Thread for #3-08: Foundation's Price and #3-12: Fury's Toll (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Parker 82

Melika responds At once. We shall fly through the market Not literally you understand.

After a short time of winding through the confusing streets, you arrive at a bookseller.

A long, curved stall is nestled snugly next to a large fountain where children play. Books of different sizes cover every surface, leaving just a little space for a simple wooden box displaying metal bookmarks. Within the stall, a Keleshite man hums happily. Streaks of silver in his well-groomed beard mirror a silver chain with the symbol of Sarenrae clasped around his neck.

Suddenly aware of customers, he smiles warmly.

“Ah, travelers! You won’t find better stories in all of Qadira!
How can Jalal assist you?”

Slipp gazes at the various books for a moment or two, before their eyes light upon the mans chain. "That is most unusual. " they say gesturing to it. "Where did you get it? May I inspect it?"

My silver chain was a present from my grandmother. I inherited my love for stories from my grandmother, a kind woman who left her small tribe in the Zho Mountains to care for me when I was a child. My grandmother is a skilled storyteller who sells intricate carpets made in the style of her people. I wish to find my extended family to learn more about their customs, but I can’t afford the services of a skilled guide to locate them.

He tells Slipp Yes, you can examine it. but he doesn't let the necklace out of his sight.

Melika whispers to Slipp:
There was great excitement in the market when Firrah the explorer recently returned from an expedition to the Zho Mountains. Firrah is a well-known figure in the Overmarket for his boisterous nature and larger‑than‑life adventurer persona.

Slipp admires the chain for a minute or two. "A lovely memory, but material possessions come and they go. Stories.. they live forever. Would you be willing to trade it for knowledge of your family?" they ask with a wink to Melika.

Nic remains silent throughout the conversation with the bound genie, his thinned lips the only sign of emotion he allows himself to show. Even afterwards, he wordlessly follows the party, striding purposefully behind the rest.

Junior listens to the man's story about the necklace and family, nodding in appreciation "If you are then we can work to help make that happen." He adds to Slipp's offer. Mostly though he stands back and appreciates Slipp's ability to guide the action and people skills.

I would certainly love to be able to know of my family, but I am not certain that is enough to make me give up this precious gift.

Mechanically, he is indifferent to you but this activity can potentially raise his attitude. To get the chain, you need to raise his attitude twice, to Helpful.

Melika slips of into the market and quickly returns with a tall, well muscled male sylph, carrying a carpet over his shoulder.

I am Firrah the explorer. I am told you would like to hear of my exploits in the Zho mountains. I encountered some nomads there who make these beautiful carpets. He shows you all a beautiful carpet made in the style Jalal’s grandmother used.

Firrah grabs Jalal by the shoulders and shakes him slightly as he tells the story of his exploits and his plans to return. Jalal looks slightly surprised but seems fascinated by the story.

Almost got it. One more nudge will get you a one-step improvement in his attitude. Other ways to improve his attitude include the standard Diplomacy to Make an Impression, Society or Performance to tell an interesting story, explaining the situation with Diplomacy, or another action you can justify.

Martin listens intently and gives a gentle tap at Mavenee, who seems to be distracted by the scent of nearby delicacies. "Now, now, Mavenee. Best to behave and listen to their stories. We might learn a thing or two." He then turns towards Firrah. "Go on, Firrah. How was your exploits in the Zho mountains?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Slipp nods along with Martin. "Perhaps you could even join the expedition with Firrah? Nothing like visiting the home of your ancestors in person.." they add with an almost wistful sound of longing to their voice.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
glyph reroll: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Firrah gestures broadly Of source. I would love to have this fine gentleman accompany me into the mountains. He can join my crew as official chronicler of my next expedition. Jalal is extremely happy about the prospect of joining the expedition.

The arrangement with Firrah actually doesn't require any rolls, so I am going to take Slipp's Diplomacy and apply it to a Make an Impression action to improve Jalal's attitude to friendly.

Jalal happily hands you his Silver Chain as he starts making plans with Firrah to accompany the next expedition.

Where would you like to go next?

