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Here's the gameplay thread!
It's a bright, partly cloudy, new day. The sun shines with ardor, and it's only a spring day (April 2nd). You are meeting at a tavern, the same tavern you were at that you met.
Whether or not you trust each other, the adventure begins. There is rumors of a haunted house near by. Plus, it seems, more lady knights are participating in the local jousts.
Azig orders a cheap breakfast and sits on a stool high enough to comfortably eat. Rare are the establishments with furniture properly sized for all races. He didn't like getting everyone together. A large group might be noticed and mentioned to people that they didn't want to alert. Especially valid for the mix of races here.
Once everyone had what they wanted and the server was away he quietly spoke. "Lara and I have been trying to track the kids back to Lamm's place. But so far it's going too slow. They don't always take the same route and we can't actually follow them. They always have a tail watching for followers so she's just been hidden along the route that we think they'll take. Figured we could see them if they went by and get the direction they went after, where they turned and the like."
He takes a bite of food hardly noticing what it is. "Anybody got any idea how to do it better? If not, it may take a month to find him."
The crispness in the spring morning air is refreshing after an unbelievable evening. A group of people wanting to take Lamm down… I hope they are willing to continue to root out the rest of the corruption…
Squinting as his eyes adjust from the daylight to the tavern, he looks for familiar faces the way that Azig commanded the group… he is a leader… Still looking, Thoric approaches the bar; “Stout please.” Making eye contact with Azig he approaches the table, shifts his armor under his cloak and sits down beside the Rat Folk.
Taking a pull from his stout; “I am not built for this sneaky kid of work. I’d say we grab the tail that is watching and bring them to Torag’s justice…” Looking around at those around him; “but that might not be best. Is there another network of eyes and ears we could tap into? Orphans, beggars, acolytes to be hired?”
Neghed takes a seat along with Azig and Thoric. Missing are his axe and morningstar but he does have a dagger at his hip. "I'm not the best at sneaky either but perhaps we can move the fish to the net. Do you know the general direction they head? We pick the route we want, put the sneakier people on that route to watch and us less sneaky people cut off the other routes. It might take a few tries to narrow things down but maybe we will get lucky."
He takes a drink from the tankard in front of him. "If it is going to take a few days, maybe we should consider somewhere else to meet up. I've heard rumor of a supposedly haunted house nearby. Maybe we can check it out tonight, assuming we don't find Lamm in the first go."
"While your suggestions seem fine at first glance, I'm worried they'd end up tipping Lamm off, and make finding him that much harder." Lara sighs as she sits down quietly next to ghe group, visibly frustrating with her lack of results.
"Our best bet for information might be Miniweathers, I think - just because the guard doesn't seem keen to move against Lamm doesn't mean they don't have info on him - from what I could gather, they just don't have the resources to focus on small time crime lords like Lamm. I got the feeling Miniweathers was pursuing this more out of personal interest than as an official assignment. But I figure it also means they won't raise much of a fuss if a group of upstanding citizens like ourselves decide to do their dirty work for them." She adds with a sarcastic grin.
"I agree with finding a new place to meet up, though. A haunted house could work well."
This place looks far worse when the sun shines on it.
Pak arrives to the group meeting later than he expected but finds the table quickly and takes a seat.
"I do apologize for running late. You are quite correct in the assumption that the Guard has extremely limited resources to spare and my duties are not so easily delegated on such short notice. I must consider this a joint effort in resolving a personal matter. By the sounds of it, more than a few "upstanding citizens" will profit by its success."
After a moment, he observes the others speaking in hushed tones and responds in kind.
"If you worry for spies, A change in scenery might be welcome in order to speak plainly amongst ourselves. While I truly doubt this building is actually haunted, it might be a good place to start."
Although he'd heard the rumors, Azig didn't know where the 'haunted' house was.... He looks around the group. Who best to ask. "Unless somebody knows where the house is? I think it'd be best if just one person went and asked the barkeep. Maybe, Pak?"
"My ears are twitching. Are we speaking about our favorite person again?" comes a slightly muffled voice from behind the mask of Daranil. He speaks in a cheerful, musical tone offset by the stern expression of the wooden half mask covering the left side of his face.
He hums a little tune as he struts up to the table and takes a seat. He's in his more casual outfit, long cloth trousers with one leg rolled up, an open vest cut short to show off his midriff, and fresh bandages wrapped around his mouth and neck. This time, a holy symbol of Calistria hangs from his belt. "How are my favorite actors doing today?"
