Little Glass Vial (Wander Inn Mission)

[Nettlekid]

It's eventide, and the shadows of the buildings envelop the streets. There wasn't very much information to be had about this mission, largely because if there was enough information to suitably make arrests then arrests would have been made! You've been pointed to a figuratively and literally shady area where there have been reports of sales happening, and you're likely to find either a drug user or a dealer if you search for either. You've been advised to keep on your toes, don't get in too deep, and retreat if things get dangerous. Fortunately you're still in the city, which means the aid of the guild isn't far. The city guards have been made aware of your involvement and so they won't be chasing you down if you have to infiltrate the black market, but they're also going to be giving you a believable performance if you're trying to blend in. You've been advised that because the faces of the Inn are fairly notable, it's actually in your best interest to let the new recruit be the face of your operation, at least to begin with. However, at the end of the day, the tactics you opt for are up to you. And right now it is certainly the end of the day.

[Dycize]

"Alright, here we are."
Said Remina, proudly "leading" the expedition.
"Thanks again for coming Rilele, it'll go better with three of us! So, to avoid suspicion, we'll have Shimo approach, huh, potential targets? Rilele, you and I should go scouting a bit ahead, in case we find something suspicious enough to investigate. I have a spell to help us a bit if we want to hide better. And Shimo, if you feel things are turning sour, don't hesitate to go back, we have to keep your hands clean on that one."
She makes one of her usual nods to herself, then speaks up again.
"So, do you have any other ideas or suggestions?"

[Dondasch]

"That plan sounds good, though I'm not sure what use scouting will be."
Rilele coughs quietly and points at Remina and Shimo. "I've just cast a message spell on us, to allow us to speak in whispers over a distance. I'll have to relay communications between you two though, and it only works out to 150 feet. If needed, I can also turn us invisible, one at a time, and I can cast charm person if someone is proving too stubborn. In addition, I can create simple illusions."

Message was cast using Sleight of Hand to hide the components. Rilele is taking 10 for a result of 22.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo drifts behind the two guild members, relying on their knowledge of the city to reach the destination. The dwindling sunlight leaves lengthening shadows throughout the streets, light's last stand before the night reigns once more. As she walks, Shimo ponders Kotoni's instruction. "At no point are you permitted to draw your blade." Clearly he was speaking of her katana, the weapon with which she had trained so extensively. An extra challenge, to refrain from using it, but one well within Shimo's range. She had her morningstar, after all, and her daggers.

But perhaps he meant that she should use no weapons at all. He had said she was to be an observer. But what good could she do merely observing? She could discard all her weapons and remain deadly. Even without her magics, she could hold her own in a fight. But taking no action... that seems anathema to her. She was trained for battle, to protect those who could not protect themselves. Was she being told to stand idly by and ignore those in need?

No. She could not. Would not. Though it might cost her a chance to join the guild, she knew that she could never return to Master Adresin and tell him she merely watched while innocents were harmed.

Shimo comes to a stop behind Rilele and Remina. She had eaten and washed up at the Inn, stowing some of her gear in a room she rented there, including her katana and morningstar. But she carries her dagger at her hip, and one more cunningly concealed within her sleeve. With the need to move unseen through the night, she has changed into her dark blue bodysuit, covering her head and face within its hood, as is her custom. She has scaled down her pack to only those items she thought she might need: rope, grappling hook, flour, marbles, mirror, thieves' tools, and the holy symbol of Corellon Latherian, which she wears around her neck, beneath her clothing.

She feels the effects of Rilele's spell, and tests it out with a few whispers. Satisfied, she nods her head. "Let us seek out one of the drug's users together, to discover more about its effects, and ask about the dealers. Once we know more about it, I can impersonate a user, and seek out one of the dealers. I too have tricks for helping us move unseen, and for disguising myself to as to be unrecognizable. But gathering information from people is not one of my talents." She waits for Remina or Rilele to respond, or to lead on to one of the users.

With the light fading, Shimo reaches out and lightly touches Remina and Rilele on the shoulder in turn, whispering an incantation. They each find their senses sharpening.

Shimo casts Eyes of the Avoral on each of the party members, granting a +8 racial bonus to Perception for everyone. It lasts 40 minutes per casting. She uses a full round action (Adaptive Style) to refresh the spell between castings, and then swaps it for Jump. She will reapply the spell during downtime as necessary.

[Dycize]

"Well now I feel silly, you're way better at this than me. Do we even know someone who got the drug? Uh, gathering information... Hey Rilele, how long does your invisibility last? Maybe there's some people down on their luck laying around or... Something. We can't show ourselves too much or they'll get really suspicious if they know we're involved..."

[Dondasch]

"My invisibility lasts five minutes. Also, I forgot to mention this, but I also have magic that allows me to meddle with the memories of others, to an extent. It only allows modification of the past 24 hours, and the memory I create must involve me. It may prove useful if we need to gain the trust of someone."

I suppose I should clear this with you: how exactly do you interpret alibi as working? It's in Exemplars of Evil, page 27.
From what I can tell, it allows you to customize the memory and choose when it took place; if it didn't, it'd be pretty bad for giving you an actual alibi.

[Gabrosin]

"We shall need to find one of its users in these streets." Shimo accepts the aid of Rilele's invisibility spell, and the three party members move cautiously through the streets, looking for one of the drug's users, while noting but avoiding anyone who looks like a dealer, refreshing the invisibility every few minutes.

DM, is it reasonable to assume that the mission-giver was able to describe to us the drug paraphrenalia in question, and any symptoms that would indicate a heavy user, if applicable? Shimo wouldn't know this information in character, given her isolation, though she could make a Knowledge (something) or Lore check if no one was able to tell her.
Here's a Perception roll, looking for a drug user while we skulk through the streets, or any associated things: [roll0]

[Nettlekid]

Yeah, that's definitely a fair assumption. The paraphernalia in question is predominantly small metal needles/pipes and tiny jars of scratched glass, though flat, corroded metal objects with dried resin have also been found. It seems like the drug in question is a clear or slightly tinted fluid, but there's more than one way of administering it. Symptoms include stained/damaged teeth, rashes tracing along veins, and sallow/pockmarked skin.

Regarding Alibi, I think that level of memory manipulation is beyond the realm of a 1st level spell when Modify Memory at level 4 wouldn't really be able to do as much as that. I'd say you can choose the general location (restaurant, street, guild hall) so that you can basically set the scene, but I'd say that details may be mistaken if you set it at a restaurant and they say you ordered chicken when you say you ordered steak. I think I'd also say that you can't choose the specific time frame, it's only "within 24 hours."

The team doesn't yet notice anyone who looks like a dealer, but then again the streets are pretty deserted and there aren't many people around. The last of the merchants have packed up their stalls for the night. After about a half hour of searching though, you come across a short, hunched figure shuffling along in the darkness. The figure is wearing a hood, so you can't see much of him, but by his gait you imagine he's not fully sober. It's unclear if this would be normal intoxication or the effects of the drug you're looking for.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo finds a nearby place to loiter and observe the man, leaving her party members to take point in interacting with him. She takes special notice of his shuffling walk and tries to get a good look at his face, if possible.

[Nettlekid]

Being invisible, Shimo is able to get right in front of him a few paces away without him noticing, and get a better look at his face. He's an older Human, perhaps middle aged but looking older than that. By the roughness of his skin and general hygiene you guess he's been on the streets for a while, probably homeless. His skin isn't very pockmarked, but he's breathing through his mouth and you can see his teeth are partially eroded. His eyes are half closed, but they're darting back and forth almost like he's in REM sleep.

[Dycize]

Remina mostly keeps herself to watching the surroundings as much she can, gazing into dark alleys, taking advantage of her dark vision to look for suspicious items that could have been dropped in some corners, but not without remaining too far from Shimo and Rilele.

