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In the room stands a lithe young woman with otherworldly looks. Long blond hair flow on her shoulders, with golden locks. Her eyes seem to be made of gold as well. She's covered in an outlandish-looking mithral armor, and seems to prize her darkwood bow a lot. As each and every person enters the room, the aasimar studies them carefully, as if trying to discern something a simple glance wouldn't reveal.
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A raven haired elf walks into the room. Her radiant blue eyes and red streaks in her hair contrast her ebony attire. By her appearance, she looks deadly, with a small crossbow attached to one hand and her armor prickling with thorns. Her demeanor is quite the opposite. As she scans the room, quickly taking mental notes of every one present, a small mischievous smile dances across across her lips. She confidently walks across the room in the center, making eye contact with every one, and takes a seat with her back nestled in a corner of the room, no one will get the jump on her.
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A dwarf enters the room, his auburn beard freshly combed. Over his banded armor he wears a dark green tabard, with an icon of a closed fist prominently on the front. Over his shoulder he carries a longhammer, while you can also see a waraxe and crossbow.
"Good morning ladies, hasn't the Venture Captain shown himself yet? I am Deaglan, son of Donagh, priest of Trudd"
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As the dwarf enters the room and introduces himself, Allenye's expression softens. This dwarf could be the long lost brother of a good friend of hers from home. Though he seems a bit younger than her friend, his demeanor and command of presence is identical to her dearly missed friend (who is also a priest of Trudd and very proud of his heritage). Allenye makes a mental decision that she must befriend this dwarf! If not because of the benefit of the blessings of Trudd, at least to assuage, if just a little, the homesickness that has created a pit in her heart.
"Well met, Deaglan. The Venture Captain is presently absent it seems, or we might be a eager bunch and have arrived early for this gathering. Allenye, the unseen, at your services." She says the latter with a small bow of her head.
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Venture-Captain Alissa Moldreserva, a fiery red-headed woman
who climbed from the depths of Galtan revolution to become
one of the Society’s finest (and most well-connected) venturecaptains,
enters into the great meeting hall of the Grand Lodge in
Absalom. She stares down her hawkish nose and sighs.
“I ask for the best and they send me you. Lucky me. The Society’s best contact in Osirion, Grand Ambassador Dremdhet
Salhar, informed me this morning that his lovely Chelish wife,
the Lady Anilah Salhar, was kidnapped and sold into slavery.
“Normally, I wouldn’t care a bulette’s eyeball about who was
or was not enslaved in Absalom, but Salhar is the Society’s best
avenue for acquiring all of the necessary official paperwork to
make our frequent delves into the tombs of Osirion cheap and
legal. This is a relationship we want to preserve and since the
Ambassador made it clear that our status is in jeopardy, I’ve
been instructed to send our best agents to find her and return
her safely to Salhar.
“I guess you’ll do.
“Salhar hasn’t sat idle since his wife was taken—his own
agents are prowling the streets and dug up one possible lead.
A one-eyed Andoren, a grit junky named Fredrik, is known for
selling or helping to sell nobility into foreign markets that desire
house slaves. Being enormously illegal, this trade makes Fredrik
a fair bit of coin that Salhar’s agents assure me all go straight
into the pockets of the Second Chance, a grit den dockside in
Puddles. That’s all I have to get you started. Go quickly. The fate
of our Osirian exploits is in your hands.”
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The Venture-Captain sighs
It’s important to note that while slavery isn’t illegal in Absalom, kidnapping nobles and selling them into slavery is. Slaves are largely gathered from locations elsewhere and brought to Absalom—or sometimes plucked from the ranks of the condemned, petty criminals, or those with excessive debt. To most of the civilized nations surrounding the Inner Sea, to steal a member of the nobility and sell her into slavery is an affront to the foundations of society. The lone exception is Andoran, who actively fights against slavery throughout Golarion.
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Dimly lit by cheap oil lamps sputtering on walls punctuated by
painted-over windows, the Second Chance reeks of unwashed
humanity and pungent ash. Threads of sickly sweet smoke
drift like smog from tin hookahs. Ale kegs lurk in each corner,
and cheap clay mugs hang from nails on the walls.
As the party enters the tavern hey notice that the establishment looks to be in the middle of a frenzied brawl.
Next to the bar stands a thick scowling Keleshite, gripping a bloody scimitar in one fist. At his feet lie a fresh corpse, blood seeping into the floor boards from the large slashing wounds.
There seems to be another body lying in the NE corner of the building-no visible wounds- with a large wolf standing near him in the opposite corner
In the center of the building the party sees a skinny one-eyed man in tattered clothing perched atop a wobbling table who is frantically kicking at several drugged out thugs who are trying to pull him off
Scattered throughout the remainder of the room are a variety of junkies as there are multiple individuals behind the bar screaming how there are fire breathing dragons battling to the death within the tavern while at various other tables men and women are sprawled out on the floor and draped across their chairs completely unaware of the melee raging about them.
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Ennoia appears shocked as she hears the Venture-Captain's words. "This can't be... to sell a woman into slavery... a noble, no less! We shall give chase immediately, by Falayna I swear we shall save her!" With the passion of youth, the paladin immediately departs without even thinking of asking relevant questions.
