Yuki's fiery beams critically strike her targets!
Talaro explodes in a cloud of red mist, leaving only his equipment behind.
The draconic Vatum lashes out at the pink assassin with claws and tail, then directs a beam of mental energy at the orange assassin.
for and
for
for
~+~Combat Round 2~+~
Dianora
Crystal (-24, d6 bleed)
Talaro
Yuki (-60)
Vatum (-32, d6 bleed)
Kimmich (-34, 2d6 bleed)
Red Assassin
Blue Assassin
Orange Assassin
Pink Assassin (-112)
Kimmich looks at the one standing assassin in silence, as blood wafts through the air. "Fall, traitor," he utters, and falls upon the foe with his swords.
Kimmich frightens, then stabs the last assassin standing, and Crystal finishes him off.
"Vatum" peers through the doorway into the blood-spattered main chamber. "I see I was mistaken in my evaluation of your capabilities. A most efficient counter-strike."
The dragon settles down on his haunches to speak with you more easily, “I am Vatumledor, a devout of Achaekek, He Who Executes. You know him as He Who Walks In Blood. Few know of my true nature, and assume I’m just ‘Vatum,’ one of Jakalyn’s many couriers, but I am, in truth, one of her closest allies. You are among an elite few who I’ve trusted with the truth of who I am, and I trust you shall keep my secret as if it were your own.
“For some time I have suspected the existence of a conspiracy among some of the Vernai to remove Jakalyn as blood mistress of the Red Mantis, and now we have proof, thanks to your aid. I knew that the conspirators would act once Blood Mistress Jakalyn stepped away, and suspected a half-dozen contracts as being traps meant to allow the conspirators the chance to weed out her strongest allies.
When I was approached by the Vernai and asked to deliver the contract for Ordulf’s assassination specifically to you not long after Jakalyn’s absence began, I strongly suspected the conspirators were making their move. And now, with Talaro’s attempt on your lives, we have proof. Someone among the Vernai wants us dead so that when they move against Blood Mistress Jakalyn, she will have none among the Red Mantis to rely upon as allies. This cannot stand, and you must return to Ilizmagorti to uncover the truth of who our enemies are.”
"So you're a dragon?" Dianora says. "I guess that is a surprise, along with the rest of it. Do you know why they want to move against Jakalyn?"
"We can begin with this riff-raff," the orc says, kicking one of the slain assassins. "Who were they close with, who delivers their assignments." He looks through the bodies. "Maybe we return as them to find out who approaches us. Do you see any orcs here?"
Crystal sighs. "I've always hated politics, but I suppose going after a batch of heretical fellow assassins does seem like a worthy time investment. And Jakalyn always was quite good to me. And the last thing I want is more of our own stock coming after us time and time again, it would disrupt the simple things in life like getting a pile of gold to kill someone." Crystal shuffles over and helps Kimmich dig through the gear of the other assassins very unceremoniously. "So I take it no one's paying for the Ordulf assassination, huh? That's a pity. But at least we got to kill a celestial entity today, I suppose that counts for something in the cosmic scheme of things. Probably. Dianora would know about that more than I do."
”I guess we probably want that rapier then too, if nothing else we can sell it or trade it.” Yuki muses. ”Then we should return home with all due haste. Jakalyn took me in as a kit. And, has been like a mother to me. I wish to find whoever is conspiring against her. But, I believe that they have underestimated us. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage?”
Yuki moves to help loot the bodies and checks pockets in case any were dumb enough to have written down who sent them….
”For what it’s worth I believe that Gorum is both impressed by our hard fought win and saddened by the loss of two of his followers. I think, at least for now it isn’t personal…”
As they finish looting the bodies Yuki looks to the stairs down to the basement.
The dragon responds to your comments, "No, you are unlikely to face any punishment from the clergy of Gorum. Ordulf deserved death, so waste no time mourning his fate.
"Still, the contract for his assassination was falsified. A trap placed by our enemies in the Vernai. Doubtless, they have spread word of your ‘illegal’ assassination already through the city of Ilizmagorti, and you are likely all counted as traitors on Mediogalti Isle. Yet Achaekek himself does not begrudge your actions. He is more than a narrow-sighted cult of assassins believes him to be.
