Tyranny and Anarchy - Curse of the Crimson Throne (Inactive)

Game Master Corsario

Starting IC is a standard action, no?

Yes, until 7th level.

Right, Inspire courage is your "attack", sorry...

Inspired by Corso, both Gyllan and Selina cut deep into the Otyugh's flesh.
He avoids them and goes directly towards Rommin.
"Friend!!!"
He tries to bite on him.
Bite Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Even while Flat Footed Rommin armor saves from the beast teeth.
You all can attack now...

"Gah!" Rommin cries out as the teeth grate across the steel of his armor. The rush of rage and panic flow through Rommin, causing strange white motes of light to burst out of his mouth in a torrent. They immediately start to swirl around him and beat into the otyugh, and Rommin's actions take on a mechanical tone as he draws his sword and strikes out at his new 'friend.'

Start rage, spirit totem attack, ready sword and attack.

Spirit totem slam attack 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 1 = 12
Damage 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 negative energy

To hit 1d20 + 8 - 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 8 - 2 + 2 + 1 = 28
Damage 2d6 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (3, 1) + 15 + 1 = 20

Edit: Possible crit,
Confirm 1d20 + 8 - 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 8 - 2 + 2 + 1 = 24
Damage 2d6 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (1, 1) + 15 + 1 = 18

"Nice cuttin' Rommin! You give a new meaning to what we Korvosan bravos call 'friends with benefits!'" laughs Corso as he slides in, conjuring cackling energy along his blade and slashing at a curious pseudopod with it.

Maintain Inspiring Courage.
Sword with IC and Arcane Strike: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 2 = 191d8 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 11

Corso nears to attack, but he can only avoid slipping on the creature entrails, splattered by Rommin's steel and fury.
A monstrous eye closes while looking at Rommin, a last breath escapes the creature mouth.
"Friend...."

"Oh, Calistria be damned! Those boots were brand new! Velvet can't suffer gastric acid... Red is now brown..." Corso commiserate, before eyeing Rommin: "You owe me a pair of boots, friend!"

He sounds serious, but there's laughter in his eyes.

"Now can we get out of here? This is no place for heroes..."

Before Gyllan can strike again, Rommin has felled the otyugh and ruined Corso's boots. "With friends like these - well, I'll say no more," he comments wryly. "Yes, let's get out of here."

"Hang on. Let's make sure it didn't have any young back there. If we manage to save the city, we don't want there to be a swarm of these things running around under it."

Rommin will check the back of the cave with his sword out, looking for anything moving or anything valuable.

Whatever Rommin finds, he leaves there, in the gutter, where it belongs. You get out of the sewer without finding any trace of the escaped wererat, but you imagine he should be halfway to Magnimar by now.
---
From a corner of the street you see the small figure of Eries Yelloweyes, the "woman" that task you with this mission.
"So you have put down Girrigz’s revolution. Good. Hundreds of lives, innocent lives, have been spared by it. At least if the plague don't kill you all. I thank you for your help. Now is time for me to repay you."
She looks around, making sure no one is overhearing. The streets are empty, the heavy odor of sickness and dead your only company in the plague stricken city.
Fortune has it that several sewer tunnels empty into the Jeggare River below the Wall of Eodred. The night a black-sailed ship was sunk before reaching the harbor, several of Eries’s brethren were watching. They saw nothing on the ship except for a yellow light, but once it sank, strange debris drifted from its hull. Tracking down some of the flotsam, the wererats discovered a few small boxes filled with dead rats and a few pouches of silver coins conveniently bound to floating timbers. Suspecting that something was wrong with the rats, and scenting some foulness upon the coins, the lycanthropes kicked the debris back into the river. Eries knows little more than this, but doesn’t believe that the ship’s sinking, the strange flotsam, and the advent of the plague are mere coincidence.
If the PCs wish to learn more about the sunken vessel, Eries can point out exactly where in the river it sank. She also knows an alchemist’s shop with a hidden tunnel in the basement, which her people often pilfer for medicine and supplies. If the party wishes, she can have her children fetch them each potions of water breathing for half the normal price (375 gp apiece).

Rommin shifts uncomfortably at her description of the ship.

"It sounds like the best lead we have. But diving down to what may be the source of the plague itself... Well, I have a draught that is supposed to help ward off sickness. I'd be willing to go, but I could only stay down as long as I could hold my breath, unless we buy potions or one of you has the power to let us stay down longer."

