[PFS PbP Gameday V] #7-10 The Consortium Compact (Tier 1-2) (Inactive)

Game Master Hmm

While you chat and drink the inn fills with people. Borox play some rounds of lucky games with the residents while Aki continues to talk to the barkeep. The barkeep raises an eyebrow when he sees Dain's mug coming his way. "Yes, Diobel is famous for its pearls. They are slightly bigger than others and have a brighter white."

Well, there are several ways to keep the agents from meeting. Are there any circumstances that would make you avoid entering an inn? Like a punchfest or too many authorities around? You may also wait for them to arrive and confront them directly, this would be the least 'stealthy' way ;)

I up for starting a brawl just as we see the agents enter.

Dain ignores the barkeep and looks down at his boots.

"I see," Aki nods. "I bet it's a very lucrative business." Then she offers a secretive smile. "Why, probably lucrative enough that there'd even be people willing to risk passing off fakes - wouldn't you say?" she adds, giving the barkeep a knowing look.

Even though Aki is angling for the pearl angle to try and get the barkeep to tell us more; if some of the others want to try starting a brawl then go for it - she'll adjust and/or freak out accordingly ;)

Azhagoth could certainly go along with the brawl suggestion. I'll follow along with the others, since my initial idea kinda flopped.

"If somebody attempts to sell fake pearls, I'm pretty sure the local authorities would lock him up." the barkeep answers, sweating a bit.

Ok, let's go for the brawl plan. The scenario wants me to ask for three skill checks from each of you, one for each phase.

Phase I, which already started: Preparation
You don't know how the agents look like, but you know that they are from the Aspis and Kortos Consortiums. You might remember what kind of clothes or badges they carry or maybe guess what the people in the tavern are up to. appropriate skills are: Sense Motive, Perception, Kn. local (you may choose)

Continuing to nurse his cheap, watery ale, Azhagoth turns on his stool so that he can keep one eye on the door without being turned completely towards it. He takes note of each person that enters the establishment, which is fairly boring work, given the low volume of customers, but he does his best to search each one for any sign of their allegiance to either the Aspis or Kortos Consortiums.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Borox continues gambling with the others while using his Sense Motive ability to determine if any of the others are other than what they appear to be.

[dice=Sense Motive]1d20 + 7;

(Okay, I don't know how to do this dice rolling for PbP.)

You've almost got it Borox! The format is what you had except with a [/dice] at the end.

As Aki pauses to let the barkeep stew for a moment, she tries to remember what she knows about the Aspis or Kortos Consortiums.

After all, it never hurts to have a backup plan...

Kn. Local (Bardic Knowledge): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Thanks, Aki!

Ech'Tan will go to stool next to Azhagoth, order an ale, and watch the door for our targets to enter. I will whisper to Azhagoth that I am going to pick a fight with him when they enter. Please don't take it personally or hurt me too much.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

The half-orc sneers at the Vishkanya seated next to him, "You ask a Gorumite not to fight too hard? You must not know much about the Iron God and his ways. Nevertheless, you are not my enemy, so I will do my best not to kill you."

Aye..its hard not to ask a Gorumite not to fight"

Is this still going on?

Not sure; I tossed a PM the GM's way yesterday to check.

So, let’s do this!

Phase one of your grand plan for disrupting the meeting of the representatives of the Aspis and Consortium Compact representatives goes beautifully. During your first phase, you study the folks in the tavern and you learn a lot.

[SLIDE TWO]

Operation Meeting Disruption -- Phase One -- Information Gathering

Dark Red: This is the Barkeep, Paltus Flynter. He’s flirted with Aki, and happily taken all your drink orders, and told you all repeatedly to call him “Pal”.

Light Red: This is Paltus’s brother, Gregon Flynter. Gregon has mostly been working in the kitchen, but has scuttled out with food orders, and hasn’t spoken once to anyone. He just nods or shakes his head, vigorously.

Blue: Dressed in worn but sturdy clothes, this burly gal has been slapping back drinks with her friend, purple.

