The Conquest of Ambervale

Game Master Nicos

Vendrick continues to fly over Sven.

"Try to get on top of a boulder or a rocky outcropping! Lets force it above ground!"

@ Sven, Vendrick

By moving away from the soft enough into more hard soil Sven avoids the burrowing creature. The creature poke out a bit and you guys can tell is the same white worm that you just saw eating dozens of goblins.

@ Desmond

He live in the street, so who knows?, but perhaps in the alleys behind the Iomedae temple, some homeless go there

Any Knowledge to identify?

Arcana or local

"Thank you."

Desmond heads to the alleys, bringing Malthus with him.

"I don't suppose you can track the kid from here?"

@ Demmond

I could try...

When you go there you find that there are at least 7 people in the narrow alley. There are boxes and other things there that could help someone to hide.

The homeless there look at your for a moment, and then return to do nothing.

Kn.Arcana: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

seems like a death worm but way bigger and also adapted to the cold climates and the snow

Desmond walks up to the group, smiling.

"Good morning, folks. Pardon my intrusion, but I'm looking for a young man named Kiddu."

He hands one gold piece to each of them. -7 gp

"Here, this should buy you a couple of decent meals. And there's more where that came from if you help me find him."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

I get the feeling Nicos is pissed at me for trying to track these goblins.

Of course I'm angry at you...Nah I'm kidding, actually I've been trying to scare you. The place is supposed to be very dangerous, with difficult random encounter and not appropriated for just the two of you, so I'm doing an effort to no straight kill you guys

@ Desmond

A little girl reject your coin - We don't betray, but the others laugh - He is back there - someone point to the next alley.

Desmond hands another coin to the person who spoke up.

"Don't worry," he says to the girl, "I'm not going to hurt him."

He goes to the other alley.

@ Desmond

Desmond and Malthus enter a even filthier alley when they find the boy dressed in rags, katana in hands. He see you coming and get scared.

"Well, I guess you know why I'm here."

Desmond gets down to eye level with the boy. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you," he says gently. "I know what it's like to be out on your own like this, with no one to look after you. You're probably starving, so you'll do anything to pay for your next meal. But stealing from adventurers - live ones, anyway - is just going to get you in serious trouble one day, believe me. They aren't all as forgiving as me."

He takes five gold pieces out of his purse. "You'd have a hard time selling a stolen, engraved sword. But if you give it back to me, and promise not to steal from the living anymore, I will give you these, and as long as I'm in town I will come visit you every once in a while to make sure you're okay." He smiles. "Sometimes it helps to have a friend, someone who's looking out for you. Sound good?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

aw come on dice I worked really hard on that speech :[

Thats so sad...

@desmond

lol, good for you 1s in skills are not aoutomiss in PF

The guy bite his own lip. He, very slowly and hesitantly approached to you and without saying a word he leaves the sword in the ground, and jump back as a precaution.

Amlthus:Well, that was nice of you

You avoided the chase scene D:

I think Sven and Vendrick's giant worm chase scene is more exciting anyway. :P

Desmond slowly picks up the sword and puts it away. Then he puts the coins on the ground in front of the boy.

"Thank you. I know life looks bleak for you now, but I promise things will get better."

As he turns to leave, he adds, "Oh, and you should wipe your feet before you climb through someone's window."

To Malthus: "I was like him once." He looks off in the distance, lost in memory. "Alone, young, hungry, desperate...at times it feels like nobody cares about you, like you're invisible. I might have turned to a life of crime, were it not for some kind soul who said hello to me and offered his companionship."

He snaps back to the present, waving his hand dismissively as his trademark grin finally comes back. "But hey, that's all in the past. Now, what was that favor you wanted from me?"

Of course I'm angry at you...Nah I'm kidding, actually I've been trying to scare you. The place is supposed to be very dangerous, with difficult random encounter and not appropriated for just the two of you, so I'm doing an effort to no straight kill you guys

I was more talking the bits about how every monster has some deadly consequence for touching it with Natural Attacks. Were it not for that we could take these things. =)

Sven runs from the graboid "death worm" as fast as he's able, taking a moment to reconfigure his hooves and legs for faster running, and hopping on rocks wherever possible.

