Here's the gameplay thread. Please feel free to dot in.
Ok everyone, seems like a good time to get started!
Nearly a year ago, Absalom fought off an invasion of demonflesh constructs and undead marines remembered as the Fiendflesh Siege, during which the city’s siege lord offered every slave freedom in exchange for their assistance in defending Absalom. Practically overnight, one of the city’s cruelest industries came to an end, and many hundreds of the liberated have since become Absalom’s newest citizens. Although most have welcomed their manumitted neighbors with open arms, an unidentified serial murderer known only as the Rose Street Killer has systematically slain at least a dozen of these freed people. So far, the city’s guards have questioned scores of witnesses and suspects with no luck. The Rose Street Killer remains at large, and one of their most recent targets was Nelfurhin Zor, a former scriptorium slave who had joined the Pathfinder Society shortly after the siege. The Society doesn’t normally investigate crimes in Absalom, but Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin is furious that a Pathfinder’s gone missing thanks to this criminal. He’s assembled a team of agents to help solve the case. Don’t let him down—lives are on the line.
Please introduce your characters to each other. Once you've all had a chance to do that I'll kick off the beginning of the first quest.
A chipper little gnome with bright pink skin and vibrant purple hair approaches the meeting room with a smile. Beads, ribbons and gemstones are braided into her wild hair, and strange earrings carved into curving hook like patterns pierce her ears. Her eyes are green and sparkle brightly, and her arms are covered in a riot of brightly coloured swirling tattoos which form unusual patterns and symbols with no discernible pattern or image. She wears a bright green crop top, a black shiny vest, and a skirt that looks like it's made of a rainbow of ribbons. On her back is a backpack, and on her hip is a sheathed short sword, and a rainbow coloured tambourine. Clearly this flashy gnome is an entertainer of some sort.
The little gnome smiles brightly, twirls in place then gives a deep bow. She pops back up with a jungle of her tambourine and a bright smile. "Greetings fellow agents! I'm Amberly Tamm, tambourine virtuoso and yes -- before you ask -- there is such a thing! I dance, I sing, I make people happy, and today those people are YOU!"
Amberly winks at the group. "So about this killer. What a jerk, huh? I even wrote a song about him. Want to hear?"
Without waiting for an answer, Amberly begins to dance and spin around while playing her tambourine and belting out her new tavern hit, 'The Jerk of Rose Street.'
"The Rose Street Killeeeeeer,
What a stupid bum!
The Rose Street Killeeeeeeeer,
I bet they suck their thumb!
Oh, they're a big jeeeeeerk, a jerky, jerky jerk...."
It's extremely catchy.
In stark contrast to the lively gnome; a grim dwarf carrying a backpack walks into the room. He seems to drain the life of a room with his presence. On his back is a dwarven waraxe and a well used shovel. His eyes show a life of hard work and loss. I am called Tolo Rockaxe. I believe it is my duty to help escort this... "jerk"... as you put it to Pharasma's boneyard. As he speaks his voice is a low rumble and it is almost hard to make out the words. He sighs, damn, that song is catchy... it's going to be stuck in my head for awhile, isn't it.
Amberly grins brightly, gives her tambourine a smack and shakes her hips at Tolo's pronouncement. "Yeah! Sing it Tolo! Let's kill that jerky, jerk, JEEEEEERK!"
The halfling's entrance was signaled by a slight stirring of the wind, which seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere.
Entering the room, he nodded to both the Dwarf and the Gnome and said "Hola. A pleasure to meet you all. My name is Kell, and I speak for the storm. As one of those freed recently, I am more than glad to do my part to help my fellow former slaves."
After Amberly's performance, a young human standing in the corner starts clapping enthusiastically. "Bravo, bravo, well done!". He is wearing robes embroidered with arcane symbols, but it seems he hasn't been taking good care of them. The hem is frayed, and there's quite a few mud stains on them.
