Hearing his bellow and seeing Merle charge towards the men besetting her, Aggie takes another swing with her warhammer towards Mercliffe, then steps back 5' to try and pin one of her opponents between the charging Merle and herself.
Sagosmer attacks the leader with her 1/4staff ⇒ miss
Round 6
Aggie misses with her warhammer
Leader attacks Sagosmer , hit
He then yells Scatter!!!
He then takes a 5 foot step and hurdles himself into the drink Swim check and he falls flat on his face in the water taking non-lethal damage and is unconscious drowning in the water.
If there is an enemy near Cretien it will attack.
If not, it will stay near him and defend his body until hostiles are gone .
Iscalio puts his hands up and says, I'ight, mese gives up...
The crowd a little disappointed that the man gave up. A member of the police department jumps into the sea to go and save the man who is drowning in the water.
Combat Over
The Flint police force shows up shortly and puts all of the assailants in bracelets and fishes the unconscious leader out of the water and brings them over to you.
I want to have a sit down to catch my breath
Mithas arrives on scene and surveys the damage. Seeing Cretien down, he heads over to the fallen officer and tries to revive him.
The police eventually arrive and arrest the dockers. Some medics come and patch up the wounds you have sustained during the fight and as the gates flow open and the people are admitted some of the regular citizen shadow box with you and say "atta boy" or "atta girl" to the members of the party. Knowing that the king is going to arrive, you clean yourselves up and get ready for the ceremony.
A few hours later, the first of the noble carriages have begun to approach the royal shipyard, and
already the crowd on the bridge is doing its job: cheering, throwing flowers, and
performing folk songs and dances to show their support.
Before things get too busy, your direct superior—Assistant Chief Inspector
Stover Delft—asked you to come to a last-minute meeting to give you your
marching orders. You find him chewing a bit of tobacco and eyeing a halfling chef
who is carrying a tray of chocolate confections toward the docked Coaltongue.
His attention turns to you, and he smiles.
“Only the finest for our king, right? “Now then,” he says,
“We’re about to earn our pay. Lots of nobles about, so first,
don’t make a scene, and definitely don’t talk to any of the nobility unless they
address you first. Second, if something does go wrong, try to handle it yourselves, would you?
I’m going to be busy applying my not-inconsiderable charms to very important
people. The Constabulary doesn’t get by with just good will and pretty faces,
you know. And third, you did good work, although a bit sloppily, just an FYI, you shouldn't turn firearms on citizens it's bad PR, I digress, so I’ve got a surprise for you.”
He grabs his cane and leads you to the gangplank of the Coaltongue. But he’s
not pursuing the halfling chef. Rather, ahead of you waits Principal Minister
Harkover Lee, the king’s chief advisor and personal bodyguard.
Lee in a flash of red looks your group up and down and says, "Delft, are these the fine officers who stopped the potential riot earlier today?"[b]
He then gives you his hand [b]"Harkover Lee, what are your names?"
Cretien gives a courteous head nod and replies, "My name is Cretien Dufrene, Principal Minister."
The PM turns to Cretien and says, Aha, your name has crossed my desk on one or another occasion... The uni not as challenging as you'd like... Hahahah! Well, must be a brave lad, I must say, good to get a face to go with the name.
Then he turns to the rest, "I know, I know, I am your bosses almost penultimate boss but you can speak to me you know"
Mithas steps forward, Mithas Aran, Sir, a pleasure to meet you. It wasn't much of a riot, but there was some unpleasantness.
The PM chuckles to himself and says, "Well a bit of modesty, what? Quite right!"
Delft then chimes in, "Team, it's been awhile since the Ol' Man has seen some action, the king is beloved in the capital, itn't that so?" as he twists his body looking for a spittoon, finding none and then pulling a handkerchief from his tunic and spitting into it.
The PM gives Delft a look
Sense Motive DC 10[spoiler] You can tell that Lee is fond of Delft but he feels that he is being a bit too familiar in front his subordinates[/b]
"Ah... yes, Principal Minister."
Good!
The PM turns to both you and to Delft and he quiets down a bit and says, Well ladies and gentlemen, I am confident the security is in order. Still, I would like some representatives of the local RHC aboard this evening. The truth is I and the king need, of course, need people with their fingers in the local occurrences and I, alas, am from the capital and my men are as well.
He then steps in and confides with the group even more thoroughly, "After the fireworks and banquet, the king is planning a major announcement. I wants some
constables present to be his extra eyes and ears, so I can get a gauge of
how various individuals in the crowd react. So if you are up to it, your group are now invited to one of the biggest parties of the millenium..."
"It's an honor to serve Principle Minister. Just let us know where you want us and we will be vigilant for any who would oppose the will of our beloved King."
He nos to Mithas and continues, "Plus, he adds, "there are a few recalcitrant guests who might need corralling."
