[PF] The Risen Guard of Osirion; Forged in Strife and Fire

[warper]

Osorkon sets up next to Gratoire. He looks around as well, occasionally peering at Gratoire. ”Do you remember anything that happened in that room?”

[thegoldenfedora]

Gratoire speaks without looking at Osorkon, still watching for any danger. "Only up to just after you left, I remember him standing from his desk to walk towards me and then I have no recollection at all"

[warper]

Osorkon nods. ”Perhaps we’ll never know, but I can tell you you were charmed Gratoire. Mr. Drunmer is an enemy, we must be extremely careful in any further dealings.” Osorkon continues to scan the area, his expression blank.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Interior
As you walk in, you note the already sparsely populated tavern was nearly empty. Besides the barkeep who greeted you, you easily spot the absentee man who had been following you earlier sitting on a cushion with his back against the wall and eyes tracking you as you are led into the room towards a central pit with a large hookah at its center. The only other occupants of the room are two men caring a woman between them into a backroom just as you enter. As you settle into the cushions, the barkeep speaks flatly, clearly no longer putting on the affectionate tone. Yes yes. He strikes a match, lighting a set of coals underneath the hookah. In a moment, the device was fired up and he took a long toke before releasing a billowing smoke cloud into the air. Alright then. How much you moving? And what, exactly? Boss don't like moving mystery packages.

Spoiler: Edit

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I forgot to mention, till this little pow-wow is over, just assume you need Perception and Sense Motive checks every time you post.

Exterior
As you converse, Astrophel floated on ocean breezes up in the air lazily. Until suddenly he darted through the air and attacked a seagull that had flown (apparently) too close to your position for the vampire's liking. However, the gull did not get snatched and drained by the vampiric bat. It instead, dodge Astrophel's charge and quickly dive bombed towards you. It squawked but instead of a gull's screaching tone, a feminine voice begged Call off your beast, Risen Guard!

[thegoldenfedora]

"Careful Vladd!" Gratoire called to Astrophel, "I think you may have actually bit off more than you can chew." he chuckles before calling to the sentient seagull. " Now why don't you come down here miss bird, it's probably safer."

[Inspectre]

Seeing that the speech was no longer moving in that ridiculous family-related code, Oathbreaker finally speaks up.

"We're looking for discrete transport in and out of the city. Living cargo, preferably not cleared by the port customs prior to embarking/disembarking."

That ought to be clear enough that Oathbreaker was wanting to move slaves, without being completely blatant about it.
Hopefully they could move on to dealing with these smugglers directly, and then be done with this whole nonsense so they could go back to doing their actual side job, so they could be done with that in turn and actually get back to the truly important matters, like the world's upcoming extinction beneath a roiling mass of extraplanar lava.

[Athaleon]

Zadkiel had an apologetic look on his face, even as he did his best not to react to the woman being carried out of the room. "Sorry, even Brig here hasn't been filled in on all the details. The cargo is what we discussed earlier—magical widgets from a newly unearthed ruin. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but I'm not an expert in these things, and my boss has been cagey about it even to me. 'Valuable but completely inert', I was told. As for 'living cargo', it's not like that. Our boss wants to send us two along to escort the package, and meet the buyer in person."

Spoiler

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Bluff: (1d20+15)[30] or (1d20+15)[32]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Inside
The Barkeeper eyed the two of you for several moments before speaking, rather slowly. Alright then. Where are you heading, and how much do you have? I've got a small boat that'll get you out of the harbor but no further. Unless your heading to Qaidra, you are on your own for transport further. You... do have other transport yes? This isn't your first time smuggling something out of a port is it? He seemed incredibly incredulous of the two of you.

Outside
Astrophel stopped his assault, emitting a series of high pitched squeaks which are certainly expletives aimed at Graitore. The gull descended and landed on the pier opposite the two of you. Thank you! I was not aware you had command of a beast, Graitore. The gull bowed before continuing. I'm Jira, the Harbormaster. I figured a bit of subterfuge would be important. She opened her beak to speak but hesitated before continuing, noticeably more restrained. Do you... have any new information?

[Inspectre]

Oathbreaker decides he's "helped" enough at this point and returns to playing the part of silent bodyguard.

[thegoldenfedora]

Gratoire nods, stifling a playful laugh unable to decide which was funnier to him, Astrophel's response to his jab or the oddball seagull in front of him. "Subterfuge is a very good quality to have right now." he says "So long as the Subterfuge is not towards us, I dont tell confidential information to just any seagull that swoops by." Gratoire speaks nonthreateningly fully willing to believe that the women who had displayed such as interesting magic at the base could also possess a seagull, but he had to do his due diligence. "Would you mind proving that you are who you say you are?"

