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"Ahh dannae believe what mae ears are hearin! Are yae callin me an imposter and mae friends thieves? Ahh'm a high priest o' Cayden Cailean and yae can trust me when Ahh tell yae that yae can trust mae companions! What are yae, drunk?! Niver in all mae years have Ahh been so insulted. This sacred hall is mae home awa frae home. Yae have nae richt tae turn awa one o' the faithful, especially in such a rude manner! Tell me yer names and Ahh'll bring them forth tae yer betters. Ahh'm also gonnae be tellin Cayden Cailean how yae've been treatin a brother. Yae can expect yer beer tae go skunk frae here on oot! Noo, let us through before Ahh introduce yae tae mae axe!"
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To the Doorman, "Sorry friend, but these men have been ensorcelled. This might get ugly. We won't kill anyone."
I'm assuming the Dispel Magic is either going to defuse the situation or escalate it to combat. The instant he hears Terrill start casting a spell, Bishop will snap a Gravity Bow wand from his spring-loaded sheath and cast it. (Unless you rule otherwise.)
There is, in fact, at least one other easy way to get in (up the stops to the open-air great hall), but Faeron gets the sense that these two would follow their movements.
In any case, things get out of hand before Faeron can execute his plan. Terrill can feel his dispel brush up against the enchantment, but is rebuffed. The man in question sputters in confused anger, and in the same moment Skybek mentions his axe, Faeron draws his pistol, a Bishop produces a wand.
They draw rapiers. "For Cayden and the High Priestess!!!"
Initiative -- Round I -- bold may act!
1. Faeron, Terrill, Bishop, Val
2. Priests (shaken@3rounds), Guards
3. Skybek
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"We'll heal them later, get them down before all hell breaks loose!" Bishop then takes aim with his bow. He goes after the closest cleric, and will continue aiming at that one until he goes down. If he does he'll move to the next cleric
As always, I default to rapid shot and deadly aim. Assuming human
THREAT
A quick whistle instructs Timber to trip the doorman.
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Terrill calls on Desna to guide his blade and protect his body, moving up the steps and drawing his sword as he does so. He calls out to the others, "Remember, these men are not acting of their own will! We must not kill them!" Turning his blade so he'll strike with the flat, he attacks priest to his right.
Faeron draws first blood after looking over his target. The bullet buries itself deep in the man's gut, just in time for Terrill to remind his fellows not to kill everyone and smack the other on the head with his blade. (Luckily, the deafening gunshot is not all that unusual at this establishment, and does not draw the attention of the Greycloaks.)
Bishop ignores that advice and lodges three arrows in the chest of the man Terrill swatted, dropping him.
Next, Bishop sends an arrow through the eye of the man Faeron shot, killing him instantly. Bishop then sends his wolf after the poor doorman, who has yet to even draw a weapon. His cry is pitiful as the wolf drags him down: "Cayden protect me!!!"
Round I -- bold may act!
1. Faeron, Terrill, Bishop, Val
2. Priests (@62 damage, 13 nonlethal, unconscious, bleeding out, shaken@3rounds), Guards (doorman @ 22 dmg)
3. Skybek
Bishop draws a large quantity of first blood, pin-cushioning one priest with three arrows and sending him to the floor before putting a final arrow through the eye of the other, dropping him as well. Timber he sends after the poor doorman, who has yet to even draw a weapon. The man's cry as he is dragged to the ground is pitiful: "Cayden protect me!!!"
Faeron then shoots the poor prone doorman in the leg, furthering hampering him, and Terrill taps him with the flat of his sword for good measure. He obligingly goes unconscious.
Round I -- bold may act!
1. Faeron, Terrill, Bishop, Val
2. Priests (yellow at 62 damage, unconscious, bleeding out, shaken@3rounds; other at 67 damage, unconscious, bleeding out, shaken@3rounds), Guards (doorman @ 47 dmg, 13 nonlethal, unconscious)
3. Skybek
Val dispels one priests enchantment! He keeps bleeding though.
Hearing the commotion by the door and watching in awe as two of his companions are unceremoniously felled, a temple guard seated at one of bars scrambles to his feet and hucks his tankard at Terrill before drawing his heavy mace. The flying flagon hits the Desnan square in the nose!
CRIT THREAT not confirmed
What the guard doesn't notice is that his elbow has knocked over his neighbor's beer. The neighbor, assumes, it was his other neighbor, of course, and good-naturedly smashes the thing on said neighbor's head. Said neighbor then stutters into HIS neighbor, spilling MORE drinks, and moments later the whole hall is embroiled in a raging, jovial, rough-and-tumble bar brawl!
