GM Kiora's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Kiora Atua

Crack open door, peer inside, if window without bars, will go in. If not, close door and continue down the corridor stealthily.

1d2 ⇒ 2

Hinagiku turns the corner and then goes to a random door on her left. She opens the door, finding that it is unlocked. She peers inside. It is dark, but light pours in from the hallway, enough to dimly light the room. There is a bed. Someone is sleeping in the bed, turned away so that Hinagiku can't see them, but she can see their chest rise and fall with each breath. Next to the bed is a small table, on which some cloth is draped. There is no window in this room.

Valais sits very still in an armchair across from Xander. She furrows her brow together at his glib mention of 'selling his soul', but she continues to scribble notes in her journal all the same.

Valais is no longer Xander's cohort, as she is 2 steps away from his new alignment.

Theodora shakes her head, pulling her collar back. She reveals a small, red Infernal rune, scribed into her skin above her collar.

Infernal

"There is no such thing as 'freedom' for a halfling in Cheliax, miss," Theodora says, quietly. "Where do you expect me to go? At least Mistress takes good care of me. I hope to be able to work for her for many years, I take very good care of my hands, to quickly and neatly sew her uniforms and mend her clothes. Once I am no longer useful, she will probably sacrifice me to Geryon, but at least the ceremony is quick and painless. There are worse fates for a halfling woman in Cheliax."

"So, please, just take me back. Please, please. She will just find me, anyway. There is nowhere a devil can't reach."

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38
stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

1d4 ⇒ 4

Hinagiku hears a male voice from further down the hallway: "آیا می دانید آیا داروخانه با ترشح خانم مسعود آماده است یا خیر؟"

Hinagiku opens the door, and finds that this room has two beds. One is occupied by a sleeping figure. Each bed has a table next to it, and between both beds is a window. However, the window has been built seamlessly into the wall. It has no seams to be pushed open or closed.

Outside, Hinagiku can see that it is night-time. The skies are clear, revealing the stars and large moon. She can see a small court-yard outside. The streets are lit with street-lamps, and she can see the small figure of someone walking on a path across the courtyard in the distance.

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25

Hinagiku closes the door. The person in the bed behind her is so fast asleep, they do not stir. She waits for ten minutes. After about seven minutes, someone passes by the other side of the door, their boots clacking softly on the marble. Three more minutes pass. They haven't returned.

Hinagiku walks down the well-lit corridor, which continues to be lined with doors on each side with plaques. Eventually she finds that, on the right hand-side, the wall gives way to a small counter that fences off the hallway from a small space filled with glass-covered cabinets filled with scrolls, and a few other wooden and stone cabinets that Hinagiku cannot see into.

Sitting at the counter are two Rahadoumi, both wearing white robes. The woman wears a red turban, while the man wears a pink turban. They were looking at a scroll, but they both glance up as Hinagiku approaches. The woman immediately stands.

"Excuse me, khanom? You shouldn't be out of your room at night," she glances back at the man and says, "من یک زن تین را در لیست بیماران به خاطر ندارم."

The man unfurls a scroll, while the woman stands up and gestures to Hinagiku, "Come, let me escort you back. What is your name? We can look up your room number."

"من هیچ اسمی با صدای تین نمی بینم," says the man, skimming through the scroll.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (18) + 21 = 39

"Of course, we're here to help, but first, let me assess you," the woman says kindly, in a low voice so that she does not disturb other patients. "You say you're not feeling well? What's wrong?"

"من به شما می گویم ، هیچ نام Tien در این لیست وجود ندارد," says the man, his finger running down the scroll.

She grabs the scroll from the man and gives him an exasperated look. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'll need your name and date of birth so that I can review your intake forms and loop in your assigned physician."

The staff is silent for a moment, then responds, questioningly:

'Then....what is the fate of the little halfling slave? Are you bringing her back to her slaver to be enslaved again? Or are you planning to rescue her?"

'One cannot trade one's freedom for another's.... all beings have the right to live free...'

The staff hesitates. '....Fine.'

And then, after a few more moments, 'We MUST save them. We MUST save them all. Ed, also.'

Theodora stands up, and obediently grabs onto Xander's hand. With her free hand she waves to Unafe and Valais. "Goodbye, miss," she says, flatly.

Valais considers Unafe's question for a moment. "Hmmm, well, in Avistan, Cheliax is the most well-known country that practices slavery. The problem is, Cheliax has colonies and ex-colonies and fortresses all over the Inner Sea, so they spread that particular brand of awful wherever they go. Even back home in Mendev, Chelish Crusaders have a special exemption regarding their slaves."

