[Gameday X] GM Mauve's CORE #5-1 The Glass River Rescue (Inactive)

Game Master MauveAvengr

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The group of Pathfinders gather in an opulent parlor in the Druman capital of Kerse, part of the manor home of Temel Passad, a prominent Kalistocrat. Served the finest Chelish wind and delicate sweetmeats while awaiting their host, you can peruse a letter from Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin.

(Letter seen here).

After reading the letter, two silent servants open a pair of richly lacquered doors, and a human and two dwarves stride into the lavish parlor. The man, clad in immaculate robes of whitest silk, is short and round with a blond oiled beard, and his eyes are alert and amused. He takes a touch of snuff from a golden box and sneezes before saying, "It is a pleasure to welcome Pathfinders to one of my estates once more. I am, as you may know, Temel Passad. Allow me to introduce --"

One of the two dwarves, a redheaded female in deep scarlet robes, curtly interrupts the man. "We can introduce ourselves, Passad. I am Metella Raugar, representing the interests of several Highhelm mercantile consortia. My companion" -- she gestures to a dwarven man with leathery skin baked by the sun, his head swathed in a bright yellow scarf -- "Is Amauhak of Reth Bezel, a mystic of the sand dwarves of Osirion."

Passad attentively sees to his guests' needs and ensures that refreshments are to their liking before discussing business. "My boat the Abacus will take you from Kerse, hugging the shore of Lake Encarthan before entering the mouth of the Glass River to pursue your first task: searching the Gray Revelation Inn. From their, the Abacus will then take you the rest of the way to Mendec to deliver me, Metella, and Amauhak and hopefully the liberated envoys."

The deeply tanned mystic notes, "Keeping the presence of myself and my two companions a secret is the wisest course, given what has happened to the earlier team."

Passad looks around, "Any questions?"

Allow me to introduce myself: Corbrae Illynel. Artist at the service of the Master of the First Vault. The most obvious question is: "what happened to the earlier team?"

The half elf woman was enjoying the refreshment and food graviously offered by their hosts, but she was paying attention to their words and attitude.

It would have be bad manners- at least to her sense- to bring her weapons at a Pathfinder meeting, but she wears some fine leather armor

But of course there are others questions to come. We wouldn't be true pathfinders if we didn't try to extract the maximum of informations from our superiors before going on a mission.

Sipping some excellent Chelish wine, she adds
The same superiors, of course, expecting us to already have some basic knowledge about the facts and whereabouts of said mission.

Know Nobility: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 6 + 1 = 16
Know Local: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 1 = 25
Know geography: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 1 = 9

Additional +1 from Bard knowledge, of course.

Sitting at one of the more sturdy chairs, a human with a copper tinge to his skin checked the area around him, trying to get an idea who he would need to stick near to protect them. A great axe rested near him, ready for any action ans some silver mail was under his clothing. The weapon appeared as if it was just purchased as there was no damage to the axe head. The same could be said about the armor.

"I am Eurkar. Pleased to meet everyone." he said.

Looking at the half elf, Eurkar nodded in agreement but then frowned at the mention of the prior team being lost. "I guess that if we have to go after them, there is no clue as to what happened. If there was, we would have been told it was a rescue mission or who we needed to speak with concerning their ransom. So, if we run into them, try to free them, if dead, bring back information, correct? Eurkar said.

The swashbuckler slowly chews on a cheese topped pastry as he listens intently to those present. A silvery chain shirt is visible under his waistcoat and a pair of elegant shortswords are sheathed with one on each hip.
"A rescue mission, aye?
Well, it will be nice to be aboard a ship again. It's been too long."

He finishes the pastry and wipes his hands on his coat.
"Who, or what, are these Razmiri priests mentioned in the missive?"
He inquires with a cocked eyebrow.

"You'll be rescuing three dwarves: Rakuska Imgardam, a well-known Five Kings diploat and devotee of Torag; Holfist Senstrom of Taggoret; and Pechas Domri - like Amuhak, a Pahmet dwarf of Osirion. All are valued for their strategic and militery acumen."

