GM Turmoil's Slave Ships of Absalom (Inactive)

Game Master ckelley83

Open for dotting

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You have all been summoned to Skyreach, on the grounds of the Grand Lodge in Absalom. Seated behind a large, antique desk in his wood-paneled office, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin looks up from the pile of papers before him and shuffles them to one side. “Perfect timing! Welcome Pathfinders!"

“I had an interesting conversation with the Master of Spells Aram Zey yesterday. An old friend—Lady Darchana, Archdean of the Arcanamirium here in Absalom—contacted Master Zey. She’s a councilmember on the Low Council, too. It seems her dinner party last week had an unexpected guest: a handmaiden of her fancy guest’s had picked up a scrying sensor somewhere. When Lady Darchana learned that someone was attempting to eavesdrop on her party, she used her magic to trace the sensor back to its source. It sounds as though she didn’t learn anything conclusive, and she’s interested in bringing in an independent party to try and learn more. Master Zey agrees."

“Make no mistake, this is an excellent opportunity for you to impress a well-connected friend of the Society. Lady Darchana requested that the Pathfinders call upon her at her estate in the Petal District once they learn something of the origins of this servant. The owner of the handmaiden is named Lady Silviana Dimora. Lady Silviana isn’t a councilmember or the like—at least not yet. From what I understand, though, she is an up-and-comer who is rubbing elbows with all of the right people, and she likely has little knowledge of where the slave was purchased. I recommend speaking to her majordomo Milana about the handmaiden, or you can pay a visit to her solicitor, a Chelish fellow named Salbus over in the Coins. Questions?”

Orgrim, an impressively large half-orc standing at impressive 6’4 feet tall rubs his chin thoughtfully. He has dark, blackish green skin, thick brows, and most notably, two huge, sharp tusks bulging from his mouth. Upon the chestpiece of his armor, there is a sigil of a burning flame, the symbol of Ragathiel, and on his back there is a massive warhammer, with a few javelins by his side.

Orgrim digests Venture-Captain Ambrus's, then rumbles in a gravelly voice "Spywork eh? Interesting. And given that both your recommended leads and the handmaiden are connected to Lady Silviana, should we not meet Lady Silviana as well?"

No change to Kelemur, as the game didn't happen.

Listening intently in the dark lies a gruffy looking half orc, dressed in black and grey robes, with six daggers hanging from his chained belt. "If It's spywork we need, I know a thing or two about the dark. I believe this mission bodes us well, the society could use friends in high places.What do we know about Lady Silviana? Or anything that of people who have interest in the lady Darchana"

"My understanding is that Lady Silviana already left for Oppara two days ago. It seems Lady Darchana is trying to avoid turning this into a public debacle by working through intermediaries and not alarming other nobles, and Lady Silviana’s recent departure may even be to ensure her safety and silence on the matter. Of course, that’s an educated guess"

"Unfortunately, I have no further information on either of them. It is up to you to determine what is going on here. Lady Darchana is expecting you, and with solid information. Do not disappoint her, or embarrass me by showing up empty-handed."

You can continue to ask questions if you have any, but you also have to decide who to investigate first.

Hervey is daydreaming during the briefing. He is none too interested in the concerns of high society.

Kelumur gathers his thoughts for a moment and proposes the party, "The solicitor may have good information, they are known to be good with finding out matters of this sort in my experience, the suggested course of action would be to pay him a visit first."

I'm going to wait to continue until everyone checks in on gameplay.

Milos rushes in, a bit out of breath. "Sorry I'm late - I just got the message about the briefing," he pants. He is a muscular young man with unruly brown hair, wearing a rumpled tweed jacket. After listening while some information is repeated for him, he asks, "Do we have a letter of introduction, so that the Majordomo and the Solicitor will be inclined to talk to us?"

Orgrim grins a toothy smile at the sight of Kelemur "A fellow half-orc! Greetings! My name is Orgrim, and it is always a pleasure to meet one of my kin. And you are...?

