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  1. - Top - End - #241
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by GorinichSerpant View Post
    While is the Kobold on such low hit points threw out the adventure? Isn't there a cleric around that can heal him up?
    It was a lot easier to heal an undead PC lol. My Energy Bursts are negative, my Spontaneous Casting is negative, and the spells I pick are either buffs, or survivability spells mixed with spells that I planned were necessary for whatever we're doing that day. That leaves room for some healing spells, but Kavos and Eadric are rarely in the same room for too long and when we are I either don't have enough to heal him to full, or we both forget completely. :P

    As for the other town's cleric, I don't recall if they've ever met - I could be wrong, but I don't see Eadric as a Pelorian kinda guy.



    In other news, I may have gotten ahead of myself - but Kandil Keep's Coat of Arms.

  2. - Top - End - #242
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Any particular reason it's a Candle?

  3. - Top - End - #243
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by Kavos D. View Post
    the perfect imagery of being the beacon of hope in a dark place due to [Kandil Keep] being a heterograph to "candle",
    That, and the importance of candles in religion, red for Asmodeus.

  4. - Top - End - #244
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Alright, had a new session last night and just got the thing typed up. Eadric's player was busy so it was a solo game with me and Kavos but I thought it advanced the plot nicely regardless. Hope you enjoy.

    Spoiler
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    Kavos spends the next few days ensuring that the town is ready to go; he even takes the opportunity to invite the dwarves to the Keep along with the rest of the town, even relaxing his 'no weapons' policy, ensuring that their supply line from East Bank remains open despite the move.

    Eadric still hasn't returned from his investigation, though Kavos hasn't started to worry yet; the kobold often disappears for stretches of time and considering his plans for West Bank he'd prefer to have Eadric's inquisitive nature elsewhere for the moment anyway.

    The day finally comes and Hezrael appears by Kavos's side in time to warn him of an approaching column of nearly sixty savages a little over two hours from town. Kavos smiles and pops open his last unpacked bottle of wine, taking a moment to offer a toast to West Bank's memory.

    Once his wine is finished, Kavos takes to the street and feigns panic. Claiming that Pelor has given him a vision of imminent catastrophe and insisting that the townspeople abandon their homes and take what they can. Under the watchful eye of Longarm and his remaining deputies, the citizens of West Bank form an orderly caravan of loaded wagons and being their exodus to Blackstone Keep.

    No sooner has the caravan began its journey than the sound of rhythmic drumming can be heard coming from around the tree line, accompanied by drunken whooping and rowdy cheers.

    "Our enemies come against us, but Pelor has already forewarned us!" Kavos shouts to the fleeing citizens. "We SHALL be protected this day!"

    "What a coincidence." Longarm scoffs as he passes Kavos, shouting for laggers to get their asses in gear.

    The mercenaries have trained just over 40 militiamen and Lark has trained another dozen bowmen by this point; all of who want to charge their attackers head on. Luckily cooler heads prevail and the West Bank militia instead does what it can assist and lead the caravan away; trying their best not to look at their now burning homes.

    Rather than pursue as Kavos expected; the barbaric bandits stop to plunder the empty town, looking for forgotten loot in the growing ruins. This gives the wagon train ample opportunity to pull away and put some distance between them.

    The caravan speeds away silently until the mountain path which will lead them to the Keep and their new home comes into view, and only the black smoke of their former town is visible on the horizon. The first set of wagons begin ascending the trail when their horses buck violently and the first flips; blocking the trail completely.

    The horses of three more freak out similarly an break free of their reigns; several seem to collapse and take their wagon down with them. Fearful questions spread through their ranks as they attempt to make sense of the situation and Kavos curses to himself before calling for the militia to get the road unblocked NOW.

    Four of the militia break off from their ranks to try to right one of the toppled wagons, when suddenly one of them spins on his heels and lands in a pool of growing blood. Kavos rushes forward and drops to his knees next to the man, only to discover a handcrafted wooden bolt buried in the man's heart.

    Before Kavos has time to even shout a warning a second man goes down, a bolt piercing his throat. Shouts of surprise and panick ring out through the caravan and everyone drops behind their wagons for cover; with the exception of Lark and his rangers who press themselves against the mountain itself since it's closer to their position.

    Huddled down behind one of the fallen wagons, Kavos casts Obscuring Mist over the caravan behind him; obscuring the sniper's view of the civilians while he thinks of something better to do.

    "Tick. Tock." a gruff, monotone voice whispers in Kavos's ear.

    "Show yourself!" Kavos shouts before sending Hezrael a telepathic message to find out what the hell's going on.

    "Not my style." the gravelly voice responds quietly. "Dolph may have been foolish enough to believe he could take on a whole town and win, but I'm not. Besides, all I've got to do is wait here and let the bandits come and collect my bounty for me."

    "You must be the one that Dolph called 'incompetent and rash'." Kavos bluffs, lowering his voice experimentally.

    "Doubtful." the voice replies, unperturbed. "My name is Rosh, though usually I'm just called The Sniper, and I never rush. Because unlike you friend, I've got all the time in the world."

    "You're making a mistake." Kavos hisses. "I'd check in with Salish before you take another shot, we've defused the situation. One more bolt and you'll have to answer to Samiel and Kuran."

    "That's not how The 8 works." Rosh replies. "You die, or I die. Those are the terms we agree on when we join; if Salish told you differently then he's trying to get you killed."

    "What do we do?" one of the militia members shouts from behind a fallen wagon, unaware of Kavos's silent conversation but knowing that the bandits can't be too far behind them.

    "You've got a choice Rosh," Kavos says, holding a hand out to silence the militia. "Either you help me finish my initiation into The 8 and we pretend this never happened, or you will regret ever hearing my name."

    The waiting militia man who called out suddenly drops to the ground with a bolt piercing his eye in answer.

    "You know how I was initiated into The 8?" Rosh asks. "I killed my predecessor and took his place. So you understand how I'd rather not make your initiation any easier."

    "Found him boss!" Hezrael's telepathic exclamation shouts in Kavos's head. "He's hiding behind the first sizable rock on the hill, I'm nearly on top of him and can barely see him; he's wearing some kind of camouflage."

    Kavos smiles to himself. "In order to join, I have to find a place for myself AND another. We've already taken down Dolph, with you by our side taking down Farakim would be child's play."

    Rosh scoffs. "So...you're saying I should pass up a contract that's about to resolve itself in order to help you kill one of my allies, who just so happens to be a mass murdering monster. I'm not seeing a net gain for me in there."

    "Now!" Kavos sends his thoughts to Hezrael, who casts Grease beneath Rosh's position as Kavos, followed by four members of the militia rush up the hill at his location. Kavos ducks down on the opposite side of Rosh's hiding place while the militia men thrust their swords at the ground.

    A magical hum fills the air and Kavos recognizes the sound as a Dimension Door going off. Kavos grits his teeth in irritation as one of his soldiers goes down with a bolt in the back of his head, landing in Rosh's old hiding spot.

