GM Numbat's PFS2 1-01 The Absalom Initiation (Inactive)

Game Master numbat1

Razpen thanks the leader of the Grand Archive for the most generous gifts. And takes a scroll of Magic Missile.

Not used to being summarily ignored, Sara gawks at Razpen a bit before diplomatically turning to the rest of the party and saying Well, I guess that's settled then. Let's go see what Mistress Barun has to say."

Saturday nods to Sara and heads onward to the leader of the Envoys.

slide 5

As the party approach the pair of women, they hear the Taldan saying, "That is good news indeed, the Empress will be pleased."

For a few of the newly minted Pathfinders, this prompts them to recall some of their recent lessons and realise this must be Lady Gloriana Morilla who long led the Sovereign Court, an international organization supporting young nobles across Avistan. She and her agents were instrumental in Grand Princess Eurtropia's rise to power in Taldor, and while Gloriana still wholeheartedly supports the Pathfinder Society, her focus has shifted to helping the new empress consolidate her rule.

Skills best used to interact with Gloriana Morilla: Performance, Society, or any Lore skill related to a specific city (especially Oppara). She is known of her international diplomacy.

Fola Barun reaches toward Morilla to bring her attention to the approaching Pathfinders. "Some more of our new recruits," she says. "Perhaps some of them may have some skills useful to your purposes in the future, let us ask them."

"Welcome my dears. You are the greatest resource of our Society. Tell us about yourselves, what are your backgrounds, what brought you to the Society, and now that you have graduated as agents, what are you most excited about doing within the Society?" She then looks expectantly at the group, giving a meaningful glance toward her companion of the moment.

"Greetings I am Razpen, and I am quite excited about traveling to strange lands and learning as much as I can about them. You only can learn so much from a book, and so much more being there. Wouldn't you agree?"
Society: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

"Hello Lady Morilla, Captain Barun, I'm Jayson Ghita. I'm from Nirmathas, I lived in the Fangwood. I'm interested in going to new lands, like my friend Mister Razpan here. But I'm most interested in meeting new people and discovering new kinds of plants and animals. That's my Ma's influence; she's what's known as a druid, you see and- Jayson realizes he's been rambling in front of two highly placed people! His face turns a greenish-red and he sputters:P-p-please excuse me! He turns to his new friends.I'm so sorry to have embarrassed you! He turns to flee.

Sara reaches out her small hand to arrest Jayson's retreat, saying "There's no reason to apologize! Of course you're passionate about your interests and your family! Myself, I was raised in a monastery devoted to the study of Sarenrae and her teachings, and I took that passion in from my adoptive family and it still drives much of how I interact with this amazing world we live in!"

Turning back to Barun and Morilla, she continues, "As it turned out, however, my passion for Sarenrae was overwhelmed by my curiosity about our world; the cloistered life could only occupy me for so long. I took my leave and set out to learn, and that led me here!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Jayson drops to one knee and gently places a hand on Sara's shoulder"Thank you, my friend. You're very kind."He stands back up, bows his head to Barun and Morilla."Please forgine me, ladies. I guess it's true: you can take the man out of the woods, but you can't take the woods out of the man" he says with a shy smile.
Lady Morilla, I know little of palace intrigue, but I do like history. Could you please tell me about Taldor?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Whelp

You’ll have to talk to someone eventually, Saturday tells himself before opening his mouth. ”Saturday Daud. I originally set out for the Society to join the Silver Crusade to offer what little I could to deal with the recent resurgence of the Tyrant and his forces, but that obviously did not work out as planned. I’m unfortunately not a healer or a leader of any sort, I’m just good with sharp things for the most part.”

Jayson nods to his new friend. "Like me, Mister Saturday. Ma tried to teach me spells, Pa tried to teach me how to track. I never could get the hang of it. But when me and my friends joined the militia, I took to it like a duck to water. First time I picked up a shield, it felt like gettin' back a piece of my arm that was missin' til then." He smiles and winks at Saturday. "It'll be nice to have somebody to spar with if we get a break during our missions. What kinda weapons do you favor, Mister Saturday?"

Just roleplay, no dice roll.

”Oh that sounds like fun,” Saturday responds to Jayson, relief at more in his element. ”I prefer blades, right now I’ve mostly been using a greatsword, right balance of strength and speed, and fauchard, which is good for keeping control of the fight and not letting you be overrun. But I also keep hatchets and hammers in case I need to hold a torch. Some undead break faster when you hack them, some you gotta bash. Also deceptively deadly despite their smaller frame, and fast.”

”Which do you prefer?”

Jayson says, "Oh, I'm a sword man too. But I swear by the shield also. Not just for protection, but you can use it as a weapon. I've seen some folks put spikes and weight in the middle of their shield to make their bashes more potent. I've been thinking about doing that." he notes, warming to the subject.