Corso wonders at Yelloweyes' story: "We need to find out more about this ship... Could it be the first strike by some other nation wishing to attack? We'll take your potions, but if they're stolen, there's no way we'll pay as much as you ask. They cost you nothing, and our fate is at stake, unless you think you can evade the plague better than most?"

Diplo to try to drop the price: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

She is not stealing anything, she is telling you she knows a place where they sell them, can fetch them for you, and can get you a discount.
She looks away, ashamed.
"I would give the potions to you, if I had them. The best I can do is to get you a half price discount, as I do dealings with that alchemist, and he knows you are trying to save him, too."

Gyllan's background as a fixer has exposed him to many such deals, and he nods knowingly at Eries' offer. "Sounds like a fine plan," he replies, "though I agree with Rommin that it would be good to be protected against disease as well as drowning. Can your alchemist friend cut us a deal on some antiplague as well?"

Just remembered that the Heart of the Slums trait lets Gyllan save twice vs disease and take the better result. I hope I remember that when it matters!

"Yes, of course..."

"Muuuh- Ah yes, of course! That's want I meant!" blurts out Corso as his complexions grows scarlet.

"Ok, so we get to take a look at this ship, but what are we looking for? Shouldn't we first try to see what this ship was about from the shore??? Then, if we absolutely need to, we can always risk drowning..."

?

???

"I don't have money for a potion like that right now. Maybe we can trade something we found with the rebel rats for potions? In the meantime, it makes sense to scout the area on the surface around the wreck. That way, when we do have potions, we have routes we can take in and out that would draw the least attention."

"Selina, Iozif? Can either of you grant us the ability to breathe underwater-" Rommin shudders involuntarily at the thought, but continues "Or should we take her up on her kind offer for the draughts?"

Eries Yelloweyes smiles.
"But of course! We can trade whatever equipment you savage."

You savage!? Well, either she's got an accent, or that wererat has some sense of humour... thinks Corso as he represses an outburst of laughter.

"Then let's visit the area while you get the potions. We can meet here later, yes?" offers Corso.

Once that is settled, he'll spend a few hours to collect the stories of those who were there and those who think they saw, hoping to tell the difference...

Diplo to gather information: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Gyllan pats his belt pouch and realizes he doesn't have the coin to buy even one of the water breathing potions, much less to cover antiplague as well. "Perhaps the field marshal could pay for our potions?" he suggests. "Or we could follow Rommin's idea, and make a trade. We found all manner of stuff in the ratfolk leader's lair."

Lots of stuff in this post, what'll she take in trade?

Yes, she is willing to get all the loot from the wererats lair in exchange for the potions.

Corso will scoff and barter with the woman, arguing to remove some items from the payment pile.

"Now, look at this piece: you can easily fetch several hundred sails without trying too hard. So it should be sufficient, and fair, to pay you with these, these, aaaand, all right, this too." he argues with flair and merchant drama. However, he doesn't try to be on the cheap side, just the slightly generous side.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

What do you offer her? What do you want to keep? Remember, she is not trying to rip you off, but help you get the potions you need.

I (and perhaps others) am wondering if you can just fast-forward through these negotiations, rather than having us figure out how many masterwork items plus x daggers will satisfy her. We've done her a big favor, taking out the ratfolk leader. In reply, she started by offering us a bargain on stuff that her people steal (which is what 'pilfer' means) from an alchemist, and now she wants to haggle? I don't get it. Also I think that haggling back and forth in PbP is not an especially fun mini-game.

I, on the other hand, feel like your interest is waning, and are not participating enough. If you don't want to keep track of the loot, she can take it away from you. If you want to keep track of it, do it. You only need to tell me what you want to keep and that is it. If you don't fell enough interest to do at least that, I think is the moment to stop the game.

Ok, I think we're all interested in the game going forward. We can all have different preferences, which is fine and I'm sure we can make some accommodations.

Corso takes the bag of loot from Gyllan's hands: "Hmm... We can part with those daggers, the short swords, light crossbows and the bolts, as well as the chain shirts. What do you say? Ok, I'll add this superb silver dagger!"

In other words, we would keep the 12 flasks of alchemist’s fire, the masterwork longsword, and the masterwork suit of chainmail, the four potions of cure moderate wounds, and the eversmoking bottle. We have to split that loot.