Stealth or no stealth?
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Yuukyou is absorbed in his harrow cards the entire trip, and in the morning, flips over...
The theater.
Yuukyou is quite though most of the yelling, taking his card to mean that this is all a play that will end well enough. He keeps following the group as soon as they go after the ratfolk, though he has no stealth and stays towards the back of the crew.
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After managing to find the secret door, Bielsi is somewhat slow in following up with the rest of the group.
Umberto has a good idea, though and the Oread moves up behind him, getting his scythe menacingly.
It helps when you try to frighten people when you have a void obsessed spirit inhabiting your psyche.
The snickering stops as Umberto yells towards the door. All is silent now. What do you do?
PS: it's pitch black down here... who doesn't have darkvision?
Dead silence. What do you do?
The ratfolk had been waiting patiently for you!
Readied actions to attack as soon as doors are opened:
for dmg.
[not a crit]
[MISS! *pings off her shield*]
Then the ratfolk crossbowmen each take a 5-foot step: one to the north, and one to the south! what are these rapscallions up to???
Kim's big light also reveals a large 10'x10' opened pit in a larger room at the end of the hallway (depth impossible to gauge from this angle).
Round 1 Bold are up
Ratfolk1&2 - readied actions
Kim
Yuukyou
Ren
Umberto
Bielsi
Frostwind
for
--> The ratfolk is seriously BBQ'ed but still lives... as you blast him you see a door open to the south with a rat the size of a dog run in!
Kim cuts down one ratfolk goon she was after and he falls to the floor, bowels spilling to the ancient dusty tiles... the ratfolk boss curses as he loses his swarming buddy and gets ready to retreat!
Bielsi misses the target.
Yuukyou
Umberto
Frostwind
--> You're up!
you see him!
The Ratfolk Boss says, "SSQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" as his head reels backwards. "STOP! STOP! I GIVE UP! I SURRENDER!"
"Youz guyz are tuff cookiez... we dontz wantz to mess aroundz with proz... we're justz amateurz trying to feedz our familiez... 'tis old templez is useless anywayz... wealthz redistributionz is a thing sometimez... please let me healz my cousinz before they diez...."
He puts a rather heavy backpack to the ground and proceed to try to save the life of his two cousins who are bleeding out. He pours a potion in the mouth of the first one and tries to stop the bleeding on the other one.
"Argh! no! Dhonnee!! don't die man!!!"l
Backpack has the bust.. other ratfolks have the other artifacts. Another ratfolk comes from the south with pet rats. He order them to stand down and he puts his weapons down for parley.
COMBAT OVER
I will post again in 8 hours or so.
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"Perhaps we do not have to be quite so harsh. If these people were only trying to feed themselves and chose a place where they thought there would be little harm in robbing, perhaps some compromise could be found," Bielsi points out, remembering Sarenrae's teachings.
He is still suspicious, though and studies the intruders for hints of duplicity.
CONCLUSION - QUEST 2
Now that you’ve defeated the ratfolk, you find a shiny bust in the boss’ backpack. Its allies carry the other stolen relics, which include a set of embossed bronze offering bowls, a string of prayer beads made of silver, and a collection of holy symbols of Aroden from different regions of Golarion.
Remaio has all the evidence he needs to convince the Arodenites that Honaria’s bust wasn’t safe in the basilica, and Brother Valicus allows Remaio to take it without protest.
Remaio thanks you profusely and invites you all out to a fine dinner in downtown Oppara.
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"Yes, returning the items to Aroden is the best option. How can we enjoy the extra gold when we did something wrong to acquire it?"
The dinner went as well as could be expected for Kim. Trained in the arts of Iomedae and war, she lacks many of the social graces that others possess. While she didn't make a complete fool of herself, not knowing the ways of high society made for some interesting moments.
The most basic of which was actually slowing down when eating. Spending all her time training left little for the enjoyment of food, so eating was done out of necessity and not so much for pleasure.
On the bright side, she did finally unwind enough to enjoy some ale from Umberto.
You hand the recovered relics to Brother Valicus and he thanks you for your assistance. When out dining, Remaio indulges you on a bit of history after a few glasses of wine. He starts at the beginning it seems, and tells you the following, “For millennia, magnificent Taldor reigned as an enduring empire, praised for its culture, military, wealth, and connections to the glory of Azlant. By the beginning of the fifth millennium AR, Taldor had begun to sag under the weight of excessive ceremony and decadence. Its old rival Qadira led an invasion against its declining neighbor in 4079. Sensing an opportunity, many of Taldor’s western provinces declared their independence in what was called the Even-Tongued Conquest—a war on two fronts that the empire could not handle. Taldor repelled the Qadiran forces, but it never regained its lost lands.
In the aftermath of the war, emperors of Taldor sought scapegoats to bear the shame of their defeat. They stripped numerous noble families of their titles and lands to condemn their failures in the two campaigns. Most who suffered this punishment faded into obscurity and never rose again. Countess Honaria Alcasti, my ancestor, was an influential commander during the campaigns before and immediately following the Even-Tongued Conquest, yet all her skill could not make up for the shortage of supplies, and her career came to an ignoble end. When she dared to critique the crown’s strategies, the emperor sentenced her family to life as common people. I am her many-times-great grandson but alas, I only have incomplete references to her heroism and title, and I long to exonerate her name and regain the noble title that I believe she deserved. If you can all help me gather the right evidence and present it in Oppara, I am certain that I will succeed. I need you all to keep following my lead across several additional countries to uncover the truth and, with evidence in hand, advocate for my ancestor’s grand legacy.”
The next morning, you are invited by the man who presides over the Aroden Basilica, Father Basri. He grants you all an audience, and extends an official and very formal protocol of gratitude for the stolen relics you brought back. He also blesses the party in the name of Aroden. Even though some of you may think this blessing no longer carries any magical weight, you at least all agree that Basri would now be predisposed to support you in a future endeavor. Although the Church of Aroden no longer receives spells, its members have considerable influence with the nobility and various historical societies across Avistan and particularly here in Taldor.