GM Fez's Hell' Rebels (Inactive)

Game Master Nathan Hartshorn

Laria stays silent for the whole exchange, content to let it unfold unhindered. Then she clears her throat and speaks:"In other words Eallos here is a good boy and I can attest to it. Much like you he was at Aria's Park rally to prtest against that vile dog Thrune. Unlike you he was almost beaten sensless by the dottari and barely managed to escape capture. He caught the attention of a couple of friends and they sprinted him to safety. He's the real deal believe me, you have my word... as a Bellflower Network's agent!"

Rexus looks at Laria quite shocked but the halfling continues unperturbed:"I must admit we have known of you all for some times and we made some extra enquiries after Rexus sent word about you saving his skin. We like keeping tabs on interesting people... it makes our jobs much easier and if you are an halfling in Cheliax you learn to be a careful halfling or a dead one. I must say you all showed as potential enemies of the tyrant... or have extremely well crafted backgrounds. You had one dubious character with you, that excomunicated priest of Asmodeus, Aerodus Aulorian. He certainly wasn't on Thrune's side but I must admit I'll sleep a tad better without having to wonder if his dislike for our "dear leader" could be upset by his fealty to the Lord of the 9 Hells. That said let's cut to the case: you want something from me besides a temporary refuge, tell me what it is. Speak plainly and I'll se what I can do. Besides that I might ask a favour of you but first let's hear about your request"

Meliandri nods, not exactly mollified so much as intrigued by Eallos. "We will talk later, I am sure. Een zee meantime..." She turns to Laria. "We need somewhere to be starting. Zee livery eez too obvious. Eef Rexus knew about eet, eet eez possible zat Thrune was steps be'ind us. Do you 'ave a safe place we can start building something up?"

Diplomancy (make request): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Stunned by the sudden flurry of activity, it takes Veccio several moments to stop gawping at Isabella. "I'm sorry for what you've been through," he mumbles, placing a hand on her shoulder for a few moments before clearing his throat and turning his eyes back to the newcomer. After looking him up and down for several hard moments, he apparently decides to get to him later, before verbally stepping in to help Mel.

"As my lovely friend says, we need a base, so to speak, so if you have anything that could work, it would be pretty useful. And I'd like to know more about this favour, if you'd be so kind."

Diplomacy (assist): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Tyranny it is... Making use of favours and punishment to generate false belief... I wonder what Asmodeus think of that? I'd bet he'd rather have true worship. Just like any of us... thinks Abigail upon hearing Isabella's tale.

As Meliandri asks for refuge, she wonders whether the livery is indeed too obvious. And there was the locked box too. But now is not the time to argue. No, the Halfling woman's revelation was more important.

"Bellflower Network you say? What is it?" she asks, interrupting her companions' conversation.

Laria sighs:"I suppose I can let you rest and hide in the bunkhouse. It's the place where Eallos was staying.It would not do for very long though. As for the favour... I've a friend, his name is Nan. He was staying in the tunnels below this humble establishment. "The wasp nest" we call them. Anyway Nan is supposed to be hiding inside the Wasp Nest but with all the trouble in the city these past few days I had no chance to check on him and there seems to be something strange goig on down below. Quite frankly I don't have the kind of muscle needed to safely explore the underground, but you seem like the kind of people with that kind of expertise. If you explore the Wasp Nest and make sure to locate and bring back Nan I can lend you the whole place. It would be a great starting point for a well connected secret hideout. Much better than my bunkroom anyway... who would follow a group of rebels hiding in a coffehouse bunkroom, anyway?"

Then Laria turns towards Abigail:"The Bellflower Network is just a group of us freedom loving halflings making sure our kind gets treated fairly and liberating from the shackles of slabvery those we can, of course" she finishes her explanation, smiling.

"What kind of strange things?" Izzy asks softly, taking this request for aide as a welcome distraction from her past.

