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Ulvard waits patently for his question to be answered, and then asks it again. "Bláinn, Ulvard wonders if MushMelons are for sale here or in inn? That might be good peace offering to Lady Longboat."
Then, listening to the pirate he asks "Ulvard also wonders if Grand Dock could offer Pirates similar deal but with less devils involved..."
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"There’s not many places where people like us fit in, you know? But Cheliax offered the Captain a letter of marque and a title with an estate and then told her she could bring all of us with her. We’d have a safe home with no one hunting us.”[/b]
"...Those vilains! They lied! They took a poor innoncent woman and manipulated the goodness of her heart with a false promise!"
Alas, the pirates haven't been in town long. They were too busy raiding to get a look at the markets, and have no idea where muskmelons are in this town.
The pirates listen to what you have to say about not trusting Cheliax. "Laddie, you're wondering why we're trusting Cheliax?" The pirate sniffs. “We don't, but no one else is making us offers like that. Isn't a safe home worth the chance?”
One of the goblins nods. "This Pathfinder Society offer you've made intrigues us, but we're gonna leave the decision to our Lady Longboat. Whatever happens, we want to be together."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
After interrogating the prisoners, you can leave the tied-up prisoners secured in a dockside warehouse, guarded by some of the shipyard workers you saved.
In the aftermath of the fight, tools and lumber are scattered everywhere, and for a few minutes, the shipyard is quiet enough that the most prominent sound is the crash of waves against Augustana's rocky shore. Then in the distance, pirates can be heard shouting to one another. “Where's that shipwright? He's got to be worth a fat ransom!” a woman's voice calls. “And wasn't he with customers earlier? Let's collect them and pick them clean! Yarr!”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Nairaba ducks down behind a dropped crate. “This spot's too open and hard to secure,” he says softly, lowering his voice to avoid attracting pirate attention.
Olad nods and turns to Nairaba and Kitsch with a determined look in his eye. “With all these pirates about, there's not a safer place in the city than the Arsenal District. With all the naval officers and bankers who've settled there, security is good. I've got a house large enough to put us all up, if you can get us there.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kitsch says as she pulls a clockwork bird out of her spacious pouch. She winds it up and sends the bird flying off with a handwritten note. “Now Brackett will know where to find us.”
As you start to run through Augustana's Shipyard district, a tall dromaar pirate points you all out. “Ha! There they be! Those bean-counters are worth a pirate's ransom!” As she yells, she draws the attention of a loud and raucous crowd of pirates that had been scattered throughout the extended dock area. The pirates roar, preparing to swarm the shipyard once again.
“We're in a shipyard!” Olad shouts. “There's ample lumber, sailcloth and rope. Help me build barriers to slow them down!”
The shipyard abounds not only in lumber, crates, sailcloth and rope but also with the tools that have been dropped by fleeing craftspeople and other shipyard workers.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do here?
Crafting or Thievery to set up simple traps, Athletics to push crates into place, or Intimidate others to do the hard labor for them, or use a Lore that you find appropriate.
Working quickly, the Pathfinders set up barricades to slow down the pirates!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Further from the docks are the warehouses and small businesses that support the shipyard. The signs in this neighborhood proudly display the wares of coopers, rope makers and blacksmiths.
Still trailing bits of sailcloth, rope and sawdust from bypassing the barricades, a few lone pirate scouts are catching up to their quarry. The pirates pant and gawk at the surrounding area, blinking with a look of confusion as they try to orient themselves. Nairaba whispers, “They look a little lost. Maybe we can help them to be more so?”
A few out-of-breath pirate scouts catch up with you, but clever Pathfinders can disorient and misdirect them.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do here?
Deception, Diplomacy or Society to convince the pirates that you are merely helpful bystanders rather than the prey they're chasing.
Both Hisaki and Ulvard manage to come up with tricks to deceive pirates. What are the rest of you doing?
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
The pirates thank you for your help, and some of them start running in the wrong direction!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Close to the sprawling central market of the Fleet neighborhood is a maze of twisting narrow alleys filled with lodging houses, pubs and other businesses that serve dockworkers and sailors alike.
“There's gotta be a better way to put some distance between us and these bozos,” Kitsch notes. “Anyone here know a shortcut?”
You need to start putting serious distance between yourselves and your pirate pursuers.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do here?
Acrobatics to squeeze into tight entrances, or Stealth to sneak past any pirate patrols. Otherwise, you can navigate with an appropriate Lore or a Survival or Society check.
The Pathfinders manage to find a shortcut (even if Hisaki is not quite as invisible as he thinks he is!)
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
In the heart of Augustana, the crowded Fleet neighborhood has dozens of covered markets filled with wheeled carts and makeshift stalls. Shoppers throng here, looking for the best deals or the occasional find of exotic merchandise. As the pirates arrive, shoppers scream and start panicking, knocking over carts as they try to find cover.
Nairaba concentrates and shifts to his spider form. “To the roofs, Pathfinders! The pirates are searching for us, and we don't want them shooting through these crowds!”
The Fleet district of Augustana is a mass of crowded markets filled with now-panicking shoppers.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do here?
Acrobatics to balance on the roof tiles or an Athletics to climb.
Who, feeling his master's hand in his neck, and the sound of his voice, begins his ascent up the roof to follow the spider.
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The Pathfinders manage to find a shortcut (even if Hisaki is not quite as invisible as he thinks he is!)