"Then, south of the Inner Sea, in Garund, my knowledge gets a bit more dicey...but there is a larger number of slaver nations there, or so I've heard. Orrrrr maybe that's just Avistani xenophobia, who knows!" she grins and spreads her hands.

Valais K.Geo: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Her face falls and she gets contemplative. "What do you think we should do next? Should we just stay here and wait for Xander?"

Xander and Theodora walk across Westcrown towards Boccanegra. No one gives them a second glance - both halflings and humans were common in Cheliax, and Theodora wore the garb of a slave. They pass by enormous Chelish manors, shopping districts, row after row of various churches and temples, and then finally, Boccanegra, the Academie on the hill overlooking the bay.

Arriving at Boccanegra, the guards see Xander approaching. Apparently, they had been expecting him, because they open the doors for him without protest. He is ushered into the entryway. The secretary glances up over her glasses and raises her eyebrows. "Master Potts! And Theodora, the Headmistress' seamstress. Excellent."

She escorts Xander back up to the Headmistress' office, who looks over back Xander and Theodora with a bemused expression.

"Hm. I do not know what madness possessed you, Master Potts, nor do I care. However, if I find that she has been damaged, then you will owe reparations," she says, coolly. "Come, Theodora. Master Potts still needs his uniform."

Xander is measured for his teaching robes, and then the Headmistress and her imp take him on a tour of the Academie while they wait for Theodora to finish them.

The Academie has three floors, five towers, and three sub-terranean levels. The first floor has most common areas - the library, dining hall, study and practice rooms, as well as the slave quarters and some administrative offices. The second floor consists of student domiciles, divided up by age and gender. The third floor is where classrooms and the professor's offices and labs were housed - the Headmistress points out the large space that he would be expected to teach him (enough room for even large illusions), though his office is barely more than a cubby.

The five towers contain the sleeping quarters of the professors (they all had an assigned room, even if some of them did not routinely sleep). The central tower was completely devoted to the Headmistress and her towers. She shows Xander his room, which is in the northwestern tower. It is small, but humble - an empty canvas for him to move in his own belongings.

Finally, she brings him to the basement, where various faculty and student resources were kept. There was a chapel devoted to Geryon (weekly services on Moonday nights were mandatory of any students and and staff boarding at Boccanegra), and several rooms dedicated to providing a specialized room for planar binding.

There was a golem workshop, with materiel for a large variety of types of golems, as well as a large cabinet of spell components. Costly spell components, such as diamonds and powdered metals, could be bought for a 25% discount compared to standard prices. There were also a pair of bearded devils who bring a variety of exotic magical wares straight from Hell, but they only accept soul gems as payment.

"They are great procurement specialists, those two. For the right soul, they can find just about anything," she says, cheerfully.

In the bottom floor there was a room devoted to divinations and seances. Here was a crystal ball, which was freely available to staff only, for a maximum use of three times per day. "Please wipe down the ball when you're done, it's disgusting to leave nasty forehead grease or scrying viscera on it."

Finally, in the basement was the scroll library. Staff and students could both check out scrolls, provided that they donated their own scrolls back to the library in exchange of equal spell level. For example, a fifth level spell could be exchanged for five first level spells. However, students were limited in what magic they could check out according to the classes they had completed. Staff had no such restrictions, though there were no scrolls in the library beyond spell level 7.

All scrolls at Boccanegra were crafted by wizards. All non-3pp wizard spells of spell level 3 and less are readily available, due to the supply made by practicing students. There is a 60% chance 1d4 scrolls of any 4th or 5th level spell are available, and a 30% chance that 1 scroll of any 6th or 7th level spell is available.

"In addition we have a stables and garden on the grounds, where we grow a variety of herbs for use as spell components. Do you have any questions?" she asks.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (18) + 21 = 39

The woman frowns, rolling up the scroll and narrowing her eyes. "Are you a patient or not? We are not open for visitors. Why won't you answer us when we ask who you are?"

She glances at the man next to her, and says, "شاید لازم باشد با امنیت تماس بگیریم." The man stands up.

"Please, if you are a lost patient, tell us who you are so we may escort you to your room. Patients are not permitted to leave until the matter of payment for your treatment has been settled."

”I just wandered in here and got lost...”

bluff(surge): 1d20 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (3) = 11

The woman tilts her head to the side and then sighs, exasperatedly. She gestures to her form. "Fine, just check-out on your way out with the secretary. We don't allow overnight visits. If it happens again you lose visitation privileges... which I'm guessing you're aware of."

She stands up and points down the hall in the direction Hinagiku was already walking. "Down the hall, through the double doors and then up the stairs."

