Alem abd-al-Hassan |
Alem bows his head before his mistress, touching the fingers of one hand to his forehead. Master Hassan had entrusted him as his representative to serve Almah to the best of his ability, and he would not fail either of them.
"Mistress Almah, salaam. We have investigated the matter you put before us, and we believe that those responsible for Eloias's most unfortunate passing come from outside our own ranks." Beyond that, the story is more complicated and less certain. Alem pauses for a moment to allow others to take over or for Almah to ask more questions.
Seyhannah Kassim |
shoot! I completely read that wrong. You mentioned fresh gnome footprints, I read it as gnoll for some reason. Sigh. My apologies.
"Jackal-Rats. We are unsure if the murder was pre meditated. We believe the creatures somehow were the cause of the fire though. "
What would Almahs title be in the caravan? Garavel is the Major Domo correct?
DM Default |
Almah is technically a Merchant Princess, but Boss or Mistress Almah is also fine.
Fawziya bint Abdul-Wali |
"We found tracks around Eloias' wagon, smaller even than the feet of our gnomish friends," Fawziya replies to the Merchant Princess. "We have not yet investigated where they lead yet, as we wanted to be certain we had exhausted our leads within the camp now that there are signs that the culprits came from without. If it be your desire, we will follow these tracks to wherever they lead and demand justice for our fallen comrade!"
DM Default |
Almah considers all your comments, and nods along as she listens.
"So which is it?!" Almah suddenly demands, a frown on her face. "Is it someone in the camp itself or these jackal rats you speak of? What manner of creature are these?"
Reuleaux |
Sensing Almah's last nerve breaking he tosses his cigarette aside and says something like "Princess Almah, Elois was certainly loved by all..."
For the next minute, he goes on about Elois' qualities, exaggerating personal stories of his kindness and virtue. He then presents the investigation as impossible given the lack of clear evidence, but in the end against all odds the party wisely came to one conclusion that unites all the threads:
"...we can be certain no member of our camp was responsible."
Diplomacy, Influence Attitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Bluff, Deceive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Um...ok this is the luckiest character I've ever had.
Zoisa the Magnificent |
"Yeah! What he said!" Zoisa adds, glad Reauleaux actually managed to say something that made sense...in his convoluted kind of way. She figures that must just be his thing, a guy who loved to hear himself talk. "These jackal-rats are apparently also called pugwampis. From what the taller girls said, it sounds like what happened was the pugwampis were hanging around Eloais' wagon, and since they jinx everything around 'em, it caused Eloais to have an accident with the candles in his wagon, which is what ACTUALLY started the fire. And if I'm right, I'd say our role in this is about to change from "investigation" to "pest control." Right, boss?"
I'm not overstepping my bounds here, am I? I figured that we sort of pieced together the whole story "off-screen" in a sense, since none of us seemed to present a clear picture in actual dialogue. If Zoisa isn't privy to any of this info, please lemme know so I can edit it.
Seyhannah Kassim |
I think Rue, in the end got it right. I'm not even sure a deceive check was needed. With those rolls I can't see how it wouldn't satisfy her question.
Still a bit suprised how Reuleaux was able to say so many things about the investigation but in the end not say very much. Seyhannah asks...
"The question remains Mistress, whether to track these creatures down or not? From what we know of the creatures, there is a good chance that we will encounters Gnolls along the way. What is your pleasure?"
DM Default |
You're fine Zoisa, perfectly reasonable.
Almah nods at Seyhannah's suggestion.
"Yes, I think I would like one of pugwumpis so I can show the crew what to watch out for. I trust Dashki, but I hesitate to leave him in camp as suspicion against him is the strongest. Take him with you and have him help track down these beasts. Perform well, and I will consider this an on hand test for your hiring of the caravan, as well as add a hefty bonus to the initial pay as well."
Provided no one refuses or something, you are left to prepare and go get Dashki.
Alem abd-al-Hassan |
"We shall do as you say, mistress. We will not return without a pugwampi in hand." Bowing again, Alem leaves to begin his preparations (and to limit Kaspar's opportunity for mischief).
Zoisa the Magnificent |
"If what we know about 'em's true, then a live one'd probably bring more trouble. We already had a fire and a casualty thanks to these things, I think only ONE bad omen will suffice on this trip, thankyouverymuch!" Zoisa says matter-of-factly.
