IC Pathfinder 2e - Bounty Hunters in the Guild Seas

[stack]

The Cast

Player	Character	Class	Ancestry
Farothel	Kitla Starcut	Sorcerer (dragon-blooded)	Human
Ssalarn	Lombert	Luchadore	Loamling
kapra	Culver Warrenfel	Alchemist (Chirurgeon)	Gnome
digiman619	Largh	Monk	Goblin

Fish. The whole place smells of. Fish and salt. The sounds of the bustling docks flood your ears; stevedores and sailors jesting and throwing insults, street hawkers shouting the virtues of their wares, the bells of ships and teaming city life drowning out the lap of the waves.

You meet together. It is not a gilded hall, or even a proper place of business. It is a spare room; prior to your occupancy, it was used to store barrels of fish guts. It does have one virtue: it is free. Finding the daughter of Lag Fisher was not a profitable job, at least in coin, and it brought you little in the way of reputation, outside the mildewed walls of Fishgut lane, but a father's gratitude extends to the limits of modest circumstances; you can use the back room upstairs, gratis, just wipe that barrel top before you sit down.

It is mid-week, meaning that the court should have processed the major orders. The bailiff should be posting bounties in a few hours; no rush to get there beforehand. New wyrm-work won't go up until the week's end; no one is in a hurry to post those. Give the poor saps a decent head start, the dragon loving bottom feeders can wait.

Spoiler: So...

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Introduce your character please. Feel free to grab a bite at a local stall, wash it down with your stimulating beverage of choice, and have a little scene before heading out to check the board.

Link to battle tracker

Link to OOC

[farothel]

Kitla walked down the docks, enjoying the sea breeze and the smells of the salt water while ignoring the catcalls from various sailors. It was a lot worse when the wind came from the other side, but now the air was fresh from the sea. While walking she was eating some stew she had mooched off Kordan when she had visited her mother. It wasn't the best stew in Katin, but it was a lot better than in most inns, as Kordan prided himself on his food (and he had the size to prove it). So she always tried to eat there when she could.

When she was done with her lunch, she bought a flacon of wine from a stall. Again her years of working in an inn gave her a good insight in what was good quality for not too much money. When she arrived at the location they had gotten, she took a few last breaths before going upstairs to the smell of fish guts. She noticed that she was the first there, so she took the spot near the window that she opened to get some fresh air in. Sipping her wine, she waited for the others.

[Ssalarn]

Lombert trundles along the dockside road, happily chewing on a dried orange. The toughened peel parts easily beneath his teeth and he chews with happy gusto before spitting the bitter seeds into the ocean, pausing to watch them disappear beneath the sloshing water.

It doesn't take long; Lombert sees more by following the scents and sounds around him than with his eyes, and the seeds are little more than blips of fuzz kissing the water's surface before they vanish. Lombert greets a pair of passing dockworkers with a hearty "Oi!", recognizing them as the same pair he liked to chat with most days by the smells of sweat, dried fish, and stale salt clinging to their hands and clothes, and the lack of any kind of hint of grog or rum; Lombert doesn't begrudge anyone a drink if they so choose, but he also doesn't like the way drink makes him feel loose and out of control, so he avoids it when he can.

Finishing his fruit, Lombert drifts on towards the small room shared with his companions, the claws on his toes clicking softly against the stones of the street before scritching in soft hisses as he ascends the stairs to the apartment. He hates the stairs; so tall they feel like they're stretching his hips out of joint with every step, and too far from the comforting stone and earth.

Entering the apartment, Lombert notices that Kitla is already in the room, and the sweet smell of fermented grapes tickles his nose. "'Allo, Kitla! Ready to see wot's wot wit the new bounties? And where's the rest o' our group?"

[farothel]

"Hey Lombert," Kitla said. She found the loamling a bit strange as they didn't often show up in the city, but then again, she could grow claws and scales, so who was she to comment.
"I haven't seen them yet. They'll probably show up soon."

