| GM Mort |
Yeah GM screwup. Will be fixing it now
"I'm Greta. Sorry, I got a little carried away, forgot to introduce myself." She actually blushes a little at this point of time. Crummock gets the impression if she had a tail now, it'd be wagging.
When Ringerr retrieved his gear, the party can do so as well
"Sorry, winterwolf boss. Don't do that. We like our entrails inside us. Boys, lets get out of here!" With that, the party sees 3 blue goblins, previously hidden in the cover of houses, scurry off deeper into the alley.
As the party moves northwards in the alley, Crummock and Einar notice a robed and hooded humanoid figure about 50 feet ahead. When they share the information with the party, Ringerr turns pale, motions for the party to step out of the line of sight of the creature whispers, "That's one of the mirror men, they're spies of the Queen. They have some magic way of speaking to the White Witches, who can see what the mirror men see. We have to hide, get it to ignore us somehow, or kill it. And they're pretty good at spotting fake documents. But if it becomes suspicious of us, don't let it escape alive - or we're done for, all of us! There's a barn over there, lets see if we can hide in it!"
Unfortunately the barn is locked. DC 20 disable device to open.
Mr Whiskers knowledge arcana: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19
That robed figure is a mirror man and has blindsight 60 ft.
That's why I said no invis
The party has 2 rounds before the mirror man gets to them. What would the party like to do?
| Crummock-i-Phail |
"I'll remember that, Greta."
Well, we have a couple of options - Einar can try to pick the barn lock; Mr Whiskers can Shatter it, or I can try to Bluff it...
| GM Mort |
Party would have been in armor before the goblin encounter
Or you can get creative. Come up with some plausible solutions(climb up on roofs and hide, hide in boxes, create a distraction). I'll give DCs for it depending on how plausible it sounds. You can also brazen it out with your forged papers if you want.
| Einar 'Kinslayer' Bjornson |
with permission, it was Einars intention to stay in costume until he reached the hiding spot, so chain shirt and no visible weapons.
goblins
Einar watches the goblins leave. "What do you know the colder they get the smarter they are."
Now
Seeing the barn door is locked Einar whispers "give me a minute the picks are here in my pouch." Drawing his picks he begins to quickly work on the lock on the barn.
Can't he take 10 (25) on disable device? With armor training and the frost forged shirt his armor check penalty is 0
| GM Mort |
You're under threat. Nasty mirror man walking towards you.You cannot take 10.
GM permission given to be in chainshirt. Will update later, class now.
| Mr. Whiskers |
Mr. Whiskers goes in and to the side, making room for the others to get in the barn as well.
Sorry I was so slow in posting, just got home.
| GM Mort |
Einar gets everyone into the barn. In the barn are hutches of snow rabbits that start squealing in panic, running in their cages madly as soon as Crummock enters the barn. Thankfully, the owner of the hutches does not investigate.
After a minute, Einar peeks out and finds the coast clear, and the party continues their journey.
Ringeirr indicates the house at the end of this street as the destination for the fish in his handcart. He knocks on the door, which a brief moment later cracks open just enough for a figure to peer out. After Ringeirr exchanges a few words with the person inside, the door bursts open and a man, a woman, and several children stream out and start carrying the fish inside. Ringeirr explains that a network of neighbors will see that the food is distributed fairly.
After which, the party returns to the main streets of White Throne.
| GM Mort |
The party sees a tavern ahead named, "Frostglen" and they see two white haired, blue eyed humans standing outside arguing.
Mr Whiskers recognises them as winterwolves in human form.
They both stop arguing as the party approaches.
"Do you smell something in the air, Yargin?" One of them asks the other.
"I believe I do, Scrobe. Its a human!" Yagin replies.
"Good." They answer in unison."Just the thing to vent on. They make such good punching bagschew toys.You even get to eat them after. They sport menancing smiles on their faces as they shift into winter wolf form and move towards Ringerr.
What would the party want to do?
| Crummock-i-Phail |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Crummock snarls at the two winter wolves.
