"Sure thing," he says, stowing the box away quickly. "Pleasure doing business, and all that."
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Reaching the drop point is straightforward. The Marble Sphinx is one of Katapesh’s largest landmarks, and at night it’s quiet and rarely frequented (due in part to urban legends that it eats passersby). You are able to easily leave the crystals obtained from the Seer at the appointed place at night for their pickup.
In the morning you awaken to a letter tacked to the door of your room at the Inn. It seems to be from Whahar. "Well done! The boss was very impressed. Ghost is willing to meet with you tomorrow in the alley north of the Ibis Fountain in the Lower City at an hour past noon." Attached to the letter is a pair of bone statuettes of a sneering gremlin as thanks for the job well done.
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BOLD: GO!:
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➤ Raspar │
➤ Kelvin │
➤ Cuthberwyn │
➤ Dori │
➤ Cabaguil │
➤ Dakapos │
Cabaguil will work on the barristers some more, continuing with his lies and deception.
(ring) vs DC 34 to influence them.
He takes a break a bit before 1pm, so he can join the party at their meeting. He plans to pick up where he left off that afternoon (if possible).
Cuthberwyn tries to discern what the farmers may be describing.
Raspar takes some time to help orphans and wash the feet of beggars. And while he does so, he might ask about the Triad of Jerks.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy
Kelvin decides to make use of his elevated status as master of the Gladiator's Guild and goes to rub elbows with the League of Upright Barristers. Knowing that they're partial to a drink or two, he tells tall tales and tries to get a few drunk enough to be less than upright.
His mind is elsewhere though, as he really doesn't want to miss the meeting.
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Dori spends most of the day but manages to finish off his artwork for the simurgh he is meeting with tomorrow.
Raspar asks around trying to get a bit more information on the Triad and seemingly runs into several dead ends. [ooc]Fail.
Kelvin and Cabaguil get a bit too drunk as they fail to impress the upright barristers
From what Cuthberwyn can gather the beast is little more that a fire breathing hydra that is assaulting the farms for food.
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BOLD: GO!:
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Raspar │
Kelvin │
➤ Cuthberwyn │
Dori │
Cabaguil │
➤ Dakapos │
Dak also canvasses for more information on the Triad.
Cuthberwyn chats excitedly with Ðakaþos and Cabaguil on the way to the 1 p.m. meeting. I couldn't find nearly anything on a fire-breathing hydra that burrows through the ground! An unique beast? How very exciting! We shall have to find it to study it!
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Dakapos tries to canvas as he realizes the gnome he is following is Cuthberwyn as they wlk into the local library.
Giving up for the day the group heads over to the meeting with Ghost.
Ibis Fountain is the centerpiece of a small plaza associated with the League of Peshmongers, which sees just enough traffic for the PCs not to attract notice and little enough to avoid a crowd.
Many of the buildings feature open storefronts and wholesale vendors selling pesh of varying quality.
As you are waiting, two Zephyr Guards accompanied by a pair of spiritbound aluums enter the plaza. The onlookers give the procession a wide berth, but the guards show a charcoal illustration to various bystanders as though searching for a criminal.
"Look. It's the image of a middle aged human woman, and that very woman is fetching water from the fountain."
Dak moves to the fountain to head them off.
Raspar pads after Dakapos, trying to figure out what this all means.
vs DC 35
Knowing that to be arrested in this town is to be enslaved, he runs toward the woman as fast as he can.
If he's able to reach her before the guards, he steps up to her breathlessly pointing to the guards, "I can keep you safe." *cough* "Come with me!" *hack*
If she looks ready to accompany him, he'll cast Invisibility Sphere and escort her from the square.
Perhaps a bit brazenly, Kelvin heads the other direction and moves towards the guards. As he gets closer he works to draw their attention. "Ho there! Looking for someone? Something I can help with?"
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The pair of Zephyr Guards quickly spot the woman and then lose sight of her as Kelvin ass them a question. By the time they look back she is gone from sight as Cabaguil has her under a cloak of invisibility and is rapidly getting her out of sight.
At first the pair of Aluums don't respond but Kelvin, Cabaguil and Dakapos quickly realize why. They see two figures—one in the southeast alley and another in a third-story window—present their own aluum charms and issue quiet commands. The aluums respond to these orders, each grabbing a Zephyr Guard by the throat and begin crushing them mercissly. Their eyes go wide in shock. "Whaa...why?" they barely manage to croak out a few words.
Raspar pauses, wondering what to do next. He’s not sure what is correct and hopes Caba can help him…but Caba is no where to be seen. He wonders if the fountain needs to be cleaned, and checks for algae build up.
Cabaguil hustles the woman down a street or two before stopping. (I figure 70' away.)
He looks back to see if they're being followed and asks her, "Do you have any idea why you'd be wanted by the guard? Quickly now, tell me or I can't help you!"
