Strange Fortune

[Aeti]

Knowing its name better not make them squeamish when I slit his throat at the end of this. "Speak more of the 'history and mysteries' of this place, goblin."

[DrunkyTheClown]

Whiskey, while guiding Arf safely down the steps folds and twitches his ears, visibly irritated at every "hzeeeeeeeee".

[jm_jazzman]

"I do not know, they are mysteries! Hzeeeeeeeeeee... Peoples built this place long ago, with secret purposes all forgotten now."

[Dodge Magnum]

"Then what is it that you guys are doing here?"

[jm_jazzman]

"We lives here, yes. Away from all the big folk who hates us. Hzeee, but we did not build this place."

[Dodge Magnum]

"And what are WE doing here?" Asks Sam, gesturing to his party members.

[jm_jazzman]

"Captives for The Seeker. He has them brought here from over the mountains, or by sea. We hold them here until he comes to question them." Lomgrik replies slowly. "Do not ask who he is, for I knows not. Only that he has many peoples and beasts in his employ, and he pays us well for our services. We never sees him... or anyone who speaks ill of him."

[Shakedown]

"Over the mountains, or by sea..." Jacinth's face lights up. "Oh! But what would your Seeker want with me? I'm so young my ears are barely pointy, as we half-elves say, and innocent as a little lambkin." She grins at everyone. "Hmm... Valette, you're cranky, you've probably got enemies. Do you know if your Duke has any business in the Dunnluns? Or any conflict with Helmos?"

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I'm assuming that, if pirates are still active in the Dunnluns, then they're not best political buds with Helmos. Could anyone/everyone with Local or Nobility knowledge do a check for the Dunnluns? Based on bard knowledge, I'm pretty sure we're in them.

Jacinth does a Bardic Knowledge (+1) check and a Local Knowledge (+2) check for anything related to the Dunnluns, recent pirate activity, or the Seeker. I lorve bardic knowledge.

[Aeti]

"Cranky? I'm not cr-!" Valette realizes what she's saying and stops, glaring at Jacinth, but she considers the question.

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Doesn't like me; didn't like the repost either. Going to mess around in the OOC till it lets me roll

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* post roll count doesn't match database

[jm_jazzman]

"The ways of The Seeker's mind are not for the likes of me to know," Lomgrik replies. "Hzzeeee... he has brought many sorts here, and we do not asks questions."

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There is little known of the Dunnluns by anybody in the party. It is a wild land beyond the Ayol Mountains where monsters roam, barbaric tribes battle each other, and wild warlocks experiment with twisted forms of magic. It is a land without kings or lords, and with no cities or civilized peoples that anyone in the Known Realms has heard tell of. Although it is not the most distant land from the Known Realms, it is the one from which the least news ever comes.

Valette knows that Duke Farstaff has been hiring all sorts of disreputable folk recently, but monstrous tribes from the Dunnluns seems unlikely (although not entirely out of the question, perhaps). Most of the Duke's efforts recently have been spent on expanding the reach of his protection racket and taking out any businesses who don't feel like they need to invest in "security" (and then setting up his own businesses in their place).

[Aeti]

Valette considers what she knows. "Farstaff has been hiring many men, and taking out businesses that won't pay protection money." Valette looks Jacinth in the eye and lies. "I definitely think it was Farstaff who hired these subhumans. Likely he imprisoned us as enemies; perhaps you were too much on the good side of businesses he wanted ruined?"

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If Jacinth is suspicious and senses Valette's motive:
Bluff - (1d20+3)[13]

[Shakedown]

Jacinth raises her eyebrow. "I'm a chatty half-elf with no direction and few practical skills. Do I seem like I'd be on anyone's good side?" She stretches. "You're from Wettonbend, right? And Farstaff and the Duke are the same person? Does he have a quarrel with House Theirn, in Helmos? I doubt I'd ransom for much. Maybe he's in league with the meat-pie boy." She eyes Valette closely. "We've never met before, and I have no ties to Wettonbend. What exactly did you do to this Farstaff, and why would he travel all the way to Helmos to snatch me from my bed?"

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House Theirn is Jacinth's dad's noble patron that I just made up now.

Sense Motive (1d20+1)[18] on Valette. Jacinth's never lived in Wettonbend and it doesn't seem likely that someone would capture her and take her to a legendary pirate stronghold in the Dunnluns to secure business interests that, as far as she knows, she's not connected to.

[Aeti]

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Jacinth thinks what Valette said is suspicious, and she doesn't believe Farstaff is the problem (She is not swayed by the bluff). However, I don't think you succeeded high enough to realize she was deliberately lying; Jacinth would probably just figure Valette was prejudiced against Farstaff but that's your call.

Valette realizes Jacinth saw through her deception and gives up. "Perhaps he is not your enemy after all. As for me.. The son, Nattson, asked me out to a dance. I told him no." Valette pauses, then reluctantly continues. "And by telling him no I mean improvising and singing a song in front of the entire Tasperia assembly about how the name Farstaff is compensating for his personal endowments, and that he's lucky his estates have so many sheep because of his sexual habits.. He took it badly.

[Shakedown]

"You made all that up on the spot? Maybe you should have been a bard... Wait, you think you were captured and imprisoned, in a vast labyrinth of dungeons staffed by goblins, because you turned someone down for a dance?" Jacinth's lip twitches. "Well, you certainly don't lack self-esteem. That's very healthy! Good for you."

She turns to the goblin. "Lomgrik, does the rest of your band also work for the Seeker? Is your band from these caves?"

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I know there's more to Valette's story than that but to Jacinth she just seems kinda crazy at this point. She wouldn't have picked up on the deliberate lie either, she just figures Valette is generally obsessed with the duke and would be like 'stubbed toe? FAARRSSTAAAAFFF!!!

