she looks up at Kenton with big eyes, reflecting the dim light of the interior. When Kenton looks at them he sees that the pupils are elongated, slits really.
The party collectively picks up that all is not as it seems. While seemingly random, the statues are anything but. They are set up to mimic a famous scene - the climax of Ailson Kindler’s The Broken House of Kriegmoor, in which a wedding meant to settle a feud instead becomes a tragic scene of death. The participants here are all soldiers (actually, they're dressed as Taldan cavalry to be precise) and vagabonds, rather than the aristocrats represented in the novel though...
It's missing a few key players though: a brother and sister as well as a priest....
All but Kenton catch the real horror though. One of the statues is a perfect likeness of Sir Meir Dratavis, the missing agent.
Before conversation can ensue a meek voice calls out, "Please! I mean you no harm. Please! Don't turn me to stone! I didn't mean to come in here I just needed shelter!" Xavien and Corran both point to the northwest corner as the source. Sure enough a girl of maybe 14, dressed in rags stands there with her hands up.
Within the tumbled walls of the manor, an open space measuring roughly fifty feet square lies choked with stone and timber debris. A mostly ruined roof still clings to the corners, providing a bit of shelter over a wooden staircase in the northwest corner.
Among the debris, a dozen statues depict a gruesome tableau of staged death. In the center of the courtyard, two statues have fallen in a duel, amid a frozen circle of distraught onlookers dressed in improvised finery. On the staircase, statues fall over each other in apparent attitudes of grief. At the base of the staircase stand two statues in long, makeshift wedding coats. Most of the statues are half painted, with vivid red paint representing bloody wounds.
Xavien doesn't detect any magic, so he advances with a quick spell on the final approach. It's hard to see inside, as it's dark from being boarded up. The entry is the most intact portion of the ruined manor. Two weathered cedar doors lie fallen beneath the heaps of stone filling the chamber above the entry, providing a clear but shadowed passage to the manor’s interior. On the other side of the passage, a lifelike statue of a human soldier stands with its arms extended and a welcoming smile on its face.
Orvestikar Manor was originally constructed of stone and wood, but the manor is almost completely destroyed. The manor’s impressive entry alone remains intact. The former walls are mere mounds of stone 15 feet high. Climbing these mounds requires a successful DC 15 Climb check
A life-sized statue of a rearing elephant, complete with caparison and saddle, stands in the middle of an overgrown trail near the manor.
Constructed by a wealthy Taldan aristocrat who fell upon hard times in his dotage, Orvestikar Manor is situated at the edge of the Whistling Plains, 9 miles northeast of Yanmass. The manor was sold, but the buyer was killed in a duel and the property fell into legal limbo. It was untended for years and, after a series of particularly fierce winters, its roof and upper stories collapsed. The site has been abandoned for more than 200 years and serves only as a temporary camp for travelers or an occasional storehouse for smugglers. Orvestikar Manor has a reputation for ill luck among the people of Yanmass, who have shunned the site for generations.
This manor of stone and wood has collapsed into little more than rubble. The walls are mounds of stones fifteen feet high, while former towers are nothing more than slightly taller ruins. The only portion of the manor that appears intact—and the only readily identifiable passageway to its interior—is a wide gate on its southern side....
Corran, frustrated at how quickly the party struck out, steps outside into the sun and takes a deep breath. No one, even the erudite Xavien knows a thing about Xan. It appears that progress is narrowing.
Xavien sees that most of their behavior, words, even attire is based on the worship of Aroden. Only Aurelia seems to make any headway, and all she gets are friendly (too friendly) invitations to next week's services.
Corran pokes around, but finds little else of note.
If these people are a dangerous cult, it certainly doesn't show....
The frustration of flailing in your investigation to find the missing agent begins to take it's toll. Momentum begins to fade. Evil divs wrecking dreams, a supposedly dangerous cult that appears benign, rumors of a reborn monarch, and a political rival in town is just seems to get in your way....
The only clear lead left is Orvestikar Manor. It's supposedly the home base for the increased bandits. If Desna smiles you'll either find your agent, or bring law to the land...
The only hunch that Xavien picks up is the nearly sickly sweet welcome. They truly believe that somewhere out there the long-dead Prince Carrius of Taldor, whose nobility and compassion for the Taldan people allowed him to resurrect himself during Taldor’s greatest hour of need."
