[ACO] PFS2e B16 - Boom Town Betrayal (P2) (Inactive)

Game Master UncleFroggy

"It thoundth to me like thith falthe noble ith bathically sthtealing from orphanth. Truly dethpicable behavior."

His brow furrows as he considers the situation.

"It ith a little odd that the lad'th parenth would tho eathily give money to a taldan noble for an orphanage in taldor without wondering why he ith doing hith fundraithing tho far from home..."

Turning to Winston he asks "How ith it that your parenth dithcovered thith falth noble'th detheit?"

Well not sure this guy doesn't want to trick us. But at the same time, why to choose some good built adventurers? Well not me especially but the Drake. Stay on your guards and be prepared.

The man of Irissen is wondering about all this story again during the way to the parent's house. He becomes more attentive about what surrounds them.

"I think some people are very good con artists or use magic to enhance themselves. People who have a way with words should be careful." He looks cross.

The area Wiston takes you is fairly run down. It's obviously the poorer section of town.

"It thoundth to me like thith falthe noble ith bathically sthtealing from orphanth. Truly dethpicable behavior."

His brow furrows as he considers the situation.

"It ith a little odd that the lad'th parenth would tho eathily give money to a taldan noble for an orphanage in taldor without wondering why he ith doing hith fundraithing tho far from home..."

Turning to Winston he asks "How ith it that your parenth dithcovered thith falth noble'th detheit?"

Wiston looks at the Professor.

"My parents asked about the well-being of the orphans they sponsored. They never got a response either from the orphanage or from Stanian. When they dug deeper, they found out that neither the orphanage nor Stanian existed."

Roots Drinks Rain isn't particularly bright, but their instincts are telling them that something is off. "Wait, didn't you say you came from wealthy seed? Why don't your parents live somewhere nicer? Like a house with trees or a garden, like most rich people do?"

Drake stops for a moment and looks behind the group, looking for anyone or anything suspicious.

The pack of squirrels hiss in anger as they sense their master's growing anxiety. Instead of trying to avoid drawing attention, the squirrels move a bit forward in order to keep an eye out for danger, which trying to keep a little bit of attention on the group's so called "guide".

Eidolons can actually get their own Exploration activity despite going on the same initiative as their summoners, so Roots Drink Rain will have their eidolon start Scouting (+1 Init for everyone)

The pack of squirrels hiss in anger as they sense their master's growing anxiety. Instead of trying to avoid drawing attention, the squirrels move a bit forward in order to keep an eye out for danger, which trying to keep a little bit of attention on the group's so called "guide".

Eidolons can actually get their own Exploration activity despite going on the same initiative as their summoners, so Roots Drink Rain will have their eidolon start Scouting (+1 Init for everyone)

It doesn't stack more than once though.

The doubt is inside him. So the man asks: Tell me young man, what kind of parents do you have really?

Wiston looks at the Professor.

"My parents asked about the well-being of the orphans they sponsored. They never got a response either from the orphanage or from Stanian. When they dug deeper, they found out that neither the orphanage nor Stanian existed."

Can Drake try a 'sense motive' action when Wiston replied that to the Professor?

I understand that they don't stack. That's why I'm still having Roots Avoid Notice.

Kara feels that there is something odd with the young man. She seems to trust him, but something nudges her and telling that there is something wrong with the young man.

Kara whips her hair and follows the young man with the same pace, her cape billows as she walks. She goes beside him and speaks to him,"Yes, I want to know too! *referring to Vilmur's question* Are they rich? Do they have connections or something?"

I will use Sense Motive with Perception +6

"I meant it when I said people who are good with words should be careful with them. I really don't like con artists."

Callistos will try to Sense Motive the response/lack thereof with +5 Percption.

Wiston is shocked and offended by Vilmur and Kara's question. "My parents are upstanding citizens that were taken advantage of by a nobleman! How dare you insinuate that they are otherwise. You appeared to be heroes in the tavern but now I'm not sure!"

"Heroes like to know what they are up against so they don't get duped into being villains. Tell us the full story, Wiston."

"I've told you everything I know! My parents have the details! If you don't believe me you can walk away if you want!" Wiston appears to be getting more exasperated.

As she can't believe now on his attitude, seeing that he is the one asking for help and supposed to be cooperative, Kara instinctively pushes him angrily, so strong that he might fall down if he has weak leags.