Purple: Also dressed in worn but sturdy clothes, but still young and attractive. Been drinking slightly too much and is getting louder and louder. Snorts through her nose as she laughs.

Light Green: A female half-orc in patched leather armor, chatting with a male orc that looks like he bears more than a passing familiar resemblance. She’s glanced flirtatiously at Azhagoth, and keeps trying to wave the inquisitor closer.

Dark Green: A male half-orc in similarly patched up armor.

Gold: Dressed in decent quality clothes, he’s sitting nervously by himself with a bunch of papers, and keeps glancing at every woman that’s come in to the place. He’s even glanced hopefully at Aki.

You all watched a drunk lurch over to Purple’s table and grope her. When she squawked, Pal yelled, “Hey, not in my place!”

Then the whole crowd chanted, “Drunk dunk, drunk dunk!” The two half-orcs shrugged, then glanced at Pal, who nodded. They grinned, picked up the drunk and tossed him into the square pool next to their table. The drunk dropped, splashed into the water and then swam away as the whole room cheered. He is now off screen.

Does this information change your actions or Plan for Phase Two? If you wish to adapt your plan, you may.

Dain moves near the woman and looks at her intently.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Azhagoth laughs loudly at the way the drunk was dealt with. "Harharhar! That's quite a custom ya got there, Pal. Where I come from, you'd get tossed out into the snow. Glad to see the bars here aren't soft about dealing with those that can't hold their liquor." As he laughs, he turns and notices the "come hither" eyes of the female half-orc. He catches her eye and nods, raising his tankard toward her. He then lays another copper piece on the bar for another drink. When Pal slides him the drink, he picks it up and lays it on the bar in front of the seat next to him, once again catching the half-orc's eye, then turning away.

"It certainly was entertaining," Aki chuckles from her spot at the end of the bar. The increased traffic in the small bar didn't bother the kitsune one bit. In fact, it would make the next step of their plan easier.

Having spotted the female half-orc making eyes at Azhagoth, an idea began to form. The other fellow sitting with her obviously wasn't a mate; there was too much resemblance.

A brother or maybe a cousin...that can still work.

"If you'll excuse me Pal, I think I'd better go sit with my companions for a bit least they start thinking I don't care for their company anymore," she smiles as she rises and moves to have a seat with the others at the nearby table.

"Having fun are we?" she says quietly, nodding towards the flirtatious half-orc. "You should go talk to her Az...and if your approach upsets her companion, well...misunderstandings happen all the time, right?"

Ech'Tan will walk past golds table, glancing at his papers, take a seat at the table nearest to him to try to figure out what he is up to.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

The woman in pink glares at Dain. "What do you think you're staring at, freak?" She turns haughtily past him and enters the Overflowing Oyster, but not before Dain catches a glance of a bronze badge poking out from an inner pocket.

The female half-orc grins at the glass on the seat. She approaches the bar in a round-a-bout way and looks at Azhagoth. "Are you holding that drink for someone? It would be a shame if it were to go to waste."

Meanwhile, Ech'Tan glances at the papers and notices a very interesting name on them... Delroya.

Alright, time for Phase II. Put your operation in place. Tell me what you are doing, and give me either a skill roll or a combat maneuver to support your part of the plan to disrupt the meeting.

Okay, this post will read a little awkward because I'd normally wait to see what Az or the others do and try to feed into that but since I'll be busy today/tonight I'm going to try and post a few possible actions that Aki might take here.

Those are the two situations I could envision right off; for other events (should Dain or Ech'Tan or both end up starting something) Aki will attempt to misdirect blame to someone else in the room and add to the chaos. If she thinks she can pull it off, she'll use her cantrips (Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Message) to aid in her efforts.