"Nine bloody hells," Kelvin says, then runs at the figure in the alley!
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"What? No!" The woman struggles, scared and frightened as Cabaguil begins to question her. "The guards want me? This isn't good." Kelvin runs at the man down the alley who notices and begins to run as well.
One of the holds on the Anuum seems to break with this as the guard collapses to the ground, gasping for breath. "My..my stone isn't working." He looks up at his companion. "Hold..hold on." He rises and tries feebily to pull the other Aluum off of his friend.
"What? No!" The woman struggles, scared and frightened as Cabaguil begins to question her. "The guards want me? This isn't good."
"I know it's not good! Quickly now! Why do they want to arrest you?"
If she doesn't seem forthcoming, or honest, Cabaguil will cast Charm as he doesn't want to waste time here.
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The woman struggles a bit as Cabaguil ends up charming her mind to get her to calm down a little bit. "I don't know why exactly they are after me. Probably got caught and turned in for stealing one too many things from around the stalls." She explains everything and seems to be telling the truth. From Cabaguil can gather it seems the guards were simply picking her up on a warrant for arrest for theft and other minor things.
Seems those in the windows and the alleyway are holding teh Aluum stones you delivered to make the Zephyr Guards look like fools.
"I suggest you keep your hands in your pockets for a while, and avoid the guard. Now, head that way and walk casual so they don't see you running away. You'll be fine."
He becomes visible again after moving a bit away and heading back. When he rejoins the others, he'll ask, "So who were we rooting for here? The woman seems like a patsy - just someone to draw out the guards into this area. I must admit, I'm confused."
Raspar looks around for Cabaguil, waiting by the fountain. He wonders if he should go back to work someplace, kicking his heels and wondering what he did wrong.
"So who were we rooting for here? The woman seems like a patsy - just someone to draw out the guards into this area. I must admit, I'm confused."
Raspar looks up, surprised to see Caba.
"Rooting for? I dunno. I think I like digging for potatoes best, because occasionally you get this big long string of big potatoes, and that's the best feeling. Other roots I like include celery root, and radishes. Radishes are great because they are very colorful, you know?" Raspar seems to be missing the point of what Caba was asking, and just trying to answer as best he could, and what his mind was already working on.
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Cabaguil returns as he send the woman off to her freedom. Upon his return he sees that the Aluum's have been forced to cause severe distruction to several stalls and one guard is lying on the ground unconscious, with the other finally getting the Aluum's back under control. The pair in the window seem to have gone back inot hiding now as well.
Many bystanders seem to come back out of hiding. "This isn't the first time the Pactmaster's pet golems have escaped their control. I wonder how the Zephyr Guard could have failed like this."
Some of the surviving pesh merchants quietly accuse each other of inviting this disaster, citing the League of Peshmongers’ unpopular attempts to control the drug supply.
Cabaguil keeps his trap shut. This is a confusing city, with evil all around. Hard to know if the Pactmasters support their activities or oppose them. Certainly he doesn't want the rulers of this place to get involved. He can't imagine they're what you would call good people.
"Let's get out of here." he suggests.
Cuthberwyn's only inclination toward the Peshmongers stems from his forays to the Farmer's Union, but the parallel is quite weak, and he finds himself in agreement with Cabaguil. I agree, Cuth says. Let us instead try to find this burrowing fire-breathing hydra the Union members mentioned.
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You quickly decide not to interfere with neither the Pactmasters nor the Peshmongers and return to your odging for the evening before more questions begin to arise from your involvement.
The following day, you receive a final letter from Whahar that notes Ghost is most intrigued by how the meeting went and will continue watching their actions with interest.
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BOLD: GO!:
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➤ Raspar │
➤ Kelvin │
➤ Cuthberwyn │
➤ Dori │
➤ Cabaguil │
➤ Dakapos │
"Agreed, let's not linger."
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Dak, frustrated as ever keeps working on the Poison Maker's Guild:
Raspar returns to helping orphans and beggars until such time it is right to denounce the jerks and save the city. Until then, he just hunts for the next clue amongst the rags of the downtrodden.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy
Cabaguil will work on the barristers some more, continuing with his lies and deception. With three days left, he must be perfect - or get help!
(ring) vs DC 34 to influence them.
(ring) vs DC 34 to influence them.
(ring) vs DC 34 to influence them.
Sadly, he is not perfect, but he started well .
Kelvin goes to the Fleshmongers Federation, attempting to make a quick inroads despite what they do.
Cuthberwyn tries to follow Kelvin's lead with the Fleshmongers, but has no real desire to talk to them, and it shows.
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Raspar tries and tries but can't manage to get a lead on the Poisoner's guild. Kelvin manages to make a little headway with teh Fleshmonger group. They seem to listen to a Gladitorial champion, for the day at least. It will take a bit more negotiations to get them to calm down on their business though.
Cuthberwyn and Dori try to follow his lead but only end up furious and enraged and half to walk away before violence breaks out.
