GM Tektite's PFS #03-17 Red Harvest (Inactive)

Game Master Hawkwen Agricola

Where to? There is also an inn. The sun is starting to set.

"We wish to speak with both of your leaders and assess the situation fully, though we do not wish to bring dishonor to either of the Mothers. Is is not possible to meet each of them simultaneously? By my honor as a cleric of Abadar, I only wish to see all parties satisfied and hold the city's interests in highest regard."

D... diplo request? use #3?: 1d20 + 23 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 23 + 5 = 40

Should that fail, Amira has no interest in fanatics unwilling to negotiate and doesn't care of their next destination (though sleeping is preferred.)

Both men bow, ever lower, trying to outdo the other. "As you wish." The say, almost in concert.

Once the party is alone...

Desmond lets out a yawn and stretches his arms, "Ahhnng. So, anyone else getting tired? Let's head on over to that inn and see if we can get a room...maybe a drink? I'll get the first round for our two diplomats!" Desmond gives Amira and Marisa a wide grin.

"Oh wait, we're going to negotiate some more? Alright - just lemme know which way we go first. We gonna talk to the tengu or the nagaji first?" Desmond asks of Amira, tugging on her sleeve.

"So, we splitting up Amira? We visiting them one at a time? Or do you want to take the evening off and start in the morning?" Marisa says with a grin.

"We still have oil to burn. Let's go to..."

Whichever is closer. If they're conveniently the same distance, then the Mine (because they asked first, technically.)

-Posted with Wayfinder

The party is lead to the Copper Mine Office by Bakji. He nods at two nagaji guarding the door and the stand aside. Entering, you see Aishwarya, a young female guardian naga about 10 feet in length, with dark, golden skin and a small spiked hood, flanked by two nagaji mercenaries. Bakji motions for you to wait while he steps forward and whispers furtively into the naga's ear. The naga nods and smiles at the party with her strangely human face and says in Common. "My lieutenant speaks highly of you for only just meeting you. What brings you to Nibung?"

"Oh, hi! Name is Marisa, Marisa Hayami. You may have heard of me! Nice to meet ya! We were sent here by the Lantern Lodge and the Pathfinder Society to recover the McGuffin known as the Lotus Annals scrolls."

Auto Diplomacy Aiding Head Diplomancer Amira

Amira will refresh Tongues if needed. "Our search for the scrolls is true, though as a devout of Abadar I have a great interest in the well-being of this town perhaps you can give me your side of the story behind thus village abs its current state."

Diplo no aid added: 1d20 + 23 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 23 + 5 = 34 use #4

-Posted with Wayfinder

Taiko bowed to the naga lord

In Tien My name is Xian Taiko Aishwarya Sama. It's an honor to meet you. We hope that our presence will help this city to recover its glorious past and its peace.
As my comrade said, we are here to find and copy theses famous scroll but if we can help restoring this city to his previous greatness we will

automatic aiding Amira in diplomacy

"Well," Mordo speaks up in Tien, "take us to see your Mistresses then. We will speak with each one and allow each side to make its case before we make any decisions or movements. Toss a coin to see who goes first if you must. Let us get these discussions under way though." Yes, because if we let Riddywipple get bored for too long he will start playing pranks and I doubt they will find it amusing.

The naga smiles at Marisa. "To the point. I am impressed already." She says in a sibilant voice. "I know of the Lotus Annals. I do not have them in my possession at this time. When I am, with your help, the uncontested leader of this town, I promise to grant you access to them. You may make a copy, but the original will stay in my possession. As I am a distant descendant of the naga who penned them thousands of years ago, you must understand that the scrolls are therefore a family heirloom."

Lol, whoops. I missed a few posts (must have accidentally marked them as read) and didn't realize we were already talking to one of the naga!

Mordo introduces himself, "Grrreetings. Morrrrrdo Canta, student of the arcane, along with my friend Riddywipple the delightful trickster."

---

"Hm, yes, very well. A copy will suffice for our purposes I believe. But what of our future relations? After we have made our copy and left, what will be the nature of the Society's presence in this town? And what of the future of Nibung itself?"

