The party advances, some sticky protection from the water also being added. Siival's hawk scratches one of the sharks!
Your foe tosses the pipe, its fuse lit...
...which lands at the feet near Darvik and Siival!
He then pulls out a ranseur, ready for the party's charge.
The words seem to ring painfully in the target, gritting his teeth!
Init Order (bold = up)
Sharks (Red -5)
Instrument
Siival
Darvik
Assistant (4 damage, staggered)
Ordvaben
Blodgett
The bird-injured shark bites at the hawk!
And the shark enjoys a bit of poultry!
Init Order (bold = up)
Sharks (Red -5)
Instrument
Siival
Hawk (5 damage)
Darvik
Assistant (4 damage, staggered)
Ordvaben
Blodgett
Before Darvik can get in, the assistant swings his polearm into the human warrior.
Only Darvik's thick armor prevents a devastating blow that still sinks deep into his flesh.
Darvik then steps in and slices at the assistant, and the first swing seems to miss, it seems to be just a feint as the back slash cuts into the elf... until blue blood spills forth from the wound!
There is a semi-rare mutation of sahaugin called malenti that look like aquatic elves, but still bear all of the ferocity and bloodthirsty-ness of their sahaugin blood. They are often used as spies within traditional aquan communities.
The hawk safely retreats while Instrument tries to burn the assistant with a fiery glare!
The man bursts into flames!
However,the metal tube the assistant tossed then explodes, sending fire and shrapnel through Siival and Darvik's area!
Siival evades some of the effect, but Darvik tatkes the brunt of it! Worse, the area continues to burn aflame, threatening to continue to burn the two!
The assistant evades Darvik and jumps into the water, ending the burning!
Init Order (bold = up)
Sharks (Red -5)
Instrument
Siival (3 damage)
Hawk (5 damage)
Darvik (18 damage)
Assistant (27 damage)
Ordvaben
Blodgett
Luckily for him, the churning water provided enough of a dampening to allow him to resist the worst of the scream although Blodgett's missile continues to harry the foe!
The sharks move towards the assistant, seemingly circling him in a protective manner as the aperture of the docking bay begins to open.
Init Order (bold = up)
Sharks (Red -5)
Instrument
Siival (3 damage)
Hawk (5 damage)
Darvik (7 damage)
Assistant (36 damage)
Ordvaben
Blodgett
Before the assistant can move any further underwater, Ordvaben unleases a gout of fire that catches the foe off guard and cooks him, leaving a body floating on the top of the water.
With no major threats, the party can use grappling hooks to grab the unconscious form of the assistant and return it to ground to inspect.
Given the speed of their chase, the party has a bit of time to look over the gear and items of their fleeing suspect; first; they can confirm the truth that this is not just a suspect, but the assistant was Tsomo the entire time! Plans detailing his involvement with the bombings in the glass pit, the poison algae on the caravan, and what was supposed to be an impending sahaugin raid on Vialesk during the chaos of the Glass Pit collapsing are laid out along with a pair of hollow metal tubes used for long distance communication.
Lileone arrives at this time with a trio of guards, asking, "Sorry for the delay, I finally just reached you. What have you found and what is this man's role?", the aquatic elf asking for answers for what has happened the in the past day.
"Thank you for saving my home; who knows how many innocent people would have been killed had it not been for your intervention. You have my sincere gratitude.", Lileone bowing in true appreciation as the guards place manacles on the unconscious Tsomo and haul him off.
Lileone then turns away and curses to herself. "Dammit, guess I need to apologize to Zahra."
Leaving prosecution and investigation of Tsomo, his aliases, and his true identity to the Vialesk police, the party returns to Zahra. She is truly pleased that her name in the caravan incident has been cleared and the culprit has been apprehended. She is even more surprised by Lileone's stumbled apology, the aquatic elf sheepishly, but eventually saying "I'm sorry.". Zahra almost gloats, but then catches herself and takes the apology humbly, before looking back at the party. "Honestly, I thought it was a 'hail Desna' play to call upon you all, but you showed the true capabilities of a well-trained Pathfinder: capable, investigative, perceptive, and decisive. If you would like, I'd be honored to have you be part of the next caravan expedition once arrangements can be made!"
So stupid me forgot to ask for PFS info for these along with your email addresses. If you could send that to me, I'll have this done by tomorrow night!
That being said... I know this took far long than anyone would prefer, and admittedly, my schedule is going to be rough for a couple of months as I am working two retail jobs and in the process of purchasing and moving to a new house.
So... would you guys want to play another PFS game? I'm good to run one, but again, pacing will be inconsistent so I understand if you want to do other things with these characters.
Nonetheless, I appreciate your patience and your awesome RP'ing; these have been some of the more interesting PCs I've had in a game, even if it was staggered thanks to issues on Paizo's site. So thank you for playing!
Incidentally; I finally just got access back to PbP forums with my main profile! So I will be using that profile after I get everything with this game closed out regardless of the outcome of another game with this group.
And sent and reported!
Incidentally... you did get the secondary success conditions. Thanks to convincing Honoke and Razetha to aid in the reef, their might, knowledge, and resources are just enough to help Lileone and Zahra save it!
I'll wait a bit for confirmation that chronicles were received before talking more about the next game (as well as removing those dropping out).
Sweet!
Sorry for the delay in posting; sadly Paizo's downtimes this week coincided with my time to check the forums!
I'll remove those who aren't up for the next game as we plan that, but I'm definitely good to run 9-02. Just need a couple more people at least!
