Caliphas Noir: Thicker Than Water

Game Master The Dread Pirate Hurley

In Ustalav's fog-shrouded capital, Constable Selene wages a one-woman crusade against the things lurking in darkness. For in Caliphas, the only thing worse than the monsters without is the monster within.

Combat map | Map of Caliphas

Theme Song


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Jeffries pulls on one side of his mustache as he listens interestedly to Selene's side of the tale. "Indeed, indeed. They do like to have unbroken trails to sniff, after all. Teleportation, indeed!" He shakes his head, marveling at the thought. Reaching into the breast of his jacket, he produces a file. He purses his lips at the file before handing it over to Selene with a heavy heart. "Damned paperwork. I've taken the liberty of filling out most of the forms regarding the incident. All I'll need is a short statement from you and a signature, at your convenience of course. Good day, Selene," he says, nodding respectfully as he takes his leave.

Making her way to her desk, Selene turns her attention to the paperwork left over from the prior evening. Jeffries and Morsa had done as much as they could to alleviate her burden of the stuff, but it still takes almost a quarter of an hour to finish filing.

Perception DC 15:
While she completes the exceedingly dull task of filling out her paperwork, Selene overhears snippets of a conversation at the desk down, something about an accidental death at the Bloodtear Club.

Once she's finished, she reports to the desk to turn in the paperwork. The constable at the desk, a younger woman with long red hair tied in a Kellid braid, glances over it. "Captain Hoptler wants to see you in his office," she says, traces of sympathy in her accented speech.

Ever since the Incident, these meetings with the Captain had become more common. The captain was an unlikable man on a good day - he had all the charm of a bullfrog, with a face to match. Years of running the department had done little to convince him of the supernatural dangers facing Caliphas. Following the Incident - Selene's highly public slaying of...something - he had pulled her off her usual beat as a means to reduce the attention from the public. Regardless of the politics, it freed her up for more interesting assignments where her skills could be of more use.

"In!" barks the Captain as Selene raises a fist to knock. Once standing in his office, the Captain gives Selene a gruff once-over. His greasy black hair hung behind him in tendrils, and his lazy eye was extra lazy. "So good of you to grace us with your presence this morning," he says, glaring at her with his good eye. "I heard about your excursion down to the Castle of Crazies last night. Can't say I'm surprised. If anything, I don't know why they haven't committed you already!" The captain laughs, coughing up a mouthful of phlegm as he does so. "You better not let that doctor get his hooks into you. I'm counting last night toward your monthly community service hours."

Community service is a recent initiative, started only in the last year as some political maneuver on the part of Countess Caliphvaso in her endless squabbles with Prince Ordranti. The fruit of it was to make a big show at tackling problems plaguing the common folk of the city (issues that she blames on the Prince for moving his court to Caliphas from the old capital of Ardis). While ostensibly relieving Selene of the burden of some six hours worth of enforced community service, the truth of the matter was that the Captain was docking her pay from the entire evening and preventing her from putting those hours to something more important to her.

I should be able to get a second post up in the late morning. That one will be more info-dumpy, but I at least wanted to give you a chance to engage instead of moving you through three scenes on autopilot.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Sometimes, autopilot is what the game needs. ^^

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 Bah. XD In retrospect, I probably should've just Taken 10, but oh well. I already rolled.

A more sensible person would've given her a bonus, or at least a compliment - she'd managed to get the main job done, up to and including capturing their perp and turning evidence, and she'd resolved another incident along the way, helping to gain the goodwill of one of the Inner Sea's most influential organizations. Still, the only thing barking at one of her superiors would do was get her kicked off the force. Some of these people could be... petty.

"I'm always happy to serve the community, Sir." she said with a bright smile. Mostly because getting upset was generally what he wanted from people, and she saw no reason to play along with him on the matter. Besides, if you gave an inch to these people, they just kept pushing. "It is part of the job, after all - and the sooner it's done, the more time I have to spend on actual work without worrying about initiatives inconveniently interrupting investigations."


Captain Hoptler frowns and opens his mouth to say something, but a tinny buzzing sound distracts him. The source of the sound, a large black fly, alights on a folder sitting on the captain's desk. A tense moment of silence descends as the captain stares at the fly, his open mouth taking on a hungry aspect, as if he intends to eat it. Suddenly his hand flies out, slapping onto the desk. Lifting his hand up, he grins to see the insect's guts smeared on folder.

Satisfied with himself, Hoptler looks back to Selene. "I've got a case for you," he croaks. "Missing person, reported earlier this morning. Some noble, name Skeldon Miregrold." He picks up the gore-smeared folder, sliding it across his desk at Selene unceremoniously.

