[PFS][Game Day VI] DM DoctorEvil presents 01-51 The City of Strangers, Part 1: The Shadow Gambit (Inactive)

Game Master DM DoctorEvil

Kru steps forward and glares at Sard.

Intimidation: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Lomar still sticks around, keeping an eye on things, think of all the potions and concoctions he could be brewing, instead of sitting here in this dingy location.

Feuerseele smiles at the speaker and nods to others indicating she is ready for the next step.

Carp seems at a loss, but is willing to stick by his bold play and walk away. Nothing like actually walking away to push a bluff. Plus, if he says doesn't have anything, then maybe he doesn't. We can always find others if this Besel Ardoc is as popular as the others intimated.

"I'm not going to say that you're making a big mistake, but perhaps you should think with your head instead of your gut," Ellie offers, waving dismissively with one hand and double-checking the integrity of her purse with the other. "How many of the people here know you nicked their coin purse? That seems like information that is worth keeping secret. Our silence can be earned, too."

Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

The shady dwarf grins victoriously as Carp turns and walks away, but when Kru steps forward and bumps the roguish fellow intentionally, his grin is replaced with a wide-eyed grrimace. "Ok, ok!" he gulps worriedly eyes flicking from Carp to the big brute rapidly. "Ardoc did you say? Besel Ardoc? Yeah, I know a bit about him." He ponder a moment with his hand out looking for a tip.

Once a few coins are dropped on him he says, "Oh yeah I remember now, I seen Besel drinkin’ in Downmarket a bunch o' times. Had a few pints with him m’self once. It’s probably because of those pints that I can’t recall the name of the pub where I last saw him. I tell ya who would know: that little beggar girl Fasch. She sees more in an hour than I do all day. Find little Fasch, and she'll tell you where to find Ardoc."

"What you want to know where to find Fasch? You don't make it easy on a fella do you?" He looks up at Kru as if weighing his options then says "The Augur's have a temple here in Downmarket. I've seen here there lately begging for coins for food. I'd start there."

With enough asking around and knocking about, you eventually find the Temple of Augurs and sitting in front with a small ceramic bowl, is a dirty little waif of a girl, not more than 12 years old, clad in rags.

"Spare some food, eh Pathfinders?" she says eyes downcast. "Fancy feeding a poor miserable thing?"

Hullric moves over to the girl and bends down, staring at her with his mask. "Hmmm... You know we are Pathfinders already. Good girl. Now. What would you prefer, food or money?"

Hullric pulls out a trail ration (1 day) in his left hand and 1 gold coin in his right hand. He then puts both of his hands behind his back and chuckles, "Choose little one. Left or right?"

Ninja'd!

Five years and five hundred miles away and she could be me.

"Desna smiles today, child," Ellie laughs warily, hoping her smile looks sincere. "You can choose both. Food for today and gold for tomorrow if you can tell us where to find Besel Ardoc. Bonus if you keep it quiet," she adds, thinking back to her childhood in Korvosa ever briefly.

Nothing like hunger to sharpen the eyes and ears.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

The girl smiles wryly at Hullric's game of chance. "I've been around long enough to know you'll not give up either lightly, masked man, so I'll ask for both without expectation of any."

To Ellie she replies: "Gods don't smile on them that are like me , miss. They don't even know I exist it seems. Desna or the Augurs or the Great Beast. I'm still hungry whichever I pray to. Give me a hot meal, and I'll tell you about Besel Ardoc. I saw him just today, matter of fact."

Provided you arrange for some hot food for the waif she says: Ardoc was in an inn around the corner from here called The Augur's Entrails. It's got a sign out front with a troll pulling his own guts out. Besel was there with his metal-men just this morning. Miss Feathers is in that place at all hours. If you can Miss Feathers you can find out where Ardoc was doing there I bet."

You in fact remember seeing the very sign she is describing at the end of the block while looking for the little girl.

PS: By this time, night is falling in the city, as you have spent most of the day chasing Ardoc around town.

Well if night is falling better to....

Hearing that there was an inn, which usually means a bar and a drink, Lomar pipes up "Well, fancy a change in scenery and a stroll to the inn?"

"Why not. I am hungry. And some cider to wash it down sounds good."Feuerseele consents.

Liking the girl's response, Hullric hands over the ration and gold coin to her. Plus the hot meal.

Turning to the others, "Hmm... A night's rest should be good for our continued quest of tomorrow."

Seeing that the group wishes to retire, Carp extends his god's blessing to the party, healing them of any lingering pains that may ale them from the fight with the thugs at Collgardie's home.

"We will uphold justice and find out who Collgardie's killer is." remarks the stoic man as waves of green, scaled energy wash over the party members searing any open wounds closed and knitting their flesh back together, leaving behind the scent of burned human skin.

