GM TOP #3-02: Sewer Dragons of Absalom (Standard) (Inactive)

Game Master Pete H.

Fentar waits outside, arms crossed, listening to the conversation from within.

He looks around the area, seeing if they are observed.
perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Garsita looks confused about the reaction, and then realizes that she is holding her weapon firmly. "Oh, sorry, I forgot I was holding this." She tucks it back into its carrier on her back, and smiles sheepishly.

Engashez narrows her eyes and glares at Garista, the kobold tail flicking back and forth in irritation. She then takes a deep breath and her tail calms. "The damage is done. Would you please wait outside, as a token to show that we do not want trouble either?"

Engashez looks back to the other group's spokesman, "My apologies again. Now that the mood is ruined, I suppose I should speak plainly. We are looking for a taldan named Xarcious. Information has his last seen location to be here."

Ruinor watches as the kobold opens the door and walks in with no indication that the others were to follow. "Hmm, would have been nice to know the plan before we started. Either she's really good or really stupid. I guess we'll find out," he thinks to himself as he listens for any trouble inside.

Garsita visibly wilts under Engashez's grumping. "I just wanted to offer a wager at this find gambling establishment. And I really did forget that I had my weapon in my hand."

The two thugs visibly relax as Garsita takes her hand off her weapon. They obviously didn't want to fight a well armed and armored foe.

Greeves holds his reaction a bit closer to the vest simply turning back to the kobold, "Alright, there we go. No fancy beating around the bush anymore. So you want this Xarcious person. Said they were Taldan? What would you be willing to pay for information? If the gold is right, I can start putting feelers out about finding them."

"Ten gold."

Greeves nods, "Done." He holds his hand out.

Assuming you supply the payout the coins disappear into a pocket that you didn't even know was there.

__________________

"Well, I talked with my guy who knows things and this little tidbit came up. Apparently the one you want, this 'Zar-see-us' person built up a nice two hundred and fifty gold debt with their bookie. If someone were to... cover that debt, they would be able to have said person to do whatever they want with."

He obviously didn't 'talk to anyone'. Greeves is most likely the guy holding Xarcious, he's just being coy.

"What do you think this door is, oak? Mahogany? ...Probably not mahogany. That's expensive."

"Maybe pine?"

"Seeing as you have him, why don't I pay a first installment of ninety gold for his release into my hands?"

He wrings his hands together and counters, ”one hundred fifty and he is yours, no installments necessary. I’ll take the hit and move on.”

Good enough deal or more negotiation necessary?

Engashez looks back to Garsita with an appraising look. "You got sixty?""

Garisita silently reaches slowly into her belt pouch and pulls out some coins that she puts into Engashez's hand.

Greeves watches the gold exchange hands with a confident nod. When the 150g is handed over it disappears into that hidden pocket and a key is produced. He nods to the door over his right shoulder, "He's in there. You might have to carry him out though, he had a bad night."

The key opens the door and neither thug seems to stop the two from going in.

Anyone else going in at this point or just staying outside?

____________________________

A haggard man lies on a desk which appears to have been made into a makeshift bed. His breathing is very ragged and he seems to have a high fever. He does not respond when you approach.

Heal Check to ID what might be wrong. Or you can try to wake him up via restoring HP or smelling salts.

heal: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

If it looks like it will help, Garsita uses a charge from her healing wand on him.

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Garsita inspects his body, finding it is very hot and he is heavily sweating. She notices several small rat bites on his ankle. From this she is very very sure this is Filth Fever. Considering his current state, he will very likely die within 24-48 hours if no intervention is given.

She knows that the healing stick won't cure him, but it might bring him back to consciousness. When she taps him, he stirs with a startle, "OH GOD DON'T HIT ME AGAIN! I'll get your money, please have mercy on me..." The last bit trails off weakly.

"It's OK, we're going to get you out of here." Garsita speaks softly and gently, surprisingly so considering her race.

"Please go get Voices or Fantar to help me carry him," she softly asks Engashez.

She runs through the options to try to help him. She decides the only way is to buy a scroll to get rid of the disease. First, though, they need to bring him somewhere he will feel safe.

"Hope we're not missing anything good," muses Thyste, picking her teeth with the pointy end of her spear.

