DM Zyren's Heart of Riddles
Game Master Zyrenity

Clegg looks at the harbour where already a ragtag fleet of small boats has set their colourful sails to Devil'S Elbow.

Finding a vessel tomorrow might be problematic. I will do what I can and I will send some of my men with you who are able to sail and who can be of help on the isle, kay?

Kabal slept fitfully with one foot on the floor as he was trained to do. Tossing back and forth plagued by nightmares of darkness, demons and black souled elves. He grumbled incoherently while in his dreams he vanquished his night terrors beneath a fit of rage. Mind clouded with fury and his sword hammering down again and again to shred the horrors into a bloody mess...

Starmetal...rumored to have ended the Azlani and then there's the connection with Aroden's Fall. Dire times indeed.

Being the end of the world and all....Sebastian and Lara have retired to his room get a few things out of the way while they still have time.

Who is Kara and what does Lara think about that?

Fixed (so Sebastian won't be)...a slip of the tongue by a slip of the finger. :-)

Bree nods her head and tries again to do that smiling thing she's not so good at. "Thank you. I'll do my best to bring them back to you alive. One more thing, if I might ask, what do you know of the place? You said it was a forlorn and dangerous place already. Unfortunately, my knowledge of the place is limited."

There was a settlement on the island when I was a young boy, Witchlight it was called, but the people were cursed by the gods and a string of false decisions and bad luck led to the suicide of the mayor and the desertion of the island. After that the village crumbled to ruins and served as a hideout for those who weren't welcome in Riddleport anymore. The salty old sea dogs in the even older taverns will tell you tales of a sirene's ghost, but I wouldn't believe anything of their cock-and-bull stories.

Assuming that you return to the Goblin and get some rest:

The next morning, you are woken by the tolling of all bells of the city. It must be short after dawn and as you stumble out of your rooms to check what the early tumult is about, Hans tells you

They are speeding the star metal searchers on their way. Everyone who hasn't left the city yesterday and is able to hold a shovel has manned a boat this morning. Even Gaston Cromarcky was at the harbour to bless the "noble prospectors", hah.

After a hearty breakfast you get ready to leave for the island and that is exactly the time Clegg's men arrive. Four rogusih guys, all wearing bandanas, large golden earrings and colourful clothes. Their leader, Rats, a guy who has only his two front teeth left, greets you as he enters the Goblin

Mernin' ye lan'lubbers. Me and me crew are sent te ye frem Clegg. Ay thinked 'is wasse been ay gam'lin' hall, eh? Whe' are e' gals and games?

The bleary eyed mercenary sat at the table with the others wolfing down as much breakfast as he could. At the entrance of Clegg's men visions of rolling seas and a two month voyaeg from the River Kingdoms swam in his head. He nearly lost his meal at the thought of getting back on a boat. These men looked ready to go with no delay.

Looks like you wont have time to track down new armor Winter or for any of us to regear.

to the sailor's he'll reply

Aint no games or gals happening at the moment. You lot looking to leave soon?

Clegg sayed, that Summer was tellin' us wha' te de. Me men an' me and de boat are as ready as a wet c.unt, heh!

Upon seeing Bree, he smiles like a weasel and licks his lips.

Lyxi grimaces and asks Winter You really want to leave the city in a boat steered by these idiots?

Kabal frowned...I reckon there really are thugs ruder than me...wont Schult be pleased?..

You mean Winter, not Summer. Hey, you fellas go and grab a bite and come back in a few hours. We here got some things to discuss first.

Bree smiles at the men in return and in her cheeriest voice says, "His name is Winter, not Summer and if those looks you're giving me means you like what you see well I guess that's just fine, so long as you keep your hands to yourself. If you don't keep your hands to yourself, you'll get the chance to see just how many blades I can hide on my body, and I assure you, you don't want to know. Now then, my name is Bree and the Goblin is currently closed due to a change in management. I'm sure it will be open again soon enough and when it is, you are more than welcome to come gamble your coin away. For now though, guys, you're armed, yes?"

"A few hours? No, I think not Kabal. Do you know what it's going to cost me to have asked Clegg to send us some men and a boat?! If you need to discuss something, surely I can set them up over there with some breakfast while we talk over here?!"

There are some catcalls from the men which are introduced by Rats as Flippy, Rex and Mariolo, but after a moment of judging the sailors, you are sure that the whole trash talk thing is something that comes with the profession.