As he says this, he looks in the direction of one of the
checkpoints, where a guest and her handmaiden are disembarking from
a horse-drawn carriage. You are able to recognize the woman as the King's sister, the Duchess of Shale, a dark skinned woman in her 60s accompanied by an elf woman.
The PM says, "There are no specific places I want you to be but just mingle with the crowd and keep your eyes and ears pealed.
When the group breaks up, Cretien will walk around, making sure to pass by any Risurans and listen in to see if they're plotting.
"Any leads on which recalcitrant guests might need the most... corralling?"
Lee responds "If I knew who they were, I wouldn't need the LOCAL RHC, if you could keep an eye out especially during the King's speech, we are concerned with primalists and fey terrorists, the sort of folk who are against progress."
He coughs, "Gentlepersons, I've got to do another quick sweep, you should point any further questions at Delft, an excellent field man in his day and he still's got the nose for the stuff. Anyway, has been a pleasure and gods speed"
With that Lee walks away and briskly.
Delft then spits a nice brown tobacco infused wad of water gen the docks, and says, "Alright then, there is still about half an hour before the commissioning ceremony starts so, keep an eye out and let me mingle."
Cretien will follow one of the other party members more knowledgeable about fey terrorists and primalists.
Over the next half hour, more people arrive. All told, the hundred person crowd consists of about thirty dignitaries (nobles, wealthy merchants, and prestigious military folks) and 70 personal servants/retinue. Wine is flowing freely, and you pick up on a few different conversations taking place from your current location.
The first involves a tiefling surrounded by naval officers and a few industrialist-types who appears to be showing off a small wand.
The second involves two men smoking cigars and a reference to “the skyseers.”
A little further off, you see a woman you know to be the king’s sister, Duchess Ethelyn of Shale, being attended to by several ladies of the court.
Cretien will see what's going on with the tiefling guy.
As Chretien walks by the tiefling group, he hears the tiefling speaks with a Danoran accent and appears to have had quite a bit of wine already.
”Isn’t technology a thing of grandeur?” he says to one of the naval officers next to him.
The younger man replies, ”Your ship is a marvel, Massarde, but I can’t help but wonder how it will hold up in combat.”
”The ship? Oh heavens no, old boy, I was referring to my new *hiccup* wand here. Show me your glass.”
The officer reluctantly offers up his whisky glass.
Massarde places the wand on the bottom of the glass and says ”Kuldegrad.”
The glass immediately starts to frost over and the startled officer nearly drops it. Massarde laughs airily and takes another sip from his own glass.
Seeing Chretien he says, "Well, Well, Well, they let another one of us onboard.... So son, have a glass of rye with the Coaltongue's creator, HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
"Sounds good to me," Cretien says, stepping forward. "Pleased to meet you. Cretien Dufrene, researcher of all things arcano-mechanical," he says, by way of introduction.
Mithas will circulate around keeping an eye for the Governor, hoping to to deliver his letter.
The tiefling straps his wand to his belt and picks up a bottle Rye from the Shale lowlands and pours three fingers for Chretien and himself, "Geoff Massarde, engineer exclusive,
With that he clinks his glass with Chretien and the rest of the men in the group and says, "Cheers Boys!" where he takes a hearty swig from the glass.
"So from the outside, what do you think of my baby, Mister Dufrene?
@Mithas, among the rest of the guests, you find the Governor Stanfield, a Samsaran, standing in the corner waiting for a cue.
DC 15 Knowledge Local
Stanfield witnessed the fall of the high elf goddess
Srasama five hundred years ago and died soon
thereafter in the chaos of Elfaivar’s fall. But he
reincarnated, restored to life by a sliver of the divine
power he absorbed when Srasama was slain. His
memories vague and jumbled, he found his way back
to his homeland of Risur and eventually settled in
Flint, then just a modest coastal port.
In the centuries since he has died with irregular
intervals, and with each rebirth he returned to the
city he calls home. For most of that time he has served
as Flint’s governor, having constantly striven to
improve himself with each life, from a simple warrior,
to a humble leader, to an educated renaissance
man nimbly handling the complex challenges of the
fastest-growing city in the world. Stanfield wears a
near-constant expression of contented optimism, but
still occasionally complains of a war wound he took
to his back in his first life.
Sense motive.
Merle mumbles to the others. He had been to excuse himself (Nervous stomach) and almost missed the party invitation.
"Well from my experience trouble usually follows women and elves, so I'll just position myself over there.
Merle approaches the position of the Kings sister, without making eye contact, and trying to be unobtrusive.
"An impressive vessel, particularly in scale."