Cabaguil manages to get the Barristers on your side in just a couple more days of drinks, and talking business in a language only they would understand.
Dakapos tries to uncover a little bit more but also hits dead end after dead end.
★★★
The Threefold Demise! Round 20
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BOLD: GO!:
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➤ Kelvin (235/235 HP) │ Resist Fire 7
➤ Dori (234/234 HP) │ (Shield Hardness 17 HP 167/180), Resist Fire 7, Slashing 4 (Wyrmbane Aura 15 Ft Fire 3 , Acid 3 , Cold 3 , Electricity 3 , Poison 3)
➤ Dakapos (231/231 HP) │ Resist Slashing 3
★★★
The Threefold Demise! Round 21
Battlemap
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BOLD: GO!:
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➤ Raspar (216/216 HP) │ Resist Piercing 3; Resist Fire 15 (Righteous Aura 15 Ft Resist Evil 5) (Spined Shield Hardness 6, HP 21/24)
➤ Kelvin (235/235 HP) │ Resist Fire 7
➤ Cuthberwyn (203/203 HP) │ Resist Fire 10
➤ Dori (234/234 HP) │ (Shield Hardness 17 HP 167/180), Resist Fire 7, Slashing 4 (Wyrmbane Aura 15 Ft Fire 3 , Acid 3 , Cold 3 , Electricity 3 , Poison 3)
➤ Cabaguil (143/143 HP) │ Resist Fire 10
➤ Dakapos (231/231 HP) │ Resist Slashing 3
Raspar works amongst the underclass both to help out where he can, but also gather tidbits of knowledge that others might piece together into something important.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy
Cabaguil, finding himself with some time on his hands, decides to learn what he can of the Triad.
(ring) vs DC 35 to Gather Information on the Scarlet Triad
Cuthberwyn tries to recruit his friends into burrowing fire-breathing hydr hunting to help out the Farmer's Union.
Cabaguil will join Cuthberwyn, even if it means he learns nothing more about the Triad.
Kelvin keeps his focus on the Fleshmongers, feeling like he's close to success.
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Kelvin makes decent headway with the Fleshmongers as you nearly reacha ompromise. In fact Raspar ends up talking the seedier Underclass into picking up a broom for honest labor rather that what they are currenty doing. For the majority of the week slave trading will cease momentarily.
Cabaguil and Cuthberwyn head out to assist the Farmer's Guild against their fire-breathing Hydra threat. The pair find several witnesses that attest to the situation. Each describes the monster as being larger than an elephant and shaped like an immense beetle, with fire glowing from within and plumes of steam and smoke venting from horns along its armored back. The creature attacked after the caravan had stopped to camp for the night. It burst from the ground an hour after sunset and overturned a wagon before guards had a chance to even draw their weapons, then devoured several people and incinerated more several before diving back into the sand with an entire horse clenched in its mandibles.
"The monster hasn’t been sighted again, but the caravanners suspect that is because no other caravan has dared take the same route to the city, and detours are costing us time and resources."
★★★
The Threefold Demise! Round 20
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BOLD: GO!:
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➤ Dori (234/234 HP) │ (Shield Hardness 17 HP 167/180), Resist Fire 7, Slashing 4 (Wyrmbane Aura 15 Ft Fire 3 , Acid 3 , Cold 3 , Electricity 3 , Poison 3)
➤ Dakapos (231/231 HP) │ Resist Slashing 3
★★★
The Threefold Demise! Round 21
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BOLD: GO!:
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➤ Dori (234/234 HP) │ (Shield Hardness 17 HP 167/180), Resist Fire 7, Slashing 4 (Wyrmbane Aura 15 Ft Fire 3 , Acid 3 , Cold 3 , Electricity 3 , Poison 3)
➤ Dakapos (231/231 HP) │ Resist Slashing 3
"I'm sure we can get Raspar to go with us at least," Cabaguil begins thinking, "Cuthberwyn, let's buy three covered wagons and pretend to be a caravan. We'll take the same route, stopping in the same spot, and hope it comes for us. We've only got today to try it, so let's get going!"
He'll arrange for the purchase of three covered wagons, empty, and some old nags to pull 'em. While that is getting sorted out, he'll find the others and see if anyone is interested in joining in the fun!
"Kill a fire-breathing monster? I rush the gladiator's guild, I'm in."
"We're doing you a favor! We're taking a risk to end the threat, and you're gouging us on wagons?"
Cabaguil laughs, "What a town." He takes out 75gp and happily hands it over for three wagons.
"That should be enough. Let's hope this works!" Cabaguil is excited at the prospect, and doesn't really care about the 75gp. There was a time when that was a lot of money, but these days he's doing better and can readily afford it.
Raspar, who seems confused on whether he can act, will act if he can and try to help with the wagons. He will give them a good polishing so they seem like an attractive target to whomever or whatever might want to waylay them.