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Walking into the room, the priestess tries to locate the red foe by the sound of its clapping hooves
flat check
Hearing it and knowing that these equine-ish creatures are destroying artifacts and silly Manny is out of immediate peril of visiting Pharasma, the priestess of Calistria begins to chant and calls upon her goddess to destroy these foes. As her prayers are completed she extends her hand as a ray of light shoots forth at her hand at the horse.
searing light spell attack
Searing Light
Spell 3
Attack Evocation Fire Good Light
Source Core Rulebook pg. 367 4.0
Traditions divine, primal
Spell List elemental
Bloodlines angelic, psychopomp
Cast somatic, verbal
Range 120 feet; Targets 1 creature
You shoot a blazing ray of light tinged with holy energy. Make a ranged spell attack. The ray deals 5d6 fire damage. If the target is a fiend or undead, you deal an extra 5d6 good damage.
Critical Success The target takes double fire damage, as well as double good damage if a fiend or undead.
Success The target takes full damage.
If the light passes through an area of magical darkness or targets a creature affected by magical darkness, searing light attempts to counteract the darkness. If you need to determine whether the light passes through an area of darkness, draw a line between yourself and the spell's target.
Damage fire damage
Good damage if a fiend
Double if the 34 was a crit.
When she has completed her spell she will whisper to Manny We will have so much fun tonight, no one burns your buns but me
Manny whips red for a bit of damage. He then tries to make his performance last longer, but fails.
Atae crits her spell! Calistria's wrath comes down on Red. Fire doesn't seem to hurt the fire-breathing horse much, but it's still pretty hurt by fire. And yes, it's a fiend, so it also takes Good damage. There's a flash of light and once the normal light level comes back, there's just a smoking crater where the Nightmare used to be.
Together, Manny and Atae take out Red!
Inspire Courage
Manny 52/74, Hasted, Sickened 2, immune to Red smoke,
Atae 64/69 HP,
Zabu 94/135 HP, immune to Blue smoke,
Othello 99/99 HP, immune to Blue smoke,
Blue, 29 damage
Aerin 28/61 HP, Sickened 2, immune to Blue smoke, Shielded
Ogre: Destroyed
Tapestries: Destroyed
Column: Destroyed
Tome: Fine
Orb: Damaged
Shield: Fine
Smoke: DC 23 Fortitude save or Sickened 2
Smoke: DC 5 flat check for targeting
Hooves: Basic DC 24 Reflex save
Zabu and Othello are up!
Zabu walks up to the remaining Nightmare and sinks his teeth in it. His first attack hits, but his claw misses.
The remaining Nightmare had fun wailing on Aerin, but now there's a gnome biting him in the flank. He decides to make short work of him.
Othello's Glimpse of Redemption triggers. The horse knows no redemption and shrinks in stature as divine might drains his energy.
The Nightmare stops bleeding.
Nigel sees that you have everything under control and runs towards the Castorvelian Orb, immediately fussing over the cracks in its surface. He pours magic into it and the orb is whole again.
Manny 52/74, Hasted, Sickened 2, immune to Red smoke,
Atae 64/69 HP,
Zabu 87/135 HP, immune to Blue smoke,
Othello 99/99 HP, immune to Blue smoke,
Blue, 53 damage, Enfeebled 1
Aerin 28/61 HP, Sickened 2, immune to Blue smoke,
Ogre: Destroyed
Tapestries: Destroyed
Column: Destroyed
Tome: Fine
Orb: Fine
Shield: Fine
Smoke: DC 23 Fortitude save or Sickened 2
Smoke: DC 5 flat check for targeting
Hooves: Basic DC 24 Reflex save
Everyone is up! Aerin still has Inspire Courage, the rest doesn't unless Manny activates it again.
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Manny snickers at Zabu's multifaceted retort. "I'll take your word for it. Let's end this already, I'm getting tired of flaming horses."
He Inspires Courage again amongst his friends, before trying to let it linger.
Instead he coughs a bunch of smoke.
With haste, he moves toward Aerin and tries to find him.
Yes, there he is! Manny casts Soothe on him. It heals hit points and a +2 bonus to Saving Throws during the entire duration.
