[ACO] PFS2e B16 - Boomtown Betrayal (P5) (Inactive)

Game Master UncleFroggy

Please dot (add a post) in here and then delete your post to add yourself to this campaign.

1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend. If you disappear for more than 24 hours, especially during combat, I will simply place your character on infinite delay just to keep things moving.

2) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.

3) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.

4) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.

5) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.

6) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.

Here she bee

.

A small figure, dressed in oversized robes and furs, with a hood over its head enters into the lodge. In one one is a quarterstaff that it leans on as a walking stick. On its shoulder is a lump that the figure seems to be talking with. A white, scaly hand holds the staff and a white reptilian looking snout pokes out from beneath the hood.

Your adventure begins in the Docks district of Absalom. You are in a local inn, the Rabbled Rouser. The Rabbled Rouser is located on a busy waterfront near Absalom’s harbor. The streets are crowded with legions of taverns and warehouses; each full and echoing with sounds of sailors, travelers, and dockworkers. There are hundreds of ships scattered along the dock just waiting to set sail on their next journey. The inn is crowded full of travelers from all over Golarion, but it doesn’t stand out much from other taverns nearby. You are relaxing and enjoying your time off from adventuring when you notice a distraught man wandering from table to table and making his plea for help.

Please introduce yourselves here. (other than Meepette, of course, though I do like the snout poking out from the hood) :)

A bipedal clockwork creature with a crossbow attached to one limb and a long blade on another lumbers into the inn. It looks like the latest gnome experiment got away, except it seems too functional for that. It hisses to a stop, then a panel in the front slides open, revealing a rainbow-colored stuffed bear with buttons for eyes and grease on the paws. The toy hops out and says in meticulous, Hallit-accented Common, "Good afternoon, everyone. Miss Sorbet is here." She hops onto the nearest table and adds, "Could I perhaps get a small cup of tea?"

Note: Miss Sorbet is actually tiny, and her invention does not change that. She will mechanically operate at that size, even if my descriptions do not sound that way.

The kobold looks at the poppet Youse smaller dan Meepete and even Lizy as the kobold gives a laugh like Muttley the dog.

Malik attempts to sit with familiar Pathfinder agents, seeing none, he sits with anyone displaying the symbol of the Open Road. Once seated, he pulls out a text and begins to read, his golden eyes glowing slightly to compensate for the uneven lighting in the tavern.

"Malik Thurus, Magus with the Grand Archive." he says to any agents as introduction. The golden eyed, dark haired man wears comfortable, but practical clothing and carries a backpack with two shields slung over it. His attire is mostly dark purple, but has occasional dark green accents as well.

Mees Grand Archives she states.

An overly large and strange looking tengu waits inside the Inn at his table. Normally the overly large tengu wouldn't be an oddity but this one looks to be very young for its size. Another such oddity is this hatchling seems to be wearing its thick, protective eggshell it was born from as broken pieces of armor all laced together with strands of rope. The plate clatters around the table as he pecks down at his meal, viciously shredding the meat from the bone in small swathes.

Hearing others joining him he ruffles his feathers. "SQWAUK! My flock calls me Jaariko but most people in town call me Baby Huey." He opens his beak in a strange smile. Large portions of his meal of flung in all directions off of his plate.

A tall elven woman flips her long hair as she enters the inn, after which a tawny owl flying from behind with a smalll rat in its beak perches onto her shoulder. The hungry bird then swallows the vermin whole.

The elf looks around to find a good spot to eat but it seems the inn is somewhat full. Luckily though, she finds an empty seat just beside the overly large and strange looking tengu. "Hello Baby Huey, I am Avery. Would you mind sitting beside you? The inns seems full and this seat beside you is empty." she asks Baby Huey, offering her a smile. "You have a peculiar name, Baby Huey."

An overly large and strange looking tengu waits inside the Inn at his table. Normally the overly large tengu wouldn't be an oddity but this one looks to be very young for its size. Another such oddity is this hatchling seems to be wearing its thick, protective eggshell it was born from as broken pieces of armor all laced together with strands of rope. The plate clatters around the table as he pecks down at his meal, viciously shredding the meat from the bone in small swathes.

Hearing others joining him he ruffles his feathers. "SQWAUK! My flock calls me Jaariko but most people in town call me Baby Huey." He opens his beak in a strange smile. Large portions of his meal of flung in all directions off of his plate.

