DMDM's Hells Rebels

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

"Sera please." Zeldana said before she looked to the young woman. "We want to help. To try and find out who is doing all of this so we can put a stop it." She told her trying to offer a small sad smile.

Clever Wordplay makes a CHA skill INT focused. Yeah, yeah Intimidate would be more optimal but I feel like Diplomacy is better in this campaign overall.

Sera frowns slightly at the tiefling. "Why don't you show us then?" she remarks.

Sholti Amalasand wrote:

She tells Rexus she must be going and why, then leaves by way of the back door.

Hm, so. Is Rexus in on your Big Secret?

Yep, Rexus is completely in on it. Sholti needs him to stay appraised of what the Silver Ravens are up to. She won't always be hanging out at the coffee shop. She really is only there to help Rexus with the translations. He also gave her a Victocora signet ring for Kestrel to wear.

Stricia stays quiet, trusting in the others to calm the girl down and get more information out of her. She also is unnerved by the girl's appearance though she tries to keep that fact to herself.

After trying for a while and having absolutely no luck, Sholti decides she needs to change her approach. She finds a place out of sight and thinks of a version of herself that could pass as a tiefling. She reddens her skin, changes her eyes to yellow with slit pupils, and elongates her canines slightly. She also changes to color of her clothing to all black.

After the change she slips back onto the street and continues to ask around for the crematorium.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Stealth (in case I need it): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Clever Wordplay makes a CHA skill INT focused. Yeah, yeah Intimidate would be more optimal but I feel like Diplomacy is better in this campaign overall.

Ah, right right. Okay. And an interesting roleplaying challenge!

[ooc]Sera frowns slightly at the tiefling. "Why don't you show us then?" she remarks.

The young woman stands for a long moment hesitating, then makes a "follow me" gesture. She moves off in a sort of slink, glancing up and down the street, obviously nervous and apprehensive.

Stricia stays quiet, trusting in the others to calm the girl down and get more information out of her. She also is unnerved by the girl's appearance though she tries to keep that fact to herself.

Then this whole place is probably unnerving you. Tieflings come in all shapes and sizes, and most of them range from "disturbing" to "flat-out hideous". There are tieflings with horns, tieflings with spines, tieflings with scales, tieflings with ratlike tails and hunchbacks. Also, the streets are narrow and muddy and full of garbage, and everything smells bad.

After trying for a while and having absolutely no luck, Sholti decides she needs to change her approach. She finds a place out of sight and thinks of a version of herself that could pass as a tiefling. She reddens her skin, changes her eyes to yellow with slit pupils, and elongates her canines slightly. She also changes to color of her clothing to all black.

The Hat thinks this is an excellent idea. It gives you red skin, fangs, yellow eyes with slit pupils... no, wait. ONE yellow eye with a slit pupil, the other eye has a black eye patch. Yes. And pointed ears. For a second or two it gives you a goatee, then changes its mind (does it have a mind? whatever passes for its mind) and swaps in a widow's peak instead. A nose ring appears, flickers from your left nostril to your right and then back again.

There's a pause for a moment and then it gives you a deeply cleft chin. Then your hair begins to disappear on the sides, gathering into a high spiky crest --

"Stop that," you find yourself muttering under your breath.

-- your hair curls into thick dreadlocks with dozens of little fetishes made of bone entwined in --

"No."

-- your hair pulls back in a severe ponytail.

After the change she slips back onto the street and continues to ask around for the crematorium.

We'll save the Stealth and Diplomacy rolls; try a Knowledge [local], why don't you.

Sera follows down the street, making no further comments

Stricia takes a deep breath to try and calm herself (which doesn't help too much considering the stink of the place) but she tries to hold onto her extensive training to keep as sedate as she can be.

It's not far. A narrow alley that looks and smells exactly the same as a dozen other narrow alleys. It opens into a tiny courtyard, perhaps once paved but now a morass of mud. Overhead, a couple of balconies block out most light; it's dim and shadowy in here.

"There. His name was Tio. He, he carried things, at the docks. For money. Drank." She gestures upwards. "People heard. Screaming." She waves a hand around. "Found him in the morning. Lots of blood. I, I wasn't there. But they say he, he was cut. Open. And his fingers were broken. And his face was," she wriggles her fingers in a way that somehow communicates revulsion and confusion, "hurt. Not right."

There is certainly a lot of blood around. Nobody has bothered to clean up. The blood has long since clotted. It's mixed with mud and shards of broken glass.

