Extinction Curse- The Show Must Go On!

[MuffinMan]

"Right, good idea" Tessara nods in agreement with Pip. "We can ask what she knows about this hermitage. She said she was acting alone, but maybe she know of others who were close to acting... aggressively. Giggles, it might for her to hear the questions from you. Would you do the honors?" She gestures towards Nemia's wagon, preparing to follow with the rest of the group.

[DarkOne-Rob]

"Um, sure!" replies Giggles, looking relieved to be about to get out of the wagon. "Mayor, if you will excuse me..."

[JWallyR]

The taciturn Vorgrok cracks a few knuckles as he turns on his heel, leaping down the wagon's steps with unexpected agility for his broad and brawny stature. Offering a large hand up to assist the rather-average-looking mayor down the stairs, the contrasts between their profiles could not be more stark.

Satisfied with the mayor's exit from the wagon, the dwarf turns to follow the others toward their newest acquaintance's lodgings, his bland expression entirely unreadable.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Seeing Nemia eating some fresh bread by herself, Giggles walks over and sits down. "So...what's up with the hermitage nearby? The mayor was just telling us about some missing townfolk, and we offered to help him try and find them. You don't think the hermits had anything to do with that, do you?" he asks as he takes some dried fruit out of his pack. He splits it in two and offers half to the halfling as he waits for her answer.

[Gwynfrid]

Kesharu goes to feed Ozkrak her ration of fresh meat, as she does every day before her own breakfast. She then helps herself to a leftover of the beans and bacon from last night's dinner, and comes to sit with Giggles and Nemia. After bidding them good morning, she eats silently, ready but in no rush to join the conversation.

Spoiler

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She'll use her Perception (+7) to try and assess Nemia's mood.

[Farmerbink]

Nemia eyes Giggles warily, still obviously uneasy around all these... people. For a long few moments she says nothing, equally obviously uncomfortable with direct, intentional company. "The hermitage... has been troubled, of late. Hamdeel, the damned fool. He knows something... but he sits in his tower, pondering nothings while the whole island withers and dies!" She slams one small fist into an open palm, clearly more than a little upset by the apparently raw emotions. She shakes her head angrily and looks down for a moment. Sullenly, she grunts. "No, I don't think they did."

[MuffinMan]

Standing behind Giggles, Tessara crosses her arms sternly. "Hamdeel, the leader of the hermitage? What is it you think he knows?"

[DarkOne-Rob]

Giggles listens and watches Nemia a bit uncomfortably, but when she looks down he asks, quietly, "Do you know what happened to the townfolk? Can you give us some direction to how we might find them?"

Spoiler: OoC

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Giggles is trying to gently ask if Nemia had a hand in their disappearance or knows something about it that would look bad. He doesn't want to expose her and is trying to show her empathy as he tries to help her open up and fix her previous errors in judgement.

[DeVermis]

Pip listens carefully from a safe distance, not wanting his personal opinions of Nemia to ruin their chances of obtaining useful information.

[Farmerbink]

"He knows something!" Nemia exclaims. "The whole island is dying before our eyes, and he's supposed to be the one protecting it, not me!" She leaps up from her chair, stomping emphatically, a zealous and simultaneously terribly hurt expression on her face.

Turning towards Giggles, she screams, "I don't know anything!" Almost entirely lost in her emotions, she begins scampering away towards the relative cover of the disorganized wagons, shaking her head and crying loudly.

[JWallyR]

Vorgrok allows one eyebrow to raise at the halfling's expressions of temperament... but he makes no move to impede her escape from the tense social situation, turning furrowed brows instead back to Giggles, their apparent makeshift leader.

[MuffinMan]

Tessara sighs and uncrosses her arms. "Well, that was about what I expected. Useless... Anyway, should we go pay this hermitage a visit? It sounds like it could be connected to the missing people, and to... whatever her problem is."

[DarkOne-Rob]

Giggles sits, uncharacteristically silent, as he watches Nemia leave. His expression is pained, and it is clear he has never had to deal with such passionate unhappiness and that he feels sad for the departing halfling woman.

After a moment he looks up and says, "I'm ready to go anytime," before turning to watch the camp some more.

[Gwynfrid]

Kesharu's reptilian face doesn't show any emotion, but but her voice sounds sad when she answers. "You're right, Tessara. Let's go. Maybe that will help, maybe not. But it's our only lead at this point."

[DeVermis]

"Let's go!" Pip agrees, "for something like this we've got no time to waste."

[JWallyR]

With a curt nod, equal parts assent and approval, Vorgrok shuffles over to the tool wagon to retrieve his heavy sledge.

After hefting it approvingly in both hands, his eyes scan through the various tools and materials, finally settling onto some leather straps. Looping them around his torso with slack left in the back, he flicks the sledge (no small feat in itself) to catch the handle very near to its business end, lifting it up over his head to slide it into the slack. With its sizable head now resting behind and just above one shoulder, the dwarf grunts in a satisfied manner before trudging off to regroup with the investigatory band.