He walks forward, almost tripping over his robes. "Greetings! My name is Lunarius, budding wizard, at your service! Now, let's go after this killer, shall we?"
Amberly gives a graceful bow towards Lunarius, hooks her tambourine onto her belt, and scampers over to give everyone vigorous handshakes.
"It's a pleasure!"
Pleasure is all Kaloora's!
The goblin that had been on the back of the room - very, very hard to ignore - steps out to speak, finally. While no one would really dare say he is handsome for a goblin, yet he had definitely a warm smile - if you could ignore the many, many sharp teeth for some moments.
Kaloora Plimp, Pathfinder too. - he introduced himself - Kaloora, Paladin of Fire! Here to lend smile and blade for the greater good. Kaloora liked song, but hates killer! We all hunt killer for the Society.
He seemed a bit too excited for the word "Fire" in particular. The nonsense image of the Goblin in a breastplate, holding scimitar and heavy shield, would be hard to forget - as was the crude symbol of Sarenrae painted on the breastplate, clearly by the artistic paladin himself.
Amberly grins. "Kaloora Plimp, hey?" She cocks her head and examines the goblin. Then she walks around him and examines him from the others side. "Now, YOU, my friend, should be the topic of a song!"
She winks at the goblin. "I'm digging the breastplate!"
Stepping back in time a bit, each of you retrieved the following note earlier in the day...
Pathfinders,
The circumstances surrounding the recent disappearances have me convinced that the fault lies not with some “Rose Street Killer,” but with the Band of the Palm, that flimsy front for the despicable collection of villainy known as the Bloody Barbers. Come see me for details.
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
Back in present time, just as Amberly is complementing Kaloora's breastplate, the door opens and the Venture-Captain walks in.
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin flicks an invisible speck of dust from his impeccably pressed cuff before speaking.
“Thank you for arriving together; I don’t like to repeat myself. I trust you received my note, and I hope you have your wits about you. It’s all well and good for everyone in the city to concoct their own thrilling hypotheses about some serial murderer, but Pathfinders need to be a bit more…” Ambrus thinks for a moment before continuing, “… evidence based.”
“To that end, I’d like you to find some low-ranking members of the Bloody Barbers and press them for information. I suspect their straight razors are ultimately to
blame for the disappearances.”Almost as an afterthought, Ambrus adds, “I shouldn’t need to tell you to be careful in dealing with Absalom’s largest thieves’ guild, but do try to avoid the old crimson shave.” He draws his thumb across his neck for emphasis.
If you have any questions for the Venture-Captain, now would be the time to ask.
Amberly gives Ambrus a salute. "Got it, boss!" she exclaims with an overly wide grin.
"I've always loved the colour red," she remarks. An odd comment, perhaps, considering the context.
"Do you know what part of the city these Barbers operate in?"
A burly, unkempt dwarf comes bumbling into the room.
Um... sorry I'm late. Got caught up in the woods. So we're here to catch a killer? What do we know about his victims. What a predator kills can tell you much about the predator itself.
Any information on where we will begin this hunt? Anything you can tell us about this "Bloody Barbers"? Also, I do not understand, you want us to go rough up so low level members of this society, but do it without upsetting the society? Do you have any more specific advice on how we can manage that? It becomes clear pretty quickly that Tolo is used to getting very explicit directions. Who ever he served before this never gave him the chance to have freedom in his jobs so abstract reasoning isn't his strong suite.
When Ambrus mimes the crimson shave, Lunarius gulps and his hand instinctively reaches up to his throat.
After a while, he pulls himself together and asks: I'm interested to hear more about the Band of the Palm. What are they, and how do we know they're a front for the Bloody Barbers?
In response to your various questions, the Venture-Captain says:
Pathfinders often have to rely on one another for help. I would start by comparing notes; you should be able to piece together a likely location for one of their meeting places. As for the Band of the Palm, let's just say we've had contact with this group in the past, and it was clear they were a front for the Barbers. Nothing has indicated that the situation would have changed since then.
