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[Bomb, range touch, cover]1d20+7-4
[Blast dmg]2d6+3 splash 6 fire dmg (DC14 for half).
Roderick hurls another bomb, hoping to catch their leader in it's wrath, but she manages to bat it aside with relative ease, taking only minimal damage as it explodes otherwise harmlessly on the ground not too far from her. Thoril, likewise acting quickly rushes into battle, but has no luck landing a blow.
The Half-Orc woman shouts something in her native tongue before drawing a potion, one of three at her belt, and drinking it. As she does so you can see her already strong muscles grow somewhat bigger, bulging and flexing beneath her greenish colored skin.
The guard at the door aims his crossbow at Roderick and lets a bolt fly just before dropping the empty weapon and drawing his scimitar.
ROUND 1
Hyenna (charged)
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Roderick (-6) & Thoril ()
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Half-Orc (-2) & Guard 1 ()
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Avril (), Cryxial (), Maldrek (), Barth (-5), & Caith ()
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Avril smiles with glee in the darkness. "Finally!" She exclaims as she mentally communicates for Cryxial to move forward. He leaps forward, dodging past the Hyena, powerful muscles rippling underneath the scales. Avril kicks out towards the hyena to stop it from biting her mount. Once clear of the beast the little girl grabs the lance with both hands before thursting with all her might towards the chest of the half-orc. Cryxial barrels into her a moment later, going for the throat with his jaws while his claws maul the rest of her body.
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Avril's lance goes straight through the half-orc's chest, opening a massive wound that nearly kills her outright. It leaves the woman too stunned to react to Cryxial going for her throat and he bites a chunk out of it that brings her wheezing to her knees. Before she can fall together completely Cryxial slashes at her with his claws, one of them opening the wound from Avril further while the other one mauls her face.
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Maldrek and Caith rush in to down the guard quickly who really has little ability to resist, just not being anywhere near in your league, while Barth easily dispatches the savage hyena with a quick pull of the trigger. The thunderous blast that issues forth from his strange technical "wand" is loud enough that the final guard screams in panic, and it's only moments before your combined might puts him down as well.
This leaves you with plenty of time to explore and sabotage the remainder of the facility at your leisure, though you do need to act somewhat quickly if you ate to get any rest this night. The remaining tasks are not difficult, , allowing you to strike a nice blow against your Society's rivals.
Laying low for a while, you consider some of the tasks that Aya Allehe had asked you to do, as well as where you currently stand. Your primary mission was to track down and assist a fellow Pathfinder agent in the city that had been left on her own following the death of Venture-Captain Nieford Sharrowsmith. This agent, Malika Fenn, left a clue that you where able to find at the Witchlight, a local and infamous tavern in the form of an oddly worded bounty poster, but before you could really investigate, an Aspis Consortium agent arrived at the inn looking for workers, and it was an opportunity you couldn't pass up.
Reward: 342 Gold Pieces to be paid by the bounty poster, Kreighton Shaine, upon return of his valuables.
Now that you have some time to look more into it, perhaps you can discover more. . .
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Roderick is glad to escape the streets without too much notice.
"We need to keep a low profile or risk exposing our mission before it is complete."
"That is a strange amount for a reward. Why not 200 or 500 gold coin. I am skeptical on this offer ."
Not much of a people person, he tries not to tick anyone off too much.
"Let me have a look at that. I have an eye for evaluating such things."
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"Given how that fight went we might have a better chance of killing all the consortium agents rather than continue with this infiltration.." Avril says, only half jokingly.
Suddenly Cryxial comments in a deep rumbling voice. "The poster says search every part of bloodcove, so it's probably in the city. The words mixed up looks strange." Avril pats Cryxial lovingly. "Good job!"
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Guys I think we can do this work, but I´ll prefer to talk about it where no other parties can take vantage of our knowledges Once they gather in a more discrete part, Maldrek reveal them what he had discovered from the bounty: Terra Fas DeQuere is not any language known in the Inner Sea. Also the reward amount is both too small for such a job and strangely specific. The words “mixed up” in the listing are a strange addition, and thus significant. The words “search every part of Bloodcove” could be suggesting that the answer is a location in the city
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After reviewing the different notices Caith scratches his beard a bit more
"One name sticks out like a sore thumb to me: a bounty requesting the recovery of a stolen amulet supposedly posted by Kreighton Shaine. Though few in the Mwangi Expanse would recognize the name, it belongs to the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, a name well known to you....and me"
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Spending a few days to try to lay low, you discover a few other individuals in the city that might make allies in their distaste with the way the Aspis Consortium operates in the city. One of them, an elderly Mwangi woman working at a small bakery stands out in that as you speak with her, gauging her potential, you notice more than once she uses some of the secret Pathfinder Society mannerisms and secret hand signals to let you know she herself is testing the waters and appraising you.
You seem to earn her confidence, at least enough that she trusts you with another clue that might help, suggesting you find a woman named Novaria, and speak with her.
The name means nothing to you, but the elderly woman mentions she can be found at House Cartahegn, and that name does stand out to you all, somehow. You can be sure, but you know you have heard of it a few years back. Perhaps it was other Pathfinders sharing the tale of the latest adventure in the area, or perhaps you vaguely recall it's mention in one of the latest Chronicles. You do not sense any deceit from the woman, but she does mention, once more with the help of your organizations special coded gestures and double-speak, that this Novaria may be able to help you.
During some of your down time, most of you make great efforts to stay out of the public eye, and Maldrek even manages to not only discover tat someone is tracking you, but successfully leave a false trail or two to help buy you some more time in the city.
