[PFS] 6-10 The Wounded Wisp - table 3 (Inactive)

Game Master Scott Young

Fargrim works her way carefully through the crowded bar. As she walks, she listens for snatches of conversation - but her eyes remain on the bar ahead.
perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

She addresses the bar lady. "A glass of wine please. One of your reds would be nice." As she turns to get a wine, Fargrim adds "Would you be able to direct me to Ms Gale?"

Vasilios examines his surroundings with a casual glance, before following the rest of his time up to the bar. In different circumstances, he would love to take the opportunity to have a drink, but prefers to be sober on a job, no matter how trivial it might appear to be.

Silas does not relish the thought of spending time in the Wisp, and as he enters the place he is not surprised by what he finds. The smells, the sights, and the beverages are altogether distasteful to him. Men, and a few women, getting too far into their drinks and acting like fools. Demon water. They drink the stuff over and over and then wonder why they can't control their own actions. Not even aware that they're being slowly possessed by evil spirits. How otherwise-goodly people could choose to drink such cursed stuff is beyond him. Let's just get what we came here for.

Lyoto feels comfortable for the first time since traveling with the pathfinders. Having fought in dingy taverns many times, he feels perfectly comfortable here. Besides, he never took a vow of sobriety.

Welp time to a get a drink and pick up our package

He strolls up to an empty bar stool where he sits down and says to the bartender.

"Hi there, I'd like a shot of whiskey and the darkest beer you've got." "Oh by the way, I'm here to pick up a package for someone hanging out at the Grog Pit. My friend said you'd know what I meant."

The woman behind the bar Answers Fargrim. "I'm Gale... I'll take your order in a sec, those half-rocs over there drink like nobody's business! Be right back!" She breezes off to the common room with a tray of ale mugs. On her way, more orders come in.

When she returns and Lyoto asks his question, she nods. "I thought you were Drandle's friends... I have his parcel downstairs, in the wine cellar of course. Can you sit a bit? My hired girl is late to work today, and I can't really leave until she gets in. Half and hour or so, tops, then I'll take you downstairs to get it. Free drinks until then."

Lyoto smiles, nods, then waves his compatriots over to the bar.

""So then, are you all just going to stand in the doorway?" "Let's relax and have a beer."

He sets his sack of positions by his side, takes a sip of beer and thinks.

Well this seems easy enough.

Fargrim takes a seat at an unoccupied table near the bar. Nursing her red wine, she looks around the room before gesturing for the other Pathfinders to come over.

"We'll not all fit at one table, but there are two hear near each other."

Looking around the room, she keeps quarter of an eye open for trouble, quarter of an eye on the other pathfinders, and the other eye and a half on her wine.

"This must be the lunch time rush."

Henry looked around to see if he could avoid staying with his comrades.

After all, this was where famous pathfinder gather and chat about their exploit, may be one of them could be a better match for his taste than his comrades.

Looking at the half orcs he think not these for sure !

Niles takes a seat near Fargrim but chooses not to imbibe on the job. He appears lost in thought but chooses to give the carousing half orcs a decent glance.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Sense Motive on Gale: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

As Heryn Gale serves drinks and food, the rest of you settle in to wait. (I've moved you to a table, but please move yourself wherever you'd like to be.)

As you head to the table Fargrim has selected, a tallQadiran man, dressed in the blue-and-yellow garb of a Sarenite, stands and bows. "Greetings, my friends," he says, bowing. "I see that your group will not fit at a single table - pray, some of you join me." He sweeps his hand wide, indicating the open chairs at his table.

Seeing a Sarenite, Henry moved away. Stavian be saved ! Not this fool religion !

He tried to choose someone not being an half-Orc drunk or a Sarenite.

Lyoto takes a sip of beer and thinks Henry really isn't much of a people person. Maybe being a pathfinder makes you paranoid.

Lyoto stands up getting ready to accept the invitation, but before he does, he looks over the Qadiran man to see if he can spot any weapons, visible or otherwise.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Not seeing anything suspicious, Lyoto says:

"I'll come on over, name's Lyoto by the way."

With that he picks up his sack of belongings and beer then proceeds to head to the table with the Qadiran.

Did I move to the correct table?

Fargrim nods to the Qadiran man. "Good day to you. Do you come here often?"

Realising that sounds a little stillted she adds.

"We have all heard of this place, but not actually been here before. It has quite the feel to do. I'm Fargrim." she extends her hand to the man.

"So, What's your name and what brings you here today?

Lyoto says as he drops his sack of items near the chair where he sits down.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

As much respect as he has for Sarenites (their goddess and his agree on much), Silas remains at his table when several of the others get up to join the man. Clearly not all of them will fit at either table, so he stays put as the other quickly fills up. He tries to keep an ear-hole on what's being said there, though with all the other noise in the place this isn't easy.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

The Qadiran stands and bows. "Again, greetings, my friends. I am Aram bin Kaleel, Pathfinder and Lamplighter. I enjoy visiting this place to immerse myself in the early history of our Society - it reminds me of the days when agents were bold, resourceful, and took the Society's three tenants more seriously. "Explore, Report, Cooperate" seems to have been replaced by "Murder, Steal, Compete" in some of our more recent recruits. " He raises one eyebrow, awaiting your reaction to his provocation.

