GM Crunch, Before the Dawn (CORE) (Inactive)

Game Master Saving Cap'n Crunch

You have been summoned to the Grand Lodge of Absalom. More specifically, Master of Spells Sorrina Westyr's office. The shale-skinned woman smiles at your arrival.

"Pathfinders! Loath as I am to say so, you are bound for Bloodcove. If you have any purchases to make, perhaps something to keep you cool in that devil-melting heat, please come back when you have made them." She holds up a scroll bearing obvious marks of teleportation magic. "Your trip will be swift. I hope the joy this brings will offset what's to come."

Introduce yourselves!

A bald headed Shoanti male was in the office, a holy symbol of Desna around his neck. In his hip, a rapier and short sword rested. 'Greetings, I am called Two Blades in the Shadows by my tribe." he said to the assembled.

At the word that they group was going to Bloodcove, he thought a bit. "Where is it and what needs to be done there?" he asked Sorrina Westyr.

A tall, slender, pale-haired elf raises a hand in greeting to the Shoanti. "I'm Tere di Montefeltro, also of Liberty's Edge." The hilt of a curve blade protrudes over one shoulder, and a cased longbow over the other. He looks around the room with a slightly worried expression. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a pudgy velociraptor around here, would you?"

"Bloodcove borders the Shackles and the Mwangi expanse. Don't get too spooked by the name. The water passing through there down the Vanji river is only red because of kaava runoff." Sorrina pauses, then reconsiders. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to be on your guard. Bloodcove is a notorious haven for the Aspis."

"As for what you're doing - well, I'll save the surprise for when you can see the place. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes. But working around the snakes will behoove you, and be much easier, than going straight through them."

"Aspis? Should we keep quiet about being Pathfinders?"

A broad-shouldered Ulfen human man with a long braided red beard, wearing heavy spiked armor, a shield, and a sword introduces himself as Ēoswulf, son of Gērmwyn, a merchant prince partnering with the Society as a means to see the world and make trade connections for his clan.

"This place sounds like a hell-hole... but there are always opportunities for trade. Do you know what the trade is like there?"

"Oh, you'll almost certainly want to hide your Wayfinders. Almost." Sorrina once again contemplates the question. "I have a few tasks for you, which are unfortunately scattered throughout Bloodcove. Moving around so much will require a cover story. If you decided to pose as defecting agents...it could work. Otherwise, keep it secret. We have a Lodge there, but it's a glorified safehouse. Find a discreet way in if you could use help."

Turncoat Pathfinders could be a disguise you pick. I'll describe some other possibilities and their mechanics once it comes into play.

"Trade is vital there. Considering how many fingers the Aspis have in that particular pie, we can't know too much. But it is a gateway to the Expanse and its many goods."

He was standing at a healthy 3 feet, 5 inches, and weighed in at a vigorous forty pounds. His hair was a bright, electric blue, shaved except for the shock in the middle. He wore a navy blue suit, with a tie. The tie had a duck on it; it was a gift from his nephew.

"Now, eh, I'm not a geography expert, is Bloodcove technically in Sargava or is it its own city-state?" the lawyer was interested in if Bloodcove was ruled by Chelish common law. Vidrian? Are we playing this that its current day in Golarion? It was not unusual for a client to give him a list to do and to maintain a measure of anonymity or discretion about it. So far, this was sounding like something directly up his alley.

"Before we leave, Miss Westyr, I'm going to want to go to the Grand Lodge's Spell Emporioum." Mwangi Expanse was very hot and humid, and he didn't want to sweat through his suit. Going to spend 2 prestige on a wand of endure elements.

"I'm Wrigsolar D. Fencejumper, attorney at law, by the way, for those of you I haven't met." Which was all of them.

"Bloodcove is ruled by their Grand Admiral, elected by the most powerful pirates and merchants. Don't remember the current one's name. He's no figurehead, but is mostly just there to keep the peace. A lot of sway is still on the free market and their richest."

I'm going to wait until everyone has dotted in to progress, plus that gives more time for purchases. May send PMs tomorrow in case anyone forgot.

"What are the nature of the jobs you have for us?"

With a flash of light and a stomach-churning shift, the cool, saline air of Absalom collapses into the stifling, wet heat of the Garundi coast. Within moments, sweat begins to ooze from your pores as the fetid stink of the local climate envelopes you like a damp blanket.

The scroll in Sorrina Westyr's hands crumbles into dust, its magic spent. The Master of Spells immediately begins fanning herself.

"All right Pathfinders, welcome to the blistering hole that is the Mwangi Expanse. Any of you who bother to keep up with your Chronicles know that the Society has an archaeological expedition working in the Terwa Uplands, about 80 miles northwest of our position."

