GM Jhaeman's PFS Module: "Masks of the Living God" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Drukpa stares at Relgar in shock. "Course we cain't kill him! That ain't the batfinder way! We gets to kill 'em when they ain't easy t' kill, but once they's easy t' kill, we gots to do sumpin' else wit 'em. I ain't entirely shore why but I heerd it's t' do with needin' to git more allidy. I ain't quite learned what this allidy stuff is, but I reckon it must be mighty delicious on account a it bein' worth not killin' the bad uns fer it."

It sounds like most of the group would be happy with preserving the status quo, as it were, by leaving Evlar tied up at the group's campsite before visiting Reginar. I'll give folks another 12 hours or so to let me know if that's not correct before I'll move us along on that assumption.

Anibal sighs. "As I said - talk to the man, see what his plans are. Let's just find a quiet spot out of sight, tie his feet so that he does not run, and wake him up. See what's up."

"Sure, tie him to a tree at the campsite and you can talk to him as much as you like."

"It is not like you can trust anything he is going to say as he is an evil cultist who hates our guts."

The Pathfinders attempt to stick to shadowy alleyways and side streets as they make their way through Tamran toward their campsite just outside the city.

I'll ask for a Stealth check from whoever's carrying Evlar--town guards might be suspicious of a group of heavily-armed individuals walking the streets in the dead of night with a bound, burned, and unconscious teen :)

Anibal, I guess the Stealth check is for you as you are carrying Evlar and have the best Stealth bonus in the party by far.

I assume medium encumberance. Not sure how much does he weight. Subtract 3 more for heavy.

"Can someone check ahead? See if someone's in the the street?”

Anibal attempts to find dark alleyways to get out of town with Evlar tied to his back. Arguably not his first rodeo, but it's always an entertaining experience.

Stealth: 1d20 + 10 - 3 ⇒ (13) + 10 - 3 = 20

Just as Anibal crosses a darkened street to get into the shelter of another alley, the light from a bullseye lantern illuminates him and Evlar! A patrol of four Tamran city guards have just rounded the corner, and, on the look out for Molthuni agents, seem tense. "You better have a really good explanation for this," the lead guard tells Anibal.

Folks, I think the dice roller is out to get you! (the odds of you being spotted were statistically pretty slim)

Relgar nods with confidence at the guard.

"Our friend here got stone drunk and then danced his way into a fireplace."

The little gnome lets out a small chuckle.

"It was the funniest thing I have seen in a while but we have to get him cleaned and sobered up a bit before we take him back to his house."

Bluff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

"He's got a big serfin' competition t'morrow! Hope he'll be ready fer it!"

Bluff Aid Another DC 10: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

I guess his upcoming wedding had something to do with his willingness to drink so much. The bride is beautiful. But the mother in law... You probably know how it is.

Bluff aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Relgar snickers at Mallycorn's feeble attempt to explain Evlar's drunken behaviour.

"Why he got so drunk in the first place I cannot say for sure. Some people just like to drink too much. I wager he would be just as drunk tonight wedding or not."

At least aids are generally safe in this game and with this dice roller that is a good thing. :)

Yeah, good thing we aren't playing 2e!

The guards chuckle at the explanation. "Poor bloke. Alright, move along. He'll be a lucky man if his wife is as loyal as his buddies are."

Eventually, the Pathfinders make it out of Tamran and reach their campsite in the dead of night.

Alecto shrugs her shoulders. I thought Relgar would burn them.

Relgar nods as they finally reach the campsite. He snickers at Alecto's comment.

"I am really under appreciated by this group. I do not only set things on fire you know. I can also tell a nice story."

He looks to the bigger and more capable members of the team to tie Evlar to a suitably sized tree.

Anibal I guess you are up again with your Disable Device and Survival skills to tie a suitably tight knot. :)

Leaving Evlar tied securely to a tree, the Pathfinders sneak back into Tamran and make it to the Forest Bounty, the festhall where they first met their local Pathfinder Society liaison, Reginar.