Channel Energy: 1d6 ⇒ 1

"Take a night, and back on the prowl tomorrow. Works for me," Ellie agrees. "I'll see if I can't drum up a bit of info over dinner, but otherwise we'll meet up for breakfast."

(Ellie's idea of 'drumming up info' is trying to find a bar and a card game with locals who underestimate her. If the locals talk, so much for the better.)

I guess I am confused by your responses. I think Lomar was saying "let's go check it out" while others are saying "we are calling it a night". Can we get a consensus or clear up my misunderstanding?

To be clear, the guy you have spent all day trying to find was just seen in a place that is literally around the corner from you. You can always come back later if you choose, but it's the closest you've been all day.

Feuerseele wants to go to the inn and find Ardoc, eating and drinking is just a bonus.

I guess I missed that he was at the inn. No sense in letting the trail go cold.

Agreed lets go to the inn.

Different inn than you are staying at, but yes. We will proceed then.

Not far from where the homeless waif sits, stands the Augur's Entrails. The signboard is just as Fasch said it would be. Inside the place is surprisingly well decorated, perhaps to the point of being a bit garish. Thick carpets cover the floor and some of the walls. Highly polished brass makes up the chairs and tables and other fixtures. Oddly colored artwork covers the walls.

There are a sprinkling of customers in the place, but none you recognize or react to your presence right away. Certainly no iron golems are seen.

A brutish half-troll man in a tuxedo stands behind the bar. He grimaces as you enter, revealing a nasty set of pointy teeth. "Help you strangers?" he says as if he has no intention of doing anything of the kind.

Lomar stands in the corner, his hands on a couple of bombs, ready to throw them at a moments notice. From one extreme to another, this place gives off some "bad" vibes, much like the last inn. Better to be prepared for a fight than get involved in talking, not his strong suit.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

"Probably not, unless both 'Miss' and 'Feathers' are misnomers," Ellie offers, hoping a joke will crack his stern demeanor. "Know how to find her?"

Kru stands at the ready in case an attack breaks out. He scans the room to see what he notices.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Letting Ellie starts 'negotiation' with the troll of a bartender, Hullric bends over to look at the carpet more closely. "I wonder how many fleas live in there..." He trails off with that thought.

The troll bartender's eyes widen in surprise. "You have business with Miss Feathers? All of you?" He points a large stubby finger towards a paneled door in the back of the lounge. "Through there, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

Curious about what he could possibly mean, you head towards the indicated door. From inside you hear muffled cries of pain or alarm. Prepared for anything, you open the door, but nothing could prepare you for what you see inside.

"What is the meaning of this interruption? Miss Feathers can't be bothered while she's in the middle of a session!" cries a full-sized troll man, who is squeezed into a tight, black leather outfit that reveals waaaaay too much. He holds a cat o' nine tails whip in one hand. Kneeling on the floor in a posture of submission is a man with his hands bound and a gag in his mouth. He wears a mask that is just a little too similar to Hullric's.

"Out! Out!" cries the troll, making flowery shooing motions with its over-large hands. "Miss Feathers will be with ALL of you soon, sweet ones!"

Backing out of the room, quickly you shut the door, unable to erase those scarring images for some time. After a bit, the troll known as Miss Feathers strolls from the door wearing a startlingly pink kimono. "Now babies, how can Miss Feathers help you, hmmm?"

Feuerseele is at a loss for a moment but then speaks."Well we are looking for Ardoc, someone you gave your light touch, I guess. Maybe we can trade some gold for information!"

Hullric chuckles, "Yes. Business before pleasure. We are looking for Ardoc, but afterwards we could probably come back for a 'session' with you." Hullric gives a kissing sound behind his mask.

Carp's eyes dart over the lurid scenes that abound in the brothel, but he quickly composes himself and focuses on the kimono-clad troll before him, though his cheeks have a bit more color than before. "Yes. If possible, do you also know anything about the recent Pathfinder activity in the city? We've heard that it is... uncommissioned." he asks, hoping that this purveyor of bodies and secrets might be aware of something that the Decimvirate is not.

Kru looks around trying to see if there are any immediate threats.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

The troll crosses its massive legs and gives a look of petulant annoyance, "Miss Feathers don't kiss and tell, babies. In this business, it pays to be DIS-creet. And I don't nothin' 'bout no Pathfinders neither. Humph!" Miss Feathers slams a meaty fist on the table for emphasis.

Then just as you think this is a dead end, the troll leans forward in says in a conspiratorial whisper. "Oh, I can't stand it! Yes, Ardoc had a session with moi this morning. Has another one scheduled for tomorrow morning as well. You sweet babies show up then an' you'll bump into him alright, and his army of uglies. They give me the creeps something fierce. So BUTCH!"

