GM TOP #1-7: Flooded King's Court (PFS2, Outpost III) (Inactive)

Game Master Pete H.

Duma will examine the hole and the structure around it to see how easy it would be for the creature to get out.

Recall Knowledge-Crafting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

After seeing what it looks like and not much on subtlety, Chomper takes a step back raising his shield, "Yikes! Wha' by da Gods are ye?"

It ponders a moment then replies, "Why was I imprisoned? I guess... My secret, that is…to keep…it burns in my mind, a secret to bargain with. I know much. And greatly does a family in Absalom fear my secret. Prithee, I beg you to free me. Guide me to the surface and I will share my secret. Perhaps then I will know peace…"

At the frank question from the goblin it looks down at the gaunt frame and deceased flesh wrapped tightly over spikey bones, "I... do not know what I am. I am dead... but not dead."

"Do you have a name? And can you tell me what this phrase 'Candren's Wish' that we see out here scrawled on the wall might mean?"

Rout chuckles when the other goblin reacts with surprise at the stranger's appearance.

Bargain? Who you bargain with? Rout asks. How 'bout you bargain with us? Rout tries to smile but it probably looks menacing.

Duma tries to peer inside and Sense Motive on the creature.

Perception +5

It replies to Arlo, "I…I am…was called Marcon Tinol. Thou art living? Yes?"

Marcon then adds in response to the Goblin, "Well... your organization I would assume. The amount of danger this secret could bring down upon anyone would require some level of protections that I doubt a small group of explorers could guarantee. But if you brought me in safely to your bosses, I expect they would reward your foresight."

Raini waves his teammates over so they are out of earshot of the creature in the room. There are some interesting facts to share about what to do next.

The druid waits patiently for the others to decide to join him before he shares what he knows about the situation.

The group moves out of earshot into a nearby room for a discussion.

You can always run back in to ask more questions if you wish, but you may safely assume anything discussed now is not going to be overheard.

Raini begins the conversation in a hushed tone, careful not to alert the creature with the conversation about his fate being determined by the greoup.

"This is an Elite Ghast. They are normally a chaotic and evil form of undead. Their strikes can even cause paralysis." begins Raini.

"From my studies in Religion, I recall that it is likely that if this creature is able to reveal their secret to the public their soul will be allowed the freedom to pass onto the next life." continues the gnome.

"Does anyone have any more information about the creature or the situation?" asks the druid.

Duma keeps his voice low as well "Raini, you certainly know much more about this creature than I do. Recall that Drandle Dreng recommended that we destroy anything dangerous or, if we absolutely need to bring something back, be discreet about it. If we take it back to the surface, we had better have control of it. Perhaps we can offer to take it to our leaders if it agrees to be bound first."

Chomper thinks for a moment and responds in a whisper, "If'n it's claws did dat ta da wall, wha' cha think it do ta any bindin's?"

He pauses to let that sink in, "Hasn't been dangerous yet. Most 'a da dead donit think either. If'n he behaves, I's say we take 'im back. 'Is secret told ta Drandle Dreng er ah Priest can mayhaps free 'im."

He also puts in, "Can use dat hats we found 'cause he too ugly fer scarin'!"

"'If he behaves' is the operative here. I'm suggesting that we take every precaution but, either way, we're taking a chance. If he escapes, he may wreak havoc on the population. If the group thinks that we can keep him under control, then perhaps it's worth the risk."

Rout scratches his head. Guess we see what he will let us do to him. Uh, if he will wear hat, Rout mean. Ugly don't always mean bad. He tries another smile no more successfully than before.

"His looks have nothing to do with the fact that the 'thing' he has turned into eats flesh to survive!" offers Raini a bit louder than he expected.

"But if we think we can keep him in line, I agree with Duma that it would be worth an attempt to get him to the Pathfinder Society to help free his tortured soul."

It seems like you all have a conclusion to get this monster out if you can get some assurances about his actions.

