The Red Arm of Absalom - Ongoing Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master GM Red

Mr Peppers passes the time on the voyage mostly by studying his spellbook and enjoying the scenery. He does his best to stay out of the crew's way and will, when possible, spend time chatting with the Captain below decks in her well appointed, and comfortable cabin. He focuses on discussing the overall geography of the area as well as any particular politics of the Cheliax region. He does his best to limit his contact with Cup, at least limiting it to small doses.

Arrival!

Once finally on shore Mr Peppers takes a few minutes to walk around and reacquaint his legs to solid ground. "I can safely say I've got no future as a sailor. At least the weather was pleasant." After the short walk to the gates Mr Peppers again speaks up "This place is so gloomy, I have a feeling the townsfolk aren't much different, but maybe things will perk up if we can find their missing persons."

Mr Peppers then makes sure to stow away his wands and spellbook. "No sense in attracting too much extra attention around these superstitious folk. I don't want to be burned at the stake."

"The sea was quite calming." Sirettis takes one last look at the sea. "I will miss it."

Isa sits quietly on Sirettis's shoulder as they reach town. "Isa, keep quiet for now. At least until we are in a more private environment." Sirettis strokes her hair, reflexively.

The ship trip passes in a blur. She tries to spend some time with her team, having chats with Isa and Sirettis, and tea with D and Uesugi. She asks questions of Gallix, trying to find more about how the man came to be betrothed to a dwarf.

But most of the time she spends with Oolong and Barry, trying to train her excitable dog to be a little less barky. Barry's a great dog person, and is more than happy not only to give her puppy training tips, but also to play endless games of fetch and wrestle with Oolong, tiring the dog out.

As Oolong conks out on Barry, both snoring, she leans over the ship rail and sings.

We’re off on dangerous mission, my team and me
Passing through Andoran, the land of the free
Into areas with a more dubious history
Dangers and strangers and maybe an occult mystery...

There’s an infestation of giant bugs
(Time for tea so go get your mugs)
Apprentices who’ve disappeared
Oh please, let it all be weird!

When they arrive in Almas, Cup takes the time to send a cheery postcard home, telling everyone she loves them, and that Oolong is full of energy. The trek northwards is good. She only gets thrown from Oolong’s saddle twice, both times early on. After that, she and the dog find their rhythm, and they make Saringallow in good time.

When they finally arrive, her legs are sore. She dismounts Oolong gratefully, petting the dog while looking down on the misty town. “It doesn’t look that bad from here. Should we go down and introduce ourselves?” Then she pauses. “Actually, before we do... do you mind if I cast a spell on all of you for good luck? I picked this up while studying in Sincomakti School of Sciences, in Ustalov. They love Arithmancy there!”

She pulls out a wand and casts 7 charges of Lucky Number. Now all of you, roll 1d20. That’s your lucky number for the day. If you roll it anytime today, you’ll be able to either reroll it, or keep the roll and add +2 to it.

First, she casts it on herself.

Lucky Number: 1d20 ⇒ 15

"Why thank you, Cup! I feel luckier already." Corsac checks his gear as he departs the ship. "Now, where are these giant bugs? I have a few slugs to put in them, it seems."

Lucky Number: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Woo! Finally getting caught up. Looks like it was a busy weekend!

Gallix looks up at the impressive expanse of wall before him and stretches his arms high above his head, working out the knots in his shoulders and the stiffness in his legs. He had enjoyed getting to know Cup, the new girl that had joined their little group, and it had been fun to spend time with Barry, though Gallix quickly figured out that he was barking up the wrong tree with that one. He had otherwise spend much of the trip exercising. He was developing some workout routines to give him a better grasp of how to use his cestus to the greatest effect. It would still take some time to get them fully in place, though.
As Cup offers to cast her spell on him, Gallix kneels down to the gnome and offers a hand for her to lay her spell on. "Thanks, Cup. I can see you'll be a valuable addition to the team for your magical talents, to say nothing of your musical ones." He gives her a smile and a wink, then stands and pats his belt to make sure his Wayfinder and his notebook are still securely in place and ready for use. "Ready when you are, folks."

Lucky Number: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Forgot to add, buying a MW backpack, cold iron sling bullets, a vial of alchemist fire, and, you guessed it, a wayfinder.

I'll make a proper post in the afternoon.

