GM Evil's First Steps Part 1: In Service to Lore (Inactive)

Game Master Steven_Evil

Huckleberry's shot goes wide again, but it doesn't matter, because Amba's strike cuts the Imp, and he stops attacking.
I yield! No more. You can have the damned box, and tell Zarta I give up. Tell her I deserve whatever punishment she deems appropriate...

You are easily able to obtain the box, since it's just sitting on the floor, and Zarta herself shows you out.
I hope you learned a thing or two today, my brave little Pathfinders... Oh, and keep the letter opener. Just promise me you'll come back to visit for some... fun sometime in the future.

She gives you one last coy wink, and then you are back onto the street, ready to embark on another part of your mission.

Where to now?

"Hah!" cries Amba when she feels her sword penetrate the thick skin of the fiendling. His mention of punishment rubs her the wrong way and she's about to argue, until she remembers what kind of creature they're dealing with. "Fine. Better one of your kind than the poor folk who have to work for her..."

She picks up the box and strides out the room, barely acknowledging the Paracountess on the way out. "Keep your letter opener, for all I care. And you might rethink that speech about Cheliax being in control of the forces of Hell. Hah!" She scoffs, and then makes sure she's out of the office room as fast as she can.

--

Once outside, she consults with the others. "So, all that is left is the Docks, I think?"

-Posted with Wayfinder

Seleena nods. "So it is."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Loading up his rifle, muttering under his breath about the damn contraption, "Aye, docks, finally sumthin' Ai'll know,"

I just arrived in Florida. I had planned on being able to update as soon as I got here, but my computer is packed all the way in the back of the truck. Expect everything to be updated/caught up/posted at least by Monday. Sorry for the delay everyone!

Jidai bows to the paracountess as they give her the box.

"It appears we have completed our task here. We have one more place to go," she says as she turns to leave for the docks.

This creepy shop contains myriad odds and ends, most bereft of any discernible use. A number of malformed creatures and creature parts bob in jars on a long, prominent shelf, a tiny fetal devil centered in this macabre lineup. The shopkeeper, a greasy-haired Varisian with a thin mustache, shouts from behind the cluttered counter:
“Ah yes, I see the Pathfinders have arrived. I’m glad Ambrus was able to lend a few of his new recruits to help me. Please come in and let me tell you what I need.”

Looking around as if to be absolutely certain no customers are browsing the aisles of knock-off Thuvian burial urns or supposed Azlanti porcelain, he begins again.
“Well met. I am Guaril Karela. A friend of mine has a warehouse near here and he received a parcel on behalf of me and some of my associates, but there’s a problem. See, Master Gelbane had to leave town in a hurry and our shipment is still waiting at his warehouse. Rumor is he ended up in trouble with the law and the place was seized. I heard tell from someone down at the docks that some creep was snooping around his warehouse just the other night, so I want to make sure nothing of mine was taken. He keeps all kinds of things, from beer to nails, in that old pelican, but every now and then he stores something really special. This is one of those cases. There’s a big crate marked with three crows arranged in a triangle. Inside that crate is a smaller container with a few books and papers in it. That’s the only parcel I’m interested in, and as far as I’m concerned, you can help yourself to the rest of the crate. Honestly, anything else you want in the place too. I’m sure the once things get sorted out, the city will seize most everything else anyway. My associates and I often work with the Pathfinders when it comes to special relics and documents, getting them in and out of ports and across borders where the authorities ask too many questions. Most people don’t realize what they have and frankly many don’t deserve to have it, so sometimes we help take the goods off their hands. If things work out well and you get this done, I’d be glad to talk with you more and help you out with any future endeavors, as long as you help me out too. I’m good at returning favors, trust me.

Any questions before you head off?

Jidai, we were supposed to bring the box back to the Venture-Captain, not to Zarta. ;)

"Well met," the half-elven woman returns Guaril's greetings, "I am Amba Okoah. It makes sense that the Pathfinder Society would sometime need people with discretion, to transport their finds." She's silent for a moment, thinking about what she was told about the task. "This friend, has he left you with a key to the warehouse? Or will we need to break in? Can we expect problems from city officials? Are they guarding the building? Oh, and you have not told us where this warehouse is..."

"do we have to do this?" this really is a difficult assignment for lawful types

Seleena gives the man unhappy looks as he speaks of playing loose with the law, but she follows the party to the warehouse all the same.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Frowning in agreeance with Seleena, "Tough bein' a Pathfinder, have ta know when tha Societay comes before yer personal morals," Still he will follow along, not keen on breaking and entering either.

