GM Bret’s PbP Gameday XIV Core What Prestige is Worth (Inactive)

Game Master BretI

Numair looks solid in diplomacy and Doodle can auto aid. So I’d say we try option 1 first.

”Numir, everyone seems to like you. Why don’t we approach the curator and explain our mission? Im sure you could convince it to make a copy of the documents we need!”

-4 to WILL saves... ouch... that is rough.

Skills and Atrribute rolls, not saving throws. At least that is how I read it.

Two Blades goes off on his own looking to acquire some copies of contracts. It takes him a while to find an opportunity to get some without one of the many imps noticing. The stack isn’t very stable and he nearly causes it to collapse when he pulls one of the contracts out, but he does manage to get a random collection of contracts.

Two Blades is 1 hour ahead of everyone else now.
In an hour, you now have some contracts you could try to analyze.
Linguistics, Profession Barrister or Profession Merchant would allow you to analyze them.

Khellek during hour one, Khellek helps Numair try to persuade some of the librarians to assist in the search..

diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22 Auto succeed

Then, once Two-blades returns with a pile of contracts, he settles into a possibly very uncomfortable chair to start to study them.

linguistics check, archivist bonus: 1d20 + 20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 20 + 4 = 32 And I speak infernal if that provides a bonus?>

With Doodle and Khellek's assistance, Numair politely asks for access to Gellius Thrune's contract with Leventi, making liberal use of Vetrivides' writ to prove that he has a legal right to do so.

Diplomacy, Aidx2, Hell Headache(TM): 1d20 + 23 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 23 + 4 - 2 = 35.

Oopse, yes, -4 to my checks above from that headache.

Numair finds a contract devil by the name of Jarluxis on the 50th floor of the Fastness.

There, she's carefully wording a prospective contract for a mortal. She's impatient with you interfering with her work and apears indifferent when you show your writ from Leventii. “My time is too important to waste on unpaid labor. If you are willing to discuss recompense then there may be something to discuss.”

Her preferred method of payment would be for one of you to sell a bit of your emotions or hope. Failing that if one of you is capable of helping with the contract she would also consider that as adequate payment. “I would be doing you a favor accepting your emotions as they tend to get in the way and complicate things. As for hope, if you are competent is there any real need? A good plan is worth far more than it.”

You may attempt a Diplomacy check to convince her or choose one of the payment options. It is Linguistics, Profession Barrister or Profession Merchant to help or spending two hours acting as paralegals (no skill required for paralegal).

As the party's linguistics expert, Numair gestures for Khellek to take centre-stage.

I think I am already spoken for during hour two, and not everyone else has had a turn yet. But yes, happy to spend hour three on sorting the contract. Have to remember to use my DA pin on that. So many once/adventure bonuses that I never remember to use. I'm aiming to get through all of them this time though!

Suddenly realising that Khellek is nowhere to be found, Numair attempts to cajole the devil into lending a hand.

Diplomacy, Doodle Aid, Hell Headache(TM): 1d20 + 23 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 23 + 2 - 2 = 43.

Numair is able to convince the contract devil that in this case perhaps helping your group of mortals would be a welcome diversion from her current contract.

Jarluxis shares that Leventi's agents recently transported Gellius Thrune's imp Tholvinis to Widow's Cry. She laments her colleague's sloppy binding of the imp after Gellius' death, insisting that anyone unable to control an imp shouldn't be trusted to command mortals.

She offers to review any contracts you may bring her provided you update her on whatever it is that you are doing involving Leventi.

You would need to be at The Fallen Fastness, she isn’t going to travel to you. It would give a +5 bonus to such checks and allow you to attempt them untrained. Once again, anything in this adventure analyzing contracts is Linquistics, Profession Barrister or Profession Merchant.

She also mentions that Vetrivides is somewhere around here and commands an Imp to find out where. The Imp comes back fairly quickly and says Vetrivides is stuck outside Leventi's scriptorium dealing with some bureaucratic paperwork.

Having finished with that Khellek begins analyzing the copies of contracts that Two Blades acquired. Just glancing them over quickly, he sorts out the ones by Leventi. There are enough here to get an idea of how the devil structures his contracts, but none of them are Gellius Thrune's contract

The analysis will take him two hours.

At this point I believe you have only shared your interest in Leventi with Jarluxis and she knows you are working with Vetrivides since I believe you showed her the writ from them.

”I wonder if we can talk that imp into retrieving Veteivides for us, if they explain how important it is and how short of time we are? Numair, do you think you could impress on it the importance? Devils live for eons, we can’t just wait on it.”

The Imp flees.

Jarluxis seems amused that anyone would even suggest an imp summon a devil for mortals.

