[PFS PbP Gameday V] GM Alias' 6-11: The Slave Master's Mirror (Inactive)

Game Master Jon A

Dot in here. Feel free to engage in a little light roleplay, if you like. The game will officially begin on August 27.

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Hillian Vandus here. For some reason I can't dot with my character, so I'll do it like this, and hope it sorts itself out before the 27th.

@SkipperD: Try dotting with something other than just a plain dot. I've heard that there can be problems if too many posts repeat content.

Dot.
Huh. You learn something everyday.

dot - swapping out Wembly for Roderick (in last combat of current game)

dotting in

As a clock chimes the hour, Ambrus Valsin opens the door to admit his guests then resumes his seat next to a grey-eyed woman wearing the robes of an academic.

“Please seat yourselves quickly so we can begin. This is Lady Darchana Madinani, archdean of Absalom’s premier school of the arcane, the Arcanamirium. She’s has come to the Pathfinder Society on delicate business.”

Darchana takes a moment to greet you before continuing the briefing.

“As Second Spell Lord of Absalom, I continually investigate magical attempts to attack our home. The Pathfinder Society recently aided one of my investigations by capturing a disguised Okeno slave ship used for several months to transport various unfortunates to Absalom for sale as slaves to the city’s noble families. Normally this would be legal, yet it seems someone has marked each of these slaves for use as divination foci. I can’t ignore the threat posed by such an insidious spy network. With the capture of that ship, we’re now in an excellent position to strike back at the hidden mastermind behind the slave-scrying."

“Know that I do not come to the Pathfinder Society lightly. I am taking on a calculated political risk by asking you to handle this investigation for me. But my long friendship with your master of spells Aram Zey has given me confidence in the abilities—and discretion—of Pathfinder agents."

“Using my own spells, I acquired an image of the slaver: a humanoid woman wearing a heavy veil and peering into a mirror. Her clothing is common in Kelish fashion, and I could sense her location was somewhere underground on Stonespine Island."

“Although we could pursue conventional means of tracking down the slavers, I have taken measures to ensure our quarry does not see you coming, and I would appreciate a similar effort from you. I propose disguising yourselves either as slaves for sale or possibly the slavers selling them. If successful, you need only allow our enemy’s agents to escort you to their hidden stronghold. Once inside, it should be a modest challenge for you to escape and take their leader by surprise.”

Lady Darchana pauses for emphasis. “Your goals are to capture the veiled spymaster and to bring the scrying mirror I observed back to Absalom for further study. If the spymaster dies before she is brought here, that would be regrettable but also understandable.”

“Before you get too concerned,” Ambrus adds quickly, “it isn’t the Society’s practice to sell our field agents into slavery. We’re sending you with a reliable cover story and a magical edge we can discuss in a moment. This isn’t just because it’s a dangerous assignment; we also found the name ‘Muhlia’ associated with the captured Okeno ship. It’s not a common name, but if you haven’t kept up with recent history, I can understand why you may not remember her. Pasha Muhlia al’Jakri was an associate of ours who represented Qadira’s interests to the Pathfinder Society. Three years ago, she departed following very ugly circumstances in Taldor and hasn’t been seen since. If it’s true that she’s building a spy network in Absalom, we need to head off the threat she poses to the society before she can strike.”

Roderick considers the details of the briefing with keen attention. Scratching notes into a pocketbook while he puffs on a pipe.

Yes, an intriguing dilemma.

He considers a few questions, but waits for others to speak before adding his queries.

Leaning on a fine quarterstaff, Hillian laps up the rather fascinating briefing.

"This sounds like quite the adventure! Where will we be meeting with the enemy's agent?"

An elf woman in black clothes askes "how we could carry any kind of equipment? I don't know what other members of this expedition would said, but I feel more confortable if my dear Spike is close. I suppose they also would have some equipment to feel more safety While she is talking a small scorpion comes out from her quivel.

The dwarf named Touchy is not the most inspiring comrade. His hair graying, his belly poking out from under a breastplate not quite sized right. He constantly leers at everyone making them somewhat uncomfortable in short order. He sports the rather prominent religious trappings of Calistria.

"Like the role play package back at the temple." He exclaims with an overly pleased grin. "You'd be amazed how many seemingly respectable people want to be put in a collar and whipped." He pats a whip at his hip with an amused chuckle.

"Or the other way around!" He adds a moment later.

"Sounds like just the job for Lord Touchy." He gives Darchana a somewhat inappropriate grin, waggling his bushy eyebrows slightly.

Any knowledges to know more about the al'Jakri woman? (Dalsine affair! There's a callback to the past!)

"So did you put the screws to those slaves? Or use more subtle persuasions?" He adds, seemingly all to pleased as he ponders the later. "I'm sure they knew some things about this network."

