Gauntlet of Sharn's page

Gauntlet doesn't really read much, but is more than willing to keep an eye out for new books that Brennus may be interested in.

For his week, Gauntlet will probably do research on wherever the statue is kept, with various ways to possibly move the statue (both normal and magical- Maybe we can make some golem-like 'spider legs' we can attach to the statue so it can walk itself out?).

Maybe try to figure out an 'Ocean's Eleven' way to steal the statue...and if he can he will pull Mickey into the process to get this accomplished. Even if it was to just shoot down bad ideas...

Gauntlet nods.

Sense Motive(Unskilled): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

"That is sufficient. I will help work towards a true answer to this dilemma. Thank you for being honest with us and trusting us with the truth. Knowing the stakes at hand give us more incentive than you realize I fear."

Gauntlet replies carefully.

"Not with me. If they want my help then I need to know more. I've done too many paying jobs for people wanting to keep me in the dark and then they let me and my compatriots twist in the wind behind enemy lines when things go badly. They want us to do this for a...vague promise of something? Well, I want payment up front and a promise for as much intel as they can give us. This isn't our responsibility or problem. If they want our help...and they obviously want our help...then I insist on more. Now. I really don't think this is asking too much. This is my point of negotiation: Prove to us this statue is a danger to Sharn and all innocent people near here...give us the intel we need...and I will seriously consider what you are asking. I don't mind doing the right thing here, but I need to KNOW its the right thing here. Its possible the statue merely holds an agent of chaos they just don't happen to like. Or an old vendetta perhaps? I apologize if I seem unhelpful or unworthy to you. But I have made my mind up. Tell your masters my terms for MY help. I can't speak for the rest of my compatriots here, but they can decide for themselves what they want to do from here on. I know my mind."

”I want to know who it is. Or what. What’s in or connected to the statue? Is that not allowed to ask? You are asking a lot from us, with us risking our lives and our reputation on just your word. here. I want details. If not from you, then contact someone else who can. We will be waiting.”

Looking at Ratchet, Gauntlet explains the statue’s size and asks for his opinion.

”Could your portals move the statue? How far?”

Remind me...how big and heavy is the statue?

Nodding, Gauntlet gets the gist of the Lantern’s point.

”I’ve always had a weird feeling about that statue. Getting the statue back or destroying it would be difficult at this point.”

Gauntlet's not worried about a man's hair. It can grow back.

He starts heading to Mickey P's for now...slowly. He's not in any hurry yet.

Looking back at the Lantern Archon, Gauntlet would raise an eyebrow if he had one at the creature’s request. Instead he just shrugged.

”Sounds overly complicated, but if you insist, you and Frank are welcome to walk along as we travel so you can explain yourself.”

Nodding at the answers to his questions and then staying quiet while the others replied, Gauntlet finally speaks again pointing out the obvious.

"I never asked 'WHY'. We all had a very good idea 'WHY' you did it all. That was one of the easiest things to deduce of course. I was more interested in the 'HOW' of it all. Your real mistake here was to attack Drummer without help or stronger magics. My kind are tougher than most as I've stated before...although you weren't here for that."

He then turns and walks back a bit, leaving the woman a bit of space.

"Justice? Revenge? Such things are like clocks: Unless you see how the system works, they are just a means to an end and a waste of time. Rather than opening the clock up and trying fix things from the inside, you rail at the clock for doing its job to tell the inevitable...mercilessly and without caring. The harder thing would have been to fix the system that let you and and your daughter down. Instead you took the easy way out and tried to scream at it that its telling the wrong time. The clock doesn't care what you do, its job is to tell time and nothing else. It has no idea if it is telling the correct time. 'THAT' is up to the ones that make it and maintain it. You needed to scream at the clock-makers and the ones that set the clock in the first place. If that didn't work, you should have found a way to infiltrate the clock's inner workings and fix it yourself. Such an inefficient waste of your potential! Your abilities are obviously substantial, and could have been put to better use in your daughter's name... Instead you have become a murderer and an assassin. You are now no better than those who let your daughter die in the first place. Worse possibly? What would your daughter think of you now I wonder? Regardless, your revenge plot is at an end. I would wish you well, but I suspect that is not to be. So I will just wish you luck ma'am. My sincere condolences about your daughter: My kind cannot have children, but I understand the bonds of family somewhat."

He then turns to the officer in the room.

"I mill make sure the invoice for our activities gets to your office by tomorrow. I should go. I need to check on Micky. Leaving him alone too long is never a great idea. One day he will drink himself to death...but hopefully not any day soon."

With that he waves at the others in thanks.

"Brennus? Did you want to stay with me and Mickey again? You are a welcome house guest if you wish to do so again. Either way, see you all tomorrow."

Probably with some good investigative rolls is my guess. We just weren't getting the right ones at the right times.

Stepping up to lift the manacled woman to her feet, Gauntlet dismisses his blade back to wherever it came.

”I only have a couple of questions…what wait so long for your revenge? Were you learning the skills you needed to perform the assaults? Magic use? Did you have any accomplices? Also, why was there flour at each scene?”

At this point he looks around for signs of flour in the area of struggle…

Unsure of the situation and not seeing any enemies yet, Gauntlet spends his action summoning his mind-blade in his favorite shape, a wicked-looking falcata made from an amethyst-like crystal, then looking around for any targets.

Spending 2 points from Psychic Pool to create a Mindblade: +1 Keen Falcata

Well done GM! Logistics and scale were never my strong suit when I GM…

Cole doesn’t have Knowledge Religion, but he did just see pieces of a skull in the other room and it might resemble this thing…

Int Check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Nope.

Not knowing if Brennus can hear him or not, Gauntlet replies out loud!

“Understood! Moving to intercept!”

He then turns to Frank. ”Drummer is under attack!”

Casting his spell to speed his feet, Gauntlet takes off like a lightning rail engine at full speed, while easily leaping over small obstacles that get in his way.

With no leads to go on, Gauntlet would probably stay in place.

Gauntlet waits patiently for one of the more mobile group members to alert him to a probable target and a place to move to.

Stick with communicators for now I think. Although the augments give me vibes...

Activation!

Ouch. I have Craft Armor so I can repair myself, but that won’t help me there. Even with a +5 bonus, my chances of activating it would be low. My body slot is already taken (magical Docent) and my armor is built into my body I think.

"Works for me," Ratchet said with a shrug. "There's a hole in that plan though. If Drummer ends up being the target, one of our stakeout groups is probably going to be left out of the action."

"Hopefully making a big show of adding extra protection to Drummer will steer the killer our way."

"It will help that Drummer is warforged. We are tougher and harder to kill than most creatures by design. Therefore less likely a direct target...initially anyway."

Can you make anything that can increase our foot speed or give temporary flight? That would be excellent.

I think keeping the protected target unknowing about the protection is the best bet. He will act more normally that way.

We should keep the rest unaware too. If the wife leaves, we should have someone ready who can follow her the most easily without being noticed...but I suspect she might be targeted last since the attacker seems to wait until their targets are home alone first.

We could hire House Deneith to protect one of the potential targets, but we tell them to make it semi-obvious. The murderer will think that target hired them and hopefully that will force them to focus on the other two targets. Then we only have to watch the other two targets ourselves.

We just slept overnight after the last murder, why do you need to rest?

Sorry. I've slept since then...

However we want to do the groups/locations is fine. Just remember I’m fairly slow until I can rest for more spell slots. Luckily sitting quietly is perfect rest for a Forged.

”Then we have a plan? Let us break into 4 teams, and each team watches over a possible target. Anything suspicious happens, fire a flare into the air. Try to avoid setting an accidental fire in the process… If you catch a glimpse of the assailant, fire a second flare? That sounds appropriate.”

He takes a couple of flares.

”We may only get a single chance at this. So keep your wits about you and stay alert. Join me Brennus? We make a good team I think.”

Gauntlet points out the obvious.

”Unless we just split up and each of us take one of the potential victims. Communication would be useful, but not technically necessary to foil this villain’s plan. Perhaps simple magical alchemical flares would suffice? Single shot devices that can be fired in the air and therefore send off a warning to the others?”

How about we talk to them, explain the situation, and tell them their best bet is to gather in one place so they can be easily protected?

This is our best bet.

If not, maybe the Watch could loan us some Sending Stones?

Sending Stones
Wondrous Item, uncommon

Once Sending is cast using either stone, the stones can’t be used again until the next dawn. If one of the stones in a pair is destroyed, the other one becomes nonmagical.

Nodding easily, Gauntlet agrees with Ratchet.

"We need to report this and get the remaining possible victims somewhere they can be safer."

Rest sounds good.

Once he gets there, Gauntlet will look dismayed at the death, but will still look around for clues...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

He will focus on the 'flour'...see if he can determine what it might have been used for, or a result of, within the confines of the 'kill zone'. The man was a cook. Is there any flour stored in his personal kitchen/pantry? Is it related to the spill at all (same type of flour?), or is it completely separate type? (Wheat flour vs...say...rice flour?) Etc...

Knowledge(Arcana) -How does fl;our interact with magic usually? Like can it be used to reveal invisible things?: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Spellcraft - Are there any spells or rituals that use flour as part of the casting/usage?: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

We may have in the past. The GM has his own version of them.

Storyteller Shadow's House Rules for Hero Points! (If he allows them here?)

Hero Point Mechanics:
1) One permanent Hero Point may be used to avoid a final death scenario allowing a narrow cinematic escape,
2) One temporary Hero Point may be used if you are between -1 and -9 hit points to stabilize yourself to prevent further blood loss,

3) Temporary Hero Points may be expended to power Feats. These grant a lasting bonus for a one scene or one round duration depending on the feat description,

4) One temporary Hero Point grants a character a chance to supplement their d20 roll by 1d6 and add the result (whatever it was - no re-roll) to the d20 result,

Progression system:
Level 1-10 1d6,
Level 11-20 2d6,
Level 21-?? 3d6. and

5) No more than one Hero Point may be expended per round.

Optional rules mostly in the form of New Feats for Hero Points:

Arcane Surge (Prerequisites - Arcane Class) (Allows wielder to increase a spell DC by 3 for 1 round by expending a Hero Point),

Attune Item (Prerequisites - A Weapon of Legacy) (Allows wielder to expend one hero point to add +3 to attack and damage for the scene with chosen item),

Defensive Ward (Prerequisites - Dodge) (Allows wielder to expend one hero point to give yourself a +3 Luck bonus to AC for the scene),

Divine Surge (Prerequisites - Divine Class) (Allows wielder to increase a spell DC by 3 for 1 round by expending a Hero Point),

Heroic Feat (Prerequisites - None) (Any saving throw successfully made 10 points above an effects DC automatically allows the character to regain 1 used Hero Point),

Heroic Grace (Prerequisite - None) (Allows wielder to expend one hero point to add +1 to all saving throws or +3 to one saving throw for one scene),

Heroic Quickness (Prerequisites - Improved Initiative) (Allows wielder to expend one hero point to add +3 to Initiative checks),

Manifesting Surge (Prerequisites - Psionic Class) (Allows wielder to increase a powers save DC by 3 for 1 round by expending a Hero Point).

...And I would not assume anything without talking to him first.

Second Day of Vult in the Year 998 YK - Sharn - FROM Mickey P's Humble Abode TO Corlina and Roctar's Apartment

Gauntlet

It will take you some time to get back to the others...

Gauntlet can cast Expeditious Retreat up to 5 times today in order to catch up with the others more quickly.

You arrive and find him sleeping on his couch, only a few bottles of beer are at his feet, he is reading the Sharn Inquisitive so that's a good sign. He looks fairly serene snoring away!

Gauntlet sighs and cleans up the bottles, carefully places a blanket on the sleeping man, and makes sure there is a small bowl of fruit nearby when he wakes...just in case he actually might bother to eat some solid food.

He then leaves to attempt to catch up with the others.

With nothing else going on, Gauntlet insists on going back to check on Mickey P. He suggests the others go meet up with the rest of the 'crew' on stalking duty. He will join them as soon as he's sure Mickey has not drunken himself to death, and is relatively safe.

Unless the aids at the Watch have any suggestions, Gauntlet agrees its time to move on.

"We will keep looking out for signs of the murderer, or of Ziki being in Sharn. But unless something else rears its head, I'm afraid this particular hydra is still hiding from us."

Nodding Gauntlet agrees.
”However she has had years to plot her revenge and gain access to the former circus performers. She may have been biding her time, or trying to finance her revenge, and only recently began. Pure speculation of course. Wroat? I’m not sure a journey there will help us here and now.”

Gauntlet introduces himself, his companions, and his mission. He then carefully alerts the guards to their goals for the local watch.

”We are not here to cause trouble or stir up problems. Merely looking for some solid facts about a possible suspect we have been hired to find.”

Gauntlet seems dispassionate on the subject.

"None of the ones I helped interview showed any signs of guilt or spiked any feelings of suspicion from me. I still think we should find the Changeling mother. Even if she had nothing to do with the murder, she might have an idea who it might be. The Sharn watch might be able to find records from the war about who she might be. The incident happened here in Breland, correct? There should be official records of it somewhere. I filled out enough forms to choke a mule each week when I was in the Last War."

”I have no problem staking out those we think are suspicious. If we find nothing, no harm done. Correct?”

I think the Changling is our primary suspect so far. Or someone she knows might be. We should talk to her.

Either way works for Gauntlet. He's not hungry...ever.

Not seeing anything else to discuss, Gauntlet thanks Drummer and suggests to the others that they leave him to his personal space. He turns back at the last second...

"If you can think of anything else, or...if someone attempts to remove you from this world...try contacting us or the local watch ASAP. They are alerted to this murderer and the possibility that it could lead to new killings, and should be able to help you directly or put you in contact with us if needs be."

My post got eaten!

Sense Motive(Unskilled): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Here’s hoping being a warforged gives me a bonus to see if he’s lying!

Moving closer, Gauntlet glances for a path through the junk.

”We are sorry for your loss. Do you know of any reason someone might have meant him harm?”

Nodding in recognition, Gauntlet waves casually.

”Greetings Drummer. We apologize for disturbing your personal time, but we come on a semi-important matter. We are currently under the employ of the Sharn watch and need to ask you some questions about a recent death of someone you might have known. Would it be ok to approach and speak further?”

Pointing out the obvious, Gauntlet sighs for effect…if not need.

”Simply getting a suspect of any sort is an improvement to what we had before. We should try and find the mother with the missing fingers and speak to her. Although if she is innocent, it will suck that we have to force her to deal with her tragedy again.”

”Stealing…or collecting the tattoos? This could be a murder for hire. It does show the signs of expert infiltration techniques. And I hesitate to think the murderer was just ‘lucky enough’ not to leave any signs of himself or his escape.”

If we have the time, we should interview Drummer. Sooner the better I feel. But Gauntlet doesn't eat either...

Using his natural intelligence, Gauntlet lets his brain lead his search among the stacks.

Intelligence: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21