A letter from Venture-Captain Eliza Petulengro instructs the party to head to an isolated address in the Ivy District within Absalom. The abandoned manor lays still save for an Ulfen man with a wayfinder around his neck. With a wide smile, he greets the party. "Ja! Hail Pathfinders. I apologize in advance, but secrecy is kinda 'portant right now.", as he pulls out several blindfolds and places them over the party, even over Siival's faithful hawk.
The party can feel themselves being escorted though grass and then through rows of hedges and bushes. Then, some strange words are spoken by the Ulfen...
"Klaatu Barata Necktie!"
and the scent of rose blossoms hits everyone's noses. "Aight, there we go.", the Pathfinder gently pushing everyone through what feels like an archway. A bitter cold can be felt briefly, but it turns warmer as the air takes a different feel. The Pathfinder continues to push you forward until after several more minutes of walking, the party feels free of a garden setting. "They're all yours!", your guide quips before you hear her footsteps returning to the garden maze. An unfamiliar woman's voice calls out, "You may now remove your blind folds." The blinding light of day reveals lush garden. A tall woman wearing a white porcelain mask face and a crimson ribbon around her neck stands nearby.
"I apologize, but my employer, Venture-Captain Petulengro, requests you immediately join her in the sculpture hall of the Palace of the Glorious Revolution, a local museum. It is only a short walk from here, and she will be able to answer all of your questions when you arrive. Please hide your wayfinders and any other signs of your affiliation with the Society. Once you enter the building, the sculpture hall will be down the hallway to the left. You can’t miss it. Oh, and she’s in disguise today. She has long black hair and is wearing a green dress." Without waiting for a reply, the masked woman points toward a ruined palace a short distance away.
The party follows the directions given, approaching a large building covered with plywood; scorch marks from fires blacken the entire outside of the building. Loud laughter, claps, and jeers drift out from the building's main hall. As the party makes their way through the inside of the Palace, they spot a large chamber filled with a raucous audience watching a play. Following signs on the inside, they finally reach the Sculpture Hall.
A raven-haired woman in a simple green dress emerges from behind a large sculpture of marching peasants. Her mouth moves, and the whispers float across the room, landing precisely at her targets. "Greetings, citizens, won’t you join me? She presses on a latch, revealing a hidden door behind the statue and gestures into the secret room.
After everyone enters the hidden room, the woman closes the door behind her.
"Thank you for resolving that trouble in Rosehaven."
The woman’s feature’s shift rapidly. Her hair turns a vibrant red, and she draws a wayfinder out of a concealed pouch. "Welcome, Pathfinders. I am Venture-Captain Eliza Petulengro. First of all, let me apologize for the clandestine way you were brought here today, but I promise you, it was necessary. Two days ago, I received word from the Almas Pathfinder Lodge. They informed me that two Senators from Andoran’s People’s Council, Victoria Garvensi and Augustyn Naryan, were abducted from their homes in Andoran nine days ago. Their investigations turned up a group of suspicious masked mercenaries, but by the time they tracked down the group’s location, they learned that it had already departed for Galt aboard the riverboat Drifting Current along with three other prisoners. The Almas Lodge requested that I pick up the investigation from there."
"I was able to prove through divinations that the Senators were indeed two of the prisoners aboard the Drifting Current, but both of them were warded against most of my magical abilities, including scrying. I asked a contact at the docks to inform me as soon as the Drifting Current landed in Woodsedge. Strangely, she sent me a message yesterday to tell me that the ship had been in port for a day or so already."
Venture-Captain Pentulengro continues without so much as a deep breath. "I followed up with another one of my local contacts, who discovered hat the Galt’s feared executioners, the Gray Gardeners, were escorting the senators. Once I heard that the Gardeners were involved, I was forced to back off my investigation and call on the Grand Lodge in Absalom for assistance. Any move that known Pathfinder agents make against the Gray Gardeners could lead to severely negative consequences for us here in Galt. On top of that, if the Gray Gardeners are indeed involved in abducting Andoran’s senators, this could be the start of an international incident."
"My investigation also led me to another oddity. A barrister here in Woodsedge by the name of Alois Lofton once served as an undercover venture-captain. I reached out to him via secret channels when I began the work of establishing the Woodsedge Lodge, and he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with me or with the Pathfinder Society as a whole. When I learned about this case, however, I went to him in person to request his aid. His responses were extremely odd. I got the sense that he knew more about the case but was unwilling to share it. Troublingly, he seemed to be ignorant of rudimentary information about the Pathfinder Society, or even his past status as a venture-captain. When I tried to figure out more, he threatened to take me to court for harassing an officer of the law."
"This situation calls for caution and discretion, and I can’t be seen investigating this matter further. I ask that you pick up the investigation in my stead, keeping your status as Pathfinder agents a closely guarded secret. I’ll summarize the leads I have. Please commit them to memory." The venture-captain raises a finger with each name. "My contact at the docks, Larisa Stronwell, did not report to me in a timely manner about the arrival of the Drifting Current. My contact with connections to the Gray Gardeners, Almont Enderios, informed me that the Gardner’s were involved in this case, and said that he’d look into the matter further. Former Venture-Captain Lofton knows more about this case and not nearly enough about his own past, but you’ll probably need to dig up proof of his involvement if you want him to talk to you. Finally, I’d also recommend talking to Guard Sergeant Ottavia Respani."
"Any information you can find will be of use. In particular, I’d like to you look for clues about who is involved, what Lofton knows, and where the Gray Gardeners have taken the prisoners. If you happen to find information about any of the three unidentified prisoners along the way, please report that as well. When you are finished with your investigation, please tie a simple message to this raven and send it to the Lodge. I will return to the sculpture garden to meet you." The venture-captain hands over a small silver statuette of a raven.