I will be of limited use on this mission without my mixtures. But undoubtedly, that could be said of most of us. Being from Cheliax,
I am quite familiar with the practice of slavery.
However, that is one of the primary reasons I decided to depart.

Roderick would prefer to pose as a slave merchant, but can accept the slave role if needed.

Conlaoch scratches his head. "Well, I can see why this is important, but I am not very good at hiding who I am. But if we get into a scrape, I will certainly be there to help."

"What is this magic you speak of?"

Lady Darchana turns at Hillian's question: "You will be meeting them at the Fleshfair in Okeno."

On the subject of questioning the slaves further, Darchana remarks, “Since we know they have been prepared for use as scrying targets, it would be unwise to risk tipping off our enemies before we’re even within striking distance. Even those we have questioned under guarded circumstances have done little beyond confirm what we already know.”

Ambrus Valsin adds, “We do have a detailed report from Rilla, a Pathfinder who spent some time as a prisoner of our enemies. Rilla remembers being separated from the other Pathfinders while in Katapesh, taken to Okeno, then marched inland to a little fort with a lot of gnolls. The gnolls deferred to a humanoid woman who always wore a heavy veil that concealed her head and face. At least once, the veiled woman used surgical tools to take some of Rilla’s blood. Rilla vaguely recalls lessons on how to serve multi-course meals and help nobles into and out of fancy clothes. When the veiled woman was satisfied with Rilla’s progress, the gnolls marched her and several other slaves back to Okeno and put her on a ship bound for Absalom called the Kat Season."

“The gnolls tend to nap or just relax during the day, trying to avoid being given chores. At night, they’re more active and alert, and usually several of them leave the fort to go hunting. Rilla wished she could help us more, but her memory of the last few months is hazy. We found and removed a curse placed on her to weaken her resistance to divination, which may also explain this memory issue.”

Regarding the magical support promised, and the concern over hiding equipment, Ambrus Valsin excitedly rubs his hands together as a proud grin cracks his businesslike expression. “Thought you’d never ask! I’ve brought one of our experiments out of development for a field test,” he explains while planting a boot on an unremarkable cedar chest. “This is a magic chest warded in much the same way as our craftspeople sometimes enchant small pouches. From the outside, it’s nonmagical and holds whatever you put in it as expected. However, if you speak the right command word before it’s opened, it instead accesses a secret, extradimensional space that can hold several hundred pounds of gear. It’s yours to use on this trip and should help smuggle most of your gear through Okeno. The forged paperwork we’re sending with you notes the chest is part of the shipment.” Valsin demonstrates the chest’s use and command word. “Anything else you want to bring needs to be something you can hide on your person and keep hidden.”

Lady Darchana nods her approval and adds, “I can also shrink one essential tool or weapon for each of you. It should provide you enough of an edge in breaking out and recovering the rest of your gear.” She then casts shrink item on one item per PC. Let me know your one item to shrink.

@Conlaoch: Silver Crusade faction members have the opportunity to earn a special boon on the chronicle sheet. Be on the lookout for opportunities to demonstrate and uphold the values of your faction during the scenario.

"such an amazing chest! Can we talk with Rilla? I like to have first hand information. I only want to carry my scorpion with me. Rest of my things, my arch, wand and scrolls can be hidden in the chest"

Hillian nods as Lady Darchana and Ambrus Valsin elaborate on the mission.

"It sounds like we have a descision concerning our approach of our destination: either at day, where the gnolls are numerous but inattentive, or at night, where the site is more lightly manned, or gnolled I guess, but on higher alert."

Scratching his chin, he continues.

"If we were to pose as slave traders, we should arrive within 'office hours'. The question then is, when is that?"

"So we playing dressup once we hit Okeno, or all the way from here?" Touchy asks. "Is a long trip from Abselom to Okeno to be spending in manacles."

"They start to chafe after a couple of days, I assure you." He adds with a grin, rubbing his wrists at some long remembered event.

"And that's not even counting how long from Okeno to this mystery doghouse with the veiled harlot."

You are right, Master Touchy. This will not be an easy journey.
I would much prefer a direct attack, but that will likely tip our hand to the captors.
This potentially aid the escape of the Slave-lord before we discern her true identity.

I would imagine that Roderick cannot hide just 'one" thing and still be able to mix bombs or mutagens, so unless he poses as a slaver, all of his gear would likely go into the chest.

Conlaoch puts his gear in the chest, except for his nodachi which he will have shrunk to keep close.

"Thank you."

I can think of nothing, equipment-wise, that Touchy can't do without. And he's more than willing to strip down in a pinch!

though I suppose he could try to conceal a few lockpicks on his person... (don't ask him where!)

My friends, I have spend some years in a Temple of Calistria, I think we can use that experience. I could be an slave with some valuable skills to masters or mistress who need a personal assistant" She winks and tries to be sure her mates understand what she means. "Don't you think that carry some slaves is going to enforce our plan of pass as slave traders?"

