Hello All,
Welcome to my first PbP as a GM.
1) I am located in North America (GMT-4), so most updates will be during the day ~8am to ~9pm EST
2) please label your actions so I can see what is going on
You can use the icons in the campaign info at the top
Examples:
◆ Stride
◆ Strike against blue circle
◆ Trip attempt
◆ Stride
◆◆ Hydraulic Push against red square
3) If you have any reactions or botting instructions please include them in your actions. For example, if you have your shield raised, please indicate that you'll use your reaction to block the first strike against you or something similar. Or if you think you'll knock out the mob you are attacking, with the first strike, please give a contingency plan such as I'll stride to the blue circle skeleton and strike again.
4) If I'll be gone for more than a day, I will let you all know and out of respect for your fellow players I will ask you to do the same. It will also alert me to use your botting instructions (if any) to keep things moving if necessary.
5) If you have any questions or suggestions, please bring them up in the discussion tab or PM me.
6) Please fill out the Macros sheet linked at the top of the page. It will help me roll initiatives and secret checks.
You've all been contracted by the Pathfinder Society to make contact with Free Captain Stella Fane and negotiate a contract with to to facilitate Society movements through the pirate blockades in the Shackles area. You're to board the Glorious Payoff and travel to the Shackles area. Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry will transport you and explain more of the details. You all meet on board and the ship sets sail.
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A tall oriental woman with olive skin and long black hair steps up to the rail. She's dressed in robes that don't appear to hinder her movement at all. A longbow and a quiver of arrows are strapped to her back, but, no other weapons are evident.
"Maneki Pemanah, is what I'm called. I wonder what our mission is today?"
The rocking of the ship at sea does not bother her, though it took some time for her to somehow synchronize her movements with the movement of the ship.
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A tall, reasonably athletic Ulfen man comes up from below decks. Dressed in studded leathers, hair a kind of dirty, reddish blond colour, he looks like a coastal raider. A longsword and shield on his back completes the image.
He breathes in deply. "Sea air. I've missed you." Looking at the brightly coloured spider monkey on his left shoulder he smiles and says "This brings back some good memories of childhood, Thor."
The monkey points at the rigging. "Of course. Go wild" Joran says quietly.
"I'll be back when you've got some food." replies the monkey with a surprisingly deep voice.
"Joran Redaxe. Pleasure to meet you." He says to his fellow Pathfinder, offering his hand.
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A handsome halfling enters into the room. He has black hair and there is both a sling on one of his hips as well as a starkife on the other. He is dressed in leather armor. He greets everyone with a big smile My name is Gavin. Gavin Sureshot, student of the arcane and pretty good with a sling, especially when things are bigger than I am. That is a lot of things too! he says with a laugh. What is there to eat around here? he asks
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A man. heavily overdressed for these warmer climes, his long white hair matted with sweat nods to you, "Znobe and this is here is Bere." he says matter of factually, as he looks down at a small white bear. The man carries a longbow on his back, with quiver containing arrows, with white feather fletching. "We gonna spend more time on the seas, I wanna get to real land soon." he moans. The bear looks up at him sympathetically, letting out a small high pitched cry.
And always it gets hotter "So you know this Captain Stella Fane? Or this Shackles place, will the cold winds blow there?" he asks.
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"Joran Redaxe and Thor! I have heard of you! One of my fellow Pathfinders, Clarence the Hunter, recently ran a race with you in the far north! You made a good impression I hear! Last I heard, Clarence was learning how to use a crossbow, though I heard he was more successful at inventing curse words that hitting the target!" Maneki laughs heartily at the memory of watching the tall barbarian trying to hit a target the size of a pumpkin from 10 paces.
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"I told Thor we'd head somewhere a bit warmer after being in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. I think he's pleased by this turn of events."
He looks at Znobe "I hear it's a little more tropical in The Shackles. I'd expect sticky heat and occasional heavy rain. Quite warm rain. Should be some entertaining night life. I'm hoping we pick up some worthwhile rumours about places to explore."
