GMDoc |
Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, unassuming woman of Taldan heritage with dark hair and eyes, holds a large sheaf of papers in her small hands and clears her throat. Her booming voice, the antithesis of her stature, fills the main hall of the small Pathfinder Lodge in the Taldan city of Cassomir.
“One of our own has been kidnapped. Pathfinder Cestis was taken just days ago from a relics auction in the Imperial Naval Shipyards, and we believe his dissapearance to be related to the six dozen or so kidnappings of the last several months. Now that one of our own is missing, this has become a Society matter—something we’ll get to the bottom of.”
Themis gestures to a teenage boy standing beside her, who nervously regards his surroundings and sweats profusely, his thick brown hair matted and wet against his head.
“This is Nefti, the assistant to the biggest thorn in my side in Cassomir—an agent of the Aspis Consortium named Kafar. Kafar is also missing, taken from the same relics auction along with Pathfinder Cestis and a dozen other citizens of Cassomir. Nefti was at the auction, saw where a small group of the kidnapped victims were taken, and his handlers in Cassomir have give us access to him so that he might guide us to our missing Pathfinder. If you happen to find Kafar...” Themis
grinds her teeth. “Let him go, per the agreement I’ve just made with his superiors. Your priority is Cestis, and I think Nefti can lead you to him.
Any questions?”
Maldrek. |
Have all the disappearances been from the same location? Are there any obvious similarities to the people taken? Was Cestis working on a mission? Does the Aspis Consortium have any theories?
GMDoc |
Have all the disappearances been from the same location? Are there any obvious similarities to the people taken? Was Cestis working on a mission? Does the Aspis Consortium have any theories?
"While they have been from all over the city, they do have a common thread; they all are connected, somehow to the Royal Naval Shipyards, even if only so loosely as bidding in an auction.
Cestis is involved in a survey of navies from the days of the Even Handed Conquest. He thinks he can eventually find the wrecks of a major battle between a Hellknight galley, a Qadiran Genie-binder's triereme, and a Taldan Seamage's carrick. But we're fairly sureRead GM-Telling-You-Sure that his mission had nothing to do with his abduction.
Theories? If so, Kafar hasn't shared them with me, but his assistant did provide our concrete lead..."
GMDoc |
What were they both bidding on at the auction? Any particular interest in certain items or the same item?
"I imagine they bid on a few of the same items out of sheer spite, but it looks like the auction itself wasn't relevant, other than being a group of people all involved with the shipyard somehow."
Any new factions appear in town or other local political or other changes occur around the time the disappearances started?
"Neither the Consortium or the Society, nor any Taldan official I have spoken to know of any new group, or faction, but you all know by now that Taldan politics are am ever-whirling cesspool. However, There are... rumors of twisted men from the Darklands who climb up through Cassomir’s Locker, the sewers, catacombs, and older ruins below the city. Alas, they are only rumors so far.
Venture-Captain Themis I know we're but lowly members of the Society at this point but did you fall asleep on us?
ranged touch vs flatfoot: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
The small wooden knick-knack she plucks from her shelf bounces painfully but harmlessly off the top of your head, and she can be heard to mutter something about "lippy Shoanti".GMDoc |
6 dozen kidnappings? Has there been ransom demands, or has anyone been recovered in any way?
Has anyone seen who has been doing the kidnapping?
Is there any local law or militia doing any investigation that we could talk to?
"Cassomir has always had a problem with kidnappings, but it has been particularly bad for the past few months. In recent weeks, I've not heard of anyone ransomed.
The authorities...Well, they’ve been unable to recover the dozens of other Cassomir citizens who’ve gone missing in recent months. What makes you think they’ll get our Pathfinder back?
Besides, Cestis has some... knowledge I’d rather the local authorities not get, and so I need you to get him for me."
GMDoc |
Appearing to grow impatient, Themis asks, 'Anything else? We do have a guide to where at least some of the captives have been taken. We don't know how long they will be there,a dn we are in the largest port in Taldan. I'd prefer not to have to justify a trip to Vudra to the Decemvirate, if I can help it..."
