Fading to black on the Helvara thread unless Tassira intends something else. Assume that unless the party comes and gets her at the House of Clouds, that Tassira passes the night in Helvara's company?
I'm fine with that.
Does someone want to figure out our haul from the last time we disbursed money? I can probably do it but it might not be for a while. We should figure out what kind of upgrades we might want to make to our gear. I think Nebbin's still got less than 100 gp worth of gear, which is why under for 5th level.
Woot! 5th!
Level 5
Hit points gained: +5
Base attack/saves: no change
Skills: +10 points
(+1 each to bluff, climb, disable device, heal, intimidate, perception, sense motive, stealth, survival, kn: nature)
New feat: Deadly Aim
New spell: Invisibility (I realized i had only three level one spells documented, so have added True Strike as my fourth level one spell)
New abilities: Bane (5 rounds/day), Discern Lies (5 rounds/day)
Sorry I haven't posted yet. Been having an exhausting week. I'll try to get a post up and level up tomorrow afternoon.
Level 5
+1 level of unchained melody ... er, barbarian.
+10 hp
+1 BAB
+1 feat: I guess Nebbin's going to settle on his great sword, so Weapon Focus (greatsword)
+2 rounds of rage/day
+5 skills: +1 to Acrobatics, Intimidate, Know (local), Perception, Swim
I haven't had a chance to examine our finances, but I definitely wouldn't mind better armor (I'm still just wearing leather). That's probably more of a priority than a magic weapon.
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Quick scan (i.e. this is not definitive) shows we've got the following loot:
10,000 gp
Magic (mostly unidentified):
* From the cultist: scrolls in tube fastened to the belt, amulet.
* Sniper: Potion that Emi snatched from his hand
* Bomb-thrower: enchanted studded leather armor (+1) and a magical cloak.
* Footlockers: pair of soft shoes
Nonmagic:
* From the cultist: small leather satchel containing vials of non-magical substances. Silver unholy symbol, mwk sickle ornamentally styled to look like the tarsus of a giant spider, with poison reservoir in hilt
* Sniper: finely made (mwk?) dagger, hand crossbow, bolts, leathers. Leather satchel containing a jar of likely poison.
* Bomb-thrower: strange bag of reagents.
* From the lab (not sure we took any of this or just destroyed it all):
spirit stove in the corner of the room, shelves of reagents, and tables covered in glassware. There's a notebook on one of the tables as well
* Footlockers: a few small personal fortunes in gold coin .
Pretty sure Regeris grabbed everything he could that was of interest or value. I hope!
Identifying the good stuff is on Tassira and maybe Kayleigh though since Regeris does not have spellcraft. The more skills you have the more you want.
KAYLEIGH’S LEVEL-UP CHANGES (5TH LEVEL)
+8 hp (5 + 2 Con + 1 FC)
3rd-Level Spells: 2+1 (1+1 + 1 for high Wis)
5 skill points (2 class +1 Int + 1 skilled +1 Fast Learner)
+1 into Diplomacy
+1 into Heal
+1 into Knowledge (religion)
+2 into Sense Motive
Feat: Undecided
Although it's not really in her background or personality, I'm considering taking Craft Magic Arms and Armor for her feat (unless Tassira's planning that).
Kayleigh took 1 rank in Spellcraft just so she could (possibly) Aid Another for Tassira. Here are a bunch of rolls:
Looks like the first six are successful (+2 bonus on Tassira's subsequent Spellcraft checks) and the last two fail.
Best not to count our chickens before they're hatched, but Emi's going to be giving Vencarlo Orisini about 900 gp back of his 1000 (I might deduct about 1/2 the amount we paid for antitoxin from what she gives back).
Considering he expected up front to get back much less than half, and possibly as little as none, he might share the windfall. Emi won't be doing that earlier than the late afternoon of the next day though.
So here's a question for you all about Emi's future advancement. I'd like to get some input both on what you think would work best in the party, and if you have some experience with martial builds, what might work well.
Emi can take up to 3 Ranger Style feats as Slayer Talents. Next level is the first one she'll be able to use that way. Originally I figured I'd take archery. But since we have Regeris as a dedicated archer it seems redundant.
I've been looking at the styles again and I think maybe Menacing, for an intimidate build, or Underhanded, for the Dirty Trick feat chain might be good ones.
Any thoughts on this?
She's using a falchion, right? Two-handed style is another option for just beating in faces. Of the two you listed I think underhanded is just more fun to play since using dirty tricks or steals in combat could provide a lot of interesting opportunities.
Level Up Summary
+6 HP (4 + 2 CON)
+1 Second Level Spell Slot
+1 1st and 2nd Level Spell to Prepare
New Feat: Cosmopolitan: Gain Bluff + Sense Motive as class skills, as well as 2 languages (Shoanti and Celestial)
New Spells: 2nd Level: Web, Invisibility
New Skills
+7 Skills (2 base, 4 INT, 1 FC)
--1 Diplomacy
--3 Bluff
--3 Sense Motive
New Arcanist Exploit: Item Crafting (Craft Magic Arms and Armour)
Level 5 (Slayer)
HP: +10 (+6 +2 CON +1 FCB +1 Toughness)
BAB: +1
Feat: Iron Will
2nd Studied Target & Studied Target Bonus +2
Skills: +9 (+6 Class, +2 INT, +1 Skilled)
+1 Acrobatics, Bluff, Diplomacy, K Dungeoneering, K Engineering, K Local, Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth
I agree underhanded seems a bit more fun to play, especially because I could potentially start using Intimidate more with Nebbin if you guys can get him to that point.
