"Pleased to meet you, Lord Davian. I'm truly sorry to have trespassed in your house. However we came here to seek a trace of any remain of House Davian. We want to know what happened to its scions after the Chelish civil war. May I ask... What what happened to you?"
Does Esh or anyone has any mean to recall any information about the good Arenzo Davian?
Well as I said: there is something that would give you some perspective on this creature that has been mentioned earlier in the scenario. Beyond that I cannot say. Otherwise, there is little to no way to recall anything about specific members of House Davian, especially in it's latter days. That is the consequence of Thrune's revisionism of history.
The creature looks at you, gritting it's teeth. Clearly you are testing its patience...
If you are keen on pursuing this diplomatic route, give me another diplomacy check. The DC is 23.
Waki continues to contemplate the story of the undead with the notes provided by their contacts back in town.
"Starved were you? Davian's last stand with Ruiz? ."
e mother-lode." He turns around and hands you a piece of old parchment. "The Davian's last stand was always something of conjecture, but this corroborates the lore that their House died out there. It also gives an idea as to how they died." He shakes his head, frowning.
"Starvation. Gods preserve us all from such a fate." He sighs and goes back to foraging. "I have a few more books and records you might find interesting, including some correspondence with the then-governor of Sargava. Feel free to take it all. If the Queen gets it in her head that those records are next for the clarity pyres..." He shudders..
Male Human Bounty Hunter Slayer 5 / Rake URogue 2 (HP: 63/63 | AC: 17/12/16 | F+7 R+9 W+5| Init +1 | Percep +10 SM +10) Speed: 40
"The Thrunes sentenced you to starvation. That's a slow and agonizing death. It probably drove you insane. All those bones in the other room. Did you eat the old corpses?"
Oh, yeah. It looks like I forgot my diplomacy roll.
Esh doesn't have a very good memory. He's glad his companions remember things.
Diplo roll for the earlier speech:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
Clearing his throat, he uses a ganzi twist of fate to try to come with better arguments.
"I mean, I understand we are trespassing your house. I just want to understand better what happened to you. Our organization could help you get on your feet and find Davian that managed to escape and stay alive? The Society has powerful diviners..."
"We didn't manage to breach the walls; the Sargavan fleet was supposed to do that for us" he says, stowing his bow away and stepping out of his hiding place. "Ruis, beloved of Shelyn, must have fought what he knew was a doomed battle. The beautiful fool." He sighs, adding: "He never got my pendant. Now, like almost everything upstairs, it is left to rot."
He motions for you to move on away from the troll, into the main cellar. "The beast doesn't know anything but hunger. Careful he doesn't grab you." He motions towards the skeletons, decomposed bodies and other remains. "They laid siege to Emberhold, and that forced us to do things many might find... repugnant. But I am alive today, whereas those with morals died hungry, and then fed us in turn. Towards the end, we weren't even all that picky. But even with the fight beaten out of us, Thrune still set fire to our home. I suppose I died then, and for the sin of wanting to live, I became what I am today."
He eyes Aiden and continues: "I did not eat the dead of old. That" he adds, pointing towards the sitting skeleton "is my memorial to all those who died, defending Chelish honor. There was little left after the fire. Although, I thought I had set a crown on it's brow and a sword in it's lap."
He looks back at you, eyebrow raised. "Before you offer me the services of powerful diviners, perhaps you could help me put those back in place?"
Male Human Bounty Hunter Slayer 5 / Rake URogue 2 (HP: 63/63 | AC: 17/12/16 | F+7 R+9 W+5| Init +1 | Percep +10 SM +10) Speed: 40
Aiden watches the ghoul as he speaks, observing his movements and gauging his reaction time. This ghoul was obviously special, not quite the mindless hunger-driven beast other were. "We did find those." He pulls out the sword and crown and replaces them on the skeleton.
"Honoring the dead is respectable tradition, though not typically one the undead observe. What Thrune did to your house was horrific. House Davian was on the losing side of history, but even so, the Thrunes should not have erased your names from history."
Studied Target on the ghoul
Sense Motive (ST):1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 1 = 12Trying to see if he's deceiving us
Aiden, observing the ghoul's body language, does not sense any deception from the creature.
"Those bones? Those would belong to Abrogail over there" he answers, pointing back to the thrashing troll with a vicious smile. "I slice an arm off every now and then, eat and toss the bones. The strange plant creatures above allow me to take some of their pumpkins to feed the beast, and every now and then a rat finds it's way here for it's pleasure."
Turning to the tengu, he adds: "None. And I didn't exactly escape. I died. My sins were greater than the others I suppose. But for Thrune did get their wish; there are no living Davians left, none that I know."
Male Human Bounty Hunter Slayer 5 / Rake URogue 2 (HP: 63/63 | AC: 17/12/16 | F+7 R+9 W+5| Init +1 | Percep +10 SM +10) Speed: 40
Aiden taps his lips with his finger. "Not exactly. The Thrunes wanted to wipe out the Davians and erase them from history. Whatever happened and whatever you became, you were witness to it all. Your knowledge can crack the towering wall of Chelish power." He pauses, thinking to himself.
"We don't owe the Thrunes much, and the Pathfinder creed is to explore and report. The Paracountess would love to stick a thorn in the Chelaxian eye. What if we offered you a way to get back at the Thrunes? Come with us and tell the story of the Davians to the Pathfinder scholars. Keep their memory alive forever. All you have to do is refrain from eating anyone. Trust me that the Pathfinders have worked with far less savory creatures for the preservation of knowledge."
Somehow, I doubt this is the outcome that was written.
Perhaps, but his portrayal in the scenario is stupid AF, as them young folk say. So this is a valid development. You can try to convince him, but you will need to beat a DC of 28: 18 as a base since he is indifferent, and an additional +10 mod for both revealing an unimportant secret, and for giving long and complicated aid.
Listening to your words he shrugs. "As tempting as that might be, I am aware of what I have become." He points at himself, sighing. "And while I suspect that I can keep living like this here for eons, I doubt your people are willing to deal with the diet of the living dead. That and I doubt I will live very long if I leave Emberhold." He sighs. "So long as you can stay, I will help you pen an account of the last days of house Davian, but that will have to suffice."
If you do not have anything else to ask of him, I will move us on to the conclusion this weekend, and with your approval look for a couple more players for the high tier.
Esh is sad but nevertheless eager to learn more about House Davian's real history.
"Thank you for the offer. I understand totally and really look forward to learning more about your House's true history, since we were always fed Thrune's lies."
You are high tier, I'm just concerned potential recruits might just bring in low tier characters, which can throw the tier out of whack and cause for some really abominable deaths.
After spending the better part of the day conversing with Arenzo Davian, recording "The Last Days of Davian" for the next volume of the Chronicles you begin travelling back to Corentyn, where you all hope to take the next boat back to Absalom. However, upon your arrival in the city, you are stopped by a courier boy, who hands you a note which reads: "Something has come my way and I think you might find it interesting. Come to the museum as soon as you can! -Zefiro"
What has Zephiro found? How will it affect our heroes?
We continue our adventures in "Lost Colony of Taldor"! Chronicles incoming!
