Round 2, Initiative 25
Weapon Equipped = Pistol
Bullets (including Blackpowder doses) = 22/30
Conditions = None
Melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +1 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +3 Damage: +0 point blank shot
"Better them than us, you had to know we'd face opposition in our search for answers." Mykhail says to his companions indifference.
He reloads Iustitia and takes another shot at the creatures.
Round 2
AC: 18
Touch: 11
Flat Footed: 17
MaB: +2
F:+2
R:+1
W:+4
Weapon Equipped: Longsword
Condtions: None
Bit of Luck: 2/5 remaining
Channel Energy Remaining 3/6
Spells:
0th: Guidance, Light, Detect Magic
1st: None
Elias swipes his sword at the little monster, cursing under his breath as the foul vomit flies by.
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Elias strikes true and his sword opens a tiny cut in his attackers hide, but does not do as much damage as might be expected. Mykhail fires more accurately this time and obliterates his target.
Blue sees an opening against Elias now that Kalem is no longer blocking the way and he moves in to flank with his ally. Purple also takes advantage of the position but neither creature can penetrate the clerc's armor.
Red scores a bite on Kalem but it's tiny teeth can't cut the skin, leaving the tiefling unbleeding but a little sore.
Kalem - 14
Femi - 13
Brask - 6
Mykhail - 25
Elias - 19
Tiny Creatures - 15
-Pink (1 damage)
"Hey Mikhail! Let's not shoot at every problem we come across, hm?"
Kalem swings another fist, trying to drive it deep into enemy's body.
Frustrated about his fists not landing, he turns to yell.
"I got this one! Go help Elias!"
Round 3, Initiative 25
Weapon Equipped = Pistol
Bullets (including Blackpowder doses) = 22/30
Conditions = None
Melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +1 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +3 Damage: +0 point blank shot
Mykhail arches a brow at the comment from Kalem then responds. "Oh, my apologies. I will go assist whomever doesn't wish to be vomited on."
He turns to approach the vile creatures who were ganging up on Elias, reloading his pistol to take a shot when he is able.
Elias strikes true and his sword opens a tiny cut in his attackers hide, but does not do as much damage as might be expected. Mykhail fires more accurately this time and obliterates his target. Blue sees an opening against Elias now that Kalem is no longer blocking the way and he moves in to flank with his ally. Purple also takes advantage of the position but neither creature can penetrate the clerc's armor. Red scores a bite on Kalem but it's tiny teeth can't cut the skin, leaving the tiefling unbleeding but a little sore. 1 non lethal damage. The whole party is up!
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Round: 2, Initiative: 13
Weapon Equipped = Lit torch
Crossbow Bolts = 10/10
Conditions = None
Melee: Attack: BAB +0, Str +0 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
toppling spell: 5 (Caster Level 1 +4 Int)
Arcane Reservoir (su): 2/4 (+1 DC or caster level as free action)
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Special: (2/7) Force Missile*
Zero (14) (2/3) Dancing Lights
Zero (14): (4) Acid Splash, Daze, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation
First (15): (0/3) Feather Fall, Infernal Healing, Magic Missile (w/Topple Feat)*
* +1 Caster Level, +1 damage
Recovering from his blessedly brief bought with nausea, Femi sizes up the opposition. Little guys aren’t much of a threat. He holds back his firepower and instead fires off a little Acid Splash on Blue.
He looks a little guilty at so feeble a contribution, ”Sorry folks, just trying to leave a little something in the tank for those dark and ominous stairs.”
hp 9/14 Fort +6, Ref +2 (+1 bonus vs. trample attacks), Will +3; +1 trait bonus vs. mind-affecting effects. Falchion +4(+7PA, +7R, +10PAR) (2d4+4/18-20)
Brask charges north to hit Blue, hoping to cleave the thing in half. His growling increased to a hearty shout as he moves to attack the thing flanking Elias.
(str, bab, destined, charge, power attack)
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Kalem whiffs. Femi and Brask work together to kill blue while Mykhail moves up and reloads. Elias swings at purple and the small vermin drops.
Red squeaks as his final companion falls and he turns and runs, retreating into a small hole in the wall and dissapears, the strange notes continue to echo in your ears from further in the compound.
With the threat gone Kalem checks again on what he thought he saw in the mattress and finds 12 gp, 185 sp, 342 cp, a pair of quartz earrings worth 10 gp each, a set of nine silver coat buttons worth 5 gp each, and a slightly gnawed cloak.
