Kitsun-eight Broken Chains

Game Master Ietsuna

Gameplay

A messenger pushes through the crowd and hands you a note in a plain envelope. On the front there is only your name. Pulling the folded page from within you smell the scents of coffee and exotic spices. Your eyes begin to slide across the page.

I have heard of you and your group of like-minded individuals prowess within the Pathfinder Chronicles. I would ask you to meet me at the Midnight Interlude coffee house in Katapesh. There is a task that I would like your assistance upon. Please do hurry. The matter is of some urgency.

The note is signed simply with Whispershade and has a small blue and white symbol in the lower left corner.

Hiiragi--arm-in-arm with her new wife--frowns down at the letter.

"I'm just glad they waited until after the honeymoon," she says with an admittedly-dreamy sigh. "...Are we famous?"

Kenta, astride his resplendent horse Chance, dismounts and casually accepts the letter. He opens the one handed to Phidöe as well, careful not to glance at its contents before setting it down for the pup to read.

"Thank you kind sir, here is a coin for your efforts! If you ever need a couple detectives for anything, my friend and I are opening up an agency. We just got back from city hall with our licenses."

He skims the content, then takes a bit of time to read it through. Nodding at his partner he states, "Well Phidöe, I do not want to assume your letter was the same as mine, but it seems the society need us again. I guess we will have to delay the grand opening, but this missive seems urgent. We should book passage quickly!"

He grins down at the quick canine, "Shall we race to the docks?"

Onna walks through the crowd with her wife. GAH! I still cannot believe that. My wife.

"I'm just glad they waited until after the honeymoon," she says with an admittedly-dreamy sigh.

Onna bursts out with a laugh, "Like they would have had any luck prying us apart."

As Hiiragi reads the letter, Onna pauses as she reads the envelope. She tears up as she hugs the envelope to her chest. "Aw...Ragi...did you see? They wrote our last name on here. It's the first official correspondence with your new last name. We have to keep this and put this someplace special."

Local Take 10: 10 + 7 = 17

Pointing at the lower, left corner "I recognize that symbol. It's the Eagle Knights. Kind of a straight-laced group to be asking for us. If we are famous, these guys sure don't know why." She reads over the letter again, "If the boys got one of these, they're no doubt racing off to the first boat they can find without planning for a moment. I think it might get pretty hot there. We should probably get some supplies. Up for some shopping?"

Hiiragi giggles. "Hiirumma Bruraagigem..."

"Absolutely agreed. How about I let you pick out clothes for me this time?"

The way she grins, even in human form, you can just about feel her tail wagging behind her.

Technically speaking, Hiiragi does have a Hot Weather Outfit!

I would imagine Onna would say that ANY outfit Hiiragi wears is 'hot'! ;}

We have 3. I am going to move forward. Please post any catch up actions, shopping montages etc.

The boat trip is uneventful. No sea monsters, no pirates, no harpies.

You enter Midnight Interlude and seat yourselves at a table. A server approaches What can I get for you fine people? And anything for you little doggy?

Kenta gives the skulk big hugs when they all arrive at the coffee house, "It is so great to see everyone again. The wedding was wonderful but that boat ride was horrid. No sea monsters, pirates, or even harpies! I hope this mission allows us to smite some devils, my sword is getting itchy."

He ties up Chance outside and then heads in, where he sits and waits for someone else to order.

I have no idea what to order! Everything smells so spicy and not like the spices I know. Better just play it safe and wait.

The full plate armor he was wearing at the wedding is not present. Instead he has his normal breastplate on with his usual complement of many weapons.

Katapesh. That feels uncomfortably like Qadira. Hot. Sandy. And I pray to my divine Daikitsu that this desert harbours no harpies! I will look forward to working with the skulk again. Festivities aside it has been too long.

Ikari was happy. The wedding went off without a hitch - Phidöe dropping the rings did no harm, and the simple ceremony was a pleasure, and an honour, to conduct. The two wives went off on honeymoon and Ikari reflected on his own growth for a time.

"Kenta! Brother!" Ikari returns the young fox's embrace. "Where's your yappy sidekick?" The tall spearman searches around Kenta's ankles. "You know, if he turned up human nobody would know him. He could be stood right next to us. Where are the wives? I want to hear about the honeymoon before we get to the mission. There is a mission, of course. There always is."