D.'s Lucky #?: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Will post later this morning EDT. Busy weekend and I need to grab some shut eye. Those are some great posts all keep it up!

I'm confused. Were we able to sail/barge up river all the way to town or was there some overland travel going on? Mostly I want to know to adjust spells I'd have prepared... and over course it affects the RP! Great song btw, and the leaving home bits, very nice.

Mr Peppers watches with a sense of curiousity and slight skepticism as Cup taps the group members with this 'lucky' wand. No chance she uses that thing on me until I verify what it actually does. She'll end up giving me pink hair or something. He speaks in Elven and rubs his eyes

"I appreciate that Miss Cup. By the looks of the gloom here a bit of luck is welcomed."

I'm assuming you can take 10 on what would that be.. Arcana or Spellcraft?

Luck: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Spellcraft, I'd think. And I think you can take 10.
I love the interactions Cup and Gallix added in before leaving Absalom. Those really help build their characters.
I think I may have said it was going to be entirely travel by sea/river originally, but I later changed my mind to first traveling by sea to Andoran and then taking the rest of the way by land... I hope that's alright!

I'll add some background building to match the others it's a great read but I expect no less from them

Lucky Number: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Ya its fine, Mr Peppers would have prepared and used his mount spell vs walking is all. 2 level 1 spells makes my versatility poor. When do you expect we'd have gotten to town? If it was a short trip I'd walk, but anything more than a couple hours I'd have used the Mount. Mr Peppers doesn't keep that frail pale body type by exercising!

Certainly more than a few hours. I won't go as far as trying to calculate the precise travel time, but it must've been about a day or two.

Alright then I'll make the assumption that we arrived around lunchtime or later with Mr Peppers riding on his noble summoned Elven steed. Well maybe not noble but summoned... beats walking!

Sirettis prefers to stay quiet when Cup and answer the minimum required. Isa, however, chirps up a storm and fills in any details Cup requires.
"My apologies if I seem quiet. But many do not ask about me. Not that I matter much." She stammers, clearly off guard. "The mission is more important, is what I mean."

As they approach the village, Sirettis is thankful for her help. "Thank you for your blessing, Miss Poshkettle."
Lucky Number: 1d20 ⇒ 6
That will go straight to the 'reroll' option

All our Lucky Numbers are recorded on the bottom of Red's slide show. Mine is also in my header.
__

At the gates, Cup smiles up at the guards. "Hello! May we be admitted to your lovely town? I believe that Mayor Sandra Trinelli is expecting us!"

Diplomacy Take Ten: 10 + 9 = 19

She sure is a friendly one and certainly not intimidating, looks like these guards won't stand a chance.

"Yes, we've been sent to speak with the Mayor, its been a long trip. This note should help explain somethings, a formality I'm sure." Mr Peppers hands forth the note.

Take 10 to aid in Diplomacy for a 12. Also, was this note sealed? And was it directed at the Mayor? If it wasn't sealed then Mr Peppers would have read it. If it was then he would make sure it stayed that way. And if it was just for the Mayor then strike that last bit.

Edit: I wasn't aware of that Hmm! Diplomacy Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 Foiled!

While the others work on gaining entrance into the town, Gallix remains toward the back, keeping his face turned away from the guards. He has no noble blood in him, and he doesn't use any kind of magic these simple townies would be familiar with, but he is concerned that his Chelaxian features might make the locals distrust him and his friends. He has no interest in making their mission more difficult than it needs to be.

Let's say rolled up and bearing the seal of the Pathfinder Society, but not sealed. So yes, you have read it, and you are aware that it's addressed to the Mayor.

One of the guards, a human man wearing leather armor and with a short sword on his belt, leans over the tower to examine the group. He speaks to another guard for a moment, then makes his way down the wooden stairs. At the bottom, he walks towards Mr. Peppers and eyes him suspiciously. "Business with the Mayor, you say?" He takes the note and reads it over. Then reads it over again. "Pathfinder Society. I see..." He moves around the group and stops at Sirettis, examining her hair curiously, then continues on. "Your business here best be taken care of with haste. We will be keeping an eye on you. If we notice anything strange, you will need to leave immediately." His tone is matter of fact and lacks any understanding for you just being here on business, but he waves you through the gates and into the city. "Follow me. The Town Hall is just down this road."

