Talon's eyes suddenly light up. "Keeya, that's brilliant! Lucre is like greed, which is a sin...it just might be the opposite of wrath for the Thassilonians, though I'm not exactly sure. Still worth a try." He goes over to Pai's side, leaning forward to try and rearrange the letters to spell the word, if the gnome hasn't already done so.
You rearrange the letters to spell LUCRE and...
Keeya shoves against Talon's back, trying to look over his shoulder at the device. The smell of wine on her breath.
'He's warm' she thinks and smiles to herself. Suddenly conscious of how close she is, she steps back aways watching intently.
A seam appears around the box, and nested hinges within allow the lid to open, revealing a space within. As the lid opens a small burst of smoke erupts around the box and two creatures that look like rabid little lapdogs that have mastered walking gracelessly on their hind legs jump out of the cloud. Their faces look somewhere between jackal and hyena with milky white eyes. They stand less than two feet tall are clothed in dirty tattered rags and wield daggers and vicious knives that are nearly as large as they are.
They don't attack, instead they start to rip up scrolls and papers lying around, carve obscenities into wooden surfaces, slash books, chew on candles, and otherwise deface things in the room.
Knowledge(Dungeoneering) DC 12:
Round #1:
Inits: (I went through your profiles for these - if I have them wrong, tell me and I'll modify them)
Talon:
Keeya:
Pai:
Taize:
Ugly #1:
Ugly #2:
Due to an effect you do not know the source of, for all d20 rolls, you will need to roll twice and we will use the lower of the two. If you have a 'luck' bonus to the d20 roll, you will only need to roll once.
You can specify what you want to do out of order if you wish, or wait to see what occurs and then act, but I will resolve them all in init order. Also, if you attack or do something that requires a roll after a hit is determined (such as damage), please roll that as well, no matter how low the attack was, just in case.
Order of actions:
Ugly #1: Seizes the papers on the table near the box, rips them into pieces, and throws them into the air like confetti.
Talon (who got super lucky :)
Ugly #2
Keeya
Pai
Taize
Talon is taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of the nasty looking creatures, already running amok around the room. "Try and keep collateral damage to to a minimum!" He shouts, before moving and drawing his two-bladed Sword, the edges flipping out as he makes a strike against the one who just ripped up the papers.
Talon yells to the team, tries to get his sword out, fumbles with the release a bit, and tries to attack the ugly dog creature, only to get the sword blade tangled in the chair a bit, leaving a big gash in the wood while the creature easily dodges out of the way of the wildly swung sword. It laughs and gibbers something in a strange language pointing to the mark left by the errant sword and continues to throw scroll confetti in the air.
The second ugly dog gurgles something in the same language, leaps onto the closest bookshelf, stabbing a book with its knife as a sort of piton to hold onto and begins to pull books off the shelf and throw them around the room at people.
Keeya leaps up and dashes backwards from the commotion roughly ten feet or so, mid move a knife springs in to her hand. She throws it in one smooth motion at the second ugly creature.
Keeya's knife flies through the air at the second disgusting dog that is merrily throwing books in the air. As it pulls a particularly large tome from the shelf and begins to throw it, luckily for it and unluckily for Keeya, the book briefly passes in front of it's body and the knife embeds itself all the way through it rather than the creature before its thrown high in the air, where it comes crashing down on a table covered in papers, scattering them onto the floor.
Artist's impression of what opening the paradox box looked like.
HP 9/9
AC11/Touch 10/FF 11
Conditions/Duration (if applicable): None/x out of x rounds
Spells/day
0th 2/2
1st/b] domain 1/1; standard 1/0
Daily Spell Load:
[b]0th Create Water, Purify Food and Drink
1st Domain obscuring mist; Standard 1st: bless
Channels/day 5/5
Taize casts Bless on the group.
With a mighty guffaw and a "Ah-Ha!" she draws her rapier(Olive) and lunges forward, swiping the blade against the rears of those doggie-things.
