back briefly to the mark on Herbert's neck, but soon dismissed the idea of any similarity - the claw was distinctly humanoid, while the one behind Herbert's ear had been three-toed and beastly in nature. Also, it was stylized, being little more than a few lines.
As the rays of identificatory magic emanated from Strays hand, he noted that the fountain, disappointingly, had no magical properties. However, even without such characteristics, his keen eye quickly evaluated the statue as being a rather fine masterwork, worth around 750 gp to the more discriminating art collector. Stray also, upon thinking back to his brief studies of religion, recognized that the fountain appeared to be an interpretation of the symbol of Sarenrae.

After examining the fountain, Stray made his way into the church. It was, all told, a fairly decent-sized house of worship, though nowhere near the grand cathedrals one could find in the city. Several people sat scattered throughout, apparently offering prayers. At the head of the church, near the pulpit, two of what Stray deduced to be clerics of Iomedae (for they wore her vestments) stood, comforting a rather worried-looking townsperson. The clerics, one a man and the other a woman, both appeared to be rather young, the pure virtue of youth shining through in their faces. The man, appearing to be the older of the pair by a slim margin, had short blonde hair and brown eyes hidden behind a pair of spectacles, with rather boyish features, while the woman had a very slim and delicate face, green eyes peeking out beneath black hair tied back in a simple bun.
Sadie smiled, passing Kiriel what appeared to be a sort of amber ale. "Angel's Touch. One of our local specialties." Taking a long sip, Kiriel noted that it actually appeared to be a good, if not outright spectacular, beer, having a very crisp taste with a some mild apple-style fruitiness to it. It was, admittedly, a touch watery, but far from the stale moose urine-type beer that infested a great many rural pubs - and far too many urban ones as well.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Well, when in Absalom..." Stray mutters to himself, glancing side to side before making his way inconspicuously towards the altar or the most prominent image of The Inheritor. He lays his rapier at her feet and prays earnestly. First he recites from memory, as best as he's able, then specifically asks Iomedae to bless his blade. Despite being so unlike the goddess himself, he had a very real respect and affection for her. She had passed the Trial of the Starstone, which Stray intended very much to attempt one day.

"You can't beguile the undead. They can't be reasoned with. All that's left for them is the sword," he says quietly before rising.

Stray eavesdrops on the clerics and the distressed woman while he prays, curious, but not enough to intervene unless he hears something germane. He rejoins the others quickly thereafter.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Ah, yes; I remember now!" the young woman states triumphantly. "This is from an Imperial Ghoul," she says, and immediately recites the passage she remembers from the Field Guide to the others. "Hmm. Nasty things, ghouls."

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

"What can you tell us about what makes them different from normal ghouls? The term "Imperial" implies the involvement of Cheliax, and few good things come out of that country"

Knowledge (Religion): [roll0]

[Rysc]

Auva


"Doesn't it just seem weird? Almost like someone might just be making the whole thing up?"

Auva shrugs. "Possibly. It depends on how we want to see the situation. Do we believe, until we have found undeniable evidence, that proof-by-lack-of-dragon means there was never a dragon? Or do we believe that everyone was truly well and afraid--and safely hidden away?"

"I can't deny that this does seem suspicious, especially since the most concrete "witness"--the alchemist Felmacht--is already shaping up to be less than trustworthy. Burn a barn, spread a tale, and everyone believes it if you've fought the beast." She turns a hand, palm upward, and does another small half-shrug. At this point she also pauses to watch Stray stay true to his name and wander off into the chapel.

Group discussions usually don't involve parts of said group disappearing. Hm.

Her mood is not improved as Brigitte recites the description of Imperial Ghouls. "Aren't we a lucky group? Instead of normal ghouls, we get the burrowing, harder-to-kill variety! And let's just assume we have a dragon, because it's better to be overprepared than under. Then there's the possible necromancer--or cers--which will probably be mixed up with the ghouls.

Remember to negotiate extra pay later. If not with the townsfolk, then with Christoph. Maybe out of some of those absent mages' wages.

The sorceror brushes some of her hair back behind her ear. "Given that, I vote that ahem Stray--" she rolls her eyes and nods in the direction of the chapel "--scry the area first. I'd rather not rush into the swamp without knowing what we're dealing with."

[skypse]

Kiriel drinks the beer happily, and with a look of joy turns to Sadie.

"Wow, this really tastes very good. Thank you for that, doll! I guess your hands do miracles huh? However I am afraid I have to go. What do I owe you for my drinks before? Or maybe you could bring the check later tonight when I go to my room."

Diplomacy: [roll0]


After Kiriel moves out of the inn, he will head north, towards John's farm to scout the place and see if there's anything interesting going on there.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"As I said," Brigitte states with an irritated glance toward Guardian...


Over twice as hardy as a regular ghoul and much more vicious with their bites, the Imperial Ghoul, so named due to it first being encounter by the Chelaxian legions, has a couple of important differences from the ordinary ghoul. Most notably, it is capable of burrowing beneath the ground, using its long claws to dig through soft dirt at about half an ordinary adventurer's running speed. Like a regular ghoul, it can see in the dark and cause paralysis, which is harder to resist than in an ordinary ghoul; Elves are immune to this effect. Their hides are also tougher than regular ghouls, meaning that care should be taken when engaging them without magical weaponry.

The woman finishes reciting a second time, and ends muttering to herself, "I can repeat it again if your auditory receptors are still malfunctioning..."

I expected you guys to look in the spoiler without my needing to repost everything :smallwink:

[Lord Of Mantas]

The big wheel keeps on turning / On a simple line / Day by day...

No sooner had Brigitte uttered the phrase "...your auditory receptors are still malfunctioning..." than sparks began flying. Literally.

An experimental long-range transmitter, cooked up by the engineers at the league to help Guardian extend the effective range of his magical collective ability and heretofore ignored by the narration, emitted a bright spark merely seconds after Kiriel transmitted his final message to Guardian. With a huge fizz, crackle, and a pop, followed by a stream of smoke, the device fell to the ground in pieces from where it had sat atop the Warforged's neck.

Somewhere nearby, a robin chirped.

And here you'd all thought I'd forgotten about that. :smalltongue: The collective is hereafter restricted to what it should be (200 feet).
Stray perked his ears, listening as the man nervously confided in the clerics.

"...I'm scared, Brother Vincent. If it hadn't been for Herbert's spell-slinging the previous night, that dragon would surely have had us all for dinner. What if it decides to come back? How am I supposed to go up against a dragon with nothing but an axe?"

The male cleric, presumably Brother Vincent, smiled. "Things may be grim now, Matthew. But don't forget that you are not alone. You have all your brothers-in-arms at your back. And the people of Woodshaven are hardy folk, are they not?"

The female cleric piped up. "Never forget the most important virtue Iomedae espouses: Valor. Valor to do what must be done in the face of a seemingly superior enemy. Valor to stand tall and help those who need you. Through valor, we accomplish things we could not alone, and prevail against impossible odds, as Iomedae did in the Test of the Starstone."

"And besides, you've seen the adventurers Mayor Breckenridge sent for walking around town. And their leader, the big metal one - charisma that moving only comes from a man who knows what he's talking about. On top of that, Hildegard should be getting back any day now from that errand that called her away to Oregent."

"And we all know how much butt she can kick!"

Vincent whipped his head around. "Language, sister Julia." Despite the scolding tone, a sly smile was on his face as he patted Matthew on the shoulder. Still visibly nervous, but less so than before Julia and Vincent had begun talking, Matthew retreated out a side door.
Sadie laughed, heartily.

Eventually wiping her eyes, she leaned forward on her elbow across the bar. "Well, so far, you've not gone past the allotted credit Mayor Breckenridge has granted your team, so no need to worry about your tab. As for your other proposition..." Sadie reached forward and bopped Kiriel on the nose. "You're ten years too early to think of making me an offer like that." Turning around, Sadie began to saunter into the back, but then turned her head briefly. "After you and the others take care of the dragon, come back. Then we'll talk. Maybe."

Sadie then disappeared into the back room. Seconds later, Kiriel felt the connection to Guardian's collective suddenly fizzle out into nothing.

[Nefarion Xid]

At the talk about Guardian being 'charismatic', Stray points to himself, pouting. Just outside the periphery of the clerics, he gestures down his body, shimmying his hips slightly.

"Helloo? Mithral sword? Dashing scar? Cleft in his chin? Not too much, mind you; don't want to show too much cleftage in public." Stray muses, sliding alongside Sister Julia. "Oh, don't get me wrong Guardian's swell. He's just... a shiny eunuch. Great fighter. Lousy in bed. Cold toes, you see."

Stray's mock sternness dissolves into a warm, disarming grin.

"Julia, right? Listen, my party's making progress and I could use a quiet place to scry on our quarry. Think I could borrow a room and a wash basin? I uh, brought my own silver mirror. And if you wouldn't mind fetching my friends (they're just outside), I'm sure they'd like to pray for The Inheritor's blessing as I have."

Turning to Brother Vincent he adds, "And tell me all about this 'Hildegard'. She sounds fascinating. I've always had this thing about women who 'kick butt'. I knew this lady paladin once, auburn hair, scar on her cheek..."

[skypse]

Kiriel laughs and talks to Sadie as she is going to the back room.

"I'll be remembering this, beautiful!"

He then heads towards the farm when he feels the transmission problems.

Guardian? Hey big guy! Does anyone hear me?............ Oh well, I guess I can do my things now without anyone noticing. hehehe....

[Vhaidara]

Guardian taps the side of his head.
"Well. Those didn't last as long as I'd expected. I suppose the greater the distances, the faster they burn out."

[Lord Of Mantas]

I know that you are fast / But it's much faster / And after a while you can't keep up / So you start to lag behind...

The cool bubbling of the fountain continued to provide a peaceful backdrop to the scene the largest contingent of the group found itself in, despite the acrid spell of burning copper coils and oxidizing magic crystals.

A rather plump gray pigeon hopped through them, pecking at the ground in search of crumbs, before flying off into the afternoon sky.

All of a sudden, the doors to the chapel creaked open, and a young woman, dressed in the vestments and colors of Iomedae's clerics, made her way over to Guardian, Mirana, Brigitte and Auva. Her face was very slim and delicate, with pretty features and a small nose, which was capped off by green eyes that peeked out from under a head of plain black hair tied back into a simple bun.

"Um, one of your group is asking for you, in the chapel. If you could please follow me?"

She then, pending no objection from the group, led them into Iomedae's place of worship. Across the main sanctuary, the group spotted Stray, engaged in conversation with yet another cleric, this one a young man with boyish features, bright blonde hair, and spectacles.
Julia and Vincet started briefly as Stray slid up to them. As he uttered the first part of his spiel, both of the young clerics blushed at the mention of the two-backed beast.

As he asked Julia for a room, the blush grew brighter on her face, and a nervous expression made its way onto her visage. Vincent, on the other hand, began to glare somewhat at Stray.

Both of them appeared to relax - slightly - as Stray asked Vincent to describe Hildegard, and the blush came back to Vincent's face. A second of silence passed.

"I, um, we do have a room in the back that should suit your purposes, good adventurer. I'll just, uh, go fetch your companions."

As she retreated awkwardly, Vincent turned to Stray, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously and initially talking rather haltingly before seeming to gain some confidence back.

"Er, of course. Justicar Hildegard is our local Paladin of Iomedae, came to us about a year ago after the old one retired - the church has tried to keep a paladin a couple clerics stationed here ever since the necromancer attack 20 years ago, you see. She's a great adventurer in her own right, and a premier member of our community. She often helps Tybalt Falstaff in organizing and drilling the local militia, and sometimes even collaborates with the Pathfinder Society in their expeditions around here. That's why she's currently gone, actually - a couple of their people up in Oregent have been looking into possible cult activity in the mountain range around there." Vincent frowned. "'course, they picked a hell of a time to do so, what with the dragon attack and everything. Doesn't help that a few people are starting to whisper about strange stuff in the swamp again, and glowing lights from the mountains."

It was at that point that the door to the chapel creaked open again and Julia returned, and (pending their lack of objection), Guardian, Mirana, Auva, and Brigitte followed behind.
As Sadie retreated, several of the tavern's patrons glanced over knowingly at Kiriel. One of the older ones, in particular, smiled wryly and chuckled softly before continuing to nurse his pint.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"I do not suppose he has also requested last rites, has he?" Brigitte mutters under her breath as she falls into step behind the woman.

[skypse]

Kiriel ignored all the chuckles and stares from the tavern. He had zero time to waste with drunk old men after all. Seeing that the communication hasn't yet been fixed, he starts walking towards the farm. When he closes in, he uses the shadows around him to blend into the environment and check his surroundings, making sure everything is safe before he makes it to the house.

It is night isn't it? Well, if it isn't night yet, ignore the stealth check and asnwer only for the perception.

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[Rysc]

Auva


"I do not suppose he has also requested last rites, has he?"

"Sadly, I do not think so," mutters back Auva as she too follows the woman.

When the group enters the chapel, Auva raises an eyebrow and looks inquisitively in Stray's direction. "Ah, so this is where you so cavalierly disappeared to. Have you finished the prayers you urgently needed to say?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray pats Vincent on the shoulder, "Yeah there's strange stuff in the swamp, mate. Way ahead of you. Ghouls. At least three of them. Probably loads more. That's why I need a room and a basin, so I can have a look at them and see what I'm getting into before I smite them. That all right with you? Purging the land of the undead? We're playing for the same team, yeah? Team Not Unholy Cannibal Monsters? Lovely."

He dismisses the cleric with a look that says, while you're standing there coming up with more reasons to frown at me disapprovingly I grow increasingly bored with your dull little village and every drawling peasant in it. Turning to the likeness of Iomedae he mouths, "Can you believe this guy?" before deciding that the goddess looked really cute with short hair. Not a lot of deities can pull that off.

When the rest of the party enters, he retrieves the ghoul's claw from Brigitte. He smile slyly at Auva. "Lo, I am the Lightbringer, I am the Flame of Vengeance, the instrument of the Inheritor's wrath. Behold my terrible countenance, ye wicked, and despair."

A cricket chirped. "Yeah, I needed a place to scry where I wouldn't be disturbed. This work for you guys?"

Scrying on the ghoul. +10 because he has a piece of his target.
[roll0] vs Will
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/scrying

[Lord Of Mantas]

As Stray dismissed Vincent post-getting-up-in-his-face, Julia emerged from the back room. Visibly fuming at Stray's tone to Vincent, she began to storm over, rolling up a sleeve, but Vincent held out a hand before turning back to him.

"No, of course. Julia's just gotten that ready. This way, please."

Leading the party into the room, Julia and Vincent left Stray to do his thing. As the archaeologist cast his spell, the basin of water and submerged mirror shimmered before engulfing him in a stream of magic, pulling Stray's head under. His eyes glowed white, visions of foul creatures far off dominating his vision...

As the spell began, Stray's vision cut to the ghoul in question chasing after something - it was not immediately clear what, as the spell only gave him limited sight around the ghoul. Eventually, however, it became clear that they were chasing after a deer, as it leapt forward and sank its teeth into the poor creature, the ungulate wailing in pain as the monstrosity tore it to shreds. The ghoul then dragged the carcass back through the swamp for some time, eventually plopping it on a less boggy patch of land. Out of the mist marking the effective range of the spell, two more ghouls emerged, all of them joining the first in tearing apart the deer and feasting on its flesh. Once the skeleton was picked clean, the ghoul started, moving its head as if to spot something - and briefly, for a moment, as it looked beneath the water of the swamp, Stray saw a shape below the surface...
Stray blinked as the spell ended, the light vanishing from his eyes. Realizing his head was still beneath the waters, he pulled back, gasping for breath.
Making his way to the north of Woodshaven, Kiriel followed the main thoroughfare until he came across a dirt road branching off to the northeast. One pleasant stroll along a wildflower-lined dirt road later, he found what looked like a farm and farmhouse in the distance - and what must have unmistakably been the site of the attack, the roof of the barn half torn to shreds and blackened in the places. As he approached, one of the merchants from the trade caravan passed him by, pulling along a now-empty livestock cart. On the porch, a middle-aged man with a gray mustache and hair, weatherbeaten clothes and an equally weatherbeaten face sat, sipping a drink from some sort of mug. A dirt-covered shovel lay next to him.

As Kiriel approached, he looked up and waved. "You another one of those adventurers? Your friends left here about half an hour ago." John sat back and smiled. "Very thorough, they were - and very generous."

[Nefarion Xid]

"Huuuuuuuuuuuh! Nine and a half hells. Oh. Oh. Ugh it's all in my sinuses."

Stray takes a moment to compose himself and clean up before emerging from the rectory. "Less illuminating than I hoped for, but..." he explains in detail everything he saw in the scrying pool.


As the spell began, Stray's vision cut to the ghoul in question chasing after something - it was not immediately clear what, as the spell only gave him limited sight around the ghoul. Eventually, however, it became clear that they were chasing after a deer, as it leapt forward and sank its teeth into the poor creature, the ungulate wailing in pain as the monstrosity tore it to shreds. The ghoul then dragged the carcass back through the swamp for some time, eventually plopping it on a less boggy patch of land. Out of the mist marking the effective range of the spell, two more ghouls emerged, all of them joining the first in tearing apart the deer and feasting on its flesh. Once the skeleton was picked clean, the ghoul started, moving its head as if to spot something - and briefly, for a moment, as it looked beneath the water of the swamp, Stray saw a shape below the surface...

"Make of that what you will." He shakes his head to the side, attempting to get the last of the water out of his ears. "So! Ghoul hunting this evening? Or...?" He waves the hand mirror in absently while looking to Guardian.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"It is such a pretty picture you paint for us, Stray," Brigitte states sarcastically. "Even if they are not connected to the dragon, we should remove the ghouls from the area. They may only target livestock for now, but soon enough they will attack villagers."

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

The warforged nods.
"I agree that these monsters must be eliminated as soon as possible. Do you think we can still reach them and return without leaving the town undefended?"

[skypse]

Kiriel approaches with a smile.

"Hello sir! Yes I am indeed a member of that team, my name is Jamie. Unfortunately I haven't been able to meet with the rest since we had different matters to attend so I didn't know they came here. I am sorry to bother you but would you please answer a few questions regarding the attack and the swamp area?"

[Rysc]

Auva

About fifteen minutes after Stray has started scrying, Auva yawns and says to the others. "I believe it would be condusive to our little quest if we were to have everyone here making decesions." She nods at Guardian. "I'll be out fetching Mister Mysterious, should be back by the time Stray's done."

