Gameday XIII - Pathfinder Society Scenario #2: The Hydra's Fang Incident (Inactive)

Game Master Shadow Dragon

GM's Choice table for Gameday XIII.

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Each of you has received an urgent missive from Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin to immediately report to the Grand Lodge where a caravan is waiting to transport you to your next mission in Diobel!

Please introduce yourselves to one another. As the Wall of Text! (tm) indicates you'll have plenty of time to talk while en route.

Nail’s voice rumbles out from behind a massively bushy beard which completely covers the lower half of his face and neck. The beard seems to be left mostly ungroomed, allowed to just fill in wherever it wants. A large nose pokes prominently out, obscuring squinty eyes. His shiny bald head finishes up visual first impressions. He carries a nicely crafted backpack and a few light weapons. He wears a nice cloak, bracers and a well kept explorer’s outfit.

The voice issues a simple and friendly greeting, identifying himself as “Nails of Clan Folgrit”.

Avi tosses and turns, his sleep disturbed by dark dreams of shooting stars and comets streaking through the cosmos. What makes dreams of such things dark as that they all begin to converge on Golarion, and the Inner Sea region. He thinks of the Starstone Cathedral and how it's about to be made irrelevant by many more visitors. Suddenly he's on the isle of Kortos, tasked with rushing around and warning everyone about the impending disaster, but it seems nobody will listen. They don't believe him. Just then the fiery rocks pierce the blue sky and make themselves apparent, and in an imperceptible short period of time later the world is enveloped in flame and carnage.

Just then Avi wakes up in a cold sweat by a knock at the door. He takes a moment to blink awake and confirm that everything around him is not, in fact, on fire. It's a courier with a letter for him and it's seems there's a new mission.

Today's Mongrel Mage bloodline will be: Starsoul.

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The gruff, but wiry man before you nods in a conceding expression of recognition.

I'm Avi. I wield the magic. You appear to be... the muscle?

A young man of Taldan stock enters the room with a bounce to his step, clearly eager to go on whatever mission lies ahead.

Blessings of the Dawnflower upon you...I am Andros. I am happy to meet you. he says cheerfully. He looks around and furrows his brow.

Umm...I hope there are more than just the three of us going...not that I doubt your abilities... good to go just makings a few purchaes...mwk cold iron scimitar, cold iron morningstar, light crossbow, anti plague, antotoxin and a wand of CLW...537 gp and 2 PP total..will adjust sheet later/.//

Nails replies, ”Ah gots muscle, sure. Ah reckon you an me more then just magic an muscle tho.”

He turns to the newcomer, offering a meaty handshake, ”Pleased ta meetcha, ahm Nails, this is Ahvi. I spect one more at least ta join.”

You want to run the Pregen, GM? Or want one of us to grab it?

A young man of Taldan stock enters the room with a bounce to his step, clearly eager to go on whatever mission lies ahead.

Blessings of the Dawnflower upon you...I am Andros. I am happy to meet you. he says cheerfully. He looks around and furrows his brow.

Umm...I hope there are more than just the three of us going...not that I doubt your abilities... good to go just makings a few purchaes...mwk cold iron scimitar, cold iron morningstar, light crossbow, anti plague, antotoxin and a wand of CLW...537 gp and 2 PP total..will adjust sheet later/.//

If you could post this in the Discussion thread so I remember to check it later. Thanks! Same with anyone else making any last minute purchases.

Nails replies, ”Ah gots muscle, sure. Ah reckon you an me more then just magic an muscle tho.”

He turns to the newcomer, offering a meaty handshake, ”Pleased ta meetcha, ahm Nails, this is Ahvi. I spect one more at least ta join.”

You want to run the Pregen, GM? Or want one of us to grab it?

Since you're going with the bard as a 'face' I would prefer one of the group run it. Plus people look at me weird for talking to myself already...