Meliandri narrows her eyes for just a moment, flushing crimson at the mention of hiding in a coffeehouse bunkroom. "Well, I do not think we can expect to 'ave followers zis soon, no matter where we are doing zee 'iding. 'Owever, eef you 'ave a better place, I think we could be taking a look." She reaches out a hand to the halfling, holding it out to forestall any reply. "I 'ave zee same question zat Isabella does, zough. Eef you do not feel safe down zere, why not?"

"Well... here's what: every night I leave something to eat at the entrance of the underground complex, it's my way to help Nan while he's laying low and I reckon there must be some good reason for him not to contact me directly. Someone or something does indeed eat what I leave down there but the fact Nan has not shown his face even once is starting to become worrysome and... well at night I hear some pretty disturbing noises coming from below, sort of like inhuman laughter and I started wondering if Nan is ok after all. It's pretty disconcerting to be sure" laria explains looking more puzzled than afraid.

"I 'ear you. You want us to see eef your friend eez alive down zere, search for zee noises, and, um, what else? Check to see eef zee ways een are safe?" Meliandri nods at Laria, grinning at Veccio and the others. "Shall we be going een zere now, zen? Zee sooner we 'ave what Laria wants, zee sooner we can begin setting up zis little revolution een earnest."

Eallos watches the group's response to Meliandri, Would you mind if I accompanied all of you?

"Just point Varro and me in the right direction," Izzy says to the group before turning to Eallos. "I think it would be good for you to join us, Eallos. We could use Milani's strength as well as Ragathiel's and the other's in our quest."

"Of course!" Veccio says hurriedly, springing to his feet at Mel's suggestion, eager as a young pup. "The sooner the better, I say!" As if suddenly remembering Eallos' presence, he frowns at the other man , glancing at him warily. "I suppose you should come as well," he concedes stiffly.

Abogail nods hers ascent and gives a warm smile. Things were shaping up it seemed, and new allies were fou d, though she did not know the extent to which she could trust them.

And then there was her family. Would she see her husband and son again? And the little one would have to wait with her parents. One more night. At least.

"Then we have an agreement... follow me please" says Laria while pointing her finger to Rexus who also started to raise from his seat:"Not you Rex... we need to talk and quite frankly I doubt these people need your help anyway"

So saying the halfling leads you out of the office, back to the dining room and then to another small room right next to the office. It's a pantry and you barely have the space to move inside without causing ingredients to fall on the floor. But all is not as it seems: after you close the door behind you backs Laria gets down on her knees and pulls a ring embedded into what seems like a cleverly concealed trap door completed with a ladder, leading down to what seems like another basement with no ways out.

Once everyone has safely reached the bottom floor you notice the basement contains numerous crates of cooking ingredients, sacks of coffee beans, and other supplies needed to maintain a thriving business. Everything seems perfectly normal but you know it can't be. Laria looks at you as expecting yo to solve the problem and find the way out of this yourselves...

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Meliandri pokes around, helpfully kicking at sacks of beans and nudging at boxes, trying to find something, but her search comes up short. "Any 'elp from someone would be much appreciated."

Veccio can't make those rolls even on a 20. *thumbs-up* However...
Perception 1 (assist): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8
Perception 2 (assist): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10
I can give someone else a +2 on the second roll.

Veccio quickly follows Mel down, trying to look around while avoiding disrupting Mel too much. She was much more attentive than he was, after all. Unfortunately, he knocks over a pepper-grinder, and finds himself stumbling over to a wall, sneezing into his sleeve.

Perception Aid 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Perception Aid 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Trying to avoid getting in the way of the others, Eallos does his best to help the rest of the group without being overbearing.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Abigail searches the edge of the crates and the walls, looking for a break in pattern, then she straightens and sees it: "Someone's been here. Eating. Look at these! He's tried to hide his pilfering, but I can tell."

""I think you're right..." mutters Laria examining the crates after Abigail points out the missing portions of food. Then she nods approvingly once the group manages to locate the secret door

"I think I'll stay right here watching for intruders. Be careful down there. We don't really knows what hides in the shadows..."