"Of course, I can't fault you if you don't read much more than dirty poetry, so allow me to sum up: the Azlant Ridge site shouldn’t be there. There are no known Azlanti sights in the Mwangi Expanse, but here we are. It may be the best-preserved evidence that the Azlanti at least visited the Mwangi Expanse. A servant of Angazhan called Ruthazek the Silverback King claims the site, too. His troops have laid siege to it and our people are starving, dying from disease, and running low on ammunition and personnel, which is where you come in."

”Your first stop is Bloodcove.” Westyr points at the port town with reddish water from the hill you stand on. This time, she says the name as if it has personally insulted her mother. ”As said, it’s good for trade and supplies, if nothing else. House Cartahegn will be your best bet there, as we have worked with them before. Perhaps 2 tons of food and water, 5 crates of crossbow bolts, construction material, and plenty of dressings for wounds.” She holds out a bag of coins.

”Next, transportation. We’ve already secured a deal with one Raimondo Scevola. Shouldn’t be much more difficult for you than finding him.”

”Finally, make contact with a man named Senzer Rulkep. He is an alchemist who funnels potions and information to the Uplands. He went silent a month ago, so as long as you’re there, try to figure out the problem. The man has a shop in town, he’ll be easy to find.”

Westyr holds out two more items, a golden key and a sealed scrollcase. ”Guard these with your lives. The key’s purpose eludes me, but has something to do with the dig site. This case contains a map that will lead you there. Don’t look at it yet! It will explode violently if you try within 5 miles of here.”

”As mentioned, this will not be a simple trip to the market. If you thought the Aspis threat was bad, consider that there are bandits and pirates everywhere too. I suggest adopting disguises or cover stories. Normally it’s all well and good for you heroic types to kick in the doors, but more lives than yours rest on your shoulders.”

”Any more questions?”

"You wouldn't happen to have seen a pudgy velociraptor around here, would you?"

As Tere asks this, he is greeted by a blur of feathers and claws... though the claws are mostly used to grab hold of the elf's rucksack. The little dino shoves his head into Tere's backback, without much of an introduction, looking for something.

"Ah, yes." says the tall Bonuwat man. "It is good to be home again.

"Shredder, leave Tere alone! He probably doesn't have your little treats in there!" he commands, chuckling.

"Good to see you, Tere! I know Shredder has missed you... or at least your little treats!"

Turning back to Sorrina Westyr, he asks, "So, I assume we'll want to be quiet here? Not draw any attention to ourselves, or the Society? Aspis have always been active in the area, much to the chagrin of many of the locals. Sure, they bring money, but at what cost?"

"That all being said, our goals are to secure the materiel needed by the team at the dig site, including food and ammunition. Then we are to make contact with this Alchemist, hopefully find out why he's gone quiet?

"Is there anything else we need? Who is he, and why do we care about him?"

Feeling the sweat start to pour over him, Two Blades said a prayer and was no longer dealing with the heat.

"I would hazard to guess that they take a harsh look at newly arrived strangers. We might want to come up with some sort of plan before we go into town." Two Blades said.
Cast Endure elements

"It is good to be working with you again, Two Blades."

"Perhaps I can focus on my duties as clan merchant and all of you can be my entourage."

"Pleased to see you Ēoswulf. What have you been up to? They had me working a desk since the last time we adventured together." Two Blades said.

"That is an option, towns are always expecting merchants. If we had though about it, we could have grabbed some trade goods to bring with us as a cover. We will need to come up with a story, maybe you are looking for new revenue sources. Since we arrived here using magic, we will need to account for how we got to Bloodcove." Two Blades said, helping map out the story and how they go there, omitting the magic part.

"Quiet can work," Sorrina agrees. "If that isn't feasible - I know many agents are attached to their heavy armor, and rightly so - you may want to have an act lined up. Sell it right and you won't get any strange looks."

"As for Senzer, I believe his shop is somewhere along the Widow's Walk. Be careful what you say to him, everyone has an agenda of some sort in this town. But he already knows of the secret dig site."

Every time you move between 'zones' while in Bloodcove, you'll want to do so without attracting attention. This involves a single skill check from everyone. You'll have to agree together which cover you want to pick. These are the listed examples, but if none seem good, feel free to suggest a theme and two associated skills.

Tere appears more concerned about the Bonuwat's reaction than the lethal predator rummaging through his pack. "Shredder, you know those are bad for you. Tell him, Alaric--he doesn't listen to me." He scratches the dinosaur behind its feathered crest. "It's good to see you too, Alaric. Yes, yes, Shredder. I've missed you, too."

