Chapter 1 When angel's fall

[razorback]

Nodding to Cora, Tarik says "Nice to meet you, miss. I think that table will do fine as long as everyone minds there manners." that last bit with a brotherly smile that looks oddly askew with his rough and sun-darkened face. "Lead on and I'll have whatever... Mission? here is having." he says as he waves Cora on.

[RCgothic]

"I said we were waiting for two more before we moved upstairs - I think they've just arrived," Crystal replies to Hunter.

"I'd say he looks like our Giant," Crystal comments to Amara, noting the gigantic man speaking with Cora. "And him... from one of the mountain tribes?" she guesses, more from inference of Agimaex's riddle than familiarity with the strange markings.

She glances at Jax, giving him a half-nod in the new-comers direction.

The black cat immediately springs up, bouncing over Marcus's shoulder to go and greet the two new warriors, purring and meowing loudly for attention as he winds himself around their feet!

[dantiesilva]

Spoiler: @Freddie and Tarik

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As Freddie tells Cora he does indeed have a story to tell so long as there was a cold drink involved the waitress nods her head. "First ones on me for the story, your buying the next one however." she says as she shows you and Tarik to a table on the opposite side of the inn from the trouble maker. "Haven't seen Dennet that riled up in a long time honestly most people simply know better then to mess with his girls and two of them over there are regulars. I doubt a noble would allow someone to embarrasse them in such a way without punishing them if you know what I mean." Cora says as she seats the two of you before making her way over to the bar where she speaks to an older human woman, points to your table as she talks quickly and gets two mugs of cold ale handed to her which she brings back to the table before turning one of the chairs around so she could lean her hands on the back of the seat. "Okay story time." she says, her feet to high up to notice Jax given her small stature.

[Toliudar]

Hunter Greene

Rationalizing that it would be hard to do more to draw unwanted attention to themselves than has already been done in the last hour, Hunter simply nods at Crystal's assessment. Taking Oetychus' hand in hers in a manner strangely reminiscent of a father and daughter, despite their obvious differences in age and race, Hunter playfully tugs Oetychus toward the stairs.

"C'mon, big guy. Lots to talk about still. Maybe we can focus better up in Crystal's room?"

She lunges up the stairs with a youthful vigour belying her wrinkles.

[Thundercracker]

Lady Amara van Tannin

Having had enough drama in the taproom for one evening, Amara is more than ready to move upstairs before any of their number end up evicted from the premises.

"I think you're correct," Amara said, "let's check them upstairs and let them know about the ogres, and then we can finish our meal before deciding whether to head out immediately or wait for first light."

She stood up.

"Cora, please send those two this way; you're here for a meeting, I presume," Amara said, "join us upstairs if you would."

Spoiler

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that should be all the PC's, let's get this show on the road :)

With a smoothness suggesting hours upon hours of posture training, she turned and glided up the steps, following the others who went ahead of her.

[Jopustopin]

Mission

"Well, Mission is short for missionary. You see, I'm...", Freddie had began before the invitation from the larger group in the tavern interrupted them.

Mission didn't look away from Cora, just stared at her with a grin as Amara called out to them. Finally Freddie says, "Duty calls Cora. I owe you a story and my word is my bond. But we should not keep our lady waiting."

[NiKkatsu]

Oetychus follows without resistance as Hunter pulls him up the stairs. She seemed quite reasonable, perhaps even trustworthy. At least, he knew she was smart - or just a little mad, perhaps? Sometimes, they can be almost the same.
He smiles, knowing that everyone now thinks of him as just another loud idiot - he had them exactly where he wanted. Deception was, after all, his trade... He needed to keep up appearances at least until he could be sure about the others.
For now, he would go up to the room and listen to what the two women had to say - they seemed in charge.
His thoughts wandered to when he left Iulia: he was annoyed to cut his vacation short. Now, after meeting all these intriguing characters, he was itching to know what would come next as ideas for a new song were already popping up in his mind...
Not just any song. An epic, perhaps?
The fame of his last adventure was starting to wane, and he felt he had maybe surfed on his popularity almost long enough. Plus, Iulia was starting to feel a bit too small, as he had tried most of the maidens. The husbands there were starting to be suspicious. No, he definitely needed something new. Something bigger!
A pang of anticipation tugged at his stomach as he climbed the stairs.