”Heyyyy! We're are just asking you. We are trying to help here, you see? Why suddenly you get so defensive? Just a while ago, you were like 'Please, please! I need help! I could tell from across the room that you’re a group of honorable adventurers and I have been desperately searching for such folk to help me in my quest for justice!'. Yes, I remember. You almost like crawling on the ground, begging. What changes now? It seems you are not telling us everything we need to know. I think you are hiding something else.”

Kara reacts and teases how he was desperate for help, she even reenacts how he pleaded to them. Still looking up at him (if he did not fall down), she glares at him, not considering their height difference.

Intimidation +4

The man looks around. That’s to find a possible retreat as well as to see if there is someone else around the corner and to be prepared because things will come nasty here for sure. But that was not fair not to answer simple questions.

Roots Drinks Rain seems genuinely hurt by the man's anger. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just thought that they would be living in a nicer neighborhood because you said that they had lots of money. I'm only four years old and I still have lots to learn about the people who live in the forest of stone and dead trees." He looks down sheepishly. "City is the word. I guess I still have more words to learn too."

Wiston, infuriated by the shove, turns on Kara and shoves her back. "You DARE make fun of the way I begged you for help?! I already told you my parents have more information than I do! Why are you taking it out on me?!"

Roots Drink Rain moves over to thean, getting between him and Kara.

"We did not mean to hurt your feelings. We are adventurers and have just seen things that were not like they seemed at first. We have to always be on guard if we want to not get killed. Please do t be mad.
Let's go to your parents and that will clear things up I'm sure."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Kara falls down to the ground but rises up. She gives the young man a glare and tells him to bring them right away to his parents.

"Hmmmph! Let's go then, if you say so. Let's not waste our time arguing with you. And I am sorry for pushing you. You pushed me back so I think we're quits."

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

But Kara still thinks the young man is hiding something else but she can't figure it out yet. She asks him yet another question.

"Are you leading us straight to your parents' house? We would reach your place faster if you do," Kara asks the young man being impatient now.

"Now. now, friendth. There'th no need to rethort to violenth. Let'th continue to the lad'th parenth and thee what they have to thay."

Well, where do your parents live in fact? Can you tell it and describe it. Because you must be conscious that the way we are going is most of all surprising for us.

"Being desperate is no reason to act like a petulant brat. We're coming. I hope you've been honest."

The place Wiston leads you is a fairly run-down section of town. The road is about 10' across and about 70' long. Wiston directs you to a house at the end of the street.

"My parents' house is there at the end of the street. Go on ahead, I'm right behind you."

Area Map will be linked to the top of the page

Go ahead, I'm right behind you.

Tell me honestly. Do you think I'm a slice of ham? I mean why would you like to stay behind us? Leads us to the house please. I haven't notice the right one it is.

"The old man's right. You should be leading us, so as not to scare your parents when we turn up." He gestures at his eclectic mix of allies.

"I'm sure they won't be scared of us. We are just an eclectic group of armed adventurers coming to their house after dark. But since most of us are human and I'm assuming they're human, they shouldn't be scared of us, right? I wouldn't worry about it."]

"The Great Drake is not going anywhere, lad!"

Drake stares at Winston: "If you're staying behind, The Great Drake is going to stay with you."

Professor Bun Bun rolls his eyes and shakes his head sadly. "Do you think I wath thtiched yethterday Winthton? A long alleyway in a bad part of town and you'll make sure to be behind uth? Thith couldn't be a more obviouth ambush if you had thtreet thigns with big arrowth thaying 'thith way to the ambush'"

The erudite bunny nods to the rest of the party. "Grab him and rethtrain him. Make thure he can't cry out to hith athothiateth up ahead. Can we get thomeone thneaky up on the rooftopth to thcout ahead? Or maybe we can all get up there and ambush the ambusherth? The other option ith to thircle around and approach hith 'paren'th'," he makes air quotes with his fingers, "houth from the north."

Drake takes one last, long puff from his cigarillo and throws the cigarillo's butt aside. He then uses his free hand to grab the collar of Wiston's shirt, with a sudden movement.

"You've heard the professor, pal? So you're staying close to The Great Drake from now on!"

He adds in a very menacing manner, with his intimidating gaze from his bloodshot eyes:

" And don't even think of shouting or warning your acolytes, scumbag!"

Demoralize: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Kara can't take it anymore. Her impatience to this young man has reached its peak. She rolls her eyes, decides to go straight into the young man's parents' house, and knock on the door.

”You hold him,” she tells Drake. She walks past the others and the young man. She strides straightway into the house.

Be advised that assaulting Wiston can generate infamy as he is unarmed and hasn't done anything to your party. You have suspicions that he may not what he seems to be, but until you can prove it that's just all it is -- suspicions.