Unless you have more, Miss Feathers sashays over to the bar, and downs enough grog to floor a normal person then waves good bye in her own sassy way.

Hullric gathers around the others, "Hmm... me thinks it might be a good idea to prepare tonight and then setup a 'meeting' with Ardoc before his session in the morning."

Hullric gathers around the others, "Hmm... me thinks it might be a good idea to prepare tonight and then setup a 'meeting' with Ardoc before his session in the morning."

"Yes, it is getting late. Rest might be in order for us all. And an early rise, of course."

"I agree, and do not get me wrong, I wouldn´t mind a change of Inns. A drastice one please!"
A somewhat shaken Feuerseele adds.

"Seems prudent," Ellie agrees, shaking her head as if to dislodge a memory. "Catch Ardoc tomorrow with his pants down?"

Great choice of words there, Ellie.

Kru nods hoping for a good fight tomorrow.

"Seems prudent," Ellie agrees, shaking her head as if to dislodge a memory. "Catch Ardoc tomorrow with his pants down?"

Great choice of words there, Ellie.

"Pants down? Seriously? So you going to hide in the outhouse then?" Lomar laughs, heartily, and then slaps Ellie on the back good naturedly.

The weary Pathfinders make it back to their own, much less interesting, inn. There they find a decent supper and a pretty-much flea-less bed and get much needed rest.

You can reset daily stats, heal minor wounds, and prepare new spells if appropriate, but those need to be noted first or changed on character sheet.

In the early morning, they set back out for Downmarket and the Augur's Entrails. They arrive there earlier enough the place is deserted except for one angry looking half-orc scullery maid who is cleaning the place for the day's activity. She doesn't speak or even acknowledge your presence.

Looking outside, you eventually see Ardoc and his retinue of a half-dozen iron golems approaching up the street.

Thoughts about how you want to approach this?

"As I would love to take on so many iron golems, even I don't think I would survive for long. So we need to find a way to separate Ardoc from his guards."

Hullric chuckles, "I don't suppose any of you would have a rust monster hidden in your pants?"

"What I have in my pants is non of your business!"
Feuerseele sparkles at Hullric."But no!"

Lomar at night before he goes to bed, keeps one of the extract potions of cure light wounds, and changes the other to a Shield Extract.

Looking at the parade of iron, Carp feels a bit intimidated. "This is probably the feeling that the man is going for..." he remarks under his breath.

"What's a rust monster?" asks Carp when Hullric brings it up. "Can we go get one or is that like asking if we have a pet dragon?" he says, noting the chuckle. "Either way, perhaps we should be straightforward and talk to the man. We do not necessarily have to fight this Ardoc character, so let's be amicable and just present our mission in vague terms to the man." Carp recommends.

Lomar leans over to "Carp" "Exactly. Honesty is the best policy. I don't thing we can take on all of those metal monstrosities..."

"First the charm, then the lies," Ellie agrees. "I'd rather not scrap with a walking scrapheap. Or six."

Ellie pauses for a moment. "Might be able to blackmail him? I can't imagine hanging out with a, er, 'troll of ill repute' is socially acceptable?" she states, more a question in tone than a statement.

Definitely think outward violence should be a last resort.

Kru says, "He will probably leave the golems outside of his destination. Can we find another entrance?"

"Talk is good. Perhaps even promise er.. Lie that his Troll Mistress demands he cooperate with us or he won't get punished."

By the time a plan is decided upon, Ardoc is within hailing distance. The man you have been pursuing for the last day or more is a well-dressed man of about 50 years. He has a dandy white beard, well oiled and braided and a long mustache, which is waxed and curled at the ends. He is dress is opulent as befits his station and his form is solid if perhaps turning to a bit beefy. He walks with an air of supreme confidence, a master of the universe secure in his domain with an army of iron automatons close at hand for protection.

He steps upon the veranda of the Augur's Entrails, where you stand waiting and barely glances at you as he approaches. One of the golems moves to the door, opening it for its master.

Give it your best shot.

Ellie, someone, (not me), you are up......

Feuerseele clears her throat and speaks up.
"A moment of your time, Sir Ardoc! We would like to ask you a few questions. It won´t take long I promise!"
Diplo: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Without really looking, Ardoc replies, "Yes, yes, what is it?" Then when he looks up, his eyes widen in surprise and alarm. "You! You killed Collgardie and now you're here for me! I won't be taken easily!" He leaps back but when he sees you don't press any kind of attack, he stops curious. "So...maybe you aren't here to kill me too. But you are Shadow Lodge are you not? What is it you want with me, if you don't mean for me to end up like Collgardie?"

Diplomacy (Aid): 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (10) - 2 = 8

"No, we don't wish to kill you, we wish to talk with you."