DSP Bounty Hunters Ch1: The Redfields Job

[stack]

Among the various notices, petty criminal listings, and flyers for medical services and weapon-smiths a new listing has appeared in the Guild-hall. Gold ink in the guild seal shows that this isn't a job for journeymen and apprentices, only for fully initiated Brothers of the Honorable and Forthright Guild of Finders and Retrievers.


POSTED: the Redfields Job

Request By: Raj Sher
Target: Merry Goodblossom (halfling, male)
Target's Last Known Whereabouts: Kingdom of Greenshire, Redfields village
Reward: 750 GP ea, 1,000 GP bonus if Duor Sher recovered alive.
Status: Live capture required
Team: 5 members required

Posted information: Target is wanted in connection to disappearance of Duor Sher (Nameer, Male), son of Tuwar Sher, Raj of the Sher Empire (eastern continent). Obviously this job is unusual as the poster is not resident to the Ten Kingdoms, but the Honorable and Forthright Guild of Finders and Retrievers has been tasked with the investigation due to the politically sensitive nature of those involved.

Target Merry Goodblossom is the scion of the House of Goodblossom, rules of the Kingdom of Greenshire. Reported to be a member of Ordre des Repas Exotiques. The Raj demands apprehension and extradition, but the House of Goodblossom denies the request, likely a face-saving matter. Guild sources indicate that the house leaders are not opposed to Merry's arrest, but no overt aid can be granted. Target is thought to keep a personal guard, though numbers and skills are unknown at this time.

Location Notes: Greenshire occupies the fertile 'breadbasket' of the Ten Kingdoms, its borders formed by the river network. Redfields is a small village that houses one of the country estates of the Goodblossoms. The name Redfields comes from the local variety of wheat, rather than from the massacre that occurred there a generation ago.

Additional Cautions: Local populace may be partial to target, caution advised. Unnecessary damage to grounds likely to cause objections from Kingdom, restraint required to ensure future cooperation.

Guild-approved (read: cheap) transport (wagon with sundry livestock) pauses up the road from Redfields village about noon. The sun is high, occasionally obscured by itinerant clouds. Its time to make some money. Your team is:


Player
Character
Race
Class
Level
Alignment
Status


Elricaltovilla
Belerophon (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=245624)
Aasimar
Daevic
3
LG



Keledrath
Jit Falnon (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=245676)
Elan
Marksman (Master Gunner)
3
N



Extra Anchovies
Hakim al-Jabbar (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=248104)
Human
Gunslinger (Hashasheen, Musket Master)
3
?



Meemaas
Hajime Katsumi (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=245881)
Gamla
Psychic Warrior (meditant)2Mystic 1
3
?


Psybomb
Raffi Kin (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=29688)
Vanara
Guru
3
?



From the crest of the hill, you can see the modest village sprawled in the valley ahead. Even from here you can't miss the stately manor that dominates the far side of the river that skirts the town, stone fence stretching to encompass hundreds of acres, including what appears to be a pleasant woods and scenic pond. (village is between you and the estate. Path from town to manor is quite long, ~1/2 mile, pond in front, woods beyond the manor, and is that a hedge maze to the right?)

Time to make and enact your plan. Make any knowledge rolls you like to get more info on the situation. Nobility for the target or the poster (separate rolls), geography for the Kingdom generally or town specifically, or for the Sher Empire, not that it matters much presently, history if you want to force me to make up a string of plot-irrelevant battles and politics, local for a bit of all the above (except the poster, who is not, in fact, local).

Then decide on your approach. Go into town and gather info? Walk up to the manor gates? Wait for nightfall and infiltrate? Play cards and hope he rides past? As DM in a homebrew game, I try to keep your options open and adapt to your plans. My goal is to maintain reasonable verisimilitude while providing entertaining challenges. If you find a chink in the armor, feel free to exploit it and I will do my best to roll along.

Bellerphon 1d20+2
Jit 1d20+4
Hakim 1d20+8
Hajime 1d20+0
Raffi 1d20+5
Bellerphon 1d20+5
Jit 1d20+6
Hakim 1d20+2
Hajime 1d20+4
Raffi 1d20+7
Bellerphon 1d20+5
Jit 1d20+8
Hakim 1d20+8
Hajime 1d20+10
Raffi 1d20+9

[PsyBomb]

Raffi hops down from the wagon and stretches a bit, summoning up what little knowledge he has of the area.

[roll0]
[roll1]


He finishes up his light kata and laughs a bit. "Middle of the freaking day, like a bunch of hooligans. We need to know more about what's going on before we just barge in. Too much attention, and depending on Goodblossom's mood it could end up a disaster for the prince we're rescuing, eh? I can go look around for now, or we can wait for night and disable things quietly along the way. Or both, I was getting bored on that ride.