[Dondasch]

"Shimo, does he show symptoms of using the drug?" Rilele says.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo takes several seconds to closely study the man, whispering, "Dirty. Dissolving teeth. Stumbling around. Can't smell anything. His eyes... it's like he's sleepwalking. He might not be responsive." Shimo slips back from the man and finds a spot nearby to hide, knowing that Rilele's invisibility spell is likely to expire while she tries to talk to the user.

[Dondasch]

Rilele walks up to the man, though not taking a straight path to do so. Once she is next to him, she says "Hello.", trying to gauge how responsive he is.

[Nettlekid]

The man's lips are moving, and he's muttering something. It's too indistinct to make out though, even if you lean in. It sounds monosyllabic, though.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo looks around for a moment before emerging from her spot in the shadows to speak to Rilele and Remina. "I don't think we'll be getting anything out of him. His mind is too far taken with the drug... whatever it is."

Shimo kneels beside the man, beginning to frisk him. She keeps her voice low as she speaks, but doesn't whisper, so they both can hear. "We should determine our next move. I don't think it will be too hard to find one of the drug dealers, but if we want to learn enough about their operation for the guard to move in, we'll need more than just one guy on the street. As I see it, we have two choices. I can pose as a buyer, try to get more information about the drugs and where they're coming from, or we can stake out the dealer and try following him until he goes to his source. We don't know how long that will take, or if we might be spotted. I am open for either plan."

Shimo takes a few moments to make an efficient search of the man and his surroundings, looking for anything of interest but specifically looking for any drug containers or other drug-related items. Taking 10, her Perception check is 27. (Thanks, Eyes of the Avoral!)

[Dondasch]

'Well, this is her first mission. Let's see how she does.'
"I'm for you posing as a buyer and trying to get information. I'm not that keen on following someone for an indeterminate length of time."

[Dycize]

"I agree, we should try to have you pose as a buyer, and if *that* doesn't work out then maybe we can just try following a dealer around if it doesn't take too long..."

[Nettlekid]

Shimo starts through the man's pockets without resistance, and discovers a small, flat metal spade, an empty glass bottle, and an almost-empty glass bottle holding perhaps an ounce of viscous, pale green liquid. There's something else in there too, but when the man's half-lidded eyes notice the bottle outside of his pocket, he jumps to action and starts flailing and crying out incoherently.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo holds the partially filled vial up, inspecting it, dissecting it with an analytical mind. She notes its pale green color, and takes a whiff from a safe distance, trying to detect any odor. She also sees the reaction from the man on the ground, trying to reclaim his possessions. What a heroic start to your grand adventure, Shimo, she thought to herself. You've been in town less than a day and you're already mugging a drug addict in an alley.

Best to make a thorough job of it, I suppose. There had been something else in the man's pockets that she couldn't quite snare. Taking another glance around to ensure that their commotion wasn't drawing attention, Shimo asks quietly, "Could you two hold him down please? I wasn't able to get the last of it." She stashes what she's already collected in a small pouch at her waist, and prepares to get the last item from the addict's pockets once he's subdued.

[Dondasch]

"No need for that. If you tell me what pocket it's in, I can swipe it."

[Gabrosin]

"Right side pocket of that shabby coat he's wearing. He rolled as I tried to retrieve it."

[Dycize]

"Err yes please, do that. Poor man..."

[Dondasch]

"Alright" Rilele proceeds to walk up to the man, and attempt to nick the contents of the mentioned pocket without him noticing.

Rilele's gonna take 10 on the Sleight of Hand check. She has a +12 base, so that's a 22, hopefully enough to beat the man's drug-addled Perception check.

[Nettlekid]

The man is still screaming and flailing, and while Rilele is able to frisk him without him stopping her, it's likely someone will have heard the noise he's still making. The contraption Rilele removes is very out-of-place coming from this person. It's a small metal sphere with tessellated plating, and a tightly woven bundle which seem to unravel into tendrils or cables.

There's the clatter of a bottle on the ground, and two other ragged onlookers, one man and one woman, emerge from an alley a few feet down. Eyes half-lidded, they approach curiously.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo can't help herself. She peers curiously at the object Rilele retrieved. "What in the world is that?", she says softly to her two companions.

Seeing a couple of others approaching, she gestures to Rilele and Remina. "We've got company. One of them might lead us to a dealer."

Not sure which one to use (arcana?), but assuming it's not architecture/dungeoneering/geography/nobility, the check is at +10, so: [roll0]

[Dondasch]

"I haven't a clue what it is, unfortunately."

Rilele turns to glance at the newcomers.

"Do you think we should tail them or talk to them?"

[Gabrosin]

"They've seen us. May as well talk to them, see what they know. They look more coherent than this poor soul."

[Nettlekid]

You do not identify the spherical device, but it seems quite alien and not based on arcane algorithms.

The shambling onlookers have gotten closer, and you can see that they're panting, as though out of breath. The man by you is also struggling and panting. You can see his veins throbbing under his skin.

[Dycize]

"Um... Well if we wanted to find some people looks like we found them. We should try talking to them yep."

[Gabrosin]

Seeing neither of her companions engaging with the two shamblers, Shimo steps forward. "You two! Do you know this man? He is unwell." She mutters under her breath, "And you two don't look so hot yourselves."

[Nettlekid]

The woman takes a few more steps forward, her eyes darting to the old man, the vial Shimo holds, and the sphere in Rilele's hand.
"Th-they knowwww..." she says in a shaky voice. "H-he won't, won't let us, he'll make us take-"
"Not if we, if we, if we first-" the man reassures, before lunging furiously at Rilele. He's holding a jagged, rusted piece of metal as an improvised dagger, but between the difficulty of wielding it and Rilele's armor, the strike is ineffective. The woman, a little less sure, picks up a broken bottle from the alley to use as a weapon.

[Dondasch]

"I have a better idea. Why don't you tell us about what's going on, and we'll protect you from 'him'?" Rilele replies, subtly moving her hands. She defends herself, but takes care not to make any threatening movements.

Rilele is casting heightened charm person on the woman. If Shimo and/or Remina counts as threatening her, she gets a +5 on her saving throw (DC 16).
Rolling for maneuvers (this round and next): [roll0], [roll1], [roll2]

[Gabrosin]

Shimo, seeing the two grabbing for weapons, instinctively drops into a fighting crouch. Kotoni's words echo in her ears: she is to be an observer, not a participant. With an effort, she relaxes and steps back a few feet, hoping to let Rilele calm them. Rilele's words carry a strange inflection to them, infused with magic Shimo has only heard about in stories.

Shimo steps back from the two and takes the total defense action (+4 dodge bonus to AC). Spellcraft check to identify Rilele's spell: [roll0]

[Nettlekid]

Rilele can feel her spell take hold, and see it too as the woman lowers the broken bottle.
"May-maybe we should..."
The man lowers his guard in front of Rilele, looking back to the woman. He's shaking, and his veins are throbbing, as are those of the old man now in a heap.
"Shut up! Shut up! We, we don't have the time! We need more of the Surprise, we, we, we, I'll, I'll pop, I'll blow up, I need the Surprise so I don't blow up!" he rattles.

[Dycize]

Are they really going to ?...
Remina nods lightly at Rilele and Shimo, then speaks up, making calming gestures with her hands.
"It's OK sir! We'll help you, so just calm down and tell us what's happening and we'll help you make it fine!"

[Dondasch]

"Is this the Surprise?" Rilele says, offering the contraption she had stolen to the man. "Or perhaps the vial my companion has? We'll give them to you if you explain what's happening."

Rilele is going to try and make a Diplomacy roll, if it's allowed.
[roll0]

[Nettlekid]

The man recoils from the orb, more out of instinct that proper thought.
"No, no, that! That!" he hisses, pointing with a crooked finger at the vial of pale green liquid.
"I need it, I need it, more and more! Too much flesh, he grew it, it grew and grew! We need the Surprise to carve away the flesh!! LOOK!"

