Aeshuura's DDEX 1-01 Defiance in Phlan (Adv League) (Inactive)

Game Master Aeshuura

Uriah casually picks his teeth, seemingly bored with the whole thing.

Ceidtih slips away into the shadows, one hand holding the pin, the other holding a dagger, just in case.

Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Better than mine! At least you didn't make a fool of yourself trying to sneak around.

Presser will walk towards the back, playing the part of an authenticator he knows he will wait to be called. After all, being a member of the harpers he is used to waiting and watching.

He merely smirks at all the clandestine attempts.

Really? Come on Ceidith, you could try harder at stealth than that!

As you approach, the lithe figure up against the wall steps forward towards you, signalling you to stop when you get to about 20 feet away. Ceidith and Itzal, she seems to look directly at you two as you two take a couple of steps past the others (signalling to you both that she sees you.)

She turns back toward the three human guards and smiles, "I told you that they would come. A dragon egg is far too tempting to pass up."

She turns back to you all, "Let's do this quickly. Here is what you asked for." The elf holds up a large hide backpack toward you.

"Throw the payment over, and we leave the egg here. We exit the barn and we never see each other again. You wait five minutes, then you leave. No fuss, no muss, no bother..."

Insight: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Does he seem like he really wants to make the deal, or do I smell a trap?

Sir Adrian steps forward, and bows deeply. He speaks slowly and meticulously so as to give the others notice of his intent to delay the proceedings.

Well now, my lady, it is a pleasure to meet you, and I am sure that my merchant friend would love to make the deal with "no fuss and no muss" as you so eloquently put it. However, it is my generous donation of payment to this enterprise that brings us to its inevitable conclusion. I strongly recommend to my merchant friend that he examine the goods in your sack prior to making any sort of payment. As a knight of the realm and a personage of noble blood, I am too far above having my interests tossed around a barn floor.

Persuasion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Uriah snickers at Adrian's pompousness What my most noble friend is saying, is that "We ain't gonna be had by some two bit huckster!"

"Are you mad?" the elf almost shouts but manages to regain her self control as she addresses Ander, "We have intermediaries for a reason, buyer. Wait..."

Her eyes narrow and come to rest on Ceidith's masked face, "What's with his mask? Wait were you trying to double-cross me?"

She turns to regard her guards.

How do you want to proceed?

"Easy, easy, everyone!" Ander says, calmly raising both hands in a placating motion. "We're all here because we want the same thing, right? Now, how about I send one of my people over to check the goods, and if it looks alright, we make the swap and everyone leaves happy. That's what we all want, right?"

Ander then jingles the pouch of "diamonds", and holds it out in the direction of [whoever it was who had the pin] and gestures for them to carry the bag of payment over to where the person with the backpack is.

Ander, make a Charisma check. You can use Persuasion if you have it.

Ceidith, you are wearing a mask like your avatar, correct?

Anybody wanna help me out on this for some advantage?

Persuasion: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

...please?

DC 10 is enough, barely. :)

The seller stops and looks back at Ander, "Okay, buyer, send your man, but if we even so much as smell the hint of a double-cross, we are out."

Ceidith?

I am wearing a mask :)

Ceidith gazes at the elf, and speaks You do not want to know what is beneath this mask. He then grabs the bag of diamonds, and walks slowly toward the elf He hands the diamonds to her, clutching the pin in the same hand, attempting to slip it onto her person

Sleight of Hand, prof bonus doubled because of expertise feature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Lets hope this works!

Presser walks to the front of the group after casting sanctuary on himself to investigate the merchandise. After receiving the sack he looks closely.

imvsstigation: 1d20 + 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (15) + (4) + 5 = 24

Man, what horrible rolls to start!

She lets go of the backpack with one hand and reaches for the bag of diamonds, her tongue wetting her lips in anticipation.

You notice the young rogue beginning to falter...

Ander, your idea to distract is a good one, but since this is after the roll you will have to make an initiative check DC 11 to be able to pull it off before she notices.

EDIT: The guards are nervously clutching their clubs as two of your member approach.

Wrathmire watches the expressions of the guards and plans to shoot one if they charge the group.

Senka watches warily, ready to shoot if something goes wrong, but not quite an overt threat.

It's a fake. Presmer announces.

Sir Adrian steps closer, waiting for Presmer's conclusion.

Ander, your idea to distract is a good one, but since this is after the roll you will have to make an initiative check DC 11 to be able to pull it off before she notices.

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

"...Balls."

At Presmer's announcement, the Sellers drop all pretense and the elf woman snatches at the purse of diamonds, knocking the pin out of Ceidith's hand! Ceidith make a dexterity saving throw.

"Go! Go!" yells as they move to make a hasty retreat.

You have an action, should Ceidith (or Presmer, if the pin drops) like to try to do something to plant the pin on any of them.

Am I close enough to smack her on the head with the flat of my Greatsword because I stepped closer?

Presser yells at the seller, Halt! his words echoing with syllables of power further infused with the divine spark.

Casting command on the leader. Wis DC13

Am I close enough to smack her on the head with the flat of my Greatsword because I stepped closer?

She had you halt at 20 feet away, so a step would have not brought you close enough. If you had proceeded further, it would have gone differently... Having two people approaching had them nervous enough, a third would have caused them to react negatively.

Wisdom Save: 1d20 ⇒ 5

She stops in her tracks, though the strain of her internal struggle is plain on her face!