Slipp eyes up the list. "Did you say something about the First World metal works? That sounds like just the sort of place to go. And I'm keen to talk to them anyway,." suggests Slipp.

Nic follows along, still apparently contemplating something. I could swear I've read some case law dealing with freeing bound spirits, but I can't remember for certain. When we get back to the Grand Lodge I'll have to look it up. Was it in the Ebon Codex?

Junior thanks both Firrah and Jalal "Enjoy your trip, we'll take great care of your necklace." He bids them farewell, nodding along with Slipp's choice. "Metal 'works' for me Slipp." Following both the Gnome and their conveniently placed and exquisite guide.

I sure do think this guide could be somehow Safa, or sent by her.. He starts to pay particular attention to the guide, curious.

Melika deftly leads the group through the market to a stall marked "First World Metalworks."

Junior doesn't see any signs that Melika is anything other than a very competent guide.

Metal creations ranging from refined silverware to sturdy iron pokers rest on shelves and hooks along the back wall of this tiny shop, all decorated with intricate patterns. Behind the counter, a gnome with strong arms and a mane of untamed, deep-green hair absentmindedly inspects a leaf‑shaped earring, visibly dissatisfied with the result. She looks at a tall iron carafe displayed prominently on a small, raised shelf and sighs.

As she turns around, her face lights up with a wide, welcoming smile.

“Welcome to First World Metalworks. I imagine it, you buy it!”

Both Hui Kong and Junior recognize the carafe as being made of Cold Iron.

Looking around the beautiful things in the shop Slipp, for once, seems totally in the moment. "Wow, these are great.." they say.

Then, noticing the glance from the proprietor, they look up at the flask. "Not happy with it?" they ask. "Or the person who commissioned it never turned up?"

Junior points to the same flask as Slipp did "Yes, that's an interesting piece for sure. Could we look at it closer?" He asks the shop keep.

The halfling shakes his head. Can't worry about that now. There's too much that could go wrong.

"That is an interesting turn of phrase, ma'am. You do not do work on commission, then?"

Luz follows along, finding it hard to get a word in edgewise. He looks for anything odd in the shop.

I definitely work on commission, but to do that I have to envision creations to meet what my customers desire. The carafe was a custom creation and the person who commissioned it has not retrieved it yet.

Luz notes that the shop shows a fascination with the First World. As you talk to the proprietor, Ary, you realize she is fascinated with the First World, but is not as familiar with it as many gnomes because she grew up in an orphanage in Sedeq.

Melika whispers I saw beautiful sketches of a strange forest at a shop called Drawn to Scale. You can obtain a sketch capturing a beautiful and impossible forest from Basu (LG male human cartographer). These sketches are the results of Basu’s conversations with Pathfinders he met in the Thuvian city of Lamasara who swore they had been in the First World. Basu considers his sketches a hobby, and he happily exchanges the sketch for a similar sketch or an interesting description of a faraway landscape, which you can provide by succeeding at a Crafting or Performance check. Giving Ary the sketch improves her attitude one step.

Once again, Ary starts with an attitude of Indifferent. She sounds friendly simply because she is a merchant trying to make sales. You need to convince her to sell you the carafe, which means getting her attitude to Helpful. In addition to the standard Diplomacy to Make an Impression, suggested ways to impress her are: a Crafting check to impress her with your crafting skills; a Nature check to share knowledge about the First World plays on her fascination with that mysterious realm; a Nature check to Recall Knowledge to know cold iron is dangerous to many fey so you can inform Ary of this fact. You can also use other creative approaches with justification and at GM discretion to raise the DC.

Nature: Recall Knowledge: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Random facts are usually one of Junior's specialties. "A flask crafted from cold iron, an interesting choice really..." He attempts to relay what he know about the properties of cold iron.

After the elf finishes, Nic clears his throat. "It's clear that you're interested in the First World. You may find this hard to believe, but I was there recently. A large number of my companions and I traveled there to deal with an entity calling itself the Thorned Monarch...."

Perform or PFS Lore check; they're both +4T: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Let me know if that's a critical failure.

Slipp offers Melika a helpful high-five and heads off the Basu to secure the sketch in exchange for a haiku about the First World.