He takes on the group's conspiratorial tone, though he does it as more of an indulgence. "A little eager to see our good friend's final performance? Don't worry, that lovely finale has to happen when the time is tight and not a moment sooner. Be patient. The buildup to that performance is one to be savored. Like the finest, sweetest wine."
The elf takes in a sharp exhale, tilting his head back as if taking in the aroma of a delicious meal. Then he leans close. "But this haunted house? It intrigues me. There is no lack of drama with an unquiet spirit, and I would drink of its story."
Haunted House? Curious if it is a true haunting or kids playing around in an abandoned building.
Taken back by this man in a mask, Thoric stands as he finishes off his stout; “I need to pay for this one, while I’m there I’ll see what he barkeep knows.” pausing to see if anyone objects, looking to Pak… if no objection he heads to the bar.
Finding an opening to a stool, Thoric climbs on it to be able to look the barkeep eye to eye. Placing the mug on the counter with a smile; “What do I own you for the beer?” Placing the coins on the counter, with an extra silver in the stack. “Looking for something to do, what do you know about these jousts that are taking place? Is it a tournament that anyone can get in on? I don’t mind placing a friendly wager on tournaments.” reading the keepers response.
“Also heard about some haunted buildings around here. Last time I heard about one it ends up being some bored kids playing games on people. Is it around here?”
Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 Haunted House? Curious if it is a true haunting or kids playing around in an abandoned building.
Taken back by this man in a mask, Thoric stands as he finishes off his stout; “I need to pay for this one, while I’m there I’ll see what he barkeep knows.” pausing to see if anyone objects, looking to Pak… if no objection he heads to the bar.
Finding an opening to a stool, Thoric climbs on it to be able to look the barkeep eye to eye. Placing the mug on the counter with a smile; “What do I own you for the beer?” Placing the coins on the counter, with an extra silver in the stack. “Looking for something to do, what do you know about these jousts that are taking place? Is it a tournament that anyone can get in on? I don’t mind placing a friendly wager on tournaments.” reading the keepers response.
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
“Also heard about some haunted buildings around here. Last time I heard about one it ends up being some bored kids playing games on people. Is it around here?”
"A wager on the lady knights?" the tavern keep responds. "Actually, they aren't ladies."
The keeper thoughtfully says, "Don't go there, it's definitely haunted."
Neghed listens to the group coming up with a plan. He nods at Lara's opinion. She is likely right, tippin off Lamm would make things harder.
"If Pak has further insight into Lamm's location, or how to find his location, we should follow 'im." Neghed seems to trail off for moment in thought as an idea comes to mind. He takes a pouch from his belt and pours some coins out into his hand.
"One gold and five, six, seven silva." he counts off before addressing the group. "How much coin do we 'ave?"
Pak shakes his head and continues to whisper.
"Once again, I am sorry to disappoint you all. I have no further information regarding Gaedren Lamm's current whereabouts.
He motions over to Lara.
This is the reason that I contacted Lara in the first place. I was hoping she might have a few leads...
Pak raises a brow and eyes the curious elf with suspicion. He then springs up from his chair.
A little early for this kind of talk, I'd reckon. Thoric had the right of it. I'd better get something to eat too. It's going to be a long day.
"I'm getting hungry. No sense in visiting a "haunted house" on an empty stomach. I think I'm going to join our dwarven friend and place an order."
Once there he addresses the keeper.
"I'll have a cup of coffee and anything freshly baked from Gold Market, if you please."
"Tell us more about this mysterious house. How long has it been haunted?"
Zellara Esmeranda… Thoric thinks to himself. Placing another silver with the others; “Lady knights that aren’t ladies” he laughs to himself; “I’ll bet on the bigger one.”
Joining the table once again. Hearing the divine knight bringing up the haunted house; “barkeep said it used to belong to a Zellare Esmerand. Apparently they are looking to sell it but that hasn’t happened due to the haunting. Not that I need to get into debt with a group I just met, but what are the odds that the Master of the Vault would lend us the coin to buy it cheap… then we remove the haunt?”
Take off 5 cp for good stout. Costs one cp more than just ale. (Pathfinder RPG page 159)
I just want you to post once a weekday during the week, and once on weekends. That's fair for everyone.
Once there he addresses the keeper."I'll have a cup of coffee and anything freshly baked from Gold Market, if you please."