James, I'm trying to get the goblin to give out more info by asking him about himself (it works in real life!), could I roll for diplomacy +6 or gather information +6 to do that?

[Dodge Magnum]

Sam excuses himself momentarily and returns to the round room to retrieve some of the heftier sticks and some of the firewood to use for more light.

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Did I drop my dagger earlier to pick up the bow? I was doing a more thorough catch-up on things and it seems that I did. Can I not keep weapons in my inventory unequipped?

[DrunkyTheClown]

Whiskey seems to observe the conversation with one ear flopped and the other erect, the most puzzled look a dog can probably express, mostly directed at Valette as she nonchalantly recounts her story of her incredibly mean deeds.

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@Dodge: Sam might have sheathed his dagger in order to pick up the bow, but yes you can keep a whole arsenal of weapons unequipped if you can carry it. Drawing a weapon is a move action, unless your base attack bonus is +1 or higher, in which case you can draw a weapon as a free action as part of your movement. You may also draw a hidden weapon as a standard action.

(You might be interested in this since you're a rogue)
If you have the Quick Draw feat, you may draw a weapon as a free action instead of a move action, and you may draw a hidden weapon as a move action. For more info about concealed weapons, check this out http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/sleightOfHand.htm
If what I just told you was confusing as hell, look this over
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm

[Dodge Magnum]

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Thanks for the info!

I was just wondering as it appeared that Valette picked up two daggers earlier and the only one I could seem to account for that was actually stated as dropped was by Tharin. Unless I missed a dagger drop somewhere near that I think she picked my pocket for one.

[lando_zeus]

"Perhaps you'll find it in your delicate hearts to put your gossip on the move so we can continue dealing with our predicament."

"I say we deal with this climb later on, and finish with the rest of this dungeon. Shall we?"

[Dodge Magnum]

"Agreed!" Shouts Sam as he leaves the room to get those sticks he hasn't quite left for yet.

[Shakedown]

"Let's go! I'm curious to see what's behind that gate. In my experience, things that are locked up are always fun!"

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quite the snarky party we have!

[Aeti]

Valette pauses silently, lost in recollection, her thoughts on a dank dungeon not unlike this one. On whips, and cruel laughter, and escape in the night, to find hopes dashed and her home in ashes. She tests the edge of one of her knives and thinks fiercely, I will make them suffer before death, and shackle them in death until their soul screams for release. Valette lets her breath out raggedly and nods. "Lets see what the darkness hides."

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Stay away from Quick Draw! Such a bad bad bad bad feat.

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NO QUICKDRAW.

And Valette's two daggers comes from posts 207 and 209, specifically..

Among the goblins' gear, Whiskey finds:
....1 flask of foul liquor
1 dagger
3 copper pieces...

and

Thårin grabs the sickle, drops one of his knives,

You can never have enough knives!

[jm_jazzman]

"My clan all lives in these dungeons, yes," Lomgrik answers Jacinth after some delay. "The Seeker started bringing people here about a year ago. When The Seeker hires you, he doesn't have to ask twice."

[Aeti]

Where has Eyne got to? I haven't felt any worried emotions from him but I'd better go see where he's off to. "I'll be right back, just around the corner in that natural passageway. Maybe you should go check what the other passages lead to from that intersection without me, I'll catch up. Nature calls. " Valette lies as she assembles a torch from the materials Sam brought back, lights it from the torch carried by her unseen servant, and hands it to the thief as she walks out the door. "And if I catch you peeking at me, I'll rip out your throat."

Valette walks to the natural passageway and walks 20 feet in before calling. "Eyne!"

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Bat Listen - (1d20+8)[21] if he's not nearby.

[Dodge Magnum]

"Nyeah nyeah rip out your throat" says Sam in a nasal and sarcastic tone.

[jm_jazzman]

Valette's call echos through the various chambers of the expansive cave. Only moments after shouting, she senses danger from Eyne, and a sense of urgency.

Downstairs, Lomgrik's ears perk up. "Hzeeeeeee! Why does she shout? No good attracting attentions we don't wants."

[DrunkyTheClown]

A low and rather irritated growl comes from Whiskey, a combination of that piercing goblin whine and the faint sound of Valette upstairs. Trust an incompetent brat to stumble around and get the rest of us killed.

He looks around at the rest of the party for consideration, puppy eyes that seem mildly distracted by Sam and his sticks when he returns.

[Shakedown]

"Well I don't know what your Seeker would want with this rag-tag group of misfits. Except for him, obviously," indicating Tharin, "who could resist that beard?" She tilts her head at the goblin. "Is he going to eat us? Is that why there are so few guards around? Because he's just a man, you know. I'm sure a whole clan of you could take him down."

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trying to figure out if the seeker is, in fact, just a man, why he's so powerful, is he actually a kraken or something. Diplomacy +6, gather info +6

[jm_jazzman]

"Like I said, we has never seen him. Only his servants, if anyone. But all who go against his will perish. He has many spies."

[Aeti]

The witch draws her daggers and considers the situation. Whatever is coming, I'd much rather face it standing behind one of my muscled companions, Valette thinks to herself as she starts running back downstairs to rejoin the group. She stubs her toe on the final step and curses angrily.

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FAARRSSTAAAAFFF!!!

"Weapons up! Something is coming!" she pants as she bursts back into the room.

[Shakedown]

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She stubs her toe on the final step and curses angrily.
FAARRSSTAAAAFFF!!!

lolololol

Jacinth picks up Lomgrik and carries him to an out of the way part of the room so Arf can fight without worrying about him. She then stations herself just outside the stairwell against the wall.

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I assume Lomgrik can't fight right now, and wouldn't if he could. I don't really see him escaping either. I guess this takes up my move action whil eeveryone else draws their weapon, so I'll draw mine in the next move.