Acel creepily throws acid onto the spear wound before it can repair itself.
Saarai and Faellynn send arrows into both of Curtzog's shoulders, but still he stands, blood flowing from numerous wounds.
Omar fights off the burning saliva's debilitating effects , stands up, and cuts off the trollhound's head before Acel's acid wears off.
Blood continues to flow from Towyn's wounds.
Curtzog roars, charging over the bleeding sorceror to attack Faellyn, but his strike goes wide.
The nearby slaves cower in fear and recoil from the melee as best as their chains allow.
Over the din of combat, Ma'Huuk hears sounds of movement behind the closed door where the captain is.
Next up: Ma'Huuk, then Kinore does something (which will happen off-screen), then the rest of you can go.
When Ma'Huuk approaches the door, the nearby Vudrani slave says: The one in there, she is one of you. They didn't want her to be discovered. Please, free us!
Next up: Ma'Huuk (standard left), Acel, Omar, Faellyn
Acel pokes Curtzog in the belly and drops him, unconscious and dying.
Next up: Omar, Faellyn
[ooc] Other gear: Curtzog--Masterwork greatsword, heavy mace,masterwork scale mail, crowbar, saltwater pearl (50 gp), 10 gp
Captain Wardak--3 alchemists fires, 2 tanglefoot bags, MW studded leather, MW Kukri x2, key to the manacles, pair of emerald earrings (75 gp), pair of gold earrings (20 gp), 4 gp
Towyn blinks, and stands groggily.
Please, the slavers are all dead or fled. Free us! the Vudrani cries out. The other two look expectantly at you with a glimmer of hope.
The slaves appear to be telling the truth, so Ma'Huuk tosses the key to Faellyn, who unlocks the shackles, and then the stout Bekyar throws the door open.
A female gnome is bound and gagged and fidgets in her bounds, eyes growing wide as she sees the body of the captain on the ground behind Ma'Huuk.
He removes the gag and sets to cutting the rope while the gnome starts talking: Thank the gods! I'm Rilla Lavon, who sent you?
Upon learning that you are Pathfinders, she points to the desk. There, the documents you're looking for!
Upon seeing that Towyn is barely standing, she casts a spell to heal him.
Ma'Huuk grabs the papers and shows them to the others and they find two of particular interest. One is instructions intended for Mahjub Mahdi listing half a dozen noble families to whom he should prioritize selling the slaves. There is also a letter addressed to Waheeda Wardak instructing her where to sell the slaves and whom she should bribe to smooth her dealings in Absalom. Both sets of instructions are signed “Muhlia.”
Rilla and the slaves follow you carefully back up the stairs, which takes a little longer as there is a slick substance recently put on a few stairs
Up top, Kinore the half-elf is seated with his back to the main mast, holding a crossbow bolt in his upper chest and whimpering loudly.
She...she shot me! I surrender!
The two gnolls decided to make a swim for it, but in the dark and with their lack of swimming skills, they haven't made it far, doggy-paddling near the ship. You can slay them or recapture them easily, or leave them to their devices.
Once you've secured the deck, Zigil ascends the ladder, asks for help in hoisting the rowboat on deck, and motions to Kinore, saying: That fool thought he could take my boat by force. I didn't want him to get an easy out, so I just clipped him.
The surly dwarf navigates the ship skillfully in the darkness and, once docked, goes to get some guardsmen to take the remaining slavers into custody.
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Once the slaves and Pathfinder have been freed and they are all above-deck, Saarai looks at the wounded half-elf.
"She should have taken my bargain...it was a good one," she says.
Turning to the freed Pathfinder, she say "How were you captured? What did they want with you?"
Once all the remaining slavers are in custody, she prepares to see Lady Darchana.
"We probably shouldn't wait around too long," she says. "I would prefer we don't face any consequences for lying to the harbor master." She gathers all the documentation they need to show what has occurred with the scrying.
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"It's OK George. You're gonna be in the big...um...cave in the sky. And your boss is gonna take good care of you now." Acel tips her hat in mourning, then kicks the Half-Orc again.
"So...we free them all now, right? Looks like someone has been dispatching slaves as spies. I guess that means Atlag isn't at fault, right? She didn't know. This Muhlia person sounds like the mastermind. We'll head back and that should free Atlag from her imprisonment, then." She nods at Ma'Huuk.
Back on the boat, she laughs at the Half-Elf. "Some muscle, eh? George would be alive if you just kept him in the cage, dummy."
On the way back, Saarai suggests returning to Lady Darchana as soon as possible. "Yeah we lied. But we did it to stop the slavers. That balances out, doesn't it? Well, you're the brains, so I'll follow your lead."
"A job well done. Can we also collect the reward for the pirates? ."
Worried I'm going to steal your bounty? Take it easy, pretty boy, you earned it, Zigil replies. After the slavers are taken into custody, you are able to easily travel to Lady Darchana’s estate in the Petals District. A tall wall of polished stone surrounds the property and its gardens, and many of the plants have arcane or alchemical uses in addition to their aesthetic value. A doorman greets you, confirms your identities, and escorts you into the three-story residence, noting that Lady Darchana has been expecting you. There, the estate manager, Jemina, leads you to the upstairs study.
The walls of the study are inset with bookshelves that are brimming with texts of all varieties. A large drawing table in the middle of the room bears an unrolled map of the Inner Sea region. At the far end of the study stands an impressive darkwood desk, and seated behind it is a woman dressed in midnight-blue robes. Her piercing gray eyes look expectantly at Jemina.
The estate manager softly clears her throat and announces, Senior Lesser Councilwoman, Archdean of the Arcanamirium, Second Spell Lord of Absalom, Lady Darchana of House Madinani, please receive these agents of the Master of Spells Aram Zey of the Pathfinder Society.
Lady Darchana beckons with a short hand movement, Pathfinders, join me. That is all, Jemina.
She folds her hands together and waits for Jemina to close the door behind her, then continues. After my conversation with Master Zey, he agreed by necessity to keep the details that were passed on to you to a minimum. I am keenly interested to hear what you were able to learn based on what you were provided.
You, she says, indicating Ma'Huuk. Yes, you. Tell me what you have discovered.
Acel 1
Ma'Huuk 2
Omar 3
Saarai 4
Faellyn 5
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Ma’Huuk’s eyes shift suspiciously at Darchana’s demand, but he steels his nerve and looks back bluntly.”I have discovered there are many on this island that believe it to be okay to try to own other people.” He shrugs, ”But I am guessing this is not what you are asking.”
He shifts his grip on his spear, using the time to form his thoughts. The frown on his face shows the level of effort such concentration takes the big man. ”The handmaiden. Atlag. She has been through many hands. Mahjub Mahdi. This bastard was … how do you say … the middle man. This man may not know about these sensors, and he may not know why he is selling to specific people in this town, but this man is taking gold to do so.
”Waheeda Wardak.” He basically spits the name, ”This woman was a slave-trading pirate captain. This woman was given gold to sell specific slaves to specific people in Absolom … and this woman was given information to have it done quietly without the law knowing.” He gives a feral grin, ”This woman will not be doing any of this anymore.
”Muhalia.” He shrugs at this, ”This name was on documents to give instructions to Mahdi and Wardak.”
Captain Wardak of the At Sea, an Okeno pirate captain she nods her head, a brief smile. Yes, that would stand to reason. I have no fondness for such a person, and will not mourn her passing.
When I became aware of the eavesdropping handmaiden, using my own magic I was able to follow the arcane trail back to it’s origin. I only got a brief glimpse of the heavily veiled perpetrator, but based on the distance and direction,I knew the culprit was on Stonespire Island—somewhere underground on the island at any rate, with a powerfully enchanted mirror. The Okeno pirates’ base of operations is a city on that island, and the Fleshfairs may be the largest slave markets on all of Golarion. It is a cunning place through which to move these sensored slaves.
She leafs through the documents as she finishes her explanation of what she had already discovered. Lady Darchana lifts her head, showing a look of satisfaction and, perhaps, a little surprise.
This--this is perfect! Pathfinders, you have done a great service to Absalom today. The full extent, understandably, may never be widely known or recognized by the sleeping masses, but know that the Pathfinder Society can count on me as a friend and ally, and I hope that I may call upon you again in the future should the need arise. If you don’t mind, I will keep these for a bit and return them to Venture Captain Valsin personally. Farewell!
Lady Darchana will answer any questions you may have, but it is clear that she wants to act on this knowledge immediately.
Upon returning to the Grand Lodge, Rilla recounts what she can to Venture-Captain Valsin and you all about her time spent in the Okeno slave markets on Stonespire Island, confirming several interactions with a heavily veiled humanoid woman who forcibly took blood samples on two occasions. When Rilla inquires as to the fate of the other Pathfinders she was on assignment with, Venture-Captain Valsin closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head. No contact, is all he says on the matter.
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Acel giggles. "Taking down slavers was lots of fun. People use them to spy, eh? Even worse. You wanna check on Atlag, don't you Ma'Huuk? Of course I'll join you!" the Gnome asserts without waiting for a reply.
Honestly, Acel's glad to see Atlag cleared of charges. "Dunno. Is this what being a Pathfinder is all about? Helping people figure out what they want to do with their lives without corrupting influences? I-I could get used to that." Acel mumbles over a bit. "Would have been cool to ride that Trollhound, though."
Upon your return to Lady Silviana's estate, the majordomo is pleased to hear that you discovered the culprit, and that Atlag no longer poses a threat. She asks Towyn: Were you able to nullify the transaction with Mahdi?
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To Darchana's lengthy, approving response, Ma'Huuk gives a single, mute nod. And he's equally quiet as they leave her home.
As they walk, though, he grins down at the strange gnome. "I will go to check in on Atlag, yes, but I am not sure what I can do for her." He shrugs, "Maybe she will win her own freedom. Maybe not." His tone, however, makes it sound like he hopes she's able to.
To her questions of the role and responsibilities of pathfinders, Ma'Huuk simply walks on quietly.
Thank you guys for a fun game! Chronicles are up in Discussion.
Yeah, you all definitely kept me on my toes. As written, you were supposed to go to Lady Darchana when you get the info about the At Sea and she helps you get the pilot and all that.
Also, as written it assumes that you fight on deck. Then you fight the kennelmaster and the trollhound below decks while the captain burns her incriminating evidence. Then she joins the fight and you only recover a scrap of paper with the name "Muhlia" on it. You guys combined most of the enemies into one encounter, but were able to prevent the captain from burning the records, which was cool.
Good job!