[dantiesilva]

Following Lady Amara and Detective Wolfe up two flights of stairs the group comes to a single sturdy looking wooden door which Amara quickly takes the key out to unlock before walking in. Giving a quick look around you can tell the place is rather spartan in decorations at the moment, having a simple rug near the main entrance, as well as what looks like another one and some chairs on the far end of the corridor. Two large pane windows let in the afternoon light shine into the area illuminating it. And at the end of the hallway you note a rather large well made table, with eight chairs sat around it, everything about this table and chairs speaks of wealth and the finer things in life.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rough idea of the Base of operations you have been given

[Thundercracker]

Lady Amara van Tannin

"Thank you all for coming," Amara said, moving to stand in front of the table, "before we get started, a little bit of formality. Everyone should have received a letter, please produce it now so Detective Wolfe and I can be sure we're all meant to be here. It should look something like this"

Amara reached into her bag to pull out her own letter, a little bit worn around the edges now, and placed it on the table.

Assuming everyone follows suit:
Amara turned to Crystal.
"What do you think?" she asked.

[razorback]

"Missionary?!?!" Tarik says, the surprise plainly evident. Taking another look at Freddie, he purses his lips a bit in thought as he follows the pair to the other table, shrugging his shoulders to himself. "I guess I didn't make you for that... not that that is a bad thing, mind you. Just, your bearing give to mind someone who is trying to push someone's forehead in rather than announcing it with oils." the last bit coming out of a crooked grin on the warriors face. The grin faulters a bit at the comment from the lady to Cora, but he forces it back in place, though it fails to touch his eyes. Locking eyes for a moment with the lady, he gives her a barest nod as his he follows them upstairs. <Well, things are definitely afoot. Mind your wits and hold your tongue as best you can.> he admonishes himself as he forces grip to loosen slightly as he notices others moving in the same direction. Keeping moving his eyes move quickly, noting exits and anyone armed as he move out of view of the bottom room and into the top hallway. Once around the table, the lady speaks and he stand stock still until the others remove their letters. With a quick glance, not that a thorough look would give him a better idea, to see that the at least resembled his own, he reaches under his armor and pulls small leather pouch out. Removing his own, he sets it on the table before pick up his pouch to make it disappear where it came from. "Detective." he says to tall, platinum-haired woman, less a question than a note to himself.

[Toliudar]

Hunter Greene

Hunter releases Oetychus' hand once they're upstairs, and looks around the place in evident satisfaction. She carefully pulls a letter out of an inside pocket of her jacket, unfolds it and adds it to the pile. She takes a moment to actually examine the others' letters...just to be on the safe side.

"Dibs on the room to the left of the stairs. Talk amongst yourselves. I'm listening.

"I'll just give the place a bit of a once-over. Won't touch your stuff. If any of you have the gift of seeking out magic auras, perhaps you could do a quick sweep as well. I'm sure that everything is above board, but being sure and being sure, well, that can make all the difference."

Over the next twenty minutes, she goes from room to room, looking over the furniture, walls, floors, ceilings and windows.

Spoiler: OOC

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I think that Hunter's the only one who is actually trained in forgery, but for the sake of completeness, she'll roll for examining the other six letters:
(1d20+8)[14]
(1d20+8)[15]
(1d20+8)[18]
(1d20+8)[21]
(1d20+8)[14]
(1d20+8)[16]

And then she'll look over all the rooms, looking for secret openings, traps, or other weirdness. Again, not that she actually thinks that there are any, but old habits die hard. Modifier is +7.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius produces his with barely a thought from his pack.
I have several questions, but lets start with how is this expedition funded?

[Thundercracker]

Hunter Greene

Hunter releases Oetychus' hand once they're upstairs, and looks around the place in evident satisfaction. She carefully pulls a letter out of an inside pocket of her jacket, unfolds it and adds it to the pile. She takes a moment to actually examine the others' letters...just to be on the safe side.

"Dibs on the room to the left of the stairs. Talk amongst yourselves. I'm listening.

"I'll just give the place a bit of a once-over. Won't touch your stuff. If any of you have the gift of seeking out magic auras, perhaps you could do a quick sweep as well. I'm sure that everything is above board, but being sure and being sure, well, that can make all the difference."

Over the next twenty minutes, she goes from room to room, looking over the furniture, walls, floors, ceilings and windows.

Spoiler: OOC

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I think that Hunter's the only one who is actually trained in forgery, but for the sake of completeness, she'll roll for examining the other six letters:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

And then she'll look over all the rooms, looking for secret openings, traps, or other weirdness. Again, not that she actually thinks that there are any, but old habits die hard. Modifier is +7.

Amara van Tannin

"Stay out of my room, please, last one on the right," she called after Hunter, before closing the door again.

