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I'm really sorry about all the delays, everyone. I'm in the process of switching jobs, and also a little sick this the last few days, so life has just gotten in the way. I'm determined to really dive back into this scenario and prep everything so I have it ready to go tomorrow or Tuesday. Once that's done, there will be no reason I can't get back to posting almost every day, since I won't have as much to do for each post.
Varnic rushes away from you, looking back briefly as he goes. Lannior and Hadanka go with the scouts to help plan the caravan route, while the others stay behind to look over maps and continue training with the guards. You learn the exact route decided for the caravan, as well as scouting out plenty of the terrain in advance, and picking a perfect spot for your ambush. Enyro doesn't approach you at all about any accusations from Varnic, so you suspect the halfling never talked to him about you. If there's nothing else any of you want to do, you meet that evening with Lady Ziralia to make last minute preparations for tomorrow's attack on the caravan. Even though Hadanka is supposed to stay in the barracks with the guards, the lady manages to send a messenger for him so that he can join the rest of you in the meeting. The list of advantages you've earned for the attack on the caravan has been updated. Bear in mind that this only applies to things you learned about the caravan and how to attack it. Other things you've observed, such as Varnic's suspicious behavior, aren't mentioned there. How much do you tell Lady Zarilia about what you've learned?
GUARD BARRACKS The halfling Varnic tells Lannior and Celebdan, "I warn you - I've been watching you and your group. I've been ordered to root out spies and make sure the convoy will be safe. There's something fishy about you, and I'm planning to keep my eye on you."
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Tatiana doesn't see any of the documents laying around from the previous days' investigation. But in observing the chains and locks being put on the transport, she does manage to see where somebody puts down a key, and successfully snags it while he isn't looking. You also notice some broken lockpicks near the chains and locks used to lock up the transport, indicating that someone has probably been practicing picking the locks.
GUARD BARRACKS Lannior and Celebdan notice a halfling scout named Varnic watching the four of you very closely, and you think he may be up to something suspicious. As duties are being assigned for the day, you notice that he's assigned to stay behind and look over maps. Before Lannior and Hadanka leave to go scouting, do you want to confront him, or do anything?
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Kent and Tatiana spend more time sneaking around, watching what's going on at the workshop today than actually helping out. Whims tries to communicates with the taciturn taskmaster, but doesn't understand him at first. But she's friendly enough that he doesn't seem annoyed by repeating his instructions with a few extra words to make himself more clear. Her arcane knowledge is put to use for a very interesting task being performed today - the entire transport building is shunted into an extradimensional space, leaving behind a 10-foot cube of iron that serves as the transport’s visible exterior. With the exterior created, another team gets to work covering the cube in chains and locks. Finally, the mages lift the cube onto a collection of floating disk spells. Now you know how such a large building is going to be part of a convoy traveling through the desert.
GUARD BARRACKS Enyro looks at you all suspiciously, but Celebdan manages to assuage his concerns. Looking at some of the other guards, you notice that you're not the only ones confused by his request for written orders, as most of the other guards you were working with over the last two days don't have written orders, either. "Fine, fine, you can work with me today to plan the route through the desert for tomorrow." There are several scouts looking over maps, and apparently, Enyro is sending some out into the desert today to actually look at portions of the route.
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP At the transport workshop, a Garundi man with dozens of piercings named Duciar directs the team responsible for the transport’s outer trappings. Although given his nature, his "direction" is often just a gesture or word, so it may take some work to understand exactly what he wants. The final preparations focus on sealing the transport with mechanical and arcane barriers. Craftsmen assemble chains and locks to restrict access, while mages add wards.
GUARD BARRACKS You arrive on the third day of your infiltration to discover a rather twitchy, paranoid human man named Enyro organizing the troops. Officers teach navigators how to find hidden desert trails, while guards learn how to scout for threats and maneuver the convoy to safety without getting lost. You also overhear that today's the day they'll decide the final convoy route. "Where are your orders?" Enyro asks when he sees your group.
