Gaétan goes and buys a map of the Island and/or the city.
Gaétan walks not even several yards from the docks before he encounters a stall with a vibrantly colored sign labelled "Tourism Guild." Manning the stall appears to be a buxom blond-haired human woman clad in extremely revealing pirate's clothing. She appears to be organizing stacks of pamphlets and papers with little interest, her attention frequently being distracted by checking an hourglass nearby. The woman looks up brightly as Gaétan approaches.
"Hello there hon'. Welcome to Mediogalti Island!" she says with a very strong twangy accent. "Would you like a travel guide for the city?" the woman says as she passes a map over to Gaétan. "There are lots of sights that you might-"
Diplomacy (gather information): 1d20 + 32 ⇒ (16) + 32 = 48
The woman immediately becomes extremely distracted by the incredible presence of Jack's personality. She lets off a girly giggle as she gives her bouncy curly hair a feminine toss. "Well, butter my biscuits! You have a quite a looker there, friend. Care to introduce a girl, maybe?" She waits exactly one-and-a-half moments before flouncing around the side of the stall to get a better "look" at the bard. "The name's Luna. Need a girl to show you 'round town, mister? My shift is over in a couple minutes, if you're free?" Luna asks with a deep breath as she leans forward slightly to give a better view. "I have an invite to a crazy house party over at the Strake place a couple blocks over, if you're in the mood for something...festive?" she says suggestively.
"Luna, it must be my lucky day! A beautiful woman and an invitation to a party at the very house my buddies and I'd like to see."
"Well then, darling, that sounds like a right old good time! let's head on over then. I'll close up shop here in on sec'." Luna tidies up her stall, placing a "CLOSED" placard on the counter. She then leads the group, almost aggressively in a Type-A personality kind of way, down several streets to the Dandy District several blocks over. On the way she makes idle talk incessantly with Jack and Marcus, asking general questions about themselves. "So, where y'all from? Enjoying the city so far? What d'yall do for a living? Jack, tell me darling, why is your friend so pale? Don't they have ointments or tinctures for that? Oh, the one with that large hammer looks so exotic. Is he really Shoanti?"
Reaching one of the harbors, the group sees four sleek pirate ships have been run aground there and laid out in a square; fashioned together with carpentry to form a walled enclosure. An open gate carved through the hull of the foremost ship leads into a pleasant garden, where a party is taking place. Several uniformed servants stand as bouncers at the entrance, but Luna flashes a pretty smile and a parchment; allowing the group to enter without issue. A stone villa rests near the back of the compound, protected by the ships’ walls.
The party in the garden is filled with an assortment of individuals, ranging from esoteric nobility to swarthy pirate types. More of the uniformed servants circle the crowd, bearing platters the hold an array of drinks and hors d'oeuvres from various cultures. Several swarthy looking musicians play soft sea shanties in the background as the party goers move amongst various entertainments at the party. Luna immediately moves to talk with one of the servants, returning with a bubbling beverage in a wine glass that she sips generously from. "Welcome to Strake's chateau. Lively, isn't it?" she says to Jack brightly. A group of sea captains passes by, one of them calling out to her. "Excuse me, darlings. Familiar faces are calling. Don't have too much fun!" Luna sashays away to mingle, leaving the group to their own devices.
1) An aged, dashing looking man sits at a feast table polishing a shoe. His appearance closely matches that of Stranton Strake.
2) A grizzled human male with an eye patch supervises and directs the servants at the party.
3) A female half-elf with green tinted hair is engaged in an intellectual sounding conversation with a human male dressed in the highest fashions as he plucks idle tunes on a lute.
4) Luna speaks earnestly with several sea captains next to the drink bar, her comments occasionally causing raucous laughter to erupt from the group.
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When Luna takes her leave, Jack casts message on the team.
"Got a sense Luna is not entirely as she appears. The dumb-blond routine was a facade. Her interest in us is definitely not limited to my charms. Though her invite to the party seemed genuine enough," he whispers to his colleagues.
