"But there's no need to check my gear," Maximos huffs, sounding indignant. "Do you think I stole it? Is that what you're suggesting?? Look, I appreciate you saving my life and everyone else's but that's still no call to make such demands!"
"Now now now Maximos, I don't think they're accusing you of being a thief at all," Bellowskin interjects, trying to mollify the huffy actor. "They're just trying to help! After all, they're uh...investigators, I believe you said? Yes, investigators! Let them investigate."
"Er...if you don't mind me being nosy, what did you say you were investigating again?" the gnome then asks, looking curious. "Something about bad omens? Sounds like there's quite a story there! We'd love to hear a teaser...er, while you do your work, I mean," he smiles eagerly.
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"Heavens, no!" Pavo says with sincerity. "We're not accusing you of stealing it, merely being forgetful. I do understand, though, if that is an even worse accusation to a thespian. But if it can be used for nefarious purposes, then we really should make sure it is accounted for before we leave. While we were sent by the fates to avert disaster, that giant centipede was defeated so easily, I'm certain you all could have handled it and may not be the disaster we were sent to stop."
"It is as they say," Thran adds. "We simply wish to prevent any and all catastrophes that might be looming, per the request of our employer. The more information you can give to us, the easier our job becomes."
Sarzuket also nods, staring up at the flustered actor. "That's right! We're just here to help. Help us, help YOU!"
"Aye, you'll give us a hand iffin' you know what's good for ye," Rumble agrees, then stops as Maximos pales and everyone turns to stare at him. "What? It's tha' truth! Didn't one o' those wise folks once say somethin' like, 'Tha truth'll set ye free' or some such? Just sayin' that Maximos'll feel better iffin he's honest!"
Then Rumble pauses, thinking. "Or mebbe it was, 'Tha truth'll set yer teeth free'?"
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Maximos shuffles his feet, looking for all the world like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yes, you're right," he replies sheepishly. "See, our mask powder isn't just powder - it's got magic mixed in with it. It can make you look like someone else. Just think about how you'd like to look, sprinkle it on your head, and presto change-o, you look like a different person entirely - just like Maestro Bellowskin said," he explains to the group. "And this morning I sold a packet of it to this lady fortune-teller. I suppose she'd heard about our ability to take on different forms for our performances, because she already had an idea of what the powder could do. For some reason she kept asking if it could make her look Qadiran. She offered good coin..." he sighs, hanging his head.
Wait...lady fortune-teller? Didn't Zeeva say something about a fortune-teller being the one that got this whole business started? Maestro Bellowskin looks aghast at this new revelation.
"Maximos, how could you be such a fool??? Who knows what sort of scheme she wanted it for!?" the gnome exclaims. "If you needed coin that badly then you could've just approached me directly instead of stealing and selling one of the secrets of our troupe!"
"I'm sorry..." Maximos whimpers. "I...I'll go and buy all the ingredients you need to make more. I still have the coin she gave me!"
"I have no idea where she could be, but you'll know her if you see her," Maximos continues. "She looked rather like something the proverbial cat dragged in! A half-elf with scraggly dark hair and a gold tooth. Really distinctive actually, if you happen to come across her and she's not already disguised herself. Oh! And I do remember she was carrying around a bunch of flyers though, something about a market and free samples to foreigners? I don't know, I didn't get a good look at it."
A cough from nearby prompts everyone to turn, finding Hamm looking at you as he clears his throat. "Um, it might not be any of my business but if you're looking for fortune-tellers you might want to go visit the old part of the city," Hamm suggests. "It's where a lot of ah, ne'er-do-wells congregate. Heard lots of 'em like to hole up in the old Traitor's Mews - it's an abandoned manor house in Old Korvosa."
"Oh, yes, of course - in fact, here," Maestro Bellowskin replies, holding out a small packet for Anastasia to take. "It isn't much but I hope that'll go some small way towards repaying you for all the help you've been today."
With yet another piece of the puzzle having fallen into place, you bid the actors of the Andoran Chameleons goodbye and good luck and strike out across the city towards Old Korvosa. Though it takes some time to reach the Old Korvosa from the Kendall Amphitheater, you eventually make your way into some of the oldest and poorest areas of the city and reach your destination - Traitor's Mews. Wedged among the many-tiered tenements that clog Korvosa’s poorest district, this rambling black-brick manor house has been claimed by displaced families. The wary eyes of countless waifs, beggars, and other people in tattered clothes peer through shattered windows, their spirits as weathered as the building itself. As they see you approach up the short, overgrown path that leads to the front door, several of them begin to whispering among themselves and one or two quickly vanish from their places at the windows.
