Many Modules Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master inxpitter

I had him stand between the skulk and escape. The wording a few posts ago confused me. I didn't know if it was Owl and Otho or Lia and Tish making the attacks.

AoO: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

In a rare moment of confusion, Owl took too long in deciding on a target between the Skulk they had and the new one that appeared from no where. Seriously, where had she been hiding the whole time they had been investigating the vault? And what was that shimmering cloth? With her slowed from Tish's impressive shot, Owl draws his bow and takes aim, attempting to hit the other leg and slowing it further.

Attack, called shot on other leg: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Kali gurgles and coughs up blood as she clutches at the wound on her chest. She'd acted without thinking, and now she was paying for it.

Great, this is how I die, she thinks as she collapses to the floor and everything fades to black.

Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 1 - 4 = 6

Owl wasn't the only one caught off guard. The sudden reveal and shift in the situation tripped up Otho too. Good thing he was adept at setting things right. He leapt towards Rogi, tackling the skulk while Lia's spell was still in effect.

Grappling Rogi: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Laetitia attacks the swaying Rogi, her bolt nicking his arm and her painful stare sending more pain to his head.

Owl misses an opportunity surprisingly and even misses the follow-up attack trying to wound the somewhat crippled female skulk.

Kalisuel lies moaning on the floor.

Before Rogi can take off again, Otho steps up and wraps his large arms around the skulk, leaving no chance for escape. Did you use martial flexibility to get Improved grapple? Since you weren't in the last "round" I'll allow it.

===================================================

The female skulk hobble along, prioritizing fleeing rather than fighting back. She is now out of sight in the main parlor area, up the stairs and out of sight.
Owl, if you're still between her and the exit, then you get AoO, but since you're holding a ranged weapon, I don't think you get them since you have to reload between attacks.

Rogi, seeing his companion not returning to help him, slumps in defeat. He is not resisting.

Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (13) + 1 - 5 = 9

Kali continues to lie motionless on the floor, her skin growing paler with each passing moment.

Laetitia's smirk falls when the second skulk doesn't so much as break her stride as Rogi is apprehended once more. So much for loyalty, Tish thinks, stepping around Kali's broken body on her way to chase down the female skulk. Before she exits the vault, Tish looks back to Lia before indicating the tiefling with a nod of her head. "Lia, be a dear, would you?"

Double move to get to the parlor, if possible, staying out of the skulk's reach.

Owl grabs his sword and gives chase. Rogi was well in hand, Otho's hand that is, but the other was a different story. It had an obvious magic time and more information. He was not going to let her get away without trying.

Your right, no weapon to make an AoO.

Lía's growl at Tish's manner was something that surprised her, and was something that seemed deeper than something that she should be able to produce. While the others went after the assailants, she did have to admit that there was little that she could do to help. Still she did what she could to help Kali, which amounted to little more than "Try to keep her from bleeding too much."
_______________________________
Untrained Heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Not last round, not enough actions. But I see it wasn't necessary.

Otho brigs round the rope from earlier and ties Rogi quickly. By god he would beat the hell out of the skulk later. He did not like the look of the blood pool forming under Kali.

"I'll be there in a second Lia...

Kalisuel lays motionless, her life essence slowly pouring out of her.

Laetitia and Owl both give chase (continued in next section).

Lia, tries to help stabilise her dying companion, but perhaps her knowledge gets in the way as she tries to think if there's anything with tiefling physiology that would accidentally kill her. No progress is made.

Otho makes quick to secure Rogi, and moves to help Lia

"Move, move, move!" Lia is thrust aside by Kari, who is already rolling up her sleeves and tying her hair back. Her eyes dart around the broken tiefling as she mutters to herself.
"Gods! You're useless sometimes." she says, sounding angry but you get the feeling she's more focused than upset.

Heal: 1d20 + 1 + 5 - 5 ⇒ (13) + 1 + 5 - 5 = 14
If Otho or Lia assist successfully, that would stabilise Kalisuel

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Laetitia and Owl burst into the main area (no map), to find one guard defending the exit, and the others defending the madam. The skulk is looking around wildly for an exit. She hefts what looks like an obsidian dagger at anyone who dare approaches, readying an attack.

"Let me leave!" it hisses angrily.

Oh, well, since you've asked so nicely... Although Laetitia manages to keep from voicing her sarcastic retort aloud, she can't help but smirk a bit at her own humor. With the skulk cut off from any obvious escape and looking like a cornered wild animal, Tish switches tactics. Holstering her hand crossbow, she shows the skulk her palms as if to say that she means no (further) harm, but the predatory glint in Tish's dark gaze says otherwise. Charging her words with hypnotic power, the mesmerist's tries to get inside the skulk's head and twist its thoughts to suit her.

"Please, you're not thinking clearly. We didn't mean to hurt you; you just startled us. Drop the knife, and let's talk about this. As friends."

Move action to stow hand crossbow. Swift action to activate hypnotic gaze (-2 will). Standard action to cast charm person (DC 16). I think the skulk gets +5 to its save on account of us attacking it.

Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 6 ⇒ (1) + 1 - 6 = -4

Kali's face grows paler as she continues to bleed out.

Lía's attempt to help Kari is insufficient, the half-elf being too shaken by the severity of the situation to do any good.
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Untrained Heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Keri releases a string of curses as she struggles to stop the bleeding, the wound much deeper than initially thought.

Heal: 1d20 + 5 - 7 ⇒ (1) + 5 - 7 = -1

"One of you, find something! Get someone" she yells out, her arms covered in blood.

=========================================================

Will: 1d20 + 5 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 5 + 3 - 2 = 15
You lucky...

The female skulk, just for a moment, a cloudiness flits over her eyes. And her posture relaxes a bit.

Where it would have normally attacked immediately, it has decided to hear you out. However, it does not disarm itself as there are multiple armed enemies in the room and one new "friend."

"Can you tell them to let me leave..." it asks, a bit more asking than demanding this time. "I will cause no more trouble, no more blood."

Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 7 ⇒ (11) + 1 - 7 = 5
Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 8 ⇒ (7) + 1 - 8 = 0
Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 9 ⇒ (15) + 1 - 9 = 7
Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 10 ⇒ (12) + 1 - 10 = 3
Stabilize: 1d20 + 1 - 11 ⇒ (18) + 1 - 11 = 8

Welp, unless someone manages to stabilize her in the next four rounds, Kali's dead.

Owl looked at the skulk, then to Tish, then back to the skulk. Something just happened. He saw no hand signs, heard no words, so how had she just made their very flighty friend a lot more cooperative? That was a question for another time. Priorities first. He put his bow away to appear less threatening. He wasn't sure what spell or power was used but most of the time they broke if the subject felt threatened. "I'll let you two catch up," he says to Tish and the skulk. Whatever happened, it was in Tish's favor or power now. He'd try to reduce outside interference. He gives the skulk a wide berth as he heads for the guards. "Lads. I think we can stow the weapons yeah?"

Bluff to send secret message: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 5 + (6) = 20

Using bluff to send a secret message to the guards that we have this under control now. DC is 20 for a complex message but I hit that thankfully. Used an inspiration point.

The guard frowns, but he's not thick enough to miss your meaning.

"Right...Right. We'll just...ehm...be over here." Two guards stay by the door after letting the widow and her personal guard to leave to the outside, and away from the crazy skulk.

Will: 9 + 5 + 3 - 2 = 15

You lucky...

Haha! Dance, puppet!

Laetitia meets Owl's glance out of the corner of her eye and gives the half-elf a sly wink. She can see that he has questions about what transpired between her and the skulk, and feels—not for the first time—a certain amount of appreciation for his ability to adapt to changing situations. It occurs to her then that, if they were to all work cohesively as a group, it might be to their mutual benefit if she mentioned what she is capable of. Or at least some of the things I can do. It wouldn't do to lay all my cards on the table...

Turning her focus back to the skulk, Laetitia offers what she hopes is a warm smile. Her former line of work at times necessitated a certain amount of acting on her part, but pretending to be someone trustworthy always came harder to Tish than anything else. Particularly when she didn't know that person's name.

"I'll do what I can to convince them to let you leave, but I need for you to tell me what happened here. What are you involved in?"

So, I'm trying to be better about knowledge your characters would know if the player's don't. Owl, on the list you half remember a half dozen magical items, one that might have healing properties. Laetitia, you notice that the guards have satchels at their sides, possibly to carry supplies useful in a fight, or after.

The skulk frowns, gives a wary stare, but speaks quickly.

"We were hired to rob the place." she mutters so only you, her friend, can hear. "We were told it would be easy and the guards would be few. WE were not counting on more guards showing up suddenly. Two fled into the night and that moron got stuck in the trap. I hid inside the vault, and tried to find something to help me escape. All I found were these."

She holds up the obsidian dagger and the somewhat shimmering cloth.

Kali takes a round, one nearer to death.

Back in the vault hallway, more gurgling, more Kari getting frustrated.

Lía was still trying to assist as best she can, possessing no healing magics, or any true knowledge in the healing arts. It also did not help that she was on the verge of panic, but she tried anyway.
_______________________________________
Heal assist: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

So....I may have been unaware its a straight DC 15 Heal check to stabilise. This is embarrassing.

Miraculously, as if some unknown creator of worlds suddenly figured out he wrote a universal rule wrong and quickly corrected it, Kali breathes easy as her wounds stop bleeding and she lies still.

Unconscious. But still alive.

Kali, go to 0 hitpoints as my apology for making you think you were about to lose a character for so long. Once again. Yikes.

Hey, no worries there. Pathfinder has a lot of rules, and I'm not surprised that some get forgotten. Also, thanks for letting me get back that much. I was fine with just rolling with it.