Reuleaux |
Reu quickly prepares a turban in the traditional style "Ah yes, the hunt begins!" he tightens the last wrap off and polishes a fancy ivory blowpipe, nodding at himself in approval "...that's right, we won't rest until a trophy worthy of the Princess' beauty can be had. Oh yeah! The great hunting trail, where men can be men and women can be godslayers...but hold a moment fellows..." he makes a clicking sound with his tongue "tch...no. No. This won't do at all. We need a name for our party if we are to brand the bare sands with our might. What shall it be then? Dune-slayers? Blooded Oasis Wranglers? The Anti-Jinx Force 5?"
edit: also was that diplomacy check success or no? would ask for supplies if so
Zoisa the Magnificent |
"Well, Eloais was talking about that whole "Legacy of Fire" thing the other day. Why not something like "The Fire Legates," eh? Eh?" Zoisa throws out.
DM Default |
Had a few busy days. Apologies
"A dead one is preferable." Almah answers. "If the creature is as unpleasant as I expect, I do not want it alive."
Diplomacy not successful Reu
Dashki is alright enough joining the hunt to clear his name, but he absolutely refuses to talk to Reu or Fawziya. He makes it clear. If either of these two individuals speaks to him or does anything insulting, even if he just suspects it, he is returning to camp.
Dashki explains that if they hunt the pugwampi during the day, they would never reveal themselves and could see them approach a mile away. As such, he insists waiting until night time.
The desert at night is cooler and feels almost chilly after the intense heat of the day. not only that, but the winds that blow scatter sand which sets off the keener of the group as potential enemy movement.
Dashki has a torch for himself, bu the light it casts won't get far if it should last the entire hunt. How are you all solving your lighting situation, either depending on others, nightvision, etc?
Seyhannah Kassim |
Seyhannah has always had fantastic vision at night and the cool winds of the evening remind her of days long ago when she and her family roamed the deserts.
Sey tries to act as a liaison between Dashki and her two companions trying to keep the peace. Let it be said however that her patience is not great.
"These kind of nights remind me of when I was girl." Seyhannah says atempting to break tension.
Fawziya bint Abdul-Wali |
If Fawziya takes offense at Dashki's cold attitude, she doesn't show it. As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, she pulls out her own torch and lights it.
As I have a bundle of ten, I'm not too worried about light for this expedition.
"Did you and your family wander the dunes, Seyhannah?", she asks as they travel. "That is a harsh life, living in the wastes, but it breeds strong folk that survive it."
Seyhannah Kassim |
"My people are nomads. This the only life they know. City life has its benefits but out here, it makes you feel closer to the gods. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it. Where you from Fawziya?"
Zoisa the Magnificent |
Zoisa mutters a few arcane words and then four glowing balls of light, like the will-o'-the-wisps the northerners speak of, spring out of her hand. They playfully circle a few of the band, before returning to float near Zoisa's head.
"Anyone need a light? I can give us one of these if you don't have a torch or something."
She listens to Seyhannah and Fawziya with rapt attention.
"That sounds splendiferous," she says at Seyhannah's description of the nomadic life. "Always chasin' Sarenrae's skirt, seein' new places, an' seein' old places with new perspectives..."
Reuleaux |
At Dashki's unwillingness to speak Reu simply smirks his smirk of a thousand meanings, thinking Well, Princess Dashki, is it? Very well...no one will disrespect you but yourself, as you like.
"Ah yes, please my dear Zoisa...I will need one to prepare my disguise. You all should know, I intend to become one of their gods for this venture. That's right, a gnoll of the sands will walk among us! Consider the possibilities...it will take them wholly off guard." he lifts his extra large turban to reveal a partially used disguise kit resting on his head (nevermind the fake blood inside and so forth that looks somewhat familiar). When the party has a moment he will complete the gnoll disguise.
Disguise, Duration: 1d3 ⇒ 3*10=30 minutes required
Disguise, Check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
When closer he will supplement the disguise with prestidigitation for smell.
If magic/torches run out will pop a sunrod
Seyhannah Kassim |
Seyhannah cocks her head at the sight of Reu with a disguise kit on his head. "If that is indeed your plan please make said disguise so that we can recognize you. If there would be any other Gnolls around I'd hate to get you confused with them."
Reuleaux |
"Ah yes, very clever! No fear!" as part of his ruse he includes a single bright red feather falling from the furry dreadlocks. "perhaps you can note this feather...and don't worry, a gnoll would never attack another gnoll. Still, yes, when the swords are drawn I'll drop the ruse. I'm ready to walk with Sarenrae, but not after an accidental death!"
DM Default |
With the lighting situation....situated....and the disguise of Reu donned, the group sets out to find these supposed Pugwampis in the dead of night..