Femi moves to the hole and fires another acid ball down it to further the point as the last critter runs off.
whew
"Well, that was easier then the dogs anyway. Hopefully there's nothing further!"
Expecting nothing, he checks the room as he did before, this time adding Detect Magic to the process, making sure to check the cloak.
Assuming nothing of particular note is found, he moves to the stairs, waiting for the others to check the door at the bottom.
Elias cocks his head to the side for a moment, straining to hear the musical tones, and even quietly plucking at the strings of his harp to match them. "Do these sound...familiar to anyone?"
"Found some coin here"
Kalem pulls out what he's found, the button, money, and cloak.
"Probably not what we're looking for." He admits.
Elias cocks his head to the side for a moment, straining to hear the musical tones, and even quietly plucking at the strings of his harp to match them. "Do these sound...familiar to anyone?"
Brask, looking temporarily fatigued, knits his brows... "Wadn't that what those little ones were playing?" he asks, having missed something. "Is it an anthem or something?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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A faint magical aura seems to come from the gnawed on cloak that you've found, but everything else seems mundane.
A fity-foot-diameter pool of rancid, brown slurry fills most of the next circular chamber. Chunks of plaster have fallen away, leaving ragged patches behind in the walls and ceiling and mounds of rubble on the floor. What wall space remains is decorated in crude drawings and symbols of sinister form. Greasy-looking chains run between four stout pillars rising
from the muck and anchor to various points on the wall.
Two malformed looking creatures hang lifeless over the edge of the cistern and prove to be no threat.
Further back seem to the remains of what may have very well been an old hideout, or perhaps a home for some squatters, though it's clearly been long abandoned. Rexus looks as though he is torn between inspecting it and cleaning off his clothes that have taken some splash damage from the fountains of vomit that had launched across the previous room.
"If we don't find anything in here, I'm giving up, at least for today. This has been far more disgusting that I'd expected." He rubs vigorously at a spot on his arm and dry heaves a few times.
The fist crate contains a suit of leather armor, a composite shortbow (+1 Str), a masterwork hand crossbow,
a masterwork silver morningstar, a cloak of elvenkind, and a
pouch of a dozen pearls worth 100 gp each.
The second crate contains a locked, watertight iron
coffer.
The third crate contains what looks
at first like ancient straw, but even a
cursory examination reveals its actual contents—six
fully functional silver raven figurines.
"Wait. Rexus, there's still some things to investigate." Brask cautions, pointing out the crates of straw
-Posted with Wayfinder
vs DC 20
vs DC 15
vs DC 10
"Oh, this is kinda cool." Femi says as he walks down the stairs, "It's a cloak of resistance, the most basic sort. But it'll help resisting all manner of things from poisons to spells. I'm rather fond of them myself though this one needs some repair. I can certainly mend it tomorrow..."
He walks through the doors into the next room... wow
"Uh, guys?" Femi stammers, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. He gathers himself and points out some sinister symbols on the wall. "Those are designed to open a portal to hell, and these creatures came through, partially, before it closed and they died."
"This place was used most unwholesomely."
"Careful Brask. If they were opening portals to hell, there's no knowing what's in those crates."
Femi approaches, behind Brask, casting Detect Magic over his shoulder.
Mykhail watches the creature flee. "Damn, I hope he doesn't go to alert anymore of his friends."
Mykhail turns to follow Femi into the next room, Iustitia loaded and held at his side in case there were more creatures to fend off. There was more of those symbols on the wall, not to mention a putrid smell permeating the air. He desperately wished they would just find what it was they were looking for so they could get back above ground.
"Wouldn't be complete without a portal to hell." Mykhail said dryly as he stepped closer to Femi & Brask, making sure to guard their backs as they continue to search the room. Opening one of the crates he finds a box of what he assumes to be just full of straw until he realizes its weight is heavier than just that of straw and he uses his hands to pry it open to find silver figurines of Ravens.
"These your Silver Ravens?"
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Even as Mykhail pulls out the Raven Figurines, Femi sees all three chests light up with magical energy.
Inside the first chest he discovers that the leather armor is enchanted , the coffer seems to contain a number of magical items as well, but there is no key in sight.
The Ravens in Mykhails hands and the box within are the most vibrant but even before Femi can begin to decipher the magics around them Rexus pulls one from the box, his cleanliness forgotten.
"These are Raven Figures of Wondrous Power!" He cries. "Six of them! This much be how the Silver Ravens of old communicated with one another!" He's positively giddy with excitement. Handing one of the figurines to Elias he moves to the locked box and rubs his chin.