She turns around and starts walking back to her post before pausing, and calling out with a scolding voice.

"Also, it is prohibited to sleep with patients, by the way!" She huffs, gesturing at Hinagiku's draped sheet. "You should go retrieve your clothes before you leave."

She then turns around and heads back down the hall, her heels clacking as she goes.

sensemotive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Once she knows where the clothes are, she silently grabs them and gets dressed as silently as possible.
Using past sight (1 sp) to look into the past until Hinagiku seems where clothes were put away and how to wear them.
perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38
stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Hinagiku sneaks into a room with a sleeping patient. She then looks into the past, seeing that seven hours ago a little girl was brought in by her mother. The mother sat with her all day, while she slept in the bed, fitfully. A nurse comes in several times, bringing medicine and water to the little girl. Eventually, the mother has to leave. She kisses her daughter on the forehead before saying goodbye.

Hinagiku sees that when the girl was admitted, she was changed into a simple white gown. Her clothes are stored inside of the bed-side table. There is a small orange-dyed head wrap, and a light colored dress with long-sleeves. There are also small shoes. However, the child who wears them is only four feet tall, and the shoes do not fit Hinagiku.

Carefully, so as not to wake the child, Hinagiku slides out from under the bed and goes to the door. She listens to make sure no one is coming, cracks the door open to make even more sure, and slips out. She then moves to the next door, looks around to make sure no one is watching, listens at the door to make sure people are sleeping, cracks it open, closes her eyes, and lets her sixth sense get a ley of the room, and a relative idea of their size.

If the people/person in appear to be adult size, Hinagiku will slip in and look into the same part of the room where she saw clothes were stored away in. If the layout is too different, she will once more use Time Sight.

perception: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (3) + 21 = 24
stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Hinagiku sneaks into the door adjacent to this room. She finds that there are two beds in this room, and no window. One bed is empty, the other contains a sleeping child, maybe four or five years old.

I am not seeing any sort of plan from you to actually impact the game or move the group closer towards the stated goal of saving Aravashnial. It seems like this is taking a large amount of back and forth due to the lack of stated plan. At the current rate, it could take weeks for us to resolve whether or not Hinagiku is re-captured. Could you please give me an idea of your longterm plan to impact the goal of the adventure? If the intent is to simply escape, and then not make any actions that actually help the goal of the adventure (aka saving Aravashnial), then please let me know now. If I can assume that Hinagiku does not impact that goal, I can get back to focusing on the characters who are actively impacting that goal, since that is what really matters for the storyline. I can then just resolve this scene while we move forwards the other scenes. However, I do not want to cut Hinagiku out of being able to possibly positively impact things, seeing as how poorly things are going for all 6 characters at the moment. So, if there IS a plan to impact the adventure, then letting me know now would help me figure out how much longer I need to one-on-one with you and how to do this as efficiently as possible.

Also, kindly please stop attempting to use diplomacy to roll bluff checks. Hinagiku has not been honest about herself or her intentions to any NPCs since this scene has began, therefore, she has been bluffing. Purposefully with-holding information when directly asked about it or twisting the truth so that it can be interpreted into a falsehood is still a bluff. If you fail to roll a bluff check when a bluff check is warranted, I won't prompt you for one, I just assume you auto-fail.

As a reminder, diplomacy is run as follows: you can attempt to ask for a favor from a NPC who is at least indifferent towards you, whether or not they acquiesce to the favor depends on if they would be willing to do that favor for any other random person they feel about similarly towards you. So if they are indifferent towards you, the best you can get from a diplomacy roll is how helpful a person would be towards a random stranger on the street. You can also attempt to increase a person's favor towards you by 1 step. Therefore, at best, a diplomacy roll for a favor could get you a favor similar to how they treat a close friend. This is not mind control.. If a person wouldn't say, break the law, or risk themselves getting fired, for their best friend, they won't do it for you. Additionally, in general when a person is asked an unreasonable or outlandish request, they will think less of you, making any further reasonable negotiations more difficult.

So in summary - the strength of your diplomacy rolls only matters if you are trying to diplomacy other high level characters or very charismatic characters. What matters more than your rolls is if your request is logical and reasonable. If you want to brainwash people into doing tasks for you, then the correct course of action is enchantment magic.

If everything goes well and Hinagiku escapes with actual clothes on, she would try to find Najat Akoujan by asking about the street he brothel is on. What she does then would depend on the information she gets. One way or another, if Hinagiku receives no information whatsoever regarding where Aravashnial could be, she would just trust in fate and head to Sophini’s, the only other place she knows. There she would wait hidden nearby to see if anything happens.