[digiman619]

Largh cartwheeled up the stairs. Partly because she was still in her entertainer clothes, but mostly because it looked cooler than climbing on her hands and knees to get over the longshanks contraption. After she she got over, she tucked into a roll and rolled the three feet until she got to right in front of Kitla. "Grabby grab!" she said as she halted her movement by bracing against the larger woman's knee. After taking a second or three to undizzy herself, she let go and turned to the Loamling. "Heyo, Leaf Man! D'we know what the job is yet?"

[Ssalarn]

Lombert gives a slow, rolling shrug and an equally slow smile to the flamboyant goblin.

"Dunno yet!" The loamling tilts his head to the side and assumes a slightly unsteady handstand, attempting to mimic some of the goblin's agile movements. "Don't think they've been posted yet. Oughta go check once Culver gets 'ere. Where ya think 'e is?"

[Chromascope3D]

"Right here, right here," came a gravelly response from the door, "Don't rush an old gnome..."

It swung aside, as another diminutive figure hobbles through the open doorway, muttering, "Human piss swill, no cordials, no wine. Mead, they call it, just water with the barest drop of honey, more like. Disgraceful."

He was a gnome of fairly advanced age, skin bronzed and wrinkled with time, his wild scarlet locks bearing the faintest hint of grey, his red pointed cap well-worn and wilted. He sets a large flagon upon the table with a loud clatter, and draws from his mantle a simple silver flask, whose contents he all but empties into the tankard before he dares to put it to his furrowed lips. He takes a deep draught of the ale, before setting it back down and finally giving a well rehearsed introduction, "Doctor Culver Warrenfell, Bachelor of Medicine from Ushev College, Leftenant in Her Tyranny's 11th Grenadier Corps, Honorably Discharged and so on and so forth, yadda yadda yadda..."

Culver looks over the room, vision beginning to swim, as he finally considers its occupants. Lombert: he had worked the with garrulous loamling a few times prior and whose insides he had seen about as many. Still, he seemed fairly stalwart and amicable enough, and he knew that their kin was fairly close enough in relation to his own that he could be certain of trustworthiness. Kitla: the doctor had only worked with the sorceress once prior, but had not yet had reason to practice on her, although considering the abandon through which he had see her conduct this trade, he expected such not to be true for long. And finally...

He froze. Locking eyes on the last figure, he asked, coldly, "What is that doing here?"

--------~~~--------

[digiman619]

"Cartwheels!" Largh exclaimed, literally flipping circles around Lombert. After that she, still in a handstand, smiled at the gnome. "What's wrong? Leaf Man said I'd be coming."

[Ssalarn]

Lombert tumbles from his headstand into a half-cartwheel that ends with the loamling sitting down on the floorboards with a heavy THUNK.

'Nough wit' the grumblin' friends,
we'll 'ave a fight on our 'ands soon 'nough!"

Lombert clambers to his feet before interlacing his claws and popping his knuckles with a thunderous POP!

"They're prolly postin' the bounties 'bout now, let's go see wot's wot."

[farothel]

Kitla finished of the last of the wine and stood up.
"She's good in a fight," she said, trying to smooth things over, "a bit eccentric maybe, but we all are or we wouldn't be doing this. And your right, Lombert. Let's go and look at the postings."
She walked down the stairs and with a 'goodbye' to Lag she proceeded to the postings.
"So, everybody ready for this," she asked, "I hope there's some easy and good earning ones this week."

[Chromascope3D]

"Hmph," The old gnome grunts as he regards the young loamling. An affable being, yes, but affability and naivete seemed often two sides of the same coin. Lombert had indeed mentioned the names of the two others, but had failed to mention the specific nature of their fourth, and the doctor himself had been hard-pressed to remember. Or, for as often as Culver repeated his line, perhaps it had been willfully left out, as Lombert had to have known that the doctor would work neither with goblins nor their ilk. Undependable, wild and uncontrolled were those Unseelie curs, and this one, he could start to recall, seemed little different.

