[PF] Way of the Vile - IC

[Sabishii]

Adventure Background

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Adventure Background: From Whence
This Darkness
The Kingdom of Talingarde (pronounced Talonguard)
is perhaps the noblest, most virtuous and peaceful
nation yet founded. The royalty of this dominion has
rescued a dispirited people from the brink of despair and
darkness. They dealt with their enemies honorably and
their allies faithfully. Talingarde is a paragon of the age,
a bright shining city upon a hill. Yet the nation faces now
its greatest test. That test is you. It is the ambition of our
protagonists to do nothing less than destroy Talingarde
utterly.
Why must this be done? Not for the sake of simple
malice. This is a holy purpose. Once the people of Talingarde
(the Talireans as they are known) worshipped a
great pantheon of deities deemed worthy of respect. That
pantheon included Asmodeus, the Lord of Nessus, the
devil god and master of hell. Asmodeus was not necessarily
loved, but he was rightly feared and respected. The
new royalty, the House of Darius, are devout worshippers
of the sun god Mitra, arch-enemy of Asmodeus. They
have elevated the Shining Lord to the head of the pantheon.
Further, their regime has outlawed the worship
of Asmodeus and purged the cults of the Prince of Devils
from their island. No doubt this has made Talingarde a
better place.
Alas, they missed one.
This plot against Talingarde was born in the mind of
that one surviving high priest. Samuel of Havelyn always
stood in the shadow of his brother Thomas. Born into a
noble house, Samuel was the second son of Lord Richard
Havelyn and at an early age was given to the clergy of
the great god Mitra. He showed amazing promise and
proved a brilliant scholar. In time, he would become a
great man of the church and was elevated to the rank of
High Priest at an usually young age.
None of these sedentary deeds impressed his father.
Lord Richard always viewed his second son as a layabout,
inferior to the knight and commander that his first son
Thomas had become. Samuel resented the old man but
took solace in his scholarly pursuits and his firm faith.
Samuel’s life seemed destined for quiet contemplation
and distance from his family. Then Samuel met Bronwyn.
Bronwyn of Balentyne was perhaps the greatest beauty
of her generation. Samuel fell deeply in love almost instantly
and, using all his wit and charm, befriended her.
His hope was that with time he could turn friendship into
love. And who can say -- perhaps, he might have. But
fate would not have it so.
Instead, the High Priest Samuel brought Bronwyn to a
family gathering to introduce her to his kin. There Bronwyn
met the handsome knight Thomas and love had its
way. Their love was fast, deep, true -- the stuff of fairy tale
and legend. Samuel was unable to feel happiness for his
brother and instead burned with fury and jealousy. This
was a personal betrayal of the highest order. Thomas had
stolen Samuel’s beloved!
When Samuel confronted his father and demanded
that Lord Richard speak to Thomas, the old man only
laughed. “What would you have me do, boy?” the old
man rasped. “Tell Tom to avoid the most beautiful girl
who ever loved him?” Samuel was devastated. As he
watched the love between Thomas and Bronwyn blossom,
devastation festered into hatred and rage.
Upon Thomas and Bronwyn’s wedding night, Samuel
called upon Asmodeus for the first time. He invoked the
powers of the inferno to curse the young newlyweds. The
curse would claim the life of Bronwyn, causing her to die
in child birth. Still her child survived and was named for
his grandfather, who had died the year he was born --
Richard Thomasson of Havelyn. This young boy would
grow to be a great paladin and will become our band of
villains’ greatest nemesis.
As for Samuel, his first use of infernal power would
not be his last. He diligently pursued the study of the
infernal to increase his personal might. He collected a
great library of banned and blasphemous books. Even
as he did this, he rose to become one of the princes of the
Mitran faith -- a Cardinal. But in time he was discovered
for what he truly had become -- a cultist of the Lord
of Hell. During the Asmodean purges, he was captured,
tried, condemned, branded and burned at the stake with
his library heaped at his feet. His name was forever
stricken from the roles of the church and his family. For
any normal man, this burning would have been fatal.
But Samuel, thanks to infernal pacts and the resistance to
fire they granted, survived the pyre.
Barely alive, this once great man of the cloth crawled
naked and scarred from an unmarked pauper’s grave into
a sacred mausoleum. Cold and alone, the burned husk
invoked a great and terrible prayer to the Prince of Hell.
He whispered to the darkness promises of fire, death and
retribution upon Talingarde, and the darkness heeded.
He was reborn that night merciless and immortal -- a
lich. He kept his rank calling himself a Cardinal but took
the name Adrastus Thorn. He would have his vengeance.