The older man who was flailing on the ground is now on his feet. His veins are bulging, and there's a palpable heat coming off of him as he sweats. Most disturbingly though, as you see his veins writhing under his skin, his muscles begin to swell. He's stooped over by the increase in his body size, and without another word he makes a swipe at Rilele. His hulkish fist connects, dealing 6 damage to her.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo stashes the vial she's holding in a pouch at her waist, leaving her hands free. She witnesses the old man's transformation into a mindless brute with astonishment. "I... I think there's more going on here than we realize." She searches through her options, looking warily at the other two addicts, worrying they might transform the same way. "We should subdue him if we can, take him to a healer, somewhere he can get help."

So.... initiative?

[Nettlekid]

Everyone's just free to take a turn, now. Ended up making a map. The NPCs are Old Man, Man, and Woman. The medium gray squares are buildings, and the dark gray are like trash cans and debris and other clutter.
Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/129dIrO1QQp_8qzj-x8qd_edHc-0LByjo8gcFLpIZw1o/edit?usp=sharing)

[Dycize]

"Eep!"
Seeing the man turning violent, Remina instinctively steps back, then attempts to cast Grease under the hulking old man.

So let's start this with the long awaited faceplant roll. 20 or less means Remina miserably meets the ground rather than doing anything else productive.
[roll0]
If it doesn't happen, 5ft step south, then casting extended Grease (DC Reflex 15, duration of 10 rounds) on the defensive under the OM.
Concentration roll vs 15 :
[roll1]

[Dondasch]

Rilele fails to dodge the attack, caught off guard by the man's speed. "You really shouldn't do that." Rilele says, an edge of menace creeping into her voice as she moves her hands subtly.

Standard action to defensively cast heightened vision of entropy on the old man, using Sleight of Hand to conceal the casting. He must make a DC 17 Will save each round for the next 5 rounds or be subjected to an intensifying fear effect (shaken->frightened->panicked->1 hour of unconsciousness). Making a save does not end this spell, it merely prevents the fear from intensifying on that round.
Perform check to cast defensively: [roll0] (Melodic Casting allows this substitution)
Sleight of Hand check to conceal spellcasting: [roll1]

[Gabrosin]

Shimo thinks to herself, I don't think Kotoni's instruction to be a spectator covered... whatever this is. But I will try to adhere to it as long as I can. Still... I can find ways to help.

Shimo will defensively cast Expeditious Retreat on herself, then retreat 30', away from all three addicts.
Concentration: [roll0]

[Nettlekid]

The old man's skin is blistering and swelling, with sweat and pus trapped under the skin as the muscle starts to break. By the skin of his teeth he manages to remain standing on the Greasey floor, but the daunted look in his eyes shows that he fell victim to the first stage of fear. Stumbling over he slides out of the greasy patch, and this time directs a flailing swing at Remina. The blow lands easily, and she also takes 6 damage. The man's breath is ragged, and the man and woman both back away.

Wow, he kept rolling exactly what he needed to. He got a 16 on the Reflex save, then failed against being Shaken, then got a 12 (down to 10) on the Balance.

[Dondasch]

Seeing the man and woman back away, Rilele elects to do the same. She then begins an attack on the old man; he looked to be to far gone to help.


Move action to L11, provoking an AoO from the old man.
Swift action to cast spectral weapon, creating a +1 glaive that makes touch attacks. The enemy gets a DC 17 Will save upon first being struck; if it succeeds, it takes only half damage from the weapon for this casting.
Standard action to initiate vanguard strike against the old man. If [roll0] hits, her allies gains a +4 bonus on attack rolls against him for one round, and he takes [roll1] slashing damage.
Free action to cast launch bolt on the old man. If [roll2] hits (plus an extra +4 if vanguard strike lands), he takes [roll3] piercing damage.
Roll for maneuver: [roll4]

[Gabrosin]

Seeing her companions under attack, Shimo attempts to disable the brute which was once an old man. With a low intonation, she gestures her hand, causing a wall of smoke to envelop the man, making sure it does not affect her allies.

Shimo casts Wall of Smoke, opting for just a single 10' patch, angled so that only the brute is inside of it. He must make a DC 16 Fortitude save or be nauseated for one round (unable to take any actions other than a single move). Anyone passing through the wall must make this check; creatures on opposite sides of the wall have concealment from each other; the wall will last for five rounds and does not move.

[Dycize]

"Aaah! Ow! What is wrong with that thing?! How can we stop him now?..."
Reeling, Remina steps back again, this time opting to cast a Mage Armor spell.
She then swings her arm out, sending a small ball of acid towards the Old Man, aiming at the pus at his muscles, maybe it could have an effect?...

5tf step to the south again.
Casting Extended Mage Armor (+4AC, duration of 10 hours), then Acid Splash at the OM.
Acid Splash's ranged touch attack : [roll0]
If it hits, damage : [roll1] (+4 from Insightful Spell (Conjuration))

[Nettlekid]

First Rilele's phantom glaive cuts deep into the man's flesh, shaving off the abnormally growing muscle in a bloody mess, followed by her sinking an arrow into the wound. The man staggers through Shimo's veil of smoke, and begins retching. He's toppled to the ground as Remina's acid sprays over him, flesh melting in the acid. The younger man and woman's eyes widen in shock. The old man is on the ground for now, his breathing irregular and his body still convulsing. Even now, although the wounds aren't properly healing, they're being overtaken by new muscle.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo gapes a little as she sees the man regenerate, or something, from the acid melting his skin. "What is causing this? The drug? Maybe that device we found on him?" Shimo moves towards Rilele, staying just out of the arc of her swing, preparing to take the device from Rilele when she had an opportunity.

Shimo will move closer to Rilele and recover Wall of Smoke. And try to figure out what the hell will keep this guy down.

[Dondasch]

"I don't know, but there's definitely more going on than just some drug." Rilele replies, swinging and shooting again.

Standard action to attack the old man. If [roll0] hits, he takes [roll1] slashing damage.
Free action to cast launch bolt on the old man. If [roll2] hits, he takes [roll3] piercing damage.
Roll for maneuver: [roll4]

[Nettlekid]

Rilele's swing and shot cut into the downed man, who isn't in much of a position to dodge. The man convulses, blood bursting from the excessive body mass, before finally resting still. Steam still rises from his corpse.

"Y...You killed him..." the woman gasps, taking a fearful step back.
"That-that, he, he-that's not, he's safe now, we're safe, that's not bad..." the man stammers. He turns to face Remina. "You, you made, what was that? The green, it looks, it looked like Surprise. Can you make it? Can you make surprise?!" he stares at you, wide-eyed.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo kneels down to inspect the creature that was once an unfortunate old man. She knows he underwent a transformation, but what triggered it, or how it worked, she couldn't fathom. With her back to the other two addicts, she looks up at Remina, giving her a brief nod, thinking that the other two might be more talkative and cooperative if they believed they could get their drug from us.

Would Shimo be able to make a relevant knowledge check, or perhaps a Lore check, to learn more about this transmutation and what triggered it?

[Nettlekid]

It's difficult to say what happened. The man is still definitely humanoid, though perhaps a little monstrous. It's not that his anatomy has been substantially altered, it's more like something hormonal made him go through muscle growth and rapid healing. His flesh is boiling hot though, and in some places he's actually sustained substantial burns from his own body heat. It's unknown what would have happened if he'd been allowed to simply keep growing, but he might have burned himself up.

[Dycize]

Remina couldn't help but let her mouth stay wide open as the man dies off... Messily. Her shadow silently cackles at the scene.
What is going on with that drug?! How come the guards didn't know about THAT?!
She blinks, then snaps back to attention as Shimo investigates the body closer and looks to her.
She turns to the man and woman next, they also look rightfully shaken... She tries to smile in a manner to ease them, even if just a bit.
"Well I can definitely make the green, but say, how does it feel when you take the Surprise?"
I hope I won't have to feed acid to people... Even if it saves them.
She turns her head quickly to Rilele.
"Want me to take a magical look at the bottle?"
Then back to the couple, awaiting their answer.