"Impossibly high,
Trees arch overhead, leaves touch
The scent of lightning."

perform: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

They then return to offer the picture in exchange for the flask.

Nic can save his Hero Point, which is why I assumed you wanted to know of the roll was a Crit Fail. Slipp critically succeeds, against Nic's Crit Failure for a net +1 on Ary's attitude. Junior Pepper's success moves her to Helpful.

Ary happily gives you the Cold Iron carafe.

Melika leads you swiftly through the markets to Glittering Prisms.

The thin stall is covered with elegant crystal creations. The glow of an everburning torch creates multicolored beams as the warm light bounces off beautiful earrings, delicate figurines, and thin vials. Topping an elegant decanter, a brass stopper stands out like a setting sun atop a crystal waterfall.

Sitting on the left side of the stall, a shivering elf covered in a heavy robe looks up and smiles.

“Welcome to the G-g-glittering Prisms,” he says, his teeth chattering as he rubs his blue-tinged fingers together.

Slipp pauses distracted by the beauty of the stall and all the reflected lights that dance around it. Mesmerised for a moment, they almost don't realise the elf seems to be cold. Aomost.

"Are you alright?" asks the gnome, distracted again by a mote of light that dances just of of reach of them.

"You look cold, but the day... is not. Your wares though..." again, attention flutters between the here and now, and somewhere else... maybe somewhere just a sparkle of light away.

Junior nods in thanks and waves goodbye to Ary as they head out. Knowledge is power, but so to are being able to provide what someone wants..

He starts to appreciate the speed and efficiency of their guide, but his more practical side wonders just when they will get a lunch break. "Maybe when we're done here you can guide us to a fine sandwich or cheese shop?"

---

Stepping inside the Glittering Prisms Junior starts to browse goods, but also notices the Elf's blue tinged fingers. "Are you cursed by the chills of the North?" He asks him in Elven.

I’ve been c-c-cold for a couple of days. I p-p-paid that charlatan L-L-Lissom to craft a cure, he hasn’t delivered the r-r-remedy. He’s p-p-probably still mad because of the argument w-w-we had a few days ago.

Slipp turns to Melika "Who is Lissom?" they ask.

"And how reliable are they?"

Luz uses his arcane sense to detect for magic.

Does Luz know enough to use Medicine to attempt a cure?

Luz finds a small frostbitten part of Elyon’s arm, and recognizes a calathgar’s thorn as the source of Elyon’s predicament. You can try to remove the thorn with a Medicine check to make him more comfortable. Increase his attitude by one step.

Once again, you are trying to improve Elyon's attitude toward you to get him to give you the stopper. Diplomacy checks work as normal, as well as Removing the Thorn, as above; getting Lissom's salve; Raha might have something to help; or another creative solution.

Elyon scoffs, visibly uncomfortable. “Lissom normally delivers what he promises, but I might have called his poultices and potions ‘folksy remedies’ instead of ‘real medicine,’ but he kept on insisting that my crystal vials would be useless to a traveling healer as they are prone to breaking. Apparently, he’s allowed to insult my profession, but I’m not allowed to return the sentiment!”

"Yes, you've definitely been cursed or something. We'll see what we can't do to help." Junior tries his best to make the man more comfortable in the immediate, fetching any additional blankets and pillows, redirecting any obvious drafts.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Slipp asks Melika to take them to Lissom.

As they meet, the gnome asks "I hear you know Elyon? Apparently the cure you made him is not working. " the gnome sighs.

"The way that elf talks, the news will be all over the market within hours. I think you may want to pay him a visit to make sure he was using it correctly..."

intimidate: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

Why I'd normally prefer to not use intimidate, and Slipp is not trying to actually do a direct intimidation, I think the underlying threat of bad news getting out makes this more an intimidation check than a diplomacy one.

Luz attempts to remove the thorn anyone have guidance?

medicine: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Junior successfully calms Elyon while Luz moves in and deftly removes the thorn from Elyon's arm. Elyon starts to warm up as soon as the thorn is removed. Between the two, Elyon is very happy with you and presents you with the Brass Stopper as a gift.