Cardinal Thorn’s Plan
Cardinal Thorn fled to the savage north and, guided
by his devil-god, met another follower of Asmodeus --
a great black-furred bugbear war chief named Sakkarot.
Thorn would gain Sakkarot’s allegiance by crafting him
an infernal weapon -- an axe made of hellfire. There in
exile, Cardinal Thorn conceived how to gain vengeance
and to fulfill his oath. He laughed long, loud and terrible
in his icy sanctum when he realized that his plan might
just work.
Adrastus would bring war to peaceful Talingarde. He
would unite the scattered northern bugbear tribes under
Sakkarot and weaken Talingarde’s defenses through fifth
column agents. These agents include the PCs. The shaggy
barbarians of the north had attacked Talingarde before
but had always been repulsed largely, the learned Thorn
knew, for five reasons:
• The bugbears are disorganized
• The Watch Wall guards the frontier
• The Holy Order of Saint Macarius provides
healers for army and peasant alike
• The Knights of the Alerion serve as the center of
Talingarde’s military
• The Royal House of Darius unites the realm
With Sakkarot he would overcome the first obstacle
-- uniting the bugbears. Then he would break the other
four pillars of Talingarde’s might one by one and the land
would be left defenseless against the goblinoid onslaught.
Who then in this darkest hour would ride to Talingarde’s
rescue? None other than an army recruited from
the mainland by a banished scion of the royal family that
reigned before the rise of Darius. This scion would rout
the bugbears, restore the kingdom and become the new
monarch.
And who would be this great paragon’s patron deity?
He would revere none other than the unjustly banished
Asmodeus, Lord of Order and Ambition. The people
would welcome the devil prince back into their hearts
and Talingarde would be given into the hands of the fallen.
What greater revenge than to rule over the very land
than had once turned against you?
It is an ambitious plan and there is much to be done if
it shall come to pass. In secret, Cardinal Thorn turns all
his mind, might and magic ceaselessly to this great and
wicked work.

World Map

Battle Map

OOC Thread

And So It Begins...

In the kingdom of Talingarde, many crimes may send you to Branderscar Prison, but the sentence has but one meaning. You are wicked and irredeemable. Each of you received the same greeting when you arrived. You were held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with a runic F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’ and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the great and eternal love of Mitra and his chosen
mortal vassals.

Condemned, you face at best a life of shackles and servitude in the nearby salt mines. Others might await the “gentle” ministrations of the inquisitors so that co-conspirators may be revealed and confessions extracted. Perhaps,
some of you will be spared this ordeal. Perhaps instead you have come to Branderscar to face the final judgment. In three days, the executioner arrives and the axe falls or the pyre will be lit. Through fire or steel, your crimes
will be answered.

You have all been chained together in the same communal cell dressed
in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. Manhandled and mistreated, any finery
you once possessed is either ruined or long lost. No special treatment has been given any prisoner – male or female, commoner or noble – all of the forsaken are bound and imprisoned together. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain. Your arms are secured to the wall
above by manacles. A guard is posted right outside the cell day and night.
Little thought is given to long term accommodations. At Branderscar,
justice comes swift and sure.

Escape seems hopeless. You have all been well searched and every attempt to conceal anything on your person has failed. And if you could somehow slip your bonds and fly out of this prison, where would you go? Who from your
former life would want anything to do with the forsaken? Despised, alone and shackled – all that you can do now is await your doom.

For each of you, your old life is over. For each of you, hope is a fading memory. For each of you, justice will be fairly meted. And who can blame fair Talingarde after what each of you has done?

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Introduce yourselves either through talking with the other PCs in the cell or through rumination. I will also need everyone to roll a charisma skill check (1d20+CHA Mod).

[jasonguppy]

Mhadra closes her eyes and tries to meditate to keep from crying.

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[roll0]

[SlightlyAmused]

Mumbles as he stares blankly out the cell How dare they place me in such a room? I have done nothing but ensure the betterment of life with my actions. Slightis lets out a short laugh.

