Jan's Room

Jan watches, fascinated by the new developments, this is very interesting to him. The whole spirit procession and serial killers and murders most foul. This was definitely the long trip over.

"I would like for you to keep the bag with you, or find a place to stash it. I would rather not risk exposure here." Jan says with a slight shrug. To tell the truth, he would have been fine with leaving the bag in his room.

"I need some time, I got things to brew. Can you give me ninety minutes?" Jan asks as he turns his attention to his alchemy supplies. He spends the time given making extracts, nine spherical objects with slots, nine glass vials of liquid that look like they fit in the slots, and one vial of a dark scarlet liquid.

[Private to DM: I brew my last two 2nd level extracts. Spider Climb and See Invisibility.]

---

The Merchant's House

Jan would palm off his last disguise self to Miriam, might be useful later. Then he chugged down his mutagen and a spider climb extract. He would back up the halfling, she seemed crushable.

Jan felt fire in his blood as he changed. He then clamored up the walls to follow Cat. The other three could handle themselves. The Alchemist just worried slightly that someone caught a glance at his change.

DM: Jan, I edited my last post for you following Cat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:53, Sat 20 Aug 2011.

Jan's Room
ooc- ok, lets take the bag with us.

---

The Merchants House
Talis takes out some tar paper and slaps it over the window, "Tanrov, hold off on the door, let me go in the quite way."  He breaks the glass and pulls it out.  Entering carefully, he will move the kegs away from the door.  "Why don't we go in the window and leave this nasty little trap for later.

[Private to DM; Jan Harlow: Sighing to herself, Cat attempts to break the window and enter the building.]pm

Jan's Room
OK, Cat has the body bag with her.
The crisis resolved, the group readies itself to head to the Merchants house....

---

[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; Jan Harlow: Cat trakes a deep breath of clean air and breaks the window.  Carefully entering, she avoids the broken glass and starts toward the burning man.  Proving he isn't a statue, the Tian man turns around and starts toward the halfling.  He is obviously an undead of some sort, along the zombie line if his slowness is any indication.  Cat sees a few burning casks marked "oil".  No wonder the fire spread so quickly.

As the "zombie" takes a step toward Cat, it collapses.  The fire destroyed it for you.  It's difficult to see through the smoke and fire, but as far as Cat can see there are no apparent death wounds and his nightclothes are bloodless.  He appears to be as carefully killed as the 2 bodies in the bag.  Though the fire damage makes this conclusion far from certain.

Cat continues to quickly explore the rest of the 2nd floor just ahead of the fire.  She discovers that the rooms have already been ransacked and there is no sign of another person or body.  2 more empty casks of oil are spread around and the oil soaks much of what is flammable.

Jan doubts anybody saw his change.  There are a couple who might have, but they are either doing stuff to, or gawking at, the fire.  Jan climbs up to the 3rd floor and looks in through the windows.  He also sees ransacked rooms, rapidly filling with smoke, but no beautiful maiden to rescue and few, if any places to hide.  He can easily observe all the rooms on the 3rd floor from the back wall.

Jan is finishing his survey, he hears Cat break out using another window below him on the back wall, and joins her as she exits the burning building.  Cat cut's herself on the broken glass for 2 points of damage.  From below you hear a commanding voice say, "What are you 2 doing up there, get down here right now."  It is the Watch officer you say before and 2 guards.]

[Private to Miriam; Talis Revain; Tanrov: The trio make their way into the greenhouse through a window.  The body behind the tree doesn't react.  The greenhouse isn't that big, and is nicely laid out.  Doing a quick search, under the pollen tree you find a place, hidden from the street where someone had been tied up.  The only blood you find is where the ropes were tied around her hands and the tree.  You can picture her desperate struggle to free herself.  There is a discarded scarf, probably used as a gag, that can be identified as belonging to Maras.  There is another location nearby where a man sized body was, John maybe?  Defintely too big for a petite halfelf.

At the strange white tree, there is an older Tian woman's body leaning back against the tree holding a little keepsake box.  As you draw near, the body moves and opens the box, which explodes with a Fire Trap.  The white tree explodes in flame (evidently this particular species is HIGHLY flammable, even beyond normal wood).  Miriam takes 3 and Talis take 6 damage (it would have been worse without the water), but Tanrov takes none (isn't Evasion wonderful - too bad Talis can't make a ref save to save his life).  What you saw before she went up in flames,
- she was dressed in nightclothes
- she had been dead for a few days (probably just before/at the same time that Maras was captured)
- she was bloodless and had the same strange pattern of a 3 jawed mouth with no other apparent death wounds.

