Campaign Log -- Days Four Through Eight

The 10th day of the month of Obad-Hai
The 110th year of the second Ravensblood dynasty

The next day, Quimarel and her entourage head to the Marketplace of Rats to try and turn their gems into gold. As it is, they’re more or less useless for any purchases of less than 50 gold or so, Since they live in a fairly poor community, there’s not much one can do with that kind of lump sum -- nobody deals in that kind of money, and nobody can provide change. So the only actual purpose they can find for these gems is what the Kech do with them -- bribery.

They find the only jeweller in town, running a tastelessly-overstated stall in the marketplace, and show them one of their gems. Nothing doing -- seems a lot of people have been trying to sell him these little emeralds lately, and he’s got all he can afford as it is. Some cajoling and bribery reveals that he’s bought several off of the town guard and the staff at the Broken Stone. He’s made some nice jewelry with them, but the price range means he hasn’t managed to sell any of those pieces yet, so he’s not anxious to make any more.

Frustrated and dejected, the PCs return to the brothel, where they are soon approached by the four Kech from the inn, and a fifth, much smaller, cloaked figure. It’s well before business hours, so they can talk privately.

The smaller cloaked figure throws back his hood, revealing the fanged, blue-skinned visage that Hiddlebatch saw in the caverns. “I am Lord Bashant of the Thin Bladesh, and I feel that we have shome mattersh to dishcush.”

Some minor panic ensues, but it is made clear that this is not going to lead to violence.

“The four of you,” says Lord Bashant, “have been caushing trouble with our operationsh here in town. We have looked into the poshibility of eliminating you, but…” he shrugs. “It would attract unwanted attention if the ownersh of two well-known bushineshesh were to dishappear… and shertainly people would notish if shuch a colorful local figure ash the priesht here were no longer sheen on the shtreetsh… and we have no interesht in antagonishing the ambashador from Mormanori by interfering with hish favored companion…” he indicates Quimarel, Tamarie, Hiddlebatch, and Makpov in turn, “sho we have deshided to conshider an alternate approach,”

The party look at each other nervously as Lord Bashant says something to Illuvatum, who hands him a sheet of parchment.

“We would like to exshtend to you an opportunity to work with ush rather than againsht ush. You are free to decline, but… in shuch an event, we would have to be lesh shqueamish about attracting attention, and shertain contingenshiesh would have to come to pash.” As Bashant reaches into his pockets for a quill, he ostentatiously brushes his cloak aside to reveal a selection of long, thin knives.

He hands the PCs the parchment and the quill, and they see that it has been written on in an unfamiliar hand. The text is in the same strange alphabet as the scrolls they took earlier, and a translation into Goblin follows. “You will read thish and shign in blood. You will cooperate with ush, or our relationship will change in waysh not to your liking.” He grins a predatory grin.

The parchment reads as follows:

There is much negotiation regarding a salary. They will receive none, but Lord Bashant assures them that the gratitude of his masters is very valuable. There is discussion regarding getting out of the contract, and Bashant reluctantly allows that they may leave his service if they so choose, but he is not responsible for the consequences. Even if the consequences are inflicted by him personally, in a lightless room, with a selection of sharpened instruments, he forgoes responsibility. The PCs are very concerned about the punishments for violation, and there is much discussion. In the end, they sign.

Bashant also demands that they return the “Spear of the Harsh Winter”, which they do reluctantly. He then departs. Warden Illuvatum instructs the party to meet with him the next day for an assignment, and then the Kech leave as well.


The 11th day of the month of Obad-Hai
The 110th year of the second Ravensblood dynasty

The meeting with Warden Illuvatum is simple and direct. They discuss the map of the Royal Intelligence Corps that the party had taken a few days ago. Warden Illuvatum wants them to make use of the information by breaking into the Intelligence Corps vault and retrieving the enchanted weapon Golden Glitter. They have one week to do so, at which point they will meet at Hiddlebatch’s chapel outside of town.

In the discussion, Illuvatum assures the party that they have no interest in the other contents of the vault, so if the PCs wish to compound their felony by taking something else that catches their fancy, Illuvatum does not need to know about it.

The party is dismissed, and they begin to hatch a Plan in earnest.


