[PbP Gameday X] GM Ladile's Bounties (Inactive)

Game Master Lady Ladile

Shadows & Scarecrows

In the shadow-darkened alleys and fields of Nidal, a scarecrow lurks the night,taking people from yards and common areas before disappearing without a trace. A bounty has been posted on this nefarious fiend, but things may be even murkier than the heroes expect in this land of perpetual twilight.
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The Tireless Path

A caravan is set to depart from the small town of Grayce, but it needs some capable guards. It's up to the PCs to step in and ensure the caravan, and its passengers, reach their destination.
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Somewhere Below

While sheltering in a cave from a storm, the PCs discover a note from a stranded spelunker in need of immediate assistance. They must navigate the hazards and creatures of the treacherous caverns if they want to help their bounty make it out alive.
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A series of three consecutive bounties to begin on September 6th, 2021 for PbP Gameday X.

The Pathfinder Society has been experiencing newfound growth over the last several months after much internal restructuring as well as a major push to bring in new recruits all across Golarion. Some of you may have already decided to answer this call, while others might still be mulling it over, weighing the opportunities against the potential costs. Some of you may have already been sent out on a mission or two and others may have yet to see any real action.

As luck would have it, the Pathfinder Society has plenty of connections and plenty of ways to find things for novice agents to do even when it doesn’t have any official work that needs doing. With the advent of a public job board, practically anyone can request assistance for any small task or errand that needs doing. Of course the Society makes sure to only allow postings that they deem appropriate for their novice agents to tackle, so the available jobs are *usually* fairly benign in nature.

All of this is how each of you find yourselves en route via merchant caravan to a place called Rannan's Ranch, located in the northern reaches of Nidal…
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Please feel free to introduce your characters and chat among yourselves, if you feel so inclined.

“Hi! I’m Scary Gourd and this is my cat Entropy!”

Many leshies have names that talk about their personalities. In the case of Scary Gourd the name is their whole bearing. Even when they smile, there is just something unsettling about them.

At first glance they looked like a normal pumpkin-headed gourd leshy in leather armor. The ‘cat’ is more precisely a leopard.

Then as you looked closer, you noticed that there were patterns in their leaves that looked like hellfire. The vines that made up their body twist and writhe in unsettling ways. When they speak, their deep voice has an unnatural echo to it.

Parnel is staring at SCary Gourd. After a bit, he finally blinks. "You are an interesting one, my leshy friend. I have seen humans carving squash similar to your appearance in some odd attempt to scare aware harmful spirits. I sincerely doubt it has any effect, but I would be happy for your company on the off chance it does!"

The elf's demeanor is so dry, you cannot tell if he was trying to make a joke or not.

"You can call me Parnel. Nice cat."

A Varisian man with graying hair and weathered skin that suggest an age usually reserved for those adventurers who are ready to retire--unless they are knowledge hungry arcanists or the Decemvirate--into a life made luxurious by the mounds of coin and gems retrieved from giants' halls and dragons' caves. However, his threadbare clothing and leather armor that looks old and barely kept oiled than used suggests another explanation: he has begun an adventuring career late in life.

The rapier hilt, in contrast, is well worn from use rather than mere age, and the buckler is fairly well scored. His backpack and other adventuring supplies appear freshly purchased.

He shuffles a deck of cards while idle. "Well, that's very literal," he replies. "Sebasti. Nice to meet you. First leshy that I've met, actually."

“My first name was Abyssal Flames of Fallen Leaves. People kept referring to me as that scary gourd, so I decided to just own it.”

“Nice to meet the two of you!”

His words are friendly enough. His body language still screams of murderous intent.

A middle-aged human woman glowers at the rest of you. She wears scraps of various animal hides all stitched together and her hair is one giant tangle. It looks like she hasn't so much as brushed it in a decade.

"I'm Aella. I used to live in a nice cabin in the woods for twenty years until the townsfolk ran me out. They said I was a witch. I'm not a witch! They wouldn't listen. So anyway, I guess I'm in the Society now, at least until I can find a new cabin that's even further away from people."

A small kobold comes from the road of the town of Petitioner's Point, Druma to land in the nation of Nidal. He has a backpack and has no armor on him.

As the green-scaled kobold approaches the group, he greets "Hello, Isder Edabreth, here. I'm working my body, but those adversaries may not have build my resistance to help the helpless. Nice weather, we have here."