“As with all assignments the Vernai give me to deliver to Red Mantis agents, the issuer for your order was anonymous—I need not remind you that the client matters not, only that the request is completed. A tradition that the conspirators no doubt were thankful for, but one that still has value, I believe.”
The dragon nods at your thoughts, "The conspirators likely need no other motivation than an increase in their power. Jakalyn has been Blood Mistress for a long time, and has made many enemies, no doubt."
"Traitors... great. Explains why these losers were so adamant that we had done something wrong. Well... I guess we have some work ahead of us."
She turns away from the bodies and back up to the still strikingly massive dragon leaning over before them. "And what of you? Have they caught onto your movements yet or is "Vatum" still clean as a whistle as a courier for doing his job sending us all out and about to our deaths? How much are you still able to be on the inside during this whole mess?"
"Blood will clean our reputations, as it can clean so many things," Kimmich says sagely over the profoundly blood-soiled room. He looks with interest at the shurikens, sniffing at them carefully.
"Unfortunately, I will be unable to help you from the inside. While few beyond yourselves, and the Blood Mistress, know the secret of my true form, I'm well-known as a confidant and supporter of Jakalyn. In fact, an assassin attacked me on the way here, though he was not prepared to face my full power," Vatumledor informs you. "The attack was all that I needed to confirm my suspicions about the conspiracy.
"Before she left the Citadel on business of her own, Jakalyn revealed to me her suspicions that enemies within the Vernai might make moves against her, and asked me to watch for opportunities to unmask the traitors. You are my opportunity, now that these traitors have revealed they do indeed exist. Personally, I believe the blood mistress is using recent events as a smoke screen to go into hiding, to lie low and give those she suspects of being traitors the chance to make a mistake. If you can expose the traitors and deal with them, Jakalyn’s gratitude and approval will be worth more than any treasure.”
"Well at the very least you have an easy time disappearing for a while since no one knows what you actually look like. Good luck laying low for a while and if you can keep an eye on Jakalyn in any way please do so. I suppose we on the other hand lack such a luxury so we'll have to be on our way sooner rather than later."
Crystal nods to the dragon and follows Yuki to the stairs, shuffling down into the basement and through the last few rooms for any last minute utilities for the long agonizing journey of clearing their own names.
"Stay out of sight? Ha! In fact, my assistance will be more valuable to you if we now go our separate ways, for that will allow me to create distractions to turn attentions away from you. I have a target on my back now as well, and if our enemies have to split their resources to look in multiple areas, so much the better.” The dragon takes his leave from you, teleporting out of the fortress after saying farewell.
You head into the basement, at the base of the stairs is a storage room filled with supplies for the fortress. A quite examination finds several portable items of value: 4 sets of sterling artisan’s tools for repairing armor and stonework, 4 servings of firefoot popcorn, 5 ready-to-brew moderate toffee insight coffees and 5 moderate double insight coffees, and 4 moderate wyrmhide fury cocktails.
Beyond the storage room, a massive furnace stands along the northern wall of this rectangular chamber. Copper pipes along the walls connect to the furnace and lead up into the ceiling. The furnace itself features huge access doors on its east, south, and west sides. On either side of the furnace’s southern door, two gemstones embedded into metal frames glow with a reddish orange light. Double stone doors lead out from this chamber to the east, south, and west. The room is blisteringly hot. (Severe heat.)
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"Well, for Gorumites, they sure ate well," Dianora says. "Popcorn's one of my favorites! Oh, and look, they even left us a stove to cook it on and heat up the coffee!"
She pauses.
"Not the safest setup, though. No wonder they kept dying so easily. Not very bright. We can probably help."
Yuki follows Dianora across the room reflexively holding her tail in close. Keeping her eyes out for any traps or surpprises.
I don't think I've ever seen this much strong coffee in one place before, not even on long stakeouts of my own. It'll certainly be of use if we can't find a place to sleep again for a while."
Crystal throws the alchemicals in her pack and follows closely behind.
The storage room on the other side of the furnace chamber holds merely mundane goods for the fortress.
The southern doors to the chamber are locked, but the key you retrieved from the warpriest earlier opens them.