Note that Raffi's Acrobatics, Disable Device, and Stealth are at +16 right now due to veils. Vanara also rock Climb speed of 30, if need be, and I have rope

[stack]

Merry Goodblossom is a martial practitioner of notable skill, having proven himself in hunting dangerous game, which he also has some skill in preparing. He is generally discouraged from diplomatic functions due to his views on halfling superiority and prejudice against the 'beast-races'. He tends to keep the company of a small cadre of fellow practitioners, sparing, hunting, and dining.

The manor was build a number of years ago and is notably impressive, though most of the Goodblossom House tends to keep to the capitol to better interfere with each other. The village exists to farm and support the needs of the manor estate.

[Elricaltovilla]

"Honestly, we could just go into town and ask around a bit. It wouldn't hurt to get some information from the locals. We're not from around here, it wouldn't be out of place for some travelers to come in and ask questions about the area." Belerophon offered. He usually favored the direct approach anyway.

[Extra Anchovies]

"I agree with Belophoron, but if we go into town we should split into groups. Five heavily armed strangers all showing up at once is mighty suspicious."

"Also we need a map of the compound, somehow. Going in blind would be... undesirable. If all else fails Raffi could sneak in overnight and get a general sense of its layout, but there may be an architect or city official who has a copy of the blueprints."

Knowledge (Local):
[roll0]

[PsyBomb]

"Just gotta be careful around the Halflings, here. Merry is seriously racist, especially agains what he calls the 'beast-folk'... like myself or Hajime. Some might follow his lead, and a bunch of the Goodweather clan stay around the manor. Politics, or something like that. Rest of the place just farms to support the great houses. As for Merry, I hear he's both a serious martial practicioner and keeps company with a bunch of others, so a straight-up fight may not be ideal."

Raffi looks over the town, keeping a bit of the layout in mind in case he has to sneak around. In particular, he's paying attention to the rooftops. They were pretty much home to him, and few look there frequently. Especially the small folk.

In case it's needed...
[roll0]

[stack]

Raffi has an easy enough time getting a sense of the village; there isn't that much of it. Buildings tend to be long and low, mostly thatched roofs with wood shingles on some, the occasional nicer dwelling with lead or slate. A pair of buildings with waterwheels stand along the river, likely grain mills. A large two-story building along the main road could be an inn.

(note - most of the family stay near the capitol, not the manor.)

[Elricaltovilla]

"How about I go rent us a room for the night, and try to get some information from the innkeeper? We can meet up in an hour or two to discuss a further plan of action." Belerophon suggested.

Belerophon is not currently wearing his armor to make him stand out less. His AC is 12 since he's not wearing his shield either.

[meemaas]

Hajime

Hajime has been keeping quiet during the trip, lost in his focus. Once he has taken a good intake of the surroundings, he starts speaking carefully. "I do agree that we should get a room for the night. Keep an eye out on the building. I've got a few ideas we could try if situations allow for them."

Hajime refreshes his Inertial Armor every two hours like clockwork using the Psywar feature that lets him manifest his Path Power for free. Since he can choose how it shows, it doesn't stand out. At least, no more than he does.

[Elricaltovilla]

Belerophon walks into the town, and down to the inn.

[stack]

Bellerophon enters the un-walled village unchallenged and makes his way to the inn. A wooden sign painted with a mastiff and a pony mark the establishment. The double doors of the entrance are thankfully taller than those of the other structures he passes, though the wear on the lower of the two sets of handles marks the more frequent clientele. Across the street appears to be a general store or trading post, doors similarly double-handled.

A bell rings as the door opens. The interior is dim compared to the noon-day sun, but his celestial eyes are untroubled. A small cluster on halflings appear to be lunching in the common room. One stands and bustles over to you in the manner required for innkeepers everywhere. He calls out, "Good day, good day. Stopping for lunch or will you be staying? Bit of a stretch to Fernhollow, but the days are long. I have a couple beds free for tall folk, passing traders and such. Do you have a horse we can see to? Fine day, wouldn't you say?"

The others give Bellerophon an appraising look, then seem to collectively shrug and return to their meal and idle conversation.
you could learn a great deal about cabbage maggots and the potential for blight in the turnip crop if you stayed and listened further, but you might fall asleep in the process. :smallbiggrin:

[Extra Anchovies]

(Hakim follows Belophorn into town. He lets Belo do the talking; Hakim is not the most outgoing of bounty hunters.)

[PsyBomb]

Raffi decides that, while Belerophon and Hakim take the low road, he would take the high. He walks up to an unobserved spot, then quickly makes his way to the rooftops to scout. He silently shadows his allies as a lookout until they duck into the inn, then proceeds onwards on his circuit.