Work is still busy so i'll have to elaborate on my history another time to keep this moving

On the Voyage

Uesugi returns the next day walking beside a beautiful mare with a black and white spotted coat. The mare is hesitant to climb aboard the ship but you watch as Uesugi whispers in her ear and she prances up the plank but is mindful to nip at anyone who gets too close. "Captain I hope it is not too much to bring Yurei aboard. She was growing tired of being stabled in the city and began to show her irritation with the stablehands. With us traveling overland it would be wrong of me to leave her in the city."

With a wary look the captain nods and points down below in the hold. "She's yours to look after so I hope you have feed for her. The trip will be short but she is welcome just keep her from nipping at men crew."

For most of the voyage Uesugi spends his time in the hold keeping Yurei company while they head for Andoran. In his presence you notice that Yurei is very protective of Uesugi but she is mindful not to actually bite anyone who gets too close.

At the gate
The ride there is fairly uneventful and Uesugi is his usual quiet self and as they near the gate he watches the four guardsmen stare their way with stern looks. He matches their gaze with an equally stern look and then watches as the little gnome heads up to the set of guards and in a cheerful, energetic voice asks to see the mayor.
She has a sense of urgency he nods in appreciation to this even as the rest of the other group seem to have a range of mixed reactions.

Weather's been great...(see cloudy and wet)...and people & their dogs....the bottom of my shoes!!
Well, back to the funny part of the day.

As Cup darted off, D. looks at Uesugi, as he points at the running Cup.
"彼女はちびのためにかなり速いです。"

D. already had a few alchemist fire, but he'll buy an anti-toxin.
And something else.

When she is singing, he wasn't bothered, rather amused, in fact. Although he had heard bards that were too cheerful or dull to his taste, Cup was doing a good job. Especially the few bits about tea, were good bits.

Sirettis keeps her hair as still as possible at the front gate. It was dancing a bit too much on the wind when the guard saw it. "Thank you." She does a quick curtsey.

Diplomacy(Aid): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

The guard leads you down a dirt road extending east into the city's centre. Many of Saringallow's buildings appear to be bult from brick or stone and their age is made apparent by years of weathering and layers of moss peeking out of the foundation. Other newer-looking buildings appear to be built entirely from wood. To the north, you're able to spot the peak of a Temple of Erastil with a wooden image of bow and arrow on the steeple. To the south appears to a marketplace with an unassuming Saringallow's Sundries sign perching up on the wall next to the front door.

As you reach the center of Saringallow, the guard turns north. Constant stares from the town's locals pierce through you as you move through town, and whispers can be heard all around you. Most of the population appears to be human with some having elven features and you even manage to spot a couple of gnomes.

You arrive at the Town Hall within a few minutes and the guard leads you into Mayor Trinelli's office. The plush red carpet and oak furniture upholstered with velvet lend this room an air of comfort, but it's also clearly a place of official business, with several layers of administrative papers, staff memos, maps, and charts covering the wide surface of the solid desk in the center. From her tall-backed chair behind her desk, Mayor Sandra Trinelli looks up, shaking herself out of a deep concentration.

"Mayor Trinelli, these are Pathfinders from Absalom. It would seem your pleas were heard," the guard says as he addresses her, handing her Valsin's note.

A subtle look of relief flashes across her face as she motions to the oversized chairs in front of her.

"Thank you, Saven. You may return to your post." He nods at her in agreement and walks out of her office, consantly keeping an eye on you as he exits.

"Normally, I’d exchange more pleasantries with my guests, but I fear there is no time," she says. "The business that brought you here is quite urgent - it may actually be a matter of life and death."

Cue dramatic note

Mr Peppers walks through town and does his best to take in the sights
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
but most of his attention seems to be drawn to the whispering townsfolk.

Once Saven has left them with the Mayor he speaks up "Good afternoon Mayor, I'm Mr Peppers. I hope we've been able to arrive in time to help. It is a long trek from Absalom, but we made as much haste as possible." He then goes around the group and introduces everyone.

He unslings his backpack and retrieves his journal and ink pen then gestures to a chair. "Mind if I have a seat and take some notes? I wouldn't want us to miss out on any details that could make a difference."

He takes a seat and props up his book, ready to take some notes. "What can you tell us? Our information was pretty spotty, something about missing apprentices and rumors of insects or some such?"

It can't be all bad. There are gnomes here.

Outside the mayor's office, Cup tells Oolong. "Wait with Yurei, alright? No, don't give me that big sad-eyed look. We'll be right out." She scratches the dog's ears and goes inside.