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The priestess moves back into the room and seeind the smoke, knows that the horse fiend is still around. She wrinkles her nose in annoyance and tries to help her companions to take it down.
flat check to locate the nightmare
She then casts fear on the nightmare
Will DC 25
Fear
Spell 1
Emotion Enchantment Fear Mental
Source Core Rulebook pg. 337 4.0
Traditions arcane, divine, occult, primal
Bloodline demonic
Deities Dhalavei, Kelizandri
Cast somatic, verbal
Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature
Saving Throw Will; Duration varies
You plant fear in the target; it must attempt a Will save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target is frightened 1.
Failure The target is frightened 2.
Critical Failure The target is frightened 3 and fleeing for 1 round.
Zabu tries to grab the Nightmare, but can't get a proper hold of him. His claws, however, find good purchase, and large rends appear in the horse's flank. Manny continues to inspire his allies and soothes Aerin's wounds.
Atae casts a Fear spell on the creature and it whinnies in panic as terrible visions dance before its eyes. Finally, Othello lashes out several times. His first strike misses, but his second attack connects and puts the horse down.
End of combat!
Nigel Aldain puffs as he runs back into the room and looks at the carnage in his vault room. "Oh no, my prized collection! So much knowledge, forever lost! Those blasted horses..."
Nigel's face grows red with anger and it looks like he's going to lash out at anyone nearby, but he then composes himself. "Ahem. Sorry about that, Pathfinders. I would like to thank you for... subduing those beasts. I do not blame you for what happened, and I'd like to think you handled this better than my staff could have, so you have my gratitude. Now, let's see to your wounds and we'll finish this investigation, all right?"
Nigel runs back upstairs and returns a short while later with healing potions and several bottles of strong drinks.
"This is the least I can do," Nigel says. "I put you into this situation, and I'm responsible for your injuries. Now that everyone is as good as new again, I'd like to say something. You were very kind to me during this whole trial, and I'm convinced you don't bear any ill will towards the Museum. I must confess, I have indeed been keeping things from the Pathfinder Society. But in order to not influence your objectivity in this investigation, I would like to ask that you finish questioning my wife, and after that, I'll reveal the whole sordid truth. After that, you can make your report back to the Society. Does that sound like a deal?"
Nigel looks at you with a genuine though pained smile, and offers a hand.
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Manny lands as the flight spell wears off. "You alright, Nigel? Sorry we couldn't save everything. But you saved me." He smiles. "Besides, Pathfinders stick together, right?" He takes the hand.
"We can definitely speak to Dharmi again. We should make sure she was able to get the guard to investigate the robbery attempt."
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The elf gives the bard a stare that would strike him down like a flame strike and leave him so much as pile of ash at his comment about the curator saving him.
She then turns to the museum docent You may wish to have your curators or other experienced workers take a look, all of those items might be repairable.
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"Ah, what's a little ruckus between friends?" Zabu says, two fisting it with a potion in one hand and a strong drink in the other.
"I'd be disappointed if I visited this place and didn't get to fight anything or overcome a curse or something. Sorry about your fancy knick knacks, though. Some of them looked real nice."
Nigel stands a little taller after Manny thanks him. "Yeah, I guess it's what we do. Once a Pathfinder..."
He turns to Atae. "I'll see what we can puzzle back together. It might not be much, but it's better than nothing. I'm relieved that the ogre didn't join in the fight once its ice was broken, hahahaha." His laugh dies down as he he realises his attempt at levity falls flat.
You leave the Museum and head back to Dhrami's townhouse. She welcomes you inside and there's no sign that the robbery ever took place. Even her head wound has disappeared.
"Welcome back, Pathfinders. Is my darling's museum still in one piece," she asks with a sly smile. "Well, I'll get you something do drink and then we can start with the interview, all right?"
She leads you to the living room where a boiling pot of tea and a plate with several small sandwiches already stand ready for you.
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"You still got it, Nigel. We'll meet again after we wrap things up." He bids the curator goodbye.
Once they're outside, Manny feels his shoulder where the horse kicked him. "Never a dull moment in that museum, eh Aerin?"
He looks at Atae. "Sorry about that. Had to thank the guest before I thank the team. So, thank you." He grins. "I'll make sure to get you something special once we're done."
Manny makes sure to restyle his glamoured armor into something a bit more presentable.
"Thank you ma'am. It's been a long day, and battle is exhausting. I hope the guards were able to take those thieves away quickly."
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Zabu is disappointed he didn't get to fight the frozen ogre.