Amba shrugs. "We will not do anything wrong, will we? The crate is Mr. Karela's. We are only retrieving it for him, nothing else. We will leave the other items in the warehouse, of course."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Jidai also listens skeptically as they receive orders.

"I must express some hesitation as to this assignment," she says. "If these are our orders, I will do my best to comply, but I assure you that I will hearken to my conscience," she adds.

Grumbling, "Well lets jus' get 'is stuff and get on wit' it, aye"

Huckleberry, Amba, Seleena and Jidai and the rest of the group, head off to the docks, keen on recovering this package.

Hey, sorry for the delay again. I've been busy with a very intensive, and unexpected, job interview for an assistant manager job at a grocery store. I'm in the process of updating all of my games now.

My surface is giving me trouble copy-pasting the map; I'm going to have to use my wife's laptop later and get the map up. That's the only thing holding me up.

With that, you set off to head to the warehouse, and you find it easily enough. After an hour or so of walking, you come to the docks, and find your location. Perched on the end of a long pier fifteen feet above the water, the warehouse appears to struggle against its own roof, threatening to sag into the bay below. No light shines from the building’s windows and only the movement of gulls and pelicans stirs the scene. The pier this pelican warehouse sits on stretches 100 feet from the boardwalk and the docks proper, and stands 15 feet above the water. The planks on the pier are sturdy but weathered. A few local fishermen and some kids sit scattered along the pier casting nets or bobbing lines into the waters below. The building looks abandoned and in disrepair. The windows are dark and dirty and provide no view into the structure’s interior. A small boat bobs in the water below, tethered to the pier by a stout, salt-crusted rope. The warehouse’s heavy wooden front door is locked.
Map updated, and we should be done with this by the end of next week. I aim to get all of my games caught up and back on a steady posting track from here on out.

Jidai looks around as they reach the front door.

"Though the warehouse is abandoned, I dislike the idea of breaking the door down," she says. "That would open it to looting."

She looks for an open window or a way they could get in without damaging property.

take 20 perception: 20 + 5 = 25

Amba looks at the warehouse, trying to think of how to tackle this problem. "You are right, Jidai. There should be a better solution. Wait here, I might have something. " She steps into the small boat docked at the pier, and steers it around the warehouse. There seemed to be another door here. Maybe that one is unlocked?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Perception Amba: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Perception Huckleberry: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Perception Jidai: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Perception Seleena: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Perception Kaeldra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

As Amba steers the boat to the other door, the combined efforts of everyone searching and looking for an easier way in finds a hidden key sandwiched between two rickety slats over the doorframe! Huckleberry sees it first, and I able to reach it. It fits the lock of the warehouse door, and with a semi-loud creaking noise, the door opens stiffly.

Darkness fills the warehouse, the ambient light from outside blocked by a filthy, oily film on the structure’s few windows. Darting illumination comes from light reflecting off the water through a splintered hole in the floor. Throughout the warehouse, crates, boxes, and barrels lean against each other in vaguely sorted stacks. A lingering smell indicates some of the contents are certainly spoiled.
Perched in the middle of the hole, teetering on split  planks,  sits  a  large  crate  stamped  with  three  crows  arranged  in  a  triangle—the  very  crate  the  PCs  have  come to find. 

Handholds cut into the stout wooden crate ring the rim. Other barrels,  boxes, and crates sit stacked along the walls of the warehouse. Just inside  the door  sits a handful of crates and kegs of beer. Most of these  smaller crates and barrels contain foodstuffs in various states of 
freshness. Some crates reek of rot. Stacks of simple coffins sit against th e east wall. The rest of the crates stacked along the north and south walls  contain  simple  sundries  including,  but  not  limited  to  beer,  blocks of clay, coffee, coils of rope, dried fish, lead ingots, nails, nets, raw cotton, rough wool, spare sails, timber planks, variouspul leys and tools, and cheap weapons. 

A crane, used for loading and unloading boats, clings  to a rail running the length of the warehouse, hanging 5  feet below the high ceiling, and can slide out to extend  past  the  loading  doors  along  the  west  wall.