Finding House Cartahegn is simple enough as you travel to the north eastern section of the city. House Cartahegn is based in an imposing two-story trading post in the northeastern part of the city. The storefront bustles with citizens and merchants alike, most purchasing staple commodities such as sugar and rice. A busy clerk greets customers as they enter and provides helpful directions to any who ask.
As you ask to speak with a woman named Novaria, the clerk suddenly becomes "very busy", mentioning offhandedly that "You would need an appointment to see Novaria, and that Novaria’s schedule is quite full at the moment.", making an effort to not look up from her ledger.
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"House Cartahegn while no longer as prominent within the somewhat newly formed Exchange, much of the old guard may still offer some opportunity for us. . ."
Once they find the woman, Roderick greets her with customary Exchange phase, but also looks at the ledger she so intently studies.
"Greetings. We are a bit pressed for time. When is the next available appointment?"
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The ledger seems to be a simple accounting of what has gone out and come in from the trading post today. Nothing really noticeable catches you eye with such a short glance. "Not until next week, I'm afraid. She has her hands quite full at the moment."
As for the clerk, you are not certain, but it's probably just the standard operating procedure to protect her employer from having to deal directly with costumers too much.
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Your dedicacy to your employer is loathsome, says Maldrek trying to catch the clerk attention. And with usual bussiness we´ll wait that week. But we don´t have a week and our bussiness are not usual.
Of course you don´t have to trust my words, but you have a way to see if we are "unusual" customers. We know House Cartahegn was more prominent before a, well, let´s say a refoundation of some bussiness asociates. And one of us has a, let´s say "membership", with those same associates.
Talking with us, Novaria has an opportunity to improve her House relationship with those "bussiness associates".
Maldrek pauses a moment to let the clerk catch the implications of his words. PLease, say this to Novaria, and see if she can give us a few minutes of her precious time.
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She seems to perk up at something that Caith says and asks you to hold on for just a moment just before Maldrek is able to lay into her.
Stepping into one of the back rooms, emerging a few moments later with a motion to follow her. She takes you down a hallway to an open office where a Halfling woman sits behind a desk. She introduces herself as Novaria and receives you with a pleasant but detached demeanor. She gives each character an appraising look before smiling in approval and saying, “Always a pleasure to work with your illustrious Society, and I always knew more of your kind would make your way back here, eventually. The last time I dealt with your people, it led to a mutually beneficial arrangement that I have not forgotten. In fact, my current position at this trading house is a direct result of our last encounter. I sincerely hope that you come today with another such opportunity.”
Novaria listens patiently to any request for an ongoing alliance with House Cartahegn, her face a mask of practiced neutrality. However, what you are asking for is a considerably riskier proposition for House Cartahegn than simply purchasing supplies; moving Pathfinders and Society supplies through Bloodcove would certainly lead to direct conflict with the Aspis Consortium, and that is a risk she does not take lightly.
"But, I like you. And I shall consider it. You Pathfinders have done right by me in the past. It also just so happens I have an issue in the Free Trade Square as well, and I'd like a preview of what us scratching each other's back might be like. Interested? . . ."
"Recently, a local pirate crew led by a thug named Ungala has been intercepting our trade barges and wagons and stealing our cargo. It is the gods’ fortune that you came to see me today of all days, as we are preparing to move an exceptionally valuable shipment to Warehouse Row to be loaded onto a ship bound for the Inner Sea today. After our usual guards’ failure to protect the last two shipments from Ungala’s raiders, I’ve lost confidence in their abilities. But where they have failed, you might have a real chance. Up to this point, Ungala and her ruffians have always attacked while our supply carts were passing near Free Trade Square, where they can strike in the narrow streets and disappear into crowds quickly. I have no doubt that they’ll be planning such an attack for today’s shipment, and I want you to be there and ready to intercept them."
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Once you are ready to begin, Novaria introduces you to the teamsters driving the wagon, quickly explains the expected route, instructs one of the drivers to help you with your other mission afterwards, and wishes you all luck.
The tiny caravan winds through the northern half of the city while sticking to the sturdier streets, which are increasingly crowded as the procession approaches Free Trade Square.
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<Always act in Surprise>*
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SURPRIZE ROUND
Maldrek
Roderick
Bartholomäus
????
Cryxial
????
ROUND 1
Maldrek (), Roderick (), & Bartholomäus ()
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Enemy 1 (), Enemy 2 (), & Enemy 5 ()
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Caith (), Avril (), & Cryxial ()
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Thoril (), Maldrek (), Roderick (), & Bartholomäus ()
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Knowing that something is amiss, but not able to see any immediate danger, Roderick quickly grabs some fluids and chugs them down while the others begin to take defensive stances, when suddenly they hear a female atop the roof shout "Now" and her and four other assailants spring up from their hiding positions and open fire on the group. Their leader is a dark skinned native mwangi woman that looks like she knows how to hold her own both inside and outside the city, holding her shortbow like she means it, but it's hard to tell as she seems to be magically blurred. The four junior warriors each carry longbows, but also have a longsword at their sides, and while obviously less experienced, do seem to know enough to be a threat.
It just goes to show that even the best laid plans can go awry, as every single shot misses it's target. Unless. . .
ROUND 1
Cryxial (Surprise only), Maldrek (), & Roderick ()
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Enemy 1 (), Enemy 2 (), & Enemy 5 ()
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Caith (FF), Avril (FF), & Cryxial ()
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Thoril (FF), Maldrek (), & Roderick ()