Passad continues. "Razmiran is a strict theocratic government presided over by a vast priestly bureaucracy serving a being said to be a living god. All other faiths are prohibited in the nation, though foreign priests are tolerated as long as they are not proselytizing and just passing through. All nonresidents are subject to sundry tarrifs and unannounced inspections."

Skill checks to see what you know about Razmirian and its state religion

Knowledge (history) or (religion)

Let me know when you're ready to move on!

Leon is a hulking brute. Covered in armor with a nasty sharp farming tool strapped to his massive back he looks quite dangerous. Especially those massive hands that each look like they could snap a normal human in half.

He has surprisingly delicate grip though on his wineglass, even though it looks quite small in his grasp. Apparently years of manipulating weapons and pressure points on enemy bodies help in this situation.

The bulky human stands at attention when their hosts arrive and keeps looking back and forth between the letter and everyone else before speaking in a grumbly voice, "Dis lettah heah says da grah revlation inn. We go der an crack heads it seem." He downs his glass of wine and nods, "Redduh to go."

As one might expect, knowledge history and religion are not Leon's areas of expertise. He does not carry a holy symbol, but does have a wayfinder hanging from his neck.

He holds up the fancy light making compass, "We okay tah wear dese or goin all sneaky like?"

Know History: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 1 = 18

All I know is that Razmir is the god-king of the lands, having passed the test of the famed Starstone half a century ago. Whether or not he is a true god is unknown to me.

Before the hosts arrive:

A young red-haired woman in studded leather armor with a dark bow slung over her back and a longsword on her hip enters and approaches the group of Pathfinders.

"Leon!" she exclaims and dashes forward, grabbing the hulking human in a big hug. "So good to see you again!"

Then she seems to remember her manners. She walks around and shakes hands, smiling exitedly.

"Hi, I'm Merida... Merida Bowie! This is my third mission!"

After introductions, Merida proudly shows Leon her new bow.

"Isn't she a beauty? Finely crafted darkwood... and now I can use all of my strength when pulling back the string, making the arrows hit way harder than with my old bow!"

Merida is a very chipper young woman who is easily excited and sometimes a bit naive.
But you do not want to incur her wrath... unless you want to become the target of her - more or less ;-) - well-aimed arrows...

After the hosts introductions:

Merida looks a bit concerned, but also confident.

"I'm ready! We should not keep those poor prisoners waiting!" she exclaims.

Merida is not trained in Knowledge History or Religion.
She does not carry a holy symbol, either.

A strong female dwarf makes her way around the room gingerly, clearly out of her element, but interested and eager to try all of the exotic foods that's she's never seen before. Her gear belies the insecure impression she gives off strongly; she wears well made--even stylish--armor and carries an exceptionally-crafted longbow over her shoulder.

Nibbling away at all the fancy treats, her ears perk up at mention of the Skycitadel and dwarven emissaries. She glances around the room, nervously. Is that why I'm here? I barely know anyone from a Skycitadel anymore; I can't represent the dwarves all by myself!

She stiffens up, and looks as if she's preparing to shoulder the weight of the world.

When two other dwarves are introduced as the real emissaries, her sigh is all too audible; she looks around sheepishly as people turn to make eye contact, shrugging her shoulders awkwardly.

She offers no questions, but when the briefing is done, she immediately gravitates to Merida, introducing herself. "I'm Nitre, and I love your bow!" She hands her own, a masterwork +4 Str composite, over, and gives Merida's a couple test pulls. "Do you like it? I just got it!"

No history or religion here, either. She does revere Pharasma, but carries no religious symbols.

"Arr! Where be me manners?"
The sailor holds out his arms as he gives a crooked grin.
"The name's Jaek. Merchant sailor and charming rogue."
He removes his tricorn hat and sweeps it in front of him as he gives an ostentatious bow. He then places his hat back on his head.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
He says with a wink and a flashy smile.

All I know is that Razmir is the god-king of the lands, having passed the test of the famed Starstone half a century ago. Whether or not he is a true god is unknown to me.

"Okay."

(History and religion aren't Jaek's areas of expertise, either.)