    Hezrael informs Kavos that he has no idea where Rosh is now, so Kavos uses Summon Monster IV to bring a pair of Cheetahs into the fray. The large cats sniff the air and charge up the hill with a growl.

    The cats pounce Rosh's hiding place and the sniper responds by swiftly climbing up the mountain face, taking a few bites for his trouble and turning in his tracks to put one of the cheetahs down with a bolt to the face.

    On the upside, Kavos can now actually see the outline of a thin dwarf scaling the mountain and unleashes a Blindness spell that sends Rosh cursing and groping at his eyes.

    Upon seeing this, Lark and his recruits stand and ready their bows, before Kavos holds up a hand to delay them.

    "Drop your weapon Rosh, I have a proposition." Kavos calls up.

    "Oh, what's that?" Rosh shouts back.

    "Weigh your situation Rosh. Do you really imagine this going well for you? You're blind, outnumbered and exposed. This is your last chance to see reason." Kavos shouts.

    Rosh laughs darkly. "You really think this is the first time I've ran into bad luck on a job? I'm down, not out." he says, rubbing his useless eyes. "I'm going to retreat now, fix my eyes and then come back to murder you all." the sniper calls out matter of factly.

    "Sorry you feel that way Rosh." Kavos replies, giving Lark the all clear. Before their arrows even leave their bows however, the outline of Rosh disappears as Dimension Door flares once more.



    Spoiler
    Show
    As the militia rushes to clear the path of the mangled wagons, Kavos uses what little time the cheetah has remaining to find out that Rosh seems to be moving west; going by that he surmises that Rosh must be heading for the lake. He tells Hezrael as much and then sends the Imp ahead to stake the lake out as the sounds of drums begin growing closer.

    Without Rosh impeding their efforts, the path is quickly cleared and the caravan surges forward up the mountain once more. Within moments the bandits come into view, though only around half their force seems to have shown up.

    Kavos pulls a bolt out of one of his dead soldiers and urges the caravan to pick up its pace.

    As the column of civilians finally begins approaching the Keep, they see a group of 25 tall, strapping men in black and red fullplate flying the banner of Asmodeus. The knights seem to be minding their own business, just meandering in the hills. As the caravan and bandits approach however, the knights all snatch their swords from their waists; though Kavos notices that only the leader manages to get his out on the first try.

    "Halt brigands!" the knight leader shouts, pointing his blade at the rapidly approaching group of thirty some heavily armed bandits whooping like mad men as the citizens flee. Several of his 'knights' mimic his motion and a few others seem to be studying their blades in wonder. Kavos is suddenly thankful for the full faced visors which hide the disguised lemures' vacant expressions.

    The whole town seems nervous as the knights rush down the hill, mindless of the shifting stones beneath their feet, weapons at the ready. The town gives a collective sigh of relief as the knights slam directly into the whooping bandits.

    "AID THE WARRIORS!" Kavos shouts and as one, the whole town finally turns on their pursuers.

    The fighting is short since the bandits weren't actually expecting a fight and the savage thieves are cut down before they even realize what's happening. The militia cheer at their first actual taste of combat.

    Kavos beckons their leader Barque, in the form of the tallest and strappingest of the knights.

    "Well met travelers." Barque says cheerfully. "I trust these weren't friends of yours?" the disguised devil asks, playing his part.

    ""Anything but." Kavos replies, "They burned our town and chased us into the hills."

    Barque dramatically shakes his head. "A sad day when thieves act so boldly."

    Kavos agrees. "I am mayor Kavos Dasgrograv. How may we repay your men's bravery?"

    Barque waves Kavos off. "We need no payment, we simply follow our lord's will...though if yonder Keep belongs to you, we would ask a night's lodging while we get our bearings."

    Kavos beams. "Stay as long as you need, our home is open to you and your mean." he proclaims, ordering Longarm to find them a suitable barracks to fit their needs.

    Longarm says nothing, but seems to have more of an idea as to what Kavos is playing at.

    Kavos hangs back as everyone makes their way to the Keep and catches Lark issuing orders to his men.

    "Jonathan," Kavos says, sidling up to the ranger. "Those hounds you recovered, can they track?"

    Lark shakes his head. "They're little more than pups, though I'm a fair hand myself."

    Kavos reveals the bolt he took off the murdered militiaman. "I have one of Rosh's bolts, it's all we have to go on. We need something that can catch his scent."

    Jonathan nods and motions for his men to continue without him. "I have a trick or two up my sleeve. Let's backtrack and see if we can pick him up."

    Kavos agrees and leaves word that Father Adrian is in charge in his absence, then he and the ranger disappear into the mountains in search of Rosh the Sniper.



    Spoiler
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    Lark agrees that if Rosh is heading west he'll most likely stop by the lake, so they double time it in that direction. The whole trip takes just over two hours and the sun looks as though it may set at any time by the time they arrive.

    Lark takes the bolt from Kavos and summons a hound with a few words. The summoned beast sniffs the bolt and then scans the area, searching for a sign of Rosh's passing. It takes the majority of the hound's available time just to point Lark back upstream towards the remains of West Bank.

    "He doubled back." Lark says as the hound disappears. "We'll have to too, to catch his scent again."

    Kavos nods and starts to follow Lark when Hezrael's voice appears in his mind. "You there boss? The sniper came to the lake like you figured, but uhh...he wasn't alone."

    Kavos stops in his tracks.

    Hezrael continues. "He met up with some wild looking elf and a bigass monkey. Think the elf might've broken your spell. Didn't seem to like you much boss, was pretty pissed at Rosh letting you get away."

    Kavos goes pale. "Lark, hold up. Rosh isn't alone. I think...I think Ibaeli's with him."

    Lark bristles at mention of an enemy druid aiding the sniper. "You sure?" he asks, not bothering to ask how Kavos could know such a thing.

    "If...if you want to go back to the Keep, I'll understand Jonathan. This is gong to be dangerous." Kavos says. "I need to speak with Rosh though, I believe I can talk some sense into him."

    "Or you can take a bolt to the eye." Lark responds. "Seems like it's 50/50 at best."

    "One way or another, I have to handle this or we'll be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives." Kavos responds.

    Lark sighs, as if debating on leaving Kavos to his devices, but shakes his head. "I'll go with you, but if we find this guy we need to take him out. If he's allied with Ibaeli he's gotta be screwier than a s***house rat."

    "If he was manipulated by Ibaeli, I'm sure I can talk him down." Kavos says.

    "What if he wasn't manipulated? What if he was hired?" Lark suggests

    It suddenly occurs to Kavos that The Duke might not be their only threat anymore... "Even better." Kavos replies. "That means we can make a deal."

    Lark doesn't seem convinced, but still agrees that something needs to be done. Since only Kavos has a horse, he decides to ride ahead to see if he can catch up with their quarry while Lark sends an animal messenger to Longarm and catches up.

