Batpony 8-05 table 2 (Inactive)

Game Master Batpony

"I guess.." says Vagantem doubtfully.

"We seem to run into a lot of unfortunate circumstances. I'm beginning to doubt coincidence myself."

-=-=-=-=-=-

Back at the barracks Vagantem sighs.

"Sounds like the captain has not been satisfied with rigging the obstacle course, setting poisoned weapons in the hands of other recruits, trying to get us to arrest the general and possibly even setting a bandit gang on a shipment we are supposed to guard. I'm curious about what fresh allegations there are against us."

Happy to advance

Rolvark shrugs "Since we are unable to search the Captain's quarters without alerting her to our actions, then all we can do is wait...unless..."

GM, can i looks for help outside of the barracks with this? Surely there must be someone who can help with the locks or distract the captain during the day so that the party can search the room quickly

Strictly speaking you cannot get help outside the barracks. But among yourselves you may distract the captain out of her office momentarily to allow the search. The skill check on the distraction depends on how you go about the distraction.

"She is sure to come past at some stage for an inspection. But she always leaves her office locked. So we would need some way to extract her from the office... Maybe a brawl?" offers Vagantem.

"Though with us going up in front of the general tomorrow, we might be better off just sitting tight."

"Indeed, it seems the better part of valor to sit tight, Vagantem," Bailey nods thoughtfully. "Still, we have time to compile our evidence. We know she rigged the obstacle course and had other initiates poison their weapons, among other things. Think we can call Dell in as a witness, if he's willing?"

Diplomacy check to convince Dell to be a witness.

"You don't like the captain any more than us" points out Vagantem.

"[b]This could be the best way to see she gets her just deserts, and we end up with a better commanding officer...[/.b]"

diplomacy(aid): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Bailey comes with the others to corner Dell. "Dell, buddy! Maybe you could help us a little. We'd like you to testify against the good Captain. It's not like she can do anything to you for it, everything you'd be saying would be true. That way Othris would be out of her position momentarily, all would be well."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Dell looks nervous, but after some convincing, agrees that his testimony will likely be for the better for everyone.

I'll give it another 18 hours. If no one but Rolvark wants to attempt to sneak into the captain's office, we'll likely move on since it needs at least one person to do a distraction and one person to sneak in.

When the time comes, you enter the conference room, General Faiza bint Hanif and Captain Othis are seated on opposite sides of a mahogany desk in a spacious, immaculate office. Glass cases along the walls display medals, ceremonial armor and weapons, and framed commendations granted to former and current members of the Ungrounded, including General Hanif herself. The general begins by greeting you politely but wastes no time on idle chatter before delving into the list of complaints against the pathfinder. "Good day, please be seated, I understand you know why you are gathered here. If not let me be quick about this."

"Firstly, congratulations, I've understand you completed the basic training in very good time, not to mention some field duty already. Although, on my counts here I have recorded that you as a unit performed extremely poorly on the obstacle course, with no one persons completing it completely. Captain Othis has reported that your behaviour and performance to be dismal, bullying recruits, destroying obstacle courses, and the likes, recommending the pathfinders to be un-associated in any way to the Ungrounded. I'd like to hear this stories from each one of you myself."

Scenario wise, it wants you to refute Captain Othis's claims. General Faiza wants to hear from each one of you. Each person may present one piece of evidence (Whatever you think is appropriate to defend your cause or turn it against Othis) and a diplomacy check along with it. No aid for this part. Once everyone has spoken, if you'd like to add more you can, but for now everyone must present one piece of evidence each.

Vagantem takes out the picture of the general that was provided.
"General, the captain has had it in for us since we arrived. My friends will tell you more details about individual aspects of this. An example of this is when we were sent to guard the opening of the casino. We were told there was a renown gambler to keep away. The captain provided this piece of paper with a picture of her..'

Vagantem hands over the picture of the general. "She wanted us to cause a ruckus in trying to prevent you entering the building."