Amberly, you are apparently stunningly well informed on this topic. You recall that Bloody Barbers often work as barbers (thus the name), using barbershops as bases of operation and meeting places. Specifically, the Band of the Palm, the cover organization for the Bloody Barbers, meets regularly in the Coins. Searching in or near that district is likely a good starting point. Barbers are notorious loan sharks and often run illegal narcotic dens, so a neighborhood with a high concentration of such activity is likely to house at least a few chapters of the Barbers. That said, the Barbers at least attempt to maintain a veneer of secrecy and are unlikely to gather anywhere that a high-profile crime has recently taken place, lest they draw attention.
What would you like to do?
"Oh, I know all about the Bloody barbers! Why, I once wrote a song about them! I'll sing it for you!"
"Oh, the Bloody Barbers! Don't let them give you a shave..."
Amberly bows to the group and grins. "Morbid tunes are in this year."
"So we should start in the Coins district, near as many illegal narcotic dens as possible! Away from Rose Street, of course."
Amberly thinks of a good spot, then nods her head.
"Hmmm... I think I've got it!"
"To the Coins!"
Kaloora feels it's time to go and try to gather information the old fashioned way. - says the Goblin Paladin - Let's head there and talk to them.
Sounds like we have a plan. Let us go there, people tend to like giving me the information I seek.
"Let's be about it then."
You make your way to The Coins and Kaloora begins poking around trying to get people to talk. You come up with leads on a number of different barber shops in the district, but people are quite reluctant to talk to you about The Barbers specifically. It might require some additional convincing to get them to help you narrow things down.
Tolo tries to scare people into giving us the information we seek, but his flat affect and not wanting to cause a scene or fight takes the edge off of his intimidation and instead he comes off as a grumpy dwarf.
Amberly tries to help out her new goblin friend.
"Pretty please?"
Kell doesn't really feel comfortable talking to people, mostly because they smelled funny. Instead, he does the best thing he can in this situation: he stays out of the way.
After arriving in the Coins, Lunarius takes a good look around, holds up a wet finger to determine the direction of the wind and starts sniffing the air and mumbling to himself, completely obviously to the strange stares from passers-by.
Based on his prior knowledge of the area, he tries to narrow down the possibilities for a good hideout for the Bloody Barbers.
Between various bits of conversation with locals and the dwarf's failed attempt at intimidation (which was really quite amusing to the rest of you) you've narrowed your search down to The Smiling Cut, a particular run down barbershop in The Coins that you suspect serves as a front for The Barbers. When you enter you see the following scene.
This small barbershop has four worn barber chairs and a wooden waiting bench. The astringent odors of various hair tonics combine with that of talcum powder to produce a potent aroma. A large, tarnished mirror runs the full length of one wall, with a low shelf below it that holds an assortment of combs, razors, scissors, and jars holding murky liquids. The shop is almost empty, and it’s quiet enough to hear the snip of its lone barber’s scissors as she works on a large man’s wild mane, while a freckled shop sweep stoops over hair clippings that he’s meticulously swept into a neat pile.
Knowing he is probably not the best to make initial contact; remember your training Tolo; use honeyed words first, be scary second. He lets some one else take the lead on talking. But he can't help but let a comment go under his breath, I never understood barbers. Why would people want their hair cut? How dishonorable...
Lunarius steps up, pointing to his disheveled hair. "I'm here for a hair cut!", he says cheerily, and plumps down in the empty chair next to the other customer.
During the hair cut, he attempts to try and get the attention of the barber with not-so-subtle references. "Please be careful with those scissors, I don't want to get all *Bloody*". Wink, wink.
"You should dye your hair while you getting a cut!" Amberly suggests. "Red is SO hot right now."
Amberly -- whose idea of pressing someone for information involves a rousing dance tune and a heavy amount of gyrating -- scampers up to the sweep and starts to flirt with him.
"Hi! I'm Amberly! What's your name?"
Unfortunately comparing his freckles to her second favourite pattern -- polka dots -- doesn't go over well.
