Tallak Sigurdarson |
Tallak arches an eyebrow at the talk of angels, as well as Kurasaviel's reaction. "It probably would find wearing it rude, not to mention what part of it you likely just put your head in."
Stepping into the middle of the group, he kneels and adds "Gather round. I will as my ancestors and the land to tend our wounds." He places the palm of his right hand on the earth and closes his eyes. A moment later, waves of green energy begin to wash out from him and the land itself.
__________
Channel Energy 1: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 5) = 10
There is one. 2nd of the day. How hurt is everyone after?
Matin Crowtongue |
"If the gods didn't want us to wear angels as hats, then why did they make them shaped like helmets?" retorts Matin. "Regardless of whether this wakes the angel up or not I think you should keep wearing it, Kura. Looks good on you."
Tallak Sigurdarson |
Once back to camp and everyone is healed, Tallak gathers the group and caravan leaders together before presenting the body of the red raven. "I have means of which to speak with and ask information of this creature's corpse. Perhaps we can learn more of who it serves and from where they come. But, I will only likely be able to ask it a couple of questions."
leinathan |
Don't make assumptions. Are you headed back to camp? Ukskakka is expecting you at her safe house. Also, if you want to heal people you must expend specific resources and roll dice unless you're done for the day. Health pools are kept up to date in campaign info.
Tallak Sigurdarson |
I see them now. Just insert the above when we DO get back to camp. Here Is the extra healing on Calder.
CMW: 2d8 + 7 ⇒ (1, 7) + 7 = 15
Fine with heading to the safe house first.
leinathan |
Ok. All of the PCs are healthy. I would like three of you to agree on where to go next before I move you forward.
There is no response from the helmet, though Kurasaviel can faintly hear a beautiful chorus when he puts the helmet on. Ulf grunts. "Employers, then. Ok."
Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz |
Clara cheerily cranes her neck, looking around on Calder's shoulders as they walk across water, fleeing the burning boat. "What's it like? Is it hard to balance? Are you boots still getting wet?"
When they're back on land she gets a chance to give the 'helmet' a closer look. "It is an angel. How cool! Can I have a turn touching it? I've never touched an angel before."
Turning it over in her hand, she says, "Hey, I have an idea! If we take it to a consecrated place--and make a donation or act of charity in Heaven's name, with the angel present--maybe she'll reawaken. That would be super cool!
"Ooooh, and speaking of sticking your head up angel's b!!$~$&@s...do angels poop? I mean, I've read that they can eat but don't have to. Is the same true with their poop? Like, they don't need to poop, but they can make themselves poop if they want to? I wonder if they can fart? And if they can, what do you think angel poop is like? Would it be any good in fizzy pop? What if that's great grand papa Umbilicus' missing ingredient? Or at least one of them?"
When conversation turns to their next step, Clara agrees with Tallak. Turning to Ulf, she says, "We said we'd get you to the safehouse, and your sister's worried sick about you. Let's get you there safe.
"While we're walking...who wanted you dead, why? And why on Golarion did they want to do it so elaborately, like that, on a burning ship?"
K. Planes: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Calder Brandson |
Calder waits patiently for the barrage of babble to end. "Lets get Ulf back to his sister first." Is his plan.
He grumbles a bit. "And weren't we supposed to find the Katana on that boat, or is it with these Rimerunners?"
He then speaks to Tallack. "Lets get everyone together and decide what we are asking before you use your magic on that bird."
So get Ulf to Ukshakka, return to the caravan, work out what we need to ask then Speak with dead.
leinathan |
The group takes a trip over to the temple district to meet up with Ukshakka and the safe-house that she allegedly told them about. When they arrive at the temple of Shelyn that the safe-house is at (directed in part by Ulf, who spends some of the time talking about his qualifications as a guide), they find that the double wooden doors are closed, and that they won't open when pulled on.
Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz |
"Hmmmm, Ulf, have you been here before? It seems odd for a temple to Shelyn to be closed at this time of day."
If he doesn't know anything pertinent, Clara suggests that they walk casually around the building, looking for other entrances.
Calder Brandson |
Sounds like Clara is right about looking for another way in then.
Calder nods. "Lets see if there's another door before we draw attention by kicking this one in."
Calder looks at Matin and Kurasaviel, "Or have our more subtle friends slip us in?"
leinathan |
There is an alley on one side of the temple, that leads around to the back of the humble stone building. There is another door there, but the back door is also locked.
It seems like the front door isn't locked, but rather jammed or obstructed in some way, while the back door is locked.
It's also broad daylight, with people out and about.
Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz |
Is the back door more protected from view? If so, lets just have one of our rogues pick the lock (or attempt to). If that seems likely to attract attention, I can prepare an extract of invisibility in 1 minute, so Kurie or Matin could try to pick it unseen. Other options: any tiny openings? I can get Tiny with Reduce Person Gnome. Or I could give someone that Levitation extract I made earlier, and have'm see if there are ways in from the roof (but that definitely sounds conspicuous).