Is he speaking to just the ones at his table, or loud enough that he wants all of us to hear?

"Well I can say that I haven't murdered anyone as of yet; unless re-killing the undead counts as murder. In which case I'm guilty as charged."

Both tables can here.

@Niles: "Make no mistake, violence is a necessary tool in a Pathfinder's arsenal - we have many enemies, and there are many dangers in the wild. Yet it is not all a Pathfinder needs to be capable of. " He gestures around the bar. "The worthy explorers who met here, before the Society was even founded, often went out alone on their missions. They could not count on a colleague being nearby to fight off the enemy, or decipher an inscription, or disarm a trap. They trained to handle everything they needed. Sometimes I yearn for those days."

Silas stands up, towering over those still seated (and most of the ones standing). "I'm an Iomedaean, sir," he says, ensuring his holy symbol is clearly visible, "and I take that title seriously. I'm here to spread the Inheritor's glory, not embarrass myself by stealing and murdering. And as I understand it, it's Society policy to travel in numbers or else I would do missions alone."

Lyoto laughs, takes a drink then says.

"Calm down Silas, he didn't say we were going to murder or steal from anyone. He's just an old man complaining that he's old and things have changed since his day so don't let him rile you up." "Besides, traveling alone into dangerous dungeons alone doesn't sound like bravery, it sounds like stupidity."

Fargrim sits and listens to the banter.
"Every Society has its... less desirable members." she says.

"The only deaths I have seen in my missions so far have been animals that have attacked. Depending on your wider definition of 'murder' some undead have been put to rest, and a few animated objects... deanimated. I hardly think that counts as murder. No.. it may well be that the Society is changing again."

He nods at the words of Lyoto. "A team provides strenght in numbers and skills. Where one may be misled, two may see the truth. Were stealth the only requirement, maybe one alone would be best - but even there I would add that in my missions with the society, the stealth and subterfuge that a group may carry off can be quite surprising."

Pff... that's a true Sarenite always trying to embarrass someone. think Henry

Lyoto finishes up his beer and asks Aram.

"So how old is this place?"

Vasilios frowns at the mans provocation, had subconsciously slipping toward his sword, before smiling as he realised his mannerism and with a great effort, met the man's gaze evenly, managing a soft chuckle. "You are entitled to your own opinions of course", he says pleasantly, "Just like we ourselves are entitled to our own opinions about pathfinders such as yourselves."

Lyoto decides to take advantage of the free drinks, so he heads to the bar and pours himself a glass of old law whiskey on the rocks. He then asks his fellow pathfinders if they're interested in a glass.

"Anyone else want some of the good stuff? We have some time to kill and we were offered free drinks. I say it'd be impolite to refuse her hospitality."

Fargrim raises her glass.

"I'm already trying the good stuff." She is sipping quietly rather than doing the guzzle that she half expects her companions to indulge in.

"What are you doing to try and reform the Society?" she asks Aram.

He gives Lyoto a small smile, trying not to feel insulted. "No thank you," he says, listening for the Sarenite's response to Fargrim's question. The sooner we can leave this den of demons, the better.

Aram nods at your responses, turning to Fargrim. "You are correct, of course, my lady, we must depend on our companions. I find having a wide variety of skills is useful, though, as one never knows who else will be assigned to the team. So many missions, so many new Pathfinders... I sometimes think the Venture-Captains merely send whomever is closest to their office at any given moment." He smiles, and turns to Lyoto.

"I caution you, good sir, that age brings with it experience, a laudable goal for any Pathfinder. Yes, things have changed since this storied tavern was built, over four centuries ago. There are many lessons to be learned from the past; surely a Pathfinder knows this?" He glances at Vasilios' sword belt briefly, and then back at the group.

"Since you are so confident in your abilities, there is clearly nothing you would need from an "old man" such as I. I bid you good luck, and may the Lady of the Golden Sun ever keep you from harm." He gets up from the table, leaving a half-full wine glass, and heads out the door.

Heryn Gale comes over as Aram leaves, her replacement having arrived at the bar. "I can take you downstairs now, if you're ready," she says.

Sorry for the absence - a whole weekend of sick. Back now!

"It was nice to make your acquanintance. And while we don't need any help at the moment, who knows what future missions might bring up.." calls Fargrim to the retreating head of Aram.

At the arrival of Heryn though she cheers up. "The conversation seems to have dried up somewhat."

She stands and follows the barmaid downstairs. "How big is the parcel?"

Lyoto puts his drink down, picks up his sack, slings it over his shoulder and nods at Heryn.

"Sounds good to me, thanks for the drinks."

Lyoto is feeling pretty happy, he's gotten a couple free drinks and his first mission as a pathfinder seems to be going smoothly. He's gaining confidence in himself and starts to think about going down alone.

This is great, hopefully I keep getting missions like this. If I can deliver the package myself I'll get the credit rise through the ranks in no time.

Then he looks at Fargrim and remembers how she kindly backed him up during his discussion with that old loon, and how she skipped down the hall with him, not even remotely frightened of the fact he was a Nagaji. He reconsiders.