Assuming a Standard taken won't let it catch up to me, my speed is now 50 instead of 40.

I was more talking the bits about how every monster has some deadly consequence for touching it with Natural Attacks. Were it not for that we could take these things. =)

Well, the Remohraz was a random encounter :p

Sven avoid the worm for now. What do you do now? Don't make me use the random encounter table again!...more seriously, while the spinegourgers is on the weak side of the goblin clans and you and vendrick could probably defeat them, letting you avoid all the dangers of the region defeat the purpose of having such region in the first place, s, if you do decide to continue, have in mind that some things can be not CR balanced for you (like the frost death worm), so be prepared to hide and run.

Eh, whatever. I guess we leave. I just wanted to find the people anyway. Now we know (roughly) where they live.

@ Desmond

Malthus:I'll tell you when I need it, don't worry, it's nothing dangerous or anything like that

@ Sven, Ven

You return to Aldwall

Mythakilis:Desna's sakes, where the hell have you been? - The halfling say visibly agitated.

"Alright, you know where I'm staying. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see a man about a boar."

He heads back to the Inn, hoping Sven is smart enough to look for him there.

"Tracking down a group of goblins that attacked us. The things have balls, I'll give them that. The place they live is teeming with death worms and similar creatures burrowing around."

"The matter is complicated to say the least. Another clan of goblins appeared to eliminate the accused and us with her."

Yes, Amra informed - The halfling say while massaging his forehead. - This Vlarljyiya tell that she have no idea why that clan would want to attack her...Either way, the clock is ticking out...

"What's the deadline?"

They have not give us a deadline, that would perhaps be too direct...but they are becoming impatient,..this whole issue is a mess, They will crown a new king this month and our ambassador there have snot send a report, Oh desna how I hate politics. -

"I don't have the head for politics. Though we have reason to believe their new king may have gotten there by direct means."

Yeah, that would not be a surprise. Sven, since it seems Vraljyiya have some trust in you I would like you to interrogate her about, well, everything

"Yes. She's already told me a bit. She said flat out she believes this 'Kayiqard' killed his half-brother, the king, but she stormed off a ways in a rage over the thought, and we were attacked before she could explain further."

@ Sven
Sven is allowed to go with Vraljyiya. SHe have been kept hidden in the castle. When you enter you see her roasting a little animal in a chimney.

Oh, it's you, good you are alive...do you know if they have pepper here?

@ Vendrick

The other ones leaves, leaving Mythakilis and you alone. The halfling leans against the wall, visibly tired.

I have news from our rangers. The goblins from Tuskeep are investigating other druidic ruins, probably searching the other part of the leafstaff. There is also spies in the city, we know that, they probably know we know, but not sure if they know that they know... - He *sighs* -This perhaps was a mistake of my part, You are a foreigner, this is not your problem, you probably want to stay out of this mess

@ Desmond

Tikko finish the potions form the rainbow spider poison

Tikko warn you that you should only use one of them in a given day, it could be dangerous to use more since the poison would be greatly amplified. Although there is a possibility that drinking two of them could helpful (if you don't puke your intestines), he doesn't know for sure. He give you 6 of them since Sven was not in town.

Heroism AND Good Hope is kind of redundant...Good Hope does everything Heroism does, and more.

"Actually, I have some on me. Keep a few simple spices on me to spruce up food while in the wild."

Sven hands them over, and watches Vral cook for a moment.

"Vral, would you mind explaining everything you know about what's been going on at Tuskkeep recently? Things are obviously...complicated over there."

THey don't stack?

They're both Morale bonuses. So they both add +2, non-stacking to the same things, except Good Hope also adds to damage and Attribute checks.

@ Sven

She takes the pepper and use it on what she was cooking...roasted rat.

