GM Dak - Shattered Star (G2) (Inactive)

Game Master Dakcenturi

Open for dotting

Dot!~

dot

Dot dot!

You have each individually received summons to a well-furnished manor on the out skirts of town. The summons reads:

[To whom it may concern,

Respectfully,
Shiela Heidmarch]

Included is a key and a map to the location.

Valai reads the letter several times before folding it and tucking it into her scroll case. Before leaving for the location mentioned in the note, she spends some quality time with her grooming kit, checking herself several times in the miniature mirror before she finally gives a small, satisfied smile and departs the inn where she had been staying.

As the young Elfmaid walks along the road, a raven launches itself from the inn's roof and flutters down to her shoulder.

"Where are we going today, Master?" the bird croaks, its voice rough.

"It would seem the Pathfinder Society has need of a Wizard of my skills for a mission of some sort," Valai replies without breaking her slippered stride. "It might be meritorious. The Society has a rather wide reputation; they might be able to help me with my own ambitions if I lend them a hand in theirs."

The raven rides the Elf's shoulder in silence for a while, then asks the question weighing most heavily on its mind: "Will there be food provided?"

After reading the letter Dimral considers its meaning for a long time, staring at the letters and searching for hidden meanings. Then, with surprising gentleness he folds the missive away, recovers his gear, weapons and gets to his feet, exit his room and starts walking on the road towards Velora Manor.

"Seems like this is it. My last chance to fulfill my destiny. I hope it's not another false trail, this Society of Pathfinders has made a name for itself as great lore hunters, if they can't help me, no one this side of Varisia can"

Rommin smiles at the note. I wonder if that means access to the wine cellar as well... Rommin shoulders his pack and checks out of the inn, and heads out toward the manor. As he starts, he takes time to memorize the directions.

Judah had gone to many people looking for any information that might help him. The pathfinders had been among them. They had been more helpful than he expected, giving him a lead to a number of cults worth researching. They had also told him that if they found any additional information they would contact him.

He hadn't really expected it to happen.

He read the paper a few times just to make sure he wasn't dreaming again.

Turned out he was.

He knew because the things that were usually crawling in the shadows were walking around in tailcoats and top hats.

Not subtle.

He was so frustrated when he woke up that he nearly broke his hand on the wall of the alley he had passed out in.

Then, when he went back to the inn he'd took a room at (not really intending to use it, but knowing the importance of having a place to go when you don't have anywhere else to go), the inkeep handed him a letter.

He knew what was in it. He'd already read it.

He didn't bother opening it this time. He knew he was supposed to. His dreams pretty much always came true, but that didn't mean he had to dance on the end of the strings like a good little puppet.

He briefly debated just leaving town. Going off script. He'd done it before though. It didn't seem to matter. The visions just adjusted themselves. They were dreams after all, and dreams were extremely malleable. The only things curtain in dreams were falling asleep at the beginning and waking up at the end.

Which would be fine, except it was no longer his dream. He just shared it, fell into it sometimes. Usually woke up screaming.

He did not want it to wake up.

He pulled his cloak around him and made his way to the manor house, crinkling the unopened letter in his pocket.

When Rommin arrives, he moves to get the key from his pouch. He pauses, then tests the handle of the door to see if it is locked. Whether he finds it locked or not, he'll try to ring the bell/clap the knocker/knock on the door (to see if household servants answer) before letting himself in. In the end, he has no qualms about letting himself in if there is no timely response.

Each choice is made to try and tell him something more about their host. How trusting, how confident, how status conscious, etc.

Checking the door you find it unlocked. After knocking a small halfling woman comes to the door, opening it wide to let you in as if already expecting you.

"Uh, thank you. I'll just settle in. Are rooms assigned?"

Rommin will find a room (either as indicated by the halfling or one he finds). He'll leave behind most of his gear, clean up and then spend some time exploring the manor. He'll make note of locked doors, but won't try to bypass them. Eventually, he'll settle into one of the common rooms with some wine and wait for the others to arrive.

