The Red Arm of Absalom - Ongoing Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master GM Red

"That bile was noticed by you... it wasn't a problem until you arrived... I think I know how this could move forward in their eyes. Don't wander off alone Sirettis." Mr Peppers consults the directions once more and heads off in that direction, putting the note back in his pocket.

Was doubled up again!

After their investigation at the orchard, Mr. Peppers, Sirettis, Cup, D, and Corsac head for the Witch's End Tavern. Hanging over the door of the bar is a sign depicting a dark-haired figure burning at the stake.

Entering the tavern, a very tall woman stands behind the bar. The place is an absolute mess of noise and spilled liquor, and the lady constantly shouts at rowdy patrons to keep it down with little success.

"This stew is simply to die for, Alcie!" A man seated at the bar yells across to the woman as he takes a huge gulp from the bowl in front of him.

At the same time, a heated discussion seems to be going on at one of the tables, and a tall, brawly man stands up and gets in the face of a half-elf. "What did ya say about my mother?!"

"Your mother? Do you even know who your mother is? I thought I heard you were conceived in some kind of filthy alleyway," the half-elf sarcastically retorts, grinning in the slyest of ways.

The human throws his beer in the half-elf's face. This is getting bad. Real bad.

Alcie, who appears to be the owner, sees what's going on and yells at the two, "Stop this right now, or leave immediately!" They don't seem to care about her warning, and their anger continues to build.

__

Uesugi and Gallix make their way back to the Town Hall and into Mayor Trinelli's office. She stands up from her desk as they enter. "Back so soon, Pathfinders? I trust this is a good sign. What have you discovered?"

Dang! A proper bar room brawl is cooking up and Gallix reporting to the mayor?! The shame!!

Sirettis takes a deep breath. Time to earn the proprietor's favor.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
"Quiet!" Sirettis screams at the rowdy patrons. When they quiet, she points (or did her hair point?) at the door. "Go. Now." And waits for them to leave.

Upon opening the door and seeing the seen Mr Peppers promptly closes the door. "Umm maybe we should come back here later, how about that Haberdasher?"

One word from Sirettis was all it took. Complete silence fills the bar as they look over at her and Isa. "Y-yes ma'am..." The brawly human runs past you without another word, and the half-elf stumbles out behind him shortly after with his eyes on the ground.

"Wow. I don't know who you are, but you have my thanks," Alcie says to Sirettis. "I'm so tired of idiots ruining this place's atmosphere. I'm losing business over it! This wouldn't happen if Morvinarr were here." She scowls in anger as she wipes down the bar.

That felt good. Asserting myself like that. No one had to prompt me, either. She takes a glance at the tavern's logo and shakes her head.

Sirettis turns to Mr. Peppers and nods. "The crisis has been averted." She enters and speaks to Alcie. "It is unfortunate that they would ruin this establishment." Sirettis sits on a stool.

"Who is Morvinarr, security? Rumor has it that Morvinarr Albusin hasn't arrived for work for several days. When was the last time you saw this person?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Lucky number reroll!
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Mr Peppers looks back at Sirettis as she bellows forth a blood curdling scream at the rowdy patrons. To his surprise, somewhat at least, the offenders tuck tail and run, leaving the bar.

"Well I guess this place is a better place to start then right guys?" He turns back to the owner "Morvinarr a big fella? When's the last time you've seen him?"

Mr Peppers whispers to the group "A sap would be pretty helpful for a bar bouncer..."

Damn you Sirettis! Screw it I'm not rewriting!

Mr Peppers and Sirettis kind of talk over eachother, saying virtually the same thing.

Diplomacy Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 But mostly he's just making things more confusing.

Alcie nods. "You bet. Morvinarr's my cook-in-training, but his huge size and strength meant he was also my part-time bouncer. He'd throw out all kinds of morons like those two."

She half-frowns when Sirettis asks her about Morvinarr directly and stops pouring drinks. "Right to the point, I see. Normally, I wouldn't share so much with people I've never seen before, but you really helped me out by scaring them. The entire tavern is peaceful.. For now."

"He was here about a week ago. He was always running around with those other apprentices, sort of as their protector, since he was the biggest and strongest one. Where they went, he went, always making sure to keep them out of harm's way."