A male halfling pops his head in, ”Aha, here we go. I swear they change the numbering of these rooms every time I come. Lem’s the name on my card, but everyone just calls me Pip. Probably short for pipsqueak, but I don’t get bothered by much so I think it just stuck. Anyway, happy to be here, hopefully I can help.”

Warning: HUGE! Wall of Text spell is about to be unleashed!

You arrive in Diobel via the overland route from Absalom to meet a contact in a pub known as “The Tails”; a dingy, brine-soaked shack covered with swordfish tails located in a rundown section of town called South Reach. There, bitter longshoreman coming off the graveyard shifts pile in and slam rounds of a potent shark-fin liquor, cursing and complaining until they’re drunk enough to be carted home by noon. The disparaged scene has few prying eyes—the ideal place for Pathfinders to pass along their covert whispers.

You enter early in the day, when the small crowd of older men is at its most drunk and rowdy, the revelry within barely contained by the boarded-up windows. You stand out like sore thumbs among the ruddy-faced dockworkers, most of whom have more ginblossoms than teeth. The crowd immediately heckles you for being up-scalers and gold-thumbers, demanding you spend some of your coin to buy the bar a round, but quickly fall silent when moments later, a dark, cloaked figure rises from the back of the bar. Then, eyes averted, everyone returns to their former conversations. Drawing back his cloak, your contact reveals himself—a man in his late forties with obvious Chelaxian features and a faint beard. He introduces himself only as Osprey, then invites you to sit before he finally tells you why the Society dragged you to Diobel:

“We’ve word that the accursed Chelaxian pirate Darsielle Du Moire’s has anchored his much sought ship, the Hydra’s Fang, in the harbor. Everyone’s looking for that bastard. He carries with him some ancient tablets of extreme historical value to our organization. Unknown to most, Wittlestone, the small Andoren town Du Moire razed to the ground, was also home to Myraxus Threeshadows, a noted but aging sage and umber mystic supposedly of ancient Azlanti decent. Among Myraxus’s possessions he kept ancient forgeries of several tablets used in ancient rites during Old Azlant’s height. When Darsielle destroyed the village, he slew the wizard and took the tablets, hoping to pawn them to one of his buyers in Diobel."

Taking a deep drink from his mug he continues, "The tablets are a priceless archeological treasure, one greatly desired by the Pathfinder Society. In fact, just prior to the Azlanti’s death, we placed several bids to purchase the tablets and so naturally were the first to realize they’d gone missing. You must race to get Du Moire and recover the stolen tablets before his pursuers find him or he flees port."

Osprey takes another drink and says, "If our sources are correct, we’ve learned that he owes a substantial amount of money to one of the Consortium’s more ambitious Enforcers, an importer named Lubor Staizkal. Likely he needs to settle with him at some point. Go to Lubor’s shop on Meldon Lane, near the docks, and see if you can pick up Du Moire’s trail from there, then do whatever you can to get those tablets. May the Gods speed you in this task.”

Oh great. So he's highly motivated to sell. We'd better get on it then...

Avi is ready to head out of the door towards Lubor's shop.

Understood..speed is the key. Are the Snakes aware of our possible presence? Unlikely...but worthy of asking, I think...

Nails responds to the brief briefing, "Aight, no biggie. Gotta stop those artifacts from gettin in the wrong hands. We gonna get trouble from the importah?"

Pip pipes up, "Anything I can do to mess up a Chelaxian bastard, I'm in. Who else is after Du Moire? They gonna be reasonable or just try to off us if we run across them?"

Osprey responds to the group's queries, "There's a list of people after Du Moire that would stretch from here to Varisia. Who knows how they'll react? The Snakes have an efficient network; it's always best to assume they know at least something. You're wading into stolen goods and criminals aren't known for taking interference well. And indeed speed is the key. Good luck."

Avi looks at PipLem and shrugs.

We may as well head to Lubor's shop and see what we can find out!

Ready to head out.

Following Osprey's directions the Pathfinders find Lubor's shop on Meldon Lane.