"Won't be a waste if you sit and drink," Azhagoth replies to the half-orc, a slight smirk on his face. He carries on with some idle chatter with the woman until he gets a signal from Ech'tan or from Dain when he returns. Once he gets the go ahead, Azhagoth looks his admirer up and down and grunts, "Puh, enough talk. I've been on the road too long without a woman. C'mere you!" He slams a couple gold pieces on the bar and calls out to the barkeep, "Here's a couple gold for the woman and a room, Pal. And don't think I don't know I'm gettin' robbed here." He stands and makes to grab the half-orc around the waist and heft her over his shoulder.

Grapple: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Meh. Not a great roll, but hopefully it doesn't have to be.

Ech'Tan is going to stand up to go get another drink from the bar. I move past gold and find a way to trip on his chair leg or foot. I will direct my fall towards his table and "accidentally" scatter his papers all about. "I am sorry good sir, I must have had one too many. Please let me help you clean up the mess I caused."

I will then immediately start picking up his paper so I can get a better look at them.

Give me a skill check to go with this action, please! Bluff, acrobatics, sleight of hand, perform acting or comedy all seem appropriate here.

Dain moves over to the woman and shouts. to pink

"LASSIE dunna ever call a dwarf a freak. Aual show yah!"

CMB: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

He grabs her arm and drags her towards the door.

Click. Whirr.

BOTTING Ech's roll
Acrobatics to Scatter Papers: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

He falls all over the table, scattering papers EVERYWHERE.

Well, you definitely know how to create chaos! The lady in pink starts yelling as she is dragged by the dwarf. Az fails his grapple and the half-orc woman throws the drink in his face, and then a glass gets hurled at her. Meanwhile, papers fly everywhere as the man in gold is trying unsuccessfully to gather them, with Ech pocketing key ones.

People are hurling chairs and drink bottles at one another, and the women in Purple and Blue start yelling, "Fight!" and "Drunk Dunk!"

You see Pal nod curtly to his brother Gregon, who takes off out the back door of the bar.

Dain and Ech quickly realize that Gregon is going off to get the Diobel town guard. The woman in Pink screams at Dain. "Let me go you fool! We have to get out of HERE!" Suddenly, he's not dragging her to the door, but being dragged there instead.

PHASE TWO of Disrupt the Meeting is Successful!

___

So... It's time for Phase Three, otherwise known as... "Can you escape before you draw too much attention?"

Please give me a Acrobatics, Knowledge (geography), Ride, Stealth, or Swim roll!

You can also use some other skill to escape, if you can justify it to the GM with entertaining roleplay.

Azhagoth wipes the drink from his face with a scowl. "Grah! Wait, you're tellin' me she's NOT a whore? Ah, well, my mistake. Tell ya what, Pal. Keep the gold. I'm out of here." He snatches up his weapon and makes for the door.

Bluff: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Note: I'll lay down 2gp to try to pay off Paltus.

After collecting as many papers as possible, Ech'Tan will sneak out the door.
stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Uh oh...time to go!

Aki quickly fishes into her pocket and pulls out enough coin to pay for her drinks as well as a little extra for all the trouble they'd just put Pal and his establishment through, leaving it on the table. She then quickly rises and and slips out the nearest door amid all the ruckus.

Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Dain Bot Protocol Engaged

"Yer right ahbout one thing lassie," the dwarf agrees as he releases his grip on the woman's arm. "Ah think it's time ta' show ourselves out!"

Hustling back outside the tavern he climbs atop his faithful steed and attempts to put a little distance between the establishment and himself, before circling back to meet up with the others.

Ride: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

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Thank goodness for the four-player adjustment! You all had two successes in Phase 3, and that was all you needed.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU COMPLETED THE FIRST TASK!

With great relief, you slip out of the Overflowing Oyster before the authorities arrive, and with Delroya's incriminating papers in hand. Celebrating your victory, you realize that it is time to handle your next task... finding Laszo the Leper and his evil concoctions under a sewer grate near Rat Street.