Inside the folder, Selene finds the missing person complaint lodged by one Abraun Chalest, a curator at the Quarterfaux Archives. According to the report, Skeldon Miregrold was pursuing research funded by the Archives. After an extended silence and numerous unanswered messages, the Archives sent a man around to check in on Miregrold's progress. It seems that Miregrold wasn't home, and hadn't been for some time. His manor home was ransacked, and some suspicious figures were glimpsed in the windows. The file gives the address for Miregrold Manor in Wrenhyde, some miles outside of the city proper.

"Normally I'd put an Investigator on it, but I don't want to waste their time. That b-- from the Bureau will probably try to take it over as soon as she gets wind of it. You'd better have something for me to give her when she does, so be quick about it."


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

"Understood, sir." Selene said, her eyes flicking back and forth as she worked to memorize the comments. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about, or should I go ahead and get going?" You never really knew what else they might want to pile on top of you. Still, going a little ways outside the city, huh? That'd be fun. She'd probably run most of the way as a wolf just to get there faster... she always had enjoyed getting things done faster than people expected. After all, it was pretty hard to argue with results, and they gave her a lot of freedom as long as she kept solving problems.


GM rolls:
1d100 ⇒ 82
2d6 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5

Conveniently, Whiteshaw is only a few blocks from Castle Balatz, the main trade gate in and out of the city. Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city's walls behind, Selene morphs into a wolf and lopes through the countryside. The sun's rays warm her fur as she runs alongside the road to Wrenhyde. The fog would be returning any day now, but for the moment Caliphas was free of its suffocating grip. The land beyond Caliphas gently rolls with hills and green fields. Caliphas county is premiere wine country, and the region could almost be considered idyllic if it were anywhere but Ustalav.

As she passes by a lightly wooded area some two miles outside of Caliphas, Selene spots a pack of wolves through the trees. They notice her as well, and two of them break off from the others to investigate. As they get closer, they catch her scent on the wind. As soon as they do, they retreat immediately, leading the pack further into the trees beyond sight.

Knowledge (nature) DC 10:
Wolves hunt at night and aren't typically seen during the day. However, the wildlife in Ustalav were known to sometimes behave strangely around the Harvest Moon. With the Harvest Moon a scant two weeks away, such a sight probably didn't mean anything.

Sense Motive DC 25:
Something about the way the wolves retreated doesn't sit well with Selene. It felt almost as if they were scouts carrying a message back to someone.

Approaching Wrenhyde proper, the road begins to split and meander along its way, other dirt paths branching off from the main road. Unlike a typical neighborhood in the city, Wrenhyde is a loose collection of noble's estates, each private manor kept separated from the others. While some of the residences might simply be large houses not far off from the main road, others are opulent mansions with grounds that support whole villages of serfs and servants.

Thankfully, locating Miregrold Manor proves to be a simple affair and Selene soon finds her way walking up the lone cobbled path that meanders about the property. The path leads through copses of dull, gangly trees and overgrown grass, opening up to reveal Miregrold Manor in all its paltry glory. The small two-story house is built in the classic Ustalavic style with a steep roof shingled in dark slate and elaborately carved bargeboards that highlight the high cross gables. Framed windows of leaded glass rise in slender, cathedral-like arches and a pair of pointed turrets flanks the manor’s thick, iron-shod
front doors.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Know Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

...Hmm.

A little while after they'd gone, Selene occasionally warped instead of running, zig-zagging around to break up her trail. It had played merry heck with the dogs back in the city, and she wasn't above duplicating the tactic. Between that and warping from tree to tree for a bit, they ought to find it much harder to trail her all the way to her destination.

Finally, she returned to her human form a bit before she arrived, thoughtfully considering the estate. Rather than knocking, though, she focused her senses a different way, scanning the house to see if she could see signs of anyone inside. Just knowing whether or not people were present - and if so, how many - would tell her a lot. And if there weren't any in sight, well, she wouldn't have to wait outside...

Using Detect Blood.


GM rolls:
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Selene's vision turns the color of blood as she taps into her powers. It fades after a moment, casting into sharp relief the shapes of all manner of wildlife around her. Despite being out in the country, she doesn't sense anything out of the ordinary. As she approaches the house, she can pick up three live humanoid bodies inside the house. Two of them are somewhere above the ground floor, probably upstairs. The third seems to be lurking just beyond the window set into the western turret.

Perception DC 15:
From Selene's vantage point, she can tell that there is a small gap, enough for someone to peer through.

Sense Motive DC 15:
Based on the blood signature of the figure behind the curtain, Selene would guess that her presence has gone unnoticed.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Hm. So there actually were some people here... in line with the report she'd been given. With that, she circled around the house, looking for somewhere she could enter without tipping off the people inside to the fact that teleportation was one of her abilities. She focused slightly as she went, calling up a pair of magical barriers around her body. Her intuition was telling her there was a good chance she'd end up fighting these people, and she wanted to be prepared for that.