Dashki leads you to a cragerous area that he belives a pugwampi would favor hiding on top of.
The patches of rocky hills are harder to climb than you anticipated and you find you scuff yourself against the cragerous earth. Uneven shadows dance about in the crackle of Dashki's torch. Every now and then, you can swear a physical shadow is rushing towards you, but a quick wave of Dashki's torch reveals either a small animal or nothing at all.
"We are looking for a little creature, human-shape, even smaller than small-folk (halflings). Light fur, dirty claws, and a tiny jackal head."
You stop at some point, reaching a plateau area.
"Look for tracks.." Dashki mumbles, and presses his face closely to the ground.
Fawziya bint Abdul-Wali |
"Agarabar originally, Seyhannah," Fawziya says as she begins to examine the area for tracks. "A modest city of some wealth, and my father assists the governor directly. Or, at least, I assume he still does. I have not been back for years, ever since I left to earn glory for my name and gold for my purse. Since then, I've traveled extensively from one end of the Inner Sea to the other, testing my sword arm against the worst foes I could find. But I'll save those stories for another day."
Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
While Fawziya isn't necessarily lying about anything, it sounds like she's omitting things from her story.
Alem abd-al-Hassan |
Alem gladly accepts Zoisa's offer of a floating light, as he had neglected to prepare such a spell for himself. "Master Hassan has often told me of the benefits of partial preparation, but it seemed unnecessary to me when he was already prepared for anything."
Alem is not the only one who appreciates Zoisa's gift. The monkey grabs for the light, trying to catch the witchlight in his hands. "Kaspar, this is no time for games!"
Reu's disguise makes Alem uneasy. He thought it would be comical to see little Reuleaux with greasy face-paint and a fake mane trying to look like a fearsome gnoll, but the effect is closer to the real thing than expected. For the first time, Alem begins to appreciate that they might actually encounter gnolls out here in the wastes, and the thought makes him nervous. "I hope that the great Fawziya bint Abdul-Wali has felled many gnolls by her blade. I know of no worse foes than those foul creatures. When I was a young boy, gnolls came and attacked our village. Those they did not kill, they took as chattel for the Fleshfair."
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Seyhannah Kassim |
Sey has no reason to doubt what you say. No Sense Motive needed for her. She is more of a take you at your word until u prove untrustworthy kind of girl. Watch out if she catches you lying though.
Seyhannah draws her scimitar and begins looking around the area for tracks.
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Zoisa the Magnificent |
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
"Wow! You've a core of iron, lady!" Zoisa exclaims at Fawziya's story. Then she hears Alem's and she makes a disgusted noise.
"Gross. I almost ended up a slave when my parents died. I couldn't fend off their creditors and so they were gonna take their money out of my hide by selling it. If Haleen hadn't helped me, I'd probably have Bleached in captivity! No one deserves to be held like that. Just another reason why these gnolls should be punted out of Kelmarane, so they can't do it to anyone else!"
DM Default |
You do find dozens of small footprints leading to and from the Sultan's Claw, finally retreating into the darkness of hill country. What's more, you swear you find what looks remarkably like goat tracks.
This winds whip at your clothing, and you can't be certain if its the howling of the wind, or the howling of something far more....sinister.
Reuleaux |
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Reu begins one of his yarns "...punt or be punted, that's the law of the desert..." et cetera but is interrupted by the noise. He goes quiet, his black eyes reflecting the moon and stars as he scans about. He knew where he was and what could be coming...he would avoid capture at all costs.
Seyhannah Kassim |
Seyhannah looks at Dashki and nods "Tracks, all over. They seem to be heading toward the hills. I think they might have been chasing a goat. Keep that torch low, it will easily give away our position. "
Fawziya bint Abdul-Wali |
"Of course, Alem! I have tested myself against the mongrel dogmen of the dunes, and shattered the chains of a dozen slaves meant for the auction block. You could not stand against the gnolls as a child, but you are a child no more. With your magics and my sword, the gnolls shall rue the day they chose to raid your village!"
Survival to follow the tracks?
Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Zoisa the Magnificent |
"Or Almah might be pleased if we retrieve one of the unaccounted-for missing animals. And even if it isn't one of ours, hey! Free goat!" Zoisa adds.
DM Default |
You follow the trail for several hundred feet with Fawziya's aid, enjoying the dancing lightsZoisa has provided, but the soon flicker and go out leaving anyone with normal vision to depend on Dashki's torch and Reja's light spear. It makes for a constant process but does give you all excellent vision before it needs to be recast.
