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She can auto assist anyone with a few tips. Using her hat of disguise as she'd not expecting anyone to examine her disguise more closely than it would hold up to.
Lotus casts fastidiousness when she wakes up in the morning it lasts 24 hours, it provides a +2 vs inhaled and contact poisons, but mostly keeps the sand out of the fur.
"In the unlikely event we find her in the market, give me enough time to buy her and a few more and move away before you go all Andoran on the place? It's nice to have a cause and all but not at the expense of he mission or blood on the silk prestidigitation does NOT get that out.. . We could pose as intermediaries for a buyer or three looking for a type, keep a lookout for anyone matching Othine's desription. Or a blond blue eyed elf, or a green eyed human of tien descent.
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“Ahm more’n happy ta allow you ta do the talkin’!” Betty assures Lotus.
‘Akila’ tours the stalls, looking for any symbols that look to her like they may be related to the Three Jackles or Lamashtu. That would include body art or brands on dealers, hucksters, or slaves. She is careful to keep at least one other member of the party in sight as she moves through the crowded market.
She checks that nothing is missing after getting bumped. She has learned something of the methods used to pickpocket and knows how easy it can be in such a dense crowd.
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"Orchid" Will stand on straight and try to glare down a few of her "Fellow gnolls" bumping into her if male, or tuck tail and move aside with apologies for the females.
Her tact it so ask her "fellow gnolls" about the humans she's looking for. Wondering how they tell one from another often enough to mate much less care, but "Mother insists the real money is in getting the exact product for the exact client, I'd much rather buy 50 in bulk, raise the price by a gold a piece and call it a day. Of course I don't have enough to buy fifty...yet. Soon though, Soon. So what are you doing later?
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Betty and Ra'geh head out for a walk, looking for any symbols related to Lamashtu - as the spellslinger checks for pickpockets and assures the group of the beloging's safety, it is the shifter that picks up on something:
While most gnolls openly hang holy symbols of Lamashtu on their necks, some are more secretive - in particular, some slaves Ra'geh sees appear to have brands inside their collars showing a jackal's head with red eyes. All of them are spread out throughout all the stands.
Lotus, on her part, gets a few weird stares as her specific requests fall on deaf ears. Some gnolls chuckle, whilst some humans awkwardly stare. However, her charisma seems to attract the attention of a nearby gnoll merchant - a thick, burly fellow with almost no muscle. His presence might be ignored were it not for his strong bodyguards - a trio of gnoll mercenaries that looks like they've seen their fair share of battle.
The burly gnoll chuckles and says to Orchid-"You won't get much ahead like that! If you want tailored produce, you gotta have contacts! Fat Agurr, at your service."-his fur smelling wet with sweat, he bows as a greeting.
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"Always happy to make more contact...s. Orchid, at your pleasure " she starts to incline her head slightly, but looking over a male smart enough to have their own guards without their own fighting prowess, her ears visibly twitch as if they heard coins dropping and she lowers her bow a biiiit more than he did and gives her tail exactly two loose swishes. "I suppose you know who knows who keeps the top shelf stuff? "
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Agurr smiles broadly and says-"I'm the head of security here, and know my way around the stalls and owners. I know a rookie when I see one."-laying back and rest his broad frame upon a comfortable silk chair.
"What makes top shelf depends on what you need. Market's got angles, each with a specialty of their own. I might be able to help you out!"-he says before sneezing and shaking his head-"Name your needs, and I will name my price."-pulling out a metal nail file for his claws, which he begins to use.
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Lotus is nearly as insulted at being called a rookie as her current persona would be, and manages to do a good job of pretending to not stomp her foot. Much.
"One human female of tea n blood, eyes the color of jade. One elf, blond hair, blue eyes. That color should be easy enough but these markets can be hard on elves as canaries...One human, raven black hair, slanted eyes, with jasper skin. I've seen a portrait of someone looking for a replacement mate after...unfortunate circumstances so that one needs to be a particularly close match. Oh, and one place for dinner where they can tell burning from cooking. I might also be able to help a little with those allergies.
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With Lotus' explanation, Agurr starts pondering silently, whislt taking gunk out of his fangs. After a minute, he says-"You seem to serve a lord bent on appearances rather than function. I would ask what does eye or hair color matter, but in any case, a paying customer is a paying customer."-chuckling to himself.
"Your first two searches might come out of luck, if you just look around the market, but that replacement mate will be hard to find. Might even need to make an acquisition request to one of the establishments, have them look for that human that matches that description."-he says, laying down his file and standing up, raising his trousers just a little while arching his back.