Doodle gets a mean look on her face, but doesn’t say anything in front of the other devils, what with the group being in hell and all.

Korvan is impressed by the gained knowledges and talkin skills of his party members- stuff he never picked up while out in the woods save for some nature info. He just stands guard.

Good job

Grog stands by Korvan and offers him a cigar.

"Want one?"

Obvious things that could be done:
Go find Vetrivides
Go find the curator
Go to Widow's Cry where Gellius Thrune’s Imp is supposed to be
Go back to the meeting point with Zarta, exchange information
Wait for Khellek to analyze the contracts that Two Blades acquired and then do something

Those are the obvious options. This scenario allows you a lot of freedom in where you go to investigate

You are on hour 2. Khellek will finish analyzing in two hours.
Khellek can travel between locations in an hour, with others it will depend on their roll against Knowledge Planes with the penalty for being in Dis and the +5 from Khellek’s primer on Dis,

Khellek continues to read through the infernal contracts, looking for interesting things.

I'm here, but don't want to post while I am an hour ahead of the rest.

I thought I *had* already spoken with the curator. Oh well!

Numair ambles off, officiously using Vetrivides' writ to grease the wheels of bureaucracy as much as possible, to try and convince the Curator to furnish them with the relevant contracts (such as Gellius')...

Diplomacy, Doodle Aid, Hell Headache(TM): 1d20 + 23 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 23 + 2 - 2 = 43.

...and apparently, continues to be absurdly persuasive!

That's it. After two 20s in a row, the rest of the scenario is bound to be garbage for me :-P

Doodle grins, seeing Numair getting on so well with the curator. Surely, it can’t resist Numair’s charms!

It did not require a Diplomacy check to find them. The Imp told you where they were.

You find Vetrivides working on paperwork outside a restricted area. They do not appear to enjoy the work.

Vetrivides looks your group over dubiously when you arrive. “The servants of Draleen? Where is your mistress, mortals? I should kill you where you stand for this insult.” They then show their killing intent.
Everyone who is here (I believe that is everyone except Khellek), please make a DC 19 Will save vs Fear

Will 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Doodle shudders at the wrath of Veteivedes!

Doodle is able to hold their ground.

Just to be clear, I said I was going looking for the Curator's help, not Vetrivides...?

Just to be clear, I said I was going looking for the Curator's help, not Vetrivides...?

Oops, alright we will rewind then. If you do go to see Vetrivides then Doodle has already made the save. Pretend you don’t know what is coming when you go there.

Phlagantres currently oversees any public requests and is the primary point of contact for any documents someone might wish to procure here. He is an immense, fleshy creature further weighed down by heavy lead robes, though he moves about by means of an equally imposing floating iron throne. Picture on slide 3

Numair is asked how this request is in Hell’s interests. Numair shows the writ and explains how it is suspected that a contract was ill-formed. Such sloppiness should be punished.

Used above diplomacy roll to convince Phlagantres.

Phlagantres scowls and relents, telling you to wait 30 minutes while he has the contracts procured and copied for your use. An assistant shows you the line you are to wait in while the copy is being made.

A half an hour later, you get your copy of the contract. The contract is especially ornate, though its core agreement is fairly straightforward: Gellius exchanged his soul for extensive legal advice and direct assistance in defending House Thrune against slanderous attacks.

Numair politely thanks them for the copy, and then heads off to find Khellek, to have the contract interpreted.

Not wanting any undue attention, Two Blade stayed with Khellek once he settled down to review the contracts that had been located

Doodle follows Numair closely. ”That was a great job! It was eating out of your hand! If we get this copy interpreted right, we might be on the way to solving this mission,” she added excitedly.

You drop the contract off with Khellek.

He says it will take him another hour to finish his analysis.

Wait for Khellek to finish or go to speak with Vetrivides?

I mean, I figure there is no point going to see Vetrivides until we have evidence to present to them? I am happy to move around within a location, but I don't want to split the party across multiple geographical locations (since we now have, I think, two other places to visit), so I figure waiting for Khellek is our best bet for the moment.

You wait for Khellek to finish his analysis.

Khellek has found several copies of contracts created by Leventi. He spots several embarrassing loopholes in one of the contracts as well as identify examples of Leventi trading Hell's resources for personal gain.

Gellius’s contract is fairly straightforward. Having seen several contracts like it from other devils, he suspects it is as close to a template contract as there is in Hell. Although he finds it very interesting for historical reasons, that contract would not help with the task at hand.

You now have 1 evidence point from analyzing the contracts Two Blades acquired.