The only think that I really like from big people gastronomy is the pepper - She chomp the rat -Well, I don't know the details, as you know I was chased, someone want me dead obviously. I was, once when young and pretty, a lover of Asorghal the former king, Kayiqard most likely is eliminating all their possible political enemies

They're both Morale bonuses. So they both add +2, non-stacking to the same things, except Good Hope also add to damage and Attribute checks.

That happen for trusting memory. I'm inclined to say they stack for this potion because I'm lazy, if not I will look for another spell a another time

It could just be Greater Heroism and Good Hope. That makes the duration make more sense anyway (Heroism lasts 10 minutes/level). So it'd be +4 Morale to Attack/Saves/Skills and +2 Morale to Damage/Attribute checks. And 5 Temp HP.

Sven thinks for a moment.

"Did you have a child by Asorghal? Or does you being his lover actually give you some political clout? I'm not really up on the intricacies of Goblin politics. I can barely keep up with Human ones."

Nah- She say with sadness -There is a rumor we have a child and I took him to rise him in the woods, but the true is that I lost that baby

Ok, greater heroism

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is that why they're after you, you think? They're afraid you have a bastard child with a claim to the throne lurking in the woods?"

That, and because they Know I will do whatever I can to kill to avenge our king...most of the goblins in tuskkeep would feel the same, so I guess there is a lot of deception involved.

"Hm. Do you know if there's any proof of Kayiqard's treachery?"

And I guess I should, to cover my bases, use Sense Motive. Take 10 for a 20?

She seen genuine

She breaks the rat at half violently. -There is no need of proof!

"There is if we want to prevent this from turning into a bloodbath."

"With proof of his guilt, we can get the people of Tuskkeep to turn on him. That would be the end of it, besides maybe a core few of his most lyal supporters."

"If we go in there, half-cocked, and kill who most people believe is the legitimate successor to the king, what do you think is going to happen BEST CASE scenario we kill Kayiqard. And then what? Tuskkeep declares war on Aldwall, most likely."

"Worse, Kayiqard's death becomes a tragedy. Nobody would ever know what he's done, he'd just be a king that sadly had his reign cut short by bloodthirsty villains."

She smiles. The fire get reflect in her eyes make them look red, or perhaps is the reflection of her inner thoughts.

Villains? War?, I care little...Vraljyiya only know revenge...oh yeah, the days of the curserer have returned, You better act fast, If you don't want vraljyiya to act first as her heart demands - She slowly start chomping the roasted rat.

The other ones leaves, leaving Mythakilis and you alone. The halfling leans against the wall, visibly tired.

I have news from our rangers. The goblins from Tuskeep are investigating other druidic ruins, probably searching the other part of the leafstaff. There is also spies in the city, we know that, they probably know we know, but not sure if they know that they know... - He *sighs* -This perhaps was a mistake of my part, You are a foreigner, this is not your problem, you probably want to stay out of this mess

"And give up on the Leafstaffs? No, this is my problem now, though I see it as more of an opportunity. Two birds one stone. I deal with this goblin problem for you and get the chance of restoring a Leafstaff for study. Everyone wins, except this Kayiqard fellow."

"Look at it this way, Vraljyiya. If we get proof of his wrongdoing, he suffers a far worse fate than just death."

"He loses everything before he dies. Every scrap of power he's gathered over the years. The throne. His allies and friends. All of his money. His freedom. And finally, his life. Hell, maybe he'll even mourn his half-brother, once he realizes he killed him for nothing."

Sven's eyes glitter and he bares his tusk-like teeth in a vicious smile.

"He'll be crushed and broken, and left to despair before he's drawn and quartered for regicide. Isn't that preferable to simply killing him before he's even had time to truly recognize how badly he's messed up?"

@ Sven

Killing him?, Vraljyiya will left him wishing for a quick death... - You sense she is very stubborn, better to have a more concrete plan before she accept to spare her revenge.

@ Vendrick

Most likely we will have to accept Kayiqard as the new king you know, if his movements end with no real threat for Aldwall.

"Come on Vral, work with me here. We can both get what we want if you help me out. I doubt anybody's going to care what you do with him once he's exposed. They might even cheer you on if you come up with something creative."