Turning his attention to the matters at hand, Jaek anxiously claps his hands together, ready to set sail for adventure.
"Luckily, we got some escorts who know where we be goin'."
He nods at the dwarf emissaries.
"I'm ready whenever everyone else is."

After the re-introductions, the Pathfinders are ready to head out! They journey along the coat of Lake Encarthan from Kerse. The travel is uneventful. Passad's hired hands - five sailors in all, including the captain - are quiet and efficient, and the boat, a modest craft named Abacus, reaches the mouth of the Glass River and heads east without incident.

As the boat enters Razmiri waters, the group must decide if they will dock at Xer and pay any necessary tolls or sail on and try to evade Razmiri authorities.

Passad speaks up, "I prefer the former. Maintaining that abiding by the local customs will help us avoid unwanted attention, especially if they include an extra 'gratuity' when we pay our tolls. Furthermore, without proof that we've paid the expected tribute, we run the risk of greater trouble if accosted by one of the ubiquitous faith barges upriver.". He looks at the others. "I am happy to provide the toll myself.". The man draws two platinum pieces from a white silk purse.

Mettela counters, "Stopping at Xer will give the authorities a chance to search the boat and discover us. It will be better to avoid the docks altogether and take our chances with any faith barges we encounter."

So, you'll have to decide as a group to stop at Xer to pay tolls or test your luck and sail on.

I think it's a wiser decision to stop at the docks. No need to provoke troubles that early in our mission. Thank you for paying the toll too, that's a gallant gesture.

"Yeah, I think paying the toll is probably just the right thing to do! We're not trying to be that secret, are we?"

Leon shrugs, "Whatevah's fine wit me. I just heah to crack heads."

Dock preferred.

"Nice to meet you, Nitre! Wow, your bow is exceptional! Unfortunately, I don't have the strength needed for it..."

When the discussion regarding the tolls starts, Merida states her opinion:

"I'm with Corbrae - stopping at Xer seems less risky to me."

"Wait, wait, wait. Put those coins away, my good sir."
He waves a hand gesturing for the dwarf to put the coin purse away.
Jaek pulls out a folded scrap of parchment and unfolds it to show the group. It is stamped with an official seal.
"Let's stop in Xer. I have a writ from the Gold Crown Company. Every merchant, dockmaster, and inspector knows the Gold Crown Company. This allows me to have any fees waived when entering a country (Well, once/scenario). It shows were not transporting any illicit goods, if anything at all. We're not carrying any cargo, correct? We'll just keep you dwarves down in the hold and us Pathfinders should be able to do some easy convincin' that they need not search the ship, especially with this Gold Crown letter."

The city of Xer occupies the north bank of the Glass River, and its dozens of docks remain busy as ships headed both east and west call at the port. Grubby men and women in bulky jackets patrol the docks, and few smiling faces are to be seen. Passad and the dwarves stay belong deck in the quarters.

The boat's captain chooses an isolated berth sheltered on either side by tall warehouses. One of the sailors automatically tosses a rope to a dockworker who moors the boat to a post near him. This prevents the boat from departing until the Razmiri finish their business (or someone severs the rope).

As the Abacus arrives at the dock, three Razmiri enforcers - one holding the taut leash of a slavering, half-tamed wolf - approaches. "What your business? How many souls are aboard?" she calls out. The three enforcers seem ill-tempered and poorly disciplined.

"Stay close, Corbrae. I may need some help with this."
He says quietly to the half-elf as the inspectors approach.

"Ahoy!”
Jaek calls out merrily to the inspection crew with a wave of his hat.
"As you can see how high she rides on the water, this ship has no cargo. We're just heading further upriver to pick up our cargo to take back to Kerse. As for how many crew and passengers, we have..."
He gives the number of those aboard, excluding the dwarf emissaries.
Bluff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Feeling nervous, his eyelid begins to twitch.

Bluff aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Standing on the deck, Eurkar stood there with his axe resting near some boxes. When Jaek said the number of pasengers Eurkar started counting himself and nodded in agreement. "Yep, what he said."

Merida tries to help with the enforcers...

Aid Bluff: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2

...but her attention is quickly drawn to the wolf.