Good points. I was leaning more toward Underhanded as well. It seems more her style. Emi might be kind of grumpy and do resting b~@## face like nobody’s business but compared to Nebbin she’s still an average looking barely 18 year-old woman. She doesn’t wear scariness on her sleeve like he does.
That said, Dirty Trick is a bit frustrating, as it's a standard action and can't be used to sub for an attack as part of an attack action. I recently built a character I planned to use it with and I've moved away from it pretty quickly. I might continue that way by adding Kitsune Style, which would let me use it as a charge, but as is, it limits my attacks and the condition can be removed with a move action.
ok, so it looks like the last time we divided loot was here, after we emerged from the necromancer's lair and got sick as Tassira's place.
So currently we've just gotten whatever we found from Eel's End, which is listed below with a little more stuff than I noticed and included in my previous post.
Plus there's what I listed above:
10,000 gp that'd be 2,000 gp each, unless we want to do a party share
Magic (mostly unidentified):
* From Devargo's footlocker: pink fluid, scroll and a ring found inside the jewelry box
* From the cultist: scrolls in tube fastened to the belt, amulet.
* Sniper: Potion that Emi snatched from his hand
* Bomb-thrower: enchanted studded leather armor (+1) and a magical cloak.
* Footlockers: pair of soft shoes
Nonmagic:
* From the cultist: small leather satchel containing vials of non-magical substances. Silver unholy symbol, mwk sickle ornamentally styled to look like the tarsus of a giant spider, with poison reservoir in hilt
* Sniper: finely made (mwk?) dagger, hand crossbow, bolts, leathers. Leather satchel containing a jar of likely poison.
* Bomb-thrower: strange bag of reagents.
* From the lab (not sure we took any of this or just destroyed it all):
spirit stove in the corner of the room, shelves of reagents, and tables covered in glassware. There's a notebook on one of the tables as well that might have something of use, so hopefully Regeris grabbed it)..
* Footlockers: a few small personal fortunes in gold coin I think these were all included in the 10,000 gp figure above.
In addition, Emi and Tassira gave Helvara 100 gp; I'm not sure what account that came from.
--
Do you magic folk want to try to ID all the magic stuff? Then we can figure out how much it may all be worth.
Kayleigh rolled a bunch of checks but I think we're waiting on Tassira to make the main rolls. I don't have spellcraft.
So... Tassira? :D
Spellcraft Rolls for the regular magic items!
I think I can use read magic to decipher the scrolls, yes?
Pretty good rolls, all things considered. I think the sniper potion is the only one I won't be able to ID.
Forgot you can ID potions with perceptino so there's Regeris' contribution.
I'm on the road, so I won't be able to look that stuff up until tomorrow night or so.
I've got spring condo-cleaning on my schedule for today, but during my frequent rest-the-bad-back breaks I plan to go back through the gameplay posts to try to compile a list of everything we know about the Keylock Killer and Rolth. Hopefully, that'll help us better plan our next course of action.
You rock, Kayleigh!
You rock, Kayleigh!
I totally do!! The guy who's my player...not so much. He took a long nap this afternoon.
I also blame the awesomeness of this game, its DM, and its players. Every time I started re-reading sections of posts I got hooked and had to read along, even though the posts had nothing to do with what I was supposed to be researching.
I've got some stuff compiled and will be working on it more tonight, but I don't think I'll have a full report until some time tomorrow.
UPDATE: I'm pretty much done collecting data. Now I just have to edit it into something actually readable.
Might be done later tonight, might take 'til tomorrow.
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Notes from Shirleigh Holmes, Amateur Detective
ON THE TRAIL OF THE KEYLOCK KILLER
Gaedren’s Cache
NOTES: Did we ever finish decoding Lamm’s ledger? (see Post #1096: Short Answer—No.; also Post #820
Inscription on key-shaped dagger? (see Post #465: “For an inspiration of a father.”)
"One that this city's seen before."
Knowledge(local) DC 20:
It's a reference to the Keylock murders. More than 12 years ago. A series of murders swept through the city and the use of such a blade was one of the hallmarks of the killer.
"There's at least a chance that this Rolth Lamm may be the real Keylock Killer. You all should be on your guard at all times, and avoid venturing places by yourselves until more is known about this threat."
Details of Olaf’s Murder Start HERE
"He was murdered." She says it calmly enough, but bursts into tears immediately after and has to take a moment before continuing. "One of the University gardeners found his body two mornings ago outside the library. He'd been stabbed to death."
"No one's come forward with any information. No leads. No weapon. The guards are over-pressed. Chaos in the streets. It all means my son is dead and no one's going to pay for it."
"One that this city's seen before."
Knowledge(local) DC 20:
It's a reference to the Keylock murders. More than 12 years ago. A series of murders swept through the city and the use of such a blade was one of the hallmarks of the killer.
"And..." he goes on, "I wouldn't have ever looked into this killing, in which case no one would have ever seen the mark, so... artfully placed. It is a calling card, placed without any of the ostentatious flare of the original killings. Nothing special about this killing to make it stand out among all the others going on in the city. So why place it at all? It makes the reference to the prior killings seem almost more authentic than if the victim were laid out like the old Keylock victims were. Like an inside joke."
He looks back over to Tassira apologetically. "There's what your father's gold has bought thus far. A possible link to some very old and notorious murders."
He turns back to Regeris again.
"Do your parents know you're back in the city, Regeris? And wearing the symbol of a rebel god around your neck?" He shakes his head and makes to return to his office. The questions may have been rhetorical.
1) Have you heard about the student who was murdered here recently and can you show us where his body was found?
2) Did you know Olaf at all?
3) Have you noticed anything outside the norm on campus recently?