"It's a good thing!" she assures him.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Amberly hums to herself while she waits...
"My, it's *Bloody* warm in here, don't you think mister *Barber*?", Lunarius inquires hopefully.
As Lunarius sits down in the chair the barber, Valette, introduces herself and asks some perfunctory questions about what sort of hair cut you're looking for. As you make your not terribly subtle references to the Bloody Barbers you see her shudder slightly, but she isn't forthcoming with any specific information.
A DC 10 Perception check gives you the following information:
Do you have any specific questions you'd like to ask during Lunarius' haircut?
"Auww, cat got your tongue, pal?" Amberly asks the floor sweep with an impish smile. "I can have that affect on people. But famous people like me are just like everyone else. You don't need to be scared!"
Looking over at the barber she remarks to the sweep quietly. "Wow, she seems nervous about those Barber fellows. Do they come around here a lot or something?"
Undeterred, Lunarius tries to make more smalltalk with the barber, trying to get as much information from her as he can.
"So, apart from me, do you get many strange customers here?"
Kell doesn't comment, but instead just observes how the group interrogates the barber and her assistant.
Seeing Amberly talking to her floor sweep, the barber drops a lock of hair on the ground and says:
Oi, Snips, you missed a spot.
As he snaps away from Amberly and runs over to sweep it up the barber gives him a sharp kick in the behind, knocking him to the ground and laughing uproariously, slapping Lunarius on the back, pulling the apron off of him and saying:
There you go my fine sir, you're all set.
She then yells over her shoulder at Snips, still lying on the ground, to clean up and close up the shop. “And don’t forget the mirror—I want to see myself in it!” she cackles, doubling over at her own “joke” and slapping the increasingly uncomfortable Lunarius again. She then stumbles drunkenly out the door, heading for the bar across the street.
At this point Snips picks himself up off the ground and continues sweeping. As he does so, he sheepishly quotes the price for the haircut to Lunarius, and then, looking out the door to make sure his boss doesn't see him he turns to the group and says:
So, I figure you're on the lookout for the Barbers, and not the one that just headed out the door to the bar, am I right? I might be able to help you out with that, if you make it worth my while.
Tolo's fist tighten at the blatant ask for a bribe. He is just about to retort with a threat of violence against this lowly day laborer when he calms himself again, letting his allies try to make piece before he offer to give this punk a free hair cut.
Lunarius takes a look in the mirror at his new hair cut and gives a resigned sigh.
When there's talk of bribing Snips, he first looks to his companions to see what they'll be doing...
Again without comment, Kell counts out 5 gp and sets them on the counter.
Amberly smiles. "Well, kid? What do you know?"
Snips looks at the five pieces (what are you people, made of money?), pockets them, and begins moving towards the back door of the shop.
Quiet, we shouldn't be talking about this here. Step out back with me, so the boss won't just walk in on us.
Kell, since you were specifically paying attention, you know the following:
Lunarius winks to Kell, throws him a silver piece, and then heedlessly follows Snips to the back door.
Kell nods at Snips and then follows him.
Amberly grins and follows him outside.
Still holding back his rage, Tolo follows. I expected these fools to try to talk him into giving us the info for free... If I knew we were just going to give this punk money, I would of threatened him first!
Tolo keeps his guard up as we go back. He is not concerned about Snips, more about the surrounding area.
The group follows Snips out into the ally way behind the store.
Tolo notices that the boy looks extremely nervous and is attempting to whistle (despite not seeming to know how). Tolo can't hold back any longer, why are we trusting this punk? Just listen to that whistle, he probably trying to alert his buddies or something. Tolo lets out a huff at the foolish actions of his group.
Then something crazy happens! Tolo begins to glow and rise off the ground. He continues to rise then suddenly disappears, as if he has been called for a higher purpose. As that happens, your memories of the morose dwarf seem to fade as well. But his last words calling out Snips whistling registered before he vanished.