Feral's Darkest Vengeance (Inactive)

Game Master Feral

Liadain takes a seat, happy to keep up the charade until they could figure out just what was going on here.

"Indeed. It was a long journey from Oppara to here, although I was lucky enough to see a most fabulous theatre performance earlier. It certainly made the trip worthwhile." She smiles widely.

"Might I ask if the VC is around? We have a missive from the head office for him."

The two men look to each other in confusion, "I'm sorry, who?"

Liadain's brow arches to the ceiling, and she frowns at the two men. There was always the chance they weren't familiar with the abbreviation... but a smart Pathfinder would be able to figure it out. Were they feigning dumb, here? Or perhaps were they hiding something more?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

"The VC, lads! My goodness, is Karcau so backwoods that you've never heard the term before?" She sighs in an exaggerated manner, shaking her head sadly. "Ah, to be a poor soul raised here and not in fair Oppara, or even the great City at the Centre of the World... you have missed out on so much of your education."

Liadain stands up again, shaking her head even more. "You are clearly nothing more than pure rookies," she says with grave seriousness. "It is a good thing that we came here! Perhaps we can make you real agents with our experience!" She shoots a pointed glance to her allies.

Bluff (Secret Message - DC 15): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

... That was her guess, at least.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

What are your names gentlemen

The woman arrives as Bazresh speaks bearing a silver platter covered with ornate cups filled with steaming aromatic tea.

She walks by offering the party a glass.

"I'm Betram and this is Fredrick and Andrea. I apologize for not picking up what you said a moment ago. Our VC is busy and will be gone until at least tomorrow."

Sense Motive Betram: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24

Bazresh accepts the cup and promptly sets it down, untouched. That is most unfortunate. We were told he would be here. We were also told that we have full rein of the Lodge. May I look around? I would like to choose my chambers, being the ranking Pathfinder here.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

The halfling ignores the proffered refreshment, but keeps a hand resting on the eidolon.

"That is a shame, a shame is what it is," Barham shakes his head regretfully. "He had requested a party from the Society, surely he made some mention before his departure that you should be expecting us."

Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Liadain accepts the teacup and pretends to take a small sip before setting it down on a side table somewhere.

"And since we're ranking Pathfinders - it's time for a pop quiz from your seniors, just to be sure that you're paying attention here. They're very basic things and you should know them by now!" Lia clears her throat.

"What is the 'VC' - what does it stand for? Who is your VC - what's his name? And what's the name of those things hanging around your necks?"

Marla stares at them. There is no way they are this stupid.

She frowns and looks to Brak. She does not reach for the tea.

Sense Motive: Marla 1d20 ⇒ 18
Sense Motive: Brak 1d20 ⇒ 11

Liadain's message gets to Marla, and she moves her hand closer to her axe.

Brak takes a cup of tea and sniffs it.

Perception 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

The men look to Andrea with doubt on their faces.

The woman sneers, "The jig's up. Kill 'em all boys!"

Roll Init.

Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Whoo! Let's get the low rolls out of the way.

Don't know how you run Initiative for companions, so I'll roll for both.

Initiative, Barham: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Initiative, Scrumpy: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

You can act separately or you can just act when he does since you have the worse initiative mod.

I’ll get the map updated round lunch time.

The better mod, you mean? As in, treating the rolls separately, but if one of them ends up in an earlier initiative group than the other, they can delay as normal.

Yeah, that’s what I meant.

Marla Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Brak Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Init: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Pulling hidden clubs from their persons, the 'Pathfinders' move forward to attack.

Vs Bazresh: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Vs Brak: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Vs Scrumpy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

The party is up.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Lia deftly leaps onto the table, knocking over a couple of tea cups as she goes. "You need some acting lessons, curs!" She says with a roll of her eyes and a flourish. "I've seen better lies peddled in brothels! What fools you are!"

"Come, friends! Take them down!"

Move: Jump onto the table (V12)
Standard: Start inspire courage; everyone gets +1 to hit and damage.

Brak roars, "ARTLESS DOGHEARTED FOOT-LICKERS!" and raises his axe over his head, then bringing it crashing down.

Attack T2. Current AC 22 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 1 = 28
Crit confirm 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 7 + 1 = 15

1d12 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 1 = 14 damage.
1d12 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 1 = 11 Crit damage.

Marla cringes as they attack, but Brak's example prompts her to join the fight, as she draws her own battleaxe and swings alongside her uncle.

Attack T2 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 2 + 1 = 12
1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 damage.

Baz draws his scimitar and attacks the man in front of him.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 1 = 14
Damage: 1d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

"Oh dear, oh dear," Barham mutters as he scrambles to unloop his morningstar.

"Quite a foolish deception, wasn't it? They might have jumped us outside and saved the tea cups."

His eidolon, meanwhile, has ducked the clumsy bludgeon. The rug flies from under his paws as Scrumpy springs from the floor, assaulting the impostor in a flurry of fangs and claws.

Scrumpy full attack vs. T1.

Bite attack: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6
Bite damage: 1d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4

Claw 1 attack: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 2 + 1 = 22
Claw 1 damage: 1d4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6

Claw 1 attack: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 = 11
Claw 1 damage: 1d4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

If T2 went down to the Gunddr tag-team, and Barham can try to summit the table with Climb instead of Acrobatics, he will try to move to U12.

Climb, DC 10(?): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16

Edit: Wrong alias, sorry. Is good now.

Huh?

The mighty dwarf-olon splits one of the thugs in two, splattering the kitchen in gore. His granddaughter has less luck as her weapon is knocked aside. Scrumpy's claws shred another dropping him in a bloody heap. Baz's flashing scimitar wounds the third leaving him staggering.