Slipp doesn't manage to intimidate Lissom, but you got the stopper regardless.

You have all three items. You need to decide what to do with them, and which task you will take on next.

I will note that if Junior is hungry, there is a task involving a feast being thrown by Azam ibn Bashemi. . .

If there is a specifc person to be met at each new location, Luz sets that person as the subject of his investigation.

"Let us take the items back to that nice man we met at the start. We have acquired the items, and if he is willing to give us some potions in return for them..." suggests Slipp.

"Let us take the items back to that nice man we met at the start. We have acquired the items, and if he is willing to give us some potions in return for them..." suggests Slipp.

"These items alone, or together as a trap verses a genie are far more valuable than the few potions he offered. Let's keep them on hand for now, we may need to set a trap in a pinch." He explains, hoping the group sees his wisdom.

"Perhaps we should visit this feast of Azam ibn Bashemi, maybe have a few tid bits to tide us over until later." He offers as a second option.

Slipp looks dubious. "You think it is safe to return to the lodge with them. That was the intent of our own genies binder...." they recall.

Then Slipp offers a shrug. "Feast sounds good. I wonder what sort of food they hgave."

Before proceeding, Hero Point to Slipp for actions in the market.

Azam ibn Bashemi is hosting a daylong public feast not far from the abandoned lodge, making it easy for you to spot the considerable crowd amassing around tall and wide tents. Music and laughter fill the air, accompanied by excited chatter about the upcoming performances.

In the middle of a sprawling public park, colorful tents surround a wide area filled with expensive pillows. A middle-aged Qadiran man with jet-black hair smiles widely as he raises his hands, and the crowd’s murmur ends.

“Friends, I trust you have enjoyed the day’s festivities thus far! What a feast we have in store for you yet! I, Azam, am not one to boast, but the marvels you will see pale only to those created by Sulesh the Great and his army of genies,” Azam says.

“Our past is filled with stories that speak of our might and bravery. But where has that might gone? Who trembles at the sound of Qadiran steps approaching their borders? Too long we have been complacent.” He sighs, shaking his head as he retrieves a small stone from his elegant robe.

“But now is the time for celebration and marvel,” his voice again loud and boisterous. Azam claps his hands, and the barren soil twists and shifts until water rushes in to create a perfect oasis between the tall palm trees.

Azam speaks one last time before sitting on a large pillow.

“Delight in the festivities. Endless refreshments and wonderful performances are yours to enjoy as we await the arrival of the illustrious Avisha al-Isman, who shall honor us with her presence soon. I hope she finds my gift to be a worthy symbol of her great accomplishments,” Azam says, patting a small ornate chest sitting on a pillow next to him.

“And if you are of keen intellect and refined taste, sit with me for a traditional rendition of the great epic, The Tale of Al‑Yazan the Wanderer, so that we shall remember the history of the empire as we hope for its future.”

You can chat with people in the crowd to gain information about the upcoming performances. These include a flaming dance by the famous Twisting Embers, a troupe of geniekin working to pay off a debt to Azam, and an archery demonstration by Murad ibn Sahab (LN male human soldier), Azam’s godson who trained in the camel cavalry unit in the fortress city of Omash.

You also learn Azam’s outspoken approval of slavery and war have become a growing embarrassment amongst higher circles; his attachment to the past is seen as an implicit condemnation of the present. People in the crowd heard Azam boast about the beautiful gift that is sure to change Avisha’s mind about his devotion to the satrapy and the empire.

Skill Challenge Setup

Unless you cause a significant disruption to the events, Azam doesn’t let his gift for Avisha out of his sight. The festivities last several hours, giving you plenty of time to spoil Azam’s attempt to gain a powerful patron.
You might take several approaches to cause enough disruption to replace Azam’s gift with the toy soldier.
Each of you can attempt one DC 18 skill check (or DC 15 check with a relevant Lore skill) to represent your efforts to sabotage the feast and earn Diversion Points.

Critical Success: You earn 2 Diversion Points.
Success: You earn 1 Diversion point.
Critical Failure You lose 1 Diversion Point.

