The shattered Shield -Core (Inactive)

Game Master Helikon

Kent starts to politely ask around.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24.

Khargrom tries to figure out where to go from snippets of conversations about the area that he remembers.

Knowledge: Local: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Being a likeable fellow the cleric asks around.
diplomacy to gather info
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Suddenly tusk is halted.
A guard stops you. "What is this?" And suddenly he takes a black back with an embroyed key from your belt!

Tusk glares at the guard.

"I don't know. What IS it? Never seen it before."

what is a black back?

Sorry black bag
This caused a huge ruckus. Tusk is carefully frisked, very, very carefully and the one that took the black bag takes out a tiny golden idol shaped like a human heart pierced by a dagger.
Kazima looks at you and yells "HOW DARE YOU!"

Kent turns and looks at Tusk, and shakes his head, sighing, before drawing his bow, and pointing an arrow at Tusk.

"I had no idea that I was traveling with someone that did not respect the laws of your country. Please believe me when I say that I am quite shocked by this turn of events. Do you need any assistance dealing with the criminal?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26.

Tusk snarls at all concerned.

"Someone planted it there. I'm no fool that I would wander around waiting to be frisked with something like that in my posession."

...

"Say, it looks like that other thing you found on the dead guy, Kaz, old buddy, old pal!"

To the group at large he adds, "You probably shouldn't touch it."

diplomacy aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13

Khargrom yells back from the other side of the gate, "why don't we all just calm down, we can talk about this."

Diplomacy Aid DC 10: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (19) - 2 = 17

Taking Tusk's comment in stride he starts looking around at who might benefit from someone planting a religious item on him. Either they needed a distraction to slip in or they know about our mission and want to sink it before we even get going. Either way, they should be easy to pick outta a crowd.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

diplomacy aid: 1d20 ⇒ 10

diplomacy aid 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 aid

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 know religion

The legion seems mullified, especially as suddenly a man vomits blood and is heavely scarred in gold pustules.
You manage to keep the problems down, nevertheless, Tusk is high on the watchlist and Riceak too.

"Yea. That looks bad."

Tusk looks sideways at Khargrom, half expecting to see him break out too.

"Really bad."

Khargrom eyes Tusk right back, then shrugs, "alright, onto the mission."

Normally Tusk would challenge the pitiful dwarf to a competition like who takes down the most enemies, but the poor thing! All diseased like. He can't bring himself to challenge someone so obvoiously afflicted. Though usually challenging dwarves is a lot of fun.

He makes a heal check to see if he knows about what is going on with the golden pimples
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

You can now use gather information checks to learn more.

Diplomacy(Gather Information): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26.

Kent learns that Torvad has an upstairs room in a tavern called the Efreeti’s Flame. The owner and keeper of the Flame hasn’t heard from him in weeks, but Torvad instructed the innkeeper to send any couriers bearing letters during this week to the Mendalari Estate in the Artisan’s Souk.
After spending some copper here and there Alexis learns thatTorvad has been seen coming and going from a manor in the Artisan’s Souk that belongs to Inusi Mendalari, a prominent architect in the region. It’s rumored Torvad has been appraising a large collection of artifacts for her, but no one knows exactly what he’s been examining.
Bielsi also learns that Torvad has grown exaggeratingly paranoid in the last few weeks, and several individuals report his claims that a strange creature with golden skin is stalking him. While no one has taken him seriously, he’s been walking the streets of Azir more heavily armed than usual.
Also Kent learns that the Pure Legion has been investigating Torvad for some time, believing that he is part of an illegal criminal ring smuggling divine artifacts in and out of the city. In a pinch, turning Torvad over to the Pure Legion for questioning might help garner favor with the local garrison.
Any other topics you want to find out?

Kent nods thoughtfully.

"Right. Sounds like we should head for the Mendalari Estate in the Artisan's Souk."

Without hitch you reach the estate.
The compound has 10-foot-high adobe walls studded with geometric mosaic designs, and the tightly closed double door is made of red-stained wood. Interior walls are made of stone, and ceilings are 10 feet high.
As you reach the door you notice something is amiss. The door seems jammed.