Using two Spell Points to add both forms of Armored Magic, for a total of +4 to her AC for three hours.


12:15 PM - 6th of Rova, 4717 AR
Miregrold Manor, Wrenhyde

Active conditions: +4 Selene's AC, three hours remaining

As she circles the house, Selene notices that, in each of the manor's many windows, the drapes are drawn. Around the back of the house, she finds an open-air porch enclosed by an iron lattice covered in thorny vines. Tucked away close to the house is a small set of stone steps leading up to the squat rear entrance.

Selene can attempt to break in through the rear door or clear away some thorns and warp in through the lattice.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Drawn drapes in a place like this were definitely suspicious. People who lived way out of the way on private estates generally weren't as concerned about security... and that made it suspicious as all heck. More to the point, though, she didn't want the noise of breaking down a door yet - best to not let them know she could be inside. Instead, she popped out a claw on one hand and began to carefully work at clearing the vines, adding the power of her destructive blast to make the job go faster. Ah, mundane applications of magic - hard to hate 'em.


A few moments is all it takes for Selene to clear away enough of the vines to make her entrance. Inside the porch, a beam of sunlight lances dramatically through the new hole in the vines. A long stack of firewood takes up the far wall and three barrels sit pushed into the corner.

Perception DC 14:
A foul odor emanates from the barrels. Selene's keen senses pick up the sickening sweetness of decaying flesh.

Beyond the wrapped-in porch, a hall opens to two doors, one with a lock and one without. The locked door is the back entrance and the other leads inside the manor proper.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Selene wrinkled her nose slightly and moved over to the barrels, scanning them for a moment to see if anything living was inside before, if not, popping open the lid. She had a suspicion here, but it was best to confirm it and avoid simply falling prey to her biases - that was a terrible way to perform an investigation, after all, and she had a duty to keep an open mind when she was gathering the facts.


Crammed inside each of the barrels is a human corpse. They have developed rigor mortis in this unnatural position and won't come out of the barrels easily.

Knowledge (nature) DC 15:
Based on the smell and apparent decomposition, these bodies have been dead for about a week.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Know Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Selene spent a few more moments examining the bodies. By this point, the smell of the corpses was somewhat repulsive even to her. The changes in her body's constitution meant that fresh corpses were attractive - although being a sensible and well-adjusted person, she generally limited her feeding on the dead to animals, and a little time hunting outside the city was usually enough to replenish her stores of blood. Speaking of, she might go ahead and do that on the way home... she liked to be topped up, just in case.

Heal (Determine cause of death? Also, can I tell their genders and approximate ages?): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 ...I should get her some actual training in that next level. That, and some skill kits. XD


From her viewpoint, Selene can't get a good look at the bodies. Their clothes appear to be torn and covered in dried blood, but their cause of death can't be determined. Two of the bodies are male, one female, all of adult age in their 20s or 30s.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Wrinkling her nose a bit, she put the lids back on the caskets after saying a few rites over them. That didn't stop every type of undead from forming, but it might help. With that, she headed towards the door to the manor proper, rather than trying to break her way inside. Time to see what sort of miscreants called this place home now...


New zombie subtype: barrel zombies. And the advanced versions, well-aged bourbon zombies.

Selene's blood sight shows her that the three people don't seem to have moved much. The two upstairs seem to wander about some, but the one at the front of the house hasn't moved at all.

Entering through the porch door, Selene moves through a rounded turret into a sun porch. The bank of high windows are covered with thick wool blankets, but the room itself is comfortably furnished. A set of large, padded leather chairs are arranged around a low wooden table. A chaise longue and its fellow sofa, upholstered in Chelish rose chintz spill into the next room, flanked by end tables.

Perception DC 15:
A fine ceramic tea pot and three small cups sit on the table. They appear to have been recently used.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

XD

...Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if someone made that as a thing...

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

Selene glanced at the teacups for a moment. Yup, the place was definitely inhabited - and she needed to find out who was here. With that, she began creeping towards the person near the front entrance, fully planning on trying to get the drop on them. Nobody seemed to know she was there yet, and rather than rushing forward, she decided to hold back and move at a cautious, measured pace instead. No need to be unduly risky about this.

Taking 10 on Stealth for a total of 20.


GM rolls:
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Selene creeps north into the adjoining room. More stuffed chairs and chintzy furnishings line the side walls around this lounge and lit oil lanterns provide plenty of light. In the center of the room sits a long display table under a glass case. The case has been smashed open, but most of the contents remain.

