GM Faelyn's House of Harmonious Wisdom (Inactive)

Game Master Faelyn

I had a rough weekend between the website issues and some personal issues I was absent for a bit. Sorry

Absolutely no need to apologize, Aoyagi! I just wasn't sure.

"Pathfinders?! I have heard of your kind. I'm stuck on door duty and would love to give you a tour of the school!" If there's no objections... "Please, follow me! I think you will find our school to be very interesting."

During the tour some of the following questions may arise with the following answers...

B1. Fountain: A large fountain stands in the center of the school on a raised dais. The fountain consists of several pools that represent elaborate inkstones.

B2. Grounds: The grounds consist of several gravel paths and well-tended hedges. These hedges are thick and about 4 feet high. The PCs might use these hedges as cover when they skulk around the school at night.

B3. Groundskeeper’s Hut: This small hut is the home of the school’s groundskeeper, but the groundskeeper is away visiting relatives.

B4. Guesthouse: This large guesthouse contains a dining room and three private rooms. It is reserved for guests of the school, such as prospective students or visiting merchants, although it is currently unoccupied.

B5. Classrooms: These classroom buildings are filled with teachers, students, and bodyguards throughout the day, with their sliding paper walls open to admit light. At night, these buildings are shut, but not locked.

B6. Main Hall and Offices: This two-story building has a high hall on the ground floor and teacher’s offices on the upper floor, accessed by a narrow stairway at the rear of the hall. The hall contains several treasures on display, including weapons and examples of exquisite calligraphy. One of these pieces is an ornate map on orange silk, which appears to be the map that you are seeking. Unlike many of the other art objects, the map is not secured behind glass and may be sketched, but not handled, by visitors.

Two guards stand at attention in the hall, and other guards can easily see into the building as they patrol the grounds. The guards ensure that no one handles the art or ascends to the second floor of the building. They are polite but firm in insisting that visitors obey the rules.

perc: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

"Perhaps there is another, original, map elsewhere... this silk isn't very old and the brushwork style is modern."

Cha Check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Dawn makes a copy of the open map anyway. Just in case.
"What, you think they would keep it in their office? Do we need a distraction?" Dawn wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"I believe someone else has the original. Namaste."

Jianghong, could we stay in the guesthouses overnight? It was a long journey here," Too-tuk asks the student.

Jianghong shrugs. "I am not sure, you would have to speak with the teachers, but I am not sure whether they would allow it. Might take some convincing unless they had reason to believe you were here for another reason?"

Since we are running short on time, I'll give more information than normal on this. You will need to make a Bluff or Diplomacy check to convince them to allow you to stay. If you succeed at a DC 10 Craft (calligraphy), Profession (artist), or Knowledge (nobility) check then you can get a +5 circumstance bonus to your roll.

Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

"Cool, can we stay here a little longer? I promise we won't mess with anything here."

She leans in close. "We're actually part of a secret cabal of school judges. Most of us act as foolish foreigners, but really we're here to make sure they're up to snuff." She gives a knowing wink.

Dawn just missed the DC. Anyone else want to get it a go?

"Our mandate is clear and we'll do our best not to interfere with the day to day operations of the school... We are just here to observe."

bluff: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Despite the strangeness of the request... Raevin talks the teachers into allowing them to remain inside the school after hours. Eventually the students and released and the sun has set. The teachers bid you all good night and ask you to remain in the room until morning.

Too-tuk makes himself comfortable in the dormitory until evening. "Now, someone who is not me, should sneak into the upstairs offices and retrieve the map."

Aoyagi is willing to sneak, if no-one else is daring enough to try

Raevin will sneak later post...on phone at present

"Thank you!" Dawn gives a thumbs up. "I'd bow, but Pai Gow gave me a stern lecture for doing it wrong. Then I spent another hour doing it wrong."

I only have a +1 to Stealth and 1 round of Vanish. Probably not me.

"Yes you did. Namaste." Pai Gow will stay put.

