Chaosorbit's PFS PbP GameDay VIII #8-9/11:Forged in Flame, Part 1 and 2 (Inactive)

Game Master Chaosorbit

What I would like to do is use Silence on top of the stairs to ensure privacy, then use the Feysworn SNA IV SLA to summon a Satyr, who can use Sleep with his magic pipes. Put the imp to sleep, stuff him in my backpack, and get out of here. But that sort of forces my solution on the whole party without involving them. And there's a fair chance an imp could make a DC 18 Will save. So...

Ranalus sighs.
"Let us go down and speak to Malini. The next group Qalkami sends will likely just slit the mephit's throat and ransack her shop. So I suggest you think up a plan to deal with Qalkami. If you cannot think of a good idea, we will knock out Malini or put her to sleep, and bring you back to Qalkami. If that is the only way to spare the foolish mephit's life. If you care at all for her, I hope you have a better way. And if you desert her now, it shows you do not care for her. Try to escape and we will track you down."

He curses quietly. "You invoke the name of the Archfiend, the God of Tyranny, and then ask mercy? You beg for your freedom in the name of love? Madness."

This might be a case for creatively undermining Qalkami. Or not.

Yes, yes, let's go to my love, Malini, and see what we can work out. Please do not harm her. The imp reappears and flies toward the stairs.

Ranalus walks downstairs, still invisible. He will hang out in a dimly-lit corner until the potion wears off.

”You have a nice shop here. You must do good business. What do you need an imp for?”

Kaa forgot he was supposed to be subtle.

Kitajo wanders around the shop looking at the curios and small items. Are there any books. Kitajo should read more

Ranalus quietly makes his way downstairs.

Kitajo looks over a small collection of books. Then Kaa mentions an imp, and Malini begins to speak..

I don't have an im... and just as the word imp is about to come out of her mouth, the imp suddenly appears flying quickly down the stairs. The mephit's mouth drops open.

The imp lands by the mephit, Malini, my love, these people are here to collect me for Qalkami!

Malini flames seem to turn from orange to light blue for a moment, No, it can't be so! Oh please don't take Vassago from me! I love him so. The mephit cries out and sends a pleading look at you all.

The imp continues, There is an unseen one among them, he said he might be willing to help us stay together, my love.

Malini searches the room and almost at that very moment Ranalus' potion wears off and he reappears in the corner.

The imp continues once more, I have an idea, but we would need your help. He says to the Pathfinder team. What if we could destroy my contract and make a fake replacement to give to Qalkami instead. Then I'll return temporarily to Qalkami, so you can fulfill your task. And later I'll simply leave, no longer bound, and return here. The imp pauses, But it will not be easy to fool Qalkami.

The mephit's pleading look continues as she searches you to see how you feel about the imps plan.

Priscilla doesn't catch Ranalus' vanishing act, but it isn't too long before she notices that the party is one head short. She busies herself by mulling over the shop, taking in the wares and trying to make small talk with the shopkeep about local affairs as both a distraction and personal entertainment.

"I haven't been to the plane of fire before, but it's one more life goal out of the way. So, what's happening around here? I figure a spot with this many hot-blooded locals has got to have a pretty nice social scene going on."

Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 18

Guessing Pricilla and I crossposted there.

Before the imp arrives, the mephit is friendly and makes small talk with Lady, about various social events, most involve things getting burned or immolated for the amusement of the city's many visitors.

"You are right, it will not be easy to betray our employer, imp. Are we to tell Qalkami that we have recovered the contract when in fact what we present is a fraud?"
I think Ranalus has the best Bluff in the party at a whopping +4. I would not count on that to deceive Qalkami.
"Even setting aside the fact that some in our group would have a hard time being party to such deception, none of the rest of us are particularly good at it."

"Malini, have you tried to just buy the devil's contract outright? We can tell Qalkami that something has affected the imp's attitude, that it will be an unsatisfactory servant in the future and try to escape or sabotage her efforts, and that selling its contract to you is the most profitable course of action. All of this is true. Devil, what do you think your contract is worth? I could contribute."

Kiaru cant help with social skills

Well then, I don't think Qalkami would be willing to sell. She's views Vassago as a commodity to make money from. Malini states.

Well it's the only thing I can think of The imp replies, Qalkami will never go for money. I guess I'll just return to Qalkami

No don't do that! Malini.

It's okay Malini; I don't want any trouble. It's for the best. I'll just teleport back and you can meet me there, okay? The imp replies.

Wait. I cannot see you return to a life of slavery. I must do something.

Kitajo sits and thinks for a moment.

I honestly have no ideas, but Kitajo is Liberty's Edge so he can't just watch this happen.

Edit - Is there a possibility of hiring a forger in town to make the forgery of the contract for us? Ultimate Equipment lists a scribe as 1/2-10GP per day. Let's say we err on the high side at 10GP per day, and a forger's kit at 200GP maybe a little extra to buy silence for a limited time.