Though still in bad shape, Kali does start showing some signs of life as Kari and Lia bind her wounds. A slight grimace of pain thins her lips for a moment before she relaxes and rests a little easier.

"Mhm, the best laid plans..." Laetitia says with a sad shake of her head as if to commiserate with her "friend" over the poor outcome of the heist. "Who hired you to do this? If we give them up, then you and your friend back there will be free to go. Although," Laetitia pauses to glance pointedly at the dagger and shimmering cloth in the skulk's hands. "I'm sure the widow Walder would like those back before you leave," she says, holding out her hands in a not so subtle request for the items.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Owl looks back at the sounds coming from the vault and sighs. He turns to one of the guards saying, "Could I beg a healing potion from you? If you have one? The other skulk in Otho's detention got a good hit on one of our companions. Doesn't sound good." If they are feeling generous, he takes the potion to Kali, making sure to give the skulk and Tish a decent amount of space.

A look of unwillingness crosses the skulk's face, but a purple spark pops in her eyes and she relaxes a bit.

"We receive orders through Kymeth and Onmaer. Never seen humans who hire, but pay with shiver."

At Laetitia's second request, an even larger spark or purple light flashes over the skulk's eyes, but this time she seems reluctant doing this favor for a "friend."

"Maybe...I leave first." She glances nervously at the still armed guards at the exit. "I promise to leave weapons after I'm outside."

Charm Person stretching at asking "friend" to willingly act against its own interest to stay armed, escape, and steal magic items.Changed from full out attacking, to requesting a compromise. High diplomacy convinces skulk to leave items instead of taking them when she flees.

===================================================================

The guard looks surprised at the discovery of another skulk, and quickly offers his potion. It's a potion of minor healing.

"A word to the misses about how well hidden these cretins were would be appreciated. Don't want to seem like we're sleeping on the job..." he asks.

I guess asking her to quietly accompany them to the Sheriff is also off the table?

Laetitia gives a weary sigh at the skulk's refusal and takes a moment to massage the bridge of her nose in apparent irritation. Negotiation was not one of her strong suits. One needed a cool head for such things and Tish was not known for her patience. She has half a mind to call Owl over and let him sort the mess out, but the mind-witch knows​ her hold on the skulk's confidence is tenuous as is. She would have to rely on her more mundane charm. That, and the skulk's seeming willingness to throw her friends under the carriage to save herself. An admirable trait, really.

In the few breaths it takes her to reach that conclusion, Tish has regained her friendly composure. "Where can I find Kymeth and Onmaer, then?" she asks the skulk with a genial smile.

It wasn't that she was numb, it was that she had no idea how to react. Right now, Kali seemed to be holding (thanks to Kari), and she just relaxed when Kari seemed to breathe a little easier, blood on her arms up to her elbows. Reflex had her cleaning them up with a cantrip, doing the same for Kali, as she gave her a grateful look. "Thank you, Kari."

She would have given her a hug, but this was not the appropriate place and time.

Still around, just waiting on consciousness again.

Hmm...you'd have to really make it something in her best interest too, not just a favor for a friend. For example, you could lie...

The skulk shakes her head.

"I don't know. They leave our cave to stay with humans. Only come for jobs and deliver shiver."

She getting incredibly nervous, glancing at the guards, and you can guess she's sizing them up when she inevitably tries to make a break for it. Your charm is still in effect, but she's getting more agitated by the situation, and may act stupidly out of desperation.

Owl returns to the group in the corridor and tosses the potion to Kari, who quickly realises what it is and shoves it into Kali's mouth.

Kali, you return to the land of the conscious.

CLW Potion: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Kali chokes on the potion and coughs as it works on her wounds heal up. After catching her breath, she slumps against the wall.

"Why," she asks them quietly, "why are you still here? Why haven't you abandoned me like everyone else?"

"Because we still need you," he says in way that is vaguely sincere. A ghost of crack appeared in his mask of smiles. A look of real concern. But it was gone too quick to know if it was even really there. He swept from the room soon after. The conversation was still going on between Tish and the Skulk, so Owl stuck to the edges of the room.

"Need me? That's not a funny joke," Kali mutters as Owl leaves.

Laetitia takes note of the skulk's increasingly cagey behavior and is unpleasantly reminded of the unfortunates and addicts she would occasionally be forced to glimpse on the streets of Absalom before the city guard corralled them back to their proper place in the Puddles District. Tish grows wary of being around the skulk for much longer, no longer quite as confident in her ability to keep it on a tight leash.

"Right... I think we're done here, then." With a smile for the skulk, she sweeps her hand toward the door, indicating that she is free to leave. But the nod Tish gives to the guards says otherwise. If they had to take a dagger to the stomach in order to detain the skulk, well... Better them than me. Besides, at least that was what they were getting paid to do.

Bluff (Secret Message): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

Slowly, Kali grabs the holy symbol hanging from her neck.

"Nobody needs me. Nobody wants me. I'm just a monster left to die," she mutters to herself, though it's loud enough the others can hear her. "The women at the orphanage drugged me and left to die in the snow. The women at the brothel beat me and left me to die in Ankar-Te."

