game
test
The plush red carpet and oak furniture upholstered with velvet lend this room an air of comfort, but it’s also clearly a place of official business, with several layers of administrative papers, staff memos, maps, and charts covering the wide surface of the solid desk in the center. From her tall-backed chair behind her desk, Mayor Sandra Trinelli looks up, shaking herself out of a deep concentration. A subtle look of relief flashes across her face as she motions to the over sized chairs in front of her.
“Normally, I’d exchange more pleasantries with my guests, but I fear there is no time,” she says. “The business that brought you here is quite urgent—it may actually be a matter of life and death.
“Let me explain. You may have heard that several young apprentices from various establishments in Saringallow have disappeared in the last couple of weeks. Every one of them has failed to show up to work, and nobody seems to know where they’ve gone.
“That’s not all. Rumors are spreading about sightings of enormous insects roaming about town. So far, the townspeople have chalked up such rumors to overactive imaginations, but I fear they might be real, and that they might have something to do with the missing apprentices. I have no proof that the situations are connected, but if folks get that notion into their heads, things are bound to spiral out of control.”
She shifts nervously, as if avoiding an uncomfortable implication, before continuing.
“Please, I implore you to look into this matter quietly and thoroughly—find out where our apprentices have gone and discover the cause of our vermin problem. Don’t jump to conclusions until you have investigated every possible angle; we need to be absolutely sure that we know who or what is responsible before we take any necessary law-enforcement actions.
“I suggest you start by interviewing the masters of every missing apprentice on this list I’ve compiled. I suspect that, collectively, they might shed some light on the youngsters’ whereabouts. That could in turn illuminate our vermin problem, but until we have more information, I caution you against suggesting to anyone that the two situations are connected. Beyond that, though, you have my full cooperation in this matter. If anyone gives you guff about your line of questioning, show them this letter.”
The mayor pushes a scrap of paper with several names scribbled on it across her desk, as well as a rolled-up, ribbon-bound letter written on thick parchment.
“As far as an incentive,” the mayor says, “I’ve pooled together 50 gold pieces as a reward for each apprentice you manage to find and rescue, as well as an additional 100 gold pieces if you can determine the cause of our vermin problem—and eliminate it. Do we have a deal?”
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Isu is a man of Orision descent. He stands at 5' 8" wearing studded leather and carrying a battleaxe by his side. His clothing depicts . By his side is a wooden holy symbol bearing the same depiction. By his side, a spell component pouch is visible as are several vials of flasks of acid and vials of alchemist's fire. He carries a backpack which contains his other belongings.
He presses his hands together in front of his chest, and gives a bow to the rest of those in the room, resuming a resting position before speaking.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you." His Osirion accent is thick when he speaks, but he is obviously fluent in Common. "My name is Isu Ramose, and I hail from Osirion. I am a devout follower of the Ancient Osirion goddess Sekhmet, and follower her reverently. Through this worship, she has granted me the power to heal wounded warriors who engage in battle, a task I gladly take as a geas from my goddess. Sekhmet upholds battle and care of her soldiers above all else, and is fueled by vengeance."
Isu turns his attention to the mission. "I am more a man of action than a man of subtly, but hopefully as a group we may be able to complete this task. I shall accept upon the condition that the others gathered here do the same. I am eager to eliminate these vermin in the name of Sekhmet."
Darom stands towards the back of the room, his large 6 foot 4 frame uncomfortable in the small space, his thick clothes making him feel claustrophobic and hot. He listens restlessly to the mayor -- he wouldn't be here if he didn't need the money and he had little to say. Reviewing the others in the room he felt no physical threat, but then he knew from experience lands to the south of the mountains and those that inhabited them were often not what they seemed.
He listens respectfully as the Osirion man Isu speaks, grinning at the comment about preferring action to subtly.
"Action is good." Darom stretches the fingers of his right hand in his glove and balls them into a fist anxiously. "I like action."
The mayor's eyes look the strange blue man up and down before answering, "Yes to both. It also contains the seal of my office."
She then glances around at those gathered. "I had hoped more of you would have answered my call for aid...even so, you will have to do," concern and worry entering her voice.
Darom grunts, dismissing the air of concern that was suddenly palpable in the room. "Unnecessary," he states with confidence. "Besides, fewer compatriots means less hands on the reward."
"From what I gather, their masters mostly think they’ve just momentarily run off. The longer they’re missing, however, the more worried the townsfolk will become. I do hope you find them safe and sound soon," she replies after a moment thought.
"Any more questions? The hour is getting late. If you do not have lodging, I suggest The Witch's Tavern. The food is good, even if the owner is a little rough around the edges. Last I heard, Alcie Kruptin was in the foulest of moods since her cook went missing. You can find the tavern south of here, just past the orchard."
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"Before we head out, could you inform us of where these places are located and let us know any additional information you have about them?"
- "Pricknettle's Potions and Poultices"
- Gunty's Hearty Bread"
- "The temple where Father Ildris Ruvarra lies."
- "Dependable Drummady"
- "Where the haberdasher Petrellano Pindlion is?"
