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With a small incantation and a few curious looking finger gestures, Aranan manipulates the key dangling from the ceiling which promptly falls to his hand... a small golden key.
Raoul begins beading a sweat on his brow, blowing a dust gently across the chest and using a small horsehair brush to spread the dust into a fine coating over the chest... moments later he tips a small amount of oil over the chest in a few places, causing the dust to coagulate and congeal, slowly smearing down the chests outer surfaces. Raoul believes the chest is now likely to be disarmed.
He tries the jeweled key in the steel chest, however the key simply crumbles to dust as it enters the lock, much to everyone's surprise, however the scepter, Pozuket now notes after his study of the door, would probably fit the entrance to the chamber.
Raoul looks to the small gold key Aranan is holding and is pretty sure it would work on the steel chest.
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With two keys and a plan, it is only a momentary pause before the steel chest finally yields its secrets to the small gold key. This chest holds the map of the Salhar burial vaults beneath Sothis and an unidentified wand.
The jewelled key neatly fits the lock to the vault door, and turns dutifully within the chamber.
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With the goods in hand, you leave the chamber, relieved to be out of its frustrations and trickery.
On the other side of the door, the manservant still waits dutifully, although he now regards you all with a slightly appraising eye as though looking for something, his eye raisies with a look of slight surprise and appreciation when he fails to find what he is searching for. "You may keep the map, but must return any remaining keys"
He then guides you back to the front gate of the compound, you feel slightly upbeat having ticked off one item from the sheet...
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Florentine follows the servant out cheerfully, happy to be breathing fresh air again. "Thankyou my good man. We shall be off. Much pathfinder business to attend to. Our best to your master." He tries to say classily.
"Well done everyone. No one got hurt. We passed their puzzle with flying colors judging from that servants reaction," Florentine observes after they have left, "I wonder why his Lord didn't see us off, perhaps we took too long or he has business to attend to. "
"Shall we go meet the Paracountess then? "
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Sense Motive:
Aranan:
Jivokun
Florentine
Grogson
Pozuket
Raoul
Whilst enroute to the Ivy District, Aranan, Jivokun, and Florentine get a feeling that something isn’t right; a prickling sensation leaving them on edge and uneasy. Now that nightfall has set in, you get that feeling in your gut that you are being watched, but by parties with bad intentions.
On entry to the Ivy District, you note note its smaller size and its exclusivity. The ivy covered tree-lined streets give the neighbourhood its name, which clearly attracts a wealthier and more aristocratic demographic than the seedier parts of you have already passed through; an enormous change from the Docks you visited earlier. The streets are filled with theatres, galleries and discrete parlour houses, and the people you pass are an eclectic array of artists, minor nobles and famous actors. You do note that the people here are fairly relaxed and unguarded, and you get the impression it is one of the safer parts of Absalom, and probably relatively free from the violent crimes one would expect in the less affluent areas, but with money come extravagances and thus crimes such as prostitution and narcotics thrive among the hedonistic residents, hence such activities retain a more subdued and discrete profile but are clearly widely available.
Arriving at Paracountess Zarta Dralneen’s townhouse, you come upon a magnificent gothic structure three stories in height. The ebon lacquered double doors wrought with gleaming silver fixtures greet the characters, a prickly brass cone hanging from a chain serving as the door chime. Moments after ringing it, a servant in loose casual attire opens the door, greeting you all as though you were expected.
He welcomes you inside, “My mistress will answer any questions you have once we reach her quarters.” Led through well-appointed sitting rooms, ballrooms, and a grand stairway granting a view of an elaborate study, you finally arrive on the third floor of the house, at the door of Zarta’s personal study, which lies beyond her bedroom. Knocking upon the door and announcing his presence, the servant opens the darkly stained wooden door.
A large intricate carpet dominates the marble floor in this sitting room. A chaise sits along the north wall and a desk spans the southeast corner, its chair positioned with its back to the southwest corner of the room. Three comfortable chairs are positioned around a small, low circular table.
Perception:
Aranan:
Jivokun
Florentine
Grogson
Pozuket
Raoul
Sitting in the chair behind the desk, Paracountess Zarta Dralneen regards you all with a wry smile, putting away a few papers before standing to address the party.
“Aldor, you are dismissed. Close the door behind you and attend to your other tasks.” She then turns her attention to the group. “It’s always so incredibly adorable when I see a fresh faced batch of Pathfinders. I mean, look at you scrumptious little teacakes. I could eat each and every one of you up. Well, maybe not you.” Zarta points at Pozuket. “I assume this isn’t a pleasure visit since most of you are terribly overdressed for that manner of occasion, so that must mean you are here for that trinket Valsin has been nagging me about. Seems I can’t get that man around these parts anymore,” she gestures, sliding her hand down her body and widening the gesture to sweep out and across the room as if her home were a secondary thought. “On the good side, he always sends me all the precious new recruits”.
As the paracountess talks, a cacophony of booms and crashes sounds from beyond the room’s west door.
“Many think we in Cheliax serve and worship devils, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, we use the creatures for their power. They serve us and we sculpt their power in our own interests. The world must come to terms with the order of things. People need to know their place and operate accordingly. It is the only way to make order from this world. Too many people stretch too far beyond their station, making waves and eroding the true order.”
The crashing and bashing noises continue on.
“A servant is greatly misbehaving. You’re going to have to deal with it in order to get the trinket.” She goes over to the desk in her study, opening a drawer and drawing out an exquisite silver letter opener shaped like a dagger. “You might need this to get it to submit,” she offers with a sly grin.
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If they had been done their tasks already then Jivo would've likely spent the remainder of gold and the rest of the night on some of the Ivy district's delights...but work comes first...
