GM Endless Forms' Core PFS The Life and History of Grandmaster Torch (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

"Torag's taint! Man, running is always a bad idea. Who's your boss?"

Diplo: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Calm down and my friend here won't act too rashly. Now, tell us everything about the Lance. You know the one I mean, don't you?

"My b-boss?" Barnel stutters pathetically. "I've never seen her face. She passed the Lance along to me though. What do you want with me?"

"We need a name or a way to contact her, otherwise we take you to the Greycloaks." Pierre states plainly to the man.

"Ooh, I think we should take him there...

"No, no! You can't take me there. I told you, I don't know her name but I think that she's a Graycloak. Please, if you take me to jail I won't survive the night if that suspicion is true! She hates clerics with a passion; I think she must be from that god-hating place down south."

"I was asked to put out inquiries for potential clients interested in something big and expensive that would need to be moved soon. I don't know the exact location of the boss’s hideout, but I know that the goods are usually kept somewhere on the north side of the Ascendant Court, in a warehouse near the Pitview Pub."

Ooh, look lads! Hingle chimes in, clearly enjoying watching the man squirm. He can be useful after all! Now wouldn't it have been easier to just tell us that in the first place, and not have to go change your breeches now?

"Fair enough, Rondel." Pierre states. "Keep this to yourself, if you know what's good for you."

Pierre will gather the group and move to find the warehouse.

"argh. I'm ready. Point me at the bad guys"

-Posted with Wayfinder

Just as you are leaving Barnel, a courier arrives with a summons from Grandmaster Torch to meet him at the baths in the Pleasure Salon of Calistria.

A burly half-orc guard stands near the entrance to the bathhouse. Grandmaster Torch reclines in one of the numerous small pools that make up the sauna, and steam fills the air. An attendant is rubbing a salve on Torch's burn-ravaged face, but quickly gets up and leaves when Grandmaster Torch gives a silent gesture.

"I have news from the Decemvirate and perhaps some assistance for you, but first I would like to hear what your progress is."

you know, any other character would go into this with extreme skepticism, but our party has a much more concentrated history with Torch....

"out with it Torch, you know we're good for it."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Hingle is much less circumspect than his companions. :-)

Ooh! Hingle exclaims, and the rest comes out in one long breath: Well, we've talked to Barleyhusk and Horace and Moltwin and by connecting the dots well I know you said to work with the Greycloaks but we are pretty sure that there's actually a Greycloak involved in the crime from the start which is probably why there hasn't been anything uncovered beyond the item itself after all why would you implicate yourself when you're involved can I have some ale please my mouth is a little dry all of a sudden.

"Get him some ale." Torch commands with a smirk on his face. "There's been another development while you were away though."

"Kreighton has discovered another relic, and he claims this could be the most important one yet. Supposedly, this keg was scavenged from the ashes of the original Cayden's Hall and is the last keg Cayden Cailean drank from before he took the Test of the Starstone. After selling it to our relic dealer, the tavern keeper threw a huge celebration and bragged openly about how the Pathfinders were funding her retirement. By now, we can assume that we have piqued the interest of every would-be relic thief in Absalom."

"While I am loathe to put you in harm's way, this does present a unique opportunity. Should you accept responsibility for moving the keg from the pick-up location to the Grand Lodge, you will undoubtedly be the target of the relic thief we're looking for. If you properly prepare yourselves though, you might be able to reverse the ambush and catch the bandit before he makes off with the relic, or follow the thief afterward to find out where he's been hiding. Either way, you'll want to make sure not to kill the suspect, since whoever is behind this won't be much use to you dead. Tracking down the culprit's main sit of operations is the most important thing right now-after that, you should search for as much incriminating evidence as possible."

"It's a huge gamble-which somehow seems appropriate when a relic of Cayden Cailean is on the line. This isn't the sort of thing I would normally ask a Pathfinder to do, but we've already lost one courier and another was badly injured. I'd like this ordeal to finally be over with, and with your help, we can make that happen."

Grandmaster Torch gives you a scroll of locate object "just in case you misplace something important."

"cayden's cod piece! Okay, I'm in.... not sure about not killin people, but this is some serious A-Team level fun."

-Posted with Wayfinder

An opportunity! This is the break we needed! Let's catch the thieves in the act!

Cayden's Last Keg is 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall and weighs 75 pounds. The relic merchant has thoughtfully provided a small wagon pulled by a donkey to transport it. The keg has old char marks on it as if it had been in a fire, and it still sloshes with the remnants of hops and ale.

You have made your way witht he cart through most of the Ascendant Court with your keg in tow and a fair amount of tension hangs in the air as you wait for the inevitable ambush. A wagon loaded with over a dozen chicken cages has topped onto its side ahead, and a farmer and a local vendor are arguing loudly over whose fault it was rather than clearing the alley.

Only Rhy and Pierre notice a woman lurking in the alley ahead watching you and fingering a spell component pouch....

Initiative: Surprise!

1. Pierre
2. Tersula and Durnil
3. Rhyfelwr

Initiative:

1. Hingle, Zax, and Pierre
2. Tersula
3. Umaga
4. Durnil
5. Brak and Rhyfelwr

---

Pierre is up with a surprise round action!

Sorry, let this one slip through the cracks for a few days. Pierre was taking the bar exam this week was I'll assume he just draws weapons or something.

The woman in the alley glances down at a scroll in her hand and quickly reads the words under her breath, although it has no obvious or immediate effect.

Initiative: Surprise!

1. Pierre
2. Tersula and Durnil
3. Rhyfelwr

Initiative:

1. Hingle, Zax, and Pierre
2. Tersula
3. Umaga
4. Durnil
5. Brak and Rhyfelwr

Rhy can take a surprise round action! Hingle, Zax, and Pierre can start off the regular round of actions!