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"Already I yarn for a cool beer, cold mountain streams and the ice mountains, well if you say there is a good night life, I'll just wake for the nights, like those darkened folk I have heard of that are said to drink blood!" The bear looks at Znobe with wide eyes and nudges the white haired man's legs.
"Joran, we shall sup together I'm sure... You can tell of that, that made your reputation grow, as Maneki has heard."
After the fourth day, a deckhand comes by and tells you that the Captain needs to see you all at the helm. As you reach the helm you see the Captain take over the helm from another deckhand. earing a tricorn hat and bright red captains overcoat, she is nevertheless an imposing but respected female half-orc captain. She sees you and waves you closer.
As a splash of salt crashes over the bow of the Glorious Payoff, Calisro Benarry deftly steers her ship through a hidden channel, carefully navigating through the barely visible rock and coral that protrude slightly from the water’s surface. Behind the Payoff, a slightly smaller ship—the Sea Sparkle—follows, making every effort to follow Benarry’s course as closely as possible. Off the port hull, the deep green of the Garundi coast is illuminated by the late afternoon sun.
“See those gulls?” Benarry shouts over the flapping of the sails, “that’s the sandbar we’ll be dropping you off at. Barely sticks up over the waves, but the seabirds flock over it to feast on crab.” “As I explained earlier, Vidrian—you might have known it as Sargava not that long ago—needs explorers to chart the trade routes to the south that they couldn’t use back when it was ruled by Cheliax. Simple enough bit of adventuring, but the new nation’s been having trouble with the Free Captains of late. Turns out when Vidrian broke free of Cheliax, the locals stopped paying the pirates protection money, and now they’re the number-one plunder target in the Shackles. What’s more, the pirates have set up a blockade preventing our ships from making it down to Vidrian to assist.”
“Thankfully, we’ve got someone on the inside. Stella Fane, a Free Captain with ties to the Firebrands and the Pirate Council, has been in contact with the Society. She and members of the Society’s leadership have put together a fairly clever plan to help the Society’s ships pass through the pirate blockades unharmed. The Wind and the Waves willing, the Payoff and the Sparkle can sail to Vidrian, no problem. While we’re doing that, I’ve arranged transport for you to Port Peril to meet with Fane and get her to sign this contract making the whole thing official—she may be a pirate, but she’s the kind that holds to her word. You’ll need to avoid drawing too much attention until after the deal is done. Once she’s signed the contract her friends in the Pirate Council will ratify it and there won’t be much the lesser captains can do. Be careful. Anyone looking to put a stop to this need only ensure that contract never gets signed.”
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"I wouldn't touch the water unless your kind are acquainted with saltwater. Otherwise it could have disastrous effects on your health," spoke relatively short Halfling man. Salt and pepper hair with a face lightly pox marked, "Carson Eden of the Piece of of Eden Detective Agency, pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
He'd take out a small not book and took notes, "This Fane woman did she tell us where we would be meeting her by chance? A place like Port Peril no doubt could be a rather dangerous place.
"How reliable is this Stella Fane? Pirates can rarely be called reliable, unless loot is concerned"
“She’s a recent figure on the Shackles scene, as is her ship, the Risen Albatross. Word is, the Chelaxians bought her crew out from under her and tossed her overboard at sea. Some say she died and it’s her ghost sailing the waters and sinking slaver boats and Chelaxian ships left and right. I don’t believe it myself—never heard of a ghost that could put away as much rum as she’s been known to, that’s for sure. The contract is a good deal for her as well, so we honestly believe she will agree to sign barring any complications.”
..."This Fane woman did she tell us where we would be meeting her by chance? A place like Port Peril no doubt could be a rather dangerous place.
