GM Tyranius City of Strangers Part 1 and 2 (Inactive)

Game Master Tyranius

"Oh, you're going to regret that decision." He hurries into the place as fast as his little legs will take him.

Double move.

Sarina is up.

"Oh no! I hope he wasn't... While we, Oh dear." Sarina moves into the room pulling her crossbow and takes a shot at the murderer.
light x-bow inc bless: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
piercing/cold iron: 1d8 ⇒ 2

And not wanting the villain to escape she sends Fluffy to flank. This does provoke.

The group moves in on the man as the crossbow bolt and arrow stick into the upturned sofa.

The man who talked to you at the door yells as he leaps from cover. "This is a gift from Ardoc for killing Coll..." He seems to think for a second, but decides to attack anyway.

Two of the doors to the north swing open as more goons appear.

Red Cestus vs Fluffy AC 20: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

From the north, standing in the doorway the man tosses a decapitated half-orc head at fluffy.

Green Stingchuck vs Fluffy AC 20: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Miss direction: 1d8 ⇒ 8

The skull splits open as dozens of vile rats spill out biting at both the goon and fluffy. Just 1 point of damage each from splash damage.

Purple cestus vs Prakriti AC 18: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Prakriti's head cracks open as a cestus rattles her.

Round 2
-----------------------------
Goons (Red -1)
-----------------------------
Mahalak () (Mavenee 10/11)
Savannah (14/17)
Yorad (8/9)
Sarina (Fluffy 15/16)
Zildaastin (10/10)
Prakriti (2/9)

The gnome backpedals a bit as more thugs burst in behind them. "Get out!" he shouts at them. "We are apprehending a murderer!" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wooden medallion. Carved and painted onto the medallion is a red pentagram-- the unmistakable unholy symbol of Asmodeus. "Get out!"

Channel negative energy (DC 15 Will half): 1d6 ⇒ 1
Ouch. Well Mahalak, Yorad, Sarina, and Prakriti are excluded from my 1 whole damage. Pretty sure no one else is in range.

"I think they are working together."

Sarina moves up to red, drops her crossbow and ready an attack for when Fluffy moves into the flank then has Fluffy do exactly that. (Fluffy provokes from red.)

She then attacks.

scimitar: 1d20 + 6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 4 + 1 = 30
slashing/cold iron: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

scimitar crit?: 1d20 + 6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 4 + 1 = 28
slashing/cold iron: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

If that confirms Fluffy gets an aoo due to Outflank feat.
bite aoo: 1d20 + 10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 10 + 4 + 1 = 29
piercing/blugoning/slashing/cold iron: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
trip: 1d20 + 8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 8 + 4 + 1 = 32

Fluffy then bites the (prone?) man.
bite: 1d20 + 10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 10 + 4 + 1 = 18
piercing/blugoning/slashing/cold iron: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
trip: 1d20 + 8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 4 + 1 = 16

Time to take down the bomb thrower!

Yorad sprints forward towards goon throwing heads around, stabbing hard at the man!

Move to map position.
Attack Green goon. Dagger, bless: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 = 5; damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Seems like Yorad's poor rolling carried over from the Special :(

Her ears ringing from the nasty blow to the head, Riti steps back away from the thug. Her pure white eyes then stare at the man as she prepares a spell aimed at trying to fill him with dread.

Cause Fear (DC14) on purple

Trusting Sarina and Fluffy to handle their target, Savannah moves up to the green man and thrusts at him with her spear.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 1 = 25
Piercing Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Confirming a Critical: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 1 = 12
Extra Piercing Damage: 2d8 + 8 ⇒ (4, 6) + 8 = 18

Seeing a closer target, Mahalak fires an arrow towards the purple goon.

Comp. Longbow, PBS: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 3 + 1 = 13

Damage, PBS: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

He shouts towards the panther to keep on attacking the man with the spiked fists.