___

After the mayor's speech, Cup nods appreciation to Mr. Pepper's introduction. She pulls out her own notebook. "In addition to Mr. Pepper's questions, I have one of my own. May we make use of small magics in defense of this town without offending the populace? We do not wish to cause problems between you and your people, and it's best for us to know up front what the customs and laws of your town allow."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

Edited in light of Mr. Pepper's simultaneous post.

Gallix follows the guard through the quiet town and feels the piercing stares of the townsfolk. He mostly keeps his eyes straight ahead, but the scowl on one local woman's face sparks a memory of a familiar face, and he has to turn to see the woman more clearly. Oh good. Not her. I was worried she'd followed us here for a minute.

When the group finally arrives at Trinelli's office, Gallix steps in and finds a position on one end of the desk. He stands with his arms folded across his chest, listening to the brief dismissal of the guard and the mayor's hasty greeting of her guests. "No need to roll out the red carpet, Mayor," Gallix replies. "Just tell us what's been going on and direct us where we need to be to fix it. The Red Arm of Absalom - our little group here - gets the job done, no need to worry about that."

Sirettis doesn't like being at the center of attention. Moments like these made her wish she paid attention to some of Isa's more elaborate secrets. The secret to shed your skin, your very form, and replace it with another. How many times did her masters force her to dress up and play pretend? Too many times. It came in handy when she escaped, though...

Inside the mayor's office, Sirettis's hair relaxes and dances about, glad to be free again. Isa has behaved herself for the most part.

"I will restrain my abilities unless it is a last resort. But I do want to know my limits and what you will require from us."

Diplomacy(Aid): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

D. quietly observed the many glances. Perhaps a few times he sported a more piercing glance from his own eye.....as someone quickly averted his look.

Within the office, he stands at the side.
"A matter of life and death you say....do tell us more."

Uesugi leaves Yurei outside with Oolong and moves inside with the others. He listens to what the mayor has to say and is about to say something when he watches as four of them begin to waylay the mayor with questions.

He tries to see the mayor's impression with all these questions and steps back standing with the kitsune gunman knowing that to add his own voice would likely set things off even further.

sense motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

I apologize in advance for this wall of text, but hey, there are a lot of details to be told.

Mr. Peppers isn't able to discern anything of importance other than the very suspicious townsfolk.

Uesugi is able to discern that the Mayor is nervous about the situation and that she isn't sparing any details.

Mayor Trinelli nods. "Take all the notes you need to. You may have heard that several young apprentices from various establishments in Saringallow have disappeared in the last couple of weeks. Every one of them has failed to show up to work, and nobody seems to know where they've gone."

"That's not all. Rumors are spreading about sightings of enormous insects roaming about town. So far, the townspeople have chalked up such rumors to just that - rumours - but I fear they might be real, and that they might have something to do with the missing apprentices. I have no proof that the situations are connected, but if folks get that notion into their heads, things are bound to spiral out of control."

She shifts nervously, as if avoiding an uncomfortable implication, before continuing.

"Please, I implore you to look into this matter quietly and thoroughly - find out where our apprentices have gone and discover the cause of our vermin problem. Don't jump to conclusions until you have investigated every possible angle; we need to be absolutely sure that we know who or what is responsible before we take any necessary law-enforcement actions."

"I suggest you start by interviewing the masters of every missing apprentice on this list I've compiled. I suspect that, collectively, they might shed some light on the youngsters' whereabouts. That could in turn illuminate our vermin problem, but until we have more information, I caution you against suggesting to anyone that the two situations are connected. Beyond that, though, you have my full cooperation in this matter. If anyone gives you guff about your line of questioning, show them this letter."

The mayor pushes a scrap of paper with several names scribbled on it across her desk, as well as a rolled-up, ribbonbound letter written on thick parchment.

"As far as an incentive," the mayor says, "I've pooled together 50 gold pieces as a reward for each apprentice you manage to find and rescue, as well as an additional 100 gold pieces if you can determine the cause of our vermin problem - and eliminate it. Do we have a deal?"

____

In response to Cup's question, the Mayor thinks for a moment, and then answers her, "The people here understand that certain forms of divine and arcane magic have their merits, but they see the practice of magic as an invitation to outside forces that cannot be controlled. They will tolerate it, although mistrust its users, so long as it is not witchcraft nor evil divine magic. Alchemy, on the other hand, is looked at in high regard as it is practical."

Handouts added to map and I pasted the names of the Apprentices into a more legible font.

"We shall speak to them and determine the source of your problems."

"Do we want to split up and tackle these guys separately, or go as a single large group?" Cup studies the list. "Mistress Mayor, are any of these proprietors gnomes? Pricknettle sounds like a decidedly gnomish name, but one can never be sure."

Then she glances at the others. "Gnomish or not, I'd like to visit this alchemist early and get a sense of him."

Mr Peppers takes notes on the Mayor's points, as well as copying down the missing apprentice information.

"Do we want to split up and tackle these guys separately, or go as a single large group?"

"That's a fair plan but there's only one writ from the Mayor here, and to be honest I'd rather not split up in case we run into trouble. We should be able to get this knocked out in a few hours right?"

Cup nods. "Well thought out as always, Mr. Peppers. Who do we want to tackle first?"

The kitsune struts along, cognizant of the stares he may receive and caring not one wit. He stands back, listening to the others ask their questions without saying a word.

For some reason, i had to think of this...

"Whoever is closest, would be convenient."

Uesugi watches as the others set up a plan on how to get through the list. He is mindful to listen but asks a few questions now that everyone else has had their say.

"Mayor Trinelli is there any personal information on those missing that you can offer? As the governing body here I am sure you must have heard some stories regarding these apprentices before they vanished.

Also you said you want us to keep this quiet about our investigations when we talk to people. What is being said about these disappearance and the general attitude they have towards each other?"

"Mistress Mayor, are any of these proprietors gnomes? Pricknettle sounds like a decidedly gnomish name, but one can never be sure."

"Very perceptive of you. Indeed, Majara Pricknettle is gnome. I believe she hails from Umok."

"Mayor Trinelli is there any personal information on those missing that you can offer? As the governing body here I am sure you must have heard some stories regarding these apprentices before they vanished.

Mayor Trinelli sighs, taking a swig from a large mug of tea on her desk. "No, I truly don't know. From what I gather, their masters mostly think they've just momentarily run off. The longer they're missing, however, the more worried the townsfolk will become. I do hope you find them safe and sound."

Also you said you want us to keep this quiet about our investigations when we talk to people. What is being said about these disappearance and the general attitude they have towards each other?"

"As you likely know, the people of Saringallow are a superstitious lot, and with good reason - our community has been through its share of hardships, particularly when it comes to our vulnerable youth. If folks begin to assume that foul play is behind the apprentices' disappearances, they might decide to mete out justice against an innocent person. Or if they come to believe the two situations are related, they may begin to suspect a diabolic or otherwise foul influence, and there would be panic in the streets. Under no circumstances can I allow that to happen. Certainly you may ask the citizens about the disappearances to see what they might know, but please do not mention the vermin problems while doing so."

Mr Peppers looks about the room to see if anyone else is holding back any questions, if not he asks one last one before he puts away his notebook and quill. "Where and when can we reach you if needed? Do you have office hours? Do you wish to be disturbed on off hours? Is there anyone else in town that we can speak with if you aren't available?"

As he starts to pack up, he stops for a moment and flips to a blank page and and then back again a few times, and begins copying. After a minute he passes the book around to the other agents and asks them to review and sign the page: A basic contract written up with the requests of the Mayor as well as payment discussed, date, etc.

Once everyone has their chance to sign and review it he passes it over to the Mayor for her acceptance and signature. "Sorry to bog things down with paperwork" He says glancing at her desk, "But I'm sure you know better than we, the powers that be demand such accountability when resources are spent."

Once all that is taken care of Mr Peppers is ready to head to the alchemist shop. I truly hope the master isn't a gnome as well... maybe he just sent away the apprentice due to excessive talking.

Uesugi takes the book and leaves his signature on the paper after skimming over some of the contract agreements laid out by Mr. Peppers.

"Let us move with urgency and begin speaking with the masters on this list. Mayor Trinelli could you briefly give us directions to the establishments of these masters. If we can talk to them all we can meet either later this day or early next morning to debrief you on our findings. Mayor Trinelli also is there a reliable stable that I might find for my steed?"

Cup looks over the contract drawn up by tall, dark and bureaucratic before signing it. It wasn't too bad, but the language was far too clear for her taste.