He is very weak and does not resist when you try to get him out of there.

Where to now? This is Absalom so pretty much anything you can legally purchase or obtain is available to you all.

Heal: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

When she lays eyes on Xarcious, her eyes widen.

"Oh, shit. That's filth fever, isn't it?" she asks.

She'll help carry him if allowed, consulting with Garsita to make sure they're not missing anything.

"Saw my share of these in the pit," she explains. "Had a fighter win a match against a manticore, only to get bitten by rats in his sleep and..."

She glances down at the conscious, listening, nervous man.

"Well, he didn't have the resources we do. Where to?"

At the utterance of filth fever, Engashez heaves a sigh.

"Take him somewhere safe. I'll go get what we need and catch up with you."

Garsita goes to the Grand Lodge and gets a scroll of Remove Disease for 1 PP.

Without a better place to take them, the group gets him back to the lodge safely.

Laying down on a cot in the infirmary he becomes lucid for a bit.

Any questions? Anything else done?

Thyste considers. "The way Dreng shooed us out of the room, I don't think we have time to wait for him to make a full recovery," she says. "We'll have to rely on directions. Who wants to put it nicely?"

Garsita I missed your post. Do you wish to purchase a single casting scroll for 375g or a two-cast scroll for 2 PP? I don't see a way one PP can purchase a scroll of remove disease.

sigh... they changed the guide on me. It used to allow a purchase of up to and including 375 GP for 1 PP. Give me a little time to look into this. If nothing else, I can pay for a casting for 1 PP...

I'll buy the scroll with two copies of the spell for 2PP. It won't go to waste I'm sure... :)

Those jerks! :D

Garsita returns with a scroll that hopefully can remove the disease and allow your contact's body to heal. He looks up at you, still shivering. You can't tell if it is fear or fever or both, "What do you want with me?"

"Just relax for a minute while we see if we can help you feel better. Then we have a few questions to ask you, but they should be things you can easily and safely answer."

Then Garsita tries to use the scroll.

Garsita, please make a DC 6 Caster Level check to activate the scroll. I'm assuming you have a caster level of 3, so +3 should be your modifier.

If you succeed at that, make a DC 12 Caster Level check to Remove the Disease. Fortunately, this uses the scroll's Caster Level so that is a +5 modifier. Good Luck!

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Garsita carefully reads the words to the scroll, hoping it cures the disease.

Having carried the debtor to the Grand Lodge, Fentar stands guard outside of the infirmary while Garsita arranges a cure.

If that cashes comes out of PC pockets at the end, I will put in a share.

The fever suddenly snaps and Xarcious's shaking body stops twitching. He is very still. A brief concern crosses everyone's eyes as they look for signs of life until they see the slow steady breathing.

He opens his eyes and blinks a few times, "Oh Miss, what did you do? I feel like... well horrible. But I feel like I can breath again and probably will mend? Also very tired. Really tired. What can I help you with? I'm definitely sure I owe you my life now."

Fentar, I added you to the split of the 60g from earlier. The Scroll cost Prestige Points and can't be split, but Garsita will at least be able to keep the second cast of Remove Disease for future missions.

Engashez pipes up, "We need to go to Sewer Dragons."

Hearing the man stir, Fentar steps inside the room. His tongue flickers, tasting the stale air, and his third eyelids blink without obstructing his vision, "He lives. Well done."

Voices looks to Fentar for help counting out his share of the coins. Ssself not underssstand. Greevesss not important. Why pay? Jussst take man needed.

Xarcious shares as much info as he knows about the sewer dragons. It is stuff you already know.

He adds a single useful tidbit, "They are laired in a massive underground theatre that was covered long ago by a growing city. There should be a passage from within the sewer system that should still be accessible, though I'm sure it is well guarded. I can give you the location though, it seems like you all can probably handle yourselves."

He quickly adds, "But if your intention is negotiation and not extermination, which I very much hope, then you might be able to work out a deal with Yiddlepode. She's the chief's eldest offspring and is always looking to strike deals. Plus, you might even be able to catch her above ground to talk before you all even go in. She roams the streets disguised as a halfling and takes in theatre shows all the time."

Thyste grins a devious grin. "So we go catch a show or two and take a real close look at all the half-pints? Sounds good to me."