The halfling shakes her head "Nope, find the one you please." She closes the door behind you and leads you up a grand stone staircase to where the various rooms are.

Looking about the house, you find that none of the doors are locked and you really do have free access to the house. While the manor itself is well kept and spacious the furniture is more functional than luxurious. There isn’t anything of high value that is likely to be stolen. There is however, plenty of food and drink. The staff is minimal consisting of the halfling who tends to the house, cooking, cleaning and assisting with any general things you might need help with. There is also a burly half-orc who tends to the grounds and performs general maintenance. He is friendly if confronted but not very talkative and would rather continue whatever he was working on or get to whatever he is about to start working on next.

Dimral walks slowly towards his destination, towering over the teeming masses of humanity filling the streets of Magnimar. Once he reaches the manor he knocks on the door, gently and waits for someone to answer.

Judah arrived just after the man-giant. Seeing the size of him, Judah stayed off the porch and waited patiently. He'd seen the big man in dreams before. At least he thought he had. He doubted the big man would appreciate knowing that right away, and it wasn't a conversation Judah was looking forward to anyway, so he kept his mouth shut and stood there to see who came to the door.

As you arrive you see movement already inside the manor. The door opens as a small halfling woman stands there, she freezes for a moment surprised to see someone the size of Dimral, but quickly regains her composure before opening the door wider to let you in.

When the others start arriving, Rommin greets them with a smile. He's casually relaxing in a stuffed chair, feet up on an ottoman and wine in hand.

"Hello. Are you here with a letter too?" He nods at his, resting open on the table. "Bedrooms are that way," he says, waving a hand vaguely, and with another gesture he adds "and the kitchen is that way. I'm Rommin, by the way."

"Judah." the stooped man in the cloak says with a small smile.

He looked like hell, but perked up at the word 'kitchen.' He squeezed past the giant man with a furtive glance up at him and a small nod that said please don't kill me, I'm harmless.

"Wonder if they have any of that mwangi bean brew…" he said making his way toward the kitchens.

Having read the letter, he is unsure just what they want with him. Perhaps the Silver Crusade feels that he might be of most use there, and so "St. Germaine" convinces himself that perhaps it is truelly time, after so may years, to return to Varisia. Musing to himself he thinks, "What is the old saying, "Sometimes you just can not go home again". Well, we shall see." Having been wandering of late anyway, doing small tasks for the Crusade and working with the Society when needed, St. Germaine begins to pack his few possessions, and make ready for the trip.

I believe the Dm said that they where going to have us RP a bit our trip to Varisia before the actual game begins. Wasn't sure, if that's the case, were we are.

Valai is, apparently, last to arrive. She quirks an eyebrow at seeing the activity already underway in the manor, but shrugs it off. She peremptorily knocks on the door and, when the Halfling woman arrives, tosses her a traveling cloak stained with road-dust.

"Whereto?" is all she asks.

"Is there food served?" the raven on her shoulder croaks, its beady eye seeking out anything shiny the Halfling might have on her...

The halfling shows Valai inside to where the others are and goes to hand her cloak "Diner will be served soon."

Dimral enters the hall and coldly considers the people greeting him:" the halfling seems to be some sort of servant but the others... a soldier of some kind, a sneak, and the woman with the raven stinks of magic, so she's probably a magician. Quite the company. I wonder if they were called here for the same reason I was."

"I've been called many things but among my people, the Skoan-Quah, my name is Dimral and I'm here on the request of the Society of path finders" he finally answers. Each word spoken with care, so there can be no misunderstanding about his purpose.

In that case. . .

A light knock on the door is heard, and whenhe finally comes to the realization that no one is going to answer, he slides it upon to peek inside. Hello?, oh Hello. I am here for the Pathfinders? Am I in the right place this time?, stepping inside. St. Germaine looks like a warrior, if not a religious one. He wears alightly Tien-styled armor, though the design has become much more common outside of that country in the last decade, and holds sheathed a large sword. A simple mournigstar hangs from his belt. St. Germaine seems genuine and simple, offering a reassuring nod towards those within. His arms and armor appear well used, but even more well loved, and in good working order. A simple holy symbol of Ragathiel, the Empyreal Lord of holy wrath, nobility, and duty, hangs like a rosary from his wrist, as he bows, shacking each of your hands if you accept it.