You clatter across the campus behind the two moles to their next class. They call to a tall blond boy, a classmate and he comes over. They introduce him as Macklin.
"Sure, I knew Olaf. We met for a while the night he died. At a party. I think I left before he did, but I'm not sure." He grins at you all stupidly, apologetically. "We'd all been drinking and such."
Was Olaf in debt to anyone? Had he made any enemies among the student body or outside it?
Did Olaf seem worried or upset when Macklin last saw him?
"I never knew him to be in debt to anyone but his father, for tuition, and... well, just about anything he wanted. Hells, everyone in his circle probably owes him money for one thing or another."
"The party was at another student's flat on the other side of campus. There were alot of people there. I definitely saw Olaf there and he seemed himself. And a couple of hours later he was dead."
"Me and some of my friends have been trying to piece together who saw him last that night. If he was with anyone, or was just walking home by himself?" He shrugs and shakes his head.
"People are afraid to leave their flats after dark, especially to go off campus, even though the killing happened on campus."
He casts a half-regretful look at his class, now beginning, then nods to follow him. He leads you off to the south western corner of the campus. He stops along a walk that cuts between two buildings and points ahead.
"You can still see some of the blood stains," he says, pointing. "I think the killer dragged Olaf over here and left him," he leads you to a spot among the hedges, under the eaves of one of the buildings and points to a dark brown stain.
"I don't think he had any real enemies. I mean he was a spoiled jerk alot of the time, but he didn't really mean anything by it. He was popular with the ladies in his classes, which earned him some resentment sometimes."
Emileva and Regeris comb over the area and come to the same conclusion. This area has been trafficked over so many times by folks like young Macklin over the last couple of days there's not really anything more to find. And it rained yesterday, washing away and mixing things up. You only have supposition, but you can see how it would be very dark here at night. Buildings to either side of the path offer plenty of places to lay in ambush - if that's what it was.
"The girl's name is Ehla Marist. The girl who threw the party," he says, as he heads back to the class he's missing.
"There was definitely a wound on his back. Whether it was an entry or exit wound, I have no idea. I didn't examine him more than seeing if he was alive - and it was obvious he wasn't."
When asked about his boss, he points back at his crewmates passing a cigarette between them in the shade. "He's there. Anders is his name if you want to talk to him."
Ehla is tall like Tassira with shoulder-length red hair and a troubled complexion. She walks with a purpose and Tassira has to move to keep up.
Just a party. That's all Tassira is able to get out of Ehla Marist as she follows her along.
"I felt really bad when I heard that he died that night. Olaf was a classmate. A friend of some friends. I know he was at the party and I think he was with some friends, but I couldn't say when he left or with who."
The two girls reach the doors of a residence hall. Ehla turns to Tassira at the door and gives her a kind smile. "My boyfriend lives here, so... I told an Abadaran investigator all I could remember. All of this. Good luck to you if you're trying to help find this killer. It's terrifying to think there might be one stalking our campus!"
"If you're just paying your respects, the tomb lies within the Raven's Glen."
"They left all of this. They don't even seem to have disturbed the clothes. With your respectful permission, mistress Vantyev," she nods to Tassira, before starting to hand around the clothing items she removes from the urn. It's the tunic that bears the mark the Abadaran priest described. The bloodstain bled into the cloth, of course, so it's slightly indistinct. But the keymark is there, in a part of the tunic that wasn't soiled by Olaf's mortal wounds.
You judge that the knife you have back at the temple would leave just such a mark.
Regeris: How small are the second set? Like small child or teenager?
Emileva: "Exactly how long ago were the surgeons from the university caught stealing bodies?"
"This track is headed out to the oldest part of the yard," the male priest says.
Following his gaze, you see that the fairly regular pattern of the modern cemetery breaks up into more irregularly spaced cairns, barrows and earthen tombs as one gets closer to the wall.
"The trouble with the surgeons was... three years ago?" she asks her companion. He nods, eyes trained on Regeris and the marks in the mud that the inquisitor studies.
At least there would have been a link to pursue. If the killings and body thefts happened together both times, the surgeons involved in the first might be this time too. Or at least someone who knew them and what they had done.
Most importantly, it would have given them some actual names to look into. Even if they knew a left-handed halfling of middle-age had taken Olaf's body, how does it help much? It's a huge and chaotic city, and they could still never find the right one.
"Can we leave this place?"
She looks from Nebbin to Kayleigh for an answer before seeming to recollect herself. "There are others... other prisoners... in pits just around the corner. A family, I think. And one more at least who must die..."
Her speech is halting, awkward and unnatural. It's more than her accent, which is thick enough. She seems distant or in shock. Between her look and her speech, there may be something broken behind those wide eyes.
For those with the stomach and will to bear it, examination of the golem proves disturbing and gruesome. There's more than a tail here to serve as a hint to Neziana's fate. The entire lower half of the golem matches the group's recollection of the young arcanist. Patches of mottled and mud-caked fur cover the legs and lower torso. A line of stitches around the chest joins this half body to the upper chest and arms of another man, as yet unidentified. Another line of stitches joins Amistan's head to the monster. It's hard to escape the conclusion that this thing was made with your little band of heroes in mind.
What's not here and has still not been found is Olaf's head. It was removed from the corpse you found earlier, but is not evident here. The whole story has apparently not yet been revealed. The dark tunnels beyond Cabbage Head and the necromancers' corpses yawn invitingly. More answers may lie ahead.
"You have to kill one of the captives. The green men did something to him. Messed up his mind, maybe. Or maybe he was never right in the first place..." she replies. "They call him 'the Munge'. I don't know if that's really his name. When you see him, you won't have to ask me who I'm talking about."