He adds, "Yeah, and I can say that she usually tries to go to poorly attended shows and has a really bright blue opera cloak, so that should help you narrow it down. I'm not sure what the current theatre scene is though."

The nogitsune scratches at her chin. "Poorly-attended shows, huh? I heard the Absalom University Theater Group is doing I Want To Be Your Canary. I heard Marcus is being played by an up-jumped understudy since the original actor had to move on, and..."

She blinks at the rest of the group. "What, an oni can't enjoy theater?"

Trained Knowledge Local if you want more information about the local theatre scene, if you all wish to pursue that route.

Edited to add 'Trained' in response to Thyste's question.

Any point rolling for a DC10? That's the best I can manage.

Knowledge (local): 1d20 ⇒ 1

...And that is the worst I can manage! So, now that we've got our boundaries set...

Ruinor follows the group back to the lodge so that Garsita can try to heal Xarcious. "We certainly are spending a lot of coin on this guy. I hope he has some useful information," he thinks as Garista works on the man.

"Well done, Garista," he says, relieved that she was successful.

He listens to what Xarcious has to say. He starts to get concerned they aren't going to get any new information and wasted their money when the details on the lair and Yiddlepode are revealed.

Knowledge(Local): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

"That's very helpful," Ruinor says with a smile. "Personally, I've never been a big fan of the theater. I've never understood why people would want to pretend to be other people. I'd rather just read the book. It's usually better anyway. However, it's my nature to know things and I might be able to narrow down where we might find her."

"I'd rather just read the book. It's usually better anyway."

"Not everyone's got the time," shrugs Thyste with a grin. "Some of us don't live to be four hundred."

Ruinor recalls seeing a playlist of the local productions in the waiting room before their mission started. His photographic memory pulls up the image and he reads off the options. There are three operas currently gracing the stage right now. A Traveling Andoren troupe's performance of the Chelish history Fall from Glory; a local diva's rendition of Serpent's Song and a comedic opera called The Trouble with Swans.

A few of those names trigger notes from his daily newspaper readings. The Trouble with Swans is a hugely popular show performed by a largely gnome troupe. Serpent’s Song is a tragedy about a dragon who falls in love with a princess. Crowds are expected to be thick for Fall from Glory, as Chelish operas are known to often feature actual bloodshed in place of special effects.

He grins as he recalls a note about the Absalom University Theatre Group having all their shows cancelled pending an investigation into Hazing. Apparently Thyste doesn't read the news.

He grins as he recalls a note about the Absalom University Theatre Group having all their shows cancelled pending an investigation into Hazing. Apparently Thyste doesn't read the news.

Thyste's face scrunches up for a minute, as if deep in thought, until she shrugs.

"That checks out, yeah."

Any goblin playsss? Ssself likesss goblin playsss. Ssself wasss almossst a goblin sssometimesss.

Fentar blinks slowly, "I went to the Swan's one. It wasn't funny."

"I mean, my money's on the one with the tiny audience about a dragon. That just screams 'kobold.'"

I'm back, and should be able to post when my turn comes up again.

Thanks for your patience and help, everyone.

Hooray!! Happy to have you!

@GM - How far back into the loft can I see from my current position? What if I stand on the table next to me? I'm trying to decide if I can stay on first level or need to go upstairs to target the kobold if he moves to the back of the loft.

From back there you should be able to see the kobold at all times, though they may get cover.

Busy weekend for me, but I’ll try to move us along when the youngest takes their first nap today.

Hi, everyone,

I'm having a rough time for several reasons right now. For the next few days, it's possible my posts might be really brief, without much character. If this happens, please don't take it amiss; I will return to normal posting as soon as I can.

Gotcha. I’ll be slow posting till the start of next week so you may not miss much. I hope things go well with whatever things you are dealing with.

I just have a rummage sale at my house so I get to alternate watching the kids and watching the merch. Then my usual busy weekend stuff. But if things go well this combat will be over soon.

OK, here's what I'm thinking.

I have a campaign service coin, which allows me to give a reroll to one other player at the table. It carries my GM stars (4) as a bonus, too.

I've checked with a group of other VOs, and it appears they agree that it should be possible for Voices to use that reroll here, even after using his own reroll.