Ikari's sheet is updated with purchases. Spear upgrade, ring of protection, scrolls of barkskin.

"Coffee, please" Ikari tells the server. "And pastries, if you have them."

Kenta glances down and shrugs, "He was... right here. Ah well, I trust him well enough to stay out of trouble. Probably investigating something even now!"

Ah, I recognize those things. Perhaps this place isn't as strange as I thought.

"The same for me, thank you."

Ooh, Furious on your weapon. An excellent choice! Kenta, to probably no one's surprise, went with Merciful for his first upgrade.

The server takes your orders and bustles off to the kitchen. About 5 minutes later they return with steaming cups of coffee for Kenta and Ikari.

On the top of each mug is an image in the foamed milk. One is a long delicate feather and the other is a mountain with the sun, or it is the moon, above it. Also on the tray is a small plate holding an apple danish, a custard tart, a small piece of baclava smothered in sugary syrup and a slice of cheesecake rich with tropical fruits and exotic spices.

Purchased a hot weather outfit, Salt tablets, and an umbrella. Also picked up a +1 naginata.

Onna walks into the restaurant with her wife. To her close friends, it is clear that there is something different about the bard. She seems more buoyant, somehow brighter. There is presently a lightness that runs counter to her usual focused concern at such gatherings.

Her smile widens as she sees the other members of the skulk. She cannot contain a squeal of delight. "AAAHHHH! Hello everyone! How are you doing?" Hugs happen all around. "Thank you again for being part of our special day. Kenta, the seedlings were perfect. So thoughtful. Phidoe, amazing work with the rings. And Ikari, your beautiful words touched my heart." She finally completes her circuit and takes a seat. "So, what are we having? Ooo, those drinks are so cool. And is that cheesecake? Oh, I am definitely having one of those!"

The server brings Onna a coffee with a bear's face in the foam and a couple of cheesecakes on a small delicate plate. As he leans down he whispers.

You are looking around a lot. Are you looking for someone of something in particular.

Onna absently stirs some sugar into the latte, scrambling the ursine features. "Oh I don't know. Just some weary travellers finding a spot out of the sun. Your cafe smelled delicious, and it provided more than a 'whisper' of shade. Quite a refuge."

Hiiragi looks... well, blissed out, honestly. Apparently matrimony suits her. She sinks into a chair beside Onna and sighs as she shares a cheesecake with her beloved.

"I could live just like this with you forever," she sighs dreamily.

"Well?" Ikari looks at the wives expectantly as he stirs sugar into his coffee. "How was the honeymoon then? Where did you go, with all of Golarion to choose from?"

Sorry for the posting delay, everyone. I got back from my trip awhile ago but have been busy playing catch up ever since.

Phidöe is rather alarmed to receive a letter addressed to him but he does his best not to show his comrades. Someone knows where I am! Does this mean that the giants have picked up my trail? I will attend this meeting - the better to learn who it is that is tracking me - but I must be wary of a trap. And my comrades! I would never forgive myself if any ill should befall them!

During the boat ride he hardly sleeps and is uncharacteristically unwilling to play fetch or any of his other usual pastimes. By the time the group enters the Midnight Interlude he is on full alert and he growls and sniffs at Onna's latte, suspecting poison, before he will let her take a sip.

Profile updated with purchases and level up.

Abruptly the server announces Please everyone finish your drinks quickly. I must close early today.

After about 10 minutes the cafe is empty except for yourselves and the barista. He nods toward the kitchens and a man appears and makes his way to your table. He is tall and swaddled in flowing robes fit for the desert. What you can see of him looks well-muscled and his face looks
weathered but welcoming.

I've called you here to request your assistance in a delicate operation involving a missing field agent named Othine Dalanse. She has a flawless track record of infiltrating and dismantling slave rings, and her successes have saved many lives. Over the past year, she's been working deep cover assignments throughout Katapesh, and I've had less and less contact with her. It's now been over two months since her last message.

Early last week, we recovered a body along the banks of the River Scorpius. At first, my agents feared it was Othine's, for it was wearing her armor and had similar tattoos. Thankfully, when clerics interrogated the body, the corpse proved to be nothing more than a vagrant with a passing resemblance to Othine, the tattoos obvious forgeries.