Jack makes a discrete gesture, pointing out Luna speaking earnestly with several sea captains next to the bar, her comments occasionally causing raucous laughter to erupt from the group. "I'd like to know what she's telling them."
He indicates the aged but dashing man sitting at a feast table, polishing a shoe. "That looks like Stranton Strake."
He points his chin toward the grizzled human male with an eye patch supervising the servants. "Might learn something, talking to the staff."
Then the bard's eyes light upon a female half-elf with green tinted hair engaged in an intellectual sounding conversation with a human male dressed in the highest fashions as he plucks idle tunes on a lute. "I wouldn't mind some good conversation... " But his gaze lingers over the punk half-elf more than his ears attend to what they're saying.
"Excuse me, gents. Think I'll mingle a bit, before we approach the host."
Jack strides over to Lady Green-hair and her lutist. "Hello, hello, hello. Nice party. Mind if I join you?" He motions for a comely server to bring him a chilled glass of absinthe. "If you'd care to strike up a tune, friend, I'd love to ask the lady for a dance?"
Jack strides over to Lady Green-hair and her lutist. "Hello, hello, hello. Nice party. Mind if I join you?" He motions for a comely server to bring him a chilled glass of absinthe. "If you'd care to strike up a tune, friend, I'd love to ask the lady for a dance?"
The half-elf turns with raised eyebrow to look at Jack as he approaches, though surprisingly she is the first female so far that simply looks at his face alone as apposed to a full-bodied inspection. "Ah, good day to you sir. Perchance in a little while, Origent and I were discussing the finer points of horticulture and thespian stage management. You are welcome to join us, if such things interest you...?" she trails off a bit hopefully.
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Gerdur grunts, sees the man that seems to be Strake and nods. He walks with a steady, purposeful step straight at him and stops in front of the shoe-polisher. "Most men of your wealth hire people to do that for you. Why don't you?" His voice is slightly higher pitched than larger men, but his tone is direct and straightforward without being insulting, simply curious.
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"Thespian pursuits are my passion, my Lady. Origent." Jack bows and flashes a smile when he rises. "I happen to have a theater of my own in the City at the Center of the World. If you're ever in Absalom, I'd be happy to treat you to a VIP experience, the best seats, a backstage pass. You'll be the honored guests of Jack," he indicates himself, "at the Crown of Roses."
"So, may I join your conversation? Horticulture and the theater, a fascinating combination of interests. A matter of production values, of course. Expensive, but worth the investment. The aroma of fresh flowers can't be faked. An expert horticulturist is hard to find."
"You look to have Quite the experience to give order to the servants! Like a real father in the family!"
The man turns from directing some servants to replenish some of the appetizers. A stern, gruff demeanor almost radiates from the man as he focuses his good eye on you. "Wel'com to th' party, sir. How can I help ye?" the man says with a thick backwater accent. He doesn't proffer up any pleasantries or comments to steer the conversation unless prompted.
Gruss nods over to Luna and her her circle. ”There is one in every bar, huh? Think those guys have any idea they’ve been wrapped around her little finger.
The bartender nods noncommittally and continues to clean some mugs in the background-kind-of-way that bartenders do.
Looking unaffected by the revelry around him Marcus heads to the bar to grab a drink... and maybe an earful of what Luna is chatting with the captains about. He tries to avoid interrupting the conversation.
Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21
"-and then I tell him, 'Look-ee here, mister. Try that again and I'll end up keelhauling you all the way to Azir!" Luna's comment sets off another round of cheers from the sea captains as they down another round of ales; her twangy accent she had earlier replaced with a more seafaring one. Abruptly, Luna's gaze directly latches onto Marcus' as she notices him quite clearly and her smile widens in almost a predatory fashion. "Laddies, I didn't tell you who I ran into earlier today! Come, meet my new friends!" She ushers the group of drunken pirates over to Marcus, almost enveloping him in a palpable cloud of briny-scented clothing and alcohol-laden belches. "Not quite sure what his name is yet, but new to town I'm sure! Dark and mysterious, in more ways than one!" she says loudly, her pun at Marcus' appearance drawing another round of belching laughs from the pirates. The gaggle will hang around the ifrit and Grussdottir, generally being extremely obnoxious and aromatic.
