The 6 seasoned pathfinders (Inactive)

Game Master FiddlersGreen

That's what I meant. You guys go in, then I wait a bit until she's occupied, and follow in and find her office or something

That's what I meant. You guys go in, then I wait a bit until she's occupied, and follow in and find her office or something

Sounds good to me. =)

GM, could you describe the house? Does it look like it's particularly well-off?

Aeleth returns to the house with Nago in tow. He waves to the children with a smile and greets them cheerily.

"Hullo again, my little friends, do you suppose I could have a chat with Auntie Baltwin? I've got a fellow here I'm hoping she could help."

The boy shrugs again.

"I don't know what she's doing...go knock, I guess."

Aeleth leads Nago to the door whilst the rest of the party hangs back. He nods briefly to Nago, then knocks on the door.

"Hello? Madam Baltwin?"

A old hag of a woman opens the door and looks at the Pathfinders with a keen level of distaste.

"Aye...I'm Auntie Baltwin. Whatdya want?"

"Ah, auntie Baltwin! I heard about you, they say that you can cure various maladies, and I was hoping you could help me! My friend here, he has a dreadful skin condition, as you can see. Been like that since birth, far as he can remember. Can you help him?" Aeleth implores with feigned-anxiety.

"Umm...well...and do you charge for your services? If so, how much? I'm sure we'll be able to scrounge something together. If it means curing Nago, we'll use our life-savings if need be!"

bluff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

She looks very skeptically at Aeleth as he shows Nago's condition, and seems just about ready not to believe him.

But the bard's performance is a little too perfect.

Even so, she looks narrowly upon the nagaji druid, a look of repulsion and disgust.

"You have some bad information...this is a home for children. Orphans and sick children find respite here...no others!" she seems ready to close the door.

sense motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Once Aeleth and Nago have Auntie at the door, Serak hustles around the side and back of the house, looking for a window or back door to use.
I think he would've seen something like that on his first go around, no?

Once he locates something, he shimmies in, and starts snooping around, looking for the woman's office.
Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Take 10 on perception for a 17

Anytime there are children in the way, he casts light on a random object he sees, and throws it into another room to distract them long enough for him to keep moving until he finds the office.

Serak makes his way around the house and finds an open window he can climb through. He seems to have gone unnoticed by the woman, who though she glanced at him, may have taken him for a child.

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Going to give the others time to post while you make your way around back.

Steph continues to let Aeleth perform her act, figuring any part she might try to play would simply get in the way.

She will, however, use her abilities to detect evil.

"Wait! I hear that you are a physician! Can you not see how my friend's skin condition has affected his appearance? Why, his skin had become so scaly he looks nigh-reptilian! Is there no salve, no balm you have that could be of any use? We, we could make a donation, surely that would help, for the children. Surely whatever cures you have for the children would help my friend too?"

"Won't you at least examine him, and then name a price and we'll see if we can meet it?"

Aeleth is of course, just stalling for time, to give Serak more time to search the place.

bluff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Edit: He also tries to sneak a peak into the house to spot for signs that Baltwin had been drinking - hastily discarded or half-drunk bottles and the like. Alternatively, he looks for signs of neglect or abuse of the children.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 (Ugh, hopefully Serak fares better.)

Further edit:Finally, he scrutinises Baltwin herself, looking for signs of inebriation, such as smells of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, unstable steps, slurred speech etc.

sense motive/heal/perception: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16 (Add 6 to this if it was perception.)

Nago could probably do the last 2 checks as well, and he'd probably fare better.

Nago stands there trying to look pitiful while scrutinizing her. And also trying to sneak peeks around her. Heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

The woman looks at you skeptically. "What kind of donation? ... Wait...what is this? Some kind of test? I don't even think this is a skin condition...you're one of those...snake... people..."

sense motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 Sorry, good plan, but she rolled really high

Surely being drunk should give her a circumstance penalty to sense motive? XD

Realising that the old woman is unsually sharp, Aeleth decides to change tactics. Changing his tone suddenly, he draws himself to his full height and breaks into a confident smirk.

"Oh? So you do know of the nagaji. Good. And you appear to be as clever as we have heard. Even better. It means you know how to be discrete. My boss will be pleased to hear that. You see, we have need of someone with...healing skills to attend to others like my scaly friend here, and who know well enough to keep their mouths shut afterwards. Of course, the pay will be appropriately generous, but I need not tell you that if you do not keep a tight lip on the assignment, there will be...repercussions. But this is not something to discuss at a doorstep. Shall we come in, or do you want to come with us to a place a liitle more...private, to discuss the details, hmm?"