Seeing his companions so quickly cut down, the man drops his club and throws up one hand while the other clutches his wound.

"I surrender! Show Mercy!"

Encounter over.

That was quick. ;)

"Right then," Liadain says with a smile, gracefully stepping down from the table, "that's what I like to hear. Lesson one from the Society, just as a bonus--don't pick fights you obviously can't win."

Drawing her rapier, she levels it at the two men, although doesn't take any steps to attack them - hopefully the action enough would be to get her point across. "Now then. Who are you? Why are you here, and why are you pretending to be from the Society?"

There's only one thug standing. One is very dead and the other is down and bleeding out.

"We just came to rob the place. We didn't know you guys were important and we don't know who lives here", the man pleads.

The man's eyes go wide at a realization and he shuts his mouth.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Was the anyone else here when you got here? Baz asks the lone standing man.

"Listen, you've got to believe me. We just came to rob the place. We didn't kill anybody. When we got here, they were already dead!"

Dead! Who was dead and where? Baz removes some rope and manacles from his pack and proceeds to secure the man and his fallen companion. He prays to Sarenrae and touches the unconscious one. He then searches all three people.

Will cast Stabilize on the downed one.

The survivor puts up little resistance as Baz binds him.

"We came inside and there was two men and a woman dead, their throats slit. We figured it was our lucky day and stashed their bodies in the barrels out back. It was Andrea's idea to filch their clothes and pretend to be them."

Besides the Wayfinders around their necks and a few coins on each, they have nothing of interest or value on them.

Baz's countenance grows grim at hearing the news of the dead Pathfinders. This is serious, serious indeed. Let us go confirm this man's story, then search the house. Though one should stay to guard this one. Pulling his companions to the side he says. I think we should knock this out once we are finished here. That one there is quite nervous. Baz whispers to the party while motioning to the man.

If everyone agrees, Baz will go out to examine the barrels, then proceed to search the lodge with the party.

Lia listens in stock silence, her expression grim at the words of this fake Pathfinder. She joins Bazresh in heading out back to ascertain the man's words, and pales a little at the sight.

Can we identify any of the corpses, maybe with Kn. Local?

"Can anyone tell how long ago they died?" she asks, turning to the others. "We might have some serious problems in this mansion... much more serious than thieves."

Sure you can make some local checks.

Kn. Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Guess not!

Unfortunately, I do not have KN: local yet.

Perception on bodies: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Baz examines the bodies stuffed in the barrels.

Marla draws out a piece of parchment and makes a couple notes with a piece of charcoal. "Keep watch on the hall while we check on the bodies, Uncle." she says. Brak nods, and with a curse uttered in Dwarven, walks past the thieves to the door where he stands, standing sentry while the others search.

Perception 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17

Guidance on the whole party, aid another: Know (Local) on Scrumpy from Barham. Both are untrained.

Aid another: 1d20 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6
Knowledge (Local): 1d20 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) - 2 + 1 = 4

I did forget that Barham has the Helpful trait, so his successful Aid Another actions will give +4.

Barham raises himself up on his toes, attempting to look inside the barrels.

"Hardly good news, not good at all," he mutters.

"Can anyone tell if one of these poor folk is our friend Skeldon?"

True to what the bandit said, there are three bodies stuffed inside the barrels outside the backdoor. They are naked making it clear that their only injuries are the deep gashes across their throats. They bear no defensive injuries - whatever killed them caught them unaware.

Could Baz tell how soon it was since their death?

Lia shakes her head. "I've only heard of the man through his misdeeds, not through his appearances. Alas. We shall have to inform the Society of these corpses and get them identified and interred at a later date."

"For now, however," she looks back to the mansion, "I think we should look around. Even if one of these poor souls are not Skeldon, we need to be sure that there's not some crazed murderer running about the place. Perhaps we can find his notes and the aureolyte while we're at it."

Forgot to roll Heal

Heal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

We'll assume you guys got at least a basic description of what Skeldon looks like. None of these bodies match that description.

Based on the decay, these three have been dead for roughly a week.

"I think that would be best, best I think," the summoner agrees. "A shame to leave them here with no rites, but we ought not to waste daylight while something worse than thieves may lurk in or around the lodge."

He turns around to reenter the house, the eidolon padding behind him on four wrinkled paws.

Barham attempts to aid Scrumpy on a Perception check to search the lodge for signs of other intruders.

Aid Another: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Perception: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 + 1 + 4 = 18

Lia follows Barham and Scrumpy back inside. "We should approach this systematically," she says quietly. "Leave not a single stone unturned."

And with that thought, she searches with the eidolon and his master around the kitchen and living room for anything of note.

Perception (Aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

A search of the Lodge reveals what you'd expect to find, bedrooms, meeting rooms, a dining area, a storeroom, etc. There's no sign of foul play or a struggle. There's also no sign of Skeldon.

Your search eventually brings you to the basement entrance...

Baz approaches the basement entrance, pausing to listen and check for traps, while also trying to detect evil.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Baz detects no evil but there appears to be suspicious pressure plates on the topmost steps of the stairs leading down.

"Well then, well then." Barham places his hand back on Scrumpy's shoulder.

"It's never just a broom closet, is it?"

Detect Magic in the direction of the door, maintaining for 3 rounds if possible. If he or Baz detect anything, Barham will draw his morningstar. He will prepare to open the doon with Open/Close from as far away as possible when the whole party is ready to proceed.

Barham detects no magic.