This situation doesn't bode well for Othine. I believe the slavers have captured her and may be torturing her for information, or worse. If she's been caught, the slavers certainly suspect we're investigating them, and will be on the lookout for undercover Eagle Knights. I need someone not directly affiliated with our organization to get into the slavers' base, discover Othine's true fate, and finish what she started by dismantling the operation.

I will offer you each 1500 gold coins for your assistance in finding Othine

I would also remind you that this is Katapesh and thus, slavery is legal here. Any action you take against slavers could even be considered to be illegal and punishable by local laws. Keep your profiles low and do not, in any way, do anything that could expose us as Eagle Knights and members of the Twilight Talons.

In her last report Othine made reference to a place called the Garden of Chains. Perhaps you could start there.

As often happens in such cases, Onna becomes very bashful when Ikari asks for details from the honeymoon. "I will allow my wife to share all the highlights."

**************

Onna listens to the briefing / request with a clear sense of empathy. This literally could have been me. It's the kind of assignment I grew up training for. She ponders the details of such a task. "You are aware that what you ask is dangerous. It is also a complicated undertaking. We may require additional funding to grease a few palms."

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

"We need to know more about Othine. What race is she? What do you know about her cover? Do you have a description of her or her assumed identity. What languages does she speak? Who or what organization was she investigating? Can you describe her tattoos or other distinguishing marks? Can we see the body, or barring that, her equipment?"

"For clarity's sake, what would be the legal punishment be for a legal slave-trader killing someone interfering with or disrupting a slave ring? What would be the consequences or legal repercussions such an agent would face? On that note, what penalties would we face should we be caught?"

Kenta’s hackles rise as he learns their mission. At the end he stands quickly, hand itching to reach for his sword, ”We shall go quickly and smi…”

Onna begins talking calmly.

The young fox takes a deep breath and unclenches his fists, before sitting again.

”We shall sit for a moment and learn more.”

He absentmindedly munches a cookie or something while listening very intently to mom.

At the end he adds a simple thought, ”Slavery may be legal, but the method of obtaining a slave is often not.”

Hiiragi Brummagem opens her mouth to speak--

"Can we see the body?"

--then closes it, satisfied.

Whispershade turns his attention to Onna.

Othine is a human, female of course, of about 5 feet 7 and of a medium build. Her main distinguishing feature is her tattoos, but they are upon her back and legs where they can be easily covered. The tattoos are distinctive. I will sketch them for you. The body has been already interred and, as it was not Othine I would rather leave the poor soul to her rest. I can however tell you that the body was found naked in the river so there is no equipment to speak of.

He beckons the server over, acquires a piece of parchment and sketches the tattoos for you. They are a large eagle on her back swooping with its talons out stretched to grab. On the legs are a swirling pattern of vines and thorns on each thigh.

The legal punishment for interfering with a valid slavery business would be a short imprisonment a fine or expulsion from the city. You would face similar consequences if you were caught. What the slavers may do however would be much worse.

When Phidöe hears that the mission involves slavers the fur on his body all stands alert and he begins to growl as he recalls his long years of involuntary servitude to the "giants." (actually Oreads, but he can't really tell the difference)

Diplomacy DC 20: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

"About these, these, ahem, slavers... do you require them alive? Or may we ahem dispose of them as we see fit?"

Kenta frowns, "Now partner, I know how you feel. I feel the same way. But remember what we have been learning about revenge? It doesn't lead to a calm spirit, just more and more anger."

He rubs a claw against the sharp tip of his blade, "This is why I put the enchantment on my weapon. Justice does not require murder."

"Grrrr."

Ikari growls softly as he strokes his chin. "A rescue mission then. And one that suits at least two of our number very well. Can you tell us more about the 'Garden of Chains'? What should we expect to see there?"

Hiiragi snorts.

"Justice requires murder as often as murderers require justice," she points out, "but we only ever give justice by our best guesswork and coincidence. We are not exactly impartial agents of karma."

She smiles, and flicks her gaze toward Onna a moment.

"I much prefer being tied to my own ideals than that of justice. My flail is freer that way."

I have never done it before, but I would consider leaning on Kenta and Phidoe if you did start killing slavers here who were just doing their thing. Slavery is lawful and so are they.

