Wrath of the morally flexible

Game Master Mightypion

Stunned at the brief appearance of a divine power, Constantine considers the boy carefully. Shaking his head he turns to the succubus, "You know what knowledge I seek."

About 7000 years ago we jointly overpowered a powerful contract devil, and used his essence to essentially sign a non aggression pact between us three. Saphee`ora is one of Lady Nocticulas headhuntresses, in all meanings of the word. Recruitment, abduction, assassination. As far as I know she is currently busy on another material plane called "earth", probably populated by either earth elementals or mortals with boring naming conventions.
They definitly have a massive war going on there because some heir to the throne got shot by some guy suffering from some disease, and now there are, I kid you not, around 14 million people under arms trying to kill each other, mostly with firearms, but in reality with hunger, disease, privation and all that stuff.
Honestly, they should just declare a proper murderball over the throne of Hungry-Abstrusia or whatever that kingdom was called and be done with it.
She pauses
A true pity, Earth had some properly stylish and decadent places, and now its just war war war war. Bleh. She seeks to expand Saphirres horizons, although she isnt exactly the most historically accurate reteller.

There will be a delivery She nods to Arrius

If you dont have a direct question, she will drop what she thinks is useful

Aurical is not enjoying the conversation that persists with the demon. Though given the familiar tone in which the party speaks he is not overly quick to try and tamp it down. Until she starts to talk nonsense about other worlds!

Sensing his chance he darts up, taking position between the succubus and the party he was supposed to be reigning in to the side of good. "You!
Demon!" he begins sharply, "I tell you, quit this field now! These souls may not be pure, but they are still crusaders. I will not have you tempt them! There will be no souls falling to the abyss on my watch." He currently had no weapon in his hand, but he still shakes a clawed fist at her menacingly.

Welcome back Aurical!

intimidate Aurical: 1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (16) + 3 - 1 = 18 intimidate is untrained, -1 for smaller size
And who would you be who so daringly attempts to impose his will upon a blade of midnight? I do not perceive an aura of goodness from you, unlike with Sir Arrius over there. She asks Aurical, with a rather neutral expression.

She has constant detect good, Arrius pings for her, the boy pinged when he was bloodraging, the remaining party does not ping yet.

Aurical is not enjoying the conversation that persists with the demon. Though given the familiar tone in which the party speaks he is not overly quick to try and tamp it down. Until she starts to talk nonsense about other worlds!

Sensing his chance he darts up, taking position between the succubus and the party he was supposed to be reigning in to the side of good. "You!
Demon!" he begins sharply, "I tell you, quit this field now! These souls may not be pure, but they are still crusaders. I will not have you tempt them! There will be no souls falling to the abyss on my watch." He currently had no weapon in his hand, but he still shakes a clawed fist at her menacingly.

"I appreciate you watching over our souls but some of us aren't as vulnerable as others. She has not engaged in combat with us or threatened any innocents. The Paladin Code applies to all sentient creatures not just mortals. Does the boy have any family left in the area? Where we're going he would likely come to harm."

Checking the rest of the bodies she says back to the group.

"Earth was a destination on the reality Drive of the 'ADBVENT STAR' my home ship. I took a snuck-peek at its Nav screen and it was there. Said nothing other than its plane's location."

She rolled a body over, dumping its weapons on the floor, It made a sound. Still come life in it, she fliped a blade out and stabbed it in the chin and up into the brain. it stopped moving. She slipped the blade back.

Without braking a beat she goes on.

"A large war sounds like a place one can do a lot of stabbing. Make good coin doing decapitation strikes."

Describe me where you are searching in the manor!

Perception check in area 9: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Saph, slips the ring on and then dumps the rest of the gear in a pile for the team to look over.

I'm not partial to the first come, first serve style of looting. If that's what we're going to do in the future, so be it, but let it be said up front. I also wouldn't mind a ring of deflection, and can't make use of the other gear. If you'd like to make the argument that it's in character for you, that's perfectly fine, but it's also in character for Targis to call you out for it if he ever becomes aware of it.