With overdone, but still flawed, sophistication their leader replies M'lady, it woulde be a great peleasure for me and me merry men to have a delicatest breakfast at your wonderfulst gambling hall. You are welcomed aboard ours little shi, which goes by the fabulous name of Raunchy Rover.

Kabal barely kept his voice monotone as he answered.

Dont go yelling at me woman. Why do you have to pay Clegg anything? If he wants this place he'll help us Im sure. Wait...you talked to Clegg? and you think we dont have things to discuss? Bah! For one we got a pile of loot over there that we cant just leave lying around and I for one wouldnt mind suiting up nice and prepared like for going to some meteor blasted, drow infested, haunted fecking island and not all wide eyed and weak kneed like some lass out for her first hop in the hay....

He could feel the heat rising under his collar and his jaw bunched like it did right before a fight so he calmed down...its just Bree big man...cool it...

...but if the others are ready then feck it, so am I.

"Oh what a splendid flight this will be." Sable muses as he eats breakfast with the others.

"And what do you gentlemen know of Devil's Elbow?"

Rats pokes himself with his index finger at the centre of his forehead

Me? Heh! Well eh, yer fren' has summarized it qui' well already. A feckin' haunted shi'hole of an islet. But wha' do I know? Clegg always sayed: Give a monkey a brain and he'll swear he's the center of the universe. Hah!

Bree glides across the floor to stand before Kabal, meeting his heated gaze, she speaks quietly, barely above a whisper. "I wasn't yelling Kabal, are you quite alright? Hungover again? Are you ill? The payment I speak of isn't one of monetary value, and it's not one that can be easily labeled. It has more to do with... honor? No, that's not the right word..."

"I suppose the best way to explain it is, I'm a low level street urchin who has just put herself in debt to a boss of street urchins. The payment won't be one of coin, most likely one of blood. Favor for favor, one day he'll ask and I won't be able to say no... easily, anyway."

"For now I must treat these men like a valued gift from a friend, and I must do my best to return them in the condition of which I received them. I apologize if this is a bother for you, you were not present when Winter and I met with Clegg and this was a request I made clear that it was I who was asking, not the rest of you."

"My brother is out there, somewhere, being held captive by the Drow. Clegg seems to have an attachment to my brother, and so is a tool I can use to help get him back. I will do whatever I must to save him. Now, we do have some time, we needn't leave right away if things still need done. We should leave soon though, but until then, I'll be watching over our new friends."

Unless Kabal engages her in further Q&A, Bree sets about getting the newcomers food and drink. Raising an eyebrow here and there, especially when one calls her "m'lady", but as long as they heed her warning and keep their hands to themselves, she smiles and nods playing the best hostess she can.

As you come over to the new guys, you can't help yourself but grin as you you notice the discussion they have with Hans...

Rats: An' she was like: Change your mind, it's starting to smell.

Hans: And what did you answer?

Mariolo: He said...yeah, so cool, he said to de girl: Dying can be hazardous to your health.

Hans: What?! That's great!

Flippy: Nae, her reply wuz even betta! She said: Impressive; but how big's your dick?

And then everything is drowned in roaring laughter...

Bree, actually being rather prudish, has to school her features to keep from looking aghast as her grin fades away. She remembers a time when Copper would smack the others in the back of the head for telling jokes like that in her hearing.

Kabal knew better than to mess with any woman staring daggers at him like that...especially one so damn handy with them pointy things...so he let her stalk off to see to the newcomers.

Well what do you fellas think? Do we split the loot now and gear up or set off after breakfast? My mind is set on settling up things here before we leave. Did Clegg make a better offer Winter or we keeping this dump?

He'd calmed down quite a bit now and went back to finishing up his also cooled off meal.

Sebastian leans over Lara and asks softly, "You're a bit better with sailors than poor Bree, do you think you could help her out there?...But keep a mug handy if they get a bit handy. You have that great right cross and Rats should respect someone who can knock out the last of his teeth."

Turning to the others. "Seems we should at least gear up for an extended stay on the Elbow, as we don't know what level of exploration is necessary. I would also like to equip up to something a bit more study than this ratty leather armor. And maybe get a few items with our particular foe in mind. I don't think we need to be in on the starmetal chase, excepting that the blasted star fell down on Desmora's head, which I wouldn't rule out...she is messing with powerful magic forces to accomplish what she did. We must also remember her two compatriots may still be in town, so we need to stay watchful."

"Dont go yelling at me woman." "staring daggers" "stalk off" Damn it, Kabal, stop villianizing Bree!