You are welcome to talk to him and see if you will be satisfied with whatever replies are given.

"Alright, if we're in agreement, let's ask him if he'll consent to wearing the hat and at least be tied to one of us so he can't run away easily. If his answer is satisfactory, then I say we risk it."

Raini nods as Duma posed the plan.

”If he doesn’t cooperate, I refuse to let that creature roam free.” counters the gnome.

To Raini "Agreed."

Rout nods. Needs to c'operate.

Duma returns to the wall with the hole and calls in to the strange creature.

"We'll agree to take you with us to our leaders under certain conditions. You must be tied to one of us the whole time and you must wear this magical hat which will soften your appearance. No offence meant, but we can't have you scaring the public. You must not try to escape. If you agree to all of this, we'll help you out of your hole."

”And no eating anyone!” adds the gnome.

"I am a powerful wizard, and many have run from me, fearing my destructive powers! As my Pathfinders have noted, if you cooperate, we can help you. If you wish to do evil, you will meet you end!"

With this, Arlo sighs to himself. He'd really prefer to be drinking a pint somewhere and not threatening anyone, even surly mercenaries or gruesome undead.

Chomper waits to see what happens with the verbal exchange. He stands at the ready.

The creature listens carefully to your requests and at the last addition he replies, "Tis true that…I hunger. I control that…hunger…for now. Discipline I have learned…yes, discipline. Hunger is as nothing unto me now. Its claws have lost their grip…This I swear: no harm to the bodies of the living will I bring…So long as I see justice done. Then…peace. Forever."

"I accept you terms."

Dig him the rest of the way out?

Duma takes out his rope and ties it around his own waist, leaving about 10 feet of slack. Then, he calls into the hole "Give me your arm - I need to bind you."

If the undead creature does as told, Duma will tie its wrist with the other end of the rope (tightly but not too tightly). Once that's done, Duma says to his companions "If everyone is in agreement, let's break down this wall and free him."

Chomper nods his head and pulls out a hammer and crowbar from his pack to start with on the wall.

Rout shrugs and begins assisting the other goblin.

Raini agrees with Duma's direction and does his best to stay out of the way while those more capable break away at the creature's prison walls.

"I am in agreement Duma. Let us proceed and free this soul and his secret."

The druid stays vigilant with a spell of healing, ready to blast positive energy at the undead should it go back on its word.

Duma will have his staff drawn by the time that the wall is successfully opened up.

The ghastly ghouly undead presents his arm to be bound as requested. The arm feels cold, clammy and quite deceased when touched by Duma, but otherwise no ill effects occur.

Once tied off, the group makes quick work of the remainder of the wall and Marcon crawls though. Putting the hat on him, the group attempts to disguise him for easier movement back to the lodge.

This endeavor is completed at an opportune time as the tide begins to raise the levels of water in the caverns and sewers as the group takes their rowboat back across the underground lake. Even as they slip through the last partially collapsed tunnel to the first room, the water is sloshing at their ankles.

Do you all wish to attempt to sneak completely past all the goblins or stop to report your successes to the king?

Quietly, Duma says to the group:

"To keep up good relations between the Goblin King and the Pathfinders, I think we should tell him what we found. We should express to him that our captive needs to be brought to our captain immediately so he can be properly questioned."

"I agree Duma. We are doing the right thing so we have nothing to hide. Besides, if we are caught trying to sneak out a ghastly ghouly undead, there is likely to be trouble and damage to trust of the Pathfinder Society." offers Raini.

Chomper replies, "Agreed."

Whispering to the group, Arlo addresses everyone: "There is the matter of the deed to this place that we found earlier. It seems it might be the proper gesture to present it to the King. Of course he may still need to follow the proper channels, but perhaps it will help his case to have this piece of paperwork."

"Good idea Arlo. I suggest we present the deed first and then bring up our 'guest'. The king will likely be more inclined to agree with our assessment if we make his day with this discovery." offers Raini.