Got to work right now, I'll set the new map up asap

"Right. Well, um. Best we be going, then?" Veccio says hesitantly, squinting into the darkness beyond the door. "Anyone got a light?" He asks the question before remembering the torches in his own pack; blushing, he fumbles to light one, holding it in one hand and his rapier in the other, keeping both pointed into the gloom.

"I got this one." Izzy said and knelt beside Varro. Her eyes glowed "Elafris" she muttered and Varro's collar began to give off a bright light.

Meliandri nods at Laria before grinning in appreciation at Izzy's trick. "I think zat will do nicely. Plus, eet will move with us as we explore zis place. Now, 'oo eez first?"

Going to wait on a map for something more substantial.

"I'd prefer to stay in the middle of the group... I can also provide light. Perhaps to whoever covers the rear?"

Once out of the secret door the long, damp hallway opens to the southeast into a large reservoir of calm, dark water. A wooden pier extends twenty feet into the water, while another twenty feet out rises the top half of a statue of a beautiful elven woman. A foul smell, like that of rotting meat, comes from somewhere near the pier. Two holes have been knocked into the northwest walls to provide access to chambers beyond.

DM Roll: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

New map should be up

New map is up, but is view-only.

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Perception (aid another): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Meliandri pulls her rapier from its sheath, poking around with the tip as she walks through the door and down the hallway. As she arrives in front of the reservoir, she pauses for a moment to admire the woman's figure, wrinkling her nose momentarily before sashaying out onto the pier. "Zat eez Calistria. What a beauty. What do you boys think?" She turns and contorts herself, trying to recapture the statue's pose, then stops, looking at the pier's pilings.

"I think we 'ave found Laria's friend." She points to the partially-eaten remains in the water. "What do you suppose did zat?"

Veccio stumbles out after Melianri, nearly falling over himself in his eagerness. "Calistria?" he asks dumbly, peering at the statue. "Who's that?"

When Mel points out the remains, he gets down on his knees, squinting under the pier. "Don't know. Shall we see if we can get him out of there?" With that, he grabs hold of what remains of a limb, and tries to tug the remains free.

Strength: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Meliandri looks at Veccio incredulously as he pulls on the limb, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. "Veccio, you stop zat zis instant! I 'ave a bad feeling about zis entire pier, okay? Eef you just step away, I weel follow, and I can tell you all about zee goddess of lust and revenge. Please?"

perception Izzy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
perception Varro: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

"Whatever it was I'm sure won't be offering us aid," Izzy says as she walks towards the body, pearing around their surrounds. When she reaches the remains she kneels down close to it, light from Varro's colar giving her a better look at the damage.

knowledge nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

trying to see if I recognize what kind of predator could do something like this.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Eallos shakes his head from behind the others, I have a bad feeling about this. Whoever, or whatever, killed him may still be around.
With that, he hefts a crossbow he had kept close at hand earlier and makes sure that it's loaded.

Mel's distress cuts through Veccio's curiosity like a knife through butter. He quickly stands, wiping his wet hands on his trousers, and grins sheepishly at the half-elf. "Sorry, lady Mel," he chuckles, scratching the back of his neck and having the decency to look ashamed. "Let's, uh, move back a little, then?" he suggests, taking a few steps away from the edge of the pier.

Map should be editable now. Anyone fancies moving near the corpse in order to check on it?

IF (or when) you manage to notice the creature swimming underwater then you may attempt a knowledge check in order to identify it and its abilities and weaknesses. Understanding what could have mangled the corpse that way just by bites and wounds would require you to get near in order to examine the corpse. DC for such a check would be 22 while it's just DC12 if you pass the perception check

Abigail is nervous: "Her friend's dead you say? Oh, I see the body now. What a way to go... Looks like it fell prey to something bigger. Be careful on that pier. It might still be out there. It might still be hungry..."

And with that, echoing Eallos, she slides a bolt in her crossbow.