[Athaleon]

Zadkiel used all his acting skills to bristle as though offended, before returning to a more professional bearing. "We're bound for Katheer; beyond that's our business. The goods are small enough I can carry 'em on my person, though I'll be splitting the load with Brig here to keep 'em properly concealed."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Inside
The barkeep blows out another puff of smoke and seems to mull it over for a time. Eventually, with a casual gesture, the man who had stalked you earlier approaches the group and sets down a peculiar object between you. And then another, identical object. It looks like a vase, though the base is nearly bulbous and clearly not designed to sit on anything as it rocked unsteadily as they were placed down and even when still sit slight off center. Instead of being made of glass or porcelain or some other typical material for a vase, it seems to be made of some deep-blue crystalline material with no luster. It appears there is some liquid in side that sloshed slightly as they were placed but there also appeared to be no opening, the long neck ending in a closed top. The boss has a run going out tomorrow night. He can fit the two of you on board. In lieu of payment, he requests you hold onto these items till then. Don't break them and don't try to open them. And don't let anyone see them. You'll hand them off on the boat. He sits forward, proffering a hand. Do we have a deal?

Spoiler

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Just a note, he will give detail on the when and where if you accept. He's not revealing that till you've agreed to his terms.

Outside
Jira examines the note briefly, nodding slightly. I.. uh.. I have news too. For you Graitore... She shifts nervously, which looks amazingly like a normal shifting of a seagull. Aminta is missing.

[Athaleon]

"Yeah. You got a deal." Zadkiel said at length, shaking the proffered hand.

[MesiDoomstalker]

He shakes your hand and as you let go, you realize a folded piece of parchment rested in the palm of your hand. Read it, memorize it, destroy it. Don't let anyone get a hold of that info or those he gestured to the two vials. Its been a pleasure. Now get out. I've got other business to attend to. The barkeep and the other man get up and leave through a back door, the same that the other two men and the unconscious woman left through as you entered. As you leave the building, you see Osorkon and Graitore talking to a seagull.

He's a Slave Pusher with a warehouse over in the Slave Docks. Squeaky clean record though the word on the street is that he's as dirty as a gutter. Why?

[warper]

Osorkon chuckles. ”Of course he’s clean... he’s good at enchantments. I have good reason to believe he has something to do with our missing friend, though checking her place for clues might be a good start.”

Osorkon sees his companions exit the building and beckons them over with his arm. He points at the gull, still smiling. ”This gull is Jira, the Harbormaster. She has important information, but first, what’d you learn?”

[Athaleon]

Zadkiel immediately wondered if the items he'd been asked to hold were some sort of magical surveillance devices, but as he left the hideout, Osorkon had spoken before he could stop him.

Spoiler

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Do Zadkiel and Osorkon have any 'exotic' languages in common we can use?

Zadkiel motioned the others to follow him somewhere they could be reasonably hidden from prying eyes before replying.

"We have a time and a place," he confirmed. He held a finger up for silence as he retrieved the vial he'd been given and tried to identify it.

[thegoldenfedora]

Gratoire followed along, offering an arm for Jira to perch on. Once zadkiel finished with the vial, he extended the gull out for her to take a look.

[warper]

Osorkon followed along as well, glancing up to make sure Vlad followed as well.

[MesiDoomstalker]

As you moved into a side alleyway, out of the way of prying eyes, Jira tilted her head quizzically. They gave you a Bound Genie bottle?

[Athaleon]

"Strong conjuration," Zadkiel muttered, after his magic sense reeled and he turned away as though from a bright light. "It would fit. Can the bound genie see, or listen, from inside?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

No. Technically, the Genies aren't actually here. There in a specially prepared demi-plane in a form of stasis. Unless you release them, they are no wiser of what's going on around their bound vessel.

[warper]

Odor Lon listens in confusion. ”Why would they give you this?... and at what cost?”

[Inspectre]

"Not just any genie."

Oathbreaker says quietly, finally breaking his silence again now that they were away from their "host".

"These bear a strong resemblance to vessels which the First Pharaoh used to divide and bind the Marid Emporer Easifa's essence. Supposedly there are a thousand of these vessels scattered across Osirion, holding pieces of Easifa's power within. Raw power, yes, but they are generally useless without the final vessel, which contained Easifa's Ka, and allowed for control of the other vessels."