Wrathmire stands alert with his crossbow, waiting for the word to fire if necessary.

If Uriah has an action...

Ok! Let's just take a deep breath shall we? Yeah that's good right? We're all still friends yeah? Hey, what's the difference between a kobold and a dragon? Hell I don't know but one of em didn't lay that damned egg!
Casting Hideous Laughter on one of the bad guys...preferably the one we need to talk to most. DC14 Wisdom Saving throw

Uriah, at the one that is stopped by Presmer's spell?

Sure, I'm kinda confused about the whole situation honestly...but I think that's just because things are progressing fast when I'm not on the boards. But from what I the player understands we are trying to frame someone by planting a pin on them at this exchange...so the spell should target whomever we are trying to frame. Hopefully we can plant the pin while they writhe in ecstasy laughing.

Right now, I believed she is charmed. So, we probably do not need the hideous laughter. Not sure how the effects would interact with one another?

Mine only lasts for a round, and we aren't framing them, the pin is used to track via scrying spell.

Uriah, how do you have a DC13 save? 8+ proficient bonus (2)+ charisma modifier (3) is 13. Where does the extra one come from?

Presmer is correct, and thanks for catching that, I didn't even think about the spell DC. Typo maybe? Uriah, you are also showing 3 hp damage, but that may be a carry over from our last game.

So this is the situation, the exchange went sour, you found that the egg is indeed a fake, not an easy task, but Presmer recognized it upon inspection. The Sellers bolted, but not before the elf woman snatched the fake diamonds. Presmer cast command to cause her to stop for a round, presumably to give Ceidith a chance to plant the pin before she got away.

Ok, then, Ceidith, try your do over on the sleight of hand. Thanks, Presmer for the chance.

Whoops, yep its 13...yep HP damage from last game. I'll fix that. I even have Dc13 on my character sheet. Apologies.

No worries. We will wait for Ceidith to make another attempt. If you are particularly innovative, I may not even make you roll. I want to foster some descriptive character actions, and that way we can make this a better experience for everyone!

Dexterity Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Ceidtih attempts to hold on to the pin, even as the elf smacks it out of his hand.

Managing to succeed, Ceidith walks up to the elf. See, you just double crossed me... Or at least, you tried to. Now, I don't particularly like it when people double cross me. So, you're going to have to pay up. With that, Ceidith reaches into the elves pocket, or pouch. something that holds money taking out some coins. At the same time, he slips the pin inside the pocket

Sleight of hand: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Hope that counts as innovative :)

Good enough.

Ceidith searches the elf's cloak, finding nothing in that pocket, but she can move again and shoves the rogue to the ground and runs for her life! You watch as she hops upon her horse and rides off. Ceidith stands up and brushes himself off, satisfied that the pin was planted.

You are barely able to say something when you all hear a voice, gruff and gravelly, coming from inside the barn, "Sorry, but I am goin' ta have to take yer ill-gotten gains as a tariff for doin' business in our town. 'And over the egg and nobuddy gets 'urt."

A tough-looking half-orc male emerges from the darkness, slapping a mace into his off hand for emphasis. It seems obvious that he didn't quite hear that the egg was a fake to anyone looking...

EDIT: As he is talking, two other thugs emerge from around the corners of the barn.

The scribe, not looking like he has had any experience, clenches his holy symbol, Uh, sure, here you go! and drops the egg at his feet.

deception: 1d20 + 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (12) + (2) + 1 = 15

"Oh, um," Ander says, "About that. I mean, yes, of course you can have it, but it's a fake. That's why that other group bolted, you see; we caught on and they bailed. We have no need for it anyway, so we can all just walk away, right?"

Presmer, you mention dropping the egg at your feet. Are you dropping it from high enough to break it, or basically placing it there?

*facepalm*

No, it's real, I checked it myself. Take it. We are just going to go out this other way.

Presmer, will grab Ander by the arm, like a parent to a child. Not. Another. Word. They will kill us. If things don't go their way.

More like tossing at his, the thugs, feet, to give me a chance to run.

The half-orc looks confused, but when the sage tosses the egg, he scrambles to catch it before it hits the ground!

The half-orc hits the ground catching the egg just as it hits the ground! There is a muffled crack, and the thugs are standing still, as if awaiting the other shoe to drop.

How do the rest of you react?

So who are you three?

Any urchin connection info on them?

Wrathmire, did your character grow up in Phlan, or was he an urchin elsewhere?

Senka, weapon still just shy of being used, begins to carefully back up toward town/the road, watching for signs of violence against her companions. She remains ready to shoot, but sees no advantage in doing so now.

Now now gents, no reason to get all huffy! Plenty of yolk to go around right, scrambled eggs for everyone. Uriah snickers not quite ready to draw his mighty rapier.

Wrathmire, you are not sure, but they do seem like a local gang.

There is a moment after the crack then a slight sizzle before the egg explodes in blinding light! The orcs face it right in it, so he won't get a save.

Itzal and Sir Adrian, as well as the two bandits (plus the half-orc) are blinded! Everyone else managed to shield their eyes in time. Two bandits pop up in the open loft of the barn and draw beads with their crossbows!

Itzal and Ander may move before the bandits, though Itzal is blinded and may need assistance. After her turn she is no longer blinded. Everyone else may post their actions, though you may want to include an alternate in case your action is not prudent.