IC: Vengeance of the Vanderborens

[Kylia Quilor]

Current Mental Focus Investiture

3 Points Invested in Her Monocle (Divination), granting a +1 Insight bonus to Perception Checks
2 Points Invested in her Bracers (Abjuration), granting a +1 Resistance Bonus to all her saving throws.

"The clicks are different based on the direction you go," Iridni furrowed her brow. She tapped her ear. "In some combination locks, it's not just the number you hit, but the direction you go - which sometimes means taking the longer route. But then, we already knew that from sunrise and sunset. The numbers seem to add up in terms of the code and the combination. Six eyes, one eye, two eyes, four eyes, two eyes. And your formulation of sunrise and sunset makes sense. And yet, it's not opening." She thought about what she'd heard, the way the clicks were every time the pointer moved... as if counting the clicks.

She approached the lock. "I think we might be going about this wrong. Or I could be completely off base. But what if it it's counting the number of turns, not the numbers themselves? If we move the pillar to it's starting position again, and then turn it six times to sunrise, one to sunset, two to sunrise, four to sunset, two to sunrise. Not about the numbers they end at, but just the number of turns."

"I agree that it seems counter intuitive to just ignore the creature designs, but if your answer seems perfect and yet doesn't work, either the answer is wrong, or our understanding of the question is wrong. Or both." That was basic logic. "Eyes seems the most logical explanation, but it doesn't seem to be it."

[CharmingSatyr]

 

Calyx, Elven Warpriest (notes) AC: 17 | HP: 9/9 | Hero: 1 Fort: +3 | Ref: +4 | Will: +6 Resources | Spells | Skills

---

"Give it a shot," he recommends, liking the spellcaster's suggestion. "She's wearing a robe, so she must be smart," the young man figures. Keeping his position next to their employer to shield her from harm, he continues, "It's better than any idea I've had so far. Let's see what happens."

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by CharmingSatyr (see edit history)

[Ryfte]

DESCRIPTION Very thin, young halfling woman with auburn hair, pale brown-amber eyes, fair skin (lightly freckled checks and nose), a rounded button-like nose and narrow features. Short and slender even on the smaller side for a halfling her ears are half-again larger proportionately than most. She smiles easily and is a quiet woman (for the most part) who prefers remaining more in the background in most situations.| APPLICATION | SHEETFiona Inderman
Female, Neutral Good, Halfling [Skinwalker (Nightskulk)], Unchained Rogue (detailsCounterfeit Mage
Escapologist
Investigator
Knife Master) 1

---

AC/TAC/FFAC: 17/15/13 | HP: 9/9 | S/D/C/I/W/C: +1/+4/+1/+3/-1/+0 | F/R/W: +1/+6/-1 | Move: 30', Climb 30'
Low-light Vision, Perception: +3

---

The giant puzzle of a room certainly made sense for this place, without any doubt at all. Tann and the others reasoning made sense as well, at least as far as she could tell. There was one simply beginning assumption that Fiona thought might be wrong, "You know Tann, what if you had the right of it except for the directions themselves? That is to say, what if sunrise is clockwise and sunset is counter clockwise? That would reverse the directions of movement you used but still select each of the end points and its an easy enough thing to check... unless of course entering the wrong rotations triggers something dangerous..."

OoC Summary: Looking for a way to slip into concealment / hiding and sneak to the others side / the switch. Standard: ??? Swift: Flip switch? Move: Stealth Move Free: ??? Offenses: Bite (+5, 1d4+1 (primary natural attack); Fort DC11 or Sickened, 20/x2) Rapier (+5, 1d4+1, 18-20/x2) Daggers (+5, 1d3+1, 20/x2, 10' ri, +5 attack if thrown) Throwing Blades (+5, 1d3+1, 20/x2, 20' ri) Sneak Attack: 1d8 (with daggers / throwing blades) or 1d4 (bite / rapier) SKIILLS: Acrobatics +8 Appraise +7 Climb +13 (30') Disable Device +8 Escape Artist +8 Handle Animal +6 Know (Dungeoneering) +7 Know (Local) +7 Linguistics +11 Perception +3 Sleight of Hand +8 Stealth +14 Swim +5

[Starhawk]

 

 

Tann Hauser (AC 17)

