[PBP Gameday VII] [PACG] Assault on Absalom by Box Runner Dinketry [Tier 2] (Inactive)

Game Master dinketry

Welcome, one and all, to your Doom!

Nah, just kidding: welcome to my Assault on Absalom ACG table!

Specifically, welcome:

  As you gather at the Grand Lodge, Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus addresses the crowd: ”Pathfinders, our beloved Absalom faces the threat of invasion and needs our help. Just as Absalom has been our Society’s home for centuries, so does it fall to us to aid in its defense. Find the group to which you’ve been assigned, lend a hand as the city prepares for the siege, and be ready for more instructions.”
  Hundreds of Pathfinders stand waiting at the Grand Lodge for news of the coming battle, and a murmur of anticipation has risen from the nervous crowd. Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus takes the lectern, raises his hand for attention, and speaks: “Pathfinders, thank you for answering my call. It has been two days since we received news of an army of demonic abominations building a siege castle in the Cairnlands north of Absalom. Today, the Grand Council of Absalom announced they have invoked an old wartime law, according to which a Siege Lord must be appointed to oversee the city’s defense. They’ve made an excellent choice: Wynsal Starborn, District Seat on the Grand Council and retired Captain of the First Guard.
  “He has already organized scouting forays and evacuations of the outer towns in preparation for a siege. The Pathfinder Society has pledged to help the Siege Lord with the preparations. All of you have been assigned to teams, and if you have already found the other members of your team, you should get started. Go now, but be ready to return here when you hear the signal horn.”

It is time to introduce your characters and interact with the others. IT’S MUSTERING TIME!!!

Oloch walks in, big, tall, muscular. Ladies beware, he's single! With a nasty looking weapon across his back he listens to the Master of Swords give his speech. Finished, he turns to look at the team he was assigned to. "Oloch" he says, gruff but clearly intelligently.

He offers his hand to shake if anyone wants to.

Hand: Cure, Blessing of the Gods 1, Dwarven Longhammer +1, Weapon of Awe,

Displayed:
Deck: 12 Discard: 0 Buried: 0
Notes:
Sideboard cards:

"Greetings, Oloch!"

I take Oloch's hand in a firm handshake.

"The name is Arabundi. You can call me "Dee" for short. I've fought against and with enough Half-Orcs over the years to 'preciate a good one by my side. With your sword and my bow, we'll lick this siege and be home in time for dinner. Which suits me fine, 'cause I'm not a huge fan of spendin' too much time in these big cities. Gimme the fresh open air of the forests any day."

Hand: Blessing Of the Samurai 1, Dagger, BotG 1, Gambeson, Cure, Blessing Of the Samurai 2

Displayed:
Deck: 9 Discard: 0 Buried: 0
Notes: You can recharge my Cure, BotG and BotS in that order to add a 1d4 to your combat check.
Sideboard cards:

You see a Goblin approaching...

"Nok-Nok here to help! You lucky, you fighting beside a god! ...Almost."

Hand: Reformarium Servant, Kama, Blessing of the Gobs 3, Blessing of the Gobs 1, Sword Cane,

Displayed:
Deck: 11 Discard: 0 Buried: 0
Notes:

For those of you who haven't worked with Oloch before he has 2 big things (at lower tiers) that can help the group. Check out his powers (especially 1 and 3). A combat-oriented Warprist, I only have a single CURE spell (and that spell will ONLY be used to cure). If someone needs help, my cards and such are at your disposal.

I stare down at the goblin waddling up suspiciously. The goblins love of fire and infatuation with the arcane has caused me no shortage of troubles in the past.

I must keep an eye on this one. He seems harmless enough... For now.. His lack of rational thinking is cause for concern. I've never seen a god, but I'm pretty sure he isn't one.

Oloch: I do have a Cure spell as well if we need it. Kinda unfortunate we both drew our Cures in our opening hands.

Nok-Nok: What are the Blessing of Gobs? Are they just renamed Gods, or something else entirely?

Also, I have a tab in my Deck Handler called "Card Reference" that has the descriptions of all my cards in it if you ever need to see what I have.

TColMaster - I've only played with S&S Oloch before. Seems kind of painful that you're stuck with a Hand limit of 4 before roles...