"Are any of you good with locks? If those ravens are here I can only imagine there must be something even more important inside."
Even as the rest of the group goes through their hard won loot, Brask suddenly finds himself increasingly itchy. Almost maddeningly so.
Kalem smiles for once. It was easy to after so much trouble to produce actual results.
"So we can use one of these to get in contact with the this group of yours?"
Kalem tosses to cloak to Femi.
"Counting on you to repair that. I've no probably need for it. Its yours lest someone else wants it."
Brask looks over the box, scratching absent mindedly under the collar of his armor and the back of his head. "Uh. I open those kinds of things with a crowbar... Which I don't have at the moment."
Femi takes out the key the party found earlier (link). He tries it on the lock.
"This is an amazing find! These items will go a long way to supporting the cause. There are six of us and six ravens. Shall we each take one?" he hands them around if the party agrees - including giving one to Rexus.
Amazing!
"Then we take it with us, until we find someone who can open it without risk to the contents."
Elias wanders over to the sigils on the wall, reaching out, almost touching them. Then he shudders, withdrawing his hand.
"This place should be cleansed. With fire. This kind of magic is hideously dangerous if it gets out of control, and I would really like to know who tried to harness it."
"Well, I'm starting to wonder what all this has to do with the Silver Ravens... I mean, were these items confiscated to this place, or did the Ravens meet here themselves?"
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"Oh, I must have dropped that when everyone was vomited on!" Rexus says when Femi holds out the key that had opened the trap door. While Rexus waits to see if it works he looks to Kalem with an eyebrow raised.
"Acording to the note my mother left , we already know this was a Silver Raven hideout in the past. What it was used for when they disappeared, I can not fathom."
Unfortunately the key does not open the lockbox but Rexus is undeterred.
"The Longroad Coffee house! It's quite famous, I trust you've heard of it. Laria, my mothers old contact, well she owns the place and she happens to harbor a few secrets of her own. The least of which is lockpicking!" He winks at the party and pats Femi on the back, a thank you for the attempt.
"Let's get out of this terrible place!"
He begins to walk-off, still holding the lockbox, leaving the rest of you to grab whatever you desire from the remaining boxes.
When you arrive at the Coffee house, which you have likely visited a number of times since your first conspiratorial conversation a week ago, Laria smiles and greets you like old friends.
"Rexus! I had no idea you were in with this lot of coffee addicts!" She smiles and jumps up on the counter to hug the displaced noble. "Here, take these, come, we need to catch up!" She motions to a few of her workers and they force coffee and biscuits into your hands as Rexus directs you toward the back and into Laria's office, making a big show of how much she's missed you all.
When you're finally in her office she looks at Rexus with a questioning look. "I'm so glad you're okay! When I heard about the trouble at the protest I thought you might have been hurt, or worse! What brings you hear with this group?" She pulls up a seat and listens quietly as Rexus explains everything. When he gets to finding the coffer she reaches for it and begins to inspect the lock.
"This may take me a while, but I should be able to have it open by morning. You can all stay in the spare room upstairs if you'd like to wait, but before all that..." She distracts herself for a moment playing with the lock on the coffer "Well, I know what Rexus' stake in a revolution is, but what brings the rest of you here? You understand the risks don't you? Why go through the trouble?"
She doesn't look at you while waiting for your answers, choosing instead to fiddle with the lock.
Brask shrugs, scratching under his chin. "Seems like everything going on in my life led here." he reasons. "I got no one left to live for. No one that thrune could hurt to get to me. And... Maybe I can make a difference... You know?"
He hesitates. "I think I need a shower. Must've been some fleas on those damn dogs I was hauling around."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Mykhail pockets his own silver raven figure in one of his hidden inner pockets of his coat to keep it from getting lost and then turns to follow the group out of the decrepit building. He takes a deep breath once they are out and lets out a sigh of relief when he can see the sky above again.
The smell of coffee immediately makes him long for home, his father would drink coffee, the cheaper watered down version but coffee none the less, every morning of every day as he started his work. He'd only been gone a short while but he wondered how he was doing on his own.
He gave thanks when he suddenly had a hand full of coffee and biscuits were shoved into his hands. He listened intently to Rexus' retell of events and then once they were asked about what made them take this path waited his turn before speaking up about his own life.
"My mother was shot and killed right in front of me when I was 15. Her and my father had brought me here to the city as a birthday surprise and some...street punk just shot her. I never knew why. From that day I vowed that I would make this city a better place, I want the corrupt to be bound by justice."