"Most often it was Nolaria who led them on wild adventures outside town. They would often come back here and boast about their exploits." Alcie rolls her eyes.

"Recently, however, they seem to be avoiding the Witch's End. Morvinarr keeps taking time off work. I suspect they were getting into something I would not approve of - which more than likely has something to do with magic. Don't get me started on magic. But why else would they avoid me?" She shrugs.

Cup has been quiet most of this time, fascinated by Sirettis's scream of intimidation, and the flight of the bullies. That is one thing big people have over gnomes.... It's hard to intimidate someone when you're looking at their knee caps.

Still when Alcie asks her question, Cup speaks up. "There's all sorts of reasons why children might avoid an adult. It doesn't have to be about magic, you know. It can simply be about being a teenager, and wanting some time to discover who and what you are. Teenagers are between worlds, and that takes time to process."

She smiles up at the bartender. "When they used to tell you about their exploits, what sorts of things would they brag about?"

Diplomacy Aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18 +4 to Sirettis

It's hard to intimidate someone when you're looking at their knee caps.

Though easier to hit them where it really hurts. Tibial, kneep caps.....the privates. ;)

D. vaguely smiles at Sirettis' outburst.

Very good.

Alcie eyes the gnome as she reasons with her. "I suppose you have a point. Now nothing they did was that dangerous - just a few canoe trips along the Cornerica River and perhaps a close encounter with a stray goblin or two. I don't know how much of it I actually believe and how much of they dreamt up. As you say, teenagers are between worlds, right?" She smiles sweetly at Cup.

"Oh, there's one more thing."

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a folded note. "When Morvinarr hadn't shown up in a week, I felt a little concerned, so I went to look in his room and I found this. Unfortunately, no one signed it, so I haven't a clue who wrote it." She places the note on the counter for someone to take.

Added to slides

That note gets snatched up quickly by Cup, who reads it and then passes it to the others with a raised brow. "This gives us another avenue for investigation at some of the previous places we've visited."

She smiles. "May we search his room too, please? We promise not to disturb anything, but maybe we'll find a clue to the author of the note."

Cup smiles up, trying to look both completely non-threatening and trustworthy.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

I suspect they were getting into something I would not approve of - which more than likely has something to do with magic. Don't get me started on magic.

Hearing this little tidbit Mr Peppers looks down at his cloak and robes, heavily adorned with arcane symbols and comes to a crossroads. Hrm, this woman obviously has no respect for the Arcane, but I don't want to impede our mission.. I'll have to speak with her later, hopefully after we've cleared this mess up.

Mr Peppers decides to keep his mouth shut for now, and stays in the back. Letting Cup and the others take the lead on this one.

Alcie nods and smiles back, "Sure, you can, but I'm not sure what you'll find that I didn't. It's just in the back." She points down a hallway leading off from the main area.

"Maybe the golden-haired one here can stick around and keep scaring unruly patrons?" She looks over at Sirettis with a grin on her face. "She's about as scary as a witch might be if one were to walk in here. Hah, witches. They dare not set foot in my tavern!" She laughs.

Nope, she has no idea.

Uesugi and the barbarian travel back to the mayor at a hastened pace. Uesugi wonders what their findings in the orchard will mean for this town. While he had never been fond of wu jen trickery he fully acreated that it existed and used properly there was some benefit to it. From what he had seen so far this town would rather cast doubt and turn a blind eye to wu jen trickery even existing. Their beliefs instead of protecting them had probably let whatever forces were responsible for the orchard to grow and take root in the shadows.

Uesugi directs the barbarian in first to the mayor's office. When the mayor sees them he sees the surprise in her face and waits for her to finish before answering "My companions are still about talking to the masters, but we decided to visit the orchard which lies in the middle of town. We were surprised to what we found there and is the reason we came to speak with you. Your insect problem is more dangerous than we had expected. We found some beetles there who had been consuming some sap from one of the trees. It had the effect of changing the nature of the beetles. Augmenting them but tainting their otherwise docile nature.

On top of that in the battle we were watched by a few onlookers who saw us use abilities which your community may look at as being 'dangerous and evil'. I would rather warn you before word comes to you as I do expect word will begin spread about us soon so some will come seeking answers from you."

Mr Peppers and whoever else is interested will head to the back room to look for any other secrets that could be found. Once inside he'll close the door to keep prying eyes and ears at bay.

