Xaaon's Curse of the Crimson Throne

Game Master Xaaon of Xen'Drik

At those words Panish confirms: "Excellent! I think, Miss Aliandara, that your time to shine is now. Please proceed and provide word of All the World's Meat and its current owners."

Aliandara nods her head as she smiles “Then I will do so, anything else before I go? By what time should I be back and where shall I found you?”

Sgt. Drakus scowls. "Too complicated. I say we outfit you all in guard kit and go join them as fellow deserters."

Panish replies - "Too risky, I would be recognized from field exercises, and Aliandara and the others are likely to not be recognized as guards. Sneaking one in that they aren't familiar with is possible; but having 4 or more of us that the deserters don't even have a passing acquaintance within the guard...? Unlikely."

After a pause, "This does raise the question of what we will do once we have reached the butchery. Scouting or disguises aside, do you propose we just go in and arrest everybody?"

"Not to mention, we'd have to spend days learning all the proper terminology just to pass ourselves off as guards...and we don't have that kind of time."

"Now we could wait nearby, while Aliandra scouts the area."

"How we deal with the deserters would depend on why they deserted in the first place. I am sick of just standing here! Let's march now; find a place nearby and let the sneaky ones do some scouting."

"Indeed."

"If any of you have additional questions for the Field Marshall ask quickly."

Sgt. Drakus glances at Field Marshall Cressida and arches his eyebrow.

Translation: "Are we dismissed?"

"Let us have a look at this butchery then, the Inheritor's favor is with the swift."

"Well if that is all then just give me a chance to change into more appropriate clothes and I will be ready to do some scouting”

Field Marshall Cressida rises, "Yes, Sergeant, you're dismissed...only you are part of the military though, these heroes are not members of the military, they are assisting us because the guards are needed for civil duty. The incident you went through might actually come in as an asset in this situation, though I know your innocence, I know you fight every day to erase your unwarranted reputation...a reputation these deserters might find tempting for letting you in."

Marra glances at Drakus, "Another with a checkered past, one day perhaps we'll all be able to discuss our pasts."

PAVO

Pavo looks to his allies, and breaks down..."Field Marshall, may I be given leave to attend to my sister's burial? It's obvious that Marra, Sollus and the others can easily quell the situation. My sister will only be put to rest once."

"Very well young Lord Pavo, see to your sister and when you've accomplished that we shall see what we can do to put you back in action."

Sgt. Drakus executes a crisp salute and barks out "Yes Field Marshall!"
Translation: Thank you for your kind words. For sticking me with this irregular unit, I will get you someday.

He turns to the rest and shouts "You heard her! Move out soldiers!"; then he visibly restrains himself and says "I mean, lets go now."

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21 Sense Motive

Panish smile remains warm as he is ushered out by Sgt. Drakus, but his eyes look slightly puzzled, as he mutters to himself: "I have to learn how he does that, so much inflection in just a few words and posture."

Aliandara shifts uncomfortably at Sgt. Drakus’s words but manages to reply “Then I will be off and meet you there in a few minutes”. With that she goes to her place to get dressed in more appropriate clothes and meets up with the party at the designated place

more appropriate clothes is a peasant’s outfit and now her mwk studded leather armour is in her packpack

Completely out of character, just a few observations as I've been reading through my fellow hero profiles:

Sgt. Drakus

• The stats seem to be built on only 22 point buy (using Pathfinder point scaling) so there should still be room for 3 more points :D
  
• The AC calculation is off, I think, since the Banded Mail has a max-dex of 1. Meaning effective AC/Touch/Flat is 22/11/21
  
• The HP calculation is off too - unless the life was rolled, since the 2nd level gain from fighter class is listed as 8. Unless this is supposed to be like that and me and Aliandara are eligible for more HP :)
  
• Skills might be getting a boost (see below)
  

Sollus Cornellian's profile mentions:
"[House Rule: All classes get at least 4+int mod in skill points.]"

Does that mean me and Sgt. Drakus are eligible for 2 more ranks per level each?

I was under the impression this game had a 20 point buy for stats.
And I used the standard skill points.
And it looks like the Armor Expert trait doesn't reduce the DX penalty as well as the Check penalty like I thought.
I'll check the rest when I get home.