But he's pleased to be back in the presence of an elegant lady in elegant settings. The fact that he is still bloody, sweaty and smoky from their last fight and might not fit in with his surroundings doesn't seem to occur or matter to him.
"Sandwiches!" he exclaims around one of the sandwiches as he stuffs it in his mouth.
After everyone has had time to enjoy their tea and sandwiches, the investigation begins. "So, tell me about the Pathfinder Society. My husband rarely talks about his past life as an adventurer. Too many bad memories, you see."
Dhrami Blakros
Discovery skills: Genealogy Lore, Society, Crafting, Perception
Influence skills: ???
Resistances: ???
Weaknesses: ???
Successes: 0
Please say whether you're trying to Discover something (and what you're trying to figure out) or if you'd like to Influence her straight up, and which skill you are using.
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Getting bored with the mission and wanting to get back to Manny and the minstrations she will do, she begins talking about how elves prepare sandwiches
deception
Discreet Inquiry
You are subtle in your efforts to learn the things you need to know. When Gathering Information, you can hide the true subject of your inquiry among other topics of little interest to you without increasing the difficulty of the check or taking more time to Gather Information. Anyone trying to Gather Information to determine if someone else was asking around about the topic in question must exceed your Deception DC or the normal DC to Gather Information about your inquiries, whichever is higher, or else they don't learn of your efforts.
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"He was a Pathfinder, yes. But now he's a curator and husband. He's probably focused on the now." Manny politely drinks some tea. "Besides, there's always something exciting in the museum."
Manny tries to gain some insight on what are her influences.
Instead he chokes on the tea. "Sorry. Must be some of the smoke from our run in with those horses."
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Zabu closely watches Dhrami to judge her reactions to the questions and discussion put forward by his companions to determine what angles might best work on her.
Maybe it's not the ONLY reason he watches her closely but it is A reason he watches her closely.
He also uses his keen sense of smell to detect when she's feeling stressed or relaxed.
Othello and Zabu sit and observe quietly, not interrupting the conversation. Sadly, neither of them really gets a glimpse of what might sway Dhrami.
Atae starts to discuss how elves make sandwiches compared to humans. Dhrami happily makes small talk and replies that her servants also make elven bread, but since they're off duty now, she made these herself.
She nods in agreement to Manny's answer. "That's certainly a very... political answer. He just keeps his past hidden away, and I'm curious about the man he used to be. An adventurer's lifestyle holds a certain allure, you see?"
Dhrami responds to Aerin's question. "Oh, I'm personally not in charge of the museum. Coming from a filthy rich family, I could do whatever I fancied. I'm a bit of a dilettante, dipping my toe wherever I fancy. My first love, and my most successful one, is art, I'd say. I'm sure Nigel already showed you some copies I made of dangerous works in the Museum. Sculptures, painting, the works. Speaking of, I think it's about time I show you my workshop."
She puts down her teacup and stands up, motioning for everyone to follow. She walks into a big room, where several different projects hang in different stages of completion. She walks over to a pair of jet-black horses that seem awfully familiar. "This is Nigel's latest passion project. He says they're called the Foals of Szuriel, and potentially very dangerous. I was never allowed to come too close in case I activated it by accident. Do you know how hard it is to make accurate notes from 30 feet away?"
She lets out an annoyed hmpf before continuing. "I mean, I know it's for the best and I know he means well, but how can an artist do her work without getting to know her subject matter up close and personal?"
Dhrami Blakros
Discovery skills: Genealogy Lore, Society, Crafting, Perception
Influence skills: Academia Lore, Art Lore, Crafting, Deception
Resistances: ???
Weaknesses: ???
Successes: 0
Round 2 of 4!
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Manny tenses up, his hand on his whip as he sees the horses. "I hear ya. One library I visited was full of these sculptures but you were allowed to touch them. Filled with children playing on 'em, you know? Then again those were built to last." He tries to relax a bit. Hopefully this state won't explode and try to smash everything.
Manny talks about a playground at a park, but makes it sound like an exotic museum. Maybe he can get on her good side.
Manny talks about the rocking horses on a playground park as if they were magnificent statues, but Dhrami can poke through his slick words. She smiles and talks along with him, but he doesn't get the feeling he won her over.
Atae talks more about elven bread with Dhrami and her eyes go wide as Atae describes tastes never even heard of before.