GUARD BARRACKS "Oh yeah, the prince is very generous with his employees. But even if the pay was the same, wouldn't you want to be in a successful city like Aspenthar, not one going through hard times like Pashow?" one of the strangers tells Lannior. None of your team recognizes anything that could identify these strangers, other than their obvious allegiance to Prince Zinlo and Aspenthar. RESULTS OF THE SECOND DAY'S INFILTRATION - GUARD BARRACKS In watching the mage training at the guard barracks, Lannior and Hadanka learn how the mages use dancing lights to communicate via signals in the sky. You learn which patterns will tell the convoy to halt and the escorts to disperse and search the surrounding area for hidden threats. At the pub, you get into enough casual conversations with the guard trainees, some of them fueled by alcohol, to learn some of their personal vices that you can later use against them. By revealing a damning secret or weakness, as a free action, a PC can inflict the staggered condition on a guard for 1d3 rounds. This ability only works once per guard. You also impressed Drill Sargent Jaravo enough that one of you can take part as a guard in the final convoy when it moves out. This will not only give you one less "enemy" guard to fight, but allows you to already be in place at the start of the ambush.
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Kent manages to harm himself enough to make the sadistic halfling laugh, distracting her enough to help you all in not getting noticed during your investigations. RESULTS OF THE FIRST DAY'S INFILTRATION - TRANSPORT WORKSHOP ONLY In working to help build the transport's trap, and just keeping their eyes peeled, Whims, Kent, and Tatiana learn that the trap will magically fill the transport building with heat, causing fire damage to anyone inside the building when it goes off. Because Tatiana and Whims are so closely involved in building the trap, they know exactly where and how to quickly disable the ventilation system that makes this possible, from several places around the transport building. Since the sadistic halfling Lyshna seems to see Kent as a harmless buffoon after his "accident", she decides to send him to fetch things a few times throughout the day. In going to her belongings to get stuff for her, he has time to look over her notes, which just adds to the information Whims and Tatiana already know about the trap. He also notices several lavish gifts and valuable luxuries among Lyshna’s belongings, some emblazoned with the seal of Aspenthar’s royal family.
GUARD BARRACKS Jayori tends to the wounded guards. Luckily, Celebdan isn't too harmed from all the extra training he receives today, so he doesn't need help from the paladin. In their wandering, Lannior and Hadanka not only gets a good inventory of the guard's equipment, but are able to watch some mages getting their training in the compound, as well. In the evening, you're all invited to join the guards when they head to a nearby pub for their night off. As you're drinking and hanging out with them, you get to know some of the guards. You also notice some outsiders approaching yourself and the other guards, buying drinks and offering other indulgences. They make several comments about how maybe some of you would be happier moving up to Aspenthar to work for Prince Zinlo, instead of staying in Pashow.
GUARD BARRACKS Lannior impresses Drill Sergeant Jaravo with his perfect aim with a longbow, though Jaravo still seems to prefer Hadanka's flashier style. He does leave Lannior alone through most of the training though, assuming most other recruits need more help. This allows Lannior to wander around a bit and look around throughout the day, gathering some additional information. Celebdan's attempt to get fancy with his glaive just makes himself look bad, and Jaravo comes over to berate him personally. "Learn how to handle your weapon before you go trying to show off like that! Hold it like this! Now show me a basic thrust! A parry! Come on, come on, swing it like you mean it!" Jaravo focuses on Celebdan for much of the rmainder of the day, forcing him to work harder than any other guard recruit. Jayori returns to volunteer at the barracks. He mentions his healing skills, and is quickly accepted, as the guard trainees have quite a variety of scrapes and bruises from their training.
GUARD BARRACKS Hadanka trips one of the other guard trainees during combat training, much to the delight of Drill Sergeant Jaravo. "I like your style! That reminds me of the time I was in the Mwangi jungle and ..." Jaravo goes off on a long story, and continues to focus on his new favorite pupil throughout the day. The distraction will serve to help the others infiltrating the guard barracks to succeed at whatever skills they use to fit in and/or sneak around to gather information today.