[SLIDE THREE]

Delroya's directions lead to an isolated alley in the Bristles, and then down into the sewers beneath Diobel. The stench of sewage mixes with the sharper odors of chemical fumes and decay and permeates the damp tunnels. From this intersection, tunnels lead west and south into the darkness. A third tunnel heading east is filled with detritus, filthy beddings, food scraps, broken glass, and rotting furniture. An alcove lies beyond a collapsed portion of the tunnel's southern wall, and further east, a statue of a giant rat rests in the dead-end passage. Countless empty flasks and discarded alchemical ingredients lie on the floor around the statue. On a nearby workbench sit several organized but empty flasks and jars.

There are several bodies lying around the tunnel... alive? Dead? You don't know. Oh, wait a minute. The gold one is muttering, and waving a hand in the air.

Place yourself coming in from the ladder to the North West. How do you proceed?

Realizing that this might be a situation to let the others take the lead on, Aki climbs down the ladder last. Still clinging to the last few rungs she looks around nervously, eyes wide.

"There could be anything down here," she whispers to the others. Then she spots all the bodies lying around, at least one of them moving. "Wha...what's all this?"

Hopping off the ladder she cautiously conjures forth small twinkling lights that glow pleasantly in spite of the grim and dirty surroundings. "Hello? Are you hurt?" she calls softly to the moving man.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Aki will use one of her Dancing Lights SLAs in addition to whatever lights the others might carry.

Ech'Tan will move toward gold, and look around.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

He will then want to search area around the other people.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

The man in gold is frail, shaking and covered in sweat. His clothes are filthy and stained with specks of what is likely vomit. At the sound of Aki's voice, he looks up with an unfocused gaze. "Margi, he said I'd stop hearing you... Drug was supposed to stop the voices. Stop them. But... you're still here... S'okay, really. Didn't really want you to go away. Just wanted the pain to stop. When will the pain stop, Margi?"

The others look similarly ill, drifting between delirium and moments of clarity. All are weak, disoriented. One woman in a soiled red dress coughs, then shivers. "Water? Thirsty. So thirsty."

Is anyone else searching this area?

Azhagoth clambers down the ladder, his face and clothing still sticky from the drink the half orc woman in the bar had thrown on him. "Grah. What kind of grog did Paltus give me? Smells like sewage." He turns around from the ladder, however, and realizes where he is. "Ah. Could be that, I suppose."

Not wanting to waste too much time, the inquisitor tries to hop across the shallow stream of filth running by his feet. Running jump across the stream.

Acrobatics: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

Just as he is about to jump, his foot clips in a stray bit of...best not to say...and he lands directly in the middle of the stream. Assuming I'll need to make a Fort save on that.

Fort Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Eventually, he makes his way up the other side of the stream and begins moving toward the east, where he could here Gold whispering. He comes across an opening to the south and peers inside to find a few other figures. "You folks alright?"

Lovely description of terrible rolls...

Az falls into the sewage, and the smell overwhelms him. He's sickened until he can wash it off...

Got create water handy?

The people moan, looking at him deliriously. They look even sicker than Az feels. One of them pulls on his trouser leg. "Water? Whip?"

Az, if you're searching here, may I have some perception rolls?

Meanwhile, those of you looking all around this area do notice the giant rat sculpture to the East.

"Ew...ewewewew," Aki groans as she takes a step or two away from Az. "I don't have any water, but maybe I can clean the worst of it off..." She waves her hand and magically cleans some of the filth off the half-orc.

Turning her attention back to the sickly man, she kneels down for a closer look.

Heal (Untrained): 1d20 ⇒ 8

"I don't know...they seem drug-addled but I don't really know if there's anything else going on," she frowns. "What's your name? Who told you they could make the voices go away?"

Kn. Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Though the statue to the east does draw her eye, there's nothing about it that rings a bell to the kitsune.

Engaging Dain Bot Protocol

The dwarf grimaces at the strong smell that emanates from everywhere as he makes his way down the ladder behind Az and Ech'Tan. As the others move towards the east to have a look at the ailing people, he turns his gaze westward.

"Never know what might be lurkin'...keep yer eyes peeled," he mutters as he peers around.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Leaving it open atm on whether or not Dain would bring his steed (pony? wolf?) down into these sewers.