Kestrel quibbles a little with the hat's final result. "I need to keep my senses about me so the eyepatch is a problem. You don't want me beaned over the head by someone because I didn't see them coming do you? Remember where you're sitting?"

On the hand, she wishes she had a mirror with her. She must remember to add on to her kit. "The nose ring is a wonderful touch! Did you know I was thinking about getting one?"

K Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Zeldana looked around a bit before she looked to the girl. "No one came to clean this up?" She asked with a bit of shock. "People heard screaming and... did nothing?"

Stricia, having traveled to Kintargo a long way by boat is wise enough in the ways of the world to not be surprised by the callousness of poverty.

Instead she silently busies herself by examining the scene, trying to figure out the manner of death and find any clues to the identity of the killer.

Per clues: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

healing death: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Kestrel quibbles a little with the hat's final result. "I need to keep my senses about me so the eyepatch is a problem. You don't want me beaned over the head by someone because I didn't see them coming do you? Remember where you're sitting?"

The eyepatch is illusory -- you can see out through it just fine.

Knowledge (local): you got nothing.

I dont really have anything further to add. Do we get a knowledge check to learn more or?

Zeldana looked around a bit before she looked to the girl. "No one came to clean this up?" She asked with a bit of shock. "People heard screaming and... did nothing?"

Although the tiefling girl is younger than you, this gets you an "oh my sweet summer child" look.

Are there other places where someone has been killed that you can show us? Stiricia asks, casting about a bit for how to track down a mysterious killer.

Just some sounds of dice rolling behind a screen -- pay no attention.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

After the change she slips back onto the street and continues to ask around for the crematorium.

Diplomacy: 1d20+8

Stealth (in case I need it): 1d20+7

Looking like a tiefling gets you +5 (or, more precisely, lowers the high Diplomacy DC by 5). Does anyone make an effort to look through your disguise? 1d100 ⇒ 68 Apparently not.

One thing you discover: none of the victims was rich enough to pay for a formal cremation by the Church of Asmodeus. So, the corpses got burned at the city dump outside the walls. No, not very nice, but nobody much cares what the tieflings do as long as they don't cause trouble.

Instead she silently busies herself by examining the scene, trying to figure out the manner of death and find any clues to the identity of the killer.

The broken glass was a bottle of very cheap booze.

In the mud beside the wall, you find a single bloody tooth. It's not even clear whether it's connected to this particular bit of unpleasantness. This seems like the sort of place where people might lose teeth.

Quite frustrated by this point, Kestrel switches to standard Kestrel appearance and goes looking for the Silver Ravens instead.

Can Stircia tell the race of the person whose tooth it is?

This bottle? Perhaps it is important? Where would one go to buy such liquor?

Quite frustrated by this point, Kestrel switches to standard Kestrel appearance and goes looking for the Silver Ravens instead.

Remember, you guys can use the actual silver ravens (the figurines of wondrous power) to communicate with each other.

1d4 ⇒ 4

"This bottle? Perhaps it is important? Where would one go to buy such --?"

A small figure darts through the muddy courtyard, head turned away from you. It -- she? -- bounces into Stricia, lets out a yelp of fear, backpedals, and bounces into Zeldana instead. She whirls, eyes wide.

You didn't know tieflings came this small. Child, halfling, or some strange tiefling thing? It's not easy to say. Curly dark hair frames a pale face with a snub nose; a loose knit cap covers the ears. She could almost be a human child, except for the eyes. They're a solid jet black without iris or white.

"Weevil!" A harsh screech of a voice, coming from the dark alleyway. "You get back here, girl! I'm gonna learn ya!"

Weevil lets out a wail of terror and tries to scramble past you.

-- Try talking to her
-- Try to stop her from leaving
-- This is none of our affair, move on
-- It's a trap! Run!
-- other

What is the meaning of this! Stricia demands of the voice in the alleyway What wrong has this child done?

'Kestrel' wrote:

Quite frustrated by this point, Kestrel switches to standard Kestrel appearance and goes looking for the Silver Ravens instead.

Remember, you guys can use the actual silver ravens (the figurines of wondrous power) to communicate with each other.

Sholti retuned hers when she left the group.

Zeldana, seeing the child gently grips her shoulder. "Calm, calm." She tells the small tiefling. "If you've done no wrong, we'll not let harm befall you."

