[GD14] PF2e - 06-20: Overthrow of Ambition (P1)

Game Master UncleFroggy

Everness distracts VC Jorsal while Marta lifts one of his weapons. Jorsal is completely shocked as Marta bows in front of him while holding his sword.

Jorsal lets out an explosive breath. "All right, Pathfinders. You have my attention. What do you need?"

“Zarta said we needed the tears of a Mendevian Crusader for the ritual she is putting together.” Presenting him the small crystal vial from the bag, he then says “Would you please do us the honor?”

Jorsal gapes at Salliss. "I beg your pardon?!"

He shrugs. “Zarta has a plan and evidently the first part of it is to send senior agents off on a scavenger hunt for materials. Some rituals make more sense than others.”

Gesturing to the others, he says “One of them can probably describe it better than I.”

Marta will share the list with Jorsal as she explains.

"It's a ritual to undo what Hesla Embersplitter has caused. These things all represent things of importance to Hesla. These things then stand in for the subject herself acting as a sort of ritual synecdoche. As you can see it doesn't matter what crusader we obtain the tears from, but what leader would place this burden upon a subordinate when they could act themselves. Remember the Crusades. Recall the pain and suffering you bore witness to. If Hesla succeeds, that burden is laid upon others. Would you not bear one more sacrifice for the cause?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (14) + 16 = 30

As Marta elaborates and plays up Jorsal’s intense history, Brix slips on his Persona Mask and moves behind her. Shifting his costume as he goes, the Goblin works to act out the series of increasingly epic and traumatic battles within the Worldwound.

Performance, with Impressive Performer, to try and Assist her: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (8) + 23 = 31

Makie will display her strength.

athletics: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (16) + 24 = 40

"If you want, I can cast Wave of Despair on you, or sing you the Vigil national anthem, or tell you a really sad story?"

Hobbs is too intent on creating his pepper bomb to notice the other pathfinders efforts. Once he is satisfied that his brew will do the trick he nonchalantly moves to Jorsal, alchemical tincture hidden behind his back. He decides to add to the effect by whistling aimlessly as he approaches. Once he gets close enough he strikes! Launching the spicy pepper juice right at the face of the hapless venture-captain.

crafting: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 35

"Quickly! Get his tears!"

“Huh?” Salliss sees Hobbs approaching but doesn’t realize exactly what he is planning.

Then he sees the tincture and calls out “Don’t!” just a split second too late.

Jorsal's jaw drops as Salliss explains (or tries to!) why they need him to cry on command. He's about to reprimand them for pestering him when Marta appears and shows him the list Zarta gave you.

Venture-Captain Jorsal thoughtfully reads the list and understands. Marta and Brix both remind the Venture Captain of the sacrifices the Pathfinders have made, especially during the time of the Worldwound.

He recounts the moment a Pathfinder agent brought word to the lodge in Sarkoris of Hesla's actions near the city of Iz. As they recounted the battle, they also told those gathered that the Pathfinders had found Ingalor's skeletal remains in Hesla Embersplitter's home, and there was strong reason to believe that would be where she would return to take her last stand. Before he could even think twice, he had put one of the senior agents of the lodge temporarily in change and took off for Absalom.

As he starts to cry, he continues, "I thought this was done when the Scar formed, and yet now we are seeing that which is dead come back to life. Since I fought for years driving back those demons, I felt I may be of more use here than there." As the silent tears start to flow his cheeks, he asks for the bottle and fills it to the top.

He has just capped the bottle when the spicy pepper juice bomb hits him right in the face! Jorsal yells in pain and surprise and drops the bottle, his hands flying to his eyes. Pip lets out a strangled cry and dives for the bottle, catching it before it smashed on the floor. Jorsal staggers back, roaring in pain and rage, and demanding that his assailants be captured and interrogated immediately. He would have toppled backwards over a nearby table had Makie not grabbed him in time.

"Arrest these so-called Pathfinder agents! They're working for Hesla! Find out what happened to the real Pathfinders we summoned here!" he roars while staggering backwards, Makie keeping him from falling (or crashing into stuff).

Marta is mildly annoyed by the situation.

"Calm down Jorsal! You're being just as brash as the goblin here. If we were really working for Hesla, we'd have had plenty of opportunity to do more harm than give you mild irritation. Why don't you go dunk your head and then report to Zarta as she directed?"

Brix's eyes widen behind his mask as he notices too late Hobbs' intent. Freezing for a moment as juice drips down the venture-captains face, he whirls at the wizard.

{In Goblin} 'What are you doing?!?!? You're acting as impulsive as the stories paint us as! He was our ally, cooperating, one of our bosses. And more importantly, he did not sign the friendly-fire release!'