Handle Mavenee DC 12: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Mavenee continues to bite and swipe the downed (?) murderer.

Bite, Prone: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 5 + 4 = 18

Claw 1, P: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 4 = 16

Claw 2, P: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 4 = 12

Damage

Bite Dam.: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Claw 1 Dam: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Claw 2 Dam: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Mahalak's arrow sticks into the wooden chair. The impact tilts it back as it slams to the floor. Mavenee clamps down on the man's hand, severing it from his arm at the wrist as the next claw drags away most of his chest. Sarina and Fluffy surround him as well, blade and claw alike dropping the man to the ground, bleeding out. That is untile Sarina's blade pierces his head.

Savannah thrusts her spear through the green-vested man's chest, piercing his lungs. Yorad attempts to help but misses the man as he falls.

Zildaastin sends out a weak pulse of negative energy as the remaining men's faces turn green and seem a bit sick. Prakriti has only seconds to mutter a spell.

Purple Will save: 1d20 ⇒ 19

The man seems to shake as if a chilled breeze blows through the room. Though this seems more out of fright.

Seeing half of their group fall the remaining two men push past Prakriti and flee out the front door. "Run!"

Combat over.

"Dammit," Yorad swears as the goons escape the scene, "We don't have much time here." He sheathes his blade and swiftly moved to the front door bolting it behind him. "See if any of these men are still alive here guys. One of them mentioned someone named 'Ardoc'. A good lead to follow up on."

Savannah cleans off her spear.

"Well done, team! Now, let's get to work. I'll check out the rest of the building."

Perception on 'dining' room: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Perception on room with the cloth and shelves: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Perception on the room the battle was in: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Savannah looks around the house. All of which seems pretty basic, digging through the man's pocket Savannah finds a folded note.

Note is in the Maps link.

Savannah reads the note, then passes it to the others.

"It looks like Besel Ardoc found out that Collgardie was killed, then sent these men to kill anyone who came back to Collgardie's home, on the assumption that they are Collgardie's murderers. ...That is horribly flawed logic."

She shakes her head and sighs. "So were these fellows contract killers? Or just employees of Besel who do his dirty work?"

She thinks for a moment, then shrugs.

"Well, there's no information here on these mysterious Pathfinders that Collgardie sent word about. Perhaps whoever really killed him knows something about it? Or perhaps his death is unrelated. Still, I saw no signs of a robbery, nor any illicit dealings that Collgardie may have been involved in. Which begs the question, what was Collgardie killed for? ...Something about this is very wrong..."

Eventually she shrugs. "This Besel Ardoc fellow is our only lead. We should see if we can find him. If he really was a friend of Collgardie's he may have information we can use."

"I think this Besel guy set them up. If Collgardie is his friend why leave his body to rot? Why tell them to kill anyone who shows up? Ardoc seems to be a group or family. We should ask around."

Sarina doesn't see any reason to waste an opportunity so checks the bodies for loot.

Yorad nods quickly, eying the front door nervously. "Probably want to stash these bodies and get out of here. This Besel guy is gonna find out what happened here sooner than later. Best to get the drop on him."

Riti helps with the cleanup.

Cast Detect Magic around room and on bodies just in case

Once they head out of Collgardie's house, she takes up the suggestion to ask around about this Besel Ardoc to see if they can find a new leads. Despite her unusual appearance, she has a certain way about her that seems to put most people at ease. Perhaps it is her varied memories from past incarnations that help her understand most kinds of different people and how to relate to them best.

Diplomacy (gather info) - Take 10: 10 + 7 = 17 Aids welcome

While finding little in teh way of magic the pair of goons seem to hold:

• potion of cure light wounds )2)
  
• Chain shirt (2)
  
• Cestus (2)
  
• Daggers (6)
  
• Stingchucks (2)

**************************************

With the next route set to explore the group heads out to find this mysterious Besel Ardoc.

Hours: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Anyone aiding?

