Event details
Event name: PbP Community Multi Table Special III
Event number: #158,592
Begins: Fri, Jan 5, 2018 (for approx 53 days)
My timezone: AEST
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Hi all,
Just kicking off a GM only thread for the special so we can maintain communication and ensure nothing gets missed.
Thank you for being part of the GM team for the next Multi on the boards. This is the third one of these that I have run, and each time has been a good learning experience, and well received by the player base.
At present, we have 16 GM's scheduled and a body of 'back-up' GM's ready to assist.
When we get closer to the launch of the day I will generate a 'public' Overseer thread on these boards, and per standard custom and practice, each Overseer announcement will be posted into the Gameplay threads.
Shared prep and the like is always helpful, so feel free to give each other a hand, and historically we have managed to get a Googleslides kit up and running of maps etc to make prep a touch easier,
From the admin side:
* Game Day support has been requested and acknowledged, but not yet actioned.
* I have requested scenario support, expect those to drop the week prior to the kickoff.
Reporting:
GMs will gather player data and issue chronicles, I will add the GM's as reporters to the event and you can input your table direct.
Boons:
These will be detailed once I get approval from the mothership. I normally do the 'won' and GM boon issuing.
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I will be away and out of contact (dodgy to nil internet on South Pacific islands) from 18 - 28 Dec and will not be online during that period, but any questions raised here will certainly be addressed when I return.
At the request of hosts Canayven and Sheila Heidmarch, you have been invited to attend a private meeting at Heidmarch Manor. A large number of your fellow Pathfinders have clearly also been given a similar invitation, however the appearance of Sheila Heidmarch suggests all is about to be made clear.
She calls for your attention, and as the noise dies down she begins to speak.
”Dear friends, welcome to Magnimar and the newest Pathfinder Lodge—Heidmarch Manor. For those of you who do not yet know me, my name is Sheila Heidmarch—venture-captain of Magnimar. This lodge is also my home, which I share with my husband Canayven. While we are far from the comforts of the Grand Lodge at Absalom, we shall do our best to accommodate you with our humble Varisian hospitalities. My husband and I both spent many years in the field, so we know well what you do and appreciate that you have answered our summons. We are both extremely grateful to receive you and your support.”
“As you well know, Heidmarch Manor is a new lodge. Presently it is funded almost entirely from my own resources. Although I adore Magnimar, we have as many enemies here as friends. This being the case, I seek to court the favor of more powerful allies, specifically members of the Council of Ushers and the Office of the Lord Mayor.”
“This brings the conversation to our current situation. On one of their more recent salvage runs, the wondrous artificers of the Golemworks uncovered a strange relic while dredging stone from the bottom of Magnimar’s harbor. The relic appears to be some sort of a giant key, etched with ancient Thassilonian runes that their learned arcanists speculate may even predate the coming of the mysterious runelords. Because the key falls outside their area of expertise, the Golemworks donated the curious aritfact to the Office of the Lord Mayor. In turn, the Lord Mayor intends to auction off the key to the highest bidder in short order, to fund municipal projects. The auction will be run by the Cathedral of Abadar, gold in hand—meaning immediately after the final bid is accepted, the bidder must pay for his prize in full.”
“We want the key. However, we want it legally. Our establishment in Magnimar is relatively new and our footing tenuous. We need to secure more stable political relationships with the Lord Mayor’s office and the Council of Ushers to ensure the Society’s long term success in this city; especially since the Aspis Consortium already has such a strong foothold here. The legitimate purchase of the Runecarved Key from the local authorities would demonstrate our respect for the city’s government, which would go a long way toward improving our public image with these people.”
“That said, we can greatly increase our chances of winning the auction by persuading our competition to back out. While there are some we believe we can outbid, we are a new lodge with far fewer funds than many. Thus, we must find out who else is interested in the key, how much they can bid, and whether or not we can knock them out of the auction.”
“To assure our success, our espionage must be extensive. Therefore we have divided the task between our agents. While division stands to place field operatives in greater danger, we cannot risk revealing ourselves by working en mass. If you are discovered, we will disavow any association with you. We cannot aid you if you get arrested or fall into the clutches of the enemies of our Society. While this is unfortunate, I hope you can understand our position.”
”For now, please make yourselves at home. We have provided accommodations for each of your groups. Feel free to drop off your things and prepare yourselves. Then meet me in the manor’s theatre in five minutes.”
Even before the venture-captain arrives, the theater in Heidmarch Manor is crammed with Pathfinders. Heidmarch enters quietly, then slips through the crowd, takes the stage, and speaks. “Tonight, the Council of Ushers is sponsoring a pre-auction gala, to be hosted at the Cathedral of Abadar. During the party, the auctioneers intend to display the Runecarved Key in order to entice potential bidders. Anyone serious about entering the auction will be required to place a deposit of ten thousand gold coins in an escrow account at the cathedral.
“We need you to attend this event, both to submit our deposit as well as to determine who else might be interested in the key. While most of those attending received invitations, the event is semi-private and open to anyone with enough money to place serious bids. While the city provided me with an invitation, my appearance would give our many enemies cause for suspicion. For this reason, I ask that all of you go in my stead, and enter as my proxies. Still, we do not want out enemies to speculate on our own intentions. For this reason you must keep a low profile and avoid seeming too eager about the key. Each of you will be given a portion of the full deposit to take to the temple to present to Proctor Imikar”
The cathedral’s sexton calls everyone’s attention “The pre-auction gala has ended; all must leave the cathedral immediately. Thank you for attending and we’ll see many of you back here for the auction.”