"Off with you! This lot belong to me - if you interfere with my property, I will have you skinned alive!"
Intimidate: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24.
Let's see how far being brazen will get us ;-)
| GM Mort |
They look at Crummock fearfully as he establishes himself as the alpha, and run off without a second glance with their tails tucked beneath their legs.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
Crummock nods in satisfaction, growling openly until the wolves are out of sight, before breathing a sigh of relief.
Thank Desna that worked!
"Come on - we need to keep moving."
| GM Mort |
Apparently they ran off so fast they forgot to collect their belongings! Einar finds a sack they forgot to take containing 20 blue quartz “ice diamonds” worth 50 gp each, a curious magic stone called a steadfast gut-stone and 20 pp.
"Phew. I thought I was done for." Ringerr heaves a sigh of relief the two Winter Wolves get out of sight. "Thanks."
As the party continues through White Throne, an Ulfen man runs pell-mell from the east and turns north at this point, barreling directly into Ringerr. He drops to his knees, panting with exhaustion. Out of breath, the Ulfen man gasps, “My master’s... in a rage.”
A winterwolf rounds the corner, sees the Ulfen man and his eyes narrow with anger. He turns to Crummock. "I am Korgin. This man is part of my household, or was, until he decided to question how I manage my affairs. I’m sure you understand. Sometimes you just can’t break that defiant streak, and they’re good for nothing but a bit of sport."
What would party want to do?
| Mr. Whiskers |
Yargin and Scrobe. I wonder if those are typical Winter Wolf names?
Mr. Whiskers watches as Crummock establishes his dominance. As soon as the two others start to flee, he starts moving again towards their own destination.
I'm glad Crummock is handling this. I would have been too nervous to try something like that!
He just about jumps out of his skin when the man suddenly rounds the corner and runs into Einar. Looking at the man, and then the Winter Wolf that followed him, Mr. Whiskers can't help but think this will not end well.
We can not challenge him. Doing so will attract far too much attention.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
Crummock nods sympathetically.
"Aye, I can appreciate that it can be a pain to deal with defiant chattel..."
He looks at the cowering man thoughtfully.
"...but then again, I *do* enjoy a challenge. What would it take to take such a troublesome whelp off your hands? I would consider it a win-win situation for both of us - you get rid of a problem, whilst I get either a new servant, or some sport."
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33.
| GM Mort |
"Well, they're some Winterwolves who specialize in breaking slaves. Inflicting pain to break their spirits, leaving them broken husks grovelling at their feet. They find the process intensely enjoyable.You're one of them?"
"I bought him for 75 gp. But well, you're right. Can't really do much with defiant slaves, and getting some money back for him is better then none. What say you pay me 25 gp for him?" Korgin offers.
That's about as low as you can get.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
Crummock shrugs.
"Let's just say that I have some experience dealing with stubborn humanoids. The price seems reasonable enough."
Patting around in his pockets, he pulls out 25gp, which he presents to Korgin.
Once the transaction has been completed, he turns on the cowering man with a broad (and somewhat terrifying) grin.
"Come, worm! We have much to discuss, you and I... Believe me, if you try to run away now, you will wish you were dead."
Once the winter wolf has moved on, Crummock's expression softens.
"Sorry about that. One needs to keep up appearances, after all. If you want to get out of here alive, though, I strongly suggest that you stick close to us."
He then continues on his way.
| GM Mort |
The Ulfen man plays along, his posture hunched and trying to make himself as small as possible, while hiding behind the dog sled.
Later, after Crummock explains the nature of the deception, he answers. "My name is Jordan. And don't worry. I'll stick to you like glue. I still feel sorry about those other slaves under Korgin, though. I wish I could do something for them."
| Crummock-i-Phail |
Crummock shrugs.
"If ye be havin' any particular suggestions for what to do aboot it, I'm all ears - but we dinnae want to be doin' much that would draw attention to us..."
| GM Mort |
30 mins have passed thus far
The party continues their journey through White Throne. They notice a disturbance taking place to the north at area , where two ice trolls in the livery of Queen Elvanna’s Winter Guard have stopped two white-haired humans.Mr Whiskers recognises the two humans as winter wolves.