If Selene decides to examine the case:
Upon the table lies a collection of antique blades from across the Inner Sea region and beyond. Among the various daggers and swords, the collection contains a Taldan falcatta, a scimitar from Kelesh, a dwarven axe, a rare elven curve blade, and an Aldori dueling sword. Each weapon in the collection is as much a work of art as an instrument of death.

As she examines the collection, Selene gets the unsettling feeling of being watched. Looking for the source, she turns around to see ferocious animals looking silently down at her. A bear, a wolf, an elk, and a boar all stare at her with a hungry glint in their eyes. Roll a DC 13 Will save versus Shaken.

At second glance, the hungry glint is merely the firelight reflecting off of the glass eyes set into the stuffed and mounted heads. The animals are merely trophies, long since killed for sport on some noble's hunting trip.

Perception DC 13:
Amid the glass shards, several weapons are missing from their place. According to the labels, the collection is missing a katana, a starknife, and a sawtooth saber.

To the north of the display sits a well-stocked wine bar. An entryway into the foyer lies on either side of the bar.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Will: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Selene glared at the stuffed entities for a moment, although the attempts to unsettle her hadn't quite worked - she had the mindset of a predator, not prey, given both her job and the changes to her body after she'd slain that monster. Admittedly, she hadn't mentioned most of those changes to anyone else - Ustalav as a whole was paranoid at best and got rapidly worse from there - but truth was truth, no matter how you tried to hide it.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Now, then... three missing weapons, and three people in the house? How very curious indeed. She wasn't going to assume they were using them - assumptions like that were how you got into trouble - but she did intend to take down at least two of the targets quickly so she could interrogate the third more effectively. She focused for a moment, and her form shifted into that of a wolf with a pair of unnatural batlike wings folded against its back. She stealthily crept forward, sniffing the air as she did so in order to help pinpoint the figure she was after.

Using Animalistic Transformation, with the Wings and Wing Attack (secondary, at +2, so unlikely to hit) traits. She has the form of a Medium quadruped (flavored as a wolf in keeping with traditional vampiric transformations, which I plan to stick with), the Scent ability, a 40 ft land speed, and a +2 natural armor bonus (bringing her up to a base AC of 22). Her attacks are Bite/Claw/Claw/Wing/Wing. Notably, she has not yet maintained the transformation by spending a spell point, so unless she does that, any full attack will cause her to revert at the end of her turn.


The blood sight fades as Selene transforms. The transformation begins as it always does - painfully. Her legs shorten while her feet elongate and her nose and mouth grow outward a feral snout. Hair begins sprouting all over her body, thickening and darkening into short fur and a tail grows out from her back. Now standing on all fours, her hands and feet transform into paws as a grotesque pair of leathery bat wings erupt from her shoulder blades.

Once the transformation is complete, Selene sniffs the air, picking up the scent of the three figures. Two are male, one female. The man downstairs stands in the foyer to the north, but she can't tell the location of the other two any better than with her blood sight.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

On the bright side, she knew the others were upstairs, and wasn't really worried about their positions at the moment. Instead, she continued forward, carefully and quietly making her way towards the front entrance and the man there.

As before, Take 10 on Stealth, though she's looking around as she goes. ^^


GM rolls:
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Selene enters the foyer proper, padding along on silent paws. Her claws make no clicking sound on the cool marble floor. As she sniffs the air, she detects an unfamiliar quality about the man's scent. Detecting the man in the northwestern turret, she creeps forward into open, setting eyes on a short Tian man in drab, loose clothing leaning against the windowsill, a thin stripe of sunlight splitting his face. He appears preoccupied, cleaning his fingernails with a knife. He doesn't notice the furry avatar of terror standing mere feet away.

Selene stands 20 feet from the man.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Perception (Anything special about that knife she can see, and any sign he has other weapons? She doesn't have DR vs Silver/Good yet, but I feel checking this is a good habit to get into. XD): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Selene watched for just a moment, then sprang at the man. Tian, was it? That was fairly unusual in Ustalav, which as a whole tended to be a paranoid place that was not terribly welcoming to outsiders. This was doubly true in the small hamlets and other areas with few guards and even less reason to trust anyone they didn't know. Perhaps more to the point, she was aiming to take him down before he could raise the alarm. If he did... well, she'd just have to deal with that. She was quite aware of her own imperfections, and rather than worrying too much, she was simply focused on doing her best.

Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 for Nonlethal Damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 6) + 6 = 15
If it lands, she regains 1 blood point from her Savage Bite ability and triggers Bloodlust.


