A few moments after the end of Cydric's story, the orc returns using a different door than the one he previously exited and, with a gesture, invites the group to move through it. As they do, the group finds themselves in a medium-sized reading room with not enough seats for all. Inside, sits a woman.
After all enter, she doesn't get up to say "Oh, it's good that you're here. You are to accompany Chom who will show you to our cellar. He will give you all the details you need. Your priority is to preserve the house's structure, but if you do manage to find that girl, I suppose that wouldn't be so bad. It's hard to find help these days." The orc responds to the name 'Chom', making clear that it is him.
The captain eases his position and even offers the group some refreshments once they're on the ship. The crew seems pretty much indifferent to them as they have a lot on their hands.
The trip to Magnimar happens with no issues. The sun rises above the mountains and promises a warm day. The sea provides an easy breeze that makes the sun's warmth pleasant.
Perception DC 20:
At some point in the trip, you can actually see the cliff where Aldern's mansion sits. It feels like the sun is shining brighter there.
The captain holds the helm with a relaxed hand the entire way. He clearly enjoys this.
The ship docks in Magnimar without any problems. However, there are only half a dozen boxes unloaded in the city and the captain goes to talk to an older dockworker.
Before the group stands Magnimar, city of monuments, with its bustling culture and freedom, where one could come to find their fortune or their ruin. Please find a picture of an overlook on the campaign header.
The city is divided in districts. The ones on the lower level are typically associated with more criminal activity and poorer houses, while the upper ones are richer. The wharf is perhaps in between, with so much commerce that it could disorient any Sandpoint resident.
After winding down the stairs, the group sets out towards the mentioned house. The way out of the Grand Lodge is short as usual and leaving its gates still feels like leaving the safety of a mother's arms.
The way is easy. The morning is starting to be filled by the typical goings of the city, the smell of fresh bread is felt and the shouts of merchants who are confident to have the best fresh produce of the season are heard.
The house itself is easy to find. The name 'Prenfold' is written below a coat of arms just above the main door. The construction is clearly old, but has been renewed quite a few times.
Knowledge (architecture and engineering) DC 15:
The renewals are, themselves, old. The antiquated styling choices give it away. You estimate that it's been over a 100 years since the last time the house was renewed in a major fashion.
After ringing the door, an old orc butler opens the door after a while. He bows his head slightly and, after confirming the group's identity, invites the group to enter. In the lobby, he says slowly with a deep, yet unemotional voice "Please, wait here while I inform lady Prenfold of your arrival." He disappears through a door.
The following morning, the group turns up to the Garundian ship. It is still before sunrise, but the crew is already waiting impatiently for their passengers. They are greeted by the captain, a thin half-elf, with many scars on the face and missing half the left ear. "There you are. I hope you bring good fortune if you can sleep so long every night.", he says with a sneer.
Ulisses says "Of course, let me get what I have from my stores.", then gets up and out towards the staircase. He opens the closed door that wasn't the restroom with a key from his belt and spends a few moments inside. Coming back with a sack, he drops it on the table and says "This is what I could find. Sorry, no tanglefoot bags."
Rummaging through it:
There are 3 alchemist's fire, 1 acid flask, 4 antivenom and a vial of holy water inside.
He, then addresses other questions "You'll find the Prenfold residence in the Eastgate district, the last house on the westernmost street of the district before the Petal District. As far as salvaging... I don't expect there being anything to be salvaged. Since you're going into their house, everything you find inside is Prenfold property." He thinks for a bit and says "You could, of course, ask them for a reward after you rid them of their problems, but your work has already been brokered between them and the society, so they won't exactly 'owe' you anything.", and he makes air quotes when he says the word "owe".
Sense Motive DC 15:
He stopped to think for a bit too long before the last part.
He continues answering "There shouldn't be anyone to save from what I understood."
I've been neglecting the loot sheet. I hope to update it this week, including the stuff you got in the sanatorium. You'll be able to retcon that, if you like.
Ulisses replies "I'm not sure about the specifics, but it seems that they can't enter their basement due to this problem. I can't assume any type of problem, but from the description I received, the numbers isn't in the 'hundreds', so to say. However, I wouldn't want you to be unprepared just because the problem wasn't properly described. I can provide you with a few vials of alchemist's fire, although I don't have many at my disposal at the moment."
As all arrive, Ulisses gets up and says "Welcome all, and thank you for answering the call." He seems sincere as he continues "I hope our work together will be very fruitful, and we find our glory."
He waits to see how the group reacts and says "My name is venture-captain Ulisses. I have a few... leftover tasks that I managed to collect. If all goes well, we'll be able to show our worth to the Grand Lodge. The first of our tasks is right here in Absalom. A certain aristocrat has some pest problem and has asked the society to rid of it. Their name is Prenfold, you may know them."
Knowledge (local) or (nobility) DC 15:
They are a minor family of merchant, known to be penny pinchers.
All right, that's settled. The player with the best Eye of the Tiger parody featuring Rise of the Runelords gets a free magic item with little mechanical effect. The criteria for choosing the best will depend on my mood during reading.
The young man smiles and says "Yes, that's me. You would be... Radana... Correct?" He continues "I don't see you that way. To me, a lot of Pathfinders are perfectly capable, but there is so much going on in a mission that sometimes things go sideways and nobody is at fault. I think everyone who's coming here has great potential, and together we'll see it flourish." He punctuates with a nod.
The mayor replies "Yes, I could also arrange passage for you on a ship if you prefer." She takes a look around, as if acknowledging the town hall's reception for the first time, walks over to the front desk and searches a few drawers and she is satisfied with one. She pulls out a sheet of paper and spends some time writing on it with the desk's fountain pen. After she's done signing it, she pulls out an envelope from the same drawer and puts the letter inside it. She takes out a small keychain from her belt to open a cabinet behind the desk. After looking in it for a few moments, she exclaims "Ah, here it is!", and pulls out a wax stick and a seal. She uses the candle she's carrying to melt a bit of the wax and seals the letter. After putting everything back into place, she hands the sealed letter to Arrian and says with a smile "Take this to Keleri Deverin. She's my cousin. You'll find her in the Capital District. She'll arrange accommodation for you."
Isolated Sense Motive DC 25:
Is that smile a bit devilish?
As Arrian requests supplies, she pauses for a moment, then says "Of course, please list what you need."
Cummulative Sense Motive DC 15:
It's obvious the mayor wants to help, but one can see her making mental calculations of the resources lost for the town, that isn't filthy rich in the first place. She also has to consider one of its most prominent industries has greatly fallen off track recently, namely the Glassworks.
Cummulative Sense Motive DC 25:
Her pause is deliberate, as if she expects the group to realize that the heroes known as "Arrian's raiders" aren't exactly subsidized by the town of Sandpoint, although the town does owe the group much gratitude.
Read: She made the previous spoiler a low DC on purpose.
It occurs to you that mayor Deverin is very respectful of the written law, and an official patronage was never explicitly signed, which makes unofficial donations hard for her to do. One can only wonder what she could be thinking to rectify this.
She ends saying "I know that a Garundian ship is set to sail tomorrow before dawn, and their first stop is Magnimar. If you want to be on it, just say the word."
The following day, each person in the group goes up to the building as instructed. Inside, the stairway going up to the third floor doesn't actually have any openings before the third floor. Reaching it, there are only three rooms. One is very obviously a room to relieve oneself, which has the door closed and locked. The second door is also closed. The third room has its door opened and the door frame is a bit more decorated, making it more inviting. It bears the Glyph of the Open Road.
Stepping inside this door, there is a room that is clearly meant for meeting and conference, while another closed door can be seen on the far wall. At the head of the center long table sits a young man clad in high quality chainmail armor. He bears striking resemblance to venture-captain Valsin, although he's much younger. He acknowledges each person entering and points to a few clay jugs sitting on a smaller table by one of the windows, with matching glasses. They carry fresh water.
Sense Motive DC 25 OR Craft (Armor) DC 15:
Although the young man can wear the armor, he isn't entirely comfortable in it.
@Juri: I think this is still happening yesterday, nobody rested yet, afaik.
Mayor Deverin says "That sounds horrible! I fear... I fear this is a lot more than I can manage with the town's resources. It seems that Magnimar is, indeed, your next stop if you want... if you will... stop whatever this Xanesha is planning to do. What can I do to help? For one, I think I can arrange for accommodation for you while you're there, would that help?"
It is known that venture-captain Valsin has acquired the loyalty of a Garundian woman that proved herself in combat a few times. Her name is not widely known, but you've heard that she responds to Vash'j, but gets annoyed when her name is mis-pronounced. Apparently you're supposed to say Vash and end with a punctuated 'j', but sometimes it's hard to accomplish.
Rumor has it, they bed together, but there seems to be no hard evidence for this rumor.
Finally, you're fairly sure she isn't 'officially' a Pathfinder.
Cydric:
This dark-skinned woman sure looks like she can handle herself in a fight.
Feel free to roll Sense Motive if you want a read on her.
I'll let you finish the scene in case you want to do it smoothly.
The mayor listens to the story in silence. At some points, she tries to interrupt, but her mind seems to be running in overclock fast so she doesn't. As Arrian and Ethan finish their recount, she stumbles a bit looking at the floor. She's clearly stunned.
(Arrian only) If you fail a DC 10 Wis check:
Since your connection to Cayden Cailean is more mysterious than the typical cleric, there are aspects of your powers that you don't fully understand and may even be unaware of. Could it be that you inadvertently struck the mayor with a stunning attack? This could be worth investigating.
She eventually regains her composure and says "Wow, that's a lot. I, uh... don't really know that much about the Foxgloves. And their family's heritage isn't really here in Sandpoint, I doubt there'd be records here. This isn't really something I can rule over. If you want to claim the manor, you must do it legally. For that you'd have to find the deed to the estate, and go over the correct procedure, probably in Magnimar where a magistrate can ensure that all the documentation is in order."
She breathes deeply and says "What I do know is that building has a bit of a bad reputation. After your story, it seems that the reputation is warranted, clearly the place was strongly haunted and probably caused a lot of harm to less capable... entrepreneurs. I doubt that the house will be visited in the short term, people mostly avoid that place."
I considered handling two subjects in this conversation at the same time, but I think it's better to move slower now to make sure none of the subject tramples the other.
All can roll for the following spoiler, but please remember to react accordingly to where you are physically.
Int DC 15:
Something occurs to you. In the Foxglove manor, there was a room with portraits of the family members. In that room, there was a haunt that made each portrait show horrible things happening to its subjects.
As you make some effort to remember some of the portraits individually, you recall that Aldern's portrait showed him becoming more undead-like. It seemed to show what actually happened to him, as his final form living the anime life closely resembled his haunted portrait. So, if the haunt showed the true demise of each family member, then it becomes fairly relevant the fact that two portraits showed two women not dying during the haunt's attack.
The revelry in the inn diminishes to hear Rashk's song. After he's done, he receives quite a few offers for free drinks from content Pathfinders. Curiously, the excitement doesn't restart at the same level as before.
Out of nowhere, Valsin seems to see some sort of cue, as he gets up and approaches the discussing group.
Li Mui:
You notice as another person approaches you. It's a strong woman who tells you "If you'd please approach that table..." and gestures to the group of Pathfinders that Valsin seems to be coming to.
You can attempt a Knowledge (local) or Lore (Pathfinder Society) to try and know who she is.
A woman with thick strong arms steps next to the venture-captain shortly after he arrives. Valsin waits until his presence is noted, for the group to stop speaking and says "Hello, young Pathfinders. I have a task for you, if you want a chance to do better at this organization." The venture-captain seems to know that every single Pathfinder in this group needs help with this. He continues "Tomorrow, a new venture-captain wants to start his promising career here at the Grand Lodge. Seeing that all... successful... Pathfinders already have their own contacts, this is mutually beneficial for you and him. I've taken care of informing your usual venture-captains about this, so that you won't have competing tasks."
It seems like Valsin has already arranged things in a way that it's not much of a suggestion. It feels more like pressure. He finishes "Report tomorrow to venture-captain Ulisses. You'll find him in an office on the third floor of the small building next to the Statue of Durvin Gest. It's the only office in that floor." Finishing that, he leaves, followed by the woman.
Wisdom DC 15:
Typically, venture-captains are introduced with their last names. You find it strange that Valsin didn't mention Ulisses' last name.
The mayor seems to be locking up some things. It looks like she's calling it a day. She looks up as Donimah enters and let's out a smile as she says "Oh, you're here! I take this is a good sign, that you figured out what's going on, and put a stop to it?" Her words feel genuine, but she lets a little bit of fear show.
Ok, fever is down. Today she is still staying home, but having a good night's sleep makes all the difference. I'll start reading on gameplay and get things rolling again. Thank you for your patience.
It is a busy night at the Grand Lodge. Many Pathfinders are celebrating their recent victories and drinking their pocket change in the Flying Monkey inn. Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin sits at a table grinning as the organization is thriving.
Donimah thinks the boy is called Ian or Jon. There's a tiny chance he's called Agamemnon, but that could have been from a dream.
He replies "Yeah! Life's good, isn't it?" He isn't sure he should continue the conversation. At first glance, it doesn't look like he recognizes Donimah.
@Li Mui: I agree, we should try and keep things civil. I'd like to avoid PvP as much as possible. To be honest, I know Cyrano's player from another game and they're the chillest player ever, so I doubt this will be a problem. Being Pathfinder agents should guide the group to a common goal, even if there could be fun banter happening. If anyone feels uncomfortable with any part, I encourage you to let me know and I will shut it down immediately.
I think Cyrano's alignment in the sheet is just mistyped, or it was copied from another character and wasn't updated.
So, the only thing I'd ask in terms of background for the Pathfinder Society is that all PCs aren't exactly widely successful in the organization. You could be new recruits without a lot of successes to count, or you could be a long time member that hasn't really delivered, or maybe a long-time employee, like an assistant quartermaster or a cleaner, that has only recently decided to become an adventurer.
The gist is that early on you're going to be recruited to do some work for a nepo baby venture-captain who's trying to make a name for himself. For each PC personally, this could mean fast tracking their career getting close to a potentially high profile leader, or it could mean following clear, unambiguous orders that surely will benefit society at large. And we'll go from there!
The people of Sandpoint are generally in a good mood. The coming of Spring surely brings the best of moods and people are working hard, but it's already the end of the day, which means that people are already tired, hoping to get a good meal and rest. The inns are already full.
Perception DC 15:
There are more guards than usual, and all of them are assigned to be walking in pairs. It looks like the extra guards that sheriff Hemlock acquired in his trip to Magnimar during the Nualia crisis are being put to use.
Sense Motive DC 25:
Some people seem to notice that something is going on and are more wary. However the sight of the party makes them shift their mood positively.
Alicia finds it a bit hard to get Ameiko's attention since she is rushing between table to wait on them, but the calls for her performance are already showing. Still, Ameiko tells her "You gotta tell me all about it, hun, and also on your storytelling skills. I can help you with that." Alicia can't tell if she's flirting.
Ano finds that the house that the group inherited is exactly as they left it, although some dust has gathered. A bath still needs to be prepared, but all appliances work correctly.
Juriya finds her way back home unencumbered. Her parents are in the workshop trying to make sense of a formula on a piece of parchment. They're so deep into it that they don't notice her entering.
Arrian, Ethan and Donimah reach the town hall as a young man is leaving. Arrian and Donimah recognize him as a young man who wanted a job there. He seems to be in a good mood.
The worst part about these recruitment is decision paralysis. You know that you're going to have to eventually let people down. It's a growing experience...
Anyway, welcome all, I agree, this is going to be fun. I usually have little time to post on weekends, so expect updates to come more often during the week. I do not have much expectation for your guys' posting rate, but if, for some reason, I need to bot you frequently during combat, I ask that you add some botting guideline in your character sheet. If you want to add one even if you have a high posting rate just to be sure, that's fine too.
I ask everyone to double check their sheets so that I can take another look before we start. As for level up hit points, we'll be doing half of max rounded up, which also includes our level 2.
I'm going to add an extra house rule here. Since the entire initial purpose of this game is for me to exercise encounter choices in terms of balance, there may be encounters that seem too easy, and others too hard. Considering that I may want to push some limits, I don't want to worry about going too overboard and killing a perfectly fun and good character. However, I don't want to use Hero Points because those have many uses. So I'm introducing another mechanic which I'll call Plot Armor. Basically each PC has 1 Plot Armor Point and at any point where the character would die, they can expend their point to "not die". This could mean they stabilize at exactly 1 damage before hitting negative Con, or a save vs. a death effect turns from failure to success, anything that is appropriate. We can add some fun fluff like some lazy writing in a movie to represent the in universe use of the point. Each character can have a maximum of 1 point, and it only refreshes at level up.
So, if you guys want to coordinate knowing each other previously, this would be a good time to do it.
Walking back to Sandpoint is a very peaceful trek. Without the pressure for time, the group can actually appreciate the view. The air is cool and a breeze makes the hairs stand up, but the sun is a warm welcome.
The town of Sandpoint is starting its evening routine as the group approaches the southern gate. Brodert Quink is doing his typical recount of made up tales about Thassilon to the farmers' children. All look at the Sandpoint heroes with admiration, but still a bit of worry at their less than chirpy demeanor.
After being fully tempted to open more slots, I have to sometimes let it go. Thank you very much for all the effort put into this. Would the characters
Lickspittle
Radana Alaris
Guzzlah
Li Mui
Rashk
Cyrano de St. Cyr
please post in Discussion. Everyone else, thanks again, and we'll hopefully see each other around here.
@Arrian: This is a hazard and doesn't usually come with a knowledge check, but it makes sense that someone with knowledge should know about this. I'd rule your 26 is good enough.
Arrian:
This is yellow mold, dangerous to those who approach it. It can be made dormant with sunlight and damaged with fire.
@Ethan: Remember that every time you cast consecrate you need to deduct one of its material components that you previously bought.
@Arrian: You may have missed this. In this post, there was a letter that you found that may give an interesting clue.
The group spends an entire day combing through the abandoned house.
A take 20 is completely applicable here, but it takes an entire 24hs.
Things the group find in the mansion:
On the ground floor, the monkey head that is hanging on the wall is actually magical. There's an attached rope to it. When it's pulled, the monkey head screams loudly, enough that it will be heard all through the house. One can imagine this was used to signal the start of dinner.
There's also a washroom on the groundfloor. Inside a bathtub, there's a diseased rat. upon entering the room, it tries to attack whoever's there, but cannot get out of the tub. The rat is easy enough to kill. Thinking about it for a few seconds, the group remembers that on the first floor there was also a washroom with a very fragile floor. If it were to break with someone on it, that someone would fall into this tub with the rat.
Another thing that the group notices is that all the haunts are gone from every single room, even those rooms that the group hasn't visited yet.
Next to the kitchen, the group walks into a wine cellar. Although it is mostly empty, a careful examination reveals eight bottles of fine wine from the famed Vigardeis vineyard. Arrian knows that each goes for 100gp. If Jargie could get his hands on these, he could probably steal some business from Ameiko.
In one of the caverns, the group fights an undead bat. It is vicious and the fight is nasty, however the group prevails.
This was a CR 5 encounter, but it makes not sense to play it out. It has AC 18 and 58hp. It's probably down in 1 round. Its only real threat would have been a disease with Fort DC 16 with a 1/day save. It's still not worth the hassle.
In the cave's bat there are three long dead Varisian nomads.
Knowledge local DC 20:
You recognize one of them as the corpse of the notorious one-armed bandit Shaz "Redshiv" Bilger, suspected of organizing the robbery of nearly two dozen merchant convoys along the Lost Coast Road over the past decade. There's a 500gp reward in Magnimar to be presented to anyone who can bring proof of his death.
In these remains, there's a few items to be found. A pearl ring worth 300gp, an adamantine longsword, a magical hat and 56gp in a small pouch.
Detect Magic + Spellcraft DC 16:
It's a hat of Disguise.
In another cave, there's some mold on the wall. There's some pickaxes thrown on the floor and one of them seems particularly well made.
Approaching the pickaxes:
Being close to the mold is very dangerous.
Roll a DC 15 Fort save vs poison. Failure means you take 1d3 ⇒ 3 Constitution damage and must roll again every round for 5 rounds until you succeed. At each failure, roll 1d3 for your Con damage.
One of the picks is magical.
Detect Magic + Spellcraft DC 18 for the spoiler below:
