DM Talomyr's Kingmaker

Game Master Talomyr

Garethane doesn't notice anything particularly odd about the disgruntled citizen, but does pick up on the same scent on a different individual a few moments later, and another a few after that.

Following Azen's performance, there are fewer grumblings from the crowd, but there are still a few.

With most of the crowd seemingly on her side, Tove decides to call out the grumbles she and the others are hearing.

"It sounds as if some of you remain dissatisfied with what I’ve said. If this is the case, please come forward and make yourself known so that we may speak openly about your concerns. Whispers and grumbles won’t get your concerns addressed, and as I have said, we are here today to work with you, not against you."

The elf will follow his nose, trying to not upstage his ruler.

Rhiannon stays near Tove, eyes combing the crowd, to most seeming utterly calm, if unnaturally still, but to her friends it is clear that she's in reactive mode, every muscle and instinct coiled to react to the faintest sign of violence.

Celebeth seems surprisingly sedate, out in the open, idly chit-chatting with various people. Almost like the spymaster is drawing attention while everyone else is working at remaining unnoticed...

Wulfric waits for direction to cast his divination spell, but in the absence of such instruction, he just listens.

Following Tove's request that those dissatisfied with the order of things come forward a few among the crowd wave a hand dismissively, while one individual in particular seems to take a hastier retreat from the scene.

"You!" Tove cries, pointing out the retreating figure. She quickly signals to Garethane and Celebeth to apprehend the rabble rouser.

"So fast to flee from the scene now that your scheming has been exposed. You weren’t so shy to voice your concerns while we were away fighting for you. To the stage now, and let us unmask your treasonous intentions for all to see."

Garethane switches his feral focus to that of the Tiger (increased speed) to swiftly intercept the retreating rabble rouser.

"Please sir, please come and talk with Tove in front of the rest of us."

Wulfric casts Arcane Sight.
His eyes begin to glow blue.

You know the location and power of all magical auras within your sight. An aura’s power depends on a spell’s functioning level or an item’s caster level, as noted in the description of the detect magic spell (see tables above.) If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight, you can make Spellcraft skill checks to determine the school of magic involved in each. (Make one check per aura; DC 15 + spell level, or 15 + half caster level for a nonspell effect.)

If you concentrate on a specific creature within 120 feet of you as a standard action, you can determine whether it has any spellcasting or spell-like abilities, whether these are arcane or divine (spell-like abilities register as arcane), and the strength of the most powerful spell or spell-like ability the creature currently has available for use.

So first he will try to identify any active effects on the person, be they spells or magic items. I'm assuming there is at least one active spell effect - if there are more, please roll for me. This does not require an action. Note that he doesn't get the exact effects, but he gets the aura strength and school of magic (my guess is Faint, and either Illusion or Transmutation; maybe some more auras if he has magic items).

The next round, he will concentrate on the figure as a standard action to identify its spellcasting ability, if any. My guess is "Yes, Arcane, Faint". If this guy has 4th-level spells available, it would be "Moderate."

Garethane closes in on the now obviously frightened man, while Tove watches on.

Rhiannon, Celebeth, Azen - Any actions here?

Celebeth turns invisible and looks for a likely spot where the fellow might make a bolt for escape, so that she can cut it off.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

Azen will stay close to him without being obvious and keep Countersong going, so that the guy can't charm his way out of this, and also so there is some distracting music (that doesn't sound anything like a witch-hunt accompaniment), to entertain the crowd.

Perform Check (for Countersong): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

Rhiannon remains perfectly still, a coiled spring, eyes locked on the man.

Readied action to quick draw her bow and fire an arrow at the man should he make an attempt to attack Tove (ranged attack or charging)

The man's shoulders slump seeing that the game is up, and raises his hands in surrender.

Tove beckons the Marshall to bring the man to the front, then she addresses the crowd again.

"I know that some of you have listened to this man in the past." She meets their eyes, her expression calm but firm. "But if his intentions are as noble as he claims, then why flee now? Why not stand and speak plainly, as I invited him to?"

She opens her arms wide, hands turned toward the crowd in a show of transparency. "I am no tyrant. I will not silence an honest voice, no matter how harsh the words may be. But neither will I abide lies and manipulation that hides behind a friendly face."

She gestures to Wulfric. "Our new magister’s arcane sight can sense the illusions this man hides behind, but let us all of us hear the truth of his heart together. I will call forth a Zone of Truth, and with it, we can lay everything bare for all to see."

Tove fixes the man with a cold stare. "If you truly stand for the people, you will have no reason not to speak plainly before them. But if your come here to seed poison in their minds, then let this be the day we cleanse them of it."

