Trinia kisses Nalun as he hugs her, and pockets the coins he gives her. "I'll try to write to you as soon as I get settled in. I'll miss you..."
She moves and hugs each of the party in turn, and is about to give Lyla a hug when the hobbit presses a pouch of smelling salts into her hand. "Thanks. I've never sailed anywhere before."
-------------------
On the Ship
Trinia and Captain Lorne confer, with the halfling captain only giving her disguise a cursory glance before showing her aboard. The halfling crewmen don't notice Lyla sneaking aboard.
The sight of a tiny Lyla in her berth nearly makes Trinia jump out of her skin, but she calms down almost immediately. "Well... the bed feels comfy enough. And I think the food will be good enough--well, that's what I hope, anyway." She giggles.
-------------------
Departure
The card games go well enough, but when the ship starts moving and Lyla gets up to leave, Trinia takes a moment to give her a hug.
"I'll miss you, Lyla. Goodbye..." She watches Lyla hop out the window into the harbour with a sad look on her face.
The mention of the price for a cabin on a ship makes Trinia pale and wince, but she's not complaining. "Lyla... I know it's a hassle, but... thank you for doing this for me." She looks at the rest of the assembled team. "Thank you all for this--I don't know how I'm going to repay you."
With the ship fare paid up for now, it was time for the (admittedly daunting) task of getting Trinia's disguise back together. Lyla has definitely learned from her previous efforts--despite Demitri's fumbling, Trinia looks essentially the same as when the party first delivered her to Kroft.
"So... should I go to the docks now? Or wait?" She asks, beginning to gather her art supplies into a backpack.
Trinia comes downstairs, scratching her head. Her hair is beginning to show its blonde roots and her hands are stained black.
Seeing her art supply bag, her face lights up and she moves to pick it up. After a quick look through it to make sure all her things are in order, she looks up at Nalun and hugs him.
Trinia blinks and looks at her feet before looking back up at Nalun.
"...could you go get my painting supplies? I left them in a bag next to my bed. It's a plain, brown leather bag." Her voice wavers, as if still not believing what she's hearing.
"And Absalom? Really?" She looks up, her eyes bright and happy. "I... I don't know what to say..."
She takes a shuddering breath, not turning around. "...as much as I don't want to admit it, yes." She looks at Nalun, blinking back a few tears. "I can handle that myself--you've done more than enough for me already."
"Yep. And we've got enough witnesses to make sure the whole thing will hold together." Lyla nods. "Although you'll probably need to stay out of the public eye for a long time..."
Trinia doesn't respond, instead looking at the floor. "...now what? I'm an artist who can't show her face publicly..."
She stands up and starts moving to the stairs of Zellara's home. "I... I think I need some time to think about this."
Trinia's face collapses into an expression of relief, then beams with pride when Demitri compliments her drawing. "Thanks! But I can't take all the credit--Nadia and Majenko have been wonderful models."
Majenko purrs.
Nadia smiles as Demitri kisses her cheek, then remains as still as she can so Trinia can finish. Once the young artist is finished, she stands up and walks over to her father.
"Daddy, does this mean Trinia's going to be okay?" Although she's smiling, her visible eye shows a lot of worry.
The mist created by the party is enough to cover their escape with ease. The guard patrol is left bewildered.
-------------
When the party returns to Zellara's home, an odd sight welcomes them--Nadia and Majenko are sitting against the wall, with the pseudodragon perched on the young girl's shoulder. Sitting in a chair opposite them is Trinia, with what appears to be a sketchbook and a stick of charcoal in her hand. She's deep in concentration as her charcoal scratches against the book's pages.
The party's arrival causes the three to look up. Nadia waves at her father while Trinia's expression shifts from deep concentration to an anxious one. "Oh... you're back? How'd things go?"
With a plan formed, the party returns to Zellara's with Trinia. The artist is fairly quiet throughout the walk back, nervously eying the groups of townspeople they pass on the way back. No one appears to recognize her... not that it helps her nerves any.
The sight of a snoozing Nadia and Majenko greets the party as they return--the girl is slumped against the wall, the pseudodragon snuggling up in her lap. Trinia moves to sit at the kitchen table, not saying anything.
Trinia looks up. "So... disguise a corpse to look like me and hope that's enough to fool the Hellknights, or fake chasing me onto a departing ship?"
She looks at her hands. "I think I can make the second plan work--although I do know where you can get your hands on the magic needed for the first plan."
"And... and I wanted to ask you something." Trinia finally speaks up, looking over at Nalun and the rest.