Character Short Form

Female  Neutral  Elf Wizard,

Level 1, Init 5, HP 8/8, Speed 30 

AC 13 (17 Mage Armor) Touch 13, Flat-footed 10 (14), CMD 12, 

Fort 1, Ref 3, Will 3, CMB -1, Base Attack Bonus  0,  

Dagger -1 (1d4-1, 19-20/x2)
Light Crossbow (10 Reusable) +3 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
 
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 10

Cantrips Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost 1d3+1

1st level Spells Burning Hands 1 (3d4+1), Colour Spray, Crafter's Blessing, Ears of the City, Expeditious Retreat, Fabricate Bullets, Grease 1, Mage Armor 1

Skills

+10  Knowledge Local, Knowledge Arcana

+8  Alchemy, Spellcraft

+6 Heal, Perception (+9 in low light), all other knowledge skills and professions

Condition

Darkvision 60' but dazzled in bright light.

Entomophobe Drawback (penalties with vermin and swarms)

Sheet Link

https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2744372

 

Tann takes out her hip flask and helps herself to a quick snifter. She then smiles broadly as Fiona speaks to her, nodding enthusiastically at the suggestion, apparently quite taken with the current activity of puzzle breaking. "We're almost there, my celebratory hip flask concurs.", she replies, in her customary, low purring contralto. Clearl in good humor, she adds... "Wonder what's next on our dance card?". She asks this of no-one in particular.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Starhawk (see edit history)

[CharmingSatyr]

 

Calyx, Elven Warpriest (notes) AC: 17 | HP: 9/9 | Hero: 1 Fort: +3 | Ref: +4 | Will: +6 Resources | Spells | Skills

---

"I'll give it a shot," Calyx volunteers. "You guys are super smart, but I think maybe you're overcomplicating things."

With both hands on the pedestal, he turns the mechanism. But instead of turning to the statue that matches the number of eyes, he treats it like an ordinary combination lock -- counting positions as he works. "We go six this way ... then one the other way ... " and so on, muttering to himself as he moves through all five positions.

[Fiery Gift]

Calyx' efforts guided by the previous efforts of Tann and insight of Iridni prove fruitful. The entire room rumbles and doors in the wall revealing 5 different alcoves filled with literally dozens of treasure chests in each of them. Well done! I knew all of you could do it.

Lavinia says with a tone that bears a heavy tone of relief. She leads the party into the first alcove and begins opening chest, but her relief begins to to turn to dismay. Each of the chests in the first alcove is mostly empty. There are scatterings of silver and copper coins at the bottom of each chest, but there is far less than would have been expected for the security in the vault. . What happened? Where did it all go?

Lavinia asks no one in particular. The same phenomenon of missing wealth is repeated in the next four alcoves. Finally in the last vault is a reprieve. The chests in this alcove are full of gold and platinum coins as well as a chest full of semi-precious stone. There are also a couple of chest filled with ledgers and a separate iron coffer filled with documents. Upon further examination of the ledgers you find that Most of the ledgers list debts owed to the Vanderborens from guilds and noble families in Sasserine -- Apparently, the Vanderborens had done quite a number of very dangerous favors for ruling families of Sasserine.

 

The iron coffer has a quartet of snakes etched onto the top cover. Lavinia opens the coffer I bet this was my mother's. The documents in the iron coffer are interesting but don't seem to bear any immediate financial value. Well this is interesting. This is my mother's handwriting but I don't recognize the language in which it is written. Some this letters are elven. . . she muses. In addition to the notes there are maps of unknown jungles, coastlines, and sketches of strange, exotic creatures.

Lavinia turns her attention from the curious papers and back to the party. This is better. Now I can at least pay you what I owe you and have enough for your retainer. I think with all of these IOUs I should be well settled for the near future. Although I hope the Jade Ravens visit to my aunt and uncle bear fruit. I'll need their help if I'm going to keep the families shipping concern running smoothly. Still I'd like to know where the rest of the money went. Lets settle the fee for rescuing the ship first and put down an advance on the retainer shall we?

