Red Hand of Doom PBP

Game Master Tanner Nielsen

"I'm sure we'd be more than happy to do anything we can. Perhaps we could adjourn to the inn's common room or someplace else we can discuss the matter more comfortably than in the hallway?"

Although Findor looks wistfully back at his room where he had just removed his armor in preparation for his arcane studies, he finally nods again, taking up the belt with Calanharel and fascinating it around his elven robe.

Discussion seems like it would benefit us all, though some of us are tired. We shall dine together, perhaps, and allow you to inform us of the task that you require of us?

Findor keeps his face at an angle, attempting to hide the scar along the left side of his face.

Norro Wiston shakes his head with a slight smile, "Dinner would be lovely, if not for a dozen other tasks demanding my attention. I will get straight to the heart of the matter. Our town is under attack," the Speaker begins, "Hobgoblin raiders have been harrying our lands for several days now. They've attacked and killed people in the outlying homesteads, and they've been waylaying travelers along the Dawn Way."

Captain Soranna adds, We've had som trouble with them before - a quick raid on homesteads on the west side of the river, usually not that bad - but this is different. It looks lik a large, aggressive tribe has moved down out o the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Frankly I fear they might be numerous enough to sack the town."

"Beyond the immediate threat to our homes, the road is our lifeblood," the Speaker continues. "If the hobgoblins make the Dawn Way impassable to the west, trade won't come this way, and we'll be ruined. Not only do we need to repel the raiders from our town, but we've got to keep that road open. Can you help us do it?"

Today is my long day again, will be back 6pm EST.

"We would be happy to help you protect western road," Adele begins, her face troubled, "but we have to tell you that the road from the south is under attack as well. On our way here, we were ambushed by hobgoblins from a farmhouse. Although we destroyed their forces, we found some poor unfortunates who had already fallen prey to the creatures: the farmer whose cottage had been invaded, we presume, as well as a prosperous lady traveler and her retinue. We had hoped someone in the town might be able to identify the victims and deliver word to their family."

Findor nods his head at Adele's announcement.

"That is true. We fought nearly a score of hobgoblins on the way into town. They were militarily organized and seem well equipped."

"I would be happy to volunteer to help the town. This evil must not go unchecked. And, frankly, there must be a pretty strong force to keep all the unruly hobgoblins in line."

Speaker Wiston groans and rubs his forehead, "To the south as well! I will have to send a patrol to confirm whose farm was attacked. This can only mean that they are increasing the radius of their attacks. From what we can tell, the local attacks are emanating from the Witchwood to the west."

Captain Anitah takes up where the Speaker left, "If you're going to be wandering around in the Witchwood, I would advise you to seek out Jorr Natherson. You can't find someone who knows the woods better. His cabin is out of the way, but it could be worth the walk. If you're on the Dawn Way, take a right on a trail about nine miles from the forest edge. Jorr's cabin is near Swift Creek."

Speaker Wiston breaks from his grief, a look of hesitation on his face, "We thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your assistance." He bites his lower lip, "Not to sound mercenary at a sensitive time like this, but did the posting from Lord Jarmaath detail what... compensation... was promised to you?"

Findor speaks up.

"Whatever compensation we have been promised, I only hope we have also attained the cooperation of the townspeople. Is there a resident wizard who might be able to assist us, at least here in the town if not in the wilds?"

"No fee was named, but firt payment was promised uppon arrival. Narses injects.

"Why, Narses," Adele murmurs, "wasn't the opportunity to destroy those hobgoblins that ambushed us reward enough?" Talk of compensation is making her very uncomfortable. Adele would happily volunteer to serve any righteous cause in exchange for no payment whatsoever, but past experience has taught her that not all the members of her party appreciate her expressing that opinion on their behalf.

"The tools and weapons taken from those hobgoblins we beat back earlier seem to have been a reasonable recompense for our effort, Narses. I suspect there is more where those came from. A bounty for us, and doubly better, taking those weapons out of the monster's hands."

If the threat is as dire as they say Adele, we must take any reward possible to aid us in the fight.Feek says in Halfling.

Norro wrings his hands, obviously not comfortable with parting from money. "Well, I can offer you direct compensation. In the amount of, say..." he looks at Soranna, who gives him a firm nod. He turns back to you, "...500 gold pieces each? Or I can offer you a 'Friend of Drellin's Ferry' discount to all of our merchants and vendors. This would be 600 gold pieces in credit to any shop in town, as well as half-off divine and arcane spellcasting services. Do either of these sound agreeable?"

"Why, that would be lovely." Adele smiles brilliantly, the awkward negotiation over. "I would be pleased to support your local merchants and craftsmen, and I'm sure we'll be needing supplies of various sorts. And it's much less trouble than carrying around a heavy pile of coins. Which reminds me:" she pulls out the pouch the group found in the farmhouse and hands it to Norro, "we found this in the farmhouse with the unfortunate victims of the hobgoblins. We hoped that you could pass it on to their next of kin. And you mentioned spell-casting? What kind of temples do you have in town?"