Pai lunges forward, swishing her rapier in a dazzling display of swordsmanship, unfortunately for her she is focused on one of the dogs so much, she didn't see the vase on the pedestal beside her and knocks it off onto the floor. Thankfully it doesn't break and rolls under the table.
Ducking a book flapping through the air aimed at her head Taize casts Bless. (Everyone has +1 on attack rolls and saves versus fear.)
Onto round 2...
Round #2:
Inits:
Talon:
Keeya:
Pai:
Taize:
Ugly #1:
Ugly #2:
Effects:
Bless (+1 attack rolls and +1 versus fear)
Unluck (roll all d20 rolls twice and take the lower)
Order of actions:
Ugly #2
Having finished throwing a few shelves of books on the floor and not even noticing that a knife had been thrown at it, this ugly dog creature clambers onto the shelf, pulls its dagger from the wood with a splintering sound and begins to carve some words into the wood of the shelf in an unfamiliar script.
Keeya
Ugly #1
Talon
Pai
Taize
Keeya draws a second hidden blade from her other wrist sheath, switches it into her main hand he tosses it at the second ugly creature
"What do these... things.. want?"
Talon whirls his two-bladed sword around him, feeling slightly more at ease with the blessing from Taize, though the unlucky nature has him on edge. He strikes out with both ends of the sword at the first ugly pug, hoping to end it's destructive tendencies.
"They must have been part of a trap! Just try and hit them without destroying anything!"
Taize stabs at one of them with her trident.
Keeya frowns at Talon, "So no Alchemist's Fire then?" she reaches for back for her bow but then hesitates. and doesn't draw it.
"Not enough room in here!"
"Are you sure you cannot get the one on the bookshelf, darling Keeya?" her blade flicked and shined gold as it caught the candle lights(sunlight) just right, as she tried poinking the doggie-thing in the tush again.
Keeya throws her dagger with deadly accuracy this time, no lucky books get in the way and as the misshapen dog-like creature starts to carve into the bookshelf, the dagger slams into it and buries itself deep into its leg. It turns to look at Keeya, saliva dribbling from its mouth, blood dripping from its leg, and limping, turns to face her while reading itself to spring.
The first ugly creature, still chuckling and pointing at the gash Talon made in the chair, stabs at him with it's rusty dagger.
vs AC 13
But Talon easily dodges it's weak attack and swings at it with one blade of his sword which the creature hops over, Talon pulls back from the swing as it narrowly misses gashing the tabletop. Seeing an opportunity, while the creature is landing, he quickly tries to swing at it with the other end of his sword, but accidentally catches a corner of the paradox box in his swing, deflecting it from hitting the diminutive monster. The paradox box tumbles off the table and onto the floor, spilling multiple small things that glint and tinkle with the sound of metal on metal as they pour from it.
Pai tries to poke the dog creature on the shelf but it hobbles back a little to use the shelf as cover from its short assailant; distracted, it doesn't see Taize's trident jabbing directy at it and is skewered right through like a fish. As it dies, it and all of it's belongings disappear with a wink.
End of round #2, onto round #3...
Round #3:
Inits:
Talon:
Keeya:
Pai:
Taize:
Ugly #1:
Effects:
Bless (+1 attack rolls and +1 versus fear)
Unluck (roll all d20 rolls twice and take the lower)
Order of actions:
Talon (the super speedy - a pair of natural 20s)
Ugly #1
Keeya
Pai
Taize
Surprised at how well that worked, Taize tries again, moving to stab the last one.
Talon glares at the ugly little bastard as it misses him with that nasty looking dagger, wishing he'd worn his armor today - well, judging by how the others managed to work together to take down the other one, he miht as well do his best to take this one down - hopefully without causing any more collateral damage. Good thing that Paradox Boxes were sturdy - he just hoped the contents didn't contain anything fragile.
"Take this!" Talon shouts, whirling his double bladed sword as he strikes out at the monster.
"Double Fang!" Talon apparently names his attack as he finishes.