As she speaks her voice grows angrier and angrier. She snatches the battered wooden symbol from her neck, snapping the thin leather thong that held it.

"And then I was kicked out of the monastery," she spits out more loudly than the rest had heard her speak since meeting her, "they kicked me out of the one place I wanted to call home! I couldn't even mourn the man who saved my life or even attend his funeral," she snarls as she glowers at the symbol in her hands as if by just focusing her building anger on it she can set it ablaze.

"I've been lied to, cheated, beaten, and bullied, but I always tried to do the right thing, even when no one would trust me. For ten years I tried! Then I get gutted and find that there's nothing waiting for me. No reward, no well dones, not even a trip to the Boneyard. It's like my life is one. Big. Cosmic. JOKE!"

On the last word the symbol cracks and turns into splinters and sawdust that fall from her hand to the ground. Tears roll down her cheeks as she buries her head into her knees and begins to softly sob.

For the hell of it, Sense Motive Wisdom: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

The skulk moves forward, fully confident in what her friend has told her. She's about to clear the entranceway, the guards parting for her, when she is grabbed by one as the other attempts to bash her over the head.

This can go three ways: 1d3 ⇒ 2

The skulk, the charm now broken, struggles and tries to get free. She manages one hand and reaches for her knife, right before a sword plunges through her chest. The guard, not wanting to chance an attack, decided to finish her off. The other guard drops her, where she remains motionless on the floor.

If you want to resolve Kali's scene, feel free to, but I'll move the story for pacing sake.

The widow is beside herself, thinking monsters had infiltrated her husband's store, and by the time all of you emerge from the store, the sheriff is there, standing up from a crouching position where she had been examining the dead skulk.

"I'm going to need one hell of an explanation to give to the townsfolk. Please tell me you have one." While it sounded like a plea, there is a distinct presence of authority in her voice, one with a duty to her people.

Lía looked between Kali and Kari, and giving her aide an appreciative look, she rose up from where they had knelt over Kali. Her footsteps traced their way over to their friend, and she set herself down next to Kali, both arms going around the crying Tiefling. "I don't think you're a joke", she said softly.

Wordlessly, Kali clings to Lia and cries into her shoulder.

==Later with the Sheriff==
Kali stands with the others, too drained and battered to do or say anything.

Owl stopped as Kali spoke, completely frozen in place like a statue. He looked over his shoulder and didn't see Kali sitting on the floor, mentally imploding after a near death experience. He saw a small half-elf boy, beaten half to death and slowly dying of hunger. His eyes darkened with disgust at both figures. "Of course its a joke," he said loudly, putting a lot of emphasis on course and joke. He spun towards her gesticulating wildly as he spoke. "But you know what the joke is? You think life is unfair when, in reality, it is very fair. Unfairness is the exception. When the gilded knight on his white steed comes in to save someone a thousand other people die in a gutter over the change in their pocket. When the old lady with heart of gold rescues a hungry child a thousand more die of starvation. Life doesn't care who you are. Old, young, wealthy, poor. One chaotic shift and its all over. And you," he says pointing at Kali and slowly approaching, "you have the gall to think its just being unfair to you. You are a half demon. People implicitly hate you. You think this was going to be easy? Playing the defender, the protector, the paladin?"

He got very close then. He squatted at eye level, completely ignoring everyone else in the room. He was no longer smiling. There was little expression at all. But there was an intensity in his eyes that spoke of a wealth of experience in the exact suffering she was going through now. "Your life isn't a joke. Thinking it is, is the real joke. Your suffering is not unique. It doesn't even compare to millions of others." He picks up a piece of the shattered holy symbol and holds it in front of her. "The gods don't give two s@+*s about you either. If you can't help yourself then don't expect others to do the same."

Owl stood up looking once at the expressions of the others in the room with a neutral one of his own. Then he swept out of the room without another word.

==Later with the Sheriff==
"I think we should start with the Sphinx," Owl says looking at Tish. "You think she did it?" In Owl's opinion and based on what the skulks said, it was a no. But he didn't talk to the creature and wanted to know what it said or did.

Lia feels Kali's hands tighten their grip, almost painfully. Owl's tirade had twisted the knife. The mask was gone, and so was any strength to fight against the tears.

Damn him, she thought bitterly, damn him and his self-righteousness

Laetitia groans as she's prompted to recount her infuriating interview with the Sphinx, but she recount she does, keeping the story brief. Not that they were able to get much out of the sideshow attraction to begin with. "We"- she begins by emphasizing Lia's culpability in their inconclusive findings - "weren't able to learn anything definitive from our little chat with the Sphinx. It was frustratingly uncooperative when I asked to see its paw to compare it to the tracks found at the scene, and it flew off before I could finish questioning it." A sly look crosses Tish's face and, her ego still clearly bruised from the Sphinx's dismissive attitude, she suggests to the Sheriff, "You might want to have a talk with Almara. Let her know that keeping her little pet caged while they're being investigated for murder might be in their best interest."

