Xaaon's Curse of the Crimson Throne

Game Master Xaaon of Xen'Drik

Verik: points at the men on the floor "You're looking at them, though I'm sure he's lurking around, waiting for the right time to strike. He does have a crossbow, so be cautious."

Verik: points at the men on the floor "You're looking at them, though I'm sure he's lurking around, waiting for the right time to strike. He does have a crossbow, so be cautious."

Did you guys miss this post? Happens sometimes when there's a new page...

I did say I was watching the prisoners, right?

I did say I was watching the prisoners, right?

Indeed you did Drakus...

I see the post

Aliandara follows Sollus into the larger room and starts searching as well. She notices the two vats of water and tries to look inside. If she can't see clearly she looks for a long pointed object to use to poke inside as she doesn't want to burn. She also sees the bloodstained grill and she goes up to it and try to see what is inside being ready to close her mouth and nose if it reeks.

Perception :1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

She hears that there is still one person unaccounted for and thus stays close to Sollus as she doesn't want to be caught alone and by surprise. She keeps on following him and sees Sollus is trying to find something beneath the straw in the animal pens and she starts looking as well, also looking behind her every now and then, keeping an eye out for someone sneaking up to them.

Perception :1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Sollus is probably in a ridiculously long action, what with all the searching. If he finds a dude with a crossbow, he'll go all high-noon on him with his own crossbow. :) Anywho, been almost a week since the search, so time to move on and have Sollus eat some crow.

Sollus returns from his search empty handed, with a sheepish look. "Uh, there's nothing back there. Just dead animal parts and some awful smells and I'm never eating meat again, but nothing illegal at all..."

He seems very embarassed by the whole thing, having made a fool of himself busting in here. "Could the marshal have been wrong to send us here?"

Sgt. Drakus grins at Sollus as he replies. "Wrong? That ain't fer the likes of us to decide Soldier. Of course, you can ask her yerself when we bring these boys back."

Panish regards Sollus: "Didn't you mention that you couldn't identify every of the meats? I think we should take a sampling along to the commander, she might have someone that is more clued-up than us to make a judgement."

hmmm, one of those cases of a lacking knowledge skill...I'll allow a trained heal skill check to work as well.

"I can check again, but I fear that I have over-reacted."

Sollus will check some of the meat he'd failed to identify earlier, poking at it with a crossbow bolt as he turns it over. He mutters an invocation to Abadar to focus his will, and cuts into it with a dagger, to examine deep within the cut of meat.

Cast Guidance for +1 to roll. 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"hmmmm, pork usually has a more timbre blush" - as Panish examines the selections of meat as well, hoping to help out Sollus:

Heal (aid) check 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

I hope this still counts towards Sollus' total, for an overall 22 on Sollus' Heal check.

Crisis - re-edited 3 times to get the bluddy ooc right

Some of these cuts of meat are human, or possibly elf; half-elf perhaps?

Panish pales as realization dawns -

Fortitude save vs throwing up, voluntary, DC 10 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

- but holds his stomach, barely.

"We. We will. Oh by Iomedae, I can't believ-- We have to do another search. A thorough search. Parns must be found. Any other evidence must be found."

Turning to Verik: "You! Did you have any knowledge of this?"

Sense Motive 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Also, before we can proceed. We haven't heard any of the search results up to now. Some of Sollus' and Aliandara's perception rolls were pretty high; did they find anything else that rouses suspicions or offers clues?

I appear to have messed up in missing a post or 2 in the other rooms, (concert took a lot out of me and I ended up getting sick this week...)

I will have a full update over the weekend, again, my apologies.

No worries. I was wondering if we'd miscommunicated something!

Sollus/Aliandara (Room B4).

You search around the room, and you get close to the cold vat, Verik shouts " Stay back from the vats! Reefclaws live in there. They dispose of any leftover carrion from the days butchering. They were here when we took over the place, though they nearly killed us all the first day..."