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
In the heart of Augustana, the crowded Fleet neighborhood has dozens of covered markets filled with wheeled carts and makeshift stalls. Shoppers throng here, looking for the best deals or the occasional find of exotic merchandise. As the pirates arrive, shoppers scream and start panicking, knocking over carts as they try to find cover.
Nairaba concentrates and shifts to his spider form. “To the roofs, Pathfinders! The pirates are searching for us, and we don't want them shooting through these crowds!”
The Fleet district of Augustana is a mass of crowded markets filled with now-panicking shoppers.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do here?
Acrobatics to balance on the roof tiles or an Athletics to climb.
Hector, on the automatic mode, climb the wall.
The Pathfinder Party manages to climb after Nairaba, dragging Ulvard and Artemios behind them.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
While running over the roofs of Fleet, the Pathfinders find themselves on top of a sturdy brick bottling plant, redolent with the tangy smell of grape mash and alcohol. The building bears a huge sign with the Sauerton Red logo of a halfling proudly carrying a wineglass bigger than himself. Written underneath the logo is the phrase, “Sauerton Red: Strong Drink for a Strong People!”
“Oh man,” Kitsch says. “We're on top of a warehouse filled with that Sauerton Red swill! If only there was some way to use this stuff against the pirates!”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do?
Crafting or Thievery to create traps or alchemical items with the crates of booze. Athletics to push crates of booze on pirates, or a ranged attack roll. Alternatively, you may use an Alcohol or Sailing Lore or a Deception or Performance to trick the pirates into loading themselves down with heavy crates of bad booze.
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Hisaki makes a few crude alchemical explosives...
You gain the Alchemical Crafting feat. If you would automatically gain that feat (from your background or the alchemist class, for example), you instead gain a different 1st-level Crafting skill feat. Add an additional common 1st-level alchemical formula to your formula book when you take this feat. Each time you gain a level beyond 1st, add one common alchemical formula of that level to your formula book.
Artemios and Clarence let fly with booze at the pirates, with the other teammates aiding however they can.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Finally, the PCs manage to make it to the bridges that lead over the river and into the clean lines of the Arsenal District. The Arsenal District is well-fortified with a wall that separates the neighborhood from the rest of the city. For the moment, the gates are open, but there are patrols of Andoren naval officers standing over key positions in the wall and near the gates. Just inside the gates is a naval barracks outside which some cadets and off-duty officers are loitering.
"What the hell? The city is burning, and you lot are here?" Olad pleads with the guards at the local barracks, “You gotta help! Pirates are tearing up the whole town! Even worse, they're in my shipyard!”
As you reach the Arsenal district, you can direct a squad of loitering guard cadets at the oncoming pirate mobs.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
What can you do here?
Diplomacy, Intimidate, Performance or an appropriate Lore such as Augustana, Legal or Warfare Lore.
You rally the loitering naval officers to go protect the town from the rampaging pirates, and finally hustle the VIPs and all the remaining dockworkers to the safety of Olad's house in the Arsenal district!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Olad is very impressed at the speed with which you transported him and the across the city! He provides you and the shipyard workers with some sliced fruit and tea while Kitsch and Nairaba earnestly await Venture-Captain Brackett.
The ship building business is clearly a lucrative one. Olad's house is a small manor with an interior garden courtyard. The garden smells of warm fruit, and several vines -- that Hisaki recognises as muskmelon vines -- laden with fresh fruit, curve up small trellises in the opening archway.
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”Respite”
Hisaki replenishes himself with tea and fruit. Looking over his folio, he adds some notes in an unrecognizable scratch, nods, and places it away, looking around at his squad mates, pleased with himself.
He waters Quqotengir. Takes his banner, and places it on his Hornbow.
Banner: Attached to Hornbow
Gather to Me! (◆; all ↺)
You signal your team to move into position together. Signal all squadmates; each can immediately Stride as a reaction, though each must end their movement inside your banner’s aura, or as close to your banner’s aura as their movement Speed allows. Squadmates can use Gather to Me! while Burrowing, Climbing, Flying, or Swimming instead of Striding if they have the corresponding movement type.
Pincer Attack (◆; all, ↺)
You call for an aggressive formation designed for exploiting enemies’ vulnerabilities. Signal all squadmates; each can Step as a reaction. If any of your allies ends this movement adjacent to an opponent, that opponent is off-guard to melee attacks from you and all other squadmates who responded to Pincer Attack until the start of your next turn.
Strike Hard! (◆◆; one ally, ↺; brandish)
[i]You command an ally to attack. Signal a squadmate within the aura of your commander’s banner. That ally immediately attempts a Strike as a reaction.
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Olad looks up at Ulvard's comment. "Oh? You want some muskmelons?" Olad gestures to a servant. "Give these Pathfinders all the melons they want!" The servant comes back with a basket of muskmelons and presents it to Ulvard.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
While you all await Venture-Captain Brackett's arrival, an hour passes during which you can heal, rest and train new tactics for your Commander Portfolio.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Having received Kitsch's message, Venture-Captain Bracket arrives accompanied by a non-binary halfling lieutenant from the Andoren Navy, Lieutenant Starboard. The two look weary and soot-covered. The Venture-Captain nods to all of you as he returns clockwork bird to Kitsch.
"Pathfinders, report. Brief me. What have you learned so far?"
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"Those pirates have a lady captain. She is so fond of her crew that she accepted a deal with Cheliax in despair to stop boats and then... decided to attack the port for simplicity. Those pirates also less bloodthirsty then what is expected. I suggest that we gave her an alternative reward while asking her for surrender. "