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(1d20+3)[23]

[hoverfrog]

Dajorn 'Dodge' Blaquesmith

"A daring rescue would go just down really well just about now," Dodge has been saying this for days now and it was getting on his own nerves so it must be annoying everyone else in earshot, "Sorry."

He'd never been good with locks and lacked the raw strength to snap these chains, he had survived on his wits though by making friends and tricking people into doing what he wanted done. If only he could get the guard in here, maybe they'd be able to take him out and get the key off him. "Hey guard, hey stupid." He begins slow and low, a chanting ditty about a prison guard who's wife cuckolds him regularly but he's too stupid to realise.

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Charisma check (1d20+1)[2] <== Brilliant start. A natural 1
Perform check (1d20+6)[18]

[jasonguppy]

"Hey Carrion Crawler!" Mhadra croaks out. "Shut your trap before I break it for you!"

[Saidoro]

Korsica fumes in her chains, casting curses under her breath upon the fools who had locked her up. At the sound of Dajorn's renewed whining her head snaps upward from its resting position, her eyes snapping wildly between the mouthy fool and the guard he was taunting.

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(1d20-1)[0]

[SlightlyAmused]

I too grow tired of your simple wishes for aid, to hope for someone else to save you is just admitting that you're to weak to do the thing yourself, thereby acknowledging the uselessness of your own existence. Slightis says still staring forward. However he begins to whisper the people of this world still require my services, even if they do not know it. With that said, I too wish to return to my duties and be free from this filth.

[jasonguppy]

"Will you all just be quiet? Some of us are trying to meditate on our current situation. Also, you annoy me"
Mhadra closes her eyes and drifts off to her meditation.

[hoverfrog]

Dajorn 'Dodge' Blaquesmith

"We surely wouldn't want to disturb your meditations, madam. Please accept my humblest apologies," Dodge drips sarcasm with every word, "If I weren't inconvenienced by these chains I'd crawl on my knees to beg forgiveness."

He tries to wriggle out of the manacles, taking his time and using his sweat and even blood to lubricate them. He turns to whoever is chained next to him, "Give me a hand with these, will you? I'll help you once I'm free, okay? Just hold them still so I can pull back on them."

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Take 20 on Escape artist for 28 so lets hope the manacles are low quality or I get a bonus, maybe like a +2 for Aid Another.

[jasonguppy]

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How are you going to get an aid another with everyone else in chains too.

Mhadra winces at the people talking.
Can nobody just be quiet and accept their fates? We're going to die anyway.

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(1d20+1)[16]

[LordHavelock]

Konrad has his eyes closed. His wrists were bruised from his attempts at pulling his chains, testing their strength, and fits of anger at his helplessness. "If you want them to shut up, perhaps you should go and do something about it!" He barks.

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(1d20+2)[5]

[Sabishii]

All

As you all bicker at each other, or in Dodge's chance futilely attempt to slip from your bonds, you hear a commotion in the guard's room (17). You hear the sound of chairs scrapping across the ground as people quickly clatter to their feet. You hear some "Sirs" and a silence you can only assume is coupled with ogling. Next thing you know a contingent of 6 heavily armored guards are entering your cell. Among them is a familiar face the face of Sergeant Tomas Blackerly. You all know him quite well. He was the one that branded you upon your entry into the prison; he laughed while he burnt the mark into your skin. Right now he seems dazed perhaps the product of whatever caused the silence in the guard's room. Before you can speculate or do much of anything he speaks.

“You there!" He points to Slightis. "That’s the scum! Get ‘em unshackled. If any of you makes trouble, they’ll earn a thrashing! Today’s your lucky day, scum. You’ve got a visitor. How you ever warranted such a fine lady is beyond me. Seems she wants to say good-bye. Now step lively. We wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”

With that he leads you surrounded by the six guards to room 20. Two guards leave the guard's room and stand by your cell locking it as Blackerly leaves.

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As they take Slightis away I invite you all to make a sense motive check on Blackerly. Dodge the DC for escape artist is 30 so you're just a little short

Slightis

You are escorted to room 20, roughly. As they manhandle you into a chair with few books placed on it to elevate you to eye level, you find yourself face to face with a hauntingly beautiful woman in an elegant black dress and soft silken veil. She looks as if she is headed to a funeral. Her hair is so platinum as to almost be white and her eyes are a vibrant almost unearthly green. She clearly has been weeping.