Assuming you're keeping the groupings the same for who infiltrates each location the second day, those of you who posed as workers are able to go in easily to begin work for the day. GUARD BARRACKS
Jayori knows that the guards will have this evening off, and where they tend to hang out when that happens. TRANSPORT WORKSHOP
Some of the engineers are grumbling about having to work for Lyshna. When you ask why they have a problem with her, they tell you that when they've had to work for her in the past, she has taken delight in workplace accidents that hurt workers, laughing the most when people were hurt badly.
GUARD BARRACKS Hadanka manages to pull his hand away before the dog bites it off, but he still gets scolded by Beastmaster Ishyal for not "showing the dog who's boss". TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Tatiana and Kent see a small secret compartment being constructed into the transport, but Tatiana gets distracted, so only Kent notices that it's marked with a small "x" carved into the floor where it's covered. RESULTS OF THE FIRST DAY'S INFILTRATION GUARD BARRACKS Because Lannior and Celebdan do so well in training the guard dogs, Beastmaster Ishyal mostly leaves them alone, as she spends most of her time berating less successful recruits, such as Hadanka. They are able to keep three of the treats used to train the dogs, which they're pretty sure they could use as a distraction for the dogs during the attack on the convoy. They also learn all of the desert dogs’ command words and develop a rapport with the beasts. The group also notice the handlers shooing the dogs away from a crate of chocolate. Cargo manifests indicate that every crate containing chocolate shipped from Bloodcove and arrived in Aspenthar, where it received Prince Zinlo’s seal of approval before traveling to Pashow. Each PC at the barracks receives a small amount of chocolate as a reward for their dedicated work. If the PCs wish, they can use the chocolate to poison the dogs during the encounter by throwing it along with a treat. TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Kent and Tatiana learn about the animated altar at the center of the transport building, and identify many of its characteristics. They also notice that Temeera ordered a few of the workers to take turns walking around the transport’s interior in circles, though you're not sure why. They also discover a secret, lead-lined compartment in the transport’s back left corner, with a small "x" carved in the floor, marking the location. From Temeera's notes, Whims learns the nuances of the animated altar’s programming. The construct’s commands automatically designate any creature holding a glowing vial as the primary target, and all other targets are ignored until the primary target is neutralized. The complete list of things you can use while attacking the convoy can be found in the campaign tab here.
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Whims looks away from the magical script and shakes off the compulsion effect. She realizes the page was trapped with an Illusory Script spell, which could have gotten her into trouble. Continuing to look through the notes, she gains some valuable information before leaving the office.
This all happens while Kent and Tatiana are busy working on the transport building.
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Kent uses his knowledge of locks, traps, and other small devices to help with some of the finicky bits of engineering work being done by the team building the transport building. Tatiana can assist with some unskilled work, carrying things for people and delivering tools on occasion. Among other things, you learn that at the center of the transport building, they're building an animated altar, which apparently will attack any intruders. In fact, Temeera's so busy giving instructions to her workers that she occasionally forgets to warn people of dangers, and when Kent gets too close at one point, the altar reaches out and tries to slam him once before the other workers get in the way and somehow shut it down. Luckily, he's wearing his armor, and its slam attack misses.
In the mean time, Whims goes into Temeera's office and starts looking through her notes. She finds one page in particular that looks interesting, written in some sort of magical text. Whims finds she has a hard time looking away from that page.
GUARD BARRACKS Despite being tired out by the oppressive heat, Lannior proves to be a natural with animals, quickly befriending the wild dogs. Celebdan proves adept at yelling at the dogs in a commanding manner, getting their attention so they obey. It's almost like a form of acting, and Shelyn would certainly be proud of his performance.
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Tatiana's pleasant demeanor seems to win over the woman immediately. "Well, skilled laborers are best. Do you have any skills in magic or engineering? But even unskilled work be helpful for some of the heavy lifting and things. Come with me, and I'll get you started." She leads Tatiana and Kent out to where a transport of some sort is being constructed. It looks like a building that isn't built into the ground, as if it's meant to be moved, but it seems like it will be far too large to move easily. You wonder how this will be accomplished eventually.