Turning back towards Jorsal, Brix takes off his mask so the crusader can see he face as he speaks. Jorsal, we met before. That incident around that Devil’s Rest post. Years back, you may not remember, but we're as dedicated to the Society as you are. even if some are not as tactful about it.

Look: tensions are high at the moment. Real high. Demons coming back, Lodge on high alert and expecting to be attacked. Enemy in the wind. Think Hobbs here took the pressure a bit too much to heart getting freaked about the time crunch and not basic tact Brix spares another stern glance backwards. But Helsa's still out there. so after she's all settled you can write up whatevr reports and reprimands you want. You've got witnesses who'll back ya. He indicates himself and most of the rest of the party. But while I am real real sorry you got mussed, first priority's gotta be protecting the Lodge, right?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (4) + 18 = 22

Also updated the macro sheet. Sorry for the delay!

Still surprised at the sudden prank by the goblin, Salliss looks to Jorsal and asks “Are you injured?” Then he realizes that Jorsal is currently too mad to really answer.

When Jorsal orders for their arrest, Salliss holds up his hands indicating he would not fight.

He waits for some semblance of calm to reassert itself. Shaking his head in dismay, he says “This wasn’t how I expected today to go.”

2nd Level Soothe: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (1, 8) + 8 = 17

Lore (Legal) M: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27
Diplomacy M: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (7) + 23 = 30

Pip casts a Soothe on the Venture-Captain, and then makes a shameless request of Jorsal. "Venture-Captain, my name is Pip and I am the Envoy's Alliance appointed legal representative for this team." She hands Jorsal her business card. "If you arrest us, Zarta will have no one to compile her ingredients, and Hesla will win for real. I'm going to ask you to do something else instead. We acted rashly as a team, so let us make this up to you as a team once our mission is done. You know, and I know, that this isn't an arrest-worthy offense. This was at best prank-level, and it was not done maliciously. "

"Let us bring Hesla to justice, and then return to you, and if you still feel this way, then give us some community service to do on behalf of you or other Vigil veterans. What do you say, Venture-Captain?"

As soon as the spell hits Jorsal, the burning pain disappears and he blinks away the last few tears. His vision clears and he glares at the lot of you. He regains his composure and Makie releases him.

"I shall remember what you said, Pip. There will be consequences for your brazen attack on my person when a simple explanation was needed. However, just to show that I am not without reason, show this to the quartermaster for your trouble."

Jorsal hands Pip a requisition for a scroll of Rank 2 Soothe to replace the spell she cast on him. He then gathers his things and stalks off, searching for Zarta.

You've got his tears. Where to next?

Just a little bit earlier...

Hobbs looks around, confused. "Imposters? Where? We'll chase them just as soon as we collect these tears." He pulls out a vial from a belt pouch and before Jorsal can recover, swiftly collects some of the Venture-Captain's tears. "Thanks Venture-Captain. We'll find those imposters for you. Explore, report, cooperate, right?" He quickly scurries away.

"Alright, Explore, Cooperate, Report!" Pip takes a deep breath. She leads the group past the Quartermaster's office and then says, "Alright, who's ready to dig through some Carnival Debris?"

She smiles brightly at Hobbs. "Think of it as being just like Gardening!"

Hobbs makes a face. "That's really more Mama's thing. I just like pickling, then eating the vegetables and Erinaceinae likes rooting for grubs." The goblin's face lights up. "Oh I almost forgot! Mana included a jar of grubs for Erinaceinae."

He rummages through his bag, nearly disappearing inside and pulls out a jar full of squirming grubs. Glued on the lid are the words 'For Erinaceinae' written in a spidery script. He opens the jar and lifts his hat to reveal a tiny hedgehog that waves politely at the pathfinders.

"Hello everyone. Ooooooooooohhhh grubs. Yes please."

Hobbs hands her a handful of grubs before carefully placing the jar back in his satchel and lowering his hat. Quiet munching sounds can be heard emanating from underneath his hat.

You head over to where the carnival used to be.

Upon reaching the fairgrounds where the carnival was held, it appears that all evidence of the event has been removed. Instead of the bright banners and booths, now the official pageantry of Absalom hangs around a constructed arena. A sign near the entrance reads "Annual Absalom Horsemanship Exhibition. Come see some of the greatest teams in dressage and jumping, and the fastest team for the grand finale, The Starstone Steeplechase."

The fairgrounds are not locked, so you can easily enter to search the area. The only other person seemingly there is a horse trainer walking a horse on a long lead around the grounds.

You can either search the grounds or talk to the man with the horse.

Salliss searches the grounds for anything left from the carnival. There are a lot of places to search, so he will coordinate with anyone else doing so.
Salliss's Perception (M): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31 (+2 vs Traps) (w Low-Light Vision)

Pip's Diplomacy (M): 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (10) + 23 = 33

Pip talks to both the man and his horse.* "Oh, hello to both of you!" She offers her hand to the horse to smell, and then says, "May I pet you and offer you a carrot from my lunch? Hobb's mom packed lunch for all of us, and they're really fresh!"