    The ride to West Bank is short but nerve wracking and by the time Kavos shows up, the remains of the town are barely smoldering. The whole place is eerily quiet.

    Several corpses lay in the street, which is strange considering there shouldn't have been any resistance. Rambalt's house is one of the few still standing, and a number of corpses are stuck directly to the side in coccoonlike webs.

    Kavos suddenly regrets rushing ahead, but nevertheless dismounts and begins making his way towards Rambalt's home. He hears the skittering of legs, but sees nothing as the glances around.

    Just before he reaches Rambalt's door darkness falls all around him and he stumbles backwards as the sound of something large slams down in front of him. Kavos backsteps as fast as he can until he leaves the unnatural darkness altogether.

    "I always knew you'd lead this town to ruin." a sad, strangely familiar voice calls out from the darkness. There's an inhuman, chittering quality to it that makes it hard to place.

    "Ruin?" Kavos shouts back. "This town is stronger than ever!"

    "Is that what you and Adrian call burning rubble?!" the darkness demands angrily.

    "West Bank was indefensible. Blackstone Keep is not." Kavos responds. "From these ashes, West Bank will prosper more than we could ever have imagined. It will rise like a phoenix."

    "No, West Bank will not rise like a phoenix from the ashes, it will stagger like a rotting corpse! You destroyed these people's homes on your little power trip, how long until you destroy THEM as well?" the voice bellows.

    Kavos scoffs. "Stick to what you know, go chase a unicorn or whatever it is you people do and leave the people to me, alright Ibaeli?"

    Thick, spider-like legs step out from the darkness; revealing a black arachnid body larger than a horse with a human torso wielding a large two-handed sword.

    Kavos's mouth gapes open and he stammers for words as he stumbles backwards over himself.

    "Ibaeli?" the monstrously reincarnated form of Gandil asks in disgust. "You can't even keep your pawns straight anymore Kavos."

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  5. - Top - End - #245
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    RogueGuy

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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Well done indeed.

    How do you manage to react so well to the plans that your players make? It's amazing to see the results.

  6. - Top - End - #246
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Kid Jake's Avatar

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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by Twelvetrees View Post
    Well done indeed.

    How do you manage to react so well to the plans that your players make? It's amazing to see the results.
    Thankya. I always try to keep my own plans somewhat fluid so that I don't back myself into a narrative corner; that way I can weave my plans into theirs later. Occasionally I'll have a little forewarning so I can plan around their hijinks but usually I just try to improv the situation based on what sort of personalities/resources I'd imagine the NPCs having.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  7. - Top - End - #247
    Troll in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Hey look, Gandil's a superhero now.



    Y'know... a Spiderman.
    Sanity is nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

  8. - Top - End - #248
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    So spider ghouls, wonderful!

  9. - Top - End - #249
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    Kid Jake's Avatar

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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Yar and he's just as delusional as ever.

    The way HE remembers it: Kavos and Adrian plotted against him and West Bank; he discovered their fiendish plan and was unfairly imprisoned/tortured for it. Hilarity/righteous violence will naturally ensue.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  10. - Top - End - #250
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    Bad Wolf's Avatar

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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Out of curiosity, what exactly is Gandil now?
    Quote Originally Posted by Raven777 View Post
    Sorcerers are also based on Charisma. If a Wizard studies the cheat codes to reality, the Sorcerer literally just glares or winks at the universe. And the universe listens.
    Quote Originally Posted by foobar1969 View Post
    Flexibility is awesome, but I'd sacrifice that spellbook in a heartbeat to be a 24-7 flying hentai apocalypse demon.


    First Eternal foe of the Draconic Lord, battling him across the multiverse in whatever shapes and forms he may take.

  11. - Top - End - #251
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    Kid Jake's Avatar

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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    He's a drider with some Fighter levels.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  12. - Top - End - #252
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    (Un)Inspired's Avatar

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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    I literally came to this campaign journal for the murder and lies but each week I get more excitement from the civic duty.

    Great update as always.
    amazing avatar of my favorite character, Gheera, by Pesimismrocks

  13. - Top - End - #253
    Troll in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by Kid Jake View Post
    He's a drider with some Fighter levels.
    So he's an unfriendly neighbourhood driderman?





    I sincerely apologise for the preceding joke.
    Sanity is nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

  14. - Top - End - #254
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by Kid Jake View Post
    He's a drider with some Fighter levels.
    Dues he still have the ghoul template on?

  15. - Top - End - #255
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by GorinichSerpant View Post
    Dues he still have the ghoul template on?
    My guess would be that by being reincarnated, he's basically reborn into a new living body, so I doubt he's ghoulish anymore. Which is bad-bad-BAD news for Kavos and his love for Command Undead.
    Last edited by Kavos D.; 2015-04-27 at 04:40 PM.

  16. - Top - End - #256
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by (Un)Inspired View Post
    I literally came to this campaign journal for the murder and lies but each week I get more excitement from the civic duty.

    Great update as always.
    Thankya. It is a little surprising that after all this time the campaign's still managed to revolve around small town politicians. It's like the evil Andy Griffith Show.

    Quote Originally Posted by Grim Portent View Post
    So he's an unfriendly neighbourhood driderman?
    Basically.


    Quote Originally Posted by GorinichSerpant View Post
    Dues he still have the ghoul template on?
    Nah, he's just your average vengeful half-man half-spider; although it would be hilarious for him to eventually get reinfected later and just be like 'Oh my God, is THIS what I've been doing to people? This is awful..."

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  17. - Top - End - #257
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Alright, I finally got our last session typed up; it's way overdue. Hope everyone enjoys!


    Spoiler
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    Eadric wakes up bloody and dizzy before the form of the Fire Idol, it takes him a minute to notice the dull ache issuing from his left hand a moment longer to remember removing the last two fingers from it.

    Strangely, the pain is minimal and the longer he lays there the better he feels. He realizes that the Idol must be healing him.

    "I've delivered my side of the bargain." the kobold finally says. "Your turn."

    "Farakim no longer has access to your minds." the Idol replies. "It's up to you to do the rest."

    Eadric winces as he flexes the remaining fingers of his left hand. "I suspected as much. Where is the fiend? I intend on finishing this now."

    The Idol's reply is a little too quick, a little too precise, a little too...helpful. "Close. Within this very forest in fact." it replies. "Are you sure you want to face him as you are though? Surely an edge couldn't hurt."

    With the price of his last deal still scarring over, Eadric knows better. "Just the directions Idol, I'll do this myself."


    Spoiler
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    "There's nothing more for you here Gandil." Kavos says, once the shock wears off.

    "Oh?" Gandil asks, raising an eyebrow as he skittes forward on his thick spider legs. "Because I can think of three traitors and an abomination that still hold this town in their grasp....not to mention poor Mr Baby. I don't think ANY of you people are fit to raise him!"

