Shisumo's Jade Regent Prologue - Burnt Offerings

Game Master Shisumo

Tsuto just shakes his head at Gan's questions. "These people? Complete loss. Every one of them has had the blood sucked out of their veins by my lousy father, and they're all his little zombies now. You know how most chicken eggs can't ever hatch into more chickens?" he asks. "You don't feel bad for those chickens when you fry 'em up sunny-side, do you? They were never going to hatch anyway. Same deal here. Time to grab the skillet and get them sizzling!" He laughs.

I have no desire or time to listen to any further ramblings of a madman such as yourself. Yet I know that there can still be cunning and guile in madness. So hear my words--I have at my disposal a spell that will convince you to tell me everything, with no lies or malice. You will treat me as a trusted friend, and you WILL give me all of your knowledge of the impending attack. It is only a matter of time before you succumb to this spell, and I will use it every day until you give me my information, or the attack happens. Just know that if you are still alive when the attack occurs, I will see to it that you are not only slain, but that your remains are burned to ash and dumped in the ocean. I know that your Demoness has resurrection powers. Why else would you be robbing graves and being so smug here as though you are invincible? Hear me when I say that if I cannot save the town, I WILL see to it that you are extinguished from existence now and forever. See how much your vengeance is worth when you are not here to witness it.

Today I have another spell in mind. I suggest you choose to answer my questions. While there will be pain if you do not answer, it is not that that should concern you. At least with this spell you can lie to me and hope that I don't notice. But if you choose not to answer, I will not let you die yet. I will charm you every day until you succumb. Do you understand? Good. Now, the Faceless One shall grant me insight.

Gan casts guidance on himself.

Try to lie to me, if you can. A hah ahahahaha!

Gan evil eyes Tsuto's Saving Throws, then Cackles.

Gan evil eyes Tsuto's Skills (he gets -2 to his save vs this evil eye regardless of whether he saved on the first EE, due to Cackle), then Cackles.

Gan cackles, then casts Interrogation (Fort Save DC is 15, but Tsuto gets -2 due to EE).

Gan will then ask a question. Tsuto can take 1d4+2 damage or he can answer. If he answers he gets -6 to his Bluff skill and I have a total Sense Motive of +10 (due to guidance). My question is:

What is everything you know about Thistletop, including location and defenses? A hahaha. (Cackles again, hehe, though I might stop cackling if he failed by saves against the EEs)

Of course, the taking damage and -6 is only if he fails his fort save vs the spell. If he succeeds his FS his Bluff is only -2.

Fort save: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Tsuto smiles again. "You can find it right up your ass," he answers, then rocks back as the spell hammers him with pain. He doesn't stop smiling, however. He takes 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 damage.

Fort save: 1d20

Tsuto smiles again. "You can find it right up your ass," he answers, then rocks back as the spell hammers him with pain. He doesn't stop smiling, however. He takes 1d4 + 2 damage.

Very well. See to it that he doesn't leave, and don't give him any food or water. We wouldn't want him to choke to death. I'll be back, either today or tomorrow.

(the last part said to Tristan or whomever is standing guard)

The guy (can't remember his name) who sold me the scrolls, I'd like to take some of the gold (dust or whatever coins Tsuto had, again can't remember fully) and go to him to see if he has any available scrolls of Charm Person. I'll buy up to two if he has them. If not I will wait a day and memorize Charm Person twice, hoping the attack isn't today.

Also, a clarification question--Charm Person says: "If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw." If I have no weapons and am the only one in Tsuto's cell, do I count as threatening/attacking him if I use Evil Eye on him before casting?

Tristan leaves the cell in disgust to join Lamsfel in the corridor.

Tristan leaves the cell in disgust to join Lamsfel in the corridor.

Lamsfel looks at the ranger, "Anything?"

Tristan shrugs. "Gibberish. Hateful, evil gibberish. And a certain amount of violence of a dubious sort.". He pauses. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, though." He looks pleadingly at Lamsfel, hoping that he'll say something that would make the whole horrible affair make sense.

