Nearly a year ago, Absalom fought off an invasion of demonflesh constructs and undead marines remembered as the Fiendflesh Siege, during which the city’s siege lord offered every slave freedom in exchange for their assistance in defending Absalom. Practically overnight, one of the city’s cruelest industries came to an end, and many hundreds of the liberated have since become Absalom’s newest citizens.
Although most have welcomed their manumitted neighbors with open arms, an unidentified serial murderer known only as the Rose Street Killer has systematically slain at least a dozen of these freed people. So far, the city’s guards have questioned scores of witnesses and suspects with no luck. The Rose Street Killer remains at large, and one of their most recent targets was Nelfurhin Zor, a former scriptorium slave who had joined the Pathfinder Society shortly after the siege. The Society doesn’t normally investigate crimes in Absalom, but Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin is furious that a Pathfinder’s gone missing thanks to this criminal. He’s assembled a team of agents to help solve the case. Don’t let him down—lives are on the line.
Title: Snippets
In the morning, you each receive a letter from Venture-Captain Valsin.
Pathfinders,
The circumstances surrounding the recent disappearances have me convinced that the fault lies not with some “Rose Street Killer,” but with the Band of the Palm, that flimsy front for the despicable collection of villainy known as the Bloody Barbers. Come see me for details.
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
__________________
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin flicks an invisible speck of dust from his impeccably pressed cuff before speaking. “Thank you for arriving together; I don’t like to repeat myself. I trust you received my note, and I hope you have your wits about you. It’s all well and good for everyone in the city to concoct their own thrilling hypotheses about some serial murderer, but Pathfinders need to be a bit more…” Ambrus thinks for a moment before continuing, “…
evidence based.
“To that end, I’d like you to find some low-ranking members of the Bloody Barbers and press them for information. I suspect their straight razors are ultimately to blame for the disappearances.”
Almost as an afterthought, Ambrus adds, “I shouldn’t need to tell you to be careful in dealing with Absalom’s largest thieves’ guild, but do try to avoid the old crimson shave.” He draws his thumb across his neck for emphasis.
Ambrus gestures at the entire party. “Pathfinders often have to rely on one another for help. I would start by comparing notes; you should be able to piece together a likely location for one of their meeting places.”
A muscular bronzed skinned dwarf speaks up. I am new to Absalom, I have not heard of these Bloody Barbers.
A dark skinned keleshite dressed from head to toe in blue, white and gold follows suit. "I have never heard of them either sadly."
"Actually friends, now that I say it, I do recall something about the Bloody Barbers. Absalom's central district, the Ascendant Court, is so full of churches and holy priests that even the Bloody Barbers don't dare operate in large groups. I think it's reasonable to eliminate that district from our search."
A goblin wearing thick leather armor but no weapon in sight opens the mouth on his oversized head, "I not know 'bout Bloody Barbers, but.." He trails of for a couple seconds smiling, "I make people talk.." His teeth seem abnormally sharp for a goblin.
A huge, heavily armed Garundi stands up. His chainmail clanks as he rises out of his chair, hoisting a heavy steel shield from its place next to him. He scowls, looking around the room, and rumbles, "Bloody Barbers, huh? Never heard of 'em. I'll bet someone in this town has, though."
The Bloody Barbers are prolific, and they have many victims--not merely those who end up dead--though most people are reluctant to discuss the crimes due to fear of reprisal. However, Jawari scares a few of the Bloody Barber's victims into describing the locations and timing of the attacks.
"Well we know when and where some of the attacks were. That might be helpful. There must be something we're missing though."
Jawari sits down heavily, and and stares up at the ceiling, wracking his brains and trying to remember a bit of knowledge about Absalom that might be useful in determining where the Bloody Barbers are located.
The Band of the Palm, the cover organization for the Bloody Barbers, meets regularly in the Coins. Searching in or near that district is likely a good starting point.
Blood Barbers are notorious loan sharks and often run illegal narcotic dens, so a neighborhood with a high concentration of such activity is likely to house at least a few chapters of the Barbers.
Though the Bloody Barbers are the larger guild, the Smoke Knights thieves’ guild is much more secretive—so much so that it’s never been proven to exist. However, the Barbers at least attempt to maintain a veneer of secrecy and are unlikely to gather anywhere that a high-profile crime has recently taken place, lest they draw attention. This eliminates a number of neighborhoods from the PCs’ search.
