Finding the Spark (Pathfinder 1E Quest)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
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- pathfinder
Arc 7 Post 19: In Silk and Steam Enshrouded
Of Silk and Steam
20th of Lamashan 4707 A.R. (Absalom Reckoning)
Just on the other side of the swirling Andoshen from Timbertown and its misplaced vases is what seems to you another city, or mayhap better to say pieces of several other cities tied loosely together by a series of winding paths and cobbled river walls under the shade of peach trees sadly bare of fruit and leaf: the Embassy District. As you wander down unnoticed by your lowly garb you amuse yourself trying to pick out the representatives of various nations: here a Taldan lady sporting a elaborate bejeweled wig passed down through the generations, there a broad shouldered fellow in a fun lined cloak sweltering in the southern heat from Brevoy or Iobaria, you are not sure you believe the tales of them making pacts with dragons, they look like they might melt from the sun alone. The same could not be said of the grey haired woman expertly wielding a colorful fan bearing unfamiliar glyphs. Hailing from Tian Xia most likely, though probably the representative of a merchant not some distant emperor.
Most of the embassies here settled in old aristocratic manses, confiscated during the People's Revolt or sold in the years since, though my no means all of them. Down by the water you spy an encampment hosting a dozen rather large and comfortable looking hide tents, you'll have to ask them how they do that peopled by what looks like a single large family garbed as much in the hide of beasts as trade cloth and line. These could be from as far as Numeria or the lands of the Mammoth Lords, even exiles of doomed Sarkoris, though something tells you few of those clans would have the coin to pay for the privilege of setting up in Almas.
Of course the whole of the district is not filled by embassies cheek by jowl, there are eateries and fine dining, tailor shops for the discerning, shrines for the faithful tucked away in odd corners. It is on one of these latter places that you are headed, though you would not have known it yourself. M. S. Laundry would have seemed no more and no less than it advertised, a place for the well off to have their clothes cleaned and perfumed, had Gavhaul not informed you: "Tis a Temple of Sivanah, the Seventh Veil or so at least they claim."
Who they are you do not have time to ask as you are already inside the dark antechamber where he drops his outer disguise and you do likewise. Just then a voice rings out: "What are you about then?"
Humans and most who live upon the burning skin of the world would not be able to see the splotch of heat among the dozens of vases and urns set in a space between the edge of the walls and the plaster ceiling. Mayhap they would think one of the odd animal-headed jars were speaking, jump and give themselves away.
"I am but a humble keeper of my master's bags, a porter, yes," you slump shoulders and shuffle against the nearest wall, enough to give the imp a good show, but not so much as to make it interested in following.
Bluff vs Sense Motive: 23 vs 15 (Success)
Thankfully it seems to work, thus stepping into a steaming salon of crimson silks and frothing pink satin, still comfortably lit. There is a table in the middle of the room set up for two, from which rises a lady barbed in flowers and feathers all sweet smelling, her eyes bright with intrigue as they fall upon your companion: "Loric darling!"
As they partake in careful greetings that bring to mind a story you once heard about the mating dance of the Heartstopper Spider, you cannot help but notice the creak underfoot. The clothes are being cleaned right underneath and these the fumes of their processing. Thankfully between the steam, the half covered windows above like hooded eyes, there isn't enough light for your shadow to be clearly seen, though... Is it trying to make itself smaller, or is that just your imagination?
Umbral Unmasking (DC 15): 1d20+2 = 9 (Failure)
Soon enough greeting turns to questioning as your companion for the morning : "How long have you been in Almas? Oh why haven't you said anything? How is Pairo? I do hope he isn't feeling as much under the weather these days?"