[Farmerbink]

As the party considers their options, the Professor approaches. "If I may," he begins quietly. "I took the liberty of asking our friends in the sideshow to spread some inspiring tales of your bravery, last night. I suspect it is for this reason that word has reached the mayor, and of course, they brought back news themselves. Rather than risk misinterpreting, I would ask them to share with you directly?" At your acquiescence, some of the least-weird sideshow acts you've ever heard of process forward to speak with you.

First, Hesper and Meitas Jaxis, "the Unjoined Twins," approach. Identical twins in their mid 30s, they often amuse small gatherings with tales of their separation at birth and ignorance of the other's existence prior to meeting at the circus. It's an unabashed lie, as they grew up together happily causing trouble for their parents with an endless supply of antics and mostly humorous tales. They confirm, in astonishingly-smooth dovetailing speech that the matronly grandmother who reported the boar to the sheriff was thankfully able to escape, and further that the boar appears to have brought her brood of equally ill-tempered piglings!

Second is Tahala Roadwatcher, "the Tattooed Woman." A middle-aged Shoanti, Tahala is a striking figure in a region populated with virtually zero of her heritage and quah. Bald, fit, and covered with complex tattoos, she is a gifted storyteller, equally capable of entertaining with fantastic tales of the significance of each tattoo and educating with morals of reverence for ancestors and stewardship of nature. She comes to you now having already looked into the miller's home. The building appears to be functional from afar, but the whole area was infested with wasps and was unable to get too close. It seems unlikely that they would have abandoned it.

Third is Gidarron Elbus, "The Bearded Man." Alongside the Professor, Gidarron amuses and entertains with an astonishing bevy of well-curated accents and mannerisms. Depending on the day, he will present as an "exact double" of one of several possible political figures, forced to conceal his identity for fear of rival agents and assassins. He informs you that many of the townsfolk often refer to a group of petty thugs and strong-arms, the "Muggers" (not a self-assigned title, nor one they appreciate. Given in part because they tend to congregate at a roadhouse outside of town called the Mad Mug). Apparently, they and the sheriff have had a long-running rivalry, and she has tried many times to break up the gang. Perhaps they might have become brave or reckless enough to do something about her?

And finally, "Cubby, the Dog-faced Dog" paws forward. The large Beagle was just a puppy when a particularly unlikely awaken animal ritual granted him human intelligence and the ability to speak. He has been the professor's best friend for years, and certainly forms the keystone of the sideshow's antics. He performs a fairly simple routine of tricks and tasks (trivial for an animal of human intelligence), and then astonishes the crowds with his own spoken commentary- a jestful rebuttal countering The Professor's lavish praises for Cubby's bravery, humility, and pluckiness. He sits on his haunches for a few minutes, reporting on the local religious scene. The church (he initially investigated thinking that it might be connected to the hermitage) in town is enshrined to Abadar, not Gozreh, but he took a few minutes to nose around anyway, since he was there. Something around the back fence struck him as unusual, unpleasant, and possibly dangerous: the unmistakable scent of rotting flesh. Perhaps Cubby's sense of discretion is better honed than his bravery, as he chose not to poke around any closer....

[DarkOne-Rob]

Giggles listens to each speaker in turn, his usual cheer and high energy starting to return as he hears both news and some good fortune. After hearing all the reports he turns to the other PCs and says, "Wild pigs and wasps sound weird, but not necessarily sinister, right? Like, there could be bad juju there, but it might just be some wild animals misbehaving..." As someone gets ready to interject about Nemia's actions the previous night he continues, "I know, I know! It might be more bad druid juju, but I'm going to be hopeful first. Let's check those two spots out first, starting with the miller's home. We might be able to help them out, if they are still there, and that way we aren't dealing with any bad people, including bad dead ones...What do you all think?"

[MuffinMan]

Tessara shudders at the thought. "I hate wasps..." she complains. "Tahala got a good enough look at the house, right? Do we have any way to get through a swarm of those things?"

"Rotting flesh on the other hand sounds like a real clue - Cubby's nose doesn't lie! I think we ought to check out the church. And these 'Muggers' sound like trouble, but maybe we can avoid them until we've followed up on the other leads?"

[DeVermis]

"I'd also like to see what the rotting flesh is!" Pip chimes in, "If it's just carrion then we won't have wasted much time at all. As for the wasps, I think I have an idea. Back in the city the rooftop beekeepers would wear baggy cloth suits to protect themselves while they harvested the honey, maybe we could do something similar? Possibly re-purpose one of our smaller tents as a mobile wasp shelter? I could use some of the costume lace to make safe windows to see where we're going." Pip trails off into largely incoherent mumbling as he mentally goes over the particulars of his idea.

[Gwynfrid]

After listening to all the stories and opinions, Keshkaru chimes in, nodding in approval to Pip. "That sounds like a good idea. But I'm not sure we should worry about the miller first. All this provides us with several leads, and for a mystery like this, I feel we will need to check them all out. Nevertheless, I think we should begin with the church. The other incidents might have natural causes, but a smell of rot in Abadar's sanctum is definitely not normal."