"If you do not have them in your possession, who does?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

"While my acquaintances are occupied with the Pathfinder Society, I answer to a higher power," She raises a sleeve with an Abadaran key cufflink (holy symbol), "What are your goals and plans with the village? Are you open to negotiations?"

Sense @ answer domain #4 use: 1d20 + 17 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 17 + 5 = 27

-Posted with Wayfinder

Yes, because if we let Riddywipple get bored for too long he will start playing pranks and I doubt they will find it amusing.

But Marisa would find it amusing

The naga peers at Panfalcon through slitted eyes. "The Annals are kept within the Temple of Nalinivati, which is administered by Avinash. If you aid my cause, I will order Avinash to allow you access to them."

Turing to Amira, she says. "I only strive to maintain the traditions this village has followed for centuries."

Desmond crosses his arms and wonders out loud, "So...how can we help your village follow your traditions, your highness? Oh," a thought occurs to him, "do you want us to, uh, kill those other folk?" Desmond asks this question nervously.

"I assume once we can come to a legitimate agreement that any theorizing battle strategy, but we're not at that phase yet. You say you desire to keep traditions in power. Could you perhaps go into greater detail of those ideals, so as to enlighten me to your culture?"

-Posted with Wayfinder

Marisa's eyes begin to wonder around the room...

Is there anything interesting or unusual in the room? Art, food, cool books, etc. Looking for valuables as well as conversational pieces here. Also looking around the room to see what everyone here is armed with.

perception: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (16) + 24 = 40

Well, Desmond is wearing a lovely mithral breastplate, complemented by a belt that allows him to be more dexterous and constitutional. That kicky cloak he's wearing offers him some protection, ladies. Oh, and what's that? Why, he's sporting a new headband of smartiness, from the Dolce & Gabbana Spring collection - oh so stylish.

Hanging from one shoulder is a longbow and in a large sheath across his back is a falchion - if it was drawn, you would spot the word 'Dingo' etched into the flat of the blade in Edwardian Script. Desmond's backpack contains assorted tools that he rarely uses because he usually forgets about them.

All of that is fairly difficult to pickpocket Desmond, well except the stuff in your backpack...

Well Marisa - I didn't know you were looking for the 5-finger discount.

Desmond glances over and gives Marisa a smirk, as if they're sharing a joke.

Riddywipple flies behind Mordo with a few wands dangling about and a small scepter (Rod of Wonder) on his back. Mordo has a trio of spellbooks in a waterproof bag, several scroll tubes, a mithral dagger, a special crossbow, some fancy slippers, a black falconer's glove, a nice looking headband, a cloak, and a small backpack full of miscellaneous items. Of course a spell component pouch hangs from his belt.

---

Can't remember if I said so earlier but Mordo put up Mage Armor before getting to town.

---

"So what do we need to do to aid your cause then, Mistress Aishwarya? I assume that defeating your rival is included in that 'aiding' process."

The naga answers Amira's question. "I only wish to uphold the ancient traditions of Nagajor. That we stay a self-sustaining society, where the Mothers rule, with a wise hand, over the Nagaji."

Marisa notices that the room is sparsely furnished. Mother Aishwarya's serpentine body sprawls across the large couch in front of the fire. Her human face looks slightly Vudran. The only jewelry Aishwarya wears is a thin, silver circlet studded with small emeralds.

At Mordo's question, she smiles. "Your...aid would consist of driving my rival from the village. I am very close to becoming the ruler of Nibung. The only thing that stands in her way is a female nagaji tax collector named Iltame from the capital city of Zom Kullan who has taken up temporary residence at the Exchange, the headquarters of Dhanishta and her Ruby Circle gang." She says, her tail twitching. "I believe Dhanishta has seduced the tax collector, and that my rival will use this relationship to turn the naga matriarchy in the capital against her." She pauses, thinking. "If Iltame were to leave Nibung or otherwise disappear, I could move against the spirit naga without fear of outside repercussions. Once that has been accomplished, I ask that you join me in driving Dhanishta out of the village. Once that is accomplished, I promise to command Avinash to let you study the Lotus Annals."