"With what we have now it comes out to just shy of a thousand gold each. Clegg offered fifteen thousand all told for the Goblin, ten now and five more in a month which would give us just over another sixteen hundred each this mont with another eight hundred odd a month later. Not an insubstantial sum."

"I am inclined to take the money and call it done"

"I trust Clegg, to be Clegg, but if we are owed a sum of five thousand gold by him, I'd suggest we not take his very kind offer to go sailing out of town with a bunch of his armed fellows to a deserted island, it seems very imprudent"

"Let me know of your decisions and I will get the allocations completed"

"Most of the gulls sailing to Devil's Elbow are out for minerals, not dark elves, so depending upon the size of this place we may not need to interfere with the rush. I would like to see our talons sharpened and our coats preened if we plan to go after Depora and whatever associates she may be hiding with. If we could sail in the afternoon, it might give us time to set things in order here and to procure better arms."

Sounds like a square deal to me. We can outfit pretty nice with that kind of coin if he pays before we head out. Clegg knows what we're capable of and I doubt serioulsy that he thinks those four rough necks could handle us. Plus that island wont be so deserted with all the gods damned treasure hunters rushing headlong over there. We're gonna be tripping over them louts and their pickaxes. I dont see what the rush is...well, except for finding Bree's brother and all. I take it that will be the priority?

Now that they were in the planning stage of actually doing something and that something being very military aspected; Kabal's was much more relaxed.

"Aye, we faced off against her unprepared last time and it nearly cost us. Best to go in as best equipped as we can. And as long as Hans and Lexi can stay on and run the place. Lara, you're welcome to join the crew too. It would save you from having to run across town every time I do something silly."

"The mysterious forces which guided Korax to me, have blessed him with knowledge of improving our equipment. The magic is steep, but perhaps not as much so as buying new equipment straight off..."

Bree can't help but to smile at the ironic twist of fate that has made her the one to put her trust in a known criminal, defending that he will keep his word whereas Winter is now the one showing distrust and wanting to remove himself from further associations with said criminal.

"Winter, I know it doesn't make much sense and surely Clegg would benefit from being rid of us, but I do believe that he intends to keep his word on his business transactions. He fancies himself a business man, even if all of his business isn't from a legitimate source. To harm us in that fashion, especially before a transaction was complete would simply be bad business, and bad business practices loose him clients."

"Well even if it wasn't Clegg himself, some of his crew are not the biggest thinkers in Riddleport, and all it takes is for one of those to come up with the bright idea of looking out for the boss and thinking they are doing him a favour. Either way, whilst there exists a five thousand gold discrepancy between the parties, it would be prudent to not put ourselves at their potential mercy. I don't doubt Clegg is a man of his word, but this is Riddleport, and how many of its citizens would happily kill for five thousand silver let alone gold?"

"So less a matter of just trust, but one of caution. We cannot discount the idea that Croat may also have reason to see this exchange be far less than merry, and may have his own agents working inside Cleggs camp. Should we last be seen in company with Cleggs men and then not return, or be harmed, it would see Croat reap the advantage from Cleggs reduction in name and legitimacy"

"Best perhaps if we secure our own transport to the island for the time being"

Looks like people are happier with the 15k? Seems like a sale...

Bree frowns and crosses her arms beneath her breasts before leaning back against a door frame to wait and see which way the others swing. There is a look of determination, and perhaps regret on her face. She says nothing more, however.

"I do not know his interest in your brother, but you should take caution, Bree. For all we know his interest involves a debt owed and the certain sing of the breaking of kneecaps."

If we wait much longer like we want to then there aint going to be any other boat to get us there. Any of you even know how to operate a damn boat? Look, there aint no one more suspicious than me and I dont like it one bit but I dont see where we have any other choice but to trust them for now. And this is exactly the kind of talk we should have without them within rock tossing distance. Anyone opposing the sale to Cregg at this point?

"Then lets make Clegg a happy man and arrange ourselves some funds to better equip us for the folly of chasing Drow. Selling the Goblin will give us the best tools to stop the evil so clearly evident, and allow us the capital to look for Bree's brother."