Nothing. He'd rather be tortured than talk. It's like he's been out to sea too long, and the sun has touched him.

Tybus crosses his arms and thinks for a moment. Gan's talking about charming him through magic, but Tsuto's will is strong. It could take days before he'll succumb to the magic. We'll have to prepare for the worst -- that the attack will come before we can get any information from him.

He glances about at the faces in the room. We have two battle plans to deal with: one a sneaky attack through the tunnels, and the other an overwhelming assault. If they try to come in through the tunnels, we need to be ready. We can seal the tunnels, or set guards or traps for them. If they try the full assault, well, we'll need every able-bodied soul in town to pick up a weapon and defend it, since the five or so of us can't do that alone.

Tybus looks uncomfortable. We'll have to tell the town. And hopefully avoid a panic.

Also, a clarification question--Charm Person says: "If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw." If I have no weapons and am the only one in Tsuto's cell, do I count as threatening/attacking him if I use Evil Eye on him before casting?

I would definitely place Evil Eye in the "threatening" category, I'm afraid.

Check for the scrolls of charm person: 1d100 ⇒ 21, 1d100 ⇒ 85

Looks like Voon has one scroll, but not two.

Gan Liang wrote:

Also, a clarification question--Charm Person says: "If the creature is currently being threatened or attacked by you or your allies, however, it receives a +5 bonus on its saving throw." If I have no weapons and am the only one in Tsuto's cell, do I count as threatening/attacking him if I use Evil Eye on him before casting?

I would definitely place Evil Eye in the "threatening" category, I'm afraid.

Check for the scrolls of charm person: 1d100, 1d100

Looks like Voon has one scroll, but not two.

Cool, since we've been on this plot point for awhile and the natives are restless, is it ok if for brevity's sake I can skip the RPing of buying that scroll and hustling back to Tsuto's cell? I will then ask everyone to leave, and without saying anything else to Tsuto I will cast the spell. Granted, the difficulty off the scroll I think is WS 11 or something, but maybe you'll roll a 3, hehe. If he succeeds, I will leave in silence and tell all my companions I will assist with any town defense preparations until I can rest again and prepare two stronger versions of Charm Person tomorrow. If he fails, well, I'll have some words for him :-)

Sure. Tsuto's will save: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Sure. Tsuto's will save: 1d20 + 9

I'll help everyone else with their defense preparations and I'll memorize two charm persons and come back the next day to try again.

Once Gan reports the failure of his spell (and don't forget the 50 gp on that, by the way), how does the group plan to handle the rest of the day?

"Do we prepare for defensive action, or do we take the battle to the source? If we choose for the defense, the tunnels are straightforward - traps and magic could make the job easier for a small force. Defending the walls is by far the greater challenge."

"I would rather cut off the snake's head than wait here for it to strike."

"I'm with you.Let's take this battle to them." Tristan's hands keep drumming nervously on the pommel of his sword.

I think a first level scroll is only 25 gp, IIRC.

Gan seems frustrated with Tsuto's resistance, but determined to break him. He approaches his comrades.

I agree that we should strike first if possible, but Tsuto will not divulge the information easily. I WILL get him to tell everything, but it might take a few days. However, if a few of you choose to set out to find Thistletop with no information, it leaves the town vulnerable if Tsuto's allies attack while you are out searching.

Halgor and Tybus can work on building up the town's defenses and alerting any able-bodied fighters in town. I can help Halgor and Tybus today as I must wait until tomorrow to continue my interrogation. Is this acceptable?

Tybus looks sour-faced at the thought of splitting up further. He shakes his head a bit, then something dawns, and his expression changes.

Why not bring Shalelu back here? We drag some wood, pitch, and rags up to that outcropping of rock near the shore, and build a big fire. We make a big enough plume o' smoke, she'll heel about and come running. It might take a day of burning, and we'll need clear weather, but she'll see the smoke sooner than two people finding an elven ranger trying to be sneaky.

He gives a sympathetic glance to Tristan and Lamsfel. Not knocking yer skill, mates, but I think we need you here.

The caster level could be 2nd and there might be markup on the price, but yeah, base price is spell level x caster level x 25 gp.