Oathbreaker pauses as he considers the irony here. Someone possessed at least these two pieces of a powerful marid's soul, and given that they had just passed them off to two strangers suggested they either didn't know their value, or they had more than just these two pieces. Could there be more than just the manipulations of one efreeti lord threatening Osirion starting to unfold around them? No, that was ridiculous - best finish this side task as quickly as possible and then return to the immediate threat of Solkar's Boil erupting.

"So Zadkiel . . . what's our destination? And when?"

[Athaleon]

"Well. As long as we're certain these aren't some sort of eavesdropping devices. We were simply asked to hold them, in lieu of payment, to be returned when we meet them again. I half expect some rival gang, or perhaps the authorities, to come swooping down in pursuit of these artifacts."

Zadkiel then relayed the meeting information that had been given to him. "And they have Amanita. She was carried right out of that room we were in, knocked full out somehow."

[thegoldenfedora]

The name of his friends broke Gratoire from his internal debate. It took a lot of effort for him not to barge in immediately.

"We were just made aware of her kidnapping, I was going to head to her place to investigate shortly, I'm glad I don't have to waste any more time for that." He could feel his choler rising and a desire to rend flesh with his teeth began to grow. He breathed deeper finding it difficult to remain calm.

"Is there a way for me to resscue her without jeopardizing the mission?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

As Zadkiel reveals some crucial information, Jira squawks in surprise but before she can articulate anything, she falls from Graitore's shoulder wings flapping wildly and screeching in apparent pain. Despite the very distracting seabird/harbormaster, Graitore and Zadkiel spy, off in the distance over top of the building you've hidden against, the tops of blood red sails just on the horizon. Just as the two of you catch sight of it, wind through the harbor sweeps into a frenzy and the sails catch it.

Spoiler

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This is a surprise round; only Zadkiel and Graitore may act. There's a map up on roll20; while the Red Sail'ed boat token may appear to be at the dock already, its still out in the Deep Harbor, roughly a mile away.

Color coding for the map;
Blue= Water
Dark Red= footpath; packed dirt. No movement penalty
Orange= wooden docks/pier. No movement penalty
Beige= buildings. No moving through and blocks line of sight.

The small slice of beige on the far left, over the water, is the Ruby's Brilliance, where you were just at.

[Athaleon]

Zadkiel wasn't sure how exactly they were under attack, but from Jira's reaction they clearly were. Clearly, the devices they'd been given were for eavesdropping—it'd be a hell of a coincidence otherwise. He reacted as he always did when dealing with an unknown threat—disappear before trying to figure out how to counter.

Spoiler

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Using the Invisibility effect from Clandestine Inquisition on himself.

[thegoldenfedora]

Gratoire was unsure what was going on except for a few things, their target had appeared, Jira was injured, and he was angry. He sniffed at the sudden change of air. Indecision was a weakness and his job was just in front of him. He ran down the alley to get a better look at the incoming ship.

Spoiler

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move north out of the alley until i van get a good look at the ship, then a survival check to examine the winds and see how long it will take Bloodsail to arrive (1d20+9)[23]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Graitore quickly spotted 5 men standing on the far dock, adjacent to the Ruby's Brilliance. One man is carrying an unconscious person while the others are familiar to the group; though for different reasons. Graitore recognizes the two thieves from earlier in the day, including the one they had handed over to a local guard. Once the rest of you exit the alleyway, you'll recognize the two men who trailed Zadkiel and OB earlier in the day.

Spoiler: Turn Order

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Oathbreaker is at the top of init; the the enemies and then everyone else. So just OB right now.

[Inspectre]

Oathbreaker mutters curses to himself as their plan suddenly seems to be falling apart.
Oh well, onward to Plan B - kill everyone involved and let the Harbormaster sort it out later.
Oathbreaker spat out the necessary magics to prepare himself for the battle.

"Initiate Arcana: Summon Athame! Initiate Arcana: Limited Invisibility!"

Now armed and under the cover of invisibility, Oathbreaker moves forward into the street, drawing his new flameblade as he goes.

Spoiler: Actions

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Swift: Summon Force Athame, consuming Featherfall to do it.
Standard: Cast Vanish, lasting 5 rounds
Move: Move 25' out into the street, while drawing the flaming shortsword we found. Taking -5 penalty to Stealth, but +20 from being invisible
Stealth: (1d20+26)[35]