His eyes, outlined with white, trace back between the pair, brow furrowed deeply, before he shakes his head and sighs, "Feh, fine. This once, I shall make an exception, but, only because I owe you, Lombert. Think not that my heart has, in any way, softened."

The doctor finishes the flagon in a second swig and jumps down off of the bench, bones creaking as he lands. Culver does not look at Largh again as he passes her, but, as he reaches the door, claps a hand on Lombert's shoulder, muttering to the grappler, "Last thing I'd want is for you to bite off more than you can chew with a wild sorceress and an even wilder busker as your backup."

[Ssalarn]

Lombert chortles, his broad shoulders rolling and ample belly quaking with mirth.

"Tis always good to 'ave summun worrying 'boutchya Doc," the loamling says through a squinting smile, "but no need to worry on my account. Largh an' Kitla's good people, just like you! Now, let's go see if'n there aren't some real scallawags whose bounties can pay for our supper!"

Clapping the gnome (gently) on the shoulder with one broad paw, Lombert trundles back to the stairs and unleashes a resigned sigh as he begins awkwardly clambering back down to street level.

[stack]

You work your way to the courthouse, winding through the larger streets, packed with beasts of burden, carts, vendor stalls, and every other form of economic activity, and small alleys, darkened by the upper stories of buildings on each side overhanging to the point of nearly touching those opposite. Wooden construction predominates, stone being too slow for the ever-changing, ever-growing city, saved for the most prestigious guild halls and the homes of the most successful merchants.

And, of course, the government buildings. Wyrm-seat's buildings mostly predate the free-city charter, though have sprouted greater ornamentation and grown vaulted wings, though the cost of land in the city walls means that any attempt at grandeur ends up oddly stunted. The various governmental buildings form a wall around a large open court, a necessity when your sovereign weighs many tons; one must always be prepared for a royal visit, even if they are exceedingly rare.

But the inner court is not for the likes of you. The bounty board is kept in the offices of the bailiff of the small court, the court of the common people. Grom Greatarm is the current bailiff; you arrive in time to see him lower his hammer, the newly written bounties scrawled out in his rough hand, each posted in draconic glyphs, followed by the common tongue. You spy others of your profession milling about; some are fellow agents of the court, others lacking official status, hunting the lucrative, and dangerous, open bounties, drifting from city to city. Some bear the scars and worn appearance of veterans, others are obviously inexperienced, but no less haughty for their want. The latter tend not to last long; easy bounties rarely pay large sums.

Grom ducks to go through the door to his office. Even though the building is built to accommodate human-sized folk, unlike some in town, the hulking bailiff exceeds the limited intended dimensions. You are all acquainted with him. He may be gruff, but will give further details on any postings if he knows them. Of course, your competition is afforded the same benefit; Grom is not known for playing favorites, though agents of the court do get the benefit of being first in line for his time, to the annoyance of some freelancers.

Bounty Board

Agents of the Court Active Bounties:
Bail, 10 sp, Hamiah Stout, human, aged ~40-45. Failed to make appearance on charges of embezzlement. Resides in the Coins.

Bail, 40 SP, Respa Tanner, halfling, aged ~50. Failed to make appearance on charges of disturbing graves. Resides in the Outwall.

Bench Summons, 20 sp, Belric Bluecloth, apprentice weaver. Halfling, aged ~20. Accused of assault with lethal intent against his master Allard Quickbeam of the Weaver's Guild. Previously resided on Cloth street with master. Whereabouts unknown.

Bench Summons, 10 sp, Olf Broadearth, loamling, aged ~30. Accused of sedition. Resides in North Outwall.

Bench Summons, 40 sp, Verric Swallowswift, elf, master of the gem-cutter guild, age unknown. Accused of assault against Corin Goodcoin, master of the same guild. Resides on Stone street, Coins.

*Misc minor bench summons resolved via downtime skill checks


Open Bounties:
Outlaw, 200 sp alive or dead, Beorn the Bloody, human, age unknown. Convicted in absentia of banditry murder, etc. Last known whereabouts Feymarsh. Additional bounty of 5 sp per member of band (alive). Additional fee 80 sp offered for recovery of family heirloom Durance (greatsword).