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"Put yer silver away man... unless you want the entire neighborhood to descend on us. No. Let me handle the looki loos. 'Priest' business," says Sarzuket, making quotation marks to emphasize the word, feeling the need to remind everyone that he is indeed of the divine inclination... despite his almost... pirate-like appearance...
As Sarzuket approaches the door, calling out his offer of free healing, there's a fresh wave of whispering among several of the people peering out at the group. While a few of the faces continue to regard you rather sullenly, many of them now appear more animated and excited at the prospect. After a few moments, the old oak doors leading into the manor creak open and you see a thin, middle-aged woman with sunken eyes and dressed in rags standing on the threshold. She eyes you warily, especially as she sees that some of you are wearing armor and carrying weapons. A young boy hides behind her skirts, peeking out at the group with a mixture of shyness and curiosity.
"Not the guard, they never bother with the likes of us. Someone, or someones else," she remarks, a weariness underlying the sternness in her voice. "I hear your offer, priest, but you'll forgive me if I'm a little more cautious than some of my friends. Around here, it pays to be cautious. Who are you and what do you want with the Empty?"
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"Good woman," Pavo says, approaching the door and taking her hand. He slips the ten silver into her hand. "We are agents of fate sent to avert a tragedy--though fickle Chaldia does not speak clearly and gives us only glimpses and fragments to guide us--and seek a half-elven woman with dark hair and a golden tooth said to reside here. Would you know of this lady? Could you help us, please?"
The woman blinks, glancing down at her hand and back up at Pavo. "Well...I've seen all sorts of fortune-tellers walk these streets, they come and go," she responds slowly, squeezing Pavo's hand slightly before slipping it into a pocket in her skirts. "But half-elf, gold tooth? That's actually what she calls herself - Jaelle Goldtooth. Some sort of Sczarni criminal that likes to moonlight about as a harrower."
She glances around and then lowers her voice. "Word has it she fled Korvosa after getting caught trying to cheat some fancy lady from overseas. I don't know if it's true but I do know that she left the city for a time and only recently returned, this time with a couple of burly-looking louts. She took over one of the upstairs rooms and insisted she be left alone. Didn't seem any concern of mine or anyone else's so we've left her alone like she asked."
The little boy suddenly pipes up, "I went upstairs once, when mama wasn't looking. I wanted to see what Miss Goldtooth was doing up there. She was looking at a big map and writing a lot of things really fast!"
"Tamas!" the woman exclaims, looking down at her son with shock and disapproval. "I told you to leave her alone! It's a wonder she didn't hurt you!"
"I know...." Tamas replies sheepishly, hanging his head. "When she saw me she yelled at me to get out. Her friends had swords. She's really scary and so are they but I don't think any of them are here right now."
"Hmm...I suppose it can't hurt," the woman responds with a shrug. "Not to mention I'm sure that anything she left up there is probably dangerous, stolen in some manner, or even both. I'm Tsura, by the way," she says as she stands aside to allow you entry inside.
You all make your way inside the old, dilapidated building and into the entryway. The formerly opulent entry hall is filled with piles of straw and rags that serve as chairs , as well as various tattered sacks where the residents keep their meager possessions. Immediately to the right you see a set of once-grand stairs the leads upward to the second floor and on each side of the stairs, doorways (their doors long-since removed) that appear to lead to what might've once been servant's quarters. On the left, you see another doorway leading into an old, run-down kitchen and dining room.
"Welcome to our humble home," Tsura gestures, a sardonic smile on her face. "Seems like someone's idea of a great joke, the likes of us getting to live in a manor - only the manor's been forgotten just like we've been forgotten." Nearby, numerous ragged-looking men, women, and children of all ages watch you, some curiously and others with unease. Still others only spare you a passing glance before returning to their business - be it playing, resting, or cooking what little food they've scrounged in the old kitchen.
Tsura gestures towards the stairs leading up. "That way's the second floor and then beyond that's the attic. Might be a few people sleeping upstairs so mind your step when you're passing through."
