"Back door, then," Zer-wedula says as he executes an about face and skirts the drooling Jan and Cat.

Cat quirts an eyebrow at Jan, lost in his logic - or lack there of. Seeing the sailors aided, she heads through the back door.

Grigori and Talis go running up the stairs.
[Private to Talis Revain: Talis follows Grigori up the stairs, through a kitchen and into an office.  As Talis runs through the kitchen he spys a Ring Gate, remembering the ring gate from downstairs, he grabs it.  Grigori stops and looks back at, and then behind Talis as he grabs a potion out of a drawer and places another identical potion on the desk.  The light sources on the 2nd floor are also getting hot and hotter.  As he pulls the cork off and drinks it he says, “Good, no one followed you.  Is she for real?”  Talis responds with, "Yeah, she really is that naive.  But she can turn into a rat and talk with every rodent in the city, can you?  Fire resistance, I hope?" as Talis takes a swig while wiping the sweat from his brow.  With a nod, Grigori takes off again, Talis, following him.  The magic of the potions take hold and the fire becomes a warm embrace rather than a scorching heat.  As they reach the next door, a thud hits the roof and Grigori looks up sharply and says, “Damn?”  Talis responds with, "If you’re worried, I’m afraid, so let’s get out of here."  They enter a wizards workshop and Grigori runs toward a scroll tube and grabs a scroll out of it.  As the scroll starts to smolder and the roof starts to collapse, he starts casting the spell, indicating to Talis to hold on.  Talis sees he has 1 chance to grab something before leaving, probably via a teleporting effect.  He sees some wands, a rack of potions and (probably) a spellbook.  Thinking quickly (appraise 22) Talis grabs the best looking wand with 1 hand as he grabs Grigori with the other and one UMD later...
>Poof<
…and now they are standing in a room.  The room has a bed and footlocker, but both look like they haven’t been used in a while.  There is 1 window, mostly boarded up but with strategically placed viewing holes.  Grigori goes over and looks out, he says “When the Mantis do self-destructs, they Really do the destruction part well.  Well, I figure I owe you one for not killing, so now we are even.”  Talis responds with, "Let’s see if we can help each other out as 1 “businessman” to another.  Perhaps over a nice glass of port."  Grigori just shakes his head at what he is seeing and then turns back to Talis.

Grigori will tell Talis what he knows as he is getting stuff out of the footlocker, “Ok, I can tell you the Deathcult is located in a sawmill on Kyver’s Islet in the southeast corner.  I bet you would also like to know, they have a beautiful young lady from Sandpoint.  I think they are planning on sacrificing her sometime on the morrow.  The word I got was that she was the target and the other young lady was extra.  I wanted to be more helpful, for Miriam if for no one else.  She’s quite the lady.  But your dog was going to eat my face, and I like my face.  I would suggest leaving town, but I doubt if that is what you are going to do.  So I would suggest trying to pin that mess on the Deathcult.  They have been acting strangly the last few months, though they haven't had a change of leadership that I could see.  I suspect this "Mistress of Nature's Pagan Forms" is somehow influencing their leader.  Miriam probably knows as much about them as I do, and I have told you what I know.  They also picked up this halfling druid that you met, the brother of the Samurai, just a little while ago.

As for me, I am going to seek my fortunes elsewhere, and not with the Red Mantis as a silent partner.  They just don’t make good partners.  Have a potion of Disguise Self and an invisibility spell.  Good luck.  Here's a wand of CLW for you to tell them I am dead.  What they don't know can't be detected with most spells.”  He seems to come up with an idea and takes out the scroll case that had the Dimension Door scroll and looks through the 4 scrolls.  He takes 2 and stuffs them carefully into his bag and puts the other 2 back.  Then he takes a small crystal off his armor.  He looks at it regretfully and puts it near the wand.  “And if you find these scrolls with the cult, that should make it look like they had something to do with the incident.  Give Miriam this and tell her my last words were of her.”  Talis responds with, "Desnas speed, remember, deathcults make bad employers."  Grigori leaves.]

The group makes a beeline for the backdoor through the smoke and fire.  Jan grabs the unconscious Usher, and Tanrov throws one of the sailors over his shoulder and helps Miriam and Logalog carry the other, or rather Miriam and Logalog help Tanrov.  Unencumbered, Zer, Cat and Sam make the door before them and find it locked.  Suddenly, a great crashing noise is heard overhead.  It sounds like the bridge is falling onto the building.  When the Mantis do a self-destruct enchantment, they really go overboard.  With a wave of his wand, Zer unlocks and opens the door just in time.  The heat is beginning to hurt as everyone runs coughing out of the smoke and fire, just ahead of the rocks that are falling on the building  A quick head count shows no one was left behind in the smoke. .  Some thought is given to Talis, but if he is beyond anyone’s help now.  His fate is in his own hands.

