'Shadow Caverns' sounds made up in the language they were speaking, like 'wet river'.
Finding the Spark (Pathfinder 1E Quest)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
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- Fantasy
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'Shadow Caverns' sounds made up in the language they were speaking, like 'wet river'.
Massgamer
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- The Future
@DragonParadox we still have those living breathing masks right? We don't have to rely on someone's water breathing magic with those!
[X] Agree to go to the Azerketi wedding, it is the first time anyone's ever invited you to a gathering on purpose, much less one under the sea
-[X] Use living breathing masks to wedding
[X] Agree to go to the Azerketi wedding, it is the first time anyone's ever invited you to a gathering on purpose, much less one under the sea
-[X] Use living breathing masks to wedding
You do yes, still swimming around.
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Awesome! Finally found a use for them, lol.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Another reason I want to attend the wedding is... I wonder if Azarketi qualify as 'changed' from the prophecy we received earlier.
This makes me wonder if we haven't missed something by not pursuing the poisoning/assassination plot.
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And you might even be able to sell them to the kind of people who have use for long duration water breathing masks.
Vote closed.
To be fair, that sounds almost normal compared to the level of silliness you can get irl
For instance, according to Wikipedia there actually exist places in real life called "lane street", "street road", "road street" and "lane road"
Arc 6 Post 7: Of Princes and Perils
Of Princes and Perils
6th of Lamashan 4707 A.R. (Absalom Reckoning)
Feeling a bit like you'd kicked a baby spider-lizard you quickly change tone. "I'll be happy to take part and..." looking around you hear agreement from the others, be it driven by curiosity, opportunity, or strange as it may seem, just the desire to keep you company. A thought occurs as well. "We can provide our own breathing methods."
"Really?" Cozut brightens with interest. "You must have some strong magic than, eh?'
"Your Highness? Your Highness!" Swimming from the salt side of the bridge a pair of silver armored azarketi, their arms and scale vests fashioned in the semblance of fish, their helms fluted and set with glittering pearls. They quickly flank the boy, who proceeds to explain.
"Look, I found one of our cousins to come to my wedding, isn't that great? His friends too! He's not from the Shadow Caverns though so don't call him that alright?"
"You invited new guests, Your Highness?" The older of the pair, his algae-green hair streaked with dusty strands of age, asks, trying and failing to hide his dread.
"It's my wedding, isn't it? Father said I should invite who I please from among the landwalkers. Well, there you have it, they are definitely walking on land. Well, it's a bridge now, but I'm sure they can manage land..."
Cob takes the opportunity to cartwheel to the end of the bridge to prove he can do more than just walk, much to the delight of the young... prince, you realize. It looks like the Deep House of Izenti is less like the caves of your birth and more like a small kingdom under the sea. At least you damn well hope it's small. What have you gotten yourself into?
"Ah, the joys of headstrong young nobility..." Sirim is obviously struggling to swallow laughter. "A pity I cannot enter the water as I am, it would have been most entertaining to see how the seating will have to be altered."
As more and more guards show up, an escort a score strong by the end, the older fellow who had spoken first questions Gorok after marking him out as your leader.
"We are scouts and seekers of lost things, we hunt to survive and to thrive, kill for coin and reputation," he answers plainly as is his wont, leaving the prince even more wide-eyed and excited, and the guards at least a little mollified.
"At least he didn't invite the Taldan ambassador or the head of the local thieves' guild," the still thoroughly entertained Sirim sends, obviously thinking along the same lines. Still, mirth quickly gives way to calculation in his thoughts. "This is an opportunity for trade, immediate and longer term. There is much hidden beneath Golarion's seas that the dwellers-on-land know not of."
Bidding farewell to your new royal acquaintance you continue along the bridge towards the lodge, only to be greeted by an oddly quiet initiate and a long wait. Mina starts to wonder aloud if perhaps the Venture Captain is busy and you should return later when Thea Goldgather finally makes her entrance, stone faced.
"Well, you've got guts, I'll give you that."
"Pardon?" Sirim hisses, not sounding particularly apologetic.
Alas, that only seems to deepen her inexplicable foul mood. "No more of your games, asps, or I'll have you out on the street in the blink of an eye!"
Thea Sense Motive (DC 20): 1d20+12 = 14 (Failure)
"Gavhaul is an Aspis agent, the merchants which the Society feuds with?" the wizard asks, still softly swirling in the still air. "That I did not know, though if you would have my honest account I never understood whence the bad blood flows. Both of you desire to discover secrets near and far and to make use of them. Tis one thing to reach for the dagger when only steel may divide the ones to eat like kings, from whose who must eat grave dirt, but they are merchants. The coin purse is hung upon the same belt, is it not?"