Whims tries to talk to some of the workers, but they're all too busy to talk, and wave her off gruffly. One man tells her to go talk to Temeera in the office, though Whims already saw Temeera leave the office with Kent and Tatiana. Knowing that it's empty, do you go into the office to look around?
GUARD BARRACKS
Beastmaster Ishyal is a boisterous Qadiran woman covered with scars. She oversees a group of recruits teaching tricks to a pack of barely domesticated Thuvian desert dogs — vicious beasts native to the barren wasteland — while recruits learn tactics for fighting with them. "Come on, come on! Don't be afraid to show the dogs who's boss. You three, get in there and show me what you've got!"
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Whims keeps her eyes open while you enter the workshop. Kent and Tatiana offer their services, and you're pointed towards the office of a woman named Temeera. In the central courtyard, most of the structure of whatever they're building is being worked on. There are surrounding workshop buildings, but only one of them seems to have any activity today, other than the main office to the north. Upon entering the office, a soft spoken woman, presumably Temeera, looks up from reading some papers when you enter. "Yes? Who are you?"
GUARD BARRACKS "I think the beastmaster, Ishyal, is teaching the guards how to handle the guard dogs today. Most people try to avoid working with her in the middle of the day, under the blazing sun, but she seems very enthusiastic about training under those conditions", the guards tell you, and admit Hadanka, Celebdan, and Lannior as new guard trainees. Entering the compound, you see that the barracks is a sandstone complex with thick walls and few windows, designed to shelter trainees from prying eyes. Recruits share bunks in the easternmost building, adjacent to the officers’ quarters where the Emir’s appointed overseers supervise preparations. The western building contains an armory and a mess hall, each guarded by more experienced sentries. The buildings surround a massive training field, where recruits spar and practice on dummies while wranglers train guard animals in the southeastern paddock. Do you go practice with the beastmaster Ishyal in the heat of the day, or explore elsewhere?
On the morning of your first day for reconaissance, you split into two teams to go explore the guard barracks and the transport workshop. GUARD BARRACKS Hadanka, Jayori, Lannior, and Celebdan head to the guard barracks. The transport’s escorts reside in a single barracks, where they plan routes, train animals, and prepare for the harsh environment. The barracks is a sandstone complex with thick walls and few windows, designed to shelter trainees from prying eyes. When you arrive, there are guards at the only obvious entrance.
TRANSPORT WORKSHOP Kent, Tatiana, and Whims head to the workshop where the transport is being constructed. The facility where the transport is built consists of several workshops surrounding a central courtyard. Even from outside, you see dozens of engineers, spellcasters, and laborers.
If there are no more questions for Lady Gloriana Morilla or Lady Zirallia, the meeting will end, and you can go prepare. You're in the city of Aspenthar, so any equipment that PCs of your level could afford is available. Sovereign Court faction mission for Tatiana:
After the initial meeting, but before you leave for Pashow, Lady Gloriana summons you to a secret meeting. Gloriana tells you that she sees Zinlo as a rising star in Inner Sea politics, and believes helping his daughter offers an opportunity to learn more about the ambitious prince. She asks you to collect information pertaining to Zinlo’s associates and political machinations while you participate in Ziralia’s heist. Shortly afterward, you set out for Pashow, traveling with a caravan along a safe, well traveled route to the southern Thuvian city. You arrive with three days left to investigate the guard barracks and workshop before the convoy's practice run.
In response to Tatiana's question about stealing the Sun Orchid Elixir, Lady Ziralia responds, "This is a trial run, so a less powerful elixir will stand in for the sun orchid elixir during this exercise. If you successfully locate and steal the mock elixir, however, you may keep it. But the guards and everyone else involved believe they're escorting the real thing, so they will be taking this very seriously.” When Tatiana asks about the possibility of other spies, she answers, "Please watch out for anyone else spying on the operation; with so much at stake, we can’t afford to miss any foul play for the sake of our own heist. I expect you'll report back to me about any such spies you may encounter.” "As for the convoy itself, Pashow’s citizens favor magic, so expect constructs, illusions, and traps within the transport itself. The convoy’s wardens will likely be soldiers and trained animals. The Emir assembled two independent teams to prepare the escort and the transport itself, so I recommend performing reconnaissance at the guard barracks and workshop building the transport. Learning their vulnerabilities on site should help you plan an effective heist. You'll only have three days to investigate each and learn what you can, before the day the convoy moves out and you're required to ambush it.” Jayori, nobody in the room detects as evil. Lady Zarilia responds to Jayori's question about preventing any harm: "I’ve recruited Abadaran priests to stabilize any guards who are critically wounded during your operations, so using force is permitted. I would ask that you refrain from excessively lethal tactics, however, as it would be best for this exercise to proceed without casualties. That being said, I strongly advise against trying to simply overpower the guards. The Emir spared no expense preparing his transports, and you are likely to find yourselves outnumbered.” When Kent asks about options for reconaissance, Lady Ziralia tells him, “I know the guards are short-staffed and the convoy workshop needs skilled artificers, so posing as new recruits may get you far if you have the skills to back up your claims. You might also be able to pass as supervisors sent by Guldis, as long as you can avoid suspicion from middle management. Of course, there’s always the option of just sneaking around and stealing information. Don’t get caught engaging in suspicious behavior or this little test will be over before it begins. You are likely to meet with far more success if you to divide your forces between the two sites to cover more ground. You only have three days before the practice run, so every minute counts.”
When Whims initially starts to talk about politics, Lady Zarilia ignored her, until Lannior and Celebdan also comment on the political situation. "The political situation is unusual. You're right that my father's influence in the region might increase if this mission fails, and Pashow were to lose a third shipment of Sun Orchid Elixir. For that reason, even I was surprised that Emir Guldis put me in charge of this mission. But as citizens of Thuvia, we all want what's best for all citizens, which is for the transport to be successful. I believe Guldis is counting on me to put the good of the people above petty politics, and I take that duty very seriously. I assure you, his faith in me was not misplaced."
The salty air of Aspenthar’s port yields to delicate perfumes and incense as a servant leads the way into an elegant townhouse. Another servant serves tea in Tian porcelain, offering the first cup to Lady Gloriana Morilla and the second to a regal woman wearing a colorful headscarf and a striking gold necklace. “At last, our team has arrived!” Lady Gloriana announces, gesturing to the other teacups. “Please help yourselves. Allow me to introduce Lady Ziralia, eldest daughter of Aspenthar’s liege, Prince Zinlo. She has requested the Society’s services for a rather intriguing project.” Lady Ziralia nods. “Thank you for the introduction, Lady Morilla. As it happens, I am here today on behalf of Pashow, not Aspenthar. Like Thuvia’s other cities, Pashow relies on the sale of sun orchid elixir, which restores its drinker to the prime of youth, to fuel its economy. Unfortunately, the last two batches destined for Pashow’s auction house were lost to mishaps with teleportation magic. Emir Guldis has borrowed money to keep the city afloat, but Pashow cannot afford to lose another shipment. Magic failed the last two times, so I’ve petitioned Guldis to transport the vials in person, as my father does. I rallied enough public support that the Emir was forced to see reason, and he began building some armored convoys and training guards to escort them." “Guldis has entrusted me with looking into his transport’s total security. Our interactions have been somewhat tense of late, and his full motives for choosing me for such a sensitive task are not yet clear. Nonetheless, the task at hand takes precedence over idle speculation. If this shipment is lost, Pashow will suffer greatly, and I respect the weight of my responsibly in preventing that fate." “The Emir plans to send the transport on a practice run from the Citadel of the Alchemist to Pashow with a decoy elixir. Your job is to perform reconnaissance, plan an ambush, and raid the transport. To best assess the transport’s vulnerabilities, we are treating this exercise as a genuine heist. The guards don’t know they are being tested, so they will respond to you as they would respond to a real thief trying to infiltrate their operation. They do know that Guldis appointed me as his auditor, however, so my direct involvement will be limited. I am here to offer advice, monitor your strategies, note any security flaws you manage to exploit, and report back to the Emir. I will counsel you as best I can, but you should approach this heist however you see fit. I understand that this is an unusual mission, but Pathfinder agents are well known for their resourcefulness.” Feel free to ask any questions.
History or Geography DC 10:
Much of Thuvia’s land is desert. Its civilization revolves around the five allied city-states that control the sale of sun orchid elixir. History or Geography DC 15:
Pashow is the smallest of Thuvia’s city-states, and its people rely on their magical aptitude to compensate for the barren environment. History or Geography DC 20:
Those who live outside Thuvia’s main settlements cluster around the desert’s scarce oases. Local warlords called Water Lords control most bodies of fresh water. Although most consider Water Lords little more than bandits, those who secure an alliance with a Water Lord can operate outside of the city-states’ influence.
Local or Nobility DC 10:
The nation of Thuvia consists of five independent city-states, each with its own interests. Every year, one city receives exclusive right to auction off six vials of sun orchid elixir, which fuels the local economy for the next five years while the elixir cycles among the other four city-states. Local or Nobility DC 15:
Pashow has been suffering from intense financial turmoil after its last two batches of sun orchid elixir were lost. Though no one knows exactly what caused the teleportation accidents that compromised the shipments, locals hold Emir Guldis responsible, sullying his reputation as a leader. Local or Nobility DC 20:
Many of Pashow’s citizens believe Ziralia single-handedly salvaged the city’s economic infrastructure, and a group of agitators seek to overthrow Guldis in favor of Prince Zinlo’s daughter. Rumors hold that Guldis sees Ziralia as a threat, but cannot openly act against her without drawing her supporters’ ire and risking a coup. Local or Nobility DC 25: Some believe that Pince Zinlo subtly supported Ziralia’s rise in popularity, hoping to bring Pashow under his daughter’s control. The ambitious prince has been building his military strength, and many fear that putting Ziralia on Pashow’s throne is just his first step toward conquering the rest of Thuvia. Ziralia, however, is a vocal advocate of city-state independence, which makes her true position concerning Zinlo’s political maneuvering unclear.
That's 6. As I said, I'm ok running with 7, if Whims Josser shows up. I did send him a PM this morning when I posted that. I've got a busy weekend ahead of me, so I'll probably start things up on Monday, so he's got until then to show up. Either way, we'll be at high subtier, with the 4 player adjustment, since the average party level will be over 3, but below 3.5.
Players for this game: Chaosorbit, Hádanka, Whims Josser, Ilmakis, Luke_Parry, Celebdan Barhador, and Jayori Bissumbhur. Yes, that's 7 people. Due to the nature of this scenario, there will still be plenty for all of you to do, without spreading things too thin with that many players, so I've decided to take all 7 in this one. Please check in and provide the following information: Player name
The blonde sorceress is unarmed, so the party is easily able to move up to her to attack. Sirius and Davor have trouble finding her in the mist, but Gunthur's aim is true, bringing her down in a burst of blood. Combat over You can now grab their gear, and turn over the survivors to the authorities, if you wish. The red haired woman and brown haired man survive, while the halfling is already dead, and the blonde sorceress will die quickly if you don't stabilize her immediately. If you wish to interrogate the red haired woman when she wakes up, you find that she put together this group of ruffians to start a new criminal gang in Absalom, and decided that ambushing new Pathfinders to steal their stuff would be a good way to prove themselves. That's why they've been following you since you left the Grand Lodge this morning, and paid the street performers who clogged up the street that forced you into the alley for the ambush. Returning to the Grand Lodge, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin thanks you for carrying out his tasks, and assures you that not every mission for the Pathfinder Society involves running errands about Absalom. He congratulates you on proving their skill and responsibility, and promises you a new assignment in the near future to take you beyond Absalom’s unassailable walls.
Edit: Oh yeah, forgot one thing:
Sirius feels a little sick that night, but after a good night's sleep and some chicken soup, he recovers fully and shakes off the filth fever he contracted from the rat bite.
Sirius swings down at the halfling, but he's short enough to duck easily. "You wanna play rough, big man? I'll gut you like a trout!" the halfling yells, and swings his axe at Orin, who hit him last.