Completely lost by the conversation of other worlds, and complicated moral judgement, Targis sits down to nurse what was inevitably going to be like 10 hangovers all at once when his mutagen wears off. But since he still seems to have more than 20 minutes of drug-fueled energy left to him, he gets back up again. Looking around the mansion, he decides to make use of one of his skills from a past life, profession butler to try and figure out where the best hiding spots for valuables would be in this house.

Profession Butler take 10: 10 + 8 = 18

Loot wise, I expect you to aim for a fair distribution. Currently there are 3 people who have equal rights to the ring of protection mechanically, and the cloak of resistance is likelwise useful to a number of people. The circlet of wisdom and the breastplate +1 are perhaps less useful to the party, although they are great finds for other parties. Let it be said that the loot in this module is rather plentifull.

Yartak investigates a supply shack, and indeed finds 3 quivers of cold iron arrows, pretty good wine and a fair selection of salted ham. Good Eats!

Targis, going by your butler experience, such a compartment would not be at an obvious location, such as a private room, but somewhere less direct. Somewhere where one could for example dig without much suspicion, but where others would have little reason to venture.

When you say dig, do you mean rummage, or actually using a shovel?

Lady Alithera? Do you know her? The succubus, already riveting Sahala's attention, becomes even more interesting to her. However, it is obvious that yes. If you see her, give her my regards.

I do not pretend to anything from loot yet, I suggest giving it to those who are fighting on the front line.

Actually dig

Yes, we have a multi-millenia "dont mess with each other" pact, she didnt exactly mark you, at least I dont sense that she did, but if you know her name you are of interest to her and thus off limits to me.

She pauses

Lady Alithera runs a number of enterprises in the Midnight Isles, and is somewhat of a trader. Main merchandise are prisoners for ransom or exchange, information, luxury goods, firearms.
If she gets drafted, she typically employs her own vasalls, who are very well equipped, and takes exceedingly little risks herself.
She literally has business permits for both Axis and Dis. As a Succubus. No idea how she manages to deal with the beurocracies of these places without flipping out and shooting things in the face until they put their "forms X97gE for faciliating of semivoluntary interplanar transport" where no sun ever shines. Her eyes flare a bit at the mention of beurocracy.

But well, ransom brokers, which she also is, are very useful and quite popular. If she gets rich enough she may just purchase the demon isle of Luralune, partly because its probably the midnight isle least deadly to mortal life. She is in part buying up mortal prisoners from elsewhere in the Abyss, expending some healing on them, and then contacting those who are attached to these prisoners about ransom agreements. Surprisingly lucrative, turns out that the families of someone taken by demons pay pretty good coin to have him not be abducted by demons.
She explains further

who precisely are you though? I do not believe you have introduced yourself, and while I could read your mind it is somewhat rude to just extract such things. She adresses Sahala

Targis, still feeling amped up, and having finished cleaning his weaponry will start exploring room 2, followed by 8 if he finds no evidence of digging.

Survival(actually rolling because it's probably hidden pretty well): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Targis finds evidence of digging around the well. (8)
Because, of course there would be, a well needs to be dug. He does not directly note a compartment beneath, as the soft earth would hide such things yet his loot sense are tingling! Around the well!

Constantine, also puzzled by the talk of other worlds, goes to see what Targis is getting into.

Perception Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Survival Aid: 1d20 ⇒ 7

"I knew I should've bought that traveler's any-tool; a shovel would be so handy right now. Do you think Yartak will share those hams he found? I could eat..."

The Succubus meanwhile seem bored and focuses on her belt.

According to my belt, the next worthy foe for me is one queen Galfrey the I, currently 156 miles south, slowly approaching.
Until a couple of seconds ago, there was an Ulkreth to the east of here, close to a location named "silken thread" but it apparently left in massive frustration. Nothing else in this city is a valid target for my violence.
She pauses
You can draw your own conclusions what it means that anyone truely notable from the forces of the worldwound opted to be elsewhere.

I have a theatre performance to visit in Alyushinyrra, "The King in Yellow" again. Lets see if it will be fun, or yet another one of this "Waiting for Godot-Hastur" sessions, where the bugger doesnt effing show up because there are 15 Balors in the audience and it is oh soooo scared... She greater teleports out.