"You're a cast iron son of a bitch, ain't you shade?" Despite the seeming insult offered there is grudging respect in the eyes of the Venture Captain. "If the Aspis Consortium sprinkled their greed with as small a pinch a sense as a miser salts his cabbage you'd even be speaking sense, but they don't and won't. Vampires are less greedy for blood than the Patrons are for platinum and power, and they set the agents below them to compete for getting them the way pit bosses starve dogs to make 'em mean. There's no reasoning with the Consortium, they'll stab you in the back just so you won't get a cut even if it makes theirs smaller. Knew a Kheleshite priest once, better with words than me, called it a zero sum game."
Sirim Knowledge (History) (DC 16/21): 1d20+11 = 30 (Full Success)
Sirim Diplomacy (DC 25/30): 1d20+12 = 31 (Full Success)
Without even really meaning to, you nod in understanding. As bad as Vex had been at least he'd keep his word worth a damn if it was in his own best interest, which is more than you could say for some of the others you'd grown up with.
After a moment Goldgather sighs. "Just because the asps'll cut off their nose to spite their face doesn't mean I have to. You willing to stab your fellow snakes in the back, shade?"
"It is not my choice alone to make," Sirim replies. Inwardly he says: "One vote cast in favor."
Mina nods, Cob shrugs and follows suit. After a moment Gorok shakes his head, likely not wanting to make matters even more complicate on the journey. Three to one. If you make it three two Cob might well change his mind, but should you?
[] Agree to work with the Pathfinders to betray your new Aspis employers. Treachery can be most profitable
[] Refuse. It's not worth the risk heading out with your dagger aimed at your fellow traveler's backs when more foes could be around every bend in the road
[] Write in
OOC: Man, Sirim nailed social those rolls.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Should have known Gavhaul would be one of those assholes. The picture included when we first met him was suitably shady to make me suspicious, but I didn't want to assume.
The thing is, the Aspis Consortium is just stupidly, ridiculously wealthy. Powerful, too. I don't want to get those people as enemies straight away, and plotting with the Pathfinders is a good way to tip our hand.
Basic Divinations could be used to determine if we're double agents before the expedition even leaves the city.
[X] Suggest that rather than setting out with a plan to betray our new employers, we instead reserve judgement and decide on how to handle them based on what we learn as we travel. We'll have plenty of time and opportunities to gauge their attitudes and intentions during the journey. Ambiguity of this sort can serve as a shield against Divinations we have no way to defend against, and the cost and potential wealth generated by this expedition is exactly the sort of endeavor that would warrant such magics being used.
-[X] As an additional buffer, this one to explain why we might have been observed entering the Pathfinder Lodge, ask Thea for information about the local Azerketi community, especially their royal family. If questioned about our presence here, we can truthfully explain that we came to gather information about the sudden and unexpected wedding invitation we received.
The thing is, the Aspis Consortium is just stupidly, ridiculously wealthy. Powerful, too. I don't want to get those people as enemies straight away, and plotting with the Pathfinders is a good way to tip our hand.
Basic Divinations could be used to determine if we're double agents before the expedition even leaves the city.
[X] Suggest that rather than setting out with a plan to betray our new employers, we instead reserve judgement and decide on how to handle them based on what we learn as we travel. We'll have plenty of time and opportunities to gauge their attitudes and intentions during the journey. Ambiguity of this sort can serve as a shield against Divinations we have no way to defend against, and the cost and potential wealth generated by this expedition is exactly the sort of endeavor that would warrant such magics being used.
-[X] As an additional buffer, this one to explain why we might have been observed entering the Pathfinder Lodge, ask Thea for information about the local Azerketi community, especially their royal family. If questioned about our presence here, we can truthfully explain that we came to gather information about the sudden and unexpected wedding invitation we received.
This works though if you reserve judgement you will not get any backup from the Pathfinders, they do not want to hand resources to what might be future Aspis operatives
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Hmm, what kind of backup would that include?
Well they are not going to outright tell you if you do not pledge to help since that would be tipping their hand, but Sirim would guess something like magic items to help hide your allegiance and a means to call in for help or extraction once the deed is done.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Ah, that would change things a lot. If we have that sort of backup, I'm a lot less reticent to work against the Aspis Consortium.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
[X] Agree to work with the Pathfinders to betray your new Aspis employers. From what you have learned so far, the Pathfinders seem to be far more trustworthy than the Aspis Consortium, and your group could use all the reliable friends it can find.