Loot summary & division

Cash
12pp
140 gp
47sp
2 Fire opals (250gp ea) - 500gp
Bank Certificates 2500gp
Chest 1000gp
Ruby Earring 250 gp
Black Onyx 300 gp
Small bag of diamond dust 500
Sale of Goblin 10,000

= 15310.47 net

Mundane

MWK Two-handed axe 320
MWK Handaxe 306
8 Short Swords 80
8 Studded Leather Armours 200

= 906 gross/453 net AND

+3 black potions/poisons 50ea (150)

= 603 net

Magic
Dagger +1 2302
Leather Armour +1 1160
Rapier +1 2320
2 Cure Light Wounds potions
1 Cure Moderate Wounds potion
1 Barkskin potion

= 5782 gross
= 2891 net

Total: 18804.47 net
Total / 6 = 3134.07

All members to recieve 3143.07
except
Bree share - 1403.07gp, +1 Leather Armour, +1 Dagger

Bree's share reflects keeping the armour and dagger at the same net price the party would have recieved for the item... essentially she 'buys' the items at the merchant rate from her share. I assume she still wanted them.

Kabal - take potion of Cure Mod
Corvax & Bree - Cure Light wounds
Sebastian - Barkskin potion

Future 5kgp to be split 6 ways in one month.

SHOPPING TIME!

Winter asks for his foster fathers sword to be Masterworked via magic, and sources a suit of +1 Full plate...

Kabal nods in agreement.

Hey Rats, when you boys are done eating why dont you run and let Cregg know we'll take the deal he offered Winter for the sale of the Goblin and that we'll need the coin today. Then we should be ready to sail out tomorrow morning.

DM Zyren - As far as shopping goes are magic items available?

Yes, magic items up to bonusses of +2 are readily available from the Cypherlodge. Tell when you are ready to set sails.

Ready to ship

Aye captian, Im ready to sail as well.

Ready to go

Ok, everyone else may also retcon shopping activities.

In the afternoon, you all return to the Goblin your arms and packs full with the shiny things you bought at the various stores and shops which all moan about a substantial lack of pick-axes, shovels, lanterns...

Back at the Goblin you suddenly realize that Clegg's men have doubled...no, wait, there is a second set of sailors! Both groups sit at different tables but glare at each other...

As you enter, Lyxi rushes over to you from behind the bar, and says

These guys, the rather clean group of sailors, have reached about an hour ago. They said they were part of the crew of the Flying Cloud and that Captain Josper Creesy is awaiting you in the harbour.

Kabal had hawked his crossbow since he hadnt even used it lately and he much preferred being up close and real personal when he killed a man. He gave Bree his extra 10 bolts and was strapping on his studded leather arm and leg pieces while admiring Winter's exquisite set of plate...nice but it lacks the manueverability I want...he'll stand tall in it though...So absorbed in his preperations that he hadnt really noticed the new men until Lyxi mentioned them.

Who in the Nine Hells is Captain Creesy?

Upon your question, one of the newcomers rises from his chair and says

Captain Creesy is the commander of the Flying Cloud, the fastest ship in all of Golarion.

Kabal frowned but nodded.

I dont doubt that. What I should have asked is why are you lot here?

The man arches an eyebrow, seems like he has problems in understanding your question

Because the captain said so, sir.

Bah! That dont tell us nothing.

The thick headed man threw up his hands in frustration and went back to checking over his kit figuring somebody else would staighten it out.

A little bit intimidated by the big man's frustration, the sailor adds

He said if you wouldn't believe me, I should say that you have a common friend who goes by the name of Kwava.

All shopped out.

Corvax had wandered in behind Kabal, too busy admiring the gleam Sable's spell had put on his old blade and getting his new plate and scale to sit right across his shoulders to take much notice of his surroundings. That is until Kabal started getting all arsy with some sailor type, causing to Corvax to stop fiddling and just stand there grinning at his overly angry friend.

"Kwava sorted a ship? Proper organised ain't 'e? So now we got two ships ta go sailin' off on, bloody Fate really wants us on tha' bloody island."

"The Captain is known to us, Kabal. This is a pleasant surprise. If we had waited, we may not have had need of putting ourselves in Clegg's debt."

Bree must admit that it is best to go with Creesy's men. Indeed had she known before hand, she wouldn't have put herself in debt to Clegg.

To her group, "I should send them away, then?"

Aye Bree, send them fellas packing or tell them they can stay and hold the palce for Clegg. Either way sounds like we'll be taking this other offer for a lift to Devil's Elbow.

Unless the magical reagents are very specific, I'm presuming that with an hour of time and the appropriate amount of gold that Sable can turn mundane gear into masterwork. Zyren, feel free to rule otherwise.