"This is bound to be a lovely bunch of folk," Sebasti comments with a riffle of his cards. "I think it's a tie for friendliest compatriot between the kobold and the leshy named Abyssal Flames of Fallen Leaves. Maybe I ought to go back to guard duty. Oh wait!" He smacks his head with his hand. "I can't afford the trip back on my own."

Parnel cracks the smallest of smiles. "Joining the society has certainly given me a chance to explore unique situations I certainly would not have found elsewhere. Does anyone yet know why we have been called together? My understanding is that it is likely to be some mundane task, but I suppose we have to start somewhere."

Puzzled, Scary looks at Parnel and asks "You mean it wasn't to guard the caravan?"

Sebasti draws a knife from his belt and throws it into the posting board. "This. I expect," he says, placing his hand upon the bill as he yanks his blade out of the board.

"Hello, young folk" an old man says, sitting down with a groan. "I'm from Pathfinder Temp Services, here to help on your mission. My name's Ezren."

Sebasti considers the wizard. "I guess I am still young! Good to know."

Ezren regards Sebasti with a keen eye. "Hmph. I meant no offense. I'm so used to being trotted out to help squads of new agents that may as well still be in diapers."

"No offense taken! I am new," Sebasti says with a chuckle. "And I don't mind not being called young."

“Diapers?” a very puzzled leshy turns to ask.

As Scary Gourd wonders what a diaper is and the purpose it has, the small trade caravan that you’ve been traveling with tops a small rise and just below you see your destination at last. The village of Rannan's Ranch sits clustered around one particularly large homestead, with smaller farms, homesteads, and ranches stretching out across the windswept, gray-grassed plains in all directions. On these lands, the people of Rannan’s Ranch raise dark nidarrmars, a breed of horse known for its swiftness, silence, and discipline in the face of danger, and guard the quick, wild horses called chiardmars, whose dappled gray coats are often likened to moon shadows on the grass.

The caravan slowly makes its way down the rise and into the village, passing small but sturdy-looking wooden homes and businesses on the way. You see a few people here and there, tending small gardens or feeding their livestock, but most of them afford you little more than a glance as you pass by. Toughened and made wary by the hardships of day-to-day life in Nidal, they keep their focus on their work.

Continuing on, the caravan makes its way into what passes for the town square before coming to a stop outside of a small shop with a weather-beaten sign that reads, ‘Izevel’s General Store’. While the caravan master heads inside, you’re finally able to set your feet back on solid ground and stretch your legs a bit. As you do, you notice a short man dressed in riding leathers walk up to a nearby post and hammer a piece of parchment onto it. Once this task is completed he lingers nearby, quietly speaking to the occasional villager that approaches.
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Optional Mood Music

Scary Gourd shoves Entropy and the cat lazily gets up so Scary Gourd can move. The little leshy drops off the back of the wagon and pauses a moment to stretch before wandering over to the post.

He nods a greeting towards the person who just nailed up the notice and then looks up and tries to read it.

Sebasti hops down and walks over to the person in riding leathers. "Need help?"

Isder jumps down the wagon and begin to walk toward the short man that may still be taller than a kobold. He peaks at the content, while he lands an ear to what he will say to Sebasti.

Ezren stands slowly, pushing his hands into the small of his back with a groan, then gingerly climbs down out of the wagon as he grumbles about being too old for this. "Well now, let me see, let me see." He squints as he reads the parchment, his grizzled face only a few inches from the board.

"So, what's it say?"

Using your uncanny abilities to sense when someone needs help, the lot of you are quick to amble over to the notice board and the gentleman standing nearby. As he spots the group heading towards him the man noticeably perks up, looking hopeful. And when Sebasti calls out to him, the man gives a nod.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

He jerks his thumb at the notice freshly pinned on the board.

"Name's Rannan and I guess you could say that I'm the one in charge here, or close enough," he explains. "I've been out of pocket for a bit on some business at another ranch, but if you think you can help us out here, I'm happy to tell you what I know."

"Seems that over the last couple of weeks folks have started going missing around here. First it was Nema, another rancher like myself. Next, Lieraka and Maredine - married couple, real nice folks - vanished from their home during the night. And just yesterday Etendon went missing while he was out working in the pasture."

