DM Alexander Kilcoynes Serpents Skull PbP- Chapter 2, Racing to Ruin (Inactive)

Game Master Alexander Kilcoyne

Tun'ada's spear catches the arsonist in the back as he flees, and as he retracts the spear from the poor Mwangi's flesh he crumples to the ground.

Is anybody going to give chase to the last fleeing arsonist? Need to know so I can take us out of initiative if so.

I think I was the only one still chasing him. Let him go, Tun'ada will drop out of rage.

oopse, I posted under my DM avatar lol

"If only I had some water-" suddenly a idea snaps into her mind and she begins to remain in one spot, casting a mighty spell.

Ok, out of initiative we go.

Chi can see that the fires in here are all newly sparked despite the size of the flames on the roof- and Jask and several other staff are desperately battling the flames, having formed a makeshift assembly line to bring water in from a nearby well.

I'd rather not go into massive detail with the fire here or use a map and track spreading squares. Each of you have 5 rounds worth of actions to help fight the fire- please declare how you will be spending them, whether its directing those inside with Diplomacy or Intimidate, simply helping to fight the fire yourself or any other inventive solution.

Once Tun'ada can make it inside, he will will help to fight the fires as best he can.

I assume that Tun'ada will only have 3-4 rounds of fire fighting once he makes it inside.

Marcus will assist the fire-fighting team as best he can. Can't improve on the water elemental.

Willow will aim the summon on top of the building on the roof at the north end and begin to summon another water elemental for the south end and have the elementals put out the flames as they go. Will give up spider climb for this. Hopefully this will save the building, that's the aim and hoping the progress goes well.

Chi casts enlarge person on herself, so she can carry and throw more water on the fire.

The elementals' drenching should be about 100x more effective than us trying to put the fire out by hand :) Nice work.

The elementals' drenching should be about 100x more effective than us trying to put the fire out by hand :) Nice work.

ty, I hope so too. They're only small elementals, but still should be effective and only have one second level spell left. Think I should go all out and expend the final one for another elemental?

Will see what DM has in mind but if 2 can't do it, can't see 3 make much of a difference :)

"There you go! Over there! Watch out for the food stores! And the tents! Careful! Watch that beam - it looks like it's about to go! Here's another bucket! Keep it moving!" Ambroze scurries about the warehouse, offering words of encouragement to the men and women working to put out the fires and lending a hand where he can.

Diplomacy check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

The fire begins spiralling rapidly out of control as your group moves to deal with it. For all your efforts co-ordinating the firefighters and assisting them, it seems like your only keeping the spread at bay and Jask looks worried.

Then the small water elementals get to work. Although Willow doesn't know the correct language to communicate with them, where she summons them makes it somewhat obvious what they are supposed to do. The situation goes from precarious to resolved in less than half a minute, the fire simply no match for two water elementals dousing huge sections at a time with their fluid bodies.

"Jask! What happened? Where's Master Gelik?" Ambroze asks the Sargavan priest once the fires are completely doused.

Coughing from recent smoke inhalation, Jask gestures vaguely towards the rear entrance of the warehouse.

Hes right... he begins to say, pointing at where he last saw Gelik. But the Gnome isn't in the warehouse. Jask's face turns ashen.

They must have taken him in the attack... Do you know whats going on? The Freemen Brotherhood are setting fire to several different buildings; I wonder that we were specifically targeted though.

Did anyone see where Leutenant Gelik went? Jask shouts, seeking information.

One of the firefighters, a solid looking porter, speaks up-

They took him, sir.

"Then it seems we have little choice, we have to go after him. Does anyone know where this brotherhood may have taken him, or do we need to question the dead outside?"

We have one dying (possibly dead unless he stablised) arsonist outside. Willow doesn't have goodberries perchance?

Willow has lots of good berries. 80 I believe as discussed with Alex on MSN.

"I am sure my fruit will help." she says not realising what was said can be twisted into a innuendo as she gets out a bunch of berries to feed the dying arsonist.

heal check (untrained): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 looks like I forgot to put skill points in heal in the end, oh well.

With relief all over her face, Chi is eager to get to those who would destroy for no reason.