"A commodity to make money from that will be worthless if it escapes or flies off. Or is killed in an attempt to apprehend it. Qalkami could cut her losses by selling the asset. If you really do not think she will see reason then we need another solution."

"Qalkami did say that if the imp had escaped then we should try to track it down, and if we can't then she would like a word with Malini."

"And I imagine that word would be about restitution. You see, typically, in a contract to lease something, there is a clause about the damages you must pay if the item is lost or destroyed. Normally a boat or a wagon, but I imagine the same is done for renting out slaves. So just declare the imp lost and pay the damages. The imp can quite well make itself 'lost' for a period of time. Let's take a look at the contract and see what it says."

@Kitajo, the real problem I see is going back to Qalkami and saying "We recovered the contract." When it is a fraud, even if it is a masterful one. That to me sounds like a Bluff check is needed, and that is where we come up short. Ranalus can summon a creature with a +15 Bluff but that is only 9 rounds.

I guess somebody getting a scroll of Glibness and using UMD to activate it could work.

As Kitajo ponders a solution. Ranalus reasons out there must be some kind of restitution clause, in case of loss. Apparently, Malini likes the idea because, she says Hold on a second

She begins digging in a pile of papers and after a few moments produces a large ornate document, a very fine parchment with nice filigree of gold and perhaps crushed gemstones covered in tiny writing all over it. The contact seems to be written in Ignan in places and Infernal in others.

Here it is! And she lays is across the counter.

Those that can speak at least one of the languages can give me a Profession (barrister), Linguistics, Knowledge (Planes), or Intelligence check to look for the pertain clause.. Things like comprehend languages can by-pass the language restrictions and the Profession (barrister) is the easiest of the checks.

"I can read the language of Hell. Useful to know one's enemy."
Ranalus takes a look. Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Well hard to argue with a natural 20!

It takes some studying and the clauses are confusing, but eventually, Ranalus uncovers that the contract can be bought out for 5000 gold.

"Malini, Vassago, how much of that can you come up with? I am not particular about how you acquire these funds."

Ranalus will contribute, but if I'm not mistaken, Kaa just spent 4,600 in Malini's shop so she has the coin. While I don't want to bankrupt her, we are helping her out quite a bit. I would be willing to chip in 500-1000 personally.

I'd be willing to front a similar amount of coin as Ranalus, perhaps a little more if needed.

me on same conditions as Kitajo

I'm touched by your offer; but thanks to your friend here I have the coin on hand to take care of this. Thank you for finding the clause, I couldn't makes heads or tails of that contract myself. Malini exclaims obviously excited to settle the matter. Gathering the money needed, Let's waste no more time She grabs the contract and heads toward the door.

It seems you've completed the first 3 tasks, what now report back to Qalkami?

"Just about."
Ranalus turns to Vassago. "Get 'lost', imp. Disappear. Run off. Teleport somewhere. Don't say if or when you will return. If Qalkami asks us, I want to be truthfully able to say that you escaped when you heard Qalkami wanted you back, and that neither Malini nor us have any idea where you are. If you happen to show up again after Malini has paid full restitution for a lost imp... then Qalkami has no claim on you."

Ready to report back to Qalkami.

Vassago says See you love! And vanishes. The whole group including Malini make there way to Qalkami's estate.

When you arrive at Cinderstone Manor, the azer servant meets you at the entrance. The master will see Malini first, she shows you back to the sitting room you were in before. And then leads Malini on to another room.

After about a quarter of an hour, Qalkami arrives AI'm sure you've helped yourself to refrshments, if not help yourselves. Ahhh...you've done ever so well. Nestor safe, contract signed, and a tidy sum in my pocket for a worthless Imp. It seems she already knows the results of your efforts.

It’s clear to me that you’re more competent than most offworlders, so perhaps you’re game for a more challenging task. Basira Karama, another efreeti in town with noble roots, has been a thorn in my side for far too long. With the upheaval in the City of Brass, it’s finally become profitable to see him brought down a peg. He’s throwing a gala tomorrow night, which presents an excellent opportunity to strike. I’ve managed to secure invitations to the gala for each of you. Your task is to ensure that this is the worst night of Basira’s life! She says with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Priss looks over Ranalus' shoulder as he reads through the contract, her own eyes skimming the words. She sometimes opens her mouth to speak, but it's clear enough that her companion's understanding far outstrips her own on this particular matter.

At the end of it, she simply offers him a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for doing that. The whole reason I got into the Society was to help contract-bound people like him."

