Hell's Rebels AP - Down with Thrune! (Inactive)

Game Master GM Red

"I'll step inside the Tooth and Nail and give a head's-up to Setrona Sabinus about Luculla. She needs to know."

Pádraig Henry starts to enter the pub, then pauses. "Say, maybe we could run the sweets shop. Could be a useful and money-earning cover operation. What do you think?"

Geoffrey strokes his clean-shaved face thoughtfully. "That may not be a bad idea Padraig. The less disruption we cause in Kintargo the better and we know that shop was a popular one. Perhaps we could recruit some...helpers who know how to run the shop much better than the rest of us, and we could definitely use the extra money!"

"Selling candy to kids and ladies of the city and making big bucks? Yessir let's do it." Oh how I will 'test' the merchandise in this place!

"Of course I can get in! Use your spells to check for magic and poison if you would be so kind!" Victor takes his time with the door, checking it over for poison needles and the like before working on the lock.

Take 20 on both checks, 29 and 33.

"While I do not think we ourselves should run the shop for obvious reasons, I do think that recruiting some workers to handle it for us is a wise idea," Morvena agrees. "But should we concoct a cover story as to why the shop is under new management? Setrona and our allies can know the truth about what happened but it might be wise to give the general public a different story, at least for now."

Setrona isn't pleased to hear the news. While she admits not seeing Luculla as a close friend, she was still a charming regular, and to think she was poisoning kids right under Setrona's nose doesn't sit well with the halfling. "Finding a new shopkeep who won't poison children should be simple. Perhaps those kids you rescued - the Shellet family? - might their parents be interested? They've fallen on hard enough times, and you could split the profit."

Next door, at the The Sweet Tooth, Victor examines the lock, and indeed, he finds a poison needle set to fire if anyone should try to pick it. Regardless, he gets to work with his tools, but fumbles and activates it. The trap triggers, and a thin lancet shoots into his thumb.

Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Victor will need a DC 14 Fort save vs poison. 1 Con damage if failed.

Afterwards, he continues working on the lock carefully, and soon defeats it. Inside, two walls lined with shelves of jarred sweets are accented by a shiny, varnished counter at the far end. The shop appears well kept, with clean floors, a distinct lack of dust, and a sickeningly sweet perfume which smells an awful lot like Luculla herself. Behind the counter is a bag containing 100 gold pieces.

Fort Save, I totally saw this coming.: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

"Ack.. I'm doomed! I'm doomed!" Moans Victor as the needle sticks his finger and the burning pain of poison comes right after. Luckily it was a weak batch or he's just much more manly than previously thought and nothing comes of it.

"Now that wasn't so bad... right? Sure would have been easier if we found a key on her." He heads inside and starts rummaging around, avoiding eating any candy just yet.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

"Yeah yeah, blah blah. Lady had to die. Just look out for her secret stash of unholy gunk."

"We could always ask the Shellet family to run the place. Once we clean up this place" Issil resists a sneeze reflex. "Wow, that perfume smells worse than some of my coworkers! Uh, not you guys."

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 6

"I suspect they would like that," Morvena agrees, following Victor and Issil inside to have a look around.

"We should remove the current stock - although I do not suspect that all of it is tainted I would still rather not take the risk of the Shellets or anyone else selling faulty goods," she adds, peering at some of the sweets.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Returning to his friends, the halfling's pleased that everyone seems keen to follow up on Setrona's suggestion that the Shellet family might run the Sweet Tooth.

"Luculla. Ever the prick, even in death." Pádraig Henry winces, when the needle jabs Victor.

"You're right," he agrees with Morvena and starts looking around the shop for things dangerous, valuable, or of interest to their cause. He begins with scanning the room with detect magic, then he begins a deliberate physical search.

Take 20 Perception for 30 or: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

"Wonder if that family even knows how to make candy? Or run a business? I can't imagine they know how to make candy if their kids were here to buy it right?" He lifts up a piece of taffy, sniffs it a few times then pops it in his mouth. Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

"And, well, we can't just dump all this stuff and start over, that would take a lot of cash right? One of you guys gotta know that spell to find poison.. ya?" He looks between the group as Padraig starts moving through the room like a born again candy-holic. Finding all the best stashes and ingredients.

"If I had some scrolls of Detect Poison I could..." Issil shrugs. "That, or we find an apothecary to sample the goods."

"We need to find her ledgers, anyway- the name of her supplier. I'm sure they'll be glad to hear us order from them."

