You're out to bully an old woman are you? Well I'll tell you how I came to this position and anyone can tell you. I've been raising kids all my life, I've been here for 50 odd years! You can ask anyone. I was the only one willing and able to take in kids off the streets in these parts! Me!, she spits out as she stands wobbling slightly.
But she seems to be still intimidated by your presence and your threats.
But, she says, voice low and trembling, if you want to hold my drinking against me then... then I'll change my ways. I'll need some help doing it - can't change the habit of the last few years in a few days.
She flinches as Brother Jericho casts his spell - her eyes darting here and there as if looking for unseen powers.
She seems slightly more sincere though the experienced among you realises that her offers of redemption from alcohol is as doubtful to her self as they are to you.
Brother Jericho can detect magic coming from Aunty in round 1. Round 2 he detects faint magic round 3 he believes she has a number of minor magic items on her person. These items are out of sight.
Squabbling humans, how droll
Sidhion downs his tea, and steps back outside via the front door.
I have no doubt that the children are being taken care of, my question is on the magical items you have on you.
Aint no crime to have magical items - I've curatives for wounds and disease, she snaps back, some colour rising in her face.
With a more diplomatic smile, Achernar says, Before you answer, Lady, mark well what I say. We have not come to bully you, nor do we care about your deals on the side...We care only that you were honest with us. You have chosen not to be, and that is something we cannot tolerate.
He motions to the women to go upstairs.
Now, we are going upstairs to check on the children, while you practice your confessions with the priest.
you have one chance left. It is in your best interests to be truthful to us. If you are not, we will shut down your little den of theivery.
Turning to the paladin and the gnome, he says, Ladies, let us be quick about this.
See the child but to the devil with you, I've nothing to confess aside that I like a drink
Very well Achernar and little woman, I would like to see how the children fare.
She heads towards Emily, who is waiting, unfazed, by the stairs
Hopefully we can get something good to report after all this drama and yelling
Upstairs has a few bedrooms, each with a number of canvas and straw pallets, and you get the impression that this place houses around 20 or so children. There is a room set aside upstairs that has four pallets, with 3 of them filled by children who appear to have some sort of flu like malady.
Once he gets upstairs, Achernar casts detect magic in the room.
No magic is detected.
my dear woman if the charmes are as you say they are produce them, let me see them and what they are for. I will ask you one last time are you involved in anyother activities? I have no issues if you are, my only issue is that you are honest with me. I am already aware of the people delivering secret messages and pouches, so why don't we start there?
Achernar looks as closely as he can at the sick children without touching them.
How long have you been ill little ones? he asks gently?
He casts prestidigitation on the room to clean it and looks to see if the clean room reveals anything a little unusual (a hiding place or something unusual about the way things are set up.
You're just out to rob an old woman - my property is my own! I'll have you thrown out and have everyone see you for the bullys that you are.
Eve! Eve! Run and get help - these are nothing more than brigands and thieves!.
Meanwhile upstairs, Achenar seems to light up the eyes of the children in the room and they automatically warm to his presence, trusting him.
Beggin' yer pardon sir but we've had the coughs fer a few days now but we's on the mend. Poor Eddy there just caught it but he seems to be doin' better now, anitcher?
Thats right says the third boy. Father sent me over here when I started to cough, got me in early before it really set in. I've been getting herbal teas and a mustard plaster and its done me the world of good.
Eddy's clothing and speech are noticeably different than the other two boys.
Young man, I am pleased to see you on the mend, but why did your father send you hear, rather than keep you at home?
He breaks off three small pieces of trail ration and casts prestidigitation he blows on his hand and the pieces of food disappear and, looking surprised , that they have disappeared says ...what have you got in your hands? You had better eat them quickly he smiles.
The children will find that the rations now smell and taste of chocolate.
And tell me, young ones, how does a women, as busy as your auntie down stairs, manage to get very thing done? It must be tough on her, seeing that she gets so little help. How can she fit it all in?
Brother Jericho
Shes masking her fear and anxiety with bluster. There is definetely more that shes' not telling.
Archenar
The boy with richer clothes speaks up. Aunty Baldwin has a reputation for being good with illness. Its not unusual for people like my father to pay her to take in children when they get sick. My brother was here about a year ago when he had some sort of icky thing that made his face all bloated.
The other two respond to his second question.
Well, she uses the older kids o' course, ya know when they taint workin'
Aye. Aunty sometimes gets the older kids set up with odd jobs or stuff like scullery maid or stable boy. Trains us up like, so whens we gets older we's can find work
Tell me, young man - who is your father?