"Funny story - first time I went home after signing with the militia, my Pa sneered at it. 'A board! What do ye need a board fer?!' He weren't happy with me joinin' the militia anyhow, ya know. 'Yer grandfather never -" Jayson blinks, looks around, and clears his throat.

"But I fear we're boring the ladies and Mister Razpen. You were going to say something, milady?"

"We'll talk later." He whispers to Saturday.

Roleplay only, no dice rolls.

Raising an eyebrow "Boring is an understatement. But I understand boys must have their toys when their brawn is stronger than their minds." Razpen says.

Sara simply laughs and says "Oh, I appreciate a big shiny sword, as long as somebody is using it to keep the big nasty things away from me! I keep a sickle handy, because it's good for harvesting herbs and slicing other things, if necessary."

Lady Gloriana Morilla looks at Fola Barun, "You may have your work cut out for you with this bunch if you expect them to represent the Society on any diplomatic missions."

Fola responds with a gentle chortle and addresses the Pathfinders before her, "Don't let her words cause offence, you did quite well Sara, and Razpen, you were not bad either. It takes multiple talents to make a successful team, we do not expect every member to be good at every needed skill," she adds to the group as a whole.

"Now, while I do believe that most situations can best be resolved with the spoken word, I also understand that sometimes actions need to accompany those words. I have a task for you that will send you to Westgate. With help from our legal team, I have received permission to restore one of our own who was petrified during the Charge of the Gorgon. I would like you to take this greater salve of antiparalysis to use for that purpose and only that purpose. Do you think you can manage that? Do you have any questions?"

Sara's eyes widen "Are Gorgons Charging in Westgate a frequent occurrence? And why was Legal counsel needed to unpetrify someone?!"

Saturday narrows his eyes as Razpen’s curt comment spurs the conversation, but he directs his attention back to the leaders as they begin speaking. Following up Sara’s inquiry he adds on ”Yes, what was this Charge?”

Jayson's brow furrows. "Yeah. Are there still gorgons around here?" he asks, somewhat hopefully. "What do they look like?"

"Oh, and, uh, where is the body? How do we identify it?

Fola responds, "Hmm, I may need to review what is included in the history taught to cadets. The Charge of the Gorgon became a tradition though it was first employed to prevent overcrowding in the city's prisons. Nonviolent offenders were allowed to compete for a pardon in a race to outrun an angry gorgon along the streets in Westgate. Those who successfully outpaced the beast were allowed to go free; those less fortunate now line the streets as bizarre decor. The ethics of the practice were dubious at best and it was eventually outlawed.

"The Pathfinder I wish you to revive was caught smuggling a forbidden item into the city. The relic in question had been recovered from an Azlanti ruin within the gillmen territory, at the Society's request. While the item was confiscated by the city and returned to the gillmen watching over the site, I felt strongly that the Society should take full responsibility for the incident and thus have worked hard to obtain permission to have our agent freed."

Saturday tilts his head to the side. ”So how long ago was this? And the Society were the ones in the wrong, correct?”

No roll.

Jayson rubs his chin. "Sure seems to me that the Society was wrong. You can't just steal stuff from people. 'Less you're starving or somethin' like that. Hope we're never put in that kind of predicament.
How long ago was this, Cap'n?"

Roleplay only

With a twist to her mouth, Sara says, "I've transcribed enough unpublished chronicles to know: a lot of people in this world have wound up, unknowingly, in possession of powerful artifacts that can have disastrous consequences for them entirely without their understanding what they were getting involved with. I don't know the details of this story, obviously, but...sometimes we, as Pathfinders, might need to help people in ways that might not be immediately obvious to them, or even us. It's part of the job...maybe not the most comfortable one, but definitely part of it."

She looks up at Fola and concludes, "I'm sure Mistress Barun would agree?"

"It was a while back, before my time as Faction Leader. I certainly advocate for diplomatic channels first, though unfortunately, I must agree that sometimes, for the sake of everyone, greater subterfuge is required.

"I thank you for your willingness to accept this task. Report back when you have completed it. While I don't want you to wait too long, it is also not extremely urgent and I expect your team has received some other assignments tonight."

Fola politely hands over the salve, gently dismissing the group to continue with the evening's activities.

I will post the next one shortly.

The team make their way toward Eando Kline, leader of the Vigilant Seal faction. During their training, they learned that Eando has a long history with the Pathfinder Society even though he only recently stepped into his position as faction leader. He is a stern mand of Taldan descent with tan skin, dark hair and a distinctive chin strap of facial hair.

Slide 6

Eando is seen talking with a halfing man with brown hair and several visible facial scars. Someone in the group recognizes this as Tamrin Credence. He is reputed to have gained the scars while serving as a distraction to facilitate the liberation of several dozen halfling slaves in Cheliax. Ever since, he has worked on behalf of Liberty's Edge, a largely independent faction that sometimes coordinates with the Pathfinder Society.