With a sigh, Laetitia continues, "Even though we weren't able to directly compare the Sphinx's tracks to those found at the scene, I got the impression that the tracks near where the body was found were faked. But I couldn't put my finger on why. We came here to regroup with the others and see if they might be able to provide some insight at the scene when we found these." She nudges the skinny leg of the dead skulk with the toe of her boot. "This one didn't have much to say outside of being hired by humans to rob the place in exchange for something called 'shiver'. It tried to flee, there was a struggle, and now we're here..." she finishes, looking around to her "teammates" to see if they had anything to add.

Nice speech Owl, that was really good.

The Sherrif looks over the evidence and your testimonies.

"This 'skulk' was it? I don't know if it'll do much for the carnival's defense, seeing as they have all types of creatures and humanoids about them."

The sheriff still seems skeptical that the skulks could not be a part of the circus's act.

To convince her, you could make a Diplomacy or Bluff DC 15 or the following check.

"The carnival's about to open soon, but if you can get in to her before whatever act she's doing, might be a good idea."

K:Local: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 7 + (4) = 18

"Most skulks despise large crowds. Hence their skin's ability to change to blend into the background." He walks around the dead skulk and picks up the strange, shimmering cloth to prevent the pooling blood from soaking it. "It's attitude is concerning but there is little more than circumstantial evidence to implicate the sphinx. All the clues point to a heist, pure and simple," he says sweeping his hands over the whole building.

"Whoever is behind this probably planned to kill him one night and frame the sphinx seeing as it was in town. Then they watched the place. When Miss Walder found her husband and called the store guards away, they struck. The skulk's are naturally stealthy and took out the lone guard left here. Then they split up to grab as much as they could. When Miss Walder came back here instead of going home, things went south. Two perpetrators fled when they saw the guard and left the skulk's to there fate and probably take the fall. One had fallen into the vault's trap and the other hid in plane sight thanks to that item until it could make a break for it. It chose a bad time but had been there all night hiding and was probably desperate to leave."

He walks around the skulk pondering things for a moment before continuing. "The last skulk is almost worthless as source of information. Both are drug addicts shiver messes with the brain. Makes them unreliable at beast. They mentioned two other skulks by the name of Kymeth and Onmaer and some human handlers above them. We find these two and we can find the human masterminds. If not, then we'll have to follow the shiver. Who's smuggling, sho's dealing and possibly who's buying a lot of it to pay their sneaky skulks."

There were a few things that were still hard to explain or didn't make since but this was what the information pointed to. Usually the simplest answer was correct. Only more information could shed some light on this but for now, that's all he had.

The Sherriff ponders for a moment and nods along to Owl's explanation.

"I agree, but I don't think the townsfolk will buy that explanation. There's bad blood here now, and they want a culprit, not an excuse."

She sighs and instructs the guards to collect the corpse and the still alive skulk.

"Keep going with your investigation. I'll try to stay the town's mood the best I can, but you best hurry or there might be more blood."

After the apparent dismissal, Kali whispers to Lia, "C-can you take me back to the wagon, please?"

Lía looked down at Kali and squeezed her hand with a small smile. Honestly, she wanted to get away from this as well. "Not the inn?", she asked curiously. She owed Kari something fierce, and was going to have to think of someway to convey her appreciation for what she did today. This was a complicated situation that they had found themselves a part of, and her head was spinning after the events of today.

"So..." Never one to admit when she's out of her depth—a disadvantage she was finding herself at more often since she had joined this ragtag bunch of amateur (with the likely exception of Owl) investigators—Laetitia not so subtly prompts the group for their thoughts on how to continue the investigation. "We have a set of likely-faked paw prints to examine, two names, a dead skulk, and a living skulk that's nearly as useless as the dead one... I'm guessing we don't have time to wait for the drug to work its way out of its system? And no promise that it'll be more useful once it's clean."

"Were you able to find out what things were taken?"

"I'm scared," Kali whispers timidly to Lia, "I'm scared and I don't want to be left behind."

"What the townsfolk think is not our problem," Owl says bluntly. "But you can have the skulks. If they didn't outright murder the guard left here then they were definitely accomplices. Should at least indicate progress." Wasn't worth it to antagonize his employer. He doubted she'd refuse payment but it was always good to leave on favorable terms. He waves farewell to the guard captain as she takes the thieves away.

As response to Tish he says, "Takes weeks for most drugs to work their way through the system. Had the good Captain not taken them away we might have been able to bargain but that's a battle I am not willing stupid enough to attempt."

He looks around at the others with a calculating eye. He lingers on Kali but gives no hints as to what he is thinking. Truthfully she kept dragging his mind to the past and it annoyed him. It was never good to dwell there. It was a...rough time.