If the rabble rouser remains compliant, Tove will cast Zone of Truth and we can begin questioning him, but if Wulfric would like to confront him about what he detected it might be a good idea to do that first.

"The illusion magic is in his hat. There is also an enchantment spell on the man himself, of fair power.
Let us remove the hat and see who - or what - we are dealing with."

Azen darts in from behind the prisoner and snatches the hat.

Ripping off the man's changes the rabble-rouser's form from a non-descript human male to that of the rotund man you all know as Grigori.

"I...I...have no choice in this matter." the man blubbers. "If I do not do this, I will die."

"I can see that you are under an enchantment spell of some power. Greater power than I can conjure.
Let me see if I can remove it."

Wulfric casts Dispel Magic on the enchantment spell affecting Grigori.

Dispel: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
That knocks out a spell from a CL13 caster. Hopefully enough?

Wulfric is sure that if a dispel magic spell would negate the effect that Grigori suffers from, it would have been.

A quick casting of detect magic afterwards reveals the presence of the enchantment spell still present.

"I don't believe that worked." Grigori says. "I would tell you more, but I am not able to."

Great roll, but Dispel Magic is not the spell you need to get rid of this.

Does he now have enough information to use Knowledge (Arcana) to "identify a spell effect that is in place", at DC 20+spell level? I have a pretty good guess OOC what this might be.

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

"We have no desire to cause further harm to someone who is being compelled in such a manner," says Celebeth, seemingly materializing from out of nowhere.

"But we'll need stronger measures."

Sounds like a job for break enchantment, which I think is a 5th-level spell, if I'm recalling correctly off the cuff.

"And we cannot allow you to operate among the people while under the magical influence of someone who clearly does not have the best interest of our community at heart." Rhiannon proclaims clearly, making it clear to any close enough to hear that the man was to be considered a threat.

Can you tell us who put the spell or enchantment on you?

I don't think it was the witch in the woods, because she seemed very live-and-let-live, but maybe she could help us disenchant him? ... On the other hand, maybe she did it and my character's estimation of her threat level was way off.

Wulfric does not do a good job of hiding the fear in his voice.

"The spell is called Geas, or Quest. It has a very long casting time so is typically used on a willing or captive subject. It will cause great weakness, though not death, if the subject is prevented from carrying it out.
It can only be cast by a caster of truly legendary power 11th level or higher as per Legend Lore and can only be broken by a more powerful caster or one who can alter reality.
But if the spell prevents him from saying who placed it, Suppress Charms and Compulsions should suspend it for a short time, long enough to answer the questions of who placed it and what specifically is the task."

Break Enchantment will handle Lesser Geas, but not Geas. Knowing that we have a CL11+ caster enemy is terrifying.

The still very obviously frightened man shakes his head to the negative in response to Azen's question. "I am afraid that the spell prevents me from revealing the source. If I do not do this..." he says gesturing to the gathered townsfolk, "I will surely die. I know the spell itself is not fatal, but the being left that vulnerable..." he adds as his voice trails off without saying the obvious conclusion.

"If you are held in protective custody here, you would be safe despite being weakened.
And if Tove can prepare the magic to suppress the Geas, then you can tell us who placed it and what specifically they commanded you to do."

"Temporarily suppressing the geas will also give us the chance to ask other pertinent helpful questions, like whether you have family or friends who are in danger and being threatened to help keep you compliant, so that we can try to save them too."

Since Tove is 6th level, we would have 36 seconds of suppression (that version of the spell is Concentration, up to 1 rd/level).

"We can certainly keep you safe, and comfortable, inside the fort. If you are truly acting against your own will, then we hold no animosity towards you personally. And I have no reason to doubt Wulfric is right about this geas. I will meditate on this tomorrow and pray for Erastil’s guidance in suppressing the spell long enough for us to get to the bottom of this."

Tove speaks compassionately but still projects her voice such that the gathered townspeople are aware of what is being discussed in front of them.

As she turns away from Grigori she adds for the benefit of the crowd, "And so we see that this plot runs deeper. Rest assured that we will uncover the truth of this matter and that Elkmark will blossom in spite of those who wish to nip the bud of our young nation"

Zone of Truth will last longer and doesn’t require Tove’s concentration, so she can cast that first and then Suppress Charms and Compulsions so that we can be sure of the validity of what Grigori tells us. Tove will prepare both spells at dawn, using her open slot for one and swapping out Arrow of Law from her standing list of prepped spells for the other.

Grigori nods, slumping a bit as he noticeably weakens. No doubt the result of the spell placed upon him and trying to work with you rather actively against you.