Children, do you like it here?
Aria walks slowly around the room to inspect the children more closely.
Also, there seem to be a lot of cats downstairs and outside. Are they strays? Who looks after them all?
Achernar listens to the women and waits for the children's answers.
The boy in the finer clothes answers Andelyn.
Roldan, he's a cloth merchant. He has a shop a few blocks away.
The other two answer Aria.
Well we get food and somewhere warm to sleep. She treats us well enough and the older kids, the ones who have been here longer are pretty good when they aren't busy... The cats? Auntie likes cats and she's never said no to a cat that looked like it needed some care... after that some wander off and some stay.
I'll bet the older kids are like family to you. Do you get to see them once they have found a job?
He looks around the room once more, is it dirty?
He looks for Emily, and if he sees her, asks, And what is Auntie training you to be? Let me guess, Scullery maid, servant girl ... No, it's something cover than that isn't it?
Auntie, I believe you to be a good woman and I have no desire to take anything you have earned one way or another, but now is the time for you to tell me what you are hiding. I see it in in you searching for a way to come out. There will be no judgment here, take this opportunity to open up to me. Jericho says with a clam voice.
I'll bet the older kids are like family to you. Do you get to see them once they have found a job?
He looks around the room once more, is it dirty?
He looks for Emily, and if he sees her, asks, And what is Auntie training you to be? Let me guess, Scullery maid, servant girl ... No, it's something cover than that isn't it?
Not sure what you mean sir, beggin' yor pardon. We's just helpin' - many hands an all that. Me? I's beed helpin' as a cooks prentice to a family not all that far from ere. It's good work an I can eat leftovers.
Once the older kids get their own jobs we normally don't see much of them - theys be 'avin Thier own lives.
The room is neat more than clean per se but not dirty.
Auntie, I believe you to be a good woman and I have no desire to take anything you have earned one way or another, but now is the time for you to tell me what you are hiding. I see it in in you searching for a way to come out. There will be no judgment here, take this opportunity to open up to me. Jericho says with a clam voice.
I hide nothing you you you dirty trouble makers you. I've sent for witnesses and they'll see you for the bullies that you are.
Madam, I am done here, I will report to the Silver Crusade that you are lying to me or at the very least, you're withholding the truth. Let the Sliver Crusade and the Inquisitor's of the Pathfinder sort this out . My compassion has come to an end Jericho speaks with a cool and collected manner.
He stands and calls out Achernar, I am done here. Let the Silver Crusade sort this mess out.
Achenar turns to the ladies and says, I think the priest is done and we have some other things that are pressing on us.
He smiles at the children and says, Young ones, thank you for talking with us. I wish you a speedy recovery and good fortune. He gets ready to walk out the door and at the last minute takes out 4 sp. Via prestidigitation, he makes a point of showing the four children the coins and then blows into his hand. The coins disappear and the children find one each in their hand. Until we meet next... he says ...stay safe, young ones
Anticipating that the ladies will be with him, he walks out the door to join the priest.
Your departure allows you to head back to the headquarters of the Silver Crusade.
Thank you for your efforts in investigating the orphanage... what are your findings?
Good lady, the children seem comfortable and cared for, and this despite the fact that their headmistress, Gilga Baltwin, is a self-confessed alcoholic. Whether this is enough for you to find other recipients of your charity is a matter for the crusade.
She teaches the children trades and places them with the community and on the surface things appear as you would expect of a place the relies on the charity of others.
And yet ... I felt the lady was not completely forthright with us. The priest spent time with her ... Perhaps he and the women can tell you more.
I believe that Gilga Baltwin is lying to us. Although she would not confess what she was up to, She lied to cover something more then her drinking. I would suggest a full investigation into her as I am sure she is up to something. Having said that the children looked fine from what I saw. But it's what I didn't see that troubles me. Mark my words she is up to something.
Seemed a typical... human to me. She made tea.
I thank you. I'll send word back that you've done a good job - remember if you would follow the path of good works within the Society, the Shinning Crusade is always looking for like minded people.
You refer back to your piece of parchment with the list.
X A man named Guaril Karela runs a curio shop in the Docks called the Pickled Imp. Go to him and fill his request as a favor to the Society. I believe it has something to do with a set of rare books.
X Ollysta Zadrian requested aid and is expecting you at the Temple of the Shining Star in the Ascendant Court. She needs someone to deliver a parcel of medicine and curatives to a needy orphanage and verify the character of the recipient.
