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Krieger glares at Ree.
"Stabbing will not be needed. Either she agrees to our terms, or we report her to the authorities. If no one else will take care of these children properly, I will do it myself."
He pauses, considers for a moment.
"However... if she has good reasons for needing extra money, the children are more sick than the medicines we provide can treat or some such, perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement to get her extra assistance."
"Ree, will you fetch Mrs. Baltin? We have much to discuss. No stabbings."
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Ree pouts almost like the flame of her hair sputters a bit as she sulks.
"Oh fine...I'll go get her."
Ree stebs out of the kitchen puts two fingers past her lips and whistles very loudly. "Hey granny homemaker get over here a second, and step on it before I eat all this surprisingly delicious smelling soup!"
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Krieger huffs and attempts to think of a diplomatic way through this situation. He leans on the back of a chair which creaks dangerously under his weight.
"Mrs. Baltwin. I have been speaking with the children and they speak highly of you, but tell me tales.
The tell me they have to get coin from city folk so you can buy medicine? The Crusade already gives you medicine for free?
This is disturbing to me. The medicine is free! Why are you telling them you have to buy it?"
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Baltwin looks back and forth between you all, taking special note of Ree's demeanor.
"Well...you see..." she glances up at the brown bottles up on the high shelf behind Dust, "I have a little bit of a...well...an old lady living all alone with over a dozen children and cats...I need to drink a little bit to keep my nerves calm and all that, every now and again...the temple sends medicine and food for the children, but nothing else for poor old Auntie."
mods hidden
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Krieger looks at her disbelievingly.
"I see. And so you have the children help you with acquiring your... medicine? This seems, how do you say, not as good. The children could be in danger if you are not in your right mind due to drink. I understand your need for help, but I worry for them."
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She sighs, her body language suggesting that she knows she's caught. "Most days you need it if you want to make it through the day in this house. These children are killing me!”
She continues, "Sometimes selling a little bit of the medicine to afford some bubbly and, well, you know...But I use my medicinal expertise to make the medicine left still work just fine - just takes a few more days than normal.
Look, if you just tell the temple, I'm sure they'll send someone to work with me to figure out something, right?"
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Krieger nods, clearly upset.
"I see. Perhaps you are right. I shall talk with Ollysta Zadrian. If these children have proven to be too much of a burden, perhaps the Crusade should take a more direct hand in the management of this facility. You may lose the children however."
Krieger perks up, clearly happier at a thought.
"Who knows, maybe they'll ask ME to take care of the kids?"
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You make your way down to the Docks district and "The Pickled Imp".
This creepy shop contains myriad odds and ends, most bereft of any discernible use. A number of malformed creatures and creature parts bob in jars on a long, prominent shelf, a tiny fetal devil centered in this macabre lineup. The shopkeeper, a greasy-haired Varisian with a thin mustache, shouts from behind the cluttered counter:
“Ah yes, I see the Pathfinders have arrived. I’ma glad Ambrus was able to lend a few of his new recruits-a to help me. Please-a come in and letta me tella you what I need.”
Looking around as if to be absolutely certain no customers are browsing the aisles of knock-off Thuvian burial urns or supposed Azlanti porcelain, he begins again.
“Wella met. I am-a . A friend a mine has a warehouse near here and he received a parcel on behalf of me and a-some a my associates, but there’s a problem. See, Master Gelbane had-a...to leave town in a hurry and our shipment is still-a waiting at his warehouse.
"Rumor is he ended up in-a trouble with the law and the place-a was a-seized. I heard-a tell from someone down at the docks that some creep was snooping around his warehouse a-just the other night, so I want to make-a sure nothing of mine was taken. He keeps all kinds of things, from beer to nails, in that-a old a-pelican, but every now and then he-a stores something really special. This is one of those cases.
“There’s a big-a crate marked with three crows arranged in a triangle. Inside that-a crate is a smaller container with a few books and a-papers in it. That’s the only parcel I’m-a interested in, and as far as I’m concerned, you can-a help yourself to the rest of the crate.
...Honestly, anything else-a you want in the place too. I’m sure the once things-a get-a sorted out, the city will seize-a most everything else anyway.
“My associates and-a I often work with-a the Pathfinders when it comes to special-a relics and documents, getting them in and out of ports and across borders where the authorities ask-a too many questions. Most-a people don’ta realize what-a they have and frankly many don’t deserve to have it, so sometimes we help-a take-a da goods offa their hands. If things work out well and you get this done, I’da be glad to talk with you more and help you out with any future endeavors, as long as you help me out too. I’ma good ata returning favors, trusta me!”
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Karela just smiles with bright white teeth, and through them gives assurances that nothing that you're doing will be bothered with by "law enforcement persons".
Regardless, you aren't really able to get much more out of Karela (except Ree, who Guaril Karela somehow managed to sell a strange Varisian luck charm to for a few silver pieces), and you find yourselves heading to the piers of the Dock District.