Suddenly, something the Venture Captain said registers in Orgrim's mind and an expression of shock appears on his face "Abrus, I may have heard you wrongly, but based on what you said, this handmaiden is a slave? Is that even legal in Absalom? Where does the slave trade take place?"

Untir is a tanned Osiriani man. His long dark hair is tied back from his eyes with a ragged leather strip at his brow. Other than the breastplate he is wearing, a buckler attached to his left arm, and a simple shortspear strapped to his back, he carries little else. He is dressed in thin and light clothing, suitable for desert dwellers of the Osirion. What is of note is a scorpion resting of his shoulder, which Untir occasionally whispers to under his breath. At times, he seems to be muttering to himself.

He speaks up at an opportune time, his manner of speech rather polished and perhaps unexpected of someone dressed rather roughly. "I apologise for staying silent. I am rather unfamiliar with the trappings of civilisations and the concept of councillors and majordomos is somewhat strange to me. As such, either lead would mean as much, or rather as little, to me a this time."

"Yes, slave ownership is technically legal in Absalom, though not widespread. Of course, Misery Row is the only place it is legal to conduct that sort of business. Honestly none of this should come as much of a surprise to any of you." Ambrus pauses to chuckle after Milos's question. "Letter of introduction? If we knew these people we would already have this figured out! All of you are the letter of introduction per say, and as experienced Pathfinders I'm sure you will figure out the best way to introduce yourselves. Well I have other matters to attend to. Good luck to you." The Venture-Captain stands up behind his desk and motions you out the door.

So are you going to Milana or Salbus first? Only one person has made a suggestion so far.

"Milana would seem like an obvious person to talk to; Salbus could have some useful information as well. This is my first field mission, so I'll leave it up to you old hands as to who we start with," Milos says to the others with a wink.

"I haven't introduced myself," Milos continued. "I'm Milos Hasek, Professor of Archaeology at Lepidstadt University. As some of you may know, I've been teaching archaeological methods to Pathfinder agents. Perhaps you attended my talk on Thessalonian pottery?"

"You can all call me Kelumur" He greets everyone with a rough, unfriendly like voice. Not that he is trying to come out unfriendly, but it's his nature to sound like that. He speaks no more about himself. "The longer we wait here, time's a wasting, we should make haste."

How I intepret the situation: I think only Kelumurs character at this moment is being authoritive, and everyone else seems okay either way, so...Salbus?

Sorry for my delay!

A short figure, enshrouded by a deeply hooded robe, speaks up. "I think visiting the solicitor should be fine. He may know where the household makes major purchases. Slaves ought to be considered a major purchase, I suppose. I hope they're not purchased lightly. He says this last with obvious contempt in his voice.

"I agree, let's go."

Milos says, "I'm going to change into something a little less comfortable." A short while later, he returns, wearing a suit of scale mail armor. He carries a multi-pronged hammer atop a 7 ft polearm, with a long spike on the reverse side, and an even longer. wicked-looking spike extending from the very top. "I'm ready," he says.

He's carryling a Lucerne Hammer (reach weapon).

"The solicitor sounds fine to me," yawns Hervey.

"That seems as good a course as any, to me." Untir replies. "I seem to not have introduced myself. My name is Untir Jonrot, from the Running Scorpion tribe of the Osirion desert." As for why he is here in Absalom or with the Pathfinders, he stay silent.

Orgrim, embaressed that his inexperience was betrayed by his question, coughs at the Venture Captain's words then turns and nods at each of the pathfinder's introductions before turning back to Kelemur "I'm more than happy to meet with the solicitor, but we should also meet with the majordomo to ensure information from both parties corroborate."

Tenibri walks up beside Orgrim on his way out the door. "Indeed, we certainly must meet with both."

He stretches himself as tall as he can and reaches up to give the half-orc a neighborly pat on the shoulder, but gives up when he realizes that he'll never reach. He gives him a nod of the head instead. "The majordomo should know more about the day-to-day in the household, but the solicitor should know the financials. He could possibly send us straight to where this slave was purchased."