"Oh dearest, she proclaims. “I’m so relieved you’re alive!” She quickly turns to Tomas. “Could we please have a moment alone, good sir? For pity’s sake?”

Blackerly stares blankly for a moment before agreeing, "Of course, my lady. For you tis no problem."

She waits for the guards to leave before addressing you.

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Slightly I invite you to take a sense motive roll and anything else you might want to do right now.

[SlightlyAmused]

Poppet! Your beauty and love is all that has kept me alive during this endeavor. Slightis says in a loving way before the guard leaves. After the guard has left Slightis looks the woman over to see if he recognizes her from anywhere, in a serious tone he says "Its not very often folks get "visitors" in these parts...who can I thank for my short burst of freedom?" Picking apart each word she speaks.

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Knowledge (1d20+1)[6]
Sense motive (1d20+4)[15]
Perception in the room (1d20+5)[13]

[Sabishii]

Slightis

As the guards leave you can tell that this woman holds some power over them. Once they have left she drops all pretense of grief. The room is bare except for a table and the two chairs you in which you sit. Obviously the room was prepared for your meeting. You know nothing of this woman.

"Hello sweetie." she says with a wicked smile. "You may call me Tiadora. We have a mutual friend who would very much like to meet you and your cell mates. However, your position in life is too low for him to stoop to so it seems you must escape, but don't fret. Just because it's never been done before doesn't mean it can't be done." She laughs lightly. "If you manage that, cross the moors on the outskirts of town. On the old Moor Road you’ll see a manor house with a single lantern burning in the second story. There our mutual friend waits. That is all I know. He did want me to give you this.

Tiadora removes her silvery veil wiping away a few false tears before handing it off to you saying, "Something to remember me by, dearest."

Before you can question her further Blackerly returns with his gang of guards and as they enter Tiadora resumes her demeanor of grief.

"No I can't bear to leave you!" she chokes out. She kisses you on the cheek, an icy, inhuman kiss.

Tomas shakes his head. “I’m afraid it’s time, miss.”

She looks deep in Tomas’ eyes and says, “Thank you for letting me say good-bye. There’s no need to search my dearest. You are such a good friend for letting me see my dearest one more time.”

“Such a good friend,” Tomas repeats his voice almost mechanical. Then the watch sergeant seems to snap out of it and bows politely. “A pleasure, madam.”

She leaves unveiled. Her eyes meet yours one last time and she briefly
gives you a wicked smile. “Three days,” telepathically echoes in the Slightis' mind. “Don’t disappoint me, dearest”.

You are then returned to your cell once again shackled with your hands above your head; however, this time you have an item with you.

[Saidoro]

Korsica

Korsica's eyes track Slightis as he is returned to the room.
"I see that our heroic savior has returned, here to spirit us away from this hole and on to a life of glory."
The tiefling leans her head back to rest against the wall behind her.
"Save, of course, for the fact that not a word of that besides 'returned' is true."

[hoverfrog]

Dajorn 'Dodge' Blaquesmith

As they shuffle out of their cells Dodge blunders into the guard who unlocked their shackles and attempts to relieve him of the key. Fortunately the man seems distracted and that distraction present an opportunity. It may earn him a beating for his "clumsiness" but so be it.

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Sense motive check (1d20+2)[19]
Sleight of hand (1d20+8)[9] to steal a key and secrete it about my person.
Stealth check (1d20+8)[24] because sneaky is good.

[SlightlyAmused]

Slightis

Slightis waits until the guards return to their original places and then quietly addresses his cellmates. "Well, I just had a fun encounter with someone who seems to be very interested in all of our wellbeing"Turning to Korsica "I may just have a way to help us all tiefling. I was given this by my visitor, though I must admit I do not understand its meaning"

Slightis opens his hand over his head and reveals the white vale for the others to see.

[LordHavelock]

Konrad

Konrad considers angling a kick towards Blakely on his way out, what's one more beating after all this? But the shackles obviate the futility of such an act, and in a rare fit of discipline, he has resolved to safe at least some strength for his showing at the executioner's block. The return of Slightis with the veil however piques his interest for a much more immediate use of his remaining vigor.