OMG I love it!

A towering red haired woman makes her way to the table. A sleeve of armor plates covers her right arm and a sword with an elaborate hilt and serpent inlay wrapping the handle hangs at her side. She looks to the man working his way through the crowd.

Must be desperate to be trawling for help here. Guess we'll see what the fuss is about shortly.

It doesn't take long before he makes his way over to your table.

The troubled man speaks quickly, "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! I beg you, help my poor elderly parents. A dishonorable Taldan nobleman has tricked my poor, naive parents out of everything they have! Their coin and any items of value were swindled from them, but their pride won’t allow them to ask for help."

"So, I must ask. My parents are good people who didn’t deserve this treatment. They’re kind and try to help others, and this is the thanks they get for trying to help someone they thought was in need. Please, won’t you help me retrieve what was taken? I know it doesn’t look like I have much of a reward to offer, but I promise you will have one from me and my parents at the end of this."

"What is your name?" Avery approaches the troubled man, offering the seat she is about to take, and asking him politely. "Here, take a seat and tell us what happened to you parents. Taldan nobleman you say? Hmmm." she adds.

Malik looks up from his book, "I can't say that I'll be of much service in way of legal counsel. As it stands, it sounds like you're asking us to commit robbery. What stops this nobleman from simply reporting us, or you, to the law after we take the things you want? I'm sure you or your parents will be among the first suspects."

Jaariko looks up as a piece of greasy meat hangs loosely from his beak. " "SQWAUK! I look like an honorable adventurer?" He reaches out his wings and tightly hugs the man, nearly crushing him as his swings him all over before plopping him down none too gently into an open seat with now disheveled hair.

Meepette walks up to Malik Youse gots pretty eyes and pretty hairs she tells him deyse gold

Malik looks caught off-guard, "Oh, uhh, thanks. Something to do with angel blood or so I'm told. I've seen some others like myself at the Lodge, but not too many. The term is 'Aasimar', though I couldn't tell you many details about it."

Youse can be mines angel baby she says with a little laugh.

The troubled man's eyes widen as the enormous tengu picks him up, swings him around and none-too-gently plops him down on an empty chair. Gathering what's left of his nerve, he continues, "I-I-I am called Wiston Drent. My father Lom and my mother Andrea, are at our shared home in the Coins district. They’ve been too distraught and ashamed to leave, but I can take you to meet them."

"A fortnight ago, a nobleman named Malcolm Stanian said he needed some funds to build an orphanage in Taldor. My parents take pride in helping others without receiving anything in return, so of course they agreed to help. We only found out that this man was a fraud! I can only guess he did it because he knew he could and that my parents wouldn’t fight back. This is why it’s such a horrible thing to have happened and why I truly need your help to bring them justice. My parents would feel horrible asking anyone, let alone strangers, to help them retrieve their valuables. But it’s all they have so I must go against their wishes and beg for help."

Is his status as a nobleman fraudulent or just his orphanage? One is considerably easier to deal with than the other.

"We know his orphanage is a fraud. My parents wrote to the city in Taldor but they replied that there was no such orphanage under construction. My parents can provide you with more details, if you'd like to meet them. Will you help us?"

"A nobleman you say? Hmmm... He could be so desperate to do that to your parents. Nevertheless it is still wrong in any reason possible to do such fraudulent thing." Avery tells Wiston. She flips her hair and begins to fix it into a ponytail before she continues speaking. "But I think there is more to it..." she adds, but she does not have something in mind of what is indeed more to it.

Miss Sorbet finishes her tea and hops back into the suit. "By all means, let us speak to your parents. 'twould be quite the pity to see this so-called Taldan give nobility a bad name!"

Malik looks a bit annoyed, "Like I said Sir Drent, it sounds like you are asking us to rob a man. A criminal, or perhaps simply a terrible person, yes, but our actions sound less than legal regardless. Should you not approach an authority or a barrister about such matters? I'm afraid anything we do for you will risk retaliation to all of us, especially you."

Wiston tsks at Malik in frustration. "We tried, good sir. The authorities are not interested in people like us. They would rather help those who can help them in return. Besides, I'm not asking you to rob him. I just want him apprehended and brought back to my parents."

Malik raises an eyebrow, "So, kidnapping? Typically a far worse crime."