The group makes their way down to the dock leaving the burning building behind.  Yeah, that’s going to attract attention.  Smoke billows from the building as rocks fall from overhead smashing the roof in.  The journey to the boat is, as far as anyone can tell, not seen by witnesses and the building was built apart from others, so the danger of the fire spreading is minimal.

Finally, after a harrowing boat trip and some close calls, the group finds themselves at a safe location.  Able to breathe again, questions are asked and answers given.

The Red Mantis are a secret international organization of ruthless assassins. They are fanatics who worship Achaekek (He Who Walks in Blood) and to them murder-for-hire is an art form and religion.  Once they have accepted a contract they will fulfill it.  They cannot be bribed and if the agent is killed, another will be sent.  There are stories that even death and renewal (Raise Dead or Reincarnation) will not stop them.  They have ways of detecting if someone has been raised, and will send more assassins to finish the job.

It is apparent that Cat(essa Fallowfield & Murphis), Tanrov (also called Garth), Jan, Zer(-wedula) and Miriam know each other.  The missing man, Talis, is also their companion.  Oddly, Zer doesn’t seem to know Jan.  Sam(miya Koi & Akihiro) and Logalog are the new kids on the block.

The short version of the story so far;
The group is hunting down a Deathcult that is killing greedy people and murdering them in a horrible magical ritual, and using the power of that ritual for some sinister purpose.  The Deathcult was associated with this Red Mantis cell, how close is unknown.  Sam’s brother, Shushiro (the Halfling from the townhouse and just recently from the stage – who Grigori thinks is a vampire) is also associated with this Deathcult.

Everyone – introduce yourselves to those who don’t know you.  Try to be as complete as possible.  Begin to talk about what you want to do now.  Particularly with regard to the 3 unconscious people you have with you.

As soon as most people have introduced themselves, I will tell you what happened to Talis.  Then I will give you the treasure list.  Use this chance to roleplay together and get to know each other.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:44, Sat 12 Nov 2011.

PM

[Private to GM:
     Using the invisibility spell to its best effect, Talis will scour the Underbridge for some dead bodies, then add some incriminating evidence implicating the Skinsaw Cult. After that, he will  make an appearance as "The Halfling" with the disguise self potion. Then just drift away in the shadows to hook up with the group at our inn, getting all of our stuff ready to move to a new "Undisclosed location".


DM: You find a family that has been killed by the same blood draining marks as several previous victims, and they’re fresh.


    After rereting to a safe and undisclosed location Talis will rigale his companions with an edited vershon of what hapend.
    "Then when we arived at Gregory's so called safe house, a Mantis Asasin came out of no where. When all was sed and done Gregory colpesd unexpectedly, do to the asasins invenomed blade.   My antitoxin was of no avale and as he lay their dieing Gregoy tryed to tipp Pharasma's scales with his last words.

     Privet to Meryam:  After his story is toled and Tallis will pull Meryam aside and will quietly discharg the last of his doutys "His last words to me were of you..."  Talis will pause pulling a cristal out of his pocet.  "He wonted you to have this in lue of your first date."

]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:43, Mon 14 Nov 2011.

"I am Sammiya Koi, samurai from the empire of Minkei. This," she pats her dog, "is Akihiro, my trusted steed and companion. We are in pursuit of my brother, Shushiro, who has been possessed by the demon of a magical fountain. He has it with him somewhere, wherever his lair is. The power this fountain grants is seductive. I myself have fallen to its charms once before, but Shushiro helped me turn away from it. He was then seduced by its darkness." She lowers her head. "I must not lose his trail, however, neither can allow a cult to continue innocents. I offer my aid to you if your group also cannot allow this to continue."

Miriam was somewhat worried about Talis, but he was far more athletic and capable of escaping a burning building than she was anymore, and attempting to go back for him would have been folly, particularly since she'd no idea of where exactly he'd gone.  She listened to Sammiya's tale with interest, particularly the part about her brother, although she wasn't sure how a halfling druid from Minkei came to be here in Magnimar, and decided to comment upon that later, though for now, the samurai had taken the lead in introducing herself, and Miriam saw no reason not to reciprocate, as it seemed as though the woman could be a potential ally.