[Dondasch]

"I am sorry." Rilele says, addressing the woman more than anyone else. "From what had been said, he was going to explode, and that was confirmed when you two backed away. I did not have the time to try and think of another way."

[Gabrosin]

Shimo finishes her examination of the corpse. She turns and glances at the other two addicts. "If you needed to get more Surprise... where would you go? Who would make it for you?"

[Nettlekid]

"If it starts, it doesn't stop..." the man mutters. "You start and then you go and you go and you blow up..."
"The Surprise can keep it at bay...it slows it, but not long enough...He didn't have enough..." the woman frets.

The man looks to Shimo at the question. "The Good Doctor has it for us...He doesn't make it, he doesn't know how, but he gets it from the ships...He sells it cheap, tells us we need more and more...We do, we do need more and more...You should speak to him, we'll go, we'll go talk to the Good Doctor."

Do you want to do anything with the pus-filled muscular corpse? You can do that before this next part.

The two shambling vagabonds lead you into the allies and through the back streets. You're well in the cover of darkness by now, and there are very few people on the streets. You eventually come to a crooked building with breaking bricks. The windowfront features a number of peculiar herbs and plants, marking this as an apothecary of sorts. A hanging iron banner of a carved cauldron marks this as Night Haggle.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo takes one more look at the corpse. I suppose we can't just leave him in the middle of the alley like that, she thinks, but we don't have time to alert anyone about him. I suppose this will have to do. She carefully steps over to one side, into a small pile of rubbish, then with a whispered word, she swaps positions with the body. Using what she can find, she covers up the old man as respectfully as she can (for someone hiding a corpse in a pile of alley trash).

On arrival at the Night Haggle, Shimo prepares herself, expecting that the "Good Doctor" isn't likely to live up to his name.

Benign Transposition to move the body, activating Prestidigitation and Eyes of the Avoral just before arriving at the Night Haggle.

[Dondasch]

Rilele follows quietly, her thoughts occupied by the strange turn of events.

"Shall we go in?"

[Dycize]

"Ah, just a couple seconds."
Remina proceeds to put her hands in front of her, palms out, checking at the man's remains and the Surprise.

Using Detect Magic (from Warlock) on both the old man's body and the Surprise, that just doesn't seem very natural! If there's any noteworthy auras to detect, I'll make the spellcraft rolls separate on the OOC thread to check what it might be.

Once she is done, she proceeds with the party to the "good doctor" at the Night Haggle.

[Nettlekid]

Concerned about the nature of this mission and recognizing that a modicum of deception is in order for getting to the bottom of this unexpectedly mysterious situation, Rilele decides that her magical song is too conspicuous and recognizable as a guild member, and so returns to the Wander Inn to enlist a more covert operative. She finds the perfect substitute in the form of Xalryn, and informs him about the nature of the mission so far: That the job is to apprehend sellers of a drug and oversee their trial, but that when they spoke to an addict he hulked out and went on a rampage. Following two more addicts, the party is now on their way to an apothecary called Night Haggle where the addicts say they get the drug. Rilele requests that Xalryn take her place in the misson, unsure if she'll be able to carry the party through at this time.

Oh, and regarding Detect Magic, the Surprise registers as nonmagical and the old man's body registers as moderate Transmutation.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall Deegan meets Remina and Shimo at the Night Haggle. He emerges from an alleyway nearby, pulling his hood back to reveal his face before covering it again. His movements suggest he knew exactly where they were even before seeing them.


"The Inn said you needed a third."

He spends a few look seconds giving a terse, studyng gaze to the two drug addicts that have lead them here. His eyes eventually drift from them to the building they've been lead to. He reads the sign, scans the windows and door, takes a deep breath, and then seems to look through the wall for a moment.

Sense Motives on the two drug addicts.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Followed by [roll2] on the building to look for anything out of the ordinary and to see if it is locked up or still apparently occupied.

Then, using his 30' blindsense to try to notice anything beyond the obvious, like the presence of someone hiding inside.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo turns impassively to the newcomer. "You are not Rilele." She pauses a moment, letting the obviousness of the statement hang in the air, before continuing. "I suppose you've been told what we discovered so far? Either this drug or this... contraption... was able to turn an old man into a dangerous beast. These two say that inside is the person supplying the drug." Shimo decides to end the summary there, and walks up to the door, opening it and looking in.

[AdamSmasher]

"She's indisposed. I got the summary, I saw the blood. Let me see the vial."

When Shimo approaches the door, Conall reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder. He just shakes his head, completing his scan of the shop.

Speaking of, Conall probably found the site of the fight. What did the blood smell like?

[Nettlekid]

Regarding Sense Motive, the two addicts seem shaken and dazed but not aggressive in any way.

Looking at the building it looks like a normal storefront, not locked up, and you don't see any kind of fortifications or defenses that suggest anyone hiding inside are about to spring into action.

30 ft of Blindsense won't reach all the way into the back of the shop, but from the window you do see two figures moving inside.

The blood from the fight smelled foul and half-rotten even though it's fresh, but still human at its root. It's hard to get a good sense of it though, as lingering smells of acid sting your nose.

[AdamSmasher]

"Two inside." He takes his hand off of Shimo's shoulder.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo nods, not bothering to ask how the newcomer might know that. She gets the sense that he too is a person of few words, and he has an unsettling intensity to him. She fishes the vial and the contraption from the pouches at her waist and hands them over to Conall, pausing a moment for him to complete his inspection before taking them back. Then she opens the door to the Night Haggle and looks inside.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall takes the vial and contraption and holds them close to his face, taking another deep breath as he works them over in his hands.

[roll0]

Anything noteworthy the others didn't get? Maybe from scent?

Also, [roll1] to tell whether the two addicts will react aversely to what he's about to do.

Since it's nonmagical, Connall is going to use [roll2] to try and identify common plant ingredients and their effects that might give them clues.

"Hold on. Old mountain trick. Go ahead inside, if you want. I'll be here." He looks over at the two drug addicts. "Any danger in touching it?"

If not he opens the vial and wafts the scent towards his nose. If safe, he takes a more direct sniff. He then drips a drop of it in to the palm of his leather glove and watches for a reaction. Seeing none, he pulls off his other glove with his teeth and dips his pinky finger in the mixture. If this still yields nothing, he touches the dinger to his lip and eventually touches the lip with his tongue. It is a time-taking process that could be interrupted at any time.

Can't do text color on my phone.

[Nettlekid]

It's difficult to separate the smells since the acid is overpowering and stings, but you can tell that under a common acid base (the kind found left over from an Acid Splash for instance) there are several different herbs and chemicals that are dissolved but not without their potency. Specifically you detect a bit of Sassone leaf and Yew tree bark, but the primary addition is something you've never seen.

The addicts don't make a strong reaction when you smell the vial, but they seem to be restraining themselves from reaction when you spill a little.

It doesn't harm you when you smell it, though it irritates your nasal membrane when you take the deeper sniff and you bleed just a little (no damage.) When you drip it on your glove the leather does not react to it, which is strange because you would think that the acid should have an effect on the leather. Normal acid would.

Dipping your finger in it proves to be a mistake. Immediately the mixture starts frothing and spitting, and there's a shooting pain in your hand as your skin starts melting away. Over the course of three rounds you take a total of 12 Acid damage, as the contents of the vial are drawn into your bloodstream at a surprising speed. Perhaps more frightening though is the haze you feel coming over you, clouding your mind and shielding it from the brunt of the pain which is causing your muscles to scream and your bones to feel too weak to hold your weight. When you first touched the Surprise you take 4 Con damage, and one minute later you take an additional 3.


Shimo can see two people behind the counter. Both male, young adults, fairly thin but decently muscular. They look over to her as the door hits a little bell, signalling an entrance.
"Boy, it's pretty late to be getting a customer," one of them remarks unenthusiastically. "Welcome to Night Haggle, emporium for tonics, tinctures, ointments, and potions. You have a problem, we have a solution or a precipitate. What're you looking for, something to boost muscle mass or stamina? Healing potion? Spell concentration incense? Fertility potion? Infertility potion? What can I get for ya?"