"Daro... I think..." Gold responds to Aki. "Margi, never meant to make you go away. Just wanted... You shouldn't be here. Not a nice place, not for you."

Thanks for the good roll, Hmm! Seems like I'm back to my tricks of terrible rolls literally every time I'm in a sewer-based encounter.

Azhagoth nods at Aki as she uses her magic to clear some of the mess off of his clothing. "Thank you, my girl. I must say, this is not the best I've ever felt." He uses his waterskin to clean off as much of what remains as he can, then continues to search around the sewer. As he encounters the addicts and pulls out the full vial, he takes a moment to scan it for any sign of magical properties.

Cast Detect Magic on the vial
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

What a set of rolls!

Az is pretty sure (especially given his prior perception roll) that this is a vial of unrefined Whip. But you still haven't found the laboratory that is supposed to be down here.

Then Az and Ech both hear someone coming down the ladder from above. What do you do?

Seeing the rest of his comrades make a hasty exit from the seedy bar, Borox scoops up his winnings (if any) and a mug of ale as he slips out the door (or any available exit such as a hole in the wall left by a body or two being propelled through it).

He tries to keep up with his fellow party members but falls behind slightly, catching up in the stinking alley.

"Sorry folks, I got held back a tad in that melee in the bar."

(Sorry, I thought this was dead. I will try to keep active!)

Ha! I was not intending it to be *you* that came down the ladder, but we'll go with it... I'll give you all a few minutes to reintegrate the team here in the sewer. The maps are the "CC" slideshow linked in my header, Borox. We now have a mini for you!

___

Clank.

Clank.

You hear the heavy trod of someone bulky coming down the metal ladder. Just as you're about to become alarmed... you realize that the form is familiar. It's your old comrade, Borox!

Aki glances up with alarm at the sound of clanking boots but then breathes a sigh of relief as Borox chambers down to join them. "Borox! We thought we'd lost you when you didn't meet up with us after all the ruckus," she smiles, happy to have their ally back.

"You've not missed much...these people seem like addicts," she says as she gestures to the sickly people lying scattered about.

"Aye borox it's good ta have a dwarf back."

Dain peers in front of Aki. "Aye lassie..this a bunch of sad folk indeed. Perhaps they might be saved. Torag willing."

The muck-laden half-orc peers out from the small grotto filled with Whip addicts as he hears the loud clank of someone descending the ladder. When Borox appears, Azhagoth scowls for a moment before calling across to the tardy cleric. "You couldn't have been here a moment ago to help get this filth off o' me? Gah, what's the use. Yer stumpy little legs are nothin' worth my worry. Come on an' see if you can help some o' these people. They're all kinds o' sick. Might be you could help 'em with some o' yer healing."

While Borox moves into the sewer, Az heads further down the tunnel toward the strange rat statue. "Seems like a shrine o' some sort, but I never heard o' no rat god b'fore." He continues to look around for signs of any kind of alchemical laboratory, his orcish eyesight penetrating the darkness with ease..

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Hmm, was Aki's "arcane cleaning" and Az's waterskin enough to wash off the sewage and clear me of the sickened condition or do I still need more cleaning?

The cleaning that Az and Aki perform helps, and Az feels much better as he searches behind the statue. What he sees at first is a clutter of bottles, pipettes, heating devices, papers and jars of all kinds. It looks like a miniature lab.

Do you search further, Az? Do you get help?

As Az is messing around with the lab, Ech and Borox notice a sound coming from down the sewage tunnel to the south of you.

You hear the sounds of whistling as a person who looks just simply awful is coming down the corridor. He has open lesions and itchy patches of skin that he keeps scratching at.

"Oi!" He stops dead in his tracks as he notices Dain and Borox. "What" *scratch* "are you two dwarves doing down here? This is MY sewer. Private space. I can't have you mucking around in here. You'll mess up all my hard work! Off with you now. SHOO!"

He's the black figure on SLIDE THREE.