In the wee hours of the morning before dawn, even a normally raucous place like the Forest Bounty has quietened down. A few sailors who have had far too much to drink grasp one another by the waist and try to remember old sea shanties, while the innkeep and his hired hands place chairs upright, wipe down the tables, and usher out lingerers. It seems word had been left of what to do if you return, as it's not long before Reginar comes out of a back room, looking as if he had just been awakened.

"Sit my friends, sit! Whether it be morning or evening I can't tell, but we'll have ale and and a meal all the same. So, you've made it back! I was beginning to think you'd joined that vile cult for real!"

Evlar can be tied securely assuming someone has rope or manacles.

Got some sil rope. A mask. A spanking paddle.. wait, what? ^^ (the silk rope part is true. For the rest, even a Pharasman can have hobbies.

There is nothing holy, or even unholy, as far as I can tell, in this so-called "cult". It seems the follower of this "god" are nothing more than a gang of lawless thugs, and the temple a den of thieves and rakeeters.

Reginar nods. He must be good friends with the staff, because the exhausted workers make a special effort to load the table with food and drink before heading off to rest. "That doesn't surprise me in the least, but it's good to have verification! Well, you're all here, so I assume your disguises were adequate! What was it like on the inside?"

Anibal sighs. "Honestly, it seems like they are training thugs." he pauses.

"Like a low-level military barracks. Definitely far from being a temple. I mean besides the iconography and rewriting some sort of scripture. But we did - erm - dispose of the 'drill sergeant', so to speak. And we have one fresh recruit tied up in the woods, unconscious. I suppose we should maybe move this conversation to that location once we covered the sensitive details."

Anibal would try to recall what they were rewriting and pass that information along.

"Reginar - is there a thieves' guild here? Maybe we could convince them to help us dismantle the temple somehow. I assume the Razmirans are stepping on their toes. A lot."

"We also got a lead on the amulet itself. Supposedly, it it in the possession of someone named Iramine? A 'high priestess'?", he makes air quotes.

Reginar pays close attention. "High Priestess Iramine, you say? That's good, that's useful. Cygar will be pleased. But the more pressing issue is how to remove this scourge of a cult from Tamran. Were you able to obtain any proof of the its criminal activities? Would this recruit be able to verify your account?"

We were directly tasked to collect protection money from a rackeeting scheme. We highly suspect that some of the guards are corrupted too, maybe members of the cult, maybe just greedy and lacking moral strenght.

What kind of evidence does the genus of mammals accept to be considered convincing? - obviously, Alecto tried but couldn't find a better word to describe a community of humans, half-elves, halflings, and others "not plants" - We can go back and look for them if our words are not enough.

Well there's the two guard uniforms we saw... But those could be from anywhere.

Reginar strokes his chin, deep in thought. "Well, I can't in good conscience send you back in. If a 'drill sergeant' has been, erm, 'disposed of' and you've . . . rescued . . . another recruit, that building will be locked down tight and your cover is probably blown. That, and Cygar told me he was sending an infiltration team, not a heavy assault squad. No offense. But if you can get this recruit to verify your story--without putting them under duress--that might be just enough for me to persuade some of my friends in high places to have this 'religion' outlawed in Tamran."

We have established some mutual understanding with him. We are sure that he will meet us halfway in this matter. You wonder does Alecto understands that intimidating a person and forcing him to obey is not exactly "mutual understanding", and that his attitude could irreparably deteriorate? Who knows. She is clearly confident in her words.

Relgar thinks for a moment.

"Well we do have a map of the city patrols and don't we have a ledger of their activities as well or did we leave it behind in their room of sin?"

The little gnome gulps, clearly concerned for the safety of his friend.

"My pet dog, Shaggy is still in their stables. I thought we were going back in ..."

Reginar gives Relgar a sympathetic look. "I'm sure Shaggy will be fine, and if I'm able to arrange for the authorities to shut the temple down, I'll make sure they don't harm any pets on the scene. If you do have the map and ledger you mentioned, please turn it over--every bit of proof helps."

The man then turns his attention to Alecto. "That's excellent to hear. Bring me a signed, sworn affidavit from this young recruit about any crimes or abuse he witnessed. It might be just enough for me to reach out to my contacts."

Thanks for your patience while I was away, everyone.