Malik thinks for a moment and shakes his head, "Unless your request has a legal avenue of egress, count me out; I'm no vigilante."

Wiston groans in frustration and turns to the others. "Can you not talk sense in your friend? Is it a bigger crime to get your property back from the one who swindled you?!"

"My friend, this is neither a robbery nor a kidnapping. We have simply been asked to have this man answer for his crimes, and the traditional avenues of relief are closed.

"Surely it can do no harm to at least speak to the victims of this deception? Let us follow our friend to his parents' residence and learn more about what happened. What say you?"

Jaariko smiles. "I'm in!" He spreads his wings out wide, dragging Malik in closer and closer. "Please come with friend. We will speak to him."

The kobold enters into the conversaion Mees knows dat Stanian not be a real Taldan richy name name. but it bees reals close to Stavian, deyse in charge of dat country. Taldor. Dems that wants to use dat richy name aisnt gonna beese reals richys. Dese ne fakes and porablys deys beees the most desperate cuz of Taldan nobles woulds has the need to prey on da poors peoples in a strange country. Dis guy is interesting but not as intersting as mines angel baby

Malik hesitates before committing, "Fine, but let's try to persuade a meeting rather than aggressively suggesting one. Maybe we can convince this false noble to make amends somehow."

The kobold asks Hims not a gnome is him?

Then we're agreed. We will speak to your parents, learn what we can, and investigate this supposed noble.

Avery nods to their conversations as everyone has their point. To her relief, they have agreed to help the young man. "I think it is a go for everyone of us." she tells Wiston. "We'll talk to your parents so that they can explain to us what really happened. We must also hear the side of this nobleman, if we ever get to find him too. Maybe he has some good reasons, though we know that what he did is wrong. Perhaps we can get back what he has taken from your parents. So, maybe you can begin showing us the way to your parents' house?"

Relieved, Wiston leads you out the door. The Coins District is home to the Grand Bazaar market, which, in the daytime, is full of people from across Golarion looking to buy goods. Wiston leads you further into the district, beyond the Grand Bazaar. It becomes dark as evening descends over the city.

As you troop out the inn, you all begin with one shiny hero point. Those with glyphs, go ahead and hand them out.

Miss Sorbet tries to get a better look at them and whispers to whoever is standing closest (i.e. whoever posts next), "It appears that an uninvited guest has joined our little expedition."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Rosa keeps an eye out and mutters back.

Guess the noble caught wind of our new friend's search

Seeing Rosa and Miss Sorbet whispering to each other, she joins them. "What was it? Is there a problem? Why are you both looking back?" she asks them. She thinks and is worried the night drawing onto them might be frightening the two, and also the fact they are getting farther from the crowded place of Grand Bazaar market in Coins District.

Sorbet says we have a tail. Which makes me wonder if this Wiston was swindled or if we're being led into a trap. It's something my previous... associates would have done.

Mailk shrugs, "I can't think of much reason our current employer would need a tail. The story is convincing and we've already agreed to travel to a new location. More likely, its an enemy he has made in the past; either the one we spoke of or some other."

Wiston notices that some of you are slowing down and looking back. "Is anything wrong? We need to get to my parents house soon."

"SQWAUK! Maybe new friend wants to join us!" Jaariko stops to look to see if it is a good idea to make a new friend.

"Friend?" Wiston asks, slightly uncomfortable. Wiston is also slightly apprehensive of the large tengu's loud and seemingly naive behavior at their current location.

Malik approaches Wiston,"Someone's tailing us. Either its one of your buddies or one of your enemies. We're basically mercenaries, so its unlikely they are tailing us specifically. You haven't officially hired us, but we tend to help others out anyway, so what's your call about this tail? Shake them? Confront them? Ignore them?"

Malik looks back to his group, "If any of you are decent at sneaking about, you could slip off and follow our tail."

"Sneaking is not exactly easy in this thing. I can stay with our employer and be noticeable, though."

Almost exasperated by his companions, Wiston walks back and calls out "Hello? Anyone there?"

Getting no response, Wiston turns back to the group. "I think you're all a bit paranoid. This isn't the best part of town, so I suggest we hurry."

The redhead shrugs, Even if one of us could have it's no good now.

She looks to Wiston. Perhaps a bit more subtlety next time. If we were being followed they may have hurried ahead to our destination instead. Let's hurry on ahead.