With every step you take, you swear the shadows are growing longer, increasingly jagged and reaching for you when you aren't looking, only to snap back into place when you check. Tension rises, and all of you feel as if something terrible is about to happen. Reuleaux can see the way the moonlight plays tricks, but even he still snaps to suspicious movements just in case. And then....
A brief cry of what sound like a human child begins to emanate from the darkness. It seems you're entering what appears to e cactus fields as well, the cry coming from deeper inside the patch.
Seyhannah Kassim |
Does there seem to be any way to mitigate the danger of the cactus patch? I.E. Survival rolls?
Seyhannah peers into the patch trying to see anything of the enemy and to discern a way through.
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
DM Default |
You could roll acrobatics checks to navigate through the patch, but you would have to roll multiple to make it all the way through
Zoisa the Magnificent |
Zoisa conjures more dancing lights, and she winces a bit at the strange sounds and noises. She sidles up to Dashki and whispers to him.
"Are the pugwampis doing this, making it seem like the world's turning against us? If so, the little @#$%ers are more devious than I expected."
Fawziya bint Abdul-Wali |
Concern crosses Fawziya's face as she hears the child's cry cut short, and her scimitar is quickly unsheathed from her hip. "Give me a light, I shall lead our way in to investigate." Once a firebrand is in her other hand, she enters, attempting to clear-cut a way towards the source of the noise.
I'll make some Acrobatics rolls if you like, but I think Fawziya's initial solution would just be to hack her way to where she heard the cries.
Reuleaux |
"Oh, I have an idea. Does anyone have a sword I can borrow? Anyone? A big one, not small."
Assuming someone does...
"Some months ago a pregnant doctor conscripted me in service to reclaim a jade cavern scarab from a minor pyramid. Something about purifying the babe. Anyhow, she gifted me with a minor wind servant under my command. Handy fellow, name of Rihisar."
His eyes lift upwards to the night sky, whistling a bizarre summoning tune, and surprisingly a small force seems to disturb the sands nearby.
Unseen Servant SLA
"Oh, hello again. Here. See that? Make a path!"
DM Default |
Dashki shakes his head in the negative to Zoisa's question.
"The desert takes many lives...Some say those spirits still haunt the sands..."
Reuleaux proceeds to summon an invisible servant of sorts, the only evidence of it being there is the two foot impressions in the sand and (assuming someone does lend a blade) it proceeds to start hacking at the thick patch of cactus.
It is slow goings, and as the sword isn't really made to cut through thick trunks of cactus and the unseen servant isn't the strongest of beings, you estimate it will take a very, very long time before a suitable path is made. As the minimum, it'll probably be day again.
Seyhannah Kassim |
Does Fawzi helping make any difference? If Fawzi is cutting that would mean it's my sword the servant has. If this is the plan ok I guess but personally I think we need to push through faster. Just in case that crying is the real deal.
Alem abd-al-Hassan |
Alem listens closely to the summoning tune. That is no magic that I recognize. Perhaps his servant comes from the Maelstrom? Surely no normal air elemental would respond to such a call. Unimpressed with the speed at which the invisible creature hacks through the field, Alem sends his monkey out to locate the source of the sound and pushes forward into the cactus field himself. "Kaspar, go find the crying child. Lead me to him."
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
I'm so sad that such beautiful rolls are going to waste.
Seyhannah Kassim |
Obviously impatient with the rate at which the cactus clearing is going, Seyhannahs sees Alem move into the cactus himself is the last straw for her. Retrieving her sword from the silent helper,"I'll take that." she drives into the patch following Alem.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
i don't think those are wasted rolls at all. I really don't want to find out what happens when a failure occurs.
DM Default |
Alem: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Alem: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Alem: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Seyhannah: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Seyhannah: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Seyhannah: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
As Alem makes his way through the catcus patch, he feels sure of his steps and pace. Yet, suddenly he misses a stone that should have easily been spotted and slips pressing a hand into a nearby cactus to balance himself.
Alem take 1 damage
How Unlucky....
Seyhannah moves to follow, but has a much worse time of it.
Seyhannah take 2 damage
How Unlucky...
You both are about halfway through the cactus patch.
Alem abd-al-Hassan |
"Ah!" Alem recoils from the cactus, his hand bleeding from the spine. Still, there is nothing for it but to press on.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Reuleaux |
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He lets out an audible sigh as his magics are utterly useless and brushed aside, addressing the non-sentient entity "Damnit Rihisar, who instructed you in the ways of hacking cacti? You never strike with the foible, you always strike with the forte! *sigh* Nevermind. Can you at least go pick up the bigger chunks and get them out of the way?"