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
"Tell us more about this mysterious house. How long has it been haunted?"
"A cup of coffee costs you four coppers," the barkeep grunts. "That's Zellara's house. It has been haunted since Zellara disappeared. It's in fine condition, except the moneylenders haven't been able to sell it."
Hearing Neghed counting money, and then asking the question, Azig pats his pockets with a frown…. then grins as he pulls a platinum piece out. ”One shiny piece. But what are you thinking? Try to buy the haunted house?”
Daranil considers an option for food. He idly rubs a pair of silver coins together as he turns to the barkeep. "Do you have anything that's a little more portable? I'm not hungry now, but I know I will be. Plus, I'm as much a connoisseur of privacy as I am of tasty foods."
Then he stops to consider. "Would it be better to visit this house at night? I wouldn't want to spoil the atmosphere."
Daranil considers an option for food. He idly rubs a pair of silver coins together as he turns to the barkeep. "Do you have anything that's a little more portable? I'm not hungry now, but I know I will be. Plus, I'm as much a connoisseur of privacy as I am of tasty foods."
Then he stops to consider. "Would it be better to visit this house at night? I wouldn't want to spoil the atmosphere."
"I do sell fresh rations, if that's what you are thinking of," says the barkeep.
Lara lets out a sigh as she fishes her coin pouch and checks how much she saved up.
I was keeping this in case we needed more supplies, or bribes, or the like. And here we are discussing buying an abandoned house, when we could probably just move in and no one would notice or care for a while. I know it shouldn't really surprise me, given Korvosa's love for laws, and Pak's presence, but still...
She then chuckles at Daranil's question. "Oh, definitely. We don't want to spoil the spooky atmosphere before we remove whatever is haunting the house! How many haunted houses are you expecting to visit in your life? Better make sure to enjoy your first one to the fullest!"
"A bit more serious, now, I'd say it depends. Do we want to check out the house first? And if so, do we want to try to sneak inside? You know, just so we can make sure it really is haunted and it's not someone scaring off potential buyers? I'd think we can pass ourselves off as some interested parties appraising the place from outside if we went during the day, but if we're breaking in, probably best to do so under cover of night."
She then places her coin pouch on the table. "Unless you want to try and buy it first, of course. Got a bit of money with me, but I have absolutely no idea how much we would need. Where would we check the price? And if it belonged to Zellara and she disappeared, who's even trying to sell it?"
”If it’s considered haunted that would indicate that nobody lives there. It could be about ready to collapse though. Better we go and look at it before we even check on a price.”
“You seem to be all about the theatrics… Daranil was it? But, if buying this house is actually what we want to do those without the eyes of the mines might get a better view of it in the daylight.” he taps his coin pouch “I have some coin left to add in, but a few silver, some gold, and a platinum doesn’t seem like it will cover the cost of a house. No matter how haunted it appears to be.”
Looking around the room realizing that there could be eyes and ears of Lamm around, Thoric lowers his naturally loud voice; “And yes, maybe we should hit the street and not be sitting ducks.”
Neghed looks back between his companions with a slightly confused look. "Buy dis house?" his inquires. "That's not what I was thinkin. Was thinkin we could hire a tracker to sniff afta the kids when they head home. Not sure how ta find one or how much we'd need."
Pak pays for his coffee and politely thanks the keeper for the information before returning to his new companions.
He sighs when he sees the others counting coins.
"You can put your coin purses away. Even a haunted house in good condition is likely to value at over two hundred crowns... not to mention the property taxes. However, I'm sure I can arrange a permit to investigate the house properly. We'd be performing a service to the bank if we can remove a small obstacle to the real estate market."
Azig tucks the coin away. He had figured that the house would cost more than the group could afford....
"Having a place to stay might save coin in the future. But for now let's go take a look at it. Walking the streets won't draw the attention of sitting here discussing things that we don't want others to hear."
K Local: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
I can finally get to this.
You know that Zellara was a fortune teller. She would do readings from her harrow deck. You also know that she had a son. You know that her deck was stolen by one of Lamm's lambs, and her son had tried to get it back. He never returned, and she was sent a grisly present. Lamm's thugs killed her son, and they sent back his head and hands as a warning.
Finding that the city watch was sympathetic and couldn't help, Zellara took it upon herself to get revenge. And that's when she disappeared.