"Well met, Sammiya, though I wish we'd all met under better circumstances.  I'm Miriam, a priestess of Pharasma, the Lady of Graves, and a Magnimarian from birth.  I've found myself at odds with the cult of Norgorber known as the Skinsaw Men for almost a dozen years now, first at the side of my mentor in faith, Larissa, then for the last two years after she fell in battle, alone.  I can't say that I've achieved any great success on my own - the cult is slippery, secretive and - I would speculate - well-connected.

Yesterday, the High Priest of my temple introduced me to Cat, Tanrov and Talis, who had come to town investigating a noble named Aldern Foxglove who they'd met in battle and deal with and whom they suspected was a member of this cult.  Jan joined us at that time as well and together we went to investigate Foxglove's townhouse, hoping to find information regarding the Skinsaw Men there.  Once we arrived, we found the townhouse to be a deathtrap, with shape-shifting guardians and a halfling druid - your brother, I believe - who did their very best to send us to the Boneyard.  Obviously they failed, though in some cases it was a very near thing, and though we dealt with the shape-shifters, your brother eluded us as the townhouse burned to the ground.

We found some information as well as two recently-slain bodies in the townhouse and after spending some time investigating the situation, we came to believe the cult might have another captive.  In attempting to rescue them, we traveled to a merchant's house, but found no trace of the woman, though the building began to burn down around us once again as well as the town guard putting in an appearance, so our investigation was cut short.  With that lead a dead end, we traveled to Underbridge and All The Worlds Meets, following a lead we found in Foxglove's ledger, that he was making payments to someone at the tavern.  Apparently that was Grigori, though we may never know the full details of that.  Nor do we currently know exactly what connection there may be between the Red Mantis Cult and the Skinsaw Men.  And I am beginning to grow somewhat weary of barely escaping from burning buildings.  I believe that should cover the fundamentals of our recent activities, and hopefully Cat or Tanrov will be able to fill in any details I've overlooked.", Miriam concluded.

"Welcome to our group," Zer-wedula muttered.  A thin half-elf with a few wands tucked about him, Zer-wedula projects an air of haughtiness and resignation to some doom.  "I came to Sandpoint from Riddleport in search of adventure and it seems that adventure continues to find me.  Aldern Foxglove took a special interest in me, and outside the tavern fight the halfling spellcaster knew my name.  It would seem I am in this to the end."

He paused for a moment, then continued. "An end which will come sooner rather than later if the tactics and acts of random stupidity I have just witnessed continue."

Tanrov listened intently to Miriam' accounting of the Magnimar adventures so far.

After listening he introduces himself after giving a more formal greeting into this group.

" I would like to welcome Jan, the ever changing monster man, Miriam, Priestess of death, Sammiya Koi, mounted warrior and Logalog, Half-Orc mage man into the group."   I would also like to welcome the dogs, Murphus and Akihiro to the group with a little food (I take from my rations and give to them).   "It's nice to see you, Zer.   It seems that we all all in the same boat here, somehow connected with this deathcult or other to be united in one cause."
"Now if we can just not scare people off, Jan, try to kill one another, Cat and Sam, and lose our sense of direction, Zer, then we will be fine."

Tanrov is a 6' tall Human with an eleven year Half-Elf boy living inside him.   He is very muscular, he worked as a blacksmith with his father when young.   He has Deep Blue eyes and Sandy Blonde hair.   He comes across as a kind considerate man with a happy go-lucky smile, almost devilishly childlike.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:56, Thu 10 Nov 2011.

    Logalog looks at his new companions, "I came to town looking for someone who could teach me about magic and met a girl who said she knew a wizard.  But she set me up and I must have been captured by the Mantis.  I now realize that they charmed me and modified my memory, so anything else I remember is suspect.  I was supposed to kill the dog that was left outside, but got confused when there were 2 dogs.  That's when I shook off the charm and realized they were about to do the same thing to another person, a halfling female", and he looks from Cat to Sammiya Koi, "I couldn't allow that.  And here we are.  It sounds like you have a noble quest and I would be honored to join you."
   He is obviously a halforc, but it gives him an exotic rather than brutish look, and he is surprisingly well spoken for a halforc.


OOC

Sor (orc bloodline), with lot's of fire spells.  Fireball, Scotching Ray, Burning Hands.  Combat oriented spell list.