"I always used to say a good soldier carried a trowel," Targis laments. "Perhaps we could bastardize one of those glaives as a substitute. It hurts me to use a weapon like that, but..." Targis goes inside to fetch a glaive, and starts digging. "Let me know if Yartuk gives you any of that ham. I'm starving, and my head is about to be killing me."

Note, you have yet to superficially check several areas, which may just yield certain implements currently desired.

I have a -2 alchemical bonus to int right now...

Yartak shares his findings with the rest, specially the hams.

"The wine, though, we should leave it for a different moment - we don't want to be inhebriated when someone sneaks on us do we."

The arrows he will offer to whoever wants to use them and, with a piece of ham in one hand and still chewing, he moves to a different area and goes on with the scanning.

"With some help, nomnom, we wouldn't take as long, nom. Just saying."

Perception in Area 3: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

She hold up her hand to the others.

"Found this ring, you want it we flip coins for it. If you win the resr of use will take things of same value."

She wiggles her finger.

Constantine agrees with Targis, "Let me see if there's a gardener's shed on the manor grounds. Perhaps there's a shovel or two left or something useful and then we can come back and dig with the glaives if necessary. Plus I don't trust that succubus; she could take all the ham..."

Constantine will search for any shed with tools like a shovel and to make sure the hams don't 'disappear'...

Yartak shares his findings with the rest, specially the hams.

"The wine, though, we should leave it for a different moment - we don't want to be inhebriated when someone sneaks on us do we."

The arrows he will offer to whoever wants to use them and, with a piece of ham in one hand and still chewing, he moves to a different area and goes on with the scanning.

"With some help, nomnom, we wouldn't take as long, nom. Just saying."

[dice=Perception in Area 3]1d20+4

Constantine nudges Targis and gestures his head towards Yartak, "See, he's eating the ham already. We'd better hurry or there won't be any left for us!"

She hold up her hand to the others.

"Found this ring, you want it we flip coins for it. If you win the resr of use will take things of same value."

She wiggles her finger.

"Let's see what else is available first and then discuss who gets what? But we shouldn't tarry; I think we have less time than we'd like to continue with our list of targets."

Yartak finds a gardeners set, including a shovel, in area 3.

Totally called it; she wanted the hams.

"Let's see what else is available first and then discuss who gets what? But we shouldn't tarry; I think we have less time than we'd like to continue with our list of targets."

Saph clenches her fist,

" As I thought, no one."

She turns and goes checking the rest of the area.

Arrius Voralius Constantine wrote:

"Let's see what else is available first and then discuss who gets what? But we shouldn't tarry; I think we have less time than we'd like to continue with our list of targets."

Saph clenches her fist,

" As I thought, no one."

She turns and goes checking the rest of the area.

Constantine blinks, "Did she want to fight to the death over the ring? I'll take first shift with the shovel Targis..."

He briefly focuses his energy on healing his wounds.
Lay on Hands: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

"Your pride is your weakness Arrius,I have told you before, a fight was not the intent, showing we need to act as one, was"

A ring flies through the air and lands at his feet, tinging as it bounces to a stop.

"Share and share alike"

You have a shovel, how much time to you want to invest digging close to the well? Do you investigate the well first?

Not really interested in the stupid argument full of c0ck measuring that's taking place, Yartak hands out a shovel to Targis.

"Here! You were looking for one of these weren't ya!"

As he's nearby when the ring lands on the ground, he quickly picks it and puts it in his pocket. "I'll keep this safe and later we'll see, deal?" he explains, trying to put an end to the argument.

I hope you guys don't mind. Because, mind you, we want to move away from this don't we.

"Now if you could help me search the place, please..." he adds with his arms in his waist.

You have a shovel, how much time to you want to invest digging close to the well? Do you investigate the well first?

Constantine searches the area around the well...

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

but not very well.

Actually: SKILL CHALLENGE TIME!

I am going to steal one of the relatively few cool mechanics from DND. Skill challenge!

You are now aware that there is something looty and nice in or close or perhaps beneath the well! But how do you intend to get it?