[Farmerbink]

With now 3 votes in favor, the party begins to make their way towards the local church. Cubby points you in the right direction, and offers to accompany you into town, but seems more than a little shaken by the whiffs he got the night before, and isn't eager, exactly. There aren't many people out and about this morning- it is still a little early, but you might have expected to see someone on the streets.

Still, it's not hard to find Goldenlaws Church- as the locals call it. Formally the "House of Gold and Laws," Abadar's local temple is Abberton's primary place of worship, and doubles as the town's only facility of money-lending. A sprawling, fenced cemetery is clearly visible beside and behind the sanctuary, filled with rows and rows of neatly managed headstones intermingled with ornate monuments. On closer inspection, the headstones aren't that neatly managed- here and there, signs of wear can be noted among the facades, and some of the grounds are beginning to be visibly in need of mowing.

From the street, the heroes look up to a raised porch, as wide as the sanctuary behind it. Two stained-glass windows face the road; one of Abadar, the Master of the First Vault, and the other depicting dozens of gold keys. Both windows are broken in several places, causing the dim early-morning sun to reflect strangely on the underside of the porch's covered roof.

Spoiler: Goldenlaws Church

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You guys are gathered on the street immediately east of the church. The porch is the upper portion, the entrance to the graveyard below.

[DarkOne-Rob]

"Thank you, Cubby. If you like, I think we will take it from here," says Giggles to the awakened dog, his eyes never leaving the dilapidated church grounds. "Looking at this place makes me nervous - I'll bet it doesn't smell any better..." He takes a long look at the grounds before mumbling, "Creepy graveyard and church falling apart - what a morning..."

Then, with a deep breath he smiles and says, more loudly, "Well, nothing for it! Let's get started. I'm going to take a walk around the grounds, see if I can see anything...what am I looking for? Do we have any idea?"

[JWallyR]

Vorgrok interrupts his silent inspection of the church facade to grunt nondescriptly at Giggles. Reaching one meaty fist over his shoulder, he draws his heavy sledge up to rest on his broad shoulder. He begins to saunter around the property, but his eyes are scanning both the building and the grounds for further signs of disturbance.

Spoiler: Actions

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Let's say moving clockwise around the building, quietly looking for... anything unusual:
Stealth: (1d20+3)[17]

Perception: (1d20+7)[18]
Survival: (1d20+5)[6]

[MuffinMan]

"We're looking for whatever Cubby smelled! Which, I think he said it was behind the church? Tessara answers. As the group begins to pick its way towards the graveyard she notices the neglect and wear. "This place has seen better days - don't they have someone to do repairs. For a church of money you'd think they could spare a few silvers for a handyman... cheapskates."

[DeVermis]

Pip carefully scans the cemetery ahead as he proceeds forward with the others, looking for any signs of movement. There had been more than enough surprises yesterday to last him a good long while.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception (1d20+5) [6] rolled in OOC thread

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* post roll count doesn't match database

[Gwynfrid]

"It's not in its ideal condition, yes. Let us move with care." With Ozkrak close to her, Keshkaru moves in with the others as they explore the outside perimeter of the temple.

Spoiler

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I think in PF2 terms this is the Investigate exploration activity? In case of need, some Percetpion rolls:
Keshkaru (1d20+7)[13]
Ozkrak (1d20+6)[23]

[Farmerbink]

As the party begins surveying the grounds, they take a clockwise course just outside the fence. For the most part, the grounds seem.... recently unkempt, but not horribly so. The cemetery is small by some standards, but holds over a hundred graves, arranged in neat rows divided by well kept paths. Headstones mark each plot, as unique as the lives over which they stand sentinel.

Some distance from the road, a pair of men stand over a series of open graves, yawning towards the sky. Several mounds of dark, fresh earth lie piled around the gaping holes. The two men- both apparently suffering from substantial swelling and equipped with shovels- are working in the graves. Hunched over in their labor, they're hard to see from the fence, until one of them suddenly stands upright, hefts his shovel to his shoulder, and calls out to you. "Keep back, good masters!" he cries, through a handkerchief tied over his mouth and nose. "I wouldn't come no closer. This one's all ripe with the plague, and they say she's contagious. One whiff and you could turn black as pitch and be deader than old Tar-Baphon!"

Map updated

[JWallyR]

Grimacing at the talk of plagues and the obvious physical condition of the gravediggers, Vorgrok squints, peering over at the men.

Spoiler: Actions

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Medicine check to assess the situation? (1d20+5)[20]
Perception check vs. potential deception? (1d20+7)[27]

[DarkOne-Rob]

"The plague? Good sirs, we haven't heard about any plague - can you tell us about it? We were coming around to try and find out anything about the Hermitage nearby. I know the church is Abadar's, but maybe the clergy can direct us towards the leaders of the other faith...?" calls back Giggles, his high-pitched voice rising with an implied question as he finishes.