The ice trolls also notice the party.
Ringeirr informs the party that the ice trolls and winter wolves frequently contest each other’s authority, particularly in the Howlings, but such disagreements seldom last long.
"Mortin the Forger's house is just up ahead. We can hide in there. But he always keeps his door locked, as he's been aragophobic ever since he was imprisoned by the Winter Guard. Or we could just let the trolls see the forgeries, they're not very smart." Ringerr whispers to the party.
The party has 3 rounds before the ice trolls get to them. What would the party want to do?
| GM Mort |
The winter wolves assume their wolf forms, ending the argument with the ice trolls. The ice trolls then approach the party.
One of them demands, "Közölje üzleti White Throne."
State your business in White Throne.
| GM Mort |
With Jordan
"I could return to Korgin's house when he's drunk and convince them to flee, I suppose. But where would we run to?" Jordan answers Crummock.
"Gather any of Korgin’s other slaves who might be there at an opportune moment and clear out the place of valuables. Then go to the building south of the clock tower, to meet with the Heralds of the Summer return. We'll use some of Korgin's wealth to help pay for smuggling all of you out of the city, giving you each a sum to start anew."He instructs Jordan, softly.
"You can build your new lives in the Fishcamps. They've just been liberated from the Winter Witches rule by these people here."Ringerr whispers a suggestion as he gestures at the party.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
With Jordan:
Crummock listens to Ringerr's suggestion, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"Aye, that could work..."
Now:
Crummock contrives to look bored, and irritated.
He then confidently shows them his documents, before attempting to continue on his way.
Bluff: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28.
| GM Mort |
The ice trolls peer at the document squint at the doucments myopically, then turn their heads 90 degrees to look at the documents from the left and the right. Then sniff the papers a few times. The party can't help but wonder if the trolls can even read the document...
One of them points out to the other one, "Lát? Megvan pecsét," then gestures at the red seal on the documents.
See? Got seal.
The other nods its head, agreeing, "Ah! Van papírok pecsét. Lehet át." Then gestures for the party to pass.
Ah!You have papers with seal. You may pass.
| GM Mort |
Final checkpoint. Party is close to Greta's house. Anyone wants to visit? 40 min have passed, since casting of disguise other.
Also, when you bought Jordan over, Korgin did hand you Jordan's slave papers. No, the GM isn't that cruel.
The winding streets of the Howlings give way to an intersection of broad thoroughfares that lead to other districts of Whitethrone, where the buildings continue to improve in the quality of their construction and the exquisite detailing of their woodwork. In the distance, the sounds of more active neighborhoods can be heard, but Whitethrone is generally somber and muted. A white signpost, painted with neat black writing, stands at the crossroads.
The signpost, written in Skald and Giant, points the way toward “Two Hills” to the northeast, “Merchants’ Quarter and the Floes” to the southeast, and “Porcelain Street and Frosthall” to the south.
Einar and Crummock spot 2 mirrormen hiding behind the eves of two different buildings. When told about the mirror men, Ringerr sighs. He whispers, "We need to get past them. The nearest subterranean tunnel to the Shrine of the Everbloom lies beyond."
You'll need to make it past the mirrormen. What does the party want to do?
| Crummock-i-Phail |
With the trolls:
With difficulty, Crummock keeps a straight face.
I doubted they could read!
When the trolls give him the go ahead, he nods, takes back his papers, and continues on his way, 'herding' the party along until out of sight of the trolls.
Now:
Proving that he has adamantine testicles, Crummock strides forward purposefully, acting as if he owns the place. When he 'spots' the mirror-men, he gives a (slightly theatrical) sigh, pauses, and pulls out his documents.
"Can we make this quick? I don't want to waste all day with these interminable checks..."
Bluff: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30.
| GM Mort |
Now that the party has the mirror men in sight, they see the mirror men being tall and lean, resemble a human until the terrible face beneath the cowl is revealed—nothing but a featureless mirror, reflecting a hard, cold world.