☐ Visit the offices of Osirian nobleman Dremdhet Salhar in the Wise Quarter. The Pathfinder Society needs to obtain permission to delve the Salhar ancestral vaults beneath Sothis. He has made a verbal agreement, and your visit makes it official. You will receive an official charter and detailed maps. Do not embarrass the Society in this matter.
☐ Chelish Paracountess Zarta Dralneen possesses an item loaned from the Vaults. Meet with her in her estate in the Ivy District and retrieve the item in her possession.
Well that was over quickly after all that. I did like visiting with the children, even if their minder did seem quite eccentric.
I think living with so many children and cats had taken its toll on her mental faculties, no wonder she reverted to drinking to calm her nerves
Friends, I suppose the charter and map collection will have to be next on our list, it seems simple enough. Does anyone disagree?
I concur. Let us seek this charter carefully ... I confess to a slight uneasiness about the last sentence of our charge
You make your way to the rich estate of Grand Councilmember Dremdhet Salhar, and are greeted by a guard who is expecting you as you reach the tall, wrought-iron gate.
Once inside, a servant tells you Salhar is not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business they may require. The servant explains this while leading you down well decorated hallways, past expansive rooms.
After a few minutes, the group arrives at a simple study near the end of a long hallway.
A tan-skinned old man sits behind a desk flipping through pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jut from the book marking over two dozen different places. As the group approaches the open door, the wise sage silently gestures you into the study with one thin hand, while closing the tome with the other after finishing what he was reading.
Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say.
Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea — something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.
“Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room
The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.
Yes, let us be on our way to do this. I suggest that Archernar and Brother Jericho take point in the discussions here. They seem silver tongued and this requires more tact than I am inclined to use.
Andelyn looks at Sidhion with narrowed eyes.
@Sidhion
You - I suggest you hang back and say nothing.
@the party
Shall we?
Andelyn turns to go.
I hope the priest and paladin know what to say, he thinks as he clears his thought, bows and speaks to the scribe.
Wise one, we cannot hope to attain half of your great intelligence or wisdom, and to a fool such as I, it seems a simple task for your servants to bring us the charter themselves.
Clearly it is the wisdom of your master that requires such a task of us, and I beg a piece of that wisdom now. Will you share with us some information that might help such unworthies accomplish this thing?
The task is critical to our masters and we would do nothing by our actions that would embarrass them or you.
He stays bowed, expecting an answer.
You've a facile tongue young one and it will serve you well both in war and peace - I have this piece of advice and only this piece of advice. Do Your Best. It is as simple as that.
Now, the servant shall show you to the vault so that you may perform your appointed task.
1. ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial
2. Easily achieved
Or some other word.
Just trying to know whether that was a backhanded compliment, or an autocorrect error - either way it caused a chuckle.
1. ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial
2. Easily achievedOr some other word.
Just trying to know whether that was a backhanded compliment, or an autocorrect error - either way it caused a chuckle.
Go to the first vault to get a map for the second vault. Seems suspiciously too easy, Aria comments while scowling and waiting for the others to catch up to her behind the servant they are following. She likes scowling.
Andelyn tugs on Aria's sleeve and whispers to her.
Giant lady, I fear your meager association with the haughty one cocking her head towards Sidhion has rubbed off on you. Be sure to take your lead from the priest and the Diplomat in this case. We are not to embarrass the society here and I fear your expression may be misconstrued by our hosts. If you must, think of something funny - like the haughty one tripping on his own bow.
Andelyn winks at Aria and looks ahead. Without turning towards Aria, she whispers again.
And yes - the ominous edict to 'do our best' was unsettling to me too.
Small one, you do make me laugh heartily. I shall try not to disturb our hosts with my scowls. If I should forget, please feel free to remind me. Code word "Nice trip."
She laughs, thinking of it, and then stops as the manservant turns and frowns at her. So she winks at him instead.
He must think I'm laughing at him. Not likely! Why is he allowed to frown and I'm not. There is definately something wrong with this place.
Careful... puntable Sidhion says towards the Gnome Andelyn, his expression unchanging from it's normal severity.
He then strides meaningfully after the servant, eager to get this task over and done with.
Andelyn smiles brightly.
Certainly... tripable.
Hehe!
Well this is becoming much more entertaining. I do like it.
Achernar continues,
You are too kind, wise sage ... I beg you to forgive my ignorance, but may I ask one last thing as we set off? I thought we were to receive Master Salhar's formal charter for the society to explore the vaults. Will we obtain it from your good self once we have the maps from Master Salhar's vault, or are we to go someplace else for the charter?
After waiting for the sage's answer, Achernar completes his low bow and follows the servant.