|
Opening the door to the left.
A large, long-cold fireplace stands in the east wall of this expansive parlor, but the furnishings are all rotted. A dank stench of mold lingers in the air. The ceiling overhead has collapsed, leaving the room open to the sky. The floor in the room’s southern end has followed suit, leaving a gaping hole into darkness.
Nothing in this room appears to be of much interest, so you move to the doors on the right.
Everything this room once held now lies jumbled over the floor in a soggy mess: torn pages, scraps of fabric, and splintered remnants of furniture. Doors hang askew in the north and east walls, but the door to the south has been smashed from its hinges.
You can see through the doorway to another room to the north of this one.
Ivy has overgrown the empty window frame, casting this room into cool shadow. A low shelf, its wood warped and cracked, stands against the south wall, and a desk has been overturned and smashed in the eastern part of the room.
|
|
Zonk notices two things of importance in this room.
The first, that Squash also notices, is a secret compartment in the wall behind a collapsed bookcase that contains a stack of notes.
The second thing he notices is strange whispering coming from the room to the north.
Those whispers are part of a haunt and can be disabled with religion or performance. You also know that the underlying spirits remain, resetting the haunt every midnight, until what truly happened here becomes public.
Those whispers are part of a haunt and can be disabled with religion or performance.
|
Felika notices Zonk seems to be paying close attention to something in the room. She peeks over his shoulder as Squash complains about papers.
"Papers could give us some important information. Someone in the group will have to sort them and bring them to the society if they are of any value, but I can take care of that if you would rather. As for blowing them away, let's hope they can stay put a few extra minutes until we gather them. Shouldn't be so bad. They survived years of ruin, after all," she says, trying to sound positive despite her own doubts as she thinks back on the haunt they triggered.
|
Zonk stares into the room, head half cocked.
"There are some papers, in the secret compartment, that is hidden by that collapsed bookcase. And something is moving in the room over there. A Haunt you say? Well then! Lets see if the Lady is still listening."
Zonk marches right up to the next room and begins to pray again.
"Oh Holy Fire Lady! Please let the unquiet be granted a moment of Solace as we seek to grant them Rest Eternal... Wait, it worked again?!
Wow! Thank Holy Fire Lady!"
The Sudden glee from the little goblin reminds you that he may be from a class slightly ahead of his new companions, but it's only just. He continues in silent prayer for another minute or so before getting up and continuing with the group.
|
|
The notes turn out to be schematics for soulbound dolls written by the original owners of the house. With this information, you can report back to Gorm Greathammer about the house's history.
You also find a magical potion and wand here.
At Zonk's request, the whispers in the other room cease to make noise.
Some time ago, a whistleblower revealed a possible threat to Absalom related to one of the siege castles. In response, however, that individual was silenced and eventually petrified during the Charge of the Gorgon. Eando suspects foul play; he has leveraged his contacts to get a writ allowing the victim to be restored, and he would like the PCs to do so and learn about this alleged threat to the city. He gives them a greater salve of antiparalysis with explicit instructions that it be used only on the target.
Additional Aid: Eando is impressed with PCs who can keep the other NPCs occupied and says he can put their social skills to good use. He provides the PCs with a list of individuals he goes to for information across Absalom, telling the PCs to drop his name in conversations with those individuals to get the best scoop on current events. This grants the PCs a +2 circumstance bonus to a single Diplomacy check to Gather Information during this scenario.
Flotsam Graveyard: A wrecked ship has recently cycled to the surface in the Flotsam Graveyard, with signs that it might date back to the original Silent Tide invasion—a centuries-past naval operation by Taldan operatives known as the Black Echelon attempting to take control of Absalom. Calisro points out that a newly uncovered vessel from that era would be a great discovery for a group of new Pathfinder agents—however, it seems that the people who informed her of the ship got scared off by something on board. While she doesn’t explicitly direct the PCs to steal the ship, she does hint that it would make a grand impression on the other Pathfinders were the party to return “in style.” Barring that, she encourages them to visit the ship and either verify or disprove the ship’s rumored origin.
Additional Aid: If the PCs successfully gain more time with Calisro by occupying the NPCs near her, she laughs and slips them a small, unmarked hip flask, describing it as “a pick-me-up for when you really need to get back on your feet.” This is a minor healing potion.
A scholar at the College of Mysteries has been working on an interesting new ritual that’s has led to considerable division among her colleagues. She’s been under growing pressure to leave the college, so now might be a good time to contact her, determine if she would be a good fit for the Pathfinder Society, and, if so, recruit her
You head off to Westgate to investigate the petrified on Eando's whistleblower.
|
|
"Well, I hope that this news will help the haunts stay away or that the bosses back at the Lodge know how to fix it." Drizzic says as they start to head back, looking over his shoulder.
Along the way to Westgate, Drizzic starts to get excited...gazing lovingly at the anti-petrification salve.
"Hoo boy, haven't gotten to use something this strong yet! I bet it tastes fantastic...BUT Boss Eando said it is only for the target...maybe a small taste after I apply it to them."
|
|
Information You've Gathered:
The eponymous statues of Statue Street are the remnants of a longstanding Absalomian tradition: 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 these streets. 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 are dubious at best, and it was recently outlawed. Still, there are some who are upset to lose this tradition, and at the news that one of the condemned might be allowed to go free, a group of rabble-rousers has riled up a mob of locals who can’t bear to see outsiders interfere with seven centuries of history.
In this case, the mob is being lead by an actor, an acolyte, a smith, a charlatan, a socialite, and a herbalist.