---------------------------------

Miss Northwind meets Qalkami's gaze as she swirls a class of brandy in her hand, having waited for this very moment to take a meaningful sip from it. "A party that he won't soon forget, eh?" She laughs. "Woe be the one who stands in your way, eh? Alright. Sounds like fun, but just how 'worst' should this night be? Do we send him home just weeping, or does he come back divided evenly between a dozen decorative boxes?"

Qalkami chuckles at Lady Priscilla, Well humiliation is what I was going for! Although if something worse was to befall him, as long as it didn't trace back to me or land you in jail, I would object.

She laughs a bit more, You no disruptions that might make the host of the gala look bad, the less I know about the particulars the better. You might check in with Nestor, he'll likely have a couple ideas.

She sits back smiling.

"Crashing a party and causing a sssscene is ssssomething right in my wheelhousssse.."

Then he stops to look at Priscilla sideways. "Um... I am not an asssssassssssin, though!"

"Perhapssss we ssstart with Nessstor, and sssee what he has to sssay..."

Kaa grabs a few more snacks to take along, but is ready to question Nestor.

"Humiliation we can do. But not assassination. As you say, Nestor could be an asset. From what he implied of his past activities, maybe he can procure some substance that would make Basira vomit uncontrollably. Or some other such mischief. "

If you have further questions for Qalkami go ahead, I'll assume you are moving onto to Nestor.

You find Nestor in a celebratory mood, Hey thanks again, I'm glad to have that behind me! So Qalkami sent you back my way. How can I help?

"Nestor, we have been tasked by Qalkami with disrupting a gala held by Basira Karama tomorrow night. She seeks to humiliate Basira, preferably in a way that cannot be traced back to her. Do you have any clever ideas? My thought was making Basira (or the other guests) sick without causing lasting harm. But if you have any other ideas, I would be happy to hear them."

Poisoning the food! Yes that would have been my first suggestion! What else? I've heard he's hired a top band to perform, may somehow messing with the music would be effective. You could spread slanderous rumors amongst the gala’s guests, either about Basira or about other guests.

What else, oh messing with the help, Basira uses slaves, set a few free and it will likely mess up the evening!

And also there is this. He hands you a pouch with 500 gp. For expenses, but it didn't come from Qalkami. He gives a wink.

Some solid ideas from Nestor. You are free to use some or all of them, or of course come up with your own ideas.
The gala is tomorrow night...so you have time to plan.
Please come up with a plan and let me know what you want to do in preparation and when you are ready to move on to the gala.

Those ideas all sound good to me.
Where do our strengths lie?
Tampering with the music might be a Perform check, spreading rumors is Bluff, poisoning food might be Sleight of Hand. Freeing slaves could be Stealth?
Directly insulting Basira into embarrassing himself is probably Intimidate?
Ranalus can help with any skill he is trained in* through the spell Bestow Insight; he will prepare three or four of those. That will give a +4 Insight bonus to the skill check and the ability to dismiss the spell in order to roll twice and take the better.
*Ranalus is trained in Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Handle Animal, Heal, various Knowledge, Linguistics, Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth, Survival, and Swim.

diplomacy and smashing things are my primary skills

Fighting and escape artist. I like the idea of freeing slaves.

Good start! Would be glad to see some input from everyone...and then someone can form a plan. I know these types of tasks are often more difficult in PbP. Easier to do this type of planning Face to Face games.

Keep at it

Ok, has Kitajo seen slaves around the city? How are the kept in servitude? Collars, shackles? Kitajo is thinking about sneaking into the kitchens and possibly freeing them?

"Perhaps those of us not so good at being subtle can cause an embarrassing distraction, while the rest of us free the slaves."

There are places to shop, correct? Either through Nestor, or in stores? Ranalus would like to get an Elixir of Hiding. He does have a cloak that gives +5 competence, so the net benefit is only another +5, but combined with his scroll of Heroism that will get him to a +16.

Yeah no problem on the Elixir of hiding.
Moving on I guess..

Basira’s home is an imposing manor of four gigantic stories of marble and brass. Lush jungle plants fill much of the gated estate’s grounds. you approach you are halted by salamander guards.

Please present your invitation, also no weapons, shields, poisons, offensive scrolls, or anything like that allowed inside. If you have them you can check them here for safekeeping, and get them back at the end of the night. The lead guard instructs.

You must surrender them for safekeeping, conceal the items with a slight of hand or bluff, or try to convince the guards to let you
keep items with a bluff

If you don't post what you are doing, I'll assume you are checking the items.

Ranalus will comply.
He wonders if this is an opportunity to begin the humiliation. By spreading some seeds of discontent.
He scoffs rather loudly, "Such fear from the mighty Basira. What uncouth rabble of guests must attend his parties for him to have to resort to such precautions."

He says, for any other guests to hear, "But no, I see respectable guests who deserve to be treated better. Still, I will comply to allay Basira's fears."

He hands over his weapons and buckler.