That's enough of a consensus to go through the king.

King Zusgut is quite thrilled to see the pathfinders return. He excitedly claps his hands together, "Whut u find?"

But then he quickly interrupts before anyone can speak, "OH WAIT NO! DO IT LIKE UH PLAY! ACT IT ALL OUT!!!"

You all are welcome to RP this bit or just give a quick summary, it doesn't have any bearing on the outcome of the scenario. I'll leave it up to you all though.

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Later

The King seems perplexed, counting something several times and muttering to his chief adviser. Once the play or summary is complete he poses a question, "Uh... dere be more o you den went down? Right? You find sumwon down dere?"

Several options here, but you'll need to pick one. You can simply come clean, use diplomacy to explain who you found and why an undead creature is fine to bring out into the city instead of being vanquished. Or you can use Deception to deceive the king about the creature's true identity. You will gain a bonus because of the use of the Magic Hat.

Chomper jumps up on a chair and starts enthusiastically regaling the groups exploits in detail. From the start, going down the wet slippery steps with dripping foul smelling water to having a giant monster with maw-filled razor sharp teeth suddenly ambush the group, to the betrayal of the mercenaries and finally to the end with discovering the extra person entrapped behind a wall. He keeps the identity secret from the King at this point.

"Mayhaps, ah future play can be p'formed on da grand outin' wit' da Big Chief init a' da beginin' an' da end!

Performance: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Duma gets closer to the ghast to try to conceal the rope between them. Knowing that he isn't the best with words, he leaves it to the others to try to talk their way through this.

Arlo recites a passionate monologue about how the Pathfinder Society was DESTINED to find the deed (at which time he hold the scroll case above his head in a most Shakespearian manner, and about how the future is can only be excellent with such a partnership.

At this point he shall poetically present the deed to King Zusgut.

-LATER-

When King Zusgut shows interest in the disguised ghoul, Arlo attempts to usher him away to discuss the legal ramifications of this deed.

"Oh him? He was a prisoner of some smugglers below. The Pathfinder Society is going to attempt to help him return to his family. That's not really important, as the smugglers are gone. WHAT IS IMPORTANT is that you now hold the deed to this property!"

Rout waits to see how the kind will respond to his two companions.

Raini will act out parts as the others describe the narrative. He interjects with the others to emphasize the dangers and highlight the heroics of the team.

Following Chomper's great lead performance and Arlo's spectacular acting skills leading up to the dramatic reveal of the deed, Raini steps forth.

"Oh great and powerful and wise King Zusgut! We have heard your call and cleansed your kingdom of the beasts and foul necromantic undead threatening your citizens. We, of the Pathfinder Society, have answered your call. We, of the Pathfinder Society, have fought and won mighty battles. We, of the Pathfinder Society, have found and delivered the deed to your castle. We, of the Pathfinder Society, wish you well." offers Raini in his best diplomatic oration.

"We find our tasks accomplished and our mission fulfilled. We kindly seek your blessing denoting a job well done and ask for your leave so that we may report back to the Pathfinder Society captain."

Diplomacy check on King: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

King Zusgut appears pleased with the efforts of the group, "THREE CHEERS FER DA PATHFINDERS! HIP HIP HOORAY!"

There are many more than three cheers though, almost as though these goblins don't know how to count. But maybe they are just super happy for you all, either way the Pathfinder reputation is safe!

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The group makes their way quickly back to the lodge and completes the after-action report.

Drandle Dreng listens intently to their story and nods eagerly at all details, but the story of the undead prisoner causes him to stare wide‑eyed. In response, he notes that he’s heard rumors of ancient places beneath the city where living prisoners were entombed, but up until now did not have any direct evidence.

Dreng assures the group he can find a place Marcon can safely tell his story, and assures Marcon that he can help the ghoul evade detection until then. Dreng has many questions to ask and is eager to learn all he can.

Well, you all blew that scenario out of the water. Well done!