"Equipment and services sound good." Narses spits in a pot by the fireplace. "Don't mistake us for a mercenary, we didn't come for the reward. This job is about ridding the world of an evil threat, but we need support by equimpent, information and services. Thats were your coinpurse comes in."
Eyeing the men with a critical stare and a hmmm to see if he's understood by the burocrats.

"I, too, would be glad to take a discount on any necessities from your town. We appreciate your generous offer."

Findor nods his approval, though he seems a little weary of the conversation.

"That will do for me as well. I should like to see what arcanists are here in town."

Captain Anitah ticks off the town spellcasters on her fingers as she describes them, "A small clearing in the woods on the west bank of the Elsir holds an old circle of small menhirs known as "the Old Ones" by the townsfolk. The circle has long served as a druidic sacred place, and the druid Avarthel now tends the Old Ones. He can also brew potions if required." Site 19 on the map.

"The town's priest is Brother Derny, a stout priest of Kurgess. Although pompous, preachy, and long-winded, he is agood and charitable individual at heart who goes out of his way to aid less fortunate folk." Site 6 on map.

"The town wizard is a highly regarded halfling name Sertieren. Rather self-absorbed, but a decent fellow. He can cast spells, scribe scrolls, and usually has a few minor magical items for sale from his small tower." Site 7 on map.

Using Lore Master to take 10 on Knowledge (religion) in re: Kurgess = 22. I assume he's a minor deity of Golarion?

Also, could I ask you to put a link to the map of Drellin's Ferry on your DM profile, as you've done with the NPCs and the overland map? It would be easier to find to look up the references.

1. Kurgess

2. Drellin's Ferry

Thanks, DM!

"What precisely did you want us to do to protect the western road? Would you like us to patrol it on our own, or are we to coordinate with some larger plan of defense?"

For reference:

From what we can tell, the local attacks are emanating from the Witchwood to the west."

Captain Anitah takes up where the Speaker left, "If you're going to be wandering around in the Witchwood, I would advise you to seek out Jorr Natherson. You can't find someone who knows the woods better. His cabin is out of the way, but it could be worth the walk. If you're on the Dawn Way, take a right on a trail about nine miles from the forest edge. Jorr's cabin is near Swift Creek."

"Unfortunately, we don't have much in the way of militia. These bandit attacks only started a few weeks ago. Brindol hasn't had time to recruit and deploy soldiers to protect the roads this far west into the Vale. Right now, we don't think they are too large of a force. We hope a group of talented adventurers should be enough to take care of them."

"Then our task is to discover and destroy the hobgoblin forces in the Witchwood?" Adele confirms. "And we are fully deputized by the rightful authorities to take any and all actions we deem necessary to protect the Dawn Way and those who travel it?" Her lawful little soul quivers at the prospect of dotting every i and crossing every t.

Norro wrinkles his brow, "What? Oh, well, I suppose so. I was sort of expecting righteous vigilantism, but..." He takes a step forward, clears his throat, and taps each of you on the shoulder, "By the authority invested in me as Town Speaker of Drellin's Ferry, you are hereby authorized to dispense justice, right wrongs, and protect the innocent from the Wyrmsmoke Mountains to Talar, and from Drellin's Ferry to Rhest." He steps back, "Do you have any other questions?"

Findor falls silent, thoughtful again.

"The hobgoblins were venerating someone named Azarr Kul. Do you know who or what that is?"

Speaker Wiston looks at Captain Anitah, who shakes her head, "I'm afraid we don't. The raids have only begun a few weeks ago. In that time, we have not had a single verbal exchange with them. Anything else?"

Findor thinks some more.

"They said something about claiming their own territory. Is there any reason to believe that this land once belonged to hobgoblins or perhaps something called the People of the Dragon? Are there ruins, legends, or myths that might support their claim?"

"Maybe the druid or the old ones might have some information about the olden days of the territory. We could always go talk to him as we head out of town."

"Tomorrow," Adele says firmly. "After we've had an actual cooked meal and slept in a real bed, for a change. I hope there's not such an extreme hurry that we need to leave immediately, Speaker?" she asks, with an inquiring look at Norro Wiston.

"I seriously doubt that a few hours will make or break your efforts in repelling these marauders. Besides, I doubt Mr. Natherson would appreciate guests in the middle of the night. Please feel free to rest, I will make sure that your lodgings are paid for by the town coffers."

He turns to Findor, "No, the hobgoblins do not have any legal or cultural claim to these lands. If humans did drive them into the mountains, it would have been in times so ancient that it is no longer relevant."

He clasps his hands in front of him, "Now please, rest well and stock up on whatever supplies you may need. Now if you would excuse me, I must go speak with some other townsfolk."

With that, Speaker Wiston and Captain Anitah depart. How would you like to spend your afternoon/evening?

Sorry for lack of posting, I was checking in regularily but I assumed it was fairly obvious Feek was saying as little as possible and trying to blend into the background.

Adele will spend the evening in the inn's common room, eating a pleasant dinner and chatting with the help and any other customers. If other entertainment is not available, she will perform Galtan folksongs and dances, but if there is a local bard of some kind, she will not step on his toes or try to steal the spotlight. She will use Diplomacy to gather information about any trouble in town, particularly focusing on the identity of the dead farmer or any missing female (1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23) She will go to bed early in order to get a good night's sleep and be prepared to face whatever may come in the morning.