"Who is Avinash and whom commands it currently?"

The naga turns to Panfalcon. "As I said before, Avinash tends the Temple of Nalinivati where the Annals are kept."

Panfalcon sends a telepathic message out to the party through the Riddywipple hotline.

Why don't we just go to the Temple and deal with Avinash directly?

I have the suspicion that Avinash will not or can not act without orders from the leader of Nibung, whoever that may be in the end.

I suppose we could, but I think Amira will want to hear the other side of the story first. Peaceful relations, trade, stability. Amira? Your call...

"Right. I want to hear both sides, given the vagueness of this current leader's direction."

Amira bows, "Many thanks. I, cannot in good faith, make any agreements without investigating all possible variables. I will send message once we have gathered enough perspective and made a decision."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Agreed.

Once outside the office, Mordo says, "Well, that was not terribly informative but let us speak with the other Mistress before we get ahead of ourselves. We can also scope out this Iltame person and see what kind of threat or ally she will be depending on which side we choose."

Unless there is any more discussion, Panfalcon will leave with the group. Once outside, he will cast Mage Armor on himself.

This is something Panfalcon will do daily, I just forgot to mention it.

Mother Aishwarya nods her ascent. "Of course. I would be surprised if you did not. Remember to be wary of Iltame, she is a conniver and lackey to the bureaucracy." Taking your leave, the party heads across the village to the red coffee warehouse known as the Exchange.

As you approach the warehouse, two tengu guards nod, step aside, and open the door. Entering, the warehouse still smells of the coffee that used to be housed here. Tall crates are stacked everywhere, creating a series of corridors through the warehouse. Another guard steps out and motions the party over to a space in the warehouse that has been converted to a meeting area. Sitting on a long sofa, a naga smiles and says. "Ah, you are the group I was told about! I am Dhanishta. I am so glad you have decided to come speak with me." Dhanishta is large for her species, measuring nearly 15 feet in length and weighing over 300 pounds. Her scales are midnight blue with silver highlights, and her human face looks like a middle-aged Tian-Dan woman with silver hair.

As you approach, you notice a couple tengu guards loitering nearby and a skinny nagaji standing to the side of the naga. Dhanishta smiles again as you get closer. "Welcome. So tell me, what brings you to Nibung?"

Taiko mentally agreed through Riddywipple to Panfalcon question and to Amira's answer.

He almost frowned at Mother Aishwarya comment about bureaucracy - as a world in Order need a well built and efficient bureaucracy - but instead smile, hidding his own tought.

Once in the warehouse, Taiko waited for Amira to present herself then said.

It is an honor to meet you Dhanishta sama, I'm Xian Taiko to serve.

Amira bows, "Indeed, all sides are to be investigated, lest an error in judgement be made." Raising from the bow, "I am Amira el-Amin, clergywoman of Abadar. I desire to know your assessment of the this situation, so I may come to an informed decision myself."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Desmond breathes in the coffee aroma deeply. He exhales slowly and tries to bow in unison with Amira, though he's a bit out of synch. He directs a thought at Riddywhipple, 10 to 1 this one says that she wants us to eliminate that other naga as a threat.

The naga stares at the party with a faint grin. "What is it that I can tell you, that will aid your assessment."

"What do you know about the Lotus Annals? Can you grant us access to these tomes? I believe my friends would also like to hear your plans for this small town if you are put in power."

Half an ear on the conversation at hand, Marisa looks for something entertaining or interesting.

Hey Riddywipple. Any ideas on lighthearted pranking our companions after these boring negotiations are done?

The naga's face betrays some confusion. "The Lotus Annals? Of course I know of them. If you help install me to power, you can have the Annals." The naga glances at her associate, Iltame. "My plan for Nibung? My plans are to bring prosperity to this village....to empower the poor villagers that are stuck in a feudal caste system. Can there be any other more noble goal?"