Skills best used with Credence: Deception, Stealth, Thievery, Legal Lore or Underworld Lore.

Tamrin can be heard enthusiastically discussing elements of disguise and the complexities of stamping out the slave trade.

I was not precise enough with my previous request. If you would indicate if you are choosing not to roll for a skill check when one is offered, I would appreciate that. I do not need every role-play only post to be noted. I do need to know if I have everyone's attempt at a skill check and who is abstaining. That way I can count successes and know to keep the game moving forward.

Steath: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Saturday quietly walks up next to Credence and Kline, politely waiting for their current conversation to end.

Wow, I think Jayson's been useless in every skill check called for. He won't be making one here, either

Jayson walks up to stand next to his new friend in a pseudo-at ease stance.

Sara walks up behind her friends and beams up at Kline and nods to Credence. "And who would you gentlemen be? It seems like everyone at this party is someone!"

Deception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Walking up to the two men.

"Sorry, but I could not help from overhearing gentlemen, I find the use of the number 3 pick is best when opening the locks on the slave chains. But my preference is still to create magic acid orbs and melt them into slag."

Thievery: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Jayson shifts back and forth, uncomfortably, waiting for the men to speak.

Tamrin looks at the new arrivals, "Well, of course, everyone is someone, and everyone has value, that is why slavery is such an abomination!" Turning to Razpen, he replies, "In my experience, the choice of picks is such a personal one. It also doesn't help that the grades used to identify them vary by region. As long as the pick is sturdy enough to deal with the lock and flexible enough to use, then it is the right choice. I also prefer to save the application of acid to after the individual has been freed, though I will admit, when time is of the essence the risk is sometimes worth it."

Eando Kline interjects, "That is why I like to trust our rank-and-file agents in the field rather than hamper them with decisions made by the upper echelon. They are the ones who can evaluate the specifics of a situation and they need to make the best call they can on how to handle what they find.

"I see tonight's festivities are winding down, if you will excuse us, I'd like to have a quick word with this group before they depart."

Tamarin Credence nods in respect and heads toward a couple of departing figures, presumably to say his farewells.

Eando addresses the team, "I have a mission for you, some smugglers have been using a recently exposed ship in the Flotsam Graveyard to smuggle goods into the city form Nex, apparently including some creatures. One of their "goods" broke fee of its containment, and the smugglers have been looking for someone to recapture it. I'm not keen on letting them regain the missing "cargo" as the creature is equally likely to be a slave or a menace. Your goal is to locate and identify this strange creature, and then determine what its fate should be.

"I must add, I was impressed with the way you interacted with our Liberty's Edge friend tonight. I know you have likely received several missions around town to be completed in the next few days, I'd like to provide a little assistance. Here is a list of some of my contacts in Absalom, feel free to discreetly drop my name with any of them to get the best scoop on current events." As he says this he passes Jayson a brief list of names.

This grants a +2 circumstance bonus to a single Diplomacy check to Gather Information during this scenario. You will have an opportunity to Gather Information before each mission. You have earned 2 Treasure Bundles (a measure of how much gold you will earn at the end of the scenario, maximum of 10 per scenario) with the additional aid you received from the faction leaders.

The team are met once again by Janira, "You seem to have done well tonight. I understand you received four missions. I look forward to hearing how you fare with each of them. I know you are still learning to work together but I am sure that you will do well. Each of you has different strengths and skills to contribute.

Have you discussed yet which mission you will start with?"

The missions can be done in any order. You will also have time to rest between each mission and possibly shop before each if you are in need of further supplies. Feel free to utilize the discussion thread to sort out where you want to start.

Jayson cradles Kline's note, almost like a newborn baby, in his hands,"He touched this! He WROTE this!" When he hears Janira he looks down. "Oh hi, Miss Janira! Yeah, the party was a lot of fun! Not least of which was meeting my new comrades here!" He waves a large arm, indicating Sara, Saturday and Razpen. "You're right, we've got our work cut out for us. Four missions from four faction leaders! I think we're going to try Cap'n Greathammer's task first. He looks around at his friends to confirm this. So, what can you tell us about the College of Mysteries?"

He passes Eando Kline's note, somewhat reluctantly, to Sara. "I think you'll be able to use this best, Miss Sara."he whispers.

"The College of Mystery is not a part of the Pathfinder Society, though we have had some good candidates come from there. It is the oldest school of magic in Absalom and is located in the Petal District. The college has a superb reputation in the city and is favoured by a number of organisations. I am sure if you head there in the morning you can make some enquiries. I believe the person of concern is Tavvar Hamavsi.

"Probably best to have a good night's rest and start your mission refreshed."

Janira ushers the Pathfinders from the building, bidding them good night.