The sight of the Tian man was certainly odd. While the Tians' numbers in Caliphas had been steadily increasing ever since Prince Ordranti had ordered the Jade Quarter built over a decade ago, it was rare to see one outside of that district. Rumors had been swirling around the department about rising crime in Tiantown, but there was little effective policing to be done. Either most of the Tians didn't speak Taldane or else pretended not to any time the constables were around, and even the ones that did weren't likely to talk. There were some in the department that didn't think there was anything to the rumors. There was little substantiated evidence of anything going on in Tiantown. However, there were an awful lot of nobles that seemed to enjoy slumming it down by the quay and, for some people, that was enough.

Taking stock of her opponent, Selene notices the zig-zagging serrated edge of another blade hanging below the hem of the man's shirt. His dagger doesn't appear to be anything special, though, and it's a poor defense for the man as she strikes. He screams as Selene's wolf-like jaws clamp down on him, drawing blood, but he quickly passes out as she shakes him violently.

The enemy is unconscious. That was a move action and a standard attack, so Selene is still transformed.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

D'oh, that first six shoulda been a nine. XD Ah, well!

Selene reverted her body back to its human form as she knelt down and inspected his body, snatching his weapons away and hauling him out of direct sight from the door in case his buddies decided to come investigate. She listened for a few moments, using her Detect Blood to monitor things and see what happened. If there was no problem, she'd start looking for a way upstairs. If they did come, she'd be shifting back to the wolf form and preparing an ambush.


GM rolls:
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 4) = 16

Patting down the unconscious man, she finds a small corked gourd with Tian symbols drawn on it in some kind of ink filled with a foul-smelling liquid. She also finds a small purse containing 16 coins. Ten of them are recognizable silver pieces, but the remaining six are some Tian currency that Selene doesn't recognize.

After confiscating the contents of the man's pockets as well as the weapons, Selene looks up to the second floor, sensing the other two with her blood sight. They appear to be agitated, and Selene can hear the timbers creak as they move about. They seem to be making their way toward the stairs.

From a ways to the south, Selene hears a male voice call out in broken Taldane, "Dat you, Miregrold? We bin waiting for you!"


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Crouching down on four paws, Selene waited patiently for the men to come closer. One of the advantages of her senses was that she didn't always need to be able to see people to have a good idea of where they were - and she was quite willing to use that to her advantage as she prepared her ambush. Admittedly, it might have been fun to drag their unconscious friend out, but her gut instinct was that they would have attacked her... and she saw no reason to put herself in more danger than necessary. The more effectively she could take them out, the happier she was going to be... although with two of them there, it was probably going to turn into a real fight anyway, so her real goal was simply to take one of them down first.

Ready Action: Ambush the first one through the door with a Bite attack.


Initiative:
Selene: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Goon 1: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Goon 2: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

"We know you are here, Miregrold! There is no use hiding." Tracking her enemy's movements with her blood senses, she can see them split up, each entering through a different hallway. The speaking man enters through the hall closest to where Selene lies in wait. As soon as he comes into view, she pounces.

Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10 Miss
Damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (5, 4) + 6 = 15

The man's reflexes are as fast as lightning and he sidesteps Selene's attack. He looks surprised to see Selene's strange form, but it doesn't stop him from raising his slender, slightly curved blade against her. He slashes out with a diagonal stroke, the edge biting into her flank. Take 4 damage. A starknife flies across the room, burying itself in the wall a couple of feet from Selene's position, and the other intruder, a Tian woman with severe features and a long, tight braid, circles at a distance.

Goon 1 attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Goon 1 Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Goon 2 attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Goon 2 damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

I'm readying a battle map. It should be up shortly.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Bloodlust is still on, I believe, so +1 to attack/damage.

Well, the man had made one mistake - he was in melee range now, and that meant she could go all-out with a series of blows... although her wound was stinging somewhat, and that might have dragged her down a little. This, of course, didn't stop her from doing the best she could regardless - she could take quite a bit more punishment before she was genuinely in trouble.

All attacks are Power Attacks. The accuracy loss is offset by her Bloodlust power.
Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Claw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17 for Nonlethal Damage: 1d4 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 7 + (3) = 11
Claw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 for Nonlethal Damage: 1d4 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 7 + (6) = 14
Wing: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Wing: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Spending a Spell Point to keep her transformation active without concentration for a bit.

Active Effects: Bloodlust +1.

Animalistic Transformation, with the Wings and Wing Attack (secondary, at +2, so unlikely to hit) traits. She has the form of a Medium quadruped (flavored as a wolf), the Scent ability, a 40 ft land speed, and a +2 natural armor bonus (bringing her up to a base AC of 22). Her attacks are Bite/Claw/Claw/Wing/Wing.