Salbus's office is located in the Coins District, located on the ground floor of a recently rebuilt two story building that houses several different professional offices and merchants. A small plaque with an Asmodean pentacle and an inscription reading “Red Letter— Solicitor Salbus” hangs outside.

As the office door opens, a small bell chimes overhead. Inside, the cramped space holds a meticulously organized bookshelf and a rosewood desk.

Seated at the desk, a middle-aged Chelish man with short red hair and a widow’s peak peers intently at a sheaf of legal documents as he carefully copies out key clauses, then acknowledges his visitors. He looks up from his work with a slight smirk on his thin lips and introduces himself. “Solicitor Solvius Salbus. What brings you across my threshold this glorious day? Though I must warn you, given my current workload, accepting new clients may not be possible at this time.”

The way this will work is a bit odd because of the PbP format so I'm going to give you a little info right up front, and hopefully we can make this work for the scenario. You are all welcome to interact with him however you choose, but for now, only one person give me a roll.

Orgrim has the best diplomacy by far. Can the rest of us give him Aid Another bonuses?

No, there is no aiding on this one.

Milos addresses the solicitor: "Good day, Mr. Salbus, my name is Milos Hasek," he says. "I appreciate that you are a busy man so I will try to be brief. We have been asked to look into a matter of some delicacy concerning Lady Dimora's handmaiden. It seems that the handmaiden was found to be in possession of a magical sensor at a recent social function at Lady Darchana's estate. We thought that you might be able to shed some light on the slave's origins."

Milos will not be making the Diplomacy roll on this check unless necessary.

"Well, you're just going to have to come back some other day. I'm in the middle of preparing a contract and am busy researching obscure legal precedents that none of you would understand. It is essential that I get the wording just right, or this will do my client no good. I have no time to spare for answering idle questions."

Orgrim smiles at the solicitor's gruff manner and turns on the charm "Come now sir, all we ask is but a minute of your time, and your assistance with our enquiries would put you in good standing with several influential parties, not least of which are Lady Darchana and Lady Silviana."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

@ Ogrim: Your +5 trait Diplomacy is only once per day, not constant. When using any abilities, please declare their usage.

The Chelish man put down his quill and stares at Ogrim for a long moment, considering his words carefully. "Influence in this city can be better than gold sometimes. Very well then, you have my ear but make it quick."

Again, same deal as before with the rolls.

While the rest of the party attempt to gain information from the man, Kelumur keeps silent and observes the room to discern if there is anything of use he can "borrow" to obtain the information the party needs.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Oops my bad, somehow missed that line about once per day. Thanks for pointing it out, I've also amended my character sheet. Since I've already included that in the first roll, lets just assume I used it for the day.

Orgrim, secretly relieved that he has managed to bend the solicitor's ears, smoothly continues "Tis' a small but vital piece of information we seek good sir. No one is asking that you violate your oaths to your clients, but we need to know the origins from whence and whom the handmaiden of Lady Silviana was purchased."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Orgrim, from your character sheet, it looks like you have a +8 to diplomacy, before the once a day trait bonus? +1 rank, +2 Cha, +3 class skill, +2 Burning Assurance)

You are right Untir! Amended my sheet yet again. Totally failing basic math haha. GM my result should be 13+8 = 21

Milos listened intently for the solicitor's reply to Orgrim's question about the purchase of the slave (although he was disgusted at the idea of buying another person). The half-orc seemed to have a better way with words than he.

"Whatever you happen to hear me speak, I will deny ever telling you. These words never left my mouth as far as I'm concerned." Grimacing slightly, the Chelaxian spreads his hands to admit defeat. “Ordinarily I would not speak of privately executed contracts with an unaffiliated third party,” Solvius says before patting a folded paper on his desk. “However Lady Silviana had a letter delivered to me prior to her departure for Taldor, authorizing me to disclose to the deputized agents of Lady Darchana the identity of the chattel merchant. Mahjub Mahdi is the purveyor in question and can be found at the northern end of Misery Row. His private shop is called Mahdi’s Chattel. It’s a step up from the Slave Pits to be sure—a much more orderly experience, a very fine display parlor with excellent lighting, and he always keeps excellent wines on hand. I trust you will treat him with the respect that he deserves.”