Matin Crowtongue |
"This is probably bad," says Matin as he scratches his chin, considering the locked door. "The plus side is, if this has something to do with the people who attacked us on the ship they probably think that we've been taken care of. So hopefully they won't be expecting us. Hopefully."
"I could pick the lock, turn invisible, and sneak in to try and find out what's going on. If I get caught I won't have a way to signal you all though--but I guess almost dying three times in two days is what makes life exciting right?" he says, grinning with what seems to be remarkable sincerity.
Kurasaviel |
"Go ahead and pick the lock but I feel like we all need to be ready for trouble."
Kurasaviel prepared to assist Matin, and made sure his blade was close at hand.
Aid Another (Matin's Disable Check): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28
Matin Crowtongue |
Disable Device (Aided, Concealable Thieves' Tools): 1d20 + 13 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 13 + 2 + 2 = 37
Retrieving his tools from seemingly nowhere, Matin gets to work on picking the lock.
leinathan |
Matin is extremely skilled with his lockpicks, and with Kurasaviel's help he is able to pick the relatively simple lock on the temple door nearly instantly. The door wafts open, revealing a simple square room with a hard-wood floor beyond. A shrine rests in the exact center of the room, depicting a carved stone rose rising out of a simple stone altar. Bloodstains mar the altar and the wooden floor around it, and an elderly Tian man lays up against the altar, clutching a wound in his chest with one hand and a silver holy symbol of Shelyn with the other. His eyes are glassy and wide open, and his face is locked in an expression of fear.
Ulf pushes past Kurasaviel and Matin, running into the room and up to the dead priest. "Yin-Po..." he mumbles. His open fist curls into a tight fist. "If they took Ukshakka..."
Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz |
"Oh no!" Clara gasps, pulling out her healing wand. "What happened? And is there still danger afoot?"
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Calder Brandson |
Calder stands back and lets Clara (with the wand of CLW) at the wounded man.
Looking around at the floor can Calder make out anything from the tracks? Survival (Tracking): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10 Wow. A moment as a scream of despair comes from another dimension.
Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz |
Oh Sweet Shelyn! Calder discovers with horror that the tracks are HIS OWN!! Dun Dun Dunnn!
leinathan |
Calder can't make out any tracks at all, let alone where they might go. What happened to Yin-Po is apparently a mystery, except for that he was stabbed to death by some kind of sword.
Ulf Survival (Grazed, Track): 1d20 + 12 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 12 - 1 + 2 = 17
Ulf looks around, and growls when he finds that he, too, cannot find anything pertinent. "Ukshakka said something about there being a 'safe house' here, but we never used it. So much for the safety after all. Do you think that you guys can find it?"
Matin Crowtongue |
Matin whispers a spell before he starts to search, trying to find any sign of where the safehouse might be.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Matin casts Detect Magic as he searches
Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz |
Though unable to see magic, Clara assists Matin in his search.
Aid Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Kurasaviel |
Kurasaviel takes a look around the room, again aiding Matin, this time in scanning for trouble.
Aid Another Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
leinathan |
Clara and Matin comb around the room, eventually finding a small closet with a false floor. It leads down to a small crawlspace underneath the temple. About three feet high, with the occasional beam that holds the floor up. Tucked behind one of the beams is a backpack lying on top of a folded set of chainmail. Propped up against the backpack is a nicely-made round wooden shield and a longsword inside a sheath. A belt lies next to those items with three throwing axes looped through it.
There is no sign of Ukshakka, though Clara does find a particularly large black feather lying on the ground in the crawlspace.
Tallak Sigurdarson |
Following along with the others, Tallak hops down and crouches in the entrance of the tunnel. Spotting the feather, he takes it up and looks it over, even running it under his nose.
"Strange," he mutters to himself. He hands it over to Calder and adds, "Tengu feather. A bird-like man from across the sea. Could explain what happened to the priest."
__________
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Kurasaviel |
"I really wish bird-men were the strangest thing we had encountered today."
leinathan |
"While we're walking...who wanted you dead, why? And why on Golarion did they want to do it so elaborately, like that, on a burning ship?"
Ulf shrugs. "I'm not entirely sure who might have wanted to kill me... but they probably went after Ukshakka as well." He peeks into the crawlspace, and spies the backpack. "After a long dry spell, Asvig Longthews offered to give me a job. I needed the money, so... I went. When I showed up at his house, his thugs and him beat me. The next thing I knew, you were waking me up in the hold of that burning ship." He shakes his head and scoffs. "I'm an idiot. Because I wasn't there to protect her, Ukshakka's gone."
He points at the pile of stuff, indicating Clara. "Gnome girl, can you grab those things for me? Those are my things. I'm gonna need them when I stab the man who took her through his heart."
Tallak Sigurdarson |
"Unless anyone has further leads to follow, I think we should head back to the caravan and regroup," Tallak says. He steps over to Ulf and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I know what it's like to have family taken from you by this lot. We will do our best to find her, hopefully in better condition than how I found my son."