Valai gives Dimral a cool head-to-toe look, then turns her back on him with an audible sniff. Her eyes widen with a hint of alarm at St. Germain's arsenal, and she twitches her skirts aside a bit as she stalks to the far end of the room.

After a short time the halfling woman comes out from the kitchen and visually looks each of you over. "It appears everyone is here then. Diner is served in the dining room. Additionally, I have placed a letter on the table from your hostess." She leads you into the dining room, which is adjacent to the kitchen.

On the table is a well prepared meal, it looks like more food then the lot of you could potentially even eat in one sitting. Many of the plates are smoked or salted fish. A few containg pork and chicken. Otherwise there is a veritable garden of various fruits and vegetables, amongst a few different types of bread. Finally there are a number of different beverages including pure water, wine, and mead.

Near the head of the table a sealed letter sits atop a simple platter.

Rommin welcomes each arrival, but is very pleased to see Germain, who he pegs as a fellow front line warrior. He'll show him to the rooms, and drag out another armor rack for him to leave his gear on.

Almost as an afterthought, Rommin looks in on Dimral to see if he needs an armor rack too. If the Shoanti seems to know how to care for his armor in that way, Rommin will bring one out of storage for him too.

At dinner, Rommin eats heartily. At first, eating fast and a little sloppy. But after half a plate of food, he catches himself and his manners kick in. He slows in his eating and continues with proper etiquette. He tries some of everything, except that he sticks to wine as his beverage of choice.

Valai scrutinizes each dish for a while before filling a plate -- well, half-filling it. The majority of the dishes she gathers are fish and vegetables, with a very little chicken.

Almost as an afterthought, she piles a second plate high with pork, chicken and some of the sweeter varieties of fruit, all to the evident delight of her raven.

"One, and no more," the Elfmaiden sternly tells the raven as she pours two goblets of dark, red wine. "We are expecting this Sheila Heidmarch to judge our performance from arrival to negotiation, after all."

"Yes, Master," the black bird croaks before launching himself at the second plate.

Removing and stowing his armor and weapons, I'll nod at Rommin without saying much, (acknowledging his mettle without the need for fancy words, but rather a warrior's respect), "We do seem an odd lot, no.", [I]with a simply smile.

"We are expecting this Sheila Heidmarch to judge our performance from arrival to negotiation, after all."

[I]Watching the mage with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, I'll stand as she return to her seat, and wait until she sits before resuming my seat. "Ah, then you are familiar with this Mrs. Heidmarch, then friend? What can you tell us about, what I am to assume is our hostess? I received an invitation and request for assistance, but know not a thing about her, nor the reason I was called on."

"I know nothing about her, other than that my reputation must have piqued her interest, and that she is involved with this 'Pathfinder Society'," Valai says. "It is only logical for a prospective employer to scrutinize new talent before hiring, is it not?"

Rommin sets down his fork and sips his wine before replying "I expect we have been quite scrutizined already if we are here at their request. And I don't think we are here for our table manners."

Then he adds to Valai, "Its strange. If I had to guess, I would have thought the rest of us were here to escort you somewhere, but it sounds like you are in the same boat as the rest of us." He raises his glass to her in a gesture of respect.

Valai raises her glass in response and nods. A brief smile passes across her lightly coloured lips and then vanishes as the Elfmaiden starts to eat with dainty, little bites.

Next to her, the raven is sitting on the table bold as brass and gorging to his heart's content.

The hooded man didn't say anything. He was too busy eating voraciously. He did appear to be listening intently though.

Dimral merely stares away from Valai, choosing not to aknowledge her. He instead paces the manor stuying his surroundings with meticolous care. After a while his exploration is brusquely interrupted by the halfling servant reminding everyone about dinner. He sits down and samples the food slowly and carefully. When he's finished he breaks the seal of his missive and ponders over its contents.