"Yes, we'll make it quick. We're nothing if not efficient." Crummock hears a cold, metallic voice in his mind, then realizes the mirror man is speaking to him. They spare the documents a cursory glance then wave the party on.
Then the party hears a voice from behind him, as one of the doors to the houses near by open. "Crummgaeaf, are you done with your chattel yet?" Greta calls out to Crummock. "I heard your voice so I came out to have a look. I'll be right here waiting for you!"
| GM Mort |
Once past the mirror men
"I'd say that you'd better handle your friend back there carefully and pay her a visit soon...hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." He sniggers a little at that statement.
Ringer indicates that Crummock should head towards the Floes, where many of the city's elite Jadwiga live. Ringerr heads for a small communal bathhouse catering to well-connected Ulfen just east of the Water Palace. After a knowing nod to the bathhouse attendant, Ringerr leads the party downtstairs, towards a subterranean service tunnel. Ringerr lifts up the tarp, and a rather hot and bothered Nadya, Geist, and Hatch pop out of it.
Nadya gives Crummock a hard glare. "Look, I'm not sharing my tent with another girl."
"Nadya, you didn't tell me you two were that close!" Ringerr is caught by surprise. "Now if you hurt Nadya," Ringerr looks at Crummock, "We will have words."
50 min have passed for duration of diguise other, but you're home free. Crummock - do you have SOMETHING that needs doing? :P
| Crummock-i-Phail |
Crummock nods to the mirror men, and makes ready to continue on his way, painfully aware of just how little time everyone's disguises have left.
When Greta calls out, however, he pauses, composes himself, then turns around and grins wolfishly.
"Aye, I'll be along as soon as I can - there are still a few things that I be needing to do first, unfortunately..."
He then moves off, shuttling the party forward with as much alacrity as he can muster.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
Crummock gives Ringerr an aggrieved look.
"Crivens! I'll have ye know that I've been a complete bonheddwr with Nadya - I fought for her honor, protected her sons, and am actively workin' towards bringin' Thora back..."
He then turns to Nadya, and smiles apologetically.
"Ye do remember that we had to put on a good act in order to get into this place? Antagonisin' the nominally 'friendly' locals seemed like a bad idea - and we were successful - we got in here without causing a ruckus, or killin' anyone, didnae we?"
Also, just to be clear, whilst there may have been a shared tent, Crummock would not have gotten up to any particularly... amorous... activities whilst we have been on the road - the tent was being shared with Nadya's sons, after all!
| GM Mort |
"Yes, but THAT friendly?" Nadya raises an eyebrow.
Lol, but you COULD HAVE, if you wanted to. Even if kids were around, there's always the part where kids get between when they see mom and dad cuddling ;)
"I trust you. The tunnel leads down to the Shrine of the Everbloom. The passage is completely safe from here. But you'd better go deal with your gate guard friend before she starts telling all HER friends on you. We can wait for you here before we go in." Ringerr replies.
"I mean the rest of you, just feel free to make use of the bath facilities. They're tapping into a hotspring, so the water's warm. I can get you private rooms if you want." He tells the rest of the party.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
*Cough* be that as it may, it would have made *Crummock* uncomfortable ;-)
Crummock nods sagely.
"Aye, ye words have wisdom, I'll do what I can to allay her suspicions. Wish me luck!"
He then heads back upstairs, to go and meet with Greta, feeling Nadya's eyes drilling into his back the entire way...
"Greta? It's Crummgaeaf..."
Once inside, he tells her a series of enthralling tales, which are a pastiche (and slight embellishment) on his actual experiences - clearing out a tower filled with lizard-like humanoids, and taking over a pack of dogs; attacking a bandit outpost, and clearing out the denizens, the ground running red with blood, and stalking an enormous elk, only to realise that there was a group of boreal wolves tracking it, and instead of taking the elk down, electing to take over control of the 'pack'.