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"Roof, walls: house. Cleaner study my father's", Anastasia comments on Tsura's opinion of the manor.
"Examine things, good. We get hints", Anastasia says. She again takes out her pack of notes, and asks: "You saw any things? What kind dangerous? Ancient, forgotten, magic?" Instead of caution, her expression shows only excitement.
"....what?" Tamas asks, gawping confusedly at Anastasia. From her perch on the mage's shoulder, Flovi suddenly speaks up.
"She just wants to know if you saw anything else when you went peeking at the Goldtooth! Anything dangerous or neat or or...well, anything, really!"
"Oh! Um...no, not really...I already told you everything I can remember," the boy responds with an apologetic shrug. "But I bet there's all sorts of cool treasure up there!" Tamas pauses and then looks up at Anastasia again. "You should talk better, you're hard to understand."
"That'll be enough Tamas," Tsura chides, blushing a bit as she quickly guides her son towards the kitchen. "Be careful up there and I hope you find whatever it is that you're looking for," she adds with a nod to the group.
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The group begins making its way upstairs, passing through the second floor which was probably once living quarters for the lord of the manor. But the furniture has long since been stripped and sold, the only things of note the numerous bedrolls and piles of straw where more of the Empty surely sleep. You continue onward, up a set of narrow stairs into the attic.
This ramshackle attic is filled with knickknacks of all sorts. Most of it has been thoroughly scavenged for anything of value, leaving rat-chewed paintings, shards of porcelain, and cobwebs. On the far end of the attic, a crate serves as a makeshift desk, holding a stack of papers and an inkwell. A flyer is nailed to the wall above the desk. The window beside the crate is shattered, letting in the cold air from outside.
As you gaze about the room, preparing to move further in, Flovi suddenly flaps her little wings with alarm.
"Hey! Listen! Someone was really careless and left a wire across the floor right there," she warns. "That's really dangerous! Someone could trip over it!"
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"My speech clear! All necessary words there", Anastasia complains to Flovi as they ascend the stairs. Then, she corrects herself: "My speech is clear. All the necessary words are there", speaking slower with careful emphasis on words missing earlier.
She starts looking around the room when Flovi's warning stops her. "Wire! Dangerous, yes, she was right!" She starts taking notes again as she examines the device. "Interesting, this goes here there, and pulls this thing. But what happen if trigger?" She turns to the rest of the team and asks: "Can I pull it? See what happen?"
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”Thank you, Flov—What? No!” Pavo turns to Anastasia. ”It could be an alchemical trap set to destroy incriminating evidence or set a fire to burn down the tenement. Let’s just step over it.”
Even as he advises the others to leave the trap alone, he pulls out a set of finely made tools and goes to disarm the tripwire.
Thanks to Flovi's sharp eyes, the group is able to avoid tripping the trap. Upon closer inspection it's discovered that the trap is a clever one; the wire runs across the way and up to some loose bricks in the ceiling. If it had been triggered, it almost certainly would've brought part of the ceiling down on you or worse, considering the rather poor shape of the building. With a few expert moves on the part of Pavo, the trap is carefully disarmed and you're able to proceed further into the attic.
Now that the group has moved closer, they can see that the flyer tacked to the wall above the desk is a playbill advertising The Gambler's Tragedy as performed by the Andoran Chameleons at the Kendall Amphitheater. One phrase in particular is circled: "Marvel at their breathtaking disguises!"
The stack of papers on the desk also prove quite interesting, the very top one a title page reading The Deleterious Grimoire. After a few moments of perusal the group realizes that it's a catalog of many, many different varieties of poison - where to find their ingredients, how to make them, their effects, the time needed for them to take effect, everything. Two entries in particular are circled: a potent ingested poison called crocodile's tears and a protective alchemical substance called blackfingers paste.
One last thing of note catches your eye - a crumpled piece of paper sticking out of one of the desk drawers. It's another flyer, this time advertising the Green Market - the same one that Zeeva apparently presides over. The words, "Free samples to foreign visitors!" stand out in bright green lettering.
Something about the green lettering doesn't seem to match the rest of the flyer - almost as if it's been added after the fact.
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Anastasia lets Pavo do his work. She turns to Sarzuket, suprised. "Why?" she asks but pulls the finger anyway.
After Pavo has disarmed the trap, she hurries to examine the papers. "Good, Thranalas! And here full case. Disguise, poison, sample, foreigner, market. Just need bit help, who exact target? Maybe Zeeva knows?"