[AdamSmasher]

Conall clenches his teeth and violently slings his hand down towards the earth to throw off the acid from his finger and into the ground, but it's not enough. He promptly stoppers the vial with the rest of the foul concoction and paces in place, trying desperately not to make a sound as his finger melts.

After a moment, he sits down on the dirt road and rests against the side of a building that isn't the Night Haggle. With a wave of his hand and a whisper, he starts the healing process with a Lesser Vigor, watching his finger repair.

Whatever this was, it had him, too.

[Dycize]

"Oh, hello! Nice to have you with us."
Said Remina when Conall arrived.
She then entered, following Shimo inside. She lightly steps next to her after the men greet them.
"Hello, we heard you had an interesting selection and it seems we heard right! We're looking for some good stimulants, do you have a recomendation?"

Rolling a bluff check to keep acting natural.
[roll0]

[Nettlekid]

"Stimulants? I mean yeah, we got 'em. You want something to keep you up for a long time, or you want something to give you a jolt all at once? We've got some stuff to keep you awake, some stuff that'll keep you alert...this might be what you want. Not callin' them Redflower Leaves, just sayin', they may be leaves that came from a red flower. Good for focus, great for hitting a target. They usually go for 300 gold a dose but hey, you're cute, I'll give 'em to you for 150 if you promise to stop by when you need a refill."

[Dycize]

Remina lightly giggles at the remark about being cute.
"Half off? Sounds like a nice deal! I'm pretty tempted to get one! But I don't think I've heard of redflower leaves before, is there something wrong with those?"

[Nettlekid]

"Well some folks, like the city watch, don't take kindly to purveyors of Redflower Leaves in city limits. It's a good thing these aren't those, and no one can prove otherwise. How many batches can I put you down for?"
While this one man at the counter discusses the herb, the other to the side leans back against the shelves and looks over the group.
"A pretty big bunch of you together, so late at night," he remarks. "And if I had to guess by your shoes and cloaks, you haven't been in this area of the city that often. You didn't come all this way for a simple 'stimulant,' did you? Who did you say you were with?"

[Gabrosin]

Shimo keeps her hands at her sides and her eyes open, as the two men seem to grow more suspicious. She's content to let Remina continue to work them for information, but a curiosity strikes her and she finds herself speaking before she considers whether or not she should. "Do you carry anything that would counteract the effects of a debilitating poison once it has taken hold?"

[AdamSmasher]

Conall is outside, out of sight, and eavesdropping while he tries not to melt.

Assuming he can [roll0] everything, here's a [roll1] to pick up on anything important beyond the two obvious narcs getting made by the two obvious drug dealers. Like maybe warn of a violent attack.

Conall winces at the lack of grace in the little ploy Shimo and Remina are trying to pull. He is not one for words but he is certain he could have done better if he didn't look the spitting image of a watchman himself.

[Nettlekid]

"Poison? Well let's see, curing it after the fact is a little harder than just avoiding it in the first place. We have Antitoxin if you think you're going to be poisoned, Potions of Delay Poison if you know you're going to be, or Potions of Neutralize Poison if you just have been. We also have a good stock of Keoghtom's Ointment, which is handy and versatile. Of course for most poisons, once set in they've attacked your muscles and nerves, and just stopping the poison doesn't fix that. We do have Potions of Lesser Restoration, or the full powered Potion of Restoration. High class item, which would do what you want and more," the first guy at the counter rattles off.
"That doesn't exactly answer my question," the second guy remarks, stepping to the side and closer to the counter.

[AdamSmasher]

Nettle, I just realized Conall could (and would) have used Instant of Power for a +4 bonus to his save against both poisonings. Would that have helped?

[Nettlekid]

Nettle, I just realized Conall could (and would) have used Instant of Power for a +4 bonus to his save against both poisonings. Would that have helped?

No, the rolls were quite low as I mentioned, and the DC quite high. Thanks for mentioning that though, I'll take that into consideration in future rolls.

[Dycize]

Remina pouts.
"Mumuh~ What's with that? I just got some magic exams coming up, I don't have all my time to go out and I wanted something good to help with that. And my friend here's got some issues in her family... I don't know the details but you know, she can't really find a good doctor for that... So she's tagging along with me here."

[Nettlekid]

Was that a Bluff check to pass over secret information?
"Magic focus, hmm...Well, if you draw from the magic of gods or nature, there's the standard Incense of Meditation, good for picking up spellpower. Since you're using it just for a test, the fact that it lasts only a day shouldn't be too bad. Then again, you don't strike me as a lady of the cloth. Well, we do have some specially prepared herbs that come from the far east, from the land of the deathless Elves. They use them for their voodoo juju, or whatever manure that is. But they'll focus your eyes and your mind for about ten minutes after taking them. Just know, they're pretty strong going down. Don't take them if you have a weak stomach."

[AdamSmasher]

How long would it take Conall to hop over to The Inn and back for some healing?

[Gabrosin]

Whelp, here goes I guess. Bluff: [roll0]

Shimo sees the second man staring at her suspiciously, and knows she has to come up with a plausible tale or they'll be busted. "It's my younger brother. He's always had issues, but nothing like this. He's bedridden back at our parents' house... all he would say is that he 'tried the wrong thing' and now he's feeling awful. He's the sort that's always searching for the next high... I figure he got a bad batch of whatever he tried, and now he needs me to fix it for him. All he would tell me was that the thing he tried was green. I know that doesn't give you much to work with, but he told me this shop would have what he needed, so here I am. My friend here had to show me the way." Shimo looks the man right in the eyes, her voice steady behind her facewrap, awaiting his response.

[Nettlekid]

"The thing he tried was green? Yeah, most plants are," the second merchant sneers. "If you need poison healed, then like he said, we've got a potion for that. If you need something stronger like a Panacea, try the church or hire a mage from the Wander Inn. You said he got it from here, and your friend guided you. How did your friend," he looks over to Remina, "know where 'here' was? I don't recognize you from our usual consumers. They're pretty memorable."
"In any case," the first merchant interjects, "We really wouldn't be able to help you unless we have a little more information. The name, or a sample, I dunno. A lot comes through here, either repurposed products, imports, or the Good Doctor's own alchemixtures. It's not exactly a narrow field."

[Gabrosin]

Shimo glares coolly at the second merchant, unperturbed by his condescension. She turns slightly to the first merchant. "He wouldn't tell me what it was, just that it was a green liquid. He kept saying it was a 'surprise', which I guess makes sense, if he had never tried it before." Shimo pauses a moment, attempting to pitch her voice with concern. "I don't want to bring back something at random and have it not work... I won't be able to afford to try cure after cure on him. You mentioned a doctor? If neither of you recognize what he took, then maybe he or she could help figure it out?"

[Nettlekid]

The second clerk scratches his face.
"Ah, that makes a little more sense. If your brother...well, not that he got it from here, but if he had gotten some, it might have...Eugh, you'd better speak with the doctor directly. One moment."
He disappears through a door in the back of the room, and you hear his footsteps fade down a hall. He's gone for about three minutes, and then reappears.
"Yeah, alright, if you're coming about that, the Good Doctor wants a word with you in person. Come on, down the end of the hall and to the left."

[Gabrosin]

Shimo nods, growing wary but trying not to let it show. "Thank you... I hope the doctor can help me." She walks down the hall following the indicated directions, not sure what to expect.

[AdamSmasher]

Hearing the clerk move on to the back room, Conall follows from outside, trying to find where this Good Doctor resides.

[roll0], plus possible Camouflage bonus?
[roll1]

Plus blindsense 30'

[Dycize]

Remina does a little nod to Shimo.
"Good luck, I hope it'll work out for you."
She turns back to the other cashier once they are gone.
"Oh, can you tell me more about that last one? It sounds like it could be a nice fit too. How strong is it? I don't think my stomach's exactly weak but if I end up sick that wouldn't be too good, hmm..."