"Oh?", Anibal seems suprised. "I was planning on going back and dismantling the place properly. I would rather not put a man's life into jeopardy by putting his name on a document incriminating what seems to be a fairly influential organisation. Based on what I saw, they do have at least a part of the town guard in their pockets."

Reginar chuckles. "Ah, by 'contacts' I wasn't referring to the Tamran city watch! Let's just say Forest Marshal Gavrik and I go way back. But still, I couldn't persuade him to send in the Nirmathas rangers to shut down the cult unless I have some proof." He shrugs. "Now, all of that being said, I won't stop you if you want to try to do it yourselves. I always try to trust field agents' instincts about what they can and can't handle. Cygar will be angry with me if you get yourselves killed, but I'll just explain he's the one who chose you, and I did my best to dissuade you from a frontal assault."

Relgar hands over the map to Reginar as well as the ledger if the party has it in its possession.

"I agree with Reginar as attacking the entire church by ourselves is foolhardy and likely to get us all killed. There are too many of them including some heralds who may be even more powerful than we are. They will know that we are possibly coming back and will be ready for us."

"I think we should spend our attention on speaking to Evlar and consolidating our evidence. This leg of our journey is over."

Count my character out of the action for a full frontal assault. I know how to take a hint. :)

Drukpa nods in assent. "I'm shore if we talk with ole Elvar he'll shorely back up everything we've said! It'd be plain dishhonest if he din't!"

Relgar snorts.

"I think it is a matter of convincing him that he will be helping himself by not being labelled as an evil cultist that will be hunted down and killed rather than relying on his sense of honour or honesty."

"He is a disaffected youth that joined the cult willingly looking for power and riches so he is hardly a paragon of virtue."

"He also really does not like us that much either."

The gnome mulls over the task at hand.

"Considering what is likely to go down we did probably save his life. That I hope is worth something to him."

If there's anything else you'd like to ask Reginar, you can. It looks like there are two main options under consideration: persuade Evlar to support your claims, or attack the cult directly. From what I can tell, we have two folks leaning for the Evlar option and one leaning for the attack option. Mallycorn and Alecto, what are your thoughts?

Anibal clears his throat. "Of course I don't want to storm the fort. Just head quietly back in before they find out we're gone, keep up the act, gather more evidence for your friend..."

He leans back a bit. "An actual frontal attack... Nah. The place is a forttress."

I agree it would only lead to our deaths, if we attacked the fort. We Pharasman does our best to accept our final Fate, and it's up to us to not accelerate it by taking unwise decisions.Our task is finished so far.

He turns to Relgar
I'm sorry none of us thought of freeing your canine companion before exiting the temple, and for that I apologize. Maybe we could ask the trusted authorities to get your dog back?

"I am not sure that we can go back in undetected right now. I agree with Reginar that they will know by now what has happened and be ready for us."

We left quite a mess in several locations and hours have passed since we left the temple. The most likely scenario is that someone has noticed. :)

The gnome turns to Mallycorn.

"I would not put any stock in the so called authorities. They seem to be quite under the thumb of the church. It would be up to the rangers to mop up this mess and hopefully free Shaggy."

"How? Nobody saw us. The two people that did are either in that bag dead, or tied up in the forest. We sneaked out. We all had masks identical to other cultists. The only giveaway is, ironically, Shaggy."

Relgar snickers.

"Sure all the blood and burn marks in several rooms in the temple including the rubble remains of the elementals, a dead snake and the general looting. Plus Krant and Evlar are suddenly missing. I am sure that no one noticed."

"I am sure by now the entire temple is locked down tight and as we are the newest recruits and missing we are probably suspected to be outside agents."

The gnome thinks for a moment.

"However they probably think that Evlar is in on the plot as well and will be gunning for him as well. This is a good point to bring up with him as we try to secure his loyalty."

Anibal sighs. "Okay - from the point of view of someone who did not actually witness those things happening. How do you connect anyone sitting at this table to that mess? I did not drop calling cards anywhere. At least not that I remember."

"Simple. We are new and missing from the temple. So that makes us guilty."

"The most likely explanation from the point of view of an outside observer is that our group plus Evlar took some well deserved revenge on Krant, looted what we could and then left."