Seven force-fed goodberries later, the wounded arsonist coughs up blood as he comes to, albeit barely. With Tun'ada and Marcus menacing him, he makes no attempt at escape and remains very still.

Seeing that your group is occupied, Jask swiftly moves outside to save as many of the dying guards as he can- as well as heal your wounds. He makes sure that he doesn't include any of the arsonists in his healing.

2d6 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7 Channel Energy

"Chi, do you think you could persuade our new friend here to tell us where they took Gelik?" Ambroze asks, nodding toward the revived arsonist.

As Willow administers the berries, Marcus turns to the others.

Taking Gelik can't be a coincidence nor can setting this wharehouse on fire out of the dozens here. But is the target our expedition or the pathfinders?

It seems we're not the only warehouse torched... Jask says, gesturing to the plumes of smoke drifting over different areas of the warehouse distric. But something tells me that the others were merely a smokescreen.

He points at the barely concious arsonist.

Get what you can out of him, and quickly.

"I would suspect our expedition, given the number of organizations that were so eager for our information. If these other group can not have our information, they will try to get it elsewhere and stop our progress."

Chi speaks quietly to the arsonist, "You're here amongst friends now, no need to fear or fight. Tell us sent you and why, that we might right the wrong they have done you and me. You honor blemished by their greed, shall be righted and your retribution be fulfilled. So tell who sent you and why?"

Chi wil try the hex charm on this arsonist, hex Charm, 1 step better reaction for 2 rounds, Will save DC=15 to resist.

*bump*

"I understand that the Freeman's Brotherhood are considered folk heroes to the people of Outerwall - it's rather commendable how you all distribute funds and food where they are needed by the poor," Ambroze says to the arsonist in a friendly tone (After Chi attempts her Charm hex). "I just can't understand why a group as noble as that would kidnap an innocent gnome working here in this warehouse. Please, tell us who coerced your group to commit these crimes on their behalf. And please tell us where our friend was taken," Ambroze pleads.

Diplomacy check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Marcus stands well back during the interrogation, flexing his hands and scanning the street. It was hard sometimes to like the boistrous pathfinder but he was part of the extended Smuggler's Shiv family and the big mercenary would do whatever was required to return him.

If anyones planning to strip the arsonists of their gear, they had best be quick- won't last long on the streets.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Chi's hex makes the arsonist temporarily a little less hostile, her magic strong enough to make his attitude merely disinclined to help you rather than actively work against you. Despite Ambroze's calm negotiating manner and attempt at empathy, he spits at the Gnome's feet, replying in Polyglot.

You already know who sent me. The Freemen Brotherhood, and our mighty leader- Umagro! Innocent Gnome? Bah, hes no friend to us! You'll get nothing out of me. I hope your gnome-friend has already had his throat slit!

Chi's hex wears off and the proud Mwangi now seems disinclined to even talk further.

When the man's words are translated, Marcus questions. Anyone heard of this Umagro? No local knowledge here.

Marcus walks over to the arsonist, speaking fairly calmly.

You kidnapped our companion, tried to burn down our wharehouse and attacked us in the street. Your only alive right now because you may know where he is.

He draws his sword and squats down to look the man in the eyes.

Now I care not one whit for your Brotherhood or your Umagro or your cause whatever it is. I just want the gnome back. You can tell me where he is, right now and you can walk away from this. Alternatively I'm going to kill you right here, right now, just like I would any rabid dog that tries to bite me. You will be dead and it won't help your cause one bit. Then we'll have the pathfinder's priests use their magic on your corpse to find the answer. I'll find this Umagro and kill him too. All over a single gnome.

Decide.

Marcus means it and if the man blusters or refuses to answer Marcus will simply run him through unless there is a major objection from another PC in which case he will listen. I haven't rolled intimidate (not because I'm lousy at it but because I'm not trying to make him change his attitude, just a straight forward communication). If DM thinks a roll is required then I take 10 for 8 total.

Oh guess we grab the bows and weapons off the fallen arsonists (assumed we would relieve the talking one before waking him up).

Tun'ada stands back during all phases of the interrogation, listening.

Knowledge (local) check to know anything about this Umagro character the arsonist mentioned: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

You acquire 9 vials of alchemists fire, three masterwork clubs and three masterwork composite shortbows. Also three sets of hide armour.