[i]"I care little for riches, but this talk of a grave matter for varisia itself, looks promising. Coul it be I found my trail, at last?"[/b]

"I know nothing about her, other than that my reputation must have piqued her interest, and that she is involved with this 'Pathfinder Society'. . ."

"You must forgive me, my lady, but I am knew here, and I fear that I may have breeched etiquette, a failure on my part, by being unfamiliar with your reputation." while thinking to himself, harmlessly, "perhaps I can use that in this coming ordeal. . ."

"I care little for riches, but this talk of a grave matter for varisia itself, looks promising. Could it be I found my trail, at last?"

"What trail do you seek? Literal or metaphoric, my friend? Let me know if I might help."

After a filling dinner, Rommin retires to his bedroom. He enjoys the luxury of a quiet bedroom that isn't over a tavern main room. He settles in to go to sleep.

After a minute, his eyes pop open and he sighs. He cracks open the window curtains so the rising sun will wake him. He puts his hand axe on the small table by his bed. And he moves his armor rack in front of the door, so anyone opening it will likely knock it over. Satisfied at his preparations, and disappointed that he feels the need for them, Rommin settles back in and goes to sleep.

In the morning, he rises early. He fully equips himself, since he's not sure if they will be starting their mission following their late morning meeting or if there will be a delay.

He joins the others for breakfast downstairs, but doesn't eat nearly as much as he did the night before. He is quiet and seems preoccupied ahead of their meeting.

Judah paces, reads, fiddles with a strange gold pyramid thing on a chain, jogs around the house, and does everything he can not to sleep.

That was a thought, St Germain. Unfortunately I wrote the tags wrong, but it was not meant to be heard, so I can't answer your question. And I am playing Dimral as someone who takes great care with words, much favoring silence and actions over dialogue, I hope this works for everyone

"You will learn," Valai says, with an arrogant little raising of her chin. "You will learn."

After dinner, the Elfmaiden goes to sit by the fire, keeping her back to the wall, and brings out a book from one of her pockets. It appears to be a small travelling journal, as she starts to write in it while the rest of the group retires to sleep.

In the morning, Valai is first in the dining room, but sitting in a meditative position and perusing a rather larger tome. She snaps its cover shut just as the first of the other party members comes in, and stows the volume. You may note that in spite of the early hour, the Elfmaiden is already impeccably groomed and smells faintly of scented soap.

"I should be interested to see whether this house has a library," she announces, "as our hostess has chosen to delay her dramatic entrance. Has anyone seen the factotum since yesterday evening?"

'Factotum' being the word for the chief of staff, or at least for a very highly-placed servant. Not an insulting term in and of itself.

After a good nights rest and a solid breakfast you all head off to Heidmarch Manor which is located in the Alabaster District of Magnimar, not far from the city’s easternmost gate. The manor grounds are surrounded by a stone wall, but the front gate hangs open. When you arrive, you are asked to wait in the foyer, as Sheila Heidmarch is finishing up a meeting with an unexpected visitor.

After a short time of waiting two women come into the room. The first, has an intricate dress of deep blues and greens. She has fair skin, and raven black hair, held back with a simple, yet fashionable tiara. The second is an attractive half-elven woman dressed in leather armor and armed with a distinctive-looking mithral-and-redwood aklys and a bastard sword both currently sheathed and hanging from her belt.

The woman leading sees Nimt and smiles and moment, briefly bowing her head in greeting before looking the rest of you over. "Greetings, for those of you who don't already know me. I am Sheila Heidmarch." She does a very traditional, Korvosian curtsey before motioning to the half-elf "This is Koriah Azmeran, just returned from an expedition to the Darklands below Varisia, having successfully scouted out a new route down to Nar-Voth from the Fogscar Mountains. Koriah has returned with a surprising number of Thassilonian artifacts from this expedition, and I must spend a few more moments discussing the implications of this discovery with her. I apologize for the further delay." She pauses for a moment as if in thought. She then asks "Will you all please accompany me into the library?." Before waiting for a response she begins to walk out of the room, Koriah following.