"He is still devastated of course, but you know Pairo, clinging on to the wheel like only a sailor can." The words do not match the jesting tone, though continuing to listen does allow you to piece together the reason. You gather that Loric's older brother had sought the lady's hand in marriage without success, something you gather he finds some satisfaction in. Sibling rivalry is not something you've ever had a chance to partake in, no one having claimed close kinship to you in the Hall, but you had seen to often enough to diagnose the severity. This seems more in the way of putting reek-spores in someone's shoes than glass in their stew.
"He is wagering much and not just of his own gold on the Sargava Gambit," Gavhaul says of his brother, a touch more acerbically. "Oh they will promise him all the gold behind Mzali's walls, but they still have to get at it. Anyone claiming that the Mwangi are simple savages has never heard of the Shori, or simply never cared to listen."
"But darling the Sky Cities have fallen long ago and even the Sun Gods of Mzali are ancient history, if ever there were such things rather than the delusions of spirit chasers. They display the treasures of their ancestors like an Absalom street fair. They stand in the ruins of a broken empire like jackals licking dried bones. Tis no more bother to see them off than any tribe of mad cyclopeans." That last word shouldn't have that suffix, you are pretty sure, but she says it with such confidence though. Perhaps that is the manner it is said in Cheliax.
"And they claim I'm bad at arithmetic," Gavhaul sounds more and more annoyed by the moment and not at all charmed. "Tell me, do you know how many people live in Mzali? How many soldiers under arms? You don't do you, well neither do I, our 'friend' the governor of Sargava has been very light on what exactly he is aiming to fight with all those mercenaries he is hiring at the Consortium's expense, at least we damn well hope he is hiring mercenaries and not just feathering his nest at the Patrons' expense."
"Come now, you'll start to show frown lines and then where will be be," the lady interjects, her right hand fluttering as thought she had to stop herself from smoothing out said lines by hand and by the dark does that do the trick. Gavhaul settles back into his seat almost bonelessly as he breathes in the scented steam. "Tell me about this venture of yours, why is it you believe this dwarf, Unga I think you wrote his name is, when you are so very skeptical by nature?"
Now that is a question you rather want an answer to yourself... at the same time unless you miss your guess Gavhaul would probably thank you for that elbow to the ribs about now.
Akorian Spellcraft: 1d20+7 = 17 (Failure)
What do you do?
[] Warn Gavhaul to watch himself as you had been asked
[] Listen on, this is intriguing
[] Write in
OOC: I hope all the names and places in this chapter were not too overwhelming, a little overwhelming is fine since that is how Kori feels.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
The Shori civilization has always been one of those that most interested me in Golarion's history. I'm a sucker for ancient knowledge and lost civilizations. Given their extremely advanced magitech and what we've seen of the Azlanti through Kori's ancestral memories, I wouldn't be surprised if much of the Shori's stuff was reverse engineered from remnants that survived Earthfall.
As for this situation, we should help Gavhaul as he requested. Now isn't the time to try scrounging up a bit more info, not in the den of a diabolist.
[X] Warn Gavhaul to watch himself as you had been asked
As for this situation, we should help Gavhaul as he requested. Now isn't the time to try scrounging up a bit more info, not in the den of a diabolist.
[X] Warn Gavhaul to watch himself as you had been asked
- Location
- Argentina
I am surprised we are not perpetually rolling bluff
- Location
- Argentina
Kori *playing 5d mutidimentional spess azlanti chess*
Gavhaul: Now that he thinks I trust him, he will never suspect my betrayal!
Who says you aren't?
Just because you see some social rolls does not mean you see all of them.
Arc 7 Post 20: With Heavy Tread
With Heavy Tread
20th of Lamashan 4707 A.R. (Absalom Reckoning)
An elbow to the ribs would be too obvious... The creaking of the floor gives you the idea, if you could just make it creak loudly enough. Alas, be it by cunning or by penny-pinching this place was not built for stomping. It definitely makes a noise, more than you were expecting as it goes right though the gap between two plants with a high pitch whistle as scalding steam goes up the offending leg. Thankfully you're able to pull free and hop back, unharmed save for any hope of subtlety as Gavhaul... is certainly paying attention, though so is the mistress of this place.
Akorian Bluff: 1d20+15 = 16 vs Breolia Sense Motive: 1d20+15 = 18 (Critical Failure)
Akorian Reflex (DC 10) - 1d20+3 = 19 (Success)
"Smoke and Cinders!" she curses. "What are you about, boy?"
All you can do is stutter out an apology soon drowned out by Gavhaul's coughing. He's doing it on purpose to refocus her attention, you realize, to draw back her solicitous attention. "Oh I am terribly sorry, long sea journeys make unsteady steps..." he makes an attempt as if to laugh then coughs some more. "I really shouldn't have brought someone new here, should I? So much for my growing knack for subtlety..."
For a moment the lady looks like she is torn between slapping you and reassuring him before the latter impulse wins out.
"Do you still wish to know why I believed the dwarf, my lady?" The question sounds worryingly eager to please, but from the way he's holding is head you'd guess the scuffle did the trick, however unintentionally. "Sky-watchers, not the great observatories atop ivory towers, there are ironically too many eyes upon them. But there has been in recent decades a growing interest in observation of the celestial spheres among the merchants, medics and the more well off tradesmen. Yes, yes they are quite gauche, I know, but they are for the most part meticulous in their observations and hungry for anyone who shares their interest to correspond with. Village life does not make for much talk of astronomy you see..."
The lady laughs despite herself. "You don't say. And what have the grocers and butchers of rural Andoran seen in the night sky over the Verduan that interested you so much?"
Gavhaul Diplomacy: 1d20+ 16 = 36 (Critical Success)
"More like doctors, teachers, and a handful of priests, in the towns as much as the villages," he corrects her. "A rain of stars centered on the area our dwarf friend marked for those shards of supposed adamant, one that was angled most bizarrely as though not from the depths of the void but from the face of Golarion's own moon. Moreover in three of the instances, all reliable as such things go, the observer remarked that the starfall was oddly persistent."
"A great deal of adamant?" Lady Ascortus leans in, a glitter of near-predatory greed in her eyes.
"Not falling at the rate you would expect," he corrects.
"So what? A second Numeria in the Verduan? Will we have to worry about invisibile radiant poison in the air?" She does not sound particulaly worried.
"Thankfully no, Urgor seems healthy by any metric I was able to test him for, though it would be helpful..."
"Tut, tut, tut!" the Lady snaps her fan open for emphasis. "Why are we speaking of our plans in front of him?" She does not even denign to look your way. "He might blurt something out for half the world to hear. You, go!" she motions across from the door you had entered. "Take the backdoor and don't treck muck where it doesn't belong."
A quick turn of the head in your patron's direction shows a nod and an alert expression still. Mayhap this is your chance to poke around more of this place. Something tells you she had not counted for your skills at skulking and judging just from the silk's she's draped in, the rings upon her fingers there's sure to be more than secrets to steal.
What do you do?
[] Leave as asked
-[] Sneak upstairs to search and potentially loot the place
-[] Return to the ship
[] Attempt to refuse
-[] Write in reasoning
[] Write in
OOC: Well that is one way to wake someone up.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Haha, oops. Kori got the job done, at least, even if it wasn't the smoothest of moves. On the plus side, it probably makes him look more like an incompetent muggle in the diabolist's eyes than a serious threat. That could be helpful.
[X] Leave as asked
-[X] Kori takes up position outside and waits for Gavhaul to leave. He'll try to stay out of sight without resorting to Invisibility. While waiting, he'll use Detect Magic to examine his surroundings. While he cannot see the Invisible, he can perhaps detect the general presence of hidden Imps and he may also learn something of any wards guarding the building's exterior.