Rannan sighs and shakes his head. "There's not been much to go on; some of the others around here've seen a strange creature stalking around the edges of town of late. They say it's a walking scarecrow! I don't know if I believe that or not, I ain't seen anything myself to say for sure one way or the other. But rumor travels fast in a small place like this and folks are scared. We could use any help we can get at this point, especially if there actually is a monster prowling around. These folks are farmers and ranchers, not warriors."

Parnel casts a sideways glance at the leshy. "Scary Gourd, have you been stalking the outskirts of town?"

"That's unfortunate," Sebasti says with understatement. "Could you share directions to these folk's homes and any kin they left behind?"

"Well, hopefully. We hope to find the creature or the person that haunt the area." says Isder as he listens to Rannan.

Parnel casts a sideways glance at the leshy. "Scary Gourd, have you been stalking the outskirts of town?"

Shaking their head, they reply “No, I don’t have a cape like that. I should get one, it looks great!”

Looking to Rannan, they ask “How tall is the good looking gourd on the poster?”

Parnel wrote:

Parnel casts a sideways glance at the leshy. "Scary Gourd, have you been stalking the outskirts of town?"

Shaking their head, they reply “No, I don’t have a cape like that. I should get one, it looks great!”

Looking to Rannan, they ask “How tall is the good looking gourd on the poster?”

"Er...folks say it looked about human-sized," Rannan answers, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as he stares at Scary Gourd. "Certainly bigger than you. But, ah, maybe it wouldn't hurt for you to try and keep a low profile just in case, until the matter's solved. Might try putting a bag over your, uh, melon, there. Or maybe drawing a happier expression on there or something. You know."

"That's unfortunate," Sebasti says with understatement. "Could you share directions to these folk's homes and any kin they left behind?"

Clearly eager for a change of subject, Rannan nods. "Aye. You can find Nema's husband working over in the stables; goes by Hektril. Etendon's folks - Ername and Airill - have been looking for him but they've got two other young'uns so they can't go too far afield. Last I saw, they were out circling the perimeter of town on their horses. And I can give you directions to Lieraka and Maredine's place. You might run into Lieraka's brother out there since he said he was going to go back and have another look around."

"Oh, one other thing. You might want to pay a visit to Teflar, our priestess," Rannan adds. "She's been looking into the disappearances too so she might be able to tell you more."

The rancher glances around and then lowers his voice slightly. "Since you're all clearly not from around here, I'd better let you know that Teflar serves Zon-Kuthon, the Midnight Lord. The Midnight Lord is the patron deity of Nidal, so...please, step lightly when you talk with Teflar. Any trouble with her could have consequences for all of us. Understand?"

"Good to know!" Sebasti says as the rancher warns them about the politics of Nidal. He turns to the others and asks, "Any preferences of where to start? The widowe--eh, uh--poor man with a missing wife."

Isder says "Anyone with information is always a good guest to have our visit."
He takes another look at the paper and at Scary Gourd to understand the man. "Oh!"

“Maybe if I wear a hat that would help?”

They go digging in their pack and bring out a green floppy hat. They put it on their head then look at you with a smile. They really need to work on that smile…

“The man, Hektil,, sounds like a good person to start with.”

"Sure, let's speak to Hektil. I mean, Nema is probably dead already, but he might have information that helps us find the culprit."

You realize you probably shouldn't let Aella handle any delicate conversations.

"Ah, yes" Ezren says with a knowing nod to Rannan. "We wouldn't dream of causing trouble for your town."

Later, as the party travels to talk to Hektil, Ezren shares what he knows. "Now you just step lightly, folks. Nidal may serve Zon-Kuthon, but lots of folks around here are inclined toward Desna instead, or at least are willing to shelter the dreamers that are. We don't need to stir up any trouble."

"I'm mighty appreciative," Rannan answers as you agree to take some care when you go to speak with Teflar. "I'll be around here in town today if you got any other questions or learn anything useful, alright?"
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After a brief confab you decide that it might be easiest to start with Hektil, who should be working over in the nearby stables. The group gets a few double-takes and whispers as people take notice of Scary Gourd in his fantabulous hat, but most of the villagers that you meet don't seem keen on a confrontation and simply watch as you pass by.

As you reach the stables you can hear from inside the sound of pained whinnying and snorts, followed by a man's voice.

"Blast! Come on old girl, settle down...just settle down..."

Peeking inside, you can see a tall, weathered-looking man standing just in front of one of the stalls. He seems to be attempting to approach the horse within - one of the region's famed nidarrmars - but for whatever reason, it refuses to let him get close, whinnying and nervously pawing the ground of the stall.

