Bounty 7 Cleanup Duty 05/2022 (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Parker 82

Gameplay

Dot

Feel Free to travelogue your journey to Magnimar and start Character introductions.

After completing construction of the new Pathfinder lodge in Razmiran, Norg heads back to less oppressive cities waiting for his next assignment.

Norg is a younger half-orc who looks much older in some ways. The curse and blessing of life takes its toll on his body in strange ways. His long black hair is tied back and many strands of white are interspersed despite his younger age.

He wears modest explorer's clothing and a strong steel shield, his only two major purchases since escaping servitude and joining the pathfinders. A dagger at his belt bears the symbol of Pharasma. He looks exhausted all of the time but friendly enough for a half-orc.

"Well you don't have to be tho rude about it!" The stuffed rabbit exclaims as he is thrown off of the deck of The Bashful Bunyip. He picks himself up and makes a show of straightening his professor's cap (without noticeable success as it is stitched to his head.) and carefully adjusting the tassle on top. He brushes imaginary dust off of his academic robes before shouting at the ship once more. "Hey! Where'th my thtuff? You're not going to thteal my belongingth are you? The local conthtableth will..ooof!" His rant is interrupted as a small backpack flies from the ship and hits him in the stomach, knocking him down. After a quick perusal of its contents he picks himself up and heads into the city of Magnimar.

So rude. You'd think the captain would happily take me back to Absalom. All I did was take a little nap in that crate. It's not my fault that they packed me up and stuck me in the hold like that. I've never seen someone so mad before. He actually turned purple when I suggested they turn the ship around and take me back "Thtowaway, bah. I'm no thtowaway." His oversized incisors produce a pronounced lisp. He checks his purse and grimaces at the contents. "Lookth like I'll need to acquire thome fundth if I'm to find paththage back to Abthalom." With that, he puts his backpack on and heads into the city.

A human-looking woman drifts down the road, barely paying attention to where her feet were going. She haphazardly pushes her long black hair back over her shoulders while attempting to keep her place in her book. Her eyes flick up to assess where she is and she makes a brief course correction before diving back into the text.

The dwarf of Alkenstar continues his trip around Golarion. And this time he arrives in Magnimar. His hat covering his head and his cigar stuck in his mouth with a beard around it he will approach the announce board because journeying is good but it does also cost something.

The human had come here to sell the things he created to make money. And he approaches the board.

You are all exploring the Bazaar of Sails, a bustling marketplace in the Dockway District of Magnimar, looking for paid adventuring work. You all notice an oddly dressed person hanging a poster on the job board with weary determination. His clothes, while clean and well-kept, seem to be from another era.

The poster reads as follows.
Immediate Assistance Needed!
Hello intrepid adventurers. I require a competent crew to check out an abandoned building, track down a wayward servant, and clean out some disgusting pests. Please inquire at the Rusty Anchor.
—Zarzan

The person who hung the poster heads for a nearby tavern, the aforementioned Rusty Anchor.

Norg looks on with interest, he reads it carefully though he clearly frowns at the mention of the "wayward" servant. Usually they have a good reason to leave. He decided he definitely needed to get involved to make sure the servant was fine and working conditions were acceptable.

He looks around at the others nearby. He speaks in a polite but not quite educated manner. "Hello. I am called Norg. I would like to check on the welfare of the so called wayward servant. Do any of you want to work with me? I am part of the Pathfinder Society, if that helps."

The woman stops abruptly in front of the board as if she didn't even notice it. The poster, however, immediately catches her eye. She snaps her book shut, raises an eyebrow, and looks around for this Rusty Anchor place. With more purpose in her step, she heads for the inn.

"I'm looking for information about a Zarzan. Can you direct me to him?"

The dwarf reads carefully the poster. Then he lets out a volute of smoke. Only then he answers to Norg:

Well, guy, I don't know the society you announce to be part of, but I know this kind of tasks. Better not to be alone. So let's go to claim the job together.

After some quick introductions at the Rusty Anchor, Zarzan explains his situation. He speaks in heavily accented Common.

