2-21 | Odin | In Character - OG Myth-Weavers

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2-21 | Odin | In Character

 
In the middle of the night, you are summoned to the Grand Lodge. It is abuzz with rumors of something monumental happening in Oppara. In the formal (hurried) briefing, you are informed that transport has been arranged and that a team of agents is being sent to the Oppara Lodge.

A swift boat ride, a quick trip through Taldor’s gilded capital, and a coded knock at the front door lead to the unassuming, windowless Pathfinder Society lodge masquerading as a bait and tackle shop called Rods and Reels. The strong smell of old fish permeates the dwelling, which has somewhat of an ill cared-for, haphazard appearance. The light of a single, whale-oil lantern forms strange shadows on the floor among the nets and buckets that fill the lodge’s ground floor.

The middle-aged venture-captain who runs the lodge—a ruddy-skinned and pockmark-faced man—emerges from the narrow spiral stairs to the lodge’s second floor...

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Pathfinders. Let me bring you all up to speed. It seems that I may have gotten myself, and by extension the Society, into a bit of hot water. You see, lately the Taldan government has been growing particularly protective of what it considers its national treasures. Grand Prince Stavian seems to have taken a personal interest in anything older than last week’s fish stew, imposing heavy tariffs on any antiquities being sent out of the country.”

The grey-haired man lets out a deep sigh and his shoulders slump. “This is where my own idiocy comes in. I thought that I could save the Society a few pieces of gold by smuggling items out of the city, using my contacts in a secret cult of local Sarenites known as the Dawnflower Blossoms. They receive significant support from people in Qadira, and oversee regular shipments to and from Katheer.

“Everything went very smoothly until last night. A group of local guards known as the Porthmos Militia conducted a violent raid on one of the cult’s safe houses here in the neighborhood of Westport. A man named Chalfon Dalsine, a minor noble who was himself nearly a Pathfinder in his youth, led the attack. This gang slaughtered half the members of the cult, even those who didn’t fight back—it was horrible. A few members were able to escape, but the rest were either slain or captured and dragged away for interrogation.”

Muesello wipes his face with a rag from his back pocket, “While the deaths were tragic, my primary concern is that I had just given the Sarenites several parcels for transport just last week... The parcels included a number of notes written in a personal cypher of mine, but anything involving codes eventually makes its way to the Lion Blades, the secret spies of the Taldan government. It’s only a matter of time before they crack the code or use some divination magic to track me down.

“The Society is in a very delicate place at the moment, especially here in Taldor. The upheavals caused by the Shadow Lodge have only made things worse. If the government tracks those packages back to me, they might formally expel all Pathfinders from the country! Now what I need you to do is …”
A loud knock on the shop’s front door interrupts the venture-captain mid-sentence. A strong voice calls out from the other side, “Open this door! This is the Porthmos Militia. Open this door in the name of the Grand Prince!”
Muesello curses quietly. He motions for you to be silent and calls out in a voice suddenly seeming to quaver with age. "Just... a moment, good sirs! I must.... find the ...key!"

He begins to loudly fumble around the shop as if to make it sound like he's searching for something. He draws nearer to whisper: “Ten of the escaped Dawnflower Blossoms members are hidden here in the lodge. I was able to rescue them after the raid. They’re all upstairs—five in my bedroom and another five in my supply room.” He knocks over three hay bales along the room’s east wall, revealing a trap door beneath. He flings it open to reveal a stairwell descending into darkness. “You’ve got to get those people out of here,” he pleads, gesturing frantically at the hatch. “In my basement there is a staircase leading down to the ancient catacombs under the city. At the bottom of that staircase, there is a large lever on the right, just a few feet down the connecting corridor. Once everyone is clear of the staircase, pull it down and it will collapse behind you. That should keep anyone from following you. Once you’re in the catacombs, just ask the cult members for directions; they should know their way around. Ask them to take you to the Vault of Sarenrae—it’s their last hiding place. Oh, and track down this Chalfon Dalsine, and see if you can find my parcels: two beautiful sets of armor crafted by the fey of the Verduran Forest. Last I heard, the Porthmos Militia had taken them back to Dalsine’s home.”
The pounding on the door increases in volume and an annoyed voice calls out again. “We don’t want to break the door down, old man. Hurry up!”
“Yes, yes, I heard you. Hold on, I’ve got to find a candle.” Muesello turns back and whispers once more, “I’ll hold them off as best I can. Please get the cult members out of here, or they’re all as good as dead, and please don’t try to kill the guards! This is a large group of serious guards who obviously mean business. Any lethal attacks or, gods forefend, a death could spell doom for the Society! These are city guards acting on the authority of the Grand Prince himself!”

The banging on the door continues, "Hurry up! This isn't a social call!"

Muesello, continuing to make placating noises, and just noises in general, hisses at you: "Quick, get them out of here!" He indicates a worried face peering down the stairs from the floor above.

Round 1

Pathfinders
  • Sveyn | 20/20
    *Snow | 19/19
  • Samara | 7/7
  • Roscoe | 12/12
    *Duke | 13/13
  • Kujo | 25/25
  • Leena | 15/15
  • Lareis | 10/10

"Neutrals"
  • 10x Dawnflower Blossom refugees | 6/6 each
  • VC Muesello | 38/38

Hostiles
  • Porthmos Militia | ??/??