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Sarzuket lets go the loudest flatulence ever emitted by a Pathfinder, and answers, "Why not?"
Carefully sidestepping the trap as per Pavo's instruction, Sarzuket heads into the room and assist others in the search (leaving a delayed stinking cloud behind him... 8, 7, 6... hurry! must not be there when... wait... I didn't use the silent metamagicked version on that one... hmmm...)
After a thorough search of Goldtooth's hideout, no additional traps are turned up though the group does discover a potion and two doses of blackfingers paste. The potion is identified as a potion of Delay Poison by Thran and Anastasia after taking some time to study it carefully. And while the group's search doesn't turn up any additional clues or other evidence, you're all fairly certain that you've got enough for the makings of some kind of assassination plot - but against who? And why?
You all gather everything up and very carefully make your way back out of the attic and down to the first floor. A curious Tsura (and Tamas) await you, eager to hear of what you've learned. When the group explains to her about the trap that had been set, she pales.
"Gods above, it's a wonder no one tripped it and made the whole building come down on our heads!" She wheels around to look at Tamas. "You stay out of that attic, you hear? Don't you go near it!"
"Mooooom, I wasn't even gonna go back up there again anyway," Tamas whines, though you're not entirely convinced of the truthfulness of his statement.
"Anyway, I thank you all kindly for letting us know about that tripwire," Tsura says. "I was afraid that Goldtooth's presence here might encourage some of the others to follow in her footsteps and turn to a life of crime - it's good, in a way, to know that my fears might not've just been all in my head!"
She looks at the group, curious. "What will you do now? From what you told me it sounds like she's been trying to set a trap for someone?"
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Lol, what is it with clerics and this scenario? The last time I ran this the party cleric busted in on Lomen & Craik back at the Frisky Unicorn with a declaration that was something along the lines of, 'Here to kick @$$ and chew bubblegum'...helped themselves to the food that the group took as an offering to pseudodragons...and generally just put his foot in his mouth whenever possible. It was different and yet hilarious!
Tsura shakes her head. "No, she never said anything to me - or anyone else here, I'd wager. She pretty well kept to herself, always rushing directly up to the attic when she'd come back at night or out the door in the morning."
"But it sounds to me like maybe you could go ask Miss Zeeva at the market? I don't know her personally but from what I've heard she's usually pretty well up on everything happening in the city - if anyone has any idea of who Goldtooth's target might be, it'd be her!"
Your purpose now more clear, you all hurry south to the Green Market to hopefully put a stop to whatever your mysterious fortune-teller may have planned. After a few minutes you arrive at the southern entrance to the Green Market, where iron gates stand open in welcome. Customers from every district of Korvosa and beyond crowd the kiosks and surround the stalls that comprise this popular indoor market. Along with its vast selection of imported and domestic produce, clothing, jewelry, and wine, the high-roofed, barn-like building boasts several impressive features, including a central fountain, an indoor green park at its northern end, and numerous glass skylights that can be accessed and opened with ladders and extending poles. The wooden walls that surround the market look to be roughly 20 to 25 feet high, as does the ceiling they support.
As you arrive, you can see that the market is absolutely packed with customers and vendors alike and realize that making your way about is going to be a slow process at best. Looking around, you all happen to spot Zeeva Foxglove standing near the other end of the market next to what appears to be a small indoor garden. She seems to be in deep conversation with another woman, this one dressed in all manner of finery. Something seems oddly familiar about this second woman and as she turns slightly to take a closer look at a crate of berries, you recognize her as the Lady Qualstair that you met earlier at the Frisky Unicorn.
"Oh wow! Look at all the people!" Flovi exclaims, eyes huge as she looks this way and that, trying to take in the scene. "I've never seen so many in one place!"
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Well hidden in the crowd you spot a Qadiran woman, a princess by the looks of her, slyly sneaking up behind Zeeva and Lady Qualstair. You spot one oddity about the dark skinned woman, that her fingertips both seem to be stained black, similar to as if she had touched ink.
It's blackfingers paste, which prevents accidental poisoning when applying a poison to a weapon.
Round 1
Flovi
Pavo
Sarzuket
Thranalas
Anastasia
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EVENT
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Zeeva
Rumble
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions:
Pavo, Sarzuket, Thran, and Anastasia are UP!