GMDoc |
Please head over to the roll20.net campaign page. I've placed the characters in the lower left of the map (except for Grimruhn the Thirsty) - please arrange yourselves in a marching order outside the doors.
https://app.roll20.net/join/587640/t0WZ-A
The place looks closed, and your guide thinks that anyone inside is probably hostile or a hostage.
GMDoc |
Happy Day After Boxing Day! In the interests of moving along, I'll pull everyone up into a marching order.
You approach warily, your nervous guide waiting in the shadows at the end of the pier.
The boards and logs making up the pier are old, a little rotted, and rather slimy. You take your time getting into position, but you know that moving in a hurry on them will be tricky.
A double move or run on the boardwalk requires a DC15 Acrobatics check, or fall prone
Listening?
A single gruff voice, either laughing cruelly or growling threateningly, a few vaired voices, either muffled, or desperate, and some squeaking.
If you made the perception:
Sounds like one or more Dire Rats.
Sounds like one or more Dire Rats. They can cause diseases, you know...
Does anyone want to do anything before we open the door?
GMDoc |
The randomizer is in fact evil, and will try to kill you...
But the strength check succeeds.
Initiatives!
Grimruhn/init: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Okotta/init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Ginzu/init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Ishwar/init: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (4) + 0 = 4
Maldrek/init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Shizzle P/init: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
MIles/init: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (18) + 0 = 18
them
Dude in Robes/init: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
Rat1/init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Rat2/init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Rat3/init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
So our order is thus:
Okatta
Ginzu
Rat3
Miles
Dude in robes
Grimruhn
Shizzle P
Rat1
Maldrek
Rat2
Ishwar
Description and Okatta's action to follow shortly.
GMDoc |
Pay heed unto the Box Text!
Welcome to the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor!
Perched precariously overhanging the dirty harbor water stands the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor. A fresh coat of white paint glistens on half the inn’s outside walls, and most of the windows are boarded up. The roof leans slightly toward the harbor, as if at any moment the entire thing could come off and slide into the ocean. The dock leading up to the inn is made of rotting wood connected to thick, rank-smelling pilings. Several small rowboats are currently tied up along its length.
The inn’s interior is in much better condition. The floors are new and quiet, the walls are covered in fresh paint, and the entire place smells of recently cut wood. Most of the furniture has been removed, though a few
tables and chairs remain and are covered in sawdust and wood shavings. Several buckets of white paint sit atop the bar.
A figure in faded green robes, hefting a long cudgel, moves towards you,
froth spraying from his lips as he screams something about ridding Golarion of the taint of humankind. A pair of enormous rats follow him, and a third makes its way toward several hog-tied figures toward the back left corner.
Another, shirtless figure slumps, apparently unconscious, over the bar.
ROUND 1
Okotta, seeing a dire rate heading for helpless prisoners, moves to intercept it.
DOuble move, Rat2 is flat-footed, so no AoO. However, taking off at a run from the slippery dock requires an acrobatics check:
acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
which succeeds.
Ginzu is up!
GMDoc |
GM-Bot Engaged!
Miles double-moves to check on the man slumped over/behind the bar.
Just a bit of GM-snark: For those of you I've hassled about putting a full profile online, this is why: Sorry, Miles, i don't know what spells you have memorized, what weapons you have, or what attack bonuses you might have, so the bot-move is fairly lame.
{end of snark}
Dude in robes in next post.
Grimruhn |
Grimruhn moves up to the figure in the robes (move 40 if needed), in flanking with Ginzu if possible and swings his Earthbreaker:
Grimruhn Smash: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 72d6 + 7 ⇒ (2, 3) + 7 = 12
EDIT: Really? Another fracking 1? That's three out of the maybe 6 rolls I've made so far. This is absurd. The Roll20 dice app isn't this broken.