GM Debug's PbP PFS 4-11: The Disappeared (Inactive)

Game Master DebugAMP

Intelligence check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

"I'd say just over half the sands in the glass have fallen by now. As long as we can avoid any further confrontations or other headwinds, we should have enough time to make our way back."

"um..."
"Uh..."
Int: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

"Yeah! What Sirius said. Except the sand stuff, maybe 32 or 34 minutes have passed? Let's just take it nice and easy on the way back, we can afford the time."

Koani takes a moment to adjust Blarg's bow, which got knocked loose during the battle with the chair. Then she turns and starts to carefully make her way back through the tunnels.

Rogar follows Koani down into the tunnels.

Int. Check: 1d20 ⇒ 16

"Yeah, about 32 to 34 minutes since we left."

As you make it back to Zarta's study, your message spell begins to function as Amara Li's voice time though your heads.

"The ambassador is getting restless and
I'm going to try to distract him."

As you near the office, she contacts you yet again, informing you this time that he is likely in his way.

"Time to slip in, sit down and get comfy." Sheela prepares to sit down.

Oh, and she dismisses her disguise self spell.

Koani removes the bow from Blarg. She spends a moment talking to and petting her dinosaur, rewarding him for being such a good boy and putting up with the ridiculous bow. Then she settles into a chair, trying to look as if she'd been waiting for quite a while.

Angela gives one last longing look at the filing room. "Ah, I wish we could have spent more time here! All the things we could learn from this place... But you're right we should be heading back, I've completely lost track of time with those files."

Angela crawls through the tunnels and tries to act inconspicuous on the trek back to the room. Part way through, she realizes the spell on her that had been bolstering her so much has failed and gives a slight sigh over it's loss.

In the room, she sets down her pack again and tries to make her self comfortable, but catching sight of Sheela just about to sit down the halfling pops up and rushes over. "Hold it! I happened to find the paperwork you need to fill out for sitting down. If you want to be sitting when the ambassador comes in you'll need to fill out this, this and this in triplicate." Angela hands over some papers with a pen and a serious look.

A good look at the papers, however, proves them to be a couple copies of the form for getting the society to cover your travel expenses.
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Int check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

"I-I do?" Sheela looks at the pages grabs a pen, and prepares to sign them. "This isn't going to suck out my soul or anything, right?"

Rogar lounges in a chair, waiting for the ambassador.

A twinkle appears in Angela's eyes, as she realizes she has Sheela in what might be called 'hook, line, and sinker.' Hmm, getting people to fill these papers out can be so troublsome... Let's get her to fill out one at least.

"Yup, you do. I haven't included the 'soul-sucking' papers and if you check this box here they won't even ask about it."

As soon as Sheela finishes with the documents, Angela picks them up and asks a few questions about how much it cost Sheela to get here, and what kind of accommodations she used. "... Okay, your reimbursement will be handed to you the next time you travel to your home lodge. Feel free to never have to worry about sitting down in Cheliax again!"

"Phew. You saved me a load of trouble, Angela!" Sheela bends down to give the halfling a hug. "I will definitely invite you to a big party I'm attending- you'll be my plus one. You simply have to tell everyone how much trouble you've saved me from. Especially this soul-sucking nonsense." Sheela scoffs. "There's this halfling acrobat who is terrible with money- I'll introduce you him later. He's quite flexible." She grins.

Rogar perks up at the sound of the word "party."

"Party? Can I go?

"Of course! All of you are invited. I hope you like wine, although there are a few dwarves there that enjoy an ale or two. I'm certain they will find something interesting during the afterparty!"

After a few more minutes, Amara Li's voice echoes in your heads again. "The ambassador will be in his office in a manner of minutes."

True to her word, the door opens and you are greeted by a Chellish man in formal attire, smelling of Brandy. "Good evening, Pathfinders. I've been informed that you bear information that must be personally delivered to the ambassador himself.". He smiles and tugs at his lapels. "Yours truly. So what is it that you bring me?"

Koani motions to Angela to give the ambassador the packet of information they brought as their cover. She stands respectfully, but otherwise remains silent.

Wide-eyed with surprise, Angele gives Sheela a few akward pats on the back before listening to her party invitation with an almost plastic smile, that is until she catches wind of the woman's undertones. "That sounds... 'lovely.' An acrobat, you don't say... Wait just *how* flexible?"

"Of course! All of you are invited. I hope you like wine, although there are a few dwarves there that enjoy an ale or two. I'm certain they will find something interesting during the afterparty!"

"I have met someone with dwarf blood who was absolutely enamored with wine. He always seemed to have a bottle on himself somewhere."

True to her word, the door opens and you are greeted by a Chellish man in formal attire, smelling of Brandy. "Good evening, Pathfinders. I've been informed that you bear information that must be personally delivered to the ambassador himself.". He smiles and tugs at his lapels. "Yours truly. So what is it that you bring me?"