Outside the empty warehouse the city goes on about it's business, living, dying, buying and selling.  The afternoon sun filters in through dirty wax windows as the group introduces themselves and wonders what to do next.  Then the Usher, Lord Milstrom, begins to stir.  He is waking up.  What do you do?

Please understand the ramifications of this event.  Because you scared away Grigori, you don't know how deep Lord Milstrom is in with the Mantis.  They knocked him out when they were going to get "Aldern" to help, so he isn't an ally.  You imagine they were going to blackmail or bribe him for influence and/or information.  But how far along with this plan were they.  If they were too far along perhaps he would turn you in to the Mantis as payment.  But maybe he doesn't even know he was being setup and could be a valuable ally.  But the Mantis know who he is.  How many more Mantis are there in the city?  How soon will they learn that this cell was killed?  How deeply will they investigate?  All important questions with no answers.

But the more immediate question, what to do with Lord Milstrom now?  Let him know who you are or not?

When Lord Milstrom began to stir, Sammiya moved to stand near him. "What are we going to do with him," she asked the group.

Cat does a quick introduction, "I'm Catessa, nature lover or a druid if you prefer. This is Ga..." She chokes on her slip as she hugs her familiar. "This is Murphis. Foxglove recently dispatched my original dog." She glances over at Milstrom and shrugs, Her judgement isn't to great these days.

"This is what I think," Tanrov say to Sam's question of what we are going to do with the Usher, Lord Milstrom?   "Let's handle him with care for he is a city official, and let's not intimidate him to badly."   "I like the idea of the detect thoughts potion but how are we going to get him to take one without making him, hostile?"   "Here is an idea, give the made potion to the priestess and let her administer it to him like it was a healing drott."

"Why do we not just talk with him?" Sammiya bent over to begin shaking the man, hoping to wake him up. "Sir, sir, wake up, we must speak with you."

Miriam sighed as things got more complicated.  She'd been hoping they might be able to just drop the two sailors and the councilman off somewhere safe, but it seemed they weren't going to get quite that lucky.  And knocking someone out was sometimes easier said than done, and might risk permanent injury, something she didn't want to hazard in the absence of proof that the man was in bed with the Mantises or the Skinsaw Men.  "I suppose we'll have to speak with him and attempt to ascertain where his loyalties lie and then work from there.", she said, pushing her hood back.  It wouldn't do much good to conceal her identity in a face to face conversation anyway.  "I'm usually decent at ascertaining when people are being untruthful, but if any of you have another manner to support my instincts, I'd certainly welcome the assistance.", she said, as she walked over to stand next to Sammiya as the woman attempted to finish waking the man up.

Miriam and Sam have a chat with the Usher, Lord Milstrom, under the guise of her capacity as a cleric to "check him for injuries".  He is confused and demanding, obviously someone who is used to getting his own way.  But he does show a certain amount of commonsense and doesn't react physically to a bunch of heavily armed people.  "Where am I, and who are you people?  I'm an important person in this town and if you hurt me you will be in big trouble" he warns.

[Private to Sammiya Koi: While he is pretty good at bluffing (he is a politician), you are better at reading people (primarily because he doesn't have nearly as many levels as you).  He is scared and confused.  One moment he is having a drink with a prostitute and then she stands up, knocks him out and he wakes up here.  He isn’t sure who you are or what you want him for and he is playing along to find out what is going on. ]

[Private to Miriam: While he is pretty good at bluffing (he is a politician), you are better at reading people (primarily because he doesn't have nearly as many levels as you).  He is scared and confused.  One moment he is having a drink with a prostitute and then she stands up, knocks him out and he wakes up here.  He isn’t sure who you are or what you want him for and he is playing along to find out what is going on. ]

[Private to Jan Harlow: Ok, the detect thoughts spell worked, you are reading his thoughts, I'm waiting to see what story someone tells him.]

Ok, what story are you telling him about what happened?  Give me a story.

Sammiya tried to help the man into a sitting position. "Calm down, you are among allies in a safe place. We rescued you from a burning building. There were assassins there, when they were defeated they destroyed the building. We have some questions about that place, we were hoping you could answer if you are well."

Miriam actually did check his injuries, as she hadn't really had a chance to do so previously in all the confusion.  She attempted to aid Sammiya in soothing his alarm, "We weren't the ones responsible for you being harmed in the first place, and we don't intend to hurt you now, unless you leave us with no choice.  We bear no ill will or intentions toward the city or her officials.  In fact, it may be that we can help one another, but after a couple of ambushes, we aren't feeling exceptionally trusting right now.  So we need to know why you were at the bar tonight, and what you remember about what happened.  Truthful answers to those questions would go a long distance towards establishing a basis of trust.", she said.