The group makes a quick survey of the smoke filled garden and find no maiden to rescue and no other clues.  There is no time to search the house.  As you get to the window, you see outside at the corner, 50' away, a guard coming around the corner looking in the windows of the greenhouse.  He will easily see you if you leave.  But the greenhouse is smokey and you can't hold your breath for much longer, not to mention the fire.]

PM

[Private to Talis Revain; Tanrov: Miriam takes stock of her injuries as the group finishes its hasty survey of the greenhouse.  "I'm beginning to feel that I should just dump water on my head before even stepping outside.", she complains.  Seeing the guard round the corner, she asked Talis in a low tone, trying to keep from coughing at the smoke, "Do you think...you can lead us out of here blind?  I can create a cloud of mist around the door, but...it'll block our sight as well."]

[Private to Miriam; Tanrov:
Talis says, "Good idea, but let me distract him first, then you cast your spell while Tanrov climbs through the window.  Then we help you through and I'll come last.  Follow my lead."  Then Talis picks up a nearby rock and throws it through a pane of glass so the guard will go back around the corner.  "Sometimes the old tricks are the best."]

Cat and Jan might hear the sound of breaking glass.

[Private to Jan Harlow: Cat shakes her head lightly, oh how the Gods must be laughing at her right now. She goes back to the window, looking up and down. If all is clear, she'll go up and help Jan.] Oook pm

PM
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; Jan Harlow: Waiting for Jan to reply....]

[Private to Miriam; Talis Revain; Tanrov: Yes, sometimes the old tricks are the best.  The guard moves around the corner to investigate the sound of shattering glass and the Obscuring Mist hides the groups exit from casual observation.  But then the plan starts to go awry.  Tanrov gets stuck in the window!  Seconds pass as Miriam and Talis try to help him get out, and with the mist, they have no idea what the guard is doing.  Finally, after what seems like hours, Tanrov get's through the window.  Miriam and Talis quickly follow and the group exits the mist.  Just in time, for the guard comes walking around the corner and sees the three of you.
]

PM

[Private to Miriam; Tanrov: Reacting quickly, Talis runs over to the Guard, "Sir, we saw the smoke, is there anything we can do to help?"
]

Dm- edited for spelling
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:43, Thu 25 Aug 2011.

Sorry, internet ate my post. Work comp is old.

[Private to Catessa Fallowfield: "Noting here, ve besht dishtract de vatch. Give de odders time. Agreed?" Jan asked as he glanced down at the gathering response to the fire.

OOC: What happened to that burning box the zombie was holding?]

[Private to Miriam; Talis Revain:  With the fire going off nearby, dead bodies all around and with all the other things He's seen, Tanrov does not respond well to the situation.   "Boy I wants to run home and give up this adventuring business."  Tanrov has trouble getting through the window, and then when Miriam is coming through, he has trouble deciding where to grab.  "Sorry Miriam." ]
pm
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:20, Thu 25 Aug 2011.

PM
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; Jan Harlow: ooc: The box was wooden and at the heart of the inferno.  It was on fire and beyond help.

Jan and monkey/Cat are currently climbing on the back wall near a 2nd floor window of a burning building.  From the sound of it, most of the response is around front where most of the fire is.  It is clear to both Cat and Jan that this fire was deliberately set using a zombie, oil and a fire trap spell to start it.  The house has been ransacked and there is no sign of a beautiful missing halfelf maiden.

Otherwise, the only response Jan can see are the watch officer and 2 guards, that Cat/Jan saw previously (msg190/192), wondering why you are climbing on a burning building and ordering you to get down.  The questions seem to be directed at Jan (since Cat is currently a monkey).

What are you going to do...actions please.
]

[Private to Miriam; Talis Revain; Tanrov: The guard looks at Talis suspiciously...

ooc;
Waiting for Miriam or Tanrov (Talis could use some help) and Jan/Cat]
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:42, Thu 25 Aug 2011.