Again I apologize for screwing up.

Seeing the others efficiently look for evidence, Panish proceeds to comb the butchery for Parns - making sure not to miss any obvious hiding places (behind the counter, inside/behind the vats, upstairs, under the beds, in the pens, ruffle through the hay, check the cart, the workbenches, the containers, and so forth).

Sollus finds a loose bit of cloth, perhaps the tunic of the guard who killed himself, and uses it to bundle up some of the more recognizable humanoid fragments to present as evidence of what has transpired here.

I will have a full update for this tonight...busy busy at work today

I will have a full update for this tonight...busy busy at work today

Basically I'm, going to wrap this encounter, so we can move on...we're only about halfway through the first AP....long way to go, and I don't want to lose you all...heh.

In the Holding pens, you find a pair of vicious boars, it takes a little while to move them out of the pen, several other humanoid bones are found in the pens, in addition you notice the dirt under the trough was recently disturbed, you find a bag, inside is a ledger, 450gp, 750 sp. and various gems. The ledger lists several names, all crossed off, with values next to them.

In the Cattle Pen you find the recently delivered livestock.

You check upstairs the, you find a tattered harrow deck and 5sp.

Upstairs:
A round table sits in this room, surrounded by four wooden
chairs. A stack of cards sits on the tabletop. A cabinet to
the southwest hangs open, a tangle of dirty clothes and
blankets within. Four thin bedrolls lie rolled up against the
north wall.
- You find 5 sp and 3cp still on the table

A single large desk stands in the eastern part of this large
office, transformed into a makeshift bed by a bedroll and
several blankets and pillows. A table and three chairs sit to the
west; several papers lie strewn over the table’s surface and a chamberpot sits under it. One of the papers is pinned to the
tabletop by an exquisite silver dagger.

I see this location being a minor encounter in the whole of the story, I hope you don't mind me skipping the quagmire we've gotten into here, and getting the story moving, I don't want to lose you guys, and this is by far the worst encounter I've run in the last 18 months.

There's no sign of Parns.

Sollus grabs up the various items found (marked as party treasure in profile), taking a moment to examine the papers on the desk (particularly the page pinned to the desk by the silver dagger), before adding them to the items collected.

He transfers the humanoid bits of hand and skull he has identified to one of the ratty blankets from upstairs, along with severeal clearly humanoid bones from the boar pens.

Coming back into the room with Sergeant Drakus, grisly impromptu satchel held high, he produces the ledger and the crossed-off names, speculating aloud, "I suspect they were getting rid of bodies for a group of hired killers. Perhaps they even were assassins themselves, although they certainly didn't see so. Still, the one named Parn has escaped, so we should be wary of an ambush as we attempt to bring this information," he points at the bag of human parts, "and evidence, to the Steward. It is in the interests of this gang to kill us, or, at the very least, get this ledger and these human remains away from us..."

He takes the ledger and reads a few names aloud, attempting to commit them to memory, before wedging it beneath his chain shirt, against his belly, so that it will be difficult to wrest away from him.

My fault, really, I jumped the gun on declaring the place a bust, which threw the posts off.

"Hmmm. You might be right Sollus, I think perhaps a group should escort Vancaskern and the other prisoners back while a group of us trail behind..."

"Drakus, perhaps you should gather a couple more guardsmen to assist. I'll watch the prisoners."

"Aliandara, maybe, hit the roof and see if you can spot Parns."

Turning to Verik, "Don't be shy, collect that which is yours - I'm quite certain you're not a guilty party to the madness that took place in this butchery; and no one would begrudge you a few silver or a dagger."

Afterwards Panish proceeds to create a quick and rough copy of the documents Sollus discovered. Then attempts to draft a rough sketch of Parns with the aid of Verik's descriptions and corrections:

Craft (Sketch) assisted by Verik, taking 10: 10 + 2 + 2 = 14

"All right, I'll go see if I can grab a couple of guards off the street. But we're not going to hang around here if there aren't any to be found. If that's the case, we'll go with what we have."
Sgt. Drakus hustles out the door to see if he can find a couple of guards to help with the prisoners.