"Shadowsilver, you've got to let me have a look at that leg...come on, you know who I am...!"

In spite of his words you can practically feel the worry and frustration rolling off of this man, which probably isn't helping the injured horse feel particularly at ease.

"Not that I want to distract you and get you kicked in the head," Sebasti says from outside the barn door. He clears his throat and pauses before continuing. "But I've got at least one person with me who might be able to help you with your horse."

Scary Gourd moves to where he can see the horse. “What happened to it’s leg?”

”Do you mind if I take a look?”

Assuming no objections, Parnel will attempt to treat the creature’s wounds.
Medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
If Successful: 2d8 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6

Isder looks at the scene from the back of group.

“Might want someone to calm the horse first, Parnel!”

Scary Gourd does their best to try and prevent Parnel from getting a hoof print to the face or body for his troubles.
Nature, command an animal to calm down: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Not having much affinity for animals, Ezren stands back and watches his more skilled allies take the lead.

Aella tries to help with the horse.

Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

She is too distracted by the yelling to be of much help, though.

"Huh? Who...?" Hektril begins, but then quickly steps back as Scary Gourd and Parnel approach the stall, followed by Aella.

As unsettling as the leshy may appear to people, they somehow radiate an aura of calm confidence that begins to put Shadowsilver at ease, slowly but surely. Aella attempts to help calm the animal as well but Hektril's tense emotional state distracts even her, preventing her from being much use.

While the Scary Gourd has the horse calm and distracted, Parnel is able to get close enough to look at the creature's left hind leg and realizes that the horse seems to have developed an abscess that is surely very painful for the animal. It takes a few minutes, but the talented elf is able to lance the abscess and drain out a copious amount of pus, taking care to clean the area when he's finished.

"Well...how about that," Hektril whistles softly as Parnel begins wrapping up his work. "I've seen some talented animal handlers pass through Rannan's Ranch but I don't know that I've ever seen any as good as you. Or as strange," he adds a bit bluntly, staring at Scary Gourd in particular and also glancing at Isder. "But you took care of Shadowsilver proper so it don't matter to me if you've got two heads or a couple of extra limbs."

He takes a seat on a small wooden stool, sighing heavily as he does. "Anyhow, you probably didn't actually come here to help me with the horses. I'm Hektril; is there something I can do for you folks?"

”Hopefully, we can help you,” Sebasti explains. ”We’re looking into the disappearances. Including your wife. Can you help us help you?”

Now that the horse is calm and their problem resolved, Scary Gourd uses their Heal Animal ability on it. They stay with the horse, keeping it calm, as the humans talk. They are careful that the horse doesn’t mistake them for feed.

Heal Animal then refocus

Being a monk, Isder tries to refrain from doing some flips or jumping jacks. Rather, he cares to listen to the conversation from the back of the group.

Apologies, was under the weather yesterday/Monday.

"I...I wasn't home when Nema disappeared," Hektril responds after a long pause. "I was over at the shrine, talking with Teflar, our priestess. When we heard word that Nema was gone, Teflar told me to abandon my tears and keep about my work here while she searched for signs of Nema and the others that have been taken."

He takes a slow and deep breath, clearly still grappling with his own emotions.

"She's right, of course. Tears are for the weak. This pain is...is a gift from the Midnight Lord. Praise be that we have Teflar here to help guide us all! Her connection with him is strong and whatever's happened to my Nema and the others, she'll get to the bottom of it. If you're wanting to help, you should have a talk with her."

"I...that's all I can tell you," Hektril adds after a moment's pause. "Wish it were something more, especially after your help here but that's all I've got. Nema was just...gone. No signs of a fight or anything. The stew she'd made for dinner was still in the pot over the fire. It's like she just...vanished..."

"Would you mind if we inspect footprints or anything odd before we go meet your priestess Teflar? " says Isder as he considers options while he listened.

"No signs of a fight? Huh. A charm or compulsion maybe?" Sebasti muses to himself. "We'll do what we can to find her." While Isder goes to inspect the premises, he turns to the others. "Do you want to check with the other families before we go talk to the priest? See if we can find anything the Kuthite might have missed in her investigation?"

“Other people are more likely to have animals than the priest is. I like animals better, so I am in favor of that.”

The player doesn’t care about order we do it in, but the character has a mild preference.