Creative solutions and especially clever ideas or descriptions can earn a +2 circumstance bonus to your check.

As you look over the scene, some opportunities present themselves, or you can develop your own:

Interrupted Tales: Azam spends time talking about each story in The Tale of Al-Yazan the Wanderer during the performance, often leaving his oud unattended on a nearby pillow. you could use Deception or a relevant Lore skill to ask ridiculous questions about the tale. You could use Crafting, Stealth, or Thievery to sabotage or steal the instrument, causing Azam to lose his temper until someone can bring him a replacement oud.

Spoiled Refreshments: A well-stocked tent contains all kinds of chilled refreshments for the many guests. Despite the intense heat, the beverages remain pleasantly cold thanks to Vix, an ice mephit currently held under the refreshment table. Vix begs you to free him, saying,
“Safa said you might be sympathetic to my situation.”
You can free Vix from his bonds using Athletics or Thievery. Without Vix’s attention, the refreshments quickly spoil.

An Explosive Performance: The Twisting Embers are a troupe of ifrits contracted to perform at Azam’s parties for three years and three days. You can convince their leader, Abina (N female ifrit human performer), to throw their performance with a successful Diplomacy or Intimidation check. If convinced, Abina gives you a vial filled with silvery powder and instructs you to drop it in the pond during their performance. The powder causes the water to swell and overflow, soaking nearby spectators. In this event, Azam dismisses the troupe out of frustration—much to their delight, as a loophole in Azam’s contract with the Twisting Embers allows the ifrits to terminate their contract if he ever intentionally interrupts their performance!

Rumors and Stories: You can intermingle with the crowd and spread rumors, or give their own performances to distract from the main event, such as by using Deception or Performance.

Raging Bull: Azam’s godson, Murad, promised he would use his mounted archery skills to entertain the crowd. His godfather secured an impressive bull camel, but the bull is young and stubborn. You can spook the animal with a successful Nature check, or distract Murad with a successful Deception check long enough to cut the reins and free the bull, causing no small amount of mayhem amongst the crowd as it runs free.

Replacing the Gift: Azam is momentarily distracted from the festivities when someone in the crowd shouts they’ve spotted Avisha’s entourage, and her arrival is imminent.

If you earn a number of Diversion Points equal to or greater than half the number in your party (rounded up), you successfully create enough diversion to replace the gift without being noticed. If you do not earn enough points, you can still replace the gift and accomplish your task, but someone notices you and later spreads the rumor that the Pathfinder Society is interfering with the affairs of Sedeq’s elites. This negatively impacts the scenario’s Secondary Objectives.

List just to show who hasn't acted

Bold may act

Nic Blackwillow 28/28 HP
Hui Kong 38/38 HP
Slipp 48/48 HP
Junior 33/33 HP
Martin Amblecrown 60/60 HP
Luz Lumino 48/48 HP

Slipp approaches the Twisting Embers. They watch with delight as the ifrit dance as if living flames. The longer they watch, the stronger the scent of burning wood is around Slipp.

Eventually the very air around them seems to smolder and the little gnome somewhat embarrassedly pats out the cushion that was rapidly moving from singed to actually on fire.
Burning a spell here to help.

intimidate: 1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 1 = 29

"Abina " calls out Slipp.

"It would be very unfortunate if something caught fire during your performance. Azam would be most upset, I am sure. Urxehl watches over all fires... and seems to want to keep an eye on me for some reason. Pray his eye doesn't stray further."

Abina gulps and give Slipp a small vial of silvery powder. Dropped into the fountain during the Twisting Embers performance, the massive eruption of foam shocks the crown and enrages Azam. Azam storms out into the bubbles and foam, sputtering and fuming. He screams at the Twisting Embers to get them to stop performing while the foam is erupting. Abina immediately invokes the clause in their contract which allows her to invalidate it if Azam interrupts them. The Twisting Embers immediately leave, leaving Azam sputtering in the foam from the fountain.