Be advised that assaulting Wiston can generate infamy as he is unarmed and hasn't done anything to your party. You have suspicions that he may not what he seems to be, but until you can prove it that's just all it is -- suspicions.

Drake considers that the best move to protect his companions and himself is to hold Wiston in place while Kara is checking the house, so that he won't shoot them in the back, backstab them, activate or trigger something, go away etc.

This is out of self defense, given all the clues that we are led into an ambush, and not an assault as Drake is not harming him in any way.

Drake is not part of the Pathfinder Society so I am not sure how infamy works in that case.
Besides, Kara just shoved him to the ground a moment ago and there was no infamy involved, even though the 'shove' action has the 'attack' trait.

Anyway, if it's too complicated, Drake will not grab him and tries to intimidate him instead (yes, Drake can be a bully sometime :) ).

I kinda forgot about the infamy part when Kara shoved him, though I shoved her back so it kinda balanced out :). Besides, remember you're all in a public place -- if anything happens you won't be believed that you're victims since it will appear that you're instigating something :)

I kinda forgot about the infamy part when Kara shoved him, though I shoved her back so it kinda balanced out :). Besides, remember you're all in a public place -- if anything happens you won't be believed that you're victims since it will appear that you're instigating something :)

In that case, and to prevent any bad reputation falling on his companions, Drake will not grab him and tries to intimidate him instead, to stay in place and to keep quiet.

This narrow alley is a public place? So people are watching us right now?

Well, you're in a fairly run down section of town. Everyone tends to watch everyone. I mean, you can try intimidating Wiston. But most folks will see six heroes leaning on a single unarmed man -- most folks in poor neighborhoods will probably turn on you at that point

So Drake cannot do anything at all? Not even a simple intimidating glare while saying nothing?

Too be fair, we are getting tons of foreshadowing that we're walking into an ambush and then the NPC is refusing to provide any explanation for our questions. If his parents were rich, are they in this part of town because they ALSO lost their home to the con man? There are explanations for our questions but instead he's just getting angry, so it makes sense that hot headed PCs would get angry back.

"Whoa, whoa whoa! I know mammals don't like being held down! I will see if the Spirit of the trees can go scout the house out. Let's just watch him for now, but no restraining!"

Roots Drink Rain addresses the horde of squirrels, in Sylvan. "Would you be kind and take a look at the house over there?"

One black squirrel with red eyes emerges from the horde, stands up and in a deep voice replies: "We are a shadow moving over the moon at night, a whispering wind blowing on tree branches."

Then the symbiotic pack of squirrels quietly makes its way over to the house.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Nice!

Cal will wander down the street, looking around as he does until he reaches the house.

"You might as well come out to talk." he say loudly. "We know there's something fishy going on."

I wasn't advocating actually attacking him. Just restraining him so that we can safely ambush the ambushers.

How tall are the buildings? How difficult would it be to climb to the rooftops?

Too be fair, we are getting tons of foreshadowing that we're walking into an ambush and then the NPC is refusing to provide any explanation for our questions. If his parents were rich, are they in this part of town because they ALSO lost their home to the con man? There are explanations for our questions but instead he's just getting angry, so it makes sense that hot headed PCs would get angry back.

True. But remember, Kara escalated it and shoved him. Before that, you were all suspicious but that's about it. :). I'll allow the intimidating glare, Drake.

The Spirit of the Trees approaches the front of the house and peers through the window, unaware of how much attention it's attracting with it's soft squeaking and the clattering of dozens of claws on the cobblestones.

Perception is +4 and they have low-light, darkvision, and scent (imprecise 30 ft). They can use Share Senses to communicate what they see with Roots.

The man of Irissen stays quiet looking around because that's an ambush for sure. If he would listen to his sense he would go away now.

She stops midway the house and the others, seeing the black squirrel goes ahead of her. Kara looks around the surroundings for anything suspicious. She hides herself behind the roofed building. She raises her buckler shield and readies her shortsword just in case somebody comes out of the young man's parents' house other than his parents.

Perception +6 (low-light vision)

"The ambush ith motht likely to come from outthide the houth. We should try to flank them."

The stuffed rabbit hurries to around to a nearby alley near the canal in an effort to bypass the upcoming attack.

"The ambush ith motht likely to come from outthide the houth. We should try to flank them."

The stuffed rabbit hurries to around to a nearby alley near the canal in an effort to bypass the upcoming attack.

Seeing a stuffed rabbit run in my mind's eye just made me laugh :)