The Jade Regent (Inactive)

Game Master Vuvu

Darinius scoots closer to Gorou to whisper something to him, Is Walthus usually like this? I thought you said he would be able to help us.

sense motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18 Does the man seem like he would really let us in for tea?

"A snake you say?"

a large constictor

Shiori believes him

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 I doubt it with that roll, but any sign of a large constrictor or the creature that was following us?

"aw, come on now, let's just heal him up. If anything he may let us rest so in order to recover the spell, He looks at Walthus, "right?"

Exiel, initially taken aback by Walthus' unfriendliness, finally speaks up.

I suppose it is only fair that if we request his aid, we render aid to him in return, and there is nothing wrong with us rendering our aid first to show our good will.

Exiel smiles to Thribden and Walthus, hoping to ease the tension a little.

Shiori sees nothing but then again it wouldn't be easy to spot without going in and looking about.

Walthus puts his hand out the door again.

Again, in all fairness and as a matter of courtesy, perhaps it behooves you, good sir, to let the lady in rather than have her stand at the door whilst she administers aid to you. We would not want her to think that you do not appreciate her aid, would we?

Go away if you will not follow my rules. I do not trust you. With that Walthus slams the door and you can hear it lock.

"Well he seemed rather...abrasive...now what?" Shiori asks, surely the question was on others minds as well.

It is one thing to not want visitors in your home, but quite another to not want us to see more than his hand. Why is he so reluctant to let us see him, I wonder? Marks of a disease on that he does not want us to see? Or is there something embarrassing inside?

Exiel quickly calls out to Walthus as the door closes.
Hold, good sir, I did not mean that she would not heal you otherwise. Stretch out your hand again. She will heal you.

Exiel will nod to Thribden at this point, hoping the Samsaran is still willing to heal Walthus.

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If Walthus stretches his hand out for healing again, Exiel will look at his hand for signs of disease/marks/wounds, and then through the crack in the door for anything that might be amiss in the house (he has darkvision, if needed). He will also scan the hand and then through the door with detect evil, since he can. It's a spell-like ability (no somatic or verbal component), so it should be subtle enough.

If needed (though at least any spots/lesions on a hand should be easy enough to see):
Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17
Heal: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9
Knowledge (any relevant one):1d20 ⇒ 16
Any other roll I've not thought of: 1d20 ⇒ 13 + stat mod

The hand sticks back out, and up along the forearm is a bandage, with some blood soaking through. Exiel sees a normal looking cottage inside, well he can see a chair near a fire…but that is all, especially since he has to move aside for Thrigden

Tripp nods to Exiel.

"He speaks the truth Walthus, we mean you no harm. I'm sure she wouldn't mind healing ya as a sign of good faith."

Diplo: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

sorry trip no more diplo rolls, at this point the impression has been made.

now we wait to see if she heals him or not.

Having seen and detected nothing amiss (I'm guessing my detect evil scan also failed to pick up anything), Exiel moves back from the door, and turns his attention back to the swamp once more, watching for whatever it was that Shiori had spotted earlier.

He will have a club in his left hand and a loaded sling in his right.

Hopefully we get through this tedium before anything nasty springs out at us.

still getting to that EX

[rolling]

Stop staring at me boy. Why are you doing that! The hand pulls back inside and the door closes, then opens slightly. [b]I think it might be best if you all go. If you want to heal me then you can reach your hand inside.

That can't possibly be what he's usually like. It's not just me; there is something weird going on here, right?

Darinius stalks off behind the house again, not pacing absently this time, but on the lookout with his spear unsheathed. Come help me see if anything is amiss.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

note that less than a minute has passed Darinius

[rolling]

The door slams after Darinius makes that statement.

note that I am ruling that most of this happened at the same time. Ex did his thing, at the same time. Walthus closed the door, then said there was another chance to heal him, then heard Darinius and slammed the door shut. That is where we stand now. The door is closed and locked

I assume that before I could get an answer to my whispered question, the exchange at the door immediately happened. Now that the door has slammed I am starting to make a round of the property, but waiting a moment first to see if anyone is going to come help me.

Dagger out, Shiori shifts her attention to the swamp.

"If that creature is still following us, would it not have attacked by now?" She asks quietly glancing around.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

EPIC rolling out of you guys so far!