***

With or without her intended target, Auva has rejoined the group by the time the dicussion has turned to ghouls and the elimination thereof. "The swamp doesn't seem too be too far from the edge of town, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view. Not so keen on fighting ghouls, but that's what we're here for and what needs to be done. Though frankly, it's not like I'm going to say no while everyone else agrees."

[Mathemagics]

Mirana

"Well... for what it's worth, I also think we should go after the ghouls... They might not be as bad as something like a dragon, but ghouls are still pretty bad. And besides-"

Mirana's voice abruptly pauses mid-sentence, her eyes drooping shut and head tilting forward slightly at the same time, almost giving the appearance that she had fallen asleep. Less than a second later, however, she jerks her head upright once more and her eyes snap open. Gone is the friendly and gentle smile, replaced by an intense glare and frown. If looks alone could harm, the expression now being put on display was certainly a lethal weapon and left absolutely no doubt as to the wearer's contempt and disdain. The girl raises her arms and crosses them in front of her defiantly, scowling at the other occupants of the room all the while. When her gaze happens to land on Guardian, however, the glare manages to intensify even further and she rolls her eyes in a sign of utter disgust.

"Great. Rusty's here too. What a surprise. What's the matter, couldn't wait to get kicked around again?"

Though the voice is the same, her tone is like a completely different person. Every last syllable is harsh, edged, and carries the inflection of a temper only just barely being held in check.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Let's do the time warp again...



*** Approximately 40 minutes earlier... ***

John extended his hand to shake Kiriel's. "Pleasure to meet you. Honestly you'd probably be best off trying to track them down, but I guess I could answer a few questions. What do you want to know?"

Just then, however, John looked past Kiriel, the sound of crunching leaves coming from behind. When Kiriel turned around, Auva stood there, having managed to get a sense of where Kiriel was headed by questioning various passers-by.

"Well, bless my soul! Looks like I'm rather popular today!"


*** Back in the present... ***




YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93XFxKXdbqY)

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, The Shield of Justice

Guardian finds himself wishing he could sigh heavily.
"Hello, Narami. And I am in agreement, with the swamp being so close to town, we should seek to exterminate the undead threat before they can cause any more harm to the town."

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva smiles at the farmer. "My apologies, good sir, but I'm actually here for your other visitor." She indicates the other man with a small flick of hand. "I applaud your thoroughness, Jamie, but we're holding a meeting to decide our next steps, and as such, you're needed."

The kayal breaks from her train of thought to bow slightly to the farmer. "Good day, sir." Then she turns back to fellow Leage-member. "If you'll just follow me back...?"

***

Aaaand here's our other "friend."

While Narami is fixing Guardian with her ire, Auva takes the opportunity to sigh longsufferingly (and for the most part, silently) at the girl's back.

Let's see how well the mask holds. We're decided, anyway.

[skypse]

Kiriel watches Auva as she talks. With a slight sigh he replies.

"Ok ok let's go. I was trying to speak with you but something must be wrong with Guardian's antennae. I am sorry for the disturbance my good sir but it seems like I will not burden your day this time."

He smiles and turns away following Auva.

"What's going on? What happened to Guardian and what have you guys figured out? I think there are more here than just a dragon, if there is a dragon at all. We better move fast because we need to investigate the swamp area!"

[Rysc]

Auva

**40 minutes ago**


"What's going on? What happened to Guardian and what have you guys figured out? I think there are more here than just a dragon, if there is a dragon at all. We better move fast because we need to investigate the swamp area!"

Auva briefly glances back, not slowing her stride. "Guardian? I believe some sort of technological difficulties. And yes, we've come to the same conclusions already. It's just somewhat hard to move fast when we are...lacking completeness in our team. Stray is currently scrying the swamp--more accurately an Imperial ghoul and its possible kin. I assume you learned about the livestock before the connection faltered."

[Mathemagics]

Narami

Guardian's curt dismissal of her arrival seems to only irritate Narami further (not that she needs much excuse apparently), and the girl somehow contrives to glare even more fiercely at the artificial man.

"You..."


Aaaand here's our other "friend."

While Narami is fixing Guardian with her ire, Auva takes the opportunity to sigh longsufferingly (and for the most part, silently) at the girl's back.

Let's see how well the mask holds. We're decided, anyway.

Perhaps Narami heard the faint sigh. Or perhaps she had a sixth sense for that sort of thing. Or (more likely) she had no reason at all and just decided to spin around in an attempt to find a new target to channel her aggression on. In any case, the wroth girl's gaze leveled on Auva next as she defiantly marched over to invade the sorceress's personal space. Tilting her head back to meet the eyes of the much taller woman, she then attempted to bore a hole through Auva's forehead with her stare.

"What? You got a problem? Maybe you're just lookin' to get some teeth knocked out. Is that it stick-lady?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray claps his hands excitedly, "Oh, this is fun! Do me next!" He'd heard about Mirana's alternate personality from Christoph, but hadn't witnessed it personally.

[Rysc]

Auva


"What? You got a problem? Maybe you're just lookin' to get some teeth knocked out. Is that it stick-lady?"

Bravo for not going with the only slightly less imaginative 'shadow-lady.'

Auva gives a close-mouth smile. "Oh, I do have a problem. Several, in fact, the most pressing of which is actually mutual...though that could also be said about the second-most pressing. Which, incidentally, involves us needing to trek through a mile or so of swamp to dispatch some undead."

To Guardian, she mentally adds, Let's just get this show on the road. Redirecting Narami against the ghouls could be ideal.


"Oh, this is fun! Do me next!"

Hm. He really did just say that.

[Mathemagics]

Stray claps his hands excitedly, "Oh, this is fun! Do me next!" He'd heard about Mirana's alternate personality from Christoph, but hadn't witnessed it personally.

Narami

The oversized hammer that had previously been carried on the girl's back up until now suddenly whistles through the air, perhaps an inch from the end of Stray's nose, seemingly without having gone through the stages of being drawn and swung. The heavy head of the weapon slams into the floor with a dull clunk as Narami all but snarls in the enchanter's direction.

"Sounds like you're makin' fun of me. That pisses me off. You just stupid or what?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"I think it the former!" interjects Brigitte with a smile. She rests a hand upon Stray's shoulder and holds the index finger of her other hand in the air toward Narami as if to punctuate her point. "Surely you remember how Stray so loves to infuriate others. Pray do not let him goad you, Narami. You are giving him just what he wants: attention." She turns back to the archaeologist and shoots him a withering glare. "As for you, Stray. Act your age...whatever it is."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray leans back several inches, his eyes narrowing as he calculates the odds of him actually being reduced to a red pulp in the middle of a church. After deciding that he's just too pretty to die like this, he eyes the hammer, purses his lips thoughtfully and states, "I've seen bigger."

"But really, nothing about my bandana? The whole pirate-chic thing I've got going on?" He slides an arm around Brigitte's shoulder, half flirtatiously, half for protection from the pint sized maniac. "Come on Lestrade, show them out how it's done."

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Show them how what is done?" she asks, suspicion creeping into her voice.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Galtan folk dancing," Straw drawls sarcastically. "Come on. Insult me properly. Use big words; you went to university!"

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Stop speaking, Stray. You are lowering the intelligence of the entire village."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray rocks his head side to side. Oblivious to the insult, he just enjoyed the provincial sound of her voice. Curiously endearing, even when she told him to drop dead.

"Oh Lestrade," he turned to her smiling. "I will give you five gold crowns right now if you can say 'hundreds of horribly heavy hippopotami have hellish halitosis'. Properly. With aspirated Hs."

This is only funny if you remember that Brigitte speaks with a heavy French (Galtan) accent.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

She stares at Stray for a moment before muttering, "I should purchase a muzzle..."

Indeed! Reminds me of this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUQpoyfbWJ0 The accent is different, of course, but just as funny.

I am enjoying my character immensely, by the way, and this group is hilarious.

[Mathemagics]

Narami

Her anger apparently curbed for the moment, Narami rolls her eyes contemptibly in Stray's direction and makes a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. Spinning around, she drags the hammer across the floor of the church, producing the grating sound of metal on stone, and flops down on one of the nearby pews in an entirely unladylike manner. Of course she makes sure to glower at the group across the way.

"Whatever. Waste of time."

[Lord Of Mantas]

With the party finally reassembled from their long hunt for evidence, having previously scattered themselves to the four winds in their search for clues, Guardian, Mirana, Stray, Brigitte, Auva, and Kiriel made their way out of the church. Working their way down the eastern avenue, they left through the gates of Woodshaven, wound their way down the dirt road... and deep, deep into the dark wood at its eastern edge, and the swamp that lay beyond.

Quest Completed: Reign of Fire!

You all earn 1 XP, giving you a total of 81.


***

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/304/9/c/swamp_city_revisited_by_jjpeabody-d5jivog.jpg


Even with the sun still well up in the western sky, the mood in the boggy swamp that lay east of Woodshaven was palpably thick and dark. All around, strange insects could be heard chirping and churring, and far-off hoots and gurgles came echoing through the mossy trees and scraggly reeds. And throughout out it all, with every strange ripple of water and half-seen flicker out of the corner of their eyes, the party came to an inexorable conclusion.

There was something else out there. And it would find them, sooner or later.

Even with the relatively short distance into the woods, it was not an easy task to navigate the swamp, and it was not until a few minutes short of the hour that the party came across what could only be described as the ruins of Swamphaven. All around, scenes of carnage long past lay, with huts half-collapsed or torn to shreds, rotting burnt wood covered in moss and lichen. It reeked of death and decay.

Being a small druid enclave, of course, Swamphaven was considerably smaller than Woodshaven, and the party quickly discovered that they could take the sight of the entire village at a glance. Only two or three roads ran through the small collection of buildings that stood on the small island in the middle of the marsh that formed the town, and along them they could spot four buildings that looked somewhat different from the others. The first, immediately along the eastern road in front of them to their left, was an old hut, half-broken open, with a sign still hanging limply above it, a picture of a bubbling flask seated over what was once, presumably, the door. At the north end of town, off along another street to the right, a larger building stood, looking for all the world like a town hall of some sort - and surprisingly well-preserved. Third, over near the south-eastern edge, the only two-story building in town stood, too far away to make out exactly what its purpose might have been. Fourth, and furthest away of all, even further southeast and apart from all the other buildings, a small watermill stood, all alone on a grassy little peninsula.

[skypse]

Kiriel was moving through the filthy damp soil with disgust. Focused on the matter at hand, he slowly puts on his mask and speaks through the collective.

"Noone speak out loud. There is no reason for us to make more noise than we already are doing. I have information that there are more than ghouls in this area. An acquaintance of mine reported that he has seen hooded humanoid figures moving around this area. They could be wizards or worse. Big guy, wanna take the lead or do you want me to move ahead and scout?"

[Nefarion Xid]

"We're traveling with an adamantine golem. If you wanted a stealthy approach, we should have left him in town, or else knitted him some enormous woolen booties." Stray acquiesces to using telepathy, but rolls his eyes all the same. "I've been to Varisian funerals quieter than this."

Stray begins drifting towards the nearest hut to peek inside.

If nothing pops out of the hut, Stray uses Detect Magic and Sift to search inside while remaining at the entrance. Remember, Stray has low-light vision.

[Rysc]

Auva

The kayal is standing alert at the edge of the road. We can at least attempt stealth--any preferences as to where we should... She trails off as Stray strays over to the hut. That's decided then. In the event that nothing punishes his inquisitiveness, some invisibility would not be amiss for scouting the rest of the town. I do not know if ghouls can track by scent--Ms Lestrade?

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"I do not believe so, no." Brigitte replies, "On the other hand, even if they can, they would probably know we are here already."

The Galtan woman edges to the side of the road and secludes herself behind a tree.

Going stealthy!
Stealth: [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

As Stray entered the threshold of the hut, his eyes quickly adjusted to the cool shade of the interior, a task aided by the fact that, with the back half of the building gone. The oppressive silence was broken only by the sound of his boots against the aging floorboards, the slow creak echoing through the streets in a harsh counterpoint to the stillness of the ghost town.

Their attention occupied by Stray moving into the old hut, seconds later, the party heard the rushing of steps at the far end of the street, tall grass on the overgrown street rebounding from a fresh rustling.

The archaeologist then rattled off the hand movements for his spell, a wealth of information flowing into him magically and enriching the information available to his eyes with that which he could perceive with his hands. On the counter lay an old mortar and pestle, tipped over and long emptied of its contents. Behind the counter, Stray felt several loose sheets of paper - and off in what apparently used to be the back room, visible through a door, a crate lay beneath an old dilapidated shelf, open to the elements. Upon the use of detect magic, a couple of faint conjuration and transmutation auras could be detected from the direction of the crate.

An old wooden cup fell off the cupboard and clattered to the floor.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray quickly casts Invisibility (on himself) and steps back from the doorway to flatten himself against the outer wall of the hut. He waits and listens for a moment before using Ghost Sounds to figment the noise of someone in heavy boots and armor making his way through the potions shop. He looks toward the rest of the party and the place on the street where he heard footsteps before again peering inside the doorway and waiting for whatever disturbed the cup.

[roll0]

If nothing happens, he moves around the hut stealthily to see if he can get a better view of what's inside from a different vantage point.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte remains in place as she waits to see (or hear) what comes of the sound of footfalls.

[Rysc]

Auva

The noises are loud in the ghost (or ghoul) town. Too loud.

Her gaze darting to the end of the street, Auva carefully takes a few steps over to and behind a nearby tree before beginning a spell...and then shimmering out of view.

Casting Invisibility on self.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Waiting in silence on the road into town, the rest of the party held their breaths, waiting for something the break the silence.

Nothing came, the sound of a light breeze the only accompaniment. The sound of crickets, once sparse but still present, began to die down. From the southern edge of Swamphaven, a fog began to roll in. Looking over, the party quickly deduced that it would be merely a couple of minutes before the town was completely enveloped.

As the creak of Stray's magically induced sound rang through the hut, the cup rolled further along the floor, toward the right side. For a second, Stray thought he heard a light scratching sound, and a slight flicker in the air near the crate, but both vanished mere seconds later.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Delightful. And for a moment I thought I'd have a pleasant afternoon killing ghouls without suffering supernatural forces beyond mortal ken."

Using Mage Hand, Stray attempts to open the crate and retrieve the contents from a distance. If that fails, Stray gathers a handful of dirt and throws it into the hut. If that fails to reveal any invisible creatures, he screams internally and goes to open the obviously haunted crate just casts Pilfering Hand to abscond with the entire crate.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"What's going on in there, Stray? Did anyone see what was causing that sound?

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray, still trying to open the crate from afar...

"Something knocked a cup off a shelf. I'm just being cautious now and trying to expose whatever it was. It's either invisible, intangible or both. Likely a haunting. There are a few potions leftover and I'm trying to retrieve them. Feel free to assist, Lestrade."

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva keeps one eye on the fog and one ear (part of her mind?) on the happenings in the hut. "I admire your dedication to trying to rob such a place, Stray, but as for the rest of us the fog, or to be more exact, whatever caused the fog and silenced the crickets may pose a problem. I for one would not like to face this problem standing in the middle of the open road."

She strains to pick out any possible source of the mist before continuing. "And sorry, I don't believe I'll be much help with a haunting."

Looking for anything that might have caused the steps earlier, or the fog: [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Monsters? They look like monsters to you?

The town remained silent, broken only by the low hum of Stray's spellcasting. Suddenly, a low, clattering hiss emanated from the hut where Stray was investigating.

The hissing carries a clear warning tone.
The hissing carries a clear warning tone.
Though you can't claim to be fluent in the language, you clearly recognize the hissing as Necril, the language of the undead. Due to the simplicity of it, you can make what you think is a pretty good interpretation of it.

"Get back! No steal! Watch for Mama! Pay!"
You recognize that the hissing is not just hissing, but a language of some kind. Which one, you can't tell.
As Auva thought back to whatever had caused the steps, she realized that she hadn't really gotten a good look at it. Whatever it was, it had been very low to the ground, and... maybe four-legged? She couldn't really remember. A quick look around revealed no obvious source of the sudden fog.

Suddenly, a low, clattering hiss emanated from the hut where stray was held up. The hissing carries a clear warning tone.
As the cloud of dirt spiraled down into the back, it hit something... something which quickly shook it off, before dropping its invisibility.

A small, lanky, skeletal creature stood before Stray, about the size of a small child, dressed in rags. Jumping back from the doorway to the back where it had been standing, it threw its body over the crate, hissing at Stray. Its manner seemed rather protective. Stray couldn't quite tell. As for the hissing, after a few seconds, Stray realized that it was no mere random collection of sounds, but in fact Necril, the language of the undead. Due to the simplicity of it, he was able to make what he thought was a pretty good interpretation of it.

"Get back! No steal! Watch for Mama! Pay!"

[skypse]

Hearing the sound from the hut, Kiriel moves quickly towards a window to see what's happening inside.

Hey what was that? Stray is everything ok in there?

[Nefarion Xid]

"Oh, you know, just a child-sized undead thing screaming in Necril at me," he intoned plainly, "I think I've got it under control, actually."

Hey, Stray, what are you doing this weekend? Oh, nothing much. I thought I might see a play, maybe get around to researching my new spell. No you're not, you're trudging through the swamp to get screamed at by horrible undead children. Really? That doesn't sound much like me. Oh, yes it does. This is your life now, Stray.

Though this ranked among the top ten creepiest things he'd ever witnessed, he was a professional (after a fashion). "Oh!" he exclaims, "Aren't you a darling -- looking after the shop while your mom's away. But I'm not here to steal anything, silly. I ordered a week ago. She said I could stop by Fireday to pick them up. It is Fireday, isn't it? Now, be a love and get my order sorted for me?"

[roll0]

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Creepy." Brigitte approaches the hut stealthily and peers into the building.

Stealth:
Assuming she can get close enough to see the undead thing: Knowledge (Religion): [roll]1d20+10+1d6

[skypse]

What? What are you talking about? How much did you drink this time Stray?

Kiriel closes up carefully to see who the young human is talking to.

Stealth: [roll0]
Assuming he sees the undead, Religion: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

In my restless dreams, I see that town...