The 12th day of the month of Obad-Hai
The 110th year of the second Ravensblood dynasty

“So,” says Quimarel, “the trick is getting into this guarded building and getting down to the vault. Apparently the Kech hadn’t decided how to get past the guards.”

“We could seduce them,” suggests Makpov predictably.

GM: This is always the plan with you, isn’t it?
Makpov OOC: I have a very specific skill set.
GM: You or your character?
Makpov OOC: MY CHARACTER.

The conversation moves on. “So, there are guards patrolling inside and outside,” says Quimarel. “And we don’t know how to get past them. But once we get the thing… we can walk through walls. So getting out is not the hard part.”

There is some discussion of the Passwall spell, which is what the weapon casts, and it is established that it causes the walls to physically open up, so there is no issue of what equipment or people you can take with you.

Tamarie has a new alchemical trick that they consider using -- Dust Form. This has some clear benefits when it comes to sneaking in and out of places. Eventually, though, Hiddlebatch brings up her Ethereal Jaunt trick, which is slightly more useful since it can actually go incorporeal. And slightly more dangerous because H could be eaten by horrible extraplanar abominations.

Hiddlebatch also pitches the idea of setting fire to the building and then pulling the glaive from the wreckage. This is seriously considered for some time, and eventually discarded because the vault is underground. They then consider the value of fire as a distraction,

They return to the seduction idea, and Hiddlebatch suggests that it could use its Intimidate skill to assist Quimarel’s attempts to seduce the guards.

Hiddlebatch OOC: I could just stand there and go, “HAVE SEX WITH HER!”
Quimarel OOC: It doesn’t work in my dating life; it’s not going to work in Pathfinder.

Eventually, they decide to pump the guards for information, figuring that Quimarel and her employees will be vastly underestimated due to their profession.

Quimarel: Step one is gaining their trust. Through their genitals.

So they decide that it would be least suspicious if they waited for a guard to show up at the Squirting Squid rather than seeking one out. They do, however, spread the word that discounts are available for law enforcement personnel, both in the town guard and in the Intelligence Corps. Quimarel, however, rolls an 8 on her Diplomacy check, so her efforts to advertise this discount aren’t terribly successful.

Hiddlebatch: Can I help spread the word?
Quimarel: I’m not sure I want you associated with my brothel. You are a distinctly un-sexy creature.
Makpov: What if I act as poster boy?
Quimarel: Each poster scented with his musk for extra potency!
[Makpov rolls a 19]
GM: Okay, your advertising campaign isn’t going so well, but once you have Makpov strolling around flaunting his…
Makpov OOC: Spots.
GM: …spots and shaggy fur and slavering jaws…
Quimarel OOC: And horrible stench.
GM: … and horrible carrion stench…
[Makpov’s player acts out panting like a dog]
GM: … for some reason, everybody’s way more enthusiastic about the possibility of discounts.

Makpov goes around town making sure everyone knows about their law-enforcement discounts, and generally talks up the brothel.

Quimarel ensures that at least one of her employees happens to walk past the Royal Intelligence Corps every night.

Out of character, Hiddlebatch’s player objects to Quimarel’s player referring to her employees as “girls” and “boys”, or collectively as her “stable”.

Hiddlebatch OOC: It makes them sound like horses.
Quimarel OOC: Makpov’s a hyena.
Makpov OOC: And I’m eleven years old.
(Gnolls have a short lifespan -- they hit adulthood at 8, middle age at 20, and rarely live past 50. In “hyena years”, Makpov is somewhere in his 20s, but in actual calendar years, he’s 11.)
Quimarel OOC: I think I need to go pray.

Hiddlebatch makes a point of taking strolls in the area where the RIC is located, so that when the time comes, nobody will find it suspicious that it’s near the building. As it does so, it corners passers-by and yells that they have not been to temple recently, then gives them a horrific carven idol and tells them Khurgorbaeyag is watching, The table is reminded that Hiddlebatch travels with a half-tame wolf, which makes this whole scene more terrifying for all civilians involved. H manages to convert a couple goblins to its belief system.

GM: Let’s ask Mme. Four-Sider how long it takes for a guard to show up at the brothel…

A few days pass. The Feast of Obad-Hai comes and goes with little fanfare, there not being many Obad-Hai worshippers in town. Eventually, however, a guard who works for the Royal Intelligence Corps comes into the Squirting Squid.