On your contact’s advice, you arrive at the shop of one of DuMoire’s supposed connections. A sign over the door reads “Lubor’s Imports.” The door hangs slightly ajar. All is dark within, and eerily silent. As you peer inside, you witness the scene of a recent brawl. Furniture lies smashed and strewn about. Near a closed door at the back of the shop, two bodies slump upon the floor, their blood pooling slowly beneath them.

Map is on Slide 2. 'A' is the room you can see and the 2 'B's are the bodies. I've placed your tokens on the map but I'll let you move them to reflect the Perception/marching order.

What does the intrepid crew do?

What the...we might have walked into something more than we bargained for... Andros says as he checks one of the bodeis nfor any signs of life.can someone add me in by the closest body? im on my tablet...ty

What the...we might have walked into something more than we bargained for... Andros says as he checks one of the bodeis nfor any signs of life.can someone add me in by the closest body? im on my tablet...ty

I moved Andros's token and Heal check please. :)

Nails frowns as he moves up to check the other body, ”I reckon we stepped in it this time. Lesse if we can pickup the trail anyway.”

Heal: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

The halfling steps in, looking concerned. He casts a simple spell.

Cast Detect Magic

Pip doesn't notice anything magical in the room.

Nails examines the body closest to the group and sees the man's throat has been slit with a small blade and is clearly dead. However the warmth of the body and the still-liquid state of the blood indicate the death is very recent.

I enlarged the map as much as I could. In case it isn't clear Nails is next to a closed door while Andros is by the front door. The bluish-looking things next to Pip are windows. When the group approached the store they would've seen the windows on the north side of the building.

The dwarf puts his finger to his lips and points to the door, indicating he is about to quietly open it. He waits for everyone to indicate they are ready, then quietly opens it.

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Pip pulls out a short sword and gives a thumbs up.

The dwarf puts his finger to his lips and points to the door, indicating he is about to quietly open it. He waits for everyone to indicate they are ready, then quietly opens it.

As Nails sneaks to the door and goes to open it, he feels resistance and the door remains closed - it's bolted shut, clearly from the inside!

Dead...abut warm still...I think whoever...or whatever did this might be close by... Andros says as he gets out his scimitar.

Can anyone pick that lock? If not, I have an improvised "key"... he says as he pats his morningstar.

Avi seems shocked by the presence of the bodies.

Indeed... not what we bargained for.

He looks around the room for signs of a struggle, or things taken from the room.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 5

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When Nails points to the door Avi becomes very still and waits...

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Um, well, maybe getting bad rolls out of the way?

Nails frowns, this isn’t the plan.

He speaks quietly, ”Maybe there is a back door?”

Avi nods.

Let's try around back.

Avi can't seem to determine if the overturned mess in the store's front area is a result of pillaging or the fight itself.
His attempt at moving quietly also doesn't go as planned.

Okay since you're moving 'around back' please move your tokens to wherever the group is trying next. And if you could move Andros's token as well he'd appreciate it.

well, now that I look again what looked like a door seems to be a larger window. Nails what did you have in mind?

Avi motions for the group to quietly step outside where they can chat. He states that their choices seem to be break down the locked door or wait out the intruders. Either way they could try to spy on them from outside via one of the windows.

Pip raises a small hand as they exit back out, ”Check the windows, if I can see someone inside I may be able to talk them into letting us in. Or at least see what is going on in there.”

Start at the door and move clockwise around the building trying to look in each window? Maybe that big window thing to the east (if north is up) side might also allow easier access than five minutes of beating a door down.

Pip raises a small hand as they exit back out, ”Check the windows, if I can see someone inside I may be able to talk them into letting us in. Or at least see what is going on in there.”

Start at the door and move clockwise around the building trying to look in each window? Maybe that big window thing to the east (if north is up) side might also allow easier access than five minutes of beating a door down.

I put a red lightning bolt where I think you're going; if I'm correct let me know. Also I put yellow circles around the two doors the party has seen. In the future if anything on the map isn't clear let me know and I'll try to highlight or something to make it clear.