"I apologize. I am not from here and not familiar with the town."
She walks over to one wall and points a finger at an worn map.
"We are here," she says. After glancing over her shoulder to make sure Isu is paying attention, she lists off names of local landmarks and their rough location on the map.
"Since you are not familiar with our town, let me tell you a little about our history," Trinelli says with a sigh. She walks over to the the picture window beside her desk and stares out into the evening.
“It’s a painful history,” she admits, “but more than a hundred years ago, our town was little more than rural holdings belonging to Cheliax’s House Sarini. At some point, the Sarinis began dabbling in diabolism. It made everyone uncomfortable by all accounts, but no one said anything until it was too late.”
She pauses, and when she continues her voice is filled with palpable anger. “Those horrible nobles exsanguinated several innocent youths in service to their dark patrons, like they were nothing but toys. The townspeople rose up, and in their rage, they hanged every Sarini they could get their hands on. They changed the town’s name to Sarini Gallows as a warning, though it eventually became Saringallow. Since then we’ve never knowingly suffered a Sarini’s presence in our town.”
The mayor takes a deep breath, calming the passion that welled inside her while recounting the tale. “However,” she continues, “We paid a price back then even beyond the lives of those young people. During the hangings, the townspeople began turning on each other, accusing folks of diabolism at every turn. The real villains lost their lives, but so did many innocent people, and I can’t allow that to happen again. If I do, I’ll very likely have blood on my hands.”
Darom grunts, shifting his weight, considering. He didn't know much of the Sarini people. "And do you think the Sarini have no interest in revenge?"
"The Fools of Thrune?" the mayor responds with a laugh. "Probably, but their masters keep them busy as jugglers and fools of their courts. Nobles do not tend to last long in Saringallow. Those that are found have a habit of waking up on the outskirts of town, with a severe headache."
Darom accepts that answer with a slight nod, but remains suspicious that there might be a connection to that apprentices that isn't immediately apparent.
"I have just seen one of the creatures myself, " the mayor replies. "Hopefully they are just rumors...just shadows at the bottom of one too many tankards."
Outside the large window, street lanterns begin to cast shadows. A knock falls on the door and an elderly woman peaks in. "If you don't need anything else, I'll be heading home ma'am."
"Yes that will be all for today. Probably best to head out while you still have light," the mayor responds.
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"Thank you for your time." Isu lightly closes his hands together and bows.
He turns to the party. "I don't have any preference for order, so why don't we start with the Temple of Erastil? It's the closest to us and the furthest away from everything else."
"Our charge there is Nolaria Wintren, apprentice of Father Ildris Ruvarra."
"There is The Witch's Tavern I mentioned earlier," the mayor replies.
After leaving the mayor's office, the group travels down a small road. Most of the shops appear to be closed for the night. Sounds of families laughing and having dinner floats down to the street from the lit second floor windows of a few of the buildings.
After a few minutes walking, the road opens up onto a wide intersection of multiple roads. The moon's pale light is the only thing illuminating the open space.
The mayor said to follow the south eastern road, past the old orchard. Despite menacing shadows from the trees, a young couple is walking in the moonlight. A stray dog can be heard barking in the distance.
The sounds of merriment and the sight of a few drunks loitering near an ally point the way to the Witch's Tavern.
The sounds of merriment from the tavern beckon you within with promises of warmth and food....but there is the unknown calling from with in the woods.
Rows of neglected apple trees sway in the wind, and the occasional rotting, worm-eaten fruit falls with a wet thud to the ground below. The earth is heavily trampled near the southern end of the orchard, and an overturned barrel of apples lies broken on its side, exuding a sickly sweet scent. There is a pale moonlight shining down, casting eerie shadows through the trees onto the rising night fog.
From deeper within the orchard, a few faint touches can be seen moving about.
"Be careful," Darmon murmurs so that only the party can hear. "There's something on these trees that appears to be poison."
The torch lights have moved closer, casting sickly green and pale yellow light. Strange clicking sounds follow the light closer, as does a buzzing of wings.
Init order
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black
darom
green
argus
isu
Out of the night a hellish beetle rushes through the air towards Isu. The light from the spots on its shell mixing the Isu's light spell. It slams into Isu, biting into his arm.
Darom steps forward swiftly, drawing his great ax and slamming it into the fire beetle with impressive force.
The blow was strong enough to split a log, but the beetle's curved carapace stopped the axe's edge from catching. The axe slides down the creatures back and into the earth.
Another beetle comes charging from behind the trees ahead. It rushes towards Darom.
A third beetle moves out from the trees and moves towards the first prey it sees. Unfortunately the first prey it sees is Doram.
While Doram is momentarily distracted by this new threat, the first beetle snaps at his leg. Its sharp mandibles stab into Dorams leg, punching through his leather pants.
Daron cries out and steps back, steadying himself before swinging again at the beetle to his right.
Darom's axe cuts the beetle in half. Another beetle rushes forward, before he can recover. It bites down on Darom's arm.
The beetle is faster than it appears. It easily dodges Isu's axe.
Init order Round 2
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darom -
green -
argus
isu -
red