As Kiriel and Brigitte sidled up beside Stray, the others - those being Guardian, Narami, and Auva - saw Stray pelted in the face by a couple of flying pieces of paper, followed by more clattering hissing. This was subsequently followed by Kiriel darting away from the window, terror evident in his body language.
As Brigitte sidled up to the hut, the creature, its attention wholly fixated on Stray, did not appear to notice her. Rather, at Stray's words, it briefly cocked its skeletal head before thrusting out its hand. Lifting the two pieces of paper he had noted earlier with his spell from the desk, it tossed them full-force at his face. It hissed again, the tone rather stubborn, as if made by a child whose entire resolve revolved around keeping a promise to the letter, regardless of what happened.

<"No! Mama say 'watch store!' Mama say..."> The creature then paused, drawing back its hand. <"Man... see Mama? Where Mama?">

Both Brigitte and Kiriel detected a plaintive, almost hopeful note in the creature's voice. It was then, struck by inspiration, that the both of them realized what it was - a poltergeist. As with the ghoul's claw two hours before, flashbacks to the Adventurer's Comprehensive Field Guide to Undead flashed through their brains...


Frightful, incorporeal beings made almost entirely of telekinetic energy, poltergeists are angry spirits that form when the soul, for whatever reason, becomes unable to leave the site of its death. This most often occurs as the result of a powerful necromantic ritual, but can potentially happen for any number of reasons. In their primary form, they are completely invisible to the naked eye, but can briefly drop this invisibility. It then affects those with a weak strength of will in this visible form, causing them to see frightful magical visions that send the target running in a terrible fright. When visible, they take the form of ghostly, skeletal apparitions, clothed in rags.

Strangely, it has been noted that those with the natural ability to see invisible creatures are not affected by a poltergeist's mind-altering abilities.

Much like ghosts, attacking a poltergeist will only temporarily banish it. To permanently exorcise the spirit, one must either use powerful magic to send it on to the realms of the dead, such as the techniques taught to clerics and oracles for Banishment, or determine the reason for the spirit being unable to move on and set it right.

Suddenly, the two heard a sharp, frightened gasp come from Kiriel, who leapt back from the window where he had been spying in.

The note is partially burnt and molded with years, but some of the text is legible.


Sarah,

Be a good girl for mommy today! I've left Laura to help you run the store, but since you're starting to get to be a big girl, I want you to help her out as best you can. If someone comes in to buy a potion, it's very simple. Just grab it from the shelf or the back crates, and then tell them to put the gold on the cou[burnt away]-so, I've left the recipe for a potion I want you to brew on the counter. If you've managed to do it up good by the time I get back from the Town Hall, I'll g-[charred illegible]

I love you, my little A-

The bottom of the note is burnt away.
The note is partially burnt and molded with years, but some of the text is legible.


-sbane Tincture

To begin, you will need the following:
Mugwort root x2
Garlic
Flayleaf
Six wolfsbane leaves

Put ingredients in mortar and pestle and mix well, then-

The rest of the note is burnt away

As Kiriel poked his head up to see the undead, it appeared not to notice him, its attention fixated entirely on Stray.

Then, suddenly, its head whirled around, its eyes glowing red with malice and hatred, and it exploded into a shadowy miasma of pure evil.

"YOU... YOU WILL PAY FOR THE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS... ASSASSIN..."

Barely able to do anything but keep himself from descending into sheer panic, Kiriel jumped away from the hut. Idly, the more analytical part of his mind remembered the creature as being a poltergeist, though the specifics on it currently eluded him due to the majority of his conscious thoughts being concerned with running like hell.

As if from far away, you hear the sound of dice clattering...

You are now Frightened for 3 rounds. From the PFSRD:


A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Saving-Throws), skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray starts when Jamie yelps. This was Top 10 Creepy, he thought, not Top 5. At least this ghost wasn't actively trying to kill them.

After reading the notes, Stray passes them over to Brigitte with Mage Hand. "Yes," he repeats, "I saw your mother last week and told her I'd stop by today to buy all the stock you have left. Hm? Buy all the potions."

With that Stray moves into the shop and drops a handful of platinum coins (10) loudly on the counter top. "Is this enough, Sarah?"

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva's musings on whether or not ghouls move on four legs (current position: probably yes) are interupted by the sudden movements from the hut.

Jamie's terrified retreat does not increase Auva's desire to move closer. As it is, neither Stray nor Brigitte have fled or telepathically screamed for help, and undead that throw pieces of paper do not seem particularly intervention-worthy, so she remains where she is. Invisibility has its perks, but she really must read up on whether or not undead can still detect her.

She breaks off from this train of thought to ask generally of the others, "Anything on the undead? Also, does someone want to keep tabs on Jamie?

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte takes the notes and reads both. She then summarizes for the others, "It appears that we have a poltergeist here; one of a little girl named Sara who was left with a Laura - perhaps a sister - to run the shop while the mother was at the town hall. She was also give a task to mix what appears to be a Wolfsbane Tincture." She goes on to explain what a poltergeist is to the others, and how to deal with them. "I recommend we continue to treat her as the little girl who was left to mind the store, but gently pry and try to find out what happened here so that we may lay her to rest, preferably in a nonviolent way. Also...if there is one, there may be more, and they may not all be innocent children."

Craft (Alchemy) to A) Know what Wolfsbane Tincture is good for, and B) Whether Brigitte knows how to complete the recipe.
If she knows, I'm thinking she may offer to help the poltergeist complete it. I'm just speculating, but that may be what needs to be done to set it free.
[roll0]




Frightful, incorporeal beings made almost entirely of telekinetic energy, poltergeists are angry spirits that form when the soul, for whatever reason, becomes unable to leave the site of its death. This most often occurs as the result of a powerful necromantic ritual, but can potentially happen for any number of reasons. In their primary form, they are completely invisible to the naked eye, but can briefly drop this invisibility. It then affects those with a weak strength of will in this visible form, causing them to see frightful magical visions that send the target running in a terrible fright. When visible, they take the form of ghostly, skeletal apparitions, clothed in rags.

Strangely, it has been noted that those with the natural ability to see invisible creatures are not affected by a poltergeist's mind-altering abilities.

Much like ghosts, attacking a poltergeist will only temporarily banish it. To permanently exorcise the spirit, one must either use powerful magic to send it on to the realms of the dead, such as the techniques taught to clerics and oracles for Banishment, or determine the reason for the spirit being unable to move on and set it right.

[Lord Of Mantas]

As the situation progressed, the fog kept inexorably rolling in...

You hear further clattering and clanking as Brigitte and Stray continue to look in on the hut.
The poltergeist looked at the coins. It looked at Stray. It faded from view. Then, one by one, the coins began to float into the air, going flying into a small box in the corner. A hiss accompanied each toss.

When all the coins had been tossed away, the crate that had given off the auras earlier spontaneously scooted itself to the front, through the little door at the side, and toward Stray's feet. Then, the mortar and pestle flew off the desk and over to what looked like a ruined alchemy lab over at the other side of the store. A few cupboards flew open, the doors being almost ripped off the hinges, before the hut fell silent. A mournful whisper emanated from that direction.

<"No herbs... Where Mama?">

With the route to the back now clear, Brigitte and Stray noted that there appeared to be an overgrown garden of some kind there.
2x potions of Darkvision
1x potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
1x potion of Cure Serious Wounds
After thinking on it for a few moments, Brigitte was able to recall several things about tincture of wolfsbane. It was the base for many, many things, including, most notably, an oil that could be placed on weapons to bypass the natural resistance to standard issue weaponry possessed by many lycanthropes, thus allowing people to combat them in situations where weapons made from alchemical silver might not be obtainable. Less notably, it also served as the base for several perfumes, as well as a antidote for various toxic mushrooms, several of which Brigitte recalled were native to the area.

From what Brigitte recalled, making the potion was rather simple - the only ingredient needed not listed on the note was copper sulfate. First, the plant ingredients were mashed into a fine paste, and then they, a pinch of copper sulfate, and enough water to cover the entire batch was placed into an alembic - which, by the look of it, appeared to be the only intact instrument in the shop. The resulting mixture was then boiled, and then, by channeling one's natural magical aura through the distillate, tincture of wolfsbane was brewed.

All the ingredients listed on the note are relatively common to the area, and would likely be kept in many gardens.
"I CAN SMELL YOU..."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray slips the potions into his bag.

"Your mother will be back soon, Sarah," he lies. "Let's go pick the herbs you need. She'll be happy to see what a good job you've done."

"Lestrade, fog is just caused by a surge of cold air stirring up the humidity of the swamp, isn't it? No reason to think that terribly ominous fog bank is unnatural, right? Just because we're in a literal ghost town."

Deciding there's nothing to be done about the fog except make haste out of the swamp, Stray moves into the edge of the garden and begins searching for the herbs using Sift. "And why would the girl speak Necril? The note from her mother is written in Taldane."

Remembering the others, still mulling about on the street, he adds, "We'll have this sorted in just a moment. The rest of you better keep your distance."

[Rysc]

Auva

"I am useless in the area of necromantic liguistics, but otherwise, sure. Try to take things a little faster, would you? I would rather not find out if the fog is indeed just a mass of naturally occurring water droplets."

Deciding to try to do something vaguely useful, Auva picks her way over to the opposite side of the road to try to get a quick look before the blanket of fog. As she does so, she remembers to ask in a mildly concerned tone, "And Jamie, how are you holding up?"

Just trying to see if there's anything of note in the buildings near the hut/ directly across the road. Doubtful, but she's also going to Detect Magic on as much of the two buildings across the road as can fit one turn/ 60ft cone.

Stealth: [roll0] (+20 invis)
Perception: [roll1]

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Tincture of Wolfsbane is used for many things, including - but not limited to - an oil to cut through the natural resistance of lycanthropes, the base for some perfume, and an antidote for several kinds of toxic mushrooms, some of which are native to the area. I believe I can walk the girl through this if we find the necessary ingredients. The natural ingredients should all be pretty common. We'll need two mugwort roots, garlic, flayleaf, and six wolfsbane leaves. The potion also requires copper sulfate, which (I hope) we shall find here. If we search the village, we should find the other ingredients in gardens."

Brigitte pauses just long enough for the others to process what she has sent before continuing, "Please, I want to help her."


To see if the fog is natural? Knowledge (Nature): 1d20+19] + another [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Heee'res Timothy Lord of Mantas!
A few minutes passed, during which time various noises emanated from the hut, and far off clunking and rattling from the village. In the meantime, the village became completely overtaken by the fog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_1lU638EOs)...
Walking into what remained of the back porch, Stray was confronted by the overgrown remains of what was clearly once a garden. Tangled weeds and vines ran everywhere, choking the life out of each other in a desperate bid for survival. A lesser man would have been completely unable to find anything useful.

And yet, as Stray scanned the area magically, his keen eyes quickly picked up the natural ingredients for the potion in exact amounts, stripping them off the plants before coming back to him. Brigitte, in the meanwhile, remembered that she had an ounce or two of copper sulfate in her alchemy kit, and after some rummaging was able to retrieve it.

The ingredients were then snatched suddenly out of the air, and went flying into the nearby alembic, a ghostly flame appearing beneath. <"Mine!"> As the mixture boiled, Stray and Brigitte had time to think...

After some thought, you deduce a likely reason the poltergeist is speaking in Necril. Despite being similar to ghosts, poltergeists have more in common with more monstrous undead, with their souls having been warped and distorted during their creation. As such, the trauma leaves them unable to speak normally, and often they do not speak at all. The first recorded cases of poltergeists communicating in anything other than thrown objects and blood on the walls, as a matter of fact, date to only a few years ago.
From your recollections, you recall a couple of ways fog can form; one being lots of warm air blowing over cool water, and the other being cool air passing over a warm, moist ground. Neither adequately describes the situation here, as the breeze is rather chilly and the ground still cold and wet from winter. There is no doubt about it - this fog is unnatural, possibly the result of a Control Weather spell.
A few minutes pass, after which a bright blue distillate collects in a little vessel placed below the funnel of the alembic. Almost proudly, it goes floating over to the ruined porch and sits down - as if the poltergeist is waiting for something.

<"Mama... come back soon...">

You sense that you have done all you can here for now.
"MY TEETH WILL RUN RED WITH YOUR BLOO-"

All of a sudden, the frightful vision chasing Kiriel dissipated, and the assassin fell flat on his face into the muck of the road to Swamphaven. Pulling himself up, he returned to the others, watching as Brigitte and Stray dealt with the poltergeist - and as the fog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_1lU638EOs) rolled in...

[Nefarion Xid]

"Ugh. I hoped she'd pass on after brewing her tincture. How do you think she'll react if we show her her mother's bones?" Stray asks Brigitte.

He makes a mental note to reclaim his ten platinum coins once Sarah's spirit is laid to rest. No sense in letting them sit around an un-haunted house. Still invisible, he rejoins the group and announces his presence by clearing his throat and waggling the four visible potions in the air one at a time. "Darkvision. Darkvision. Big ouchies. Regular ouchies."

[Othniel]

"Ugh. I hoped she'd pass on after brewing her tincture. How do you think she'll react if we show her her mother's bones?" Stray asks Brigitte.

He makes a mental note to reclaim his ten platinum coins once Sarah's spirit is laid to rest. No sense in letting them sit around an un-haunted house. Still invisible, he rejoins the group and announces his presence by clearing his throat and waggling the four visible potions in the air one at a time. "Darkvision. Darkvision. Big ouchies. Regular ouchies."

Brigitte

Shaking her head, Brigitte replies, "I do not know, Stray. It may grant her rest, or it may not. If it does not, then I shall be at a loss as to what may do so. And so, unless we learn more from the poor girl, we should probably search for the mother's remains." She takes a deep breath and continues, "What concerns me is what we will find at the town hall. If there are more poltergeists, not all of them will be sweet little children."

As they rejoin the others, Brigitte points to the fog. "This fog is not naturally occurring. It does not match what I know of how fog naturally forms. I suspect a spell of some kind."

[skypse]

Kiriel stands up, trying to clean himself from the mud. Still unable to believe that something like this would happen to someone with such resolve and mental prowess like him. He adjusts his clothes and takes a quick look around him to check where he had run. After seeing that there are no threats around him he starts walking towards the others. He takes one sword out, the beautiful sawtooth sabre of the Red Mantis. The sword came out and left a feint sound as it sliced through the air and as Kiriel walked towards the others the thoughts of the collective started echoing in his head.

"Yes I am fine. Apparently your little "friend" wanted to mess with me. Well, I understand its position but let me take him out of his misery without us needing to find any bones."

He walks towards the hut, waiting until he has clear vision with the ghost. He calmly walks towards it, posing no threat whatsoever.

"I know my actions and I have embraced my responsibilities and consequences. You cannot affect me anymore. My head is clear, my consciousness is clear, my mind and heart are focused. Farewell little ghost"

Saying that, Kiriel raises his sword and starts making weird movements as if he was dancing. Someone who would watch him carefully could see that he was making slight steps towards the ghost.

As part of the first move action I unsheathe the Ghost-Touch blade. Double moves to go faster back.
As a free action during my movement I speak to the collective, and then as a free action when I enter the hut I speak to the ghost.
Standard action the same round that I enter the hut to initiate my Prayer Attack. DC with 1 sword is 19 so I guess my spell attack would be:
[roll0]

Kiriel returns to the side of The Guardian frustrated, his mask covering his facial expressions.

[Rysc]

Auva


"This fog is not naturally occurring. It does not match what I know of how fog naturally forms. I suspect a spell of some kind."

Auva responds telepathically, not seeing any reason to speak while still invisible. "I didn't have much hope for a natural fog. But seeing as the fog is now here--does anyone feel like exploring a haunted town in an ominous fog? Even if someone will actually venture a yes to that, we should start moving. Whatever was moving about earlier was, I believe, doing so on four legs--probably not a caster, definitely not local fauna, and perhaps a minion. Either of those possibilities does not hearten me."

The sorceror is distracted from her speculation by the formerly-frightened man picking himself up and heading towards the hut.


"Yes I am fine. Apparently your little "friend" wanted to mess with me. Well, I understand its position but let me take him out of his misery without us needing to find any bones."

She sighs. "Oh please. Let us not have any desire for petty revenge interfere with our investigation for now. She--the undead--is no longer bothering us. I see no need to instigate this particular undead when there are probably decidely less neutral ones nearby on which you can vent." Auva pauses. "And you do realize that these cannot be permanantly destroyed through normal means, right? Hence a possible need for bones and not immediate violence."

[Nefarion Xid]

"Don't be an ass!" Stray yells telepathically. "That's the soul of a confused little girl."

[Othniel]

Brigitte


"And you may make her, or others, angry." She pauses and shoots an angry glare toward Kiriel before answering Auva. "And yes, we are here, so we may as well continue."

[skypse]

Are you guys freaking serious? We are assigned with a specific mission and you are playing with a freaking ghost girl and I am the one who is being an ass? Can we please focus and continue our investigation? I really doubt that this ghost has anything to do with the dragon or the imperial ghoul or the hooded figures. Just leave it be and let's move!

[Mathemagics]

Narami

Narami was not in a good mood. Then again, this was also par for the course for the psychotic girl and shouldn't have surprised anyone. But apparently she was in a worse state than her usual baseline mood as she had trudged through the swamp after the others, sullenly grumbling to herself over and over. The atmosphere around her didn't improve much either after arriving at Swamphaven as the others began scouting around the ruined town.

"Grrr. Stupid swamp. Stupid town. Stupid ghouls. Stupid idiots. Stupid tree. Stupid fog."

Arms crossed, she tapped a finger irritably against her shoulder and glowered at the surroundings, growing more and more frustrated every minute as she waited for the others to finish wasting time. As a result, she was already nearly the limit of her very thin patience when the telepathic argument broke out. It was at this point Narami finally lost it and screamed out over the connection.

"GAH! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP! ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT THE #!*$#& UP! STOP SCREAMING IN MY HEAD AND JUST! SHUT! UP!"

Unslinging the hammer from her back, the girl stormed her way over towards the hut where she had last seen the others, a nearly palpable aura of wrath emanating from her.

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian had been keeping watch, in case something hostile tried to approach the village from without. However, it seemed that now there was a threat approaching from within.
"Jamie! Stand down now.We are not monsters, and I will not condone the killing of a child, even one that has already passed. We have a duty to help those who cannot help themselves. It is not connected to being members of the League. It has everything to do with being decent people."

And then Narami went off. Guardian moved quickly, positioning himself between her and the hut.
"No. Violence is not the answer here Narami. All you are going to do is make everyone more angry!"

[Lord Of Mantas]

As the party devolved into bickering, a loud crash emanated from the avenue toward the north, leading to the 'Town Hall'.