Talon shouts and whirls his blades in quick and efficient strokes, the first one missing again as the creature ducks, Talon evidently overcompensating high to avoid hitting anything this time, but on the backstroke catches the creature dead on in the middle and slices it in two, the force of the blow flinging the creature's halves towards the wall, but both pieces disappear before it can hit.
Silence falls on the room as the last few pieces of scroll waft gently to the ground.
Talon lets out a slow breath after the last of the creatures are dispatched, before with a flourish flips his weapon closed, replacing it back in its sheathe as he takes a look at the terrible mess that was made. He gingerly picks up the fallen vase, grateful that it didn't break, putting it back in its proper place.
"...Okay, if I might just set a rule? We always, always check any container for traps, magical or mundane. This is not something I want to be blindsided by again in the future."
A big frown mars her face as frustration sets in. But does it stop her? Of course not! Where is the fun in that. Moving to squeeze in to take flank to corner the beast and and give it a squeeze!
Keeya recovers her knives from the creature and the ground and resets her wrist sheaths. "Not bad! Good work everyone!"
As you are gathering your breath and starting to clean things up, Sheila and Koriah run into the room and pause for a second to take in the mess.
Sheila asks, "We heard shouting and sounds of fighting, we came immediately. What happened in here?"
"Apparently whoever made this box thought it was funny to put a trap on it to summon a couple of nasty looking critters. Luckily we're unharmed, though they did managed to tear up a few scrolls and books while they were running amok. Be assured though, we all managed to work together to defeat them." Talon explained to the Venture Captain.
He kneels down to pick up the paradox box. "We did find out how to open it. Simply rearrange the letters on this side to spell 'lucre' instead of cruel. Keeya in particular hit on the right password," He tells her as he hands it over.
Keeya blushes, "Just a lucky guess really"
"Is anyone hurt? It did seem they were more interested in trashing the place than attacking us, but still..."
"One of them tried to take a swipe at me, but it didn't come close. I think the study is going need more healing than the rest of us," Talon tells the servant of Gozreh. "That blessing of yours was certainly a good help during the fight, though. Those things would probably still be running around without your support and your trident." He complimented her.
Glancing over at Pai, he speaks to her as well. "You put up a good fight yourself. I never thought of you as a melee fighter, to be honest. I guess that goes to show I have some prejudices to get over. We should work on some flanking tactics for the next battle we find ourselves in."
He looked at Keeya next. "Don't sell yourself short. Who knows if the wrong combination would have set off a more deadly trap than what we suffered by the right combination. You have a good head on your shoulders and a good aim. Both are attributes that are beneficial to all of us."
Keeya dusts herself off and smiles at Talon, beaming proudly. "I am not hurt."
"I'm glad you all survived without a scratch and while the room is a mess, it doesn't appear anything irreplaceable was damaged." She walks over to the paradox box, scoops the contents back into it, picks it up and sets it on the table. As she does this she says, "I blame myself for the damage in here, I didn't think that it was trapped. In the future, I won't make that mistake again."
She pours the contents of the box out on the tabletop and says, "Please take the contents of the box both as a reward for opening it and for defeating the magical guardians."
There are 25 ancient gold coins (25gp).
Craft (Weapons) DC: 14 or Appraise DC:20
Appraise DC:20
Appraise DC:25
Detect Magic
Turning to Koriah she says, "Koriah, it was a pleasure seeing you again. Good luck!"
Koriah bows to Sheila and then the PCs, "Good luck on your endeavers with Sheila and good job with the box and its guardians." She turns and leaves the room.
After Koriah leaves, Sheila says, "Please have a seat and I can tell you why I originally asked you here."
"First, allow me to apologize for that unpleasantness regarding the creatures -- but it does provide an excellent object lesson. The life of an adventurer is not one for the weak-hearted. That you not only took care of the gremlins but also got the box open in the first place is all the confirmation I need that my gut was right -- you're the perfect group for the job I have in mind.