I don't know how much explicit I can be in this game. Please, tell me if I go too far

"Ho ho!" Touchy exclaims, pleased. "A Calistrian!?"

"I knew I liked you!" He adds with a suggestive waggle of his bushy eyebrows. "Anytime you want some worship time, Lord Touchy is always available! For confessions and penance!"

Touchy too is always in danger of overstepping boundaries! I've been trying to be good =)

VC Valsin remarks: "I'm afraid Pathfinder Rilla is currently on assignment elsewhere. But I assure you I've relayed her report accurately."

"The Fleshfairs are open during daylight hours, and sometimes into early evening. If you don't meet up with the gnolls right away, you may have to wait overnight."

"We would have you don your slave disguises here, which, unfortunately includes a metal slave collar. The captain of the ship would know that you aren't actually slaves, but the rest of the crew would not. We don't want some agent tipping off al'Jakri before you even get to Okeno."

Oh, here is a knowledge roll I missed earlier. You only need to roll once. High rolls get to look at the lower results, as well.

Regarding the level of graphic description, heavy innuendo is fine, but this is a public forum. Let's try to keep things in the PG-13 range.

Galarean could hide her scorpion, but Roderick would not be able to hide his alchemy supplies.

So what is the plan? It looks like Conlaoch, Galarean, and Touchy are leaning towards dressing like slaves, and Roderick and Hillian are leaning towards slavers. You can go as a mixed group, if that is how you want to proceed.

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Huh. Apparently he knows all about gnolls =)

"Won't be my first time in a collar." Touchy says cheerfully. "How hard are they to open? Do you have one here we can play with?" He grins mischievously.

He starts stripping down right there in the office, tossing his items in the chest as he goes. Apparently not the least bit shy.

Ya, can't have slavers with no slaves! So Touchy is willing to go in the pen! Though would like a little practice opening the lock on the collars if possible? Or do we get a key?

He'll hide a few lockpicking tools on his person

kn:local: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Roderick considers one last time to don the slave guise, but decides against it.

As much as I am loath to do so, I a slaver I shall be for this mission. I have not met any gnolls, but they sound deplorable to say the least.

not sure how much of a disguise is needed to pose as a slaver. Roderick plans to keep to himself and do little talking. If a disguise is needed, he would gladly take any offered assistance from those better skilled in the art.

Knowledge local (untrained): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9 Max. Result is 10 because I have no ranks here

Galarean smiles "My dear Touchy. I wasn't made to live a religious life, I abandoned that way long time ago. You know, there are more exciting things in this world. But If I need confession due my actions in this mission, I will look for you.

On the other hand, I will need more suitable clothes for a slave, but I would like to take my current ones inside the vault. Mr.Valsin, when we depart? I also would like to buy a wand of mage armor and take it in our mission. I think it could be useful"

I am thinking in something like princess leia's sexy slave outfit.
I wear a mwk silken ceremonial armor. It gives me some protection without arcane spell failure.

"I'll join Roderick as a 'slaver'."

'Slaves' will need to be equipped with a slave collar. The collars must remain strong enough to pass casual inspection, but a PC can attempt to rig a collar when to open without needing tools or keys as a full-round action; this is a DC 25 Disable Device check attempted when placing the collar. Since a couple of you are posing as slavers, one of them can carry the key.

Everyone (both slaves and slavers) will need to make a Disguise check. The slaves will need to be in either cheap tunics or loincloths, or similar. The slavers will need to hide any symbols related to organizations that fight slavery (holy symbols of Cayden Cailean, Sword and Eagle of Andoran), and generally just try to look like disreputable scumbags. You can either take 10 or roll. You can receive aid from one other PC on the check, and you can make the check untrained.

Once the group is ready, a Pathfinder agent leads you into the Coins district, where a nervous Kelishite slave trader named Mahjub Mahdi writes up the appropriate paperwork to identify you as slaves (and slavers) bound for Stonespine Island. He then transports you to the impounded Okeno slave ship, which is already outfitted with a new crew loyal to Lady Darchana and additional cargo bound for southern coasts. The voyage south is fairly uneventful.

Roderick tries his hand at trying to disguise himself.

I have seen enough slavers in Cheliax, you would think I could pull this off with my eyes closed.

disguise: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Roderick has no holy symbols or other identification on his person, other than his mixtures and mutagen ingredients.

Conlaoch will attempt to be a decent slave but he really has a hard time pulling it off.

Disguise: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7

Galarean takes her Disguise Kit and dresses herserf as an slave

Disguise, using disguise kit: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 2 = 11

When she is ready, she asks "Do anybody need some make up? You can use mine to improve your costume."

"I think I need some help..."

With the assist, makeup and taking 10, will that work?

Hillian takes 10 for a total of 10.