You return to the Heidmarch Mansion. The theater is filled with your fellow Pathfinders, all buzzing with excitement. Sheila Heidmarch, raises her hands and quiets the room before speaking. “Well my colleagues, I trust you were successful this evening? Anyone have information to share? Let’s see some hands.”
A dwarf clad in full plate with a great hammer on his back calls out ”Aye, we met Rinks, a halfling who said he was acting on behalf of one of his clients. We found out that he has spent the last few months here in Magnimar betting on the bullfights at the Matador’s Lodge. He was not as lucky as most of his kind and has run up a sizable debt with the lodge’s owner, Master Basaale Minvandu. The halfling is staying in the Old Fang Inn”
A couple of humans push a grippli forward ”Quon here also has to report something” they say. The grippli turns a brighter shade of green and then softly starts speaking ”I am afraid we made a bit of a mess at the gala. That Chelaxian woman, Zimandi Kaddren, found out that we are with the Pathfinder Society and she immediately stormed off in anger, saying that she would take every effort to outbid the Society at the auction.” The grippli seems to have found his voice as he continues ”We asked around and we discovered that her parents vanished during an expedition to a mysterious fortress known as Viperwall in central Varisia. I think that she blames the disappearance of her parents upon the Pathfinder Society.”
A famous halfling jumps on a table ”I am Lem and I can report that the curator of the Museum of Ages is also interested in the artifact! Doctor Landis has secured a donation for the key. He thinks it is an item of great historical significance, and that it was created by Emperor Xin to unlock a temple of seven paradises. I would have expected that Nigel Aldain of the Blakros museum would also be present, but I did not see him. That is all for me!”
A human woman calls out, the symbol of Iomedae obvious on the buckler that she has strapped to her left arm. On the same hip she has an Aldori duelling sword. ”I talked to two women dressed in travellers’ outfits. Both had with thick Varisian accents. They introduced themselves as ‘the Duchesses’ and said they live in Ordellia where they work as caravan guards. Beyond that, they had little to say.”
A servant rushes in and hands Sheila Heidmarch a note ”Give me a moment, this is probably important, otherwise Jacob here would not have disturbed us”. She reads the note and briefly ponders it for a moment.
“Well, my friends, it seems Desna smiles upon us. My sources have just informed me that the Aspis Consortium has fewer funds than we first imagined. Thus, they have sent word to an ally in Korvosa to ship them more gold. Fortunately, I still have a few spies in Korvosa. A few days ago, the Consortium hired a Varisian caravan to carry a sizable shipment of gold to Magnimar, presumably to help them secure the Runecarved Key’s purchase.”
“The caravan was traveling along the Yondabakari River and should be nearing the outskirts of the city in a few hours. I need you to ride out to the caravan before it gets within sight of the city walls and ensure that gold never reaches the Aspis Consortium at Bronze House. Take whatever gold you can, but try not to draw attention to yourselves as Pathfinders. It’s bandit territory out there anyway, so caravan raids aren’t uncommon. That said, rest assured the caravan will be armed. As soon as you’re finished, hurry back here. We don’t want Maiveer Sloan to catch on to our plot. I’ll send a white raven to signal you to return before the situation becomes too risky.”
A white raven begins circling overhead. The bird is Sheila Heidmarch’s signal that you should wrap things up and head back to Heidmarch Manor with or without the Aspis Consortium’s gold.
Two hours before the auction is slated to begin, Sheila Heidmarch calls everyone back to the theater for another emergency briefing. She appears greatly agitated and her tenor is one of immediacy.
“My friends, we have little time and much work to do, so I’m going to make this simple. While you were dealing with the Aspis Consortium, my informants in the city investigated the individuals you reported on from last night’s gala. It seems a number of them have sufficient funds to jeopardize our efforts. In what little time remains, I need you to prevent as many of them from participating in the auction as possible. My agents will provide each of your groups with a mission brief. Once you complete the task, return here to inform us of the results, and we shall quickly set you upon another mission. Again, we need you to complete as many missions as you can before the auction starts. But remember to keep your efforts clandestine and try not to kill anyone important. We’re still trying to win the auction somewhat legally.”
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A fanfare of trumpets blasts loudly, breaking through the roar of the combat and ringing of clashing blades. Leading a mounted battalion of armored warriors, Sheila Heidmarch and her husband charge through the streets, driving through the waves of summoned fiends and forcing them to retreat back through their gates to the netherworlds from which they were called. In a matter of minutes, their assault is complete and the streets fall quiet.
Sheila Heidmarch strides over to Prisim – ”You have the REAL Runecarved Key” then holds it aloft signifying a Pathfinder victory!
“Today, every one of you has contributed to a triumphant victory for our Society, and you have cemented our place in Magnimar. “I’m deeply honored that you have granted me your services. While my lodge is small, you have made it feel like a kingdom. Yet our victory today is somewhat bittersweet. It seems dark forces have surfaced in Varisia—forces which, before today, I was unaware of. I’m sorry to have thrown you headlong into the middle of such chaos. I have already sent word to the Decemvirate of today’s events and await their response. When I know more, I shall contact you, for I fear this key has somehow placed all of us in danger. Still, we should go forth, for now is the time to celebrate!”
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Highest Point scoring tables by GM:
Redelia 121
Hmm 113
Aerondor 111
Silbeg 105
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