Round 1:
Whoever you want to save, you first have to make your way past the hordes of zombies who are gradually staggering up the stairs!
You may either ...
... knock them aside as you push your way past them as you race down the stairs , or
... vault over the railing down to the ground floor, and hopefully not break anything .
Bold may act
~~~
Phase 1
~~~
Abdara
Brakkik
Ferdrin
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
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Abdara looks doubtfully at the physiques of Brakkik, Ferdrin and Raelene, before her eyes rest on Aldar.
“I vote to follow Human Monk.”
Abdara grabs a hold of Brakkik’s shoulder, pushing off the trap-breaker to bound over the railing, and down the stairs.
“One vote to protect Metella Rauger! I’ve also been considering the possibility of doppelgängers amongst the guests, and/or Trade Prince Aaqir al’Hakam’s household.”
Aldar takes a spectacular leap over the railings down to the ground floor, diverting the attention of a number of zombies enough for the rest to either do the same, or to push right through them to reach the ground floor.
You have escaped from those blocking the stairway but unfortunately, there is still a large group standing in the hallway between you and the west wing to Metella's quarters.
You may either ...
... cut them down to clear a path through , or
... try barreling through them to push them aside .
-------
1 success!
Bold may act
~~~
Phase 2
~~~
Abdara
Brakkik
Ferdrin
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
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“Hopefully that wasn’t the potted palm I watered with dwarven ale, Brakkik.”
Abdara reaches back over the railing to haul the alchemist to his hind legs and then over the railing by his collar.
She releases him as a couple of Biters get too close, drawing her dagger and pointing out her target.
“I'll try the Crawler that looks like it was half-melted to the road -- perhaps by a fireball?”
With Brakkik's explosives at their side the Pathfinders easily blow through the horde of undeads and Abdara cuts through them like hot knife through butter. In no time, a passageway is cleared towards Metella's chambers.
The passage is largely clear and Metella's room is just straight ahead.
Just before you reach it, however, you suddenly see a trip wire that has been cunningly stretched across the corridor at waist level, connected to a simple box further ahead.
A closer look reveals darts sticking out of them. The set-up is crude and hastily done, but clearly someone had feared interference in Metella's quarters.
The undead horde is still coming for you!
You may either ...
... try to avoid the tripwire or evade the darts , or
... try to disarm the trap altogether .
-------
2 successes!
Bold may act
~~~
Phase 3
~~~
Abdara
Brakkik
Ferdrin
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
Brakkik is incredible and tries to make the tripwire ineffective! You all are glad that he is here as there are dead zombie lying on the floor that ended up tripping over the same wire.
Disaster would have befallen you if Brakkik's quick hands would not be with you! He slices the tripwire and almost immediately grabs and holds onto the end connected to the box, preventing the trap from triggering.
Once he is certain that it is secure, he quickly moves up to the box, while maintaining the right tension on the wire and disabled the darts completely.
Finally you reach the door to Metella's quarters. You hear a crash from the other side, as it a vase had been knocked on the ground and a yell sounding like Metella from the other side! You do not have much time. You grab the doorknob which turns readily but the door refuses to budge. Something is blocking it on the other side!
You may either ...
... try to bash the door down , or
... try to take apart the door altogether
-------
3 successes!
Bold may act
~~~
Phase 4
~~~
Abdara
Brakkik
Ferdrin
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
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Force isn't always the answer! Let me have a look at the door...
The mage attempts to probe at the door for parts that can be deconstructed, or otherwise manipulated to bypass the obstruction.
Your curious mind figures out even the most complex problems. Once per day when you make an Intelligence-based skill check or ability check, you can roll twice and take the better result.
Raelene calls upon her elemental origin and with the assistance of Ferdrin and Aldar, manages to pound the door open, breaking whatever has been keep the door barred.
As you file into the room, you find a broken chair on the floor just behind the door, clearly the culprit that has been keeping the door from opening.
The sitting room of Metella's room is in a mess, with the windows smashed open, glass scattered across the floor, and several pieces of furniture overturned. You have little time to take in the scene, though, for the scuffle in the corner draws your attention completely.
Metella is pressed against the corner of the room, while a humanoid garbed in black with his face covered is slashing at her with a scimitar.