Gimry - they're like Blessings of the Gods, but after playing one I can bury it to acquire and recharge the top card of the Blessings deck. Can be used as a "recharge instead of discard" or to try to acquire higher-level blessings, but probably only towards the end of a scenario if we have many turns remaining.

I'll see about adding a Card Reference myself.

my card reference is on my profile. Just click my name, its all there, every card ever that was in my deck.

TColMaster - I kind of feel bad for pointing this out, but... aren't you missing a Blessing in your deck? Your profile says you completed 4 adventures in AD#2 and gained a Blessing Card Feat, but your deck still only lists 16 cards/ 5 Blessings. Shouldn't you have one more?

TColMaster - I kind of feel bad for pointing this out, but... aren't you missing a Blessing in your deck? Your profile says you completed 4 adventures in AD#2 and gained a Blessing Card Feat, but your deck still only lists 16 cards/ 5 Blessings. Shouldn't you have one more?

Good catch, I put it in my phyical deck copy, and my profile but it didn't make it to google sheets.

A smiling man comes and shake hands with any one willing, “Hellow, fellow pathfinders. I’m Aric and I’ll help the team with my knowledge. I like to talk to people.”

Aric is well dressed, but without noticeable weapon or armor.

He listen to the others a bit and after a little time listening to every one and doing some idle chatting, he looks in the distance and excuses himself “Oh, I’m seeing someone I know in the distance, excuse me while I go greet him.”

A masked man comes to the group, a grim on his face. He’s speaking with a deep voice. “I am the Red Raven. I’ll deal with our enemies and with infiltration. I’ll stick to shadows.” His hands rests on the daggers on his belts, showing no sign of wanting to shake anyone hands. He wore a red leather armor.
At some point he won’t be present anymore while he seemed to be there a second ago.

Aric and the Red Raven do little for the others, they use examining to switch to the right character (each has its own skills).
I’ll need my previous group to have finished with deck upgrades before drawing, and as I draw three more cards and put 3 in my kit, I’ll wait a bit for more info before doing it

OVERSEER ANNOUNCEMENT
  Heavy clouds are gathering above Absalom, and the city is tense with
anticipation of the coming battle. Suddenly, bright light patterns flash from atop Skyreach. A few minutes later, the sound of an explosion rumbles through the city as an old wooden granary erupts in flames. A little farther away, a stone bridge collapses, dropping a group of soldiers to their deaths. Soon the air is alive with frightened screams, the sound of hurried footsteps, and moments later, the booming blare of a brass horn that rises above the din of a city in chaos. A messenger runs past, shouting: “The horn! We should gather at the Grand Lodge! Let’s go!”
Final preparations are being completed. I will singal the start of part 2 tomorrow (10/2/18).

During This Adventure:

Oloch heads to the Ruined Temple off in the distance. "Must pray" he grumbles to the group before heading off.

Aric starts at the Guardian Vault (as that does not trigger the take 2 poison damage, and we need to close those two last location to decrease combat difficulty).

Aric, coming back from the crowd, turn to the group and says: “I will try to find my way in the labyrinth of the Guardian Vault.”

Hand (Size 6): Fencer (Ally), Mask of the Red Raven (Item), Blessing of the Ancients (Blessing), Rapier (Weapon), Psychic Detective (Ally), Blessing of the Spy 2 (Blessing)

Deck: 9 Discard: 0 Buried: 0
Notes:
Kit: Kama (Weapon), Gambeson (Armor), Magnifying Glass (Item)

Please note: The scenario does not officially start for at least another 6hrs - please await the Overseer call. This is simply flavour text to get your flavours juicing.

The Black Echelon Strikes

It is said that 800 years ago, Taldor’s aristocracy grew envious of Absalom’s riches and power. Hoping to seize the island metropolis for itself, Taldor built a mighty armada to invade the city under cover of the spring fog. To ensure Absalom was too weak to defend itself, the invasion included a contingent of saboteurs known as the Black Echelon, who planned to destroy key defensive points and signal the fleet’s approach using prearranged signal lights.

Those signals never came. Heroes of Absalom had rooted out the infiltrators and put them to the sword, and Absalom’s own navy then launched a surprise counter attack against the Taldan navy, sinking every one of the ships. The failed invasion came to be known as the Silent Tide and was little more than a historical footnote until the aging military historian Yargos Gill unearthed the old Silent Tide codebook and recreated several of the lighted signals in the spirit of historical reenactment. What he did not know was that each member of the Silent Tide had sworn a binding oath to invade Absalom, no matter the cost. When these restless spirits perceived the familiar invasion signals, they rose from the dead. Pathfinders managed to recover the codebook, call off the undead, and lock away the codebook. But it seems someone has recovered it—or a copy—and called to the Taldan marines once more.

Black Echelon operatives are now attacking strategic locations within the city, including Fort Tempest along the city’s western wall. So far, Absalom’s guards have been too busy to retake the fort. But the nearby Puddles district’s militia, known as the Muckruckers, are eager to oust these undead invaders with whatever help they can get.

The Pathfinder Society’s Dark Archive faction specializes in acquiring and maintaining dangerous texts and artifacts. Its leader Zarta Dralneen believes that a copy of the Silent Tide codebook lies within the vast Forae Logos library in the Wise Quarter. The trouble is that the library has gone dangerously quiet. Zarta suspects that the Black Echelon may have struck there, too. If you could just reach the library and find where the codebook is hidden, you could then send confusing signals to the undead invaders and lead them astray.

Either task could turn the tide in Absalom’s favor, and the choice is yours.

You've already chosen to aid the Dark Archive faction first, but you'll likely get a chance to aid the Grand Lodge next.

"Smiley-Chins is so kind, he Nok-Nok's new bestest friend! ...For now. Nok-Nok tag along with him! ...For now."

Nok-Nok will also start at the Guardian Vault.

OVERSEER ANNOUNCEMENT
Several agents assist in marshaling Pathfinders as Marcos Farabellus unfurls several maps of Absalom’s districts. Once a crowd has gathered, he straightens to address the gathered Society. “Pathfinders, Absalom is under attack. We have received many reports of undead saboteurs attacking armories, granaries, water supplies, and guard outposts—targeted strikes to undermine our city’s infrastructure. Absalom is losing key resources, and enough people are panicking that it’s difficult to organize an effective defense.
  Zarta Dralneen, head of the Dark Archive faction, steps forward and interjects. “I have learned someone—someone who knows our home well—has stolen the Black Echelon codebook from our archives. A force of Taldan agents attacked Absalom long ago while following those encoded orders, and with the right combination of illuminated signals, one could draw these oathsworn operatives from beyond the grave to continue their attack.”
  Farabellus narrows his eyes. “That explains the acts of sabotage. Absalom’s First Guard is struggling to restore order, and they need our help. Pathfinders, stand by for instructions!”
  Ollysta Zadrian of the Silver Crusade raises her sword high, announcing, “We should not wait—Absalom needs us now!”
  Clasping the paladin’s upraised hand with her own, Lady Gloriana Morilla adds, “Each of us has accumulated considerable influence and resources in recent years, and this is the prime opportunity for each of us to lend Absalom our strength in its our of need. We may call ourselves factions, but today we can act as one!”
  Nodding with approval, Marcos Farabellus calls out to the assembled Pathfinders. “It’s decided. Pathfinders, we’re deferring to the specialized expertise of these seven organizations to rally Absalom. Seek out the leaders for instructions, and make the city proud.”
  Table GMs, Part 2 has begun.

Knowledge is power they say. There may be something we're overlooking that will aid us this day. I will head to the Great Library of Tephu to look for something we may have missed.

If it wasn't clear, you may begin play as soon as your table is ready.

Arabundi, you're up!

Turn: 1, Arabundi/Gimry

Top of Blessing Discard Pile:

Blessings Deck

Dilapidated Plaza
At This Location: When you play a boon that has the Acid trait, you are dealt 1 Acid damage.
When Closing: Succeed at a Diplomacy check with a difficulty of 4 plus the scenario's adventure deck number.
When Permanently Closed: For the rest of the scenario, when a character at any location attempts a check, after the roll, he may bury a card to reroll 1 die and take the new result.
M: 2 Ba: 3 W: 1 Sp: 1 Ar: 1 I: 0 Al: 1 Bl: 0 ?: 1
Located/Displayed Here: None

Dye Market
At This Location: When you discard cards as damage, suffer the scourge Curse of the Ravenous.
When Closing: Choose three types of boons, then recharge 1 boon of each type.
When Permanently Closed: No effect.
M: 2 Ba: 1 W: 1 Sp: 0 Ar: 3 I: 1 Al: 1 Bl: 0 ?: 1
Located/Displayed Here: None

Great Library of Tephu
At This Location: If you fail to acquire a boon, shuffle it into this location deck.
When Closing: Succeed at an Intelligence or Knowledge 6 check.
When Permanently Closed: On closing, draw a spell from the box.
M: 2 Ba: 1 W: 0 Sp: 3 Ar: 0 I: 0 Al: 2 Bl: 1 ?: 1
Located/Displayed Here: Arabundi/Gimry, None

Guardian Vault
At This Location: If you move to this location, you are dealt 2 Poison damage.
At the end of your turn you are moved to a random location.
When Closing: Draw a random scourge from the box.
When Permanently Closed: On closing, you are moved to a random location.
M: 1 Ba: 2 W: 1 Sp: 1 Ar: 0 I: 2 Al: 1 Bl: 1 ?: 1
Located/Displayed Here: Aric/MatsuKurisu, Nok-Nok/Player_shnik, None

Blessing of Ra is on top of blessing deck.

The Great Library of Tephu. The Dark Archive found a lot of information on the Silent Tide in here. Maybe there is something they missed amoung all of these ancient tomes.

Being outside the Forest has never sat well with me, but I will cover myself with my Gambeson to give me a little reminder of home.

Display Gambeson

As I peruse these tomes of knowledge, I suddenly get the feeling I am being watched.

Reveal Ambush from location deck

Quickly I spring to my feet, my senses attuned to all that surrounds me. Something is definitely wrong here, so I call upon the Blessings of the Gods to aid me.

Discard Blessing of the Gods
Wisdom 9: 2d8 ⇒ (5, 7) = 12

Looking at the ground around me, I see the remnants of my persuer, but they themselves have fled. I quickly pick up their trail and head after them.

Ambush lets me explore again. Reveal Druid of the Hive

I notice a druid sitting in the corner, but she seems deep in study. Calling on all the Charisma a gruff man of the woods can, I walk up beside here.

'Scuse me Miss, did you by chance see someone or something pass by here?'

Oloch can I use your Blessing of the Gods? If I fail to get the Druid, she'll just get shuffled back in here which will be painful later. Discard my own Blessing of the Samurai as well.

Charisma 7: 3d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 2) = 8

'I saw a something head off in this direction, young man. Come. This Way!

'A Scorpion'!

Discard Druid to explore again and add 4 + 1d4 because Scorption invokes Poison
Combat 9: 1d8 + 1d4 + 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + (3) + (4) + 4 = 13

I quickly grab my dagger and with the aid of the Druid, we quickly dispatch of the Scorpion. Unfortunately, this was not what I had tracked earlier. I will continue on once I find the tracks again.

Hand: Banner, Dagger, Hand Crossbow, Arquebus, Cure, Blessing Of the Samurai 2

Displayed: Gambeson
Deck: 6 Discard: 2 Buried: 0
Notes: You can recharge my Cure, Dagger, Arquebus in that order to add a 1d4 to your combat check. You can Recharge my BotS for Melee/Ranged combat.
Sideboard cards:

Wouldn't have changed the result, but remember that all checks to defeat monsters are 2 higher due to the scenario special rules. Also, the Ambush was Veteran, so it would have been a Wisdom 11 check.

Aric, you're up!

During This Adventure: None

During This Scenario: If the Great Library of Tephu or the Guardian Vault is open, the difficulty of checks to defeat monsters is increased by the scenario’s adventure deck number (2).

Additional Rules:

Turn: 2, Aric/MatsuKurisu

Top of Blessing Discard Pile:

Blessings Deck

Dilapidated Plaza
At This Location: When you play a boon that has the Acid trait, you are dealt 1 Acid damage.
When Closing: Succeed at a Diplomacy check with a difficulty of 4 plus the scenario's adventure deck number.
When Permanently Closed: For the rest of the scenario, when a character at any location attempts a check, after the roll, he may bury a card to reroll 1 die and take the new result.
M: 2 Ba: 3 W: 1 Sp: 1 Ar: 1 I: 0 Al: 1 Bl: 0 ?: 1
Located/Displayed Here: None