The eastern wall of this room is decorated with a large mural of a mountain, into which a very real greatsword has been embedded. A weapon rack stands against the southern wall, and four large stone chests sit near the western wall.
Dianora's fingers itch to open the chests, but she lets Crystal examine them first. "Better safe than sorry, otherwise you end up with an assassin's blade right in the gizzard. Whatever a gizzard is."
Crystal takes a look at the chests and then moves to pop them open.
Her eyes sparkle at the giant collection of coins piled in the chests. "Well forget about our contract annulment, these Gorumites were loaded. Not sure how we're going to transport all these coins but it definitely makes up for losing our payout."
Kimmich looks pensively at the greatsword in the wall, touching his own greatsword as he ponders the majesty of Gorum. "We should see whether the gems could be taken from that furnace," the orc says. "Could be worth some small king's bounty."
”I guess we get paid after all…
"Oh good, I do love money. Let's spread it out and sleep on it, and in the morning I'll send us all to Azir, and we can go spend it!"
You gather the treasure of the room without triggering any hideous traps.
Crystal tries to check the rest of the room after storing away all the gold and weapons into one chest and tying it up to briefly drag behind them.
While stowing away their new found loot Yuki scans the room for anything hidden.
A pair of stone chests sit near the northern wall of this room, above which hangs an ancient but still sharp sword.
Each chests contain several hundred unsorted coins and pouches of gemstones. Altogether, the contents of the chests are worth 6,448 gp. Also among the treasure is a small, bloodstained prayerbook written entirely in Skald.
The sword that hangs on the wall above the chests is a storm flash.
Crystal shrugs at the strange mechanism in the mural and decides to give the sword a nice strong push.
"Well well... I think we found our hidden sword stash. Guess we'll add this to the pile."
After gathering yourselves, and the treasures of the citadel, you gather to leave. With a burst of magic, you disappear and hurtle through space. Between the blink of an eye, you trade the icy winds of the Land of the Linnorn Kings for the relentless sun of the desert just outside Azir, in godless Rahadoun.
Without much trouble, you bypass the Pure Legion and make your way into the busy market of the city, easily disposing of the treasures from Crownhold without attracting any attention. Your purchases are not so unusual for adventurers, and splitting up allows you to make them without causing a stir.
You settle into an innocuous inn to plan for your infiltration of Ilizmagorti, no doubt a harder target than a Gorumite citadel in the butt end of nowhere.
"They may suspect we're on our way back, once they don't hear from Ta-lame-o, so perhaps we can arrange a distraction? Draw their attention to one side of the city while we come in the other way? Or perhaps it's a dipsy-do, with one distraction puling them away from a second distraction, while we come in a third way?" Dianora suggests, casually munching on some barbecued meat.
Kimmich eats quietly as they plan, taking in what the others say in thoughtful contempation. A prodigious number of rib bones are neatly stacked on his plate. "Are there any that we think might still be loyal to the Blood Mistress? Allies on the inside?"
Fugatives!
As the PCs play through Chapter 2, they shift through the following four Visibility Thresholds. As they become more visible, the PCs begin to take circumstance penalties to checks made during this chapter while participating in the following activities: Coerce, Cover Tracks, Gather Information, Impersonate, or Make an Impression.
Anonymous (0–3 Visibility Points): The conspirators believe the PCs aren’t active in Ilizmagorti.
Rumored (4–6 Visibility Points): The conspirators suspect the PCs are active in Ilizmagorti. The PCs take a –1 circumstance penalty to affected activities.
Spotted (7–9 Visibility Points): The conspirators know the PCs are active in Ilizmagorti, but haven’t narrowed down their precise location. The PCs take a –2 circumstance penalty to affected activities.
Hunted (10 or more Visibility Points): The conspirators know what the PCs’ likely plans are and can swiftly locate them anywhere in the city. The PCs take a –4 circumstance penalty to affected activities and lack the stability and safety needed to successfully Craft, Earn Income, seek Long-Term Rest, or Retrain in Ilizmagorti unless they secure a suitable safe house.
You currently have 1 Visibility Point
The longer the PCs take to complete Chapter 2, the higher their visibility creeps. In addition to any encounter-specific increases to Visibility Points detailed on the following pages, the PCs automatically gain 1 Visibility Point each time they engage in a high profile event in a public space (such as a combat, a flashy attempt to Earn Income via Performance, bragging about their accomplishments, openly talking about Vernai conspiracies, or the like).