"Based on how much rum she supposedly goes through, she will most certainly be in one of the main pubs on the island. Someone at the island will hopefully be able to direct you
With that, the ships slows to a stop. "I can't get any closer to the sandbar with this ship. So, you'll need to jump off and swim for it. Don't look at me like that, I'm serious. Get going. It's not that far and the water is calm here.
Not even a life boat? Gavin asks.
The captain replies, laughing "Don't worry, your ride will be arriving soon I'm sure. I can't be lending out my lifeboats to everyone, there's regulations you know. You'll be fine, as long as you can swim. I can throw you over if that helps?"
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"We really do pick interesting missions, Thor. It's going to be like I'm 15 again and charging off a longship " Joran says to the returning monkey.
"You're making this up to me, big man. Monkeys and swimming are not a great fit. You should have given me wings today. " he replies.
They prepare to get wet. Joran makes sure all his stuff is secure.
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"Let me get this straight. Jump off ship, swim to sandbank, Get picked up, find pirate captain, sign diplomatic agreement. Whilst doing this we avoid getting found out and beaten up, have a few drinks and find a way back to you? Are you picking us up from the sandbank or the port? Joran says to Benarry.
Benarry responds as you all start leaping off the side: "I'll be right here to pick you up again!"
The water between the Payoff and the sandbar really was rather calm. All of you have a relatively easy time getting there. You all stand there on the sandbar, surrounded by seagulls flying overhead and waves lapping at your soaked boots. After a while you start to notice that the water is getting a little higher, the tide is starting to come in.
Despite Conall's struggles, the waterlogged and warped wood of the crate is just too tough to get the lid forced open.
The group passes the time attempting to force open the half-buried and waterlogged box. It starts to get more difficult as the tide comes in. Eventually everyone is standing in a few inches of water and it appears like you are stranded in the middle of the ocean. About an hour later a small boat appears, sailed by an elderly diver.
"'Hoy there, I suppose you're who I'm supposed to pick up. I'm Hlar. Climb aboard. There isn't much room I'm afraid, but it won't be a long trip. The elderly female dwarf was dressed in simple fitting clothes, suitable for swimming. She shifts a few sacks of shellfish and some crab traps to make some room and looks back at the waiting group. "Well? com'on then."
Over the next few cramped hours the woman sails her boat in a meandering path to shore along the submerged rock formations. Every now and then she jumped overboard to freedive for several minutes before reemerging with an oyster, sea urchin, or a squid.
After a while the wind dies down, she ties up the sail and picks up an oar. He hands hands a spare oar to Znobe. "Hey, you look capable. The least you guys could do is help row us to shore since Benarry made me come all the way out here to get you. We're almost there, don't worry."
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Znobe makes the boat rock and roll as he makes his way to pick up the oars, before plunging them into the blue seawater and pulling. Bere just looks at him as the oars come out of the sea at odd angles, as the boat starts to go round in circles. Then Znobe tries to correct himself and the rowing boat travel in the opposite direction. "Anyone else want a go?" he asks hopefully.
With Znobe's "help" it takes a little longer to reach Crescent Harbor. Hlar's boat pulls into the docks at Port Peril near sunset. Even before reaching the docks, you can see sailors disembarking for shore leave singing rowdily as they finish work and seek out their taverns for the night.
Hlar soon lands at one of the docks for the smaller boats and begins unloading her haul of seafood. She gestures to a large fast-looking ship at the end of one of the docks. "That there is the Risen Albatross. Fane's ship. She proly ain't there though, she likes to have a good time out on the town whenever she gets back to port. Although I don't know exactly where the kids these days go. The harbormaster might know her whereabouts though, Tsojmin Kreidoros. Hes an old, cranky, bald bureaucrat, but you might be able to get some info from him if he saw where she was headed. You might have to grease his palm a bit..."
You're all tired after another long day at sea, in the sea, and traveling on a small cramped boat. Fortunately the harbormaster is close by and easily spotted. He stands on one of the docks near a ledger, checking off tasks.