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Link to discord server. Let's chat there and discuss how this would work. We'll keep gameplay here while we discuss discord.
Yes to both. Will send a link tomorrow.
GM screen:
The bard looks at Teleri in confusion. "Wait how are you casting it so f..." then she hits the ground, unconscious."[/b] Ives tears the half-orc up quite hard, leaving him dead on the ground. Seeing the tables turn, the remaining conscious assassin begins fleeing east, but that is the direction the watch is coming from! Two watchmen quickly grab the fellows arms and a third, apparently a captain, comes striding up to you. "Now what's all this? Nobody go anywhere! I need witnesses!"
Ives' claws bite into the half-orc! The bard finishes casting a nasty spell on Ives! GM screen:
The half-orc misses Ives wildly while the cutpurse has the same luck with Teleri. One of the rogues lands a nasty cut on Ives (5 damage). But the spellcaster badly misjudges how to use a sleep spell! One of the cutpurses and the half-orc fall asleep while the spell doesn't have enough remaining power to affect Ives! The civilians shout and run out of the way!
I am also faster on Discord. It's not as hard as it sounds. But I know Teleri would then have a game on Paizo and a game on Discord, which might not be to her liking.
GM screen:
The thugs all resist with serendipitous luck but their wills are not all that strong and two fall asleep.
Probably would have been wise to back up 15 ft or so to keep them from running around you... Oh well...
The leader, whom you recognize before, calls out "Swarm them! Surround them!" A new half-orc thug steps up to Ives to attack him while the cutpurses swarm around them, leaving opportunities for Ives to strike with his claws!
He lands solid blows on the three of the cutpurses! GM screen:
But they all keep moving. One of them manages to get in a strike at Teleri with his shortsword, landing a nasty blow on her side (crit for 10) while the half-orc swings his club at Ives very well but Ives manages to dodge the blow. The leader begins casting a spell that will take a little time to complete. The passersby call out in alarm "Murder! Murder! Help!!" and start running away. Surely the watch will be here soon.
GM screen:
Ives and Teleri begin walking back to the Owens home, being sure to stick to well-traveled main streets. But after walking twenty minutes, they see figures pouring from a nearby alley. It's the assassins again, coming back to finish the job in broad daylight! The commoners on the street reel in shock! But Ives and Teleri are ready for trouble and leap into action.
Well a combination of evidence, less erratic witness behavior, and luck would go a long way.... But also, like you said, adventurers mostly solve heir own problems. ;)
No back alleys. Yes it's particularly inconvenient when you want an intrigue campaign with lots of politics... ;)
Hughes smiles and states "Storage. Is there any other way I may be of service? I eagerly await your father's visit to our company."
The question is, what is the plan now?
Hughes heads back to his office with the two of you. There he offers Ives a glass of water with a bemused expression. "Well, have I garnered your interest in doing business with our company?"
GM screen:
Hughes eyes Ives oddly but, not knowing why he would attempt something untoward, nods graciously. "Of course, of course. Let us return downstairs where I will get you some water."
Hughs nods "Ah yes. Of course, of course. Well then, let us begin our tour." He leads you back out into the hallway. "Here are our administrative offices. Our administrative staff works very hard to reduce overhead and manage with a small but efficient team." You notice a locked door marked "Records." You then follow him out into the reception area where Aelwyd sits behind a desk along with several other secretaries, each at her own station. "Our secretarial staff is the finest in Dinas Diwydiant. Their professionalism and accuracy is impeccable." At these words, all of the secretaries sit up, ramrod straight. He leads you through another door to the loading dock where several wagons bring in unfinished boards. The wagons swarm with workers unloading the boards and carrying them through wide double doors into the sanding operation where dozens of men sand the wood furiously. Woodshavings lie everywhere but teams of women and children sweep them up at frequent intervals. The sanded wood is then placed on elevators counterbalanced by finished wood coming down. The sanded wood is lifted up to the second floor and finished wood comes down to the first floor. Hughes points out various details of the operation, such as the more efficient sanding motion all the workers have been trained to use. He then leads you up a staircase to the second floor where you see women and children brushing on a linseed oil finish while a small team of men load and unload boards from the elevator. Hughes beams at you "So you see! This is a fine operation altogether." For anyone who thinks I forgot something:
GM screen:
Hughes nods and smiles broadly. "Ah yes, yes. I know Pentrefan well. My wife's cousin runs an operation there. But I've never heard of Tunns from Pentrefan. Did you move there recently?" He seems to believe Ives but just wants factual clarification. "Well yes I do suppose we could arrange a tour."