For several blocks, the quiet lanes of Westgate’s residential neighborhoods feature small houses, low-key cafes and taverns, and the occasional specialty shop. The fragrant scent of tended flower gardens in the warm sunlight blends with the low hum of distant conversation over what would normally be a pleasant boulevard. But the stone statues—at first appearing only here and there, like odd decorations—now number several per block, and the otherwise plain square ahead is outright cluttered with stone figures. They take countless forms, from humans and halflings to orcs, lizardfolk, and even stranger, all forever frozen in acts of desperation, defiance, or despair. The quaint, statue-filled square is also filled with people; several dozen townsfolk shout and argue, their voices somehow out of place among the silent statues.
Round Tracker: Round 1
Alldo
Drizzic
Felika
Peregrine
Zonk
Squash
|
|
Drizzic heads over to the smith with a look of a concern on his face, tugging at his sleeve.
"We need to disperse them before they start a riot...imagine all the damage that could cause to the buildings and fancy statues. Sure, we want more business but imagine the man hours!" he says trying to appeal to his reason with facts about their careers.
|
|
The crowd spots you and begins shouting, "Get out of here! You have no respect for our traditions! Statues once, statues forever!"
You also hear chants occasionally; "Turned to stone, that's their home!"
The crowd seems to drown out Drizzic's words.
Round Tracker: Round 1
Alldo
Drizzic
Felika
Peregrine
Zonk
Squash
|
|
Felika approaches the man she suspects to be a charlatan. "You know, with a group so riled up, I don't think it will be the best situation to do your... business. If this keeps up, they will soon hit anyone who approaches them. Imagine how much easier it would be to work in subtlety in a big crowd that is slowly dispersing," she says as she moves her hands discreetly in a way that suggests the idea of palming some objects.
|
|
Zonk approaches the acolyte, clearly nervous, fearing that the crowd will turn on the pair of goblins.
"The Holy Fire Lady Sarenrae teaches that and we must make an effort at redemption, we have reason the believe that one of these statues is someone who is either making an effort to redeem themselves, or was falsely trapped. If it turns out that the information is untrue, they can be suitably punished. There are worse things than being merely imprisoned in stone for eternity! After all, they aren't enduring the heat of the Sun's Fire!
|
|
Alldo convinces the smith that maybe these statues aren't worth keeping around.
The herbalist replies to Squash about "Seeing plants grow over stones all the time!"
Peregrine convinces the socialite that violence isn't the answer in this situation.
Felika helps the charlatan get better marks by calming down the crowd.
The acolyte is not hearing anything about Sarenrae from a...goblin.
Round Tracker: Round 2
Alldo
Drizzic
Felika
Peregrine
Zonk
Squash
|
|
Felika approaches the acolyte and, seeing that he doesn't seem to respond to Zonk's attempts, she tries a different approach based on what little she knows about the gods.
"Acolyte, tell me, are the souls of these people trapped here with them? My friend would remind you of Sarenrae and the importance of redemption, of giving a chance to any who might be willing to take it. But I'm sure she is not the only deity who would frown upon this practice, especially when it may be a good, innocent man. Tell me, acolyte, who do you pray to? Do you not worry about what Pharasma thinks of your traditions?"
|
|
Peregrine approaches the actor hesitantly, not being the most well versed in plays and the like, and brings up a famous play in which a man was wrongly accused of a crime and was killed for it. "We are just trying to avoid a situation in which a family has to mourn when this man may have been convicted incorrectly."
|
|
The crowd mumbles about the younger generation having no respect for the traditions, but disperses regardless.
Unfortunately, as the crowd disperses, three goblins arrive, "Sorry longshanks, we can't be letting you doing that."
Map Slide
Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Felika
Squash
Drizzic
Goblin Pyro (red)
Goblin Warrior (blue)
Zonk
Alldo
Peregrine
Goblin Warrior (orange)
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The leshy bravely strides forward weaving between the guards up front where he can get a better strike at the one it back, who he was guessing was the leader. He reaches into his mouth, pulling a chain full of sharp barbs and whips it at the goblin.
The strike slices deeply into the rear goblin.
◆:Stride
◆:Stride
◆:Strike
|
|
Drizzic doesn't hit the goblin directly with the alchemist's fire, but it lands close enough that some of the liquid splashes up at the goblin, lightly burning him.
Squash dashes at the fire-crazed goblin and easily knocks the creature out.
Both of Felika's attacks are evaded as the goblin ducks and weaves.
Felika's goblin tries to knock her down by grabbing her foot.
but instead manages to knock himself down. He stands back up to try and swing his weapon at Felika, but Squash turns his spiked chain back on the new threat.
Squash critically hits this goblin as well, knocking him out also.
Map Slide
Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Felika
Goblin Pyro (red), dying 2
Squash
Drizzic
Goblin Warrior (blue), dying 2
Zonk
Alldo
Peregrine
Goblin Warrior (orange)
|
|
After being burned and electrocuted twice, the last goblin also passes out.
With Eando's directions, it is easy to identify the whistleblower to be unpetrified. He informs you that he had been targetted because a band of militant hobgoblins has begun establishing a base in one of the siege castles outside the city. He had tried to warn the officials in Absalom, but the hobgoblins had gotten to him first. The man gives you a jeweled ring worth 12 gold.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Hobgoblins in the siege towers! They really need to lock those things up...I always hear about trouble moving in. Sir...now that I applied the salve...may I taste it?" Drizzic asks with an attempt at a pitiful face, which may turn out to be terrifying.
As they head towards the Flotsam Graveyard, he tries to get Squash to let him look inside his head.
"I wish I could store things in my head like that, it is certainly big enough, ahaha...heh...can I look inside?"