Outlaw, 50 sp each alive, 0 dead unless proof of membership provided, Underfurrow gang. Known to engage in smuggling, racketeering, etc. Operate in and around Outwall.

Outlaw, 100 sp alive or dead, Red Bonny, Halfling, age ~20-30. Convicted piracy, murder, public intoxication, impersonating an officer of the court, etc. Whereabouts unknown. Additional bounty of 5 sp per member of crew (alive) and 20% auction value of ship Red Death if taken.

Wyrm-work 40 sp alive, Jer Sheppard, Half elf (probable), age uncertain, gambler and card sharp.

Wyrm-work (misc escaped serfs)

Spoiler: Notes

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If you want to nod to any other agents of the court or other bounty hunters you wish to invent for flavor/backstory, go ahead (within reason). Everyone here is expected to act professionally.

[Ssalarn]

"Hrm..." Lombert mumbles while squinting at the bounties. "Things seem purtty bad in Outwall. Mebbe we oughta head that away. If'n our sniffin' don't turn up ol' Broadearth or a halflin' grave robber, p'raps we'll turn up a clue or two on those Underfurrows"

As he speaks, Lombert plants his feet a bit more firmly and studiously ignores an impatient halfling bounty hunter trying to edge in past the loamling's broad body for a better angle on the board.

[Chromascope3D]

Culver strokes his beard as he considers the propositions, and puzzles aloud, "Could probably wrangle a few and bring them together, but the real question would be if we had the limbpower to bring in so many at once. I have my doubts."

The gnome belches lightly as his liquid breakfast begins to settle, and mutters, "Assuming even split, no point taking a job that' gonna play less than what I'm gonna spend bringin' em in."

"Hrmmmm Mister Greatarm!" He calls across the counter to the veritable giant, "About how many heads apiece we expecting between Beorn's Gang and those Underfurrow fellows?"

[stack]

Brom raises an eyebrow as he looks down at the questioning gnome. "Beorn the Bloody runs with a gang of five to ten, according to more credible reports. More, if you believe the tavern tales. The underfurrow gang is hard to number; temporary members and passing hires are numerous, but the leadership is probably not more than half a dozen."

[farothel]

Kitla waved and said hello's to those other bounty hunters she knew, before she looked over the board. A few looked interesting.
"Beorn looks interesting," she said to the others, "so does Red Bonny, if we can capture the ship as well. We might start with a few of the more local ones while we put feelers out for the larger ones."

[Chromascope3D]

Culver shakes his head, replying gruffly, "Never sailed a boat before, nope, only ever been a passenger, and I doubt my guts would stay still enough to learn. Mayhaps we could press the crew into sailing the ship but somehow I doubt they'd be too friendly to the proposition of sailing to their own detainment, and that's assuming there's enough left in fighting condition when we're through with em, hmph!"

He exhales sharply, blowing some strands of pale mustache out of his mouth, and begins muttering some arithmetic aloud, "Let's see now, bringing in Beorn will net us two hundred flat, plus the potential of recovering that sword, and an average of seven gang members would yield us a maximum potential of two hundred and eighty three silvers. Meanwhile, a greater number of Underfurrows might yield us more, but we'd need to bring in at least six identifiable heads of their confirmed officers plus any number of lesser foots that we can bring in alive. And that's assuming that all six can be identified..."

The doctor shakes his head and shrugs, "...methinks Bloody's Gang is the safer bet, but that's just my reckonings"

[stack]

Grom gives Culver and Kitla a flat look when they mention Beorn. "Not sure you have the men to bring him in."

[Ssalarn]

"P'raps Outwall then? Olf and an old halflin' shouldn't be too 'ard to wrangle, and we might find out summat 'bout those Underfurrows while we're at it."
Lombert tilts his head quizzically and waits for his friends to respond.

[farothel]

"Sounds like a good idea," Kitla said. She had to admit that going after a full gang might not be a good idea, at least until they had a bit more experience.