    "And YOU are?" Kavos retorts "Look at yourself Gandil, you are LITERALLY a monster now. You step into that Keep and not one person will remember you as the hero we convinced them you were."

    "Worry less about me Kavos and more about yourself, I won't be coming alone and once we show the town what you REALLY are, what YOU did to me, they'll welcome us as saviors." Gandil growls.

    "Tell me what I am Gandil. I am the man who made peace with the Locathah; I am the man who built homes for the homeless; I am the man who protected Westbank from The 8; I am the man who was lawfully elected to lead this town into prosperity." Kavos replies boldly. "Now, what are you? YOU are a monster that spread plague and ruin! YOU destroyed Eastbank, YOU infected the Locathah, YOU drove away our allies when we needed them the most! And you claim to be a savior? Savior of what exactly?"

    "Of the ruins of Blackstone Keep, once Bryce and Ibaeli are done burning it to the ground." Gandil replies coldly. "It's YOUR enemies that want our town burned Kavos. The merchant who's men YOU infected, the druid that YOU angered. They've agreed to spare the town, so long as I bring them your head."

    Kavos is taken aback and stammers for a moment. "You're a fool Gandil!" the elderly cleric shouts. "What have I done that is bad you would side with a slaver over a man of law? An INSANE druid over a man of order? While they dangle the lives of innocents as leverage!"

    "What have you done?" Gandil asks, gritting his teeth in self righteous fury. "Really?! You sentenced me to an eternity of silent torture to save a grave robbing liar! You locked innocent people on a crowded ship full of ghouls! You were willing to sell those we swore to protect into a lifetime of slavery..." the former sheriff says sadly. "Bryce is an a**hole and Ibaeli...well yeah, Ibaeli's crazy. I'm pretty sure he intends on eating you. But at least I know where I stand with them."

    "It wouldn't have been forever!" Kavos replies almost pleadingly. "I had plans for you Gandil, for US, if only you would have calmed down! As for the ship, you'd turned Bryce against us so I did what I had to do; which I WOULDN'T have had to do if YOU hadn't started the Apocalypse around us! Maybe you can't see why I made the difficult choices, but they had to be made. Maybe they were right, maybe they were wrong, but I did everything for the sake of Westbank."

    Gandil sighs and readies his two-handed blade. "Right or wrong...this is the way things have turned out Kavos. Whoever walks away from this gets to tell the town his side."

    Kavos starts to spring into action but is struck by a blast of webbing from Gandil and anchored to the ground, he manages to pass his Concentration check and get off a Bestow Curse to give Gandil a 50/50 chance of doing nothing each round. Gandil surges forward and sinks his fangs into Kavos's shoulder, poisoning his former friend with a strength draining venom.

    Kavos casts Spiritual Ally and a red spectral figure with large tusks and bull-like horns appears in a suit of fullplate armor, wielding a jagged mace, it hacks painfully into Gandil's side. The curse holds Gandil in place and Kavos takes this opportunity to hit himself with Owl's Wisdom, even as he feels his already meager physical strength being sapped away.


    Spoiler
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    Eadric stumbles towards the smoldering remains of Westbank in confusion, bruised and battered but otherwise in one piece. What happened here? Was it like this when he left? No...it was still in one piece. He's almost sure of it.

    The kobold reaches up to rub his throbbing head and nearly panics. His headband is gone! He tries to focus and remember, but without the magic of the headband it's so hard... His instincts scream for him to return to the warren, but he's still smart enough to know that won't help anything; he's got to get it back!

    His memory is fuzzy and disjointed, but he remembers Farakim. He remembers ambushing the creature by the road, being so sure of his success...but he failed. So spectacularly that his opponent didn't even try to kill him. No, he did much worse...

    Eadric grits his teeth as tries to bring everything into focus. Farakim recognized the magic in his headband, slammed him against a tree with invisible force until he stopped squirming and stripped it off him. He feels the panic returning. Without the headband he's just another kobold. Just another dirty, simpering, ignorant....

    "Kavos!" Eadric nearly shouts to himself. Kavos could help, he's got magic...the kind that could make things clear again, shut up the whimpering little voice deep inside that Eadric had buried so long ago...

    There Westbank is in the distance! Kavos should be there. Wait, why is it burning? Was it like that when he left? No...it was still in one piece. He's almost sure of it..


    Spoiler
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    Kavos struggles uselessly against his bindings as his spiritual servant continues its assault on Gandil and the drider himself stumbles forward to bring his sword down onto Kavos's exposed shoulder.

    "Hiyaa!" Eadric shouts as he comes flying from seemingly nowhere, kicking Gandil in the side of the head and sending him staggering away in confusion.

    Kavos takes the opportunity to hit Gandil with Doom and Eadric recovers from his flying kick and leaps back into the air in an attempt to mount Gandil like a horse, however the kobold is quickly thrown to the ground.

    Gandil stumbles back again and with a wave of his hand the ground opens up and both Eadric and Kavos plummet almost 50ft onto the waiting spikes below. Blood flows freely from their wounds as they take stock of their situation. They're a good ways below ground and the walls seem to laced with razorblades. Their every step is impeded by crude spike jutting out of the ground...but at least Kavos is no longer stuck in his web and the poison seems to have finally worked its way out of his veins.

    Eadric's still wearing his slippers of spiderclimbing so he simply bolts right up the side of the pit without a word, though does manage to cut himself up in the process. Kavos calls his Spiritual Ally to him and rides the spectre out, though it disappears as he lands outside. He casts Shield of Faith on himself as he glares at Gandil's backside as the cursed drider attempts to stumble away.

    Eadric charges and spits Adhesive Spittle at Gandil's legs, managing to secure him in place for the time being. Kavos cats Unholy Blight, wanting to answer the question of Gandil's alignment once and for all, but it's diverted by Gandil's Spell Resistance and they continue wondering.

    Gandil attempts to free himself from the sticky strands holding him, but the curse forces him to stand there slackjawed instead. Eadric stands outside of Gandil's melee range and uses his Acid Breath on the bound warrior to devastating effect.

    Gandil isn't exactly sure who this little kobold is, but assumes that if he's helping Kavos he must have some connection to the town. "Why don't you go check on the others? They might be in trouble!" Gandil says as he casts Suggestion. Eadric's expression goes vacant as he decides that sounds like a marvelous idea; charging into the only building left standing (Rambalt's place) to search for survivors.

    Kavos curses as Eadric abandons him, but still takes the opportunity to cast Cure Serious Wounds on himself. Gandil responds by doing nothing, so Kavos starts peppering him with Channeled Negative Energy.

    Gandil begins chanting something that Kavos can't quite make out, so the cleric responds by casting Obscuring Mist on himself to block the monster's vision. No sooner does the mist appear than hundreds of spiders erupt from the ground and scatter into the mist in search of prey. Kavos responds with a blast of negative energy which manages to wipe them all out.