[Nettlekid]

The second clerk escorts Shimo down the hall and opens the door for her. The room is wide but largely barren save for several crates lining the walls, and a table in the center. At the table sits an unusually dressed man, wearing a loose-fitting maroon suit, an untied tie, and a tall top hat with feathers on it. He's striking a not-entirely-successful blend between businessman and witch doctor. He smirks as Shimo enters, and once she steps foot into the room, the door closes behind her abruptly. The Good Doctor stands.
"So this is the little lady who's been snooping around, knowing more than she tells and lying to the face of my dear employees?" the Good Doctor remarks. "My dear, playing dumb only really works if you're actually exceptionally clever. As you're standing here, I think we both know where you lie on that line. Now, the question is who you're representing...You're certainly not of the city guard...Not with the Wander Inn, I keep profiles on even the newest members...I doubt you represent a local competitor, but maybe someone in a different city? Someone looking to interfere with my cargo? Well, I'll know soon enough. An alchemagician knows how to draw the truth out in one way or another. So yes, that is to say, shoot but not to kill."

A pair of thugs hidden behind the stacked crates lean out from cover, and each fires a bolt from a light crossbow. One goes wide, but the other catches Shimo in the leg and deals 10 damage, thanks to the surprise attack. Each goon takes the time to reload, while the Good Doctor still stands smiling.



"Well the eastern Elves call it Mordrei'in, which translates to...I don't know. You're not meant to have them raw, but if you prepare them then they'll focus your eyes and your head for about ten minutes. When prepared like that it's only about as toxic as Tiny Monstrous Scorpion venom, and even easier to fight off. Take an Antitoxin before you down it and you'll barely notice it," the shopkeeper advises.

[Nettlekid]

Here's the Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/129dIrO1QQp_8qzj-x8qd_edHc-0LByjo8gcFLpIZw1o/edit#gid=0)

Each person is their speech color. The red squares outside are the vagabond couple. Each gray square is one of the Rogues working here, while the purple is the Good Doctor. The dark brown in a waist-high table he was sitting at. The light beige square are boxes about five feet up, while the darker beige are stacked ten feet tall. They're crates made of sturdy wood and could hold your weight if you can get up and balance on them. The Rogues were hiding at F5 and F9. There are doors in the hall which lead elsewhere, but you don't know what the rooms look like.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo follows the clerk into the indicated room. Finally, we can get some answers. She sees the interestingly-dressed man sitting at the table, monologuing, and hears the door slam shut behind her. Well... crap. Then the sting of a crossbow bolt in her leg, as the trap is sprung before she can react.

Something about the Doctor's monologue rings in Shimo's head as she processes the situation. He doesn't know who I am, or why I'm here. I can use that. She takes a split second to record the features of the room in her mind, using the memorization tricks that Master Adresin had drilled into her while she studied. Then she narrows her eyes and responds coldly, "Two-Ton Tanis of Mursina sends his regards." With a swift bark of command, she flicks her wrist to her left and plunges most of the room into darkness. Another gesture, another word, and she conjures a wall of smoke between herself and the ambushers, and then she's off, moving to her right, around the edge of the wall, towards the only area of the room where faint illumination remains, moving as silently as she's able and pulling herself quietly up onto one of the crates.


As a free action, Shimo (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=571417) casts No Light (20' radius centered on the vertex where G9 meets H10, duration: 4 minutes), which creates an area of magical darkness which normal light sources cannot illuminate, extending as far up as row 5 but leaving light in row 4. As a standard action, she casts Wall of Smoke (duration: 4 rounds, Fortitude save DC 17 (10 + 5 Int + 1 Spell Focus + 1 level)) covering the eight squares from H6 to I9, ensuring enough space to squeeze between the edge of the smoke wall and the crate in J5 with her move. Anyone passing through the wall must save to avoid being nauseated for one round. Shimo will move silently (K6 -> J6 -> I5 -> H4 -> G4) and climb on top of the crate, if possible. She takes a -5 penalty to her Stealth check for moving at greater than half her speed.

Rolls:
Stealth at -5: [roll0]
Acrobatics (if required to climb): [roll1]
Judging by the climb skill, the most likely DC is 15, for "pulling yourself up while dangling by your hands", though the crate is low enough that it might be less, or not required at all. If the movement is too far to get there and climb in one round, then Shimo will try to jump it instead (Acrobatics DC 20 for a high jump of 5').

[Nettlekid]

Plunged into darkness, the two Rogues stagger forward in an attempt to find Shimo. Unaware of the hazardous smoke cloud they stumble right into it, and not the hardiest of lackeys they begin coughing. One reaches the opposite wall, groping in the dark, while a clatter suggests that the other tried similar and ended up running into the boxes stacked opposite him, toppling them over.

The Good Doctor on the other hand isn't quite as brave as to rush toward his opponent in the dark, and so he recoils from where he stands and takes a step back, which brings him out of the darkness. Keen of ear, he catches the creak as Shimo hops up onto the box at the top of the room, and notices her through the cracks.
"Two-Ton Tanis?" he asks skeptically. "Usually if you give your henchmen a name to boast, it's one that your target is meant to know!"
He slips his hand into his coat pocket and whips out a thin vial of bright orange liquid, hurling it at the crates. Between the flickering darkness blocking his direct line of sight and the cover the boxes provide, the vial shattering makes a small spray which only deals a single point of Fire damage to Shimo. Hot liquid drips down the side of the box that it hit.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall keeps his ears open, possibly intercepting the sounds of battle.

[roll0]

[Gabrosin]

Shimo's covered mouth curls into a frown. Her foot had clumsily banged against the top of the crate as she climbed up, and now her ideal hiding spot was compromised. She flinches back as a small spatter of burning liquid gets through the stacked crates. She spots the Doctor as he stays out of the patch of darkness, and is half-tempted to blast him, but she knows it would be better to try to take him alive, and besides... he's still got allies in the room. Plan B, then. Shimo mutters another spell quietly, bestowing upon herself the strength of a bull, the grace of a cat, and the endurance of a bear... at least for a few minutes. Then she silently slips off the crate again and moves along the wall, crouching next to another crate stack. Sometimes giving away a false position can be as effective as not being seen at all.


Shimo (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=571417) casts animalistic power (duration: 4 minutes) on herself, granting her +4 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution (thanks to her feat Ability Enhancer). Her new values (AC +2, HP +10, dagger/sleeveblade attack/damage +2, physical skills +2, etc.) are now reflected on her sheet. She also casts prestidigitation (duration: 1 hour) on herself as a free action. She then moves silently 15' (half-speed, no penalty) to hide in J4, attempting to squeeze as far into the lower-right corner of the square so as to make herself difficult to see for anyone not in row 4. (As an additional note, she is not in Punishing Stance, as she doesn't want to take the AC penalty right now.)

Stealth: [roll0]

[Nettlekid]

The Good Doctor scowls, but his expression changes as he glances back to the boxes he had struck. He bites down hard on his own tooth, then reaches into his pocket again and this time draws out only a small flap of fabric and leather which he fastens to his own face. No sooner has he done this that there's a splutter, and a thick black smoke bursts out from the top of the crate.
"Oh dear, I was hoping not to dip into the stock," the doctor mutters, muffled by his mask. "Our friends the Yuan-Ti aren't the most generous. And it looks like more than one just got set off. I wonder what it will do now."

The thick black cloud is propelled almost explosively, immediately filling the room and beginning to seep under the door. Shimo's fortitude surges (nat 20!) against this initial onslaught and she does not feel any immediate effects, but if she continues to breathe it then there will be trouble. What's more, the smoke has completely clouded the room, leaving it difficult to navigate.

