[PF2] Troubles in Otari (GM Watery Soup)

Game Master Watery Soup

Otari is a lumber town and trade port with a storied past that was founded by a group of adventurers over 400 years ago. Today, the town is a prosperous community and one of the most influential along the coast of the Isle of Kortos.

Though day-to-day life in Otari is much like that of any small town, its skyline stands out due to the enormous waterwheel at the town’s eastern edge, the ingenious and enormous flume that brings lumber down the cliffside for easy transportation.

About 1,240 people live in Otari, drawn from all over the world. Most of the town’s residents work in the local fishing and lumber industries.

Rumor swirl around Otari that a group of heroes has discovered an ancient dragon underneath the city, about to burst forth and engulf everyone in flames.

Tamily Tanderveil, one of the few to know the semi-truthiness of the rumors, sends the heroes an invitation to meet her for a light dinner and a round of drinks at the Otari Fishery to talk about something that has come up since then; she also met a beggar named Monk who saw a monk named Beggar who seemed like he would fit in with the crowd, so Tamily invites Beggar as well.

Let's get started! Can the four of you who rolled over from Menace Under Otari describe what you've been doing for the past few days, and Beggar, can you describe what brought you to Otari?

A path clears in front of Grimmylow as he heads toward the Otari Fishery. The exaggeration of the size, fierceness and danger of the dragon they slew may, potentially be partially his fault.

When he originally told the story, it was a tale of desperation about how close he and his friends were to death and how only his faith in Sarenrae and her glowing mantle of protection and bountiful blessings had kept them alive.

And when questions arose about the details of the dragon, the creature's actual size didn't seem quite...epic enough for its defeat to glorify Sarenrae properly so Grimmylow...embellished a little. For Sarenrae's glory.

And, maybe, each time people asked to hear the story, he embellished a little more, but only to help people see Sarenrae's glory and gain her blessings.

But that was the first couple days and, for some reason, even though he always adds a very good, very long sermon to the telling of the tale, people have stopped approaching him to hear the story. In fact, they seem to be avoiding him.

After the last mission Thorn came back to his cooking job, every now and then spending time with Grimmy, Kzem and Buzz. He nods his head when Grimmy is spinning the tale and after some time he is unsure how big the dragon actually was. His wounds took some time to heal properly, and Thorn felt the pain long after the wound closed.

As always he kept it to himself, world had enough of problems without him complaining.

Over the past few days Buzz has been honey-drunk and gambling most of his earnings away. Though he does seem to have won at least one game as he wakes up, stratched across the back of a small vulture. He isn't sure which game he won the vulture in but is just glad it didn't eat hi right away while he was sleeping. What ultimately awakens Buzz from his glorious stupor is the incessant loud sqwauking from the small bird as it shakes him awake.

Time passes quickly on the waterfront- Kzem happy to catch up on some of his light reading. He spends the next several days immersed in a well worn copy of "Fungal Crop Rotation for Underground Dwellers" that he found in a nearby pawn shop- filling a notebook with several pages of detailed scrawlings, should such information ever become useful in the future.

Time not spent with his tusks in a book, Kzem gravitates toward Thorn in Grimmy. The former out of respect of his martial prowess, the latter out of obligation for having saved his life at least twice.

He's a vagabond... there's no particular reason he came to Otari :)

A tall man, getting on in years, sits and nurses the mug of ale Tamily handed him. He watches the crowd, curious as to what drives people in general, since he's known no master, other than the one who trained him in his art. He does wonder, what it would be like to be an accepted member of society for once.

The sounds of chatter and laughter spill from the Otari Fishery’s open doors alongside warm and welcoming lamplight. Within, a few dozen common folk - and one honey-drunk sprite - gather around rough tables with cards, dice, tokens, and other game pieces scattered among them. A scruffy vagabond sits in the corner, nursing a mug of ale.

A friendly and freckled human woman pops up and grins in greeting—Tamily Tanderveil. See Slide 2.

Her peg leg, a red-and-white striped affair with a bright blue bow at the top, thunks against the floor as she taps the sprite on the shoulder and points him towards a reserved table next to the vagabond.