When the PCs first enter Ilizmagorti, and again each day as they undertake their daily preparations, go through the following two steps to determine if they increase their Visibility Points after determining what Exploration activities (Player Core 438–439) each PC is taking.
Step 1—Randomly Getting Noticed: Attempt a DC 16 flat check. On a failure, one or more of the PCs have been spotted and recognized and the party gains 1 Visibility Point.
Step 2—Resolve Active Searches: If the PCs are at a Visibility Threshold of Rumored or higher, then their enemies are searching for them. The magnitudes of these searches depend on their current Visibility Threshold.
• Rumored: If any PC went out in public the previous day, one PC in the party must attempt a DC 30 Deception or Stealth check; other PCs can Aid this check if they wish. The party earns 1 Visibility Point on a failure (or 2 on a critical failure).
• Spotted: Each PC in the party who went out in public during the previous day must attempt a DC 34 Deception or Stealth check. The party earns 1 Visibility Point if anyone fails this check (or 2 Visibility Points if anyone rolls a critical failure). The results of multiple failures or critical failures don’t stack.
• Hunted: As Spotted, but the DC increases to 36. In addition, the conspirators make extensive use of divination magic to track the PCs; each PC who spent more than an hour outside of an area that isn’t protected from such effects (such as those granted by peaceful bubble) during the previous day must attempt a DC 32 Will save. The party gains 1 additional Visibility Point for each failed Will save.
Step 3—Resolve Activities: Resolve the day’s activities and adventures through play.
Crystal bites her lip in thought. "Perhaps we should have bought some more disguises on the way. I hadn't really considered the necessity until now..."
Her eyes move to the spacious pouch now containing an absurd amount of gold coins.
Dianora agrees, happy to spend the extra coins on a couple more scarves almost as nice as hers. Afterward, she's ready to go find Nasha to see what they might be able to learn.
Yuki agrees as well.
With everyone on-board with a plan to sneak into the city, you manage it without a problem. While some may suspect your survival of the ambush, there is no way that word of it has spread within the island.
With your knowledge of Ilizmagorti, it is easy for you to track down Nasha, you possible information broker. The Blood Circus looms high over northern Ilizmagorti, a constant reminder of the entertainment and doom offered to the city’s people or inflicted upon its victims on a daily basis. The streets around the arena often throng with traffic, even late into the night.
Nasha is finishing a match when you arrive, a messy rout that looks like its unlikely to even tire the canny warrior. As an important gladiator, access to Nasha is carefully controlled. You may be able to talk your way into an immediate meeting with her (or, if not, grease a few palms to secure an audience).
Dianora decides to let Yuki take the lead, knowing the sorceress is much more likely to be able to sweet talk Nasha's handlers.
Yuki approaches Nasha’s handlers. As she approaches, her demeanor shifts, her silky walk is replaced by one of power. She strides up to the handlers, knowing she is the most important person they will meet today.
”Greetings. You’re going to want to let us in now to see Ms Nasha or you can explain to her why you let The Blood walk away.” Yuki says as she indicates Kimmich. ”As you know, we bring our own support team, the The Mistress tends to his wounds, and the The Red Lady acts as a second if desired.” She introduces the rest of the team.
”Now either her schedule is clear today and we’re all gonna make a lot of money or we walk.”
Kimmich walks up behind Yuki, towering over the handlers and his companion. "I'd prefer the money," the half-orc growls lowly. "I already walked here. Hate to walk back without a lot of money." He once-overs the largest of the BLood Circus staff and spits on the ground in apparent contempt.
The guards glance at each other and silently agree that letting you through is worth the risk of Nasha's displeasure. They usher your backstage and give you directions to Nasha's private office.
The door is open to Nasha’s private office in the Blood Circus’s understructure, a chamber that has a rather plain aesthetic compared to the obscenely violent arena decor. The lady in question is eating as you arrive, and, as she spots you at her door, she takes an aggressive bite from the roasted meat of a large leg bone. She chews the meat loudly, open-mouthed so the roast is clearly visible, and stares in your direction, evaluating their demeanors for a time before she wipes her lizard-like snout on a napkin and asks, "What’s so important that you’re interrupting my meal?"