"I'm worried that Ileosa will still be looking for me. The bounty on my head hasn't been rescinded yet, and... well, if word gets out that I've been brought in, this is the first place she'll look for me." She looks back up at the party, then at Cressida. "I don't mean any offense, Field Marshal, but I'm not sure I feel safe here."
Trinia pulls her clothes tightly about herself before taking a breath and making for the door. "Come on. It's still light outside--I just hope we won't run into trouble on the way to the Citadel..."
A strong wind blows into the room as Trinia opens the door, causing her to shiver. "After you." Nadia runs up and gives her father a hug before the party leaves.
The walk to the Citadel is incredibly cold--frost can be seen forming in the gutters as the party walks from Lancet Street onto Guard Street. A couple of rats can be seen skittering about, looking for shelter from the elements. Trinia's teeth chatter and she hugs herself to Nalun for warmth as the group moves through the streets.
GM Rolls:
Citizens' Perception:1d20 ⇒ 5
Several people can be seen hustling about, looks of fear and discomfort present on their faces. The aftermath of the rioting in Midland coupled with the weather has driven the townspeople here to near panic--as such, none of them spare the party a second glance as they move along. Trinia's disguise seems to be holding up.
The gates of Citadel Volshyenek loom before the party. A pair of Korvosan Guardsmen rush out to meet the party as soon as they approach--Sergeant Grau Soldado and Corporal Griggs. Curiously, Private Clay is absent.
This time, Trinia is more receptive to the party's efforts to disguise her. She feels more comfortable with Nalun and Demitri directing her.
It only takes about 10 minutes this time around--and the result is much more plausible. Not only is Trinia's hair dyed a dirty brown colour and her face is smudged with dirt, but her new clothes (courtesy of a trunk in Zellara's room) are baggy and tattered enough that people will likely assume she's a boy at a glance. The bandages on her hands are still visible, as well as her feet, but the overall costume is leagues better than before.
"Well? How do I look?" She timidly asks, doing a little twirl on the spot.
Trinia nervously sits next to Lyla and starts picking through the disguise kit.
Over the next half-hour, Trinia and Lyla work together to give her a new look. It's very clear from the start that while Trinia may be skilled in creating stunning works of art, when it comes to changing her appearance, she's... to put it bluntly, hopeless.
Even with Lyla's help, at the end of the half-hour, it's obvious that a blind man could see through Trinia's 'boy' disguise. It's a fact that even Trinia seems to be aware of.
She looks at her feet, blushing madly.
Wow... helluva time to roll a 1. Hey, at least you can try again! XD
Trinia gives Nalun a nervous smile as he comforts her, but it promptly vanishes once he and Demitri mention bringing her in to Kroft. It's replaced by a look of great anxiety.
"Field Marshal Kroft?" She starts wringing her hands. "A-are you sure she can keep me safe?"
Majenko perches on the kitchen table, his head tilted to one side. Nadia sticks close to Demitri.
Trinia notices the looks Ortik and Nalun are giving her. She clears her throat and blushes. "Um... nothing happened between us, if that's what you're wondering." She looks down into her cup of wine, taking a bite of bread.
"Not for lack of him trying... Shelyn knows he tried groping me enough times..." She grumbles to herself before turning back to the group. "Over the next week, Seneschal Neolandus made arrangements for me to be picked up at my apartment and taken to Castle Korvosa to continue working on the king's portrait, as well as arranging for passage home. Some of the guards were more than happy to go along with the seneschal's wishes; couldn't say the same for the Queen."
She rubs her eyes. "At least they had more restraint than Eodred. Ileosa wasn't happy about me being around--I only met her once. And I'm sure that if she could get away with it, she'd have set me on fire for being around her husband so often. All the more reason I wanted to just get the job over with as soon as possible." Trinia shifts uncomfortably in her seat, drinking the rest of her cup of wine.
"By the end of the week, the guards and Eodred were sad to see me go. I sure as the hells wasn't sad to go, but at least Seneschal Neolandus was nice enough to give me some bonus pay. 'For putting up with His Majesty's... quirks.' Direct quote." She takes a breath and a bite of cheese before continuing. "I had enough money to get this for myself..."
Trinia smiles a little and lifts up her shirt a bit. Under her top is a silvery chain shirt, decorated with images of pseudodragons in flight. From its mirror shine and how well it fits her body, its easy to determine that it's a chain shirt made of mithral. "Kinda fancy for me, I know, but... well, the money promptly went to my head."
DC 20 Spellcraft w/Detect Magic or Identify:
Trinia's mithral chain shirt holds a minor armouring enchantment on it. +1 Mithral Chain Shirt.
She pulls her top back down, covering her chain shirt. "I ended up giving away most of the cash from the job to the other families in the tenement... and in the end, I had enough to pay the rent for the next month or two." She sighs. "Then Ileosa put out her bounty on me..."
"...and you know the rest." Trinia says, looking over at Nalun. "I'm sorry you got involved in this--I didn't want to make you worry so much about me."
Trinia gratefully accepts Ortik's offered cup of wine. "I wouldn't say no to some bread and cheese..." She says, blushing a little before clearing her throat.
She takes a sip of the wine, wrinkling her nose before speaking again. "Let me start at the beginning, then..." She sets her cup down. "About half a month ago, I saw a bulletin that was putting out a call for local artists to come by Castle Korvosa and paint a portrait of King Eodred. The pay was impressive--five thousand Crowns. That's enough to own a good apartment suite in North Point!" She crosses her legs. "Quite a hefty sum for a simple portrait painting... although, I suppose given what happened to Eodred later, that was probably the first sign that there was something fishy about the whole deal." She looks into her cup before turning back to the party.
"Still, I needed the money. I was behind on rent and painting gigs were... difficult to come by." She takes a breath, straightening herself up in her chair. "So, I packed up my art supplies and headed off to the castle to apply."
She takes another sip of her wine, relaxing a bit. The wine seems to be doing wonders for her nerves. "Of course, I wasn't the only artist there--quite a few other local artists were practically lined up for a chance to impress the king. Not that it mattered much; I was picked because I was the only girl there." She hugs herself and slouches in her seat.
"Can't say I was surprised too much by that..."
DC 10 Knowledge (Local):
The late King Eodred II was widely known for two things, the first of which is his mandate of religious freedom in Korvosa. The Pantheon of Many, a great, white-marble, octagonal building in the South Shore district of Korvosa, houses shrines to all the major gods of Golarion, save for Gorum, Lamashtu and Rovagug--in fact, before King Eodred II, the only religions in Korvosa were Abadar, Asmodeus, Sarenrae and Shelyn.
The second thing he was notorious for was his boundless appetite for women, with no regards for race, ethnicity, or as some rumours claimed, age. Considering he married a woman a third of his age, it appears the rumours were, in fact, true.
DC 15 Knowledge (Local):
King Eodred II had a harem of slave girls he went out of his way to pamper during the final months of his life. Though they served him without complaint, one cannot help but wonder that they contributed in some way to his eventual death... he certainly spent more time with them than he did his wife, Queen Ileosa. Rumours abound that he did so out of desperation to produce an heir.
As the party makes their way down from the Shingles with Trinia in tow, the Hellknights can be seen gathering their wounded and dead, not paying attention to anything else but their task. The bodies of many citizens can be seen lying in the gutters of Midland, the smell of blood and decay thick in the Calistril air.
The streets are eerily quiet as the party follows Demitri back to Zellara's home on Lancet Street... not a soul can be found.
Lyla:
You feel an overwhelming sense of sadness on the way back to Zellara's home, followed by bitter anger. The Hellknights had no right to do this.
There's no mistaking it for anything other than Zellara's feelings.
The main room of the house is empty, save for Nadia and Majenko playing together. The long-haired girl in clean, if worn clothes and the purple pseudodragon both look up at the party as they return.
Trinia breathes a sigh of relief and collapses into a chair at the dinner table. "Now... now I think I can explain."
"Well..." Trinia turns slightly pink as Nalun asks his question, then pales as Lyla asks her questions. It's more out of bewilderment at being bombarded with several at once than fright. "Um..."
Before she can say anything, the sounds of the mob below turn from the embodiment of rage to sheer terror and pain. A cacophony of footfalls can be heard from the streets below, followed by the rhythmic metallic *stomping* of armour-clad Hellknights. It seems the mob has been dispersed, and rather violently.
Peeking over the side of the rooftop, the party can see several dozen people running for their lives from a line of ten Hellknights, their armour and weapons stained with fresh blood. Behind them lie at least five of their brethren, some clinging to life, others mortally wounded. The leader of the patrol glares at the retreating rioters. He is a giant of a man, clad in black, spiked plate mail and carrying a massive greataxe styled to look like a dragon with spread wings.
Trinia's panic rises again. "C-can we talk about this somewhere else? Preferably not within earshot of Hellknights? Especially ones who look like they're after me?" She shakily gets to her feet, eying the group with a mixture of desperation and fear (especially towards Karri and her horse).
Between Demitri's grip and Nalun intervening, it's a simple matter to pin Trinia to the rooftops.
The chase is over!
Upon closer inspection, Trinia looks much like the drawings of her on the wanted posters around town. Her closely-cropped blonde hair is messy and tangled from running across the Shingles, and blue eyes are turning red and puffy around the edges from crying. She's wearing a long-sleeved tan shirt under a red and orange vest, with brown leggings decorated with strips of orange fabric cut to look like dragon's tails. Her hands are heavily bandaged and she's barefoot. Altogether, Trinia is indeed quite a beauty...
"W-what?" She gasps, exhausted from running. She appears to finally be listening to what everyone is saying. "Y-you're *pant pant* not here to *huff* capture me?" Glancing over at Nalun, she bites her lip and looks down, trying to get herself together. "But..."
The rest of the party doesn't need to roll to catch up at this point.
Lyla's Will Save:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Lyla manages to get a hold of herself, throwing off Trinia's spell of laughter just as Nalun catches up to her!
Trinia's Turn Escape Artist (Grappled--DEX Penalty applies):1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15
Trinia thrashes and wriggles about in Demitri's grip, but can't seem to get loose! "Letmegoletmegoletmego!" She almost screams, her panic rising to dangerous levels.
Turn Order Ortik Nalun Karri Demitri Lyla Trinia
"Need some help there, chief?" Lyla says as she runs across the rooftops to catch up with Demitri. Not really waiting for an answer, she moves over to try and grab Trinia by the legs.
Aid Another (Grapple):1d20 ⇒ 2
Emphasis on try. The poor girl is thrashing around too much for Lyla to get a decent grip.
Ortik's search for an alternate route across the rooftops proves fruitless, leaving him frustrated. Lyla, on the other hand, knows the Shingles well. It's all too easy for her to catch up to Trinia's spot.
For convenience's sake, I'll keep Lyla with the rest of the party in terms of initiative.
Trinia's eyes widen as she sees Demitri, Nalun and Lyla closing in. The demonic horse Karri just conjured into existence doesn't help either. She clearly starts panicking as Lyla closes in on her, practically screaming an incantation at her and pointing a finger!
DC 17 Spellcraft:
The spell Trinia just cast is hideous laughter.
Will Save (Lyla):1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
The spell completely affects Lyla, causing the hobbit to double over and start laughing.
The terrified artist then takes off running across the rooftops!
Round 2: GO!
Turn Order Ortik Nalun Karri Demitri Lyla Trinia
This round, Lyla may attempt a DC 15 Will Save as a full-round action to shake off the effects of the spell.
Card 3 Hazards (Demitri, Nalun):
A narrow walkway that can be navigated with a DC 15 Acrobatics roll and a gap in a wall that can be navigated with a DC 15 Escape Artist check.
Card 4 Hazards (Lyla):
A narrow leap across a rooftop that can be accomplished with a DC 15 Acrobatics check and a tightrope shortcut that can be navigated with a DC 20 Acrobatics check.
As a reminder, if you end your turn on the same card as Trinia, you may attempt a free grapple check on her.
As Nalun reaches over to shake the woman awake, he notices two things about her: the first being that she looks very much like Trinia...
...and the second thing is that her hair is shimmering. After blinking, the woman fades away. It was an illusion!
Glancing out the window, Demitri and Nalun can see Ortik and Karri crowding around the window. Apparently, they were the ones making all the racket outside.
Demitri, however, notices something hiding behind the dwarf and the sorceress, a few rooftops away... a flash of golden hair and blue eyes. And judging by the way they're widening, she realizes he sees her as well.
It's Trinia.
Lyla:
As you conclude your interview with the landlord, you hear a commotion coming from upstairs. First, the sound of a door being violently forced open, and now the sounds of running coming from outdoors!
Her surprise at being seen is very noticeable--she's taken completely off her guard!
And the Shingle Chase begins!
This is going to be rough to do for PbP...
Ortik:
The fates seem to pass you by as you notice Trinia. Some of them even settle about your arms and legs... making them lighter. Able to speed you on your way.
Thanks to the Cricket, you get a +2 bonus to DEX-based rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC for this encounter.
Party is up!
Card 1:
From your starting spot, you have three choices:
1) Move one tile (guaranteed) and make a ranged attack/cast a spell;
2) Make either a DC 10 Acrobatics check or a DC 15 Perception check to move 2 tiles (Full-round action in this case);
3) Make both of the aforementioned checks as a full-round action to move 3 spaces to catch up to Trinia's spot.