[Rysc]

Auva


Are you guys freaking serious? We are assigned with a specific mission and you are playing with a freaking ghost girl and I am the one who is being an ass? Can we please focus and continue our investigation? I really doubt that this ghost has anything to do with the dragon or the imperial ghoul or the hooded figures. Just leave it be and let's move!

"Please focus" and "leave it be"? Oh, pardon me, I must've mistook your intentions earlier! Of course you were not getting distracted by the desire to kill the ghoul.

Auva, however, refrains from mentally voicing her opinions, especially following Narami's telepathic rant--it was somewhat ironic that one should display one's preferences for silence of a sort by "yelling" so much. Any further aimless milling about is cut off by the sudden noise to the north.

"Ah. That way, then?" Her quizzical expression and gestures are rendered completely useless by the fact that she is invisible.

Assuming the party begins moving towards the town hall:

Stealth: [roll0]

[Nefarion Xid]

Nothing wrong with them a little Charm Person wouldn't fix, Stray imagines.

At the sound of the crash, he thanks Calistria for the diversion. Nothing like a little violence to cheer this lot up. He starts off at a jog and keeps to the side of the path. Once he close, he slows to a brisk, but stealthy walk.

+20 invisible, -5 moving faster than 1/2 speed
[roll0]

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte follows along with the others as quietly as she can manage, though she keeps looking around her as if suspecting something to creep up on the group.


Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Attracted by the noise of the crash, the party slowly made its way up the dirt road, treading as softly as they attempted to conceal their presence from would-be attackers... living or otherwise. The breeze had picked up a little, an eerie whistling coming through the ruined houses on either side of the street. Ahead, the team could now clearly see the large building that appeared to serve as a town hall. Relatively tall, but clearly one story, ruined and broken (though surprisingly intact) glass windows stood, a testament to the relative sturdiness of the building. The front edifice and roof, however, were caved in, and the double doors hanging partially off the hinges. As the party drew closer, however, a growling could be heard coming from one of the easternmost houses...

Then, just as the party was passing right in front of the ruined door, a high-pitched keening noise came from the house, and the door crashed open. Surrounded by splinters of flying wood, a mangy and half-starved wolf burst forth, running right by them in a state of seeming panic and into the fog, the sounds of disturbed marshwater following soon after. From behind the now empty doorframe, a skeleton slumped, the remains of its clothing still on it.

The skeleton was clearly a female, judging by the plain dress and apron it is wearing. On the apron, a picture of a flask is embroidered - the same as was above the ruined potion store. A quick search of the apron's pocket reveals a couple of notes, torn and spattered with what is clearly blood.


-hopping list

Copper Sulfate
A toy for Sarah (maybe one of those wooden horses Grandal carves?)
Flour from the mill
Carrots
Sugar
Baking Po-

-cannot stress how bad of an idea this is. This enclave was founded as a refuge away from [illegible]ers of the arcane, as a place to commune with nature. And now we're letting this Randolph waltz through here like he owns the place? Fergus claims that H[blood spatter]hed for him, but he's only been in Woodshaven for a few months; how trustworthy can he be? And he's a sorceror as well, it's not like he's unbiased. I'll talk to Fergus, see if I can't get him to-

[skypse]

Kiriel walks calmly towards the skeleton, confident for himself and sure that something like the incident before could not happen again. Good or not in the morality axis, this Aasimar had a justification for his past actions and a dream for his future that every single morning were enough to get him going. As he picks the notes and he reads them he pays particular attention to the second one, trying to make up some of the missing words or try and fill the gaps from the general context.

It seems like you found your missing mother Stray. She was about to buy her ghost a present before she turned into this. On a more interesting note however, it seems like my information was correct about the spellcasters. A sorcerer named Randolph came to Woodshaven a few months back and it seems like the citizens here were not particularly happy with it. This is only a scrap of course so we are missing a lot of information, but I think we should find a guy named Fergus. He seems to be someone that this woman wanted to talk to. Probably for advice or help I don't know.


Linguistics check to see if he can make up the missing words.
[roll0]

[Rysc]

Auva


It seems like you found your missing mother Stray. She was about to buy her ghost a present before she turned into this. On a more interesting note however, it seems like my information was correct about the spellcasters. A sorcerer named Randolph came to Woodshaven a few months back and it seems like the citizens here were not particularly happy with it. This is only a scrap of course so we are missing a lot of information, but I think we should find a guy named Fergus. He seems to be someone that this woman wanted to talk to. Probably for advice or help I don't know.

"Let's hope this Fergus is still alive, then." Auva is only half paying attention to the discovery of the skeleton, and has stayed back from the door.

"What do you suppose scared that wolf? No points for 'undead,' of course, but I'd be interested in specifics."

[Nefarion Xid]

Briefly looking at the second note, Stray guesses at the missing words before handing it back to Jamie. "Practitioners of the arcane. And Henry vouched."

Stray pokes his head in the doorway and performs his usual combo of Sift and Detect Magic. "That sound... if it's what I fear it was..."


Religion (On the suspicion the keening noise was a Banshee)
[roll0]

Perception to search
[roll1]

[skypse]

Well wolves are from the same animal family as dogs right? I guess it might was drawn here in hope it might find some bones to chew on.. But it seems like he didn't exactly find the type of bones it was looking for. A clumsy move may have caused the skeleton to fall from somewhere, the wolf got spooked and run. On the other hand, I've heard that wolves enter "solo" mode when they are near their death time. So it might just be looking for a place to rest and we disturbed it.

[Lord Of Mantas]

The breeze through the town surged a little. The reeds and low shrubs at the edge of the party's visibility rippled slightly as they were disturbed, a gentle 'whoosh' filling their senses.

A shrill sound provoking the wolf would be consistent with what you saw, but the area it affects would likely also have caught the party in it. Ghosts, you remember, have a similar ability, so it could have been one of those.

A quick scan of the ruined hut reveals absolutely nothing of interest. Whatever caused the noise, it's gone now. You do, however, hear the sound of someting falling coming from the town hall.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Nothing here," Stray affirms aloud after searching the house. "I'll take the bones to Sarah after we search the town hall. Shall we?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"After you, Ghost-Speaker," replies Brigitte with a smirk as she draws her rapier with one hand and a small vial with the other.

Readying Action to drink her Mutagen if it looks like there are occupants inside that are unfriendly - if I can do that out of combat?

[Rysc]

Auva

"An excellent idea, Stray...and Brigitte as well. I'll just join the queue, then." The sorcerer takes a few steps over, ready to enter the hall when the others do.

[Lord Of Mantas]

With Stray, Auva, and Brigitte leading the way, the party closed the final distance to the town hall. Kiriel followed closely behind, and Guardian in turn alongside him, surprisingly managing to keep the loud, repetitive clanking (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0024.html) to a minimum.

As these five stacked up beside the half-torn-off doors unseen, however, Narami was not so lucky, her foot catching against a root that sent her toppling into the door.

Instantly, a light flared from inside, and the door suddenly burst into flames before collapsing into cinders. This was quickly followed by yet another burst of energy, which slammed into Narami's chest in a gout of... surprisingly small flame, as it turned out. Narami barely felt it, in the end.

This did not, however, appear to discourage the source.

"Eeeeh-hmhmhmh, eeehahaha! Behold, puny adventurer, the exsssstent of my piyoken- pierogi- fire-tossing powersssss!"

With the door now out of the way (or peeking up above the windowsill, in the case of those not stacked up at the door), the party laid eyes upon what had, presumably, caused the crash earlier.

True to what they had gleaned from its appearance and the notes, the building was, indeed, a town hall, as was apparent by the stage and splintered desks scattered throughout. Debris was scattered everywhere, but what was truly notable was that someone had taken the time to build a great deal of it up into a runway of sorts, from which a higher vantage point had been created.

Atop there stood a sorceress, fire gathered in her hands, dressed in a crimson red robe with golden blonde hair and glowing blue eyes, cackling like a madwoman with her head thrown back.

"It wassss foolish of you to come alone! You came to this ruin sssseeking richesss and treasure, but it is now I who will take your treassssure from you! Now, put down all of your gold and riches right below my stage of honor, or you will be burnt to a crissssp! And then go forth, and let everyone know of the awesome might of Pun-, errr, I mean, Awesomalia, Golarion's Greatest Sorceressss!"

It was obvious to every single person there that 1) 'Awesomalia' had not spotted any of them besides Narami, and 2) that 'she' was attempting to disguise 'her' real, distinctly serpentine voice - and failing miserably at it.

As the two of them peeked ever so carefully above the sill, Brigitte and STray both noted, thanks to their extensive knowledge of engineering, that the haphazard collection of boxes that served as Awesomalia's perch was exceptionally precarious. With a well placed toss of just about anything, including nearby debris, it would come tumbling down, and Awesomalia with it.

Additionally, behind a strategically placed crate just behind Awesomalia, the two of them spotted a small creature trying, and failing, to keep out of sight. Based on the shape of the head and its failed attempts at disguising its speech, it was quite clearly a kobold.
From far off in the distance, you hear the sound of clattering dice...

You take 7 Fire damage.
Behind Awesomalia, Narami spotted a quick flicker of movement behind a strategically placed crate, but could not tell what it was.
Behind a strategically placed crate just behind Awesomalia, the team spotted a small creature trying, and failing, to keep out of sight. Based on the shape of the head and its failed attempts at disguising its speech, it was quite clearly a kobold.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Stifling a laugh, Brigitte looks at Stray, "Alter Self, do you suppose?" She remains hidden, waiting for Narami to react.

Not drinking the mutagen just yet. I want to see what happens.

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva cannot help but smirk, both at the kobold's miserable attempts and its first choice of target. She's tempted to respond with an equally flamboyant illusion--Behold, Vesaria Nightweaver!--but the kobold is not really a threat, and it will be just as entertaining to watch Narami's response...

[skypse]

Hey Mirana. Stall her if you please. I'm going to enter the room and check around if there are more of them.

Kiriel takes a step back and activates his invisibility while out of sight. He then walks in and takes a look around to search for potential enemies as well as a route towards the back of their "host". If he sees no other threats around, he moves right behind the kobold and gets ready to take her out.

On your mark guys. Tell me when.

5-foot step backwards to cast Invisibility on me. Then move action inside the room.
Take 10 on perception for 28

[Nefarion Xid]

Still invisible, Stray indicated his position to Brigitte with, "On your left," as they approached the town hall. He pressed himself against the edge of the window and looked in.

"Disguise Self? Maybe a figment with Ventriloquism."

He cringes when Narami gets blasted with the 'fireball', resigning himself to the fact that no amount of convincing on his part would avoid bloodshed now. "They might know something about the dragon! So, maybe don't kill all of them?"

Stray snaps up a piece of debris and holds it over his shoulder, aiming to collapse the pile of crates (and make it look like an accident!) preempting Jamie or Nirami from murdering the hapless kobold.

[Mathemagics]

Hey Mirana. Stall her if you please. I'm going to enter the room and check around if there are more of them.


"Wrong. Name."

The mental comment is heavy with wrath, but from its tone one could easily get the impression that (for now at least) Narami's focus was directed elsewhere, specifically at the individual at the far end of the room.

"Ugh. Yeah you think you're real scary, huh?"

Narami took a very deliberate step forward. The hammer came off her back and landed heavily on the floorboards, creating a small crater as it was dragged along behind her. A nearly palpable aura of barely restrained fury emanated from the girl as the edges of her mouth upturned ever so slightly and she advanced towards this "Awesomalia".

"Oh well. I could use a bit of fun."


Not that Narami is intentionally trying to do so (she's just being herself really), but this probably counts as an attempt at Intimidate.

[roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

As Narami advanced, Awesomealia shrunk back a bit, clearly taken aback by the Rage Prophet's casual threat of violence - to say nothing of the dramatic thud of her hammer.

"Y-you think to defeat me with mere metal? Fool! You will burn in a firey-"

Then, as Kiriel climbed up behind the kobold, Stray enacted his own plan. With a heave, Stray sent a handy rock flying toward the crates supporting the makeshift runway, sending it plonking against one of the smaller ones... which fell to the ground with a clunk. Awesomalia snapped her head over in his direction in a strangely jerky manner.

"Hmph. More of you? Bah, no matter, Awesomealia, the World's Greatest Sorceresss, knows no -"

The runway groaned dangerously.

"Fear?"

With a thunderous crash, the runway shattered, sending everyone and everything on it to the ground...

Kiriel's Reflex: [roll0]
Pun-Pun's Reflex: [roll1]
Kiriel, thanks to his years of training as a Red Mantis Assassin, was able to jump back just in time before the hodgepodge of dramatically placed debris gave way.

Awesomalia was not so lucky.

With a scream, she vanished - her existence having been a mere illusion - and the kobold went careening down the slope of broken boxes, tumbling head over heels, until, by sheer coincidence, he hit a half-assembled bench just right, sending him flying into the air, through the half-broken window, and hitting his head on the sill before landing at Stray's feet. Meanwhile, a pack of goodies, having been at his side, tumbled to the ground at Narami's feet, spilling open and sending a bunch of magical items and gold sprawling there.

The kobold, discombobulated from the tumble, rolled over and moaned, his voice quavering with pain.

"Ooooh... Pun-Pun's gonna feel that one in the morning..."

You hear the far-off sound of dice clattering...

You find, stashed in Pun-Pun's bag...

A Caster's Shield (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-armor/specific-magic-shields/caster-s-shield)(A +1 Light Wooden Shield) with Hide from Undead inscribed on it.
A +1 Chain Shirt
1x Restorative Ointment (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/m-p/ointment-restorative)
1x Grave Salt (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/e-g/grave-salt)
41 gp

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray lifts the kobold up by his shirt (or belt, or whatever is handy to grab) and hastily whispers in Draconic, "I just saved your life. Cooperate."

"Ha! Well that was lucky!" he exclaims to the group, grinning sheepishly.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Unceremoniously dangling by the hood of his very ratty brown robes, Pun-Pun the kobold rapidly flicked his eyes from Narami, to Guardian, to Stray, and finally to Brigitte. (Kiriel and Auva, on account of being invisible, were ignored completely.) He then visibly gulped, as if realizing just how outclassed he was, and began babbling in a mix of Common and Draconic.

"Yes sssir, please don't kill Pun-Pun sssir. Looky here, maybe we can cut a deal, yes?"

"Pun-Pun's name is Pun-Pun, kobold adventurer exssstraordinary. Pun-Pun came here because he heard about thisss ruin, and ruins always have lots of treasure, yesss? Or at least adventurers who come in search of treasure? Pun-Puns not had much luck with thisss one, though. Nasty brats, always coming in and making him hide, and that ssstupid ghost mucking about around town..."

"But Pun-Pun knows where treasure is, treasure that can banish ghost, yesss? Pun-Pun will lead adventurers to the treasure if they'll let him live, yesss?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte walks over to Stray and the Kobold, and (between fits of giggles), intercedes for the creature, "Oh, do please let him live."

[Nefarion Xid]

Continuing in Draconic, Stray says, "Pun-Pun, you find yourself in the presence of a Fey Prince... and his retinue. The Stray," he touches a finger to his chest, "Is a terrible and most cunning foe, but he is not without mercy!"

Stray gingerly sets the kobolds feet on the ground. "You shall serve me ably and truly, Pun-Pun! And by my grace, you shall have your riches. Oh, your hoard will be a glorious thing to behold. And with my guidance your arcane powers shall grow ten-fold. The blood of dragons courses through your veins, Pun-Pun. Do you feel it? Say you feel it! Do you want to be rich? Do you want to be a powerful sorcerer? Of course you do! Now, swear your fealty!"

[roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

As the dull-red kobold sorceror looked up at Stray, the archaeologist's imposing and devilishly charming figure was silhouetted by the fog. The effect was that Stray, as he bluffed his way through the situation like a knife cutting through hot butter, seemed, in that moment, to truly be the prince he claimed to be.

<You're... you're a...>
Trembling in his raggedy, patchwork brown robes, Pun-Pun threw himself to the ground, prostrate at Stray's feet, and began babbling in draconic.

<Pun-Pun begs your forgiveness, and your blessing, my lord, yes. Pun-Pun is but a humble sorceror, cast out by his tribe after Pun-Pun - Pun-Pun accidentally zapped our leader with Pun-Pun's magic. Ever since then, Pun-Pun has been trying to make his own way in the world, but, well, Pun-Pun has only managed to gather together a few mere scraps.>
Equal amounts awe, devotion, and fear in his body language, Pun-Pun raised his head.

<If you truly can do what you claim, grant Pun-Pun power, grant Pun-Pun riches, than his belongings, his magic, his very life, and everyone of his blood will be forever yours, oh Lord Stray. Pun-Pun hereby prostrates himself before you, yes, and hereby swears an oath of undying fealty.>
Mysteriously, a soft glow sprang around Pun-Pun, and flowed toward Stray's hand, where a tendril of Stray's own energy sprang forth and intertwined with it. A second passed, and with a flash they disappeared.

Somehow, Pun-Pun seemed changed. Stronger, almost.

Remaining prostrate until Stray deigned to complete the ceremony with any further words or actions, Pun-Pun sprang up and turned toward the party.

"Come, come! The treasure is hidden in the old inn, yes! Pun-Pun heard ghost casually muttering it to herself when she thought he wasn't looking!"

Stray has gained...

The Undying Loyalty of 1x Cohort (Pun-Pun the 3rd level Kobold Sorceror).
I must confess, I did not expect this course of action. :smallsmile: It's times like these that I'm reminded why I love tabletop games.

In any case, I'll give you guys a round or two to react to what's just happened.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte listens to the Kobold speak in Draconic and shakes her head in silent admiration before sending, "Oh, by the gods, the Kobold is worshiping Stray."

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva continues to smirk at the situation. The turn of events is unexpected, yet not very far-fetched given the nature of the particpants. The kobold will probably fare much better this way, despite its delusions. She responds to Brigitte,"Well, that will more than make up for the lack from everyone else."

Out loud, she asks the kobold, "A ghost, you say? It would be handy to know where you last heard her."

[skypse]

"Wrong. Name."

Just. The. Answer. I. Was. Looking. For. Hehehe....


Kiriel raised his arm behind the kobold's back, ready to stab him across its spine. He did't want to kill it. He knew Guardian would bust his balls really hard afterwards but more importantly he knew that Stray was right about leaving him unconscious. Suddenly the earth, or better the crates under his feet start moving. For a split-second all moved so slowly around him, giving him time to jump away from danger safely landing on his feet. With a quick analysis of the situation he realizes he saw a stone being thrown at them, from Stray...
[QUOTE=Nefarion Xid;19400307]
Stray snaps up a piece of debris and holds it over his shoulder, aiming to collapse the pile of crates (and make it look like an accident!) preempting Jamie or Nirami from murdering the hapless kobold.