"It doesn't really matter who he was or why he is what he is. He's a monster that they used to torture and threaten the rest of us. You'll see when you come to the pits. The family that's there, they had a daughter when they were first caught by the green men, but they gave her to the Munge..."
"I don't have the words to tell you what he did... he needs to die!"
She surveys the corpses of your enemies before elaborating.
"None of these are the professor - that's what he made me call him. His woman is a she-elf, though maybe really she's a devil. Those two are cruel. They taught this one just about everything he knew."
She kicks the dead necromancer in the head with her bare foot by way of indicating who she's talking about.
"You can't help him! He has to pay for what he's done! I still hear that girl's screams when I close my eyes to sleep! I still hear the pain in that man's voice - her father. If you deliver him somewhere safe you'd better kill me. I don't know if I can sleep again until I know he's dead!"
There's no doubting Tiora's sincerity or the authenticity of her horror. She seems for a moment like she may bolt, and Shayla reaches out to take her arm. She pulls away violently at the touch of the elder priestess, but then suddenly calms, her eyes fixed at a spot between Kayleigh's breasts. Kayleigh's hand unconsciously strays to the spot only to close around the holy symbol of Milani hanging there.
Tiora licks her lips, eyes bulging and breath coming in ragged pulls. "I - " she starts to speak, then stops again, eyes locked on the little gold symbol. When she finally starts talking again, it's not to Kayleigh at all, but to the bloodstained rose. Her voice is more even, almost quiet.
"They... made me call him that... professor. I don't know who or what he is. He called the woman 'Jo' once, when they were abusing me. I don't know anything about you, or your friends, or your family. I know I want out of this hole. To feel the wind on my face, and to wash my hair again."
"Please... finish what you started here and take me out of this place."
Regeris senses that Milani's grace is at work here. Somehow the power of your deity has touched the young woman. When she looks back up at Kayleigh her panic has palpably diminished.
"I felt somehow that they were experimenting on me... on us. They cut some of us up, performed surgeries and created terrible wounds. Most of those didn't survive. And they used this," she points to the milky blue liquid in the flask, "to mess with our heads, steal our memories and control our thoughts. I think that's why he called himself 'professor'. He used us for his inquiries. And his pleasure."
The more she speaks about it, the more you can sense the anxiety building back up behind those brown eyes. There's a dangerous level of anger in there. You feel that were she given a chance, she might do some terrible things back to her tormentors.
"The prisoner pits are to the right," she says, as Nebbin contemplates the intersection in front of him.
"To the left are the professor’s chambers, and the place he would take us when he tortured us."
"They were dosed by the green men just hours before you came. They'll be better later if you give them some time. At least a little bit... probably."
Kayleigh has no knowledge or experience with the derro juice. From Tiora's description it clearly has mental effects. Given that Tiora's been under its influence, questioning her may be the group's best avenue to learning its properties.
On one is what can only be an incomplete flesh golem. Parts of several bodies are sewn together to form one composite monstrosity. The head of this monstrosity is Olaf's head. The rest is made of unidentified parts, though one arm bears a deep blue patterned tattooing that links it to the remains on the other table.
The second table bears the corpse of a man that has been thoroughly dissected. Its limbs have been removed and systematically flensed. Its organs flayed and arranged in a pattern. There's lettering in ink and blood on the table surrounding the body. Candles, now burned out are heaped on parts of the table. All the body parts of this heavily tattooed corpse are laid out here except its arms. One is accounted for, but the other remains a mystery as you explore this room.
…
At the far end of the bedroom is another drape curtain which conceals another room.
Room 4: This is also a bedroom of sorts, though the bed in this case is a poor cot. There's a little sitting space with some books lying on a table and a small box in the corner. In the center of the floor is the cold severed arm of a human covered in blue tattoos. As the party stands there looking, the hand suddenly flexes, grabs at the air, clenches for a moment, then falls back lifeless and inert.
Between two other manuals are found two magical scrolls: identify & command undead.
Nebbin's intuitive link to the Shoanti seems right. The dissected body on the table is a shoanti tribesman. Perhaps even the one who died on the scene when the party stopped that mob. As Nebbin looks around the scene he spies something lying under one of the tables. It's a plague-doctor's mask with one of the lenses cracked. The beak of the mask is stuffed with a bag of dried herbs.
The deserted bedroom hasn't been used in days, and is swept relatively clean. The one exception is found when Kayleigh nudges the bed in looking around. She bends over to examine the cuffs bolted to the bed frame when a tiny tip of metal left in the footprint of the bedpost catches her eye. Something that snapped off somehow. The peculiar contour of the tip matches the key-shaped blade you've been tracking.
The second is a man tall as Nebbin, though not quite as broad. Handsome and lean, his name is Uli Trainer and he's been elected the new Seat of Death. He comes in with a magical scroll and as the party sits there, he completes the spell that restores Emileva's sight. As she recovers he walks back over to stand behind Keppira.
"It stuns you. Some people more than others. Sometime for days, but everyone I saw came back from it. I did. They probably will. But sometimes when you do, you remember terrible things... or think you remember terrible things, and that can drive you mad."
"And what they may remember is terrible." she shakes her head as her expression settles into a very angry one. "But it wasn't accidental, what they were doing to people down there. They were following some kind of code. We were test subjects."
When the subject of her 'home' comes up, Tiora comes up blank. She shrugs in the rough-wool robe given her by the priests.
"If you didn't find any of my stuff in any of those rooms, and I didn't see any of it there... I guess I'm carrying what I own. When they took me, I was carrying everything I owned."
"If you have any spare place for a girl to crash..? Maybe clean up a little bit? Regeris told me you'd tell me more about your goddess once we left that tomb."