PM

[Private to Talis Revain; Tanrov: Where Tanrov did or didn't choose to grab wasn't exactly foremost among the concerns on Miriam's mind just then, and she shrugged off his apology with a "No harm done, Tanrov.  Thank you for the help."  She was hoping they could get away unseen, but luck seemed to not be favoring them just then, and the guard seemed not entirely convinced by Talis' words.  She tried a few of her own, hoping he'd be more receptive to them.  "Yes, we would like to be of aid if you could direct us to where we might be the most useful.  No disparagement intended toward Magnimar's fine firefighters, but it could be some time before they arrive to contain the blaze and we would hate to see the flames spread to other buildings or pose a threat to innocent bystanders.", Miriam said.


11:33, Today: Miriam rolled 25 using 1d20+16. Diplomacy. ]

[Private to Jan Harlow: Cat looks up, down, right, and left. All ways seem bad, but down least so. No fire. So down she goes.]pm

PM
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield:
Jan huffs, there's nothing he can do and he does not want to deal with the watch. With a sigh, he looks one last time at the third floor and tries to gauge where inside the building was the rest of the group. Perhaps he could find a way to help them.

Where was that Greenhouse again? Jan moved out of sight of the Watchmen and tried to figure out a way to be useful. His tail wagged impatiently.]

PM
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; Jan Harlow: ooc: Look at the picture of the Townhouse in Maps, that is what we are using.  C4 is the Greenhouse- but it goes back an extra 40', Jan and Cat are on the back wall near c8.  The guards are on the ground near c5. 

From their vantage point, both Cat and Jan can see into the greenhouse.  Or rather, they could if it wasn't rapidly filling with smoke.  There is a large tree on fire in the middle of the greenhouse.

Monkey/Cat starts moving down and the officer says "Paul, find something to catch the monkey.  One of the guards turns his attention to monkey/Cat, pulls off his cloak and looks like he is going to try to wrap her up in it as soon as she gets within reach.  Yeah, he doesn't have any experience in dealing with monkeys.

Jan moves across the wall and around the corner (near c9), to which the officer responds, "Halt or we will use deadly force."  They start moving around the front of the building.]
[Private to Jan Harlow: As you reach the corner, you see Talis, Miriam and Tanrov talking to a guard at the back corner of the Greenhouse.  Suddenly, a woman screams, she's pointing at Jan!]
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield: From somewhere outside, a woman screams.]

[Private to Miriam; Talis Revain; Tanrov: The guard looks at Miriam with less suspicion and seems to accept your word that you simply want to help.  He starts to say, "I believe we have the sit..." when he is interrupted by a woman screaming and pointing at the burning house, or rather, at Jan in "monster" form, spider climbing on the 2nd floor of the house.]

"Ekk a monster, ekkk"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:13, Sat 27 Aug 2011.

Talis, from behind the guards back, motions for Jan to leave.  Then (if the guards get "frisky"), he will jump in front and say, "Look out, that's a werebeast and unless you have silver weapons, all you'll do is piss him off.  Let us handle him, we know what we're doing."

Tanrov/Garth will take out his bow and shot an arrow at The MONSTER.[Private to Catessa Fallowfield; DM; Jan Harlow; Miriam; Talis Revain: consciencely knowing it's Jan, Tanrov will purposely miss him.]

"Away, foul creature!", Miriam calls, drawing her dagger and hurling it with all her fairly inconsiderable might at the disguised Jan.

[Private to DM:
11:59, Today: Miriam rolled 0 using 1d4-2. dagger damage.
11:59, Today: Miriam rolled 20 using 1d20+4. thrown dagger.
-2 to hit for each 10' range increment they are away from Jan.  ]

Cat thinks see can evade the officers, so turns and high tails it after Jan, her head turning left and right.

[Private to GM: if Cat can get a better idea of where the screaming is coming from, she'll head that way.]

PM
[Private to Catessa Fallowfield: Jan blinks before reaching into a belt pouch and withdrawing a smoke pallet. He throws the pellet at ground near the guard talking to the others. 'Where is that woman screaming from?' Jan thought with dismay and excitement, things were turning out to be pretty exhilarating.

When the smoke obscured the guard, Jan would charge past him and into the Greenhouse. He'd grab at whatever seemed evidence-like and try and formulate a escape plan.