"A valid concern, Victor," Pádraig Henry nods. "But the Shellets strike me as hard workers. Situated as the shop is, right next to a popular tavern, I'm sure they can make a go of it, with our help, if not making and selling candy, then something else. Besides, Setrona's an experienced businesswoman. She can keep an eye on them, until they get going."

The halfling agrees with Issil. "Yeah, if we can't figure out what is poisonous and what's harmless, it might be best to dispose of all of it."

"You know... if the Shellets are better at something else, and if we CAN figure out what candy is bad... we could give out all the other candy to the town's folk. Have a little 'sale'. Use it to drum up some good cheer around here for a day eh?"

Victor's brain starts working. Then stops as he channels his inner Pug, eating another piece of taffy and grumbling.

Pádraig finds no magical auras, but he locates a false bottom underneath the front counter. Inside is a bottle of cloudy green liquid and a dozen empty candy wrappers. A collection of documents, including shipment manifests and ledgers indicate most all the candy is sourced from Sugar Trails Co., a manufacturer in a nearby city and arrives by boat biweekly. The store seems to bring in about 200 gold pieces weekly in profits.

Victor feels no ill effects from either piece of taffy he chews on.

I went with the Earning Capital section of the Downtime rules to determine this (assuming the candy is shipped in wholesale and not made here, and Diplomacy is rolled by the merchant, and let's say the twins are particularly likeable, I'd allow for a +8-10 diplo check... 1d20+8 over 7 days is likely between 70 and 125 gp). I was a little more generous given that you will be splitting the income with the Shellets, of course.

"Looks like Luculla saved her special candy for only certain of her favorite customers," Geoffrey notes, "The rest of the stash should be safe to consume."

Sounds good GM Red.

Pádraig Henry is careful not to touch the bottle of cloudy green liquid. "I'd prefer to dispose of the poison safely somehow, unless one of you can use it somehow?"

He scans the ledgers. "200 gold a week profit!? Wow. I had no idea the candy business was so lucrative. Maybe I'll give up singing," he jests.

"That's a pretty good profit. I'm certain we can convince the Shellets to set up shop here." She peers at the jar. "After we get rid of that. There are magical ways to get rid of it, but it's not cheap or easily accessible. It's best we dump it in a river or something."

Scrolls of Neutralize Poison are a 4th level spell. It costs 700 gp to buy one.

"Don't suppose we could somehow drop it into the Lord Mayor's stew? Better that than kill a bunch of innocent river rats and fish."

"As tempting as that would be, I think managing that is a bit beyond our capabilities at present," Morvena remarks. "Perhaps we could dispose of it in the sewers? Besides our otyugh friend I do not think we have encountered anything down there worth our concern."

Victor takes a look at the bottle "Hrm. I'll dispose of it, don't worry." He smiles and tucks it away in his backpack.

"Those are some pretty high prices for candy. Sounds like we just upgraded from our little salt and meat business." He grabs up another couple taffies and proceeds to stick his teeth together like a champ.

"First rule, Victor: Don't sample your merchandise." She swats his hand away from the sweet taffy. "You're gonna eat all of our profits at this rate."

After ensuring the bottle of poison is secured, you make your way over to Iudeimus Tenement to offer the Shellets their stake in the business. The family quickly accepts the offer - it sure beats rat catching, and they're currently struggling to find work with no more bounties offered for vermin. Morten and the twins accompany you back to The Sweet Tooth, scrubbing out Luculla's face from the chalkboard and replacing it with Under New Management!

....

The gold you earn each week (starting next week) from the candy shop will not require an 'Earn Gold' action, but I will roll for it according to the Earning Capital rules to keep it variable (and more realistic).

The Shellets quickly get the hang of running the shop, with the experienced tengu family assisting them in running a business for a few days, allowing them to quickly earn 22 gold pieces.

Inside the store, Geoffrey and Morvena seize the opportunity to quietly hint at the existence and proliferation of the Silver Ravens to certain trustworthy customers - 12 of them in all pledge their support, bringing the total Silver Ravens supporter count to 48.

Victor, Issil, and Pádraig visit Kintargo's mercantile district, where they find a group of six loud-mouthed dwarven jugglers flipping tankards up and around. It doesn't take much to convince them to listen for rumors and spread information about the Silver Ravens given that the pro-Thrune Chelish Citizens' Group continues to harass the jugglers, stealing their tankards and keeping them quiet.

With your weekly activities concluded and a new team of Advisors working towards your goals, what will you do next?

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Tracker updated, gold added to treasury, supporters increased, and next Upkeep phase you will reach Rank 6.

"Nice. Stay good and don't eat the merch, alright?"