"Well... that guy sure is friendly. Hmm, Shiori I know what you mean, I also saw something back in the marshes... I wonder if it is still around?"

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"Nah, you know it probably is looooong gone."

ITS A CURSE! A CURSE I SAY!

Exiel glances warily out to the swamp.

Perhaps...or it may be following us and waiting for a good time to strike. 'Good' being a bad time for us. We've seen signs of potentially unfriendly life on our way here too. Whether or not it's all been the same creature or different ones, I don't think this swamp is a place where we want to let our guard down.

Exiel has a trait called "defensive strategist" that negates the flat-footed penalty for being an 'unaware combatant', on the basis that his familiarity with military tactics makes him more aware of where attacks are likely to come from. I'm just playing that aspect of his character up.

That said, I also would not be surprised if something were to spring out at us from the swamp very soon, or at any point really. I think it's been hinted at earlier.

"I told you all he was a hermit. What did you expect? Why didn't you just heal him? He's never seen any of us before, we can't expect him to just invite us into his house uninvited and unannounced. Especially when he's been injured, and we're just making demands. I would heal him myself, but I lack magical healing. So either someone heals him, or we break into his house and threaten him for help, or we just wasted hours of walking through a nasty swamp," Gorou says grumpily to the others swarming over each other at the door, poking and making demands of their potential host. Amatuers. A Pathfinder team would have never fumbled a social interaction so badly.

To be clear, Gorou is the one judging not me (high int+low cha/wis). I think it's kinda funny out of character. That being said, we could handle things better in the future.

If you're doing diplomacy (especially mister +8 Exiel) and we're not in combat, please remember to take 10. We could have probably moved his attitude to neutral or friendly if you guys hadn't relied on the dice. That, and remember to aid one another, we're a team! (Note you can't take 10 on an aid another action.)

When a character or creature is not in immediate danger or distracted, it may choose to take 10 on some rolls (specifically, skill checks). Instead of rolling 1d20 for the check, calculate the result as if the die had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure—you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn't help.

If we start out with Exiel as a base taking 10 for an 18, and two people successfully aid him, that would be enough to change the attitude of the vast majority of unfriendly creatures at our level (DC 20+their cha mod).

In future social situations Exiel should take point, aided by Darinius, Thribden and Tripp.

Unfortunately, by the time I checked in after knocking on the door, the door had been answered and 2 diplomacy checks rolled. =(

Hmm...I suppose next time I'll leave a note that someone can roll my diplomacy check for me. XD

"Here here, Gorou! We came here a long ways and with a purpose. Let's get it done then, eh?"

I hear what you are saying Gorou in regards to taking 10, I really do. But sometimes, you know, it's just fun to roll the dice and see what happens.

"I don't think breaking into the man's house is the answer here." Shiori remarks, adding "It certainly wouldn't make matters better, that is for sure, I mean if we break into his house, we might be forced to kill the man, and I don't see that as an acceptable outcome."

Ex check your PM

oh Gorou, that is funny, obviously a pathfinder team would have just killed everything and probably fire balled the cottage from distance

Wow, I went to my parents house for the day, and came back to having caused a disaster by not healing the guy. Whoops.

Thribden stands watching the man be insulted further and further. Finally as the man slams the door and locks it, she calls out--just a bit too late--Alright, I will heal you, then we can talk.

"I too have no desire to kill the man or break into his dwelling. I was simply outlining our options," Gorou agrees with Shiori. "Hopefully he will be willing to forgive our rudeness in light of Thribden's generous offer."

Exiel deliberately raises his voice so that anyone inside, or nearby, would be able to hear him reasonably clearly.

No, we have no call to be invading his home or attacking him. If it is healing he wants we can still offer it, in exchange for the information we need, and maybe some of that tea he mentioned. But he has done nothing to warrant hostile actions from us.
Or at least none that we know of.

However, he also walks closer to Gorou and Darinius and mutters
but it still seems odd that he would take no note of my mention that we'd been sent by Shalelu. Or that someone in need to healing would so readily turn it away.

Casting his mind to Darinius' last statement, he adds
And I would have thought that under the circumstances, Darinius' statement would have outraged him and prompted a tirade, but instead he closed the door. It's all conjecture, but I am not opposed to taking a closer look if he refuses a last offer of healing from Thribden...