"Lets see what this prep cook moonlighting as a bouncer has to hide." Mr Peppers begins by detecting magic, then helping the others look for hidden clues. Perception Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Gallix stands beside Uesugi as the samurai delivers their report to the mayor. He nods in agreement when Uesugi finishes, then adds a few additional notes that he thinks may be important for the mayor to know, "It seems like each of the apprentices whose masters we have spoken with so far, all seem to be connected. They seem to be a group of friends who has a tendency to go wandering and occasionally get into mischief together. We're continuing to speak with the other masters, as Uesugi mentioned, but it seems like this may be one of the group's little adventures gone awry."

Sirettis nods and stays with the barkeep while the other party members search the room. "Witches never fit in. No matter how hard they hide, they always stand out."

Sirettis simply smiles. "If you have any water I'll certainly take some. I can't hold any liquor."

Aid Cup: 1d20 ⇒ 14

D. strokes his short Fu Manchu 'stache.
"Approval to search for extra signs of the whereabouts would be appreciated, and could prove important, ma'am."

Gallix and Uesugi

Mayor Trinelli ponders Uesugi and Gallix's words with a furrow in her brow. "That is unsettling. I was really hoping the insect problems were simply rumors, but now you've confirmed otherwise. Exactly what did this sap look like? Did you bring any with you?"

"I can understand a group of teenagers getting into mischief, but that doesn't solve the mystery of where they might be. I do hope the rest of your team learn enough to locate them as they continue to interview the others."

Basically, there are still a few key pieces of information you need to figure out/find

____

Everyone else

Alcie slides a glass of water down the bar towards Sirettis. "There you are. Let me know I can get you anything else."

Mr. Peppers and Cup poke through Morvinarr's room, which is pretty utilitarian, containing only a cabinet and bed. Inside the deep cabinet are a few gold coins, a magazine titled.. The Lusty Aasimarian Maid, and two heavy sacks of sand that were likely used as weights. Otherwise, there isn't anything magical or of interest.

"The Lusty Aasimarian Maid?" Cup is amused. "He's a teenaged boy, alright. Ooh... pictures." She points one out to Mr. Peppers. "Can big people really get in those positions? They don't look comfortable."

Mr Peppers feigns disinterest at the magazine but manages to keep an eye open, for 'research purposes' of course. "I suppose so, a person's flexibility seems to be tied closely to training and repetition, much like the mind." Damn I wish our maids looked like that when I was back home. They must have strong backs.

"Stop looking at magazines and start looking for clues..."

Blaster keeps searching for something that might be more helpful. But the others are quite distracting.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

The Lusty Aasimarian Maid

I smell a Skyrim reference.

"Hmm......anything else in here?"
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

D. deliberately uses his telekinesis to flip the pages for Mr. Peppers, to reveal more.

Wasn't me, stealthy motions: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

to keep an eye open, for 'research purposes' of course.

Now i feel like i'm reading the 'Succubus in a grapple' thread again.

Uesugi nods at the Mayor. "Yes we will continue to speak with the other masters. The rest of our companions were able to acquire some of the sap so they have it on their person. It would seem best to bring it to the Master Alchemist we first spoke with and also the priest. We will go now and speak with you once we have gathered more details on the whereabouts of these children."

"I'd heard before aasimars were good at everything, but now I believe it." Cup adjusts her glasses and then reluctantly says, "I do suppose that we should continue on with our next search. It's too bad none of our apprentices worked for a bookseller. It would be interesting to see the shop where Morvinarr bought this manuscript."

She sighs and puts the book down. "Where to next? The haberdasher or the alchemist?"

I don't recall if Bishop had the vial with him or not. If you don't mind, could I retcon that I did collect some of the bile? Having heard about its effects, Gallix would be interested to compare it to the reagents he currently uses in his mutagen. If not, ignore the following.

Gallix nods in response to the mayor's question, and produces a small vial of the sticky substance. "Here's a sample I collected for some research. The others are also planning to take a vial back to Miss Pricknettle's shop and to the temple to have it examined. Apparently it's called Demon's Bile, and it causes those who eat it to lose awareness of what they're doing and to turn more violent, which explains why the beetles have been so aggressive."