"Well, let's check out the house, then. There won't be a problem with just going nearby and having a good look, right?" Lara says as she looks to Pak for confirmation.
Never really cared much for the law, but if Pak wants to find a way to legally get us inside, I guess we should try not to make his life harder.
"Doesn't surprise me the price would be out of our means. Would be nice to have the place to ourselves, though, I'll give you that. Hm..." Lara stops to ponder for a bit, as she tries to recall what she knows about the previous owner.
"I even think Zellara would happily let us stay there, if she hadn't disappeared. The name seemed familiar, and I just realised why: She, too, had a similar appreciation for our 'favorite person', as Daranil put it." She looks around the tavern to see if anyone is paying much attention to them before continuing. "The Lambs took something from her, see? Her harrow deck - she was a fortune teller, and that's what she used for her readings. Her son tried to get it back, and, well... You can guess how well that went." Lara expression darkens for a moment as she looks to them.
"Sadistic bastard that he is, Lamm even sent the guy's head and hands back to her as a warning... She tried to reach out to the guard for help, but got turned down, and decided to try and get revenge on her own, right before disappearing."
"I know nothing about ghosts, but if Lamm did her in, too, and it really is her spirit haunting the place now... Maybe she'd be sympathetic to what we're trying to do, if she learned of it. We seem to want pretty much the same thing."
Hearing the story Azig stands. ”Good idea. Let’s just go look the place over. Maybe more. We can decide when we get there.”
Neghed lowers his voice to match his friends. "Nev'r seen a ghost, but I felt the spirits once or twice. If dis place is haunted, maybe dey not attack us if we say we hate Lamm as well." He then stands up and motions towards the bar. "Let's grab Daranil and Thoric. I'll follow whoeva knows da way there."
With hearing about what happened to Zellara’s son Thoric spits; “The guard of this city is as much as a plague to this city as his poison is to your veins.” his contempt for the way this city has allowed Lamm to work freely gets his forge blazing. “If a head and hands won’t get them engaged what will?!?”
Following the newly formed party, his leather gloves creak as he is gripping the throat of his axe. Knowing about Lamm’s web, Thoric does his best to keep his eyes open for anyone that might seem suspect.
Pak nods to Lara.
No harm in looking. I only hope the others are trustworthy.
"Very well. It's settled then. I'll make the arrangements with the bank for an inspection and meet you there. With any luck, we'll be able to solve this mystery with haste."
He whispers to Lara.
"You have my good faith in this matter. I hope that our new companions prove themselves equally."
He offers Thoric a stern glare for his tactless comment on the Guard before departing.
"Then we're going? Ahhh, wonderful."
He removes the SHelyn holy symbol from his belt and tucks it into his bag. Then he rummages around until he finds something else. With a glint in his eyes that hints towards a grin behind his mask, he tilts his bag just enough so some of his friends can see the emblem of a stylized moth.
"If need be, the spirit can be made to sing for us."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. It... It means a lot. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out and keep everyone in line while we wait for you. Everyone seems pretty focused on our goal, I think as long as we lean on that, we should be able to keep us all working together without trouble." Lara whispers back to Pak before he leaves.
I... Get why Pak would trust me over the others, considering I've been straight with him in everything they've hired me to do so far. Still, nice to know he at least values my current actions more than where I came from or my past.
Hmm. Maybe if I knew a bit more about the gods and stuff, I could understand what Daranil's is hinting at. Does Urgathoa grant him some sort of control over the spirits?
As they head on towards the haunted house, Lara takes a moment to get near Thoric.
"Thoric, right? I don't know what Lamm did to you, but I could hazard a guess. And trust me, all us here want to see him pay for his crimes - Miniweathers included. I get why you might be pissed of at the guard, knowing Lamm's been able to do as he pleases all this time. But from what I could tell, it's not that the guard doesn't care, it's that they can't do much about it - heinous as he is, Lamm's a small fry in Korvosa's underworld. The guard doesn't have the means to go after them all, so the bit players end up being able to do as they want. The guard's pretty open about recruiting mercenaries for help, though - something you might want to think about when we're done with Lamm."
Or, you know, take up the task of cleaning out the city yourself... But with how difficult going after Lamm on my own has been, better see how this plays out before making further plans, or try to recruit others to my crazy idea.
I... Get why Pak would trust me over the others, considering I've been straight with him in everything they've hired me to do so far. Still, nice to know he at least values my current actions more than where I came from or my past.