Presuming you make arrangements to meet the next day, you can spend some time (nominally 2 hours) to Gather Information. This would be a secret Diplomacy check, so make the roll in a spoiler and do not peek. If you are choosing not to roll, simply provide an OOC indication so that I don't wait for you.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Perhaps Sara is not a morning person.

Jayson spent a few hours the next morning asking fellow initiates and instructors about the College of Mystery.

Razpen get up early and refreshes some spells to memory before having breakfast and the inquiring about the College of Mystery.
For I am a fellow wizard, how hard can it be. he thinks to himself as he heads out after breakfast.

The group have trouble locating Tavvar at the college but each discovers something while talking with other students and one or two staff.

Read only your own spoiler.

Now you choose what you share with others, then as a team decide on your next actions.

Talking to the group
"Tavvar, I understand is having issues with the ritual that she has been working on. She could try and cut corners just to get published. If she does it could be devastating, particularly if the runes are drawn incorrectly."

"Ah, interesting, all I learned was that she's working on the ritual at the museum after hours. Good work, Razpen!"

Jayson nods, "Yes, Mister Razpen, that squares with what I found out. My source said that Miss Tavvar is probably using the wrong kind of mushroom ink. Did anyone find out what kind of ritual it is? If it's from Nidal, it can't be good."

He considers. "Miss Sara, I think you might have the best chance of stopping this. You could maybe talk Miss Tavvar out of this path she's on." He looks at the rest of the group. "The rest of us might be a little..." He smiles. "Intimidating. You might be able to relate to her, lady-to-lady, if you know what I mean."

"What do you folks think?"

Jayson looks to his left, "Oh, Mister Saturday, what did you find out?"

"That is fine if you would like the gob..I mean Sara to talk some sense into her. For I know that, on a rare occasion, I can rub some people the wrong way.
And yes Jayson I can see how my intellect could be intimidating. So I do find it best to let others, more skilled in the art of communication, to be the voice for the group. Unless, of course, that person is a mental midget, then they are no help what so ever." Razpen says to the group.

Not cool dood

Pointedly ignoring the Wizard, Saturday turns to Jayson when asked what he had found. ”She’s been working a lot after hours on her ritual, but people are concerned her hesitation and own hang ups may cause issues when making and performing the ritual. She doesn’t have confidence in her own abilities it seems.”

He then looks to Sara. ”You are certainly the nicest out of us, and good with words with others.”

For what it's worth, Buckshot Bob, I laughed.

"Well, let's see if she's still at the Museum, although I suppose we might wake her up, if she's been working nights?"

The enthusiastic Pathfinders head to the Blakros Museum after confirming that is the place everyone was referring to. At this time of day, they find it bustling with activity but not with particularly helpful staff. The general consensus is that they should return later if they want to speak with someone who uses the museum after normal hours as that is when they would be there to find. While no one was particularly rude, nor was anyone particularly concerned or helpful.

Would you like to do anything else during the day or simply arrange to meet back at the museum early that evening?

If they have a few hours, Jayson will ask Saturday if he wants to get in some training to practice his sword-and-board style against Saturday's great weapon fighting.

"Well, if we have to wait a whole day, perhaps we could get one of the other missions done! Perhaps we could retrieve that poor petrified fellow from Westgate?

If there are at least six hours before the college closes, Jayson will say: "Why, I don't see why not, Miss Sara. I'll go see if we can borrow some horses to get there and back a little faster." He goes to the stablemaster to see about the Society loaning them three horses and one pony.

Let me know if any rolls are needed here.

If there is not sufficient time, Jayson will say:"Gee, Miss Sara, I don't think we have enough time to do that, but let's do that next, okay?"

Depending on if we can do another mission beforehand:

”Sure,” Saturday agrees to Jayson’s offer, curious what his tactics would be like.

The team decides to try to complete another mission while waiting to return to the museum. Jayson sets out to borrow horses and when he doesn't promptly return, the others follow to investigate. There is an afternoon spent grooming and caring for the beasts as one of the staff assigns them tasks and the "opportunity to learn". What they really learn is that if you do not have a Venture-Captains prearranged authorisation then you will be put to work rather than provided the use of the animals you hoped to borrow.

Eventually released from these chores, the team cleans up and has a quick meal before setting off once more to the Blakros Museum. When they approach, they find the front door closed, though it appears unlocked.

How would you like to proceed?

Jayson chuckles. "Well, an afternoon of honest work never hurt anybody, right Mister Razpen?" Jayson claps Razpen on the shoulder, suspecting the elf feels horse-tending is beneath him. "Ah, I'm sorry Mister Razpen. Just havin' a little fun. Fine animals though, wouldn't you say? And we did learn something. 'Always get permission, at least until you're a Venture-Captain yourself!'

Now then. Miss Sara, you're leadin' this patrol. How should we proceed?"