Prakriti could do with some healing. Unless anyone objects she'll chug one of the 'free' potions

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

"Tell us madam, Have you heard of the Ardoc's? We are new in town but something has come up in connection to them and we would like to find them asap."

diplo aid: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (13) - 2 = 11

"Yeah, it's urgent we find him as quickly as possible!"

Diplomacy aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

"Hi! I'm Savannah! May Kurgess' blessing bring you strength and resolve! It's a pleasure to meet you! We're trying to find Besel Ardoc. Have you heard of him?"

Diplomacy AID: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Savannah will take a dagger and a cestus.

"Interesting! So it might have been this person who killed him, then covered his tracks with this note feigning outrage. This certainly puts us in a tricky position, having just killed one of his men ourselves. He might even have been hoping for exactly that, so there's now someone else to blame."

Around town, Zil assists the others in looking for information.
Diplomacy (aid), take 10: 10 + 8 = 18

It is nearly bedtime by the time the group finds anyone worth speaking with. You find a surly dwarf scallywag down by the docks. He seems to stumble as he takes a drink from his once frothing mug. He looks to be a bit down on his luck. That is until he hears Prakriti asking someone about Ardoc as he passes by.

He lets outa low whistle as his beard flitters with the breeze from his lips. The force nearly tosses him to the ground on his unbalanced legs. PSSST! You looking fer Ardoc? Besel Ardoc?" He burps. "I might kner a bit..." he holds his hand out.

I think this is where someone with a positive charisma bonus offers him a bit of change for information. We can split the cost.

Yorad feels a pang of sympathy at the dwarf and slips him a couple of gold coins. Deduct 2 GP total. "I have been in yer shoes, my friend. Here take these and use them to wash yer throat. The world needs more people with strong backs like you. Now, about Ardoc...?"

The dwarf leans in and frowns. “I hear that Besel can’t make it through a day without a pint or six of whatever grog the pub he’s in is selling. I don’t know what those Ardocs are involved in, and I don’t even want to—whenever someone tells me what they’re up to, I realize again that I’d probably drink myself stupid three times a day if I were one of them.” He rocks back, proud of his big secret. "Thanks fer the coin." He pockets it and wanders off to the nearest bar for a refill.

"So we're looking for a drinker. And these Ardocs are clearly a whole family..."

About what time is it?

Nearly 10 pm.

"It's getting late." Savannah remarks to the others. "We should find a place to rest tonight."

After a moment's though she adds, "We could look for an inn. Or we could stay at Collgardie's home. Perhaps if we rest there, Besel Ardoc might come to us?"

Yorad nods in reply, "Sounds like a plan to me. Wait for them to come to us."

The group heads back to Collgardie's home for the night. It takes a couple more hours to clean up his body, moving it to a room that you aren't sleeping in so as to get comfortable. Though the stench is bad the night goes by uneventful.

Whats the plan? Go out and track down more information? If so are you sticking together or splitting up to find more clues faster?

Definitely look for more clues. I'm vote we split up, but I'm fine with either method.

Happy to split up for clue hunting. Are we just hitting the various pubs around town? Any other ideas?

Asking around using either Knowledge (local) or Diplomacy (gather information), followed up by a roleplay with a various NPC of course. :)

First thing in the morning Savannah gets up early and goes through some stretches. Then she begins a vigorous workout in the living room. She ends her workout by attempting to lift heavy bits of furniture without assistance. The entire time she encourages her companions to join in.

"Come on, team! A little sweat is good for the soul!"

At the end of her workout she leads a cool down, and ends with some stretches, all the while praying to Kurgess.

Preparing my spells for the day.

While she's eating her breakfast she asks the others, "We need to hit the town again today and find this Besel Ardoc. He's the key here. But, don't worry, everyone! Kurgess is going to bless our efforts today! I can feel it!" With a smile and an enthusiastic pump of her fist, Savannah exclaims, "Who's ready to meet today's challenges head on?!"

