Seeing the others entrenched below and working their way across, Fulmen crawls forward north along the rafters, passing over the northern door of the room and into the room with no floor.
No sooner than he's crossed the threshold, a shriek of, "They coming, Lady! They coming!" accentuated with the twang of a pair of crossbows and a subsequent grunt of pain from Fulmen.
A haughty female voice comes across thick with a Varisian accent, "Sniveling fools, do not kill him ... he could be an ally. Watch ....". Chanting is heard.
Those below can see nothing.
. You are struck by both bolts but remain concious. To the west in the next room (currently blacked out), you see 2 goblins reloading crossbows in the NW and SW corners of the rafters. On the west side of the room inside what looks like a hollowed out chimney, there is a makeshift platform built in the brick. Pillows and trash have been stacked to make a sorta of chair. Sitting in it like a queen on her throne is a dark-haired woman, carrying a coppery shard of metal. She's dressed in dirty Varisian gypsy clothes. She's casting a spell at you.
; HIT!;
Hearing the grunt of pain from Fulmen, Relan shouts up at the man. "How many? And is the ladder safe to go over?"
Fulmen will down a CLW potion and retreat back to the south and lower himself back down into the room. "There are more goblins in the rafters and some kind of female caster, possibly human in the next room."
Will save? I'll give you this one for free, but the next one missed is auto fail.
And with that, I just need round 1 inputs from Braelex and Relan.
Relan readies his crossbow and waits for the first goblin to appear.
Braelex shrugs and starts up the ladder.
Relan hears Fulmen's assessment and readies his crossbow, pointing it at the ceiling above him. Fulmen crawls back and drinks a potion. .
Beyond, the party hears the cranking of winches and more chanting. Lorlenn, Andel, and Clarence clamor together and await instruction. Andel shouts out with a stage whisper across the gap, "Should we crawl up?" Seeing Braelex's shrug and subsequent movement to the ladder, he begins to climb with Clarence's help boosting.
Braelex puts her weight on the ladder and it collapses into small pieces, she wheels her arms and grabs for safety.
"Aaagh!" Braelex squeals as the ladder falls apart. She manages to grasp the ledge and hold on, but only just. Feet dangling over the filthy sludge, she pulls herself up.
Floor and you still have a standard action for rnds 1.
Braelex sighs and looks for another way up, otherwise waiting until someone can give her aid.
You could use the crates to jump off of using Acrobatics or you could scale the wall with Climb. A boost from someone else is automatic.
I'll move back to the rope to untie it then tie it on the other side so the group can use it to assist in the climb up to the rafters
Round 2
Relan gives Braelex a boost and the tiefling pops up. She currently looks about on all fours although she could stand up, albeit slightly stooped (consider squeezed).
Fulmen moves the rope and Clarence climbs up behind Andel. Lorlenn looks pale and leans against the wall waving you all forward as he stops to catch his breath.
The woman's voice sings out, arrogant in its assumption, "Would be assassins! Come forward and let's talk this through amicably. You may find siding with me may suit you better in the long run. It won't be long before this city is mine!"
"What's the plan?" Andel asks in a whisper, gripping the beam tightly.
Braelex waits a few moments for replies. As the pause lengthens uncomfortably, she clears her throat and calls out. "We have no intention of being 'assassins', madam. Indeed, we are seeking to help someone likely in trouble. Is that you, Natalya?"
"You know my name? But of course, who doesn't? Come forward to pay your respects."
Braelex turns to the others, shrugging.
Although pompous, surely, you don't believe she's dissembling
Braelex, tell her we're here to help her. That we're here to see that she completes her mission.
Braelex nods, calling out. "We were sent to find you, not kill you. After you disappeared for several days, our employer was concerned."
A nod from Braelex and Lorlenn pushes himself awkwardly off the wall and stumbles to the northern door, leaning in and taking a deep breath, which he near immediately regrets. After a short retch, he shouts out, "My lady, we beseech you for your help. May we request an audience before your august persona?"
A moment passes, and Natalya replies, "Your request intrigues me. Let me see who I'm speaking too. My bodyguards will stand down."
Climb the rafters or create something to cross from the hole to the door.
Let's enter the room... I'm not going first.
Climbing up and dropping down into the room Relan mutters under his breath, "Im sure the Lady didnt climb around rafters to get around this place. Talk about bad design."
With his hand on his sword hilt, ready for action he stands tall and imposing as the rest of the group moves to join him in the room. Taking his time in giving the room a long survey before settling his eyes on the Lady.
Relan climbs a crate and leaps up on the rafter. He crawls up and over the rafter into the next room, putting away his shield as he crawls.