"Our apologies," Dianora says. "We don't want to interrupt. Eating's one of my favorite pastimes. A good fish pie? Delicious. When it's baked just right, and you have flaky fish, along with flaky crust? It really is probably one of the best things you can find on Golarion, right? But we come in search of information. Have you heard of anything noteworthy happening in the city, or with the Vernai? Perhaps there's some word about Mistress Jakalyn's doings of late? Probably not making fish pie..."
Nasha chuckles at Sister Dianora's comment, "I hear the Blood Mistress has her fingers in many pies, actually."
She finishes chewing and comes quickly to business. "My information isn't free, and I only give it to the most trustworthy candidates."
Nasha gives you a canny look that conveys that she does, indeed know some things about the Vernai. "I quite enjoy the status quo here on the island. I'm free to do as I like, and Jakalyn is good for business. I don't want her to find out I've been giving tips to some duplicitous schemers."
"Some pay in gold for my information, while others have the priveledge of proving themselves in a vicious battle in the Blood Circus. In your case, however, I'm willing to accept payment in 'quality of character.' Convince me that you can be trusted, that you have the ability to face powerful enemies, and that you are loyal to Blood Mistress Jakalyn."
"I have a slight problem with your requests, madam, as I tend not to find very many enemies powerful," Kimmich says as he looms over her during their brief private meeting.
Crystal smiles her signature smile that can shatter glass, and certainly has many times before. She hands a couple of her sweetest elixirs and poisons over to Nasha.
"Jakalyn the dear Blood Mistress marks her labels in her own hand, to be quite assured no one can betray her. She recently gifted me a few of her own for a kill that we both took great pleasure in. You can take a look at these yourself and recognize her works. Frankly, I think her willingness to share with me from her personal stock should be a good lot of proof of both my loyalty to her, and how much my strength matters to her cause."
"What is trust, really?" Dianora muses. "I put trust in Gorum a long time ago, and he's pretty awful. I think the most important thing is to trust in yourself. If you can do that, you should be just fine. If you can't trust yourself, no one else is going to trust you either."
Unfortunately, her monologue is not very persuasive.
”The Blood Mistress took me in when I was but a kit. An unseen force guided me to her side from birth. I learned my trade as I grew under her watchful and have learned much about how this island and people in general work.” Yuki goes on to detail some knowledge of the working of things that only someone close the the Blood Mistress would know like some good gossip that might help Nasha out.
Apparently Yuki remembers the wrong juicy tidbit of information…
After the individual interviews, Nasha brings you together and comments, "Well, as a team you're unbeatable, though I wouldn't throw any of you into the ring against the Vernai alone."
She rubs a hand over her scaly scalp and continues: "A change in the island's leadership would not be advantageous for me. Unfortunately, your enemies are extremely discrete, so I have little information to give you beyond a name: Dockmaster Torvald Kemp. That arrogant blowhard has his fingers in half the city's business. I suggest you try to take a peek inside the ledger that he keeps with him at all times. If you are looking for some hard evidence, you'll need some things in writing, and Kemp is the most likely conspirator I can think of."
"I wonder if your fingers get sticky when they're in someone else's business? You know, I think some people use 'business' to mean unmentionables, which I suppose makes sense since you don't want to mention unmentionables. But that would definitely get sticky..."
She thinks for a moment.
"Let's head to the docks!"
As they make their way to the docks Yuki suggests taking a circuitous route in case they are being followed and perhaps using our scarfs to change their disguises.
”Perhaps we observe his movements for a little bit? Figure out the best play? Though, if an opportunity presents itself we should take it.”
"Yes I think we should watch him and see if we can find more information on his regular schedule and routine. If we can find a good spot to ambush him in his routine or a large routine to distract him in that would benefit us to getting that ledger without raising more alarms against us."
Ilizmagorti’s waterfront is a constantly bustling scene, with dockworkers loading or unloading cargo quickly in hopes of avoiding fines for lingering too long. Merchants and hucksters push their wares, pickpockets look for easy marks, and travelers of all sorts come and go.