Gerdur grunts, sees the man that seems to be Strake and nods. He walks with a steady, purposeful step straight at him and stops in front of the shoe-polisher. "Most men of your wealth hire people to do that for you. Why don't you?"
The man looks up from his polishing at your comment...and then immediately looks down at your boots for some odd reason. He inspects them intently for several moments, before looking back at your face directly with a slightly confused look. "Why, I am not wealthy; so I polish shoes, yes? That is what cobblers do, after all...yes, indeed." he says slightly hesitantly, trailing off a little bit towards then end as he briefly returns his attention to the shoe he was polishing to buff out a stubborn spot. "The name is Kirhed, a simple cobbler. Fortune must have smiled upon me to land me at a party like this!" he says with a confused smile. "So many different style of shoes to look at! Made coming here worth it just to people watch, for sure!"
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Gerdur stares at the man flatly. "You are not Stanton Strake? Then kindly point out the man who is, please."
"I...am not...sure?" the man says hesitantly. "I have never met him, not sure what he looks like. It would be great to meet him though, I am sure with all his wealth that he has fantastic shoes!"
Can you make me a Fire in the Hole?
Marcus' request is met with a round of innuendos from the pirates, while the bartender actively ignores them. She thinks for several moments and begins pulling out several bottles, a mixer bottle, tongs, and gloves. The bartender mixes alcohol with several dashes of red liquid, before donning a pair of ominously thick gloves. She extracts an tiny slightly glowing red pepper from a jar using tongs, which immediately begin sizzling and smoking when they contact the pepper. The pepper is dropped in the concoction, causing a slight flash of light and red smoke to begin to rise from the beverage. She uses the tongs to place the beverage in front of Marcus on a chemically treated coaster, which also begins sizzling slightly on contact.
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A reference to a Pathfinder Society mission? This guy's not very subtle is he, Jack. Watch yourself.
"Among the Living? Doesn't sound like the sort of drama that interests me. Undead themes aren't very popular with live audiences." He offers a self-deprecating grin at his obvious pun, and the bard winks at Jaxira.
"Our playbill caters to an audience seeking romantic comedies, suspenseful thrillers, and occasionally historical dramas or even political satire--all in good fun, really. More a good-natured roasting of our esteemed leaders than an in-your-face biting critique."
"What about you, Lady Jaxira. What subjects pique your curiosity? What sorts of drama unfold within your circles?" A raised eyebrow invites the green-haired lady to take the conversation anywhere she'd like.
"Surely, some of the guests here this evening would make for intriguing characters?" Jack waves a hand, pointing to the odd man polishing a shoe in the middle of a party, to Luna yucking it up with a bunch of pirates, to the bartender threatening to detonate a cocktail, and to the despot lording it over his fellow servers. "That quartet of characters seem quite ready for their own dramas, don't you think? Come now, what do you think each of them hides beneath the facades of their personas?"
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Gerdur smiles and nods to the man. "You perform your work well. I will leave you to it. Good day, good man." He slips away and finds Jack, nodding to a quiet corner. "That man there is Strake, but Strake's memories and personality have been transferred to another. We must be wary and not trust to appearances here. Also, breaking the spell on him would effectively leave him a shell of a man, with no personality. It may be cruel to do such to the poor soul whose body Strake has now. If we break the spell on the body Strake is in now, however, we will save the man's memories and spirit."
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Gaétan is not intimidated by the direct approch of the man.
I thanks my years of experience to talk to those people.
"Nothing much, I may have some questions about this place. But I prefer to join myself to a hard-worker like you.
To be honest, I was wondering how much do you know about Strake, My and my friend would like to talk to him about something and i am not sure what to do with tact. Also, what it is like to like to live in a city with a reputation of pirate's have. I do live in a similar area.Thornkeep, in the river kingdom."