"No, Tybus, you are correct - it's far more likely that Shalelu will find us than the other way around. A signal fire sounds like a fine idea."

Don't we already have information on the location of Thistletop, though? I didn't think we were going to be blindly sallying forth - Lamsfel's been around the area before and we haven't even attempted to ask any of the locals, even if we don't have that knowledge already in hand.

No, that was my mistake - was thinking of potions, not scrolls. 25 gp is correct.

You have a rough idea where Thistletop is, but not a precise location. Finding it without a guide would involve traipsing through the woods for awhile, more or less at random (read: you'll need to make some Survival checks).

One more thing before I get things moving then: are you going to talk to the militia and/or other townsfolk about preparing defenses, or no? It is incredibly likely that word will get around no matter how secret you might try to keep such preparations, but of course someone would need to start making those preparations if you are concerned about an attack at any time...

"If we are going to set up defenses and we have two fronts, maybe we should split up to address those tasks separately. One or two of us may be enough to deal with setting up defenses for the tunnels, for example, but setting up defenses for the walls is a much greater task."

I think talking to the mayor and the militia makes sense, but the townsfolk need to know -- as do the farmers that live outside the walls. They may not choose to take shelter without more details, but they need to be given the chance to decide for themselves.

The heavily wooded area around Sandpoint means there really aren't any farms closer to town than about half a day's travel.

So, defenses for the tunnels and defenses for the walls? Who's doing what, and what kinds of defenses are you planning?

"Defending the tunnels may be best handled by a small team where defending the walls will require more numbers. The militia is familiar with the walls and we are a small team, so one obvious thought would be to have us watch the tunnel and let the militia do what they do.

"However, the walls seem the greater probability for a large-scale assault, so I would be inclined to suggest that we need to participate in their defense. Also, we could blockade the tunnels with oil-soaked wood and have a couple of men waiting with lit torches to lit the fire if the goblins press an attack down there...

"First order of business, I believe, is to tell the mayor our concerns and determine how she wishes us to proceed."

Halgor grabs his holy symbol and bathes the injured madman in healing energy before leaving the cell to join in the discussion.

channel

1d6 ⇒ 3

I would gladly aid in the defense of the towns walls. I would rather lend my healing magic to any injured town defenders, rather than to this insane traitor.

"Well spoken, my friend. The mayor and sheriff need to know and be able to prepare for what's coming. I'll go wherever I'm needed but I'm not much of a leader of men. Honestly though, I'd rather go to the walls to keep a lookout and see if we can get some barricades up. Those tunnels creep me out. Blocking them sounds like a good idea to me too."

Tristan, I thought the sheriff had left to Magnimar to ask for a bigger crew. But I agree we need to tell the Mayor. She'll help keep the locals calm. Lam, ye've got the gift of words more than us, though Halgor may be used to addressing the townsfolk and having them listen.

Tybus grows melancholy for a second, and looks lost in thought. He mutters to himself, wistfully, 'Lina'd be helpful here, too. Crowd loved her.

Shaking himself, he speaks up. Let's tell the mayor. Maybe she, or someone else in town knows where Thistletop is. If not, then we need to get the signal fire lit. Let's go.

Lamsfel nods and heads out, stopping to make sure that the guards know that the party will not be keeping an eye on Tsuto for a bit (unless Gan is staying), so they should station someone down there - "He's a slippery one; don't trust him for a moment."

That done, he heads for the Mayor's office with whoever cares to join him.

The mayor is in her office when you find her, and she sees you immediately. She does not seem surprised that you have come to meet with her. "I've heard about the Glassworks and that you apparently have a captive," she says without preamble, gesturing for you to take seats around her office. "I take it you've learned something from him?"

Tybus glances at his companions briefly, then decides to speak. We did, mum. Seeing as you know about the Glassworks already, here's the short version: Tsuto and some lass, name of Nualia, have a major hate for this town. They've got mercenaries and goblins camped at some place called Thistletop, and they're planning an attack on Sandpoint, to finish what the first raid started.