When the foursome are seated, she remarks, “I’m so glad you came! Welcome!” She sets out bowls of fried vegetables, a platter of sausage rolls, plates of cookies, and mugs of frothy ale.

Tamily lifts her mug in a toast. “Now, everyone knows that a good adventuring team needs a base of operations, right? Your hideout! Headquarters! A place to sleep that doesn’t charge by the night, right? And I have just the place for you—an old fish camp I used to run, right up the road from here. I haven’t been using it since I opened this place up, and I owe you all something big. If you want it, it’s all yours! Just be careful when you check it out, since it’s been empty for a while, okay? No telling what’s holed up in there since we left. Oh, and don’t mind Blue Finley—they’re harmless.”

The vagabond at the next table overhears and is paying far more attention than he is pretending to.

Questions?

Buzz yawns as he tosses some scraps to a small vulture that squawks loudly beside him to try and keep it quiet. "Probably more basement 'rats'." He giggles at more harmless basement dragons living among the populace.

"Hold on...I just have to make this roll. Please bless my polyhedral decision maker, Sarenrae!" Grimmylow says before casting a die with far too many sides across the table. He holds his breath until it comes to rest.

"Yes! A 20! That's a critical success! And Bernard has the 'Multitasker' feat so he's able to insert the pivot table AND create a color cover sheet for the printout. Take that Upper Middle Lower Management drone!"

He then puts away his pocket sized copy of the Secretaries and Spreadsheets core rulebook and gives Tamily his full attention.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just Sarenrae's will for us to defeat that 20' long dragon. But we could use a new abbey...I mean base of operations.

"Um...are there still fish there?

"And...what's a Blue Finley?"

Beggar So continues to listen in, while trying to avoid being obvious...

[b}"Blue Finley, blue finley ... isn't it a type of mushroom? I am almost sure I cooked a meal with blue finleys"[/b] says Thorn looking at Tamily while raising a mug.

"Unused fishery shack? I am sure it has squatters by now!"

A roof? Over my head? Permanently?!

Beggar So heads over to the table where the adventurers have gathered.

"Good sirs, I can't help but overhear your conversation. But I heard mention of clearing out an old fish camp up the road? Would you have room for an old hand such as myself?"

I wouldn't call it groveling/sniveling (like Igor to a mad scientist), but of course, if you're wanting to be a part of a group who doesn't know you from Adam you wouldn't take the "I'm cool take me!" approach either! :)

Beggar So. That's the look I'm going for (not Jackie Chan who's between his legs!) :)

Thorn looks at the one speaking "I guess better is the squatter that you know..." He pats him on his shoulder "Sure, sit with us, you seem like a hard fellow, I have a feeling that we will need it"

"I don't know. I don't know how big the shack is. It might only be big enough for us to fit inside," Grimmylow replies to So, perhaps misunderstanding his question.

"But, you're welcome to come with us. And don't worry. If it is dangerous, we'll take care of any trouble. We killed a dragon, you know. It had claws as big as daggers!"

The goblin waits a suitable time before changing the subject, which is approximately 2 seconds.

"Say...have you heard the wonders of Sarenrae?" he asks, grasping the charred wooden symbol of a woman with outstretched wings that he wears around his neck.

"Oh, I can handle myself in a fight. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have lived this long!"

"I am called So Chan, by the way. However, people have also called me Beggar So."

Apart from the straw mat, Beggar So has a long wooden pole that doubles as his walking staff.

"And...what's a Blue Finley?"

“Not a what, a who! They’re harmless,” Tamily says, waving her hand vaguely. “They’re a ghost. They were there when I bought the camp way back when, and they just keep to themself, so I’ve left them alone. So long as you don’t bother them, you’ll be fine.”

"Unused fishery shack? I am sure it has squatters by now!"

"I dunno," Tamily admits as she produces a map from a pouch at her side, unrolls it, and shows the heroes the camp’s location. “It’s almost six miles down a pretty hairy road. There’s always spiders, and

---

We can retcon any other questions.