Then she smiles at the man. "Is there anything left over from the festival? I was hoping to get a souvenir!"

When the man tells her about the posters in the burn pile, she says, "Hey everyone... Let's look over here!" And then she turns to both the man and the horse, and says, "Thank you so much for your help!"

____
* Just like Hobbs, Pip is also an animal elocutionist.

Salliss searches the grounds but Pip gets the inside info from the horse and gets a poster from the carnival.

Pip gets her souvenir and gives the horse a carrot for his trouble.

that's 2 down. where to next?

"Alright, we've got the poster, so next on the list is..." Pip peers at her notes and frowns. "Oh. Dang. It's the Blakros Museum, the biggest chaos and catastrophe magnet in Absalom!"

She sighs. "Oh well, might as well get that one over with!"

It can be a hassle. Brix admits. But I met with one'a the Blakros' before. Couldn't hurt to see if they're willing to do a favor for us. We've stopped their place from burning down enough times.

On the way, the goblin also gives Pip a thumbs up Good thinking canvassing the locals there. Saved us some time trying to pick over a bunch of blocks for fair scraps.

Earlier...

Fresh from his triumphant victory at the Battle of Jorsal of Lauterbury (Also known as The Pepper Skirmish) Hobbs strides confidently into the fairgrounds only to falter as he spots the man and the monster (Also known as the horse). Deciding he's had enough glory for the day, he magnanimously allows Pip to lead the negotiations. The goblin cunningly appears to hide behind her when in reality he is guarding her back should the treacherous equine launch a surprise attack.

"Alright, we've got the poster, so next on the list is..." Pip peers at her notes and frowns. "Oh. Dang. It's the Blakros Museum, the biggest chaos and catastrophe magnet in Absalom!"

She sighs. "Oh well, might as well get that one over with!"

Hobbs shrugs. "I dunno. I rather like the museum."

You head over to the Blakros Museum. The buffed redwood of the open museum doors forms an imposing contrast to the bright and welcoming lobby. The current main exhibit, which takes up the entirety of the first floor, is The Art of Absalom: Celebrating the Artisans at the Center of the World. A dark-haired woman carefully adjusts some of the pieces on the far-left wall, her cheeks covered in paint splotches.

"Well met. I am Dhrami Blakros. How may I help you today?"

Salliss has a chronicle for #2-07 Blakros Deception, so should recognize the woman.
“Hello Dhrami, I don’t know if you remember me but we have had dealings before.”

“Zarta has need of a relic for a Sarkorian God Caller, Alglenweis would be ideal. Is Nigel around or do you know where such an item might be?”

"Ah yes, Salliss! How are things?! Nigel is currently on a trip to in the Shackles, trying to acquire some unique local artifacts for an upcoming exhibit. Until he returns, I am the acting curator. Hmmmm... I am not familiar with what you need since historical artifacts aren't my area of expertise. Perhaps if you describe them, I can locate them for you?"

To describe the artifact:
DC 22 Art Lore to give a detailed description of these types of bracelets
DC 27 Crafting/Performance check to give a explain some of the specific components that these types of bracelets have
DC 27 Religion to talk about how the colors of the bracelet represent a specific god
DC 28 Diplomacy to communicate a general description based on what Zarta told them
Need: 6+ Successes (CS - 2 successes)

Salliss mentions having recently seen the snowy white owls associated with Alglenweis while recently in Sarkoris and the colors associated with that god. He then lists off a couple of other color combinations he is familiar with from the pantheon.

Salliss's Religion (M): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39 (Pilgrim's Token, Recognize Spell, Quick Recognition)

Pip's Diplomacy M: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (3) + 23 = 26
Hero Point!: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (9) + 23 = 32

"Well, what we're looking for is..." Pip stumbles a moment and then consults her notes on what Zarta said that she wanted. "Can we look through your catalogs?"

Brix is also happy to re-meet Dhrami especially as she seems to be far less confrontational than when he too met her in 2-07.

Think the kind Zarta's looking to borrowed were used in dance rituals? Which would mean they'd need to be loose enough to jangle just a bit, not too loose to slip off. See...

The goblin does some Sarkorian ritual moves of his own to demonstrate.

Performance: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (8) + 23 = 31

Forgot to mention it, if anyone uses Religion I can Aid because of Inspire Imitation ancestry feat. GM can roll the Aid if called for in order to keep things moving. Critical Success is +3 circumstance and requires a roll of 3 or more.

crafting: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (18) + 19 = 37

Hobbs launches into a long and overly detailed description of some of the characteristics of the sort of relic that they're looking for. Feeling quite hungry after his long rant, he pulls out a jar of pickled parsnips and quickly devours one. He takes another to eat enjoy a bit slower and holds the jar out for Dhrami. "Would you care for a pickled parsnip? If you don't like parsnips I also have pickled cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and radishes. No peppers though, sorry."