With a slight pause to let that sink in, he finishes, Problem is, Tsuto's not telling us when the attack will be, or where Thistletop is. The group of us would like to take the fight to them, but we need the heading to find their camp. We'd like to signal Shalelu to get her back here; she knows of the place. Or, if anyone in town knows, then we can be off and maybe stop the raid before it happens. At the very least, we'll bloody their nose enough to give time for Hemlock to return and make preparations.

"Well put, my friend, I really cannot add much to that except to say that Tsuto is particularly resistant to answering any questions, even with friend Gan's magical abilities. He did, however, unwillingly provide us with information in the form of a journal he kept. That, and it appears that there are old tunnels under the town. At least one runs from outside the town walls to under the Glassworks."

"The dilemma we face is this - the raid might take the form of a horde of goblins and unknown human allies trying to breach the walls in an overwhelming force, or it might come by stealth through these previously unknown tunnels, or it might be a combination of the two. We suspect that the first raid included some of both - the tunnels would allow them to sneak inside and open the gates, for example. And, as Tybus says, we would like to take the fight to them as a preemptive strike as well as a distraction, but we don't know where we need to go. Who, other than Shalelu, might know of this Thistletop?"

Mayor Deverin frowns, looking suddenly much older than her thirty-ish odd years. "Here we go again," she whispers, and touches a ring on her right hand. The moment passes quickly, though, and Deverin, once more calm and assured, shakes her head. "There's no one who knows the goblins of the area like Shalelu," she replies regretfully. "Thistletop is somewhere in the Nettlewood, and the name tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the place. No one but the goblins has really every bothered with the area - even Shalelu only goes in there to check up on them, as far as I know. I don't think anyone else has the slightest idea where to look."

She places a finger on her chin, pondering. "We'll have the men to protect the town once Belor comes back. I hope we will, at any rate. In the meantime, I can call up some of the militia, use them to cover the night-time patrols so the trained guards can take watches on the walls, and put the rest of the militia on alert. The tunnels... the tunnels we can brick over, I assume, and place guards on? Have you examined them to see whether that would be effective?"

Looking thoughtful, Lamsfel thinks out loud,, "We did follow them as much as we were able. It appears that they were bricked over once before. I suspect they were uncovered by Tsuto to facilitate their plans. Re-bricking them over in the basement of the Glassworks would likely be effective - we found at least one secret door in the tunnel and we may have missed others. It stands to reason that if they had a route directly into the basement, they would not have bothered with taking down the walls. A couple of men standing watch - to listen for someone trying to break in and a runner to notify the defenders - would probably be plenty, as long as they didn't come through the tunnel while they were coming over the walls." Sheepishly, he adds, "Sorry. Every thought I pursue seems to have a pessimistic alternative lately."

"So we definitely need Shalelu. Do you have some sort of established signal to bring her back to town? We considered a bonfire to get her attention, but I'm not sure how far out she would even be able to see it. Perhaps a mage in town could contact her magically..."

"I don't know of anything, but I'm not really up on what magic might be able to do," Deverin replies. "You'd probably be better off asking Vorvashali Voon that question. It might not matter, though - as I understood it, she was supposed to be returning to town in the next day or two with her report; in fact, if she hasn't, I'd guess it would be because she hasn't found anything that points to an immediate attack.

"What I would like you to do," she goes on, "in addition to whatever specific ideas or plans you have in place, is to be the ones to carry the orders to the militia, and in general look as though you're helping to deal with the situation. Word's going to get out, and people will be scared. We need to reassure them we're getting ready for whatever comes - that way, when it does, I'll have a town full of people ready to defend their homes and not a bunch of panicked children running from the sight of every goblin. Your presence will help with that."

"Ah, I had not considered the positive implications of Shalelu's absence." Lamsfel sketches a graceful bow. "Very well, Lady Mayor, I think we can manage to make ourselves seen and available to aid the town."

Assuming we rejoin the others in a location with some privacy...