"You see -- I've recently had trouble with one of my informants here in Magnimar, Natalya Vancaskerkin. She's a half-Varisian who recently approached the Pathfinder Society with an offer to serve as a street informant. She runs with the Sczarni -- I'm not sure with which group. A week ago, Natalya sent me a cryptic hint that her gang was on the verge of uncovering an item that would be of great interest to the Society. Since the Sczarnis' methods of uncovering something often involves an armed robbery or breaking into somebody's personal chambers, we thought it prudent not to press for further details and instead wait to see what it would produce. Suffice it to say, she hinted strongly that it pertained to Thassilon, and promised to meet with me to discuss this find three days ago.
"She never kept that promise -- instead, she seems to have simply vanished. Initially, I assumed that the acquisition of this item was simply taking longer than expected, but now I'm hearing rumors that the Sczarni are looking for her as well.
"It seems likely that Natalya has absconded with this item she's discovered. And this is where you enter, my friends. I want to know what it was that Natalya and the Sczarni found. In fact, I'm more interested in that than in what happened to Natalya herself. For now, I'd like to keep all of this quiet -- if you can find out what happened to Natalya without letting a lot of people know she was also working for me as an informant, that would be preferable -- that's a big part of why I'm coming to you, as new members of the Pathfinder Society, with this task. You don't yet have a reputation in Magnimar, and as such, the lowlifes and criminals you are likely to encounter may be more likely to talk.
"So... go out there and look for Natalya. Find out what happened to her, and to this item she and her gang discovered. If you can secure the item, all the better -- bring it back to me and I'll have a reward of 500 gold pieces for you. And if you can bring Natalya back alive for me to speak to, I'll double that!"
"When Natalya initially approached me with the offer of serving the Pathfinders as an informant, she engaged the aid of a man known as the Amazing Zograthy, a Varisian who keeps a permanent tent and fortune-telling business in Washers' Row in Dockway -- specifically, at the end of a narrow alley that serves as a permanent street fair.
"I have little more information for you, unfortunately -- there are rumors of Nidalese slavers prowling the streets of late, and if these are true, being abducted by a slaver in the middle of the night would certainly explain Natalya's absence. She might even have been picked up by the city guard for some reason, in which case a visit to the Arvensoar, the garrison for the city's watch, might yield some clues."
"To help you, since you seem to prone to getting into fights," she smiles and chuckles, "I'm giving you four potions of cure light wounds."
Talon will take a moment to look over the dagger before sitting down to listen to the Venture Captain.
Afterwards, he'll hand the dagger over to Keeya - she obviously uses them more than him, so it would probably be more valuable to her. "It's mastercrafted, and silvered - it'll be good for you."
Listening to what the venture captain has to say, Talon thinks carefully about it - grabbing some scrap parchment and a pen that's still intact in order to write down notes. "Natalya Vancaskerkin of the Sczarni...the Amazing Zograthy...unknown artifact..." He mutters as he jots the poignant points down. Washer's Row in Dockway - he knows where it is, but never spent any time there. His face shouldn't be known unless a Serpent's Run fan recognizes him. He takes a moment to think about what he knows on the Sczarni gangs in Magnimar, along with the Arvensoar.
"Thank you for the potions," He tells Captain Heidmarch. He already has one in his belt pouch, but any extra would do him good if he was to keep heading first into danger. He places it in his belt pouch with the other, looking over at the other treasure, before picking up one of the gemstones.
"So, after any magical items are identified, we should be setting off - I'd like to make a quick stop by my place to pick up my armor and other gear, but after that, I think we'll be set." He looks to Pai now. "I think we'll be relying on your silver tongue and feminine wiles for Zograthy."
Keeya's eyes light up as she looks at the items inside, she immediately begins adding up their value if any in her head.
She then turns her attention to Sheila nodding in response to her words, her mind clearly on the treasures and not the story. Her eyes light up again as Talon hands her the dagger. It was worth more than anything she had ever owned before, she greedily tucked it into her belt, allowing her clothes to fold over it hiding it from view.