    When Kavos emerges from the mist he discovers Gandil scurrying away from the town at full speed. "Where are you going Gandil?" Kavos calls out in irritation, calmly following his former friend at a leisurely pace.

    "To get this fixed!" Gandil says, taking a staggered step as though he's forgetting how to walk.

    "I thought you had to kill me or they'd kill the town. You'd really abandon the town so easily?" Kavos says with a laugh.

    Gandil chuckles in response. "No, today was only a happy accident Kavos, I just came to say goodbye to West Bank. I'm not supposed to kill you for another few weeks...but if you insist." he says, spinning in place and brandishing his blade.

    "This is pointless Gandil." Kavos says exasperatedly. "We shouldn't be fighting, the town needs us both. After you died a man named Dolph came, he had a contract to kill me...and YOU. A deputy gave his life to defeat him, but Dolph's dying words were that until we were both dead everyone in town was a target."

    "I am dead." Gandil scoffs. "If they need proof I can show them where I'm buried."

    "I hardly think they'd see things that way." Kavos replies. "Gandil...Ibaei is working with these madmen. I have witnesses that'll say the same."

    "I know, Bryce hired them." Gandil replies with a vicious smile. "Like I said he's an a**hole, but him and Ibaeli have had some sort of deal in the works for the past few days and we're smoothing things over; I'm off his s***list."

    "You...know?" Kavos stammers, as though physically struck. "YOU KNOW!?" he shouts. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! You lecture ME on morality and you WORK for the people trying to kill our citizens!?"

    With a shout of genuine rage Kavos unleashes another burst of negative energy into Gandil's face.

    Gandil's grin grows slightly more manic. "It's not ideal Kavos, I admit. But take it from somebody who knows, dying's not the end of the world!" the deranged drider shouts as the ground opens up and swallows Kavos once more.

    Kavos tumbles down into the pit, impaling himself on landing. He groans and hears chanting as he stumbles wearily to his feet. He manages to patch up some of his injuries with a Cure Moderate Wounds just as the walls erupt with spiders. Kavos uses up the last of his Channel Negative Energy attempts to keep from being overwhelmed and discovers that he's suddenly out of spells as well.

    Kavos collapses in despair and sits in the pit panting until the spell ends and sky rushes to meet him once more. Gandil stands there, sword at the ready as Kavos appears and swings the flat of his blade like a club; sending Kavos rolling from the force of the blow.

    Everything starts going dark as Gandil snatches Kavos by the collar and hoists him until they're face to face. It looks like Gandil wants to say something, but instead settles for punching Kavos directly in the eye socket; fracturing the bone and putting him out like a light.



    Spoiler
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    "Eadric! EADRIC!" Lark shouts, shaking the little kobold until it starts to question why its digging in Rambalt's lab. "Where's Kavos?" the ranger demands.

    "I...something got him..." Eadric replies, glancing around in confusion. "Spider...big...big spider."

    "So that's what left those tracks..." Lark mutters, "Looks like a horse wallowed in the dirt out there; doesn't look like it even tried to be stealthy."

    "Can you follow it?" Eadric asks, his focus suddenly returning.

    Lark nods. "If spiders took him we may have time before he's dead, assuming we hurry."

    Eadric nods. "We need help, spider has magic...."

    "The sheriff is on his way, I'll send word that we're heading into the forest." Lark replies.

    Eadric shakes his head. "We need more. Need Rothan...need the giant... Point me towards the spider, I'll go ahead. You get help."

    Lark seems unsure about letting Eadric go alone, but it will take time to get reinforcements.... With a sigh, he takes Eadric out and shows him what to look for; though the kobold's faculties are diminished his eyes are as keen as ever and he bolts off at top speed.



    The trail is quite easy to follow, it looks uncannily like a grown man was dragged along the ground and into the forest by a monster. Once Eadric comes into the forest he scurries up a tree, pausing to note thata thick sheen of webbing covers the foliage trapping birds and other small animals inside.

    The trail is still quite easy to follow as Gandil appears to have simply battered his way into the forest, breaking twigs and bending bushes as he went. Eadric flits among the trees like an acrobatic shadow until he comes to a clearing with even more webbing than normal and a pair of mansized creatures with decidedly spiderlike features are 'tending' to a quartet of coccooned prisoners, Kavos among them.

    "Ettercaps..." Eadric mutters to himself, remembering the terror that these things so casually spread through the forest. Eadric begins to inch towards the clearing when a gruff voice rings in his head.

    "Keep your eyes peeled boss, our 'friend' is above you there." Hezrael says from his hiding spot nearby.

    Eadric glances around for where the voice came from, but his eyes are instead drawn to the hulking form of Gandil nestled in a bed of webbing in the tree tops. Eadric pops the tops of most of his remaining extracts and downs Haste, Bear's Endurance, Stone Fist, Shield and Fire Breath like a bitter cocktail.

    Eadric leaps from his tree to Gandil's and runs silently up the face of it until he can almost make out the beast's face. He then exhales a gout of flame that consumes Gandil's protective webbing and drops him more than 100ft to the ground below.

    Gandil slams painfully into the ground with a miserable groan, but once he realizes what's happening manages to get off a stream of magic missiles that slam into Eadric like a volley of arrows.

    Eadric shouts and leaps from the treetops, delivering a terminal velocity axe-kick that rocks Gandil in place. The ettercaps hiss and charge the kobold, venom dripping from their mandibles.

    Eadric weaves around the trio of spider monsters with ease before leaping into the air and kicking one ettercap in the head, using the momentum to flip himself over Gandil and landing with both feet directly in the vengeful drider's face.

    Gandil responds with an overhanded blow that sends Eadric reeling across the forest floor and the ettercaps spew webs which fail to connect. Eadric notices Kavos's cocoon fall silently from its resting place as a large rat attempts to chew through it. They both land on the same floating disc which saved him from the locathah and begin drifting away from the battlefield.

    Gandil notices Eadric's smirk and turns around in time to notice the same thing. "He's just a distraction! Leave him to me, bring the other one back!"

    The ettercaps rush towards Kavos and Hezrael, however Eadric cuts them off and breathes flame in their path; setting a good chunk of the forest itself on fire. They recoil in fear and attempt to find another way around as Gandil charges Eadric, snatching the kobold by the throat one handed with a growl.

    "I don't know why you're doing this," Gandil hisses, "But Kavos is just using you! If you don't shake off his brainwashing you're going to make some VERY powerful enemies!"

    Eadric opens his mouth as though to responds and simply squeaks. Gandil loosens his grip to hear what his opponent has to say and gets a face full of fire for his trouble. Eadric tumbles from his grasp as he slaps at his singed flesh.


    As soon as he lands, Eadric bolts after the ettercaps as Gandil shouts in rage and repeatedly stumbles because of his curse. In a flash Eadric leaps onto the back of the first ettercap and delivers a palm strike which snaps its spine and drops it in its tracks.