"He had an inventory list that was cross-referencing when things went sideways. It might be helpful to know but we are on the clock. If someone," he puts mild emphasis on that word and glances at Lia, "wants to stick around and keep working that'd be fine but the two other skulks are going to go to ground if we wait too long. They'll find out their companions were captured and get cautious. More-so than now," he says remembering that the heist was actually ended prematurely. "Best try to find them while we can. If that doesn't work then we follow the shiver." He knew what he was going to do but he waited to see what the others thought their roles should be. See what kind of social skills or connections they thought they had.

Lía could not even manage a reassuring smile, Kali's fear of being left behind struck deep, her heart squeezing in her chest. That translated to her hand being squeezed tight, though her strength was average at best. There was a look of anger in her face at the very idea and her voice was vehement. "No one will be leaving you behind!"

She does catch Owl's pointed look and rolled her eyes briefly, "'I do not want to inventory stock when I could be chasing people'" Lía said, imitating his mannerisms, then gave him a small frown and a huff. Disliking his attitude, he was right, even if she did not like it. She had read enough murder mysteries to know that figuring out what they might have stolen was important. "Kari, I suspect we'll be depending on you heavily these next few days", she said, implying Kali's care and healing. The rueful smile that she gave was deeply appreciative, though. A life had been saved thanks to her quick thinking and knowledge.

"...I suppose we can at least verify his inventory", she said with a sigh, not fond of the idea of having to go through the whole stock of a dead man, but not exactly against it, if it got her away from Tish and Owl.

"You up to reading the list out to us while we try to find out what might be missing?", Lía asked Kali softly. She knew Kari would speak up if she would rather not do this.

Kali's eyes fall on Owl and Laetitia as she whispers her reply to Lia's assertion that no one would be leaving her behind.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Her voice is soft, barely heard even as close as she is to Lia. There's no anger or any emotion to it, just a weary certainty that no matter what, she would be abandoned.

When asked if she could read the list out, Kali nods. She says nothing lest she give Owl another reason to lay into her with his sharp tongue.

Thankfully, I've been out of college since 2012, so I've had no exams ever again to look forward.

I do miss the free time though.

@DM Default: Awesome! Can't wait xP I should be off on Friday anyways so that's perfect for me. :3

Oh also didja happen to see my question about firing from cover?

@Kali: Oh I like that idea! Otho, the bartender, Lia and Tish, the bar maids, Kali and Owl, the bouncers,and Jix, well Jix can make some alchemical contributions to the booze, like a bit of Ambrosia or such :P

Also the good thing about Lia? She can keep the beer cold :P

We don't have a cook though. . .

Bouncer? Ha. No. I think Otho and Owl should switch.

@Owl: But Otho has Profession Brewer and you have mercenary >.>' We could use a cook or a performer if you don't like the idea of bouncer xP

We don't have a cook though. . .

I know what I'm investing ranks in next level then. :D

In the meantime, I can see most of us trying to figure out whether risking a deadly chef's meal or buying our meals would be less painful. :D

@ Jix
Tbh, I'll have to look into it more. For now though, I'll rule it as your enemy isn't using the wall that you're using for cover so it doesn't give them cover as well.

Low Obstacles and Cover

A low obstacle (such as a wall no higher than half your height) provides cover, but only to creatures within 30 feet (6 squares) of it. The attacker can ignore the cover if he's closer to the obstacle than his target.

Rules from the internet.

@Kali: Awww hells yeah :P I mean if you wanted to you could quickly switch one of your current skills to cooking before the game starts DM Default says it's okay :3

We'll need to upgrade that cart to a wagon for sure at some point ^^

@DM: thank you for the answer it is important for my build :P

@Owl: how you find dis?

EDIT: Oh mah gods I just found out I can make magic beer with alchemy

@Owl: But Otho has Profession Brewer and you have mercenary >.>' We could use a cook or a performer if you don't like the idea of bouncer xP

Maybe. Still thinking about skill placement. I plan to take a lot so they are important.

@Owl: how you find dis?

Its straight from the PFSRD under the cover rules.

@Kali: Awww hells yeah :P I mean if you wanted to you could quickly switch one of your current skills to cooking before the game starts DM Default says it's okay :3

We'll need to upgrade that cart to a wagon for sure at some point ^^

@DM: thank you for the answer it is important for my build :P

@Owl: how you find dis?

EDIT: Oh mah gods I just found out I can make magic beer with alchemy

I think Owl found it in the SRD. I remember reading that on it, I was just too lazy to find it.

As far as cooking goes, I could, but I'm not sure what I would switch.

@DM Default: Would it be okay to do a minor tweak on Kali's skills?

EDIT: Ninja'd by the sneaky guy. :D

@ Kali
Sure, don't mind. Just post what your new skills are so I know.

@ Kali

Sure, don't mind. Just post what your new skills are so I know.

Done, Intimidate went bye-bye, and got moved into Profession(Cook) I'll have her stats updated momentarily.