Well:
--all of you can roll 1 Skill roll, or ability check, which you can justify as helping you. Very obvious skill rolls: Perception, Survival, athletics, acrobatics, disable device, kn. engineering, relevant professions, heal, raw STR, raw Dex, raw int, raw wis, climb, swim. I am open for other ideas.
--Note, yes, this does encourage you to check what skills other party members are good at! Teambuilding exercise yay!
--Nobody can roll something another player has already rolled
--If you have a class feature or prepared spell that would work here, great! Tell me what you do with it to assist your roll, or someones elses roll even. The Boni will be hidden however.
--You have 2 semi friendly NPCs you can ask to contribute, however, they are not on your level and it may hurt or imperil them!
--You did not flirt enough with the Succubus to have her stick around for a bit, she would have trivialized this (Ethereal Jaunt, fly and greater teleport), but that would cost you a small favor later.

Not sure Constantine or Aurical would want more Succubus assistance. Considering his lack of skills it looks like Strength.

Using the shovel and hearkening back to instances of corporal punishment, Constantine tries to put his back into it!

Strength: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Perform - Singing 'Working on the Chain Gang': 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

I almost choked from laughing so hard, I can't wait to hear the reviews. :)

While the meat bags did in the dirt, Sapphire walks to the Succubus and asks her.

"You know of my pattern mother, and of plane drives, Succubus. How is this?

Honestly, the most helpful I can come with is to use Intimidated on Arrius to make him stop singing, but...

Yartak uses some of his magics to help the diggers, given he would only delay them even more of he tried to use the shovel. Instead he makes Targis grow.

Enlarge Person on him

Then the Succubus was gone, teleporting away.

"Well that's just bloody frustrating!!"

Turning she heads to the hole in the ground being dug, as she passes where the Ring is, no one claiming it. She stoops picks it up, and dumps it onto the pile of loot she had made. Then carried on to the hole being dug.

Once there she nonchalantly Flicks her hand and uses a projected force field Telekinetic Projectile to yank rocks and stones out of the pit being made. The stones slam into the walls around them.

Flick, Slam!
Flick, Slam!
Flick, Slam!

Retconning Sapphieres question before teh Succubus leaves.

As I told you, me, Sapphee and Alithera have been cooperating for a couple of milennia. If I recall correctly, the whole killbot thing started after Desna killed Aolar, resulting in a degree of opposition research including identifiying Desnas other enemies, resulting in Desnas other enemies, who apparently treat knowledge as a bi directional thing paying an unwelcome visit to Alyushinnyrra, resulting some uglyness and a collapse of the prices for fried tentacles. Apparently, the old Thassilonians had the same issue, and a cooperation between Eurythnia and Alyushinyrra to jointly develop killbots to remove tentacles with extreme prejudice was made.
As far as I know, most of the killbots got wiped out when the meteor hit, but some where in stasis pods, like probably you and persisted.

As for plane drives? We basically use plane shift, and then greater teleport to the precise desired location. Its a more workable solution for us, as our innate capabilities render us fairly resistant to enviromental effects resulting from being of course.

Survival with big shovel/glaive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

"For the love of your holy Iomedae, stop that infern-celestial noise! A paladin of Shelyn you are not. If that's what the celestial hosts in heaven sound like, then I'd rather my soul be ripped to shreds by the daemons!"

Targis clutches at his skull. The reverberations of Arrius's performance seem to have kickstarted his comedown. But he is a soldier, and used to trekking through pain. He continues to help as best he can.

Sidenote: Large Targis with a glaive and lunge gets up to 20ft reach, which could be something to work towards someday. You'd still have to be adjacent to get bodyguarded, but it'd still make for some nice area denial.

Eurynithia DC15 Kn religion 1d20 + 1d6 + 8 ⇒ (14) + (4) + 8 = 26

Saph says back before she goes.

[Andiron]
"Eh bien, si la reine de la séduction voulait être sadique envers les monstres tentacules, je peux voir que c'est une chose. Savez-vous ce que cette dose de code caché vient d'apparaître lors de notre rencontre ? C'est plus qu'un algorithme de sécurité, c'est une merde de processus de verrouillage. Allez, vos noms dessus, liés aux enregistrements de Kill-Bot."