[Private to DM:
17:06, Today: Secret Roll: Miriam rolled 22 using 1d20+16. Diplomacy check.
17:06, Today: Secret Roll: Miriam rolled 23 using 1d20+9. Heal check.

What can she tell about his injuries?]

 "Yes, my good Lord," Logalog says to Usher," we were only too happy to dispatch the assasins. They were likely targeting the most important man in the room. Seeing as how the rest of us are of no great interest, we must assume they were after you. Do you have any reason for these assasins to seek your life? Did you recognize any of them"
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:01, Mon 14 Nov 2011.

Lord Milstrom responds well to the folks talking to him, nodding at Logalog's suggestion, "Yes, that makes sense.  That must mean she was one of them."  He spins a story about how this was his first time at that plsce with a girl like that.

[Private to Miriam: He is lying about it being the first time.  But he does believe that he was the target of an assasination attempt.  He also doesn't really trust the group yet. ]
[Private to Jan Harlow: He is lying about it being the first time, he has been with the woman several times before.  But this was the 1st time at that particular bar - before they had met at places outside of Underbridge.  He does believe that he was the target of an assasination attempt.  He wasn't aware his date was an assasin.  But he was starting to miss a drug she had been giving him.  Jan suspects the Mantis were in the process of making him an addict.

He also doesn't really trust the group yet.  He does think about Miriam (and to a lesser extent the other ladies, Cat and Sam) once every 7 seconds - after all, he is a man, but nothing exceptionally kinky!  ]
[Private to Sammiya Koi: He is lying about it being the first time.  But he does believe that he was the target of an assasination attempt.  He also doesn't really trust the group yet. ]

"We cannot assist you very well against these assassins if do not tell us the truth Lord Milstrom." Sammiya told the man, trying to be as diplomatic as possible while calling him on the lie.

Lord Milstrom is shocked and offended that Sam would call him a liar, "Who are you to question me?  I am a Lord of the city and my word is above reproach."  Jan is standing behind him, concentrating on reading his thought.  Sense Motive reveals, he is a politician caught with his pants down...denial, lying and coverup are his natural reactions.  Logalog's suggestion played right into this, giving his ego a chance to save face by blaming it on an assasination attempt.  Which, despite the facts not really supporting such a claim, he egotistially believes was aimed at him.  No one likes to have their dirty laundry aired, so forcing him to tell the truth is dangerous and could backfire.  He could be a powerful, but annoying ally who you have to finesse.  Schmooze him, work his ego and he will be your "friend" (as much as egotistical politicians can have friends).

[Private to Jan Harlow: He is an egotistical noble desperately trying to cover up a scandal(going out with a prostitute) so his wife won't find out.  If you push him on this and make him reveal the scandal, you WILL make an enemy. No thought of the Mantis crosses his mind, other than how they were trying to kill him.  He has no idea the place was destroyed and all the Mantis are dead.]

I see a few options if Jan say's he isn't a Mantis;
1- Stroke his ego and make a friend
2- Confront him and make an enemy
3- Kill him and commit murder
4- Let him go and hope he doesn't remember you
5- Blackmail him and make him desperate

I really need some direction folks, the game doesn't work unless people post!
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:40, Wed 16 Nov 2011.

Sammiya bowed submissively. "Forgive me sir, I am no one to question you. You have done nothing wrong to be questioned about. You have only sought the companionship of a lady, correct? I did not mean any offense."

Tanrov suggests,"that we leave the good lord, alone for awhile while we converse over in the corner amongst ourselves for the time being."

This way Jan can tell us what he knows in secret and we can figure out how, what and do with Milstrom next.   Tanrov thinks that we should make him an ally of sorts.   We can either blackmail him with the truth or smooze him to the point that he'll naturally think we can be valuable allies to use.

Miriam cast a glance at Jan as she wondered what he was finding out, if anything.  "We mean no disrespect, m'Lord.  The stress of ruling such a city the size of Magnimar must be considerable, likely to degrees we can barely imagine, and the manner in which you choose to deal with those stresses is really none of our concern.  If we were overzealous in our questioning, please forgive us, but having rescued you from tonight's peril, none of us wish to see a second attempt prove more successful in removing a vital pillar of the city's ruling body.  So if you should happen to remember anything additional about tonight, anything that seemed unusual or out of place, it could help us in preventing another such attack and running these base villains to ground.", Miriam commented.