 

Lavinia counts out the money owed, as well as a 50 gp advance for the retainer to each member of the party. She scoops a not insignificant amount into her own purse as well. There; first order of business finished. I'm looking forward to a profitable future between us. Urthan would you be a dear and carry that chest of ledgers up the stairs? We'll arrange for delivery to my estate when we get to the top. She asks kindly. Still, I'd like to figure where the money from the first four alcoves has gone . . .

[ccanary]

Seraphina Stormborn

Seraphina Stormborn — Half-Orc Skald 1 (Fated Champion)
AC/T/FF 16/11/15 | HP 10/10 | Init +1 | Speed 20ft | Fort/Ref/Will 5/4/2 | Darkvision
Raging Song 12/12 | Hero Points 01/01
Active Conditions:
Group buffs: raging song (allies who accept gain +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +1 morale bonus on Will saving throws, but also take a –1 penalty to AC. While under the effects of inspired rage, allies other than the skald cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration.

Spells

1st: (1/2 remaining) Heightened Awareness (10 minutes), Saving Finale
Cantrips: (unl) detect magic, ghost sound, prestidigitation, read magic

On the Flirty Frigate

"Looks like Alura was on the right track when asking if anyone else had been here, "

she said in a low voice, not wanting to interrupt the Lady.

She looked over the papers in Lavinia's mother's hand writing and (unless they're in orcish or infernal) shrugged.

"Nothing I can help you with. Any of you able to read this?" she looked to the others, especially Iridni.

On the way out, she'd stop with Alura and the others in inquire about who had been in the Vanderboren family vault recently.

Mechanics

Temporary conditions:

• Heightened awareness (10 minutes remaining) +2 to perception and knowledge-based skills, can dismiss for +4 to initiative

AoO:
Standard:
Move:

Free:

Trained Skills

Acrobatics*	+6
Climb*	+9
Knowledge (local)	+8
Knowledge (nobility)	+6
Other knowledges (untrained)	+2
Perception	+2
Perform (Sing)	+8
Swim*	+8
* -4 ACP to str and dex skills

 

 

[CharmingSatyr]

 

Calyx, Elven Warpriest (notes) AC: 17 | HP: 9/9 | Hero: 1 Fort: +3 | Ref: +4 | Will: +6 Resources | Spells | Skills

---

"As much as I want to go out and spend my pay ..." Calyx begins. " ... and I am very interested in spending my pay ... maybe we should take advantage and see if anything was left behind my whoever ransacked your family's vault."

"At the very least, we should find out from the ... " Calyx paused, hunting for the best word, " ... curator? Vault Keeper? Lock-Master?"

"Whatever his title, maybe we should converse with Ol' Stodgey McKeymaster to find out who was here before us?"

Edited July 21, 2023 by CharmingSatyr
added perception check (see edit history)

[Kylia Quilor]

Current Mental Focus Investiture

3 Points Invested in Her Monocle (Divination), granting a +1 Insight bonus to Perception Checks
2 Points Invested in her Bracers (Abjuration), granting a +1 Resistance Bonus to all her saving throws.

Taking the obvious choice, Iridni takes her time and slowly, very carefully examines the empty chests for any sign of tampering.Taking 20 on a search. Her perception bonus counting the bonus from her Monocle brings the total result to 29

"Once you have some sort of lead, I can try to help with confirming details with my magic," Iridni suggested. She accepted the pay and the advance retainer with pleasure, thanking Lavinia - politeness never hurt - and pocketed it. "If it takes long enough to figure out - hopefully not, but - I may be able to deploy greater magics, though I can't say for sure yet." She added. "But I can get yes or no answers by taking an augury of an object."
 

"Logically, with the Cobra still intact, whoever it is that got in here either had a way to bypass it, or had a copy of your family's seal to keep it at bay." Iridni mused idly, not raising her voice, saying it a bit distractedly as she searched. "Invisibility would likely have worked on the cobra and I know there are spells that can disable constructs without destroying them, so there are a range of possibilities, but it does narrow things somewhat."

[Wiz]

Alura looks at the papers, but unless they are in Aquan, Draconic or Sylvan, she is unable to say what they could be, "Lets find out who else has visited this place, that may tell us where the money went."