She thinks for a moment.

[Andiron]
"Quand l'utérus forge 'Andirons' est arrivé quand le grand vaisseau de la ville s'est écrasé, dans la nuit aux mille étoiles. Certains ont été repris et de ceux-là, mes sœurs et moi avons été créés. la plupart ont effectivement pris fin, lorsque la pierre du ciel est tombée."

[dice=Survival with big shovel/glaive]d20+8

"For the love of your holy Iomedae, stop that infern-celestial noise! A paladin of Shelyn you are not. If that's what the celestial hosts in heaven sound like, then I'd rather my soul be ripped to shreds by the daemons!"

Targis clutches at his skull. The reverberations of Arrius's performance seem to have kickstarted his comedown. But he is a soldier, and used to trekking through pain. He continues to help as best he can.

Sidenote: Large Targis with a glaive and lunge gets up to 20ft reach, which could be something to work towards someday. You'd still have to be adjacent to get bodyguarded, but it'd still make for some nice area denial.

Constantine hands the shovel to Targis to take a shift at digging as he chuckles over Targis's expert review of Constantine's singing.

"If you think my singing is bad, never accept an invitation to attend a Chelish opera....never! do so. Sometimes I think it's a subversive means to scare the devils away."

Honestly, the most helpful I can come with is to use Intimidated on Arrius to make him stop singing, but...

Hahaha! :)

Pas seulement du sadisme, mais aussi de la légitime défense. Il y a eu la deuxième, puis la troisième et enfin la première guerre Alyushinyrran-Carcosan, oui, dans cet ordre parce que les têtes de tentacules n'ont pas aimé la façon dont la deuxième guerre s'est déroulée, alors ils ont commencé à faire des conneries avec la magie temporelle. Putain de "scientifiques" ! The retconned Succubus responds, touching a faded scar on her throat.

Après cela, les intentions de Lady Nocticulas d'attaquer Desna de façon plausible pour vol de vie ont nettement diminué.

We are kind of waiing on Sahala and Aurical for the skill challenge, Yartak I would accept profession herbalist, you could surmise that the loot stash in accessible from the well, and herbalist may be a way to not get messed up by the fiendish water down there.

"Fiendish water?!??!" Sounds like Besala's drink of choice...

Linguistics check to convince it to be friendish water instead

Constantine can't; Linguistics is trained only. :(

"Savez-vous pourquoi les scientifiques sont aussi appelés « apprenants de Dieu », c’est parce que les avions, où la science sort d’une culture complexe, ont tendance à être ceux avec une durée de vie savamment longue, dans des ordres de grandeur supérieurs à tous ceux qui sont soi-disant êtres divins créés? Ils ont tendance à avoir entre dix et cinquante ans. Étant donné ce genre de laps de temps, la science mène inévitablement à la création d’une technologie si avancée qu’elle ressemble à un dieu, elle est utilisée pour devenir des êtres qui fabriquent ensuite des avions pour s’amuser et jouent aux dieux pour le plaisir. La question que mes semblables ont toujours posée est la suivante: où s’arrête la technologie et où commence la magie? Parce que pour moi, livre, vous n’êtes qu’un technicien de simulation avec un transporteur d’avions encodé dans vos voies synaptiques. Goffing de jouer à la simulation."

She says directly

"Parce que je serai extrêmement énervé si je découvre que je ne suis que des sous-routines exécutées dans une simulation. Et un maître de la science divin joue avec nous tous, juste pour le plaisir. Ainsi, ils peuvent être distraits d’une triste petite vie sur un plan de science. Et toute la magie et la culture de l’histoire n’étaient que de la fiction faite pour aider à raconter des histoires distrayantes. Non pas qu’un tel être nous laisserait jamais demander de telles choses. Je veux dire, pourquoi laisser ses créations faire tanguer le bateau ? Quel genre de freinage de mur gâché serait-ce?!!"

She mused, then added.

"Désolé, où étais-je, O oui, allez-vous m’aider avec ce morceau de code étrange dans ma tête ou non? Si ce n’est pas feckty-bye."

Profession Herbalist: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Though I hope the sacrifice of my spell slot was worth it! :P