Ah, thanks GM

Oh and one more thing...I detected an evil presence either coming from him or within the house. That is not to say that he's necessarily done something bad - it could be that he harbours evil in his heart and has not acted on it in any way. That said...be careful. And we should certainly be seeking to investigate what, if anything, he has to hide.

Darinius thinks better of walking around the back of the house by himself given Exiel's mention of something following the party.

He seems awfully keen that we don't see him or go inside. He's hiding something. Darinius hisses quietly back to Exiel. We should check around back.

"Maybe he just doesn't want to expose himself to risk when he's injured. If he still won't let us in after Thribden heals him then we will have grounds for suspicion," Gorou whispers back.

I don't trust you. Perhaps you are the ones behind the goblins massing in the marsh

He calls from the other side of the door

Tripp listens intently as Ex speaks. He says in a low voice:

"Ex, you truly surprise me with your deep wisdom. I agree, his behavior is very odd... perhaps something has happened to poor Walthur... if that is even who is in there"

He then shouts back at the door.

"Do we seem like goblins to you? What sort of nasty green ankle biter would have the intelligence to even try and deceive you? That would be the smartest group of goblins I'd ever seen!"

Exiel starts to protest the ludicrity of his suggestion, then recalls that the last time there was an amassing of goblins, there were humans and an aasimar behind it. Damn RPing a character who had been around during events of Burnt Offerings. XD

Nonetheless, he thinks to himself:
I wonder if he really means that, or if he's just trying to find an excuse for his odd behaviour.
Sense motive:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

because humans have never worked with goblins before

Knowledge local or history

K. Local: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

"Yes, ok, that did happen that one time but that's all over now!"

Shiori walks up to the door, takes out her thieves tools and picks the lock. "If you won't open the door and let her heal you, then I will open it for you."

Disable Device: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Assuming that roll is high enough.

Shiori moves aside and adds, "We could fight over this all day, but she has offered to heal your wounds, I suggest that you take her up on her offer."

Humans and Goblins? Does that really happen around here? Drainius asks incredulously of those who are longtime residents of Sandpoint. And breaking into someone's house to forcibly heal them? You Varesians are weird.

Can I assume my K. Local roll was enough to know about the plot of Burnt Offerings?

Yes it I was tripp

Tripp whispers:

"Darinius, you may have heard a few years back, the old Sandpoint Cathedral burnt down, killing the current priest and his daughter, a pretty Aasimar named Nualia. Now, a few years after that, you may have heard of the goblin raids on Sandpoint. Well, it turns out that the Aasimar daughter survived, became a cleric of Lamashtu, stole her father's remains to sacrifice for demonic powers, gathered the local goblin tribes together and instigated the raids. She was... not a nice lady... but some heroes came through and went off and killed her, so all is well I suppose!"

Behind the-- Thribden cuts off, mouth working silently. That's crazy! We came to get help in getting rid of the goblins. As her eyes get wider, she watches Shiori unlock the door, then shrugs, How much worse can it get? Thribden pushes her way inside and looks around.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Mr paladin, breaking an entering?

Darinius listens to Tripp's story incredulously. Yep, Varesia is b&!+~!+ insane.

GM, anything from my earlier sense motive roll?

Exiel watches with consternation as Shiori takes out her tools. He grits his teeth for a moment, then sighs and walks to her side and puts a hand over her tools just as she puts them to the lock.

(Softly)He technically hasn't done anything wrong that we know. We have no right to barge into his house, my misgivings about him notwithstanding.
Given his aura...he might be hiding something, and if he gives me any good reason to be reasonably certain he is...

He proceeds to call out to Walthus
Mr Walthus, I trust you can tell that we are more than capable of forcing our way in if we had been so-inclined. The very fact that we sought to talk first and should tell you that we did not come to do you harm.

Now, we are offering to heal you, but your odd behaviour is making it rather difficult for us to help you. I assure you we have no greater love for the goblins than you. And we come at the behest of Shalelu. Surely that counts for something? If you will not let all of us in, you could at least let Thribden heal you from the doorway to see if our intentions are genuine.

If I get a diplomacy roll: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

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Looks like despite his inclinations and training, Exiel is potentially somewhat better at his alternate tactic than diplomacy. XD