    The second ettercap makes a grab for Eadric, however he unleashes a flurry of attacks in response the leaves the creature in a broken pile besides its slain brethren.

    The kobold pushes on in the direction they were heading and pretty much by luck stumbles upon Kavos and his familiar floating towards the forest exit.

    Eadric starts to breathe a sigh of relief; however a vengeful roar rings out followed by a loud crashing sound among the trees. "We need to move. Move! Move! Move!" he almost screeches to whoever's willing to listen.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  18. - Top - End - #258
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Since when could Gandil cast spells?
    Quote Originally Posted by Raven777 View Post
    Sorcerers are also based on Charisma. If a Wizard studies the cheat codes to reality, the Sorcerer literally just glares or winks at the universe. And the universe listens.
    Quote Originally Posted by foobar1969 View Post
    Flexibility is awesome, but I'd sacrifice that spellbook in a heartbeat to be a 24-7 flying hentai apocalypse demon.


    First Eternal foe of the Draconic Lord, battling him across the multiverse in whatever shapes and forms he may take.

  19. - Top - End - #259
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinderit's Campaign Journal

    It's innate to driders.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  20. - Top - End - #260
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    Damnit Gandil!
    amazing avatar of my favorite character, Gheera, by Pesimismrocks

  21. - Top - End - #261
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    When Gandil and Kavos where having their dialogue did you or Gandil's original player act it out?

    Also it amazes me how this was as wonderfully dramatic as always.

  22. - Top - End - #262
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    I did. I tried to make him be as unpredictable and self-deluded as he was as a PC.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
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  23. - Top - End - #263
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    I've been meaning to write this up for a while now, but my "I'll do it tomorrow" attitude lasted almost a month. We've had another session I'll also collect soon, though it's taken me a while to get my notes straight for it.

    Hope everyone enjoys.




    Spoiler
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    We pick up from the end of our last session with Hezrael dragging his master's unconscious body through the forest as Eadric brings up the rear, leaping into action and axekicking any spider that pokes its head out in their path until it no longer wishes to be in their path.

    It seems to be working, but any time a spider runs away alive it seems to pick up their trail once they've passed by. Eventually it seems as though half the forest is swarming after them, just out of sight. By the time they break through the tree line Eadric can swear that dozens of forms are rushing in behind them but is too focused on running to check.

    A barrage of whistling arrows fills the air behind them and Lark, along with 4 of his rangers in training and Longarm, are loosing volley after volley into the already injured spiders. The monstrous vermin decide to pull back and let their prey go for now.

    As Kavos is out of it, Eadric attempts to explain the situation but his mental faculties are rapidly diminishing without his Intelligence amulets and his startling revelation of driders and ettercaps apparently forming a spider army bent on destruction quickly devolves into him pantomiming a spider eating and making 'nom, nom, nom' noises.

    Lark and Longarm look at each other nervously before deciding that they'll have to deal with their deputy mayor going insane later, when they have more time. For the present they escort their battered leaders to the ruins of Westbank where they take refuge in the remains of Rambalt's home and Lark works the last of his ranger magic to bring Kavos back around.

    "You alright?" Lark asks, placing a hand on Kavos's chest to prevent him from getting up too fast. "Feel like everything's where it should be?"

    Kavos shakes his head slowly and hoarsely whispers "Nothing is where it should be,. We have to return to the keep, now."

    Longarm nods, "We need to hurry, we'll be lucky if that damned sniper hasn't resituated himself by now."

    "He'd be a fool." Kavos responds with more confidence than any one man should have, shakily crawling to his feet with the help of Lark. "I dismantled him once, I'll do it again if need be."

    The party wearily exits the last house in Westbank and begin their trek to the keep when an earth shaking roar rings out overhead and the large form of Ro'than'dur comes into view; apparently pissed.

    The green dragon lands clumsily in his rush to reach them, nearly tripping over his own feet as he bellows "What are you doing to me!?" at the trembling Eadric.

    Kavos, Longarm and Lark all take a step back in shock and Eadric chuckles nervously.

    "Fought Farakim...lost fight...lost amulets." Eadric explains.

    "Amulets?" Ro'than'dur asks, confusion evident on his reptilian face.

    "Need them back, before too stupid." Eadric responds unhelpfully.

    The dragon shakes his head, "I don't..." and then it dawns on him. "So that's why you aren't digging in the dirt and filth with your brothers. You were...artificially enlightened."

    Eadric rubs his temples, his head aching unbearably as he loses IQ points by the minute. "I..." the little kobold has trouble forming a response before rage appears on Ro'than'dur's face as the same pain flares through HIS head.

    "FIX THIS KOBOLD!" Ro'than'dur bellows. "Playing the part of your nanny was an indignity I could almost bear, but I will kill us BOTH before I allow you to turn me into some drooling beast!"

    Seeing that this might very well grow out of control, Kavos steps in. "We'll get the amulet back once we find the creature known as Farakim." the cleric assures the enraged dragon. "In the meantime, perhaps Rambalt could provide a temporary solution at the Keep. Just come with us to the mountains and-"

    Ro'than'dur growls low and threateningly before lowering his head. "Get on, we fix this NOW! The peasants can take the long way."

    Turning to Longarm, Lark and the rangers Kavos says "Without me, the sniper shouldn't bother you if he IS in the mountains. Just to be safe however, keep your heads down and move slowly."

    They nod in agreement as Kavos and Eadric mount the dragon and take to the air.

    "Where did you find Farakim?" Kavos asks the kobold once they're airborne.

    Eadric struggles to remember the directions that the Fire Idol gave to him but eventually sighs in defeat. "Forest near road..." Eadric stammers.

    "How far?" Kavos asks.

    The kobold shakes his head. "Not sure...can't remember." Eadric says, a pained look on his face as he forces himself to slow down and say "I cannot remember more than that."

    The trip is relatively short as Ro'than'dur simply bypasses the difficult and unforgiving terrain altogether. The keep appears dark and forboding in the dim moonlight and as Ro'than'dur lands in the courtyard its age and disrepair become painfully apparent.

    The displaced townspeople are setting up a temporary camp in the spacious courtyard, trampling weeds and brambles as they attempt to avoid the more egregious of holes. The mighty wooden gates which guard the keep are all but rotting away and appear to be falling apart in great chunks.

    Kavos does however notice that the Keep is large and well built, seemingly carved into the mountain itself, and will easily house the former occupants of Wesbank once it's made more hospitable. More than house, it will protect them once a few simple repairs are performed.

    "Where are we?" Eadric asks, having missed the move.

    "Home." Kavos replies, lowering himself off the dragon and gritting in pain.

    "Where are Longarm and the ranger Lark?" Father Adrian asks worriedly, approaching the battered adventurers at a trot. "We received word that there was trouble."