I was under the impression this game had a 20 point buy for stats.
And I used the standard skill points.
And it looks like the Armor Expert trait doesn't reduce the DX penalty as well as the Check penalty like I thought.
I'll check the rest when I get home.

Sorry, I missed that it seems, I'm working a lot, so I actually only glanced over the character sheets. Yes, any class that has 2+ int skill points, up it to 4+int skill points PER level.

OK, stats are right at 20, tell me if we get more;
Dex got adjusted down, was a point higher than it should have been.
Dex adjusted all the way through
AC adjusted all the way through
Skills boosted all the way through
Armor check penalties for Armor Expert and Masterwork done
Hit points for second level I rolled for (not taking less than half); was there another method used in this game?

Turns out the AC is correct due to Shield focus.

The point-buy is 25 using the Pathfinder pointbuy (not 3.5 pointbuy), so you'll probably gain a bit of a stat boost still

Shield focus is clever :)

I was under the impression that hp are max at first level then half-rounded up thereafter; but I'll take any extras.

Yay for bonus skill ranks!

OK, stats are right at 20, tell me if we get more;
Dex got adjusted down, was a point higher than it should have been.
Dex adjusted all the way through
AC adjusted all the way through
Skills boosted all the way through
Armor check penalties for Armor Expert and Masterwork done
Hit points for second level I rolled for (not taking less than half); was there another method used in this game?

Note, I've been running this game now for almost a year, I'm working two jobs, so if I go a couple days without a post, know that I haven't disappeared, I'm just extra busy. If I'm gone for a month...mourn my passing. Hit points, OK here's the option I'm gonna give ya...either take half, or reduce die type add 2, and keep what you roll. Example d10 becomes d8+2, but if you rolla 1, that's what you get, odds are you'll have higher than half, but there's a small chance of halving less...now...Sings Looney tunes theme...Oh what fight's we'll see...on with the game this is it....

Aliandara Scouting:

Feel free to either ask more questions, roll stealth if need be, search rolls etc, or report initial findings to the rest of the team.

Cutscene:

As Marra waits for Aliandra to scout, she thinks back to Sorin Scouting the Fishery, had it really only been 3 days since the downfall of Gaedren Lamm? She thought back to Sorin doing what Aliandra is doing now, and wonders how the elfling's ability compares with her old friend's stealthy abilitis, her mind drifts to Dorran, as she absent-mindedly strokes the deck of Harrow cards that house the spirit of Zellarra, the murdered woman who was instrumental in the downfall of Lamm. She thinks of the funny little priest of Abadar, and how different he is compared to Sollus...then she thinks to herself...what of Pavo and his sister, then she thinks to her rebirth, her passing from the scared little girl bent on vengeance...to this new being, full of confidence in her abilities, and then realizes she's the last of the companions that entered Lamm's Fishery, what a strange world this is...

** spoiler omitted **

As the others sit and wait, a troop of Hell Knights marches up.

"You'll need to clear out of here before dark, curfew in effect."

Drakus are you in your guard kit or not?

I am in full guard uniform and armor. For now.
"Guard buisness. Move along."

Eyes slightly widening at the Sergeant's brusque dismissal of the imposing Hellknights, Sollus touches his holy symbol and bows his head respectfully, saying, "Abadar's blessings upon those who would uphold the law, to save our beloved city from chaos." hoping to soften the sting, somewhat.

Diplomacy roll, if needed, taking 10 for a 16, if that's an option, or rolling; 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

The Hell Knights look at the ragtag group lead by the gruff Sergeant, they begin to bristle at his harsh words, then at Sollus' words, there leader steps forward. Through the helmet, the Hell Knight speaks, "Not even guards are above the law, if we catch you loitering or causing trouble after dark, don't think we won't put you down."

With that, the Hell Knights form up again and march off down the road, Two handed swords held in their grip, the wicked blades held upward.

Panish adds, "We are in the capable hands of Sgt. Drakus - he'll ensure that we will comply with regulation."

Edit: Ah - a minute too late, change the Diplomacy (Aiding Sollus) to Diplomacy (Calm Situation) 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

A bit late, but what are the Hellknights to the Guard? Just another unit, like Illeona's Fist, or something else? Should I be deferential or do I have authority over them?