Angela stands at the first sign of the door opening and then straightens smartly when she confirms that it is an official of some sort. Mentally trying not to wrinkle her nose at the smoky brandy smell, she responds. "Ah, good evening, sir. I am Angela Isafira." With this she extends her hand for the ambassador to shake, before starting to gesture around the room and introduce everyone in turn. "The woman in the finery and jewels is Sheela Kolphan; the man with the billowing clothes would be Sirius Sa'luk; Rogar Goldminer is, as you might have guessed from the name, our more than token dwarf; the elf in the forest motif outfit is Koani, and the cu... small dinosaur in the corner would be Blarg. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Turning back to the ambassador, Angela grabs the files from her bag and recomposes herself and gives the man her best secretarial smile. "Sorry to drag you away from your gala, but we had information about your interests in Sargava that we were told had to be handed to you post haste. Given how often the Society and Chelaix interact one would expect us to have better channels for this, but it curiously seems like we don't. No worries, I'm sure we can come up with a better solution for this at a later date, but for now this will have to do."

"Oh, well. I heard this acrobat once had to crawl into a clock built for giants to rescue a wizard's pet mouse who had gotten stuck inside. He was swift, gentle and able to get into just the right places." She grins. "He said he would be entertainment for a few parties, but he was formally invited to the next one as a guest." Sheela is ready to prattle on when she gets the warning from Amara Li. "Oh bother. I'll tell you more later. For now though, we brush!" She pulls out a hair brush and uses Mage Hand to groom herself.

"Pleased to meet you, ambassador." Sheela goes for the handshake. "Pathfinder Society keeps us on a tight schedule, I'm afraid. We were told to give you the information on Sargava as soon as possible."

Not sure if I need to roll to be nice/not raise suspicion, but
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Sheela's got her groove back!

He smiles towards Sheela and nods his head. "My thanks for this information. With intelligence, time is always of the essence before it becomes yesterday's news. I shall make sure to bring this to the attention of the... right people as soon as possible. I believe I speak for house Thrune when I say that I appreciate our relationship with the Pathfinder Society. Good evening to you all."

With that he takes the folder and departs, summoning Anstrella to escort you back out.

~~Some time later~~

You make your way back to the Grand Lodge to find Venture-Captain Valsin anxiously awaiting news.

"Well... report?"

If you really valued your relations with us you would bloody tell us when our main contact is taken into custody. Angela keeps the smile on her face. "As do we, sir, as do we."

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Outside of the embassy, Angela gives a stretch and then pops her neck. "I don't think I have ever seen such a soulless place. I like my efficiency, no mistake, but I would loathe working in a place that will remove you from the map if someone can passably forge a condemning letter." She looks back at the group. "Well, shall we head back?"

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In the Venture-Captain's office, Angela assumes the same pose as she had with the ambassador, giving the man a bow but this time relaxing slightly. She looks to someone to tell the story of the group's mission, while she gets her papers ready. At the right time she presents Valsin with the original copy of the cypher, a transcription of the memo on the back of the painting, a copy of the cypher key, and the cypher decoded. She also pulls out a few pages with sketches of the images they saw in the ventilation system, as well as the originals of what they found in the filing cabinets and the decoded versions of them as well. On the last page she includes a sketch of Blarg in her cute bow.

Koani describes the journey through the tunnels and the fight with the chair. She leave someone else to describe the research and decoding.

"Thank you, ambassador. Always a pleasure!" Sheela waves and waits for the oaf to leave before she rolls her eyes. "That's always the problem with Advantaged- we don't know how to struggle. It's all smiles until trouble smarts." She exhales. "Let's get out of here."

With the venture captain, Angela gives a very thorough run down of their adventure. Sheela adds, "Oh, and there were imps in Zarta's bedroom, too. As soon as we defeated them they merged back into the mural on the wall. Nasty little creatures. Luckily Soaring Star was able to claw one of them. Oh well, Angela at least saved me from any soul-sucking contracts out there- one can't be too careful in Chileax."

Koani describes...the fight with the chair. She leave someone else to describe the research and decoding.

"Stupid leshy puppet...."

"Hmmm, taken to Citadel Vraid? And framed by Tancred Desmire... I'm aware that he has some... Less than positive attitude towards the Pathfinder society but this merits additional research. Great work uncovering this information and keeping your cover in the process. If and when we prepare to mount a rescue I'm sure I can count on you."

Angela perks up at the idea of a rescue mission to get the para-countess and her faction leader nonetheless. "You wouldn't happen to need someone to audit that mission as well, would you? If I have at least two weeks to work through any back log that might have built up and fix any systems that my colleagues might have fouled up, I should be available."

Does anyone know what scenario that is in? I'd love to try that with the same character.

It's Fortress of the Nail, but it's tier 5-9 :(

Then I shall wait! :=(
assuming we are done here:

As the group gets dismissed, Angela moves over to Koani, glancing at Blarg with somewhat longing eyes. "I happen to live near here, would you like to have a cup of tea?"

Sheela nods in agreement. "Well, it sounds like we'll have to train hard to get ready for that mission. We can't have them erasing Pathfinders on phony charges. Pfft. Chileax. In my home we would publicly shame you if we needed to."

"So, Angela, about that party. Next weekend?"