He pauses for a moment to consider the missing apprentices for a moment, then goes on, "We agree that the disappearances still need to be solved and the apprentices located. We simply wanted to update you on our progress thus far. I believe that's all we have to report for now, so we'll head out to join the others and will return when we have more information."

Drat! Uesugi avenged his ninja-ness. Oh well. At least we basically agreed on everything. :)

"Let's talk to the haberdasher first. I expect it will be short."

By the way, if no one picked up that masterwork sap, Blaster would have.

Mr Peppers gets a slightly flustered look as the pages flip through quickly. "Hrm its like a poorly designed flip book, you can kinda see what they're doing, but you really need to use your imagination."

At that Mr Peppers tries to snap out of it. "Ya I'm sure this town isn't the sort to have a shop like that out in the open.. considering their obtuse views on magic and the like. Lets head on to the haberdasher."

On the way out he'll thank Alcie for her help. "Just like you said, nothing else in there that'd be helpful, at least not for the search."

Mr Peppers was checking over the sap and no one else asked to have it so I'm sure he's got it for some proof.

Yup, that's fine, Gallix.

Mayor Trinelli examines the vial curiously. "Demon's Bile, you say?" Her expression changes to one of deep concern as she holds the vial up so that the daylight shines through it.

"This is not good. I hope there isn't any more of this stuff infesting Saringallow and I'd like to know how exactly it managed to get to the orchard."

She calls a guard over and says something to him. He marches out of her office with purpose.

"I'm not taking any more chances, so I've dispatched a guard there to keep an eye on the area. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Ms. Pricknettle will definitely want to see this sample, so do take it to her once your investigation is complete."

So, will Gallix and Uesugi rejoin the group at the haberdasher?

Haberdasher it is. Gallix could probably use a new outfit especially since I'm planning on reuniting him with his dwarven wife!

He will not go quietly into that dark night! Haha

Gallix gives the mayor a short bow, then exits the office alongside Uesugi. They make their way to the Witch's End, where the others had said they could be find. When they arrive, however, they find the group has already moved on in the investigation. After speaking with the own for a moment, they learn that the group has traveled on to the haberdasher's shop and, after getting directions, they make their way there as well.

When Gallix and Uesugi finally catch up to the others, he gives them the low down on their meeting with the mayor. "Finally found you guys. Thanks for waiting up at the tavern, haha. Find anything out that we should know about? We had a good chat with the mayor. She seems pretty aware of the threat of this Demon's Bile stuff, so she's posted a guard at the orchard to keep an eye on things and she's looking into it as well."

Sirettis thanks Alcie and drinks the water. "Thank you. This is much more pure than the water I'm used to drinking."

When her allies emerge, she leaves a few silver pieces on the counter and turns to leave. "So, did you find anything interesting? Where shall we go next?"

Mr Peppers waves to Sirettis. "Nothing really helpful." He winks at the rest of the group.

"Miss Alcie, could you direct us to a shop where I could get this cloak mended? I believe I've lost a few stitches on the trip here. And my friend Sir Corsac here had a hankering for a new hat as well." Mr Peppers then flaunts his symbol covered cloak in her direction. Just Can't Help It...

"Your cloak looks like something one of those diabolical wizards would wear, you know," Alcie eyes Mr. Peppers up and down. "But whatever you do, don't take it to that haberdasher Pindlion. He used to be a cobbler, but he and his wife Drummady split and he opened up a haberdashery instead. His work wasn't great as a cobbler, and now it's just awful. Many of his hats look more like shoes than his shoes ever did!" She laughs just thinking about it.

Mr Peppers gets a look that seems to be a mixture of dumbfoundedness and being appalled. "I appreciate the advice, this cloak is far to fine to have the likes of a cobbler fixing broken stitches!" He then leans in closer to Alcie and whispers "But if ole foxy here wants to wear a boot on his head, more power to him. Best not to give fashion advice to a man carrying around a musket if you know what I mean!"

I just realized I'd forgotten to write what Barry The Boot did when you arrived in Saringallow. Well, he left to go and make some perfectly legitimate business deals with the locals. I'm sure we'll see him later on.

You give Alcie your best and depart towards the haberdashery. Armed with clues from various masters, the story is beginning to come together. Sort of. Where are the apprentices? What happened in the orchard? Where was Morvinarr being invited to, and by whom? It all seemed very perplexing.