"Hello, everyone, we- Ooooooh, a big fluffy doggie! Hello doggie, I'm Merida! You won't bite me, will you?"

Bad dice bot is bad! :-/
Well, at least there are no penalties in PFS1 for failed Aid Another attempts...

Leon attempts as well, ”No Merda, no touch doggie. Wait fah ownah ta say ok.”

Bluff Aid: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (8) - 2 = 6

DC 34 Diplomacy or Bluff.

"Hey, will you take a look of this! They're working with the Gold Crown.". The Razmiri exclaims to the others behind him. "Most pay their toll with copper and silver. We must be dealing with rich travelers indeed."

They call out to the Pathfinders. "We demand you extend your gangplank so we may board and see what treasures you transport. Failure to comply..." he puts his hand on his weapon, almost as a threat.

Nitre steps to the side nervously. Oh, we're going to get in trouble now! Are they going to impound the ship? I hope we don't have to fight the guards!

The big man grunts and moves to the gangplank. His intention is obvious to extend it, though he looks at his allies for confirmation of that plan.

"Aye, aye, gents!"
Jaek hustles over to lower the plank with Leon's help.
Jaek looks at Leon while extending the plank.
Be ready for anything.
He whispers with a wink.

Instead of holding out a friendly hand to assist the men aboard, he steps back to allow them on deck.
Once they're aboard, he pulls out his Gold Crown paper and thrusts it forward.
"As I mentioned, we have no cargo so an inspection is not necessary. To delay us may anger them Razmiran priests upriver who be expectin' us to pick up their goods on time to take back to Kerse."

He gives the inspectors a serious glare.
"If'n you don't mind us mentionin' the reason for our delay to the priests, then by all means, search the ship. I'd be hatin' to be you lot if they's find out it be the inspectin' crew in Xer that held up their delivery."
Bluff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Jaek's eye begins twitching again.

Diplo: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Is there no way we could continue our travel without bothering you?

DC 34 Diplomacy or Bluff.

DC 34 at Subtier 1-2??? :-O Our APL is only 1.83...

Aid Bluff: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14

Merida adds: "Yeah, I'd hate to be you then, too!"

Yep, DC 34.

One of the Razmirians board the ship and his eyes light up at the Gold Crown paper. "Oh, we will be quick.". A wry smile creeps across his face, thinking he is interacting with some rich patrons.

The man takes a quick glance around the deck before heading down the stairs to the lower floor... where Passad and the dwarves are.

Do you stop him or let him find Passad and the dwarves?

Roll stealth checks for the dwarves vs. the inspector's perception? Let's talk in discussion, guys.

Leon flexes his muscles and then yawns, waiting for whatever signal to occur. Usually these things start with someone getting whacked or stabbed.

But... his allies could have surprises up their sleeves. Why he saw this magician once that made an entire elk disappear! Dinner was really fresh that night too.

As the Razmiran boards the ship and starts searching around the deck... a small sneeze is heard from belowdecks. Passad has chosen a poor time for a touch of his snuff!

Don't blame me... the writers put that in!

Immediately, the guard pulls out his crossbow, aiming it at the Pathfinders and signals the others to do the same. "We have stowaways! EVERYONE ASHORE RIGHT NOW!". He's ordering all the Pathfinders to get off the ship so they can search it for any stowaways.

Map is here.

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[u]Round 1[/u]

Corbrae
Eurkar

Blue guard

Leon
Nitre
Merida

Wolf
Red guard

Jaek

Pink guard

Corbrae and Eurkar are up!

[b]I assure you there must have been a misunderstanding.. no neeed to resort to violence[/ooc]

Bmluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Corbrae tries to sow some doubt in the man's mind, and to buy some time so her more martially inclined companions can act

rage power attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 191d12 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
With a grunt, Eurkar grabbed his greataxe and promptly smashed it into the guard.

We were hoping you were going to fascinate him, Corbrae.

Jaek's eyes go wide in surprise as his burly barbarian friend takes a swing at the inspector.
"I was hoping for something more subtle, but, looks like it's on!"