He was impressed with the Paracountess's housing but even more so with the Paracoutness herself...now here is a woman that knows what she wants and goes for it...delightful... and her not so veiled flirtation after the sights of the streets had the half elf in a stir. Which was quickly dismissed with the racket from the other room...oh, I see...this just got real dangerous...what a woman...
Full of himself and favoring the offered weapon; Jivokun stepped forward and took the silver letter opener being careful to be respectfull...well just a glance wont hurt...
Sounds like an unruly pet but no worries Madam; Ambrus picked us for good reasons one and all.
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Aran smiles at the woman's obvious double entendre and shakes his head, "I'm sure you rarely have trouble getting a man to come around these parts, m'lady," he gives her a wink before continuing. "Might there be any further information we could have before we try and take care of your unruly servant?"
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After feeling like being watched Florentine started to get paranoid. Looking around every few seconds to find where the eyes he could feel on his back were.
"The devils do not serve those less powerful than themselves," he warned, he was getting a bad feeling from this woman. No matter her physical attractiveness that he as a young man certainly couldn't deny, he was put off by the way she spoke and suggesting he might be here for her pleasure struck a bad cord within him. "Can you not control your own servant that you must ask favors from guests?"
When the others make a move for the other room he does also, not liking the insinuation that they would need to 'hurt' the servant to subdue them and subsequently does not draw or ready any weapons.
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Raoul notes the silver letter opener. A demon?
He watches the Paracountess closely as she welcomes the party and makes her requests. So this is the Paracountess? I think those tales that I heard while afloat on the Inner Sea are a bit above the mark. I may need to rethink my intended faction...
He moves towards the door and waits for the Paracountess to answer the half-elf's and the dwarf's questions.
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Pozuket makes a point of looking from himself to his companions, the shortest of which tops him by more than a head, and then quirks a brow at the Paracountess as if to say Really? You went with that?
Aloud, his reaction is merely to inquire about the nature of said task: "I presume that this infernal servant has acquired aspirations above its station and needs to be dispatched back to its home plane. Or are we merely to subdue it and leave it for you to punish?"
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"Might there be any further information we could have before we try and take care of your unruly servant?"
"Like what you owe it."
"Can you not control your own servant that you must ask favors from guests?"
"Reasonable questions I suppose, my servant is really rather Impish and wishes to take more than his due, frankly the sounds of his frustration and infuriation at being so close to the objects of its desire are delicious, as it believes something great is in the box I was inspecting, the wards and defences upon the box have bested my ability so far so I don't know if the servant is right or not, which only adds a layer of mystery to the comedy. I owe it nothing more than it has already been provided, other than a quick release unto whence it came. I also note that you are guests, not guests, you have come for business, not for pleasure, so your business will doubly serve as my pleasure; should you return later good fellows, then we can play another game where I wouldn't be asking favours, I'd be making 'commands'" Her lurid and suggestive tone leave you no confusion as to her meanings.
"I presume that this infernal servant has acquired aspirations above its station and needs to be dispatched back to its home plane. Or are we merely to subdue it and leave it for you to punish?"
"Do as you will, I look forward to seeing how you handle the matter"
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...commands?...hmm... Jivo kept the silver dagger in hand but was second guessing making any advances toward the Paracountess ...why is it that before even seeing this imp I feel that she is by far the more dangerous of the two?... He let go of the thoughts and prepared himself for whatever it was behind the door.
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Zarta’s bedroom is decorated in the colors of Cheliax — ebon black and crimson red. Silk, rare woods, and carefully carved marble compose every bit of furniture in the room. Goose down now litters the room, covering almost every surface and the silken shreds of the cushions that contained it lie about like flayed skin . A post on the massive screened bed is snapped in half, collapsed on the bed and drawing the screened curtains into a ripped slope of formerly fine cloth. Vials of perfume and crystal jars of other cosmetics sit smashed on the marble floor around the dresser. A prominent fixture in the room, a large “X” made of stout wood sits along the west wall, complete with leather shackles and chains. A table sits to its left strewn with various items intended for pleasure, but outwardly resembling implements of pain.
There is a large crash as a small Devil throws a box forcefully at the ground... it seems rather fixed on trashing the box.
Aranan
Florentine
Grogson
Jivokun
Pozuket
Raoul
CREATURE
Init Order:
Pozuket
Raoul
CREATURE
Grogson
Jivokun
Florentine
Aranan
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From the back, Pozuket can't really see into the room much, but that doesn't really bother him. He mentally reviews what he knows about imps, ( ) then catches everyone's attention and speaks:
"Be wary of imps - they may be the least of devils, but they're still nothing to trifle with. Like all devils, unless you have a blessed or silver weapon, it takes a very strong blow to hurt them. Also, imp's tails are poisonous - don't let it sting you. Nonetheless, we're Pathfinders, and a single imp is nothing we can't handle. Onwards, for the Paracountess and the Society!"
As everyone begins to move forward, the gnome pulls out his crossbow.
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Pozuket issues his warning to the party and encourages them on towards mighty and noble deeds whilst Raoul advances into the chamber with drawn sword. The Imp vents its fury once again towards the box, missing your arrival.
Grogson takes advantage of the Imps selective focus and assumes a good defensive posture, whereas Florentine simply looses an arrow at the thing with high precision, striking it cleanly and finally letting it know the party isn't just here for decoration.
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Pozuket ducks into the room, slipping into a back corner where he's visible but out of the way . Once he's there, he mutters some arcane words and gestures, blessing his allies with a pending moment of greatness.
Aran watches the events and tries his darnedest to catch site of the imp, or at least hear the vile creature.
Perception:
Hold action, unless he hears/senses anything nearby, then attack the square he thinks might be the right one, focused primarily on the second doorway. Swift to keep Arcane Strike running.
If readied action goes off: