The Nebten's Demand (Inactive)

Game Master Nebten

"The baroness isn't the one getting the item. Hunclay's next of kin is love. And if we're caught you'll not only have to return the coin she's going to pay you, but get thrown in prison as well... that said, if we find something personal and addressed to us... well it doesn't belong to his next of kin does it?" Kale whispered back before she offered her lover a sly smile.

"Pest control an' accountin' eh?" Calli muses as she reads over the contract. "Seems fair 'nough ta' me!" she continues cheerfully as she signs hers.

"Reckon we'll wanna do shoppin' 'fore we head out there?"

Haruf pauses before nodding and returning the smile to Kale .

When do we start? I mean... What'ya want to buy?

Alex grinned lightly at haruf's comment. Leaning towards him as he moved with the rest of the group. "well, if there is an oppertunity, we can see about that possibility." He said while holding the grin. Truth be told, the bravado of haruf, even in the face of death after almost experiencing it, caused Alex enough of a humorous mood that he was tempted with the idea of willingly finding a moment where haruf could return the favor, especially while kale was watching. He would not be willing to say that aloud, however, since he had already given the outward appearance that haruf's unnecessary bravado was just that, unnecessary, when showing his lover his strengths and capabilities.

He gave a brief glance to Iulia as he noticed the glitter of silver from the crossbow bolts. He felt as though he should plan accordingly, but also posed the question as he made a mental reminder to look into silver arrows. "If we are going to buy and prepare, what crazy things do you think we will find in his home, being a caster and all."

"Oh...uh, I dunno really, just thought it might be a good idear," Calli shrugs, looking a little sheepish. "Mebbe y'all fighty types could use some of those fancy weapons what's made outta silver or that cold iron stuff?"

"Or mebbe some healin' supplies of some sort...them kobolds gave us more of a beatin' than Ah wouldda guessed they would," she adds.

I do like those mithral daggers... They could be my arms.

"I honestly doubt that we'll need anything made of sliver or cold iron. That said I will not stop anyone who wishes to get some." Kale pointed out before she shift her stance and though on the other words Calli had stated. "Healing potion may be a good idea however. If at the very least to ensure we can get each other up if Alex cannot get to us." She agreed.

"Awright, sounds like a plan then," Calli nods. "Th' other stuff was just a suggestion anyway. Prolly wanna head over to one of th' temples then."

She looks thoughtful. "Ah know Abadar's got a place here but Ah thought Ah saw another one out wanderin' 'round, something 'bout Seven Roses. Might be some o' yer folk Iulia," she grins.

The party makes their way to the Shrine of the Seven Roses. They are greeted by Nilos Genser. A friendly, dainty gentleman dressed in rainbow striped cloak.

"Well aren't you just the belles of the ball. Ever since ya'll came around here, there has been so much excitement! You are probably here for healing potions? Or are you looking for dates? I'm sure I can arrange either, darlings.

"Out to get that bounty Ol' Prake Abrassus put up? I guess there is some beast of wolf that is leading a pack that done run off with his sheep. Damn thing is so big, it looks like dog carrying a bone in the moonlight. But never-mind all of that. I have the standard affair, among a few special trinkets: deep red sphere ioun stone, goggles of minute seeing, and finally a wand of lesser restoration. The last one had to be used a few times. We had a horrible case of stirges comes through here. A mess really, a real mess."

Haruf displays his lack of religious knowledge by asking Calli who Abadar is and why the party would be interested in visiting him in a small town like this, as well as thinking that the Seven Roses were a special fragrance.

Once in the shrine, he measures Nilos looking for hidden blades and assessing his fighting capabilities. He listens very carefully to the tale of the wolves, taking note to stay away from those farms.

On the subject of "special trinkets", Haruf doesn't seem at all interested, yet he casually checks out the shrine looking for valuables, at least what he would consider something valuable or, in other words, something shiny.

1d20 ⇒ 16
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Haruf does not get a good read on Nilos combat skill. But he appears to be genuinely friendly, if not over flirtatious. The rogue also doesn't see any weaponry on the cleric.

The Shrine is very sparkly and colorful. Somebody could spend a day being entertained in here with some halfling weed and sack full of pork rinds. However, the decor reveals nothing of value.

Campaign Info Tab updated.

The sparkly and colorful nature of the shrine seems to have a positive impact on Haruf. He starts lowering his guard and even tries to sniff the air. Why would color and sparkles have such a positive impact on someone usually so gloomy is left to anyone's guess.

"Ah, you're a Shylinite aren't you?" Kale asked with a smile. "Nah, I believe I'm well off in the dating area." She gave Nilos a smile before nodding her head to Haruf. "Healing potions on the other hand, would be very welcomed." She answered.

"How large are they saying this beast is?" Kale asked as she raised an eyebrow. "And just how often is it seen?"

"Uh...Abadar's th' god in charge of stuff like...like commerce an' businesses. An' he's big on th' spread of cities an' such - that last one sometimes puts him on the outs with nature folk, of course," Calli explains as the group perused the wares at the Seven Colors.

When Nilos makes mention of the wolf problem, she looks thoughtful. "First I hear tell of stories 'bout werewolves an' now actual wolves 'round here. Seems like y'all gots some sorta critter issue at any rate."

"It was during the full moon a few weeks ago. That's how Ol' Prake got a good look at it. But he thought something has been picking off his flock for some time. Said it was the size of a house. Picked up one of his lambs by the belly without much of a fight or fuss. Eerie when you think about it. The silence of the lambs...

"But never mind all that. I don't want to keep you from your ventures. I'll see what we have in stock, so you don't go dying out there."

Feel free to buy what you need at the standard price. I'm figuring potions/scrolls of CLW. I know Iulia has a wand of CLW already. Unless, somebody wants to investigate or explore somewhere else, I'll move the party to the estate within 24 to 36 hours.

Alex grinned slightly as he overheard the conversation between several of the party and Nilos while he shopped. Sheylnites were always a curious lot, but ones Alex could enjoy the company of. In fact, had it not been for people like Nilos, deciding which god or goddess to follow before he became a cleric wouldn't have been such a challenge.

He was instantly distracted from the shopping, however, when Nilos went into more detail about the loss of some of Prake's flock. All this talk about werewolves told him that he should definitely buy some silver and cold iron arrows. at least one threat of a possible werewolf was abound. what other troubles would he run into with this party? "Is there any more news involving the wolf, or werewolf? If there is anything else to the stories, we may need to look into this soon. A werewolf would be a cause of great concern."

"There have been more wolf sightings? Oh deary me, I haven't heard anything about that. Best stay in at night. No more nude moon dancing this season.

"I heard Bophre has returned. A sweet girl, that one. Was that you? Oh how heroic you are!"

"I have only heard of what my friends made mention of in their own inquiries. I was only curious if you knew more. And when it comes to Bophre, they were responsible for such. I offered aid only through the gifts Erastil had granted me." He said as he continued to gesture to the rest of the party. Trying his best to give indication that the credit should go to the party that he only recently joined for the sake that they appeared to need healing

The Wizard's Estate

Hunclay Manor is the newest building in Belhaim, built of heavy stone blocks. It sits alone on a hill at the east edge of now near the felled ruins of the old Witch Tower. The manor appears to have two floors with a dome upon the second one.

There is a burnt outline of a kobold on the doorstep of the manor house. It appears the limbs were in a strange contortion when the edges were burned in on the cobblestone. Besides the large, closed door, there appears to be no other way in.

As Haruf remembers the dead charred kobold, he shivers at the thought of the same happening to him.

I think we better walk 'round the house and see if there's a better way in, he says already starting to walk without waiting for confirmation of his friends. While walking, he measures the manor in search of a better entrance, even considering using his grappling hook with a rope to start at the second floor, if it seems doable. He keeps some special care to see if he finds a hidden entrance which would not be trapped, thinking the fact that it is hidden would be protection enough in Hunclay's eyes.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

There are worse ways in, not better. There are two chimneys along the northern face of the manor and one on the west. The shuts are long and narrow that a greased up gnome might be able to get down it. Maybe...

The dome is made completely of glass but there does not appears to be an access points.

Haruf does not detect any traps or secret doors along the outer door or walls. When checked, the front door is locked.

Haruf shares the lack of discovery with the party with much confusion.

I thought a wizard would put protection in his house, he says without considering magical protection.

He checks the main door for traps and tries to pick the lock.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Disable device: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

"I would be more inclined to believe that protection that is unseen without the aid of magic till triggered..." he paused for a second as he thought about what certain people have been capable of while he glanced at Haruf. "....or if the one searching has skill with such traps, is the type of protection a wizard would rely on more often."

he made sure to leave the backpack behind this time, taking with him only essentials, such as potions, scroll case, and anything else he would need. he would not be slowed by non-essentials this time with home so close.

Haruf does not detect any traps on the door. The scorched ground may indicate that one may have been present and has been discharged.

The door's lock is giving Haruf quite a headache though. It is a very good lock, not the simple ones found in the kobold lair. He is unable to unlock it on this try.

Haruf makes no indication that he failed. Instead he tries again, trying to make it look like it is still the first attempt at unlocking.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

After spending a much longer time then usual, a few minutes, Haruf is finally able to pick the lock. Hopefully he won't have to come across such a lock during a time of danger.

The front door opens up to a grand hall. The floor of this well-appointed entry hall is adorned with two expensive Qadiran rugs and decorated with several overstuffed leather sofas. Two dozen paintings with gilded frames hang on the walls, portraits and landscapes, all of exquisite artistry. To the north sits a large bird cage. The birdcage contains five frantic songbirds. Each of the colorful, exotic birds emit a cacophony of chirps as the sunlight enters the room.

Wooden doors open in the east and west walls and an elaborate spiral staircase of iron both ascends and descends in the southeast corner.

Oh btw, everybody should be a full hit points and spells renewed.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Haruf, dizzy from the birds' excessive noise, becomes too distracted to see anything of notice.

After a moment to appreciate, or appraise, the art in the room, he takes note to check the overstuffed sofas later, sure there must be something sneaky in them.

Appraise: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Someone feed those birds already!

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"I never took Hunclay for a bird person. Though those are rather pretty things." Kale said as she walked in looking around. "Wonder if anyone will actually buy them." She said as she joined her lover in looking around the room.

Sorry for the delay, has been a busy past couple of days with work and catching up on sleep.

"Oh...oh wow! Ah'm surprised these birds haven't already croaked; they've prolly been goin' hungry for days now," Calli gasps as she moves over to the bird cage.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

"Hey...this one's got some sorta charm attached to it's leg," she comments. "Uh...lemme see, there's gotta be some bird feed 'round here somewheres..."

Calli quickly scans around the room for any signs of bird feed or where some might be kept.

Before Kale and Haruf can enter the room, Calli grabs them both by the collars. She then points floor in front of the entrance.

"Itsa trapp't," Calli says.

Haruf goes to try and disarm it, but is unable to find any trip wires or pressure plates. After a few moments, Haruf realizes this trap is outside his skill set. He knew he should have stayed in Rogue school longer to learn how to disarm magical traps instead of playing with his knives.

"I wonder what is in stored." alex pauses for a bit to try to make sense of the trap. though he knew he wouldn't have the means to remove it, at least he could try to figure out just what to expect from the trap

spending a few rounds on detect magic to try to narrow it down to see what can be learned about the trap.

Alex spends half a minute scanning the Grand Hall. He is able to surmise that there is a faint magical aura all long the entrance from the door that reaches out 10' in all directions. Unfortunately, he is unable to decipher any more due to his lack of knowledge in the arcane arts.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Alex also detects a faint magical aura coming from the charm attached the largest bird's leg. He figures it is some type of key to arcane locks.

Magic.... I don't know how to fight it, Haruf says, distraught at how hard it is to disarm the trap.

How can we walk around it?

"Huh...mebbe Iulia or Alex have a spell for that?" Calli says hopefully. "Or mebbe we can try to set it off an' see if that'll get rid of it. Though uh...might cause some property damage if we do it that way."

"Oh...an' there's somethin' behind that there paintin' of Hunclay - see how it's bulgin' out there?" she points.

Iulia doesn't have any spells to use against a trap. She recommends the athletic monk or nimble thief try to run & jump over the warded area to get inside.

Calli looks between Iulia and Haruf for a moment, then shrugs. "Awright then...I'll give it a go Spider; ya gots Kale to think about so no takin' too many dumb risks," she chuckles. After shooing everyone away from the immediate vicinity of the door, the monk backs up and takes a running jump towards the open door...

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

... and sticks the landing! Calli is able to clear 20' without any recourse. Once inside the Grand Hall, she can see a switch tucked behind the portrait of Hunclay.

"That was amazing! How... how did you do that?" the witch looks the suitably depressed. "I hope there's not too much of that sort of stuff about."

"Ya learn ta run fast when yer just a kid an' have a nasty habit of stealin' onto people's property to snack on garden fresh veggies," Calli responds with a grin. As she spots the switch, she calls out, "Looks like that paintin' lump is a switch! Mebbe it'll turn off that trap - gonna flip it an' see!"

And she proceeds to do just that (unless the others tell her to wait).

Flipping the switch, a small hum can be heard in the Hall. Calli scans the entry way for a few minutes and no longer detects any form of trap.

The birds continue to chirp and sing frantically. There are doors to the east and to the west. Each door has a lock on it. No other traps are detected in this room.

After the switch was flipped, Alex made his way towards the chirping birds; specifically his focus being upon the large bird with the charm on its leg. "We may need to take this bird with us if we cannot take just the charm. If my understanding is correct, this will help us should we run into arcane locks."

"Theys prolly hungry too," Calli points out. "Unless Hunclay had some sorta magical feedin' spell or whatnot, they likely ain't been fed for a few days now." Now without the imminent threat of traps, she peers around for any signs of bird food to feed them with.

Haruf is impressed with Calli's jump. He, then, helps to find the bird food.

Alex examines the bird. The silver charm is in the shape of a skeleton key. The handle is filled in with the inscription Kiweezergumby. The green parrot is more then willing to hop onto Alex's arm and crawl up to his shoulder. Or he can easily remove the charm.

The birds food and water supply is exhaust. There is no signs of any food or water in the Grand Hall.

Kale clapped when Calli cleared the jump. "Impressive none the less." She told the monk before joining the others in looking for bird food.

"You know, I doubt that he would keep the seed in this room. But we can give them water for now till we find food." She said as she took out her waterskin and filled the water bowl for the rest of the birds.

nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Iulia looks at the bird. "I've never seen a bird like that before - could it be Hunclay's familiar? It's not nearly as noble a creature Sweet-tooth, but I suppose it's all a matter of taste. I don't suppose we have a way to speak with animals? Where's a gnome when you need one."

"Well, should we try the eastern door?"

"S'pose so," Calli nods to both Kale and Iulia. "Awright, let's keep movin' then. They should be fine now that they got some water and some crumbs," she adds as she crumbles up some hardtack from one of trail rations.

Curious about Iulia's comment on the bird, Alex decides to take the bird with them instead of just removing the charm, but not before letting it eat and drink alongside the others. "who knows. Perhaps we can learn more as we explore."

Sorry misread something, the doors are not locked. And I don't think the Tarrasque is in the basement either... =v)

The birds quiet down after been given the food and water. Kiwi appears to be quite happy on Alex's arm, nuzzling its head every so often in the clerics long, flowing hair.

The door to the east opens up to a hallway with doors to the north and to the south.

The door to the north opens up into the Parlor. In the northeast corner of this parlor is a huge globe of Golarion cradled in a polished mahogany stand. Sextants, astrolabes and paintings of unearthly landcapes are hung on the walls.

The door to the south opens into the Dining Room. The dining room's long oak table is surrounded by ornately carved oak chairs. On each wall hanges a large, framed painting of a desert landscape.

With no other exits out of these rooms (unless you count the chimneys), the party then moves to the west portion of the estate. The west door off the Grand Hall enters into the Kitchen. The kitchen is well stocked with all the accoutrements needed to prepare gourmet meals. Obscured by a curtain, there is a cubby in the north east part of the kitchen. There are a pair of cots and two chests against the wall.

There are two doors along the southern wall of the kitchen. One door opens up into a well stocked pantry containing nothing of any value. The other door does not easily open even though there is no notable lock.