"If she's as dodgy and greedy as we have been led to believe, her greed might buy me some time to spin a yarn whilst Serak looks around. If not, if I can just keep her at the doorstep a while longer, Serak has more time to search."

bluff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24 (I'm telling the truth!)
diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29 (You want to hear more about this!)

Whilst I'm doing this, Serak should be making perception checks around the house? Looking for ledgers, hidden books etc.

Is the other half of the party any good at sense motive? If this attempt to get her out of the house so Serak can look around fails, the other half can come ask her about her need for medical supplies from the Silver Crusade.

A tall human woman, wearing silvery light-gray clothes, leather armor, a short sword on her hip and a harp on her back approaches the house, breathing heavily from exertion. She interrupts the conversation in its middle somewhat tactlessly. "Hi. I'm Starling. A musician, or a bard. I like music, you know" She looks around almost apologetically, then realizes that she might not belong to the place as the others appear somewhat surprised about her abrupt arrival. "Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to barge into the conversation like that. I'm usually better mannered. And cultured. Like that one time I performed for Duke Jendor. I sang well, but I ended that night in a prison. It's a long story though." She keeps speaking very quickly, clearly nervous at the situation and not really allowing anyone else to interrupt her. She glances at the others, "I'm so sorry... Maybe I'll just leave - or, you know, show some magic tricks to the kids here. For free. I always liked children, you know.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Stephanibowl's jaw drops as she watches the scene unfold.

She heads around the back, in search of Serak to warn of... well, not really sure, but he should hurry up!

Serak, you manage to enter unseen through a window...let me have a second stealth roll and a perception roll...

I had included those in my original post, but I can roll more if you want. No worries.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Auntie Baltwin continues to appear suspicious. Though she carefully considers Aeleth's offer, and seems conflicted about whether to let them in, she doesn't quite seem convinced.

"Wait...you want me to heal these slithering snake-people," she says to Aeleth,"[/b] but then turning to Starling, she says "and you want to come in and show the kids magic tricks? What is this, some sort of nuts-o circus?!"

Though you had some good rolls, Aeleth, you are trying to tell a pretty big whopper to convince her that Nago has a skin condition, so you have a penalty associated with that. Also, though you rolled well on diplomacy, it's after she suspects you are lying to her...regardless, she doesn't seem to want to let you in.

Serak, after identifying what he has found, the questions in spoiler makes his way back outside, walks down the street a bit (out of sight of Auntie), and then approaches the door from the street, nonchalantly, so as to avoid any suspicions that he just came out of the woman's house. If he did indeed take one of each example, he doesn't reveal it, but he does make his way to the door and speaks to Aeleth.
Ah! Here you are! I found what we were looking for in a shop down the way. Should help out with what you were wanting to do with our suffering friend.

GM, I know she realised I was lying to her before, so I was making up a new story about why I was lying before. The latest bluff was to try to convince her that I was lying to her earlier to test her. One lie to cover another. XD

Bad time to make an entrance, Starling, but I think Serak pulled through for us. All things considered, I think we got what we came for. =)

Noting Serak's appearnace, Aeleth guesses that he had stalled for enough time.

"I do not know this magician and have nothing to do with her," Aeleth replies as he gestures dismissively at Starling, "but if you are unwilling to discuss the business I mentioned earlier, then I think we are done with our discussion. Perhaps someone else will be more amenable to taking my boss's coin."

Without sparing Starling a second glance, Aeleth pulls Nago and Serak from the door and gets them out of line of sight of the house as quickly as he can (and leaving Starling to extricate herself since he could not afford to have her as part of his cover story).

Once out of sight, he beams at Serak.

"You found what we needed? Do tell!" he says excitedly.

Elvik dwells between the children, plays games with them and pets the cats so the others have time to talk to Baltwin and get the information they need.

You guys have pretty much discovered all there is to discovery here: Auntie Baltwin is an alcoholic, stashes goods from the charities, and uses the kids to work in town. I'll fast-forward to the next job.

The Pathfinders make their way to the rich estate of Grand Councilmember Dremdhet Salhar, and are greeted by a guard who is expecting them as they reach the tall, wrought-iron gate. Once the PCs are inside, a servant tells the group Salhar is not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business they may require. The servant explains this while leading the group down well-decorated hallways, past expansive rooms.

After a few minutes, the group arrives at a simple study near the end of a long hallway. Inside Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, a tan-skinned old man sits behind a desk flipping through pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jut from the book marking over two dozen different places. As the group approaches the open door, the wise sage silently
gestures them into the study with one thin hand, while closing the tome with the other after finishing what he was reading. Once they are all inside the study, he addresses the group.

“Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say. Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet."

He hardly looks at the group as he continues.

“Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room.”

The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.