*****
Upon the Pathfinders' entrance, Ennoia immediately scans the room, using her divine gifts. She whispers to her companions: "We'd better cover all the exits in case he escapes."
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Allenye comes out of her momentary stupor and looks around the room. She finds the mayhem of the scene before her both entertaining and disturbing. In a flash, a dagger appears in each of her hands as she sprints across the room and leaps up on a chair next to the table that is occupied by the one-eyed man, attempting to balance his weight with hers.
"Fredrik, I presume? Look sharp man, help has arrived and this is not the day we die."
Sprinting through crowd & leaping on chair
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In reaction to Allenye drawing her daggers from their sheaths and Ennoia producing a bow from her cloak the man near the northern door jams two fingers in his mouth and cuts loose a very sharp high-pitched whistle.I have ONE rule which everyone seems to be breaking today. he scowling man states as he points his scimitar at the body before him.No Weapons in the Den! Slobber help me take care of these fools that don't understand simple rules of me fine establishment
Alia
Thugs
Deaglan
Elo
Slobber
Elo begins to angrily move from his spot near the northern door towards Allenye and Ennoia, scimitar at the ready.
Top of the Order
Elo-move- ready scimitar
Alia
Deaglan
Ennoia
Allenya
Ruprecht
Slobber
Thugs
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Ennoia lets two arrows fly, each one falling a thug. The scowling man seems enraged as he sees two of his customers fall.Sensible left when you brought weapons into a good fashioned brawl Elf.
Elo-move- ready scimitar
Alia-Bless
Deaglan-move/ready weapon&shield
Ennoia- rapid shot at thugs
Allenya
Ruprecht
Slobber
Thugs
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Already on the chair, with Ennoia disposing of 2 of the thugs in a blur of arrows, Allenye stabs at the last one standing in her vicinity. "This is the way we brawl. Besides you had your weapon drawn and already bloodied when we walked in. We will stand down if you call off your thugs." As the last word is uttered, Allenye punches the thug with her bladed fists.
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Allenye lands a solid blow on the last thug that was surrounding the one-eyed man's table, dropping the thug to the floor, his face a bloody mess. Meanwhile Ruprecht rushes to the far thug, chair in hand.
Slobber rushes in to Ennoia with his jaws snapping at her wrists and missing his mark
Each of the thugs begin to pick up pieces of broken chair, which make for a wonderful club in their drug-induced hands. The remaining thugs turn their attention to the closest individuals.
The one-eyed man sees an opportunity, now that all of the thugs are no longer paying any attention or grabbing at him, attempts to make a break for the southern door. In his drug induced state the one-eyed man falls from the table breaking a chair in his fall
Elo-scimitar
Alia
Deaglan
Ennoia
Allenya
Ruprecht
Slobber
Thugs
These Elo states as he makes a gesture to the crowdAre not MY men. These are merely customers that you came in and started killing. The man that you see near my bar decided to draw a weapon also, didn't work out so well for him.
Elo moves in to and slashes his scimitar at Deaglan missing his target
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Ruprecht swings his chair at the thug currently in front of him and strikes the wall as the thug ducks out of the way. With the combined efforts of Alia, Ennoia and Deaglan another thug falls to the ground as does Elo with an arrow sticking from his chest and slash marks across his abdomen and neck as he slouches against the bar knocking chairs over, blood pooling in the cracks of the floorboard below.
Allenye attempts to contain Frederik as he is kicking and squirming at her she is not able to get a solid hold on the skinny man. He happens to land a foot right in her face as he wiggles free.
Slobber jumps back into the fray snipping at Ennoia's legs and draws blood as the wolf grasps her leg trying to drag her to the ground but she holds firm.
The remaining thugs swing their clubs at Ruprecht, after dodging his chair and Alia. The thug misses Ruprecht as the thug dodges pieces of the chair as Alia takes a blow from the club to her shoulder
Frederick begins to stand in his wobbley state as he heaves on the floor from the spinning room.
Elo-dead
Alia
Deaglan
Ennoia
Allenya
Ruprecht
Slobber
Thugs
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Ennoia lets loos an arrow that strikes the wolf right in the neck killing it right away as another arrow flies across the bar killing the thug attacking Ruprecht. Deaglan slices clean through the remaining thug as Alia attempts to apprehend the drugged out Frederik as he punches alia right in the face and wobbles closer to the door, from what you can tell as it in not in the straightest path.Gotta get frem herehe states as his one eye rolls around his head.
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Seeing the skinny one-eyed man is not in his right mind, Allenye decides to play along, while taking his hand she musters up as much fear and urgency that she can fake, "Frederik, they are after us, quickly let's get out of here! There lies safety out on the street!' She doesn't let go of his hand as she guides him outside, hoping her ruse will allow her to restrain him once outside. She needs to make the rest aware of what she has in mind so she says to the closest companion, "Let's get out of here to safety." as she says the last word, she widens her eyes hoping they convey the right message.
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While the rest of the party is dealing with Fredrik, Ennoia draws a wand and heals all the people she can but keeps them unconscious if possible, but not before tying them up: Elo, the scimiar-wielding man, the patrons. Then she finally heals herself.
"We are not killers, but you should have stood down when required to."