"The group that might pull that off would be the Three Eyed Jackals. But they don't operate on broad daylight. 50 gold pieces and I can point you in the right direction."-he says with a broad smile, showing his fangs to Lotus. He seems to brush off Lotus' request of a place for dinner, seemingly focused on the more lucrative request.
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"It's humans. They're hung up on appearances. Their peculiarities are our profit though. Ten gold if you're going to point, twenty five if you're doing introductions. For 50 the introduction would come with two body guards AND a planquin for an entrance. "
Not that the gold really matters, even without the exchange ability to get reimbursed, but there's NO way you ever agree to asking price. And the prince ali aliababa entrance would be so worth it...but if he doesn't budge lotus will reluctantly agree
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Agurr huffs and bellows-"Ha! You've got yourself a deal!"-his toothy grin easily underplayed before, now his eyes becoming near feral. He instructs two of his bodyguards to follow Lotus, whilst the other goes out towards another market, with only a gold piece to procure said palanquin. "You better follow that bark with cash. Gimme 5 minutes so my man can get you your palenquin"-he says winking and going back to his stall to check some documents.
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The bodyguard returns with two thin slaves carrying a palenquin, which kneel down to allow Lotus to sit on. The palenquin has certainly seen better days - it's gold details have been scratched away, and where silk sheets once hanged, now simple bedsheets do.
However, the structure seems sturdy enough to hold Lotus, and the bodyguards and slaves help lift her up enough for her to rise 6 feet above the ground. Agurr snickers and grins, saying-"Off we go then, to the Jackal's den!"-leading the caravan through the crowded passages of the market.
It only takes 3 minutes to reach the destination, surprisingly, and the journey is cut short as the palenquin reaches what seems to be a set of double doors inside the market, guarded by two gnoll guards. The palenquin is lowered, and Agurr introduces Lotus-"Friends, I introduce to you a good friend of mine, and one who seeks to speak to your hunters. She seeks a particular humanoid, and will gladly pay what's needed to procure said humanoid."-shaking the hands of both guards.
The gnoll guards look 'Orchid' up and down and say-"Give us a description, and we can make it reach our officers. Best we can do"-shrugging. Lotus and the rest of the group watching would easily see Agurr getting ready to exit the conversation with pouch in belt, sensing that whilst he delivered on his promise, he seems to only want to follow the minimum requested and buzz off.
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The palanquin, and slaves, arrive looking more polished and cleaner than when the trip started.
"50 loaves of bread, 1 bucket of lamp oil, 1 container of grea... " she flips the list over. "One human female of tea n blood, eyes the color of jade. One elf, blond hair, blue eyes. One human, raven black hair, slanted eyes, with jasper skin. I've seen a portrait of someone looking for a replacement mate after...unfortunate circumstances.
"Give us a description, and we can make it reach our officers. Best we can do"
"I'm sure such important members as yourself could let me inside and see if there's anything else in there that piques my interest? That last human in particular is going to require me looking personally. Or the least you could do for a lady* is get me out of the sun and sand while you look. I'll assume it's nicer insider than out. Maybe the help too... "
*the direct gnoll translation probably doesn't go on the paizo boards.
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The guards bicker amongst themselves at Orchid's request, arguing if turning her down might cost them her gold, or "what would the boss say".
However, Orchid's force of personality is enough to sway them, and one of them says-"Very well, we shall let you into the qanat's entrance, but that's as far as we go. We're not an open market."-sniffling the party from a distance for security. They all lead you down narrow stairs, where the heat of the market fades away a minute into your descent. Not only that, but once you reach the base of the stairs, you can see the floor is flooded slightly, only covering your toes, and the walls are damp with water.
You get the sense you are in some sort of sewage system, but it seems odd, as the water in the room is pretty clear. You do, however, hear running water echoing through the room.
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As you arrive at the entrance shaft, the guards escort you to meet four more individuals - two humans and two gnolls. The humans hang around shirtless, wearing only ceremonial prayer beads and pants, their whips rolled behind their belts. The gnolls, on the other hand, seem much more heavily armored, and have tribal painting on their faces, and look at you as they sense your arrival before anyone else. In contrast to the guards escorting you, this group seems much more experienced-"...humans can't see these things. Sweat from fear smells different than sweat from heat. This the Mother knows."-one of the gnolls says before turning around to see you.