In turn, he asks her questions about her job in the Howlings - did she grow up here? Where else has she been? Does she enjoy her current job, or does she yearn for more excitement? What has been happening in town recently? What does she think of Baba Yaga? How does she feel about the current 'Queen', and of the recent 'crack-down' on everyone?
In all, Crummock tries to be as witty and charming as possible, ensuring that Greta has a relaxing time.
Bluff: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 15 + 2 = 31.
Damn, I'm getting good rolls, here!
| GM Mort |
"Good luck!" Ringerr whole-heartedly wishes Crummock good luck. Nadya decides not to reply to that.
"Oh Crummgeaf, you finally came!"Greta greets Crummock warmly.
Greta's house is quite simple, painted white, lined with pastel blue cushions all over. She has several bookshelves lined with books on all subjects and on different parts of Golarion. She brings out a bowl of deep fried rabbit chunks with terriyaki sauce drizzled over, and invites Crummock to share the tidbits as they lounge on the cushions.
Now you know why the rabbits went bonkers the moment Crummock stepped into the barn?
Greta listens with great interest on Crummock's tales, nearly tipping out of the cushions in her eagerness to hear them. "Would I be able to leave this place. But if I did, I would be unable to stay in human form. Human hands are such useful things. You can cook with them, don't have to eat food raw ever again. " She sighs pensively. "This recipe came out of Minkai cook book. They used chicken." She points at the rabbit chunks. "Hard to get chickens here, so I used local ingredients, rabbits. Not too bad huh? And you get to crunch up the bones after. They're crispy."
To Crummock's questions
"Yeah I've always grown up here. Never been anywhere else. I wanted to travel around, see the world, but I know most of Golarion sees me as a beast, I won't be able to leave Irrisen without being persecuted. Or turned into a pelt." She sounds sad.
"I've been working for the Howling guards. To apply for the Winter Guards, you need to swear to Queen Elvana. I don't really want to swear to anyone, I like keeping my options open." Greta states.
"There was the Winter Guard uprising, that overthrew the previous set of guards who were loyal to Baba Yaga, the Iron Guards. The Winter Guards are loyal to only Queen Elvana. Then there was the merchant's quarter incident. Queen Elvana dragged some chicken legged hut into the merchant's quarter, and now a wild forest has sprouted there, and winter witches have been sent to investigate the situation. Queen Elvana left the city after, no one knows where she went to. Some great magical working, so they say. She left her daughter Princess Cassioche in charge, a witch of great magical prowess. Princess Cassioche is currently on an expedition to the consult the Norms in the Grungir forest. About what, no one knows." She shrugs her shoulders.
"Baba Yaga - legends bespeak of her turning into a great white wolf, eyes red as coals, meeting the pack and challenging for its leadership. Baba Yaga ripped the pack leader's champion to shreds, and forced the leader to submit. The pack was hers to rule, yet she declined leadership and offered them a pact, where we would travel to a city called White Throne. We were sworn to guard White Throne and in return were given the power to take on the form of a human, and enjoy the joys of being human. It has been that way for a thousand years." Greta retells the ancient legend of Winter Wolves, with reverent respect.
"The current Queen Elvana - one queen is like another to me. Life goes on as per normal, with winter wolves being top of the food chain, except for winter witches. The recent crack-down has been a pain in the @ss. There's been a lot more work for us gateguards. I don't personally find my freedoms being restricted, though I do miss the public performances in the streets. Also a pain not to be able to have your own open air party, but you can always host it indoors."She touches her hand on her chin as if she's slightly uncomfortable.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
"I must say, I've never had Minkai cuisine before, but this is quite tasty!"
He then listens attentively to what she has to say.
Overall loyalty to herself. Doesn't get involved in politics. Likes having a humanoid form. I can work with that...
"There is magic that can make humanoid form semi-permanent outside the Howlings... although I will admit that it is rare. For example, have you heard of a magical hat that can change your appearance, albeit as an illusion? Well, there is a more powerful version of it, that can make actual physical changes rather than just the seeming of it."