After finishing activities, Issil gets to relax, for once. "So what's next? We have a new base. Maybe we should move in, clean up the place. And then we can move out of Setrona's spot. No offense, but after what Lucella did it should calm down a bit."

"While I think we have cleared out much of that place," Geoffrey shakes his head, "Those sealed doors concern me. Should we not try unsealing them and clearing out whatever is beyond them?"

"I believe the trap that was laid on them was dispelled thanks to some rather...unorthodox...methods," Morvena reminds Geoffrey. "But I do agree that we should finish our explorations there and prepare to move in."

"Okay. So those sealed doors are still sealed." Issil shrugs. "Is there a magical way to open them or something?"

"Hmm...while a scroll of Dispel Magic would prove useful in more instances than just this particular one...I believe that acquiring a scroll of Knock would also do the trick," Morvena responds, looking thoughtful.

"And it would, ah, be less costly."
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Hint taken, GM ;)

Victor spends most of his week of downtime visiting and checking on the new candy shop to see how things are coming along. He always comes alone and he's never 'Victor' when he does it, usually disguised as a random person, and ALWAYS asking to sample the goods before purchasing anything.

"New management? But what was wrong with the old management? Those nice ladies always let me try out the new lines before I had to buy anything... she was real nice... you sure I can't try some of that taffy there? I need to see if it bothers my back tooth." Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

When that stops working he will often try to just steal a piece here and there to 'see if they are paying attention'. Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

All of these antics are of course purely to improve the business, not at all to get the free candy that Issil told him not to take.

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"So.... unlock that door or should we check for clues and stuff around town? I can take Vendel out for a walk early one morning if you want. See what we can stir up?" He smiles ruthlessly.

"We should definitely do both, complete clearing our new 'safe house' and take the pulse of the city, sniffing out any useful rumors," Pádraig Henry says.

Looking at Morvena, he adds, "We should invest in a scroll of knock, too. Morvena, you can add it to your spellbook, right?

The Newt isn't the only vendor in Kintargo, and you recall the apolitical stance of one Nandy Crisalli over at Crisalli's Fine Tomes, a magical goods and scrolls shop. Rexus had taken you there not long after the initial protest at Aria Park.

The wizened shopkeep is happy to offer you a scroll of knock for 150 gold pieces.

Feel free to do any other buying/selling you'd like to do at this time!

"Here's my share for the purchase of the scroll," Pádraig Henry gives Morvena 30gp. "If you can scribe it into your spellbook, it's good investment for all of us."

Geoffrey also hands over his share for the scroll, "This is money well spent!"

I'll never be able to afford that Lucerne Hammer now!

"Oh yes, this one should not be a problem," Morvena smiles as she tucks her newest purchase into her pack for later perusal. "It should not take me too long to commit it to my own books - provided I am free from distractions," she adds, giving Victor a pointed look.
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Deducted the 30gp from Morv's personal funds and will just Take 10 to scribe the spell to her spellbook. Now we're good to go!

"Man, I hope we hit payday soon. All of this fun we're having isn't cheap." Issil plunks down 30 gold pieces.

30g from Victor as well. Everyone please browse the loot list and lay claim to anything you may want. I want to sell off some stuff, including the rat pan pipes and a few master work items that don't seem to have a home. We need stuff and cash to get it! Also if you decide you no longer want an item just add it to the loot list to be used by someone else or sold off.

"If you think I'm so distracting then why are you always looking at me that way..." He muses, raising an eyebrow and winking.

Bluff: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28

Sell list so far: Pipes of the sewer (575 gp), mwk greatsword (175 gp), mwk heavy mace (Issil's? 156 gp), mwk longsword (Geoff's?, 157 gp). Anything else you'd like to sell or claim? I will update again in two hours or so. I will also clear out anything on the list marked as Claimed as it's now on your own sheets.

Recommended items for sale:

Masterwork chain shirt, 250gp to purchase, 125gp to sell
Vials of unholy water, 25gp each to purchase, 12.5gp each to sell
Masterwork sickle, 306gp to purchase, 153gp to sell

Scrolls: Morvena should review the loot list and transcribe any she'd like to add to her spellbook, including any that PH is currently holding. PH is happy to hold onto any scroll that no one else claims, for situational use with UMD checks if necessary.

Potions: PH can cast vanish, so the 3 potions of invisibility should go to other PCs.

GM, please give me a little time to update my inventory before you delete what's been claimed.

I'll make sure my inventory's up to date and let you know.

I find it useful to be able to see the consolidated list, though, especially when we're in a jam. It helps me figure out if one of PH's companions has something that might help in a given situation.