The music does not stop playing.
Round II -- bold may act!
1. Faeron, Terrill (3 dmg), Bishop, Val
2. Priests (yellow at 62 damage, unconscious, shaken@2rounds; other at 68 damage, unconscious, bleeding out, shaken@2rounds), Guards (doorman @ 47 dmg, 13 nonlethal, unconscious)
3. Skybek
Intent on stopping his fellows' would-be murderers at the door, the temple guard swings hard for Faeron as he goes past. The nimble gunslinger easily dodges the clumsy swing, however.
Bishop wastes no time in dishing out yet more lethal force and sends Timber in the door -- as he was politely asked not to do my the helpful doorman. The wolf drags this helpless nine-to-five temple guard under the table as well.
Fortunately, everyone else in the hall is either too drunk or thinks they're too drunk to believe the sight of a horse-sized wolf in the hall and continues merrily smashing things (and each other) instead. Meanwhile, Terrill tends to the dying.
Bishop and Faeron enter upon a massive greathall, filled with cheerful drunks eagerly pummeling their fellows. In the middle is an enormous bonfire smoking up through an open hole in the roof. Various temple guards try to break up the fight but have not taken particular notice of the weapon-clad newcomers -- yet.
Everyone ignores Skybek.
Round III -- bold may act!
1. Faeron, Terrill (3 dmg), Bishop, Val
2. Priests (yellow at 62 damage, unconscious, shaken@1rounds; other at 62 damage, unconscious, shaken@1rounds), Guards (doorman @ 47 dmg, 13 nonlethal, unconscious; other @ 16 dmg, prone)
3. Skybek
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Terrill watches in dismay as Bishop sends his great wolf in to attack the temple guards, then turns to look over his shoulder and comments, "What do you think, Val? I've never been sure if this lot are zealots with a drinking problem or drunks with a religion problem. But I don't see why we're killing 'em, that's sure."
He steps forward, straddling the an unconscious guard. Once again spinning his blade in his grip to strike with the flat, he brings it down in a ringing blow on the prone guard's head, hoping the rest of the drinkers are too busy fighting to pay any mind.
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"Ach, Val, this place must be possessed by demons if they dannae want free beer! Ahh suppose it's time tae dae this the hard way!
Skybek draws his cold iron battleaxe and enters into the hall. He enters the bar fight and attempts to take down the drunken patrons one person at a time with non lethal damage.
Terrill delivers two quick blows to the last (specific) threat at the door and knocks him unconscious! Skybek notices several other clerics of Cayden doing their best to break up the sprawling brawl and joins in.
In the main hall, the great bonfire is surrounded by a series of posts, each bearing a small water cask, a bell, and a priest of Cayden. Each priest stays near their post, but clambers down to help calm the patrons down. Before too long, most folks settle back to their drinks, slapping each other on the back and laughing about the new missing tooth.
Fortunately, nobody remembers the wolf and most folks assume the downed faithful by the door just had a bit too much to drink. As folks clean up the splintered stool and shattered mugs (tossing them into the fire), Faeron scans the room for a high priestess among the citizens of all stripes and sizes. He does not see somebody fitting the description.
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[b]"we've got rooms to look into. I don't hurting the good hearted. This demon master is going to pay dearly.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Skybek walks around and attempts to put everybody at ease."Yae folks can calm doon and relax noo. Rest assured that Cayden Cailean willnae let yae gae thirsty!"
Skybek comments quietly to one of the other priests of Cayden Cailean."Yae can tell there is evil aboot, when gud folk in one o' Cayden Cailean's greatest pubs are fightin aboot a wee bit of spilt ale! Have yae noticed anything suspicious aroond here lately? Ahh mean, even something wee?"
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"I couldn't agree more, Bishop. We're lucky no one was killed," Terrill says, moving to join the ranger as he makes his way to one of the doors off the main room. "How about we see if anyone will tell us where to find the high priestess? If we've no luck, we start opening doors."
Pausing at one of the posts where a priest stands fire-watch, Terrill asks the man, "I'm looking for High Priestess Saphira, can you tell me where I might find her?"
"Evil? Suspicious?" says Skybek's confidant in surprise. "These blokes are just having a good time! And, I mean, we ran out of the Kyonin Blackroot Strongwine early this morning. But there's a new cask comin' tomorrow, so not too worried there!" He pauses and looks at Skybek quizzically and adds in a hushed whisper, "You think someone plotted to drink all the Strongwine?"