"Artifacts from Thassilion... this looks promising indeed!"

Dimral almost starts to smile but catches himself and follows the two pathfinders, his huge frame dwarfing them as they walk.

At the mention of ancient artifacts, Judah looked pained. He sighed and followed.

The Darklands? Huh. What are we getting into?

Rommin follows along quietly.

Valai makes her own, admittedly very elegant, curtsies to both Sheila and Koriah. When the human woman mentions the Thassilonian artefacts, Valai's eartips visibly twitch. When the invitation to come to the library comes, Valai cuts in front of everyone but Koriah to get to Sheila's side.

"As you may have heard, I am myself something of a student of the remnants of Thassilon," she says. "I should be... honoured and well-pleased to assist you in researching this remarkable find."
She shoots a glance at Koriah, and a very brief smile flickers across her face. "You are to be commended for surviving such an expedition, sir. Those rather unique-looking weapons of yours must have served you well."

She shoots a glance at Koriah, and a very brief smile flickers across her face. "You are to be commended for surviving such an expedition, sir. Those rather unique-looking weapons of yours must have served you well."

Rommin flushes a little at Valai's comments. I should of thought to say something like that. They'll think I'm some hick grunt if I don't. After an awkward pause, he says "Yeah, I can't imagine. The Darklands. Wow." Yeah, I probably should have stayed quiet.

Then he glances at Valai. I guess it is a good thing they're sending her as part of the group.

Valai just for reference Koriah is a she :)

Sheila nods as Valai talks "That is of course, part of the reason you are here." Koriah acknowledges both Valai and Rommin with a smirk "Perhaps you'll have your chance to do just the same and retrieve the Society some artifacts."

-----

Coming into the other room this most definitely serves as a library and study. The walls are lined with bookshelves, while several tables in the middle of the room are heaped with scrolls and books. One table in the center, however, supports only a single object — an ornate cubical stone coffer covered with Thassilonian runes. Sheila motions toward the table "Please have a seat."

After you get situatied she continues "Again, I apologize for the delay, as I must conclude my business with Pathfinder Azmeren before we meet. In the meantime, though, I thought you could help us with another minor issue. This stone coffer is an ancient Thassilonian puzzle, a cunning feat of magical engineering known as a paradox box. As you’ll see from even a casual investigation, what appear to be seams on the sides are only shallow grooves — there’s no obvious way to open the thing. Each paradox box has its own secret method of being opened. Essentially, a paradox box substitutes hidden catches and magical triggers for a lock. Given time, anyone clever enough could figure out how to open a paradox box, just as given time, a locksmith can open any lock. This particular box was among those items recovered by Koriah — the scrolls next to the box are her preliminary notes on possible triggers or methods of opening it, but she’s not yet had a chance to sit down and properly investigate the thing. So... why don’t you put your heads together and see if you can’t do that for me? Even if the box is empty, as I suspect it probably is, knowing the method of opening it makes it a valuable find anyway. I’ll return shortly, and I hope to see that box open! Think of this as an audition, if you will — because the actual task I want to speak to you about soon will require as much wit as it will brawn!”

She nods to you all and then begins to walk out of the room, Koriah following behind.

I could've sworn I read Koriah was a he. ^^; Oh, well.

Valai rises immediately as soon as the two Pathfinders start to leave the room. With quick, sure movements, she starts unrolling and weighing down the scrolls, placing them all around the paradox box.

The Elfmaiden casts a brief spell and scrutinizes the paradox box before turning to the rest of the people in the room. "Everyone start reading one," she says. "Compare notes once you've finished a scroll."

One Detect Magic, plus Spellcraft 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26.

Once the two Pathfinders are out of the room, Rommin will pick up the box and check it over. He's looking for anything that is out of the norm other than the grooves that Sheila pointed out. Then he'll give it a gentle shake to see if it makes any noise.

If that doesn't yield anything, he'll set it back down and start going through scrolls with Valai.

"Well, it isn't empty. I can hear something in there." Then after a beat he adds "I hope its not fragile."