Kayleigh considers Brig's question a bit before shaking her head. "Though that's certainly an outside possibility, I think it's more likely they came after Vencarlo for much the same reason we did: because he might have valuable information about the Queen and/or the missing seneschal. They probably want to silence him, though. Hiring assassins--especially ones dressed up like giant bugs--seems consistent with Queen Ileosa's dramatic personal tastes...I'm thinking of her Gray Maidens and bird-masked physicians."

Remembering that she's acually wearing one of those masks at the moment, Kayleigh removes it briefly to both get some fresh air and give one of her encouraging smiles to her friends.

HERE'S the post wherein Field Marshal Kroft gives us our mission for visiting Vencarlo, in case anyone else needs a quick refresher.

"So...Vencarlo is Blackjack?" Kayleigh thinks aloud. Not having heard much about Blackjack over her short lifetime (11 total on a Knowledge (local) roll about a year and a half ago), the young cleric finds she has nothing more to say about the discovery. Her mind does wander a bit, though.

I wonder if I could become as beloved by the people of Korvosa...the Whitejill, maybe. Protector of the downtrodden, healer of the wounded and diseased. General nice person. Encased in a snug suit of white-colored leather armor and a matching cape.... No--white would probably make me look fat. And I'm no celebrity, either. I think I'm happy just being Kayleigh the Healer, unheralded helper to her friends, the true Heroes of Korvosa.

And with that final thought, the young lady returns to the present and makes one final Kayleigh-like expression: "Huh!"

"My mom will probably ground me for life if she sees me in this condition," Becky replies with a pout.

Starflit seems temporarily dumbfounded that it's over. Eventually, she comes back to her normal self, and when Kyffin and Al suggest decompressing a bit at a pub, Starflits tags along, though she's no drinker nor (Yep--I'm gonna say it!) a social Butterfly. She tells the others that her plans are to visit the town of Thrushmoor to explain--at least to some extent--what has happened to Haserton Lowls and the larger world in general. She also meets with both Winter Klaczka and Cesadia Wrentz there to let them know that Lowls's former cronies--the incarcerated patients at the Briarstone Asylum that she'd pursued eastward--were no longer a threat to the world; in fact, they'd proven instrumental in bringing down mad Lowls and foiling his insane scheme.

From there, 'Flit says, she plans on returning to Corentyn to meet with her order there. She aims to brief her colleagues about the calamity that Lowls almost brought upon Golarion and then spend some time recording her experiences into the order's annals for posterity.

"Not sure what I'll do after that," she admits, running a hand through her hair. "Probably get a haircut," she laughs before again turning serious. "I guess I'll stay on the lookout for more threats from beyond. My organization knew that things lurked in that dark spaces between the stars but hoped they'd never threaten our world, at least not in our lifetimes. Now Lowls has proven that it's a very real possibility, and who's to say that there isn't another threat currently in the works...maybe even a Plan B from one of Lowls's cronies?"

The Black Butterfly's inquisitor gives each member of the group a big, fond farewell hug (Well...maybe a medium-sized one for Lothan) before parting ways with her comrades.

A quick congrats to mott, Kyffin, and Tristain for getting all the way through an AP together...as well as to the other players who played a part, both in crossing the finish line and moving the story in that direction before departing. That's an impressive accomplishment. It's been a joy playing with you all, and thanks for putting up with me when I went a bit flaky.

I'll likely do a wrap-up post in a day or three, with Starflit saying her goodbyes and well-wishes to the others, standing up Lothan on their date, etc. Then she'll head back to her Black Butterfly collective. She'll definitely put down her experience on paper, but for her organization's posterity--not for financial gain.

Again, big thanks to mott for running this AP (and inviting me to join), and I'd definitely be interested in a Hellbreakers campaign. I bought several of the Revised Core PDFs to finally make the switch to PF2 myself; then I bought the Daggerheart rules, convinced that Critical Role would be switching to that system for their Campaign 4. Now that they've revealed they'll be using the D&D 2024 rule system...I also bought the three core rulebooks for that system. If I carve out the time and have sufficient remaining brain cells for learning PF2 in more depth, I'd love to game with you all again.

Kayleigh gives up on trying to take prisoners and instead starts looting the fallen.

She'll cast detect magic to aid her in the process.

If Vedika doesn't cast glitterdust, then Kayleigh's gonna cast sound burst! The thugs are practically begging to have an AoE spell dropped on them.

Starflit recalls that blunt magical weapons can overcome a lich's damage resistance and calls that out to the others. She physically switches out her beloved starknife for a silver light mace her comrades may have never seen her wield before. At the same time, she mentally switches her Piercing judgment to Smiting. Lastly, she tries to tumble past the witch into position behind her...all the better to flank opposite Al and limit their foe's retreat options.

Starflit Knowledge (religion) Check (Monster Lore): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40

Starflit Acrobatics Check (to avoid AoO): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (19) + 22 = 41

I imagine those rolls will be replaced by ones in the 1-5 range once 'Flit actually tries to attack again....

With a shrug of her shoulders, Kayleigh removes the silver mace from her belt. One way or another, she'll be giving it to one of the thugs soon....

Becky is in the process of reaching out toward one of the wandering zombies, her index finger extended and ready to poke one of the undead, when Braxton gives his warning about not jostling the former crew. She slowly retracts her arm and then puts both her hands behind her back, perhaps not quite trusting her inquisitive nature to remain repressed for long.

When she sees the holy symbol Ankha's found, Becky gets excited, takes a deep breath, and then starts verbally rambling on, sharing her insights.

"Ooh! No--that's not Acavna's holy symbol; this one belongs to Elion, the Azlanti god dedicated to peace and prosperity, with an eye toward the gathering of information and knowledge about, well--everything! My kind of god! Oh yeah--he was also known to be a Goody-Goody fellow, kind of but not-so-much like me!"

The Know-It-All then casts detect magic, hoping to learn even more about the compass/holy symbol and/or anything else that might be stashed in this area of the sunken ship.

Becky Beys Knowledge (religion) Check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Lexi is a terrible combatant and relies on buffing her allies (mostly via her Naturalist ability) to win battles. That said, I'm trying to give her a decent AC so she can step in to "hold the line" briefly if that becomes a necessity. I haven't chosen her new feats (beyond her 1st-level one--Lingering Performance), so maybe I can make her a slightly better combatant...archer perhaps?

I had both CMW and CSW as known spells and very few "attack" spells; I'll swap one of the cures out and see if I can find an additional attack spell or two for her repertoire. I'll also look to avoid duplicating spells that Axton already has.

I hope to finish up Lexi's character sheet today, as I have jury duty tomorrow (and beyond, should I actually get picked).

Damn my teeny phone screen and old eyes... :)

[dice=Melee (Ragin' Power Attack)]1d20 + 7 + 2

...

Wow. Just...wow.

Starflit says nothing but the expression across her face is easy to read: These guys were put in an asylum but Lothan wasn't??!!

I wish I'd explored the asylum before chasing after Al, Kyffin, and Tristain when I left Thrushmoor. Then again, maybe it's best I didn't see firsthand any of the horrors they were put through....

Kayleigh burns a third charge from the wand to bring yet another spiritual weapon into the fray!

Kayleigh Fairwind spiritual weapon morningstar #1 (prayer): 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 1 = 19 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 1 = 9

Kayleigh Fairwind spiritual weapon morningstar #1 Iterative (prayer): 1d20 + 10 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 10 - 5 + 1 = 21 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

Kayleigh Fairwind spiritual weapon morningstar #2 (prayer): 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 1 = 20 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 = 11

Kayleigh Fairwind spiritual weapon morningstar #2 Iterative (prayer): 1d20 + 10 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 10 - 5 + 1 = 12 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 = 11

Kayleigh Fairwind spiritual weapon morningstar #3 (prayer): 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 1 = 20 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4

Kayleigh Fairwind spiritual weapon morningstar #3 Iterative (prayer): 1d20 + 10 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 10 - 5 + 1 = 18 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6

Kayleigh gives a nervous laugh at Ariadne's first words. "So far as I know, I AM the church of Milani in these parts--the only cleric of Milani in the entire city. Maybe we can report to Field Commander Kroft, though, and she can find someone to handle it."

Right after Brigita introduces a cultist to her hammer, Kayleigh tries her best to thump an Urgathoan with her silver morningstar. Her best isn't very good....

Against the nearby foe if he's still standing; against the other cultist if he drops.

Kayleigh Fairwind mwk silver morningstar: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 for bludgeoning, piercing, silver damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Becky's thrown for a loop by the appearance of a (seemingly) live person still dwelling within the wreckage. Like Braxton, her mind immediately comes to the conclusion that the fellow is a ghost or other undead...but what kind?

Becky Beys Knowledge (religion) Check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Becky fights off a strong urge to just swim in and loot. Instead, she takes a moment to cast detect magic to examine the hole for auras and to probe for any magic items in the hold's interior.

Becky seems utterly shocked that it's her measly stab attack that ends the devilfish's life. When all her new friends wordlessly give her kudos, the teen bard manages a nervous, weak smile and follows after them toward the shipwreck, taking a moment or two to tap herself with Ramona's gifted healing wand. She's soon shaking the thing in aggravation.

Becky Beys wand of CLW (self): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Becky Beys wand of CLW (self): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Gaaaa!! Stupid thing doesn't work underwater!

I'm so used to complaining about the die roller that I have to express my surprise at getting back-to-back natural 20s on saves in two different games that DBH runs.

Holy jinx, Batman! NEVER say such things out loud...or post them on the forums!

Corliss is feeling stab-tastic and wields his rapier with more aplomb (and competency) than is usual.

Corliss Blackboots +1 rapier (AoO): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23 for magic, piercing damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 (18-20)

Corliss Blackboots +1 rapier: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 for magic, piercing damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 (18-20)

Hey, ya know.... A goblin PC might just be less offensive than Lothan! ;P

Quick note to help Kyffin, since 'Flit shared her judgments with him this round...here's what they do: Judgments: #2 of 5; purity (+4 sacred bonus on all saving throws (+8 against curses, diseases, and poisons)); protection (+4 sacred bonus to Armor Class (+8 against attack rolls made to confirm critical hits against the inquisitor...or the Kyffin))

Starflit instantly invokes her usual Judgments of Protection and Purity; then she steps up to Kyffin and casts greater lend judgment on him, granting both judgment bonuses to the half-orc as well (for 15 rounds).

Starflit grows frustrated with the strange language that Lothan and the ghoul are speaking and mutters under her breath, "When in Paris, do as the...Parisites do??!!" Then she casts comprehend languages on herself and prepares to translate for Tristain, Kyffin, and Al.

Starflit stands silently, her face looking a bit befuddled. To her ears, Lothan's words sound equal parts childishly goofy and strangely...sexy??!!

Wait--no! Uh-uh. NOTHING about Lothan was sexy. Strange? Sure. Sexy? No way!

Reigning in her chaotic thoughts, the stoic inquisitor of the Black Butterfly simply inquires, "So...what's the deal?"

An alchemist! That's funny! :)

Becky tries to swim up to the devilfish to stab at it again.

Becky Beys Swim Check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Becky Beys rapier (w/Arcane Strike): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 for magic, piercing damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 (18-20)

Becky Beys rapier (w/Arcane Strike) CONFIRM?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9 for Additional magic, piercing damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Kayleigh's not sure who informed her about the monstrous goddess Urgathoa and her twisted cult-like following during her formative years spent at the Pantheon of Many, but that info--paired with Ariadne's words--causes many of the pieces of the puzzle that is the blood veil plague fall neatly into place. The one crucial piece that remains out-of-place in the young healer's mind is: WHY would Queen Ileosa do such a thing to her own subjects?

Another thought hits her with the force of one of Brigita's earthbreaker slams, and Kayleigh voices it to the others: "If Urgathoa and her minions are involved in all this, then maybe the old king's death was actually...murder."

Kayleigh Fairwind Knowledge (religion) Check (Urgathoa): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Kayleigh gets splattered with blood and gore from Brigita's devastating smash into the cultist they flank. Kayleigh's voice emanates from beneath the physician's mask she wears: "Never thought I'd be thankful to be wearing one of these things! What a smash you gave that fellow, Brigita!"

In answer to Vedika's question, the healer points out, "Hopefully, we'll be able to come back here and loot more thoroughly, but for now...."

Kayleigh again casts detect magic and gives the room a quick scan for emanations.

Kayleigh Fairwind Sense Motive Check (vs. Vedika's Bluff): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17

Starflit heals herself multiple times, still looking a bit ragged when she's done. Her Goth Moth mask and wig combo has been pretty much destroyed by all the firebombs, so she rips off its remnants and prepares to go it the rest of the way unmasked. With her plain, simple face, the inquisitor of the Black Butterfly no longer looks intimidating in the least. Giving a wan smile, she offers, "Well, at least I don't look as weird as I did before...."

Starflit cure serious wounds (self): 3d8 + 15 ⇒ (7, 7, 7) + 15 = 36

Starflit cure serious wounds (self): 3d8 + 15 ⇒ (5, 7, 3) + 15 = 30

Starflit cure moderate wounds (self): 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 7) + 10 = 19

Maintaining her Freedom's Call ability, 'Flit steps behind Kyffin and casts a cure serious wounds on him."I'm gonna take the fight to the invisible elder thing," she tells him. "Lothan can't see it now that it's invisible, and the thing's absolutely killing him with bombs!"

She pauses a second, waiting to hear Tristain chime in with a comment along the lines of "And what exactly is wrong about that scenario?" Instead, he starts babbling stuff that's crazy even for him!

Starflit cure serious wounds (Kyffin): 3d8 + 15 ⇒ (3, 5, 6) + 15 = 29

"Don't see that every day, now do ye?" Corliss comments wryly as he turns to behold the spider-sihedron. He mutters a few words and a magical copycat of himself steps out of his body. Both the copycat and the real Corliss shake their heads, and at least one of the twins says, "No, ye don't...."

Then the priest mutters a few more magic words and a giant, glorious, glowing rapier appears next to the metallic monster and attempts to stab it in the eye!

Corliss Blackboots spiritual weapon (rapier): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 for force, magic damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10 (18-20)

Thank ye, Bessie! Good rolls fer a change!

Starflit calls forth her usual Protection and Purity judgments and then shouts a preemptive Freedom's Call to protect her friends from the grabby newcomer.

Good to hear!

Here's hoping that nothing bad has happened to bigrig or his mom.

I don't think that the entire sect of the Black Butterfly could do much to help Lothan with his wisdom problem. ;)

I'll mark two 4th-level spell off 'Flit's spell slot list.

"That strange music they were making...," Starflit muses aloud. Turning to Erich, she asks, "You don't suppose that one of those things ate your missing instrument...do you?"

It's bad enough when Weird Rayland is hanging around Ramona all the time, but when Evil Eliza starts dropping by as well, Becky's brain goes into full panic mode. Not only is Ramona's imminent danger doubled, but her mom Perrell, Lyra Heatherby, and anyone else who lingers around the Government House will be in constant peril, too! Her mother tries to calm Becky down, but to no avail; when Perrell suggests she "go hang out with your new friends" (who Perrell usually distrusted because she felt they put Becky's life in danger), Becky knew the world had gone mad. Giving Eliza one final once-over, the frazzled bard hunts down her new chums.

When Ankha starts spouting her usual mad scientist mumbo-jumbo, Becky breathes a sigh of semi-relief: At least some of the madness in her life is comfortably familiar. She gives Ankha a smile, says "I'll try anything once!", and prepares to go underwater exploring.

Becky Beys Sense Motive Check (Evil Eliza's Wicked Scheme): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"I know that!" Kayleigh yells at the physician. (This is likely the first time Brigita has seen Kayleigh angry; heck, it's probably one of the few times Kayleigh's seen herself get angry!) "I came in here to ask for advice on how to contain the spread of blood veil out in the city streets and even offered my services as a healer, and this bi--birch tree ignored me! While hundreds of people are dying throughout the city! Can you believe it??!!"

Kayleigh Fairwind Umm...Diplomacy? Check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Kayleigh faces off against the nurse, ready to engage in hand-to-hand battle against her...at least until the aggressive receptionist changes to lethal combat. Then all bets are off and it's no holds barred!

"You should be fired! Your people skills are horrendous!"

Huh--just realized I never posted Becky's updates when we hit 4th level. Very convenient screw-up on my part--now Becky can attempt to use those wands.

REBECCA “BECKY” BEYS Level 4 Updates
4th-Level Bard (Archivist)

Ability Score Boost: +1 Int
hp: 31 (+7; +5 average, +1 Con, +1 FC)
Saving Throws: Fort +1 (cloak), Ref +2 (cloak + level), will +2 (cloak + level))
BAB, CMB, CMD: all +1

Bardic Performance: 12 rounds (+2 level)

New Bard Spells Known: 2nd--cure moderate wounds, sound burst
New Spell Slots: 2nd-—2 total (+1 level, +1 Cha)

Skill Ranks (10 total; +6 class, +3 Int, +1 skilled)
+1 Acrobatics
+1 Climb
+1 Diplomacy
+1 Disable Device
+1 Knowledge (arcana)
+1 Perception
+1 Perform (oratory)
+1 Sense Motive
+2 Use Magic Device

Background Skill Ranks (2)
+1 Craft (alchemy)
+1 Sleight of Hand

Yeah, I think you're right, Lothan. (There's a first time for everything! ;) )

I knew "stack" was the wrong word but couldn't come up with "overlap."

Corliss nods at Kaul but is actually giving the half-orc bosun a quick examination.

Somethin' not quite right 'bout Kaulie.... Don't think I've ever heard 'im talk in a whisper before.

Corliss Blackboots Sense Motive Check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

"My first inclination is to check the trawler out for survivors," Capricia tells the crew. Grinning a bit she adds, "Anyone want to talk me out of that notion...or come with me?"

Capricia the Pirate Perception Check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Ho! Ho! Ho! An' a bottle o' eggnog!

It's a Christmas miracle!

Corliss blinks as well, shocked at this display of awesome magical power.

"Welcome back," he says simply, appearing to be deep in thought.

Sure looks like ol' Kaulie, but what iff'n this be some sort o' undead revenant, back from beyond the grave to wreak vengeance from the realm o' spirits? An' how would we even know iff'n it be Kaul or some force o' revenge personified? I be thinkin' Kaulie--be him alive or undead--would act the same way, with a single-minded murderous focus on payin' back Miss Lixi. Thar be some serious Choppin' in the near future 'til he gets 'is Lopper back...an' then there'll likely be a good deal o' Loppin' as well.

Starflit waves to the fleeing partygoers, flashing a wide grin. "Thank you all for coming! We hope you enjoyed our gory and realistic performance! Lord Avaric will no doubt be back by tomorrow to throw other grand pageants for you in the near future! Good night!"

Finally seeing the extent of Al's utter annihilation of the vampire lord, 'Flit's eyes widen and her smile fades. She mouths the word "Wow!" and moves to help the others recover the bard's missing instrument.

Yeah, I know that, but Corliss doesn't and would still be holding out hope. And is raise dead even a thing in P6?

Well, we had a good run.

I didn't want to give up on this game, but I have to face the facts: I no longer have the time or drive to keep things going. I had an increase in hours for work fairly recently, and now I'm getting an increase in responsibilities. I don't see how I can devote the time and creativity needed to keep the game enjoyable for all, so I'm going to end it here.

I want to thank all who played in this campaign over the years, some of whom I got to play alongside in the earliest days. Best wishes for all of you. I have no plans to leave the forums entirely, but I'll be sticking with just being a player for the foreseeable future. I hope to meet up with at least some of you in games here during that time.

Take care.