A Jammed door? Tusk knows how to deal with a jammed door.

strength check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Before you know what is going on, Tusk is battering away at the door.

Kent, unfazed by Tusk's direct approach, attempts to un-jam the door.

Disable Device - 'Take 10' = 20.

Vuldruk uses his brute strength to open the door
str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Khargrom shrugs at Kent while looking at the two brutes slamming against the door, "heh, guess when you are a hammer everything looks like a nail."

He keeps an eye out to see if all their noise is attracting any unwanted attention.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

You are able to open the door. in the courtyard you see one dead guard lies slumped against the inside of the gate, another is facedown about 20 feet away, and the remains of both the live-in gardener and the part-time stable hand lie messily draped over the shrubs.

"This... is not good..."

Kent cautiously moves forward, bow at the ready, and checks the bodies.

Perception - 'Take 10' = 21.

Tusk barrels ahead, not at all cautious and quicky passes the nore timid half-elf. His one consideration to stealth is that he does not say anything, for what good it does.

This might be a set up which we might have set off by breaking open the door? he states

Tusk isn't really listening. If someone jams a door it is because they do not want anyone entering. So you enter. Simple in his mind.

Khargrom shrugs and follows Tusk, "eh, true, but dere could also be innocents who need our help or the bastards that hacked up all these guys. Plus, we be already in, gotta try to find out as much as we can."

He considers the dwarf's statement and nods.

@Kent: As you search the bodies of the slain gardeners find a neatly written ledger and a wax-sealed packet of seeds.
A quick perusal shows most of the information is mundane bookkeeping, but several handwritten notes in the margins refer to Inusi Mendalari’s work designing gardens for one Madame Adenalar, who is apparently an enthusiast of exoticflowers. The notes indicate that Inusi has instructed the gardeners to test the viability of a rare lily imported from Tian Xia to see if it can be successfully grown in the Rahadoumi
climate.

Kent inspects the stables more closely...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27.

Tuck yawns as Kent starts reading about the flower seeds. He shrugs, being far more interested in the trail of blood. So he follows it of course.

He will investigate the bodies of the dead to see if there is anything else that might have killed them, being careful not to get blood on his hands.
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Khargrom collects the seeds and journal and starts flipping through it. He sighs, "ach, dyin' for some flowers. That ehn't a way to go at all. I mean, pretty and all but just ehn't worth it." Slipping the journal and seeds into his pocket, he looks up as he realizes two of his party have darted off into the stables and follows to check out what they found.

He pokes his head around the corner and looks at the cards on the ground, "whoever got em prolly ambushed em while playing cards, smart move. Any of these bodies our contact?" He thinks for a second and adds, "er.. does anyone even know what our contact looks like?"

As you notice there is still a stallion alive in the last box... and a little girl cowering in the corner, as the stallion is rather angry.
To pacify the horse roll handle animal.

Tusk fingers his double headed axe and looks at the horse speculatively.

"Shall I just kill the horse?"

No, friend Tusk. The horse and the child are probably scared.

”Eh, hold off’n that there, someone help me try to calm er down. If we can’t, try to knock da philly out insteada kill er.”

He moves up to the animal, ”there there horsey, easy does it.”

Handle Animal Aid DC 10: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (6) - 2 = 4

That does not seem to do the trick. Maybe if someone with a bit more charisma....

Tusk snorts at the efforts to calm the horse down.

"It's beginning to look a lot like dinner to me. Probably tastes better than the giant flea I ate on my first mission."

handle animal aid: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2

Catching up

The cleric gets a worried look on his face when he hears that the horse might be eaten, He is going to see if he can find some oats or something else that the horse might eat, an apple perhaps and will approach the horse

Calm down, noble one.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20 handle animal

Khargrom is about to reach for his sap, no little girl gonna get hurt by no beast, don't care how domestercated they are...

...but when Riceak steps in with a calm hand and takes over, he breaths a sigh of relief and his hand drops to his side, "yeh got a kind voice apparently."

Hekk shrugs and pulls out some limburger cheese and dry bread. All this talk about eating horse has made him hungry and he indulges in one of his favorite snacks while they deal with the horse.

He smiles. This horse is a beautiful animal. he says as he strokes the animal's nose,