Othello and Aerin both try to get on Dhrami's artistic side, and she visibly warms up to the two of them.
Zabu listens to his party members speak while getting a backrub. He notices that kind words work wonders in convincing Dhrami as well. Diplmacy is a good skill to use.
Leaving the workshop again, Dhrami goes to her office and shows you the financial records tied to the museum. These aren't financial records of the museum themselves, but for instance bills for the making of replicas, appearance fees, and so on.
"It is maybe a bit odd to send bills to the museum while my husband works there, but while my family is very wealthy, we do have to earn our own income. Nigel might be the curator, but he gets paid just as every other employee does. While my crafts are more of a side gig, it does bring in a nice amount of money for our way of living."
Round three of four!
Dhrami Blakros
Discovery skills: Genealogy Lore, Society, Crafting, Perception
Influence skills: Academia Lore, Art Lore, Crafting, Diplomacy Deception
Resistances: ???
Weaknesses: Showing appreciation or a knack for crafting or machinery.
Successes: 4
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Arin praises Dhrami's craftsmanship and she is obviously flattered by the interest Aerin shows.
Zabu observes Dhrami closely during the interview, and he notices that she gets very defensive whenever Nigel's capabilities are being questioned. Any accusation or implication of incompetency on Nigel's part will put you on her bad side.
Othello sweet-talks Dhrami and she replies, "Yes, see! Finally someone understands the effort an artiste like myself goes through. Even though it looks like I'm just throwing paint at a canvas all day, it takes skill to produce such wonderful works! I'm glad you understand, mister Verese."
Manny has some trouble understanding the bookkeeping system, but eventually manages to compliment Dhrami. " Er, yes, honesty.. I'm sure Nigel will have something to say about that," Dhrami uncharacteristically stammers. She is normally very eloquent, but it seems like you've hit a nerve.
Atae dives into the books as well, and sees that everything is completely in order. For a wealthy family, Dhrami and Nigel live off of relatively little money, most of their income is through Nigel's work and the sale of Dhrami's art pieces.
Dhrami concludes the interview and thanks you all for your help and kindness. She invites you all to her next exposition soon and hops you'll be there as well. She calls a cab for you and joins you on the way to the Museum.
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It's evening by now and you go back to the Blakros Museum. It has closed by now, but Nigel is waiting for you at the entrance and leads you inside. Dhrami whispers something in his ear and Nigel turns towards you. "Excuse me, my wife and I have some important matters to discuss. I promise this shall be quick."
They go into another room and after a while Nigel and Dhrami come back. "Sorry about that, that was some... family business I had to attend to."
He leads you to a dining room where a table is filled with tapas and other small dishes. "I'm sorry for the sparse dinner, but the catering is more familiar with entrees than with full-fledged meals. I hope this will suffice after a hard day's work. Now, while you eat, let me explain why we're all here in the first place.
"For over 500 years, the Blakros family has gained riches through a contract known as the Penumbral Accords. This is an agreement with denizens of the Shadow Plane, allowing the Blakroses a faster trading route through a different dimension. This gave them an edge over other merchants, through which they grew their fortune. However, this agreement came with a terrible price. As part of the agreement, the Blakros family promised shipments of slaves to the Onyx Alliance, also from the Shadow Plane. To top it all off, every ten years, the Blakroses had to surrender their eldest daughter as a sacrifice as well."
Nigel starts finnicking with an egg salad sandwich, clearly uncomfortable with the subject matter.
"I was told about this when I married into the family, but I was unable to do anything about it. Luckily, several years ago the Penumbral Accords came to an end thanks to Pathfinder efforts, and the Onyx Alliance fell under new leadership: my own sister-in-law, Sarnia Blakros, who was once given as sacrifice a long time ago.
"This never sat right with my wife Dhrami, as she might one day have become a sacrifice as well. So she hatched a plan: hit our dear family where it hurts the most. Their wallet. Together with the Onyx Alliance, Sarnia and I started wasting a lot of the Blakroses' fortune through their Museum. Though it pains me to do so, we have enacted disaster after disaster, costing the Museum enormous amounts of money and prestige.
"I would like to stress that today's incident was not part of that plan; I never meant any of you any harm. But you might be familiar with the Museum's reputation, where the Pathfinder Society came to help out several times. Though I hate to be the patsy for this, it is the ideal way to get away scot-free. No one will ever suspect the curator of sabotaging his own museum, right? You have correctly identified the vast amounts of money I hand out as sick pay, that is also part of the plan. That sick pay is the only other way I could think of where I have enough plausible deniability and I can get away with spending gross amounts of money."