Since the Greater Hat of Disguise is as per Alter Self, which explicitly lets you take on a humanoid form, and is a Transmutation effect, rather than an Illusion :-)
Once Greta mentions the location of the Hut, Crummock then tries another line of thought.
It's useful to know that the top witches are currently out of the city... one less thing to worry about, if we start creating problems for ourselves...
"If the current Queen has overthrown her Mother, don't you worry that that might somehow undo many of her great works, such as her boon to the Wolves? After all, I have it on good authority that she has been trying to capture and kill all of the Great Crone's Riders... Perhaps helping Baba Yaga would be another way to achieve permanent humanoid form..."
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 15 + 2 = 31.
| GM Mort |
"I've heard of the hat that let you appear as a human, but illusions are so easily broken. You just need to disbelieve hard enough. Besides an illusion won't grant me hands," She flaps her hands at Crummock, then shakes her legs. "And feet."
"I haven't heard of the more powerful version of it, yet. And I've got quite the collection of books here." She gestures at her bookshelves.
"I don't believe that Baba Yaga can be overthrown. Afterall she fought all the champions of all the packs of Winterwolves and established dominance all of the packs. I know she's due a visit and her riders.." She jumps out of her cushion when Crummock mentions about the riders, "What?! Queen Elvana had all the riders killed? That's preposterous! No, I do NOT want to lose my ability to turn into a human. Yes, I'd love to BE a human and travel around the world." Greta is actually growling angrily now.
| Einar 'Kinslayer' Bjornson |
Barn
’mmmm, rabbits good eating, not as good as the prawns we’ve been being served, but still good eating.’ Once the coast was clear, Einar joined his friends in leaving the barn.
on the road again, or should I say street?
’The “Frostglen” that looks like an honest tavern, I wonder if we can stop, hhhmmmm two of them, well we whipped one, wonder how we will do with two without Ziva.’ Seeing the two winter wolves approaching, Einar places himself just behind Crummock, ready to attack if his amazing communication skills did not resolve the situation.
Smiling as the winter wolves slink off not daring more than a whispered, ”Nice.” Einar quickly gathers the sack the left, looking inside, ”We should have you do that more often.” He quickly shows Crummock and Mister Whiskers the contents then adding it to his load follows along.
Seeing the human almost run into Crummock and then the white wolf; ’Good, Crummock will not ignore this, We may get another hide again. That’s what we should do, just kill a bunch of these wolves and use there hides for a Crummock costume. ‘ Staying near his friend, Einar shrugs his shoulders as the wolf walks away with twenty five gold pieces. ’No surprise there were supposed to be keeping a low profile, a fight would draw too much attention I guess. I wonder how long it will take to set the slave free.’
I was waiting for Crummock to waive his hand and tell them ”You do not need to see his identification, These are not the droids humanoids you are looking for. He can go about his business. Move along.”
in the bathhouse
’Poor Crummock, his gilded speech can get himself it situations it can’t get him out of.’ Einar stands quietly by as Crummock sweats trying to explain to Nadya. Hearing Ringerr say they could use the hot baths, Crummocks difficulty is forgotten, Einar with a grin, ”It’s been a long time since a bath, I am not concerned about modesty, only being interrupted by someone who would be against us. Where should we go?”
| GM Mort |
That should have been done with the mirrormen...
"No problem." Ringerr calls out to the bath attendant. "Hey Norris, lead my friend here to the private baths." Norris leads Einar to a hot bath in a room all by himself. "If you need anything, just ring the bell." He shows Einar the bellpull and leaves a set of towels for Einar.
Nadya also takes the opportunity to get her own private bath, grumbling about Crummock all the way.
Sorry, a lot of the nice pictures with people = indecent exposure :P
| Mr. Whiskers |
With the Mirror Men.
Guess this is where we find out if the papers are any good. I hope they pass inspection!
When the woman calls out to Crummock, Mr. Whiskers is surprised. He looks at her and then Crummock, trying to figure out what is happening. With a shrug, he continues on. Crummock seems to know people in the strangest places. I wonder what that is about?