Looking around at the warehouse, "We're just lookin' fer a package,"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Looking around at the warehouse, "We're just lookin' fer a package,"

[dice=Perception] 1d20 + 6

The package is located smack dab in the middle of the rickety planks/flooring

"That does not look safe," Jidai says, "And if the floor breaks the crates may fall into the water. Maybe we should lower the crane first to lift it," she suggests, moving toward the crane.

Having tied up the boat again at the pier, Amba follows the others into the warehouse. "Well, that is lucky. With the key right here, we only have to borrow it a while."

She looks puzzled at seeing the crate perched on the half-splitted wood. "Why would anyone put that crate on there?!" she exclaims. She follows Jidai to the crane mechanism, but doesn't really fancy operating it. "It is a good idea to use the crane. However, maybe we should still see about using the boat. As a precaution. I will go and paddle the boat right below the crate, in case it fails."

Amba then walks back out, untied the boat again and tries to row it underneath the warehouse, right below the crate.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Huckleberry'll work with Jidai to move the crane around to latch onto the box.

"Be careful now,"

With a combined effort, the pathfinders are able to use the crane to hoist the crate up and to more stable flooring, but the noise from the creaking wood and pulleys is enough to wake a group of sleeping rats, who are quite angry about being woken up!

Round 1
Seleena

Dire Rats

Jidai
Huckleberry
Amba
Kaeldra

Seleena pulls out her bow. She brings it up as she steps to her left between Amba and the crate, then shoots an arrow at the nearest rat.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Will there be any way for me to get involved in the fight, seeing how I positioned Amba below the warehouse in a boat? :/ Could I jump or climb up, when my turn comes up?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Yes, the floor under the crate is broken enough that you can see/hear what is going on, and can make an acrobatics check to jump up into the room.

did you see my post GM?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Seleena's arrow strike true, but all it does is seem to anger the rat it's poking out of, and it races to the half orc in a frenzy to dine on half orc!
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Seleena Fortitude Against Disease: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Confirm Crit: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Extra Crit Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

The second rat races behind the third, eager to eat some half orc as well! Her armor turns away the vermin's teeth, though, and it finds itself with a mouthful of leather boot.
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

The third rat darts toward Huckleberry and Kaeldra, and bites at who: 1d2 ⇒ 1 Huckleberry! Like it's comrade, it only gets a mouthful of leather.
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Huckleberry Fortitude Against Disease: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Round 1
Seleena- Fires, hits!

Dire Rat 1- (3), Bit Seleena
Dire Rat 2- Misses seleena
Dire Rat 3- Misses Huckleberry

Jidai
Huckleberry
Amba
Kaeldra

Everyone else up!

Amba curses when she finds out that a fight has broken out in the warehouse, and that she's stuck in the boat below.

Right, I can do this, she tries to instill confidence in herself as she calculates the jump. "Powers of the jungle, cunning of the frog, please be with me today..."

Hunter's Focus as a swift action, for +4 on the Jump check.

Acrobatics to jump: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 2 = 15

Huckleberry will run over to the boxes on the edge and start climbing up them to gain some space.

"Damn rats, ruinin' e'rything"

Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Just waiting on Jidai. If she doesn't post by tomorrow morning, I'll bot her to move us along.

Sorry, back from my trip.

Jidai sends a swift kick at one of the rats.

Unarmed strike attack, flank: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 = 161d3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Round 1
Round 1
Seleena- Fires, hits!

Dire Rat 1- Bit Seleena, Dead (Red Outline)
Dire Rat 2- (3) Misses seleena
Dire Rat 3- Misses Huckleberry

Jidai- Kicks the s%!+ out of a rat!
Huckleberry- Climbs onto a box
Amba- Jumps into the room!
Kaeldra- Magic Missile! Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Round 2
Seleena

Dire Rat 2
Dire Rat 3

Jidai
Huckleberry
Amba
Kaeldra

Amba looks surprised at seeing the scene in the warehouse. "Rats?! I thought we were being attacked best something dangerous..."

In a fluent motion, Amba draws the slender elven blade from its sheath on her back, takes a step back and slices at the rat engaging Kaeldra.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Can't update map from my phone. Could someone move me down one square?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Amba kills her rat in one swing. Kaeldra steps back, and sighs with relief.
Thanks! I thought I was a goner!

Waiting on Jidai and Huckleberry now.

Jidai tries to kick one of the rats, but the loose floorboards throw her off balance.

Unarmed strike attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 91d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Well away from the rats now, Huckleberry’ll pull his rifle out and fire at one of the rats.