Climb speed to get to the rooftops, then taking 10 on Stealth, Acrobatics, and Perception for 26/26/19 respectively. If I need to actually roll something, just call it out. if I find something interesting that is unobserved but locked, my curiosity will likely get the better of me. Goes without saying that if a fight breaks out within a minute or two of the duo entering the inn, I'll be close enough to react.

[stack]

Hakim and is armaments receive slightly longer looks, but no comments.

Raffi makes his way to the rooftops unobserved, deftly moving across them, though with frequent descents to the ground given the general spacing of the local buildings. That he manages to do so without being observed in broad daylight or falling through the thatch of the buildings is rather remarkable. Nothing appears obviously out of place for such a modest local, certainly not from the roofs. The occasional pigeon tilts its head at him and he narrowly avoid a nest of wasps on his patrol.

[Elricaltovilla]

Bellerophon enters the un-walled village unchallenged and makes his way to the inn. A wooden sign painted with a mastiff and a pony mark the establishment. The double doors of the entrance are thankfully taller than those of the other structures he passes, though the wear on the lower of the two sets of handles marks the more frequent clientele. Across the street appears to be a general store or trading post, doors similarly double-handled.

A bell rings as the door opens. The interior is dim compared to the noon-day sun, but his celestial eyes are untroubled. A small cluster on halflings appear to be lunching in the common room. One stands and bustles over to you in the manner required for innkeepers everywhere. He calls out, "Good day, good day. Stopping for lunch or will you be staying? Bit of a stretch to Fernhollow, but the days are long. I have a couple beds free for tall folk, passing traders and such. Do you have a horse we can see to? Fine day, wouldn't you say?"

The others give Bellerophon an appraising look, then seem to collectively shrug and return to their meal and idle conversation.
you could learn a great deal about cabbage maggots and the potential for blight in the turnip crop if you stayed and listened further, but you might fall asleep in the process. :smallbiggrin:

"Afternoon, inkeeper. There are five of us traveling together, and we might be in town for a few days so any beds you have would be appreciated. We're traveling through, but I've always had an interest in learning about the local situations. I'm wondering what the local news is, and hoping you could share a bit about the people who run this town? I'm a soldier by trade, usually I do work as a bodyguard for nobles and trading caravans." Belerophon extends his hand to the innkeeper, a bright gold coin tucked between his middle and ring finger.


Diplomatically trying to gather information from the innkeeper: [roll0]

Adding a little bit of gold just to make introductions go more smoothly.

[stack]

The inn keeper smiles broadly as hands are shaken. The coin vanishes entirely as the small man becomes yet more animated. "Hello, greeting, welcome, and well met. Where are my manners, Burbutter's the name, licensed operator and all that. Five beds for fine gentlemen such as yourself? Well, hmm, we can manage that....have to set up the cot, no matter, no matter. Local news? Well, you've come the wrong season for caravan work, mostly come through after the snow melt then again around harvest, so most of the local news is idle gossip and talk of crops which I doubt would interest bold travelers such as yourselves. We do have a noble, since you mention it, good old family, rule the kingdom you know? Could be one of the family is hiring, I could send a message over to the estate if you like? Now as far as running the town, we've got a speaker and a council, meet here every months to conduct business such as it is, Sheriff handles the law as far as we need it, though I can't say that is very far, peaceable around here, quite country folk, you know?"

[Extra Anchovies]

"Sending a message to the family would be helpful. Got to find some way to make a living while we're here."

[Elricaltovilla]

The inn keeper smiles broadly as hands are shaken. The coin vanishes entirely as the small man becomes yet more animated. "Hello, greeting, welcome, and well met. Where are my manners, Burbutter's the name, licensed operator and all that. Five beds for fine gentlemen such as yourself? Well, hmm, we can manage that....have to set up the cot, no matter, no matter. Local news? Well, you've come the wrong season for caravan work, mostly come through after the snow melt then again around harvest, so most of the local news is idle gossip and talk of crops which I doubt would interest bold travelers such as yourselves. We do have a noble, since you mention it, good old family, rule the kingdom you know? Could be one of the family is hiring, I could send a message over to the estate if you like? Now as far as running the town, we've got a speaker and a council, meet here every months to conduct business such as it is, Sheriff handles the law as far as we need it, though I can't say that is very far, peaceable around here, quite country folk, you know?"

"Speaking of working hard, I'd like to buy all my new friends here a drink. I'm sure a hard day in the fields makes for thirsty work." Belerophon said with a wide grin.


Diplomacy: [roll0]

[stack]

The table of local responds with a cheer and lifter mugs.

Burbutter bustles off to fill the new orders, which seem to have moved up a shelf or two from what they had been drinking, then returns with a parchment and quill, proffering it for sending a message up the hill. The bar would make a suitable writing desk, provided you stooped painfully.