[razorback]

"Tarik Ch'Karthis, by the way." the spearman says as he looks at the others. "If we are going to be based here for some time, I care not which room I get." At Marcus's question, he just nods and looks as he waits for an answer.

[NiKkatsu]

Oetychus produces his own letter before giving a nod to Hunter. After a wave of his hand and a sharp yet melodic whistle that resonates through the room he proceeds along with the gnome, left hand stretched before him, to sweep the floor for any kind of magical auras.

Spoiler: OoC

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he casts detect magic and follows Hunter; he takes three rounds in each area for full effect. Since detect magic creates a 60ft cone, he'll probably take no more than 2-3 minutes to do so - maybe less, unless that base is really bigger than what it seems on the map?

[dantiesilva]

As everyone goes to lay their papers on the table and introduce themselves you note Hunter and Oetychus place their papers on the table before they both split away from the meeting table to go and explore all the rooms available with magical aid and traditional means instead of listening to what everyone has to say and what they are supposed to be doing here.

Spoiler: @Hunter and Oetychus

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As Amara calls out to stay out of her room you note a faint aura of magic being observed by Oetychus. Searching the other rooms you find embalming fluid on one of the tables, a rare hawks feather found only among the company of elves from Ellenthyr in another room, a crumpled up note in a third, a silver holy symbol of Heironeous in a forth, and a signet ring of no noble family either of you two recognize in a fifth. As you enter the final room, it is clear this one belongs to the detective no magic auras or special things seem to be found here however, at least in the amount of time Crystal allows you to look in her room. However the faint smell of brimstone and rotten eggs assault your senses as you enter, and the smell keeps moving as if of its own accord. Oetychus can sense a faint magical aura moving around the room to fast to pinpoint.

Spoiler: Fort Save Please

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DC 14 Fort save or be nauseated for 2 rounds

All of you sitting at the table notice as they open one last door, Crystal and Amara both note it is the detectives door, the smell of Brimstone and rotten eggs starts to fill the room ever so slowly. It is not strong yet given how far the room is from you all thankfully.

[Thundercracker]

Amara

“My name is Lady Amara van Tannin,” Amara said after the other two departed, “our task, given to us by special request of the Emperor himself, is to ensure the stability of the empire, by rooting out a rumored group of arcanists hiding somewhere in this area. We’re also to help protect the Empire’s citizens as best we can.”

Amara stopped short as she smelled the brimstone. She inhaled deeply.

“Do you smell that?” she asked, heading over to take a look.

Spoiler

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amara can see invisible.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius
At the scent of what he can only assume is hell, he draws his weapons and looks around.

This better not be a dodge.

[dantiesilva]

As Lady Amara and Marcus make their way towards Crystal's room the smell hit's them hard as it begins to assault their senses. What the others can't see however Lady Amara can, as the small yellow flying creature spots her and waves one of his foul clawed hands at her before holding up a random copper coin from Crystals bag. It is clear he wants to tell you something however he doesn't know these new strangers and is thus hiding from them. A note can be seen in his other hand, though given what he likes to sleep and bathe in you doubt you want to touch it after it has. The question then becomes will the others react to the "stench demon" as your previous party did, or will they listen to your words that it is not an enemy in the traditional sense?

Spoiler: Fort Save

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DC 14 or be nauseated for 2 rounds

[Thundercracker]

Amara

“Oh, that is horrid,” Amara said, holding her nose with two fingers. Her eyes watered from the horrid smell.

“Is that a message? just.. leave it on the table,” she said, gesturing absently to the night table while trying to keep what little bit of her lunch she’d eaten from making a second appearance.

[dantiesilva]

Amara as you speak to the little yellow creature that only you can see it nods its head before depositing the letter onto the nightstand as you inform it. A loud slopping sound can be heard as the note appears on the desk covered in only the gods know. The creature then takes the coin and goes to the window, throwing it out the window before leaving himself.

Spoiler: @Everyone who can't see invisible creatures

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You all watch as Lady Amara starts talking to the air itself trying to hold down her lunch instructing something none of you can see to place something down on the nightstand in the room. A second later a scrolled up note appears on the nightstand seemingly drenched in the same foul smelling odor that is in the room before the single window in the room opens on its own and you all see a single copper coin go flying out the window. Sadly the smell remains.

Spoiler: The note

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[Thundercracker]

Amara van Tannin

Unable to stand the stench, Amara retreats from the room. Usually poised and dignified, she doubles over in the hall, hands on knees, and takes a few unsteady breaths interspersed with a cough or two, and her face actually takes on a slight greenish hue.