Attack + Point Blank Shot - Combat: 1d20 + 6 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 6 + 1 - 4 = 19
Damage: 1d12 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

”Dang nabbit, these rats,”

when will Seleena be up next?

Huckleberry obliterates the last rat, leaving you all to gather up your prize and return it to Guaril.

The rescued crate holds a smaller mahogany box inside, which contains 
five books and a few loose sheets of paper in a leather folder. The titles  and subjects seem  completely unrelated to each other: Practical Thaumaturgy In Accordance with Creation,  Geographic Anomalies of the Inner Sea, Under Kaer Maga: A Trial and Travel, Physiology of Dragons: An Illustrated Reference, Lost Sarusan. The leather  folder contains cargo manifestos, warehouse inventories,  and other financial logs from a dozen different merchant  houses and trade guilds.

The crate also contains 10 sets of masterwork thieves’  tools, three flasks of alchemist’s fire, a flask of acid, a dozen  jars of various inks, a footprint book*, adamantine weapon  blanch*, three bags of powder*, a deck of marked cards*,  and two sets of average loaded dice*. (Items marked with  an asterisk may be found in the Advanced Player’s Guide.) The trip back is quite uneventful, and Guaril accepts the crate with a wave of his hand and bids you be on your way.

End of this part! Almost finished!

As you make your way back to the Grand Lodge, you come upon some kind of celebration. A throng of people blocks the street ahead. A performance art group commandeers the street, drawing graffiti to create a jolly hellscape complete with illusory devils comically dancing around in circles. A few citizens avoiding the crowd slip off-street through a nearby alley, the only egress past the gathering. You make your way down into the alley, a strong mist suddenly springs up! The other citizens that were heading down into the alley with you suddenly run off, and you hear a young, feminine voice call out to you.
Why don't you just drop whatever valuables you have and be on your way? We don't really have to kill you, but we most certainly can!

Seeing that you aren't giving in quite so easily, you then hear the distinct sound of weapons being drawn!

Round 1
Seleena
Huckleberry

Bad Guys

Kaeldra
Amba
Jidai

Seleena and Huckleberry up! I had to do the map by hand since it wouldn't load right into drive. You start off in the yellow box, so go ahead and place yourselves. The enemies are the red squares.

please place Seleena in the second row so she only has to deal with one layer of soft cover

-Posted with Wayfinder

so there is an obscuring mist active? Already?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Looks like it was during a surprise round

Huckleberry'll call out to the mist, "Just be on yer way now, ya don't want none o' this,"

He'll level his rifle, readying a shot for the first target to come out of the mist, taking aim for a rather deadly shot.

According to the way the combat is written, the obscuring most is the signal for the non-combatants to get out of the combat area.

Amba doesn't take any of the others items in the crate, at she discussed with the others before they took on the task. She also makes sure the boat is back at the pier, and the door to the warehouse is locked, before they leave.

--

When they are waylaid en route to the Grand Lodge, she barks an incredulous laugh at their assailants' big words. "You really think you can kill us? Try if you dare. Walk away now, while you still can. Our sting shall be swift if you do not!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

Giving Seleena a few more hours to post before I bot her

whoops. Sorry.

Unable to see anything, Seleena draws her bow and readies an arrow for the first of the attackers to approach from the mist.

readied attack

-Posted with Wayfinder

Inside the mist, your hear chanting, and suddenly three figures burst forth! A Halfling wielding a greataxe, a human with the glow of magic on her fingers, and another human who smirks as he twirls a dagger! A voice in the mist calls out
One last chance to surrender! No? Alright guys, kill 'em!

Huckleberry puts a bullet in the halfling!

The sorceress launches a ray of acid at Jidai!
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

It hits her on the shoulder, burning a little!

The man with the dagger casually chucks it at Jidai as well!
Attack: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 3 - 2 = 3
Damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

The greataxe wielding Halfling doesn't stop sprinting until he reaches Jidai, and swings at her knees!
Charging
Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Need Seleena's readied attack

Round 1
Seleena-Readies
Huckleberry- Puts considerable damage on a Halfling!

Ledford- (10) Charges, misses!
Larkin-Chucks a knife, misses!
Halli-Throws an Acid Ray, hits!
Deandre-Casts a Spell in the mist!

Kaeldra
Amba
Jidai- (2)

Kaeldra, Amba, and Jidai up!