The little-known head of the Bloody Barbers, Anken the Cutter, is notoriously paranoid, and he is likely to forbid meetings of lesser members anywhere near his favored parts of the Coins.
You investigations lead you to a barber shop on the Docks district, just south of the perimeter of the Coins district.
This small barbershop has four worn barber chairs and a wooden waiting bench. The astringent odors of various hair tonics combine with that of talcum powder to produce a potent aroma. A large, tarnished mirror runs the full length of one wall, with a low shelf below it that holds an assortment of combs, razors, scissors, and jars holding murky liquids.
The shop is almost empty, and it’s quiet enough to hear the snip of its lone barber’s scissors as she works on a large man’s wild mane, while a freckled shop sweep stoops over hair clippings that he’s meticulously swept into a neat pile.
"Be with you in a minute, sweethearts," the barber says as she works to tame the large man's hair.
Thulgrum goes and leans up against a wall opposite of the mirror.
"Job?" the barber queries. "I'm afraid I'm not hiring more than Snips over there, and you don't look like the sort to work such mundane tasks. Although, maybe we could use one of those swords to hack off some of the work on your hair, eh, Big Pete?" She jokes with her customer. The man in the chair just laughs good-naturedly.
Hearing the barber's reply to Thulgrum, Jawari lets out a hearty laugh. "I tried that once in my younger, dumber days. Nearly slit my own throat when I slipped! My swordplay has improved since then though." He grins wolfishly, flashing a crooked, gap-toothed smile. "I still wouldn't recommend it, but if you're interested . . . well . . . uh . . . let me know."
"My, ah, apologies for interrupting," he says, bowing ever so slightly to Thulgrum and the barber. "I'm sure you weren't interested in that particular story."
Shash quietly smiles with his big, sharp teeth.
"While that story has relevance to our presence here, let's not bother the young lady until she is done with her current customer." Kyra interjects with as pleasant a tone as she can muster.
Something about the barber shop has her off her game and she has a difficult time covering her discomfort.
The possibility that murderers operate under the guise of hard working citizens is terribly offensive! We must put a stop to their wicked ways. she thinks to herself, and her face somewhat betrays her feelings.
The barber interjects crass jokes at her patron's expense between listening to you and doing her job. Jawari senses no particular deceit or hostility from either the barber or the big man in her chair, and nothing she says seems to be a coded cant as far as he can tell.
He does notice, however, that the young sweep keeps looking at you all rather intently... possibly too intently.
Winking at her customer in the mirror, Valette snips off a lock of hair and drops it on the floor near her feet. She turns to the shop sweep and shouts, “Oi, Snips, you missed a spot,” gesturing to the hair with her scissors. He starts and mumbles an apology as he rushes over with his broom, but as he bends to sweep, the barber gives him a swift kick, sending him tumbling into his carefully swept pile. The barber laughs uproariously and claps her customer on the back, ripping off his barber cloth and telling him to pay her in ale and a pie at the shop across the street. As she strong-arms the reluctant man out the door, she yells over her shoulder at Snips to clean up and close up the shop. “And don’t forget the mirror—I want to see myself in it!” she cackles, doubling over at her own 'joke' and slapping the increasingly uncomfortable customer again.
Once the barber and her customer leave but before you depart, the youth bobs his head at you, trying to get your attention.
"Yeeess?" Shash says creepily, teeth still bared
Thulgrum turns and looks at the boy.
Lets see what the boy has to say.
"I know about the Barbers!" the boy suddenly spurts, louder than he intended. "I mean, I know where they meet. I've seen them. I can help you!"
Thulgrum gets in the boys face.
"Is that so lad. Why would you want to help us?"
"Well, you- you're heroes, right? The good guys?" the boy says. "We're supposed to help the good guys, do what's right, all that?"
"Aye we are and if you is thinking of leading us into a trap be warned we dwarves have long memories."
Thugrum turns to rest of the group. "He seems a bit squirrelly so its best we be on our guard."
The huge man walks up behind Tholgrum, cracking his knuckles, his earlier smile replaced by a dark frown.
"Is that so, Thulgrum? You know, when I was younger, the penalty for lying to your elders was . . . unpleasant," Jawari growls. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but if you mislead us, you will rue it."