I'll confront the woman! Guard the cart! She can't be alone!

Zax will approach the woman and attempt to attack her with his longsword!

Longsword: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 for Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

still at gen con, so worries here.

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Zax! Stay your blade from drawing blood! We have been commissioned to arrest, not kill." Pierre says as he stays at the side of the party.

He takes a defensive stance over the keg, ready to lash out at anyone trying to steal this relic. "Protect the relic at all costs!"

Ready Action - First Person to Try and Take the Relic | Nonlethal: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 5 - 4 = 9
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Zax's blade misses!

Coming out of invisibility as she finishes casting a spell, another woman nearby tries to put you to sleep!

Rhy and Umaga: DC 16 Will save or fall asleep

Initiative:

1. Hingle, Zax, and Pierre
2. Tersula
3. Umaga
4. Durnil
5. Brak and Rhyfelwr

Umaga is up!

will sleep: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Umaga takes a nap.

Acro: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

The first woman tries to push past Zax but he is too strong for her! This provokes from Zax.

Initiative:

1. Hingle, Zax, and Pierre
2. Tersula
3. Umaga
4. Durnil
5. Brak and Rhyfelwr

Brak, Rhy, Hingle, Zax, and Pierre are up!

I will punish those who promote evil in this world!

AoO: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15 for Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Zax then lashes out again, however he heeds the wise words of his friend!

Non-Lethal Attack: 1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 6 - 4 = 20 for Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

"It's on now girl!" Brak prepares to bifurcate her, but then looks at his loyal friend Umaga. "Dammit boy." Full Round Action to slap him awake followed by a 5' step.

Zax hits the woman with the flat of his blade as Brak shakes Umaga awake.

Initiative:

1. Hingle, Zax, and Pierre
2. Tersula
3. Umaga
4. Durnil (6 nonlethal)
5. Brak and Rhyfelwr

Rhy, Hingle, and Pierre are up!

Whoa! Hingle exclaims as the woman appears. That's a neat trick. I need to learn that one...

Hingle moves up alongside Brak and casts color spray (DC 15 Will)!

As the party looks to involved in the fight, Pierre will continue to watch over the keg, leaping onto the wagon and placing a foot on it while brandishing his weapons.

"One sorceress to fight us? Surely there is another angle here..." he mutters to himself.

Rhy hasn't posted in a long time; not sure what happened to him. I'll put him on hold for now though.

Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Hingle's spell puts one of the women on the ground. The other dismisses her spell with a wave of her hand and says, "Ok, ok! Mercy! You can have the keg if you leave my sister as she is and don't kill her! Nor me either!"

"eh start spilling your guts before *I* start spilling your guts."

-Posted with Wayfinder

And what of your accomplices? Surely this isn't all your doing.

"No, no," the woman blubbers pathetically at Brak's threats. "We were just sent to steal the keg by our boss. We don't even know her, who she is at least. We were just supposed to steal it and drop it at the warehouse." She can give you directions to the warehouse.

The exterior of the run-down warehouse is rotting, and the roof is clearly sagging in places. Any paint that once coated its walls has long since flaked off the parched-looking gray wood. The windows are boarded firmly shut, and both pairs of loading doors appear to be jammed closed.

So, shall we just barge in or do one of you want to check the place out before we do that?

This would seem to be Pierre's area of expertise, don't you think? Hingle looks expectantly at the rogue.

"aye let him poke around, then he can tell me where to kick down!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Makes sense." the Galtan says as he looks over the warehouse.

Pierre will investigate as quietly as possible.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Pierre leads the way through the eastern loading door. The place seems deserted until you take a few steps into the building and suddenly several glass flasks of alchemist's fire fall from the ceiling in two different places, setting some of the boxes and crates below on fire. If you aren't quick, the whole place could burn down before you've collected any evidence!

We are essentially in combat-rounds now. To move through a space that is on fire, you will need a DC 15 Ref save to avoid catching fire. You can extinguish a 5' square with a successful DC 15 Survival check. Exceeding it by at least 5 can extinguish more than one square.

Create water has a 50% chance of extinguishing a square while higher-level spells with the cold or water descriptor extinguish more (1st = 1 square, 2nd = 4 squares, 3rd = 9 squares).

Everyone can take a round of actions.

Umaga will move up and try to smother the growing flames.

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Curse my damn short legs! Double move.

Pierre runs to the far fire and puts out part of the growing flame.

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 19

Zax will double move so that he can get in position to fight the fire!

Hingle double moves as well.

Pierre puts some of the fire out, only to have it spread back. The fire closer to the door, however, spreads even more and an inferno seems imminent is something is not done!

Ok, another round of actions!

If it is a move action I will "double" up and try 2 survival checks.

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 141d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Doubling up:

Survival 1: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Survival 2: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
Survival check 1: 1d20 ⇒ 6
Survival check 2: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Hingle tries to beat his cloak on the fire, only to see it catch aflame itself. Oh! Oh, that probably won't help...

2d20 ⇒ (19, 7) = 26

Pierre seems to be containing the blaze with Brak. "Good work, dwarf. A few more seconds and we should have this fire out."

If possible, Zax will try to put out two spaces of fire, 5' stepping in between if he is lucky enough to do so.

Survival: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Survival: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Pierre and Brak seem to have their fire almost under control. The other group, however, is having trouble fighting their inferno off....

[ooc]Another round!

2d20 ⇒ (20, 20) = 40 Can extinguish up to four squares.

Pierre leaps up onto the boxes and extinguishes the rest of the flames with ease.

"Dwarf! The rest of the group isn't doing so hot!" Pierre chuckles to himself.