"The mayor feels that Shalelu will be back in town on schedule in a day or two and that the lady ranger is the only sure means we will have of negotiating the brambles of the Nettlewood. In the meantime, she asks that we be the ones that carry the orders to the militia with regard to defending the walls and the tunnels. I think her suggestion to re-build the brick walls in the Glassworks basement is sound, along with a man or two on guard in case the little buggers try to break them down again.

"So before we try to tell the militia what we think needs to be done and try to muster citizen soldiers to aid in the town's defense, I think we need to decide what it is we think needs to be done. Personally, I think one of us to direct the bricking of the tunnel should be sufficient and once the walls are done, that person will be free to watch the walls with the others. I think Gan has more tricks up his sleeve for the prisoner, so if he wishes to continue in that vein, that makes sense. That leaves three of us to work directly with the militia with regards to establishing the defenses. I'm sure that Halgor's background includes some skirmishes with such as orcs and goblins, so I would feel that he would be best utilized in the planning of the defenses." He smiles at Tristan, "I would not presume to ask Tristan to spend any more time underground than he already has - and Tybus has a good head on his shoulders about mass tactics. I've seen him in action during boarding actions against our ship. So I think that puts me in the basement for the near term."

"Our primary fronts on the walls should be where the gates are, so that's two areas of concern. I have not looked at the gates in some time, but they once were very sturdy - I suspect our foes were primarily planning to use stealth again to get in while we were relieved that the problem was 'past'. But it never hurts to look at the defenses with an outsider's eyes because the goodfolk of Sandpoint might have gotten lax about something or never considered something at all."

With a mischievous grin, the elf looks at Gan, "You know, I had a thought... A prankster friend of mine once convinced a man with a secret that he had given it away while he slept. In his confusion and dismay, the man let slip the actual secret while denying that he had given it away. I wonder if you can plant a seed in Tsuto's mind, perhaps thanking him for finally telling you something you could use, and then letting him stew for a while. I wonder if it would be more effective than a direct confrontation, which he seems adept at fighting." He shrugs, "I'm only to happy to leave that to you, but it was a thought I wanted to share."

"Enough of my ideas. What are your thoughts?"

Tybus grins somewhat sheepishly in response to Lamsfel's compliment, then sets his mind to the task. After a moment, he says, From what I know about Sandpoint's layout, the river and bay give this place some nice protection. The northern wall needs to be protected, manned and watched at all times, of course, but we'll want to watch the riverbanks closely, too. Probably want to keep watchfires lit at all times at night, since the little buggers don't seem to have any problems with the dark.

We'll want our strongest forces near the two bridges, since they'll be targets. If they get into the town, it'll be fire and chaos. We have to stop them from getting past the walls and bridges.

What worries me the most is their captains. The wizard Tsuto mentioned in his journal, and Nualia and her rituals -- that's what we don't know. We'll have to be ready for anything.

Tristan blushes a little, then gives a stiff nod. "Sounds good to me."

The Heroes of Sandpoint scatter across the town, delivering messages and giving orders. Lamsfel and the town's bricklayer, Mattias Mitannan, spend the rest of the building a double-walld barrier over the tunnels in the Glassworks' basement, while Tybus, Tristan, and Halgor organize the guards along the town walls, arranging for patrols along the river and carefuly maintained watchfires at night. Gan communes with his familiar and plans for the interrogation tomorrow.

The town, which until yesterday had thought things were returning to normal, seems badly shaken by the double-whammy of the Glassworks Massacre (as it is already being called) and the threat of another, larger goblin attack. By the end of the day, even those townsfolk who are not really part of the militia are carrying weapons through the town - mostly clubs or quarterstaves, though long daggers or small axes are visible in many hips as well - and the playing children who had returned to Sandpoint's streets are gone from them once again.

The night is long and tense; much of the town seems to expect the attack at any moment, and there are lights burning in windows across the town from dusk clear through dawn. It is only as the sun first creeps above the eastern trees, however, that a shout goes up from the guards watching the northern road - and you quickly discover that it is Shalelu, making her way is a steady jog toward the town gates.

Lamsfel, tired and sore after the less-than-familiar efforts of bricklaying, is having trouble getting around come morning, but when he hears of Shalelu's arrival, he hurries to greet her and hear what she's learned.