After leaving Amenopheus’ study, the servant brings the group back through the spacious estate, leading them down sturdy stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, the party ends up at a plain wooden door. The servant opens the door, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waits silently for the Pathfinders to enter.

A plain stone room contains three chests: a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid and a covered wicker basket.

"What trickery is this, then?"

Elvik follows the servant and enters the room and before touching anything he has a look around, especialle at the clear glass jar.
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
+ detect magic

Once all of the Pathfinders enter the room, the servant shuts the door and locks it behind them. Written on the back of the door is the message: “Within these cases lies your quest and your way out.”

Elvik finds that the copper, red, and steel chests radiate magic. He also notices that the clear liquid actually has a yellow-ish hue, and bubbles ever so slightly. i.e. it does NOT look like water!

"Shall we start by seeing what is in the wicker basket?"

Steph attempts to detect evil before touching anything.

No evil on the basket or in the room

Serak just walks up to the basket and opens it.
A puzzle? Really? Why not just give us the damn map...

When Serak opens the basket, he sees a writhing, angry green viper resting at the bottom of the basket hidden among wadded cloth. The snake moves to attack.

initiative snake: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
initiative nago: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
initiative aeleth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
initiative elvik: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
initiative serak: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
initiative starling: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
initiative stephani: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14 Stephani, can you please put quick stats in your header like the others?

Initiative bold may act
Starling
Snake
Serak
Stephani
Nago
Aeleth
Elvik

Also, no battle map on this one...the room is small, and everyone is within range of it.

"Wait! Let us think this through before we act, there must be a catch here" Starling tries to yell as Serak opens the basket and the snake hisses, ready to attack.

As the others seem startled for a few seconds, Starling tries to draw her rapier and pierce at the snake, but miscalculates in her nervousness and somehow manages to fumble completely, with the rapier ending up on the floor. Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

The tiny snake lashes out at Serak, but seems as surprised at it's predicament as the adventurers. It bites at the air, not even coming close to the gnome.

bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 81d2 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 0

Initiative bold may act
Starling
Snake
Serak
Stephani
Nago
Aeleth
Elvik

Aeleth pouts a little at this new development. This was not a puzzle he could take his way through or out of, leaving him a little out of his element.

He chants a soft droning incantation, seeking to distract the snake so it does not bite his allies.

Casting daze at the snake, DC 15

Nago tries to cut the head off of the snake. Scimitar: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 141d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Serak takes s step back, and summons a ball of fire, which he then promptly firebombs the snake with.
Five foot step back, cast produce flame SLA, and hurl it.

Attack, RTA: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Stephani (after a slight name change) starts to stride forward to cut snakes in half, but waits until the fireball is gone before doing so.

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Nago cuts through the basket, splitting it in two, while Serak sets it aflame.

However, the small creature evades both of the attacks. Neither hit AC, including the touch attack

Initiative bold may act
Starling
Snake
Serak
Stephani
Nago
Aeleth
Elvik

Elvik draws his waraxe and swings it at the snake.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Elvik finishes things off by cutting the snake cleanly in two.

combat over

At the bottom of the remains of the basket sits a rune-etched key.

Starling picks up the key. "This must open one of these two chests, and will advance the riddle. Let's see," she says as she looks at the keyholes, then the keys, examining into which one would the key fit before actually trying to use it.

The keyholes appear to be roughly the same size. There are actually 3 chests...copper, red, and steel

Starling attempts to use the key to open the chests in the following order - red, copper, steel.

When this key is placed within the keyhole of the red lacquered chest,
the chest opens without the key needing to be turned.

perception nago: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
perception aeleth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
perception elvik: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
perception serak: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
perception starling: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
perception stephani: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

A few of you don't have Perception in your quick stats...it would be very helpful if everyone did. Thx!

At the bottom of the remains of the basket sits a rune-etched key.

"Aha! We have found the rune-carved key!"

LOL

Do any of the more perceptive of us want to share what was spotted? Preferably before it eats us? ;)

Stephani points up, toward the ceiling. "A gold key, way up there, hanging from the ceiling."

Serak points and nods.
What she said. Now, how to get it down to where we can reach it?

"Let me take a crack at it," Aeleth replies as he reaches for and uncoils the whip at his side.

It has a reach of 15ft, so as long as the key is within 20ft of the ground/15ft from a person standing on the ground, I should be able to try to reach it. If it's higher than that...well...Aeleth will try anyway and possibly embarass himself. XD

Aeleth lashes out at the key and the string suspending it, hoping to either snap the string or coil part of the whip around the string above the key so he can tug at it and hopefully burst the string and bring the key down with it.

attack roll : 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
damage roll if needed: 1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

If this is a feasible tactic, can I just take 20 on this by trying till I succeed?