Metella has already received a very bad cut across her side. All she wielding is a small dagger, and trying her best to defend herself.
Almost at the same time, a loud crashing of glass fills the room as two shambling zombies burst in through the windows to southwest!
While these medium-sized undeads are zombies, they appear somewhat tougher than usual ones. Like all zombies though, they are resistant against bludgeoning and piercing weapons.
]
(+1 in Cheliax)
~~~
Round 1
~~~
Brakkik
Assassin
Abdara
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
Zombies
Ferdrin
Bold may act
Brakkik's bomb explodes and burns the dry flesh of the walking dead! The other Zombie can dodge the splash.
~
"Arghh ... help me! Please help me!" Metella shouts.
The dark figure who is standing next to the wounded unarmed dwarven lady slashes at her with his scimitar and although she is in total defense he breaks through and cuts her arm!
Suddenly, the dwarf looks really weak!
~~~
Round 1
~~~
Brakkik
Assassin
Abdara
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
Zombie, orange -10
Zombie, yellow -3
Ferdrin
Metella, total defense, already had 10 hp damage when you arrived, now at 17 hp damage, 1 con drain leading to 7 less max hp
Bold may act
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“These zombies appear tougher than usual. Though slashing weapons will still deliver damage against them the most efficiently.”
Abdara stands her ground and ✨casts cacophonous call against the assassin.
“If someone can identify the race of our stabby, masked friend I’d appreciate knowing it.”
Abdara fishes in her clutch, before withdrawing her wand of CLW.
Suddenly, the assassin starts to throw up!
Both Zombies are immediately destroyed by the holy energy that Raelene throws at them! The robed figure is unaffected!
Cade can slash the nauseated Assassin but Aldar is not fast enough.
Round 1
Abdara
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
FerdrinMetella, total defense, already had 10 hp damage when you arrived, now at 17 hp damage, 1 con drain leading to 7 less max hp
~~~
Round 2
Brakkik
Assassin, nauseated 1/4, -6
Bold may act
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Careful mates. This assassin is a trained ninja. In fact, I think I see the gleam of poison on his blade...
Ferdin draws a small pad of butter from his spell component pouch and throws it towards the ninja's scimitar...
Uh, Raelene, the ninja seems pleased that you destroyed the undead.
The mage then strides up alongside Cade for a closer look at the action.
The ninja can hold on to his greased weapon!
The assassin tries to hold tight to his weapon but it falls from his hands!
The assassin draws a dart!
~
Metella is standing still in staggered horror and becomes weaker and weaker.
Round 2
Abdara
Aldar
Cade
Raelene
FerdrinMetella, total defense, already had 10 hp damage when you arrived, now at 17 hp damage, 1 con drain and 2 con damage leading to 14 less max hp, round 3 poison, 0 saves, staggered at 0 hp
~~~
Round 3
Brakkik
Assassin, nauseated 2/4, -6, greased weapon
Bold may act
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“I have antitoxin in my purse, Brakkik. Unfortunately, I am too far away to be able to administer it this time.”
Frustrated that the distance from Metella prevents her from doing what she wants, Abdara advances thirty feet, her bardic performance providing the next best thing.
“However, I also have ✨saving finale.”
After a punch by the monk and two cuts by the fighter which were only possible by the bard’s encouraging words, it is the magical assault that brings the assassin down!
The Pathfinder's attention shift to Metella who by now is leaning against the wall, pale and on the verge of falling unconscious.
Brakkik’s healing was enough to make her not break down. But the poison is surely still in her body!! And it is still wreaking havoc although it’s Abdara’s spell that helps her to stop part of the poison.
This an oil of a very vicious poison!
With the close administering by the Pathfinders, Metella's fear is gone. She is still weak.
"Thank you, thank you. You Pathfinders have always impressed me in the past, but now it seems I am indebted to you for my life. But what in the world is happening?"
That is a good question, for which there is unfortunately no clear answer yet. Clearly though, there are two forces at work here. The assassin was clearly surprised as Ferdrin realized when the zombies burst into the room, while the zombies did not seem to have any specific target in mind.
