After grabbing any supplies that they need, Aikio, Arthur, Carissa, Fafhrd, Gray Mouser, Jak, and Jarinvar head out of Absalom's west gate on the way to Diobel.

While it seems odd that there should be a lot of people on the road, there is quite a lot of it... going both ways. Some of it is on foot, some on camel or axebeak, but most of it is wagons drawn by camels or axebeaks.

Occasionally, you spot an armored warrior riding on the back of a giant centipede.

Arthur is more focused on the short clip of conversation he hears along the way than on the sights, but the insect riding warrior drew his attention. "This is unusual..." He whispers to Fafhrd. "Do you have any idea where they may come from?"

OOC: I'll try a Knowledge check to see if I heard of such cavalry before.

11:30, Today: Arthur Spellseeker rolled 17 using 1d20+14.  Knowledge: Local.

The Gray Mouser got her gear together for the trek.  She was more than ready to leave town.  Her comfort zone was out in nature, forests most specifically. After receiving the "curse" from Ochnam She mounted Jerinvar and led the group out of town.

Shortly after they started out she notified the group, I will flank our main party off to the right 30-40 feet or so.  If any of you are experienced in bush travel you might want to do the same on the left.  We are a large group and would not only draw less attention to ourselves with 2 less on the road we would also be tactically more ready to deal with any surprises hiding in the woods.  Call me overly cautious but better safe than sorry.

Then she and Jerinvar left the road and into the woods.

"I will scout forward a bit, and keep out of sight."

Aikio went off to the left and stayed slightly ahead of the group, sticking to the bushes to remain hidden.

Stroking his chin with the fingers of his left hand, Fafhrd took a few minutes to ponder about the question posed to him by Arthur. As an aside to Mouser's inquiry (and seeing Aikio move off to the left), he replies:

"I'm quite stealthy, I can scout ahead, remaining hidden from all but the most observant and slip back to report any findings?"

OOC: Know (Local) = 45

Taking 20, Knowledge: Local to answer Arthur's question.

The armored warrior on the giant centipede probably isn't cavalry. He's more likely a ranger or some sort of messenger.

Horses on the isle of Kortos are scarce and rare simply because there's no decent grazing land for them to run wild. As a replacement for horses, camels are used, as well as the axebeaks and giant centipedes.

Admittedly, the giant centipedes are almost as rare as horses, but it's not unknown.


What little snippets of conversation you pick up from other travelers is mostly about farm subjects... plowing fields, whether there'll be a good crop this season, Cranston's latest calf, coyotes getting into the henhouse, and so forth.

Most greet you pleasantly.

One pair of travelers, walking, seem to be discussing the price of tarbles in Absalom, as opposed to in Diobel. Absalom seems to prefer red and blue ones, while Diobel prefers green and yellow ones, so they are trading one for the other.

Jak walks along with the others, though they seem to come and go hither and non. He's used to being stared at, so if any of the people they pass stare at him because they've never seen his kind before, he just waves at them. He doesn't want them to think he's someone's pet.

"I thought we were supposed to be scouting the farms and such to see if any of the mutineers might have come ashore and taking up farming," he comments to whoever's around him at the time.

"By the way, did Kass find any information about the crew of the ship? I don't know anything about Qadira, but do they crimp crew to serve on their ships? I was thinking if one of them had been a farmer before going to see, that might be what he fell back on."

"Isn't that what the rest of you were thinking?"

"Remember, too, that he doesn't necessarily have to be Qadiran. Yeah, he probably speaks it by now, but he could be from Taldor or even Kortos here."

"A good point on their origin." Arthur says. "It seems unlikely that Qadira would crew their brand new warship with foreigners, but I would also expect them to crew such vessel with the most loyal soldiers they have. The kind of crew that is extremely unlikely to mutiny."

"As for what Kass found, he only discovered that Sirdar Ormizd worries they may serve as a martyrs for potential insurgents. Which means they either fear an attempt at a revolution, or they don't want the real tale of the ship's loss to be known. Either way, if we spot farmers within their fields, we should ask for rumours of new immigrants seeking works as farmhands. After all, I doubt a former sailor could afford to build a new farm out of the blue."


OOC: I'll try a Gather Information in the farms close to Diobel, to ask for new arrivals looking for works in the area. I'll take 10 on the check, for a result of 20.

Carissa has prepared for this travel by binding with Fey Barudda, and the hunter, Mute Sylvus.  As they left the town, she listened to Gray Mouser stating they would scout as would Aiko.  "Then I'll keep an eye above." With that, she blurred into the shape of a falcon, and took to the air.