He then climbs out of the crawl space and makes his way to the priest, kneeling down beside him and offering up a short prayer to the man's ancestors in hopes that he died with honor.
Kurasaviel |
"Soinds like a plan. I feel like all signs point to the Rimerunners."
leinathan |
The group packs up (though Ulf takes a few minutes to don his armor and strap on the rest of his equipment. Fully equipped, he cuts a much more impressive figure than he did when wearing simple clothes. Leaving the temple via the unlocked back door, it doesn't seem like anybody noticed their entrance into the temple.
The group then takes off towards their caravan in the Bone Quarter. On the way, Ulf asks a few questions of the group. "So... how did you hear of me? And how did searching for a guide lead to you rescuing me?"
"Thank you for that, by the way. My life. When we finish rescuing Ukshakka, you shall have whatever you need of me."
Kurasaviel |
"I think someone else will have to fill you in on that. Truth be told, I'm a relatively new addition to this crew myself. You are, however, more than than welcome. I've only been here for a couple of days and it seems like these Rimerunners are all dicks."
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Kurasaviel whispers softly to the group.
"None of you react to this. Act totally natural. We need to take a right here. You're all going to keep going. I'm going to duck into a corner. Someone is following us. I think I can get the drop on them, though. Everyone in the back should fan out a bit but be close together, make it more difficult to see that I'm not with the group. Now!"
Kursaviel was as good as his word. As soon as the group turned a right into an alley, the half-elf quickly found a shadowed corner, moving into it (he hoped) out of the sight of the person that was following them, freeing his long blade from his scabbard as he did so.
Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31
Matin Crowtongue |
"Do any of you know a consecrated place that we can visit? If we can wake up the angel, it might be able to give us a lead," says Matin. "I'm, uhh, not really the church type myself. But other than the feather, it's the only thing that we have."
Matin notices the figure following them, and smiles to himself as Kura ducks behind a corner. "He's going to get himself killed," he says to no one in particular, before ducking into an alley on his own--a spell on his lips as he does, and when he steps back out into the street he has vanished completely.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Stealth (Invisible, Moving): 1d20 + 10 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 10 + 20 = 44
Matin casts invisibility on himself. Duration is five minutes
Tallak Sigurdarson |
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Tallak notes the stalker as well, but agrees with the elf-blood's advice and continues as if nothing is amiss, or at least tries to.
Bluff: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
leinathan |
The group ducks into an alley, with Matin lurking invisibly nearby and Kurasaviel finding a shadowed corner while the rest of the group moves ahead. After a minute or so, the little hooded figure hurries up, looks down the alley, and steps forward, passing in front of Kurasaviel..
Kurasaviel |
As soon as the figure passes, Kurasaviel's wicked blade issues out, hovering just above the figure's shoulder, not striking the figure, but the threat clear.
"Hey, how's it going?" Kurasaviel asked brightly. "Couldn't help but notice you following us back there, and seeing as how since I've arrived in this city, a solid eighty percent of the people I've met have tried to kill me, surely you can forgive the precaution. Hood off, and slowly, please. Make no move towards any weapons, open or concealed. Make no effort to cast spells. I should be very sorry to have to stab you, after all."
Kurasaviel |
Kurasaviel sighs, pulling his blade back a bit.
"Kid, you've got to be careful about following people. Someone a bit less nice than myself might cut first and ask questions later. What are you doing following us?"
leinathan |
The kid takes a little step away from Kurasaviel, his eyes still on the half-elf's big sword. "Uh, yeah. Sure, I'll make sure to keep that in mind."
"I'm just doing a job. Some guy came up to me 'couple days ago, told me to find someone of your description, and write down what you were doing. I was gonna drop the paper off at a dock, but I won't do that anymore, I promise! Just don't kill me."
Kurasaviel |
"Whoa, whoa, whoa,", Kurasaviel began, letting his blade come entirely away from the boy. "You don't have to worry about that. I don't kill anyone if I can avoid it, and I certainly don't kill kids. There might even be a way for you to come out of it better than you were before."
Kurasaviel chewed his lip for a moment, thinking.
"I would be willing to pay you a decent amount of coin, if you gave information that would be useful to us. Specifically, who hired you to do this, how long ago, and where they could be found. After that, we can all go our separate ways, this piece of business pleasantly concluded. Before we get into specifics, though, what's your name, young man?"
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
leinathan |
Sorry for the delay! I had an exciting weekend filled with drinking, dancing, snowball fights and definitely not using my computer.
The little man looks pretty uncomfortable, and shuffles between his two feet. "It's good that you say you're not gonna hurt me, but... sir, I don't know too much. Was just a shady guy, Tian like me, who hired me in a tavern. Paid me a few gold coins to follow you around for a few days and tell him where you went. Could barely even see his face, but he gave me enough to eat for a month!"
Kurasaviel |
"How were you to contact this person? What tavern did you meet him in?"
Kurasaviel |
Kurasaviel produced one hundred gold coins from his pouch.
"Can you tell me exactly which barrel? And were you to leave it at any specific time?"