"If you're going to Tassira's house right now, how about Regeris and I take Tiora with us back to the temple? I can see to getting her some clothes and so forth on the way back."
"I think someone should be there to keep an eye on things. It's clear this "professor" has been targeting people close to us or connected to us. It feeds back to Gaedren Lamm in some way. But I don't think that's all. Most of what he's done only hurts us if we know about it. Olaf's murder was his scheme to make sure we did. It was far too easy to follow the breadcrumbs he dropped right back to his place. But you said he'd cleared out just recently. He knew we were coming. We were meant to find it."
"Now that we know, he's not going to just stop. He's going to play with us. If he wanted to come straight at us he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble. I think he's going to keep going after people connected to us, to keep us paranoid, always wondering who might be next."
"If he's not watching us closely, he's well informed by someone who is. The Shoanti man from that street fight? He knows what we've been doing in detail. If we're not at the temple, he'll likely be aware. It's just the kind of opening he will exploit."
"I also want to talk to the children, see if they remember anything about people to might have visited Lamm. If the two were associates or friends he may have been there. I'd also like to talk to Master Orisini about this. He may remember something about the original killings. In any case he should be warned. I've been to his academy a few times and it's probably not gone unnoticed."
"The truth is, in my old life... the time before I got taken, I was a runner and a cutpurse for a gang here in Bridgefront. I'm really not sure I want to go back to that life, but I don't know what I'm going to do otherwise. I still rate Able, I suppose, and could probably find a place in a passing crew..."
"Back in that tomb I heard a sister's voice in Kayleigh's voice, but when I listened harder I found that the voice I heard was coming from the symbol of her goddess. Even now I can hear the calming tones of that voice in my head. I want the professor... 'Rolth' to hurt in my hands. Maybe Milani can help me manage, or rechannel that outrage into an effect."
She nods in satisfaction, outfitted in the new gear.
"I do know the value of a friend, and I thank you guys for helping me. You have my word that I'll repay you. But could you happen to spare some arms or the coin to purchase some? Just something to protect myself. And maybe kill professor Rolth with?" she smiles.
"Among the bodies below the mausoleum, the ones collected by Rolth were Olaf, Neziana, Amistan, the priest from this temple who was Kayleigh's friend, and the Shoanti man from the street brawl. Four people in some way connected to us. What are the odds? There are dozens of deaths, maybe more in the city every day, especially recently. How could he randomly snatch so many of the very few who have a connection to us?"
"I think it's reasonable to conclude Rolth knows who we are, knows Lamm is dead because of us, and wants revenge. Rolth is immensely cruel, a sadist. He wants us to suffer, simply killing us wouldn't be enough for someone like him. He's taken loved ones and people we recognize and desecrated their bodies in ways that are almost unimaginable. We know this first hand. He might do what he's done just for his own satisfaction, but I doubt it. How can we suffer when we're not aware of what he's done?"
"He can't bring his zombies and flesh golems to us. How would be get them here through the streets? He would need for us to come to him. Olaf is the only one of his victims he murdered, or directed someone to murder, he was also the last of the four. It's true we don't know for sure about how Neziana came to be there. He may have killed her, but he didn't tip us off. Or, if he tried to we missed it. There was no way we could miss Olaf though. We absolutely would find out, and certainly look into it."
"He left plenty of clues, including the calling card mark of the key dagger. He may or may not have known we'd recognize it because we took Lamm's stuff. But, the larger point is we did nothing very clever to find him. We just followed the clues. Too many, I think personally, for a supposedly successful serial killer. Given what we now know about his skills with necromancy he may or may not be the original killer from years ago. So, by doing the most basic investigative work, we find his hideout within a single day."
"When we arrive he has packed up and left. I may be wrong about him intending for us to receive his message because he wants to keep toying with us. He may have not expected us to survive. It might also just be a coincidence he was gone when we showed up. But if it was a trap, I would think his people would have been ready for us, and they didn't seem to be. I'd also think he would want to be there for the big moment when we died. If it's a coincidence it seems like a big one."
"I'm still leaning toward him planning for us to find the his place. He cleared out, taking what was important to him. That his servants and helpers weren't among those things shouldn't surprise us. He showed us his handiwork, and he left us his name, but nothing more. Either way, I don't think he's finished with us yet. He will want to kill us eventually, but not before he's wrung out as much suffering as he can from us."
"I think he will keep targeting people who have connections to us when opportunities arise. He wants us broken first."
Anything in particular you're looking through or for?
Kayleigh: A journal. Love letters. Anything that might connect Olaf to Gaedren Lamm, Pilts Swastel, 'the professor,' or any other NPC we've encountered previously.
*Interestingly, Luke never replied. Perhaps the journal was at the University (we never checked if Olaf had a room there) I also believe Tassira mentioned that Olaf kept a journal.
He scowls, drumming his fingers on the table. "There was a second reason I doubted your theory which still eats at me. Tallisan Wyndser, the Abadarian investigator. If I'm a criminal mastermind trying to torture a group of people by murdering friends and family, having the Bank of Abadar investigating my doings is highly inconvenient. Talli is a contemptible prick, but he's competent and has vast resources. Why didn't he find the tomb first? There was a narrow window between Olaf's body being stolen and our arrival at the tomb, but that's still an uncontrolled variable. A second question is how Rolth knows everything. How are we being monitored?"
"I don't know. The only difference I see with Wyndser is he had seen Olaf's body before the burial, and did not know we had the key dagger. If he had already seen the body, why go again after the burial?"