"Um..." Meliandri shudders at the thought of getting out in the water with whatever did that to someone. "We could be eploring zee rest of zis place. Per'aps we can find another way to deal with whatever did zat." She edges back toward the passageway, looking hopefully at the knocked-out holes in the wall behind them.

You move away from the pier and you are back into the passageway. You can move west and descend into what resembles some sort of room apparently carved out of the rock on which Laria's backery resides or wuou can turn south and check inside what from the distance appears as some sort of warehouse. Also you can always change your mind and dare the dangerous waters in order to retrieve the mangled corpse near the statue of Callistria...

Meliandri recovers from her bit of nervousness as she walks toward the carved-out chamber to the west. "I am, of course, not scared. Only, well, mother never did teach me 'ow to swim, and zee water does not look safe. Now, Calistria. Well, she does not look safe either, do you see? Zee body will still be zere when we return, I think." She pauses at the entrance, peering into it. "'Ello? Eez anyone 'ome?"

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22 (low-light vision)

"I feel the same way... Perhaps start by looking over here? It looks like some sort of warehouse..." voices Abigail with a warm motherly voice, trying to fight the smuggler in her from running to the warehouse.

"Wherever you think is best. The sooner we clear this place out, the sooner we can move on towards bigger things." Izzy says as she stands. Varro paces in place eager to move forward as well.

Veccio follows Meliandri to the west. "So, uh... see anything?" he asks awkwardly, squinting into the gloom. "Um, shall I go first?" he asks as an afterthought, though he doesn't look particularly happy with the idea.

Initiative check (Abigail): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Initiative check (Eallos): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Initiative check (Isabella): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Initiative check (Meliandri): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Initiative check (Varro): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Initiative check (Veccio): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Initiative check (???): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

GM roll: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

If you pass the perception check you can attempt a Knowledge(nature) check in order to identify the creature

The creature is aware of you and is trying to ambush you. Unless you manage to notice it it will attack you in a surprise round, then we'll proceed in normal initiative order

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Can I shout a warning?

You can but it won't do any good, we are going to have a surprise round unless everyone passes its perception check

I'll use my above roll, unless that's a problem.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Fortunately, Meliandri is able to see the...whatever it is...coming at her. Unfortunately, she has no clue what it is.

perception Izzy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
perception Varro: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

knowledge nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Isabella notices something charging from the darkness towards Mel and quickly readies her bow. She squints and sees the hulking mass of a humanoid bird person running towards them. Her eyes widen when she realizes what it is. "Mel get out of there! I don't know what that is but it doesn't look friendly. Varro, attack! She shouts and releases her arrow.

attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

If i get to attack during the surprise round use it, if not resolve it during the first official round of combat.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Eallos cries out as he sees the bird-like creature, firing his crossbow willy-nilly as he yells, What in the hells is that?!
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

Unless Veccio fails his perception check it seems there won't be a surprise round t all

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6

So, about that surprise round...

Posting my Surprise Round action now, since it's happening.

Meliandri takes a stumbling step back away from the bird-crow-thing, starting to call out a battle cry. "For we who have been trodden upon and forced underground must fight..."

Standard to begin Inspire Courage, 5-foot-step if I can. I can never remember if that's legal in a surprise round. If not, oh well, the Inspire is more important.

5-ft step is not an action so I guess you can take it. During surprise round one can only take a standard or move action and free actions

Aside from Veccio the rest of the party notices the creature advancing towards them. Meliandri is the first to react as she shifts back a few paces and starts chanting a battle ballad...

Surprise round - Bold may post

Eallos
Meliandri
Abigail
Varro
Isabella

???

Veccio is surprised and cannot act

Where exactly is the monster on the board? I wanna see if Varro should do a half charge or just move closer to the thing. Also, since Mel is going first my atk and dmg have +1 from her inspire so it's 24 vs. AC for 6 damage

Map updated. The creature has concealment (20% miss chance) and soft cover against ranged attacks. Those who haven't done so may now attempt a knowledge(nature) check