"Some woman gave you this? What was she like? Anyone you had ever met or seen before? Think man! or the first person I'll be thrashing once I get out of these Shackles may not be Blakely after all."

[SlightlyAmused]

Slightis

Slightis inspect the veil, bringing it as close to his face as the bond that hold him allow."Did anyone ever tell you that you have anger issues friend? She was a beautiful woman, however there was something about her that seemed to not be normal. I have never seen the woman before this meeting. I believe she is working for someone else. Regardless, we have three days to figure out how to meet with her." Not wanting to say much more due to his current location he stops talking. Slightis runs his fingers over the lockpicks on the veil longingly.

[jasonguppy]

Finally...we can escape!
Mhadra glances at the veil in Slightis' hands.

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Knowledge (Planes): [roll] 1d20+8 [/roll]
Sense Motive: [roll] 1d20-1 [/roll]

[SlightlyAmused]

Slightis

Slightis pulls at the patch of the Lockpicks in fustration. Nonesense! Pictures of lockpicks wontbhekp whatso ever!!

[Sabishii]

All

As Slightis pulls on the fabric the patch comes away and instantly materializes into a set of fine thieves tools.

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Masterwork Thieves tools. Their +2 is canceled by the -2 you're incurring from being shackled.

[hoverfrog]

Dajorn 'Dodge' Blaquesmith

"Looks like you've got friends in the right places, short stuff. How about you set us free too and we'll help one another escape, yeah?" Dodge has this sudden fear that the gnome will slip his own bonds and leave the rest of them to die. It's what he'd do unless there was a good reason to release them.

[jasonguppy]

"Oy! You with the scarf! Get me out of here and maybe you can make it past the guards."

[SlightlyAmused]

Slightis

Thinking to himself that hes not the best suited at lockpicks

Escape would benefit each of us undoubtedly. However, attempting to escape without the aid of one another would be insane. Human with the dark hair, i trust you have greater knowledge of the bonds that hold us. Take these... Slightis maneuvers the lockpicks to Dodge. Set us free and we can escape. The woman i spoke to gave me a location and i have a feeling that this vale is one of many interesting gifts we can expect of her in the future.

[hoverfrog]

Dajorn 'Dodge' Blaquesmith

Great, locks were never my area of expertise. Outwardly he smiles, "Of course, my little friend, for am I not a master locksmith. I'm going to take my time though, just to make sure I've got this right." With a bit of trial and error Dodge works at his own chains first.

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Take 20 for a 24 on Disable Device. Here's hoping that it's a simple lock. Anybody want to boost my DEX or otherwise assist me? Aid Another might even help if you could offer helpful suggestions on how to work the picks.

[Sabishii]

All

With some trial and error Dodge eventually gets his locks picked. As soon as you are free however you hear the guards say "Did you hear that?" and then you hear the door open as the guards come to check on you.

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Taking 20 implies that you fail a few times before succeeding. Failure has consequences. Everyone has time for one roll before the guards come to your cell to see what's going on.

[hoverfrog]

Dajorn 'Dodge' Blaquesmith

Hearing the noise Dodge quickly hides the picks. Then he closes the manacles about his wrists again and holds them in position. It should fool a cursory look. Now for a distraction, "Oi, Mhadra. As we're going to die soon, how about you make our last few days memorable, if you know what I mean?" She should take the hint and start spouting more abuse. My lovely singing was enough to set her off earlier so that should really start her raging.

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Sleight of hand to secret the item about his person (1d20+8)[20]
Or Stealth (1d20+8)[28]
Bluff check to be really obnoxious (1d20+6)[8] at least from the guard's point of view.

[jasonguppy]

"Hey, Cavefisher. You like Burning Hands? Well how about a Burning Hands up where the sun don't shine! Lay a finger on me and fire will go up your digestive system so far you'll breath flames."
Mhadra bends her face into a grimace and bares her teeth.

[hoverfrog]

That's exactly what Dodge had in mind, "Is that what happened to you? Something has to account for your fiery temperament and sunny personality."

He'd have to apologise later...maybe. There was no sense in having a genuine enemy while they were trying to escape and if she took it personally then he could always kill her after they were out. His parents had always told him that patience was a virtue. If he'd listened then maybe he'd have waited to kill them and he wouldn't be in this mess now.