[GDX] GM Blake - PFS(2) 2-11: Pathfinder Trials (Tier 1) (Inactive)

Game Master Blake's Tiger

Father Cornelius attempts to stop Gnimish before he breaks anything. He says to the gnome, "Gnimish, my child, Peter is correct. Master Shaine was quite clear that we're to retrieve another amulet first. This slime worm is most certainly not a devil." Turning to the worm, he reassures him, "We'll be back soon, and my colleague will be happy to demonstrate the fine art of destruction." He heads with the others back to the portal.

Gnimish quietly follows Father Cornelius, chastened...

I would have needed to know what Gnimish was telekinetically projectiling to break, also, since this room specifically has nothing in it.

You retreat through the portal and enter the last one left to be explored: the violet portal. You appear in a room empty except for a plinth in the center covered by a purple drape. Standing upon the plinth is a tiny, winged creature with sharp claws, much like the other one except slightly shorter horns and smoother skin. It picks at the amulet in its hands with one of its clawed fingers. He lets out a long sigh.

Gnimish whispers to Father Cornelius, "Is that our devil, by any chance?"

Hmm... It would be difficult to break something in a room with nothing in it, all right... I was going to just send a sling bullet at something, if there was something in the room :)

When they reach the tiny winged creature, Father Cornelius nods to Gnimish and exclaims, "Yes, my child, we have yet another imp." He considers and adds, "They're smaller than I remember. But I'm quite certain about this one." He was quite certain about the others too.

Seeing the amulet, he's about to start a conversation with the imp, but he decides to let someone like Peter take the lead in diplomatic missions. Instead, he leans against a wall to rest.

"'Sup, imp? We heard you have an amulet that you're supposed to give to us."

"Wha-? What is a supimp? And I'm not supposed to give this to you," the creature says with a snort. "I could, however, sell it to you."

"We don't really have anything to give you besides some copper pieces." Feno reaches into his pocket and pulls out a single copper piece. "What do you think, imp?"

"Bro, it's short for 'what is up, my dear impizzle?' It's a term of endearment, because we're besties. And besties don't charge their besties for amulets.

I'll tell you what, I'm dropping a new single next week. I'll let you be one of the background dancers, and you can get paid in exposure."

Not Deception, Peter really is dropping a new single next week.

"I do not want anything so crass as material wealth, nor do I want to be your... background dancer," the creature says disdainfully. "I will sell you the amulet in exchange for merely a chance to collect your soul: you receive the amulet and, if you die within the next full day, your soul is mine. If you do not die within that time frame, well, you are free to go about your lives without another thought about me."

Up to this point, Bugtussle had been happy to go along with the group; he knew little of fantastical creatures and was content to trust to his more knowledgeable companions on such subjects. But now, he lightly shifts from one foot to the other as he looks to his companions.

"'A devil is in this dungeon, a weak but cunning scion of Hell. Those of her kind love make deals and frequently serve as assistants to unwise spellcasters'," he repeats. "That other imp-thing didn't seem to care about making deals but this one does. Bugtussle thinks this is the right imp."

He pauses.

"Do any of us want to sell a chance on our souls? It doesn't seem very smart to gamble with something like that..."

"Not me. You'll have to claim my soul from Nirvana."

Peter puts his hands together piously.

"Alright, imp, there's really no choice. I came from Vigil, and I see what they do with fiends like you there. So hand over the amulet, or I'm telling."

Intimidation: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Father Cornelius strokes his beard at the imp's offer. "While we'd love to come to an accord, you understand we can't accept those terms. Far too many variables." He ticks off on his fingers, "When you say die within the next full day, could that mean die of boredom? Or worse, if we make the deal, might you have an accomplice planning to take our lives when we leave the room?" He considers further and asks, "As a devout follower of Sarenrae, what does it mean that a soul is yours?" He listens carefully to the imp's response.

Squish shakes his head and blubs "Glad you're all to smart to take dumb deal."

"Come now, surely we can agree to a better deal than what you're proposing. I could make you a good coffee, you know, I've got this stall here in Absalom with a good friend. Why don't you give us the amulet and I'll make sure you get the best coffee you ever tasted."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

The creature laughs at Peter's threat.