I was once an apprentice to the great wizard Meave the Enchantress in the Thassilonian realm of Bakrakhan. While I was on an errand to retrieve rare supplies in the capitol, Xin-Edasseril, Earthfall stranded me outside of time, a fate shared by many other Thassilonians. When I found myself in a new time and place, I traveled south to see if my teacher’s home and study are still standing.

I found Meave’s home on a nearby island the locals call Gull Island, but putrid oozes infest the place. I was unable to eliminate the creatures myself, so I hired a local mage to conjure an ooze mephit for me. I sent the mephit to handle the oozes, but the slimy servant is overdue.

I have two tasks for you: clean out: any remaining oozes; and the ooze mephit as well. I’ll pay you four gp each, to be paid at the conclusion of your mission.

Do you have any questions?

Picture of Zarzan on slide 5

You each have a Hero Point. If anyone has GM glyphs to award additional Hero Points, please let me know.

"You are from Ancient Thassilon?" Teki asks, extremely skeptically. She then shakes her head. "Never mind. Anything else you can tell us about the oozes? Or the mephit? Is there anything you're looking for at this place?"

A wee bit earlier...

Norg looks on with interest, he reads it carefully though he clearly frowns at the mention of the "wayward" servant. Usually they have a good reason to leave. He decided he definitely needed to get involved to make sure the servant was fine and working conditions were acceptable.

He looks around at the others nearby. He speaks in a polite but not quite educated manner. "Hello. I am called Norg. I would like to check on the welfare of the so called wayward servant. Do any of you want to work with me? I am part of the Pathfinder Society, if that helps."

The stuffed rabbit's ears perk up. "Aha! A fellow pathfinder. It is good to meet you Norg. I am Professor Bun Bun, Q.T.E. and I would be honored to work with you on this endeavor."

The dwarf reads carefully the poster. Then he lets out a volute of smoke. Only then he answers to Norg:

Well, guy, I don't know the society you announce to be part of, but I know this kind of tasks. Better not to be alone. So let's go to claim the job together.

pathfinder lore: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

"What's that? You haven't heard of the Pathfinder Society? Well then, let me educate you. It is a group of explorers and adventurers founded almost a thousand years ago by Aroden himself."

As the trio heads towards the tavern the erudite bunny tells many increasingly unlikely 'facts' about the Pathfinder Society.

A stout dwarf wearing a breastplate with a dwarven war axe and steel shield hastily goes to the tavern just to find himself that there are others already.

"Whew. Looking for Zarzan. It seems there are already takers. Do you mind taking me to your mission? Need some coins here, if you don't mind." Basag says while panting from a quick run.

He lets out a new volute of smoke. His cigar between two fingers and the mouth with the empty space for it.

Oh this society is really an old one so. It's strange that such a society, developed by Aroden hasn't come to Alkenstar. Do you have a meeting point on Golarion where I could ask for questions?

Further after having met Zarzan: Well there are pirates who lurk on these islands near Magnimar. And the ooze mephit are a type of elemental creature. So be careful.

He cleans up his weapon.

Zarzan addresses Aikawa's questions:
“The oozes are sort that resemble a heaping mess of sewage. The smell alone was almost enough to make me give up on ever reclaiming my master’s home.

The mage I hired to summon the mephit told me it would be able to handle oozes easily, since it is an ooze mephit. Since I haven't heard from the mephit since I sent it in there, I am pretty sure that isn't true, but I don't really know what has happened. If he causes trouble or won’t leave, do what you must to get him out of the way. He has his uses, but he is tiresome. I can’t have him interfering while I am investigating the ruins. I do not wish to squander the money I spent to conjure him, so if he is alive and willing, I would have him continue to serve me rather than be slain.

Japanese type name. Aikawa is her surname, Tenuki is her first name :)

Several expressions cross Tenuki's face before it settles on 'ew.' "That sounds...revolting. Do you know what might have caused such an ooze to appear? She pulls out a journal and a couple of reference books, stacking them next to her chair. Scribbling frantically to catch up on her notes, she starts flipping through the references looking for anything she can find on 'sewage oozes.'