I'm assuming he's _not_ the first to greet her or hear of her arrival.

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, it's been really busy at work. I definitely want to speak with Shalelu before trying again with Tsuto. I have to do more work now, but I'll come back on and post later today or tonight.

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, it's been really busy at work. I definitely want to speak with Shalelu before trying again with Tsuto. I have to do more work now, but I'll come back on and post later today or tonight.

Do I need 8 hours of rest before communing with my familiar and whatnot to prepare spells? If so, I may still be in my room when Shalelu returns.

Then it just might be me that is around when Shalelu comes up the road. Tristan and Halgor may be likely with me, come to think of it.

It's a race to greet Shalelu -- Tybus lets out a whoop and pushes open the gate, then dashes out to see her. His face shows a welcome relief, but tinged with the urgency of the situation. News would have to be shared quickly and decisions made. With few words, he tries to hasten her back to the walls, shouting up at the guards to send for Gan and Lamsfel.

We're glad to see it be you, Shalelu. Much has happened since ye left us, and we don't have much time, he says as he jogs along side her back into town. We'll fill you in once we're all together. Until then, ye can probably see we're expecting another goblin attack. Did ye find out anything? We've got a tense bunch here.

Shalelu's grin fades swiftly at Tybus' words, and she looks up at the walls with the guardsmen atop them with a sharp frown. "Another attack?" she asks, her hand dropping unconsciously to the sword on her hip. "I saw no sign..." She shakes her head, then answers the question more directly. "Yes, I found a few things, but nothing that indicated an attack had happened, or anything about to happen either. The Thistletop goblins are sending messengers to all the other tribes in the area, but goblins have trouble maintaining urgency at the best of times, and the messages - basically threats and bragging to help keep Thistletop at the top of the heap - aren't nearly panicky enough to get them moving in the next few days. I wouldn't have thought, anyway. What do you know that I don't?"

Tybus presses his lips together and looks at her gravely. He clearly wants to wait for the others to get here -- especially Lamsfel, who can probably relay the news so it's less harsh. Then he shakes his head, and reminds himself that Shalelu can probably bear the news better than he has.

The full story's a tale for inside talk. We should wait until the rest of the group gets here, but I'll tell you this: we found goblins in the Glassworks. It was an inside job. Ye'll want to talk with Ameiko after ye get the full story. There were... casualties.

He quickly changes the subject. But the news about Thistletop be a welcome relief. We thought they might be marching on Sandpoint this moment. Your news likely means we've got more time than we thought.

Shalelu nods, her face grim. "Perhaps we should go find them, then, to speed this along," she suggests.

Tristan nods. "My thoughts exactly."

About this time, Lamsfel is jogging up the street from the Rusty Dragon that will lead him past the Cathedral and on to the north gate. By the time he comes into sight, he's determined that the shout was not the sighting of a goblin hunting party, but an old friend. Relief is plain on his face as he comes up to the elven ranger and the party members that preceded him.

"Well met, my friend. What news do you bring? I gather from your face that you've already heard ours."

I haven't told her everything yet. I think we should get everyone together first.

With that, he'll shout to the runners who appear to be dawdling. Step lively, lads! Get the lead out o' yer britches and fetch me mates, or I'll have ye run up the mast! Go on! Get! Tell them we'll be at the Sheriff's!

Since Lamsfel's joined us, I'll leave it to him to go into detail about the goblin attack and Tsuto's journal. Think we can fast-forward to her reaction to the events in Sandpoint?

You were doing fine, I don't want to steal your thunder. I'm OK with not role-playing the telling of the events if you are.

To the runners, Lamsfel says, "Don't disturb friend Gan, but slide a note under his door so he knows what's going on when he's ready to join us. As Tybus says, we will be at the garrison. The dwarf Halgor, has he retired for the night or is he still on the walls?"

Turning to the others, he asks Shalelu the same question as Tybus, "Let us move to the garrison. So - the goblin attack - do you know when it comes?"

im here and keeping up. i just assume im still helping with town defense somewhere.