If gnomes had drawn this up, the language would be so florid that no one would be able to understand a word, and then we could point to any indecipherable clause in the contract, and claim it said whatever we wanted it to say. Big people lack proper experience in the art of obfuscation. Then she brightens. More to add to his education, later.

"We're not allowed to ask about the vermin?" She frowns for a moment. "That'll make it harder to investigate, but maybe people will come to us with rumors anyway. That is one thing I know... Gossips delight in spreading what they think they know."

Cup nods at Uesugi's suggestion. "If those stables come attached to an inn, that would be even better. I'd love for us to have someplace dry where we may stay while we're here."

She is also ready to visit the alchemist.

"Right, so we need to ask these folks here about their missing apprentices and see if there's anything that might link them together somehow so we can figure out where they've gotten off to. And we also need to ask around about the insect problem, but make sure we don't equate the two, right?" Gallix shrugs and pulls a thin roll of paper from his tunic pocket. He twirls the roll in his fingers for a moment or two, then puts the roll back. "Seems fairly straightforward. At least there's no time travel, eh Blaster?" He nudges the kitsune with an elbow and smiles. He turns to the mayor again and the smile disappears, "We'll make sure we find out what's going on, Mayor Trinelli. Don't worry about a thing. Now if you all are done bothering this woman," he says, turning back toward the door, "I suggest we get on our way. The daylight's wasting."

D. hears the relevant questions being exchanged in quick succession.

Observe and learn...those on the side see most.

When the paper set up by Mr. Peppers comes his way, he reads it quickly, then signs it.

Sirettis doesn't hesitate to sign it. "I trust you, Mr. Peppers."

"Let us visit the alchemist."

Ah, another contract to sign. These never work out in the end, I hope he knows.

Mayor Trinelli accepts the paperwork from Mr. Peppers and signs it, adding her title beneath the signature. "I'll be here in my office all day, awaiting your findings. If you need me tonight, you can find me here." She draws up a crude yet functional map indicating the locations of the five shops and temple mentioned in her list as well as her home. She then hands it to Mr. Peppers. "I trust this will suffice for directions."

In response to Uesugi's question about his steed, Mayor Trinelli says, "There's a stable right here at the Town Hall. Just head out of my office and to the right. The stablemaster will take great care of your horse while you're investigating."

"To clarify, yes, you can ask about the vermin, but please try not to make a connection between the two. I thank you again for doing my city this service and I hope we get to the bottom of this soon."

With that, you leave Mayor Trinelli's office and head back outside.

Okay team, sounds like the destination is Pricknettle's Potions and Poultices. I'll have that post up soon.

As they walk to Pricknettle's, Cup bounces along beside Oolong. She hasn't stabled her dog yet, as dogs are a good size for meandering through human towns. She smiles and waves cheerily to anyone who stares at the group. It's good to make new friends.

"Did you hear where the mayor said Majara Pricknettle is from?" she asks the others, excited.

Knowledge Geography: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

"Umok! I've heard of that place! It's an entirely gnomish settlement, where wild animals wander the streets, the lamps and stoves are lit by magic and there's a constant threat of goblin invasion!" She smiles, contentedly. "If gnomes have to settle, that's just the kind of place that would be great to raise a family. Plenty of danger and stimulation! I wonder though, why someone from Umok would come here to Saringallow? It seems pretty tame so far... Though the bugs sound promising!"

Uesugi thanks the mayor and leads Yurei to the stable while the others get ready to leave. When he returns he follows after the others letting the little gnome take the lead while he stays near the back.

The town feels hollow. Like the wind came through blew away all of the life out of these people.

Cup, since you're waving and smiling at the locals, give me a Diplomacy check.

"Hello, everyone!" She smiles and waves up at all the grim faces studying them.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Cup didn't let the frosty looks from the locals weigh her down. She'd win them over, eventually.

Mr Peppers thanks the Mayor for the map and heads out, and after consulting the map he points the direction of the alchemist.

After listening to Cups description of Umok he practically snorts. "I can see EXACTLY why they left that place. At least this place seems to have some peace and quiet. Complete anarchy wandering the streets is no way for a professional craftsman to advance their craft. Alchemy creates some interesting and useful bobbles, giving it a space in the room. However there is as large table in that room, and the head of that table is the Arcane."

Mr Peppers shakes his head and smiles. "Maybe this gnome just abandoned the toys and bobbles in search of something better."