The man barely flinches as Selene's attacks meet an invisible resistance, but she knocks the smirk off his face as she breaks through with one swipe of her claw, slashing his shirt. He grips the sword with both hands, and the blade flashes with reflected light as he brings it down toward Selene in an overhead slice that proves simple to avoid. "Let your dog do your fighting, Miregrold? You have no honor! Coward!" The man taunts the air as he backpedals, trying to put some distance between himself and the wolf. Movement provokes AoO from Selene.

The woman takes a step forward and mutters a phrase, painting the air in front of her with her fingers. Suddenly a gust of wind kicks up, a bolt of lightning erupting from her fingertip. Take 6 electricity damage, Reflex DC 14 for half.

Spellcraft DC 16:
Burning hands

Goon 1 attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 Miss
Goon 1 damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Goon 2 damage: 3d4 ⇒ (2, 3, 1) = 6


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

AoO (Bite): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27 for Nonlethal Damage: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (4, 4) + 7 = 15
Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25 for Nonlethal Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 Since the extra damage dice isn't multiplied. XD

With a quick twist, Selene managed to avoid the worst of the blast - and she spun that into a bite as the other man retreated, her jaws clamping down with... surprising effectiveness, actually. Maybe it was the way her body was shifting back, but it hit harder than it usually did, and she wasted no time at all in darting at the witch-woman and biting out at her as well. "...I don't suppose you're interested in surrendering yet?" she inquired. Most people didn't expect her near-feral combat style... or the cool tone that went with it, a contrast she'd deliberately practiced to throw people off and make it harder to predict what she was going to do next.

Move Action: Move into range. I'd do it on the map, but it's view-only. XD Standard Action: Bite.

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 for Nonlethal Damage: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (1, 6) + 7 = 14


The shock of Selene's bite disables the man and he falls to the floor, unconscious, even as she's already rounding on the woman.

The woman screams as Selene closes her jaws around her leg, jerking away from the wolf-bat creature. Her look of pain turns to one of horror as the thing speaks to her. She doesn't seem to understand the words, but she recognizes them as human speech. Frantically, she paints the air again, and the wind picks up. However, instead of the crackle of lightning, the gust of wind blows away all of the color in the room, gathering it into a howling storm of sight and sound before blasting Selene full in the muzzle.

Spellcraft DC 16:
Color spray

Selene's Will save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
1d4 ⇒ 3

The colors of the wind have blinded and stunned Selene for 3 rounds and stunned her for 1. For the next 3 rounds, she can't see, can't take actions, and takes a -8 penalty to AC (denied Dex bonus and -2 each for stunned and blinded. For the round after that, she can see but still can't take actions and takes a -6 penalty to AC. I'll post the next few rounds all at once below. If I missed something, let me know and the following can be interrupted.

Spoiler:
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Goon 1 attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Goon 1 damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Suddenly blinded and unable to move, Selene is paralyzed but not insensate. Her keen ears give her a pretty good idea of the goings on around her.

The woman hobbles over to near where her companion lies unconscious. She says something Selene can't quite pick up. After some scuffling and shuffling and another muttered word, Selene can hear the woman moving around the foyer as the heavier footsteps of the man approach Selene's stunned form, still standing. Though paralyzed by the witch's magic, Selene can practically feel the man looming over her as he gloats. "I kill your dog, Miregrold, then I serve to boss for lunch!" At the same time, the woman cries out in surprise from the corner of the foyer near the turret. Selene's vision returns just in time to see the man raise his blade and bring it down, biting deep into her shoulder behind her wing. Take 14 damage. Behind the man, the woman continues to search the room, searching the other turret.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

She has an extra +5 to her saves versus mind-affecting illusions - trait bonus and general resistances - but those don't really help on a Natural 1. XD And her immunities don't block those particular effects. I should probably grab the Luck power from the Protection Sphere next level - it lets me dismiss some conjured armor to reroll a saving throw, and that sort of thing is important in solo games...

Selene was thankful for many things in her life - not least among them was the fact that it took a great deal of damage to keep her down, and as her ability to move finally returned, she... well, 'went berserk' wasn't a particularly bad way of looking at it. The downside? She'd been down long enough that her body had reverted back to its human form - but she still had three ways of attacking, and lashed out at the man with the weapon as he tried to stab her again.

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Claw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Claw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 for Nonlethal Damage: 1d4 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 7 + (2) = 10


I missed the save bonuses; I'll make sure to keep those in mind in the future. But yeah, Natural 1s are kinda hard to come back from.

The man's face scrunches up in confusion as Selene returns to her human form, but Selene's attack relieves him of the burden of trying to understand as she knocks him unconscious again.