[X] Leave as asked
-[X] Kori takes up position outside and waits for Gavhaul to leave. He'll try to stay out of sight without resorting to Invisibility. While waiting, he'll use Detect Magic to examine his surroundings. While he cannot see the Invisible, he can perhaps detect the general presence of hidden Imps and he may also learn something of any wards guarding the building's exterior.
Kori does have detect magic, that is not good enough to pinpoint an invisible being the way see invisible does, but it does show you the aura so you can see within a 5 ft square where something using say illusion magic is.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Nah. I doubt we'd advertise our return from the expedition.
Could sell her out to the Pathfinders, though.
Doubt this is legal.
Also, if there is a betrayal in the cards, I expect it to happen at the border crossing. Or 'crossing', given what we learned of the borders' fluid state as of late.
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- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] Leave as asked
-[x] Sneak upstairs to search and potentially loot the place
Alright then. I am for cautious scouting more than I am for looting. Check if there is anything worth taking, first.
She is a diabolist in the Andoran capital. There's bound to be something running afoul of the law. Any info we could give Pathfinders to hit Aspis operations here with might prove more valuable than a few trinkets.
-[x] Sneak upstairs to search and potentially loot the place
Alright then. I am for cautious scouting more than I am for looting. Check if there is anything worth taking, first.
She is a diabolist in the Andoran capital. There's bound to be something running afoul of the law. Any info we could give Pathfinders to hit Aspis operations here with might prove more valuable than a few trinkets.
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- Location
- Russia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Leave as asked
-[x] If Kori has an opportunity, he will cast Invisibility and search the place. He must cast Detect Magic before Invisibility to check if there are invisible imps nearby. He will continue casting Detect Magic during his search. If he has not opportunity, he will wait outside, using Detect Magic and Searching Shadows to search the place outside (and remotely inside).
It is a too good opportunity for me to pass by. On the other hand, imps have see in darkness ability. We can go stealth only with the help of cover or concealment, and see in darkness will deny this concealment.
-[x] If Kori has an opportunity, he will cast Invisibility and search the place. He must cast Detect Magic before Invisibility to check if there are invisible imps nearby. He will continue casting Detect Magic during his search. If he has not opportunity, he will wait outside, using Detect Magic and Searching Shadows to search the place outside (and remotely inside).
It is a too good opportunity for me to pass by. On the other hand, imps have see in darkness ability. We can go stealth only with the help of cover or concealment, and see in darkness will deny this concealment.
- Location
- Argentina
[X] Leave as asked
-[X] Kori takes up position outside and waits for Gavhaul to leave. He'll try to stay out of sight without resorting to Invisibility. While waiting, he'll use Detect Magic to examine his surroundings. While he cannot see the Invisible, he can perhaps detect the general presence of hidden Imps and he may also learn something of any wards guarding the building's exterior.
Yeah, not liking the prospect of doing anything now. We should totally loot the place one we go back.
-[X] Kori takes up position outside and waits for Gavhaul to leave. He'll try to stay out of sight without resorting to Invisibility. While waiting, he'll use Detect Magic to examine his surroundings. While he cannot see the Invisible, he can perhaps detect the general presence of hidden Imps and he may also learn something of any wards guarding the building's exterior.
Yeah, not liking the prospect of doing anything now. We should totally loot the place one we go back.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] Leave as asked
-[x] If Kori has an opportunity, he will cast Invisibility and search the place. He must cast Detect Magic before Invisibility to check if there are invisible imps nearby. He will continue casting Detect Magic during his search. If he has not opportunity, he will wait outside, using Detect Magic and Searching Shadows to search the place outside (and remotely inside).
This was implied, but sure.
-[x] If Kori has an opportunity, he will cast Invisibility and search the place. He must cast Detect Magic before Invisibility to check if there are invisible imps nearby. He will continue casting Detect Magic during his search. If he has not opportunity, he will wait outside, using Detect Magic and Searching Shadows to search the place outside (and remotely inside).
This was implied, but sure.
Vote is very close, I'm going to leave this open for a bit.