OOC: Fey Barudda grants beast shape II, no duration (outside of the 24 hours of the binding).  She will keep an eye out above while the others scout to either side of the party.

As long as Arthur doesn't look like a monster or look threatening, the farmers he encounters have no problem talking to him. They can usually spare a few minutes to swap the latest news of the land.

It's only at the third farm he visits that he's told about a 'stranger' that came through about two weeks ago. He said his name was Krip and he was heading for Old Tharlow's farm. Of course, that was about the only place the road went to, so that made sense. Old Tharlow and the missus come into town once a month... usually the last weekend. Tharlow was getting up there in years and can't do quite as much as he used to, so he was looking to hire a farmhand or two. His son ran off to sea on his 15th birthday, and his daughter married a soldier from Escadar. A couple of neighbors help out at harvest time.


Likewise, Carissa's scouting from the air doesn't produce any significant information, though, at one point, she spots an army unit marching on the road apparently coming from Diobel and going to Absalom. It's 20 men and a commander, but they have a prisoner with them. She passes the news on to Fafhrd, Gray Mouser, Akio, and Arthur.

There's not much for Fafhrd to scout ahead for, as there's enough traffic on the road to Diobel that monsters don't tend to bother anyone. Come nightfall, though, that changes.

Same holds true for Gray, Akio, and Arthur. Until Carissa tells them about the soldiers.

If anything, his stealthy scouting in advance of the rest - along with both Gray and Aikio being away from the main, scouting from either flank - would leave fewer to be observed moving along the road.  An objective they'd indicated early on would draw less attention to them and their movements.  As Carrisa returned from another information gathering attempt it was apparent from the low voiced chatter that something of significance had been learned.  He made his way back to the group to learn about what that discovery was.

Arthur repeats what the farmers told him. "That seems like a good lead. If that man is a mutineer, he could have met Tharlow's son, and heard about the family's farm. I think it has enough potential to look into."

When Carissa tells the group about the soldiers, Arthur asks "were they Absalomian troops? If it's the case, they must have captured someone very important... or very dangerous."

"So, what if the soldiers have our bounty?" asks the others as they regroup for a moment.

"Or, what if they only think they have one of the mutineers? Won't that keep us from collecting the bounty even if we find the real guy?"

He looked around the area, trying to spot a potential hiding place or even a possible ambush sight. That didn't really seem like a good idea, but it was nice to have options... even bad ones sometimes.

"So, what's our play here?"

"Our best bet would be to negotiate for a chance to interrogate the prisoner. If it's one of the mutineers, that mean we'll loose part of our reward, but there is a chance he could give us a clue for the rest of our targets." Arthur says. "Overall, our best bet is to be very diplomatic."

"Are you volunteering to be our diplomat?" Jak asks.

"I don't do so well in that role. People either look at me like I'm a freak or they starting laughing uncontrollably! I mean, I don't laugh at them because they look funny and don't have any fur, now do I? No, sir."

"But you see what I mean about not being a good choice for diplomacy. On the other hand, I make for a good distraction. I really hate it when people think I'm a pet. I suppose being considered someone's familiar isn't so bad... mainly because most folk don't really know what that means."

He continues walking down the road, not trying to hide as the soldiers approach.

As the discussion moved to that of a possible diplomatic mission Fafhrd stepped forward: "I volunteer to act as diplomat if this is the course of action that is decided upon.  I have spent many years as a diplomat and as a negotiator."  The man doesn't offer any more than that.  It's possible there are others more skilled in the group than he.  He would wait to see if any others stepped over to vie for the role.

---

OOC:

for the record, Fafhrd has the following diplomacy related skills (in case there are those among us with better):

Diplomacy   : +25
Diplomacy   : +36 (to change attitudes)
Bluff       : +30 (to convince others that a lie is true)
Intimidate  : +23
Sense Motive: +20
Perception  : +20

all knowledges: +25 (in case there may be information that might aid in the negotiations)

The Gray Mouser had no interest in being the teams diplomat so stepped back instead of forward and would allow others to exert their skills in that area

She trusted Fafhrd to represent the group as he had represented the interests of their former queen.  It was what he was best at.  She doubted any could do it better.

Before too long, the soldiers come into sight. Unless you are trying to look threatening, they don't stop or even slow down as they approach. No doubt they've encountered other travelers on the road.

They aren't marching, and they aren't really in any formation other than what the width of the road forces them to take.