Great start Ranalus, go ahead and give me a Bluff, Knowledge
(local), or Diplomacy check

As soon as Priscilla realizes that her weapons will be confiscated, she quietly reaches into her pocket and grasps one of her pearls of power, recharging her Frostbite.

The sylph surrenders her weapons as well. Along the way, she offers a smile and a haughty chuckle. "Yes, I was under the impression that the local nobility here were unmatched in combat. I think this is an obvious sign than the 'truth' is more of a 'rumor,' wouldn't you say?"

Diplomacy/Bluff, aiding Ranalus: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8

Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Not the worst... maybe a few more Aid Another, team?
"Yes. Shameful, isn't it?"

Kitajo cheerfully hands over all of his weapons. He makes a show of handing over his monk's spade, shuriken, rope dart, temple sword and all of his other offensive weapons in such a fashion as to be distracting to teh guards.

Hoping that this aids in the bluff?

Bluff aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Kaa hands over his weapon without question, as it seems carrying them into a party is generally frowned on.

Nariong reluctantly hands over his weapons.

Still waiting to hear from Kiaru, feel free to surrender your weapons or roll to conceal them, will assume you surrender unless I hear otherwise.

You all surrender your weapons. But your comments about Basira possible weaknesses seem to miss the mark, as the guards simply ignore your jabs, and the timing misses most of the other guests who don't catch what you are saying.

If you plan to poison the food someone will have to roll to smuggle in/or convince the guards the poison is harmless. Sleight of Hand or Bluff

Plush red carpets rest atop gleaming marble floors in this palatial hall, which has been set with a variety of elegant couches and beautiful tables holding mountains of food and a dizzying assortment of drinks. Servants in ornate shackles pass out appetizers and drinks while a band plays in one corner. Partygoers of all shapes and sizes are in attendance at the gala.

Possible sabotage:

Food: Assuming you successfully smuggle in the poison. The main buffet table is covered in spicy food and strong drink that easily disguises the taste of many toxins. Adding such toxins while avoiding notice requires a Sleight of Hand check.

Music: Basira has hired a band of accomplished Medium and Large air elemental instrumentalists known as the Boreal Five to provide music at the gala. You can try persuade the elementals to depart mid-performance by bribing them or Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check (if you can't speak Auran the check is harder). OR Alternatively, you can pressure the band to let the you perform with them, at which point you can make the music especially discordant or introduce embarrassingly satirical lyrics with a Perform check.

Rumors: You get a second chance to foster slanderous rumors amongst the gala’s guests, either about Basira or about other guests, to foment chaos. The check is Bluff, Knowledge (local), or Diplomacy to spread sufficient rumors to cause an incident. For each of the following languages that you can speak, you gain a cumulative +2 bonus on the check: Auran, Draconic, Ignan, Infernal, Kelish, and Terran.

Staff: Numerous slaves—most the dwarflike outsiders known as azers—attend to the needs of Basira’s guests. Each wears a set of magic manacles linked by a delicate mithral chain, preventing the wearers from traveling beyond the estate’s grounds. These are otherwise mundane masterwork manacles with locks (Disable Device to remove). A slave can slip away discreetly once the manacles are removed. Any attempt to remove the manacles requires a successful Sleight of Hand or Stealth check to avoid notice. Freeing at least three slaves leaves the gala seriously understaffed.

Something completely different of your own design!

Each of the above - allows for a primary check with two aids allowed. The freeing slaves requires only one Slieght or Stealth, but 3 disable device checks.

Any questions?

Ranalus will find an out-of-the-way spot and ask Kaa to use a scroll of Heroism on him (Ranalus has such a scroll and it is on the Bloodrager list). Ranalus will cast Bestow Insight on Kiaru (for Disable Device) and on Kaa (for Bluff). Only lasts 9 minutes, but a +4 insight bonus and can dismiss the spell to roll twice and take the better.

Ranalus tries again to spread rumors, much in the same vein as before.

"Apparently, Basira has a real problem with low-class rabble attending his events. Thugs who start trouble that he can't handle. Or else he's just afraid."

Bluff, Infernal, Heroism: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 2 + 2 = 24

Ok, follow me on my thought journey please GM. If Kitajo rolls a stealth to slip into the kitchens (I assume that the big wigs will not lower themselves to being in the kitchens) can I just grab a slave and sunder the manacles? I don't have DD, but I still want to free them. I think the stealth roll to get into the kitchens unnoticed should be fine for slipping away then I just bash at the manacles. The kitchen should have enough bustle and noise to cover up me punching the cuffs? Let me know if all that sounds fine and I'll make the rolls

@Kitajo - sure I'll allow that.

Kitajo moves through the crowd making his way to the kitchens. Hoping no-one sees he tries to slip in through the door as a platter is being brought out.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Perhaps one or two might aid Kitajo with a minor distraction, as he slips away.