The arsonist stares up defiantly at Marcus, with little fear in his eyes. He speaks with true belief in his eyes; a real fanatic.

We're all prepared to die for our cause, avistani umbulali. The moment we join the Brotherhood we know that our lives are forfeit. Victory, or death.

umbulali- murderer.

Marcus has heard enough, running the man through with his deadly sabre.

There seems to be some kind of commotion inside the warehouse itself- you can hear raised voices and a lot of chatter.

Chi sees Marcus raise his sword and looks away, a tear in her eye as another victim of the Shiv, or at least the knowledge discovered there, is taken. Her eyes and ears look towards the warehouse once more, the remnants of the black smoke swirling up in spirals. The smell of burnt wood, pungent and full of destruction. Voices are heard, she immediately sets off in that direction. Surely anything is better than seeing the blood of a Mwangi spill on the pavement.

"Come, let us find out what the commotion is about."

Ambroze shakes his head in regret when the arsonist refuses reveal where Gelik was taken, but makes no move to prevent Marcus from executing the prisoner.

"Yes, let's see what this new crisis is," he comments, following Chi back into he warehouse.

Willow, witnessing what happened gets up and follows the group before stopping in front of the body, kneeling down to place her hands on his eyelids and closing them.

She gets back up and follows the group, curious about what's going on in the warehouse now and hoping it's not more arsonists, though part of her wants to find one to set alight.

Marcus wipes his sword clean and makes his way back to the wharehouse with the others without a backward glance at the dead arsonist.

The noise has died down by the time you get inside, to a scene of a semi-circle of people beginning to disperse- they were surrounding a breathless looking runner for the expedition. Jask summarises what they learnt from him while he catches his breath.

The Freemen have seized the South Arcadian Whaling Company in New Haliad, where the Brotherhood’s leader Umagro is calling for the slaughter of foreigners and the overthrow of the government. Its a couple of districts from here but not really that far...

Marcus is already moving, assuming we know the way.

We'll need to hurry. If government soldiers get there first any chance of getting Gelik back alive is going to diminish rapidly.

"Why did they suddenly attack now?" Willow asks as a she looks around at the group, curious about the timing.

Tun'ada nods in agreement and is ready to follow those who know the way there.

I can only surmise that all the rush and excitement surrounding the rumours about an expedition to Saventh-Yhi, means that it was an ideal time for the Brotherhood to make their attack... Jask reasons in response to Willow, sounding a little unsure of his own train of thought.

As the group leaves, Marcus catches Tun'ada's eye and inclines his head at Ambroze. One of us will need to watch him, whether he wants us to do or not.

"I know. You move on ahead, I will watch over Ambroze. My speed will allow me to catch up if need be."

Alternatively, you could race through the city on horses. Your warehouse has over a dozen that are being saved for the expedition.

Vote horses.

That's fine too.

Chi gingerly mounts a horse and follows her friends towards trouble, well is there any other way her friends ever go.

You ride swiftly through Eleder, noting that the packs of wild dogs are still causing chaos as very little time has passed. New Haliad is a district on the waterfront and it doesn't take you more than twenty minutes to get there on horseback.

At the end of Whalebone Lane, on the west side facing the beach front, stands a large complex of whitewashed stone and brick, easily located by the pungent stench surrounding it- as well as a large crowd gathered outside on the street, staring up in worry and fear at a shouting figure with a kukri to the throat of someone you keenly recognise as Gelik, face white with fear.

The man with a kukri to Gelik's throat has cover from you on the ground and its clear that any attack on him may mean Gelik's death. He is forty feet up above the street level you have just arrived at and is howling passionately to the crowd, orating-

The Freemen Brotherhood calls for nothing less than the absolute abolishment of slavery in the entirety of Sargava! Our cause is a just one, and make no mistake that we are willing to do anything that it takes in order to see our demands are met! Utilinus will accede to our demands, or this attack will be but the first of many! People of Eleder, the time has come! Rise up and join us against your oppressors, or you will be marked as one of them when the time comes!

He hasn't stopped speaking but I think that gives you an idea of what hes orating about. You might want to think very carefully about your next actions here. Although you've arrived on horseback and Umagro has clearly noted you, it doesn't seem hes marked you as a threat- yet.