In regards to Lia's attendant, I was thinking of making them an Expert, and using the Standard Array for NPCs. With the understanding that they would be accompanying her on her travels, I'm debating on how capable/knowledgeable of self-defense they would be— certainly not enough to stand on their own in a fight, but courageous enough to get in the last hit with a cast-iron pan across the back of the head if the opportunity presents itself.

I do think they would have the tolerant-but-dry humor and enough common sense to point out the flaws in Lia's plans. Their weaknesses are likely to be bards (but whose isn't?), and the little treats that are local to the places they travel. Maybe a fondness for reading, having known Lia for a while, as well as being associated with a family that supports libraries.

Thoughts?

@Me'mori: I almost went with making Lia's servant when I was working on Kalisuel.

I like the idea you've got so far. I'm not sure I could offer any changes that wouldn't wind up being over the top.

Maybe flesh them out some more. What are their virtues and flaws? Do they have something they go gaga over? What is the one thing that even the mere mention of causes a strong negative reaction? Are they shy or outgoing? Do they hover over Lia, or give her the space she needs while making sure she's taken care of?

@Lia: X3 sounds charming. I think that adds a bit of flavor to your character. What were you thinking as far as skills for your attendant?

@Owl and Kali: I tried for like an hour to find something I swear @.@ Don't know how I couldn't find something so obvious xP

@Owl: We still need a performer *eyebrow waggles and hands Owl the pink feather fans* Knock 'em dead ;P

At some point, we need a plan that features Owl dressing as a showgirl with pink feather fans.

@Tish: Been kinda quiet. Busy? Lurking? Scared about what plans we'll have in store when the game starts? :)

@Kali: Owl is going to be a showgirl at some point this is now cannon. :P

Tish is probably mad about the barmaid comments you made.
Bluff: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

I love professions and other things making it into a character sheet. Makes things seem much more lived in and realistic. You know, it's funny. Otho is not a worshiper of Cayden Cailean despite his tendencies and alignment. Anyway. I do approve of the wandering bar idea, assuming we can all get along. ;)

@Kali: I do feel the skill change fits her better. Intimidate seemed somehow wrong for Kali with her background of grudgingly accepting the hard things life has doled out.

Just bought the Alchemy Manual for some more ideas XD there are a lot of brews I can make alchemically to help with the bar tending. Also some other *cough* recreationals *cough* >.>' and discovered a new badass poison I could make, some awesome bolts, item to make stealthy holes in walls, annnnd a nice little pill to help with initiative checks =P

@Tish: Been kinda quiet. Busy? Lurking? Scared about what plans we'll have in store when the game starts? :)

Sorry, still here. Just making sure everything's in order before we start. I was trying to see if there were any gaps Tish could fill (besides barmaid; good luck talking her into that =P), but I guess it would be better to ask what you guys think. It's a collaborative effort after all, right?

So with DM Default's permission, I dropped the Umbral Mesmerist archetype. Figured we were probably good on offense as is, and this would allow me to pick up more tricks sooner. I had psychosomatic surge picked out as the first, but if anyone has alternate suggestions, I'm more than happy to consider them. Plan so far is:

1st- psychosomatic surge
2nd- mask misery
4th- mesmeric mirror

Lia, could you clarify here and on your character sheet if your a linnorm sorceror or a dragon one? There's a class of info on your sheet.

@Tish: XP Well we could use a magic show if you're up for gaining some ranks in Perform ^^ Thought you might not like the idea of being a barmaid but I thought the contrasting personalities of Lia and Tish as barmaids would be entertaining. Psychosomatic surge seems very useful to me. =3 Should keep us alive a bit longer. ^^

First post is up.

RESPOND IN SPOILERS FOR NOW!

Lia, could you clarify here and on your character sheet if your a linnorm sorceror or a dragon one? There's a class of info on your sheet.

Linnorm.

Equipment and Servant will be statted and named before I post.

Also, please refrain from reading each other's spoilers. I promise you can go back and read them later but for now not knowing is half the fun.

Oh the temptation.

@Lia: X3 sounds charming. I think that adds a bit of flavor to your character. What were you thinking as far as skills for your attendant?

All-around. With points in Profession(Attendant), Bluff, Craft(Calligraphy), Diplomacy, Heal, Intimidate, K.(Nobility), K.(Geography), Sense Motive, and Survival, I'm thinking they've been intentionally guided, perhaps by her parents, perhaps by a knowing instructor, perhaps by herself— that saw that she was likely to travel and having an assistant that was prepared would be beneficial. She would have all the skills necessary to be social in unfamiliar places, for all that she— or Lia— will likely stand out.

Maybe flesh them out some more. What are their virtues and flaws? Do they have something they go gaga over? What is the one thing that even the mere mention of causes a strong negative reaction? Are they shy or outgoing? Do they hover over Lia, or give her the space she needs while making sure she's taken care of?

Hmmm... Human. Ulfen. Female.

I do think they would have the tolerant-but-dry humor and enough common sense to point out the flaws in Lia's plans. Their weaknesses are likely to be bards for the stories they tell, and the words they employ so skillfully (but whose isn't?), and the little treats that are local to the places they travel.