Tamily grins and drains her mug. “Great, it’s settled! While you’re there, I’ll go take care of the paperwork so you can have the deed and make it all official.” She hops up from her chair. “I’ve got to get back to work, but you’re welcome to stay here as late as you’d like. Drinks tonight are on me."

The heroes probably want to get a good night’s sleep and gather supplies before they head out toward the fish camp. If they don’t already have suitable gear for traveling—such as bedrolls, tents, trail rations, and the like—they can purchase general adventuring supplies at the Otari Market. Prepared casters and alchemists can also decide how they want to prepare for the journey.

Thorn gathers his belongings and can't wait to see the shack. He does expect there to be plenty of work, fixing roof, replacing doors and windows. They might need to ask for help from the town, but it would be a good idea to first assess the work themselves.

In the morning he prepares one fire ammunition and one cold ammunition. Then he get to the place where they were supposed to meetup.

"I do hope that Buzz is not drunk like a bee on spring" he says to himself

Grimmylow is up with the sun. In fact, he waves to it as it rises.

"Good morning, Sarenrae! Did you have a good night? Let me tell you all about mine! Also, sorry about some of the things I did!" he says.

He meets the others in front of Otari's Fishery.

"Good morning! It's going to be a great day! Sarenrae told me so," he says.

Beggar So is up about, meeting his newfound friends in front of the Otari Fishery. He has had a full meal for the first time in his life and is clean, thanks to Tamily's generosity. The other party members arrive just as he's finishing his daily stretching routine. Limbering up his joints for the day ahead.

Buzz shows up with a lot of fresh honey. "Sorry, had a late night at the Gambler's Den." Some Wizard's house, that he stole magical spell components from as he needed some more honey. He stumbles his way towards the Fishery as the Loudmouth vulture sticks close by, perched onto a rooftop. "Not os loud Grimmy." Buzz groans as the normal voice hurts his honey hangover.

"SORRY, BUZZ! I'LL BE QUIETER," Grimmylow says in a stage whisper which may not be as loud as his normal voice but is certainly more piercing.

"JUST LOOK TO SARENRAE FOR COMFORT! SEE HOW HER HEALING LIGHT STABS INTO YOUR EYES AND GRINDS OUT ALL UNHAPPINESS?" he continues, pointing to the sun and staring into it for a time.

Taking a hint from Grimmylow, Beggar So approaches Buzz, with a grin.

"GOOD MORNING MY LITTLE FRIEND! DID YOU SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT?"

The Orc hardly looks up as Tamily enters, continuing the shuffle the cars on the table in front of him.

"So the lot of us are sharing a house now, huh? Seems like it would be complicated to insure, especially with any significant paranormal activity. But, by all means- come along B.G. So. I am sure you won't be any worse of company than some of these others."

Kzem shoots a knowing grin as he glances at Grimmy, Buzz, and Thorn- clearly demonstrating his jest.

"Besides, it gives Grimmy one more person to practice his persuasive speeches on!"

-----

Kzem is the last of the lot out of bed. Groggily, he pulls himself to his feet and hastily slings his shield about his back. A quick pat confirms the presence of his travelling gear- and he heads to the door a mere 20 seconds after regaining consciousness.

"Best be leaving then, right? No sense wasting daylight and what not"

Buzz groans as he looks curiously at Beggar So. "How do you know about last night, You in with that Wizard?" Buzz's gambling seems to have caused a small bit of paranoia as he cautiously looks around. "This can be our safe house, well once it is free of ghosts."

Changing current Infused Alchemical Batches to:
1x Lesser Acid Flask 2/2
1x Lesser Alchemist's Fire (Signature Item) 3/3
1x Lesser Blight Bomb (Signature Item) 3/3
1x Minor Elixir of Life 2/2
1x Skunk Bomb 2/2
1x Ghost Charge, Lesser 2/2

Beggar So hastily reassures Buzz. "Oh no no no, my friend. I was just ... ahem ... following the goblin's lead. So, err, how was your night? If honey's your thing I can show you how to gather wild honey..." Beggar So prattles on about how honey tastes in the deserts... much to Buzz's consternation.

Buzz scoffs. "Wild Honey! That would be stealing from nature, and if its one thing, I am not a thief." The sprites chaotic fey sensibilities seem to remain intact.

