Still more interested in Sylestrix' tower. No better way to keep out unwanted guests than a dragon who thinks it's her hoard of treasures she is protecting. Come to think of it, it would let one use rare artefacts like the AI core, so long as it technically doesn't leave Sylestrix' care.
We can get her a place for her kobold tribe too! I like collecting allies, to be fair.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." SHow off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the laws above the sun."
Let's do something sane and prevent more deaths. After this, this guy has been warned and can choose to die howhever he wishes to.
We can get her a place for her kobold tribe too! I like collecting allies, to be fair.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." SHow off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the laws above the sun."
Let's do something sane and prevent more deaths. After this, this guy has been warned and can choose to die howhever he wishes to.
Oh, I do want to continue our arc with the Dark People FBI, but we had som much to do at the time, and to be fair we were too low leveled to barge into a Derro city.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." SHow off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the laws above the sun."
He is being accused of conspiring with dark elves. He can't have the rumors spread, or even be proven true, without putting the right spin on it, and even then it's going to be trouble, trouble that he seemingly invited on his own head by poking the hornets' nest. After all, these people lived for centuries without being aware of the drow, surely they can go for one more year. Hence the extreme caution and unwillingness to entertain rumors and drawings. The only reason for him to react would be if the price for inaction were higher, which it well might be.
If those were 'demon halflings' and the politics were less hot, he'd have less objection to investigating them freely.
However, the escape of the pirates must have dealt a blow to his authority, and now that the very same dark elves he is said to be in league with are involved, there may be more to come. And just before the visit from the princess, too. If something happened to a royal on his watch, it's going to be the end of him.
So he probably wouldn't mind us solving this for him, provided we are discreet and trustworthy, and aren't going to drag his name through mud by digging deeper. Sir Pisca is... probably not the best reference we can get for this, but it's the only one we have.
Well, I wanted to see a drow, I am voting for whatever gets us to see a drow.
[x] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
Whatever you saw with the eyes in your head or those of magic was not an elf for all there would be plenty in the city minded to use the rumor for their own ends.
...that said, we don't have to insist that the drawing is that of an elf. We can just call the entiry an "Extra-Lidded Fiend" if it speeds up the proceedings.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." SHow off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the laws above the sun."
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
Is always easier to assume something bad isn't the case than is, but luckily we have proof we can show off!
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
[X] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
I hope Drow writing looks sufficiently like Elvish writing to be relevant here.
Also Godsdammit Pisca, I thought dumping your Wisdom made for a little joke at your expanse for the Debt-issues, not that it would drag us into scouting out Drow.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Nov 7, 2024 at 2:55 AM, finished with 13 posts and 8 votes.
[x] Interrupt Pisca: "We carry proof with us." Show off the drow silk armor and the Writ of Free trade, their craftmanship and drow runes unseen in the land above where the sun shines.
"We carry proof of this," you cut in before the knight can finish his foolish promise. Reaching out a hand into the magically expanded space of the Pathfinder satchel your fingers close around a smooth square of black glass. You push it across the desk where it glitters almost resentfully in shaft of pale sunlight streaming into the chamber. "This is a Writ of Free Trade from Court of Blood in Zirnakaynin."
Out of the corner of your eye you catch the figment flower ripple as though caught in an unseen wind, as though the dread name had moved it or...
"To craft glamors seen is to bend light, and light that is bent can be stolen." The voice of a teacher long dead speaking to a nameless student reaches you.
You throttle the instinct to throw the folds of your cloak on top of it at once. For one, the governor might know whose on the other end, a wizard-guard prepared to rush in should the company of armed strangers prove dangerous, and for another, if they are foe than that would be tipping your hand to them.
"Sirim," you aim the thought as best you are able. "Ask the Lord Governor if he knows that figment-flower is spying on him?"
There's a heavy pause as the man looks down at the seal, then up to meet your eyes.
"Hmm... this does look elven, but there are many bits of elven glass in the world, so there is no reason to imagine one of them could not have made its way below." He pushes it away, annoyed and clearly aiming to wrap up the conversion, much to Sir Pisca's annoyance.
"He did not," the shadow mage responds. "He wishes to meet with us again to discuss this matter in more privacy. I do not think he is planning to murder us as an inconvenience."
Mina flinches and looks up at the spiraling smoke figure who had obviously expanded the reach of his mind voice to touch all four of you.
"How do you know?" you ask.
"He is willing to go into the city with only a pair of guards, disguised, and let us select the meeting place, within reason. Nowhere like the Dog's Teeth, 'where the inhabitants would stab him for a laugh', as he puts it. Preferably a public place, but not too public, just somewhere we can talk without attracting eyes."
"Just tell him to find an excuse to keep rambling while he speaks through you," you fire back. Dealing with monsters and accursed dwarvish ghosts has never seemed more tempting, but if you are going to do this it is best not to introduce more points of failure. You have a bad record meeting with people in taverns, as that Writ reminds you.
"Now onto more serious matters, I heard you are the ones selling a vast quantity of adamantine through the Quickflame Clan," Lord Governor Bozbeyli rallies. "What are your plans for the proceeds? Do you intend to invest in the city?"
"I seek a place for my tribe," Gorok explains. "I had considered the Plans of Carpenden and the Forest of Verduran, but I am not deaf to more offers."
"A tribe of lizardmen, yes?" The old soldier frowns. "I will admit I never had dealings with your kind before, but that's no reason to balk on its own, no matter what some fools would say. Taldor is stronger for accepting all manner of folk within the mantle of her protection. Let me get my steward with some maps in here..." He stops, as if a new thought just came to him. Alas, not very believably so of one is looking at his right hand, reaching instinctively for the comfort of a sword hilt. One can only hope whoever is on the other side of that glamor isn't too skilled at reading body language, or they just put it down to Bozbeyli not being as at ease with iruxi as his words indicate.
Gouvernor Bluff: 1d20+15 = 17
vs
??? Sense Motive
Akorian Sense Motive: 1d20+14 = 19 (Success)
A cord, artfully hidden among he drapes, summons a servant who is sent off to find the steward, leading to a few hundred-beats of silent waiting, outwardly at least.
The figment-flower, he mentally explains, had been a gift from House Basri after the passing of his lady wife, taking the form of her favorite flower to remember her by. "Never was much of a gardener myself," he says and Sirim comments that it's a wound far from healed, making his anger at the deception all the deeper.
"These demon elves, would they work with humans if the price is right?" he presses. "What do they want?"
The drow do trade as well as raid when it's to their profit, you explain, though for something to be a worthwhile trade in the depths of Sekamina it would have to be of high value: gold and silver, arcane reagents, precious stones, and slaves, things of the Burnlands would one assumes be worth a premium.
He silence deepens then as Bozbeyli ponders these new insights.
"You have done the city of Cassomir a great favor, warriors, and I would be honored to count you and your tribe among its citizens if you so wish," he addresses Gorok. "And you, young Fahlspar, have my thanks for bringing this peril to my attention. The Grand Duchess will hear of this from me, rest assured."
He heads over to a glass-fronted cabinet and pulls out a crystal stopper filled with amber liquid to offer you all a drink.
"I find myself in need of investigators to find who, if anyone, is colluding with the menace below. By your skill and discretion you have proven yourselves fit for the task. I realize you do not lack for gold, but there are other things I am in a position to grant you; access to rare lore, military support of the Navy and the Taldan Horse, diplomatic credentials to go abroad in the world, and more. In happier times I would offer you a chance to go to court, but I fear that nest of serpents is more punishment than reward."
"Where would we even start?" Sirim asks practically.
"I have some suspicions, but it would do neither me nor you any favors to share them if you wish to steer clear of this matter," the Lord Governor answers bluntly.
What does Kori think?
[] Accept, investigate the drow presence below Cassomir
[] Refuse, this sounds too risky and none of your concern
a it would have to be high value: gold and silver, arcane reagents, precious stones, slaves. Things of the Burnlands would one assumes be worth a premium.
We have just outed ourselves to House Basri. Not only do they know we are aware of their dealings with pirates, but with the drow as well. And having heard the name they will likely investigate what ties we may have to the Court of Blood, which may lead to drow getting interested in us.
No way but forward then.
[x] Accept, investigate the drow presence below Cassomir
I wonder what are the chances they will try to assassinate the Governor and pin it on us as we are in the middle of a meeting.
Kori does not know enough about drow diet to guess how they would take to Burnland food, he likes it fine, but food tends to be high volume, pretty hard to keep hidden
We have just outed ourselves to House Basri. Not only do they know we are aware of their dealings with pirates, but with the drow as well. And having heard the name they will likely investigate what ties we may have to the Court of Blood, which may lead to drow getting interested in us.
No way but forward then.
[x] Accept, investigate the drow presence below Cassomir
I wonder what are the chances they will try to assassinate the Governor and pin it on us as we are in the middle of a meeting.
Pretty much my thoughts as well. I absolutely do not want to go looking for Drow below Cassomir, but we're already exposed at this point. We have to follow this one to the conclusion.
@DragonParadox, would the governor be willing/able to extend us a line of credit or just give us a cash advance on some of the proceeds from the adamantine sell so that we could purchase some equipment before going on this mission?
[X] Accept, investigate the drow presence below Cassomir
@DragonParadox, would the governor be willing/able to extend us a line of credit or just give us a cash advance on some of the proceeds from the adamantine sell so that we could purchase some equipment before going on this mission?
The figment-flower, he mentally explains, had been a gift from House Basri after the passing of his lady wife, taking the form of her favorite flower to remember her by. "Never was much of a gardener myself," he says and Sirim comments that it's a wound far from healed, making his anger at the deception all the deeper.