He finally puts away his dissected egg salad sandwich. Nigel sighs and looks you all in the eyes.
"Which brings us to today. We knew at some point the Blakros family would get suspicious and would audit us. Luckily we got word of it and we tried to sabotage that as well. We could not stop the audit from happening, but we could delay as much as possible. We tried to steal the audit from you, which sadly failed. Kaldra says thank you for not handing her over to the guards, by the way. Then, with pain in my heart we staged an attack on our townhouse, hoping to delay you any further. My wife was never in any danger, and neither were you. The initial attack had to seem convincing enough to fool you, but had they overpowered you, they would have left you alone. And don't feel bad for killing them, we have promised to raise them in case they died. And thank you for biting that fellow's hand off, Zabu, regenerating it was a nice additional cost I had to pay," Nigel adds with a wink.
"All of this was to delay you as much as possible. I tried to cover my tracks as much as possible and by delaying you I had hoped to alter my accounting some more, but your quick arrival threw a spanner in the works. However, your quick arrival and your worries for the Museum helped convince me of your good intentions. I had hoped to keep this from you entirely, but I see now that I might have more allies in you. I tell you all this in full confidentiality, but I know that most likely you will write all of this down in your reports to the Venture-Captains and the Decemvirate.
"You were sent here to investigate matters regarding the Museum, and you have done an excellent job. I will abide by any result that comes from the report, as I have no other choice, but I would like to ask you a favour: Can you find it in your hearts to let me continue this charade a little longer? I know this goes against what the Society has told you, but the Blakroses deserve to be punished. They got away scot-free, despite having sold more than fifty of their own daughters and hundreds of slaves to the Shadow Plane, and this is the only way they'll see any punishment, however futile it might be."
Nigel looks simultaneously deflated and relieved. A great burden has fallen off his shoulders, but he stands meekly before you, a lamb waiting for the slaughter.
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Manny sits back in the coach, noting Dharmi's controlled silence. He's on the edge of something huge, he can feel it. A little patience will go a long way.
And it pays off as Nigel explains the secret to the Blakros's riches. Human Sacrifice. Manny's carefree demeanor slides aside as Nigel mentions the exact terms of the deal. He can feel the rage building within, but he also hears a whisper upon his arm, holding him steady.
"So Kaldra, the thieves who didn't steal anything. All of those disasters at the museum the Society defused." Manny mumbles. "Family politics are a real pain. My own family has its troubles fighting denizens of the night alongside its own internal struggles of leadership and corruption."
"Makes sense. Sarnia's 'death' was... mentioned in some parlors, but no one knew the details. My mother was always suspicious." He sighs. "This is a good start, but we have much more to fix. Like the whereabouts of the sacrifices, for starters."
He chooses his next words carefully. "We're Pathfinders, we cooperate, explore and report. Venture-Captain Valsin will want a full report, and he's going to get it. The Blakros family proper, though? They're getting a different recommendation from me."
"Despite all the mishaps at the museum, the costs are relatively normal." Manny lets the lie sit for a minute. "That's what the family is going to hear. You're going to put fewer Pathfinders at risk for a year with these accidents while the Pathfinder higher ups figure out how to stop this... trade. Got it? You can't suffer alone, we have to work together."
Once his teammates finish, he stands up. "Thanks for the tuna sandwich, by the way. Tell Kaldra I said hello, by the way."
"They're willing to stick together, no matter what." Manny leaves the mansion with his teammates. "That's some dedication, eh? Anyway. We gotta report this to the Venture-Captain."
Manny prepares to spend the week delivering the report and arguing his position to the Pathfinder Society, as well as meeting Kaldra for a drink or two to apologize for tripping her up. Maybe gain another ally on the Blakros side. And he DOES owe Atae for saving him.
A week or so later, he takes a nap in the Grand Lodge after a long concert + party, only to be haunted by an unblinking eye. Turns out the other Pathfinders have this problem, too...
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>The answers lie in the Shadow Lodge.< The Blakros Family have much to answer for, and it looks like their time is short. Manny prepares himself for another journey, and prays to his guardian angel Shylye for good luck.