About halfway to the fish camp, the heroes’ route diverges from the main road and travels south along a beaten dirt track through a thick patch of forest. Old wheel ruts line the path where carts or wagons once passed through, but the tracks are faint and worn. Brush and twining vines grow thick among the trees lining the path, and the chirping and chattering of birds and insects fill the air.

Please place yourselfs on Slide 3. The group is traveling to the right of the map, for purposes of determining who is at the front.

After proselytizing to So for a while in a very rambling way, Grimmylow switches to singing hymns to pass the time as they walk.

He interjects call and response prompts regularly - "Now just the ladies!" "Chime in if you feel the spirit!" "Kzem with the baritone!" "Come on, I know you know the words!"

Only, you don't know the words because even if you're a Sarenrite, you're pretty sure Grimmylow has gotten some of the words wrong unless "dancing naked in the funeral pyre of her enemies" and "burned their @$$es to ash" are actual hymn lyrics.

As he trips over a root for the third time he looks around. "You know, a controlled burn would do wonders for this trail."

You can see some disturbing contemplation going on behind his eyes.

" ... Second verse, same as the first. A little bit louder and a little bit worse!..." sings Thorn walking jovially through the forest.

The vulture lazily floats circles above the group as if waiting for a fresh bit of carrion. Buzz clings to the small tuft of air on it's neckline. "You want a controlled burn?" He calls down from above as he holds onto a small pack of chemicals.

Bored of the singing, Kzem walks through the clearings- randomly appearing 15 feet away, the old form shattering in its place. As he walks, he twirls his mirror about in his hand- still armed with simply a shield and nothing else

Beggar So walks easily beside the party, using his walking staff for support. He looks curiously at Kzem.

"How is it, my friend, that you can hold a mirror all the time? Are you so vain that you must check yourself every few minutes?"

The words are said a bit condescendingly, but with no malice.

He's a vagabond/hermit -- he's never heard of a Thaumaturge! :)

This thing? I found it in the ruins of an ancient temple.

Kzem flicks his wrist and the sun catches the surface. Momentarily Kzem appears in two places at once, side by side with So. The two linger in existence for a beat before the old one fractures and winks out- leaving Kzem on the other side of So.

"It has its advantages..."

"He carries it for basilisk, the rumor says that if you hit basilisk with a mirror it dies on the spot" comments the mirror to Beggar So

Beggar So's look can only be described as open-mouthed wonder... :)

It's too bad So is distracting Kzem with conversation, because there's no warning as an animal charges out of the woods, its attention focused on the disappearing man. A boar bursts out of the woods and attempts to gore Kzem.

Tusk, Charge: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 2 = 32
Piercing: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (6, 3) + 4 = 13

It rams into Kzem's leg, nearly shearing it off with one charge.

--Round 1
So (34/34)
Buzz (22/22)
Thorn (30/30)
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (6/32)
--Round 2
Boar (-0 hp)

I'll leave it to your own judgement as to whether your characters have weapons out or not, especially Kzem (not sure whether he'd travel long distances carrying a shield).

Beggar So reacts instantly, bringing his walking staff up and thwacking the boar twice on its noggin.

Flurry 1, Bo Staff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Bludgeoning: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Flurry 2 Bo Staff, MAP: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Monastic Weaponry allows me to use monk abilities on monk weapons

He gets out of the way and attempts to whack the pig a third time.

Bo Staff, MAP 2+, Reach: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (12) - 3 = 9

◆ Flurry
◆ Step
◆ Whiff

Loudmouth swoops through the air, with Buzz gripping to it as he tosses down a couple of stinger missiles into the boars side. Just as Loudmouth gets above the boar the vulture's head heaves back and it begins regurgitating its last meal onto the boar.

Sting Shot: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Damage (Poison): 1d4 ⇒ 2

DC 16 Fort save for Vulture Vomit. Failure is Sickened 1 and Crit Fail is sickened 2.