While the production of this gas was much more of a *whoosh* than an explosion, and so Conall still does not hear anything, his Scent catches something strong, acrid, and extremely foreign. Remina can see tendrils of smoke beginning to creep down the hallway.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo fights the urge to gasp as the noxious fumes rapidly fill the room. Instead she holds onto the air already in her lungs, thankful for the facewrap that protects her nose and mouth from harmful vapors. Still, it can only do so much, and unable to see much of anything in all the smoke and darkness, she knows she needs to buy herself more time. The smoke was sure to hamper the Doctor and his henchmen too, if she could wait them out.

Yuan-ti, the Doctor said! Valuable information, and a moment of inspiration for Shimo as well. The more powerful versions of that scaly form were beyond her abilities, but a similar reptile... yes, that was just what she needed. She sends a silent thought of thanks to Master Adresin for all those long days he forced her to study Storm Keep's ancient bestiaries, the many hours he spent quizzing her and testing her to take control of her own form. She speaks and gestures again, trying to let out as little air as possible, and braces herself for the change. Her skin thickens uncomfortably into dull gray scales, and she remembers just in time to adjust her pants to allow the tail to emerge from her backside without tearing them. She stays in her crouch warily, balance aided by her new tail, and listens closely for hints as to the status of the Doctor and his goons.


As a standard action, Shimo casts alter self to assume the form of a lizardfolk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lizardfolk.htm), opting for a form similar to her own in height and weight, save for the added weight of the tail, with dull gray scales. She takes advantage of the lizardfolk's hold breath (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040518a) ability, granting her an impressive 64 rounds before she needs to breath again. Incidentally, she also gains +5 natural armor, two 1d4 claw attacks, and some racial skill bonuses (Balance/Jump/Swim +4, though if I have to use the last one in this fight something went very wrong). Her sheet has been updated to reflect the use of the spell and the natural armor bonus; I'll leave the rest of it off unless it becomes relevant.

Huddling in a corner trying not to breathe... this is not exactly how I expected this combat to go. :smallsmile:

[Gabrosin]

Shimo remains in her crouch in the corner, holding her breath as the smoke clouds the room. The Doctor may believe me dead, depending on what that gas is, she thinks as she considers her options. Unless he can see through smoke, he'll have a hard time finding me. Unless he's immune to this, he'll have to open the door before long. She waits for several seconds, alert for any movement in front of her or any further events in the room.


Shimo intends to spend the next three rounds recovering her expended spells and reforming them via Adaptive Style. Her new spell loadout will be Icelance, Ice Darts, Lesser Orb of Cold, Expeditious Retreat, (Alter Self), and (Wall of Smoke), with bonus spells of Icelance, Ice Darts, Lesser Orb of Cold, and Benign Transposition. The two spells in parentheses represent the spells she recovers in rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Her maneuvers remain unchanged. In the event that something puts her in danger before this is finished, or an enemy appears in her line of sight/effect, she'll stop recovering and possibly take another action, like moving or attacking.

I've left her sheet unchanged from present, pending how long she gets to recharge before something interrupts.

[AdamSmasher]

I'm going to bite.

As Conall rests beneath the window, a pungent odor reaches his nostrils. With a quick turn of his head and a searching sniff, he knows the smell is coming from inside the building. Knowing that Shimo is off alone with The Good Doctor they're hunting, caution and suspicion get the better of him. He stands up and casts another Lesser Vigor on himself before he opens the door and enters the shop, making a quick scan of its contents. His eyes immediately lock on to the tendrils of smoke creeping down the hall towards them, then on Remina, then on the two men in the room with them.

"I think you've got a fire in the back."

Does Conall see anything on the shelves possibly labeled Antitoxin or Restoration? Something that would help his current sickness? He only has 20 hit points total with this Con damage.

[Nettlekid]

Shimo continues to hold her breath in the smoke. She is not yet discovered, but doesn't hear much movement in the rest of the room.

The second, more suspicious merchant eyes Conall coming in.
"Nice to meet you too. I thought I saw some more movement out there. What, you keeping an eye out for someone else to show up? Anyway," he glances back to the hall, where a modicum of thin smoke hangs close to the ground, "of course there's a fire in the back. This is an apothecary. Half of what we sell is made in a bubbling cauldron, or distilled from some kind of a slurry. We've got a couple of stoves with a permanent Darsson's Fiery Furnace on 'em, but sometimes there's no substitute for old fashioned wood and tinder. Now what's the matter, you got a sick, drug addict little brother too?"

There are a few vials that are clearly Antitoxin, and many unlabeled potions. Antitoxin wouldn't help you though.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall reads the man's face for any clues about what's going on with that fire. He doesn't, for a second, think that that smell could come about so quickly from an ordinary cook fire. Inside the room, it is almost overpowering.

[roll0]

He gives a suspicious look between Remina and the shopkeep before turning his body away from the other mage. "No brothers, I'm sick." He reaches in to his pocket and pulls out the strange metal device that came with the Surprise just enough for the keeper to see it and Remina to not. The stress and sweat on his face from acid and toxin should be evidence enough of that.

[roll1]

[Nettlekid]

Conall reads the man's face for any clues about what's going on with that fire. He doesn't, for a second, think that that smell could come about so quickly from an ordinary cook fire. Inside the room, it is almost overpowering.

[roll0]

He gives a suspicious look between Remina and the shopkeep before turning his body away from the other mage. "No brothers, I'm sick." He reaches in to his pocket and pulls out the strange metal device that came with the Surprise just enough for the keeper to see it and Remina to not. The stress and sweat on his face from acid and toxin should be evidence enough of that.

[roll1]

Let's not get carried away with the descriptions. It's noticeable in the room, like odd incense, not overpowering. Also I'd like you to wait for the result of the Sense Motive before deciding what you do or don't believe. You might have reason to suspect otherwise for whatever reason, but had that Sense Motive been lower then the fire comment could have been valid, so just because you OoC know it to be a lie doesn't mean your character automatically disbelieves it.

The merchant has a good poker face and he came up with his explanation quickly, but Conall can detect that the merchant was a little surprised by the smoke when Conall pointed it out, like he hadn't been expecting it.

The merchant eyes the metal coil, which Conall doesn't manage to keep out of sight from all in the room. "Sick? Yeah, you look it. What did you do, kiss a Gelatinous Cube? If you want a Cure Light Wounds potion we've got it, or you could go to the church. We've got Remove Disease too if you don't want to explain to a Paladin how you got what you got. Speaking of what you got, why are you showing me that?" He gestures to the coil. "We don't do item appraisals."


In the back, Shimo continues to hold her breath and restore her spells.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall looks around the room again, pocketing the coin once more. "Uh... Do you have a Restoration?" He glances at Remina again. "Can we talk?"

[Dycize]

"Err, ah, yes, what is it?"
She moves closer to Conall, expecting bad news since he actually made his entry.

[Gabrosin]

Shimo notices the smoke beginning to clear. Not wanting to be seen, she slips around the corner of the crates to her left, moving into her patch of darkness in a crouch, feeling around on the ground to try to avoid the (probably) unconscious or dead bodies of the two thugs. She works her way quietly to the door and gives it a push, testing whether or not it will open. She draws forth the arcane thieves' tools from her suit's pocket, setting about trying to open the lock in the dark, relying on years of practice and muscle memory. Satisfied with her effort, she slips further into the room's darkness.

As the smoke begins to clear, Shimo will move from J4, around the crate in J5 and back to the entry door in J7, using her fingers to navigate along the wall until she finds the door. She'll test to see if it's still closed and locked; I've assumed that it is, or Shimo may have heard that change in the quiet room. If she's able to find a keyhole, she'll attempt to unlock it with an Open Lock check. She gains an additional +5 by sacrificing one of her first level spells (Lesser Orb of Cold). If she feels she's successfully picked the lock, she's going to leave the door closed and move silently around some more crates to get into J10, where she'll hide, recover her lost spell, dismiss her alter self transformation, and then dismiss her darkness spell and take a look around the room from her hiding position.