The woman emerges from the turret to see Selene in place of the wolf-bat thing she had left behind. Understanding dawns and her eyes go wide. She screams in her foreign language as she turns, running to the door. Frantically, she tries to unlock it but struggles with the mechanism.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Without waiting, Selene darted forward, lunging out at the woman to drag her down.

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

The first bite wasn't terribly accurate... but the Constable wasn't done quite yet. She reached inside herself, drawing on one of her wellsprings of power. She actually had more of those than most people realized... the basic magic was simple, of course. Beneath that, she had her reservoir of blood, which was mostly just used for enhancing her senses to inhuman levels... and below that was the truest power she possessed. Drawing on what she'd gained from the vampire she'd slain, Selene bit out again before giving the woman a chance to react.

As a Swift Action, expending 1 Mythic Power for Sudden Attack, which lets her make an additional strike. For this ability, she takes the better of two rolls and adds her mythic tier (currently 1) to her attack roll. It also bypasses DR, but that's probably not relevant yet. XD
Sudden Attack: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Sudden Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24 for Nonlethal Damage: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (3, 4) + 7 = 14


I still have no clue what it looks like when claws and bites do nonlethal damage /shrug

Perception DC 30:
As Selene calls upon her special reservoir of power, her shadow takes on the shape of a wolf, striking out at the woman's shadow the same as Selene strikes the woman.

As the woman struggles to escape, Selene swiftly knocks her out. Hearing movement behind her, she turns to see the swordsman regaining consciousness for the second time. He sits up, looking around, and realizes that he is now the only one left. Dropping his sword, he holds his hand up in the universal gesture of surrender. "You not dog! I give up!"


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

There's a couple of ways to imagine it. XD One easy way to think of it might be that her amulet heals most of the damage done as her weapons pass into somebody - so the nonlethal damage is essentially accumulated shock to the target's body from having its functions momentarily disrupted.

"Stand and put your hands against the wall." she ordered, working to tie up the caster woman both by binding her arms with whatever was available and gagging her mouth. You had to be careful with spellcasters... "If you follow my directions, I will not hurt you any further. Disobey... and I make no promises. Now, who are you and what are you doing here?"


The man stands slowly, his hands still raised. He makes his way to the wall, resting his palms against it. Craning his neck, he watches Selene, as if keeping eyes on her would somehow keep her from eviscerating him if she were so inclined. "I Lo Ping," he stammers out. "We w-waiting f-for Miregrold. H-He owe our boss lot of money!"


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

I should probably pick up Tien as a language, too, if there's a sizable group in the city... XD Any other suggestions for languages?

Once she was finished with the woman, Selene moved over to him, patting him down as she frisked him for dangerous items.

Frisks get a +4 versus hidden stuff.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 9 + 4 = 28

"What does he owe money for?" she asked as she searched him. Her approach was firm, though not overly rough - enough to make the point that she could be rougher if she wanted to, and was deliberately not doing so. She didn't actually like this part of the job very much, but when dealing with potential suspects, a certain amount of stated authority - including the capacity to use violence - was essentially required. Many people didn't respect anything less. "And when was the last time you had contact with him?"


The only other one I can think of off the top of my head would be Necril. However, if such language acquisition occurs, it will have to be on-screen, at least to begin with.

Lo Ping protests as Selene frisks him, but it does him no good. Patting him down, she finds an empty gourd similar to the one that she took off the other guard, an assortment of knives and daggers, and a full coin purse containing a mix of Avistani silver and Tien coins.

"Boss not see Miregrold for two week. Miregrold, he gamble at boss's casino lots of time. But last time he come in, he lose big! H-he tell boss he need time to get money, boss g-give him one week. That two week ago." Answering Selene's questions seems to give the man enough courage to ask some of his own, despite his fearful stuttering. "I-if you not with Miregrold, why you here? H-he owe you m-money too?" Lo Ping laughs a forced nervous laugh, clearly still terrified for his life.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Fortunately, I've got the excuse of natural-limit human intelligence. XD So there's that, at least.

Sense Motive (How honest is he being?): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

"Let's just say I'd like to talk to him about an unrelated matter." Selene answered. "Of course, if he owes you money, it's not really my place to butt in. So how about we make our own deal, hmm?" she paused for a moment to let him think about that. "Let me put this simply - I don't want your money, and I don't want your life. In fact, all I really want from you is to not interfere with my own investigation of this place, and perhaps to help me shove aside anything that gets in the way. Now, my shoulder still hurts from that stab, but I'm willing to forgive the harm you did me. Once. I think we both know what would've happened if I really wanted to hurt you, and that's how you can know I'm honest." She held one of his daggers out for him to take as she stepped back. "So you can take care of your friends, and I'll let you know if I find Miregold. I can't promise I'll hand him over to you... but maybe we can find a way to make sure your boss gets his money, eh? It's a lot better than going home bloody and empty-handed."