Sting Shot: 1d20 + 7 - 5 ⇒ (19) + 7 - 5 = 21
Damage (Poison): 1d4 ⇒ 2

DC 16 Fort save for Vulture Vomit. Failure is Sickened 1 and Crit Fail is sickened 2.

◆ Command Animal companion
◆ Loudmouth Fly
◆ Loudmouth Support (Vomit)
◆ Buzz Strike
◆ Buzz Strike

In an instant when the boar shows up, Thorn reaches for his gun. Thee feet to draw the gun with initiative

He lowers it and shoots just after the boar mauled Kzem

Boom@boar: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
p/b: 1d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 = 3

Damage if crit: 3d12 + 4 ⇒ (11, 9, 4) + 4 = 28

Then he moves closer to the boar and pushes him away as he reloads

Athletics to shove, Clear the way!: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Pushing 5ft south

The blow from the beast nearly takes Kzem to the ground- only the last bit of his effort necessary to maintain himself upright. He watches as the others in this travel party quickly respond- and he opts for a more defensive position.

He grabs the shield off of his back, holds it aloft in front of him, and then takes several steps back and away from the boar.

Draw. Raise. Stride

So raps the boar on the head, with the reflexes of a chopsticks-wielding grandpa enforcing proper manners at a banquet.

Loudmouth flies over to the boar and heaves a pile of vomit on the poor animal as Buzz's second shot hits.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 vs DC 16

Kzem raises his shield and backs away slowly.

Thorn's gun is instantly in his hands, a loud cracking sound echoing through the forest as a small stream of blood trickles from between the boar's eyes. However, its Ferocity gives it one last gasp, and the boar somehow manages to stay on its feet.

--Round 1
So (34/34)
Buzz (22/22)
Thorn (30/30)
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (6/32)
--Round 2
Boar (1 hp, wounded 1, reaction used)

Grimmylow's first instinct is to rush to Kzem's aid. But he notices that their assailant is remaining on its feet more by sheer orneriness than anything else. He tries to knock that out from under it, too.

"Bad pig! We're supposed to eat you! You're not supposed to eat us!" he declares.

Casting Daze - 3 Mental damage DC17 Basic Will save. Crit failure also causes stun 1.

In case this little piggy still wants to go to market, he wraps himself in Sarenrae's protection.

Casting Shield.

Will: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

The little piggy will probably best delivered to market trussed up on a spit. Grimmylow's spell causes the boar to fall over, dead.

End of Combat!

--End of Combat
So (34/34)
Buzz (22/22)
Thorn (30/30)
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (6/32)

Let me know how you're going to heal up.

Beggar So heads over to Kzem. "Let me see that." he says, before gathering some herbs and attempting to treat his wounds.

Natural Medicine: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 2 = 10
Natural Medicine, HP, Vestments: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 5 + 2 + 1 = 20
Healing: 2d8 ⇒ (5, 1) = 6

+2 assuming the GM lets me use "fresh ingredients" though it will still succeed w/out them.

Buzz has a mediocre medicine check +5 if someone has something better.

I've got a +7 but I think it's time to trust in Sarenrae since we'll have to wait an hour before trying Treat Wounds again.

Grimmylow examines the pig. "Well, at least we know what's for dinner, right?"

His grin turns to a frown as he sees the shape Kzem is in.

"Oooh...that looks like it hurts. I bet it hurts. Does it hurt?" he asks, examining the wound and even blowing on it a little before poking it. "What about that? Did that hurt?

"Don't worry, Sarenrae can fix it!"

He rubs his hands together and says a short prayer two action's worth to Sarenrae.

His hands light with a soft warmth that then flows into Kzem's wounds.

2Action Heal with Healer's Hands: 1d10 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Fresh ingredients sounds reasonable if you've got time to gather in the wilderness sometime during the day, e.g., if you're camping in the woods, you can gather fresh herbs while others are making daily preparations.

--Current Status
So (34/34)
Buzz (22/22)
Thorn (30/30)
Grimmylow (30/30)
Kzem (31/32)

Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Not this time...

Kzem allows the beggar to look over his wounds, and once again tolerates the Serenrae talk for the efficient healing that it brings. A few moments later, he is up and moving- but no more alert to his surroundings.

Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5