Riddywipple gives Marisa a mischievous grin but with a quick look from Mordo he settles down and realizes that now is not the time for pranks.

"It certainly seems noble of you, yes. What of the concerns that this small town will be taken over by the outside forces that will invade this area should it be opened to outside trade? Will that not perpetuate a new type of caste system?"

Dhanishta shakes her head dismissively. "No I would not call it a caste system. Do you not pay taxes where you are from. Are you not free to pursue your goals and achieve wealth in the way you deem satisfying to your heart? I'm sure you understand, taxes are but a necessity for a growing society."

"The, uh...lady makes a point," Desmond says in a low voice and nudges Panfalcon with his elbow.

So, this is all about whether to stick with traditions, or welcome in the outside world?

I totaly agree with you Dhanishta sama said Taiko to Dhanishta comment.

Order, Administration, Laws are what Civilisation is. Without them, it's only chaos and anarchy.

after a short silence Taiko added.

But of course, it's only my personal preference. bowing to Amira.

"During my third year of tutelage, I was assigned a district of Katheer for tax-collection and processing, so I am well aware of and believe in the necessity of taxation. I, however, am interested in the town's well-being and avoiding possible backlash for such an undertaking. I assume negotiation to integrate yourself within the current system failed. Do you think it sustainable to levy new taxes on this diminished population? I am very interested in some statistics and plans for the revenue, if you have any."

-Posted with Wayfinder

The naga;s eyes widen slightly before she regains composure. She nods to Iltame. "I'm sure Iltame can come up with some sort of documentation. As far as integrating myself, I assure you my time will is coming. I believe the government in the capital, Zom Kullan will install me as village leader. I only wish to do away with the....turmoil Mother Aishwarya creates." The naga's tail twitches ever so slightly as she continues. "And what is the compensation you desire for your..cooperation?"

"Ah. We come from the Pathfinder Society and our first interest in Nibung will be to acquire the Lotus Annals-or at least access to them-to study them for our own interest. Promises of future relations between Nibung and the Pathfinders would do well to add to that compensation."

The naga nods. "I can arrange for that, if I am installed as leader of this town." She pauses, thinking for a moment. "I would like to propose a little mission. The Annals are "supposedly" written by an ancestor of Aishwarya. If the Annals and its guardian were to...disappear, it would weaken her legitamacy and strengthen my position. In order to get to the Annals, you'll need to get past Avinash, the guardian. Now Avinash is a being of some power. Luckily, however, he has acquired more than his share of...vices over the years." The naga's tail begins to twitch again as she warms up to her scheme. "One of these is an addiction to a fermented fruit beverage known as lenoo. I propose that you replace one of his bottles of lenoo with a sample tainted with a strong sedative. Thus when he drinks his nightly lenoo, the royal naga will unwittingly drink himself into unconsciousness, providing you an opportunity to take him out with little to no resistance. Brilliant, no?"

Discuss...

I need to level Mordo up on here. He gained a new level of spells and I bought a Rod of Wonder for Riddywipple to entertain himself with. So we have that to look forward to.

Taiko is now 10th, so no new spell but great change :)

Ok, Mordo should be all updated. I'll prepare new spells after we hear the briefing.

Any chance you could delay until Burglar's Jester's Fraud is done? :-D

Didn't you play this already when EF GM'd it? If not, sure, we should be done shortly in Jester's.

I almost played it, but went with Kortos Envoy instead.

Ah, ok then. If Burglar comes over and Desmond, that'd be four. I sent a PM to Wise Fox as well. I told him I would when this one came up. If he's comes in, I would guess he might bring a Paladin??? I am not that familiar with characters.

Jester's Fraud is dangerously close to finishing. Just gotta see if anyone else gets cursed (or double-cursed.)

Des will be 8th level when he comes over. Lotta pre-gen chronicles to apply.

Don't know which I'll bring yet. I got a few characters I can play with.

@ Amira: This does not take place in Wanshou.

I understand there has been a call for Pathfinders. Fear not mortals for the "Sandtiger," Panfalcon Dryadson shall aid you.