Then again, I don't want to disappoint Fargrim. She seems to know what it takes to be a Pathfinder. If I follow her lead, I think I'll be OK.

Lyoto calls out to the group.

"I'm ready to head down when you guys are!"

Silas stands up as Heryn returns. "Thank the Inheritor," he says to himself as he follows her and his allies.

Happy to see Heryn coming back Henry stand up and join his comrades.

Quicker we will recover and deliver te package quicker I will be doing something else more important.

Waiting for Heryn to guide them to the package Henry looked around trying to find hidden dangers in the patrons.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Heryn leads you behind the bar and through the kitchen area to a door. Inside the small storeroom are boxes, casks and supplies of every description, as well as a wooden stairway leading down to the cellar. Heryn pauses to light a lantern, and motions for you to follow her down the stairs.

You can give me a standard marching order for single file, please...

Heryn leads you down the stairs into another storage room with a stout wooden door in the south wall. The walls, of worked stone, are crisscrossed with a network of cracks and loose rubble, partially shored up by wooden supports.

Heryn pulls a ring of keys from her apron, unlocks the door, and opens it into a large open area. "Mind your step... the earthquake of '98 shook us pretty hard here, and there's still loose rubble around. Shouldn't fall in on us, but you never know when something might shift."

She leads you into the cellar proper, which is large and roomy. The area you are in is bisected by a large collapsed area, spanned by a wide wooden plank. Beyond, a flight of steps leads down into a lower level, where you can just see the tops of shelves and wine racks in the light of Heryn's lantern.

Pausing for marching order, then we can continue.

MAP

Lyoto, eager and excited, rushes to the front.

He sees the crack that spans in the room and wonders how whether it's feasible for him to just jump across, and how dangerous it would be if he failed.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

He wants to know the distance between each side, and how far down he'd fall if he screws up.

Silas follows closely behind Lyoto, eager to get away from the drunkenness on the floor above.

Lol I just realized that there's only one of us who isn't at least somewhat martially-inclined, so the front of the marching order might always get fought over.

Yeah, interesting mix... lol!

The chasm varied in width, from just a few feet along the eastern edge to probably eight feet at its widest. It looks a hair over ten feet deep, which likely wouldn't kill you if you fell into it. Unless, of course, there was something else down there...

Lyoto turns to Heryn and asks.

Do you know if anything is in down in that pit?

As he motions toward the pit He decides to scan the pit himself to see if he can spot anything dangerous down the chasm.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Vasilios would prefer being closer to the front, rather than the back if at all possible.

Fargrim sighs as the big lizards rush to the front.

"After you, of course." she'll adopt a spot in the middle.

Lyoto - you already rolled Perception, you don't have to roll again for each item. One roll gives you everything in the room within line of sight. Only time it's worth doing again is if you have moved a big distance, since Perception takes a -1 per ten feet.

Heryn shrugs. "Never had any troubles... sometimes a rat or two'll come up, but the cats take care of them might quick if they get upstairs."

Lyoto is pretty confident he can hop across the cavern by himself, but he also doesn't want to leave anything behind.

He opens his sack and pulls out two pitons and ask his fellow pathfinders.

"Does anyone happen to have a hammer, that board looks pretty creaky, but I bet if we nailed it down and crossed one at a time we'll be fine."
"I can nail once side down, then jump across and nail the other side down."

While looking through his sack of belonging he sees the folding ladder he packed along with him.

"Or, we could climb down the chasm with the ladder and climb back up without risking anybody falling." "What do you guys think?"

I'm new to this, so I'm sorry if I'm spamming a bit. Anyway, I'll wait for three members of the group to chime in before going any further.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Seeing nothing but darkness below the lip of the chasm, he eyes the wooden plank cautiously. "I'm not so sure about that, even if you secure it. The good Lady blesses each of us with our many gifts, but balance isn't really one of mine." He chuckles to himself. He isn't particularly clumsy in truth, but his armor and shield do him no favors in that department-- and he hardly dares go without them. "The Lady blesses the prepared," as the old saying goes.

Fargrim nods to Silas.

"I'm with you on this. I'm many things, including a little clumsy..."

She looks down into the chasm with a little concern.

"How hard can this be, they cross it all the time, right?"

Determined not to appear scared in front of her new friends, Fargrim stretches out her hands and carefully tries to cross.

Takes ten on acrobatics if required, for a result of... nine.

Niles crosses after the others do so...assuming it is still safe.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Lyoto shrugs his shoulders and thinks.

I guess no one is interested in using the ladder. Oh well, I'll leave it here if they change their mind.

He pulls out and unfolds the 10-foot ladder and leaves it on the ground, drops his sack then tries to leap across on the western side.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Fargrim slowly and carefully crosses the plank, which creaks and sways slightly but holds. Lyoto leaps across, easily clearing the gap, but landing on a narrow space on the far side. Just south of him, there is a drop of about 5 feet into the lower half of the cellar. Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 He manages to avoid pitching over into the wine cellar, and maintains his balance in the narrow space.

How will the rest of you cross?

Lets use the ladder, what could go wrong?