"Time to pay a visit to Mr. Mahdi, I think," Milos said to the other Pathfinders. "Thank you for your time, sir," he continued to Mr. Salbus. I'll give that slave trader the respect he deserves, all right.

Liberty Edgers unite!

Sarcastic thoughts run through Kelumur's head, A slave trader respect? That's an understatement. Maintaining still a silence in the ordeal, he gives a nod to the Cheliaxian as a thank you, and nods at Milos agreeing that Mr. Mahdi be the next course of choice.

Tenibri gives the solicitor a tight grin as they move out of his office. Once all are outside, he shares his thoughts. "I agree; Mahdi seems a good choice. If we don't find anything significant from him, we can always see if the Majordomo can provide additional leads, but this seems strong."

He shakes his head and looks down as he continues. "I'm none too happy about what we're about to do, though. I've spent my life pretending Slaver's Row no longer existed in Absalom. Going in there and treating them as if it's anything but an abomination.... It's just not right."

The short, hooded man looks up and pulls back the cowl of his cloak to look everyone in the eye, revealing the deep indigo skin with white-dotted tattoos that marks a wayang. "If anyone sees a chance to... disrupt the business down there... I just want you to know that I've got your back."

Orgrim smiles in apparant delight at the solicitor's words "You can rely on our discretion good sir. Your information is most invaluable. Lady Darchana and her friends thank you for your time, and will remember the assistance you have rendered. We shall take our leave as we know you are a very busy man."

Having saying that, Orgrim bows and holds the door for his companions to leave.

That's done. Now to find Mr. Mahdi...

Hervey, while not as militant as some of the others, certainly abhors slavery. "I think we should be looking for opportunities for disruption. As long as it doesn't get out that we are Pathfinders I think it will be ok."

Untir grimaces. "Slavery is not uncommon in Osirion. But it is still abhorrent practice to put free man into bondage. Whatever can be done to disrupt this, I am fully supportive."

Misery Row is an enormous, elevated platform that runs along the eastern edge of the Coins district, and serves as the main destination to buy and sell slaves in Absalom. The cages are set into the platform such that slavers and prospective buyers can walk over the pits to inspect the merchandise easily. Mahdi’s Chattel is located along the platform, where his many-windowed storefront can catch the eye of discerning buyers. The massive wooden platform is well worn by foot traffic, and is active all hours of the day and night. The Token Guard, the guards responsible for patrolling this part of the city, intervene only in particularly egregious crimes or those they’re paid to investigate. As a result, petty criminals have numerous opportunities to ply their craft.

A hanging sign identifies the single-story building with large, full-length windows as “Mahdi’s Chattel— Absalom’s Finest.” Heavy curtains are drawn over all of the windows—one of which has been smashed—and a small painted sign that reads “Closed” hangs over the latch of the door. The door is not completely closed and shows signs of scratches and damage to the wood around the latch.

Milos approached the building, inspecting the damage and listening for signs of activity. "Was it Mr. Mahdi that decided he is closed, or someone else?", he wondered aloud.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

perception dc 20: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Approaching the closed office, an idea sparks in Kelumur's head, "Surely no one is in, we have an opportunity to do some researching" He sets his bag down to search for his tools.

The door is not locked, it's actually open a crack.

Hervey looks closely at the shop entrance.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Tenibri approaches the door with the others, studying it intently, but is unable to detect anything more out of the ordinary than it being damaged and ajar.

"I think we should be cautious. This is certainly unusual, but I think we should go in and try to find Mahdi." He speaks in a soft tone, keeping his voice low.

He slowly reaches into his robe and pulls out a flask of acid, which he grips firmly as he looks to the group, hoping that someone more threatening will take the lead going inside.