"Right Marra, I will do so, hopefully we will still be able to catch that bastard."

Aliandara runs up the stairs and climbs out of the window she came in through. Then she attempts to climb on top of the building and checks if she can see someone fitting Parn’s description

Climb:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

DM roll:

Aliandara: make a stealth check as well please.

Desk materials: From reading the desk materials, it confirms your suspicions that Verik had the best interests of the city at heart, there's nothing hinting at complicity in the actions of the Cow Hammer boys.

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Sollus makes sure to secure the papers that clear Vancaskerkin of complicity with these butchers of men.

"These papers should prove your innocence, sir. The full weight of the law must fall only upon the guilty."

Verik: "In these times of lawlessness, all must pay for their actions, I'm ready to return for my courts-martial."

Turning towards Verik: "I rather hope not, and I'll fight for it. The law is interested in the greater good - and especially in these times we cannot afford symbolic gestures. Instead we need more hands to stem the tide. If necessary I will intervene on your behalf - if you forgo your earthly ties and give yourself onto Iomedae, then she shall in turn give herself to you and hold her hand over you protectively."

"That said, your actions have - in their own way - tried to aid Korvosa. I believe this should count highly in your favor. I'm certain that a disciplinary hearing and demotion should be the worst you should expect."

Aliandara:

What's the plan to get back to the fort?

Sgt. Drakus comes back in the front door.
"Can't find a guardsman anywhere near here. Let's just leave if you've finished searching. I don't want to meet the crowd that's gonna form up for food. Or the riot later when there isn't any."

"A good suggestion, Sergeant. We should close up the doors here as we leave."

"I'm good to go, you Marra?" Turning to Verik: "There's still no signs of Parns, please be on your guard - right now his most likely target is you. I'll stay close by your side and will try to shield you."

Panish holds for a moment to whisper a prayer: "Iomedae, guide our steps - for victory, for the heart!"

"Come to think about it, did anyone see a back way out of here?"

someone might have seen Parns...just wait

Drakus: There's a side exit out to the stockyard

Aliandara quietly climbs back into the building trying not to alert the man she saw and get back to the rest of the party.

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

“I think I might have found Parns, there is a man hiding at an alleyway who seems to be watching over the front door and the stock yard. I do not think there is any way to avoid him seeing us leave.”

"Awright! Lets go grab him before he escapes."
Sgt. Drakus readies his tower shield and trident and steps towards the stockyard door.

Sollus follows, readying himself to call upon the lawful authority of his patron, to find and apprehend this scofflaw.

info for next round

Panish stands protectively in front of Verik. "I'll keep Verik alive; Aliandara, join the others - you would be the fastest and lightest on your feet of us all."

Sgt. Drakus will crash through the Stockyard door and proceed towards the approximate area Aliandora mentioned. He looks around for this Parns character.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (13) + 0 = 13

Sollus dashes in pursuit of the Sgt., hand free for spellcasting as he scans the area for the hiding man.

Perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Marra heads out the front; shield ready and falcata in hand.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 12 +2 = 14

Sorry guys, I was going to update last night, but I got hammered with work, I'll have more map and post up over the weekend.

Street Combat Map

Here's a quick map for the street combat.

Aliandara takes out her rapier and rushes to the front door when she sees the rest are set on capturing Parns. When she gets to the door she checks if Parns is still where she last saw him.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Panish cautiously edges to the door, peeking around it carefully while waving Verik closer.

Perception 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (8) + 0 = 8

Panish cannot quite make out whether it is just a shadow or a figure in the alley that Aliandara mentioned. Regardless, he waits for Verik to stand right behind him. And is in Total Defense.

Parns spots Drakus as he leaves the door gate and lets loose with his crossbow bolt.

Mechanics: