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Here are the chronicles for Wertlos and Suna. Lemme know if there's anything wrong! I'll be seeing you on Saturday, so I'll just bring yours then, Doug, if that's okay.
The ship makes it back to harbor with no trouble, and the enslaved Pathfinders express their gratitude. You return to Lady Darchana, who is quite visibly pleased with your performance (as visibly as she gets anyways). She is deeply troubled by the implications of this whole affair, especially since the burning of the ship documents leaves the full extent of the operation still unknown. Nevertheless, she authorizes the bounty payment on Captain Wardak and the At Sea, a significant 725 gp that goes right into the Society. She addresses you all once more before dismissing you. "Pathfinders, you have done a great service to Absalom today. The full extent, understandably, may never be widely known or recognized by the sleeping masses, but know that the Pathfinder Society can count on me as a friend and ally, and I hope that I may call upon you again in the future should the need arise." Her gaze lingers particularly on Suna. Upon returning to the Grand Lodge, Rilla--one of the formerly enslaved Pathfinders--recounts what she can to Venture-Captain Valsin and you about her time spent in the Okeno slave markets on Stonespire Island, confirming several interactions with a heavily veiled humanoid woman who forciply took blood samples on two occasions. When Rilla inquires as to the fate of the other Pathfinders she was on assignment with, Venture-Captain Valsin closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head. "No contact," is all he says on the matter.
Zahnlos connects thanks to his master's aid then deftly sends the villainous captain to the ground. Suna then takes the opening and connects with a powerful stab right through Captain Wardak's twisted heart. With the rush of battle abating, the Pathfinders can see that the fire in the captain's quarters has built to a formidible size and has already claimed a massive pile of documents. With so many people to help, you are easily able to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the ship and eventually put it out completely. All that is left is scraps of various papers that were not fully consumed in the hasty fire. One in particular stands out to you, as it has a single word, a name that has not been spoken around the Pathfinder Society halls in years: Muhlia.
The Pathfinders have some respite as Zigil pilots the ship back to dock.
As the blessing of Sarenrae washes over the group thanks to Anis, the two ratfolk succesfully guess the trollhound's weakness to fire and finish it off. Captain Wardak takes the hit from Suna and steps forward to return with two of her own.
But luck is just not on the captain's side this time.
Round 5 Captain Wardak -7
It’s a knowledge (arcana) check to identify. Considering y’all have seen the effects of the regeneration by now, I’d say it makes sense for you to try things that commonly work against regeneration, aka fire and acid. Dealing with downed regenerators isn’t particularly dangerous or exciting, so I’m happy to lean on the side of generosity to the players.
The door the the captain's quarters bursts open with a kick and a fierce Keleshite woman steps out, a kukri in each hand as smoke billows out behind her. "Get off my ship." This woman could be no other than Captain Waheeda Wardak herself. The monstrous hound continues to heal rapidly as well.
Round 4 Captain Wardak
The nasty dog misses Zahnlos this time, allowing the rest of the melee pathfinders to pile on and drop it to the ground. While the monstrous dog is still unconscious, its wounds are healing rapidly, and it looks like it might not be down for long at this rate. What's more, Suna finally identifies the smell that was hitting her as the party begins to see smoke seeping through the cracks of the far door.
Round 3 Suna -9
Zahnlos falls victim to another bite from the monstrous dog, though a far less severe blow than to Suna, and collapses prone from getting knocked off-balance before he is able to move into a flank. Suna uses the attack against Zahnlos as an opportunity to stand, hoping the distraction would keep her safe. Her gambit works, as notes that the dog does not even attempt to attack her as she stands. Between the healing of Wertlos, Anis, and Suna herself, Suna is nearly back to full strength. Pearl's scythe finds purchase in the hound's flesh for a significant hit, though the wound does still begin to immediately heal up. Seeing Suna once again upright and a threat to him, the dog snaps at her again. The wound is mercifully smaller, but Suna finds herself thrown to the ground once again.
Suna -9, prone (round 3 action)
GM Secret Rolls (don't look!):
Suna thinks for a moment that she gets a whiff of something, but she immediately loses it, the intensity of battle and the disorientation of getting knocked prone twice in seconds being too much to focus.
Suna's naginata pierces the dog creature's hide, but just barely. The strike does significant damage, but the wound begins healing almost immediately. It growls and steps forward to take a bite out of Suna.
The vicious dog beast opens its massive maw and crunches down on Suna's frontside with such power that it almost knocks her unconscious in one hit. The hit is so powerful she falls to the ground, prone.
Suna -16, prone, fort save pending (round 2 action)
The party continues below deck. The hold of the At Sea has been outfitted to allow for easy access from above and a mixture of live and boxed cargo. Iron rings attached to the inside of the hull on both sides provide anchor points for manacles. Along the port side , iron cages have been bolted to the floorboards and hull. Barrels of potable water and crates filled with cried carnivore feed are packed into several sections of the hold. Four slaves are chained to the starboard side's iron rings. There's a Keleshite woman and Vudrani twins and a gnome woman in light furs and skins. All are gagged. The gnome woman excitedly tries to beckon you closer. Before you have a chance to react though, the captive in one of the port side cages rushes out the cage door, which appears to have been left unlocked, and snarls. The large monstrous hound appears to have been ill-fed and looks for something to eat.
Initiatives:
GM Secret Rolls:
Suna
The piling on of blows, Curtzog finally falls, blood slowly dripping towards the grate leading to the deck below. As she hears combat conclude, Zigil calls up from the rowboat. [b]"I ain't takin' control of the helm until y'all are done. Just lemme know." You all note that the Captain is not accounted for yet. You also hear the sounds of angry barking below the deck.
Curtzog has no idea whatever the heck Wertlos did, and as nobody has hit him yet, he decides to keep going after the closest target with the biggest, meanest looking weapon.
As he swings, he just randomly happens to lose his balance, and a more than proficient swing turns into a wild thunk against the deck. He shakes it off and rights his stance.
Suna (Shaken) (round 3 action)
The half-orc is slow to react, but lucky for him, the naginata clinks off his scale armor. He sneers at Suna. "That the best you can do? You really think you can stand a chance against me?"
His words and bearing strike at some deeper insecurity in Suna, and she finds her confidence wavering.
Zigil gives a thumbs up then strides on to the rowboat. "Fine by me. The good thing about being short's makes it easier to duck. On we go then." She glances back. "Y'all will be doing the rowing to get us there." Absalom's harbor is an inky, shifting landscape of shadows at night, illuminated only by the city's lights, the waxing moon, and the distant blaze of the Absalom Lighthouse on Pilot's Island. Eventually, a three-masted ship with white sails comes into view. It's just over one hundred feet in length, and its bowsprit is a weatherworn representation of a canine-headed mermaid. The crew is busy as they await an escort through the Ship's Graveyard. A rope ladder hangs from the rail of its starboard to a foot above the waterline. GM Rolls (Don't look!):
Suna and Anis can tell that the ship's name has been sloppily altered from At Sea. The rowboat pulls up to the rope ladder and ties on to the side of the boat before each of you are able to climb up. Zigil stays below, letting all of you go first, knowing a fight was likely coming. Once you all get topside, you see a surly looking half-orc leaning on a greatsword and his gnoll buddy looking you over. The half-orc scowls. "Way too many of you and way too well armed to just be the pilot. We'll have to fix that by cutting some of you down." He whistles sharply and readies his greatsword. "Repel the boarders!" Initiatives:
Suna's intuition towards battle is sharp and she immediately recognizes the beginning of conflict, managing to usurp the first move from the defending slavers.
Pearl, Pule, Inspector Ginsi, and the pilot—a female dwarf named Zigil—all arrive back about eight minutes after the former three left, leaving Suna, Wertlos, and Anis plenty of time to rest after Suna’s quick searching.
Ginsi and Zigil look particularly ready to get this show on the road, but they pause for a second as Zigil addresses the group. ”We’re just gonna mosey on right up to the boat if y’all don’t mind. They’d only be expecting me, so y’all might wanna figure how to convince ‘em you’re supposed to be there. Unless y’all just wanna go in swinging, in which case I’d like the warnin’ so I can know to duck.”
GM Rolls (don't look!):
Suna, Wertlos, Anis:
The situation is tense as Suna dives into the massive amount of papers. Especially when she's not entirely sure what a docking certificate is even supposed to look like. After a couple minutes of searching, she finds a docking certificate that isn't what she's looking for, but at least can provide a good example. With that exemplar, she's able to close in on a cache of recently-filed certificates, finding the one for the "Kat Season" nestled between the cache and the back of a chest of drawers.
Pearl and Pule: Your walkabout with Inspector Ginsi is a bit longer than she expected, as the pilot, a female dwarf named Zigil, is not in her usual spot at a nearby bar that the pilots take their downtime. You both end up looking there briefly, leaving for the pilot's quarters, then come back to find Zigil, learning that you had been missing each other by mere moments. By the time they started heading back with you, pointing out boats along the way, they are clearly frustrated and ready to get back to the office.
Inspector Ginsi takes the note and begins reading it over. She confirms something in her book then nods with an official gravity before switching to a different binder. "Just let me get a boat signed out and locate who is available on the pilot roster so I can go get them." Suna is unable to pick out anything from a distance. She gets the feeling from the massive amounts of papers spread out throughout the office, it would likely take several minutes to have any chance of noticing a specific docking certificate.
The Inspection and Pilots’ Office at the Harbormaster’s Grange is cramped and perfumed by a particularly smelly bowl of salted fish stew that’s cooling on one of its several desks. Ledgers and loose papers occupy most of the horizontal surfaces in the office, and a bookshelf on the southern wall sags under the weight of its heavy files. At present, only one inspector is on duty. The sleepy-looking halfling woman sits up and covers a yawn. ”Welcome to the Harbormaster’s Grange. I’m Inspector Second Class Lilia Ginsi. How may I be of service?”
She calmly waits for the others to depart fully, then focuses all of her attention on Suna. "I have spoken at length with one Lady Gloriana Morilla, who has demonstrated considerable ambition in Absalom and abroad. Among her strengths is her dedicated and talented corps of agents whose virtues she has praised at length. I have had few opportunities to see these agents in action, but consider me tentatively impressed. I would request a favor while you are at the Harbormaster's Grange, and I trust you might complete it for me with discretion as a sign of good faith between your patron and us. Find and remove the docking certificate for the At Sea, then destroy it when you have the chance. It is perhaps not the easiest of feats, but you have proven your resourcefulness."
"I am not familiar with her personally. I was merely thinking out loud. That it would be an Okeno pirate captain corroborates with my own investigations. Thus, it stands to reason." "As for the people on board her ship, I am certain there will be no need to keep them in captivity. We will want to question them for any possible info on the person pulling the strings, but then they will be free to go." "If there is nothing else, you are free to go." When you do start to leave, she motions for Suna to stay behind. "A word, if you may."
"Excellent." She stands up from her desk. "If you will excuse me, I will go follow up on this information privately." She leaves you all alone in the room.
She returns fifteen minutes later and returns to her desk, an amused smile on her face. "I have spoken with a contact at the Harbormaster's Grange. There is an outstanding docking request for a ship called..." She rolls her eyes. "...Kat Season, which is likely our ship with a--shall we say--flimsy disguise." She writes out a letter, seals it in wax with her seal, and hands it to Suna. "Carry this note to the Harbormaster's Grange--it authorizes the inspector to provide you with a rowboat and a pilot. So long as you can confirm the ship's identity, you are legally free to claim the bounty yourselves. A fine 725 gold for your society. Any questions?"
Lady Darchana remains completely inscrutable, making no reaction to the Pathfinders' passionate responses. "Thank you for telling me your account." She looks to the Ms.'s and Suma. "Please feel free to add more if you think of anything important." She folds her hands in front of her on the table. "An Okeno pirate captain? Captain Wardak of the At Sea." She nods her head, a brief smile. "Yes, that would stand to reason." She flips open a ledger sitting on her desk that bears the seal of the harbormaster and begins scanning the pages. "When I became aware of the eavesdropping handmaiden, I used my own magic to follow the arcane trail back to it's origin. I only got a brief glimpse of the heavily veiled perpetrator, but based on the distance and direction, I knew the culprit was on Stonespire Island--somewhere underground on the island at any rate--with a powerfully enchanted mirror. The Oken pirates' base of operations is a city on that island, and the Fleshfairs may be the largest slave markets on all of Golarion. It is a cunning place through which to move these sensored slaves." Her hand finally comes to rest in the ledger. "At Sea, here we are. It has been to Absalom two other times in the last three months. According to this, however, it has been marked with a bounty. 'Failure to declare cargo value for taxation.'" She clicks her tongue loudly. "Excellent. You said Mahjub Mahdi was expecting another shipment from the At Sea tomorrow? If it hasn't already docked, it'll be anchored outside the Ship's Graveyard, waiting for a pilot. We cannot allow those slaves to make it to the Docks unaccompanied! I trust I can count on you to help?"
Lady Darchana nods sagely and politely as Anis finishes. "You seem to have found out much, including some particularly scandalous information." Lady Darchana then turns her eyes towards Wertlos. As she speaks to him, she also signs with her hands. While many people would slow or even stumble when trying to speak in two languages at once, she betrays not even the slightest unease. "Now, if you would be so kind, I would now like to hear your account of what you have learned."
The doorwoman looks over the wayfinder carefully. She gives a final nod of approval. "Very well. Welcome, Pathfinders." She allows you all inside but remains at her post at the door. In the entryway, you see a red-headed Ulfen woman in a fine tailored suit and a librarian bun giving instructions to another servants. She waves the girl off and comes up to you. "Ah, the Pathfinders. The Lady has been expecting you. My name is Jemina, and I am her estate manager. I shall escort you to her study." She adjusts her glasses, then leads you up. As you ascend, you all notice that the estate is absolutely filled with books, but in a curious way: they are meticulously integrated into the decor in ways that leave them accessible but aesthetically pleasing. Books with fine, detailed cover illustrations take the place of paintings on the walls, statues are posed holding books, and the light of everburning torches is filtered through illuminated scrolls, and so forth. Every book is nevertheless completely accessible, at least to a wizard of Lady Darchana's stature. Jemina turns back to you all, as if anticipating a question. She also appears to have noticed Wertlos's deafness and thus makes sure he can see to read her lips, which are in a self-satisfied smile. "The Lady rotates books out as she comes to use them. I have no idea how she keeps track of which text is where, but I have never heard of her misplacing a single one." When you reach the third floor, she unlocks the study door and leads you in. The walls of the study are inset with bookshelves that are brimming with texts of all varieties. A large drawing table in the middle of the room bears an unrolled map of the Inner Sea region. At the far end of the study stands an impressive darkwood desk, and seated behind it is a woman dressed in midnight-blue robes. Her piercing gray eyes look expectantly at Jemina. The estate manager softly clears her throat. "Senior Lesser Councilwoman, Archdean of the Arcanaimirium, Second Spell Lord of Absalom, Lady Darchana of House Madinani, please receive these agents of the Master of Spells Aram Zey of the Pathfinder Society." Lady Darchana beckons with a short hand movement. "Pathfinders, join me. That is all, Jemina." She folds her hands together and waits for Jemina to close the door behind her, then continues. "After my conversation with Master Zey, he agreed by necessity to keep the details that were passed on to you to a minimum. I am keenly interested to hear what you were able to learn based on what you were provided." As she utters that last sentence, Lady Darchana focuses all of her attention on Anis. She waits for you all to be seated, then speaks again, this time directly to Anis. "If you would be so kind as to relay to me what you know."
You are able to easily travel to Lady Darchana's estate in the Petal District. A tall wall of polished stone surrounds the three-story property and its gardens, and many of the plants have arcane or alchemical uses in addition to their aesthetic value. The doorwoman, a tall Tien woman with faintly orcish features, looks the group over with an amused expression. "I presume you are Lady Darchana's expected guests. If so, do you possess any manner by which I could confirm your identities?"
Mahdi walks over to the Ms.'s and pets them each. "Finally, someone who shows some respect for the humble Majhub Mahdi, who is just doing his best to make money in a cruel world. I will do this for you and give the lady a refund."
Mahdi rears back and his eyes bulge as the party unleashes some well-deserved chastisement to him, but the resiliant Mahdi bounces back after those two leave, instead turning to Suna. "A refund!? That would be most irregular. I do not do refunds no, no, no. I know this is an odd situation, but I must think of my business! It complicates things so, so much, yes?"
Mahdi holds up his hands in surrender. "I have no idea! She just brings whatever she brings! You'll have to ask her what happened. I really don't know anything! I try not to ask questions as she gets very angry when provoked. You don't provoke Okeno pirates if you want to keep living without shackles, you know?"
Mahdi smiles. "Yes, yes! I remember now. I normally would ask money for such valuable information, but you are so pleasant and good at fighting people who upset you, that we can just forget about it this time, yes?"[/b[ He carefully walks around the glass on the floor and retieves a ledger from inside his desk. He flips through it quickly, though he is careful to not let anyone else look at it, then taps it triumphantly. [b]"Atlag came through an infrequent supplier. A ship captain named Waheeda Wardak. Her ship, the At Sea, has the very distinctive yellow sails used by the Okeno pirates, you know? I am expecting another shipment from her tomorrow, in fact! The At Sea should be docking tonight, if it hasn't already arrived!" He bites his lip as he looks over the entry further, his fingers tapping against the desk. "Also, um, please don't be mad about this next part! I am telling you in the interest of friendship and honesty." He pauses as he figures out the right way to word it, then spits it all out at once. "TheresenslavedPathfindersinthenextshipment."
Mahdi cranes his neck up to make sure everything has quieted and his tormenters are gone. He stands up and straightens out his clothes before throwing open his arms and smiling. "Hello, new friends! You said you wanted to talk with me, yes? Let us talk! We can have wine. You like wine, yes? We all need wine after all that, don't we? Haha, of course. I know I do, haha!" He brushes some of the broken glass on the floor aside and pulls out another bottle of wine.
Wertlos's spear offers little threat this time to Mezuk, and the lack of an opening leans Zahnlos unable to connect. Mezuk takes a step back, pulls out a potion, and quaffs it, hoping the potion can do something to keep him conscious enough to run away. GM Rolls:
Between bad luck and the fire though, he falls. His "comrade" almost begins moving into the doorway to attack Suna, but stops once he hears Mezuk fall to the ground, his greatsword clattering against the floor. He peeks around the corner, salutes with his dagger, and smiles. He speaks with mock incredulity. "I wonder what could have happened to Mezuk. I literally didn't see anything. Oh well. He must have overdid it again." He then sprints off.
Ms. Pearl's alchemist fire explodes in Mezuk's face, dousing him in fire. He roars in rage and rushes after the retreating Pathfinders. "You'll pay for that!" GM Rolls:
But in his anger and the pain of the fire, his sword chops into the ceiling on his backswing as he wound up to strike at Ms. Pearl. GM Rolls:
The cloaked man strikes out the window behind him with a shatter, then attempts to jump through it. Unfortunately for him, jumping through a broken window of that size with both hands full isn't exactly easy, and a loud "OW F!#$." lets everyone know that his maneuver didn't go as deftly as planned. Bold is Up Suna Shima -2 (Round 4)
Suna's attack just barely misses striking Mezuk in the shoulder, his reflexes being the only thing that saved him from a nasty wound. Zahnlos's attack is only slightly less successful. GM Rolls:
As Suna moves out, she is slightly too slow to avoid Mezuk's greatsword slamming into her and leaving a nasty streak of blood splattered on the floor. Faced now with Zahnlos, a wolf, Mezuk and his lackey both try to recenter and strike at their new foe. GM Rolls:
Their strikes are too high to deal any harm to Zahnlos, though. Suna Shima -11 (Round 3)
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