GM Peachbottom's War for the Crown

Game Master Peachbottom

Sense Motive (Staff Member): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

(The man is too far to sense his true intentions but he definitely seems to be acting suspicion.)

If she gets near the 100 foot soft limit of her Life Link to Xallis, he'll do his best to wander in her vague direction.

(The courtyard is only 100 ft. wide. As long as you both stay in the courtyard, she's within range.)

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

The servant glances around nervously as he moves towards the beehives but he does not notice Navia's approach. She could probably grab him before he could react. Does she stop him?

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Liraela, as opposed to her lovely companions, is too focused on the sights and sounds around her (and potentially the wealth on display) to notice anything awry. She is quite enjoying the sounds of the words the princess is speaking, particularly the part where she mentions being an artisan, when her newfound friends speak up and distract her.

"What's going on?" she asks quietly of the group, not really paying that much attention. "I wonder if I could get over there and meet the princess, I think I'd like that very much."

If Trevor told me about the letters and documents he needs, I could make an attempt to steal them for him before we head to the speech. I would have obviously given the party a small rundown on my skills, so he'd know I could try to get them for him. Gonna throw a Sleight of Hand check in for the papers and daggers, if Trevor says it's okay.

Sleight of Hand, journal: 1d20 + 7 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 7 + 5 = 18
Sleight of Hand, dagger: 1d20 + 7 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 5 = 32

Henrika nods to Xallis, but is distracted from the princess's speech by the servant's suspicious actions. "That servant worries me," she mutters to her compatriots. "I will see if I can back up our friend."

She makes her way to the back of the crowd and attempts to circle around the other direction to the servant by the apiary. She isn't being especially stealthy as she is trying to keep the servant distracted so that he doesn't notice Xallis and his eidolon moving in on him.

Bluff (Inconspicuous Action): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Xallis gazes in the genera directions of the crowd as his eidolon relays information to him. He considers, for a moment, what to do.

That servant is acting strangely for sure, but he has no evidence of ill intent. No obvious poisoning, or bold-faced assassination attempts. Perhaps it's a simple prank between noble compatriots? Part of a surprise proposal? It could be a last-second replacement hire struggling with a specific assignment.

"For now, I'll see what happens..." he says, rubbing his chin and seemingly thinking out loud. He trusts his companions to get the message.

If it helps, Navia has the Scent ability.

If it helps, Navia has the Scent ability.

The bar that the servant is holding does give off a strong scent that agitates Navia.

Servant Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

The servant spots Henrika despite her attempt to act inconspicuous and confronts her. (Navia is still not noticed.)

"Can I help you, lady? The Princess is speaking. Please do not cause a commotion. I just have a quick task to tend to and I'll be on my way."

Henrika tries to occupy the servant's attention while she probes gently for more information. "A task? Perhaps I can help. Does it have something to do with the Princess's speech? We must all do whatever we can to make her highness appear regal and impressive, right?"

"A task? Perhaps I can help. Does it have something to do with the Princess's speech? We must all do whatever we can to make her highness appear regal and impressive, right?"

"I'm quite capable of handling this all by myself, thank you very much. You are a guest. Please enjoy your evening and leave the work to the staff. All I need to do is place this wafer near the beehives. The scent is supposed to keep the bees calm for the evening and prevent any incidents."

Ichabhod is still hot on the trail of the spy and uses the speech to track them down@

Ichabhod is still hot on the trail of the spy and uses the speech to track them down@

Unfortunately (or fortunately), the trail is cold. As far as you know, Kathann Zalar never entered the senate building. But if she was a spy, you wouldn't know, now would you?

Trevor

Arcade of Triumphs: With a Knowledge (nobility) result of 21, Trevor is 9 points above the DC 12, earning him 9 influence points and increasing the threshold total from 18 to 27 and hitting the second threshold at 20 points. The Arcade of Triumphs cannot be influenced any further.

Trevor walks around the gallery and makes comments to the other guests about the history and deeds of the Taldan nobles who once wielded some of the weapons on display.

The senate’s curator of antiquities, Copernia Vau (a comely middle-aged woman) approaches Trevor. ”Excuse me, sir. I couldn’t help noticing you…no. I mean, your interest in history.” She fidgets shyly. ”I was wondering if you’d be interested in a brief tour of the adjoining restoration room, where artifacts are cleaned and preserved.” (Assuming Trevor agrees.) The two of them make their way into the back room. Dozens of historical objects sit on tables and shelves. Most are waiting their turn while some objects are partway through the restoration process. Copernia excitedly points to some of these artifacts and rambles on about the methods used to preserve them. As part of the tour, she offers Trevor a bottle each of universal solvent and unguent of timelessness. ”Take these items so you can practice the skills I’ve described to you.” She walks over to an upturned antique chair. She squirts a dollop of unguent into to palm of her hand and begins to stroke it onto the chair leg to demonstrate. ”Now remember, when applying ointment to wood, be sure to rub it in with the grain. Go slowly and try to get an even coat over the entire length so that there are no gaps in the preservation.”

(From now on, as long as Trevor displays interest in Copernia’s work, she is distracted, and any other PC gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Sleight of Hand checks to steal valuables from the arcade. There was a Theft mission that I didn’t use that this bonus would have helped with. I’ll describe the items that could be stolen anyway, just in case.)

Trevor does agree The Kastner noble does assist Copernia with some artifact perservation. Trevor nods to anyone of his coterie present that the lady will be distracted. (And no! The heavily laced sexuality of the scene is not lost on Trevor!)

Seeing Henrika being accosted by the staff member, Tychus tries to move closer to the princess, just in case some commotion should happen. He nervously waits as she finishes her speech, but she eventually concludes it without any issues.

As the crowd gathers around her, Tychus tries to make his way even closer. He uses his skills at maneuvering through crowds to push his way forward. If he manages to get within 2 arms lengths of the princess, he pauses and looks around for anyone else with ill intent.

My racial trait "Heart of the Streets" allows me to maneuver through crowds without them counting as difficult terrain.

Tychus is able to slide between the crowd to get right up to the princess. She has no one guarding her except for the guests trying to get her attention. The princess notices Tychus and raises an eyebrow inquisitively. (You'll need to spend a social action to interact with her once the opportunity arises.) Besides the 'bee man', Tychus does not spot any other threats.

The bar that the servant is holding does give off a strong scent that agitates Navia.

"The scent is supposed to keep the bees calm for the evening and prevent any incidents."

Henrika can tell from Navia's reaction to the scent that it is not calming.

The aasimar smiles at Copernia applies the unguent to the chair leg. "Impressive techique, ma'dam. Perhaps after the Gala, I might call upon you for a private tutoring?"
Diplomacy (Charming): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

Henrika cocks her head to the side. "Far be it from me to tell you your job, but perhaps you are unaware that placing that bar you are holding near the bees will not be calming in the slightest." She regards the servant with her hypnotic gaze, steel mixed with suggestion. "Maybe you accidentally took the wrong mixture? If you hurry back you may be able to find the correct one and thus amend your error."

Mechanically, her hypnotic stare doesn't really do anything right now. It's a mind-affecting -2 to Will saves that can add damage to an attack, and the target doesn't remember they were affected unless she wants them to.

For the time being, Navia remains the silent observer on standby, playing the part of Xallis's eyes.

Icabhod just sighs and heads back to hear the speech.

The aasimar smiles at Copernia applies the unguent to the chair leg. "Impressive techique, ma'dam. Perhaps after the Gala, I might call upon you for a private tutoring?"

Diplomacy (Charming): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

The woman, Copernia, definitely seems open to a tryst in the backroom. And she slips you her address to look her up later.

(Reiterating a previous statement, Trevor can spend a social action to distract the curator to give another character (probably Liraela) a +5 bonus on a Sleight of Hand check if she uses her social action to attempt to steal one of the items on display. So if you want to do that, you should coordinate to do so in the same round together.)

(Also, no explicit posts please. You can imply your action then fade to black.)

Henrika cocks her head to the side. "Far be it from me to tell you your job, but perhaps you are unaware that placing that bar you are holding near the bees will not be calming in the slightest." She regards the servant with her hypnotic gaze, steel mixed with suggestion. "Maybe you accidentally took the wrong mixture? If you hurry back you may be able to find the correct one and thus amend your error."

The servant looks confused. "Really? I was only following orders. I was approached by one of the Taldan Phalanx guards who told me to place the wafer near the beehives and said the scent would keep the bees calm. I couldn't tell you which guard it was though." The man seems entirely unnerved by this revelation. "Maybe the guard made a mistake. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm sorry. I must go."

Navia takes an opportunity to sieze the irritant quietly before it can cause trouble.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

The man puts the wafer in his pocket and retreats from the courtyard. Navia deftly removes the object without him noticing.

Henrika successfully averted a minor disaster. Unfortunately not all heroics go rewarded. Her departure from the in-progress speech is noted and she will have a -2 penalty on influence checks for the next two social rounds. Icahbod also left, so he will also have the penalty. I am not penalizing Xallis because he stayed to listen to the speech. The guests don't count Navia.

We'll be moving into more social rounds that I will explain in the next post.

The woman, Copernia, definitely seems open to a tryst in the backroom. And she slips you her address to look her up later.

(Reiterating a previous statement, Trevor can spend a social action to distract the curator to give another character (probably Liraela) a +5 bonus on a Sleight of Hand check if she uses her social action to attempt to steal one of the items on display. So if you want to do that, you should coordinate to do so in the same round together.)

(Also, no explicit posts please. You can imply your action then fade to black.)

"Why, certainly", Trevor states for the room. "I would love to see some original manuscripts. In the backroom you say? After you, dear lady."

Copernia and Trevor enter a hand-crafted door near the back of the room. The sound of a door being locked and a muffled giggle are left in their wake.

Trevor will be using a social action to give another character a +5 to a Sleight of Hand check.

Can Lir use her rolls from earlier on the journal? She'd want to get her mission done before swinging back for the fancy dagger, but would take the opportunity to get the journal for Trevor first.

Liraela notices her companions re-entering the speech group, but if she has any concerns about what they were doing she doesn't speak them.
"Good to see you again, how's the event going for all of you?"

Social Round 1 of 4

You now have 4 social rounds to further your agenda. This time, you can use these rounds to influence a location, influence an individual, or start your mission. We will do one round at a time. Once everyone does their one action, I’ll post the results and we’ll continue to Round 2 and so on.

To influence a location:

You would do so the same way you did in the previous round.

Bonuses/Penalties:
You can use any of the skills listed for the Senate Floor at any other location: Bluff, Knowledge (local, nobility, or religion), Perform (oratory), Profession (clerk or barrister), or Sense Motive.
Henrika and Icabhod have a -2 penalty on influence checks for Rounds 1 and 2.

To influence a person:

Before you can influence a person, the first step you need to do is a Discovery check to learn a skill that you can use to influence that person with.

The character cards under Dramatis Personae shows the skills needed for a Discovery check.

For example:
For Baron Nicolaus Okerra, to discover a skill that you can influence him with, you need to spend a social round action to make a Knowledge (nobility) or Sense Motive check DC 15. He has three skills that he can be influenced with. You learn one new skill each time you make the Discovery check. You do not need to learn all the skills. As soon as you’ve learned one or more skills, you can then use that skill in a following social round to influence that person. The number of successes you need to fully influence a person is also shown.
You can also Discovery a character’s weakness that would give you a +4 bonus on further influence checks. For Nicolaus Okerra, to discover his weakness, you would need a successful Knowledge (nobility) or Linguistics check DC 16.

Other special notes about influencing characters:
Princess Eutropia is difficult to corner so only one character can attempt to influence her in any given social round. You can do as many discoveries on her as you want though.

Kalbio has no weakness and no influence skills. The first player to spend a social action to interact with him gets an automatic success.

Wyssilka is listed but you cannot interact with her until someone first goes up to the Gallery.

Bonuses/Penalties:
Henrika and Icabhod have a -2 penalty on influence checks for Rounds 1 and 2.

Missions:
The skills needed for you missions are listed under Missions

Bonuses:
Henrika and Tychus have a +2 bonus on their skill checks for their missions.

Icabhod sighs and begins his mission, seeking out and sizing up Centimus and what might help gain an advantage
Disable Device: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Henrika returns to the others and explains what she thinks happened. "I believe that servant was going to sabotage the Princess's speech, by causing the bees to swarm violently." She briefly frowns when she is told that some of the nobles saw her leave and noted her absence, but shrugs as if to say her social standing can take the hit for Princess Eutropia's safety.

Deciding she had better use the time wisely, she goes to the servants' area to pursue her mission, though she also wishes to keep an eye out for the servant whose plot she and Navia had thwarted. To this end, she scans the crowded kitchens for the wine bottle that Lady Martella had described. Where would Barny have put it? she wonders. She hasn't spotted her undercover friend yet, but she is sure he is there somewhere.

Knowledge (nobility) (DC 15), circumstance bonus: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 2 = 18

The princess notices Tychus and raises an eyebrow inquisitively. (You'll need to spend a social action to interact with her once the opportunity arises.)

Should I attempt to influence check now? And would I need to discover which check is required?

Social Round 1 of 4

Henrika

Henrika heads to the servant area and locates the kitchen. The room is bustling with chefs cooking and shouting, servants rushing in and out grabbing trays, and boys furiously scrubbing dirty dishes. In the back of the room, Henrika spots a large wine cellar filled with hundreds of bottles. She wonders how she’s going to locate the correct bottle, when her acquaintance Barntolf glides by and stealthy slaps a bottle into her hands and whispers in her ear. ”Evenin’ dame. Good to see you’ve made it. That dress looks as natural on you as this suit. A little word of advice, the staff here is used to backstabbing, but you are unknown to them. Chum up to them and they’ll look the other way. Otherwise, they’ll need some convincing.” Without missing a step, Barntolf continues out of the room with a wink.

With Henrika’s knowledge, she confirms that Barntolf gave her the correct bottle.

(Before Henrika can inject the bottle, she’ll need to get the servants in the area to look the other way by either influencing the room or with a DC 14 Bluff or Intimidate check.)

Icabhod

Icabhod tries to begin his task by learning Duke Centimus’ weakness. But he takes it too literally and begins prodding at the noble’s wheelchair. The Duke notices and shouts at Icabhod, ”Hey! What are you doing there? If you’re interested in it, just ask next time.”

(Icabhod failed his Discovery check. He can try again in another round.)

Liraela and Trevor

Trevor takes the curator into the back room for a distraction. Liraela watches him go, and with the curator not keeping guard, she easily swipes the journal off its pedestal and into her sleeve. The item has no other defenses; the senator was not expecting anyone to be so brazen as to steal from the gallery on Exaltation Day. A few minutes later, Trevor exits back into the gallery, his suit slightly askew. Liraela discretely passes the journal to him.

(With the journal, Trevor now has a +2 bonus his Bluff and Linguistic checks for his mission.)

Tychus and Xallis

I’ll give them a chance to confirm and roll their actions.

Tychus indicated he might Discover on the Princess but a DC 17 Knowledge (nobility) or Sense Motive might be hard for him since he doesn’t have either of those skills, so he can try it or choose another action. The Princess is the hardest one to influence and has the highest DCs. Hint: If you influence certain other areas or NPCs first, it could make influencing Eutropia easier.

Social Round 1 of 4

Liraela and Trevor

Trevor takes the curator into the back room for a distraction. Liraela watches him go, and with the curator not keeping guard, she easily swipes the journal off its pedestal and into her sleeve. The item has no other defenses; the senator was not expecting anyone to be so brazen as to steal from the gallery on Exaltation Day. A few minutes later, Trevor exits back into the gallery, his suit slightly askew. Liraela discretely passes the journal to him.

(With the journal, Trevor now has a +2 bonus his Bluff and Linguistic checks for his mission.)

"Many thanks, Liraela." the cleric smiled as the courtesan handed him the journal. "Not my finest work, but one of my quickest. She didn't seem to mind, though."

Trevor quickly reads the journal to pick the best bits to use.

”My pleasure! Happy to have helped. Now, I have my own business to attend to, so happy hunting!” she replies, moving back to the gallery where the High Strategos awaits.

I know this’ll happen next social round, so I’ll wait to see if there’s another event between them before writing up her next action. Hope the journal is helpful! And I hope I can swing back around for the dagger, with or without the distraction, but we’ll see about that.

Tychus stands in front of the Princess, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected her to notice him in such a crowd. He moves his jaw up and down, trying to find his words. He finally clears his throat and starts to formulate a sentence.

Discovery

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Social Round 1 of 4

Tychus

As Tychus stands awkwardly in front of the Princess, he thinks to himself, she's dedicated herself to helping the people of Taldor and not just the nobles. He can probably engage her in casual conversation about local issues.

Tychus discovers that you can Influence Princess Eutropia with a DC 15 Knowledge (Local) check. I will do my best to give you a useful skill when you discover.

Xallis

(I guess Xallis didn't get to post last night. I'll further his mission. Can't go wrong with that.)

Xallis returns to the senate floor to learn more about Baron Okerra who he needs to influence for his mission.

Knowledge (Nobility) DC 15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 (Success)

Xallis learns that as a defender of the law, the Baron could be influenced by engaging him in a diplomatic debate.

Xallis discovers that you can Influence Baron Nicolaus Okerra with a DC 15 Diplomacy check.

I know this’ll happen next social round, so I’ll wait to see if there’s another event between them before writing up her next action. Hope the journal is helpful! And I hope I can swing back around for the dagger, with or without the distraction, but we’ll see about that.

If I say you have a number of social rounds, you won't be surprised with an event in between. You'll get all the rounds I say before the next event occurs, so you can plan around that.

Social Round 2 of 4

Bonuses/Penalties:
•You can use any of the skills listed for the Senate Floor to influence any other location: Bluff, Knowledge (local, nobility, or religion), Perform (oratory), Profession (clerk or barrister), or Sense Motive.
•Henrika and Icabhod have a -2 penalty on influence checks for Round 2.
•Henrika and Tychus have a +2 bonus on their skill checks for their missions.
•Trevor has a +2 bonus on his Bluff and Linguistics checks for his mission. (He needs to do a Sense Motive check for the first part of his mission before he can use Bluff or Linguistics though.)

Special notes
•Princess Eutropia is difficult to corner so only one character can attempt to influence her in any given social round. You can do as many discoveries on her as you want though.
•Kalbio has no weakness and no influence skills. The first player to spend a social action to interact with him gets an automatic success.
•Wyssilka is listed but you cannot interact with her until someone first goes up to the Gallery.
•Before Henrika can continue her mission, she needs to influence the servant area (anyone can influence they area) or convince the staff to look the other way with a DC 14 Bluff or Intimidate check.
•Trevor can repeat distracting the curator at any time. (But should probably work on some other things first.)

Everyone can post their second social round actions.

Henrika accepts the bottle from her friend, and looks around. There does not seem to be a good place where she can tamper with it without being observed. As undignified as it is, she decides that she must give the servants a reason to ignore her. To that end, she causes her posture to fold slightly, and subtly pinches her cheeks. "Thish is such a magnificent party!" she gushes to one of the hovering kitchen staff. "I'm... I'ma... I'ma just lie down... resht my eyes foramo..." She slumps in the corner.

Bluff (DC 14), circumstance bonus: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 2 = 24

Icabhod decides a retreat is in order and heads to find Abrielle Pace and see if he can find out any helpful angles on her.

Discover weakness, Stealh: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Icabhod, the classic style of slapstick comedy, runs facefirst into a servant carrying a pie.

His future as a special agent is very much in question.

As Tychus stands awkwardly in front of the Princess, he thinks to himself, she's dedicated herself to helping the people of Taldor and not just the nobles. He can probably engage her in casual conversation about local issues.

Tychus discovers that you can Influence Princess Eutropia with a DC 15 Knowledge (Local) check. I will do my best to give you a useful skill when you discover.

Knowledge (Local): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

"Your highness..."

Tychus bows reverently.

"It is quite the honour to meet you. You probably hear this a lot, but I am one of your biggest proponents. Your work for the underprivileged is an inspiration to all."

He tries to smooth out the creases of his outfit as the Princess's gaze falls further upon him. A small bead of sweat runs down the side of his face as his cheeks redden a bit.

"I truly believe that you are the right fit to lead Taldor into a new age."

Tychus tries to engage in further chit chat about some of the local laws she has planned, should she come into power, and how they would uplift those of the lower class.

Breaking away from the group and disappearing into the crowd, the vishkanya does her best to sneak her way into a position where the High Strategos is. She doesn't try to hide behind a statue or anything, rather she tries to blend in with the crowd in the Arcade and picks up small quiet absent conversation with the people around her.

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

With that out of the way, she perks her ears up and tries to see what she can hear from the Strategos and his company.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Sorry about that. Last couple days left me on empty. Should be good to go now!

Xallis had considered the little scented wafer that Navia pilfered off of the servant. Should he have turned it in right right away? And to whom? If the guards were in on it, then who knows how far it goes? Perhaps it was a prank that went a little too far? Or maybe something deeper in play?

For a moment, he had considered that he might have been holding onto evidence of some plot. It was fun to let his imagination play with that idea, even a little bit scary with him being a convenient fall guy.

But he dismissed it as overthinking. Navia's deft hand took it without notice, so he was as likely as any other random guest to get in trouble, and he could always discuss what to do with the others later. For now, he has a job to do.

"Baron. Nicolaus. Okerra. It's a pleasure to see you here." The young noble opens up with an emphasis on his name, letting himself lay it on a little thick.

"My name is Xallis Livara, and I've heard about your good work in Meratt. As a man of chelish descent, I can appreciate someone who strives to keep the peace. Perhaps you'd like to take advantage of the occasion and have a little back-and-forth about the finer points of defending civilization?"

Diplomacy to influence/debate the good baron: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

After glancing at the journal, Trevor slips it under his waistcoat, just under his belt. The cleric makes sure the courtesan sees this, in case needs it later. Once that is established, Trevor rejoins the throngs of nobility, seeking his target.

Sense Motive DC 15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Social Round 2 of 4

Henrika

The kitchen staff sigh and throw their hands up in exasperation. Henrika overhears one mumble, ”Damn nobles getting drunk all the time. They have no respect for our workspace. Why’d she have to come in here to pass out?” The workers pay Henrika no more mind.

(Henrika succeeded at bluffing the servants. She can now attempt to inject the wine.)

Icahbod

Icahbod heads up to the gallery. The gallery overlooks the senate floor and is filled with entertainers and children. A few children spot Icahbod take a pie to the face and laugh loudly, assuming he is another act. A halfling jester with her face painted white with a red nose offers Icahbod a hand and helps him up. ”That was some excellent comedy right there. Have you considered taking up the jester profession? I’m offering free face painting.” She winks and laughs. ”I’m Wyssilka the Fantabulous. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

(Icahbod did accomplish something. You can now Discover/Influence Wyssilka.)

Tychus

"Your highness..."

Tychus bows reverently.

"It is quite the honour to meet you. You probably hear this a lot, but I am one of your biggest proponents. Your work for the underprivileged is an inspiration to all."

He tries to smooth out the creases of his outfit as the Princess's gaze falls further upon him. A small bead of sweat runs down the side of his face as his cheeks redden a bit.

"I truly believe that you are the right fit to lead Taldor into a new age."

Tychus tries to engage in further chit chat about some of the local laws she has planned, should she come into power, and how they would uplift those of the lower class.

Princess Eutropia waves the other sycophants away gives Tychus her undivided attention for the next few minutes. ”The honor is all mine, young man.” She puts a finger under Tychus’s chin and lifts his face to look him in the eyes. ”As long as tonight goes as planned, I do indeed intend to lead Taldor into a new age. And part of that is treating all Taldans with respect.” She continues to talks with Tychus over the various topics that he chooses to discuss. She seems genuinely interested and engaged. Afterwards, the other guests quickly swarm around her again, eager for their own opportunity to gain the princess’s attention.

(Tychus successfully influenced Princess Eutropia. You’ve achieved 1 out of 2 successes to fully influence the Princess.)

Liraela

Liraela successfully hides among the crowd and begins spying on the commander. Maxillar seems to be mostly keeping to himself, uninterested in engaging with the other guests. Occasionally he approaches a guard stationed in the area and inspects that the guard is remaining at attention.

(Liraela achieved 1 out of 3 spy successes. If she continues to spy on consecutive rounds, she does not need to roll a Stealth check again.)

Xallis

"Baron. Nicolaus. Okerra. It's a pleasure to see you here." The young noble opens up with an emphasis on his name, letting himself lay it on a little thick.

"My name is Xallis Livara, and I've heard about your good work in Meratt. As a man of chelish descent, I can appreciate someone who strives to keep the peace. Perhaps you'd like to take advantage of the occasion and have a little back-and-forth about the finer points of defending civilization?"

The Baron is pleasant man. ”Of course. I can always spare a few moments to debate with a fan.” Unfortunately, Xallis loses the debate this time and Nicolaus is not impressed.

(Xallis’s skill check was not a success. He can try again on another round.)

Trevor

Trevor asks around inquiring about senators who are supporting primogeniture. It doesn’t take long for him to find one. He learns that the senator Earl Calhadion Vernisant would make an excellent target. Earl Calhadion Vernisant is a proud man in his thirties and a hereditary senator. He is ambitious and hopes to become one of Grand Prince Stavian III’s close advisors. Not only does he support primogeniture, he outwardly detests those who support the Princess’s bid for the throne.

(Trevor successful located a target for his mission. I added Earl Calhadion to the senate floor. Trevor can now Spread Rumors with a DC 14 Bluff check and Manufacture Evidence with a DC 12 Linguistics check. He can attempt these in either order.)

Everyone acted. You can take your next social round action (Round 3 of 4). Henrika and Icabhod no longer have any penalty on influence checks.

Bonuses/Penalties:
•You can use any of the skills listed for the Senate Floor to influence any other location: Bluff, Knowledge (local, nobility, or religion), Perform (oratory), Profession (clerk or barrister), or Sense Motive.
•Henrika, Trevor, and Tychus have a +2 bonus on their skill checks for their missions.

Special Notes:
•Princess Eutropia is difficult to corner so only one character can attempt to influence her in any given social round. You can do as many discoveries on her as you want though.
•Kalbio has no weakness and no influence skills. The first player to spend a social action to interact with him gets an automatic success.

Trevor will walk to the Senate Floor and hobnob, hopefully sowing the seeds of Earl Calhadion Vernisant's Downfall.

Diplomacy (Charming): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Bluff (Vernisant): 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 = 8 (Ouch.)

Icabhod takes the facewipe gratefully. Thank you very much, it seems that graces, both social and physical are not my area of expertise.

Personally, I must say that a bit of levity l, like that you bring here is sorely needed. So many humorless types.[/b]

influence, know local, inspiration: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 7 + (1) = 13

Xallis is taken aback. This man is the real deal.

"Hmm... you bring up a good point, I'll give you that. But if you'll indulge me for one more go at it? I never mentioned the implication of supernaturally enhanced enforcers, and that adds some interesting new complications."

Hoping the Baron has the time, Xallis tries again.

Diplomacy to Influence: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Tychus, having barely kept it together during his conversation with the Princess, shakes off his nerves and picks up one of the messages for Count Zespire.

He makes his way to the Imperial Archives and tries to locate the Count in the midst of all the other gala-goers.

Escape Artist: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Henrika takes the opportunity, now that no one is watching her, to use the syringe on the bottle. She prepares her mind, taking slow deep breaths. Then she deftly performs the action to inject the bottle with the poison from her patron, without leaving any evidence of tampering.

Disable Device (DC 14), ACP: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 5 - 2 = 14

Social Round 3 of 4

Icabhod

(I think Icabhod is trying to Discover on Wyssilka but it wasn’t clear.)

Wyssilka offers a bow and returns to entertaining the children.

(The Discover check was not a success.)

Henrika

Henrika discretely injects the putrefying agent into the wine bottle and returns it to the cellar. She leaves the kitchen before she draws any attention to herself.

(Henrika’s mission is complete!)

Trevor

Trevor tries to spread a rumor about Earl Vernisant but it doesn’t take. The guests here will need further convincing.

(Trevor’s bluff check was not a success.)

Tychus

Tychus makes his way to the Archives but a wall of chatting guests blocks the hallway that Count Zespire is down. He tries to squeeze through but the guests won’t budge and have some unkind words for Tychus’ disruption.

(Tychus’s escape artist check was not a success.)

Xallis

The Baron is more than happy to continue a discussion with Xallis. This time, Xallis brings up some points that thoroughly impress Baron Okerra. ”I hadn’t considered that. This will definitely be something that I’ll bring up to the senate in the future. You have some excellent ideas. If you have time, I’d love to hear more.”

(Xallis successfully influenced Baron Nicolaus Okerra. You’ve achieved 1 out of 2 successes to fully influence the Baron.)

Liraela

Perception DC 14: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Liraela continues to spy on Maxillar Pythareus. She notices that the general keeps glancing towards the main entrance and muttering to himself, ”The Grand Prince is taking his sweet time showing up tonight.”

(Liraela achieved 2 out of 3 spy successes. If she continues to spy on consecutive rounds, she does not need to roll a Stealth check again.)

Social Round 4 of 4

You can take your last social round action (Round 4 of 4) before the next event.

Bonuses/Penalties:
•You can use any of the skills listed for the Senate Floor to influence any other location: Bluff, Knowledge (local, nobility, or religion), Perform (oratory), Profession (clerk or barrister), or Sense Motive.
•Trevor and Tychus have a +2 bonus on their skill checks for their missions.

Special Notes:
•Princess Eutropia is difficult to corner so only one character can attempt to influence her in any given social round. You can do as many discoveries on her as you want though.
•Kalbio has no weakness and no influence skills. The first player to spend a social action to interact with him gets an automatic success.

Tychus's frustrations mount as the gaggle of people barring the way into the Imperial Archives gathers in size. He raises himself onto his toes, trying to see over the sea of people for an alternate way into the room. He thinks he spots an entryway, but is almost knocked over by some drunken noble. Muttering some choice words under his breath, he decides it not worth his time to confront the man. He makes his way around the building to try and enter the room again.

Escape Artist: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

This is off of the assumption that I can attempt the mission twice in a row.

Bluff: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 3 + 2 = 22

Noticing his rumor-mongering didn't hold much wait, Trevor digs deep and decides to go outlandish, and borderline cruel.

It IS for a good cause, Cayden. I swear, the cleric implores his deity.

Lir is getting bored at his point, listening to the ever rotating groups around her talk endlessly about the same handful of exhibits. It’s clear in her mannerisms and the way she gestures and talks that she’d rather be anywhere else.

Regardless, she stays put and does her best to stay in ‘disguise’ as it were, as a disinterested observer of art and the displays. Taking a look around the room, she looks to see if she can identify anyone else of any import in the groups she is watching. Especially after the near-incident with the bees, she’s going to try and keep an eye out for any interesting figures.

Perception, crowd: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Knowledge (nobility): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Not seeing much of anything or anbyone interesting, she turns her ears and eyes back to the High Strategos, hoping to catch anything exciting or useful at all.

Perception, mission: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Icabhod sighs and heads back to Duke Centimus to see if he can mend fences.

After locating him, he captiously approaches. Excuse me sir, please forgive me for being so forwards last time, I was so intrigued by the workmasnship of your wheelchair that I forgot my manners.

Know-Nobility,Inspiration: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 7 + (4) = 13

Things do not go well.

The young nobleman's demeanor softens as he engages in a more even-handed exchange of words. "Ahh, of course. Entities beyond the material plane can have rather intricate means of handling disputes. Still, their direct involvement means the risk for cultural misunderstandings as well as a need to respect their own extra-planar taboos..."

Diplomacy to Influence: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Social Round 4 of 4

Tychus

Tychus finds another way around the maze of corridors and reaches Count Orlundo Zespire who is casually browsing an ancient text that he pulled off the shelf. He is pleased to receive Tychus’ message. ”Ah, so you’re Lady Lotheed’s messenger boy this evening. I’ve been waiting to receive her letter.” He takes a few minutes to read over the letter's contents and then says, ”Please wait a moment. I would like to pen a follow-up letter for you to deliver.”

(Tychus successfully delivered the message to Court Orlundo Zespire. He has a second letter for Tychus to deliver, but you must wait one social round for him to finish writing it. Events don’t count as social rounds.)

Trevor

The noble’s believe Trevor’s outlandish rumor much more readily. They greedily latch on to the preposterous scandal and word starts spreading quickly.

(Trevor succeeded spreading rumors. Sprinkling in some supporting evidence should be the final nail in the coffin.)

Liraela

Liraela scans the Arcade. She spots a tall, athletic woman who stands out because she towers over the other guests. She seems to have a perpetual puss on her face. Liraela doesn’t recognize her and she isn’t doing anything at the moment, so whether she is a threat or not, Liraela can’t tell.

Resuming her spy mission, she continues to listen to the general. She overhears Maxillar let slip, ”All of Taldor’s concerns over succession are finally laid to rest today.” (Ominous!)

(Liraela’s mission is complete!)

Icabhod

Duke Centimus replies, ”I accept your apology. Consider the faux pas forgotten. If you’d like to learn more, I’d be glad to discuss my tinkering improvements in a civil conversation.”

(I’ll throw Icabhod a bone. He stumbled upon Duke Centimus’ weakness by paying attention to his wheelchair. His weakness is “Leonard sees his paraplegia as another challenge to tinker with; he appreciates it when others notice to adjustments and personal improvements he’s made to his chair, and enjoys discussing ideas for future revisions. He appreciates others who try to see things from his perspective. While he welcomes people who take his unique situation into consideration, he’s equally weary of others who see that condition as the sum total of his life experience, and hates discussing the accident itself.” Incorporating the weakness when making an Influence check grants a +4 bonus to the roll. You still need to Discover a skill to Influence the Duke with first.)

Xallis

When Xallis starts trailing off about extra-planar entities he completely loses Baron Okerra. ”I’m sorry. I’m more of a down-to-earth person. Beings beyond Golarion are foreign to me. Now if we were talking about bandits or local beasts, I would have a dozen solutions to dealing with them.”

(Xallis is 1 off =(. His Influence roll is not a success.)

Henrika

Henrika, having completed her mission is free to mingle for the rest of the evening. The courtyard seems to be a popular place with the Princess drawing a large crowd. She heads there to chat with some guests. (Influence the Courtyard.)

Knowledge Local DC 14: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Unfortunately, the guests are preoccupied.

(Sorry. That 1 is a failure.)

Event: Check-In

Martella Lotheed contacts each of you via her master senator badge. You receive a telepathic message. ”Please join me in the gallery for a moment. I’d like to discuss your progress so far.”

When you first arrive, Martella is grinning and clapping gently as she watches one of the jugglers, but she hurriedly composes herself and dons her air of mystery once she realizes that you are watching. She has sectioned off a small meeting point on the upper walkways with chairs and a pot of fresh coffee.

(You can make a Perception roll.)

”Welcome. Thank you for your speedy response. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves so far. I could see from here that you’ve made a name for yourselves on the Senate Floor already. And a few gossiping guests have made small talk about your interest in the art gallery in the Arcade of Triumphs. Well done. If you really want to make an impression on those of importance, I suggest also working on spreading your name around the Courtyard and Gallery. Influencing the guests will make influencing your targets easier as well.”

”I’d like to congratulate Henrika and Liraela on being the first ones to complete their missions. And some others are well on their way. Icahbod, I’ve noticed you’ve had some difficultly. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you need it. And Tychus, your job is the most demanding out of the group. Don’t neglect to work on it. Speaking of which, I have another message for you to deliver.” She hands Tychus a second sealed envelope. ”Please deliver this message to Lady Glorianna Morilla in the courtyard.”

”I didn’t ask you here just to look over your shoulders. There’s a young woman here: Malphene Trant, the daughter of Senator Trant. She’s a belligerent, narcissistic ass, and a bully as well. If she’s here, it’s likely to intimidate one of more of the junior senators into backing her father. If one or more of you could keep an eye on her and... quietly intercede should she try, I would be quite grateful.”

(I’ve added a token for Malphene Trant to the Arcade of Triumphs. This is the tall woman Liraela spotted.)

(I’ll leave a moment for any responses to Martella or conversations amongst yourselves.)

Whoops! I could have sworn I posted a response yesterday. Sorry! Thanks for prodding us along. :)