What the hell are you doing there kid? Are you a complete idiot for real or just acting like one?



Continuing in Draconic, Stray says, "Pun-Pun, you find yourself in the presence of a Fey Prince... and his retinue. The Stray," he touches a finger to his chest, "Is a terrible and most cunning foe, but he is not without mercy!"

Stray gingerly sets the kobolds feet on the ground. "You shall serve me ably and truly, Pun-Pun! And by my grace, you shall have your riches. Oh, your hoard will be a glorious thing to behold. And with my guidance your arcane powers shall grow ten-fold. The blood of dragons courses through your veins, Pun-Pun. Do you feel it? Say you feel it! Do you want to be rich? Do you want to be a powerful sorcerer? Of course you do! Now, swear your fealty!"

[roll0]

You're ****ing kidding me Stray. Gods hold my hand I'm gonna take your head and wear it as a crown you self absorbed bastard!


Brigitte

Brigitte listens to the Kobold speak in Draconic and shakes her head in silent admiration before sending, "Oh, by the gods, the Kobold is worshiping Stray."

Trust me Brigitte, right now I wanna "worship" Stray even more!

Kiriel still invisible moves around the room to see if there are any traps or hidden doors while trying to calm himself before slicing both the kobold and Stray and then goes outside to the others.


[roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Somehow, despite the close-knit cover of the trees and the omnipresent fog, a single ray of afternoon sunshine pierced through the heavens, illuminating Stray.

As the ray of sun lit him up, Stray felt a soft, yet booming voice surround his very being.

NICE ONE, KID.
Calling upon his years of training as an Assassin, Kiriel thoroughly swept the ruins of the town hall... and found nothing. Whatever Pun-Pun's plans had been for the town hall, as well as the town itself, it clearly hadn't included setting up traps or creating hidden caches of treasure. At the back of the hall, in the northwest corner of the stage, Kiriel found a small bedroll, along with the scraps of a few half-eaten edible wild mushrooms and dried meat - clearly, Pun-Pun's resting place. The rest of the Town Hall was completely empty of anything of note, the only contents broken benches, old, dried stains of blood, and shattered glass - grim reminders of the massacre of 20 years past.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Oh shush. You're one of the quickest swords in the Inner Sea. A few falling crates weren't going to do you in, you big baby. I was fully confident you could jump clear."

Stray ignores Jamie further and basks momentarily in his new-found (fractional) divinity. It was overdue, honestly.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Although Pun-Pun, bolstered in his confidence by the presence of his new master, was initially eager to proceed to the two-story building now revealed to be the town's inn, he relented at Stray's declaration of intent to take the remains of Sarah's mother back to the ruined apothecary.

He did, however, make it a point to take cover behind Stray's legs, the entire time, muttering about "tricksssy poltergeistsss".

Gingerly collecting a few of the bones, along with the scraps of her dress, Stray led the party back down the dirt road to the ruins of the hut, carefully set them back on the porch... and waited.

They did not have to wait long.

From inside, the bottle of tincture of wolfsbane (and, presumably, the poltergeist carrying it) levitated out - then stopped abruptly, as if catching sight of the remains.

The bottle crashed to the floor.

<"NO!">

It was a wail of anguish that needed no translation, even to those who could not speak Necril. The house immediately exploded, debris flying everywhere, the party only just barely managing to dodge it. For what seemed like minutes, the unearthly screaming continued, a whirlwind of debris and dirt flying everywhere until only a barest scrap of the porch upon which the apothecary's bones rested was left.

Eventually, the screams died down... and were replaced by incoherent sobbing. The poltergeist reappeared, its ghostly skeletal form cradling the dress, its distorted animalesque skull bent in sorrow.

<Mama... please... don't leave me...>
As the spectre lay there, mourning, something amazing happened. Its very form started changing, it's warped skeleton turning, first to a more human-like form, and then becoming wreathed in tendrils of divine energy, a cocoon forming around it. Half a minute later, where once a horrifying monster had lain, a ghostly little girl sat, her short hair contrasted by long bangs from which ghostly, innocent eyes shed incorporeal tears. Slowly, she looked up, gazing upon Stray and Brigitte.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the wind kicked up. As the girl looked upon the party, it blew stronger and stronger, dissolving the ectoplasm that formed her, until, mere seconds later, she had dissolved into the air.

Somehow, the fog no longer felt as oppressive.

As Sarah's spirit faded away, both Guardian and Narami were struck by the sensation of being watched, but were unable to spot anything of note in the fog.
As Sarah's spirit faded away, Brigitte and Stray caught movement out of the corner of their eyes. Toward the town center, a ghost stood, her willowy ectoplasmic dress billowing in the wind. Suddenly, their gazes locked.

With a genuine, friendly smile, the ghost nodded her head, then vanished into the fog, heading in the direction of the inn.
As Sarah's spirit faded away and Auva's invisibility dissipated, the two of them briefly caught the form of something ghostly fading into the fog, heading in the direction of the inn.


***


Pun-Pun lead the way into Swamphaven's ruined inn, which, upon further examination, looked more akin to a large guesthouse. Being mostly intact, and the windows blackened with soot and age, it was thoroughly dark inside, only a few rays of light through holes in the wooden walls illuminating the interior. A few round tables sat in what was clearly a sitting room of sorts, old chairs smashed and broken to pieces. At the front desk, many old blood stains were visible, along with an old and yellowing ledger.

"Pun-Pun's never been in here before... the ghost keeps coming way to close for comfort. Here, and sometimes the watermill, when those bratsss haven't been using it."

It was clear from Pun-Pun's body language that he was nervous, but his eyes kept flicking back to Stray, at which point he would attempt to draw himself in a vain attempt to appear brave.

[skypse]

Kiriel approaches the inn first, still invisible to take a look inside from a broken window or something similar. He sends a message to The Guardian only while walking.

That's why I hate going on team missions... Cristoph and I are going to have a nice talk when this thing is over. Anyway, did you add that annoying little burden of existence in the communication or not yet?

Once he is close to the inn and able to look inside, he broadcasts through the collective everything that he can see.

Stealth: [roll0] +20 from invisibility included.
Perception once Kiriel looks inside: [roll1]
Perception while on the move: Take 10 for result of 28

[Rysc]

Auva

A slight smile plays on Auva's lips as the girl's spirit is released. That, however, changes to a slight frown as the party makes their way to the inn. The whole place felt different, though, and not in a bad way, so she just makes sure that someone more martially capable is in front of her.

Once in the inn, Auva actually relaxes--the darkness is lovely, though she has to admit it hadn't been too much brighter outside in the first place. Still in the doorway, the sorceror appears to concentrate on the front desk. Then, assuming nothing has turned up, she chants a few words, points a figure, and magically carries to ledger over, where she begins gingerly looking though it.

Casting Detect Magic in the direction of the desk, then using Mage Hand to pick up the ledger.

[Nefarion Xid]

Before returning from the town hall, Stray tells Pun-Pun to collect his things. And at the ruins of the apothecary shop, Stray uses Sift to sort through the rubble and retrieve the money he'd spent on the potions.

"What 'brats', Pun-Pun? What other creatures dwell in Swamphaven? We were tracking a trio of ghouls -- that's why we came."

Stray lazily flicks his wrist back and forth while muttering in Sylvan, searching the inn with magic.

Take 10 repeatedly for 28

[Lord Of Mantas]

Pun-Pun snapped his head back towards stray.

"Th-there are ghouls here, Lord Ssstray?!" Pun-Pun shuddered. "Pun-Pun isss suddenly very, very glad that he decided not to-" Pun-Pun suddenly stopped, suddenly aware of a change in his voice. "Huh. That... is very ssstrange."

"But yesss, brats, young bratsss from the village! A younger man with brown hair and a red-haired girl, with those particularly large funny bumpsss on her chest. They've come here twice or thrice, sssneaking about, hiding in the old watermill. Pun-Pun has to hide then, so they don't gang up on him." Pun-Pun began to look decidedly uncomfortable. "Pun-Pun has heard... giggling, coming from the mill. And other things." A look of outright disgust crossed his visage as he stuck out his tongue. "Mammals are truly disgusssting (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0567.html) when they mate."

Pun-Pun then shivered, his disgust momentarily forgotten. "Asss for ghouls... Pun-Pun hasn't run into any, or so he thinks, but he hasss seen shapes moving about south of the ruinsss. He's been careful, hasn't gone after them."

Sending out exploratory rays of magic, Auva found no auras emanating from the desk. In the meantime, Stray performed his own kata, his stirring-hand motions sifting through the inn... and finding naught but debris. At the same time Auva magically reached for the book, however, Stray's own techniques found a smaller one, and nodded to Auva to hover it over.

The ledger itself contained no particularly noteworthy information, safe for one thing: Randolph was the last person to check out in the ledger, which from that point on was left blank... a few old spots of blood providing a clue as to why.

Examining the smaller book quickly revealed it to be a diary of some kind, most of which had been ripped out or otherwise seemed irrelevant - except for the last entry:


Sometimes I wonder if Randolph isn't paying Fergus off. For the leader of this enclave, he's entirely too trusting for my liking. Three months that man's been here, and he barely says a word to anyone except that Herbert fellow who comes in from Woodshaven sometimes. And the people he works with out in the swamp say he mutters in what sounds like a very raspy language and tries to sneak off into the woods alone when he thinks no-ones looking.

I'm just glad he's finally checked out. Says he's got one last appointment with Herbert and that Falstaff girl, Maria. Good riddance, I say; he was scaring away what little customers I got. Maybe I can get some business done around here for a change.

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva pauses in her perusal of the diary to listen to the kobold's revelation of the "brats." It seems that her initial, very faint suspicions about the two apprentices might be turning out to be true.

Forbidden love. How very theatrical and tragic. Well, at least someone's getting over this idiotic feud. Perhaps I'll stop Adelaide's by tomorrow and see if I can't find Shylock's daughter.

After mulling over this some more, she returns her attention to the diary and says, "And here we have it! Sadly nothing too specific, but more suspicions nonetheless about this Randolph. Sneaking around, strange, raspy languages, silence, that sort of thing. Also the last guest at this inn, and supposedly going to meet with Herbert and Maria, if you remember those two, by the time of this last entry."

She leafs through the diary again just to check if she's missed anything, then stows it in her pack. "Fergus, apparantly, was also the leader of this enclave. It doesn't seem too likely that he's still alive, what with the state of everything here."

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte watches the transformation of the child-ghost, and then the dissipation of first that, and then the other. She follows the others quietly, her look a mixture of sadness and satisfaction. When Auva speaks about what she steps closer to the woman as if to look over her shoulder. "Perhaps he is not alive here, at least," Brigitte adds. "I wonder if he, or any of his followers, still live in the land somewhere...or town."

[Nefarion Xid]

Aside to Pun-Pun, "Just how 'particularly large' are we talking here?"

Stray reads the ledger with passing interest. He couldn't quite recall to whom the names belonged, as he'd spent much of his afternoon with sheep instead of the locals.

After handing off the ledger, he raps sharply on the desk three times. "Yes, good evening! We'd like to have a room for the night!" he calls to the empty inn. "Nice... ghost lady?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Pun-Pun cocked his head in confusion at Stray's question, but spread his hands as if to demonstrate. "About thisss large, Lord Ssstray. Quite big, about the size of rock-"


***


"Melons!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOZYoa_pod0&t=1m47s) Emily called out as she manned the stall at the farmer's market, holding up two canteloupe to her bosom. "Big, juicy melons (http://www.perfection.com.au/pfimages/1866-main.jpg)!"

"Are they nice and firm?" A rather disheveled passerby asked, his eyes flickering between her face and her melons.

Emily grinned, almost flirtatiously so. "What do you think?"Suddenly, the both of them were distracted by an unidentified flying object crashing through the atmosphere. "Look at that!" called the passerby. "It looks like a set of giant-"


***


"Boobies!" Alan gestured to his classmates. "Check it out, guys, there's a couple of two huge blue-footed boobies (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/multimedia/dynamic/00137/Galapagos-1024_137002o.jpg) outside the park entrance."

His companions, two college sophomores by the name of Robert and Eric, and a junior by the name of Lisa, replied by beginning to snicker, their hands clasped over their mouths. Alan frowned, displeasure evident upon his face.

"Would you three get a grip already?! It was hard enough finding a wildlife park within easy driving distance so that we could get this assignment done, and I don't need you spending the entire trip here doubled over like you're a bunch of fifth-graders! 25% of our grade rides on these pictures!"

Linda giggled, wiping a tear away from her eyes as she struggled to regain her composure. "We're - we're sorry, Alan, but it's not like this place is making it easy on us. I mean, for god's sake, look at the name! You can't tell me that they're not asking for it."

Alan looked up, then shook his head in dismay. Why did we wait until all the good spots had been assigned? "...point taken."

"Testing, testing." A voice came on over the loudspeaker, and the quartet's attention was drawn to the stage in front of which they and a large crowd stood. "My name's Farmer D ick Johnson, and this is my prized c ock-"

Both Richard and his pet Rhode Island Red rooster looked on stoically as the entire crowd (save for Alan) desperately attempted to hold in their laughter, doubling over as if in pain.

"-ahem. And we'd both like to welcome you to this brand-new safari park entirely funded by Kickstarter: The National Park of Animals That Sound Dirty But Really Aren't. Whether you're a young adult looking for a cheap laugh or a pair of harried parents who couldn't convince your kids to get out of the house otherwise, we hope that you'll have a fun, educational time learning about and giggling at the names of our animals. To start off with, I'd like to introduce my wife, who, as you'll note, has a set of enormous-"

"Tits!" Richard's wife, Candy, held up her arm, upon which a pair of very plump small birds sat. "More specifically, a couple of plump, black-breasted tits (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GpGxwGwsenY/UPzqx6rjMtI/AAAAAAABLB8/CZnNKjtCQQI/s1600/rufous-naped_tit_R_-755832.jpg). These little fellows can be found all over Asia, including Nepal, India, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. You'll also note that I have a very fine set of hooters (http://www.owlpages.com/pictures/species-Bubo-virginianus-5.jpg)." Candy held up her other arm, upon which a pair of owls nested. "These great-horned owls have one of the most distinctive calls in America, and-"

From offstage, a great splash was heard, followed by a very agonized meow.

"Oh dear. It appears that Percival has fallen into the tub again. I'd best go fetch him."

"Just stick to the script, dear!" Richard called out. "Nobody wants to see your wet p ussy (http://www.inspire52.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/wet15.jpg)... cat!"

"That's not what you said last night!"

At this, the crowd could take it no longer, and keeled over laughing, pounding their limbs into the dirt. All of a sudden, Eric pointed up into the sky.

"Hey, what's that? It looks like a couple of giant-"


***


"Breasts!"

The grocery store employee shook his head. "I'm sorry?"

Alfred sighed in disgust. "Were you even listening? I need six chicken breasts (http://media.mercola.com/assets/images/organic-chicken/organic-chicken-breast.jpg), deboned, and make it snappy." His attention was suddenly drawn out the window. "My god, that thing falling from the skies looks like a couple of-"


***


"Dirty pillows (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71-M%2BdViygL._SL1500_.jpg), sheets, blankets!" Alice gestured in disgust at her son's room. "This isn't a bedroom, it's a pigsty! Now get in there and don't come out until you've cleaned it up!" Slamming the door, her attention was suddenly drawn out the window. "Wow. That looks just like my huge-"


***


"-tracts of land! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3YiPC91QUk&t=1m22s)" The king of swamp castle made a gesture toward his chest, as if palming a couple of huge coconuts.

"I know, but I want the girl I marry to have... a certain... special..." As Herbert replied to his father, dramatic orchestral music swelled. "...something..."

"Cut that out, cut that out!" The king of swamp castle burst violently into frame, and the music abruptly halted as if a record player had suddenly been cut off. "Look, you're marryin' Princess Lucky, so you'd better get used to the idea!" He then looked directly into the camera. "And speakin' of ideas, narrator, what's the big idea, interrupting this story with a random segue into jokes about ladies' naughty bits?!"

...hey, it was Nefarion who had Stray ask about boobs! And besides, I thought it was funny - far more than the original scene from Goldmember was, anyway. It's even better than some of the previous scenes in this story, I think.

<"At least my scene had some real drama and tension in it!"> interjected Sarah.

"And at least my scene wasn't just a thinly-veiled excuse to rip off Austin Powers and Monty Python and the Holy Grail!" said Herbert.

"Get on with it!" said the old man from scene 24 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1YmS_VDvMY).

"Yes, get on with it!" said Tim the Enchanter.

"YES, GET ON WITH IT!" yelled the crowd of extras from the final scene in the movie.

Oh, I am enjoying this scene!

"GET ON WITH IT!" boomed God.

...oh, you're no fun anymore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOs4vsthLD0).


***


As Stray rapped on the desk, Pun-Pun violently grabbed onto his leg. "L-l-lord Ssstray, what are you doing!?"

Seconds later, off to the side of the room, a door creaked open, showing a set of stairs leading to the upper floor behind it.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray spaced out for a moment as his absurd imagination ran through a dated comedy routine.

"Oh! Ah. See? Now we're invited." Apparently heedless of danger, Stray trots upstairs to have a look around. "Pun-Pun, stay down here. Good vassal."

At the top of the stairs, Stray activates his Archaelogist's Luck ability. +3 on basically everything. If he happens to fail a save for anything, he immediately uses Saving Finale. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/saving-finale

Perception
[roll0]

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Right then," Brigitte mutters, "Such a lovely place." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyy4yaVwsv0)

"...where angels fear to tread," she adds quietly as she draws next to Stray. "I trust you are being careful and not letting your...whatever that was go to your head, Stray?"

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva raises an eyebrow as the door opens. At this point she's not sure whether Stray is just being his overconfident self, or he actually knows something. She threads her way around overturned furniture and blood stains, ending up at the foot of the stairs. Where she stays.

"I'll give you the honor of continuing your investigation, Stray."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Ever since I was a child, I could see things other people can't...
Wandering upstairs, Stray - along with anyone else who followed - noted that this must have been where the people staying at the inn slept. Emerging into a hallway, he noted a door immediately across from him, then three each along the hall to the north and south. Most of the rooms were caved in, destroyed by rubble from the fire - except from the second one to the north. Stepping forward a little, Stray noted that the room was relatively untouched, with the exception of one glaring feature.