------------------------------------------------------

If there is room, I'd like to join up. But I don't want to throw off the APL if that's an issue. I haven't played this character in nearly 1.5 years. Cheese and crackers.

Hey, welcome Neb. That'll make six then.

Xian -10
Mordo- 9
Amira- 11
Des- 8
Pan- 7
Wise Fox- ?

10 + 9 + 11 + 8 + 7 + 7 = 52 divided by 6 is 8.6666666666666

So even if Wise Fox brings a seven, the APL would be 9 with six players equals high tier.

NEB!!!

Heidi-ho there Des and everybody else.

Pan should be able to survive at higher tier*. After all he's a blaster sorcerer with some assisting spells. I usually play him with a set crew, thus the spell selection I have. I guess its time for Panfalcon to fly out on his own ;)

In posting news, I'll be at Yosemite from Friday through Monday should we be starting before then.

*He does have a Breath of Life scroll.

Which lodge are we starting from this adventure?

Technically, Absalom.

For the curious;

So I just realized I spaced Panfalcon, after I sent him a note on Fri.

Sorry Neb! Wasn't thinking...technically the first encounter would have worked the same....

Going to hold until Neb can check in here. Again, my apologies Neb, total mess-up on my part.

Bah, don't worry about it. I did the same thing with RyckyRych a couple months ago. It happens.

S'all good my man. I don't want to hold up things. I'm just back up artillery with this group anyways =v)

Ha, yeah, I knew the one language thing about Tongues; I was kind of hoping the Tengu's primary was Tien, but I remembered that Tengu was ALSO a language.

Hey everybody, I'm trying to make sure I have ol' Sahrek's information correct. Now that he's grown into a Large animal companion, I need to make those adjustments and I want to make sure I've got them done correctly.

As I understand it, Sahrek will have a -1 size modifier to his attacks for being large. Thus, his bite attack is calculated thusly:

+6 for STR, +5 BAB, +1 Weapon Focus (bite), -1 Size = 5+6+1-1= 11.

Then, for his Trip attempt (comes free with successful bite), he gets a +1 to size for being large. The trip is calculated as:

+5 BAB, +6 STR, +1 Size, +1 Weapon Focus (bite) = 5+6+1+1 = 13.

I'm about 75% sure that I'm correct, but I appreciate any clarifications you guys can share with me.

You're correct, don't forget the +4 bonus for the trip attempt :)

So what are we doing? Talking or sleeping. If splitting up and talking, what are the groups?

I was about to ask this question. So are the Mothers going to come out now or at a later time. The faction head's answer didn't give us much in the way of direction.

They will take you to the Mothers, at the Copper Mine Office and Coffee Warehouse.

That looks right Des. I'm not sure what the +4 trip Xian mentioned would be from. Although if you don't want him to be large you can take +2 Dex and Con or something like that instead. It's somewhere in the Druid companion section.

I advocate speaking to them one at a time as a whole group and not splitting up.

Naw, I want him to be large. I'm pretty sure Xian means the +4 is to the CMD vs. trips - because he's 4-legged.

Cool everyone, thanks.

And yeah, I'm not sure what's happening. Desmond's just hoping for a nice drink at the inn. He's not completely reformed.

Actually, I like the idea of one-at-a-time as well.

Because the leaders made it sound like we were able to have meet with both Mothers at the same time in a common area.

"We wish to speak with both of your leaders and assess the situation fully, though we do not wish to bring dishonor to either of the Mothers. Is is not possible to meet each of them simultaneously? By my honor as a cleric of Abadar, I only wish to see all parties satisfied and hold the city's interests in highest regard."

Both men bow, ever lower, trying to outdo the other. "As you wish." The say, almost in concert.

I guess it should have been phrased "Is it possible to meet them simultanesouly?

But the GM is saying this isn't fesable and we are going to have to meet them one at a time? Or did I just make a mountain out of a molehill?
:(

Yeah, I meant as you wish, as per splitting the party to meet them simultaneously. Since that was what you had been talking about. Bad response on my part.