Encounter InformationAs a hint, here are several ways in which you can (nonviolently) assist in this encounter:
  • Assist Muesello in Bluffing the guards (Bluff checks + relevant excuses are also helpful)
  • Block the door (STR checks + what you're trying to accomplish)
  • Help Evacuate Cultists (No check required, but certain types of actions can be more helpful than others... and relevant rolls will not go unrewarded.)
  • Be Creative


Pathfinders go first!

Roscoe



On the hurried trip over to Taldor, you got acquainted with Roscoe Goodpepper, a chipper halfling with an easy smile and gregarious nature. He knows Leena, the other halfling on the mission, from a previous mission to Qadira. Always close at hand is his large, slobbery gray mastiff, a hound the size and weight of a burly human man. He calls the dog Duke, and he's just as friendly as his master. Prone to resting his forepaws on the shoulders of friendly strangers, Duke is prone to bowling people over in his enthusiasm.

During the briefing in the secret lodge, Roscoe stands fully equipped, a beautiful shield of dark wood strapped to his back. He's clad in a navy blue long coat with silver buttons; his hairy, bare feet can be seen protruding from beneath. Duke is strapped in a suit of leather barding and a well-used riding saddle, a halfling-sized lance couched in a holster near the shoulder.

As the militia begins to bang on the door, Duke lets loose a booming bark. Roscoe quiets him with a hand, gripping the pommel of his sword in a white-knuckled fist. He sucked in his breath; he didn't like the situation. Not one bit.

Considering the need for speed, he mounts up on Duke, which nearly doubles the halfling's 'height,' bringing him closer to eye level.
"I'll help evacuate the Sarenites," he says, putting his heels into Duke's flank. The dog growls one more time at the noise coming from the door, before bounding off toward the stairwell. "Come on!" he whispers loudly up the stairs, "Let's get you out of here!"



Leena looks scared but takes a deep breathe and helps Roscoe lead cultists to the escape route. She will try to show the cultists how to move
Dice Roll: 1d20+6z
d20 Results: 19 (Total = 25)
quietly (25).

Elizabeth W.


Samara the Crimson Witch

Samara watched the others heading down to help the cultists. She doubted that there would be time to get them all out at the rate they were going unless they could buy more time. With a sly wink at Muesello she tossed her vermilion locks over her shoulder and began to slightly put her garments in disarray.

"Muesello if you dare open that door before I am decent, by Shelyn I promise you, the Grand Prince will be the LAST thing you will need to worry about!" She made sure her voice would carry through the door as she shouted frantically. "And for heaven's sake put some pants on before you answer it! Just give us one more minute officer!" An impish grin made its way across her face as she looked back to the venture captain.

With almost no effort, she easily undid the clasp on her belt, letting is hang loose on her hips. Using both hands, she gripped the waistline of her crimson and gold hemmed dress and slightly turned it sideways. Deciding not to remove her thigh high sanguine leather boots in the event she would need to run, Samara instead moved her hands up to her head and began tossing it wildly. If they did come in before everyone was downstairs had escaped, at least she would look the part.






A woman, a dog, and a halfling riding the dog moving the refugees down the ramp into the cellar, Kujo grabbed two of the bales of hay and used them to block the door.



You have chosen character number 29 out of a possible 10

Seeing the large black man using bales of hay to block the door, the large Ulfen Shaman moved over to assist in blocking the door so that it would not budge. Meanwhile the Ulfen motions for the Wolf that accompanied him to go down into the tunnel. Which it looked reluctant to do.







Well, this was a mess.

The knock sent the party into a flurry, all with fairly good plans. Considering, Laeris seemed the last to act, but when she did, it was quickly. On as silent of feet as she could manage, Laeris went rushing about the small lodge to find any blankets she could, putting them down to muffle the sound of so many feet tromping about on the wooden floors. A pat of Samara's arm was given after the woman's boisterous bluff, to draw her attention, then Laeris pointed towards the blankets with a warm smile and an approving wink.

Moving to help gather the cultists with others, Laeris also hoped to grab a candle, and seeing the reluctant wolf, a scrap of edible meat to comfort the creature, before silently ushering others before her down into the catacombs.



Muesello's face turns as crimson as Samara's hair. Unsure of how to react, he blindly knocks some things over to create a little bit more noise.

The banging from outside ceases for a moment... followed soon after by raucous laughter and several rude comments. "Key, my arse!" "Mebbe y'should give'm a minute, cap'n..."

Leena, Rosoe, and Laeris all set to working together helping the cultists to stealthily escape. They manage to gather together five of them and send them down through the trapdoor after the wolf...

Round 2

Pathfinders
  • Sveyn | 20/20
    *Snow | 19/19
  • Samara | 7/7
  • Roscoe | 12/12
    *Duke | 13/13
  • Kujo | 25/25
  • Leena | 15/15
  • Lareis | 10/10

"Neutrals"
  • 10x Dawnflower Blossom refugees | 6/6 each | 5 evacuated
  • VC Muesello | 38/38
  • Door | hardness 5, hp 15/15, Break DC 23 | Break DC +2

Hostiles
  • Porthmos Militia | ??/?? | Laughing (1/1r)

Encounter InformationAs a hint, here are several ways in which you can (nonviolently) assist in this encounter:
  • Assist Muesello in Bluffing the guards (Bluff checks + relevant excuses are also helpful)
  • Block the door (STR checks + what you're trying to accomplish)
  • Help Evacuate Cultists (No check required, but certain types of actions can be more helpful than others... and relevant rolls will not go unrewarded.)
  • Be Creative

GO!




 

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