Gruss joins in with the merriment, perhaps even trying to lead a few rounds of sea themed bawdy songs.
Gruss attempts to lead some sea chanties of her own, but find that the sea captains aren't very receptive to the tune of her medleys. One of them actually pays the musicians at the party to play/sing louder, as if to cleanse their ears of the affliction Gruss made to their style of music.
Conscious of the eyes on him Marcus takes a swig of the drink.
The first sip of the beverage is not an issue, Marcus' ifrit heritage blunting any immediate heat from the drink. Several seconds after that, however, his sense of taste goes numb and he feels like someone was repeatedly kicking him in the mouth and stomach with a spiked boot. He is only barely able to fight off the majority of the 'kick' for the drink, before he his taste returns a minute later; allowing him to experience the pleasant multi-layered aftertaste of the beverage as the pain subsides. Several of the sea captains cheer when Marcus doesn't collapse into unconsciousness, while Luna lifts an appreciating eyebrow in his direction. Her attention is distracted as a servant comes up to refill her beverage, the pair exchanging words drowned out by the cheering of the pirates.
To be honest, I was wondering how much do you know about Strake, My and my friend would like to talk to him about something and i am not sure what to do with tact. Also, what it is like to like to live in a city with a reputation of pirate's have. I do live in a similar area.Thornkeep, in the river kingdom."
Gaétan finds that this man is almost fastidiously tight-lipped, and actively ignores any questions you might ask him about Strake in anyway. He slips away from you into the crowd of the party, busying himself with menial tasks almost as an excuse to avoid further questioning.
"What about you, Lady Jaxira. What subjects pique your curiosity? What sorts of drama unfold within your circles?" A raised eyebrow invites the green-haired lady to take the conversation anywhere she'd like.
The half-elf smiles widely in response to Jack's inquiry. "Why, there are many intrigues that arise in my field of work. You know, everyone thinks that working with plants is simple, but there are many aspects that most people do not think about!" She begins excitedly talking about a plethora of ongoing issues with the local parks she maintains; ranging in topics from lack of funding, dealing with littering from tourists, and an exciting shipment she is waiting on of several exotic plants that are being imported from Tian Xia.
"Surely, some of the guests here this evening would make for intriguing characters?" Jack waves a hand, pointing to the odd man polishing a shoe in the middle of a party, to Luna yucking it up with a bunch of pirates, to the bartender threatening to detonate a cocktail, and to the despot lording it over his fellow servers. "That quartet of characters seem quite ready for their own dramas, don't you think? Come now, what do you think each of them hides beneath the facades of their personas?"
Origent lets off a sad minor chord on his lute as Jaxira looks sympathetically at the man polishing his shoe. "Poor man," the half-elf says. "Such an accomplished pirate, but look at him now. It's almost as if his age caught up to him overnight! He was completely himself yesterday, you know." she says as Origent nods in agreement.
"Indeed," the bard says as he strums a major chord to lighten the mood. "While we were mingling at the party last night, the oddest thing happened. A large palanquin, carried by a dozen servants and nearly fifteen feet wide, stopped in front of the gates for a while. Two servants wearing red robes came into the party for bit, but they didn’t mingle much. Sometime after midnight, Strake disappeared. When he came back, he seemed to have lost his mind.”
"Do you think that is related, perhaps?" Jaxira asks Origent curiously. The bard shrugs slightly with another strum of his instrument. The half-elf turns to Jack. "Odd things happen in this city. We try not to look too much into such things; people that do tend to end up dead around here." She looks over at Luna's group near the bar. "Oh, I would not associate with her at all. Most unpleasant, I hear. Do you know she is a retired pirate captain? She does not look the part, over so much, does she? I do find it odd that she would retire so early, though. Look how young she is! Maybe something happened, perhaps?" the half-elf gossips as Origent sagely doesn't comment on the topic.