Statblock

Alura Undertow
Female LN Merfolk (Seasinger; Secret Magic) Oracle (Ocean's Echo), [B]Level[/B] 1, [B]Init[/B] 2, [B]HP[/B] 10/10, [B]Speed[/B] 5/40
[B]AC[/B] 12, [B]Touch[/B] 12, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 10, [B]CMD[/b] 11, [B]Fort[/B] 2, [B]Ref[/B] 2, [B]Will[/B] 0, [B]CMB[/B] -1, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] 0,   [B]Action Points[/B] 1
 (+2 Dex)
[B]Abilities[/B] Str 8, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 7, Cha 20

Actions

 

 

[Starhawk]

 

 

Tann Hauser (AC 17)

Character Short Form

Female  Neutral  Elf Wizard,

Level 1, Init 5, HP 8/8, Speed 30 

AC 13 (17 Mage Armor) Touch 13, Flat-footed 10 (14), CMD 12, 

Fort 1, Ref 3, Will 3, CMB -1, Base Attack Bonus  0,  

Dagger -1 (1d4-1, 19-20/x2)
Light Crossbow (10 Reusable) +3 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
 
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 10

Cantrips Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost 1d3+1

1st level Spells Burning Hands 1 (3d4+1), Colour Spray, Crafter's Blessing, Ears of the City, Expeditious Retreat, Fabricate Bullets, Grease 1, Mage Armor 1

Skills

+10  Knowledge Local, Knowledge Arcana

+8  Alchemy, Spellcraft

+6 Heal, Perception (+9 in low light), all other knowledge skills and professions

Condition

Darkvision 60' but dazzled in bright light.

Entomophobe Drawback (penalties with vermin and swarms)

Sheet Link

https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2744372

 

Tann shrugs minutely at the 'I knew you could do it' comment. She'd never had any doubts that they could do it. She figured Gods had been in a good mood when assembling this company. There was no lack that she could see.

She'd had her doubts about the brother since the beginning, so the emptied chests didn't come as too much of a surprise. Still, she was warming up her 'if you expect nothing, you'll never be disappointed loop' in her head, when the much awaited payday finally showed up. Seraphina's Alura was right comment gets a nod from her. She imagined it had been the brother, but she had nothing with which to back that up.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she pockets her earnings, murmuring her thanks as she does so. She'd mentally moved on to wondering who the thief was. Like the others she looks over the papers in mother's handwriting, but unless it's in goblic, orc, draconic or gnoll she has nothing to add. She then moves on to looking for clues, doing so in the shadows while the lights are in the other alcoves.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Starhawk (see edit history)

[Naimless]

Urthan

Urthan Dosk — Half-Orc Barbarian 1 (Armored Hulk)

AC/T/FF 15/10/15 | HP 9/13 | Init +0 | Speed 30ft | Fort/Ref/Will 6/2/4 | Darkvision 60
Raging 6/6 | Hero Points ??
Active Conditions: none

Carry That Weight

Urthan nodded at the request. "You got it, ma'am." With the danger passed, he re-sheaths his weapon, and rolls his shoulders, preparing to grab the chest. "I might not be any help with the translating, but I can for sure carry this for you." He says as he hefts the chest, following the group with the large chest carries casually in his meaty hands.

Mechanics

 

 

[Fiery Gift]

With Urthan carrying the trunk, the party leaves the room. Lavinia closes the door behind her and it secures itself magically. The iron cobra doesn't bother the party on the way out.

 

After making it up the stairs, Lavinia approaches the clerk who had addressed you earlier. Excuse me, sir. You had mentioned that you keep track of visitors to a certain degree. Has my family's vault been visited by anyone aside from myself recently?

The attendant gives a smile Your brother, Vanthus, of course, made a number of visits recently. But he had the required ring.

Lavinia gasps sharply. Vanthus? But I thought he had . . . Of course, very good. Thank you, sir. She stops unwilling to air the family's dirty laundry any further, but you can see by her face, she's thunderstruck. Perhaps she was unwilling to consider such greed by her own brother.

She says little while you board the ferry and make your way to her waiting coach. Once you're all safely inside she says. I'm sure you saw how pleased I was receiving that news. I had only seen Vanthus for a week at the manor directly after my parents' passing. I'll need to engage your services earlier than I expected. I'd like you to find my brother. Let's hope he hasn't burned through all the money I believe he's taken. If you could bring him back to me for a discussion, I think we would benefit from working together while we arrange the affairs of my parents estate.