They give you a mean look, but nod at your introduction and provide some smaller barrels for you to sit on. One of the gnolls snarls at Cat, suspicious of the beast entering their den. The guards that came with you inform them-"These people are willing to pay good money for a procuring, and asked to be let in as they wait for a response. Their request are for three distinct humanoids, very specific."-nodding and going back up the stairs, leaving you alone with the group of four.
One of the shirtless humans pipes up after a few minutes and says-"Alright. So we can send Longtooth here to get a better estimate of the costs, and even come back with some slaves matching your descriptions. But we gotta see some coin first. Three individuals, one of them elven, and all three requiring specifics, that'll cost you 600 gold minimum. Want a better price, go ask lower-end hunters."-pulling out a bag of cooked lupini beans to snack on.
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"The cleanest sewer I've ever seen is still a sewer... boys see if you can lower that chair down here. For some reason the human footstool thing mother does creeps me out. Probably catch something..."
She'll slip the guards a gold each "The cooler air alone could make this a premium trading location. A little sub flooring over there to get peoples paws out of the water, a stage, and you;d be in business. So why not throw open the doors and advertise? "
At the price, lotus will start coyly taking off (very real) jewelry and swinging it around her finger. carrying that much cash in coins would tip her over.
"600 may be their value to me, but I doubt anyone else is going to pay so much as 300. You've already got them in stock, this would let you unload them at twice what you're going to get otherwise, minimum...I bet I could also get you a deal on underutilized storage space. Cave Beer and cheese alone.... "
because you always have to try at least...
Lotus wonders if she's going to owe some elf an apology for getting him shangheied out of a bar in the middle of lunch. Anyone else fitting the description is having a good day.
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At the mention of turning the place into an open market, the gnoll chuckles and says-"That was what the Briarwhips thought. Look where they are now, hehe."-motioning to an elf's hand hanging as a necklace.
The hunters look amongst themselves, at a loss on how to respond to Orchid. She seems to rub off on them positively, despite asking for what would be unreasonable to them. They hold expressions the group has seen before - they seem to have endeared to Orchid, but their priorities put work before personal relationships. As such, one of the humans says-"I understand you need to cut costs down, but we don't really spend money on storage space and are not bulging out of the qanat. We deal in the best of the best slaves, but in the shadows. These chambers have ample space for us and the merchandise"-handing some beans to Orchid.
Whilst normally he would argue the price vehemently, the kitsune seems to convince them of the price, so one of the gnolls says-"Well, we can wait for Longtooth to come back with a price. Bosses' orders are absolute, can't bring what they say down"-excusing himself.
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"That better not have come off of MY elf.. without a signifigant discount."... So while we're waiting for the negotiator, who were these briarthorns? The battle sounds fascinating...
She turns around back on the chair, casually showing off her flexibility and figure as she puts her chin on her hands and asks tenebri "They're not someone I SHOULD have been paying attention to you ramble on about?"
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Tenibri would know the Briarwhips were a band of slavers very popular in Katapesh, that held numerous underground auctions for specific clientele. Their operations stopped a few years ago, and the word of mouth says it because they angered the wrong people.
Longtooth, one of the gnolls, exits the room and goes into one of the channels, leaving your sight in a few seconds. The other gnoll smiles and says-"Previous owners of this district. The mother deemed their time too long, and so-"-snickering as he mimics cutting off a neck.
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"Yeah, my intel says they were the best at what you now do, but disappeared a couple of years ago after angering the wrong people. I'm guessing the 'wrong people' are you?" he asks, addressing the remaining gnolls. "Don't take that the wrong way; being the 'wrong people' in that scenario is a measure of your strength; it's a compliment."
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After half an hour of hunting stories passes, the gnoll hunter comes back from the tunnel, with an awkward expression on his face. He eyes 'Orchid' suspiciously, as he gives a handshake to his fellow gnoll.
The gnoll hunter pulls out a piece of paper, as he says-"We can give you two slaves matching the first two descriptions for 200 gold pieces, if you follow us deeper into the compound to inspect them. For the third one, the lowest price we can ask for is 150 gold pieces. Half of it upfront, the other half after we procure an individual matching the last description."-smiling with all his teeth bare.
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delaying after Ra'Geh for usability
The group pays the amount requested, and follows the hunters out of the room and into a service channel. Here, the water starts becoming more and more shallow, but before you are in dry land, both gnolls at the front turn around, as the hunters take the tight spacing of the channel to funnel you in!