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"A retired pirate, eh? So happens, she was the one who invited us to attend this party. How did we kindle her flame, I wonder. A man draws flint and steel, swipes left and swipes right, who knows what will happen? It's matter of the tinder, I suppose."
Jack chuckles at another pun. "The joke's funny," he assures them, "if you've traveled to other planes."
A large palanquin? Torch, maybe. Red robes? Red mantis assassins, perhaps. I should tell the others.
"Please do look me up, if ever you find yourselves in Absalom." He bows to the bard and the horticulturist. "Excuse me for a moment. I'd better look in on my companions."
Via the message spell, Jack shares what he learned with the rest of the team.
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Jack approaches the one-eyed maître d', and indicates he'd like to ask him something urgent in private.
Pulling the man with the eyepatch aside, he asks, "You seem to be the man in charge here, sirrah. That man over there, polishing his shoe. Isn't that our host, Strake? Odd behavior. What's gotten into him? Do you have a healer on staff, who could check on him?"
Let's see if the nice-guy approach works first, shall we, Jack ol' boy?
Pulling the man with the eyepatch aside, he asks, "You seem to be the man in charge here, sirrah. That man over there, polishing his shoe. Isn't that our host, Strake? Odd behavior. What's gotten into him? Do you have a healer on staff, who could check on him?"
"Appreciate it if ye don' spread tha' bit aroun' too much," the head servant grumbles gruffly as he swiftly grabs a platter that a careless servant almost lets fall out of their hands. "The name's Doane," he says to Jack as he sets the platter down and swats the servant upside their head with a grunt. "Go clean the kitchens or somethin' useful, eh?" he mutters as the servant scurries off. He looks seriously back at Jack with his good eye. "Ye be strang'r to town, yes? People on the wron' side of the Red Mantis end up like tha', laddy. Only a real good priest can fix wha' ev'r happ'n to the Master...ain' any such in the city will'in to do tha'. Ain't will'n to risk end'n up like Strake." Doane looks furtively over at several other partygoers, scaring off several that drifted too close with a gruff glare.
"Aye, tickin' off the Mantis will end ye up in the 'Pagoda of the Mantis,' it be called. Temple to tha' evil god those assassins follow. Hear they keep som' kind o' monster down there tha' worships tha' same god, call it 'The Master.' Nasty thin' cover'd in eyes...steals mem'ries from people." Doane lets off a stressful sigh as he glances over at Strake, who appears to be now caressing the shoe while making nonsensical sounds. "Don' know wha' he did to annoy them; must of snuck in late last nigh'. Will be real har' to cov'r tha' up, 'specially if the parties stop."
Is there some sort of unobtrusive check Gruss could do confirm/illuminate Strake’s state? and/or Luna’s?
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The monster Doane's talking about is a 'hyakume,' a large bloated monster with roils of eye-covered flesh that possesses the ability to steal memories and place them in other creatures. Hmm... I seem to recall such a creature is resistant to __________ and its special attacks include __________.
"Well, Doane, if your employer's memories are gone, his gold is sure to soon follow. You interested in relocating? I'd be willing to give you a referral if you decide to seek your fortune in Absalom."
The monster Doane's talking about is a 'hyakume,' a large bloated monster with roils of eye-covered flesh that possesses the ability to steal memories and place them in other creatures. Hmm... I seem to recall such a creature is resistant to electricity and fire and its special attacks include the ability to drain people's life memories with a touch attack from its hands or eyes that can detach and fly from its body, as well as proficiency in several monk fighting traditions (stunning fist, quivering palm).
"Well, Doane, if your employer's memories are gone, his gold is sure to soon follow. You interested in relocating? I'd be willing to give you a referral if you decide to seek your fortune in Absalom."
Doane's eyes harden at Jack's comment. "A First Mate don' abandon his Cap'n like tha'. Pard'n me, sir." He then turns and leaves the conversation to join Strake, who he speaks softly to and begins ushering him back to the villa at the back of the estate.