Options include:
Talking to Vetrivides although Numair is correct in thinking you don’t have much evidence yet.
Go back to the meeting point with Zarta, exchange information
Go to Widow's Cry where Gellius Thrune’s Imp is supposed to be

4 hours used, 1 evidence point.

Maybe go after the imp?

"I think tracking down that imp may be the next best option for us." agrees Khellek.

"We have nothing concrete to share with Zarta yet."

BTW, Khellek has a ring of sustenance that not only means he doesn't need to eat or drink, but only needs two hours sleep. Bought for RP reasons 'never enough time to read all the books', but looks like it may come in handy on this venture!

imp sounds good

Doodle nods in agreement with the others. ”Let’s go find that little bugger!”

The group decides to find out more about Tholvinis, Gellius Thrune’s former imp, at Widow’s Cry. With Khellek guiding them, they manage to get there in an hour.

A mountain of brass and iron blades rises on the outskirts of the city: this is the palace of Eiseth, the Erinyes Queen. Impaled bodies adorn the mountain, and screams of suffering echo for miles. A black cloud of erinyes circles above, while legions of devils train and clash in claustrophobic alleys and miles-wide plazas. Arenas line the fringes of Eiseth's domain, and a steady flow of contenders rush to test themselves in the Queen of Night's gladiatorial matches.

Devils guard the passes deeper into Eiseth's domain, barring passage. However, the outer arenas are abuzz with activity and offer a host of minor prizes to successful gladiators. Among these prizes is Tholvinus, the imp once bound to Gellius Thrune.

The erinyes Cerenthiel manages this arena and arranges battles to the death, after which victors choose their prizes but the bodies of the losers are forfeit. Hellhounds and erinyes guard the cage of blades containing the prizes.

Doodle points the imp out to the others. [b]”Numair, think you can work your magic on that little devil? We need to figure out what it knows, or at least what it will tell us…”[/ooc]

Remember that Doodle auto aids on diplomacy.

Looking towards the imp Tholvinus, the group realizes that although people are allowed to inspect the prizes the guards would not allow an interrogation of the imp.

Do we get a sense of what it will take to talk to the imp without drawing the ire of the guards?

Spending some time investigating, you think there may be a way to convince Cerenthiel to allow a less lethal match. Diplomacy to try that.

It may be possible to sneak up to the cages and open then, but that looks difficult for even an expert. There are likely consequences for failure as well. Stealth potentially aided by Bluff to Creating a Diversion to Hide, Disable Device.

You do find out what other prizes are available. The prizes include the imp Tholvinus, a +2 good outsider bane longsword, black feathered wings of flying, an onyx gem that contains a soul worth 2,500 gp, or a diamond worth 10,000 gp.

The arena itself has a 50’ deep pit in the center with fires over the mouth of the pit. The southern border is a channel of the river Lethe.

Slide 4 has the combat map.

Slide 4 has the combat map.

that combat arena looks exactly like a combat arena in hell would look like or a Slayer album cover...

Do you want to just skip this and go connect with Zarta?

I think if we accept the challenge we are doing some sort of fight in that arena against evil outsiders. are we equipped enough to succeed and continue in future combats with expended resources? can the casters rest after using a lot of spells presumably in the contest? if we do not feel we can win easily vs who or whatever they send against us I suggest skipping the combat. but i do not cast spells nor do i do buffs. i just hit things if i can reach them. thoughts?

Yes, it would most likely be a fight. Obvious path is a fight to the death to claim the imp.
You already know the scenario is on a timer. The writ expires in 48-5=43 hours. That is over a day so you can expect there is either a twist in the plot or you will have one opportunity to rest.
Up to you to decide if you want this fight or not.

Stealth: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (8) + 17 = 25
Disable Device: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34
Not wanting to wait Two Blades headed off to see about springing the imp from a possible death or slavery, like he had done freeing others.

I have a reroll if needed

Both checks are a failure. I believe you are supposed to declare a reroll without knowing if it fails or not, but since both checks need to be successful, it doesn’t matter.

While the group is trying to decide what to do, Two Blades is caught by the guards trying to steal a prize.

He is captured and placed in the next death match. Others are free to join on his side.

Is anyone in the group not joining?
Go ahead and place yourselves on the map on Slide 4.

Korvan is willing to stand with Twin Blades in the arena but Korvan has no way of resisting fire damage nor making his weapons bypass outsider DR.

With a sigh Khellek asks "Can we win the imp as well?"

You do find out what other prizes are available. The prizes include the imp Tholvinus, a +2 good outsider bane longsword, black feathered wings of flying, an onyx gem that contains a soul worth 2,500 gp, or a diamond worth 10,000 gp.

The imp is listed as one of the prizes. If you win then the group can choose one prize.

Please place your tokens on the map on Slide 4.