Avi follows just behind Pip, standing back towards the side of the building so as to not stand out to anyone looking out of the windows.

Pip Muzak wrote:

Pip raises a small hand as they exit back out, ”Check the windows, if I can see someone inside I may be able to talk them into letting us in. Or at least see what is going on in there.”

Start at the door and move clockwise around the building trying to look in each window? Maybe that big window thing to the east (if north is up) side might also allow easier access than five minutes of beating a door down.

I put a red lightning bolt where I think you're going; if I'm correct let me know. Also I put yellow circles around the two doors the party has seen. In the future if anything on the map isn't clear let me know and I'll try to highlight or something to make it clear.

Seems right to me. Moved the group.

Given his 2nd best Perception score I moved Andros close enough to see into the first window:

With a boost up from Nails and Andros, Pip sees a storage room and another door...

Pip shrugs and points around the corner. He tries again at any windows they find there.

Moved group, left one pathfinder with eyes on the original door.

Avi seems gone from the map. I put him back near the original door since maybe you meant for him to be the one left there.

I put him north two squares off the map since that would reasonably (hopefully) be on the street (just not on the map given) with a view of the door and Andros.

So let me understand: Pip has made Avi a streetwalker? Well he does have some Charisma so maybe he can make a few coins... ;)

Unfortunately for Pip's hope of coming to some sort of reasonable plan, Nails is juuuuust a bit triggered by the scene. He slams his elbow into (and hopefully through) the window, hoping to bust it out.

ARM SLAM: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18 for B: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

His face red with anger, he yells at the murderers, "YOU GONNA GET SUM, PUNKS"

Unfortunately for Pip's hope of coming to some sort of reasonable plan, Nails is juuuuust a bit triggered by the scene. He slams his elbow into (and hopefully through) the window, hoping to bust it out.

[dice=ARM SLAM]d20+4 for [dice=B]d6+2

His face red with anger, he yells at the murderers, "YOU GONNA GET SUM, PUNKS"

The two men, surprised by Nail's sudden appearance, try to gain their wits and draw their weapons!

"Beat it before I beat you!"

Nails climbs through the window. Definitely not ‘beating it’. Although a beating of some kind is on his mind.

Pip yells to the others, ”Hey, we gotta entrance back here! Sorta.”

I’m expecting initiative, so trying to not do too much. Let me know how it’s gonna go down. Hopefully allies can at least get a move closer or something.

Well, we had best get in and see what trouble is about to happen... Andros says as he grabs his scimitar.can someone move me closer please? on my tablet...ty!i trust your judgement...welll...maybe not Sd's...

Avi hears the window breaking, understanding that the jig is up.

He sprints towards the source of the noise.

Since Nails didn't formulate a plan and acted 'in the moment' I'm going to rule that's a surprise round. He has not started climbing into the window yet; that would require a Climb check/move action. If anyone has a class feature, feat, etc. that allows them to take an action in a surprise round please do so. Otherwise it's initiative time!

Starting with Avi unless he has the aforementioned ability to take an action in the surprise round I'll assume his first round action is to sprint towards the noise of the breaking glass.

The thugs recover from the surprise of Nails breaking the window and draw their bows and fire at him!

Thugs Ranged: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 2 - 4 = 11d6 ⇒ 5

Thugs Ranged: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 2 - 4 = 51d6 ⇒ 5

And only manage to throw splinters as their aim is awful and the arrows blast into the window frame.

Round 1

Avi (Moving?)
Thugs!
Andros
Pip
Girl
Nails

Andros and Pip are up! It looks like Andros's action is to draw scimitar and move towards the window? I moved Andros's token so that he is a 5' step away from the window; Nails and Pip blocked him from moving closer unless you want him to take a double move to the 'far side' of the window. On the map the smiley faces are the thugs and the heart is the girl.

Can Pip see the thugs?

Can Pip see the thugs?

Because he's a halfling he actually can't; the windows would be 5' from the ground so he'll need to Climb in or get a 'boost up' to see into the room.