Like elsewhere, the ceiling has collapsed into the room below, but most of the rafters have gone with it in this area, leaving large gaps of empty space over the drop. A large fireplace in the room below climbs the wall as a wide chimney into here. The crumbling, charred brick of the chimney has been chipped away to create a large hollow within, with a tangle of discarded planks and other rubbish now serving as a floor. The room below is also filled with sludge and missing a floor, so hopping down isn't quite an option.
The others file in behind Relan on the rafters and look into the room. The most prominent feature are the three occupants in the rafters. Two goblins with crossbows, loaded of course, and then Natalya herself. The Sczarni woman carries a crossbow cradled in her left arm and sits on a pile of planks in the chimney "ceiling." She waves in your direction with a shard of coppery metal.
"You will be of use. Armed and armored, you'll make a worthwhile force to overtake the Tower Girls. Regale me with your skills so I know what to task you with."
Braelex sighs, growing impatient with the awkward quarters and worse stench. "We are not here to be your servants, Vancaskerkin. We were sent to find you and bring you to our common employer." She gives a sidelong glance to the surroundings. "Now, let us get out of this thrice-damned sewage pit... it will take a week to wash the stank from my clothes!"
Fulmen takes a closer look at the metal shard in Natalya's hand and says in a low voice, "Hey, wasn't Natalya seeking some object of power as part of Pathfinder mission? Could that be it in her hand"
Braelex shrugs but nods.
"Ya, I believe you're right. Something about a Thassilonian item. Sheila thought she absconded with it ... looks like maybe she was right. But why the hell is she here?"
"I’ve recently had trouble with one of my informants here in Magnimar, Natalya Vancaskerkin. She’s a half-Varisian who recently approached the Pathfinder Society with an offer to serve as a street informant. She runs with the Sczarni—I’m not sure with which group. A week ago, Natalya sent me a cryptic hint that her gang was on the verge of uncovering an item that would be of great interest to the Society. Since the Sczarnis’ methods of uncovering something often involves an armed robbery or breaking into somebody’s personal chambers, we thought it prudent not to press for further details and instead wait to see what it would produce. Suffice it to say, she hinted strongly that it pertained to Thassilon, and promised to meet with me to discuss this find three days ago.
“She never kept that promise—instead, she seems to have simply vanished. Initially, I assumed that the acquisition of this item was simply taking longer than expected, but now I’m hearing rumors that the Sczarni are looking for her as well.
“It seems likely that Natalya has absconded with this item she’s discovered. And this is where you enter, my friends. I want to know what it was that Natalya and the Sczarni found. In fact, I’m more interested in that than in what happened to Natalya herself. For now, I’d like to keep all of this quiet—if you can find out what happened to Natalya without letting a lot of people know she was also working for me as an informant, that would be preferable—that’s a big part of why I’m coming to you, as new members of the Pathfinder Society, with this task.You don’t yet have a reputation in Magnimar, and as such, the lowlifes and criminals you are likely to encounter may be more likely to talk.
“So... go out there and look for Natalya. Find out what happened to her, and to this item she and her gang discovered. If you can secure the item, all the better—bring it back to me and I’ll have a reward of 500 gold pieces for you. And if you can bring Natalya back alive for me to speak to, I’ll double that!”
Relan leans over to whisper "Perhaps this relic is the cause of Nat's eccentrities, i doubt Sheila would have employed her like this."
Braelex nods, "I can't imagine she'd want to live in this shytehole. It must be affecting her somehow."
"Someone should tell her Shelia is very worried about her and will reward her handsomely for accomplishing her mission. We'll gladly escort her back so she can tell her story and collect her reward."
"Be my guest," Braelex waves to Fulmen.
As the party talks back and forth about what to do about "her," Natalya takes matters into her own hands, leaping up from her seat as she does so "Insolent worms! You come into my palace and attempt to kidnap me and deliver me to that slaver woman! I've cast off the shackles of the Pathfinder Lodge and have begun to seize what is rightfully mine!"
Her eyes shine maniacly, "You will join me!"
She thrust the shard in her belt and begins gyrating her hands, bracelets and bangles jingling together. You realize she is casting a spell!
Relan holds one hand up... "Wait one moment Lady. We have no intention of taking you against your will. We were asked to escort you back not kidnap you. Our employer was concerned about your wellfare. Obviously your not in any danger you cant handle. So what is the problem your having?"
Relan holds one hand up... "Wait one moment Lady. We have no intention of taking you against your will. We were asked to escort you back not kidnap you. Our employer was concerned about your wellfare. Obviously your not in any danger you cant handle. So what is the problem your having?"