...Not that she minded the blood, but still.


Selene gets the feeling that there's more to the story than what Lo Ping's telling, but what he's said seems to be on the up-and-up.

Lo Ping recoils when Selene holds out his dagger. Now that he's at a disadvantage, he acts more like a scared kitten than a fierce tiger. Realizing that Selene means what she says, he reaches out and takes the dagger from her, nodding.

After some consideration, Lo Ping nods in agreement. "Okay, good deal. This house ours now," he says, gesturing around. "We take for our boss. But boss want make Miregrold example, make sure nobody f-- with him. You find Miregrold, you come to casino." He gives Selene an address in the Jade Quarter. "Bring Miregrold, maybe boss give you reward."


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Selene calmly took the paper, slipping it into her pocket. She wasn't actually going to tell them that she had zero interest in accepting their 'rewards', and the suggestion they basically wanted to bring Miregold in and kill him wasn't something she could support. She could, however, report the location of the casino and that it was almost definitely involved in illegal activities. The force got bored sometimes, and they'd probably enjoy a good old-fashioned raid in overwhelming force... and while she'd never support raiding someplace just for the sake of doing it, it was an entirely different story when they had probable cause.

"Tend to your friends." she said, moving towards the inside door and jerking her head towards the unconscious woman. All right, these people had been on both floors, hadn't they? Yet they clearly hadn't discovered much. In that case... if there was anything here at all, maybe it was in some kind of basement? The first order of business would be to try and track down one of those, then.

Well, that and healing herself.

Life: Cure x2: 2d8 + 12 ⇒ (4, 1) + 12 = 17


After leaving Lo Ping to tend to his friends and healing her wounds, Selene returns back to the room with the broken case. Continuing through the house, she finds herself in a hallway. Ahead of her sits a staircase winding up into the dark. Through a doorway on the right is an empty dining room, and to her left is a closed door.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

With a shrug, she checked the closed door, keeping an eye out as she did so. People didn't usually set traps on the insides of their homes, but people who lived in places like this did odd things if they expected to be gone for awhile, and it never hurt to pay attention. Besides, that was something of a habit now... as an investigator, she was trained to note the details.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28


Opening the door, Selene enters the manor's kitchen. The room is built around a large free-standing hearth with traces of recent small cook fires. Wooden water barrels fill the space behind the hearth. One has been broken open, and signs of struggle point to a door near the back of the kitchen.

Following the signs, Selene investigates the well-stocked pantry beyond the door. Filled with bags of flour, cans of food, and barrels of potatoes, beets, apples, onions, and other foodstuffs, Miregrold's menu was certainly never lacking for variety. The floor is marred by small spots of blood-stained flour leading to the shelf in the back. The shelf is full of mostly broken bottles of spices, but Selene notices a secret switch behind the shelf.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Without hesitating, she poked the switch. It looked like her hunch hadn't been in the wrong here... but she also took a few moments to shift her body and enhance her sense of smell, carefully sniffing at the bloodstains and trying to memorize their scent. That might be useful later, and she preferred to gather clues whenever she could. "Now who hurt you, and why...?" she mused thoughtfully.


Thanks for your patience. Now, back to our regularly-scheduled programming!

As Selene takes olfactory stock of the blood, she catches a whiff of something putrid. The smell, almost overpowering, emanates from a pile of dirty rags near the corner. Covered in dirt, grime, and all manner of dried sludges, the rags seem to be composed of many layers that are practically laminated together by filth.

When the switch is activated, the shelf swings forward on a hinge, revealing a stone staircase that winds down below the house, much like every other secret basement in Caliphas. Dust on the steps shows recent traffic in both directions by multiple different persons.

At the bottom of the steps, Selene finds herself in a subterranean room some ten or so feet square. Three doors sit in the wall to the south, directly across from from the staircase, with a fourth door to the right.

Roll a Perception check.


Female Human BldLtr 4 / Inc 4 / Shft 4 | HP: 69/69 | AC: 17 [21], T: 15, FF: 13 [17] | Fort: +8, Reflex: +9, Will: +9 (+Situational) | BAB: +4, CMB: +8, CMD: 22 | Init: +6, Perception: +11 [+25] |

Selene took a few moments to examine the pile of rags, and kept up her transformation (and improved sense of smell) as she headed downstairs. Well, well... this was quite an interesting part of the house, wasn't it? After carefully examining the area, she slipped over to the door on the right. Based on the room's setup, this was the door most likely to lead somewhere unique. Similar doors in a row tended to lead to similar rooms, after all... and she'd check those too, but she wanted to peek through this one first.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

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