To Phidoe's question Whispershade replies While we do not agree with the practice and we do everything we can to help those enslaved, we have to remember that it is the law here and so killing slavers would be considered murder.

The Garden of Chains is a relatively new slave auction house located in the Twilight Gate district, very close to the River Scorpius. It is only my opinion, but they always seem to have more slaves than they ought to. Perhaps they are hiding some of the "stock" to avoid paying the city tariffs on the poor wretches.

There is a gazetteer in the module on the Garden and rather than having you tease the info out through tedious interactions with random citizens on the street, I am providing it here. It is good info and nice flavour

The Garden of Chains is gaining a reputation as one of the most hardened, gritty slave auction houses in the city of Katapesh. Located on the outskirts of Twilight Gate, it's run by a collective of both humans and gnolls , who take orders from a bloated gnoll slave-merchant referred to as the Overseer.

The Garden of Chains takes its name from the ruins upon which it was built-an abandoned water garden that once served as a sacred place of contemplation and cleansing. The ruins mark the mouth to one of the city's most ambitious failures, an elaborate qanat system that earlier officials commissioned to help provide cheaper amenities to residents of the district. In the end, crucial design flaws caused a massive crack in the main cistern, bringing the project to a halt. After construction ended, the garden was abandoned, and like many of the buildings in Twilight Gate, the property fell into disrepair.

Phidöe is LG and a Paladin, so he is certainly not going to willfully ignore the rules of Katapesh. At the same time, he is a member of the Liberty's Edge faction and his character concept is all about being an escaped slave who is still being pursued, so he is going to regard lawful slavery (and slavers) as lawful evil.

I'm not trying to be difficult or to derail the module and will do my best to work within the framework provided. Maybe Phidöe will see if he can haul any of the slavers off to Andoran or something like that...

Phidöe growls in acknowledgment of Whispershade's explanation. "I ain't no murderer, that's fer sure. I'll my best to help them slavers see the error o' their ways without killing 'em. 'less I got no other choice..."

Heard and understood Phidoe. I was not talking alignment shifts or anything, but there is local law enforcement who may get involved.]

"Hidden stock usually means illegal sources, for this sort of thing," Hiiragi sighs. "I've met farmers who do similar... but with grain, not people."

Kenta nods, happy the pup isn't talking about murder anymore, "If we have to commit a minor crime of knocking someone out to save a bunch of illegally imprisoned people, that is a thing we can do. Besides, it isn't a like a minor head injury ever had any sort of long term health effect on anyone."

He continues, "But hopefully, our sneaky teammates can help us with this mission without anyone getting hurt and we can get a bunch of bad people arrested too. So how are we going to sneak in? I am not inconspicuous."

Illegal crops? How does that even work? Further proof that farms are boring. But the farmer...not too shabby. Onna starts daydreaming, just a bit. Wait. Kenta just said something 'sneaky teammates'. Crapples! Just nod. Ah...getting into the slave house. Yeah, he sticks out. Like a glowing beacon of 'LOOK AT ME!' Hmmm, need a plan. Weird, it was never difficult concentrating before. Her eyes drift toward Ragi. Dammit brain! Focus. ON A PLAN! Not the totally buff woman next to you. NO! STOP IT! Think of a way to keep all these people alive. With that sobering thought, Onna begins to mull over a few options.

"Of course time is of the essence, but are there any special dates or events that are happening? Something that we might not know since we are no from around here?"

Auctions are held on Starday and today is Moonday, so you have several days before the next auction. The public are allowed to visit during daylight hours to prepare for the upcoming sales.

Hiiragi leans toward Onna.

"Do you think we could use them as a distraction? Shine the spotlight at one door, slip in the other?"

Kenta has a thought. Honestly, he's thought through this before and talked it out with his faction. But it fits the situation and seems wise.

"Okay, so listen. I am not a smart fox. But I do know a bit about these things. I know we can not just 'take' the slaves to freedom, at least without some strong evidence in our favor. So for missions like these, I always set aside money in case I can somehow buy the freedom of a slave or two. So I go in there as a genuine buyer and maybe take the attention off you all. The only thing I do not know is how distracting I can be. I do not think I can lie well. But I know you all can be really sneaky."

The bard nods, thinking along the same lines. "It's an option. But, for such 'straight arrows', they tend to stir up a hornets nest everywhere they go. It's like they can't help themselves. I'd want one of us to stay with them."