Raevin will take the initiative to sneak upstairs and see if he can retrieve the original map. or at least make a really good copy of it if there's time and it can't be moved.

stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

perc: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Too-tuk loiters outside the door to the dormitory in order to keep watch while the other two sneak toward the office.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Fahr sighs, grumbles under his breath about breaking and entering, and follows the other two.

stealth, acp: 10 + 9 - 1 = 18

As Aoyagi, Fahr, and Raevin begin moving silently through the school grounds they quickly realize there is no one about to spot them and come to the conclusion that as long as they do not make an excessive amount of noise it is unlikely that anyone will even notice them moving about the building. Do you want to gather the others or continue without them? Either way...

The main hall is not locked and you all reach the second floor without issue. There are six offices and a quick check of the first five rooms reveal they are unlocked, but do not contain that which you seek. The sixth door is locked and will require either force or finesse to bypass. (Hardness 5, HP 15, Break DC 18, Disable Device DC 20.)

disable to open lock: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 + 2 = 22

Raevin pulls out his mw tools and gets to the task of disabling the lock, making short work of it. Before opening the door he pauses to listen at it, then pushes the door slowly open if he hears nothing.

perc: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Raevin deftly handles the lock, listens briefly at the door, and when he hears nothing opens the door. The inside of this office is cluttered with calligraphy samples, brushes, and inkstones across every flat surface except a low table in the center of the room. The window on the other side of the room is open, and a shadow moves across the sill with a flutter of orange silk...

Raevin runs to the window to see what the shadow is/was... and follow it if it was an actual person or thing and not just a trick of the moonlight.

As Raevin rushes across the room, he spots the pale face of Jianghong as he turns toward the sounds of rapidly approaching footsteps. With a grin he drops out of the window to the ground below!

Okay, this is now a Chase scene, but without the normal Chase rules. To succeed at this, you each get three (3) attempts at any skill checks with a DC of 14. As a party you must succeed at a total of 12 checks and may not use the same skill more than twice. As long as you can give me a reason that the skill you choose is relevant to this scene I will allow most skills. If you have a spell that you want to attempt in a clever way, it may count as an automatic success. Get creative and roleplay folks, I am able to dispense up to a +3 Circumstance bonus to your results for creative and clever uses. Please parse your rolls as Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3.

Was the rest of the party told to come along once it was clear there was no stealth required?

acrobatics to dive through the window after him, with a tuck and roll to land on feet near the fleeing Jianghong: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Assuming Jianghong is running, Raevin gives chase...

will hold off on 2nd and 3rd rolls til I see what the rest of the party will be doing.

Yea, does the rest of the party know what's going on?

I forgot only 3 of us were there... silly me

Raevin would have exclaimed loudly enough for the other sneakers to hear, "Get the others quick! we've got to catch Jianghong... he's out the window... come downstairs!" before jumping out the window himself.

"Stop, we'll catch you... you're surrounded by my friends... there's no place to escape to. It'll go easier for you if you surrender now."

bluff: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Raevin runs then leaps forward and tries to jump past Jianghong... landing between him and escape...

acrobatics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Too-tuk continues to keep an eye out for trouble.

Perception (to join the chase): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Aoyagi squeezes through the window at the same time as Raevin. She slips her slender frame through the narrow gap.

Escape Artist: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

That was completely up to you all. I posted above that if you wanted to get the rest of the party you could. For sake of ease and not forcing an auto fail by not having the required amount of members to make the required 12 checks... you guys can either be inside the building with Raevin or down below if that was where you decided to remain. Just let me know please.

Dawn relaxes outside the building, wondering when something is going to happen when she sees Raevin drop down and sprint after someone.

"Oh boy, I hope he doesn't use that secret hatch on his left that we saw today!"
Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Dawn tries to lead the thief into a dead end, using her words alone. Meanwhile she tries to leap over some rubble, quickly.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

For Dawn's last trick, she casts vanish on herself and tries to quietly sneak up to the thief.
I'm add a +20 bonus to stealth for being invisible, but it only lasts 1 round.

Vanish + Stealth: 1d20 + 20 + 0 ⇒ (4) + 20 + 0 = 24

Round 1
Pai Gow is standing outside when Jianghong drops down. Sensing the cause, he tries to determine where the man is going to run.
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Round 2
He then tries leap in front of him.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Round 3

Used to unruly students, Pai Gow attempts to assert his dominance using his experience in the dojo.

Profession(Sensei): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Too-tuk catches sight of the wayward student from his watch outside the office entrance. "Wark!"

