Nekome's (Low-Tier) Oathbreakers Die (Inactive)

Game Master Nekome

It is a chilly day in Daggermark as you gather at Dryblade House. The venture-captain is speaking to someone in his office and will be with you shortly.

Go ahead and introduce yourselves.

Nuethro is over average height for a human and is lean but muscular. He wears no armor and has a crossbow strapped to his back, apparently the only noticeable weapon on him. He looks to be young, around 17 or 18 years old, has brown, short hair and hazel eyes.

You see an elf, pale of skin and hair. He obviously spends more time indoors in the company of dusty tombs than in the wilds hunting or singing.

Ecthelien paces the floor waiting for the assembly of the team to address the current 'situation'. He just hopes there will be a chance to see some real power of the mystic arts.

A small gnome is leaned up against a wall. He wears dark reds and brown's and the edges of his tunic are visibly singed. Attached to a belt full of pouches and colored bullet cartridges is an ornate pistol that seems almost too big for his size. A large grin under an even larger curled black moustache take up most of the gnomes face. Absent-mindedly fiddling with a worn pair of dice he waits patiently for the venture captain.

A 5'6", 150# half-elf leans up against the wall close to the door. With a rapier by his side and a short bow across his back, he constantly and carefully scans the room.

The half orc introduces herself as Seleena. She makes an imposing sight; her tall, thick, womanly frame decked out in a spiked breastplate, with a huge curved sword and a brace of javelins on her back. Tattoos sprawl over every visible surface of her skin, appearing to reach under her clothes and even into her hairline--though she keeps little hair--and she wears numerous piercings in her ears and nose. Her furrowed brow and sturdy stance give her a menacing air. When introduced she does somewhat offset her intimidating appearance by offering a firm (though perhaps too rough) handshake and a gruff smile that conveys genuine pleasure. Her voice, deeper than most women's, is surprisingly melodious, open, and friendly.

A man of Taldan descent enters the room, his wickedly curved blade bouncing off his leg as he moves. He drops his pack off in corner and bunches his long hair in a tail and secures it with a leather cord. He moves towards a chair and nods his head in salute to the others.

Good day, all. I am Conal, of the Cassomir Therinors. Delighted to make your acquaintances. Looks like we have a well rounded group...excellent! That will make this mission easier.

Gint shakes Seleena's hand.
"Name's Gint. Nice ta meetcha!" he says, then tips his brimmed cap to the rest of the party. "Gint Soddlong. Atchyer service!"

Aye, by all appearances, a fine team we seem to be assembling.
A wide variety of skills to round out our group. Ecthelien is my name. Arcane energy is my specialty. the elf muses as he bows to each new member entering.

Steady sleet patters against the window of Dryblade House, breaking up the Lodge’s eerie silence. Venture-Captain Istivil Bosk emerges from his office accompanied by dwarf in a military uniform, who pulls a flask from his coat pocket and fills two small glasses with vodka.

“I’ve already made excuses to my superiors, and I’ll check in myself every few hours to make sure the safe house is still secure,” the dwarf rumbles, handing one glass to the venture-captain. “You focus on hammering out your agent’s escape route.”

“Already working on it,” Bosk replies. The two raise their glasses in a toast.

“Then may we take this story to our graves, and drag our heels the whole way there,” the dwarf proclaims as they each down their vodka. The dwarf sets his glass on the table, dons a thick wool cloak, and trudges out into the sleet.

“That was Brandur Clovesh, a sergeant in Daggermark’s infantry,” Bosk explains, closing the door after his departed guest. “Please excuse his brevity. He’s taking a big risk to help me out of a dire situation, the same situation that led me to request your aid. One of our local agents, a gnome named Timinic, has been exploring and surveying the sewer complexes beneath Daggermark. I made sure to clear his activities with every official possible so we wouldn’t draw unwanted attention from the Assassin’s Guild or the Poisoner’s Guild, which run the city behind the scenes. To my knowledge we’ve stayed in the Guilds’ good graces, but somehow Timinic’s mission ran afoul of...” A fit of coughing interrupts Bosk mid-sentence, and he begins gasping and clutching his chest. His vodka glass shatters as it tumbles from his hand. Moments later, the venture-captain collapses.