[Vhaidara]

Jit Falnon, the Time-Lost Ghost

Jit follows Bele into the tavern, keeping to the back and to himself. Others are more suited to the location process. His part is to bring the targets down. Mentally, he starts reviewing his arsenal of weaponry

[meemaas]

Hajime

Hajime stays a fair way away from both Belepheron and Jit, hoping not to attract attention or be recognized as with them this early. He stays quiet and observes the situation at hand while waiting for more information.

Not having much noncombat utility kills scenarios like this, lol.

[Elricaltovilla]

Belerophon hunched himself over to reach the parchment and began writing out a letter.



To whom it may concern,

I am writing you on behalf of a group of professional soldiers and adventurers who are currently in your kingdom looking for work. It is our hope that we might find a noble family of good reputation and honor with which to align ourselves and to whom we could provide a variety of services as guards, soldiers, masters at arms, craftsmen or any number of other functions that might be necessary for a noble family to fulfill. We are more than willing to demonstrate our skills, and we are certain that we can prove our worth to you. You may find us at the Redfields Inn for the remainder of the week, after which time we will unfortunately have to move on. It is my hope to hear from you soon

Sincerely,

Belerophon




Attaching a Diplomacy Roll to the letter: [roll0]

[PsyBomb]

Raffi finishes his lap without event, and decides to head to the inn when he finds that the others are not where they started. He is still being stealthy outside and keeping an eye out, in case of trouble.

Especially since Hajime decided to enter the place

If the party gets up to their room(s), he will enter through a window in order to stay out of sight.

[stack]

The innkeepers takes the letter, carrying on a monologue of banal trivialities. He calls to a back room, from which appears a youth who takes the letter and disappears out the door.

While Raffe stays hidden, Hajime attracts significant attention just by coming near the village, his height placing his head closer to the peaks of the roofs than the tops of the doors. A small group of children gather to follow him around giggling, while their elders give him dirty looks and keep a safe distance.

[stack]

It seems it may be a bit before word comes back regarding the letter. One of the locals comes over, giving a friendly nod. "Since you have been so generous to us, I thought we might return the favor. Thought you might like to sample some of our local fair."

The inn keeper and the other locals hide chuckles, poorly. The inkeeper produces a clay jug from beneath the bar, pouring small glasses of a golden, sharp-smelling liquid. "Made from apples," your benefactor says, "Mostly apples. Hard cider by family, I suppose. Local specialty, couldn't see you go without sampling it. Cheers!" He picks up a glass and tosses it back, to no ill effect.

[Elricaltovilla]

Without a word, Belerophon drinks the Cider.

[stack]

Belerophon feels rather as though someone took a tree of over-ripe apples and rammed it down his throat several times, with a dash of cinnamon. (2 fort saves please)

[Elricaltovilla]

Belerophon can feel his stomach turning from the alcohol but tries to brush it off.

"Mmmm, that certainly has a bite to it." He says.


Bluff check to try and pass it off as no big deal: [roll0] (darn -2 penalty to skill checks from being sickened)

[stack]

A cheer goes up for the local crowd. "Not to bad for a tall folk, ha! Come on, the rest of you, drink up!" says the innkeeper.

[PsyBomb]

Up in his perch, Raffi looks on with interest. Tankards are usually entertaining, followed by dangerous. Given the presence of Hajime, he wanted to be ready for the last part.

[stack]

Drinks imbibed and not, a couple hours pass, the local crowd lingering to enjoy the unexpected diversion of the newcomers before returning to their daily routines.

A boy eventually appears in the door, bearing a letter addressed to Belerophon and company:
Thank you most felicitously for your offer, but I fear the master of the house is presently well supplied with such services. However, if you fancy a bit of sport, you and your men are cordially invited to our pre-dinner practice session, as we enjoy a bit of exercise and would appreciate seeing professionals at work. If your skills are worthy there is gaming to be done on the matches and either way refreshments will be provided, as well as letters of reference to others that may seek services. If interested, be at the gatehouse, half past three.

Signed,
Jor Fairweather,
Secretary to Lord Goodblossom

[Elricaltovilla]

Belerophon thanks the boy and then shares the contents of the letter with his partners. "This seems like our best option right now." he says.

[meemaas]

Hajime

Hajime slowly approaches the table with his team, and carefully bends over to learn of what the others have learned, before making his way back out the door. Before he leaves, he agrees with Belepheron, and mentions that maybe he should stay behind to avoid the halflings ire.

[Vhaidara]

Jit Falnon, the Time-Lost Ghost

Jit, who had been watching the drinking from the sidelines, nods.
If it's a demonstration of skill they want,I'll be more than happy to provide. I am the best man with the best equipment, after all.