Several minutes pass with a social lull in the party, as the various cliques at the event mingle with their various interests. Amidst the throng of sea captains near the bar, the group will notice a servant approach Luna as the pair appears to discuss something briefly. They separate, with the servant returning back to one of the ships nearby while Luna saunters away to leave the party via the main exit back onto the street.
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Jack sees the servant speak to Luna and then head back to one of the ships and Luna leave the party via the main gate.
Having unintentionally offended Doane, Jack considers following him.
"Friends, it turns out Doane was Strake's First Mate and is still loyal to his captain," Jack whispers to the rest of the team and relates what Doane told him about Strake, the Red Mantiss Assassins, 'the Master', and the hyakume. "He might be more forthcoming, if we were to offer to help Strake recover his senses."
Jack follows after Doane, apologizing for his poor choice of words. "Doane, forgive me, I misspoke. Perhaps, I can help you and your captain. May we speak somewhere more private, perhaps inside the villa?"
The group extricates themselves from the various social pursuits of the party, once again back on the streets of Ilizmagorti. They manage to catch a fleeting glimpse of Luna making her way down the main street as she dons a hooded cloak, before she abruptly makes a turn down a side alley out of sight.
The group follows her, but she leads the Pathfinders on a twisting trail of turns through the alleys; always leading towards the southwestern part of the city. As the group makes a sharp turn down another side street, they find themselves in a larger thoroughfare that is suspiciously absent of any local traffic. Standing firmly in the middle of this road is a group of individuals clad in crimson-colored armor, all of them appearing exceptionally well-armed. On the other side of this blockade the tail end of Luna's cloak can be seen fluttering around the side of a building, the soft titillation of her laugh echoing softly on the breeze.
"Oy, you lot!" one of these individuals calls out to the party. "Someth'in seems mighty suspicious about a gaggle of strangers dart'n around the city. State your business!"
"My friends were helping me chase a thief. Blond, curly hair, athletic build, nice... em, smile." Jack says. "Have you seen her?"
He grins and winks. "I suspect she picked my pocket, but she definitely stole my heart. Whatever she took, I can't get it back, unless I catch her quick.
Jack's comment quickly causes a raucous wave of laughter to ripple through the crowd in the street. "Lookie here, she's caught another one!" one of the toughs shouts. "What's that...the fifth one this month?" This comment results in more laughter that seems to ease the tension that was filling the street. The individual that was speaking to Jack also adopts a more relaxed stance.
"Aye lad, Lovely Luna is bad news, that she is. Twists people 'round her dainty finger for a bit, then they end up...what happ'n to that last one Freddy?" he calls out back the others. "Found dead on the beach sir...stabbin' they think," is the reply. "What about the one that was poison'd last week?" "Oye, there was the one with brick shoes in the harbor too!" The crowd slowly drifts out of the party's way as they cheerfully discuss what appears to be an substantial body count left in the wake of Luna's "love life." The road now stands clear for the group to proceed.
Should the party continue, they will find their path will lead to a building surrounded by a rather substantial stone wall. Two enormous statues of Red Mantis assassins stand on either side of an open gate, leading into a courtyard. Inside the courtyard stands an enormous stone pagoda; with a crimson and white banner depicting crossed mantis arms hanging from the front of this temple. Luna's cloak will be found discarded in a small nook just outside of the gate into the complex, though she herself is nowhere to be seen in the immediate vicinity.
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Finding Luna's cloak discarded just outside the open gate, Jack halts, looking up at the two imposing giant statues of Red Mantis assassins standing sentry. He notes the impressive stone walls and glances inside, observing the empty courtyard and the pagoda-like temple displaying the banner of the Red Mantis assassins.
"A frontal assault on the RM HQ seems unwise. I'm in favor of heading back to Strake's villa and speaking with Doane. What do you all think?"
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"I concur Gerdur. This place is probably riddle with traps with assassins at every corner unless we are enough to outclassing the assasins. It will better to enter frankly and telling them the situation. They are by contract after all. We just need not to tell our employers."
Even if they are the one responsable for this.