Fafhrd allows the troop of soldiers and their prisoner to pass by until he is along side the groups commander.  He will then inquire in as unthreatening a manner as possible.  If the commander continues to walk past, Fafhrd will alter his direction and walk along with him:

"Well met sir.  We are an elite unit of the League of Pathfinders' Retriever's Guild and we have been commissioned by a Lord Gyr to retrieve the Qadira ship known as the Avenger and to apprehend its mutinous crew.  The mutiny was lead by the ships First Officer, Tarik Marwan and his crew, consisting of Umar Malik, Xavier Altair, Bari the Lynx, Kamal Kade, and Omar Ferran.  It has been suggested that the powers that be within Qadira believe these men to be in hiding here in Absalom.  If these men are not captured and brought to justice war may break out, or so the story goes.

We are wondering if by chance your prisoner may be one of these men or at the very least someone who may have been involved in aiding them in their efforts to escape incarceration for their actions?

OOC:  While talking to the commander, Fafhrd is attempting to change the man's attitude toward them.  He will take 10 providing a result of 46.

if his start attitude was unfriendly or better, he is now helpful.
if his start attitude was somehow hostile, he is now friendly.

also, just noted that I neglected to include the +2 synergy bonus for having 5+ skill ranks in Bluff; so +38 + taking 10 = 48.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:31, Sat 30 Oct 2021.

"Greetings. I am Commander Zohr of the Third Overland Army of Absalom," the man responds to Fafhrd. "My prisoner is one Keon Variksa. He was the Avenger's chippy."

"He claims he didn't want to go along with the mutiny, but was forced to do so by the other mutineers. He says the others were intending to sail for the Shackles."

Fafhrd listened to Zohr's words and provided the following response:

"Commander, as we have no way to verify this man's identity at this point - given that for all we know Keon Variksa is an assumed name used to evade apprehension - could we please take him into our custody so that we may do our due diligence of identifying him and returning him to the proper authorities who can more effectively determine his degree of innocence in all of this.  We have magical means by which we can ensure his safety while we continue our efforts to bring the mutineers to justice and retrieve the Avenger."

---

reminder: attitude was changed to helpful with a Diplomacy result of 48, unless he was originally hostile, in which case he is now friendly.

Late Edit: with +2 Aid Another from Gray Mouser the Diplomacy check result goes from a 48 to a 50.  Thus, even if initially hostile, he is now friendly (provided I get a full minute in to affect his attitude).
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Wed 03 Nov 2021.

From her flanking position she could see Fafhrd approach the troop of soldiers.  She turned Jarinvar around and slowly returned to the main group.

Once close enough she slid out of the saddle and put her hand up for Jerinvar to stay while she walked over to join Fafhrd.  Her Grey maiden platemail told them without doubt that she was a warrior.  Her sword hung on her belt and her shield hung next to her backpack.

She approached as Fafhrd requested they take possession of the prisoner.  She added, and he may be able to aid us in finding the rest of his crew so we can bring them all to justice

---

OOC: Aid another with Diplomacy check +2

"Not sure that's a good idea," Commander Zohr replies, "but I certainly don't need all these men to escort one prisoner back to the city. Besides, I have more important things to do."

"So, go ahead, take charge of him. He's now you're responsibility. Don't make me regret this decision."

He passes over the key to the shackles the prisoner is wearing, then two of his soldiers push the prisoner forward and hand the chain to Fafhrd.

The Gray Mouser stepped towards Fafhrd and extended her hand and took control of the prisoner's chain before it reached Fafhrd's hand.  I will guard the prisoner. she then led him roughly over to stand in front of Jerinvar who she gave two sharp commands.  Then turned to wait for Fafrd as he would surely wish to interrogate the man once the soldiers had left.

---

OOC: She commanded Jerinvar to Menace and Guard the prisoner ensuring that the man could not run away and that no other could approach him without her permission.

As Gray moved to accept the chain from Commander Zohr, Fafhrd offered the man a nod of consent to relinquish the prisoner to his ally.  He knew that Gray was better suited to keeping the prisoner in line and in check.  They would wait for the military unit to move on before commencing with any form of interrogation.

Carissa has returned, landing on Jak's shoulder (if he allows it), maintaining her falcon form while the prisoner handoff occurs.

Jak was a bit surprised at the bird that suddenly decided to land on his shoulder! Well, at least it wasn't his head!

He then decided it was behaving very unbirdlike... and the light went off! It was probably Carissa in her falcon form. The falcon was still pretty big compared to poor little old Jak!

"I don't suppose you spotted any mutineers just wandering about? How about our ship? Are we close enough to Diobel that you could see it offshore?"

He was pretty sure she couldn't talk in falcon-form, but she might surprise him.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:34, Thu 18 Nov 2021.

The troop of soldiers heads away back inland, apparently resuming their normal patrol of the island. There's probably 2 or 3 such troops on patrol because otherwise, they'd almost never be where there was a problem.

The Commander doesn't seem to be concerned with what you do with the prisoner, such as which way you head. It's not only not his problem any more, but your little guild of Bounty Hunters has a certain reputation of trustworthiness and dependability.

As soon as the soldiers are out of sight, the sullen prisoner seems to perk up.

"That didn't go the way I thought it would," he says as he somehow shakes off the manacles and offers them to Fafhrd.

"I couldn't really trust anyone. Can't be sure that one of the soldiers wasn't a mutineer. He certainly wasn't going to tell Zohr that I wasn't one... not without revealing he knew that because he WAS one!"

"I know you weren't going straight back to Absalom, so it doesn't bother me. I'll just head back there myself and figure out what I'm going to do on the way."

"So I take it some of the mutineers have a talent for disguise?" Arthur says, trying not to be flustered by how easily the prisoner freed himself. "More importantly, could you tell us more about the mutiny, and the situation that lead to it? Everything we've learned so far gives us the impression that the official story is not as reliable as we'd like."

The Gray Mouser was about to put a sword to the man's throat until he was bound properly but Arthur began to engage him and she did not wish to interrupt.  She quietly drew her sword from its sheath on her belt and took up her shield that had been over her shoulder.  She gave Jerinvar a look that he would recognize as "be ready".  She took up a position opposite her feline companion forcing Arthur to stand to either side covering the man's avenues for escape should he attempted to run.

"Huh?" the prisoner says, apparently confused by Arthur's comments and questions.

"Are you saying you really think I'm one of the mutineers? Ha-ha-ha! That's rich. My real name is Telva Kaluga. I'm an agent for the Taldorian government. I was using the guise of a mutineer to get thrown into the Absalom prison to find out if any of them were mutineers."

"I didn't see any difference between you bounty hunters and the army, so I didn't say anything."

OOC: Sense Motive: 25 (take 10 + 15)

+4 if he is an arcane spell caster

Fafhrd would also be sensing Motive.  Result = 30 with taking 10.

Sorry for the lack of post.  By 8am on Friday morning I will have worked 96 hours in 5 days.  I just haven't found the time.  That said, come Friday morning I only work  one 24 hour shift over the following 7 days...so will have ample time to catch up.

The prisoner (?) isn't a spellcaster, and he seems to be sincere. Then again, if he's some sort of 'agent', you'd expect him to be able to fool people. His claim seems to be inconsistent with him having been a mutineer, though.

In reply to Jak Woodshock (msg # 27):

The falcon nods at first to Jak, then at his last questions, looks outward, then flies up.  Carisaa is looking to see if she can indeed see offshore or now.

"You'll have to forgive me for doubting you, but you're telling me you distrust our country so much, that you felt the need to get yourself thrown in jail to search for mutineers." Arthur points out. "To go so far, even with your talents as an escape artist, tells me whoever sent you must be really desperate to find those former soldiers. Why is that?"

Fafhrd didn't trust the man as there was no way to confirm or deny his story about who he says he is.  The best kind of story a mutineer could have.  He looked to the Mouser with a look he had shared with his elven friend many a time in the past.  It was a look that said follow my lead and be ready for anything.

To the man, who at this point he still viewed as a prisoner, he said:

"If you are who you say you are...you won't mind if I perform a 'test' of magic in an attempt to determine the truth of your words?"

"Not your government so much as some of the corrupt officials," Telva responds. "I'm not saying they are all corrupt, but I don't have the time to root those out."

"It's a deep political game. Qadira is a satrap country under the thumb of Casmaron farther to the east. If they don't fix this mess, their semi-autonomy would be at stake. Certainly its ruler could lose his head."

"We're pretty sure his solution is it to blame Taldor so he can declare war on them. That gives him a reason to invade and conquer. If he does that, 50 countries could be drawn into the war."

"Taldor prefers if the mutineers stand trial in a neutral court as it'll expose Qadira's incompetence and therefore defuse the war before it even starts."

"Qadira wants them dead so that they can't stand trial and also so that they don't become martyrs."

"sigh. Very well, cast your magicks."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:23, Wed 08 Dec 2021.

Fafhrd acknowledge the man's acceptance of his 'test' and further explained, "This spell will take about a minute for me to cast.  I am only able to cast it once a day and if by chance your will resists its casting, you will be detained for as many days as is necessary for me to get the results that I need.  Unfortunately I need a sample of your blood for each casting...on the upside, I don't need very much." With that said, she gave the Mouser a nod.  This wasn't the first time the two had extracted information by way of this spell. She would know what needed to be done.

---

OOC:

Blood Biography https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic...ls/b/blood-biography

Will save vs DC 22

Telva cautiously lets you draw some blood of his, and he doesn't resist the spell (as far as you can tell).

The answers that appear on whatever surface Fafhrd designates are: Telva Kaluga, male, human, spy.

Arthur nods. "That makes more sense. Of course, that brings the question of what court would be considered 'neutral' in this situation, but I believe that question can wait for now. We still need to find solid clues as to where the bulk of the mutineers are.

I assume you've not found any solid leads on what port they may have tried to reach, correct?"

"Oh, ships have been sent out to other ports, under the auspices of trade," Telva replies.

"We have yet to receive any indication of what ports they may have put into. It's kind of hard to put ourselves in the minds of the mutineers. As near as we can tell, this wasn't planned. It was spontaneous, so there were no plans on where to go."

"The only lead we have to go on is that it wasn't done in panic. At least some of them have a good head on their shoulders."

"We can't even assess the probability of them becoming pirates; we just don't know that much about them as individuals. If they did turn to piracy, then they could reasonably be expected to sail to the Shackles."

"Our main concern is if they decided to sail as far away as possible to parts unknown."

After the completion of his spell and the acquisition of its results, Fafhrd instructed the Mouser to stand down.

"He is who he says he is."

The rogue then turned to Telva, "I hope you can forgive our lack of trust in your word, but one can never be too careful when dealing with the likes of mutineers."

When Fafhrd instructed her to stand down she took a step back, wiped the blood from her sword tip with a rag from one of her belt pouches then sheathed her sword.  She calms Jerinvar who was still standing "ready".  She moved to her feline companion and placed a calm hand upon his neck and gave him the stand down command.  Then climbed back up into his saddle.  She wondered how the others were making out aboard the ship bound for Diobel.

"I suspect that Qadira has some means of locating them, but knowing where they are and getting to them first are two different things," Telva says.

"Keep in mind that there are only three options: they are all still on the ship, they have all left the ship and scattered to the four winds, or else it's half and half."

"You might try focusing on the ship."

"Now, am I free to go?"

He was hardly the leader-type to begin with, and certainly didn't speak for the whole group, though he wonder if anyone was actually filling that role.

Fafhrd? Gray Mouser? Arthur?

This Telva guy was strange, and he told a good story... even if it was a strange story.

"So, anyone got another idea of where to look? Our ship is checking the mutineer's ship in Diobel... that is, if it was ever there," Jak said.

"Don't we have any spells that track them down?"

"Got another question: are we being used as pawns here?"

"Unfortunately, a decent scrying spell would require a token belonging to the mutineers." Arthur points out. "Our best bet for now is to check the new farm worker we heard about. Then... well, we may need to find a Qadiran ship to 'borrow' whatever tracking item they may have, if sir Telva's speculation is correct."

Turning to Fafhrd, he adds "I doubt we'd get much in keeping him longer. We may as well leave him to his own investigation."

Fafhrd nods in agreement to Arthur's words regarding Telva.

"I too, do not possess magics that would descry their location.  It may be as Arthur suggests...that we check out this farm worker to see what we might learn...from there...?"

He turns to Mouser to see if she has anything of import to add to the current discussion.

Without any input from Gray Mouser or anyone else, the group heads off to the farm where the 'stranger' was reported.

Since they were taking the road to Diobel at first, which was kind of a coastal road even though it wasn't really near the coast, the road that headed inland was spotted from the air--it was only a few miles ahead.

It's going to take at least two days to reach the indicated farm.

"Don't about the rest of you, but I'm getting pretty tired from all this walking," Jak says when they pause for a short break. "Are we planning on marching through the night? Or are we going to make camp for the night and continue on tomorrow?"

"I vote for making camp... if it matters."

"We'll rest. There's no point exhausting ourselves on such a thin lead. Though, if we get close enough to Diobel for you to reach it Carissa, perhaps you should fly there tomorrow to tell them what we've discovered so far?"

Carissa lands, forming back into her normal form.  She nods at Jak's words. "I agree.  Let us camp and make better time tomorrow. Better to arrive rested and ready, yes?"