No one seems to know where to find him, but they definitely believe it to be true. This unlocks a Knowledge (Religion) option to identify the trappings of the cult.
Forewarned, the party approaches the bower. The circular building is 120 feet in diameter, 40 feet tall, and topped with a domed roof painted sky-blue with wispy white clouds. Other than occasional ornamental stonework, such as cornerstones and other accents, the Encircling Bower’s walls are made of crumbling brick. The theater’s small stage entrance is blocked with stone on the inside, and its other two entrances are 15 feet wide. The entrances lead to aisles that bisect sweeping arcs of benches around the nearly circular stage. The auditorium is paved with well-worn brick, but most of the upper floor is made of wood. The theater’s lower level is 15 feet high throughout, carved from stone, and floored with large, durable ceramic tiles.
There is little organized activity at the moment. This will not translate well to PbP. It's easier to handle this like PF2 Exploration. Tell me if you're poking around the space (Perception), talking to the people (Diplomacy), or trying to get a gut feel (Sense Motive). Then I'll handle the narration.
"I think, perhaps, there is little for me to learn. My purpose here is simply to make sure you stay on target, and this cult is most definitely the target."
"I do not see the badge of Martella Lotheed upon your garb. Nor did the citizens of Meritt know that you planned to topple Bartleby from the start. I'd say we each have our secrets. I simply bid you beware before you enter."
The masked man gives a bow once you're out of the street. "We finally meet. I am Xan. Our interests align. Know that you are headed to the belly of the beast. The cult is far more than it seems. Your petty politics are but a momentary concern. Just know that the Risen Prince is an abomination. If you know what is wise.... you'll cleanse it from this world."
On your way, you are approached by a strange man. He's tall, Taldan, and keeps to the shadows. He leans out of an ally long enough to see that he's wearing a leather mask that makes his face look like a bird, and that he's beckoning you into the ally. The Bower is right around the corner...
the interrogation continues. In the end it doesn't seem like he's got much. It leaves the party a bit stymied. Retreating to a more normal restaurant, they consider their best leads. There's a missing agent, and that's a problem. There's a div targeting loyalists, and that's a problem too. There are also whispers of a cult, perhaps the most worrisome, at least in the briefing a cult that believes the prince to be reborn....
You could check out The Bower to follow up on the Cult. That seems like a solid option.
The other most likely avenue is Orvestikar Manor, though who knows what you'll find there...
A sensual pairing of seduction and destruction, pairakas embody the corruptive nature of unbridled lust. Pairakas spend little time in their true form while on the Material Plane, choosing to cloak themselves instead in alluring forms to seduce potential victims, ruin relationships, and foment obsession. In its true form, a pairaka’s body is a foul landscape of blazing rashes, oozing pustules, and taut blisters suggestive of the corruptions it harbors, bodily and spiritually.
Pairakas pride themselves on perversion. They love nothing more than turning lovers against one another or destroying the bonds of friendship. Pairakas feed off this slow torment and savor each broken heart or disappointment. They use lust and sexuality as their primary tools, wielding taboos and carnal appetites to sever once-friendly relationships. Pairakas also use their seduction to spread disease, charming victims into physical contact.
Just as all other divs suffer a weakness, pairakas cannot stand the color red. They never wear the color or enter a place that is painted red, and they always attack creatures that are garbed in clothes of a crimson hue first.
Pairakas stand 6 feet tall and weigh around 150 pounds. Their skin color varies widely between individuals.
"No wait! I'm answering! I'm answering! Where do I start? So do you know anything about the plague of nightmare's in the city? Let me start there."
He also turns out his pockets to Aurelia to indicate that he has nothing else on him, but takes you out back to his locker to let you take your pick, "See I'm COOPERATING!" The last is aimed at Xavien.
potion of cure moderate wounds
potion of invisibility
scroll of dispel magic
scroll of suggestion
the aforementioned wand of charm person has 20 charges
wand of fox’s cunning (10 charges) "Oh yeah, this one."
wand of touch of idiocy (10 charges) "and this one too, but that's it! Really!"
"Look, I'm just a wizard who had to choose between life in a tower reading, or making a quick gold. Once the nightmares started hitting people in the city, I started researching. I studied creatures that use enchantment effects, and I figured out that all the nightmares and dreams people have been having, the strange visions, and weird compulsions. It's all the same. It's the work of a type of outsider called a pairaka div. I figured that the floodgates of opportunity were open, so when my research lead me to the skill of wand making, I just made a wand of charming."