At the bath house
Mr. Whiskers says "A bath would be most welcome. You two takes yours first. When you are done, I'll take one." I don't think I could relax if all of us were busy bathing at the same time. I doubt anyplace in Whitethrone counts as safe.
Turning to Ringerr, he quietly asks "Can we take the disguises off? My tail is getting really sore!"
| Crummock-i-Phail |
"Aye, its true - I encountered Black Midnight a ways back, mortally wounded by a spike of ice through his torso - he said that he was the last one, and was desperate for someone to take over his Mantle, and rescue the Great Crone. He then cut his own throat, spraying his blood over everyone that was present at the time - it then sunk into us, infusing us with a fragment of his power."
He pauses for a moment, to let that sink in.
"Ever since, I have been... different... slowly changing in ways that I would never have thought possible. Ye must have wondered why I was traveling with such an eclectic group...?"
He then shrugs.
"Now, I can't make any promises, but I could see you being useful - and if it isn't in my power, I could see the Great Crone being extremely grateful to those that assist her. Now, I think you should take some time to think that over - I have some tasks to complete here in the city, after all, some of which might be a tad... confusing for you - but I promise to send you a message later, giving instructions if you are still interested."
Crummock then smiles.
"If a tiny creature happens to approach you at some point in the near future, please don't immediately attack it; it may have a message for you..."
| GM Mort |
Ringerr answers, "Go ahead, we're safe here. Now you know why I don't like magical disguises?"
"Do you want a private room for your bath?"He asks Mr Whiskers.
"That is not good news." Greta replies to the Black Rider's demise. "Change is not necessarily a bad thing. Who you wish to travel with is your business. I mean they didn't quite smell correct, but you can't arrest people for not smelling right. Could be they just have bad body odour. I'll be here, as long as I'm off shift, otherwise I'll be at the guard post. Why not have the tiny creature carry my hanky," She hands Crummock a pastel blue hankerchief,"So I know that tiny creature is to be trusted."
"I have to tell you that once I leave the Howlings, I'll lose my ability to take human form."
| GM Mort |
Yes, your disguises wore off in the bathouse.
Crummock is spotted by the bathhouse attendants, and everyone has enough warning to get themselves dressed.
As Crummock approaches the bathhouse, Nadya puts her hands on her hips. "So how did that talk with that friend of yours go?"
Ringerr then leads the party down the subterranean tunnels, to the Shrine of the Everbloom. Ringerr introduces the party to Solveig, a tall ulfen woman, in a red blouse and blue pants, a cleric of Milani who leads White Throne's cell of the Heralds of Summer return. He commends the party for their efforts in freeing the Fishcamps from Marcian's rule.
Ringerr encourages the party to tell Solveig their story, and ask her about anything they wish to know in the city.
| Mr. Whiskers |
"It isn't the magic that makes the tail painful. The magic only covers sight, so someone walking too closely behind me would have been a problem." Mr. Whiskers explains, as he dismisses the spell and unwraps his tail from around his waist.
Giving a sigh of relief, he does admit "Disguises can certainly be inconvenient. I'm just glad they worked!"
He nods in answer to the question about a bath.
The bath is very relaxing. Finally having the time to properly clean and groom puts him in a good frame of mind. He also takes the time to thoroughly clean his clothing via prestidigitation. Although the small lemming doesn't feel quite as strongly about bathing, Mr. Whiskers is able to convince it to take this opportunity to clean itself.
Clean and dry, Mr. Whiskers leaves the baths feeling refreshed and relaxed.
More to come. Need to work on composing something about our experiences.
| Mr. Whiskers |
After introductions are made, Mr. Whiskers asks Crummock if he might tell the story.
Clearing his throat, he begins the tale.
Untrained Perform Oratory: 10 + 3 = 13
"Although Einar, Crummock and I had met before then, I believe the part of our story you are interested in would start in a small village within Taldor named Heldren.