The Hellknights are quite different from the Guard, they represent an organisation (or rather a loosely grouped set of organisations) that are present all over Golarion. They represent the law to the letter and do not tolerate any defiance to the law (i.e. us being out after curfew is a big issue - regardless of our reasons or status).

It is unclear, to me, at this stage whether the Hellknights consider the Guard as civilians or representatives of the law - if the former, then you wouldn't have the right to even be outside after curfew.

The Hellknight orders are part of the Church of Asmodeus, they pretty much consider themselves above the local law...The Church of Asmodeus is still powerful in Korvosa. The Hellknights would consider guardsmen acceptable out after curfew as long as they are on official business. You definitely don't have authority over the Hellknights. The Hellknights have been instrumental in crushing the riots, though a bit heavy-handed.

** spoiler omitted **

The current time is about a half hour before dusk.

The Weather is cool, and wet, as the marine layer is moving in, towards the water you can see a fog bank beginning to form.

Sounds of Rioting can still be heard in various locations, few fires are burning now.

After a bit of scouting Aliandara returns to the party to report her initial findings.
"When I wanted to enter the shop I was greeted by one of the guards, a tall disturbing fellow. Good news, disguise was successful though my kind will only be welcome again tomorrow. What I did notice was that there was no livestock, which is strange considering it is a butchery. Other than that there no windows on the ground floor and the back gate is closed from the inside. I could go again when its darker and climb to the second story, or come back tomorrow morning in my disguise again, though I wanted to report first.

"Thank you Aliandra. I wonder if there are no livestock because they bring them in every few days, obviously there is nowhere for the animals to feed within the city, and that pen can't be too large."

"If we just barge in at night, I'm sure there'll be bloodshed, especially once they see a guardsman in full uniform. We need to talk to Vandercaskin, but how?"

"I really, REALLY don't want to try to lie and infiltrate them as a prospective defector. Not least because I would be so very bad at it."

"Our rag-tag bunch is not likely to convince anybody that we are guards - defecting or otherwise. As I read the situation, we have a few sensible options:

Firstly, at night we have a decent chance to catch them unawares, meaning some or all of them may be without armor; maybe Aliandara remembers what armor the guard was wearing.

Alternatively, if we are looking for Vandercaskin, then during the day he should either be up-front, or in the back. Gathering some information from the local clientele ought to give a good hint.

I suppose just going up to them and asking for Vandercaskin for parleying purposes is out of the question."

The fog really being to roll in as dusk sets upon you, within the hour visibility will be reduced to 10 feet. By the midwatch you won't be able to see your hand in front of your face.

"Perhaps we should reconvene in the morning, then proceed to the butchery and kindly request parley with Vandercaskin. I'm sure they'll see reason if we talk with them sensibly. If that fails, there is always the Inheritor's judgment."

"I feel impatient to be about our task. Where is our Scout?" Sgt. Drakus looks around in the increasing fog.

** spoiler omitted **

After a bit of scouting Aliandara returns to the party to report her initial findings.
"When I wanted to enter the shop I was greeted by one of the guards, a tall disturbing fellow. Good news, disguise was successful though my kind will only be welcome again tomorrow. What I did notice was that there was no livestock, which is strange considering it is a butchery. Other than that there no windows on the ground floor and the back gate is closed from the inside. I could go again when its darker and climb to the second story, or come back tomorrow morning in my disguise again, though I wanted to report first.

She's already been back...see?

"Oh. Didn't see you there in the fog."
Sgt. Drakus grips the trident and twists it with frustration.
"I want to just kick the door down and have it out right there. But orders are to try to get them to come quietly. Maybe if we observed them operating tomorrow we could learn what they are all about before approaching them. Maybe find out how many there are. Is there a good observation point nearby?"

Aliandara, are you going back to scout for awhile it's foggy?

Drakus: You going to try to find a good vantage point in the dark?

You hear the approach of a group of Hell Knights off in the fog, they coulnd't sneak with a silence spell cast on them, the shaking of the ground would still give them away. Whether it's the same group or not is unknown.

and my apologies to those waiting for the scouting, in person this wouldn't take as long.

"Alright, Panish is right. This is pointless at night in the fog. Let's find a place to stay the night and reconvene here in the morning."

Survival (Urban): (1d20+4=11)

"Ah, anyone know a place nearby?"