Chretien
glass frame, reinforced by magic to be as strong as
steel, and shaped in a half-cylinder to resemble
the boiler of a train locomotive. While its design is
partially aesthetic, intended to evoke the power
of Risur’s new industry, this innovative structure
is Risur’s greatest trump card against Danoran
warships: a magical capacitor.
Excess energy from the steam engine is stored
in thin metallic etchings within the structure.
Even while storing its full power, the interior of
the capacitor is perfectly safe to walk through,
and its expansive windows let it serve as venue
for ceremonies and celebrations. But the primary
purpose of the capacitor is to power attack spells
of the ship’s warmages, and to charge the Brand.
The Brand—so named because it burns an
image into any surface it strikes—fires a massive
blast of pyromantic energy from the ship’s
figurehead, often enough to outright destroy
a smaller vessel and cripple a larger one. Its range is
limited to about a hundred feet, and after firing it takes
hours to recharge the capacitor, but combined with the
Coaltongue’s speed and maneuverability, the Brand
should deter attacks by Danor’s navy.
Merle will position himself close enough to eavesdrop. Not sure if he'll engage yet...depends on what he hears. He will pretend to examine some fitting on the ship, or peer out a nearby porthole, while listening...
Perception
But the constant boom of the canons from his war efforts, have left him no choice but to move closer.
@Merle: The Duchess catches your eye and makes her way over to you and says, "You are one of the Constabularies who thwarted the riots this afternoon, are you not? ahem. Well, my name is Duchess Ethelyn of Shale and I am the king's younger sister and this is my Handmaiden Sokana Rell."
She then pauses.
Sokana says "I have been in the employ of the Duchess since the third war"
Sense Motive or Knowledge Geography DC 20
actually a high elf, but this is not suspicious by itself. Many high elves— especially women—prefer to pose as wood elves to avoid hassle.
"I am particularly in awe at the Brand. It would be most interesting to see it in action."
Mithas approaches the Governor, "Excuse me Sir, I'm Mithas Aran, with the Royal Homeland Constabulary. I have a letter for you. It is from a representative of the local Dockers, one Master Grimsley. He has some concerns regarding the treatment of his fellows. He proved invaluable in keeping some of the rowdier elements from making a disturbance today and I felt that delivering his letter was the least I could do as thanks."
With that Mithas pulls out the letter and presents it to the Governor.
@Chretien,
"Well my boy, of course it is a marvel, I shall give you a personal tour once the festivities die down... HAHAHAHA!!! another rye?"
@Mithas,
It takes the governor to process that you are speaking to him, he asks you to repeat and then the clouds in his eyes fade away and his blue skin crinkles slowly in aknowledgement.
"Yes, let me see the letter. Thank you thank you!" he says.
He then stares at the wax seal, "Grimsley, ah yes I knew his great grandfather during the first war, I think, anywho, They have always been a great help to Flint. But first tell me something about yourself..." says the old man smiling.
"Oh, one more couldn't hurt!"
Quite right!!!! he chorts.
Massarde pours another three fingers into both his glass and yours and gives a dirty look at the two naval officers with him for not 'being able to hang.'
He hands the glass to you and says Cheers!
Cretien hoists his glass, "Cheers!"
Massarde says "So what makes you another Danorian expat like me?" as he takes a healthy swig from the rusty brown liquor.
"I feel I progressed as far as I could in my research. Risur was making some interesting advances and I wanted to see what I could learn."
@ Merle,
The Duchess continues without skipping a beat, “It is my understanding that you have some sway over the arrangements of this event.
If you could do an old lady a kindness, the air here is already leaving me
winded, and the company is already giving me a headache. I know my
brother’s party is going to run late, so I need a room I can nap in. I’d be very grateful if you’d arrange this for me.”
"It's kind of you to ask Sir, but there's not much to tell. I came to Flint looking for work and ended up in the slums. Once word made it to the RHC that I was one of the spirit touched, they scooped me up. Being able to question a person after they've died has its advantages when you're solving crimes."
@ Merle,
The Duchess continues without skipping a beat, “It is my understanding that you have some sway over the arrangements of this event.
If you could do an old lady a kindness, the air here is already leaving me
winded, and the company is already giving me a headache. I know my
brother’s party is going to run late, so I need a room I can nap in. I’d be very grateful if you’d arrange this for me.”
Sense Motive
At first Merle is taken aback at being addressed by royalty...female royalty at that. He had never been very glib, with women at all, much less high born.
"Ah...ummm...yeah". "I mean yes my lady". "I mean...I am called Merle, and fortune has brought me to the uniform". "It is my pleasure to serve the empire". Merle straightens his stiff posture even more.
The realizing he is still being addressed."You seek a place to rest". "Why, surely that should be no problem". Merle looks about for someone who might be a member of the crew.
"You there". "The King's sister desires a room to relax in". "Either lead us to one, or point the way to someone who might help".
Diplomacy