She pulls out the piece of paper with the drawing of the dagger from her pouch. "The reason I pushed to visit the tomb was to see if the mark on Olaf's clothes matched the dagger we have. Since Olaf's clothes were already destroyed we would have left empty-handed if the theft of the body hadn't been so obvious, with an easy trail to follow."
"As for how he can keep tabs on us.... Maybe magic? Tassira might have something to say about it. Maybe he just hires or bribes people for information. I doubt he spies on us himself. And he doesn't need to know what we had for breakfast, just who we know. Otherwise I have no ideas."
Emi shrugs again. "It doesn't all hold together perfectly, but I think there's enough to consider him to be our most immediate threat. That's why I was insistent about coming back here instead of going to Tassira's house."
After breakfast Emi catches the children, Hal, Jilly, Carawyn, and the rest, individually as she can and asks them about anything they remember involving Lamm and a "Rolth" or a "Professor". Anything said, or any visitors referred to by those names while they were with Lamm.
….
Regeris:
"It's more than reasonable to revisit a body if you uncover information that gives an earlier information better context. Or Tallisan could have come with us, prevented us from entering, and summoned a host of Abadarians to storm the place. I may be speculating too wildly though - my concern is whether or not Tallisan is in league with Rolth. That may just because I don't like him."
Regeris sighs as he thinks. "I've read up on enough wizardry but can't recall much about scrying. Tassira may know if there's a way we can determine if we're being scried upon. However, just having someone report information on us back to Rolth is cheaper, more practical, and more likely. Either way, I think some judicious paranoia is in order."
While Tassira questions the children, Regeris follows along, not asking questions but simply judging their responses. Once done, he sweeps the area around the Temple, looking for anyone who may have a regular view of the place such as the homeless or nearby homes and stores.
"Mr Rolth was Lamm's son. His only kin at all as far as I ever heard. I remember him being there when I first went to the fishery - I don't think I knew who he was then - but after a while he left and hardly ever came back. That's why the others don't remember him."
"I saw him once outside talking with Gaedran. The old man got really mad and when he stormed back in he said something about ungrateful sons."
"I overheard him, and he knew. He beat me bad that day - really just for having ears."
That logic doesn't seem lost on the crowd in general, most of whom are part varisian in some capacity. The traffic keeps moving. Most passers-by make obscene gestures at the Asmodeans as they pass, if they react at all.
Eventually the fire in their bellies dies. They stop shouting about 'impotent appeals to dead gods and their widows', their torches gutter and go out and they melt back into the crowd, perhaps disappointed.
Regeris is forced to move quickly to keep up with them, but happily he's able to stay well back. They cross the narrows at the last bridge and their voices echo down the Guard Tower Tunnel as they pass into the Heights. From there they cross the square and bear down a left hand sidestreet. They stop at a door under the placard of a foaming mug. You can't see any other sign to proclaim the name of the place, just the mug.
Also: Tassira’s drugged-out mother was clutching a crystal ball. What’s up with that?
"There's at least a chance that this Rolth Lamm may be the real Keylock Killer. You all should be on your guard at all times, and avoid venturing places by yourselves until more is known about this threat."
He walks over to the room's window which looks out over the front lawn of his property and down slope towards the river.
"I'm afraid the people of this city can't take much more strain. We're a people of divisions - cultural, religious and economic. The pressure of this succession, the riots and crackdowns... Brutal murderers striking back from out of the past... In the long run all that mounting pressure may break us."
"Last night the siege engines on the wall opened fire on a ship heading for port that was sporting plague lanterns! I've heard that story now from three of my students. Our city is taking a bewildering series of blows right now, one upon another, and no one seems to have any notion of where the next blow will fall or how many more we can endure. This city needs its heroes right now."
He walks over to Emi, lowering his voice and reaching out to take her hand.
"Your band must be careful. You must be careful, Emi. I think of you constantly - of the combination of fire and level-headedness that you embody. If more Korvosans were built like you, we would have cast off this monarch by now and saved our city. Unfortunately we are not. People who should know better - who should be experienced enough to see through charades and false promises - are failing us right now."
Then she looks thoughtful. "And why now rather than yesterday or last week? You mentioned they were payed? Also didn't you say at one point there was some cooperation between The churches of Asmodeus and Abadar here? Could that investigator, Wyndser, be employing them to harass you? It seems the Asmodeans wouldn't need to be payed if they were doing it on their own behalf?"
"And yes, my trip went very well. Nothing suggesting I was watched or followed."
Regeris: "Well, to specify I saw a senior one paying for the others' drinks rather than handing over bags of money for services rendered. And yes, my immediate assumption is this ties back to Talli. His father is a Hellknight so he is likely directly involved in the union between the bankers and diabolists. Frankly, this kind of petty nonsense is his style as well. It's possible they're provacteurs hoping to goad us into behaviour we could get arrested for."
He lets out a long sigh. "I should have checked to see if there were Gray Maidens nearby spoiling for a fight. What I want to do is visit the bar they frequent and question the staff, but I'd prefer we reconnect with the others first."
So much in this post: Asmodean who may not be an Asmodean, dead shiver gang (incl. 3 who are enmeshed in webbing), Randolphus Penderghast, alchemist’s journal, more.
Unrelated Odds & Ends I Thought Worth Noting
Rumors About Missing Seneschal
Grau’s Report on Murdered Shoanti (Was It Rolth??!!)
Grau Books ‘Red Mantis’ Assassins.
Mainly this line: "Help him search these men. All of their possessions recorded and sorted into bags. I want to know if they have any marks or tattoos. Fit them some proper irons."
Chief Thousand Bones’s relative had skin missing…maybe a tattoo removed.