Maybe as body guards to everyone's favorite merchant, Mahmoud! I can bring Kenta and Phidöe as my body guards to look around. If I pay them, it is technically not even a lie.

Hiiragi taps her chin. "Not a bad idea, Kenta. Hell, as long as you're honest with your coin, I think they won't mind you complaining about the whole institution. You can just... go in there and give them a bunch of your honest opinions."

She thinks. "Of course, that's without knowing much about the place to begin with. Onna's plan seems best, otherwise."

"I've always wondered if twin Mahmouds would be fun to play..."

"I can be quiet when the need arises, but subterfuge is not my strongest skillset." Ikari grumbles. "Onna and Hiiragi's shapeshifting expertise is more useful in that regard. I will play my part.

Now, would you care to join me in prayer before we go visit this 'Garden'?"

Ikari's Caravan Bond class feature lets him use his domain powers at up to 30' range on up to 2 allies, as long as they take part in a one minute prayer with him. Once they've prayed, Ikari's ability to use his powers this way until the next time he uses the Caravan Bond.

So this let's Ikari use Calming Touch to remove fatigue, and swift action Growth, on whomever volunteers. Everyone can join the prayer of course, but Ikari can only select two allies. Any takers?

Of course Onna will pray with the rest of you divine allied folks, but I doubt she will be the recipient of such blessings. Much more useful for the others.

”Yes Brother, I will pray with you.”

He will take the blessing. We going with Kenta’s or Onna’s plan?”

Assume Kenta and Hiiragi get the caravan blessing then. I vote Onna's plan, it requires less improvisation from Kenta ;)

Works for me! At first glance I considered Phidoe as a better possibility than me, but then I remembered that Phidoe doesn't get fatigued as often and growing in size is actually bad for him.

Worth noting that I have Calming Touch as well, but also worth noting that I can't do that at range ;P

yes, Phidöe won't benefit from being enlarged.

Unless there are any objections I will fast walk us through town to the Garden of Chains

You travel through the city heading toward the Garden of Chains. You arrive at a run down structure and see a spiral staircase ahead leading downwards.

Map is up and I have put everyone in it. Feel free to move yourselves into whatever marching order you prefer and set about your investigations/activities. We are not in initiative but just don't rush too far ahead so I can keep the descriptions up.

Does the river run anywhere near the 'Garden'? If they could have dumped the body from there, they would have had less risk of being seen. I'm just wondering if there is an underwater way to get into the facility. Onna has potion sponges with Air Bubble, so it is worth asking.

Onna takes on the appearance of Mahmoud. She then removes two gold coins from her purse. Offering one to each of the paladins, "Gentlemen, I would like to employ you to keep me safe. Please accept this payment." She places a coin in Kenta's hand. She then holds it out toward Phidoe. Onna purses her lips as looks from the coin to the paladin. No coin purse. This disguise of his is really getting out of hand. "Would you like me to hold on to this until the job is complete?"

I would think the banner would have to be rolled up. For the time being, no static flag-bearer bonus. I'm not even certain if weapons will be allowed in the 'Garden' anyway.

The river does run near by here. It is not right beside the Garden, but, at the end of the day it is a garden, and there was work on the qanat (which is a water distribution tunnel system).

Kenta nods his head side to side, "No ma'am. There is no need to pay me. I have sworn a debt to protect my friends. I will continue to act as your guard." He moves up and leads the way up the stairs.

Eventual path shown by a white line.

The group moves down the stairs and into the large open space below. This space is enclosed by the walls around appears to be where the slaves are auctioned off. There is a wooden "block" where you would assume the auctioneer stands with the current lot when sales are taking place. Around the edges you see a number of cells containing humans, dwarves and gnomes. On the northern side of the Gardens stands an obese gnoll wearing what looks to be well made clothes. He is flanked by a male and female human who look to be wearing well used armour.

Green NPCs on the map are those in the cages. The three on the north (gnoll and humans) are the other coloured NPCs. We are not in combat or initiative.

Kenta glances across the way and sees other people and slaves. His hackles raise at the simple thought of what is going on here. He takes another calming breath and turns to Onna, "Onna er... merchant dude. Tell me that these slaves will not be harmed."

There is a bit of an edge to his voice as he seeks reassurance.