"No, we are not being used as pawns, Jak," replied. "Perhaps the Company is, but I don't see that as the big picture. I think it's more that we... and possibly other bounty hunters, are being used as a stalking horse."

"As has been said, there is more going on here than meets the eye. It's a house of cards, though. It will take little to topple the plot, but that's what makes it so clever. If it fails at any point except the endgame, then it never really existed in the first place."

"Certain events have been set in motion of which the true end result remains a mystery, though we've made fair guesses. I have yet to see how we can turn it to our advantage, but we still must pursue our quarry or else give up our careers."

"It was always unlikely that just one or two bounty hunters could apprehend all the mutineers as well as recover the ship, so that is why so many of us have been dispatched on this mission."

"Anyway... I think too much. I need the blissful oblivion of sleep to chase away all these thoughts... at least for one night."

"Making camp for the night is a good idea. Does anyone want to take first watch?"

"I'm not tired or sleepy yet," Fafhrd says, "So I can take first watch. After that, I suspect Jarnivar is all the watch we'll need."

"Nothing gets past the ears of a cat!"

With that, he scans around the area for a suitable 'high spot' to keep watch from, and then takes up his post there.

"I'll take middle watch," Jak offers. "Don't need all that much sleep."

Like Fafhrd, he walks around the area looking for a suitable spot to keep watch from. He's not looking for a good view, but a good hiding spot or a defensible one.

Although not unexpected, the night passes uneventfully. There are still wild creatures and monsters that prowl the interior of the island, but you are such a large group that it probably scares away most of them.

You're not so far from the sea that a chill morning breeze doesn't reach you. While not in any particular hurry, everyone's ready to move out by the time the sun starts to peak over the horizon.

It takes about three hours to reach the farm where the newcomer is said to be working.

It's a typical farm... farmhouse, barn, chicken coop, hog pen, and corral. You spot several fields in various stages of cultivation. There is a stone wall around the whole farm, though it's only two feet high. It does look like it's still being built, though.

No one is visible at this hour. If anyone is here and working, they'd most likely be in the barn. There's smoke rising from the chimney.

Arthur heads toward the barn, calling out to those inside. "Hail! May we have a word with you?"

Carissa has spent that early morning binding once more the aspects of Fey Baruda and Muse Istago, and with a blur of motion, turns into a crow, flying towards the barn to alight and watch from above, just another bird near a farm.

At first, there does not appear to be any response to Arthur's hail, but then a curtain moves aside slightly and Arthur can see a blurred face through the glass.

A few moments later, the door opens up and a man cautiously steps out... but not too far.

"Well met, travelers," he responds. "What can I do for you?"

"I am Arthur Spellseeker, of the Retriever's Guild." The arcanist says as he steps a bit closer, though staying far enough not to seem a threat. "We've been tasked with finding a lost vessel, before it and it's crew be hunted down by foreign bounty hunters eager to sacrifice them in a political move.

We've heard rumors that a foreigner began working here in the last weeks, and considering the magnitude of the situation, we wanted to see if he knew anything of the situation, and insure his arrival did not draw danger to this farm."

As he spoke, Arthur payed close attention to the man's accent, in case he was the man they were looking for, Krip.

OOC: 10:48, Today: Arthur Spellseeker rolled 26 using 1d20+24.  Diplomacy (using Linguistic) to influence reaction.

The man looks like a farmer, including wearing coveralls--he has the 'weathered' look of someone who spends a lot of time outside doing hard work.

He studies Arthur for a few seconds, then glances at the others before turning his head back and calling out.

"Hey, Krip! Know anything about a lost ship?"

A moment later, another man makes an appearance at the door. He's dressed the same way but he's taller by a head, has a darker complexion and short blond hair.

While Absalom is a bit of a melting pot of races and cultures, the contrast between the two men would seem to mark the second man as a foreigner.

"Nah," he says. "Ain't seen no lost ships here on the farm. Har-har-har."

"Har-har-har," the first man joins in on the joke. "Sorry we couldn't be of any help, Mr. Spellseeker. Krip might not be from around here, but he's a damned good worker. I'd have a hard time running the farm without him."

For a moment, Arthur takes the words at face value, but then he realizes that Krip was using humor to divert the truth and possibly hide his own... insecurity. There's almost a haunted look in his eyes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:01, Sat 02 Apr 2022.

"Startin' to sound like we took a wrong turn somewhere," Jak comments to the others. "It's almost like we was expecting to find the ship hiding in the barn!"

"Don't think it'd fit, but then I don't know shrack about ships."

"Continue on to Diobel? Maybe the others had better luck."