She is more outgoing than shy, perhaps 70/30, since Lia has never seen fit to tell her to "behave like a servant", and enjoys the freedom compared to the other servants that say nothing back to their charges. She would be aware of how she's supposed to act and can do so when circumstances demand it, but thanks to Lia's disinterest in courtly functions, she has not had to do that much, and she is appreciative. Dressing up in the finery is nice, though. She does give Lia space— the better to hear some stories that she would have not gotten otherwise were she being strict about her duties— but not so much that she cannot perform her duties when needed to. They likely have not been far from the other for too long, since she would be Lia's personal attendant that her initial brattiness (that she has ruthlessly managed to stamp out— mostly) demanded she be with her at all times.

Name? Let's go with Kari... Kari Val'Demar. ;)

Thank you Kali, those questions helped immensely.

@ Me'mori
Why does Kari get paid pre-game? did you deduct that from your purse or is there an actual reason to wave those fees? Having a helper around is pretty useful, need to pay 'em for a reason.

The pay will come out of Lia's starting gold, and has been added to Lia's sheet.

I figured it would be all well and good to have a servant, but (to Lia's eyes) unpaid help is poor help, wordplay aside. It also gives her a bit of status and having a living servant is better than the magics that she can manage with Unseen Servant.

Additionally, there is an additional bit in there that may help for her characterization/motivation.

@Me'mori: Glad to be of help. :)

@Me'mori: Not quite what I was expecting but perhaps better as it feels more like a friendship than an employer/employee relationship. But perhaps that will be tested :P

@DM Default: Oh that's a rude thing to do to a rogue and you know. The insult! The very idea!

.

.

.

Well go on. >.>'

Stop adding more temptation. I am being good over here and not reading things.

@Owl: Oh but it is very, veeeeerrrrryyyy good~

*dangles post just out of Owl's reach* :P

@Default: I'm liking the way this is starting out, all the mystery posts, it's all very intriguing~

I'm being good and not reading btw but the temptation is, indeed, great.

I am a good noodle. I am a good noodle. I am a good noodle.

>.>' Guys, I think I broke Owl. . . He seems to believe that he is a noodle now. . . I dunno >.>'

*pokes*

Well, I guess I should admit that I read all of Default's first post, but I've been good since.

That said, I have to agree with Owl, he's a noodle. :P

It most certainly is tempting, but my prompt gave me more than enough to think about without troubling myself with everyone else's just yet. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say the surprise was well worth the wait, Default.

I try :P

Got the idea from a GM of another game I played in. Personalized beginnings just feel nice.

Am I not able to put a spoiler inside a spoiler? don't want to edit it lest I lose my good roll. :(

Use two separate spoilers if you need to.

You can also leave rolls inside spoilers and just change text using the [ooc] tags

@Default: Well I, for one, definitly appreciate the effort that goes into making the personalized beginnings. So thank you x3

@Kali: Bad Kali don't you go reading eveyone's post and gat her in forbidden knowledge :P

*adds Owl to bowl of ramen*

I tend to be pretty good about separating character and player knowledge. If I'm not sure if my character would know something, I ask. It's just one of those vices I have because I like being able to read all of your stories, and not just my own.

@Otho: You won't lose the roll unless you delete or roll a different set of dice above the one you rolled, so just fixing the spoilers isn't going to make you lose it. Now, the Post Monster might, but that's a different thing altogether. It's a pretty neat system since it allows you to see what it's going to be and edit accordingly. So if you crit, you can roll for the confirmation and then roll for damage.

@Jix: I dunno, Owl seems more like a linguini than a ramen noodle.

Just to let you all know, I usually update at least every weekday at night (Central time). I usually take one or both weekend days off.

@Kali: Fair enough I just always worry that I may learn some helpful knowledge and be tempted to act on it. Like knowing someone is actually a bad guy so you don't go to his mid-day tea invitation without a weapon. Just too much temptation to act there.

And I think we can all agree he's not a spaghetti at the very least.

This sucks. Even with a masterwork backpack and a bare minimum of items I couldn't get below light load limit. So I am resigned to medium and dropping all but the essentials in combat.

Everyone having fun so far? ( I realize we're only 2 updates in)

Just a quick reminder, I'm all for character choice and style but chaotic neutral characters don't be random a%**!!@s and Jix, no stealing from others when you actually get in groups.

Oh. It won't be random.

Also wow, 3 chaotic neutrals. All with heavy personalities. Good luck Otho, Kali and Nia. 5 to 1 chaos but balanced between good and neutral. We'll do the right thing but you better pay us.

And Kali probably isn't going to be lawful long. I need to PM Default about a couple of things though

@DM Default: But-but Jix isn't being random D= that wasn't my intention at least she's just trying to fool those people so they'll help her. . . sorry if it came across that way. And I never steal from party members, all that does is cause trouble.