He seem oblivious to his wrongdoings, and oblivious to the fact that he dropped information of import.
Corran punches the grabbed man clean in the nose! He's tougher than he looks, but without magic, he's likely not a threat so long as Kenton doesn't let go...
The man tries to break free: CMB:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18, but it's clear he'd have to get really lucky to escape. He then sticks his tongue out at Kenton in puerile defiance. He orders the golem to attack Kenton. It obeys despite the danger: Slam:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25 for DMG:1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 and Cold:1d6 ⇒ 5
ROUND 2:
Ianthe (40/44): MAA
Corran (36/36): Punch
Argentus (Grappled): Unhand me!
Kenton (40/54, Grappler): Go
Xavien (69/69 *75/75): Go
Aurelia (32/40): Go + Summoned AoOs v Golem
Xavien starts a powerful song. From under the tables, the patrons comment on how amazing this place is to have live music with a show!
Aurelia takes the brunt of the attack and then brings out a pair of elemental birds of her own! One even hits! Unfortunately, it doesn't hit hard enough to damage the thing.
No he pulled away too fast. Corran pulls back emptyhanded, but knows that he isn't kidding, that really was a command for a golem. this guy's no joke.
Ianthe wants to make this quick, so she hastens the party.
Argentus tries to maintain his defense while casting a spell: Concentration:1d20 ⇒ 2, but loses the spell!
Unfortunately, the golem activates. The eagle shaped ice sculpture animates to close in and protect him!
The statue flaps its wings and then unleashes a cone of cold over half the party! Cold DMG:3d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 3) = 8Kenton, Aurelia, and Ianthe can pass a DC 13 REF for half.
Thankfully the patrons are under the table, "Oh, chilled soup? This is incredible!"
ROUND 1:
Ianthe: Haste REF
Corran (36/36): Miss
Argentus: Fail
Kenton (54/54): REF + Go
Xavien (69/69): Go
Aurelia (40/40): REF + Go
Each nad every customer is clearly charmed, most likely to think the food is utterly fantastic. You also spot a wand in the sleeve of the waiter/owner.
Approaching dinner time, the party heads over to Savories. This restaurant is tiny, with only four padded booths for diners. The wood of the structure is dark and embellished with gold leaf. An alcove to the southeast contains the restaurant’s main entrance, while a similar alcove to the northeast contains a massive, graceful ice sculpture of an eagle in flight.
There are currently five patrons in Savories: an elderly couple and a trio of very well-dressed men in their early 20s. They look like they could be brothers. An oily-haired but impeccably dressed man serves as host and server.
Any skill you can justfy about knowing food DC 17:
Neither of you recognize the name. Grammell then stops and continues, "Take my advice, and drop going after an earl. We'll stay out of your way, you don't get in ours. Deal?"
"Look we aren't professional investigators. We do what we can. Don't press us any further here. You're pouring drinks, so we'll give you one snippet. Like you, Earl Merkondus is a guest of the Mercantile Council, and he has brought us in as special agents to help Yanmass in its troubled time.... It's best if you leave him alone - you don't have the means to take on a man like the Earl. He'll be just fine in the Gilded Bal-"
The bard woman cuts him off. The conversation grinds to a halt.
Grammell returns to do the talking, "Look, we were hired because supposedly there's a cult claiming that the Prince has been reborn. We also got word that some knight or other went missing. We've found nothing in our investigations thus far. Seems like it's a lot of spycraft, propaganda, and nobles playing the commonfolk like chess pieces."
Xavien (and anyone else beating a SM DC 18:
The man is picking his words carefully, but you don't sense any deception.
"Conversation about what exactly?" This comes not from the ostensible leader, Grammell Taychar, but from the tall severe woman who goes by Embla Hightune.
The nearest lap is Alphabetical:1d5 ⇒ 4 the dirty warpriest of Gorum.
He IMMEDIATELY shoves Ianthe off his lap calling her all manner of slurs, "Don't think your wiles spares you from the back of my hand!"
The other patrons clearly can tell when there's a brawl breaking out as they dash to the other side, making sure to fetch their drinks for the entertainment, and their coin purses for the betting...