With the teleport, the elf's hair quickly dampens in the oppressive humidity and hangs in moist strings from his head. "Alaric, is it always like this here?" He holds up a hand. "Wait, you're about to tell me that it's unusually cold and dry right now. Right?" Muttering to himself, he draws a wand and runs a hand across it.

Use Magical Device check to activate wand: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

He shakes the wand, frowning. "Alaric or Two Blades, would you mind? It's a wand of endure elements, and I haven't figured out the best way to activate it yet."

"I'm better at being quiet and unobtrusive, so I'd prefer to keep a low profile."

An elderly scholar steps up to introduce himself.
"Hello everyone. I'm Khellek, historian for the expedition. And I suppose I'm supposed to keep you students out of trouble while we are on this field trip. "

He peers over his glasses. "A couple of you look familiar.."

Despite the heat, the scholar doesn't seem at all bothered by it.

"I spent some time in the MWangi..." he explains.

"Ah, it's young Khellek. I haven't seen you since Jormurdun. How have you been keeping?"

mechanically, Ēoswulf will do okay with any of the roles. Diplomacy is his best skill at +9. Thematically he is proposing we go the "merchants" route, but the idea of not displaying his weapon feels anathema to him.

Low Profile or merchants work, but not having weapons out makes me lean towards Low profile. plus my Stealth is better.

"Young, young... you whipernapper... oh, elf, that's right. Well, less years than you, and wearing them less well. Thats the truth." sighs the scholar.

"We are not all blessed with the blood of eternity. No, but at the same time, we manage to pack a lot into our short lives. And so, yes, I say 'young!' - for young at heart you are." recovers the scholar with a modicum of good grace.

"Recently I was tracking down some old ruins in the Osirion deserts." he states, before leaning forward. "Very hush hush. "

Mechanically Khellek is best suited to low profile, although temprement wise, that may not be the case. He could also do very well as a tribesman, knowing a lot about the Mwangi people. In general if there is a knowledge skill, I'm pretty good with it. Physical skills and perception... just more or less forget about it.
Although his acrobatics is pretty good.

"What about a cover of a dancing troupe?" he suggests.

"I do know a number of traditional Varisian steps..."

As soon as he hear's Khellek's name, the little dino leaps off of Tere's pack, and runs over to Khellek, sniffing.

Alaric or Two Blades, would you mind?

"Not a problem, Tere. And I fear you know me too well. It is quite temperate today.

He ponders for a moment. "As for the roles, I have to admit that i would be much more comfortable with the Tribesmen. I fit the part, as I am one, and have the skills for it. I am not stealthy, at all, and while Shredder can be, he tends to be pretty outgoing. I am trained in diplomacy, so either of those roles would fit me well.

"It might be that pretending to be turncoats will be the safest for us."

"Arghh.... Get if off me...." shrieks the scholar, stumbling backward.

Glasses knocked askew, it takes the scholar a moment or two to realise that he is not being consumed by The Beast. Khellek then quickly rearranges the optics and peers shortsightedly at the dinosaur.

"Ah... dromaeosaurid theropod! Hmm... I've met one of you before... in the company of a master Ysande."

Peering around the room the scholar finally sets eyes upon Alaric.
"Your... pet... seems to recall me." he states in a matter of fact manner.

I can do diplomacy passingly well, so turncoats would be okay for Khellek.

”Yeah, the little deinonychus can be a handful sometimes.

“Shredder! Heel!” calls out Alaric, trying not to chuckle.

The deinonychus looks back when he hears Alaric’s call, but is torn. He looks back to the scholar, possibly contemplating tasting the glasses, but then suddenly bounds back to Alaric in a flurry of feathers.

"Well, that specimen would certainly help our reputations as tribemen.." scowls the scholar.

He checks his pockets for shredded paper and broken ink bottles, taking out a hopelessly manged feather quill. A quick examination follows before it is sadly thrown away.

"By Shelyn's frilly dress, its hot here," Wrigsolar says, drawing his new wand of endure elements and costing it on himself. "Anyone else want a hit off of these." He then dabs his forehead with his tie. He takes off his jacket and puts it into his backpack.

"I like the idea of posing as possible Aspsis recruits like that, turncoats."

Wrigsolar's best skill is diplomacy, so I'd vote for turncoats or merchants.

"I should pick up some supplies before we leave."

As a master librarian, I can claim 600gp worth of consumable alchemical and/or magical items. If anyone has anything in particular they think would be handy, sing out. OTherwise I'll likely get healing/restoration type potions.

I also get a free vial of anti-plague, +1 animal bane crossbow quarrel and a potion of CMW from the Ekujae once we are actually there.

Sorrina smiles at the thought of a Pathfinder team entering Aspis territory posing as a dancing troupe.