"I also find it mind boggling that the captain would have ordered an "inept" team such as ourselves to handle such an important event if she truly through us incompetent. Or she wanted us to fail. In neither case does her motivations look sound. I would like to add that we did find the gambler, and removed her from the casino without causing a major fuss."

diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

"Another such instance is one close to my heart, among other body parts of mine vulnerable to brutal physical trauma," Bailey continues. "I am referring to the obstacle course. While it is true none of us completed the entirety, and I performed especially badly, physical strength not being my forte, that is not the whole story. Near the end, a harmless climb over a pit of mud was rigged with a fair few small boulders that fell on us! They had plenty of lethal potential, enough of it to render me unconscious and likely bleeding internally. Dell here-" the ifrit takes a moment to point out the oread recruit, "-can corroborate, as it was he and his team who set up this trap, on the Captain's orders. Don't hold it against him, please, he is a willing witness and has experienced almost as much abuse as we in his weeks here."

Diplomacy, Inner Beauty: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 9 + 4 = 32

Captain Othis refutes loudly and angrily as Vag and Bailey make their cases, with the utmost conviction. "truth-spinning silver tongued, these pathfinders are not only roaches but liars! It was all merely simple test, if the pathfinders, experienced as they are so good, they would have overcome it with ease."

A timid Dell cowers in fear but musters up a little bit of courage, It's all true! We were tortured into doing so. She has had it in for the pathfinders as soon as they set foot."

The General looks unamused, but seems to start siding to your stories. "These are very serious allegations. The evidence is compelling certainly, but is that all? What about the rest of you, what do you have to say of all this?"

Haldoc speaks up. I was not impressed with how the other recruits were bullied into this scheme by sparring with us using poisoned weapons. That not only put us in danger but it could have harmed the others as well. Disgusting tactics.

Diplo: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (11) - 2 = 9

The captain is agitated and infuriated. "Well, it wasn't even poison, just a liquid substance we put on our swords, was harmless as salt to superior beings with a connection to earth and that it merely renders humans temporarily unconscious. They were never in any threat."

The General considers this for a moment, but the way Haldoc presented the evidence might not be as impactful as he thought it could be. She shakes her head, and is unable to make the connection.

The three presented evidence so far are, False Description of Inysha, Dell Darkblade's Testimony, and Poison samples. In fact, those are the only three you have found based on the list. But you are free to be creative, so i'll let Viorec and Rolvark present their pieces of the story and conclude us shortly after!

Vag nudges the other two "Tell him about the attack on the gems we were guarding. Maybe that was just a coincidence...But the dwarves seemed to think it was a safe enough trip and they had not run into problems before."

Rolvark clears his throat and speaks up "We were assigned to guard a caravan along a route that is well used and generally known to be safe. However, the caravan was attacked by a band of elemental thieves under Slagcrusher relatively close to the Vault beyond their normal boundaries. Even our charges, two dwarfs names Nef and Annie seemed to think it highly unusual that the thieves would attack them so brazenly.

If this incident had occurred by its lonesome, it could be brushed off as coincidence. Viewed in totality however, a more sinister picture seems to form where multiple incidents in such a short span of time have continuously targeted the Pathfinder representatives."

diplomacy: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (19) - 2 = 17

And that's a wrap! Enough successes to earn you 2PP! Just barely though.

The captain immediately retaliates shouting "I clearly don't see what this has to do.."

But is cut short by the general as she raises her hand and replies flatly. "Silence, Othis. You will waste no more of my time.” Within a couple minutes of eerie silence, a pair of shaitan officers moves in to escort Othis out of the office, and the general orders them to secure Othis while she launches a formal investigation.

"Thank you, it has sadden me to see it come to this, but the coincidences as mention are too much to be overlooked. I'm sorry that it has had to come to this. As per the earlier arrangement, you have proved yourselves a great deal here, and it would be in our best interest to work alongside in the future. You are hereby released from Ungrounded duty with an honorary discharge."

Vagantem nods her thanks.

"General... did you suspect the captain from the start?" she asks, trying to find out a bit more of why the team was called here to begin with.

"Unfortunately it did not come to my attention. I was under the impression the Pathfinder Society was a force for good, and an alliance would indeed be beneficial if your vision's were the same. Reports from the captain of ill doing from your team had caused me to investigate this matter myself."

Hope that answers it!