Critical Success

Spoiling the feast: Round 1

Party Conditions: 2 Distraction Points

Bold may act

Nic Blackwillow 28/28 HP
Hui Kong 38/38 HP
Slipp 48/48 HP
Junior 33/33 HP
Martin Amblecrown 60/60 HP
Luz Lumino 48/48 HP

Nic sizes up his chances at the various tasks, then smiles slightly at the thought of putting one over on the repulsive slavemaster. He picks up an empty tray, looking like any other servant as he circulates through the crowd collecting empty cups. His path takes him close to where Azam is telling his tale, and while everyone is distracted by the foam eruption the oud finds its way under his tray as he moves off towards the kitchen. That was fun!

Stealth check, E: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

As Abima and the Embers take there leaves, Slipp slips over to them.

"It looked like you needed a bit of incentive there. Thanks for the powder, and take better care with your future contracts." they say, smiling as they do so.

Nic takes advantage of the distraction surrounding the Twisting Embers performance to steal away with Azam's instrument.

When Azam returns to his pillow, covered with foam from the fountain (think Diet Coke and Mentos), he realizes his instrument is gone. He immediately flies into another rage, stomping around and demanding his servants bring him another instrument. There is panic among the servants as they dash about, looking for an instrument for their master.

That is three successes, so I am not going to make the rest of you roll. The scenario says each PC can attempt and not each PC must attempt.

In the confusion, you can easily slip up to Azam's pavilion and replace the gift with the toy soldier.

Shortly after the swap Avisha al-Isman of the Satrapian Guard arrives. Azam panders to her and is obviously trying to salvage the day by impressing Avisha with his gift. He promptly offers the ornate chest to her, stating I hope I captured your true nature perfectly.

Seeing the toy soldier in its oversized uniform, Avisha furiously demands an immediate end to the festivities.

Junior manages one last raid on the buffet to sate his hunger.

After you have departed the now chaotic scene, you can examine the gift Azam was going to give Avisha. Azam’s chest contains a beautifully ornate dagger with crystals and gems in the pommel. The dagger is worth 12 gp, and is fashioned in the old Qadiran style as a gift for Avisha’s recent inclusion in the Satrapian Guard.

You have one more task to accomplish, and you still need to determine what to do with the Flask, Stopper and Chain.

As the party moves on to the next task, Nic offers a fist bump to Slipp. "Your timing couldn't have been better." After another few minutes of walking, he pauses. "Do you suppose we could use the items to bind Safa? If that broke the existing binding, we could free them then. I don't know, I'm no scholar."

Slipp seems more and more in the moment as the chaos unfolds, enjoying the sights, sounds, and scents of the unexpectedly chaotic occasion.

"I don't think that Safa would appreciate changing from one master to another. Chains of silver and gold are still chains. We could ask Raha if it were possible though. I'm just not sure why we don't take Safa's advice and either ditch them or sell them. Surely the genie was trying to hint that to us."

Nic looks aghast at the suggestion. "NO! I meant that as soon as we broke the binding by replacing it, we'd release the genie ourselves."

I am assuming the group is moving to the next task?

Locating the docks is simple, thanks to the salty breeze guiding you toward the water.

Dozens of ships are moored along the sprawling docks of Sedeq. A warm sea breeze fills the air with its salty bite as many deckhands move crates and people off the ships. An undine man with blue hair tends to a similarly colored vessel sporting the symbol of the Dawnflower. As he whistles, his finned ears move gently, giving the impression of dancing along with the melody.

Sorry for a the few days of hiatus.

Junior heads off to sample the feast and calm his hungry stomach. He's quickly caught up in a debate over Osirian history and loses track of time. He's finally able to break away in time to see the party being shut down. Well, I guess I missed everything.. how embarrassing!

---

He responds to Nic's question "That's a good question for someone more knowledgeable than I, but if we can't figure that out I suggest we trade or sell them off, not bring them back as was originally intended by the genie master." He nods in agreement with visiting the docks.

"There's the undine in Sarenrae's light." He points out the blue haired sailor, heading over to greet them. "Hail. Friends seeking Zoha. May they be here?" He shows off his wayfinder to try getting his point across.

I am Zoha, how may I be of service? the sailor replies. Portrait on slide 6