Terrill has a little more luck. "Um..." says the priest, looking about the Great Hall. "I think she might be in the performance hall over there, listening to that hilarious jester we hired. From Taldor, I think!" He points to the double-doors to the east.
Beyond those doors is a long hall that functions as a performance theater of sorts, in this case a ridiculously dressed jester making rather crude jokes about current military relations between Absalom and Oppara in a very posh Taldan accent. A sign on the stage reads: Arnaud Deschamp, Glory of the Empire, Ear of the Crown, Wit of the Opparan Court. Carved into the stage itself is an approximated quote from Cayden's Placard of Wisdom: Armed with a drink and a laugh, any man can be brave.
The room is filled with about a dozen or so patrons and priests, all greatly enjoying the saucy talk and cheering loudly. Among this crowd is a tall woman bearing a huge stone mug with a well-worn handle: as good a guess for the High Priestess as any.
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Terrill stands in the doorway a moment watching the jester's act, then turns and waves the others forward. "Looks like I've found Saphira," he says, "and I'm curious about this performer." Stepping into the room, he focuses on the jester, attempting to read the man's soul, to gauge his true intentions in this place.
He then walks up to the presumed High Priestess and addresses her, "High Priestess Saphira? My friends and I are Pathfinders, come to help sort out a mystery related to Baldimar, a late priest of your faith. Can you help us?"
Saphira lets out a loud belch by way of greeting. "Can it wait?" She points at Arnaud on stage.
Saphira stops halfway through a swig. "Bewitched! Say what now? Bewitched by who?!"
Bishop keeps a sharp lookout. The only people who are paying any attention to the Pathfinders are those whose view is blocked by Pathfinder behinds.
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"I don't know who bewitched 'em," Terrill says simply, "but when Skybek there - a powerful follower of the Drunken God, as I'm sure you know - asked to see you, they said he was here to steal something and attacked us. And they acted like they were under some kind of enchantment. Any idea who would have caused something like that?"
He pauses, then steps closer and says more quietly, "I hate to say it, but We've some concern about demonic activity here at the temple, can we speak openly here, or should we go somewhere more private?"
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"Aye, and when Ahh offered free rounds o' mae oon starstone ale, the patrons didnae stop fightin! Yea cannae tell me that yae dannae have demonic influences in yer wee pub when gud decent folk resist mae kind and generous offerings."
Skybek steps forward and bows politely to the high priest.
"High priestess Saphira, Ahh'm Skybek Odeon at yer service and Cayden Cailean's, and Ahh'd like take tell yae that Ahh'm honored tae meet yae. Ahh cannae tell yae how long Ahh've waited for this great opportunity in mae life!
"Enchantment! Demonic activity! In my temple?!" Saphira exclaims, a little too loudly. Nobody seems to pay any mind though. Recovering her senses a bit, she adds in a hushed tone. "Skybek, honored. Always happy to meet the faithful."
"Here," she says, getting up, "Let's talk in private then, shall we?" Saphira leads the party back across the Great Hall to a small, private meeting room on the west side of the building with the shades drawn. "Now, tell me everything you know."
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Suspicious ever since the run-in with the charmed priests, Terrill accompanies Saphira, calling to his companions to join them for a meeting with the high priestess. Chatting with her as they walk, Terrill studies her for any sign of falsehood or enchantment.
He also makes eye contact with his fellow Pathfinders, wondering just how forthcoming they should be.
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”You will find this hard to believe, but bear with me,” Terrill says. He relates the tale of Baldimar Trud, the note-hunting quasit who served Graz’ith Ur Maurgith, concerns about demons in the temple of the Drunken God, the bewitched priests and their fear that someone was coming to steal their sacred archives, doing so as concisely as he can, so as not to overburden the drunken priestess’ attention span.
Saphira listens raptly to Terrill's tale with an expression mixing anger and fear. When the Desnan finishes, she exclaims, "We must get to the bottom of this at once! Baldimar had a ward before he died, a brother by the name of Dunnamast. Cheerful fellow. And fortunately still serving the temple. Perhaps he can help us."
She claps her hands loudly and a Caydenite of the Temple comes strolling in. "Brother Timeon, go find Brother Dunnamast as quick as you can. If he's feeling Cayden's heady spirits, give him something to sober him up."
Brother Timeon goes scurrying into the roaring party and Saphira paces anxiously. "Do you have any other *hic* leads?"