Findor eats lightly: fruit, cheese, and some bread but spends most of the evening poring over his spellbook and in meditation, Calanharel in hand.

Granting myself +2 to Dexterity, and preparing Mending

Same as Feek, been ghosting but had nothing to add. And had a RL rpg tonight, first in a long while. Woohoo!

First on the list for Narses is a warm bath. Scrubbing away the dirt and blood, shaving his head and trimming his beard in a sort of ritualistic manner.
Narses will then go down to the common room and eat heartily of fat meat and boiled vegetables, pouring it down with spiced herbal tea, before retiering to his chambers for the night.
Before going to sleep he will go out to the balcony or stick his head out the window and observe the town for a while, reminding himself why is doing this. The protection of innocents, the sacredness of home and hearth.
Giving a silent prayer to Erastil he turns in for the night.

If it late in the evening, Dragox will have dinner and excuse himself to his room to perform a bit of meditation and reflection upon the teachings of the Dawnflower. If it is still fairly early in the day, he will go meet Brother Derny, introducing himself and learning if the priest knows anything about the monstrous raiders. After meeting the religious leader, he will turn in for the evening, doing the formerly described.

Night falls, and you sleep peacefully in the bucolic haven that is Drellin's Ferry.

More tomorrow morning.

Corrections. I don't usally retro character actions, but it makes sense to do it this way.

Instead of preparing mending, Findor will use his bonded item ability to cast mending to repair Adele's torn clothing during their dinner.

Sigz what point buy did you use to make Narses? He comes out over a 25 point buy if my math is right.

Sigz what point buy did you use to make Narses? He comes out over a 25 point buy if my math is right.

I get 30-point build.

18 (17) +2 human =20
15 (7) +1 level =16
16 (10)
8 (-2)
13 (3)
7 (-4)

yikes! thats 31 points. some serious mis-calculations...

sry will fix that.

17 (13) +2 human +1 level =20
15 (7)
16 (10)
7 (-4)
13 (3)
7 (-4)

will go with that

Done, thx guys. Don't know what happend there.

Sorry about the hiccup, had a last-minute assessment report to write.

Morning dawns on the village of Drellin's Ferry. You awake to the pleasant aroma of eggs and sausage cooking in the kitchen below your rooms. Once you finish breakfast, the day is yours to spend.

Once he awakes and meditates on what spells might benefit him for the day, Dragox meets the rest of his companions in the inn. "Anyone up for doing some meeting and greeting with others in town? I figure we should speak with the priest, druid, and wizard at the least. We can divvy it up, so we can cover all our bases."

Instead of preparing mending, Findor will use his bonded item ability to cast mending to repair Adele's torn clothing during their dinner.

"Why, thank you, Findor," Adele says sincerely when her torn sleeve is mended. "I know it's silly to get too caught up in fashion when so much evil is afoot, but this blouse came all the way from Absalom and Shelyn herself knows when I'll have a chance to shop there again. It's terribly hard to find stylish clothes actually made for a halfling and not just cut down from human-size in small towns like this. When I was just a little girl in Isarn -- before the ... unpleasantness -- my mother used to able to buy the prettiest frocks in just the right size." Her voice falters for a moment; then she smiles with an effort. "Well, anyway, thank you very much for catering to my vanity."

"Anyone up for doing some meeting and greeting with others in town? I figure we should speak with the priest, druid, and wizard at the least. We can divvy it up, so we can cover all our bases."

"I know Findor would like to speak to a fellow student of the arcane," Adele says, "and I assume that you, Dragox, would enjoy communing with a fellow priest, which leaves Narses or I to visit the druid. What say you, Narses? I admit I rarely understand the druidic outlook, but I could at least talk a bit about plants." She looks inquiringly at the gruff ranger.

Pausing his slurping to look up from his breakfast of vegetable broth Narse raises one eyebrow, "Hunh? Druid? ya afraid I'll offend somone if your not there to smoth me over?" he laughs.
Giving a shrug and turning back to his broth he speaks into the bowl, "Yeah sure, why not."
Finishing up his broth with a loud belch he stands up and fastens on a harness with all his weapons. "I'm good. Let's go.

Find out how much coin each merchant has to trade. We have several thousand gold coins worth of arms and armour to trade.

If you haven't already, please add two of the alertness-granting potions to your equipment.

Feek will follow Adele and stay in the background, eyes and ears open. Hood up of course.

Adele pointedly ignores Narses' gustatorial noises as she arises from her chair. "We might also inquire as to whether there is a reliable depository in this town, if it is to serve as our base for a while. It would be more secure and easier on the horses than carrying pouches of coin around the countryside."

You still have coin? Heh... Mine got drunk last time we were in a decent tavern... Maysalkirii says with a grin.

"And unless we find a reliable depository, the same thing is likely to happen to the coin you want to trade the hobgoblins' arms and armor for," Adele smiles pointedly. "Perhaps we ought to carry it around as it is rather than selling it. You might have a hard time finding a 'decent tavern' that will accept used weapons in payment."