"We could be working with a larger group with the purpose of infiltrating their church or just be opportunists."

Reginar nods appreciatively at the discussion. "It warms my heart to see agents talking through their options and weighing the benefits and risks of each. Too often, the Decemvirate sends me bruisers who only know how to kick down doors and break faces! Well, it's late--or maybe early, gods know--and dawn is imminent. It sounds like persuading this Evlar to talk is the best way to shut down this temple without undo risk. You know where to find me if you succeed!"

Okay, it sounds like a plurality is in favour of the Evlar option rather than heading back in. You'll be able to make it back to your campsite without difficulty. As you've now been up all night, I'll ask for Fortitude saves to avoid being Fatigued (DC 15 to start, escalating by one for each additional hour).

Fort save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 I can do this all night!

It's been an hard day.. night. I'm quite used to long funeral vigils, but I guess everyone is tired, and a few hours of sleeping won't hurt. Can we use rooms here, or should we go elsewhere? What about our prisoner, tied to a tree in the cold night? Will another agent take care of him, or should I go while I have some energy left?

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Alecto looks a little drooping, but still full of determination. We think we need to talk to him right now. Either we convince him, or we go back and move on according to Anibal's plan. She pulls out the familiar slightly sinister infernal healing wand. Does anyone mind? We don't know any other ways to bring him to his senses.

"By all means...", Anibal steps aside, but gets a piece of cloth ready to silence Evlar if it is needed.

Fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

The sun has just begun to rise over the horizon as you reach camp. Evlar is still there, bound and unconscious, but beginning to stir.

Relgar heads off with the others.

"We should definitely sleep at our campsite, Mallycorn. It is the safest place for now."

"Perhaps clean him up first Alecto (with Prestidigitation) before you heal him up so he will be as good as new and not smell like BBQ chicken wings."

Fort,DC 15: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

"Man. I am beat but talking and walking I can handle for now. Let us get this done."

After Alecto applies a charge from her wand of infernal healing, Evlar wakes up, finds himself tied to a tree with assailants all around him, and starts to panic!

The usual social skills can be deployed here: Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate. For Bluff, remember that the more far-fetched the lie, the bigger the penalty I'll assign. For Diplomacy, remember that Evlar has a Hostile starting attitude based on your previous interactions. For Intimidate, remember that threats or violence can change his attitude, but only for a limited period of time. For all of these things, I can give a circumstance bonus to your checks based on good role-playing.

Fort DC 15: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Drukpa stifles a yawn. "Ain't we gonna sleep never? Adventurin' is all well an' good y'know but us batfinders we ain't much use if we stay up all night findin' bats or whatever..."

When the task turns to persuading Evlar, Drukpa tries to assist one of his more charismatic, and articulate, comrades.

DC 10 Attempt to assist the first PC who tries a check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 Modifier is the same for Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate

"Yeah, um, lissen to my friend here. They knows a lot!"

Diplo: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Mallycorn sits on the ground, facing the tied man, and speaks calmly, in a reasuring tone.

Hello, Evlar. As you can see, you are still alive. That's because we healed your wounds, which, unfortunatly, you suffered from our hands, I'll admit. But instead of leaving you into Pharasma's cold embrace, we have done everything we could to save your lfe, and amend from our error. So, even if you are bound now, you know we wish you no ill. You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, it was your Fate. It appears that the Temple we were in was a sham, a cult-like ring of lawless rogues and brutes. We feel it wasn't a place where you would have been happy, and that leaving you there would have spell troubles for you, that maybe your life was endangered. We wish to part ways with you in good terms, and we offer you freedom, maybe some gold to help you starting a new, happier life elsewhere, out fomr the streets, out of your father's power. All we ask for, in exchange, is the truth about the Living God's band of thugs and their shady endeavours. To be short, we'd like to know if you witnessed illegal activities, and if you would accept to add your testimony to ours. It would be a good deed, and would tremendously help the authorities. Who knows, maybe they could help you find some clues about your mother's whereabouts, to help you back? That was your original purpose, if I remember well? You told us so just before the Razmirian treachously frugged us before making us half-slaves, half prisoners. Surely you own no loyalty to them.