Corbrae tries to misdirect the guard away from the 'stowaways'. She's unsure if it works as Eurkar jumps in and more or less splits the man in half. The guard falls over into the water below, very much dead.

The other guards scream out, "Kill them all!" as they line up their crossbows

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[u]Round 1[/u]

Corbrae
Eurkar

Blue guard

Leon
Nitre
Merida

Wolf
Red guard

Jaek

Pink guard

Leon, Nitre, and Merida are up!

Nitre moves up to the bow, raising her bow as darts past barrels and rigging. "If you don't have a bow, best start loosing the ropes! We need to beat a hasty exit now!" She fires at the one guard she sees to starboard. Oh no; this isn't good! Am I going to have a record now? I hope the Society doesn't expel me!

Merida runs toward Eurkar, drawing her bow in the process. (move action)
She aims at the red guard and lets an arrow fly. (standard action)

Longbow Point-Blank: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 1 = 16
Piercing: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 1 = 10

Nitre's arrow flies wide unfortunately.

But thanks to Merida, another guard goes down!

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[u]Round 1[/u]

Corbrae
Eurkar

Blue guard

Leon
Nitre
Merida

Wolf
Red guard

Jaek

Pink guard

Leon is up!

Leon lumbers over to the far side of the ship as he sees Nitre drop the second guard HARD. He pulls out a wicked spear and launches it at the last non-wolf enemy (purple), "No bo, but can tos prettuh gud."

Cold Iron Javelin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 for Cold Iron/Piercing: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Leon hurls a javalin at the last guard. It pierces the guard's shoulder as he's clearly in a lot of pain, but still barely stands.

The wolf saunters onboard, saliva dripping from its mouth. It bites out at Merida, who had killed its owner.

But the wolf is clearly not disciplined enough and can't get through Merida's tough armor.

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[u]Round 1[/u]

Corbrae
Eurkar

Blue guard

Leon
Nitre
Merida

Wolf
Red guard

Jaek

Pink guard (-6 hp)

Jaek is up!

Ugh. I really don't want to kill a dog. I just had to put my Chihuahua down two days ago. :'(

"I'm not killing a dog! Maybe a nice family will take him in."
Jaek runs to the port side railing and pulls out a piece of jerky from his rations. He chucks it behind the dog and onto the pier.
Ranged Jerky Toss: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
"Go get it, boy!"

Aww, sorry to hear that :(.

The dog looks up, wags its tail, and starts to turn to go fetch the jerky. It will go fetch on its turn, most likely.

The pink guard is not so nice. He lines up his crossbow at Leon...

*THWACK*. The crossbow bolt slams right into Leon's shoulder.

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[u]Round 2[/u]

Corbrae
Eurkar

Blue guard

Leon (-7 hp)
Nitre
Merida

Wolf
Red guard

Jaek

Pink guard (-6 hp)

Corbrae, Eurkar, Leon, Nitre, and Merida are up!

Doing a quick scan for other threats, the rage sapped from Eurkar as he saw the remaining guard across the water shoot Leon. Dropping his ax, he grabbed for the crossbow, sending a bolt towards them.
Lt Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (12) + 3 - 1 = 141d8 ⇒ 8
End Rage. 5 rounds remaining

"Sorry, Doggie, I don't have time to play right now. This bad guy hurt Leon!"

Merida has not realized the aggression of the wolf, it seems...
She turns around and runs to the other side of the ship. (move action, provokes AoO)
There she aims at the pink guard and lets another arrow fly. (standard action)

Longbow Point-Blank: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 1 = 26
Piercing: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4
crit?: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 1 = 26
Piercing: 2d8 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (5, 2) + 4 + 2 = 13

A nat 20 threat confirmed by another nat 20... this never happens!

I just saw it happen the other day, crazy! Also I'm going to take a wild dang guess that the guard is DOWN so...

Leon huffs it over to the wolf and tries to knock it out, "Not gonnuh kill da pup, jus knock er out."

He takes a swing at the wolf.

Improved Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 for Bludgeoning/NL: 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

"Remembuh, no witnusses. No evdunce we was evun heah."