Would it be possible to keep such a list of stuff we've claimed? I'm all for deleting what we've sold or expended.

Okay team, the major cleanup is complete for the loot tracker. All items claimed have been moved to a sheet next to it. I also added the scroll of raise dead that one of you claimed, and the golden skull (mundane) filled with unholy water. I assumed you wanted to sell that as well.

You spend some time with Nandy Crisalli, and she's happy to take most magical goods off your hands. She's less thrilled to purchase artifacts related to Matahallah from you, but luckily, your good pal Newt will take just about anything he can manage to pawn off to someone else, evil deity-related or not. From your sales, you earn 1,838 gold pieces in total. Or 368 each, but you may add 20 more for the 100 gp you had found at the candy shop. Please add 388 gold pieces to your sheets!

Options from here are to head back to The Lucky Bones with your scroll of knock and continue exploration, or stay in town a little longer. I think there was talk of gathering information.

By the time it's all said and done, Morvena's knowledge and spellbook have grown quite a bit...and with her share of the money she's even managed to earn back what she spent on supplies to scribe her new spells and then some!

"Whenever we are ready to return to the Lucky Bones, just say the word," she remarks over one of the group's shared meals. "I have committed several scrolls to my spellbook, including the Knock spell we purchased. I will be sure to either prepare it or leave enough of my memory free to prepare it once we return."

Issil pockets the extra change and smiles. "Pleasure doing business with ya!"

Leaving the store, Issil shrugs."Let's get more rumors. Morvena needs a day at least."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Issil's glad to be outside, for once.

Geoffrey smirks at Issil, "Yeah, and that's for a good day!"

He then proceeds to hit up his favorite haunts for any new rumors...

Diplomacy (Gather Info): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

During the hours Morvena spends cooped up with her spellbook and arcane calligraphy set, Pádraig Henry ensures his disguise is in place and goes for a walk to stretch his legs and to learn what's been going on in the city.

Diplomacy (gather information): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

He doesn't learn much.

Just outside The War Cage, Geoffrey overhears a young merchant and his ward talking about goings on in Kintargo. "Master, I heard another murder victim was discovered somewhere near the south wall in Old Kintargo, slashed up the same way Professor Mangvhune carved up his victims back in the day... makes you wonder!"

Issil hears another rumor from a panicky gnome standing at the fountain not far from Aria Park, shouting at her friends. "A friend of my cousin swears she saw a blue dragon flying in circles above the Cathedral of Asmodeus last night while the bells rang. No one else saw it, but I still believe her! Maybe Rizovair didn’t get killed during the civil war after all?"

Added to the Rumors list

Gather Info: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Even Victor/Pug/Candy Thief Unknown hear a few things throughout the week on rumors around the city. Especially when they go visit the corpse lover to complain about the removal of the bounty.

"What... what happened? I thought you and me were friends?" Complains Pug.

Geoffrey returns to inform the others of this latest rumor. "Sounds like this one could be worth looking into, even if it is just a copycat killer. The last thing Kintargo needs is another serial killer on the loose!"

"More murders?" Morvena gapes, shaking her head with dismay. "I suppose with Thrune being occupied with other matters the scum of Kintargo continues to grow bolder and bolder," she fumes. "While I do think we should continue our exploration of the Lucky Bones sooner rather than later, I...would not be opposed to looking into the matter of this killer once that business is concluded."

"There are always murders around here. If we're lucky they are murdering people that deserve it. Let's get back to the Bones first then check out those other rumors." Adds in Victor as he chews and chews and chews on some unknown substance...

The Corpse Nuzzler is found with his cart emptied of any dead animals. He leans against his cart sharpening a stick with a blunt dagger. "Friends... You see me as a friend?" He bucktooth smiles at Pug. "It's too bad the bounty is over. I was just getting a 500-rats-killed golden sigil created. Even thought I'd get it enchanted magically by a wizard. Seeing Kintargo clear of nasties makes me proud, but it isn't as though they will just disappear permanently. Oh well... It's time for a change in career path, I suppose."

He sets the dagger down. "Last I heard was that The Order of the Torrent was banned by Barzillai Thrune after he found out that they were actually minions of Norgorber and had been operating as a thieves’ guild. When the order took out the Gray Spiders all those years ago, they did more than end that guild - they became that guild."

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With the rumors kept in mind for later investigation, and everyone's magical abilities fresh and ready for a new day, you all decide to head back to The Lucky Bones and to the cold hallway where the set of sealed doors is. Again, strange, haunting sounds of distant gasps and moans periodically echo through these halls, but disturbingly, not all of you hear them simultaneously. The doors are locked.

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