Gray had been watching the conversation as best she could, paying attention to the mannerisms of the two people.

21:16, Today: Gray Mouser rolled 30 using 1d20+15 ((15)). Sense Motive check.

Unless either of them are far more than they appear to be or that they let on, she should get a pretty good read on them.

The farmer appears to be truthful and concerned that the man won't be around to help him with the farm.

The hired hand, on the other hand, isn't being fully truthful. He's hiding something. He's using humor to hide his nervousness.

She quietly informs the others of her assessment, qualifying that it's just her perception and opinion.

"He's not exactly what he seems," she finishes.

Aikio hung back a ways, and tried to slip away unnoticed, going to scout the place for herself as the farmers were distracted with conversation.

Stealth: 31
Perception: 34

Arthur smiles as he pulls out a book, and reads it for a few moments. "I would not be so sure, if I were you. Have you ever heard of the Silver Blade?" The scholar describes the legend of a mysterious ghost ship, said to sail above land in a sea of mist. In between lines, he pauses to speak in an arcane language, until a phantom mist appears above him, carrying the image of an ancient vessel in the air. "So as you can see, a vessel could appear where one least expects it. Hence our desire to leave no stone unturned."

OOC: First, I use my Quick Study to memorize Silent Image (forgetting Expeditious Retreat), then I try to use some Oratory to distract Krip and the farmer as I cast first Charm Monster (on Krip, save DC 18), followed by a Silent Image to create the illusion of a ghost ship.

08:36, Today: Arthur Spellseeker rolled 25 using 1d20+14.  Perform: Oratory.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:42, Thu 12 May 2022.

Aikio has no problem slipping away from the conversation and scouting the rest of the farm. As Jak said, there's no ship in the barn. She spots nothing out of the ordinary. It's a well-maintained farm. There are a few fallow fields, so mostly what is being grown is for the farmer and his family to consume. There appears to be very little at the moment that could be sold in either town, but possibly some gets traded to other farms.

She sees a woman (presumably the farmer's wife> washing clothes on a back porch while keeping an eye on two children (around 8 and 10). They help a little bit.

There are two horses in the barn, 6 cows, one ox, 8 pigs, 20 or so chickens, 10 goats, 20 sheep, a dozen or so ducks, at least two cats in the barn, and one dog asleep on the back porch.

She does notice that the barn seems more weather-worn than the house.



"An amusing parlor trick," Krip says at the ship in the mist. "I haven't heard that tale, but it's not a real ship anyway. Why would one be out here on the farm?"

As near as Arthur can tell, his spell is working. Krip is smiling a bit more, but otherwise doesn't seem to have changed much, though he may not be quite as nervous as before.

Appearing from the shadows after a short time, Aikio said to Arthur under her breath, “I did not notice anything terribly untoward or suspicious about the premises. Of note: The barn seems slightly more weathered than the house. Strange, perhaps, but unsure of the significance if any. The barn appears to have only animals, though not a few. His family are here, but I saw none other.”

Although Krip had been charmed by Arthur, Gray certainly hoped that it would trickle over at least just a little bit to her, particularly if she used her own charm. Oh, who was she kidding? She had no charm!

Perhaps just being friendly would suffice.

"Hello, Krip," she said approaching the ex-sailor. "I'm called Gray Mouser. We have no intention of taking you away from this wonderful farm. But we need to hear your story in order to make sure no one else comes looking for you."

It was kind of a stab in the dark, but she had a feeling about Krip. It just seemed too coincidental that they should find a sailor here in the middle of the island on a farm. That's not to say that he might not have been a farmer before he went to see--in fact, that seemed the most logical story.

Reading his personality was hard on such short notice and with such minimal interaction, but what she was seeing almost told his story already.

Unaware that he's been 'charmed', Krip doesn't seem to be bothered by Gray Mouser's comment, perhaps not fully grasping her meaning. He does glance around at everyone, even smiles a bit at sight of Jak.

"Not admitting to anything," he said apparently after making up his mind. "The way I heard it, this fella had been shanghaied from his farm in Qadira. Well, he wasn't on the farm at the time; he was at the port buying fish for the family. Or so they say."

"Then suddenly he was on this ship--the biggest ship he'd ever seen! They needed crew because they were going to war. Now, the captain couldn't let him go, of course, but he did let him send a message back to the farm saying he'd run off to sea."

"Being used to farm work, shipboard duties weren't hard for him. He did have trouble getting his sea legs."