You can also make Knowledge (geography) and either Knowledge (local) or Diplomacy checks to recall knowledge (lowercase). Which task would you like to pursue first, or do you have other plans?

Khellek takes out a book and considers what he knows of the area.

More than happy to T10 on the knowledge checks for a 33 in geography and a 28 in local; 30 for that local if it is about the Aspis (inside knowledge boon)

The scholar is not above taking a drink or two...preferably of a mint tea, rather than something that may alter his thinking. One of the great things about tea houses is that people gossip in them. Oh how they gossip.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

Two Blades added what little he knew of the area as Khellek pretty much covered everything.
Aid K:Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Aid Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Khellek is highly aware of the importance of trade here. In this town, the culture of which is a mix of Cheliax, the Shackles, and the Mwangi, some of the only laws ever enforced are those that keep the economy going. Such is the will of the retired pirates at the top rung of Bloodcove.

He also knows the lawmen are paid well to crush criminal organizations that don't play by these rules. The Aspis have done well here, mostly via exports or preying on poorer citizens. They are aware of the Pathfinder safe house and carefully watch any who enter. Perhaps less of a problem for aspiring turncoats. but still something to be wary of.

"So, folks. We going in as turncoats or locals?" asks Alaric, figuring that the team is better suited to act as turncoats.

"Except for you and Shredder, we don't really look local. If we try to pretend we're renegades, I'd better just keep quiet and let the rest of you talk. I'm not one for bluffing."

"So be it. It's not like I don't have legitimate beef with the Society. AFter all these years they still have not put my article on the front of the Chronicles, and Dr Jones had made it no less than SEVEN times. With ridiculous stories, and posing with his shirt open and a whip in hand. What a show-off."

"Are you alleging that the Pathfinder Society, has discriminated against you on the basis of age?" Wrigsolar said, suspicously.

Turncoats works for me

"You know darn well it is not "what" you know but "who" you know if you want to get published in the Chronicles." Two Blades said.

Looks like its Turncoat. This should be interesting.

Sorrina nods at your choice, coincidentally driving the topic away from Khellek's grievances. "It's not a bad idea. The ruse could afford you certain privileges within the city, though it'll take some skill to maintain. I'm sure you can manage it if anyone can. Best of luck, Pathfinders!" Withdrawing another scroll, she teleports away.

With that, you are left to your own devices. Several tasks to accomplish, and, considering where you are, you'll want to get them done as quickly as possible.

Current Possibilities:

Diplomacy, gather knowledge: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

diplomacy, don't blow cover: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

"Let's find Raimondo first."

"There is no alleging. I'm just stating facts. My own finds have been significant. And the write up impeccable. And yet issue after issue it is Dr Jones that gets the mentions, the endorsements. The dinners of honor and the COVER." fumes the scholar.

He nods towards Two blades.

"Sadly that is the truth. And I was hoping that the Society would be able to rise above such petty behaviors. Sadly, for once, I am mistaken."

-=-=-=-

Once the team enters the city proper, Khellek calms down a little, taking in the sights and sounds of the exotic locale.

"Can you hear the accent? What a wonderful sound. See, there is a paper in the linguistic variances of these people, just waiting to be written!" he exclaims in joy/.

diplomacy, not to offend: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

However the fumble footed historian's glasses do keep fogging up in the humidity, and he does keep bumping into people.

"Oh.. sorry.. Sorry. "

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
"Sounds like a plan" Two Blades said as the group started to head to see Raimondo. Looking over Kellek as they walked, he frowned, "Um, just in case, what weapons do you have if we get jumped?" he asked.

"Oh, Don't worry about me" smiles the scholar.

He pats a large crossbow that hangs from his belt strap.

"Bessie and I go way back. Let me tell you about the bear..."

”Ah, it is good to be back home, eh Shredder?” exclaims Alaric, as he guides the troop to the city. ”We should make sure to make it to the wharf... the fish stews there are beyond compare!”

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

"Raimondo is our way out of here--good place to start."

Diplomacy check to blend in: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Tere looks like just one more stealthy reprobate on the streets of Bloodcove.

Wrigsolar takes his business card and scribbles in "ex" in front of Pathfinder agent. Cunning deception! Now to find Raimondo!

Diplomacy to pose as turncoat: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

You start giving off the impression of wet-behind-the-ears Pathfinders looking to defect. No one's likely to question you further for the time being.

Ēoswulf's asking around tells him Raimondo can often be found in some high-end gambling hall or another. However, after a quick search of one stretch of boardwalk that seems to house nothing but such dens, he is nowhere to be found.

Another Gather Information check from someone else might do the trick.