Bottom line: You have to go to them to meet them.

I've GM'd this one before. It's assumed that you speak to them one at a time. They have some not-nice words about each other (and perhaps a mission to give us concerning the other one should we decide to ally with one or the other).

So, I'm not saying we can't do that (meet them at the same time) but it's a little easier for the flow of the scenario to meet them individually.

Ninja'd by Tektite!

Yeah, I didn't want to shoot down anyone's idea (because it actually is a good idea), but it would have meant changing a fair amount of the scenario and that can be challenging sometimes.

Yes, it would take a fair amount of changing, but the other point is that I'm not sure that the two rivals would meet in the open to essentially discuss recruiting the party to "destroy" the other rival. In my mind it just doesn't make sense. They're bosses with henchmen. It not like you guys are that overpowered, and at this point, the Mothers, know next to nothing about you as the LT's haven't reported back.

I'm sure Amira's peacemaking mission is bound to fail by the scenario's standards; One wants trade, the other wants tradition, so it's a lose-lose situation for everyone in some aspect (to Amira.)

On one hand, "Promoting Trade" is Amira's Subdomain a big part of Abadar's portfolio. On the other, deposing the legitimate heir to a position of power destabilizes a LOT of any locale. So, Amira will speak with whichever group first. Any thoughts?

-Posted with Wayfinder

If this is a "pick one side or another" scenario, our first loyalty is to the pathfinder mission: secure the McGuffin. Whichever side grants us better access to the McGuffin gets our loyalty and likely the victory.

Also, we should think about which side is likely to work with the society more in the long run.

If both sides are willing to work with us and meet all of our demands, it basically comes down to preference. If Amira is paralyzed with indecision from her teachings in game, Marisa will happily take diplomatic lead of our group and be herself to break the stalemate. ^_^

I agree with our objective "mission first !"

Taiko have no preference he will kill gladly anyone within the limit of the mission :P

Bah. Killing people is too mercenary for Marisa's tastes. Nonlethal is the way to go!

Taiko don't do, usually, non lethal :P

Side note from, like, days ago: Grab, as per the Universal Monster Ability, gives a +4 to the CMB to start/maintain grapple while using it.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Yeah, I don't know why I believed Trip was giving the same bonus...

For those of you who know (and possibly expect) my classic posting tendencies, I want to apologize for the lack of big and quality posts (especially as face in a social scenario.) Work having blocked the Paizo domain via firewall really put a far bigger damper on formulating big posts that end up being too big to risk typing in on my "prone to eating posts more often than the postmonster and wasting ten minutes." It's a little bit of a disappointment on my part, too; this scenario really ties in with a LOT of Amira's political, religious, and personal beliefs that clash with each other.

Disclaimer: I fully expect most people to respond with "No, you're fine", but wanted to preemptively apologize, do ho ho.

walks up

You have offended my family and you have offended the Shaolin Temple.

walks away, with a sly smirk

For those of you who know (and possibly expect) my classic posting tendencies, I want to apologize for the lack of big and quality posts (especially as face in a social scenario.) Work having blocked the Paizo domain via firewall really put a far bigger damper on formulating big posts that end up being too big to risk typing in on my "prone to eating posts more often than the postmonster and wasting ten minutes." It's a little bit of a disappointment on my part, too; this scenario really ties in with a LOT of Amira's political, religious, and personal beliefs that clash with each other.

Disclaimer: I fully expect most people to respond with "No, you're fine", but wanted to preemptively apologize, do ho ho.

How can you say that? This is clearly an affront to Marisa, who requires a straight woman to her shenanigans, and that your "low quality" posts are putting a damper on her style! She demands that you post more, if only to make fun of Amira's professionalism more!

kidding...

That's it. Pistols at dawn! You have offended my honor, sir.

Sorry for the radio silence this weekend. We were supposed to just drive up to Indy on Sat. and drive back home, but it turned out that we stayed and didn't get home until last night. Then I come down with food poisoning/a stomach bug. Ugh!