On the other hand, if Hinagiku cannot leave with normal clothes on, or does so on the run, the goal would be to either hide in a deserted section of the city or into the actual desert. The choice of local would depend upon whether she knows enough about scrying to know whether using the shroud as a tent would prevent scryers from seeing where she is.

Since this is taking quite long, I don’t mind glossing over the details. Really up to you. Seems you are quite busy and that this is not a needed part of the adventure, so I consider this would be a solid option, especially since I am relatively busy. Otherwise, I think that my suggestion of running this in discord might still be relevant. I think we could speed things up and use less words by playing this as an out of character exchange in which descriptions are minimal and actions are stated abstractly. I could then write a summary post for the forums so that we have a narrative summary of it.

Oh, okay, I see your plan, now! No, I'd rather play through it normally. The time zone difference is what slows things down, so I don't think discord would help with that.

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (7) + 20 = 27
stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

If still children
Hinagiku decides to leave the current corridor alone, and looks for another one in the opposite direction of the nurse’s desk. She walks through the corridors as silently as possible while still keeping in the middle; if she were to be seen she would at least not fully look suspicious. The whole time she keeps an eye and an ear out for people coming. When arrivign at corners or any dips in the corridor, like the nurse office, she slows down, and approach stealthily to see what these are.

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 26
stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

To simplify posts, can we assume Hinagiku proceeds always in the same way when investigating rooms? Look around/listen to make sure no one is coming, listen at the room to make sure people are sleeping, crack open and look if child, and if so close the door back.

Ary does not receive a sending, due to the anti-magic effects of her jail-cell.

Ary's scene is currently pending further resolution of Hinagiku's scene.

After the tour, Xander is in a big hurry, so he does not ask any questions of the Headmistress. She reminds him that she expects a full syllabus of his first class in a few months, as well as a list of any materials or test subjects that would be required to conduct his class.

She then brings a set of robes, stitched together by Theodora. They are black with red accents, and the crest of Boccanegra is stitched into the cuffs. "Always wear your robes while inside of Boccanegra, so that our security recognizes you on sight as a professor."

The robes are sharply tailored to a slim fit on Xander's form, though they are tailored to "Mr. Potts'", and not the real Xander. They're also kind of itchy, due to some stray threads inside along the neck, shoulders, side, and back.

Xander then heads down to the scroll library, and speaks to the librarian to withdraw a scroll, in exchange for two scrolls of his own. The exchange goes smoothly and pleasantly.

Loot doc updated

Xander then attempts to cast sending on Ary, but the spell fizzles out.

Xander remembers Ary mentioning in his dream that her cell was warded with anti-magic. This means that he cannot send to her.

Isilme and Ehren wake up around an hour before noon.

Isilme and Ehren regain MP, spells, and abilities. They are at full HP.

Is there anything you want to do before heading to Sophini's? We need to wait for Hinagiku's scene to fully resolve before we go, but we can resolve anything prior to leaving.

I'm fine with automation, just let me know - I simply don't like assuming anything on your behalf without it.

Hinagiku checks the door across the hall, only to find a little boy asleep, maybe 10 years old. This child was still significantly smaller than Hinagiku, so there was no chance she was going to squeeze into their clothes. So, she heads down a different hall, the one on the opposite end of the nurse's desk. She slinks along, keeping close to the wall so that the nurse's desk does not have direct line of sight to her.

Down the other wing, she finds the hall ends in a set of enormous, double doors. She places her ear against the seam to listen for anyone on the other side. She can hear horrific screaming, although muffled, due to the heavy doors. It is a woman, screaming at the top of her lungs, as though being tortured.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
1d100 ⇒ 65

perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37
stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Hinagiku creeps through the door unseen, which leads into another well-lit hallway. Without the door muffling the sound, her ears are filled with the cries of a woman screaming as though in horrific pain. The hallway continues on ahead before curving to Hinagiku's right around a corner. The hallway is again lined with several doors.

At that moment, a woman wearing a red turban and white robes walks around the corner. The hallway doesn't have any furniture for Hinagiku to hide behind, so, she sees her right away. "Hey! Who are you and what are you doing?" she calls out, and starts walking towards her.

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
1d100 ⇒ 23

The staff thrums, filled with obvious concern for Mirabella, but doesn't urge Xander to save her right away. Xander can, however, tell that the staff is not pleased at their decision to patronize an inn that uses slaves.

Mirabella shakes her head, cheeks flushed red. "Ummmm, no, it's okay, Sir! I am happy to be of service!"

She considers Unafe's question. "I've heard from other patrons that there are many scribes here in the Rego Pena... as for rope, maybe you can buy that at the docks? I have not seen the docks since I was first brought here, to Westcrown, as a child."