"Brix? Is that you? It has been awhile! I am sorry I wasn't very pleasant with you before, but I hope we can move on? Yes?"

Having never played 02-07, I can only guess what happened

"AHHH! I remember now. Yes, Nigel mentioned that to me while he was putting them away. Hang on. Let me get them for you."

Dhrami hurries to a back room and returns with a bracelet made by the original god caller of Alglenweis, the god who aided the Society in defeating Hesla and Deskari in Sarkoris. "I also have something Nigel sent me with the last artifact shipment. I think he would like you to have them. I hope you can use them to cut Hesla down to size."

She hands you two small containers that were left at the bottom of the last artifact shipment Nigel sent her. Each of them holds an oil of keen edges.

"Oh, why certainly!" She takes a parsnip and chews thoughtfully, "Oh this is tasty! Maybe when you have some time you can share the recipe with me!" She takes another as you head out the door.

3 for 3 with no hiccups. Where to now?

Just from the name and the art, I can hear the Indian accent in my head! :)

Pip seems to be picking them by distance so I would guess Ascendant Court for the unholy religious symbol.

Salliss thanks Dhrami saying it was exactly what they wanted.

Looking at the map, Salliss says “I think the Ascendant Court would be the next location as it is the closest.”

Pip nods. "That sounds excellent. Thank you, Dhrami!"

Ascendant Court it is

This normally bustling area is instead empty, with no sign of even a single Starstone Aspirant building their following. The air is heavy, filled with a faint, but persistent humming murmur.

You can either find a shop that will sell you a religious symbol of Deskari or locate a clearly empty shop where they can break in and steal one.

In either case: DC 30 Perception to find a shop
One success is all you need. Failing the check just makes it take longer and will make it harder for you to convince some shopkeeper to sell you what you need.

Salliss points to a shop. “I think that one is still open.”

Salliss's Perception (M): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (12) + 20 = 32 (+2 vs Traps) (w Low-Light Vision)

Hobbs spends his time digging through his provisions for something to complement the pickled parsnips he just ate. He ends up making himself a quick roast goose sandwich.

After he finishes his sandwich he pulls out a pipe and fills it with an iridescent liquid. He blows into the pipe and produces numerous soap bubbles which float around his oversized goblin head. While the more perceptive team members search for a shop he hands out some elixirs that turned up during his snack search.

Hobbs gives everyone a moderate elixir of life

I'm assuming Salliss wants to buy the item

You come upon a store, Divine Curiosities, which still has an open sign hanging on the door. As you enter, a tired-looking halfling greets you. "Well met. I am Seloana Norzu. What brings you to my shop on such an auspicious day? What can I do for you?"

Yes, he intends to purchase the item.

“Greetings, I am Salliss. My friends and I are in search of a rather unpleasant item to be used in a ritual.”

“Would you happen to have an unholy symbol attuned to Deskari?”

Makie will look at the goblin in disgust and start yelling at him in Goblin when he attacks the Venture Captain.

Did you have entirely too much to drink before this mission or are you just bloody mad? What even was the point of that?

Makie will catch Jorsal should he fall over. If we were working for Hesla, this is not how we would be doing it. We will show you what we are really made of, even if we are not perfect. Makie gives a long glare and a side eye at the goblin.

Next Makie will follow the crew to the shop and she will wait for the shopkeeper to answer the request for the religious symbol.

Careful how you present yourselves... thinks Makie. In Tian Xia, if you are this blunt, people will think you are part of a cult...

As soon as Seloana hears "unholy symbol of Deskari" her demeanor completely changes. She grabs a broom from a corner of the room and comes at you, swinging it wildly, and yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Get out, get out, GET OUT! I'm not empowering anymore of you cultists!"

DC 28 Diplomacy to convince Seloana that you're not cultists.
Other skills ok if you make them fit!
Need: 3+ successes OR 1 crit success and no crit fails

Salliss ducks the broom and then gets a counter between him and the shopkeeper.

Showing her his own religious symbol, he explains “You’ve got it wrong! As a devout follower of Ketephys I hunt demons!” His religious symbol is a holy symbol to the elven god Ketephys, the Hunter. His followers hunt demons and undead.
Salliss's Religion (M): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (5) + 22 = 27 (Pilgrim's Token, Recognize Spell, Quick Recognition)

Having to dodge the broom every second or third word really makes it difficult to get through to a person.

Yes, he has a holy Symbol of Conflict dedicated to his god.
Think I am going to wait to see if someone else can pull this off as I don’t want to risk the nat 1.