Post #700: The woman accused of murdering the King has been taken into custody. The girl's trial will be conducted by the Hanging Judge, Zenobia Zenderholm. This assumes that the notorious judge resurfaces. The rumor is that she's not sat the bench in more than a week.
You are a hero
You are a hero
We'll see about that: There's such a thing as 'too much of a good thing.' And I gathered pretty much everything that I thought might possibly be a clue/have relevance to the subjects.
I have to go through the notes again myself to figure out (in hindsight) what might be a clue and what likely isn't.
A few things that I remember:
1. Rolth is definitely Gaedren Lamm's son and is old enough to have been the Keylock Killer from 11-12 years back. But why did he go silent?
2. We never finished decoding Gaedren's ledger.
3. Between Rolth being called 'The Professor' and 'surgeons' being responsible for the previous bodysnatching in the graveyard, I think our investigation will lead us to one of Korvosa's institutes of higher learning. We also know that Rolth has a creepy elf woman named "Jo" so we have a decent shot of tracking him down.
4. If Tassira's brother DID keep a journal, we need to find it.
The GM's post brings us back to that seneschal...
Meanwhile, I think we need to finish translating that ledger. We could also go looking for the old woman the Shoanti were seeking out, though I'm not sure the latter helps us find Rolth, deal with the disease, do anything about the queen.
Wow, that's an AMAZING collection Kayleigh! How long did that take to put together?
There's one other thing that might be worth a try aside from what you've suggested Kayleigh and Nebbin. We still have that Harrow deck and it seems to me it's supposed to be more than just a prop in the campaign opener. Maybe we should try using it in a reading?
Oooph! Something about seeing all that laid out makes me feel like I went to school with no clothes on or something. :D
@Emi - I assure you that the deck will come to you if you do not go to it!
Oooph! Something about seeing all that laid out makes me feel like I went to school with no clothes on or something. :D
Heh. It makes me feel that I spent all my time in class shooting spitballs, seeing how many sharpened pencils I could get stuck in the roof panels, and flirting with the captain of the football team (Nebbin) instead of paying attention to the lesson.
How long did that take to put together?
On-and-off over the course of two days, while I was supposed to be condo cleaning. And my place is still a mess.... :)
As I mentioned above, I wasted a lot of time reading stuff not particularly relevant to what I was supposed to be researching. It was kind of like getting caught up reading a good book, though.
@Emi - I assure you that the deck will come to you if you do not go to it!
I thought about the Harrow deck myself. Do we still even have it? Or was it in Neziana's possession when she went missing? If the latter, maybe it's now in Rolth's possession and Zellara's ghost can lead us straight to him!!
(Wishful thinking, I know....)
I say this having almost no spoilers about this AP: I wonder if the queen killed the real Ileosa and is an imposter. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility in PF.
I've assumed the Harrow deck was in Tassira's room at the temple, or in her possession the whole time.
KAYLEIGH’S LEVEL-UP CHANGES (5TH LEVEL)
+8 hp (5 + 2 Con + 1 FC)
3rd-Level Spells: 2+1 (1+1 + 1 for high Wis)
5 skill points (2 class +1 Int + 1 skilled +1 Fast Learner)
+1 into Diplomacy
+1 into Heal
+1 into Knowledge (religion)
+2 into Sense Motive
Feat: Lightning ReflexesAlthough it's not really in her background or personality, I'm considering taking Craft Magic Arms and Armor for her feat (unless Tassira's planning that).
Since Tassira's got Craft Magic Arms and Armor covered, I'll go with Lightning Reflexes for Kayleigh's feat to shore up her weakest saving throw.
Also, I'm finally getting around to reflecting these changes on her profile's character sheet. Sorry for the delay.
EDIT: Also also, Kayleigh's positive energy channeling bumps up to 3d6!
So a question for you all, just for fun. If your character in this campaign had a theme song, or there's a song that sums the character up well, what is it?
I think it must've been Nebbin's 'dappled ganger' comment that stirred the deepest, darkest recesses of my memory and made me recall THIS.
:)
Do they think a vague reference to 'a diplomatic capacity' is any different?
I do, honestly.
We might've been at Eel's End in a diplomatic capacity to investigate a report that Barvasi's guards had thrown a sick customer off the dock and left him there to drown or something as simple as mediating a disagreement between one of the businesses and a paying customer.
And thinking 'outside the Guard cloaks' for a moment, what's Cressida going to think if word gets back to her that Old Korvosa's finest group of renegades (her own words) were at Eel's End (without her knowledge or approval) ironing out 'an agreement' with Barvasi that, when things went south, resulted in said renegades killing Barvasi, his lieutenants, and everything else in sight? The field marshal might come to the conclusion that we're nothing but a band of opportunistic mercenaries looking for our own score, not a whole lot different than Verik Vancaskerkin's 'meat' merchants.
Plus, as soon as Cressida asks "What agreement?" that's almost certain to bring Orisini's name into the discussion.
Just my 2 cents.
Also, I'm not convinced any of this is going to matter in the end. I don't recall the field commander having any note-takers in our previous meetings. My guess is that they work directly for the Queen and that Cressida's under suspicion at this point. I won't be surprised if they DON'T leave the room when Kayleigh asks for privacy, making all this a moot point.
Durn, I just realized that the post I made where I identified those items got eaten or something. I can't find it in this or the gameplay! Sorry guys! I swear I looked all this up and posted it once already...
Pink potion - elixir of love
Ring from Box - Ring of Feather Falling
Amulet - Amulet of Natural Armor +1
Sniper Potion - potion of gaseous form <== My sniper was SO close to escaping!!
Cloak of resistance +1
Shoes - slippers of scampering
There was also a scroll of blur and two scrolls of cure moderate wounds.