GM screen:
Aelwyd's eyes widen somewhat when Ives mentions selling a fine stand of timber. "Oh excuse me... You seemed a little too young to be selling timber rights. You are, of course, from a wealthy family?" She looks Ives up and down discretely and shrugs almost imperceptibly. "I can take you to Mr. Hughes. He's one of our purchasing representatives." She leads you down a wood-paneled hall to one of the office doors in the hall with "Hughes" on the door in brass letters. She knocks and is called in. A portly man of about fifty sits behind a desk. Aelwyd explains "This young man would like to sell some of his family's timber." Hughes looks up from his papers and nods, gesturing both of you to sit down while Aelwyd leaves. "Well then, young man. Tell me about this fine timber you propose to sell."
Ives knocks but there is no response. It doesn't take him long to notice that, like many businesses, people simply pass in and out of the business entrance at will. Upon entering, Ives and Teleri are greeted by a tired-looking receptionist who recites in a dull monotone "Welcome to Comey Wood Finishing Plant. My name is Aelwyd. How may I help you?"
Ives trips over a crate, sending it clattering across the loading dock. A foreman looks at him "Hey! You there! What are you doing? You don't look like an employee. If you have official business, go to the front. If you have a delivery, come 'ere!"
Ives leads the way back to the wood finishing factory, striding with confidence. Surely taking matters into his own hands will work far better than their attempt at cooperating with the law. GM screen:
Ives:
The cutpurse is tailing you through the crowd, though trying to remain unnoticed behind taller pedestrians. Teleri doesn't seem to notice him. You arrive in front of the wood finishing operation. There is the employee entrance, the loading dock, and the official entrance. All are within view of the street and don't require passing through dark alleys.
Ives is probably itching for a decent fight after the party... ;)
Of the lumber operation, I believe.
You guys will have noticed that I allow failure to alter the plot but not derail it. So don't get too discouraged. As far as plot hooks for you now, you can definitely try something else with this thug. Or you could: 1. Begin investigating a specific company
The cutpurse retrieves his belongings and walks past Ives and Teleri. As he leaves, he mutters to them under his breath "You're dead."
The cutpurse looks Ives straight in the eye and responds "I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about." The sergeant frowns as he considers this situation. A watchman arrives bearing the record of the attack on Ives and Teleri. The sergeant scans it then states "Look miss and young sir, I understand you've been through a traumatic experience. That and the fact that you haven't harmed this citizen incline me to let you off with a warning. Because there is no evidence besides your word connecting him to any illegal activity whatsoever." He turns to the cutpurse. "I am sorry for the inconvenience, citizen. You will of course be released immediately and your belongings will be returned to you."
The cutpurse jump back in feature but a guilty look crosses his face. The sergeant notes it, unsure what to conclude, but growls at Ives. "No more of that, I said."
The sergeant recognizes Kilgrove's name amd sends a guard to get a copy if the report. He looks very unimpressed by Teleri's attempt to get the cutpurse to laugh and scowls somewhat. "See here, I won't have you getting aggressive with my prisoner!" When Ives grabs the prisoner's trousers to reveal no tattoo, the sergeant looks decidedly hostile toward your accusations.
Hahaha... Oh my...