13:12, Today: Jan Harlow rolled 11 using 1d20+6. Smoke Pellet. Is this needed?]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Mon 29 Aug 2011.

[Private to Jan Harlow: Is that really the best you can come up with?  Am I not describing the situation well enough?  Your action seems to be, IMO, the action of a person who doesn't really know what's going on.]

The guard with MTT(Miriam-Talis-Tanrov) motions at them and says, "Stop firing."  Though, you notice he readies his spear and keeps an eye on Jan.  Jan throws the smoke pellet at the guard next to, and talking with, MTT and then charges in that direction.  But as the guard moves out of the smoke and the other 2 guards turn the corner he realizes his error.  In his excitement, he has completely misjudged the situation.
1- the smoke pellet lasts 1 round
2- there is nothing prventing the guard from moving
3- it is to far to get to the door of the greenhouse in 1 round
4- MTT were already checking the greenhouse while Jan and Cat looked at the upper floors of the house, so they already found clues
5- the greenhouse is ON FIRE and filled with smoke, making more clue finding difficult and dangerous

Ooc: We are going to go into round by round now.  Please note, all distances are approximates.  I will try to post a map tues AM, or more likely Tues PM.

Cat is at the back corner of the house in monkey form, 30' to her right at the front of the house is a Watch officer and now 3 guards.  30' to her left, running down the side of a large greenhouse toward where MTT are, is Jan.  30' in front of Jan are Miriam-Talis-Tanrov and another guard.  Tanrov has his bow out.  All the guards have spears out and the officer has a sword.  There are various local gawkers, come to watch the fire, scattered around the perimeter.  Murphis is near MTT.

Talis will draw his sword and step forward next to the guard.  With a look of "What are you doing", he gives Jan a look and indicates with eye motion that Jan should run away.

Jan huffs with annoyance at the communication attempt, before throwing down a smoke pellet at his feet and running off towards the nearest tall building. He would run on all fours and climb to the top of one so he could drink his Jump extract in peace. Once that was done, he'd figure out which way to go.

With another smoke pellet, Jan starts to run away.  Cat starts chasing him, which prompts Murphis to chase Cat.  The watch officer doesn't really know what to make of Jan's "monster" and he has a fire to deal with.  So at some polite suggestions by Miriam and Talis he sends the trio of "Good Samaritans" to detain the monster without killing it.  So like a scene from a comedy you have a monster chased by a monkey who is being "chased" by a dog who is being chased by the 3 stooges...or something like that.

After getting away from the guard and regrouping the group shares what they found and reaches the following conclusions.  3 days ago, Maras and Rynshinn Povalli arrived in town together.  Rynshinn to meet her mysterious elven father and Maras to give Tanrov a note.  They were kidnapped and Maras was brought to the merchants house.  The older couple were killed, either before or just after the kidnapping and turned into zombies.  They weren't greedy enough to sacrifice.  All 4 victims seem to have been killed, and their blood drained, in the same way, with the same strange 3 jawed mouth pattern. This location was chosen because it was close to Alderns Townhouse.  At some point the merchants house was ransacked and valuables taken (after all, even deathcults need funding).  Yesterday the cult kidnapped John and then killed both him and Maras, setting up the trap you encountered last night.  There was no evidence of Rynshinn at this location.

The trap here, zombies with fire traps and oil casks, was probably not aimed at you.  Most likely it was just meant to destroy this location to coverup any clues.  It was just luck (and good detective work) that you were in the area when it was triggered.

So with nothing else to do the group heads to the Underbridge where Foxglove was paying someone 200gp every Oathday at a place called “All the Worlds Meets” for “B.7”.

“All the Worlds Meets” is a tavern with a reputation for having drinks from all over the world.  The manager is a bard named Grigori who has a 2 headed troll bouncer.  Who owns it is a mystery.  It also has a stage where various acts perform (Dancing girls, live animal shows, whatever takes Grigoris fancy).  The building used to be a temple, the downstairs is all business.  The upstairs is kitchen and private quarters.  He has a couple of rooms, but they are usually taken by acts.

How do you want to approach this place?  Stealth, subtrefuge, diplomacy, disguises, frontal assault?
Your goal; to learn who Aldern was paying the extortion to, which hopefully will lead to the deathcult which he was a part of.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:11, Sat 03 Sept 2011.