RK if possible from the minimal description we have so far. Also ooze mephits.

Norg looks down at the talking rabbit, surprised. "Oh, yes. Hello Professor Bun. Bun? Pleased to meet you."

Norg follows along awkwardly towards the rear of the group. He seems disappointed at the mention of the ooze mephit being the servant but shrugs. The sewage oozes don't sound pleasant, but Norg was not averse to difficult work.

He thinks about the area mentioned and furrows his brow. "From what u remember reading, those islands are not safe anymore, if they ever were. They are haunted by strange ghosts and we're likely to be cursed to wander in darkness if we step foot there."

I don't think Norg has any relevant skills for RK at this point"

The dark human follows his new companions. Well, all of them are not new for him. His armor is a bit concealed by his cape but his doesn't seems to carry a weapon.

"What can you tell us about Meave the Enchantress? Did she have any magical traps or defenses on the premises that we might run afoul of?"

Zarzan looks thoughtfully past Professor Bun Bun for a moment.

Meave the Enchantress had many apprentices and kept their work strictly secret. She posted a guard in the Foyer to search her students as they came and went. There were rumors of a pit in the foyer where she could "dispose" of anyone who betrayed her trust, but I never saw it in use.

I have no idea why they appeared. For all I know, they found the house abandoned and just moved in.

"Your former master sounds very unpleasant m Are you sure you even want to bother going there? What could you possibly gain that's worth all the risk and trouble?"

Spending some smoke around the dwarf is listening to the questions-answers game.

I am sure my former master had much knowledge hidden away in her home, so if I can occupy the place and explore it at my leisure, I am sure I can find things. Besides, the building itself looks to be in good shape from the outside, and I don't have a permanent home right now,

If there are no more questions, I have arranged for you to travel to Gull Island on a small rowboat. A fisher owes me for an elixir I made to help his ailing mother, and in exchange for ferrying you and waiting for you to complete your task, I have agreed that the man’s debt is paid.

The trip takes about one hour.

Gull Island is one of many similar islands in the waters near Magnimar, some of which boast dilapidated ruins.

A building of wood and plaster stands at the peak of the hill-shaped island. Despite its supposed age, it looks to have withstood the passage of time.

New slide added

Tenuki shares the information she recalled about the oozes on the way, so everyone is as prepared as possible.

As the party approaches the building Professor Bun Bun issues a warning.

"Remember to be careful in the foyer. It'th poththible that there might be a trap or thimply a forgotten coal chute. Or indeed maybe nothing at all."

Very careful. Don't doubt.

The smoke goes up and down until it withers away.

Basag quietly scans the entrance of the building they are about to enter, taking heed of what Professor Bun Bun has just said. Perception +6

Norg looks around apprehensively as they approach. He doesn't trust that this is just a cleanup issue and there was still the concern about the spirits and curses...

"Make sure to watch out for anything spirit related. Getting cursed will not be fun. Who knows what else is in here."

With a wry grin, Tenuki comments, "In my short tenure with the Pathfinders, nothing is *ever* what it seems."

The dwarf says with his cigar in the mouth: Well now let’s down your pathfinder thing. We were hired for the job, not your pathfinder thing.

The inventor is looking for a trap. +3 Perception

And he draws his weapon and extends it.

Professor Bun Bun opens the door and checks for some sort of pit in the foyer.

Perception +6. If he finds no pit or other trap he will immediately enter the foyer.

Professor Bun Bun open the door.

A lone table faces the entryway in this windowless chamber. The floors are slick with moisture, and a putrid smell hangs in the damp air. A trail of filth leads to an open door opposite the building’s entrance.

As Professor Bun Bun starts to walk in the door, the floor drops away as the trap door he didn't see open beneath him. The sewage smell is amplified tenfold from the pit. There appears to be the remains of something old, dead and slimy in the bottom of the pit.