"Then came the day of the battle. This fella was below decks, still being sick from all the tossing and heaving of the ship. That's when the mutiny happened. He had no say in it, no part in it... it was over and done with before he found out about it. The captain was set adrift in a boat with two of his loyal followers."

"The mutineers seemed to know what they'd done was wrong and that Qadira would probably hunt them down. So they had to decide where to go to escape punishment. They felt going south was a really bad idea because that'd be where all the Qadira ships would be. That left west."

"If they wanted to be pirates, they could have gone to the Shackles. Or even Mediogalti. Maybe Rahadoum. Piracy was the last thing on their minds; they just wanted to get away. They didn't want the ship, but it was all they had."

"So, west and north was where they decided to go. They were still debating it when this fella jumped ship... with permission, of course... he wasn't needed just for sailing. He was only good for battle."

"Possibly the Cheliax islands, or, more ambitious, Hermea. Or Varisia even more northward."

"See, they weren't sure of where they were going because they didn't have very good sea charts up that way. It was way beyond the reach of Qadira, which is why they were considering it."

"All this fella in the story wanted was to go home. And, of course, that's all it was--a story."

As he finished talking, he clearly had a bit of trepidation, which Gray realized was because the farmer and his family would protect this man... or try. They knew they didn't stand a chance against the group, but they would try just the same. Krip was feeling a bit guilty on that account.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:30, Fri 18 Nov 2022.

Arthur nods once Krip has finished his story. "Well, that's a facinating second hand story. Clearly this sailor is long gone, and we won't be able to find him, but hopefully what you told us will help us find what we seek. Many thanks, sir Krip."

Turning to his companions, he adds in a lower tone "I do believe this is the most information we'll get here. Shall we rejoin the others?"

”Indeed, we should,” she said. ”At least we have more of an idea of direction.”

"More than that," Gray said as they walked away, "we've got a much greater insight into what the rest of the crew's motivations are."

"That's assuming Krip's story is true... and isn't just a story as he claims."

"So. Head for Diobel and our ship now? Or do we keep looking around the interior in case there's more information to be found?"

Ya sure he ain't a bard?" Jak comments. "Sounded like a lotta bardic hoo-haa, if ya ask me."

"So, is this guy one of them? Then why ain't we arrestin' him?"

IF Krip's story was true and was actually HIS story, Jak had some sympathy for him. He found himself in a bad situation. He couldn't see any good reason for arresting the guy, but he wanted to make sure he understood what the others were doing.

"He was most assuredly on the ship we seek, his story matches what we've learned too well. And we didn't say anything to him about a mutiny, only that the ship was lost.

As for arresting him, there's no real point. Though there is a bounty on his head, the political incident is a more important matter. Dragging along an involuntary conscript would only slow us down, and do little to prevent a general war in the Inner Sea."

"It ain't that I don't agree," Jak replied, "I'm just making sure we're all on the same page."

"So, is that all we're going to find inland here? Anything else we need to look for?"

"What's his name gave us all the pertinent details, right? And we're sure what he told us was the truth? At least as he understood it."

"What's our play now? We're still going to bring in these bounties, right?"

He tried to hide it but it was pretty clear that his heart wasn't in it any more. The mutineers weren't the villains here, but the victims.

"Unfortunately, we're bounty hunters, not judge and jury," Fafhrd speaks up.

"It's our job to bring the mutineers in. After that, we'll see what happens. It may take long enough that the political climate changes, that Captain could die, or something else could happen. Maybe just returning the ship will be enough to alleviate the pursuit."

"In any case, it's a good thing we have a ship. We can go where we need to go and not worry about anyone knowing our business. So, it's on to Diobel."

He and Gray beginning heading back down the road from the farm to the main road from Absalom to Diobel.

When Gray and Jarnivar follow after Fafhrd, the rest of the group follows suit. For the most part, everyone kind of keeps to their own thoughts as they now have lots to think about.

It's now become evident that this bounty could take a lot longer than anyone anticipated.

One of the expectations was that the mutineers would wind up scattering to the four winds, but that now did not appear to be what was going to happen. That meant capturing a large group of people and then transporting them all together.

The missing ship, of course, was a big point. If they were able to recover the ship intact, that would make it easy. If, of the other hand, the ship was destroyed, that would make it harder both for transport and for mediating the crime.


So, several hours later, the Overland Group reaches the Eastern Gate of Diobel. It's late afternoon, so the gates are still open. While the group as a whole might appear a bit intimidating, none of you individually look like a threat and the group isn't acting strangely or 'badly', so entry is granted to 'non-residents' for only one silver coin each.