On the cutpurse:
1 shortsword 1 dagger Potion of CLW Acid (2) Tanglefoot bag Smokestick 75 gp mwk stuffed leather The cutpurse wakes up as his head hits the doorframe. "What the !?" He immediately begins struggling against Ives. The guards grab him by the shoulders and one says "Calm down, citizen! We'll have this sorted out soon!" The guard turns to Ives "He can walk now, out him down." They lead you and the would-be assassin into a room where a sergeant of the watch is completing some paperwork. When he looks up, the guard explains your apprehension and accusations. The cutpurse exclaims "This is ridiculous! They attacked me for no reason! I've never seen them before in my life!"
The guard steps back in surprise at Teleri's outburst, looking both concerned for Teleri and intimidated by her. He waves over another guard and states "Come with us to the nearest guardhouse and we'll sort this all out!" He and the other guard take up the front and rear, happy to let Ives carry the unconscious man as they head to the nearest law enforcement office.
Teleri soon flags down a bewildered guard. Seeing the unconscious and bound ruffian, he exclaims "Well now what's all this?!"
The surprised fellow drops like a rock as Teleri casts her spell on him.
Ives and Teleri slip quietly into the alley and get 10 feet behind the cutpurse, who is looking down, counting something in his purse.
The odd sentinels watch outside the building for about half an hour then the cutpurse exits the building and heads south on the road then cuts into an alley. DC 14 sense motive:
He walks quickly, as if greatly occupied with something.
There are occasional windows on the second and third floors. The entrance you stand outside is a loading dock for wagons. There is likely a business entrance around the corner to your left and an employee entrance around your corner to the right.
The wood-finishing center is a large, 10 year old brick building three stories high and 100 x 200 ft on the sides. There are a few windows on the second and third floors. It stands in an industrial neighborhood that has sprung up in the last few years and is quite busy. From the sounds of sawing and footsteps inside, it seems to be actively in use. No one stands on guard but workers pass in and out (often carrying finished boards to load onto wagons). DC 15 perception: A man slips into the building along with some of the other workers. You recognize him as one of the cutpurses who assaulted you.
Teleri seems to have lost something of her refined manners and keen social sense while in the wilderness but her good looks and reasonably friendly manner garner some limited information. Peterson's Iron Works have been shipping large packages to many locations, as one would expect. But only three of those locations are receiving developments. These are: A warehouse owned by the Iron Works in the north of the city
After the party and their late-night discussion, Ives and Teleri find themselves ready to nod off and each head to their respective rooms. There, they sleep uneventfully through the night and wake the next day to find ample time on their hands to pursue their next goal.
After some more chatting, the hour grows late and Mrs. Owens says her goodbyes then leads Teleri and Ives to the waiting carriage. On the ride home, she asks "Well! Did you enjoy yourselves? Teleri's story made quite the impression. And I heard that Mr. Tunn made himself a new friend." She winks at Ives. Soon, the carriage arrives back at the Owens residence. Mrs. Owens nods with a smile as she heads to bed "Well I am exhausted. Good night you two!"
Teleri:
Demain and Tinkerage are significantly impressed by Teleri's words. Demain shakes his head, not sure what to say. Tinkerage looks very conflicted for a few moments then says "Look, I am bound not to reveal company secrets but I since you have apparently received some important calling, I must say this: Your friend, Mr. Tunn, is in grave danger while he remains in Dinas Diwydiant. Not from my company. But seeking this person will draw him into danger still worse." Demain looks somewhat taken aback that Tinkerage shared this much but he merely shrugs "Come. Let us return to the ladies."
Teleri: Tinkerage looks surprised while Demain bursts out angrily "Owens caught wind of this somehow! SMC has leaked the information to the yokels all over, even Pentrefan!" Tinkerage breaks out of his stupor to hush his friend "No that can't be it. SMC only has guesses and they wouldn't leak them..." He considers a moment longer then seems to uneasily settle on a conclusion "Apparently old women say all manner of things. Coincidences are bound to occur." He turns to Teleri "She was likely describing the city clock." He looks somewhat less confident than he would like to be.
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