"Yeah! We've got this!"

---

I won't be able to post again until tomorrow, so I'm rolling my diplomacy to gather information now.

"Hi, there! I'm Savannah! I'm looking for Besel Ardoc. Any idea where I can find him?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Nice roll. I will see what everyone else does.

Where is Savannah when she is asking those questions?

Riti awakes after another night of troubled dreams, intermingled with thoughts and images of what could be fragments of her past lives. After her morning's reflections she also heads out to the nearest inn for breakfast and to ask around for Besel Ardoc.

She wouldn't go alone but would be happy to split up into into maybe two groups...or just stick together depending on what others prefer.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"Ardoc has had enough time to discover his plan failed. Splitting up could be dangerous if he has any power in this city."

Whatever the group decides Sarina will travel with the hea... I mean the most well spoken party member and help Zildaastin ask others questions. Or try to anyway.

aid diplomacy: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

"I should probably wash off some of the blood spots before talking to people."

"Splitting up here would lead to us taking a long walk off a short pier." Yorad nods in agreement with the others.

While Yorad was no charmer he did have a brutal honesty about him that most people (especially the ladies) found appealing...in his own eyes anyway. "Yeah we have a...prospective deal for him."

Diplomacy, Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Oh, thanks for the reminder Prakriti! Savannah is asking in and around bars in the same neighbourhood/district that Collgardie's house was in (since we know Besel likes to drink).

Mahalak and Zildaastin- Who are you going with and what are you doing?

In the morning, Zildaastin says his own prayers in a secluded corner, making a point of doing so in a period of enough activity that he can't be heard. He does join in Savannah's worship service as best he can, but gives up with an apologetic grin. "The weak like me serve the strong. Which is why I always serve faithfully."

If we split, I would say no more than two groups. Zil will check around the pubs.

"Excuse me, sir, you look like the kind who knows a thing or two about a thing or two! I'm looking for an Ardoc, Besel is the name I believe. Could you help a poor gnome?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Will let Mahalak catch up.

Zildaastin grabs ahold of Prakriti and Sarina as they off off towards the nearest Inn and Pub. the sign on the board says "Don’t Go Inn"

Zildaastin scans the room, though it is still quite early and there are no customers yet. The Innkeeper is wiping down tables with a semi-clean rag as he works on taking all of the chairs down. As Zilaastin asks of Besel Ardoc the innkeeper puts his rag in his pocket. "Ain't heard of him or seen him in here. Though this place gets busy at night. Hard to keep track of 'em all."

Prakriti hangs out outside the door where she sees a tall and skeletally thin man. His face is pockmarked with scars and he speaks stiffly, as though his lips don’t fully work. He’s serious, business-like. "Fresh Fruit." He rasps as he holds out an apple.

******

Savannah and Yorad head out across town to another Inn and Pub. The "The Eye of the Beholder".

This pub is a bit different as several woman of all sorts mill about in lingerie, waiting for clients to start coming in. The bartender leans in towards Savannah. "Yea, seen him round these parts. Don't know much about him, but I know someone who does. Go upstairs and speak with Miss Feathers. She is in charge of the girls hear and hears all the best gossip."

"Why, thank you very much!" Savannah exclaims happily. She passes the man a copper and heads upstairs to find this mysterious Miss Feathers.

Yorad follows closely behind Savannah, his gaze lingering upon the prospective clientele before he reluctantly turns away from them.

Savannah and Yorad head up the stairs and are quickly pointed to a fear back room by one of the women as she runs her hand along Yorad's face. "Miss Feathers is in back." She smiles and blows a kiss.

IN the back room you knock on the door and enter. Turning from her chair and standing is Miss Feathers. Miss Feathers, despite the name, is a hulking, muscular man with a deep, booming voice and a quick laugh. "What can I do for you?" Miss Feathers booms. "Both of you together will cost extra but we can do it." She grabs Yorad's hand.