Round 1: all may act.

(We do not need to check initiative, but time will be measured in rounds for this first bit.)

Bosk is not unconscious, and through his gasps he seems to be trying to gesture and tell you something.

Seleena's eyes widen. With no means to cure injuries or treat poison, she focuses on Bosk's gestures, trying to figure out what he's trying to tell us.

"...in desk..." Bosk gasps out, pointing toward it. "There's potion of... delay..."

Seleena rushes to the desk and opens it, looking for the potion to give it to the VC.

Seleena's search will last into the next round. Everyone else, what do you want to do this round?

"I'll stop the dwarf!"
Gint runs to the door and looks out.

"I'll help Gint!" moving towards the door.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Understanding he needs to take a potion that Seleena is getting, Nuethro rushes over and gets the Venture-Captain in a sitting position to better take the potion when retrieved.

Ecthelien is late to respond, watching as the others dash about. He decides rushing out the door after the two chasing the dwarf is his best option for providing any assistance.

I will assist in the pursuit of the would-be assassin!

He dashes out after Gint and Amerel.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Seeing some of the group going after the would be killer, Conal darts over to the desk to help Seleena find the potion. He goes through the set of drawers on the side opposite her and rifles through the contents.

When we get him stable, I'm going to help bring in the dwarf.

a thought..would a vial of antitoxin help in this case? i have a vial on my bandolier...

The Pathfinders who rush out the door find that the dwarf has already vanished into the driving sleet.

Seleena and Conal frantically search through the contents of the desk.

Round 2.

To Nuethro, Bosk manages to gasp, "Must find... Brandur Clovesh... but also..."

Seleena and Conal, please give me a Perception check. Everyone else, what would you like to do?

Amerel goes back inside to see if there is anything he can do to help.

"Who is Brandur Clovesh? Who else should we find?"

ah crap.

perception: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (12) - 2 = 10

While supporting the Venture-Captain, he looks up at the two at the desk. "Hurry up!"

perc: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Amerel rushes over to help search the desk....

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Assuming there is room for me at the desk.

Gint runs back into the room.
"Clovesh took off...oh crap he doesn't look good!"

Ecthelien, seeing the fleeing dwarf is already out of sight, returns to the office.

The dwarf escaped...for now. How is the venture-captain?

He will cast detect magic to look for any lingering auras.

Seleena, Amerel, and Conal frantically rifle through the contents of the desk, but cannot find a potion.

Ecthelien sees a number of magical auras in the clutter in and on the desk, and around the office, but none around Bosk's body.

Round 3, everyone may act.

Bosk gasps, "Timinic... in great danger now... find... before it's too late..."

Seleena frantically helps the others search the desk

perception, aid another: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (7) - 2 = 5

"Where in the desk is the potion?"

Gint runs over and helps raid the desk
perception aid: 1d20 ⇒ 3

Ecthelien will continue to concentrate and point to any sources of magic in the room as they are pinpointed.

Try....there...and...there!

Bosk's gasps become quieter, but only because the life is leaving his body. His eyes close and he goes still.

The party is left with the contents of the office to try to deduce what steps to take next. The desk is cluttered with papers, and a safe is mounted on the wall.

There are a number of things you can investigate here, with these skill checks:

Bosk's body: Craft (Alchemy) or Perception

Desk: Knowledge (Geography) or Perception

Safe: Disable Device or try to break it

Also, about Daggermark...

knowledge, local: 10 + 10 = 20

dang, an 18 perception isn't enough to find the potion and save the VC. Very tough opening for a scenario.

"D****T!!!” Seleena screams in rage and slams the drawer shut.

She sits down with her back to the desk, head in hands. After a few moments of heavy breathing she wipes a tear from her eye and stands up.

"Is there anything we need to do to preserve his body so the society can bring him back?"