K Religion (Untrained): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Hmm. Maybe if I knew a bit more about the gods and stuff, I could understand what Daranil's is hinting at. Does Urgathoa grant him some sort of control over the spirits?
“La…” he starts off and quickly loweres his voice; “HE and his poison almost cost me everything. Yes, he is a small fry but there is no excuse. Even a small trickle in a mine can erode enough sediment that can collapse one of the shafts or the whole mine itself. If we look closely there is corruption throughout the whole vein that leads to the crown.”
Hearing the idea of being recruited by the guard a slight smile lifts the left side of his moustache. “That might just be the open door I need.” He looks at Miniweathers as his mind begins to plot what might follow when Lamm is taken care of.
At the door Azig notices a slow down of the group. "Come on guys. Think on the way. Let's go."
Neghed seeing his friends heading out and follows behind. He looks around to make sure no threats are present but is unsure which direction to head from here. "So, who knows where we're headin? Our gnome friend, Pak, seems ta know where but p'haps we can look da place ov'r while we wait for 'im."
Zellara's home is 5 minutes west of the tavern you started at.
Pak will head over to Zellara's house once he has the necessary approvals/paperwork.
Pak will head over to Zellara's house once he has the necessary approvals/paperwork.
It will take an hour of game time.
Neghed follows the directions laid out by his companions and quickly spots the house ahead. He stops a few building away in order to observe the house without potentially disturbing the living or the dead.
"Azig and Lara, dat it?" he says and points ahead. "I know we are waitin for Offic'r Pak but maybes we's wrong. Maybes the old woman is home and we can go up and knock on da door. We could git a bett'r look that way as well."
When the house is in sight, Daranil stops and raises his hands to his face, forming a picture frame out of his thumbs and pointer fingers. "Hmm... let me get a nice look at this place. A feel for the atmosphere, perhaps."
"So, what do you think? Some part of me, a deeply disappointed part, wonders if it's simply squatters or petty criminals who took over the place and spread stories to keep intruders away. But if so, they may be good practice for our inevitable reunion with our Dearest Friend."
"Eh, not too sure. Kinda hard to tell from just looking. And it's probably best if we wait for Miniweathers to come back with that permit. Heh, look at us, actually upholding the law, and because of our Dearest Friend, too. Guess fate has a sense of humour."
She looks to the house and considers their options for a moment. "You know, knocking might not be such a bad idea, Neghed. Worst case, nothing happens. If it does, though, we get a better idea of what we're working with. And who knows, if it really is Zellara's spirit haunting her own olhouse, she might even be able to let us in, anyway, if she can somehow tell what we mean to do."
With the house coming into view Thoric smiles; “Not a proper mine, but I am sure a forge to Torag could be crafted around back.” looking around realizing he was speaking and not thinking he quickly pivots to join in on Daranil & Lara’s directness; “We have no need to sneak, especially when Miniweathers is getting a permit.” holding up a fist; “shall I?”
He waits until he gets the green light to go and knock. If everyone is onboard, he heads off to the house and knocks.
Nothing. Nothing comes to answer the door.
Azig joins Thorig going to the door. He isn't expecting an answer, but there might be some.... thing inside? "After you knock stay quiet so I can listen."
Azig joins Thorig going to the door. He isn't expecting an answer, but there might be some.... thing inside? "After you knock stay quiet so I can listen."
Perception for traps: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 7 + (6) = 18 Adding Inspiration
Perception to listen for sounds: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
You hear nothing and see no traps. If anyone wanted you out of this house, it would have set off a trap. The door is locked, but the bank has the key. Anyone with the proper tools and skill can unlock the door and go inside.
Neghed approaches the house with the group but stops to address Daranil. "My friend, I don't wish to practice revenge on innocent squatt'rs or even crimnals who commit small crimes. I'm sure oth'rs 'ere 'ave done wat were necesserie ta survive and we shouldn't pass judgement on anyone we find."
As Thoric and Azig wait for any sign that someone is home, Neghed whispers to them when no response comes. "We should wait across da road an wait f'r Offic'r Pak to return. We don't know who might be watchin."
Azig shakes his head and motions to Thorig, then moves back to the group. ”Door’s locked. No sounds from inside. Let’s wait a bit for the key, and watch to see if anyone is watching.”
"Sounds good. Not much else we can do while we wait for Miniweathers, anyway."