Two skeletons lay in the middle, bisected in half. One appeared to be covering the other, as if trying to defend it. A deep groove, presumably from whatever had done the cutting, scored the floor.

"Love. Selflessness. Kindness."

Stray's attention was quickly drawn to the end of the hall. Right outside the window, hovering in the air, was the ghost he had seen earlier when putting Sarah to rest.

"All of which are so rare in this day and age as to be treasures." Delicately floating through the wall, the ghost approached Stray, stopping about arm's length away. "Not that that silly kobold appears to know that. Or any of the others who have dared to tread on Swamphaven's ground in the past twenty years."

"But you..." The ghost smiled again, kindly. "Everyone has either run fleeing from Sarah or tried to attack her. You, on the other hand, did things the hard way. You found the good will to set her to rest. And that's not something you find very often in..." The ghost scrunched her incorporeal brow and brought a finger to her chin. "Is 'murderhobo' still a popular slang term? I was never good at keeping up with the times."

"But forgive me. My name is Maria Falstaff. Who might you be?"

As Stray wandered upstairs, the rest of the party waited in silence for something to happen, the only sound the creaking of his boots as he walked across the upper floor.

Pun-Pun, who had taken the opportunity to hide under the front desk after Stray ordered him to stay downstairs, could be heard chattering his teeth for those who listened closely enough.

After a minute or so, you hear a woman's voice coming from upstairs.

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva settles against the sturdiest-looking section of wall, keeping an eye on the stairs. After a few moments she catches the sounds of something other than the party's footsteps. Her brow creases slightly as she recalls the faint presence she had glimpsed earlier.

"Stray? Everything all right? I'd prefer if we didn't have to play the cavalry."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray gives Brigitte a warm smile before returning his attention to Maria. "Now, what kind of bastard would want to hurt Sarah? She was just a scared and confused child," he says quietly.

"Everything's fine. We're chatting with the ghost of Maria Falstaff. You can join us if you like. Perhaps not all of you; best not to crowd her." Stray hastily says to the group via the telepathic link.

"I'm Stray, Syntira's son. And this is Professor Brigitte Lestrade. We're explorers and scholars. Some of our companions may be described as 'murderhobos', yes."

He points a gloved finger at the pair of skeletons. "Your remains? And Herbert's?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

With Stray's announcement, the party gathered closer to the bottom of the stairs, with even those who deigned to remain there now clearly able to hear who he and Brigitte were talking to. (Except for Pun-Pun, who remained under the desk, rocking back and forth in terror.)

As Stray asked his first question, Maria frowned. "Perhaps it is different nowadays - I can't say, as I am bound to this village - but when I was alive, adventurers were... a necessary evil. If you've studied your history books, I'd say you know all about how Andoran was once part of Cheliax before we split and established Common Rule, yes? Well, it's not that simple. Even when I was born, several years afterwards, the countryside was still struggling to hold itself together. There's bandits, goblins, and people spilling over the border from Cheliax trying to take advantage of the chaos, to say nothing of the people fleeing similar problems in Galt. And of course, the geography around here has always been very favorable to cultists trying to avoid the watchful eye of Almas. But Augustana and Almas needed lumber and ore, and so people settled here to harvest it, and adventurers and mercenaries to help protect it."

"And did they ever milk every last drop of it." A note of disgust entered Maria's voice. "Of course they weren't all bad, but here's the thing about killing things and looting tombs for a living: It really doesn't tend to attract people who are mentally well-adjusted. They're demanding, presumptuous, and think they can do no wrong, make no error socially or tactically. By and large, they tend to live by one philosophy: Swing first, then swing some more, loot the corpse, and then, maybe, if anyone's alive afterward, ask questions later. Suppose, for example, you send someone to make peace with a roving tribe of goblins in the name of protecting a village full of defenseless farmers. If, instead of negotiating, they end up not only killing everyone in the middle of parley and thus inciting them further, but end up almost burning down an orphanage in the process, what makes you think they would stop to try and assess the reason a mere poltergeist is around? Those who didn't run screaming just charged in swords drawn, ready to kill the eeeevil undead." Maria punctuated this with a waggle of her fingers.

Maria then sadly shook her head. "And unfortunately, there's no getting around it: The world needs adventurers. You know the stories about Aroden's death, and the rumors of what horrors lurk in the Worldwound. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The whole world is in chaos, and right now, strong people are needed to stand against it. And like it or not, the loot those people bring back and then blow on ale and whores? That's what keeps the wheels of society turning." If it was possible, Maria looked even more mournful. "We live in a world where the economy is based on war. Gods help us all."

Insert your own Metal Gear Solid 4 jokes here.
As Stray then introduced himself, Maria was broken out of her reverie and a smile returned to her face, bowing in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Professor Lestrade, Son of Syntira."

Upon his asking the second question, she shook her head. "No, no, that's not mine. Those were... I forget their names. A couple of traveling merchants who had come here to sell furniture, I believe. The necromancers didn't reanimate them because they needed full corpses (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0465.html). And Herbert... I don't remember any Herbert, except this one Mr. Fehlmacht who arrived back in the village a few months before the attack to offer his services as a sorceror and alchemist." She shuddered. "He seemed alright for the most part, but then again, he was best friends with Randolph..."

As she mentioned that last part, she 'stood' straight up and smacked her head, the ectoplasm silent as she slapped herself. "Listen to me. I got so caught up in rambling that I forgot why we were talking in the first place."

"As glad as I am to have a friendly face to speak to, I did not call you here to chat. I have been bound to this village for twenty years, unable to stray more than maybe half a mile before I am called back. I don't know if they tell our story beyond this swamp, but the day I died, one of the enclave's guests betrayed them. A man named Randolph, who the enclave took in as a guest with the blessing of Fergus Gobbo, promised to help me elope with one of their number, a man named Henry. But it was a trap. When I came to the meeting place, Randolph stabbed me with a ritual knife, then as I lay dying, had one of his masked friends drag a beaten and bruised Henry southwest, into the swamp. He then used my body as a puppet to help him attack the village, and..."

Maria's voice became choked. "Please. If anyone can help me, you can. As they killed me, I heard Randolph telling his friend to drag Henry to their lair. That must have been where he was headed. Please, find that lair, kill any necromancers or undead left, and..." An incorporeal tear dripped from Maria's eye. "Please try to find what happened to Henry."

It may be prudent now to go back and look at the clues you've gathered thus far. If something needs clarification, or you're too lazy to do it yourselves and would like me to summarize them, just ask.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

A sad look flits across Brigitte's face as the ghost mentions Galt, and she stares past the apparition for a moment.

"A pleasure to meet you, Professor Lestrade
At the mention of her name, Brigitte smiles and curtsies to the ghost. "A pleasure, madame," she returns before listening to the rest of Maria's words.

As the ghost finishes, Brigitte clears her throat and once again assumes her "thinking posture" with head tilted down in thought and arms clasped behind her back as she paces back and forth. "Of course, we must see to the necromancers," she assures Maria. "And find what has become of your Henry. I cannot speak for the others, but I will do what I can to find out what happened, and bring the peace to you in this afterlife of yours that the two of you could not enjoy as you lived." She pauses and looks at Stray, "My mind is troubled about Monsieur Herbert Felmacht. I thought at the time that he was keeping something back, and I think that he may have more of a connection to the events here than he initially let on. At some point, I think we should pay this alchemist a second visit. As Maria here has told us, he was friends with this Randolph."

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray smiles wanly. "Thank you, Maria. We'll clear you name and bring Randolph to justice."

"Yes, I suppose we'd better question Felmacht. It's possible that he was one of the masked men," he says to Brigitte. Of course by 'question', Stray meant 'magically charm'.

"Maria, is there anything else you can tell us about the town?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Maria shook her head. "There's really not much more to this place. The only building you've not seen yet is the watermill. And there's nothing in it except a few blankets that those two youngsters brought in." She gives a wistful sigh. "Ah, young love. It reminds me of when Henry and I were sneaking around, spending the afternoons wandering the wilderness, the evenings curling up together to watch the sunset, and our nights..." She suddenly blinked and looked between Brigitte and Stray, as if she had momentarily forgotten they were there. "Um, well, never mind the nights. It's funny; the young man, from what I've glimpsed of him, seems strangely familiar, but I can't figure out why."

Assuming your suspicions about the identity of the two are correct - namely, that they're Bardolph and Jessica - Bardolph is Maria's niece, and likely would have been a baby when she last saw him, assuming he was born by the time the attack happened.
"But in any case, what's really important is what's beyond the town. Recently, I've seen strange shapes lurking just beyond the boundaries of where I can go, southwest toward where the necromancer's lair must be - and just yesterday, I saw a man in an identical robe prowling around. If there's nothing else here that you wish to do, I can take you all right there."

As Maria talked, Narami and Stray thought back on their knowledge of Andoran's history, spurred by the ghost's mention of the country splitting from Cheliax.

In 4606, after the god Aroden died, Cheliax was split by civil war, and House Thrune took over. As they were a bunch of devil-worshippers, this was not a good thing, and much oppression, heavy taxation, and virgin sacrifice ensued. Then, in 4669, the straw that broke the camel's back fell.

In an effort to raise extra money after a particularly long military campaign, a 200% tax was placed on all beer sold in Andoran. The great thinkers of the day, being rather fond of gathering in pubs to discuss important topics of the day, were galvanized into action practically overnight.

Amazingly, a stable government was able to form among the ashes, and the notion of Common Rule was established - namely, that all men and women are equal, and that each should have a voice in how the country is run. However, Cheliax did not give up that easily, and for 10 years afterward would regularly send invasions across the border. After that, they gradually died down, being reduced to the occasional raiding party, until in 4689 a peace treaty between the two nations stopped it entirely. Of course, popular rumor is that Abrogail Thrune II is still eyeing the country for a chance to take it back...

As the two thought further, they then realized that Maria's 'hypothetical' example was actually a real story. 15 years after the People's Revolt, an adventurer of some notoriety called Marcus 'Captain Hammer' Solasson had been hired to go to Falcon's Hollow and turn back a goblin warband that had been coming down the river from the Chitterwood in Isger.

It had been a disaster from the outset. First, Captain Hammer had earned the ire of the mayor of Falcon's Hollow when, mistaking his daughter for a waitress at the inn Captain Hammer was staying in, pinched her butt and remarked that he 'would like to tap that keg, baby'.

Secondly, while showing off his 'hammertime' skills for the crowd as he departed, an errant swing sent his hammer flying out of his hand and into the support beam of a tower by the gatehouse, sending the whole thing tumbling to the ground.

Thirdly, he had made a complete hash of the negotations. After insulting the goblins by confusing their stench for day-old Taldoran food, Captain Hammer proceeded to imply that the warchief was underendowed, that Captain Hammer had had 'relations' with his mother, and - last but not least - had remarked that his wife had a huge ass.

Fourthly, when Captain Hammer had been forced to flee for his life, he did not stop to help the hamlets outside of Falcon's Hollow that were then threatened, resulting in the death of 40 people. To top it all off, as part of a 'cunning' plan to kill them, Captain Hammer tried to lure them into a nearby 'abandoned' building and then bombard it with alchemist's fire. Said building was an orphanage, and only abandoned because the clerics of Iomedae who ran it saw him coming and quickly got everyone into the (fireproof) basement.

Captain Hammer had subsequently been arrested, tried, and executed for treason and reckless endangerment.
As Maria talked, Guardian and Brigitte thought back on their knowledge of Andoran's history, spurred by the ghost's mention of the country splitting from Cheliax.

In 4606, after the god Aroden died, Cheliax was split by civil war, and House Thrune took over. As they were a bunch of devil-worshippers, this was not a good thing, and much oppression, heavy taxation, and virgin sacrifice ensued. Then, in 4669, the straw that broke the camel's back fell.

In an effort to raise extra money after a particularly long military campaign, a 200% tax was placed on all beer sold in Andoran. The great thinkers of the day, being rather fond of gathering in pubs to discuss important topics of the day, were galvanized into action practically overnight.

Amazingly, a stable government was able to form among the ashes, and the notion of Common Rule was established - namely, that all men and women are equal, and that each should have a voice in how the country is run. However, Cheliax did not give up that easily, and for 10 years afterward would regularly send invasions across the border. After that, they gradually died down, being reduced to the occasional raiding party, until in 4689 a peace treaty between the two nations stopped it entirely. Of course, popular rumor is that Abrogail Thrune II is still eyeing the country for a chance to take it back...

As the two thought further, they then realized that Maria's 'hypothetical' example was actually a real story. 15 years after the People's Revolt, an adventurer of some notoriety called Marcus 'Captain Hammer' Solasson had been hired to go to Falcon's Hollow and turn back a goblin warband that had been coming down the river from the Chitterwood in Isger.

Though the specifics of the situation eluded them, they did recall that the tipping point, apparently, had been when he'd remarked that the warchief's wife had a huge ass.

Several hamlets had fallen in the ensuing chaos, about 40 people had died, and an Iomedean-run orphanage had burnt to the ground, though thankfully not before most of the children had been evacuated. Captain Hammer had subsequently been arrested, tried, and executed for treason and reckless endangerment.
As Maria talked, Auva thought back to her knowledge of Andoran's history, spurred by the ghost's mentioning of the country splitting from Cheliax.

As she mulled over things, she could only remember the basics. In 4606, after the god Aroden died, Cheliax was split by civil war, and House Thrune took over. In 4669, after years of opression, the people of Andoran decided they had had enough, and overthrew the Cheliax leadership in a brief but bloody revolution. Amazingly, a stable government was able to form among the ashes, and the notion of Common Rule was established - namely, that all men and women are equal, and that each should have a voice in how the country is run. However, Cheliax did not give up that easily, and for 10 years afterward would regularly send invasions across the border. After that, they gradually died down, being reduced to the occasional raiding party, until in 4689 a peace treaty between the two nations stopped it entirely. Of course, popular rumor is that Abrogail Thrune II is still eyeing the country for a chance to take it back...

[skypse]

"Everything's fine. We're chatting with the ghost of Maria Falstaff. You can join us if you like. Perhaps not all of you; best not to crowd her."

Kiriel breathes out in frustration.
"Really? More Ghosts?? This thing is starting getting on my nerves. Get what we need and let's get out of here Stray."

As Kiriel was waiting for his companions upstairs to finish their talking, he moved behind their newest member and without breaking his invisibility he whispers to him in Dragonic.

"He saved your ass back there. You better stay loyal to your master. I'd hate to assassinate another rogue member of The League. Once you're in, you're in for life. Never forget this."

[Nefarion Xid]

"What do you think, Lestrade? Continue on into the swamp, or head back and question Felmacht now?"

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"Felmacht will keep a bit longer I think," the investigator replied. "He has been living there for some time now, and any odd behavior on his part while we are gone from town would only aid our suspicion of him. I think he will do everything in his power to pretend to be friendly, while potentially sending us on a deadly goose chase, as the saying goes. I vote to proceed in the swamp."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Just as Brigitte affirmed her own desire to proceed with Maria into the swamp, Pun-Pun rushed up the stairs, screaming in panic as he ran from the invisible Kiriel. Leaping up onto Stray's torso, he began bawling in fear.

"LORD SSSTRAY!! LORD SSSTRAY!! IT'S GOING TO EAT PUN-PUN! THERE'S A GHOST ABOUT TO EAT PUN-PUN! DON'T LET IT KILL PUN-PUN, PLEASE! PUN-PUN'S TOO PRETTY TO DIE! PUN-PUN'S NEVER KNOWN THE TOUCH OF A LADYKOBOLD! PUN-PUN STILL WANTS TO LEARN HOW NOT TO SSSPEAK IN THE THIRD PERSON!"

Maria, for her part, desperately tried not to laugh.


***


After everyone had gathered up their items, Maria led the intrepid adventurers out to the edge of Swamphaven, and a half-mile or so beyond that. Stray, using his keen senses, promptly spotted fresh boot tracks heading southwest, and the party set off in search of the necromancer's lair.

They did not walk very long - perhaps half an hour or so, or even less. It was enough time for Kiriel's invisibility to wear off (which gave Pun-Pun yet another fright). Gradually, the fog began to thin out a bit, until, eventually, coming to the end of the very dirty, muddy, boggy path they were on, the party spotted it. A cave, dug into the mouth of a sheer cliff in the middle of a swamp.

And in front of it, a hunched figure in a ratty robe clawing at two mangy, half-disemboweled, and clearly undead wolves.

Slashing a webbed claw at the dire undead wolf, the hunched figure screeched.

"Begone, you foul beasts! This is my swamp now, and there's nothing you can do about-"
But before it could finish, the Dire Wolf leapt forward, sinking its fangs into the hunched figure's shoulder, sending it toppling face first into the muck, paralyzed. Then, as the rest of them began to rush in, they halted, sniffed the air... and turned towards the party, growling with hackles raised.



Roll for initiative.


I briefly considered having you guys roll your own initiative, since this the first encounter I've ever made and it would have been kind of special, but I realized I've kept you waiting a pretty long while for the first fight.

Now head on over the Doc and get to fightin'!
You immediately realize that these are not any ordinary undead wolves, but wolf ghouls - three regular ones and a dire wolf, respectively. With all the paralyzing goodness that comes with that.

More importantly, you realize that the hunched figure is a dreaded Fen Witch. A variety of hag, there are three deadly things about these hideous humanoids. First, the sight of them is so frightening that, while alive, anyone who sees their face has a chance to be sent fleeing in terror. Secondly, they are capable of probing people's minds to extract their true name. And third, if they then utter that true name while performing a special ritual, the target - unless they possess adequate fortitude - will then drop dead, immediately, on the spot.
You immediately realize that these are not any ordinary undead wolves, but wolf ghouls - three regular ones and a dire wolf, respectively. With all the paralyzing goodness that comes with that.

[Mathemagics]

Narami

Narami was angry. Of course this was her default state of being and was hardly a surprise, but the events of the last few hours had resulted in her becoming increasingly frustrated. Having been denied a chance to vent her rising ire by smashing the illusory sorceress's face in, her wrath had continued to build until it had become a roiling hatred at existence that practically seethed beneath the surface of her skin. At this point, it was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn't yet decided to lash out at the nearest object, living or inanimate.

And then the wolves appeared, and she at last had an excuse to stop holding back. Narami smiled. Something was going to die.

Without bothering to wait on the others, Narami charged, seeming to have skipped past the intervening space between her and the wolves and arriving at her destination near instantaneously. As she vaulted forward the hammer came off her back and made an ominous 'whum' sort of sound as it swung through the air in a full circle before reaching its hapless target...