"Oh, I must have dropped that when everyone was vomited on!" Rexus says when Femi holds out the key that had opened the trap door.
Femi, hopefully with help - these things are heavy! - turns them into the authorities.
"Well, I know what Rexus' stake in a revolution is, but what brings the rest of you here? You understand the risks don't you? Why go through the trouble?"
*Slurp* "I've been studying the Silver Ravens for some time now - a fascinating history, what little I can uncover. Certainly the sort of folks who could gather the mob, and provide focus."
*Blow* "Sounds like though maybe they are really and truly gone - or at least so underground they no longer function."
*Slurp* "I'm here because I saw similar things befall my home town of Korvosa and I would see this city freed of it's oppression as well. I don't think the Thrune is, uh, well, I was going to say in league with devils, but he probably is!"
He sets down his coffee cup.
"I can't think of any pursuit greater than the freeing of a people. And the people of this city deserve their freedom."
"There's someone I need to get out of prison. A perfectly innocent person that shouldn't be there. Not even a miracle would help me with the current power structure, but...if these Ravens can help me get her out, then I'll do everything in my power to get what they want."
Kalem sips his drink. He wasn't as noble as the others, but he was happy that their nobleness and his goals aligned.
"Before I forget..."
Kalem produces the ring he found in the rafters and sets it on the table.
"Anyone want to identify it? If its worth some coin, we could add it to the items we plan to sell."
Femi dutifully checks it with a Detect Magic.
"I cannot identify this sigil (link), though I might if I had a little more time to research it. I'd want to know who's it is before we go selling it. I'd worry that it came off someone's hand in a robbery, or murder, and by selling it we'd implicate ourselves."
"So let me look into it first, OK?" He looks at the ring, "My but it is fine isn't it." he muses.
He spreads out the other items on the table, "Anyone want any of this, lots to chose from."
Kalem looks at what they've gathered and points to two items in the pile.
"I don't have any ranged capability, and I'm most useful in the thick of it. I would like at least either the Bracers of Armor or this Leather armor here."
He thinks back to the day's fights. While he had handled the human combatants with ease, the bestial ones had gotten the better of him.
Kalem looks at what they've gathered and points to two items in the pile.
"I don't have any ranged capability, and I'm most useful in the thick of it. I would like at least either the Bracers of Armor or this Leather armor here."
He thinks back to the day's fights. While he had handled the human combatants with ease, the bestial ones had gotten the better of him.
"You can use the leather armor; I need to get something heavier. Ah...what I wouldn't give for a suit of plate armor. Brask responds, now scratching under his armor. "I can use the bow, if no one else can. Though I think it is made for someone with less pull than I have."
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"Well, you've certainly got a bunch of colorful reasons for rebelling against the Thrunes!" Laria says as she looks up from the lockbox. "You all seem genuine enough, I think I can help you even more but I'll save that for the morning. Rexus can show you to the room upstairs." She wipes her fingers on her pants and hops down from the seat, smiling broadly as she exits the office.
"Well, that went well! I think our halfling hostess seems to like our little band." Rexus says as he gets up from his own seat and inspects the ring found in the stables. "This is a signet ring from the Juliac family, the ones who last owned the stables. They are long gone though I'm sure a collector would pay a nice price for it."
Rexus leads you all to the upper floor where you find cots of various size, each with pillows and blankets.
"Let us rest, we have the contents of the box and whatever else Laria has in store, waiting for us in the morning. Also payment from the dottari once they're finished inspecting the hounds, maybe we can send one of Laria's waiters to pick it up."
The night passes quickly and quietly. You all sleep soundly considering the tiring day you just had. In the morning Laria still needs a little bit of time but she's sure she's almost got the lock. By the time breakfast is over the halfling woman has opened it revealing a number of scrolls (4 in total) and hundreds of pages of encrypted text.
Rexus frowns as he looks them over. "There are a number of languages here that I recognize. Here, that's Celestial, there's some Elven thrown in, though I'm not sure how it fits exactly and that...that's Strix!" He continues scanning the documents lost in thought. "I could decipher these, but it will take some time. They've all been woven together in ways I have not seen before."