The goblin begins rubbing his hand excitedly, "I likes traps and abushes."
"Ah! No! Don't hurt me!" the boy crumples into a weeping pile of gangling arms and legs. After what seems like forever, he finally stops crying and checks to make sure you haven't cut any of his fingers off.
"They're outside in the alley. Probably four of them," he confesses. "They don't know you're here, but I was going to warn them so they could ambush you, and then I'd be a Bloody Barber, myself."
"They might be watching the outside of the backdoor. We could sneak around the to east and enter that way."
Shash grins wider and whispers, "I'll be waiting from above," as he goes out the front and begins climbing onto the building.
"Good lad." Jawari's face softens as he looks at the boy. "The truth is its own reward, but take this as an apology for the fright I gave you," he says as he tosses the boy a silver piece. "And steer clear of the Barbers in the future."
The huge man turns towards Thulgrum, chain mail softly clinking as he moves. "Stealth isn't really my strong suit, but . . . well, I'll give it a go if you'd like."
"The three of us not being the most sneaky an with Shash on top, maybe we should just rush out the back door and try to catch them off guard.
Shash scrambles onto the roof and slips to an advantageous position where he can see the alley but remain unseen. The rests of the companions exit through the back door, surprising all but one rather alert fellow.
"Hey! Who're you?" the Barber with a green belt says as you open the door. He draws a dagger and moves to block the eastern exit from the alley.
Encounter Mode! Round 1. Bold may act.
Green
Sash (on the roof, concealed)
Blue
Kyra
Red
Yellow
Jawari
Thulgrum
Shash hops from the roof onto green, biting viciously upon collision.
Shash looks hungrily at blue, blood from green dripping from his sharp teeth.
Sash leaps from the rooftop to land on the green-belted bandit, biting him savagely in the neck. As they tumble to the ground, Sash scares the pants off of the blue-belted Barber. The Barber runs screaming down the alley.
Encounter Mode! Round 1. Bold may act.
Green (dead)
Sash: Move, Strike, Pass; Reaction: Demoralize
Blue (frightened 2, fleeing)
Kyra
Red
Yellow
Jawari
Thulgrum
The remaining Barbers move in to flank Sash. Only one of them manages to score a mark, and even that cut is superficial.
"Hold still, you little, green moster!"
Encounter Mode! Round 1/2. Bold may act.
Jawari
Thulgrum
--Round 2--
Sash (-2 hp)
Kyra
Red
Yellow
"Take one alive!"
Thulgrum enters into Tiger Stance and steps 10' to flank red with Shash.
He then flurries on red trying to knock out the bloody barber.
Thulgrum knocks the red-belted Barber unconscious with a solid punch to the back of the head.
Encounter Mode! Round 1/2. Bold may act.
Jawari
Thulgrum
--Round 2--
Sash (-2 hp)
Kyra
Red (unconscious)
Yellow
"Thulgrum's right, we need information, not corpses!" Jawari draws his sword as lowers his bulk and charges past the final assailant, turning on a dime to slash at him from a flanking position with the flat of his blade.
The rogue just barely dodges out of the path of Jawari's blade.
Encounter Mode! Round 1/2. Bold may act.
Jawari
Thulgrum
--Round 2--
Sash (-2 hp)
Kyra
Yellow
Kyra moves up to help render the yellow barber unconscious.
A bit too excited, Shash pounces on yellow.
Shash aggressively begins pursuit of blue, with a blood dripping smile.
Sash runs off down the street as soon as he finishes the last of the fighting Barbers by nearly tearing his arm off with his teeth.
While he does that, you rouse your prisoner. ”What do you guys want?” he asks hesitantly.
"Why are the Barbers killing former slaves?" yells out Thulgrum.
It's a good thing at least one of them survived to talk, Jawari thinks to himself. Seeing Shash take off after the last Barber, he gives a slightly concerned look, and his brow furrows I hope that Barber runs quickly. We've already killed two more than we had to.
After Thulgrum shouts his question, the huge man steps forward, towering over the Barber.
"We're here about the recent string of murders in Absalom," Jawari says. "As my companion implied, some suspect the Barbers, but we're mostly looking for information. Now do yourself a favor, and give us what you know."
"We're not killing former slaves," he says, confused. "Someone killed one of our new members. She was a former slave. We were getting ready to beat the streets to find out who."