EMERGENCY PATHFINDER ENCOUNTER THREAD <3

[noodles]

This thread shall be for sorting out ending encounters that were cut short by the Game Mistress having to leave!

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Active players: Tlalli (noodles), Hughes (officedge), Adren (Reynard-Miri)

The current situation: The heroes were sent to rescue a maiden from a water beast! And found a girl being attacked by three river drakes. But After Tlalli sensed for evil, she found that the girl was the malicious one, an evil sorceress in fact, and the drakes were protecting themselves. So after a brief battle with everyone involved, the girl is subdued and unconscious on the ground. Tlalli stands over the limp body, warhammer raised. The only surviving drake lingers nearby, urging her to kill the sorceress.

"KILL HERRRRRR SSSHE BURNSSSS USSSSS"

Adren and Hughes show sentiment that it seems rash to murder the person they'd been sent out to retrieve.

"She's a threat to the order of this land, and letting her live is dangerous. We can tie and gag her and hand her over to the guards. But there's no promise of so powerful a sorceress remaining there for long. Unless someone has a better idea, I will end this now."

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Everyone else post what they think we should do, and Game Mistress Kino will decide the outcome when she has time later tonight!

[officedge]

I think we should tie her up and take her to her sweetheart, then wake her up and get her to explain why Tlalli's spell showed her as evil and find out what happened. Then we can decide what to do with her. Hopefully, we'll both apologize for trying to kill each other, otherwise I'm never talking to that woman again. Besides I don't think you can reasonably execute someone on the word of 3 semi-coherent and very angry drakes and a single spell that can't possibly show every shade of gray.

[Reynard-Miri]

I think that if she should be killed, then sparing her is a mistake that can easily be corrected.

And as I said when I was talking with Noodles: If she's guilty of something worthy of execution, then people should know that she did so, rather than just knowing that we killed her.

Plus it will look... pretty bad for our reputation (both us personally and the Pathfinder Society as a whole) if we kill the person we were sent to rescue. Particularly without proof that she deserved it.

[Kinokokao]

So what final action does the party take? :3

[officedge]

I vote take her in to get judged and find out the whole story while trying to avoid killing the drake. Then, maybe kill her.

[Reynard-Miri]

I vote pretty much the same thing plus offering the river drake to come along to see that justice is done. And maybe to have him talk to someone who better understands... let's say "the intricacies of his dialect".

[noodles]

Tlalli would rather just kill the girl, but understands that taking her back to the guards might be better, and will offer to try to calm down the drake and assure that the girl will never be a problem again

[noodles]

so

[Kinokokao]

You take the girl back to the Watchtower and present her to the soldiers. Also I assume you revived/roused the two redshirts that came with you and got KO'd by the drakes in the first round.

Richard, the sorceress's sweetheart whose dramatic arrival at breakfast caused you to be sent out in the first place, is overjoyed to see her returned safely... until he realizes that you've essentially taken her prisoner and are being followed by the angry, restless drake from the river. Some minor mass confusion takes place before Tlalli, Adren, and Hughes can adequately explain what happened by the river. The initial allegiance seems strongly tilted against the trio and the drake, and perhaps the truth itself, as Richard and the Sorceress, whose name is revealed to be Celia, are both well liked within the community.

When the truth of Celia's dabbling within the arts of necromancy is revealed, however, thanks to some careful diplomatic negotiation by the steadfast and lawful Tlalli -- the sentiments of the soldiers turn against her. Duty requires that they keep the Queen's peace, and part of that peace is respecting the old creatures of the forest, the semi-sentients like the drakes. Although she means well and otherwise respects the laws of her people, Celia has broken covenant with the natural order of the world and taken drake younglings to practice her wicked undead arts.

An minor inquest in held in which the Lieutenant of the Watchtower searches the girl's workshop, accompanied by the party in order to shed arcane and divine knowledge into things. All matter of unholy artifacts are found and either destroyed or taken by the party, confirming for all the unlawful actions of Celia the Sorceress. The remaining drake, satisfied that the matter has been taken justly and dealt with, returns to the river -- although this does not suit the Watchtower soldiers, some of whom still feel that Richard and Celia's plight outweighs that of some scaly beasts.

Celia is ultimately taken to the Castle to be dealt with according to the Queen's own judiciary decision. At some point you may be called in for testimony, but as of now the issue has been wrapped up and the party may resume their efforts to rescue Prince Toben.

For successfully rescuing Celia, the Lieutenant grudgingly grants you a paltry 25gp each. He might have been more pleased had the entire scaly justice scuffle not made him suffer extra complication.

However for raiding Celia's necromantic workshop, each of you discovers the following items. What you do with them is your own decision; please let me know. You can keep the items, destroy them, sell them, turn them into Hildegard to be come part of the Guild treasury, or anything else within reason.

Tlalli, you find an enchanted robe that appears unremarkable at first, but emits a faint aura of necromancy. When you examine it further you are able to discern the true nature of the necromancer's robe. Embroidered within the thread of the fabric are 6 symbols, each of which may be magically detached to summon undead creatures. These creatures will obey your simple directions (attack, defend) and remain in play for 1 minute each (10 rounds). Upon being used a symbol disappears and the robe reverts to a regular piece of clothing once all the symbols have been used. You estimate the resale value to be about 1,000gp.
The symbols and what they summon are:
- 1 symbol, Human Skeleton
- 2 symbols, Wolf Skelton
- 1 symbols, Human Zombie
- 2 symbols, Drake Youngling Zombie


Hughes, you find a strange, heavy amulet of a rather elegant baroque design. The heavy pewter chain contains an ornate, curled setting in which a gem of deepest obsidian rests. By studying the arcane symbols etched into the backing on the necklace and using your own spellcrafting knowledge, you are able to discern the true purpose of the implement. The necklace can be activated once per day to cast False Life, as per the spell (and with a caster level of 5), upon the wearer. Although this appears to be an item of Celia's own devising, you are able to make a rough estimate of its resale value at approximately 1,000gp.

Adren, you find a small cylindrical tube made of snake skin -- no, correction, upon closer examination you realize it is in fact drake skin. After some fiddling with the item, you realize it could be worn around the upper arm like a cuff, and careful application of your keen mind reveals to use its arcane purpose. The wearer of the drake cuff gains some of the abilities and and nature of the river drakes themselves -- chiefly, immunity to sleep and paralysis. You'd estimate the resale value of this item to be about 1,000gp. It appears to be something that your Eidolon could wear, due to the size of the cuff itself and the way it is worn.

Later, when each of you venture near to the river alone, you hear a hissed beckoning from the cold and dark waters of the Nym. The drake appears to you and, regardless of whether or not you understand his strange speech, lays a mouthful of gleaming tribute at your feet with reluctant gratitude. The jewel-encrusted treasures that the drake presents is worth approximately 200gp to each Tlalli, Hughes, and Adren.

[Kinokokao]