With a nod, Rhiannon steps forward, checking the man for weapons, (and relieving him of any she finds), before ushering him in the direction of the keep.

The only weapon Rhiannon finds on the man is a finely crafted dagger. Upon closer inspection it appears that the dagger has a reservoir that can be loaded with poison to make a strike much more deadly. Currently the reservoir is empty.

"We will return this to you when it is deemed safe to do so." she says solemnly, stowing the dagger.

Azen says We should probably check on the family he was staying with to see if we need to break an enchantment there as well.

After the drama is over, she pulls Celebeth aside for just a moment and tries on the hat. She imagines herself looking like her sister, and then asks Celebeth if it worked.

Grigori looks up weakly, "They are innocent. I placed simple charm spell so that I would have a place to stay other than the inn."

After the Drama...

When Azen asks her question of her sister, Celebeth sees a mirror image of herself staring back at her.

"Whoa! You look great, sis!" says Celebeth, then can't help but crack a chuckle. "Uh, yeah, the magic seems to work. That's a hoot."

"We should figure out where we can host Grigori while we figure out how to cure his condition. He's kinda a victim here, and now our responsibility. Besides, fixing this in a good way will be a better morale boost to our people, to see that we handle these problems without just stabbing them."

"We can always stab them later."

The elf pauses at the looks the other councilors give him.

"What? I mean we can. It's hard to do it in the other order."

Azen pulls the hat off and returns to the group with her sister. She smiles at the stabbing comments, glad that the family is okay, and they didn't have to harm Grigori... but in the back of her mind, she is wondering what she can do with the fantastic hat.

I want to keep the hat. Any objections? I know Rhiannon promised his poison-enabled dagger back, but Azen is planning on confiscating this item, unless she feels pressured not to.

We could always ask if it's his hat, or of someone gave it to him to use. If #2, we confiscate it, it belonged to an enemy and wasn't his anyway. If #1, we offer to buy it or just have one made for you.

Personal effects are one thing. Tools used in committing a crime are another.

Azen pulls the hat off and returns to the group with her sister. She smiles at the stabbing comments, glad that the family is okay, and they didn't have to harm Grigori... but in the back of her mind, she is wondering what she can do with the fantastic hat.

I want to keep the hat. Any objections? I know Rhiannon promised his poison-enabled dagger back, but Azen is planning on confiscating this item, unless she feels pressured not to.

I think, given that we are saying he is under our legal jurisdiction, it is not appropriate to enrich ourselves by confiscation of his personal belongings (if it is his). So I agree with Celebeth. Disguise Self is also on the Bard list.

Yeah, I'm saying that if this hat was his personal property, it would be wrong of us to take it from him just because he had the bad luck to get geased by one of our enemies.

Hats of disguise are relatively cheap, though, so it's not that big of an issue: We can probably just buy or make one if needs be. In the meantime, Grigori can't use it, so we might as well put it to good use while he's under our supervision and we try to figure out how to get him out from under this geas. And we need to get into some more adventures! We're many levels away from being able to break enchantment, gotta earn that xxxxxpppppp!

Where should we explore next, friendos?

Our first step is interviewing Grigori once we can get a straight answer about who put this spell on him. Even if we can’t head out and break the enchantment right away I still want to know who or what we’re up against. I don’t like having such a powerful unknown threat out there.

After we hit him with the Zone of Truth/ Suppress Charms and Compulsions combo and we know what’s what I think we find him some place comfortable where our guards can keep a watch on him and make sure no one hurts him and he can’t cause any more trouble for us.

Once that’s squared away, I say we head back down south and put the troll threat to bed once and for all before they can recover from our success against their scouting parties.

Everyone else happy with that?

Our first step is interviewing Grigori once we can get a straight answer about who put this spell on him. Even if we can’t head out and break the enchantment right away I still want to know who or what we’re up against. I don’t like having such a powerful unknown threat out there.

After we hit him with the Zone of Truth/ Suppress Charms and Compulsions combo and we know what’s what I think we find him some place comfortable where our guards can keep a watch on him and make sure no one hurts him and he can’t cause any more trouble for us.

Once that’s squared away, I say we head back down south and put the troll threat to bed once and for all before they can recover from our success against their scouting parties.

Everyone else happy with that?

Yes boss!

Sounds good to me!

Sounds good to me as well!

Placing Grigori in protective custody, the townhall meeting breaks up as the residents of Elkmark go back to their respective lives.

The next morning arrives and with the proper spells prepared, you retrieve Grigori for questioning.

Okay, Zone of Truth is up. Each casting of Suppress Charms and Compulsions will allow Grigori to speak freely for 36 seconds - not a lot. What do you wish to ask him and how are we going about this?