Free action to activate Rage.
Using Power Attack and Reckless Abandon. Net result of the two is +6 damage (before 2H bonus), -1 attack, -2 AC.
Charging WG at AB16. +2 attack, -2 AC
Activating the +1 bonus from Guidance provided by Spirit Guide (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/n-r/rage-prophet) on the attack roll.
Attack: [roll0] (+15 base, +2 more from rage STR, +2 more for Furious weapon, +2 more for charging, the guidance buff and PA penalty cancel each other)
Damage: [roll1] (22 STR gives +6 modifer, PA gives +6, bother of these then get 1.5x for 18, then +4 for +2 Furious)
Free action to deactivate Rage.


Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the hammer closed in, mere inches from the wolf's head with all the unstoppable momentum of a landslide. The creature probably didn't even have time to register what was happening. One moment it was there and the next it--or rather the pulverized lump that was left of it-- had been used to paint the cliff face some 50 feet away.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

The Galtan pulls a vial from her bandolier and drinks before gesturing to the monsters with her rapier, "Some fun for Guardian and Narami at last, I suppose. Tactics?"

"...or we could just attack," she finishes, as Narami rushes in. "Do be careful of the fen witch, everyone."

Standard Action to drink Brigitte's Mutagen (+2 to natural armor, +4 to dexterity, and -2 to wisdom. Lasts 10 min/level)
Current AC = 26

Move Action to move Brigitte to uh...however close a 30' movement speed gets her to the wolf in AA20.

Swift Action to use Brigitte's Studied Combat ability against the same wolf ghoul. Adds 1/2 level (5) as insight bonus on attack and damage rolls against that critter for rounds = intelligence modifier (6).

Also making use of Brigitte's If the wearer is an investigator, the hat allows him to take advantage of his deductions in combat. Whenever he uses inspiration to identify a nonhumanoid creature, he can record the result of the inspiration die and use it again later. Within the next minute, before rolling an attack roll against that creature, a skill check against that creature, or a saving throw against one of that creature's attacks, he can add the recorded inspiration die result to his roll—if he does so, he can't use inspiration to apply another inspiration die to the roll. Using the recorded result doesn't require the investigator to spend a use of inspiration, and the recorded result goes away once it's used. He can have only one inspiration die result recorded in this way. If he uses inspiration to identify another monster before using his recorded inspiration die, he must decide whether to replace the old result before rolling. against the Wolf Ghoul in AA20.

Here's the roll for it:[roll0]

[Nefarion Xid]

"...ew" Stray recoils slightly at the sight of the pulped wolf -- more out of concern that he'd get undead gore on him than shocked at the violent display.

"Pun-Pun, stay put" he commands while drawing his rapier and advancing a few paces. With his free hand, he traces the movements of the dire wolf and readies a spell.

If/When the dire wolf moves onto the land, Stray casts Grease at its feet. +8 vs Reflex

[skypse]

In the narrow moments before Narami jumped on the wolf to relief her stress from before Kiriel managed to calculate the situation and before moving out himself behind her, he said through the collective.
"Be careful of the one that they dropped down. She is very dangerous. Be careful not to look at her in the eyes. Also stay away from the wolves bites. They can paralyze you."
He then ran behind his teamate getting ready to chose his target.

Move Action to AD16, drawing both weapons.
Standard Action: Activate Deathwatch from the mask.

[Rysc]

Auva

As they follow an undead to what is probably an undead hideout, Auva thoughtfully pauses in her stride, then taps Brigitte lightly.

"A little extra magical protection never hurt."

***

Of course. Undead wolves. And some sort of fellow land-grabber who is probably equally dangerous and whom we'll have to evict.

At least the two (other) parties seem to be equally antagonistic to each other. Taking note of the distance between her party and the rest, Auva prepares to cast a spell, only to have everyone start rushing off.

"Hey, wait....alas...oh, nevermind."

She takes a few steps forward and finishes off the spell, anyway.

On the way: casting Protection from Evil on Brigitte (+2 deflect to AC and +2 to saves) (with pre-existing bonuses this works out to, effectively, +1 AC)

***
Moving to AF11 and casting Haste. Since I missed when the party was still grouped together, this will affect Narami, Kiriel, Brigitte, and Auva herself.

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian, seeing the range of engagement, quickly shifts his focus from defensive to agile, hastening the movements of his allies. He quickly moves up to stand beside Narami, calling upon the inner reserves of his mind to fortify them both.
"Stand together, my friends! These foes cannot break us!"

Free Action at the beginning of my turn: Switch Hearts as One to +15ft move speed
Move to AC16 (the on below Narami)
Swift Action: Initiate Stand Your Ground (text below), targeting Narami (short version: until my next turn, we both take half damage)
Standard: Ready an action to initiate Strike of the Steadfast Legion (also included below), including the entire party in its effects, if a for comes within attack range

Attack: [roll0]
Crit:[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
Crit:[roll3]

Offturn: Because of Hearts As One, I can Aid as an immediate. If an ally is attacked, Aid their AC (target AC10, rolling for nat 1):[roll4]

If that succeeds, then I recover maneuvers (Stand Your Ground and possibly Strike of the Steadfast Legion, if it's been used)

If SotSL lands or my Aid triggers, my Zeal activates, giving the entire party +3 to hit and AC (net gain of 5 AC for my Aid target)

Stand Your Ground
Eternal Guardian (Boost)
Level: 5
Prerequisite: 2 Eternal Guardian maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 60 feet
Target: You and 1 creature
Duration: 1 round and 1 minute (see text)
The disciple demands an ally stand with him and defend a position, strengthening their resolve. Choose an ally within 60 feet. You and your chosen ally each take half damage from enemy attacks, spells, powers, and supernatural abilities until the beginning of your next turn. Damage that is redirected (such as from a shield other spell) or sacrificed (such as from strike of the steadfast legion) is not reduced. If you and your ally become more than 60 feet away from each other, the effect ends immediately. Additional uses of this maneuver do not stack.

Strike of the Steadfast Legion
Eternal Guardian (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisite: 1 Eternal Guardian maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee or ranged attack and 60 feet (see text)
Target: One creature and all allies within range (see text)
Duration: 1 round
As the disciple strikes down a foe, he commands his allies to stand their ground, hardening their will to fight. Make a single melee or ranged attack that deals bonus damage equal to half your initiator level. If successful, you and all allies within 60 feet gain DR /- equal to your initiation modifier (minimum 1) for 1 round. In addition, any ally who receives this damage reduction can expend hit points up to your initiator level (ignoring temporary hit points). For every hit point they sacrifice, they can grant any ally that also received this damage reduction 3 temporary hit points that last for 1 round, stacking up to 3 times your initiator level.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Most people, and even most animals, would run screaming in terror at the sight of one of their comrades being pulverized into a shower of flying ludicrous giblets.

The undead lupines that faced the party, however, were undead, and thus immune to fear.

Before they could charge, however, Pun-Pun, having been told to stay put by Stray, helped the only way he knew how: By reaching into his robes, pulling out an old, yet finely crafted wand, and quickly performing the gesture of activation. Seconds later, a magic missile flew from the tip, slamming into the Dire Wolf!

Magic Missile Damage: [roll0]
As the magic missle popped and fizzed rather ineffectively against the largest of them, the undead wolves attacked. The Dire Wolf lead the way, charging up out of the water...

Stray uses Grease!

[roll1]

Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Paralysis (vs Fortitude): [roll4]
Trip: [roll5]
Luckily for Guardian, Stray had anticipated this move, quickly performing a kata to send magical grease spraying out of the ground at its feet. The spell found its mark, and the Dire Wolf Ghoul flopped to the ground. At the same time, the Warforged's readied strike hit home, sending a spray of gore and gibs out of the undead monstrosity - and sending out a pulse of magic as his Strike of the Steadfast Legion technique lent its boon to the party, increasing the accuracy of their swings and granting extra protection from the jaws of their foes. As the Dire Wolf Ghoul then attempted to get up, Guardian saw another opportunity, and struck yet again. Though the huge wolf stood, Guardian's sword barely managed to slip through, piercing it in the shoulder.

Meanwhile, the other two wolf ghouls circled around, charging at Narami and Brigitte!

Wolf Ghoul 2 vs Narami
Attack: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]
Paralysis (vs Fortitude): Elves are immune to paralysis
Trip: [roll8]

Wolf Ghoul 3 vs Brigitte
Attack: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10]
Paralysis (vs Fortitude): [roll11]
Trip: [roll12]
However, their pitiful attempts at lunging at the seasoned warriors met with nothing but air, the second wolf ghoul coming well short of Narami's rage-fueled reflexes and the third easily being thrown off by an elegant feint from Brigitte.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray darts around to the side of the wolf that's distracted with Brigitte. "Here, boy!"

He adds a short whistle before stabbing at it.


Move to AF 17
Attack Wolf 3
[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]

[roll2]
+ Damage
[roll3]

[Mathemagics]

Narami

Now this was fun. Finally after all that stupid and pointless talking there was something that she could just spatter all across the walls. Narami wasn't any less angry though. If anything her rage had reached critical mass and induced some sort of self-fueling cycle of hate. But at the same time, she was starting to enjoy herself.

"Heh... hehe... ahahaha!"

The laughter was maniacal, the cackle of a clearly psychotic individual as the girl lashed out at everything around her with a might that was entirely disproportionate to her diminutive frame.



Free action, activate Rage.

Activating Power Attack and Reckless Abandon. +6 damage, -1 attack, -2 AC

Full-Attack, beginning with Dire Wolf Ghoul. If it dies, the following attacks are applied to Wolf Ghoul 2. If that one dies, Wolf Ghoul 3 after taking a 5 foot step mid full-attack. Using Guidance on the last hit.

Attack 1: [roll0] (I'm effectively giving her an extra +4 to hit here because the wolf's AC is lowered by 4 due to being tripped.)
Damage 1: [roll1]

Attack 2: [roll2] (I'm not including the +4 here because I'm uncertain if the dire wolf will still be alive at this point. If it is and I attack it, I'll manually add the +4.)
Damage 2: [roll3]

Attack 3: [roll4]
Damage 3: [roll5]

Free action: deactivate rage.


Without a shred of hesitation or mercy, Narami slammed the hammer into the helpless dire wolf's side, causing a sickening crunch as flesh and bone alike were reduced to pulp. Not wasting any time, the hammer raised up once again and crashed down, reducing most of the beast's corpse to a greasy smear on the dirt. The wolf's smaller cousin fared little better as the girl spun around, bringing the hammer down with a final crack on the wolf's head and driving it at least six inches into the soft swamp ground.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Taking advantage of Stray's momentary distraction, Brigitte thrusts at the beast with her rapier.

Attack 1: [roll0]
Inspiration die roll: [roll1] (add this to attack roll and twice this to damage roll).
Damage 1: [roll2]

Attack 2: [roll3] (includes the inscribed 5 from her Investigator's hat last round unless the wolf is dead by now)
Damage 2: [roll4]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Her attacks a blaze of fury, Narami quickly brought her hammer crashing into the dire wolf's side, caving it inwards, before completely ending its unholy existence by crushing its head. She then proceeded to reduce the second ghoul to an utter smear much as she had the first one, with bits of intestine, clumps of fur, and bone shards flying everywhere (though thankfully, none of it hit the party).

Stray and Brigitte, in the meantime, thrust forward with both of their rapiers, completely skewering the third and final ghoul before slicing outward, ending the spark of unlife in its eyes and sending it crumpling to the ground.

With all of the more active threats eliminated, a slight groan came from the helpless Fen Witch, the monstrous hag lying helplessly in the muck by the shore of the swamp.

[skypse]

Kiriel runs fast towards the witch on the ground, taking out his rope from his backpack.
"She is still unable to move. Let's tie her up and see what we'll do with her. Don't forget they are dangerous creatures and you must NEVER look at them in the eyes."

That said, he ties the which up as best as he could, paying attention on limiting her hand movement so she could not cast any spells to get away.
After that, he moved behind her holding her up, his sword on her neck ready to slice her on the first offensive move. Once she was out of the paralysis, Kiriel said to her.
"Don't do anything stupid. Who are you and why are you here?"

Sense Motive: [roll0]

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva skeptically eyes "Jamie" as he ties up the witch, apparently with the intent of questioning her. "Is that really such a good idea?"

Of course, the alternative is simply killing the hag, and though Auva's only knowledge of the witch come from various party member's cries of "it's dangerous" and various fairy tales (which probably don't help too much), that doesn't seem very appealing.

On the other hand, what are they expecting the witch to do? Start wailing about all she had wanted in life was to open an apothecary and begin peaceful trade with the town? Auva doubts the hag will go away meekly, either, and she's pretty sure such a dangerous being can still accomplish something while tied up.

I can converse just as well from several dozen feet away.

Narami might accidentally get too close, anyway.

The sorceror, not really wanting to get closer to the maniacal girl, simply takes a few steps back to where Stray's newfound vassal is standing. She whispers in draconic, <Brave try, little dragon.>

[Nefarion Xid]

"Ugh. Just kill her and be done with it. Hags are vile creatures and nothing good will come of letting her speak," Stray intones mentally.

He adds aloud before walking away, "And it's not her eyes you have to worry about. She's just really, really ugly."

Stray joins Auva and Pun-Pun, and remains facing away from the hag, just in case. With a flick of magic, he cleans the gore from his rapier and sheathes it.

[Lord Of Mantas]

As the paralysis wore off, Kiriel had just begun to tie the ropes around the hag's webbed hands, and the humanoid witch-monster struggled violently. Seeing that it was of no use after a few seconds, she slackened...


"Don't do anything stupid. Who are you and why are you here?"
And then, face into the mud, grinned, sharp teeth glinting beneath her hood.

"I am here to seal your doom, boy."
All of a sudden, Kiriel was beset by a splitting headache as the hag sent out streams of eldritch magic, probing her way into his mind...

Mind Probe (vs. Will): [roll0]
Gritting his teeth, however, Kiriel was able to call upon his years of assassin training to push her out, the hag screeching in frustration as her attempt to kill her attacker was thwarted.

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian steps forwards alongside Kiriel. When he feels the hag attempt to enter his comrade's mind, he places his sword at her neck.
"I recommend you refrain from attempting such action. Do so again, and I will be forced to judge you a menace beyond the reach of reason. Now, answer his question."

[Nefarion Xid]

"Are bad things happening? I don't speak Crazy Swamp Bitch! I don't like being right! It feels weird and wrong!" Stray yells over his shoulder.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"You don't speak Aklo?" Brigitte replies sweetly. "She told Kiriel, and I quote: 'I am here to seal your doom, boy,' end quote."

"As it happens," she continues, "I recommend killing her."

[Lord Of Mantas]

"You first."
As the hag grinned again, and an invisible, yet palpable aura of eldritch magic surrounded her once more, it was Narami who felt the hag's probes trying to worm their way into her mind.

Mind Probe (vs. Will): [roll0]
Unfortunately for the humanoid monstrosity, it was an even more futile effort than attempting it on Kiriel had been, as Narami's eternal rage swatted aside her probes with all the effort of an elephant crushing a strawberry under its foot.

[skypse]

Kiriel turns to watch The Guardian and nodes to him as if saying I tried and shrugs his shoulders.
"Ok that's enough. You had your chance bitch. I'll see you when I repent for my sins."


With a swift move Kiriel slashes the woman's throat, holding her hair as she bled to death. He swipes his sword on her robe to clean it and then drops her on the ground.

"Sorry for that Mirana. I thought she might loved her life a little bit more. Search her for items and let's continue now shall we?"

[Nefarion Xid]

"Aklo is a perverse version of Sylvan spoken by the debased fey!" Stray says snidely to Brigitte. "Also, it wasn't offered as an elective."

Stray hazards a peek over his shoulder to make sure the hag is dead, once he hears the gurgling of blood. He continues his lecture as he goes to search the monster for goodies with Sift.

"Hags are descended from three sisters, Caillea, Jurissa, and Neithrope -- Nymph Queens of the First World. They were beautiful once, but their vanity and pettiness consumed them. Now the outside matches the inside, and they corrupt the land to be just as foul as they are."

Once he completes his search (at a respectable distance), he adds, "Cut her head off and kick it into the water."

[Rysc]

Auva

Once the hag is safely dead, Auva begins tiptoeing around undead-wolf-guts to get closer to the cave. She only ventures slightly closer than where the very dead hag lies, then peers into the darkness several paces ahead of her.

Using 120ft Darkvision and low-light vision to see what's in the cave. If she can't see anything immediately threatening, she'll move closer, following the dirt, and cast Detect Magic into the cave mouth.

[Lord Of Mantas]

The fen witch gurgled as Kiriel plunged his dagger into her throat, the spark of life vanishing as he slashed it out, a spray of green blood flying in a delicate arc. Immediately, the palpable aura of magic around her vanished, leaving nothing but an inert corpse. With the last of the enemies dead, the swamp fell silent. After about half a minute or so, the crickets began to chirp once more.

Turning to the cave, the party looked upon the gaping maw, the inky blackness almost seeming like it would spring forth and swallow them whole.

Upon the hag's corpse, Stray found nothing of note, save for a masterwork alchemical silver dagger.
With darkness itself running through her veins, Auva fearlessly stepped forward toward the mouth of the cave, peering inside.

It appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be an ordinary cave, with a gently sloping tunnel going down about forty feet before making a sharp turn to the right. At the end, just as it began to turn, Auva then saw something else - spider's silk. A lot of spider's silk.

A quick scan with Detect Magic revealed no auras of any kind.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

After Stray is finished rifling through whatever passes for pockets on the creature, Brigitte crouches down next to the body to look for potentially useful substances. After checking, Brigitte strides toward the cave. "Let us continue while my mutagen is still active."

Anything useful alchemically about the body? I can roll craft (alchemy) or knowledge (nature) if so. :smallbiggrin:
Also, if we find a convenient place to rest for a while between mysterious and/or dangerous things, Brigitte wouldn't mind an hour somewhere to brew a new mutagen once this one wears off. :smallwink:

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray passes the silvered dagger to Brigitte, then collects a handful of pebbles and casts Light on them.

"Yes, there are things in that cave that need killing. We wouldn't want to disappoint them."

[Rysc]

Auva


"Yes, there are things in that cave that need killing. We wouldn't want to disappoint them."

"We definitely would not. Though as a matter of fact I'm not sure if we could actually disappoint them, since they appear to be either a very large amount of spiders, a very large spider, or a very large amount of very large spiders," Auva says, squinting at the silk at the far end of the tunnel.

