Dupine scores a single hit on the blind woman. It's obvious by her rage that she's not going to be taken alive, and opens up on the monk.
her first blind swing goes very wide, the other two are right at August.
MISS
She scores a hit!
Round 4:
Bullwhip: Go
Hun: Go
Thiera: Go
Auri: Go
Piper: Go
Dupine: Go
Enemies: TBD
Cetanna: 9 (Blind) Blind-Fight on
With the badger corpse off the blade, Auri lands a powerful blow. The blind and raging woman takes the hit though. Clearly, she's not going easily...
Round 4:
Bullwhip: Go
Hun: Go
Thiera: Go
Auri: Hit
Piper: Go
Dupine: Go
Enemies: TBD
Cetanna: 28 (Blind) Blind-Fight on
Despite her blindness, Hun's first his only gets armor. The second one though gets through. It doesn't quite put her out of his misery, but the wounds are starting to add up.
Round 4:
Bullwhip: Go
Hun: ATK
Thiera: Go
Auri: Hit
Piper: Go
Dupine: Go
Enemies: TBD
Cetanna: 32 (Blind) Blind-Fight on
BURN! The woman cries in absolute agony. Blood boils and skin melts, but she fights through the pain, "DEATH BEFORE SURRENDER!"
Round 4:
Bullwhip: Go
Hun: ATK
Thiera: Flame on
Auri: Hit
Piper: Go
Dupine: Go
Enemies: TBD
Cetanna: 46 (Blind) Blind-Fight on
Both of Bullwhip's attacks miss, though the first swing was VERY close.
Round 4:
Bullwhip: Miss
Hun: ATK Haste Attack
Thiera: Flame on
Auri: Hit
Piper: Go
Dupine: Go
Enemies: TBD
Cetanna: 46 (Blind) Blind-Fight on
More insult than injury, but Pipe's aim is true!
Round 4:
Bullwhip: Miss
Hun: ATK Haste Attack
Thiera: Flame on
Auri: Hit
Piper: Acid
Dupine: Go
Enemies: TBD
Cetanna: 47 (Blind) Blind-Fight on
August hits her in the special pressure point areas known to the practitioners of his style.
When his hasted face slap lands, she crumbles to the floor!
Out of initiative!
As Dupine ties up your prisoner, the rest search the area thoroughly. A couple of the rooms have desks. Searching the desks reveals a number of interesting documents. Amidst a stack of letters, two seem particularly interesting.
Dear Captain Vaylorne,
After our conversation last week, I’ve come up with a plan that will allow both of us to get what we want. I will get rid of the Pathfinders who are making themselves inconvenient to both the Aspis Consortium and to the church of Razmir and make you a political and religious hero.
First, you send me a list of secrets that would be damaging if they made it into Molthune’s hands, while I make the substantial gold piece donation to the church of Razmir that we discussed. After that, I will have a several people walk around town spreading rumors that Pathfinders are working with Molthune.
With that in place, I’ll contact the people I have set up in Molthune, and have them come down off of the blockade in the middle of the night. I’ll send some of my friends disguised as Pathfinders and carrying the military secrets to meet them. Each of them will be wearing a wayfinder and a glyph of the open road. I’ll dress up one of my halfling friends as their local leader, Venture Captain Oraiah Tolal. At that point, you swoop in with a large group of soldiers, kill the Molthuni, and capture the “Pathfinders”. I’ll tell them all to surrender right away, and you can arrest them. At some point when you are not on duty, I’ll break them out so there is more to blame on the Pathfinder Society.
Regards, Zurnzal
The second half of the paper is written in a different hand.
Zurnzal,
Your plan shows promise, but it relies too heavily on theatrics over substance. An entire group openly carrying wayfinders and wearing the Pathfinder’s symbol is suspicious in and of itself—real Pathfinders rarely try so hard to proclaim their allegiance—to say nothing of the considerable risk of discovery that you incur when disguising someone as a known figure in the community. The Molthuni are unlikely to agree to come off of the ships, even at night, without significant persuasion. Are you intending to have me assist their journey? What are you planning to do with the real Oraiah Tolal?
As a general point of discourse—when referring to activities that some may consider illegal, do not use plain language (particularly when you are signing your name to the document). You impressed me greatly on your last mission involving the Society, and I am certain you are capable of ironing out the details in this mission. Send me your next draft for revision.