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"Watch out! See that woman there?! She's got a poison weapon!"
Thran casts a spell of Daze Monster on her.
Thran moves in closer to the action.
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"Make way! Make way!" Pavo projects his voice into the crowd. "There are noble heroes, chosen by the fates, about to intercede upon and stop a great calamity. Make way! Spread to the walls and give them pass. Stay and watch, if you like, but make way! Do not become a villain's pawn and hinder their path. Be a hero yourself, an agent of fate, and make a way!"
The bard gestures broadly, trying to direct the crowd to part with his hands.
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"What? where? I don't see anything!"
Sarzuket hops on the fruit stand in front of him so that he can see above the crowd.
You can jump up onto an object as tall as your waist, such as a table or small boulder, with a DC 10 Acrobatics (jump) check. Doing so counts as 10 feet of movement, so if your speed is 30 feet, you could move 20 feet, then hop up onto a counter. You do not need to get a running start to hop up, so the DC is not doubled if you do not get a running start.
"Oh! I think I see her! let me take a crack at it!!"
"Drats!!! I think we'll need to close in for melee on this. LADIES! COME THIS WAY! TOWARDS US!! THAT PRINCESS RIGHT THERE MIGHT NOT BE AS PRINCESSY AS YOU THINK!"
Almost immediately, Thran spots a highly-suspicious-looking Qadiran woman creeping through the crowd towards Zeeva and Lady Qualstair. As he calls out a warning he attempts to bring his magic to bear to stop whatever scheme she's got up her sleeve...
...and succeeds! The woman has just enough time to turn her head towards the group as Thran's words ring out over the crowded market, her eyes widening with surprise, and then Thran's magic takes hold of her and she blinks, swaying unsteadily on her feet.
Meanwhile, Pavo attempts to direct the crowd to clear the way for deeds of heroism and derring-do...and seems to make some headway! Several heads turn to look at each other and then at Pavo before the bodies they belong to begin to move out of the way.
"Wot did 'e say? A huge manatee?"
"Nah, somethin' 'bout a calamity! An' he looks serious too, best not get in his way!"
"Eh...wot's a calamity?"
Anastasia also calls out a warning to Zeeva as she begins pushing her way through the crowd while Sarzuket shimmies between a few sets of legs and hops up onto a nearby fruit cart. Spotting the woman, he takes aim with his sling and tries to bean her in the head with a stone but the pebble sails wide and disappears somewhere in the crowd.
Zeeva looks around, thoroughly alarmed at the sudden burst of yelling and shouting coming from the far end of the market and she too looks surprised to see all of you.
"Wha...?"
Then, she glances around and spots the dazed Qadiran woman standing just behind Lady Qualstair and pales. She grabs the noblewoman by the arm and attempts to pull her away.
"My Lady! This way, hurry! It's not safe!"
A large part of the crowd follows suit, surging away from the woman and from Zeeva and Lady Qualstair with cries of alarm and confusion!
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Round 1/Round 2
Flovi
Pavo
Sarzuket
Thranalas
Anastasia
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Qadiran Woman
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Zeeva
Rumble
Crowds
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions:
Everyone is UP!
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Sarzuket hops atop the fruit piles nimbly, easily clearing the 5-foot gap to the nearest potato stand to the north!
Then, raising his unloaded small light crossbow in the air while resting his left hand on his left hip dramatically while resting his right foot on the top of the potato pile, he demands, nay, ORDERS the crowd to part immediately, "...lest you lot wish to face the wrath of the Hanging Judge!"
Eager to get down to more heroics, Rumble barrels through the now-parting crowd towards the three women! Pavo, deciding to forgo playing nice with the crowd for something a bit more direct, begins to wind up some magic of his own. Sarzuket continues his forward progress atop the produce stands, easily jumping from one to the other and leaving a trail of juice and pulpy bits in his wake. Standing tall atop the mountain of potatoes, he once more encourages the crowd to get out of the way and they begin to comply.
"I don't know what's going on but I want no part of it!"
"That Qadiran, she's a criminal? Those other people must be bounty hunters or something! Let them through!"
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Round 2
Flovi
Pavo
Sarzuket
Thranalas
Anastasia
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Qadiran Woman
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Zeeva
Rumble
Crowd
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions:
Thran and Anastasia are UP!