The village was having unseasonably cold weather and their nearby woods was experiencing a blizzard. There were also strange creatures coming from the woods -- which we later determined were ice elementals, winter touched fey, and other such creatures. The locals asked the group of us and a local woman to look into the problem and fix whatever was disturbing the weather.
Suffice it to say that the winter storm was caused by a portal that the Winter Witch Nazhena and her male apprentice Radosek had conjured. We managed to kill Radosek, but evidently the witch was in Irrisen."
Mr. Whiskers shifts his position a little bit so that he could subtly give Einar a shove if he said anything during the next part of the story. Please Einar, be smart enough to realize I'm intentionally misleading them and have a reason!
"While still on the Taldor side of the portal, we met a fellow who called himself Illation Matevius. He told us much about the portals, including that we needed to cross over and go to the Pale Tower if we were to have any chance of closing it. Last I saw of him was in Taldor, tough to say exactly where he is now."
Bluff, withholding information in a deceptive manner: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Mr. Whiskers will shove Einar to shut him up if it looks like he is about to wreck the carefully planted and misleading information.
"Anyways, we were hired to fix the weather so through the portal we went. The local woman had already decided she would stay to protect her homelands."
"We met Nadya soon after crossing and for her own reasons she has joined us. The group of us managed to get into the Pale Tower near Walsby and battled our way to the ritual chamber. After close examination, we were able to find a way to close the portal to Heldren. Unfortunately it wouldn’t work for the other portals spread across Golarian. It also meant we were stranded on this side of the portal."
He gives a short pause, then says "It shouldn't be a surprise, we shut the portal to Heldren down."
Smiling brightly in a cheerful voice, he continues.
"Since we couldn’t go back to Heldren, we decided to strike back at Queen Elvana, the Winter Witch Nazhena, and any who ally with them."
Nodding towards Ringerr, he adds "He has already mentioned what happened in the Fish Camp."
Looking to Crummock, he says "I believe that hit the main points."
Looking to Solveig, he asks "Is there anything in particular you are interested in hearing more about?"
| GM Mort |
"A facinating tale to be sure, you are very far away from home." Solveig nods as Mr Whiskers recounts his tale. "You will need to be very careful, in this city if you're trying to get revenge on a Winter Witch, for they have much influence here." She makes a face. "What am I saying. The words of a Winter Witch is law.
Sense motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Solveig gently taps Mr Whiskers on his nose. "You're not telling the entire tale. I understand why the need for reticence on your part, but there is no need for deception here. All within these halls are sworn enemies of the Winter Witches and their allies."
"We owe you a favour for liberating the Fishcamps, for Milani is the patron of all those who fight against oppression and unjust rule. Just ask, we will try our best to help."
"Nazhema...name is familiar. She and that mecenary raiding party she hired were sent to the merchants quarter to investigate the forest growing around the chicken legged hut."
"But there is a veritable army around the merchant square. It is certain death to attempt getting in." Solveig cautions Mr Whiskers.
| Crummock-i-Phail |
"Aye, that is probably a wise precaution."
Crummock nods.
"Aye, it was a useful little discussion - she answered a lot o' questions.
Apparently, there was the Winter Guard uprising, that overthrew the previous set of guards who were loyal to Baba Yaga, the Iron Guards. The Winter Guards are loyal to only Queen Elvana. Then there was the merchant's quarter incident. Queen Elvana dragged some chicken legged hut into the merchant's quarter, and now a wild forest has sprouted there, and winter witches have been sent to investigate the situation. Queen Elvana left the city after, no one knows where she went to. Some great magical working, so they say. She left her daughter Princess Cassioche in charge, a witch of great magical prowess. Princess Cassioche is currently on an expedition to the consult the Norms in the Grungir forest. About what, no one knows. With the top two Witches out of the city, now might be the time to get things done."
He then pauses thoughtfully for a moment.
"That said, I think we need to sell loot, and re-equip."
Crummock then turns to Solveig.
"In addition to visiting merchants, are there any high-level divine spellcasters in the city that you would trust to discretely cast some spells for someone with the right amount o' coin?"