Your Friend,
MG
Dear Z,
I have recieved your donation. Blessed are those who open their coffers and their hearts to the Living God. Those who are sufficiently generous succeed in all of their endeavors.
The information you requested will arrive tomorrow morning in a separate letter. I’ll alter the patrols to meet your group at the designated time. I can’t guarantee that none of my guards will be overzealous at the sight of Molthuni, so be sure that your group is quick to surrender and drop arms.
-V
There is also a stack of bloodstained notes, all tied together in a neat bundle.
Upstanding Cousin,
I hear you’ve been dispatched to the Fenwall Mountains—perfect timing. There’s a new upstart band of brigands and highwaymen in that area calling themselves the Gorgon’s Privateers. They’ve refused to acknowledge our claim to this region and are robbing travelers without discretion or our blessing. If you see any of them, take them down a peg or two, but make sure at least one remains alive to take our message back to their leaders: “If you cross the Sczarni again, your lives end.” Feel free to add something poetic so they really get the message.
All our blood together,
Guaril Karela
My Friend,
The road winds home and it is good to breathe the sweet air of Varisia. While my business keeps me here in Riddleport, I can find use for you in Magnimar. My niece has run away, and her father would owe me a great deal if she returned to him. My investigations reveal she has joined the Aspis Consortium based out of Magnimar. If your mission crosses paths with the Consortium, find out where she is and if possible persuade her to return to Riddleport. I do not care how you do this; just do not to scar her pretty face. Her name is Ophetta and her eyes sparkle like flawless emeralds. One final thing—make sure she tells her father that I, Guaril Karela, am responsible for her homecoming.
May the road never leave you weary,
Guaril Karela
The rest are all similar. The remaining rooms are a storage room, full of mundane supplies, and a pair of bedrooms, one used very recently (and smelling strongly of badger), the other seemingly disused for some time. The storage room has an additional passage, that seems to correspond to the path Guaril is guarding topside.
Your prisoner doesn't take it well. Once awake she routinely chews through gags, and spends most of her time spitting and cursing. In time you're confident that you'll learn what she knows.
The real question is, what do you do with the information?
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Does the writing look the same as any of the other notes we located?
"These may be forgeries. We have already seen people try to set up the society. Still..."
Her eyes betray a hint of worry.
"I will speak with Guaril on these two, you each keep a few - just in case things are more complex than they appear."
They don't LOOK like forgeries...
They don't seem to be forgeries.
Indeed Auri, Guaril asks that you give him all the correspondence. "It could make a lot people unhappy and disrupt business if it gets out there...."
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"It could.." agrees Auri.
"How recent is this? I thought when you helped form The Exchange with Aaqir al'Hakam you had put your more viscous side behind you?"
She gestures around.
"I'm not saying your shady side. While I'm sworn to uphold the law, it is only just laws. There are times that compassion means that cannot always be done. "
Then with added frustration
"How can we build a better future for everyone based on hard work and commerce if we ally ourselves with bandits and thieves?"
She shakes her head.
"I am not worried about your past. We all have a past. I worry about your future. How could you have dealings with the Apsis after what happened at the grand lodge?"
"Those are from some time ago, but they would cause problems now. I can't stop you. Your mission can only succeed if you let me handle it with these, though I suppose you could wreak things and give them to the VC here..."
...When he twirls his mustache, Auri concludes that he'll say anything to get those documents back...
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August stands by, waiting to see how things play out.
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Thiera examines the documents carefully.
Once convinced the documents are authentic, she is quite insistent that these be turned over to the Society.
"Second chances are well and good, but justice also demands consequences. The second chance comes later. If those who trust him do not know of the first mistake, they too might be inclined to forgive a future slight, not knowing it is part of a pattern."
"Besides, any willing to prioritize profit over lives deserve a bit of distrust."
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Auri nods at the words of Thiera.
"The Exchange is bigger than any one person Guaril. I regret what may happen when these documents see the light of day, but I would regret even more if the Exchange slipped back into the ways of the Scarzni."
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Hun tries his best to blend into the background and flank, so if needed he can intercede as necessary.
-Posted with Wayfinder