"For a small boat, maybe you can look for a toy shop? We have had young masters and misses stay here before, who carried toys of that sort. Boats, wagons, horses and those things seem to be very popular. So there must be a sort of place where they buy those things." She bows her head. "I am sorry if that was not useful, ma'am!"

Xander returns to Boccanegra after giving Unafe instructions on what materials they needed for the rescue mission. Now that he has teaching robes, there is no hassle for him entering or exiting the facility.

He enters the door in the basement using a small keystone that had been given to him during his orientation. It is keyed to the blood used in his contract, so only he can use it, making it a useful way of identifying him should there be an issue of stolen identities.

He uses the keystone to open the door and finds that there is no one currently using the crystal ball, so he is free to use it for up to three hours. He begins looking into the ball, focusing on Hinagiku. The fogs and mist within the ball swirl, as he exerts his will upon the ball.

Scrying is a spell that takes 1 hour.

We'll need to resolve around 9 hours of Hinagiku's scene before we can determine what she is doing when Xander scrys on her. so your scene is also on hold.

perception to recognize screams as delivery? (or whichever skill): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (10) + 20 = 30
bluff(surge) for explanation: 1d20 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (15) + 4 + (5) = 24

Hinagiku thinks that the screams do remind her of one memory - of Ledsa giving birth to Yulin while marching into Drezen. Ehren and Markus had overseen the delivery, while Hinagiku assisted with what she could, such as fetching clean sheets and buckets of water.

The woman in front of her frowns. "Everything is fine, we are expert healers. Are you a patient? You should not be out of your room. Do you remember your room number?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

”Please, forgive me. I did not mean to question your skills… I assume you are really busy and should not have to deal with someone just walking by...” Hinagiku looks down in genuine deference.

When she bows her head, Hinagiku spends a second to close her eyes and peer into the flow of the world, trying to get a grasp of the woman’s attitude and how she could best explain her presence.

”No, I am only passing… I am, it’s shameful to say, trying to find the room where I left my things… my visit lasted longer than planned.”

diplomacy to improve impression: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (15) + 20 = 35
bluff(surge) for explanation: 1d20 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (13) + 4 + (1) = 18

The woman frowns, her eyebrows creased together. "I... can see that. What was the name of the person you were visiting? I can look up their room number."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Hinagiku attempts to shake off the nurse, muttering something about not wanting to bother her if she is busy. At this, the woman grows agitated.

"Miss, I don't quite buy your little story that you're a visitor. Given that you're walking around in nothing but a hospital sheet, you are most definitely an escaped patient. Now come along, we're going to get you back in your bed where you belong," she huffs, grabbing onto her hand. Her first time her fingers draw just short of contact with her, but on her second time she can grab firmly around her wrist if she wanted to. Does Hinagiku resist?

Hinagiku Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Grapple: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Grapple: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Hinagiku walks along with the nurse as she jerks her arm along the corridor. She protests, loudly, over the deafening screams of the woman down the hallway, that she isn't a patient. They turn around the corner, heading in the opposite direction of where Hinagiku had come from.

"If you're not a patient, then who did you come into see? Or are you a perverted trespasser, who likes to sneak into hospitals half-nude?" the woman yells back as they go.

Once they reach the counter, she calls out to the two young men who are sitting at the counter. "عمر ، از لیست بیماران خارج شوید." she barks. They both stand at attention, one scrambling to unfurl a scroll that was under the counter.

"Now, what is your name? Or the name of the patient you came here to see?" she asks Hinagiku, clearly reaching an end of her patience.

”You are right…. You are right… I don’t know anyone here… I am not a patient either… you can check, my surname is Hinata. I am not some perverted person either, I truly wish I had some clothes to wear, but I don’t have any. I did not want to tell you all this because I did not want to cause trouble here… but it seems it is too late. You probably won’t believe me, but all I want is a set of clothing so I can leave and go help a friend. But, I can’t really leave, I don’t know what has happened to my clothes, and without them I cannot really go outside.” Hinagiku pauses a moment, and bows deeply in front of the woman.. ”Perhaps you have some old clothes that have been forgotten or to be thrown out that I might use? I realize it is a lot to ask… but if you do, could you give them to me… so I can finally be dressed and go help my friend?” Hinagiku says, once more her strange sereness contrasting with what she is saying.

diplomacy to improve impression with explanation: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40 50 total
bluff to make holes in story believableish(surge) for explanation: 1d20 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (6) + 4 + (2) = 12
diplomacy to ask for clothes: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 20 = 21 11 total