The halfling's axe cuts into Orin, but luckily, it wasn't a very powerful blow. Bless up
Round 2 (bolded go)
Orin moves up and swings at the halfling, drawing more blood and swearing. Bless up
Round 2 (bolded go)
And come to you, they do... After Orin casts a spell to prepare, and Sirius climbs up on to the nearest awning, the little blonde halfling with the big mustache and big mouth comes running at the group. He stops when he gets to Gunthur, yelling, swearing, and swinging his greataxe, but missing.
After that, Dazai casts Bless, and you hear some muttering from the mists, but nobody else comes forward immediately. Hidden Rolls:
Round 1
Bless up Round 2 (bolded go) - Remember that you can only see adjacent people in the mist, and there's a 20% miss chance (1-20 misses on d100)
The small mahogany box contains five books and a few loose sheets of paper in a leather folder. The titles and subjects seem completely unrelated to each other: Practical Thaumaturgy In Accordance with Creation, Geographic Anomalies of the Inner Sea, Under Kaer Maga: A Trial and Travel, Physiology of Dragons: An Illustrated Reference, Lost Sarusan. The leather folder contains cargo manifestos, warehouse inventories, and other financial logs from a dozen different merchant houses and trade guilds.
Gunthur's horsechopper strikes the redheaded leader badly, but she's still standing. Voarima tosses her chakram right over the head of the halfling, missing everyone. Round 1 (bolded go)
You return to The Pickled Imp and give the mahogany box and its contents to Guaril Karela. He expresses his appreciation, and pays you for your services. "If you're interested in joining our money making endeavors in the future, let me know. I've been working with a Trade Prince from Qadira lately on establishing some more business connections, under the name The Exchange. Of course, we disagree sometimes on methods, but that's what makes life interesting, eh?" he says with a grin. After leaving him, you head back towards the Grand Lodge, to return the items you've retrieved throughout the day, and let Venture-Captain Valsin know that you've finished all four tasks. As you get close to the Grand Lodge, a throng of people blocks the street ahead. A performance art group commandeers the street, drawing graffiti to create a jolly hellscape complete with illusory devils comically dancing around in circles. A few citizens avoiding the crowd slip off-street through a nearby alley, the only egress past the gathering. You turn down the alley yourselves, and find yourself confronted with 4 people facing you at the other end of the alley. There's a red haired woman watching you intently, a pretty blonde woman with a smirk on her face, a blonde halfling man with a magnificent mustache and a large axe, and a forgettable looking brown haired man in worker's clothing. Everyone but Gunthur recognizes that the brown haired man was watching you from the crowd earlier. The brunette woman whistles, obviously some sort of signal, and you realize you're being ambushed! Initiative:
Skipping surprise round since most of your group noticed the surveillance earlier. Round 1 (bolded go)
Between Dazai and Voarima, they manage to lift the crate and use the crane's pulleys and rail to maneuver it away from the hole in the floor, without dropping it down to Gunthur. The rescued crate holds a smaller mahogany box inside, which is what you were asked to recover. The crate also contains 10 sets of masterwork thieves’ tools, three flasks of alchemist’s fire, a flask of acid, a dozen jars of various inks, a footprint book, adamantine weapon blanch, three bags of powder, a deck of marked cards, and two sets of average loaded dice.
Dazai climbs the ladder up to the crane. How do you want to approach this? You can hold on and slide the crane over the crate easily enough. After that, you have to decide what approach to take: [1] You can lower a rope down and climb down it yourself (climb or acrobatics check), and tie it on to the crate, then climb back up, or [2] You can tie the rope around your waist and the other party members holding the rope through the pulley system in the ceiling can lower you down to grab the crate (relies on a party strength check). Dazai has 16 strength, so you're guessing he's strong enough to pick up the crate, if the rest of the party can support the combined weight while pulling on the ropes (the pulley mechanisms will give a bonus). [3] Ignore Dazai on the crane and just bust the floor intentionally so the crate falls down to the boat below. Anyone can jump in and do this at any time, except Gunthur, since he's in the boat.
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