Perched on the end of a long pier fifteen feet above the water, the warehouse appears to struggle against its own roof, threatening to sag into the bay below. No light shines from the building’s windows and only the movement of gulls and pelicans stirs the scene.
This building looks abandoned and in disrepair. The windows are dark and dirty and provide no view into the structure’s interior. A small boat bobs in the water below, tethered to the pier by a stout, salt-crusted rope.
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While some of the slats outside the door are a little rickety, the frame of the warehouse is rather solid. There is a thin but sturdy ledge that wraps around the entire structure, allowing people to move around to the sea-side loading doors, which look like they've seen a bit of activity within the last week or so.
The boat is sturdy and safe - just hasn't been used for awhile.
Krieger notices that the door is locked and will not open. Ree, however, notices a tiny glint of gold hidden between two wooden slats near the corner of the warehouse. Bending in to take a look, she sees that it is a carefully hidden key!
Ree unlocks the door and it creaks open. From where you all look, darkness fills this warehouse, the ambient light from outside blocked by a filthy, oily film on the structure’s few windows. Darting illumination comes from light reflecting off the water through a splintered hole in the floor. Throughout the warehouse, crates, boxes, and barrels lean against each other in vaguely sorted stacks. A lingering smell indicates some of the contents are certainly spoiled.
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Seeing nothing of note from the entryway, you progress further inside...
Perception
Dust
Vili
Ree
Krieger
None of you notice until it's too late, the sound of scurrying rodents of unusual size!
Dust
Vili
Ree
Krieger
Red Rat
Green Rat
Purple Rat
(Round 1)
Dust
Ree
Rats!
Vili
Krieger
(Round 2)
You notice the gaping hole in the southeast corner of the warehouse is fairly unstable. The spaces adjacent to it are Difficult Terrain, and you must make a DC 10 Acrobatics check or risk breaking up the floor and sending the box resting there into the water. A DC 15 Acrobatics check allows you to ignore the difficult terrain and ignore the risk of breaking up the area any further than it is during your turn.
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Ree leaps into action and runs one of the rats through even as Dust's shot flies off wide!
The Red Rat, staggered, attempts to bite Ree...
...and then it falls over, unconscious.
The Green and Purple Rats, defending their dens, charge to attack Ree and Vili!
vs. Ree
vs. Vili (flat footed)
If any of those hit, DC 11 Fort Save vs Disease
(Round 1)
Vili
Krieger
(Round 2)
Dust
Ree
Rats!
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And just like that, it was over!
Dust's celestial eagle and Ree slash and skewer the Green Rat, while Krieger and Vili smash and stab the Purple Rat.
Now that the fight is over, you have time to look around and take stock of the situation. Looking around, you notice that the box perched precariously in the center of the almost-hole has three crows arranged in a triangle stamped on it.
You also notice that crates all along the walls have a plethora of other items, including but not limited to: old/warm beer, blocks of clay, coffee, coils of rope, dried fish, lead ingots, nails, nets, raw cotton, rough wool, spare sails, timber planks, various pulleys and tools, and cheap weapons (any non-masterwork Simple weapon from the Core Rulebook)
This would require an Acrobatics check to work near the crate and a Knowledge Engineering or Dexterity check to operate the crane.
- A PC strong enough to lift the 200-pound crate could be suspended by the crane and positioned over the crate (Dex/Engineering to operate the crane, Str check from the lifter).
- The PCs can throw a rope with a hook at the handholds to secure the crate from afar. Treat this as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 feet targeting AC 10 (Ranged Attack followed by Engineering/Dex to operate the crane).
- The PCs could also borrow the boat docked outside and simply collapse the floor, dropping the crate safely onto the deck of the boat. (would require CMB and/or Acrobatics checks up top and Profession Sailor or Survival in the boat).
- The PCs can use the timber and tools from elsewhere in the warehouse to brace the floor and slide the crate to firm ground (Engineering or Survival or Craft/Profession related to Carpentry).
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"Brilliant idea, Dust. I was thinking the same thing. We could even spike the sail into the sturdier planks away from the hole to make sure it doesn't fall in.
A backup plan: Does anyone here know how to use a boat? We could get it beneath the hole in case the plan 'falls through' so-to-speak."
Krieger is pleased with himself at his clever wordplay. Subtle like a hammer, that one.
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"Someone help me with this. I'm not as good at engineering."
Krieger grabs enough sturdy sail to cover the hole with plenty to spare, spiking it into the sturdier planks at regular intervals with daggers, pitons, and whatever pointy, strong tools he can find. He fishes the other half of the canvas under the structure supporting the chest, before repeating his work on all the other sides, producing a supporting canvas under the chest and covering the hole.
"There, done. Now do we have someone light who can fish a line or a grappel to the chest so we can pull it to safety?"