You continue east towards the haberdashery, a small shop with rickety windows and a door that's nearly fallen off its hinges. Entering the shop, a mess of fabric, sewing supplies, and half-made shirts is piled up in the corners of the room. A scruffy, bearded human with bloodshot eyes sits on the floor next to the fabric as he sews a dress lazily. He looks up at you as you enter, pauses, and then resumes his work without a word.

Hey, it's Heith Ledger's joker with skin color makeup.

despondent oh boy this guy is going to be crazy!

Uesugi eyes the strange man with curious glance. "Excuse me are you the Master Tailor?"

Gallix enters the shop, looks around at the run-down state of things, and approaches the bearded man. "Here there, old timer! Fine shop you've got here. I bet a man such as yourself could appreciate some fine stitch-work. Well if you wanna see the hottest thing out of Absalom, check this out!" He spins around and shows the man the back of his tunic, which has the name and "logo" of the Red Arms stitched across the back in bright, crimson thread. "Pretty hot stuff, eh?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

He looks up at Uesugi and grunts at him. "Tailor? I ain't no f+$+in' tailor. See the sign?" He points up at the wall. A wooden sign is hanging diagonally on it with only one nail holding it on, and you can barely make out Petrello's Haberdashery.

When Gallix puts on his display, Petrello snorts. "The only thing hot is the welt that's gonna show up on your face if you keep messing around. I know you didn't come here just to show off your shirt." He keeps on sewing.

Cup looks around the haberdashery shop. "Hello, I'm Cup! You've already met Gallix and Uesugi." She smiles and waves. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pindlion! May my friends and I ask you some questions?"

Diplomacy (aka the Cookie Roll): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

"I can see that like a true craftsman, you like to see all your fabric at once so that you can make the best selections!"

Gallix frowns back at the man and almost steps up to take a swing, but he restrains himself as Cup moves in with her signature charm. As Cup talks to the man, Gallix takes a step back and grumbles to himself, "I'll show you a welt, ya old, scruffy-looking haberdasher."

Cup hastily moves in between Gallix and the hopeless haberdasher. "I'm hoping to find some new green buttons to match my dress." She keeps smiling, and makes a show of twirling the dress to hopefully distract the haberdasher. Since Petrello's sitting on the floor, she can meet the old man's gaze without craning her neck upwards.

Cup's soft words and sweet disposition are much more effective on the sullen man, and he puts down the dress he had been working on.

"This is the best way of doing it. Everything around me so I can see it all at once! I don't care what that woman says." He scoffs as he thinks of his ex-wife. "Buttons are right over there." He points to a poorly organized pile of coloured buttons, none of which are the exact same size.

"Questions, huh? What sort of questions?"

She starts looking through the buttons. "These are interesting! No two alike!"

Then she pauses. "We're looking into the matter of the missing apprentices, but no reason we can't talk about other things too." She smiles. "If you don't mind my saying so, you look like someone who could do with a cup of tea. Maybe I can make you one, and we can chat?"

Sense Motive (aka Cookie Roll): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Does he want to talk about his wife a bit to get it out of his system?

Not so much his wife - his anger is directed towards both his reputation and his worries about his missing daughter.

"Well, alright. I suppose I could use a drink."

When Cup mentions the apprentices, Petrello looks hopeful for a moment. "You mean you've found her? Betrona hasn't shown up in days. It's not like her. I bet it's that apothecary boy's fault. He's a bad influence, that one!"

The Diplomacy DC is quite high even with Cup's roll, but an aid from someone else may get you there...

If you'll allow me to attempt an aid after I failed my main check earlier

"Sorry, old man, we haven't found her yet, but we are looking into it. We have heard a thing or two about the boy from the apothecary being a bit of a troublemaker. Anything in particular that he's done that showed how he's influenced your Betrona?"

Diplo (aid Cup): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Uesugi steps back. He was a patient man years of learning - sometimes with physical reinforcement - had allowed him that so unlike his friend he did not overreact to man's rude comments. By the look of the place this man had enough going on in his life that his words could be easily overlooked. Still he did wonder how the man did not appreciate the insignia of The Red Arm. Stepping back he let the gnome take control of the conversation.