Sera grips the child's shoulder sternly, stopping the child in her tracks. "Don't run from something when you face it down courageously" she mutters, before releasing the shoulder and peering into the alleyway.

"You want to take your frustrations out on someone, why don't you take it out on me" she challenges.

The figure that steps out from the alley is lean, almost emaciated, and completely hairless. Its -- his? -- skin is a mottled mixture of brown and what looks like bright pink scar tissue. The hairless face, hollow-cheeked and cadaverous, twists in rage when it sees the girl.

"You get back here, Weevil! You get in that vat right NOW!"

The child(?) whimpers with terror and clutches at Zeldana.

"You want to take your frustrations out on someone, why don't you take it out on me" she challenges.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

The mottled thing's wormy lips peel back in a snarl. "Don't you interfere, Molly! Girl's mine! Vat-rat!" He (?) thrusts one clawlike hand towards you in a gesture that is strange, yet fraught with menace. "Paid up! No palaver!"

No. Stricia retorts. You will not harm her any longer. the monk interposes herself between Zeldana and the child and the bizarre newcomer.

Intimidate: 1d20 ⇒ 10

Intimidate: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Zeldana held the child tightly to her as she glared over to the aggressor. "She's terrified, which tells me all I need to know. You will not touch her." Zeldana said bluntly.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

1d100 ⇒ 13 Huh. Well, okay

Suddenly, the child (?) "Weevil" breaks and runs away down the alley behind you.

Mottled thing shrieks in rage and steps forward towards you, one hand raised.

-- Not our business. Step aside and let him pass.
-- Prepare an action [define]
-- Attack before he can do anything!
-- It's a trap! Run!
-- other

Stricia is willing to fight. What does everybody else think?

Zeldana is more likely to run after the child.

If so, could Zeldana put a Mage Armor on Stricia before she does so?

Sera easily steps forward and blocks the creatures way, reaching from her pouch and drinking her Mutagen, form swelling as muscles ripple underneath her skin. "Leave"

CON Mutagen giving her 23hp and 16AC at present.

So, is Stricia attacking? Is Zeldana chasing the child?

Having a small feeling that things may go poorly, Zeldana pulls the paladin from her deck and taps Stricia with it. "I'm going after the child!" Zeldana said as she magic she had cast settled upon he friend just before she ran after the girl.

Stricia readies an action to attack the mottled person at any sign of hostility or going after Weevil.

unarmed nonlethal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Nope. AC 20 though thanks to Zeldana

Having a small feeling that things may go poorly, Zeldana pulls the paladin from her deck and taps Stricia with it. "I'm going after the child!" Zeldana said as she magic she had cast settled upon he friend just before she ran after the girl.

The girl casts a glance over her shoulder and sees you after her. She gasps! Then she leaps and grabs onto the irregular wooden side of one of the shanties and begins to climb. 1d20 ⇒ 10 She's very competent, but climbing isn't the fastest thing. If you move quickly, you could grab her and maybe yank her back down.

-- Yes! I'll grab her.
-- No! I'll try talking to her.
-- Eh, let her go.
-- It's a trap!

Stricia readies an action to attack the mottled person at any sign of hostility or going after Weevil.

[dice=unarmed nonlethal]1d20+6

Nope. AC 20 though thanks to Zeldana

Your strike turns out to be unncessary (which is good, because you would have missed). Mottled Person gets up close to you... then snarls, curses, and turns away.

The mottling looks to be mostly scar tissue. Burns? Looks like burns.

Anything for me GM?

Zeldana ran over to the girl as she spoke "If you ever need help or shelter, come to The Blooming Butterfly. You'll be welcomed I promise." She told the young girl. "I want to help you, not hurt you."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Aid Diplomacy Aid: 1d20 ⇒ 14

Stricia strives to appear non threatening and welcoming as Zeldana tries to calm the girl down.

Anything for me GM?

Mottled Thing has withdrawn, it seems.

Zeldana ran over to the girl as she spoke "If you ever need help or shelter, come to The Blooming Butterfly. You'll be welcomed I promise." She told the young girl. "I want to help you, not hurt you."

The girl glances down at you for a moment, then grins.

Teeth like a shark. Row upon row of them.

Then she's gone.

Zeldana shivered a bit when the girl was gone. "I know they've no control over it... but some of their features unsettle me... is that wrong?" Zeldana asked as she looked to Stricia. "I mean I don't judge them for it but... that was a little scary."