-[X] To explain why we might have been observed entering the Pathfinder Lodge, ask Thea for information about the local Azerketi community, especially their royal family. If questioned about our presence here, we can truthfully explain that we came to gather information about the sudden and unexpected wedding invitation we received.
-[X] To explain why we might have been observed entering the Pathfinder Lodge, ask Thea for information about the local Azerketi community, especially their royal family. If questioned about our presence here, we can truthfully explain that we came to gather information about the sudden and unexpected wedding invitation we received.
Massgamer
Advance toward the Future
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Based on what it is said about group it seems likely they will seek to rub us out to avoid paying our due once the job is done since we are just independent agents and not part of the organization.
Heck, they can frame it as 'savages' seeking to steal from them too given our party composition.
[X] Agree to work with the Pathfinders to betray your new Aspis employers. From what you have learned so far, the Pathfinders seem to be far more trustworthy than the Aspis Consortium, and your group could use all the reliable friends it can find.
-[X] To explain why we might have been observed entering the Pathfinder Lodge, ask Thea for information about the local Azerketi community, especially their royal family. If questioned about our presence here, we can truthfully explain that we came to gather information about the sudden and unexpected wedding invitation we received.
Heck, they can frame it as 'savages' seeking to steal from them too given our party composition.
[X] Agree to work with the Pathfinders to betray your new Aspis employers. From what you have learned so far, the Pathfinders seem to be far more trustworthy than the Aspis Consortium, and your group could use all the reliable friends it can find.
-[X] To explain why we might have been observed entering the Pathfinder Lodge, ask Thea for information about the local Azerketi community, especially their royal family. If questioned about our presence here, we can truthfully explain that we came to gather information about the sudden and unexpected wedding invitation we received.
They are a fantasy mega-corp that often hires on freelancers, sometimes those freelancers are hired on and advance though the ranks too, depending on how foresoughtful the boss is.
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As a general rule you should never sign on to a mega-corp unless you are willing to go against all morals for a paycheck and the accept high chance to be dropped the second you stop being 'profitable'.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Especially when you're the equivalent to a fantasy world team of Shadowrunners. That is just asking for a megacorp double-cross.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
This doesn't look good from IC perspective. We have been hired for a job, and were provided the tools we need to do it. We are now asked to betray our employer on a word of someone who has 'bad blood' with them. What reason do we have to trust Thea's word over Gavhaul's? None that I can see; we don't know either of them. This is the first time we even hear about the Consortium in-story.
To an outsider, a 'megacorp' means nothing besides 'people with the means to pay you'. A 'powerful merchant house' is something a lot of people would kill for to get in good graces with. We had to trick the guard to even get a chance at taking part in the expedition. And we are risking this for... what, exactly?
I'd probably have Kori thank Thea for the warning, but decline the offer of betrayal. To Kori, this is just backstabbing your employer the minute you get a promise of a better offer (which we did not, mind -- she isn't willing to make the offer until we sign up), and if the offer we are getting isn't better, it is illogical to boot.
If they are willing to tell us what to look for, we can keep an eye out for them, and decide this later. Yes, it won't get us their support, but to me this is still preferable to changing our mind on a whim.
To an outsider, a 'megacorp' means nothing besides 'people with the means to pay you'. A 'powerful merchant house' is something a lot of people would kill for to get in good graces with. We had to trick the guard to even get a chance at taking part in the expedition. And we are risking this for... what, exactly?
I'd probably have Kori thank Thea for the warning, but decline the offer of betrayal. To Kori, this is just backstabbing your employer the minute you get a promise of a better offer (which we did not, mind -- she isn't willing to make the offer until we sign up), and if the offer we are getting isn't better, it is illogical to boot.
If they are willing to tell us what to look for, we can keep an eye out for them, and decide this later. Yes, it won't get us their support, but to me this is still preferable to changing our mind on a whim.
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Keep in mind Kori comes from a culture that hands out knives as a mark of the entrance into adulthood and considers stabbing someone in the back for their position as good as stabbing them in the front, as long as you had the standing and a good reason by the standards of the culture. That said you guys do not have to play it that way, just pointing out that his upbringing was not what you would call 'conventional' by Bunnlander standards.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I am not saying this is immoral. If she handed us 10k in gold upfront, I might stab them first, because I am not at all against playing it this way.
But the justification seems weak, at least to me, who is not versed in Pathfinder lore, and thus has the outsider's mindset. You have someone with an apparent grudge telling you that your new boss who just hired you for a well-paying job is treacherous, and that you should stab them.
Well, duh. They have a grudge, what else do you expect them to say? Is it a good basis for making a decision to burn bridges and make a reputation for this kind of thing? Not to me, it isn't.
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