(Anyone who wishes to read the note can do so during this time and Amara won’t stop them).

After a moment or two she stands upright again and color returns to her cheeks.

“So that’s what it was,” Amara said.

“did you see that thing last time?” she asked Crystal.

[NiKkatsu]

Upon entering the third room, Oetychus cannot help his curiosity and tries to pocket the crumpled up letter with subtlety.

Spoiler: sleight of hands

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(1d20+10)[16]

But Hunter easily notices and seems to give a disapproving look. After quickly reading the letter, Oetychus places it back, and Hunter snatches it up again.

Oetychus is barely bothered by the smell (rolled a nat 20 :D) - he'd smelled worse. He cannot help but smirk seeing all of his comrades struggling against the smell - and is even more surprised when the poised and dignified Van Tannin starts retching.

For now, he decides to rejoin the group.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[razorback]

As the smell wafts into the room and Amara ask "Do you smell that?", Tarik looks around. As Marcus draws his weapon, Tarik stands and slides back as he pulls out his spear, leaving his shield on his back. It is hard to tell if he is holding up against whatever unseen creature Amara might be speaking to or the rest of the group. As the letter appears and the coin goes flapping off, he turns a hard-eyed look at Amara, his forearm straining from the grip on his spear. "You make deals with devil and demons, woman?" he says, voice cold and full of menace.

[RCgothic]

"No, but I'll make it rue it's very existence if I sense it again," Crystal replies crossly, disgusted by the poo demon's befouling her room, holding her breath to make sure the window is flung open as far as it will go. She rushes back out again, making a mental note to scrub *everything* later.

"We should open a few more windows to help the stench dissipate," she suggests practically.

"Ok everyone, gather round and I'll try and explain. This is quite the mess, and I don't mean the smell. The Emperor has tasked us with hunting down and stopping the Cult of Ryl. But Ryl himself (the owner of the stench demon that just visited) somehow learned of our task and is perfectly happy to direct us at them because he considers them to be appropriating his name. And they're evil and need to be stopped, but I've got an awful feeling that taking out his enemies is only helping a greater evil."

"In the mine we killed a monstrosity that seemed to be hunting knocker devils. The devils were attempting to summon some sort of Shadow that we didn't fully prevent manifesting. We saved a noblewoman - Lady Claudia - who has been nothing but friendly, if a little self centred.

"So! Right now we don't have a whole lot of leads and this new letter is full of implications and rather few hard facts. I feel very uneasy doing anything that might aid Ryl, and not just because his messenger is a literal pile of filth."

"We're also tasked with securing this region and we know there are a band of ogres on the loose. That sounds much more straightforward, and I think we could use a straightforward task whilst we consider the implications."

"And if anyone has any bright ideas to prevent that filth creature coming back I'd love to hear it! I'd much rather receive post normally."

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius
Maintains his composure and puts his weapons away. He helps open the windows.

I think you need to back up. This is a campaign already in progress? How long has it been going? How many other squads have been tasked before us? and once again, how is it funded?

[Thundercracker]

Amara van Tannin

Amara stood up straight, her composure returned.

“Of course not, do you honestly believe I would willingly associate myself with a creature that disgusts me so?” Amara replied to Tarik.

“I know of only one other squad, our own,” Amara said, “we were successful in stopping the summoning but it appeared some of our number were not as resolute in their dedication to the Emperor, and abandoned the task he gave us. The others who have gone missing, it seems whoever creates these creatures we fought has perverted and turned into more of them. Whatever did this needs to be stopped, but we have no leads. The ogres are a threat to the populace, and we may find more clues there.”

“You can tell from the letter and seal, our mandate is from his Excellency himself, and I assume it is funded from the treasury,” she replied to Marcus.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius
Yes the source is obvious, what is less so is the details such as dispensation location, frequency, amount. I am pleased to serve the Emperor, but will not pauperize myself to do so.

[Thundercracker]

Marcus Polonius
Yes the source is obvious, what is less so is the details such as dispensation location, frequency, amount. I am pleased to serve the Emperor, but will not pauperize myself to do so.

Amara

“You will need to ask our handler the next time he shows up,” Amara said, “I will say we have been well compensated so far, having received well over a thousand gold pieces of value in equipment after defeating the devils conducting the sacrificial ritual.”

Spoiler

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fyi it was a WBL increase from 2 to 4.

[Novabomb]

Marcus Polonius seems content with that response, and waits for others to ask additional questions.