If the door was unlocked when she tested it, she'll close it again and stay in the room. If the door cannot be picked from this side (e.g. it's barred from the outside), she'll just proceed to J10 as above. If she can tell her lock pick check fails, she'll keep making attempts every other round while uninterrupted, recovering and expending the same spell in between. If she's interrupted during any of this, I'll adjust her actions.

Stealth: [roll0]
Open Lock: [roll1]

[Nettlekid]

I guess despite what I said in the OoC thread, I really ought to just fast-forward the smoke a little since the people conversing don't seem to be going anywhere with the conversation.

"Yeah, we have a few Restoration potions, both lesser and norm. Fun fact, if you find someone who focused on healing magic over all others, they can sometimes stuff a spell into a potion that a normal Cleric can't. Not the easiest thing to do," the first merchant remarks.
"That's not going to do much for sickness though," the second adds in, thinking on Conall's request. "If you're ailing as a result of being sick it'll sure patch you up for the time being, but you'll get worse again. It's Remove Disease you want, followed by a few days of bedrest or a Lesser Restoration if you just can't wait for it. Unless, of course, your sickness isn't a sickness."


It's been half a minute since the thick smoke burst, but it seems already to be settling. Something about it is unstable, it cakes onto the walls and clings to itself in the air until it flakes down like ash. Of course, Shimo can't really see the condition of the room, given that it is still bathed in No Light. As Shimo goes to the door in the back she trips over something long and stiff in the dark, and then again on the box in front of the door that one of the Rogues had knocked down. Getting to the door and testing it a little, she can tell that it's a simple bolt from the outside. She's able to slide a hook through the crack, around the bolt, and with a little effort wiggle it free to unlock the door.

Shimo clambers over the downed obstacles and returns to the corner to wait out her own darkness, looking into the cloud of shadow. It seems to grow. It spreads over the floor, and starts drifting against her eyes. No, it's her eyes themselves that are leaking darkness as the room balloons around her. Her vision blurs and her peripheral vision narrows as darkness spreads from outside to within. With her sight goes her stability, and her body relaxes into unconsciousness.

That secondary damage though. You made the save for both the initial and secondary damage from the Blue Whinnis poison that was on the Rogue's crossbow bolt, and the initial save for the Mixed Flaming Osssra Oils, but you were just shy of making the second save. Had you not held your breath you would have had to make five of each, of course, as you got a new dose each round.

[AdamSmasher]

I'm back. It looks like we had a miscommunication, as Conall was attempting to get one of the shopkeepers to talk privately. Not Remina.

But he's a bad actor, anyway, so HERE WE GO.

Conall stays quiet while the shopkeep talks, watching his eyes carefully to see where they go when he talks about Restoration potions.

[roll0]
[roll1]

"It's... I got Surprised. I need to see the doctor. Right now."

He makes moves to walk briskly in to the back of the shop. If one of the shopkeeps tries to physically stop him, he will punch them right in the face.

[Nettlekid]

I also thought you were trying to speak to Remina.

The merchant's eyes don't falter from Conall, though Conall can tell that he's doing so very much on purpose. As Conall goes around the counter and toward the hallway he pushes past the first merchant but the second blocks his way. Conall takes a swing at the flat-footed merchant, connecting with a crack and dealing a modicum of nonlethal damage. The second merchant is surprised by the force of the blow (he had been expecting something, but not quite that) but the first lashes out in retaliation. He looks like he's about to deliver a punch of his own, but at the last moment a spring-loaded blade pops out from his sleeve. He misses with the swing, however.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/129dIrO1QQp_8qzj-x8qd_edHc-0LByjo8gcFLpIZw1o/edit?usp=sharing)

[Gabrosin]

Shimo continues to be unconscious.

[AdamSmasher]

Catching the man flat-footed, Conall adds [roll0].

[roll1]?

[Dycize]

"Guess it had to come to this..."
Remina then proceeds to blast the merchant with the hidden blade using her eldritch energies, then throwing an acid splash at the one who got punched by Conall. She finally pulls out her sword, readying herself.

Curse roll : [roll0]
If 20 or less, then Remina meets the ground for this turn, otherwise, proceed to :
Standard action eldritch blast ranged touch attack : [roll1]
Damage roll : [roll2]
Then free acid splash ranged touch attack : [roll3]
Damage : [roll4]
Then taking her greatsword in her hands with a move action.

[Nettlekid]

Conall is good at delivering a low blow, but the merchant is more skilled at being ready to act at the drop of a hat. Though surprised, he uncannily dodges the worst of the strike, taking only a normal punch.

Remina's Eldritch Blast goes wide, crashing into the bottles behind the first merchant. Her acid attack is more accurate, but the other merchant ducks out of the way anyway.

The second merchant who had just been punched and narrowly dodged the acid attack steps closer to the counter and retrieves a light crossbow hidden under it. He whips it around and fires the bolt at Remina, though it misses by a mile and breaks through the window in the front of the shop. He then ducks down to a prone position, gaining cover from her behind the counter.

The first merchant meanwhile focuses on Conall, who he had just missed with his hidden blade. He takes another swing, but Conall dodges that one too.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall sidesteps the hidden blade, watching the merchant retrieve a crossbow and drop prone. His hunter's instincts kick in, causing him to follow the man and draw his greatsword. He turns the blade flat and bashes that merchant on top of the head. Unfortunately, the tip of his sword catches the countertop and bounces off harmlessly.

"Flank, Remina!"

5ft step after the merchant, aiming for best positioning to avoid being flanked himself. Nonlethal attack, his AC should be reduced because prone.

[roll0], [roll1]

[Dycize]

"Flanking, coming right up!"
With that said, Remina begins casting.
"Heavenly dogs, come to me!"
After which, she moves around the counter to greet the shooting merchant with some familiar liquid.

Casting Summon Monster 3 to call [url=http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dog.htm]celestial dogs.
They are summoned at positions (in order depending on result) : P16, M17, O17, L16 and last in P17.
The dogs also receive +4 to STR and CON from the Augment Summoning feat (+4 on bite attack roll, 1d4+3 damage and they all have 8HP total).
Summoned monsters duration : 5 rounds.
Remina moves in K17 then Acid Splash on the shooter.
Ranged Touch attack : 1d20+
Damage : [roll1]

[Nettlekid]

Thankful for Conall's poor swing, the second merchant takes a move action to reload the crossbow, and then stands from prone (both of these provoke an AoO from Conall) and steps closer to the wall. He keeps the bow half-trained on Remina with one hand, but Conall can see the glint of a hidden blade in his sleeve prepared to lash out. However, it's from behind that the first merchant's blade lashes out with vicious intent, but it catches in Conall's chain shirt.

[AdamSmasher]

Conall takes another swing at the prone man as he reloads his crossbow, then pursues him for a follow-up. His steps mirror the rogue's, carrying his momentum through like a coiled spring to be released with a horizontal swing of his greatsword.

"Yield, or I use the edge!"

[roll0], [roll1]
[roll2], [roll3]

If that AoO crit downs the cross-bow drug dealer, direct the second attack towards the other.

[AdamSmasher]

His downward swing on the prone rogue strikes hard. With a surge of primal magic, Conall's swing is fiercer.

[roll0], [roll1]

Instant of Power to add +4 damage to the damage roll, which should be multiplied by the crit if it succeeds. I added +8 above to reflect this.

[Nettlekid]

The second merchant is knocked cold by the weight of the flat of Conall's blade. The first merchant prepares to attack again, but at Conall's threat, he backs down and puts his hands up.
"What is it you even want?!" he scowls. "You come in here, you lie to us, you try to trespass and physically assault us, for what? You bit off more than you could chew with a drink of a vial, well how unfortunate for you. If you couldn't handle it then you shouldn't, that's on you! We buy and sell merchandise, you can't just attack us if you don't like what you bought!"

[AdamSmasher]

Conall levels the blade at him, ignoring his inquiries. "Restoration potions. Now. I'm here for the doctor." Designating Remina to cover him, Conall retreats down the aisle in to the back, following Shimo's scent.