 

I can't believe this is happening. Vanthus and I were so close growing up. We used to get in all sorts of trouble together. Of course, after we put all of those elixirs of love in the water tower . . . well, my parents decided we had to be split up after that. Although to be fair we did have quite the baby boom a few seasons later. But I was sent to Thenalar Academy for the next five years. And Vanthus was sent to help manage a plantation. When we finally came back, everything was different. The Academy was a wonderful benefit to me, but plantation life didn't suit Vanthus. He was bitter and secretive when he got back. He stopped spending time with his old friends and his new associates had doubtful characters to say the least. Eventually he just moved out. I think I heard him say he was going to live with a lover in the Azure district, but I never got the name of his paramour.

I need to get him to stop taking money out of the vault until we have things settled. If you could bring him to me as soon as possible, I would sincerely appreciate it.

[Starhawk]

 

 

Tann Hauser (AC 17)

Character Short Form

Female  Neutral  Elf Wizard,

Level 1, Init 5, HP 8/8, Speed 30 

AC 13 (17 Mage Armor) Touch 13, Flat-footed 10 (14), CMD 12, 

Fort 1, Ref 3, Will 3, CMB -1, Base Attack Bonus  0,  

Dagger -1 (1d4-1, 19-20/x2)
Light Crossbow (10 Reusable) +3 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
 
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 10

Cantrips Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost 1d3+1

1st level Spells Burning Hands 1 (3d4+1), Colour Spray, Crafter's Blessing, Ears of the City, Expeditious Retreat, Fabricate Bullets, Grease 1, Mage Armor 1

Skills

+10  Knowledge Local, Knowledge Arcana

+8  Alchemy, Spellcraft

+6 Heal, Perception (+9 in low light), all other knowledge skills and professions

Condition

Darkvision 60' but dazzled in bright light.

Entomophobe Drawback (penalties with vermin and swarms)

Sheet Link

https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2744372

 

Tann bit down on her lip as Lavinia gasps, a somewhat jaundiced expression on her face. Perhaps it was her whatever can go wrong will go wrong world view that had made her so cynical. She expected the worst of people and had, since she'd gotten word of a brother at the first interview, just assumed he'd be up to no good. She'd asked as to his whereabouts then and been told he was out of town, not a consideration. The death of parents, supposed to bring children together in mourning, hadn't done so on this occasion and that was never a good sign. A sibling rift, a bounteous inheritance and suspicious deaths, yes, that promised calm seas, didn't it?

She imagined Lavinia's 'bring him back to me', which she'd now uttered twice, wouldn't go over well with Vanthus. What would they do, if Vanthus point blank refused to be brought. Black bag time. Note to self.. acquire black bag, mask too. Murky legal waters that, despite the movement of the family fortune without informing a co beneficiary.

Of course her mental auguries were all based on the assumption that Vanthus was the rogue and that Lavinia was on the up and up. Means, motive and opportunity couldn't preclude the possibility that the parents had been offed with extreme prejudice, if indeed they had been, by either one of the siblings, acting alone or in concert.

And so she holds her peace, confining herself to nodding agreeably at the appropriate moments. She'd save the vocalisation of her thoughts for a time when their patron wasn't around.

Meanwhile her owl was out and about, flying in the shadows, looking for anyone watching the ferry, the carriage.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Starhawk (see edit history)

[CharmingSatyr]

 

Calyx, Elven Warpriest (notes) AC: 17 | HP: 9/9 | Hero: 1 Fort: +3 | Ref: +4 | Will: +6 ResourcesNone (yet) | SpellsBLESSINGS: 3/3 - Healing (empowered cure spells) - Trickery (1-body Mirror Image) SPELLS Level 0: Mend, Detect Magic, Purify Food/Water LEVEL 1 Bless 1/1 CLW 1/1 | SkillsPerception +7 Sense Motive +7 Stealth +5 Survival +5

---

"These ... " Calyx pauses for a moment, clearly uncomfortable about disturbing their employer as she's processing both her re-reversal of fortunes, and the betrayal of her once-beloved brother, and tamping down his own synchronous sympathies, "These friends of your brother's ... do you remember any names?"

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by CharmingSatyr (see edit history)