[Nefarion Xid]

Cheekily, "Arachnids of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOv5ZjAOpC8

[Lord Of Mantas]

No sooner had the words left Stray's mouth than a *WWWSHFOOMP* sound came from above him, a ripple of purplish magic swirling above his head.

Mere seconds later, a very confused giant spider fell from the sky, plummeting toward Stray...

Fall (vs. Reflex): [roll0]
Through some miracle, the sheer absurdity of the situation was not enough to dull Stray's reflexes, and he dodged out of the way just in time.

A second passed, and then the giant spider hissed in displeasure.

That was a close one. :smallwink:

[Nefarion Xid]

"... I've seen bigger!" Stray screams at the sky before ripping his rapier out and stabbing at the inexplicable spider.

"It'll take a lot more than physical comedy to get rid of me!"

Move: Draw weapon
Standard: Attack
Swift: Activate Archaeologist's Luck (10 Remaining)

Attack
[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]

Confirm
[roll2]
+ Damage
[roll3]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Through sheer blind luck, Stray's rapier found a chink in the spider's chitinous armor, skewering it right through the brain. The spider keeled over and curled up into a ball, dead as a doornail.

Another 1 XP for everyone for completing Swamphaven: You Just Had To Say It. This should bring you up to...

206 XP. And don't worry, we're still going spelunking tonight.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray pursed his lips and drew in a deep breath through his nostrils. On some level, he was sure this had something to do with his constant, near habitual blasphemy. Surely, of all the myriad gods, his exploits had drawn the attention of a few and the ire of at least one. But on a higher, more salient level, Stray simply reassured himself that he was, in fact, just too damned pretty to die.

Again cleaning his rapier, he sighs to the party, "Best not to think about that one too much."

[Lord Of Mantas]

With the undead slain, the hag decapitated, and the giant spider well and truly dead, the party gathered their things... and descended into the abyss.


***


It was pitch black. Or at least, it would have been, if not for the light-enchanted pebbles the party carried.

Despite the light, in the back of her mind Brigitte felt a shiver, old childhood dreams of slithering gurgles and slavering fangs working their way up into her subconscious.
The entrance of the cave was mostly smooth, trickling rainwater from the swamp above wearing down the floor. The slope was not horribly steep, but steep enough that the party estimated they were descending some feet deep into the earth. Away they snaked through the steadily narrowing tunnel at the entrance, which, surprisingly, didn't have all that much spider silk after a a few feet.

Then, turning around a particularly tight corner, the party came across a large cavern. Several stalagmites hung from the ceiling, small, luminescent mushrooms hanging down from above. In the center stood a large chasm, beneath which the gurgling of a small stream could be heard.

On the other side of the chasm, a wooden bridge hung from two posts. The ends hanging down, the ones that would have attached to their side, had clearly been untied.

Immediately to the right of the outcropping where the bridge would have connected, a steep, slippery slope descended into the chasm. It became apparent that, with some control, it would be possible to slide down without getting injured.

As Stray, Brigitte, and Kiriel took in the room, they noted a particularly rough, slightly slanted wall on the eastern side. Ordinarily, this would not have piqued their interest, but all of them had recently heard tales coming through the local taverns back in Almas that a new thing among particularly daring/foolhardy/agile adventurers was the practice of free running. Through the use of acrobatics, these upstarts could do things such as run along or up walls, jump off them, jump between two narrow walls, or even vault between handily placed poles and rings.

Judging by the roughness of the wall, and its slant, Brigitte, Kiriel, and Stray quickly concluded that, with sufficient acrobatic skill, it would be simple to run along the wall and, at a certain point, jump to the other side.

Should you decide to take this option, two Acrobatics checks will be required: One to wall-run, and another to jump off.
Battle Map updated with your current location.

[Nefarion Xid]

Cautious, Stray lights another pebble and tosses it to the far side of the chasm to have a better look.

"Honestly, how does anyone get along in life without magic?" he smirks, snapping his fingers and mouthing the Sylvan word for 'alacrity'. A green aura surrounded his boots for an instant before fading away like mist. Then he was off like a bolt, sprinting with otherworldly speed along the ledge and then up the wall.


Cast Expeditious Retreat, +30 speed for a +12 bonus on jump checks
Archaeologist's Luck +3 (9 left today)
[roll0]
[roll1]

Presumably: Stray plants his feet on the far side and casually adjusts his sword belt and coat before going to fetch the rope bridge. "Twenty gold crowns if you can do it without magic, Jamie! Twenty five if you add a flip."

[skypse]

Kiriel observes carefully his surroundings trying to figure out how to connect the bridge so that everyone can go across. Stray's reckless action and yelling snapped him out of his thoughts however at which point the assassin smirked behind his mask.

"Oh is this how it goes boy? Well I guess we could use a couple of persons on the other side to get that bridge working right? 25 Gold crowns are never a bad thing but I want also your boy here calling me "Sir" ok??"
*points at pun-pun*

He moves closer to the wall and positions himself to start running.

"Now, let's see if an old dog can learn a new trick huh??"


[roll0]
[roll1]
Third one for the flip :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin: [roll2]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Thanks to Stray's magically-enhanced agility, he easily made the jump, landing as gracefully as any Qadiran Prince.

Kiriel, unfortunately, was not so lucky.

While the assassin, much like Stray, was able to make the actual jump with no difficulty, the addition of a flip proved to be too much - and unfortunately, he landed halfway through the flip, crashing onto his back and sending several rocks falling off the edge into the chasm below. A splash rang out.

A few moments passed. Pun-Pun edged tentatively toward the edge.

Then, the sound of dirt being moved, as if something was burrowing from up above.

Glancing down below, those near the edge saw three humanoid shapes emerge in the dim light, right before letting out a slavering groan.

Having moved toward the edge after Kiriel left to make the jump, Auva ascertained that the chasm was about 40 feet deep.

The humanoid figures were ghouls - undoubtedly the three ghouls the party had tracked earlier. Additionally, there was a tunnel directly to their east, where a bloody dismembered foot could be seen.

Ironically, War Sight produced the worse result this time.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte sheathes her rapier and secures her pack before backing up for a running start. Leaping forward, she sprints quickly toward the edge with the intent toward running along the wall to land safely at the other side.


Acrobatics: [roll0]
[roll1]
And for a flip :smalltongue: [roll2]

Assuming she lands safely on the other side, she draws her rapier once more and flashes a grin at the others. "Without magic."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Brigitte executed a perfect wall-run, following up with a flip that, while a little shaky on the landing, alighted solidly enough.

Since you were presumably writing this up before I posted the start of combat, I confess I'm torn on whether or not to allow you a full turn or count that as your action. Unless anyone objects, I'll split the difference and allow you the use of one standard or move.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray had just adjusted his bag to fetch Jamie's money when he heard the groan.

"Great spot for a fight," he muses before drawing his sword, hastening over to the noise, and readying a Grease spell. "If we keep getting attacked when we have a terrain advantage, this adventure will go swimmingly."

Move and draw rapier. Ready Grease, cast on the side of the chasm when monster(s) nearly reaches the top. +9 vs Reflex

[Othniel]

Brigitte

Brigitte moves to stand next to Stray, holding her weapon at the ready. "You found some friends, Stray."

That's fine. I'll use a move action to stand next to Stray.

[skypse]

Kiriel hops up from his fall.
"Damn. I knew I saw something moving down there. Those things made me lose 5 gold crowns!"
Turns to Stray
"Still you're a good sport kid! Now let's get rid of them. We need to help the others come this way too"
Kiriel draws both his swords and holds them edge pointing down, gesturing his arms and movement to match that of a mantis stalking on his pray.

Move to draw swords, Ready my standard action to initiate Prayer Strike if one of the zombies manage to climb up.
[roll0]

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva comments, "Oh look, we've found our ghouls."

She stays were she is, safely ensconced behind the metal man and the rabid girl, and readies a little welcoming present for the ghouls.

Readying an action to cast Grease if the ghouls split and climb up this side as well; she'll target whichever of them Stray hasn't.

[Mathemagics]

Narami

Narami makes a disgusted sound in the back of her throat when the others begin announcing the ghouls' approach.

"Ugh, more dead stuff. Boring. They don't even scream when you break them. Whatever."

Her apathetic tone makes it abundantly evident that she considers the advancing undead to be more of a annoyance than a threat (or even entertainment) at this point. Nevertheless, she readies the still-bloodied hammer and grumbles her way through what is apparently a spell incantation of some variety.


Standard action to cast Divine Favor. +3 luck bonus on attack and damage rolls for 1 minute.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Contrary to Kiriel, Stray, and Auva's expectations, the ghouls did not attempt to climb the slippery, slimy walls of the chasm. Instead, they darted to the east, vanishing into the darkness.

You see that there is a small tunnel leading east from the bottom.
Suddenly, a slavering roar sounded out, and three more ghouls leapt out from the burrow, chasing after the first three. Then, suddenly, the water at the bottom of the chasm rippled... and two monstrous, two-headed snakes swam up from the depths, making toward the chasm walls.

You recognize that these are no ordinary serpents, but in fact magical beasts called Amphisbaena. They have a somewhat venomous bite, but the true problem lies in their splitting ability. If struck particularly hard with a slashing weapon, they have the chance to separate into two serpents, which, if even one is left alive, can recombine later.

Also, unlike ghouls, they are quite excellent climbers. Both of the ledges you are on do have a slight overhang, so, with your knowledge of their average speed, plus the time it would take them to haul themselves over the ledge, you estimate you have... 18 seconds before they reach you.

Perhaps it would be prudent to either get the bridge fixed, or else find another way of reuniting the party.

Or, if you insist on metagame terms, 3 rounds.

[Nefarion Xid]

Stray tosses a lit pebbles into the crevasse to keep it illuminated and the rest of his handful on the ledge. "Is this bridge even strong enough to hold Guardian? He looks like he's made out of adamantine and stubbornness."

While the snakes didn't concern him overmuch, the gibbering of the ghouls in the darkness did. Or rather, the sound of the ghouls retreating into another part of the cave. Either they were going for reinforcements or knew another easier way up. Probably both.

Deciding he's a fair bit stronger than the other two, he begins hauling up the rope bridge with all possible haste.

[roll0]

[skypse]

Seeing how Stray tries to hold up the bridge before the 2 serpenoids climb up the wall, Kiriel runs next to him to give him leverage in pulling.

"Use the telepathy now. They don't need to know what we are planning." Hey big guy! You come across last ok?

Seathe swords as part of move action moving towards Stray.
Standard Action Aid another: [roll0]

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"The bridge - make haste!" Brigitte urges, rushing over to the bridge to aid Stray.

move action to go to the bridge, and move action to aid Stray and Kiriel. [roll0]
If we get it in a move action, here's a Standard Action for next round to help throw it across: [roll1]

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva thoughtfully surveys the snake-creatures, then the party's frantic bridge-pulling efforts. "This is so you can come back and out, right? I'm sure battling amphisbaena--by the way, don't hit them too hard with slicing things--and ghouls over a dark chasm sounds heroic, but I'd rather we have every advantage, such as no snake-monsters while we deal with the ghouls."

She then turns her attention to the chasm. Weaving her hands in complex patterns, she begins a chant--and then suddenly the chasm is blocked off, about halfway down.

"I'm just curious to see if the magic snakes can see through smoke and mirrors..."

Casting Silent Image, making a "ceiling" around 15ft down (or around the bottom of the "first" level) that covers the chasm starting from the P-column, all the way to the right wall.

Will (disbelief), if interacted with:
A1: [roll0]
A2: [roll1]

EDIT: Haha nope.

[Lord Of Mantas]

With quick work and dextrous hands, Kiriel, Brigitte and Stray rapidly pulled up the bridge as Auva snapped her hands forth and quickly performed the kata to create a silent image of a rock ceiling between the party and the amphisbaenae. With three hands, the hauling of the bridge was accomplished in no time, and with a mighty toss the three successfully threw it over to Guardian and Narami, who quickly tied it off.

A second passed in silence. Then, an angry hiss came from below. The amphisbaena, having had their primary route cut off by Auva's illusion, could be heard splashing through the water. As they passed out the side of the illusory wall, the light from Stray's pebble showed that they were swimming toward the slippery slope on Guardian, Narami, and Auva's side.

Pun-Pun, clearly anxious at having been separated from his master, nervously looked over at the bridge. While the planks were in surprisingly good condition, the ropes used to hold them together were a little worn and old - and there were not very many planks. Nervously, he sprang forth, trying to strike a balance between hurrying over and not falling through the gaps.

Somehow, Pun-Pun just managed to make it to the other side, though he did have a very narrow miss just as he arrived.

"Lord Ssstray! What are your orders?"

From the tunnel on their side of the chasm, Kiriel, Stray, and Brigitte clearly heard the growls of the imperial ghouls...

This is all on the doc, but it's a touch complicated, so I'll go over how to cross the bridge here. The bridge is rather makeshift, and not put together well, so crossing it without falling is not an easy proposition.

You may cross the bridge at a speed of 10ft with no penalty. If you want to increase this to half-speed (assuming you have a half-speed of more than 10ft), you must make a DC 10 acrobatics check. If you fail this by less than or equal to 5, you get stuck and almost fall at a random square determined by the roll of a d10. If you get a check result of 4 or lower, you fall through, and must succeed on a DC 10 Climb or Acrobatics check to pull yourself back up on your next turn. If you are attacked in this state, or fail that check, you will fall to the bottom of the 40-foot chasm.

[Othniel]

Brigitte

"If you think you might have trouble crossing, Guardian, I have an Extract of Fly I could bring you," Brigitte sent to everyone. "Two, if someone doesn't mind sharing," she adds, a touch of mirth coming through the link.

If someone drinks an Extract of Alchemical Allocation, they can take the contents of another extract into their mouth and spit it back in the vial, while still retaining the benefits. Usually, it'd just be one person using it, but I don't see why we can't share. You're welcome for the mental image.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Nope. Nope nope nope! Other side! Wrong side of the bridge!" Stray barks to Pun-Pun and Brigitte before scooping up his kobold and sitting him on his shoulders. "Hold onto my coat and keep shooting!"

He scampers out onto the bridge, as fast as he dares.

[roll0]
Half speed should be 20 feet, since Stray is encumbered with Pun-Pun, but still benefiting from Expeditious Retreat.

[skypse]

Good job Auva! Nice thinking!

Kiriel runs behind Stray and before stepping on the fragile bridge his feet elevate him high above the ground, leaping front landing on the center of the bridge, his high dexterity allowing him to make no wrong movements to jeopardize the bridge's stability. He then runs next to Guardian.

Come on Brigitte! The bridge is strong enough to hold you.

[Othniel]

The Galtan woman shrugs and moves across the bridge to join the others, once more drawing her rapier.

take 10 on acrobatics if I can. Brigitte has a +20 mod anyway :smalltongue:

[Rysc]

Auva

Auva smiles as the group begins trickling back together. "Would the last person here kindly shut the door? No need to make it any easier for the ghouls." She then makes a sharp gesture with her right hand. The illusory ceiling has served its purpose, and the amphisbaena have another way up, anyway.

Several feet below, the ceiling silently crumbles with surprising versimilitude--so real, in fact, that some of the debris grazes one of the snake-monsters, and narrowly misses the other...

Standard action to use Shadow Gambit (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/shadow-gambit), targetting A1 and dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Moving to R9.

Damage: [roll0]
Fort (halves): [roll1]

[Vhaidara]

Guardian, the Shield of Justice

Guardian responds to Brigette's offer by shaking his head.
"I can hold this side of the bridge until you are all across. The Singer will see me safely across once you are all safe!"
His voice has the quiet confidence that Guardian is famous for: The self assuredness of someone who knows they are in no personal danger. He takes a stance to defend the bridge should any of the beasts manage to climb the cliff.

Ready to initiate Strike of the Steadfast Legion if a foe comes in range

Attack: [roll0]
Crit: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
Crit: [roll3]

[Mathemagics]

Narami

"Ugh! Stop running back and forth and make up your minds already! This is getting stupid!"

Growing increasingly impatient, Narami wanders over towards the other edge where the worm creature are trying to climb up and takes a few experimental swings at the air.


Move action to Q12.
Standard action to ready an attack if anything gets close enough.
Attack: [roll0] (PA, no rage)
Damage: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

As Stray and Kiriel leapt back across the bridge, Brigitte soon followed, stopping just a little bit past Kiriel - enough to not get in the way, but also sufficiently close to anything that she could step in and assist where needed.

Guardian and Narami, in the meantime, readied their swords as one of the amphisbanae decided to put on a burst of speed, slither-charging up the slippery slope into the chasm...

...and right into their weapons.

The magical serpent hissed angrily as Guardian's sword left a line in its flesh. It did not, however, have time to react to Narami's own strike, as the rage-filled half-elf swung her hammer so hard that she caught both of the serpent's head on the head of her hammer, then swung it so quickly that it actually pulled the serpent off of the ledge - at which point Narami brought her hammer down onto the other side, both of the serpent's skulls beneath it.

Snake blood and skull fragments flew everywhere, and the beast was no more.

The other serpent, in the meantime, continued climbing ever-upward, reaching about 15 feet below Narami and Guardian. On the opposite side of the chasm, a slavering growl rang out, and the party turned to see the first of the imperial ghouls emerge from the narrower passage on the other side, its two companions visible just behind it.

And good luck to you all.

[skypse]

Kiriel forms a sinister smile on his face seeing the ghouls coming out of the wall.

"hehehe.. It's game time guys! Let's have a good round ok?" Big guy, teleport on me to ambush them. I'm going invisible.

Move action acrobatics to jump: [roll0]

Kiriel jumps far, all the way across the bridge and casts invisibility on him.

[Rysc]

Auva

At least we shall probably not have to worry about the amphisbaena.

Auva throws her hands up in the air in exasperation as "Jamie" jumps back to the other side. "Didn't you just...augh! Rush out in a blaze of glory some other time! We're trying to give them a disadvantage! Let them cross the bridge!"

She then brings her hands down in a flourish and speaks several strange words, and the party members on her side of the bridge feel a hastening magic come upon them.

Moving to S12 and casting Haste (affects everyone but Kiriel).

[Nefarion Xid]

"Pun-Pun, magic missile!" Stray orders him to blast the ghoul while he finishes across the bridge. On the other side he draws his rapier and casts Light on it.

"Lestrade and I will hold them on the bridge while you deal with the snake. Pun-Pun, hop down and stay with Auva."

[roll0]