Koani smiles at Angela. "I would love to, if it's OK for Blarg to come along. The last time I tried to leave him, he bit holes in a big pile of towels."

"I hope Blarg doesn't mind being pet, or playing fetch. I'll try to tell the primal summoner not to go overboard with a plaything."

Then I shall wait! :=(

assuming we are done here:

As the group gets dismissed, Angela moves over to Koani, glancing at Blarg with somewhat longing eyes. "I happen to live near here, would you like to have a cup of tea?"

"Sure, although I'd prefer some ale."

"Before you leave..."

Ambrus produces a small envelope which he opens and empties onto the table. Five tokens, each stamped with the House of Thrune's insigna clatter onto the surface.

"We received these some time ago from Zarta as a sign of her good will. Given your excellent execution of this job on her behalf, I feel it fitting you should carry them... they may prove useful to you in the future."

~The end~

Angela stops for a moment at Sheela's invitation obviously thinking things over. "Next weekend? Hmmmm... I should be free then. Are you sure you are okay with organizing something that fast?"

To Koani's next inquiry Angela scoffs. "OIf course he is invited! I've seen how well behaved he is, not to mention he's an absolute darling

As Rogar seems to introduce himself to her house, Angela gives him a couple of blank blinks, before slowly responding. "Uh, sure, I guess we could get some ale from a tavern on the way home... Hmm, Why not make this a whole group gettogether... So, how about everyone else; what would you like to drink if it's not tea or ale?"

About to head out the door, her head full of the logistics of getting drinks and poissibly snack and food for four other people, Angela takes a second to realize the Venture-Captain still had one last thing to say to the group. Turning about heel, Angela heads to the desk and picks up a token. She examines it for a second before sliding it into her breast pocket. "Thank-you, sir! I'm sure this will be very useful in the future, especially when we go and rescue the paracountess... Apparently I have a small party to organize now, so if I may I think I will take my leave now."

_________

At the gettogether, it is clear that Angela was hoping for some time with Blarg, as she spends most of the night scratching the dinosaur in his favorite places while conversing with everyone and trying play the role of hostess.

Koani smiles to see Blarg making a friend. She is glad someone saw through his exterior combat monster to see the sweet little dino who she snuggles to sleep most nights.

"Don't worry about the logistics of throwing parties. That is my area of expertise. I smile and things fall into place rather neatly." She picks up the coin and reads the letter. "Of course they'd be impressed with a status symbol."

Once the rest of the party has left, she pulls out her card. The Venture-Captain signs on the next empty dotted line and she's glad. 10 down, 10 more to go... on this card.

Perform(Sing): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Sheela isn't too bad of a singer, even when she's drunk on wine. Angela isn't sure where she got the wine from, since she served tea.

It becomes clear at the party that Sheela is good at hiring good natured yet wildly curious folk. Most are entertainers, many are well-to-do and most are bored and would love to find some way to waste time. Sheela chats up a human swashbuckler for most of the night, gets drunk again and they slip off somewhere a bit more quiet.

In the morning, Sheela slips out of... wherever she wound up, only to hear a horse snort at her. "Uh, excuse me... Oh! Queen Rainbowtrot! You came, finally! This is a... not perfect opportunity. Oh, don't snort at me like that. Let's get out of here before his wife shows up... No, I was a perfect lady last evening. For certain definitions of perfect."

Sheela clutches onto her favorite hat as she Queen Rainbowtrot run out of town, towards the sunset and away from the very angry woman running after her.
I'm level 4, woo! Thanks for the game everyone!

After the party, Koani takes her little buddy and leaves, giving thanks and farewells to her companions as appropriate. She goes home and goes to sleep, curled up with her little dinosaur.
Thanks, everyone, this was a lot of fun.

Sheela clutches onto her favorite hat as she Queen Rainbowtrot run out of town, towards the sunset and away from the very angry woman running after her.

"WAIT FOR MEEEE!" Shouts the voice of Sirius from a nearby rooftop, seconds before the rest of him lands with surprisingly light impact on Queen Rainbowtrot's hindquarters, and the very angry woman running after Sheela is joined in the street by a very angry man...and another one, who is wearing a barrel and very little else...and an Abadaran vicar...and a gravedigger...and a stagecoach with at least three accusatory fingers emerging from the windows...and a leprechaun....

Having decided to let loose and drop the formality and stiffness she normally carries herself with, "Never letting loose is a great way to lose efficiency after all.", Angela proves to be a great wordsmith, verbally sparring with some of the best, but seems a little shy and out of place with everything else. She makes sure to spend some time with everyone from the latest mission, before heading home.

The next morning the cry of "WAIT FOR MEEEE!" draws Angela's attention from the tea she was making to the window of her kitchen. She watches the escapades of Sirius and Sheela with a small smile on her face. With a small shake of her head she goes back to brewing. Heading back to her bedroom with two cups she adds a mental note to, along with inviting Koani back over and sending Rogar some ale, send Sheela a thank-you note for introducing the very flexible acrobat... and make sure the paperwork for Sirus's Raise Dead is ready.

Angela is now level two where she comes into her own as a wizard of skills! Thanks everyone, I had a lot of fun with this!