She smiled up at Talon again wondering just what she had done to earn so much kindness from the stranger, but she said nothing on the subject.
@keeya - The Arvensoar is where the city's military and city watch are based.
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Keeya smiled to her self, her hand instinctively reaching down for her new dagger, confirming its there. She was paranoid. She was always paranoid, but these people seemed nice, could the fighter really be as gentle as he seemed? Could he really be so nice? What of the flirty bard? And this exotic woman, what of her? She cast something, some kind of spell, perhaps a prayer and Keeya felt herself fill with power. A strange feeling for sure. Was it divine?
She had been in the Pathfinder Society for several months now. Well she thought, several months before she headed for Magnimar, it was not a short trip by any means. Colson Maldris was highly respected in Andoran and within the Pathfinder Society. Keeya was assigned to him directly, strangely. The judge had given her two options imprisonment and paying restitution or serving her government. She had no idea what that would mean. She assumed with her background she would be serving on one of the anti piracy ships in the inner sea. It would be poetic justice considering her father's profession. And Keeya suspected it was going to be something along those lines. That was until a hand touched her shoulder, a strong older man. It was Colson Maldris. She had heard of him but had never seen him before. He was in Almas on business. When he left for Absalom he brought the young girl with him.
Keeya was suspicious of course, her life had taught her to be suspicious, and older men didn't take interest in and spirit away pretty young girls because they need someone to file papers. And yet Colson treated her with nothing but respect, to her surprise he never touched her. Though given his wealth and looks she probably would not of minded, assuming it was on her terms. But be never did, instead he taught her. He taught her many things, he had need for her skills, need for a pretty young face and someone light on her feet, need for someone who could move quietly, need for someone who would go unnoticed by most, but someone who might catch the eye of the shadow lodge.
Keeya was to be his spy.
"Than' you Talon, it's beautiful." She gave him a warm smile.
Wether the letter drawing her to Magnimar was part of Colson's plans for her, or something that would thwart them she could not say. But when she heard of the opportunity she jumped at the chance for an opportunity to learn more about her own mysterious past, though that was not something she was likely to tell this lot, as nice as they may be, at least not this sober.
Frankly this would be her first real adventure as a pathfinder, she was eager to not let her inexperience show. She was also quite excited to see the Arvensoar up close. She had only been in town a short period of time and many of its sights were still new to her. She smiled again at the crowd. A Smile was good camouflage, no one thinks much of the pretty girl who smiles, They ignore her, or they wish to bed her, but either-way they are off their guard. She was paranoid.
Rake’s Smile (Ex)
At 3rd level, a rake gains a +1 morale bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every 3 levels beyond 3rd.
"You're welcome." Talon smiles back at her, before getting back to business. There was no hard and fast rule saying he couldn't be friends with the people he'd be working with - in fact, it was probably better for him to do that, since he would be relying on them to fill in the gaps of his own expertise. He knew Magnimar well, but he was hardly influential - Pai and Keeya would probably be better at information gathering than him.
"So, our three leads to finding Natalya are to speak to the Amazing Zograthy, look into these Nibelese slavers-" He glanced back at Keeya for that. If he knew one thing about Andorans, it was that they hated slavery with a passion reserved mostly for zealots. "-Or check in the Arvensoar to see if she's in confinement. I think that we should check with Zograthy first, but if anyone else has a differing opinion, feel free to speak up."
"Actually, it might be easier to check Arvensoar first. If she is there she's easier to access. I'm sure the Society could handle that easily. Depending on the charges, of course."
Though rather uncomfortable with the idea of visiting any place that could be used as a prison Keeya nodded in agreement, her finger tracing small nervous circles on the portion of her shirt covering the new knife. She bit her lip for a moment before adding, "Um... I agree, It would be the quickest I thin' if they have her or not it wouldn' take to long."
She nodded again nervously.
Taize smiles slightly. "Besides, if she's locked up they'll have anything she was carrying in storage. If she had the item on her it would be much easier to recover."