Round 1

The tengu's feathers stand on end as he makes a fearsome display, trying to startle the fleeing youth.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Round 2

He then makes a sign with his clawed hand.

Cast ill omen on Jianghong. I know he's not making skill checks, but maybe we'll get circumstantial bonus.

Round 3

Too-tuk tries to find the boy's path after he looses it.

Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

post incoming

Fahr climbs down after the runner.

climb, acp: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 - 1 = 19

Then he looks around for a way to cut off the runner in his path.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Then he quietly makes his way to that position to jump in front of the runner before he can get away.

stealth: 1d20 + 9 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 9 - 1 = 19

Sorry on the delay folks, my wife got sick over the weekend so in between taking care of her and our toddler, working on Saturday, and going all the weekend chores solo in one day... I didn't have much energy left over. I did get the came reported in time, so there's that.

The group quickly uses a variety of skills and tactics to corner Jianghong in a corner as he attempted to use the imaginary opening Dawn mentioned. Once cornered, Jianghong's bodyguard also comes running up behind you. "Jianghong! You slippery weasel. What is it you have done now?!"

"This little squirt.." Dawn's grin emerges from thin air as her Vanish spell wears off, gradually revealing her face and the rest of her. "Was sneaking around past curfew! I think he has something he shouldn't!"

Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

She looks at the kid and winks. Clearly if he cooperates, Dawn will keep this a secret from the masters.

I know that all too well. I hope you're all doing better.

"Yes. Thievery," Too-tuk pants and squawks. Clearly, cross country running in the dark is not his strength.

Fahr eyes the bodyguard uneasily.

he's not sure how to react to this situation

The man lets out a heavy sigh at the boy's antics. "What did you take? It must be returned immediately before you bring dishonor to your family and to me!"

Jianghong rolls his eyes at him. "I am trying to bring money to my family you ignorant buffoon! If they are interested in the map, then clearly it has some worth!"

Zheng narrows his eyes at Jianghong, but says nothing else at the moment before turning to the Pathfinders. "You want this map?" He sighs and looks hesitantly at you all. "If we give you the map, will you keep quiet about Jianghong's involvement in this? I do not want the boy to get into trouble."

Aoyagi is no stranger to secrets. She will keep this to herself, but she cannot speak for the others.

"Oh, I'm real good at keeping secrets." Dawn smiles. "Give us the map, and we'll leave in the morning. You'll never see us again."

"No funny business, kid. We have missions to complete."
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2
He's caught, no way is he gonna double cross us.

Before we move onward, I just want to make sure there is a consensus within the group.

"I've no reason to pursue this further if the map is in our possession, though the boy clearly needs some guidance. Either someone to help redirect his life goals, or some serious training to get better at the sneaking and acquisitions field." Raevin shrugs, as if to convey which path he takes is of little consequence to him, though it might be of much consequence to the boy.

"I do not believe in lies so I will not be here to speak them. Namaste."

Fahr makes a kind of groaning sound, but nods.

"Works for me," Too-tuk says.

Sorry on the delay. I had to work patrol last night during Thanksgiving and it was a hot mess. It drives me crazy how people cannot seem to just got along with each other during the holidays.

Zheng nods appreciatively and gives his young charge a hard look. Jianghong reluctantly hands over the map to you all, but smiles. "Thank you for not turning me over to the authorities. Perhaps one day I'll be able to return the favor."

You all return to Mai Chun's place with all your information and she delights in seeing the map finally returned to its rightful country! Mai Chun’s door is wide open, as if flung free by the cyclone of a woman pacing furiously around her house, referencing and cross-referencing books, scrolls, and maps. She suddenly stops her pacing, balancing two heavy books in one hand. “Ah! Delights abound! What have you learned?”

Holidays seem to bring out the worst in people...

"Well, I learned how easy it was to distract someone when you make stuff up." She giggles. "We also got the map." Dawn hands it over.

too true... the best and the worst... sorry for my lack of posting... I'm swamped by the holiday weekend... bot me if nec.

"Make stuff up? I thought we did rather well considering how close we were to losing the real map forever. So..." he says, then pauses long enough for her to look at the map, if she does. "Is there enough information there for you to find it?"