"We can finalize the specifics, but when I say die, I mean that your body ceases to be alive," it explains. "And what I mean by your soul is mine is that I possess it to trade, invest, or sell at my leisure."

He turns to give Gnimish a sidelong gaze, "You're really trying to charm a devil into a lousy deal like that? You've got to get up a few centuries earlier to pull one over on Ygracix. Look, it's simple for you, really. You want to pass your test. I want a chance at your soul. You make a deal, or you fail your test. There'll be another group soon enough."

Diplomacy isn't the solution here, though it does allow you to confirm he's a devil.

Squish blubs "Not gonna happen, what else do you want? Maybe a nice vacation back to hell? You tell us."

Feno looks stumped. "No soul bartering please, my dear Ygracix. We are better than that, right?"

"I have another solution: give us the amulet and we wont bring up your bargain with our supervisor."

The good Father studies the evil imp with curiosity.

Can Cornelius make a Religion check (+7) to recall other methods to use, or to recall what else might appeal to such creatures?

Are we allowed to make multiple checks? If so, Peter can try some more.

"I can sweeten the deal," the devil says. "I'll give you the amulet and, for the next hour, unnatural luck in exchange for your soul should you die within the next full day. How's that sound? No? Well, sure, you could send me back to Hell. Go right ahead, but I know the rules of your test. Do you?"

Intimidation isn't the answer, either, here.

Father Cornelius responds, "Can we have a moment to discuss privately?" He gathers the Pathfinders together, out of auditory range of the imp, and whispers, "While many have tried to unsuccessfully negotiate with devils, it's possible for someone charismatic to deceive lesser devils like this imp." He looks hopefully toward Peter.

As an afterthought, Cornelius adds, "Or if anyone was well-versed in the area of law (legal lore), we might include a loophole in the deal." He scans the group for any volunteers.

"I can try fooling him. I also have some knowledge in theater arts, though not very much..."

Theater Lore +3, Deception +6, 16 Charisma

"I may be of some service here. I'm ... ahh ... good at lying."

Peter will detail a new contract, with loopholes.

Deception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Gnimish looks it over and proposes different wording, implications, etc.

Deception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

"I had to do all this while setting up my coffee stand with Giz close to Dacilane Academy. Had to promise all of those safety inspectors that we won't be a hazard." Gnimish rambles on about having to appease the "OH-ES-AETSCH-AY" inspectors that Giz won't set the place on fire...

"Bugtussle has been known to stretch the truth a bit, but Bugtussle doesn't speak Legalese," the leshy laments when the group confers privately. "So...Bugtussle will stand by until one of you need him or something happens that Bugtussle can help with."
______________

Aka Bugtussle has an okay Deception skill but Peter and Gnimish are better :)

Feno has never lied in his life. Maybe stretched the truth a little bit further than necessary, but he does not feel comfortable lying to the creature before him. He watches the others with interest, writing down notes in case he ever has to encounter a devil again.

Once Peter presents himself as willing to make a deal, the devil summons a scroll and a quill and scribes a contract with supernatural swiftness. He hands it over to Peter, who makes some adjustments, and back and forth them go for several minutes. Gnimish throws in some suggestions that he believes are helpful. At the end, both sides agree upon terms and sign their names in blood. Each side believing that they have the better deal.

"Here is your amulet," the devil hands over the jewelry to Peter. "Maybe I'll see you soon. Or never. We'll see!" He winks and then disappears in a puff of sulfur.

"Huzzah! Now we go back to Master Shaine and see which amulet he wants next, right?"

Father Cornelius breathes a sigh of relief once the imp is truly gone.

He turns to Gnimish and Peter, "Oh, well done indeed. Both of you. You make an old man proud." Cornelius joins the others through the portal to get our next assignment from Kreighton Shaine.

Peter melodramatically retells the story about how he spilled gallons of his blood to retrieve the amulet.

Feno continues to take notes. "Impressive work there, Peter. Glad we got the amulet in the end. But did you really make a deal with a devil?"

Peter gulps.

