"You mean what did I hear on the expedition?" Yuka asks, chuckling to himself, "I was there, but I didn't hear anything. I was taking a nap in a submersible when the algae bloom hit, didn't see or hear a thing." With a nod and a grin at Seijiro, he adds, "Nice to see someone so enthusiastic about these little beauties, I might be able to cut you a deal."
I would draw your attention to the sinister note you found in the secret compartment in Tsomo's desk.
"We found a note that said something along the lines of 'having them handle the liability that Yuka presents to the operation.' Do you know what that means? What liability do you have," Molos asks, getting straight to the point.
"What? Where did you find this note?" Yuka asks, alarm in his voice.
Assuming someone shows him Tsomo's notes:
Yuka groans to himself, then explains, "Okay, here's the story. I have been importing large amounts of cement and ironflame powder for a client. In case you don't know, ironflame powder is an alchemical substance that burns briefly underwater or in a vacuum. But I don't feel I should disclose more than that. As you can see, I could get into some serious trouble."
If you attempt to sway him to change his mind, please include a Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate check in your post.
Diplomacy 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25 "Surely you could tell us after all, that note put that way is highly incriminating and any further information you could tell us would help us solve this case. Imagine when others know of your aid like a certain Draconic presence......." Kala still smiling says to him.
Yuka seems to be considering the idea when Frost asks oh-so-nicely, but Kala's combination of a veiled threat and the promise of good relations with a dragon sway him in the right direction. "Okay, you say you found these notes at Tsomo's home? Well, this client used an alias when he placed the orders. But I can't think of any other clients who might think of me as such a 'liability' that they'd want to get rid of me, so I guess it must be Tsomo. Give me a moment to look through my logbooks and try to track down where the materials were sent."
After ten minutes of careful review of the logs, Yuka writes an address on a slip of paper, with a small map drawn on the reverse to make it easier to find. "This is the warehouse where the materials were delivered, you might find more information there."
HP 25/25, AC 16 t14, ff13, saves F 0, R 9, W 3; bab 2 (melee 5, ranged 5), cmb 3, cmd 17, init +3; panache 1/1; clw 48 | kitsune rogue/2, investigator/2 | -6 *
skills:
acro 8, apprs 7, bluff 8, climb 2, craft: alch 9, diplo 11, dd 10, disguise 11, escap 5, k arc dung eng geo hist loc nat nob planes rel 7, ling 7, perc 10*, sm 10, slt of hand 6, soh 4, stealth 7, umd 7
"We are very good at what we do, and one of those things is protect our sources... if you are forthcoming with us, we will never reveal our source or implicate you in any way. But we must know more."
HP 25/25, AC 16 t14, ff13, saves F 0, R 9, W 3; bab 2 (melee 5, ranged 5), cmb 3, cmd 17, init +3; panache 1/1; clw 48 | kitsune rogue/2, investigator/2 | -6 *
skills:
acro 8, apprs 7, bluff 8, climb 2, craft: alch 9, diplo 11, dd 10, disguise 11, escap 5, k arc dung eng geo hist loc nat nob planes rel 7, ling 7, perc 10*, sm 10, slt of hand 6, soh 4, stealth 7, umd 7
"THank you, Yuka... your guidance in this matter won't be revealed to anyone outside this room..."
"Let's check out that warehouse now." He heads out in the direction of the warehouse, walking amiably along with his companions...
At the warehouse, he'll check out the whole building looking for all the external doors and windows, keeping to shadows and other aids to stealth, then reporting back when his circuit of the warehouse is complete.
Not quite at the warehouse yet. Also, Oddler, the map you found on the sahuagin has to do with the Glass Pit, where you haven't been yet. The warehouse you're headed to is something different.
The sahuagin, startled by the sudden change in Jax’s demeanor, comes to an abrupt halt. ”What do you want?” he asks, the belligerent tone in his voice matched by the snarl on his face.
The sahuagin proves rather resistant to the party's questions, though he does reply, "I was told to watch the place, keep an eye on the selkie. Yuka should watch who he deals with, some decisions are dangerous. Same goes for you all."
In the interest of not drawing out the conversation in PbP, I'll tell you that is all you're going to get from this guy.