Why would you need to 'disguise' yourself as a slave? =)
Assuming its just minor details... that's a +5! =) Would it be?

"Usually don't go in much for the dress up." Touchy muses, as he borrows Galarean's kit. "But have seen folks use them often enough, how hard could it be?"

Disguise: 1d20 - 3 + 2 ⇒ (14) - 3 + 2 = 13 (+5 if just minor details required!)

End result, he looks even more decrepit then he already did... but it kind of works.

Sharks casually feed on cast-off corpses that float like buoys marking the channel into Yellow Harbor. This close to Okeno, the rocky mountain range that gives Stonespine Island its name is a blur against the sky, hidden by the city’s haze of smoke and dust. Each pier is crowded with yellow-sailed slave galleys, pirate clippers, and the occasional, heavily armed merchant ship. Past a row of taverns, the slave markets are smelly and crowded, packed with auction blocks and pens.

The group is met at the pier by one of the harbormasters, and given directions to a specific pen in the Fleshfair. There a harbormaster consults a logbook and tells Hillian and Roderick that they’re right on time, should expect their client to arrive for pickup later that day, and can place the merchandise in one of the pens until then.

As if on cue, a pair of gnolls ambles toward the group, a trained hyena trotting at their heels, and inquires about their shipment. The harbormaster grins, identifies the group as the cargo in question, and calls over several assistants to finalize the transaction.

"Right sorry lot, this time." Barks one of the gnolls. The other just laughs in high pitched bark.

Hillian shrugs at the gnoll's assessment.

"You know how it is. The acquisition of slaves is an unstable business, and this time it's on the lower end of the scale."

Roderick employs the demeanor of the condescending Chelaxian slavers he observed in his childhood.

Sub par merchandise indeed.
Secure them into their pens before they try to escape and are damaged further.
We do not want to lose additional profits on this deal.

Roderick will purposely walk towards the Fleshfair without looking back to the gnolls.

Its been a long trip, and even Touchy's enthusiasm at playing slave for the voyage has started to wane.

Especially given that he's actually had to play the part for the entire trip and it doesn't feel quite lay 'playing' anymore.

Who needs a disguise, just play the part and the disguise comes natural!

Will make a point of casting endure elements on myself every day, when no one is observing. Will also conjure my own water (via create water) and make sure to run his food through purify food and drink before eating.
No need to take too many risks!

This had better not be a ruse to sell us into slavery...

"Hey, Vangru, which one would you eat first, if you had your pick? I think elfseses is tastiest." The larger gnoll comments as he shoves Galarean into the slave pen.

Vangru laughs raucously at the comment. "Elfseses. Yep, yep!"

"This dwarf doesn't look tasty at all. I think we give him to the hyenas. Might make 'em sick, though. Get in the pen, dwarf!" He gives Touchy a rough shove.

"Hyenas make sick after eatsing dwarf! Good one, Hargur!" Vangru cackles in delight.

There are three other slaves already waiting in the gnoll's area: a Halfling woman, a tall, thin Keleshite man, and a wiry Kellid woman. They glance up disinterestedly when the newcomers arrive.

After securing the new group of slaves, Hargur turns back to Hillian and Roderick. "Is youze supposed to come with us, or are we done here? Stupid woman not say this time."

Roderick replies with disdain.

Absolultely we are coming. We did not travel all this way just to come to this smelly port. We want to see the other merchandise first hand.

Hillian nods in agreement.

Galarean whispers to Touchy. Don't loose your nerve. Answer now will blow our cover up. I'm sure we will have an opportunuty to revenge

"Let's get moving then."

The gnolls bind the slaves’ hands with rope and link the slave collars together on a rope leash. They then lead the group out of the Fleshfairs, heading north to the interior of the island. Although observant of the group, the pair of gnolls don't seem to be all that strict, allowing the slaves to talk amongst themselves.

Once the group is underway, Roderick will try to engage the gnolls in conversation to distract their attention from harassing the slaves.

How far will we travel? I do not want the goods damaged by the time we arrive.

"Sucks to be us." Touchy says to the other slaves already present in the line, once the gnolls and other 'slavers' are out of earshot or preoccupied elsewhere.

He then goes about trying to determine who his fellow slaves are and get on their good side.

"Ain't been tied up in my skivies this long since that winter holy day two years back." He says, cheerfully.

"Never did figure out how I ended up in that barrel." He adds thoughtfully.

He carefully tests his bonds and wonders how he's supposed to get at his pick with his hands tied.

Diplomacy on the other slaves: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Escape Artist on his constraints: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 (If possible, make it look like they're still binding him)

Sleight of Hand to keep picks hidden: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Hillian will fall into step with one of the gnolls.

"I haven't heard much about this boss-lady of yours. What can you tell us about her?"

Conlaoch tries to keep a wary eye open at all times, watching and waiting.