The haul in coins totaled out at 11,659 gold, 5,036 silver. And a set of masterwork thieves tools I failed to mention earlier.
Pretty much all of that is worth keeping. Maybe not the elixir of love since Regeris wouldnt' condone that sort of thing.
I don't have particularly claim to anything although the slippers or ring would be nice for pursuing quarry as one does.
Regarding Emi spilling about having negotiated a deal with Devargo, Emi and Kayleigh will probably remain somewhat at loggerheads over subjects involving the Guard. They see the relationship in fundamentally different ways I think. Emi doesn't see the connection as one in which they are members in any real sense.
As she sees things, Kroft, perhaps Grau, call on them sometimes when they need help with something. They might have received cloaks, etc. to use if there's some benefit in doing so, but aside from the clothing and and mutual willingness to cooperate or help out when needed, there is no fixed, ongoing relationship between them. Kroft makes requests, she certainly doesn't give them orders. Outside the times when they are specifically helping with something, the temple gang is free to act without permission or consent from Kroft. Emi would be horrified by the notion of asking for Kroft's consent or approval for anything not directly involving the Guards' turf.
In fact, Emi sees the relationship, as she understands it to exist, as desirable to Kroft as well. Since the temple gang is "unofficial" Kroft can ask them to do things she wouldn't otherwise be able to get done using the actual guard.
So Emi would say first, "We can make bargains with Barvasi if we want to, it's none of Kroft's business". Following from that, Emi would have told Kroft the deal was a purchase of information, but nothing more. If Kroft had asked what the information was, Emi would have flatly refused to tell her. If Kroft had somehow deduced the information was for a third party, something Emi would not have told her, she would have absolutely refused to provide Orisini's name.
Now it is undeniable that Emi is very stiff-necked about a lot of things, but in this case she would have been making what she's sure is a safe bet, that Kroft wants them to do something for her, and that would matter far more than knowing details about something that really doesn't matter much to her.
And here is where I will point out (although I don't mind at all and it's actually quite fun) Emi gets a bit of a bad rap for being duplicitous or a liar, but actually she isn't. Without researching back, I don't think she's ever done more than withhold personal information, and she certainly can be secretive about her personal life or what's going on in her head. She might have lied to opponents, but I'm not sure whether or not such a situation has come up. It was after all Kayleigh who was willing to lie to Kroft, whereas Emi would straightforwardly tell her she's not going to tell her some things.
Oh, and come on, Vencarlo isn't that old! :p
Lie?! Kayleigh??!! No, it was a very selective truth told from her point of view and based on the precise wording of Field Marshal Kroft's question! And done to keep Vencarlo's name out of the discussion! (As well as to keep Kayleigh's and everyone else's reputations as clean as possible, make no mistake.)
And Kayleigh doesn't think Emi's duplicitous or a liar; on the contrary, she thinks Emi's brutally honest most of the time. Guilty as charged about being stiff-necked, though.
I think where Kayleigh and Emi are oil-and-water is on the subject of authority and the respect (or lack of respect) thereof. Kayleigh's a goody-goody, secretly worships the ground Cressida Kroft walks on, and wants badly to see the good name of the Watch restored ( a pipe dream, admittedly, but the city needs some some of lawful presence--they didn't name the first volume of the AP Edge of Anarchy for nothing!). Emileva, on the other hand, doesn't give a flying darn (See what I did there?) about authority.
Your post is helpful in showing me where our characters will have to tread lightly to avoid a potential party-busting disaster. Whereas Emi would never bring Vencarlo's name into the discussion, if Field Marshal Kroft demanded it from Kayleigh, the priestess would likely resist briefly but give it up if pressed, partly because she does respect authority (and Cressida in particular) and partly because she likes the taste of the Kool-Aid High Priestess d'Bear just served up (basically, "The good folk who actually care about Korvosa need to join forces or the city's doomed.") Interestingly, she'd assume that Vencarlo's heart is in the right place mainly because Emi holds the man in such high regard, even though I believe Kayleigh's never actually met him in person.
(And when she does...Ancient!!) ;P
P.S. - Glad the heavy workload's a thing of the past.
Well at least we can say Kayleigh and Emi occupy the same territory in their love of selective truth then!
Emi isn't a blanket rejector of authority like an anarchist. She's more a "the system is rigged" kind of thinker. She used to be much more in line with Kayleigh, but after her scapegoating at the military academy and a year or so of self-imposed exile in Bridgefront and Old Dock, she's much more cynical now.
Emi respects Kroft, but won't be deferential to her. She compartmentalizes authority so Kroft's orders should be followed when they are within her area of authority, but her authority doesn't extend further, into other areas. So Emi's work for Orisini is absolutely none of Kroft's business.
Although she's said nothing about it yet, Emi is immensely impressed with the Pharasman leadership. If she understands them correctly (something she's not entirely sure of), they are acting on principle. They're running counter to her expectation that powerful people or institutions act in their own self-interest, mainly to increase or preserve their own power and wealth.
Or as a nice summary of Emileva's perspectivel here's a quote from Mikhail Bakunin:
"In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker; concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or the engineer. For such or such special knowledge I apply to such or such a savant. But I allow neither the bootmaker nor the architect nor savant to impose his authority upon me. I listen to them freely and with all the respect merited by their intelligence, their character, their knowledge, reserving always my incontestable right of criticism and censure."
Regeris, I sent you a PM. I never see them, so I thought I'd post it here.
Thanks! I also never see them after the web redesign.
Sorry for the delay in posting, guys. I'm entering the home stretch of my school year.
I'll try to get a post up tomorrow afternoon.