HP 25/25, AC 16 t14, ff13, saves F 0, R 9, W 3; bab 2 (melee 5, ranged 5), cmb 3, cmd 17, init +3; panache 1/1; clw 48 | kitsune rogue/2, investigator/2 | -6 *
skills:
acro 8, apprs 7, bluff 8, climb 2, craft: alch 9, diplo 11, dd 10, disguise 11, escap 5, k arc dung eng geo hist loc nat nob planes rel 7, ling 7, perc 10*, sm 10, slt of hand 6, soh 4, stealth 7, umd 7
no way to get him to tell WHO told him to watch the place?
Seijiro sneers at the sahuagin's answer... "Don't suppose you'd tell us WHO told you to do that? and tell us why we should let you go report to whoever it was." he says, maneuvering around him so he can't just bolt without consequences.
"My boss told me," the sahuagin sneers in reply. "Big fellow, looks like me but stronger and meaner. I'd be happy to introduce you to him and a bunch of our friends, though you wouldn't live to tell anyone about the meeting."
Note: this is a threat, not a plot line to pursue. Sorry if this info is meta-gamey, I just find it's easy in PbP to have folks hare off after things that aren't productive, even when I think I've conveyed something clearly.
I’m assuming you’re still heading to the warehouse, let me know if that has changed for some reason.
The sahuagin gives a shrug and a snarl, then moves off into the bustling crowds on the streets of Vialesk. The Pathfinders continue on their way to Tsomo’s warehouse. After walking for some time, they arrive at a district of warehouses along a canal. The one on the map marked as belonging to Tsomo is a large structure, with a number of doors, all of which are locked.
To get into the warehouse, I’ll need Disable Device or Str checks to get the doors open. If you’d like to also avoid the city guard while you break in, you’ll need to roll Stealth (to go unnoticed) or Bluff (to make a distraction) as well.
HP 25/25, AC 16 t14, ff13, saves F 0, R 9, W 3; bab 2 (melee 5, ranged 5), cmb 3, cmd 17, init +3; panache 1/1; clw 48 | kitsune rogue/2, investigator/2 | -6 *
skills:
acro 8, apprs 7, bluff 8, climb 2, craft: alch 9, diplo 11, dd 10, disguise 11, escap 5, k arc dung eng geo hist loc nat nob planes rel 7, ling 7, perc 10*, sm 10, slt of hand 6, soh 4, stealth 7, umd 7
Seijiro does his best to be unobserved while he checks out a door that seems like a good entrance. He checks it carefully for traps, and then tries to remove them if necessary and if not, he just goes for the lock.
Seijiro is able to pick the lock so easily he could probably have done it with his eyes closed, and the guards might as well have had their eyes closed for all they noticed the nimble kitsune. Once the door is open, the rest of the party are able to file in unobtrusively enough. To the party's relief, the warehouse appears to be unguarded. This is a bit of a surprise, as a brief search reveals that the warehouse contains many, many crates of cement and ironflame powder, but little else of interest.
Your remaining clue to investigate is the map of the Glass Pit, with locations marked in numerous places. You can also revisit some of your other aquatic friends, or see what Lileone or Zahra are up to. Or rest, as suggested earlier.
Having investigated the warehouse, the party decides to rest and restore their strength. As they find a suitable inn, however, they are interrupted by Lileone, the aquatic elf who first greeted them as they arrived in Vialesk. "Have you heard?" she asks, alarm in her voice. "Yuka, the submersible maker, was just killed! The story in the streets is that a school of sahuagin were seen entering his shop, and he was found dead just moments ago."
Looking intently at the party, she continues, "What has your investigation uncovered? Things seem to be getting worse. Do you have any idea who was behind what happened with the expedition? And did they have something to do with Yuka's death? I am charged with securing the safety of the people of Vialesk, and I need to know what's going on."
"What? No way. That is bogus. Yea, we left his place and there was this shark dude, checking it out. We told him to scram and apparently it didn't take."So us interrogating the sahaugin didn't accomplish anything? Yuka died anyway?
Talking to the sahuagin, among other pieces of information like the note you found, told you that Yuka was in danger. The scenario expects that some action will be taken to protect Yuka at that point.
"As I'm sure you've concluded," Lileone says, "it is no coincidence. Someone is directing the sahuagin. Do you know who it is? What is their goal? Have you found any other information?"
Well obviously it wasn't super clear to us. Also we were told to not pursue the plot point with the sahuagin watching Yuka. We wanted
to do something about it.
Lileone pauses a long moment, but says nothing to refute Jax's assertion. "And do you have any idea what Tsomo has planned?" she asks. "What have you found?"