That would mean that the second roll would still be OK, although the result would be 3 higher, because it uses my stars instead of Voices' player's stars.

Thanks Garsita! This was becoming a farce.

I feel like we've kindof gotten stuck here and are going in circles. Any ideas how we can get out of this?

Engashez seems to have moved us in a new direction-- just kinda waiting on GM to see how it goes. If it works: hell yeah. If not: well, it might be all we need for Chief Guy over there to attack, and then we can get to the bloody part, and that's generally a lot less complicated ;P

ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED THAT THAT PAID OFF LMAO

It would have been HILARIOUS if Thyste was wrong, though.

Next scenario I’ll play something really dangerous up as ‘looking fake’ then maul ya! :P

Looking forward to it!

I don't remember it ever coming up before, do you have to roll for concealment on a crit confirm roll?

Nope, just on the roll to hit.

That is pretty much it here. The only real question was whether you all decided to show further aggression towards Yiddlepode. But considering no one did anything stupid and you all have been trying to negotiate from day one, I think we can call that point resolved.

You all are welcome to do as much RP you want from this point on, but I will start working on chronicles (hopefully today, maybe not till Monday). Rerolls, if you have one left, are welcome to be used on dayjobs.

It appears I really only need an initial dayjob roll from Engashez (yes, you can roll a dayjob check on a pregen if said pregen has a dayjob skill trained, which this one does).

I will forego a day job.

Thanks Engashez.

One more thing. There is a very specific boon here that requires a decision to be made before I can finish the chronicles. I just realized it or I would have asked you a couple days ago. Anyway, here is the boon verbage.

Contraband Dividends: You ensured that a valuable shipment of contraband antiquities were able to enter Absalom through the sewers without kobolds causing any problems. As a result, you receive a single item of no more than 150 gp from among the non-relic bits of the cargo. You must select this item now and reflect its purchase on this Chronicle sheet.

Thus, I need each of you to pick ONE item available to your character (as in if it is not Core, you own the resource it comes from and that it isn't a banned item) that costs less than 150g.

Might I suggest an excessively ostentatious 50g hat?

Might I suggest an excessively ostentatious 50g hat?

I'm gonna one-up you there: THREE excessively ostentatious 50g hats, sewn together into one.

I'm gonna go ahead and get a Superior Lock. Never know when you'll need it!

Chronicles are here

Obviously only Thyste's is done, but as you all let me know what item you want, I'll finish off your sheet and upload it to the link. Let me know if you see any issues. I'll work on getting the game reported.

Just do the hat for me. I will not actually be playing the character that this is being applied to.

Since Cat doesn't like anything to be closed to his noseyness, he tells Voices to buy a Skeleton Key.

Voices doesn't have a day job.

scroll of lesser restoration, please.
(cost is exactly 150 GP, which is not more than 150 GP)

Chronicles are here

Obviously only Thyste's is done, but as you all let me know what item you want, I'll finish off your sheet and upload it to the link. Let me know if you see any issues. I'll work on getting the game reported.

Thanks you three, your chronicles are done at the above link. Have a great one!

Session Reported, Ruinor PM'd. Just waiting to close this game down to make sure everyone has their chronicles. If I don't hear back from Ruinor in a week, I'll just PM them the link to the chronicles and give them a scroll of Lesser Restoration as their item.

If I can choose anything, I'll take a scroll of glitterdust. That was helpful. Need to build up my spellbook.

Thanks for running the game.

Chronicle sheet looks good; thanks so much for running!

Thanks everyone for a fun game.

GM TOP wrote:

Chronicles are here

Obviously only Thyste's is done, but as you all let me know what item you want, I'll finish off your sheet and upload it to the link. Let me know if you see any issues. I'll work on getting the game reported.

Thanks you three, your chronicles are done at the above link. Have a great one!

All the chronicles are done, thanks again for the game! I'll close this scenario up in 24-48 hours.

Much Appreciated!
It was y'all :)

Is this group sticking together for another scenario?

Not I. Ya'll have fun.

I'm slowly paring down some of my RPG's, actually-- Thyste (and a couple others) is gonna get benched while I focus on some other projects for a bit.

I am not planning on GM'ing another scenario for this group, so probably not? And apparently at least two are out.

See y'all around.