They all pull out their weapons, but before they are able to finish a sentence, they find you already expectant and with weapons at the ready! One of the gnolls says-"They knew! A fight is a fight, but I much prefer wailing victims!"-licking his weapon.
The blue-clothed thug at the back reacts first, expertly pulling out his whips and trying to trip Cat! The tiger's physique however, is too much for him to handle, and he fails.
Combat! Round 1
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Blue Thug
Tenibri, Awkin
Red Gnoll
Betty, Lotus Ra'Geh
Red Thug, Blue Gnoll
Tenibri and Awkin are up!
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Tenibri reaches into his mind for one of his prepared spells; he finds the spell he's looking for and uses its magic to open an extradimensional pit below the two gnolls in the lead.
He retrieves a flask of acid from his belt pouch and tries to keep his attention aware of what's happening on both sides.
You create a 10-foot-by-10-foot extradimensional hole with a depth of 10 feet per two caster levels (maximum 30 feet). You must create the pit on a horizontal surface of sufficient size. Since it extends into another dimension, the pit has no weight and does not otherwise displace the original underlying material. You can create the pit in the deck of a ship as easily as in a dungeon floor or the ground of a forest. Any creature standing in the area where you first conjured the pit must make a Reflex saving throw to avoid falling into it. In addition, the edges of the pit are sloped, and any creature ending its turn on a square adjacent to the pit must make a Reflex saving throw with a +2 bonus to avoid falling into it. Creatures subjected to an effect intended to push them into the pit (such as bull rush) do not get a saving throw to avoid falling in if they are affected by the pushing effect.
Creatures who fall into the pit take falling damage as normal. The pit’s coarse stone walls have a Climb DC of 25. When the duration of the spell ends, creatures within the hole rise up with the bottom of the pit until they are standing on the surface over the course of a single round.
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Both gnolls start slipping into the pit! One of them trips, falling down into the pit, screaming-"Aaaarggh!"-as he falls. The blue-clothed gnoll, however, is able to jump back, smiling at Tenibri wickedly.
Combat! Round 1
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Blue Thug
Tenibri, Awkin
Red Gnoll (-11)
Betty, Lotus, Ra'Geh
Red Thug, Blue Gnoll
Awkin is up!
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Awkin's story provides inspiration to the group, as well as some well-timed advice! Cat takes the chance immediately, and shreds to pieces one of the thugs! Without any time to react, his friend at the back just yells-"Holy s++#! That beast's ferocious!"-considering an escape from the way you came in.
Meanwhile, inside the pit you are able to see a grappling hook being tossed up the hole, landing right besides the other gnoll. The hook scratches at the floor momentarility, with nothing to latch onto, teetering on the verge of falling back down. From the pit, you hear a yelp-"Blood brother! Grab the claw! Help me up!"
Combat! Round 1
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Tenibri, Awkin
Red Gnoll
Betty, Lotus, Ra'Geh
Red Thug, Blue Gnoll
Betty, Lotus and Ra'Geh are up! Currently, everyone has +4/+4
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Ejtehah draws his primary strength from an association with a specific type of dinosaur.
“These gnolls like monster?!? I show me monster and true master of wild. I devoted defender of druidic circles and fierce predator!! I dinosaur form of nature with devastating effect and unbridled savagery!!!“ Ejtehah shouts.
Suddenly his whole body starts to change into a hybrid human and Deinonychus form but his whole appearance also has a celestial aura!! He then takes a defensive stance.
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" And humans have the nerve to call MY kind promiscuous...half dinosaur is a new one"
Lotus takes out a medium pouch of gold and holds it in the Blue gnolls direction.
"Sigh, darlings I recognize you need to TRY to add to your inventory but after we floss your human out of the cats teeth could we try to be professional about this? Join my entourage for the day, I need a tour guide As you can see.. I brought more teeth. I'll smooth things over with your boss. and the same offer will be open to your brother down there...if you want"
To blue, the lights in the room seem to go dim, with a bright spot on lotus' eyes seeming to be the only thing to focus on, the only thing important.
Suggestion on the blue gnoll that he sign up for the day. DC is 19
10
2 level spell for mesmerists
1 kitsune
6 charisma
He has -2 penalty from lotus' stare to start and joining the mini matriarch might seem very reasonable considering the alternative... especially to a gnoll and their noted loyalty.
For what it's worth, Lotus' ermm... recruits have a VERY good survival rate a good pay day and health benefits....