Professor Bun Bun, will need to make a DC 15 Reflex save to Grab an Edge or take:
Pit Damage= 5 bludgeoning damage as the acidic mass breaks their fall, then 1d6 acid damage as the ooze bursts from the impact: 1d6 ⇒ 1
6 total damage

Since Basag Bungo is in the front line and would have spotted the trap, I am going to give them a Reflex save at the same DC to grab Professor Bun Bun before they fall.

Something from the North (map right) reacts to the door opening and starts moving toward the Group

Initiative:

Round 1
Bold May Act

Professor Bun Bun Reflex Save DC 15 or 6 Damage
Basag Bungo Reflex Save DC 15 or 6 Damage to Professor Bun Bun
Dran'Tilt
Lendaru
Norg Revuv
Professor Bun Bun, regular turn
Tenuki
Basag Bungo
Something

The brainy bunny opens the door and takes a look inside. "It lookth okay from here."

He steps carefully steps inside. When nothing happens he begins to jump up and down. "Ha! Itth perfectly thafe. Come inthide everyooooooooooooneeeee!"

reflex save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

Suddenly the floor opens up and attempts to swallow him but he manages to catch himself and arrest his fall.

"Okay. Tho maybe not tho thafe after all."

DC 15 Reflex Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

"Watch out!" Basag warns the poppet, but Professor Bun Bun is quick enough to arrest his fall.

"That'th okay. I'm jutht fine. Let me jutht pull mythelf up and...What in the nine hellth ith that?" Professor Bun Bun screams as he sees the monster headed towards him.

◆ Recall knowledge on the thing to the north.

Norg is certainly caught offguard by the sight of the trapdoor. "Professor Bun! Are you alright? I expected all manner of magical traps but I did not expect to encounter a mundane pit trap."

What is needed to get across the pit? Just an athletics jump roll or something else?

Norg, you could jump across with Athletics, or perhaps take two actions to use thievery to pull the doors closed and disable the mechanism with Thievery. Since Professor Bun Bun is so light, you could pull him up as you close the doors.

I would also assume the doors open completely out of the way, so you could jump diagonally to shorten the distance slightly

Professor Bun Bun is very surprised when the trap door opens underneath him, but manages to grab the threshold of the door before he falls all the way into the pit below. There is something reeking in the bottom of the pit, but while you can see bits of bone embedded in it, nothing seems to be moving.

Professor Bun Bun is not familiar with the thing coming out of the shadows from the North.

Round 1
Bold May Act

Dran'Tilt
Lendaru
Norg Revuv
Professor Bun Bun, One action used to Recall Knowledge, Hanging out
Tenuki
Basag Bungo
Something Slimy from the North

Norg backs up to make a running leap across the corner of the pit.

Athletics to jump: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11vs DC10 I believe if its just the corner?

Then reaches down to pull up the stuffed professor. Athletics if necessary: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Then looks for the squelching sound from the north. Then stands up straight to hold his shield up in case the thing was faster than it appeared.

"Looks like the first ooze is already here everyone."

◆Stride w/jump ◆Hoist bunny ◆Raise Shield

Norg, you can make the leap without an issue, and given Professor Bun Bun is a stuffed animal, you can easily jerk him up from the pit.

Could you please update your position on the map? (first slide)

Tenuki breathes a sigh of relief as the bunny is rescued. "I hope you're not expecting me to jump anything. I'm fairly certain that won't work," she says eyeing the space where the pit used to be. She moves forward as soon as there is space and tries to fix the floor so it stays in place.

Thievery: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

"Eeep! It's hideous! Keep it away!"

With a stuffed body ill-suited to leaping over pits, Professor Bun Bun panics a bit and heads towards the nearest door.

Stride, stride

The inventor tries to pass the trap.

Athletics:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

The inventor moves and tries to add greater power to his attacks.

Overdrive, DC 15:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Then he casts shield.

When the combat breaks out the dwarf draws his pistol and infuses it with energy Energy shot, free action.

Then he moves near the pit and readies a shot once he sees the creature.