[Chromascope3D]

Culver returns a quizzical look, but shrugs, and responds, "Alright alright, if you insist. Suppose I wasn't looking forward to trudging all the way to the Feymarsh today anyhow."

The gnome looks back to the giant, and asks, "What can you tell us about the loamling and the halfling tanner?"

[stack]

"Olf Broadearth, sedition. Minor demagogue. First serious offense, far as I know. Probably laying low. I expect the groundy taverns would be a place to start."


He leans back and thinks for a moment, "Respa Tanner, hmm. Brought up on charges of disturbing graves. Failed to appear for trial. Seemed odd, a bit touched." He taps his head. "Two weeks since? There abouts. Offense was in the troll-yard, south-east of the wall."

Spoiler: Note

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Groundy: loamlings, dwarves, traditionalist halflings, named for 'living in holes in the ground', even if that is not a particularly accurate description of the relevant architecture. Somewhat dismissive, but not exceptionally offensive. City halflings often use it to refer to less urban halflings.

Troll-yard: burial place of indigents and undesirables, originally made for the unclaimed remains of mercenaries after a minor war.

[farothel]

"Well, I guess that solves it then," Kitla said, "unless any of you need to get some supplies, I would say we're off and see if we can get a few back to you."
The last was to the bailiff.

[Ssalarn]

Lombert hooks his curved thumb-claws around the worn leather straps of his dusty backpack.
"Ready to go when you are! I s'pose we oughta go check out the taverns in Outwall. Might be we find some clues fer sniffin' out Olf and Tanner in the same place, with a bit o' luck!"

[digiman619]

Largh looked up, chewing on a sausage from a street vendor.... that she got before they went to the bounty board, obviously. It's not as if she'd gotten hungry and decided to grab something while everyone was busy. Surely not. "Sounds like a plan", she said, totally understanding what was going on.

[Chromascope3D]

Culver scowls at the goblin, before sighing, and shaking his head dismissively, dreading what would come of this fellow when the time came for conflict. Why should he expect any different, after all? He straightens himself out, and strokes the point of his short beard as he declares, "Well, got a bit of a hike ahead of us, if we're taking jobs clear on opposite side of the city, hrmm?"

[stack]

Grom dismisses you, your place immediately taken by others of your trade. You work your way through the busy streets, passing through the gates, crowded with wagons, carts, rickshaws, and foot traffic. The walls themselves are half invisible behind the structures plastered to either side; less than ideal for defense, but who would waste the space and a free wall?

Spoiler: Procedure

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My plan here is to use the research subsystem, but treating the district as the 'library'.

If we don't like how that works out after a couple bounties, we can look into other methods.

I am pretty open to how you want to go about finding information too. Intimidating bar patrons works (might not make you popular though). Diplomacy and/or deception to chat people up, society to intuit connections, etc. If you aren't sure what to roll, give me a reasonable description of how you are trying to go about getting information and what information specifically you are going for. Getting certain information (the name of a target's family member for example) might give a bonus on other checks, while failures or taking too long could eventually alert the target or attract other attention (you have competitors, of course).

Figure any given check will require some time, so probably time for 2 checks each before dark, another 2 after that, hanging about in taverns after dark (be rude to knock at private residences at that hour), more if you don't want sleep.

[Chromascope3D]

Culver grunts, adjusting the strap to the steel cylinder slung over his back as he walks through the streets, ducking under larger folks and around beasts-of-burden, and declares, "Hmph, sniff around the trollyard, see what I can't dig up."

He delivers this with a certain level of deadpan grump that it's difficult to tell whether this was intended as a joke, until the doctor makes a rough series of grunts that one could approximate to be a chuckle, before continuing, "Might be wise to split up and gather information, hm, reconnoiter and, *sniff* reconvene at the Toads, maybe around sunset or so."

[farothel]

"I'll check out the inns and taverns," Kitla said, "I know my way around those. But I wouldn't split up too much, just in case we run into trouble somewhere. Two groups of two would be my maximum."