"Brandur was the dwarf that just walked out. Dwarves are tough; he may have survived whatever was in that drink they shared. Or he put the poison in himself. Either way, we must find him.
There's a gnome named Timinic that was surveying the sewers; seems he was the one we're here to help out. Hopefully we can find him as well.
While we're at it lets find the b*****d that did this and give him what's coming."
She closes with a ferocious scowl.

She also shares what she knows about Daggermark see the spoilers

knowledge, geography: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Perception(Body): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Perception(Desk): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Disable Device(Safe): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

Ecthelien continues to concentrate on magic auras and scans the room
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Or not...

Son of a.... Conal fails to complete the curse as he hammers his fist down on the desk in frustration. He tears out the drawers in a mad search to find whatever it was the now dead VC wanted.perc: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

When I find that dwarf, I'll splay his guts out on the street...

Nuethro sighs and lays the Venture-Captain's body down before he goes to search the desk himself.

Perception (Desk): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Gint plops down in a chair and absent mindedly pulls at his moustache.
"I'm with Seleena. Brandur'll have more info in this Timinic fella."
Seeing that no one has checked out the venture captains body at all, Gint hops off the chair and crouches down to get a good look.
craft alchemy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Fiddling with the safe, Amerel finds it surprisingly easy to open. Inside are personnel files. The contents reveal that Brandur Clovesh brought the imperiled Pathfinder Timinic to a safe house on the city’s border, though it does not specify where. Timinic’s file also notes that while in hiding, Timinic will recognize those who call themselves “Guardians of the Open Roads” as fellow Pathfinders. Another earmarked dossier tracks the movements of a wanted killer named Cladara, and notes that Cladara’s murders have prompted city-wide investigations, an unusual response to deaths caused by any Assassin’s Guild member in good standing. A third file suggests an apothecary named Pemak may have connections to the Daggermark Poisoner’s Guild.

In addition to the files, the safe contains a bird feather token and a scroll of share language.

Most of the papers on Bosk's desk concern Timinic’s exploration of the Daggermark sewer complexes. It appears that most of the Pathfinder’s excursions began at the Dripping Wall Distillery. Timinic’s field notes also mention several encounters with suspicious folk lurking in the sewers near the distillery, and include requests to provide extra security for the distillery’s proprietor, Ramyla.

Tucked away in a hard-to-spot drawer, Nuethro finds a potion of delay poison.

Gint is able to confirm that Bosk died of poison, though it seems to be an especially complex and unfamiliar variety.

Nuethro takes out the potion of delay poison and looks down at the Venture-Captain and sighs, "I don't suppose this would be still useful to him."

Gint runs a hand through his hair.
"I'm not sure what he was poisoned with but it's pretty fancy. I'm thinkin a pro."

”This is a most unfortunate turn of events. Someone very powerful appears to have wanted our VC dead. We must uncover who and why and stop them! “

Your options at this point are to try to track Brandur directly with a Survival check, or to go to one of the other places mentioned (other than the safe house, since you don't know where that is yet).

Although I am an elf and normally my people are skilled with woodlore, this was not to be my fate. Are any of you able to track the assassin or do we need to seek arcane powers or mundane information to locate him?

Ecthelien stares out the window as time slips by.

If we cannot track him physically, then we need to trace him to his home or base of operations. Perhaps starting with the apothecary named Pemak and following thereafter with the Dripping Wall Distillery?

"Tracking is not really my forte but I'll see if I can pick up any signs of his passage."

Nuethro leaves the room momentarily to see if he can pick up any traces of Brandur.

Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

I can't track worth a damn...if my cousin Doran was here he'd find that cur. If Nuethro can't find anything, I think Ecthelien has the right idea...

"Perhaps Pemak knows of this poison and a possible cure in case it is used again. I agree, we should start there if we loose the trail."

Seleena growls and pounds her fist into the palm of her hand.

she is essentially useless as a tracker, though she might pull off the occasional aid

"Agreed. Seems like tha best plan of action."
Gint pulls his cap snug on his head and goes over to the monk.
"Any luck Neuthro?"