By this time, the sounds of the attacks elsewhere in the manor have died down. Searching through the zombies reveal nothing, except that the remnants of their clothes is rather fine, and from their condition, appear to be freshly raised.
(+1 vs traps)
You find more clues from the assassin, with his pouch containing coins minted in Druma.
Aldar and Cade also find a holy symbol of Sarenrae sewn into a fold in the assassin’s clothing.
Upon seeing the foreign coins, Metella turns flush with fury.
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Ferdrin looks at the noble suspiciously, only when she is looking away, and then asks.
Metella, what do you know of the undead that didn't seem to be aligned with the assassin?
While he isn't the best at picking up on lies, he knows there are others in the group who might better suss out her intentions from the response.
We may have been caught on one side of cross-assassination attempts... this could be messy to unravel.
He watches her mannerisms closely.
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Unsure of Metella’s exact condition, Abdara takes no chances ✨tapping the dwarf twice with her wand of CLW.
The noble pulls a vile containing a sickly green fluid from her clutch. “Please take my antitoxin, Madam Rauger. It should help fight any residual poison in your system.”
"This is... surprising. What's the assassin doing with a holy symbol of Sarenrae?"
“May I have a look at that please, Cade?”
With the close administering by the Pathfinders, Metella's condition gradually stabilises as the poison runs its course with Abdara's antitoxin aiding.
Abdara and Ferdrin realize that Metella is truly panicked and very angry!!
Upon seeing the foreign coins, Metella storms out of the room down the passageway, heading towards Passad's room.
"I know nothing about all this! But Passad is involved! Do not even think about blocking the path!" she yells.
You can only follow along, unable to persuade her to return to her room to rest instead.
Along the way, the chaos caused by the undead attack is evident everywhere, although the house guards and some guests have done a good job in putting all of them down.
Metella bursts into Passad's room. Jakti is also present with his two bodyguards, and it seems they have been protecting Passad from the zombies.
The dwarf loudly accuse Passad for the assassination attempts, and even for the zombie attacks.
"Don't you even dare to deny it! We found evidence!" she says pointing in your direction.
Passad, clearly injured during the attack, coolly claims ignorance of the assassination, while calling her crazy to think he would call on the undead to attack anyone.
"Please take this deranged woman out of my room!" he orders to whomever it may concern!
The two go back and forth for sometime, eventually drawing Aaqir al’Hakam. He, together with the staff manages to calm things somewhat between the two, and convince Metella to return to her quarters to rest.
Aqir looks at you, "I will send them all back to their rooms! Please come with me."
Jakti complies and takes his leave to return to his quarters.
~
Aaqir then takes you aside to speak with you in private, expressing his bewilderment at the recent events but reaffirming his desire to put an end to this disruption.
"You were just about to follow the Pharasman cleric and then this happens? This? I ... I cannot believe it!" the Trade Prince says with grief.
He observes that the zombies appear to have come from the east—in the direction of the graveyard—and he’s concerned.
The graveyard is only a ten minute walk away from the manor.
"Please! May I request you to investigate and ensure that everybody is safe while I tend to the guests and help to defend against any further attacks?" he asks you.
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“Oh! That’s...” Brakkik carefully licks the greased scimitar, spits, frowns, spits again, takes another lick, and frowns even harder. “Dith poithon thouldn’t de pothible! It’th an inhaled poithon, nod one dat goeth direcdly indo da dlood!”
Wiping the poison sample off his tongue, the ratfolk pulls out a few smaller bottles of blue and yellow liquid from his cheek pouches and mixes them together. “Here thish vill help draw out rah poishon,” he explains.
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Amidsts the chaos, Ferdrin can't get a read on the merchant. He becomes a little self-conscious when Metella points at the party citing evidence against Passad.
Actually, we're not sure of the origin of the undead. They were not acting in concert with the assassin who attacked Metella. Something very strange is going on... but we'll get to the bottom of it he remarks before being whisked away from the room by Aaqir.
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When Aaqir has pulled them aside from the chaos...
Sure, we can check out the graveyard. Before we go, did anybody notice any evidence of allegiance on attackers in other areas, such as near Passad's room? While the holy symbol of Sarenrae is a little too obvious, other instances of the same tactic might still help us piece together potential actors in the cross-fire tonight.