When you return to the main chamber, you find Master Shaine shaking his head. He appears to be surprisingly aware of your most recent actions. "Tsk. Short cuts sometimes present themselves in the field, and it is ultimately up to each individual Pathfinder agent to weigh the costs and determine which are worth paying for gold, knowledge, or prestige." He shakes his head again as he collects the amulet. "It is troubling that anyone would risk their soul to score a point on a training exercise. I have observed some agents use their deft fingers to relieve the imp of his amulet, and others have opted to fail to retrieve the amulet. However, a point you have scored. Now on to the next amulet. The lowliest of all demons has an amulet. Particularly wicked spellcasters actually break off a piece of their soul and form it into a minion."

"Oh, I remember, the quasit!"

Peter heads to the blue circle. Assuming the others follow and the blue circle sends us to the place the blue circle sent us before, Peter will approach the quasit and ask politely for his amulet.

"Hey, bro, I'm sorry about earlier. Can we please have your amulet now?"

"Take it!" the demon shoves the amulet in Peter's face again, waiting for him to take it. Once he does, the creature vanishes in a puff of smoke.

When you return to Shaine, he nods. "That one stretched the rules almost as well as any devil in order to be free of my binding spell," he says with a chuckle. "Two points. Next: one of our subjects is a protean, a creature of the Maelstrom that thrives on raw entropy. Proteans are interested in acts of both creation and destruction."

"Sweet."

♫ Fill the void up with celluloid
Take a picture with the demonoids
I get what I want because I ask for it
Not because I'm really that deserving of it ♫

Perhaps a little uncharacteristically self-aware of Peter, but I always think of those lyrics when I ask for stuff.

Yellow circle!

Remembering the blue eel who asked us to destroy something, Father Cornelius turns to Gnimish, "Get that spell of yours ready to go, my child. This may be your time to shine." He grins.

Cornelius then considers the items Kreighton Shaine provided, and adds, "I notice we were given some rope and some alchemist fires. We could surely make a fine show of destruction by combining the two." He follows Peter to the yellow circle.

Feno kindly remembers the Protean. He's used to the chaoticness of the Maelstrom. I'm gonna rebuild Feno as a ganzi after this adventure I think.

Upon reaching the 'floating, electric blue eel with two long yellow tendrils' again, Feno calls out again, "Hello. You're a protean, correct? May we have the amulet please?"

Squish blubs and smiles "Lets bring something to break"

"Let's blow something up!" Bugtussle chimes in. "Even Bugtussle knows that explosions are neat. Maybe use those alchemist fires like Father Cornelius said."

You head back through the yellow portal.

The floating, psychedelic eel zips over to you. "You're back! I was so bored. Are you going to show me a change in state?"

At the mention of "protean", Gnimish shudders. "I fought one in my last adventure. Nasty piece of work." He brightens at the thought of unleashing some destruction, though. "So what are we going to break?"

Peter will hold his breath to change his facial color.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Seeing Peter hold his breath, Father Cornelius laughs, "Careful, my boy ... if you do that too long, your face may stay that way." He grins.

When the eel mentions change in state, Father Cornelius says to Gnimish, "My boy, I'm not sure breaking something will be enough. Surely the solid object you break would still be a solid ... just in smaller pieces." He considers the Decanter of Endless Water and changes his mind about burning the rope, "Could we use the Alchemist Fire to turn a pool of water from a liquid state to a gaseous state?" He looks to the group.

"If you can create some water, maybe I can put some acid into it and create steam, or make it sizzle and give off smoke?"

(thinking about throwing some acid via acid splash into water, or if someone has parchment, I can dissolve some of it)

Father Cornelius nods to Gnimish. "Excellent idea. We were given this Decanter of Endless Water, so we have plenty of that." He smiles and hands the Decanter to the gnome.

Gnimish hands the decanter back. "You can create a small pool there, while I get my spell ready"

Do I still need to make an attack roll for this?

"Sounds good to Bugtussle," the leshy nods, moving to clear some space for the demonstration.

Assuming it's straightforward to activate the Decanter...

Nodding to Gnimish, Father Cornelius opens the Decanter of Endless Water and creates a small pool of water in the corner of the room. "That should do it." He backs away, near Bugtussle, awaiting the sorcerer's demonstration.