Weapon Equipped = Staff
Crossbow Bolts = 10/10
Conditions = None
Melee: Attack: BAB +0, Str +0 Damage: +0
Ranged: Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
toppling spell: 5 (Caster Level 1 +4 Int)
Arcane Reservoir (su): 3/4 (+1 DC or caster level as free action)
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Special: (7/7) Force Missile*
Zero (14) (3/3) Dancing Lights
Zero (14): (4) Acid Splash, Daze, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation
First (15): (3/3) Feather Fall, Infernal Healing, Magic Missile (w/Topple Feat)*
* +1 Caster Level, +1 damage
”Strix?” Femi’s ears prick up, ”I’ve been studying that language. Don’t have it down yet, but I’m picking it up quite quickly. Fascinating sentence structure.”
He’ll look at the scrolls and try to identify them through Detect Magic and taking-10 on his spellcraft (18).
"I can assist with the elven portions of the text. The decision to include such a variety of ciphers is interesting. One would presumably need to be either very learned, or in possession of a wide variety of like-minded compatriots, to have any hope of deciphering it. I'd put my money on it being a list of allies or compatriots the Silver Ravens had back in the day. Five silver. Any takers?" he asks, slapping the coin down onto the table.
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Femi ifentifies a scroll of misdirection, a scroll of pass without trace, a scroll of undetectable alignment, and a scroll of whispering wind.
As Rexus continues to sift through the papers, Laria looks at the rest of you.
"So, if you're really planning on starting some sort of resistance you're probably going to need some sort of base, right?" She nods at her own question.
"Turns out this coffee house has a basement, something the Bellflower network called the Wasp's Nest. It's not entirely in my control at the moment, I lent it to a friend of mine, Nan Comerivos, but I haven't heard from him in a few days and with everything going on in the city I haven't had the time to check on him." A look of worry crosses her face. "If you're willing to check on him for me I could probably convince him to let you use the space."
Brask shrugs. "Sure. I'll go check on him. Is he in the basement now?" he asks.
"I'll go with you. We probably shouldn't go anywhere alone right now, if it can be helped."
The elf slaps the muscular Half-Orc on the arm.
"Not that you are likely to run into any insurmountable trouble. It would merely put my mind at ease."
"And it wouldn't hurt to have another." Kalem says as he joins the two.
"That's quite the scroll collection. Interesting spells, I'll have to think on them a while, not sure I can cast any of 'em quite yet. With a little time, I can add them to my spell book if you all don't mind. It does destroy the scroll, but then I can cast it - if I plan ahead correctly anyway." he shrugs.
- - -
Femi smiles as the basement offer is made, "I'm in!"
"Is everyone healthy?" he checks for good measure before descending.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Femi looks over the scrolls again. "Well, I can only use these two, and they're useful I suppose, but not likely things I'm going to keep memorized so I'll leave them in scroll form.. just in case we need it."
"Elias, this one is for you, I can't cast it, but I'm betting you can." he holds up the scroll of Undetectable Alignment.
"This last I don't think any of us can use so we might as well sell it toward that wand of curing. That is totally something we're going to need. Maybe two." He holds up the scroll of Pass without a Trace .
Mykhail was sitting eating breakfast with the rest of the group, the scrolls being passed between the others. When he noticed some of the texts that were also in the lock box Mykhail notices a few words he recgonizes in Celestial.
"If you would like, I will be more than happy to share my knowledge of Celestial with you to help with translation, My mother taught me a little."
He smiled at Laria when she offers them a place to possibly make base and figures going down to check on her friend was more than reasonable. Looking around seeing that the group seemed to be thinking along the same lines he nods in approval.
"I am in good condition." He replies to Femi as he checks to make sure Iustitia is loaded.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Laria nods to Brask as she begins leading the group toward the basement.
"I haven't seen him come up, and unless I've missed something over the years we don't have another exit anywhere."
She leads the group down a small set of stairs in to what seems to be a cramped cellar containing any number of supplies for the coffee house. The halfling slips between stacks of crates and heavy boxes and heads toward the western wall, which seems awfully solid from where you stand.
"You might want a little bit of light." She says nonchalantly.
"Press right...over...here!" She giggles as she finds a barely loose stone and presses in the one next to it. "Still hard for me to find sometimes!" As the secret door swings open into a stone hallway she waves you inside, patting each of you on the back. "Thank you for doing this boys. I need to go back up there and run the shop, I hope you return with good news!"
Brask, looking around curiously but not touching anything, tries to make as little disturbance to the crates as possible while slipping between them. He's a broad-chested guy, and it's hard to move without jostling something.
"So... if there's no other way out... where was he, you know, doing his business?" he asks on the way to the passage. "Maybe he's sick and can't come out."
Brask will walk in first, looking around since he can see just fine in the dark. "Hey, I don't smell any dead people. So that's good, at least."