    "They're fine." Kavos says reassuringly. "They're on their way here now, Eadric has a matter of some importance to discuss with Professor Rambalt and you and I have a great deal of work to do before the morning."

    Father Adrian sighs in relief and nods. "I'd say so."

    With a nod, Kavos says to Adrian "Meet me in my quarters in ten minutes with writing supplies. I have an idea that may very well save what's left of Westbank's people."

    Father Adrian rushes to get things ready and Kavos turns to rest a reassuring hand on Eadric's shoulder. "We'll get your amulets back Eadric, the moment we've recovered we'll ride out and teach him what happens to our...Eadric... What happened to your hand?" Kavos asks in shock, noticing for the first time the kobold's missing fingers of his left hand. "What did Farakim do to you?"

    Eadric shakes his head. "Fire Idol's price, not Farakim's. He can't see our dreams, can't control us anymore. I fixed it..."

    Kavos shakes his head sadly at the kobold's sacrifice. "We'll fix this Eadric. I promise." the cleric says, patting his partner on the back reassuringly before excusing himself to meet Adrian.

    Ro'than'dur growls irritably and wordlessly reveals two stiff and unmoving talons on his left claw, already beginning to shrivel away.

    Eadric slumps down, even more disheartened now than he was. "I...I didn't...."

    "Find your mage." Ro'than'dur says, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Fix this!"





    Spoiler
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    Kavos finds himself in the lord's chambers, a spacious suite of rooms which at one time were the finest in the Keep though now that's a bit like saying they're the shiniest turd in the pile. The once lavish decorations are peeling from the walls and the smell of mildew is absolutely overpowering.

    It has promise though.

    Lighting a few candles to drive away the shadows and pouring himself a glass of wine, Kavos sits at a thick, decaying desk and silently drafts a letter as Adrian paces nervously.

    "Enemies surround us in every direction Father Adrian, we need a solution that doesn't end with us getting murdered to the last man." Kavos finally says, glancing up from his work.

    Father Adrian nods, "I obviously agree. But what do you propose?"

    All but ignoring the question, Kavos replies "The Keep is in great shape for having been abandoned for as long as it has been, but I couldn't help but notice that the front gates are collapsing. Have them repaired or replaced immediately, put every available man on it before first light and put our sharpest eyes on the walls until further notice."

    Father Adrian nods. "I'll have them start as soon as we're done here. I'll also station Longarm on the wall once he gets back, just in case."

    "Excellent." Kavos says. "Next up is the smell of the place. Have the women burn the tapestries and rugs, then start scrubbing the place down. Anything they're unsure about, have them burn it."

    "You're avoiding the question." Adrian points out. "What are you writing?"

    Kavos sighs and hands the letter to Father Adrian nervously.

    Father Adrian murmurs softly to himself as he reads. "Hasty desertion...wasted potential...Lord of Blackstone...loyal vassal..." the priest's blood runs cold in his veins as he reads Kavos's proposal to pledge himself, and by extension the Keep and its citizens, to the Duke in exchange for the title of Count. .

    Father Adrian all but gapes as he sputters out "This...this is a sick joke. The Duke is a monster and a madman, we can't..no, we WON'T bow our knee to him!" his voice is cold and very nearly threatening by the end.

    With a smile, Kavos says "I agree. If we are to strike at the Duke however, we'll have to get close to him. We don't have the men to march on Lonegate, so we'll have to find some way to bring him here."

    Father Adrian strokes his chin and nods slowly. "The Duke is a private man and even accepting such an offer is no guarantee we'll receive an audience with him...though it may at least give us the chance to GATHER the men needed to march on Lonegate. Just be careful not to be [i[too[/i] inviting or he may feel it only proper to send a contingent of men to 'protect' his new citizens."

    Kavos nods in agreement. "It's a longshot, I know. But if it buys us another day that's a day we didn't have before... Now that the business with the Duke and fortifications is out of the way....Eadric. How much do you know of him? Has he spoken with you?"

    Adrian shakes his head. "I'd imagine you know him better than any of us. He doesn't seem to mingle all that much..."

    Kavos shakes his head. "There's much we don't know about him...he speaks of dark deals with Fire Idols and magical amulets which he apparently depends on, but elaborates little if at all. He's a mystery, and that makes me nervous....however, he saved the town from Dolph and me...from Gandil."

    Father Adrian's eyes widen in shock. "Gandil is back...again?"

    "He's been reincarnated by the druid Ibaeli, transformed into a drider." Kavos explains. "We fought, but he struck me down...would have killed me if not for Eadric's intervention, I'm sure."

    Father Adrian rubs his temples. "That's certainly going to complicate things. He was always...high spirited.... Does anyone else know?"

    "Only Eadric, but he didn't know Gandil from before." Kavos replies.

    "How are we to handle this?" Adrian asks. "The town believes that Gandil died a hero, to find out otherwise may undermine us."

    "Ibaeli twisted our hero and reanimated a monster." Kavos replies simply. "Whatever he was in life, is no more."

    Father Adrian shakes his head sadly and sighs. "Things just keep getting worse it would seem...though there does seem to be a glimmer of good news. That man Rambalt stumbled onto your..um 'luggage' while it was being unloaded. I was worried how he'd react, but the little man seems to be strangely comfortable with hidden corpses. He was quite excited to take Dolph's corpse with him for study, he said he believed he had an idea that could hold off the rest of The 8."

    Kavos smiles. "Rambalt has been an exceedingly valuable member of our town since the moment he arrived, I'm curious to see what he's worked up...though I believe it will have to wait for the morning. I need rest."

    Father Adrian nods at Kavos's wounds. "Get some sleep. I'll see to the repairs in the meantime."

    Kavos voices his appreciation and passes out before his head hits the pillow.




    Spoiler
    Show
    Rambalt has more or less taken over the labyrinth like lower level of the keep, preferring to have thick walls between the rest of the populace and his experiments. His assorted stuff is mostly boxed up, however he's begun setting up a makeshift lab in the dusty cellar.

    Eadric explains his situation as best he can, admitting to Rambalt that his cleverness can be primarily attributed to his magical amulets and that every minute he's away from them he can feel himself becoming more and more like his dim-witted brethren. He's nearly at full panic by the time he gets around to asking if Rambalt could make him a new amulet or if maybe he has one just sitting around...

    Rambalt shakes his head as he listens to Eadric and says "Those amulets are rare and powerful, I don't know how you managed to get one but you're unlikely to find another around here."

    "But...you can make one?" Eadric asks hopefully.

    Rambalt sighs. "I'm afraid I simply don't don't have those kinds of resources. With enough time maybe I could get the materials together, but... Actually, it's not ideal but I may have a short term solution."

    Eadric perks up considerably as Rambalt begins unloading the contents of a box of potions, the professor draws out a pale blue potion and beams broadly.

    "It's not a solution, but it should help." he explains, placing the vial in Eadric's hand. "It will only last about four hours at a time, but it should retard-"

    Eadric's eyes narrow.

    "I'm sorry...it should slow down your intelligence loss and temporarily return you to your usual self until we can find a more permanent solution." Rambalt says.

    "How many do you have? How many can you make?" Eadric nearly shouts.

    "It's a lengthy process and I don't even have my lab up and running yet..." Rambalt responds. "At present I've got three that you can have, but it'll take me a day or two to start brewing again. I'd estimate I could crank out one a day with our current supplies, maybe two."


    Eadric breathes a sigh of relief and downs one of the potions as Rambalt sets about packing the others into a soft, protective case for Eadric to carry them around in.

    The kobold closes his eyes and just enjoys the sensation of his mind working at full tilt for a moment and then looks at Rambalt, scribbling a hasty list as he speaks. "I've got four hours to make preparations before I'm back to banging sticks together to try and make fire, I'll need these items if I'm going to bring Farakim down."

    "How are you going to bring Farakim down with...knives, rope and smoke pellets?" Rambalt asks incredulously.

    Eadric shrugs as he begins going over his extracts, picking out the ones he intends to use in the morning. "I haven't figured that out yet, but I've still got...three hours and fifty three minutes to go."


    Spoiler
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    Come morning the Keep is a bustling place. The women are tearing the place apart to get rid of the mold and mildew and the men are doing what they can to put it back together again. New gates are being constructed in the court yard and their stores of wood are rapidly diminishing. Father Adrian pitches in where he can with Mending to conserve their supplies, but it's a lengthy process and he's a busy man.

    Kavos steps out into the fresh air early, still haggard and sore from the day before but no longer on death's door and wanting to get some work done. The first thing he notices is the dragon Ro'than'dur sleeping in the center of the courtyard, the citizens go around to avoid interacting with it, but it's obviously an annoyance.

    Kavos sighs irritably and moves to direct it out of the way when he sees Looman hurrying past on some important errand.

    "Looman!" Kavos calls out, catching the deputies attention. Before Looman even has a chance to respond a letter is pressed into his hand. "Find Devon and deliver this to Lonegate, it's of the utmost importance."

    Looman looks around. "But I'm supposed to-"

    "Looman!" Kavos snaps. "This may be the most important thing you'll ever do. Make sure that this letter reaches Lonegate safely, no matter what else happens. Find somebody else to take over your duties here and leave at once."

    Looman nods grimly. "Yessir, I'll fetch Devon and set out within the hour."

    Kavos pats the young man on the back as he rushes off. "Good man!" the cleric calls after the deputy turned messenger.

    "Kavos. We have to go." Eadric says, stepping out from beside the elderly priest and causing him to jump. "I'm in my right mind, and will be for another hour. I know where we can find Farakim."

    "Are you sure?" Kavos asks, interest and a little dread creeping into his voice. His interest is further pique by the sight of Eadric sporting visible daggers and what he assumes to be a handmade bola at the kobold's hip. "Don't we need more time to prepare?"

    Eadric shakes his head as he awakens the sleeping Ro'than'dur and leaps onto the dragon's back. "No time. This is the clearest I'm likely to be for the forseeable future, so it's now or never. Will you help me get my amulets back, or do I have to go alone?"

    Kavos looks up at the determined little kobold and tries to count the number of times that Eadric's already saved his life in the short time they've known each other. With a sigh he grabs onto the side of Ro'than'dur and pulls himself onto the dragon's back just before it takes to the air.

    This partnership would either turn out to be a very long one, or very short.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  24. - Top - End - #264
    Troll in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Oh man, in ready to see Eadric'splan in action.
    amazing avatar of my favorite character, Gheera, by Pesimismrocks

  25. - Top - End - #265
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Not wanting to overhype it, but it leads into probably my favorite action scene I've ever GMed.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  26. - Top - End - #266
    Troll in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by Kid Jake View Post
    Not wanting to overhype it, but it leads into probably my favorite action scene I've ever GMed.
    Overhype as much as you want; just post it!

    I'm dying to read it!

    Also, I wish I had a fort.
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  27. - Top - End - #267
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Alright, here it is finally typed up in all it's glory. It came out way shorter than I was expecting, but hopefully I captured the frantic back and forth battle they had going.

    Spoiler
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    It doesn't take long to spot Farakim's camp once they know what they're looking for. Ro'than'dur gives them a commanding view of the landscape and Eadric manages to spot a thin trail of smoke from a barely smoldering campfire.

    They land a little ways up the road to avoid giving away their position and leave Ro'than'dur behind until they need him; hoping that without the dragon they'll be able to take Farakim unaware.

    Eadric guides Kavos's steps and leads the way into the forest at a crawl to avoid making a sound. They carefully approach an artificial clearing, that looks as though saplings and grass have simply been peeled away from the center by some event and a campfire put in their place.

    "The prey deigns to seek the predator?" a hollow, inhuman voice echoes inside of their heads. They glance around frantically until they notice a monstrous creature with moist, rubbery skin in an impeccably tailored suit sitting beneath a tree. The creature's black, soulless eyes seem to focus through their very souls.

    "Where are my amulets you bastard!?" Eadric shouts, assuming his fighting stance.

    The creature laughs, emitting a horrible squelching sound. "That trash? I threw them in the river, they weren't even worth my time to sell."

    Eadric nearly collapses in grief, his heart sinking as he senses no deception in Farakim's words. "But...but..."

    Kavos grabs his holy symbol on impulse as his heart skips a beat at the sight of the creature before him. With his breath caught in his throat, he manages to ask "What...are you?"

    "A rare sight, I'd imagine." the creature replies soundlessly, floating to its feet without moving a muscle. "One of the last of a dying race, perhaps too vain for its own good. Your people called us the Illithid, or in the particularly vulgar tongue, Mind Flayer."

    As the creature speaks, an arm sized tentacle on its face twitches and a most undignified strand of what appears to be drool drips down its length before being wiped away with a silk handkerchief.

    Kavos tries to steady his nerves and project power as he says "I've heard of your kind before as a child. What do you hope to gain by stepping out of a ghost story and into our world."

    "An easy meal." it replies coldly. "Or to be more specific, several dozen easy meals. We do have the townspeople to think about after all."

    "You will not find an easy meal in me Beast." Kavos shouts, suddenly emboldened by Farakim's overconfidence. "I've shut down every threat that The 8 has thrown at me and I do not plan on stopping now. Do you value your life?"

    "You've bested a coward and a fool." Farakim replies. "Don't lump me in with those layabouts."

    "No. I've beaten TWO fools. Any man who would stand in my way is a fool and a dead man." Kavos shouts.

    Farakim crosses his arms and tilts his head curiously. "You'll be a fun memory human. Brief. But fun."

    Kavos and Eadric both spring into action, readying their weapons and spells, however they're met with a strange and disorienting moment where it feels as though reality stopped synching up right for a second. By the time the feeling has passed they notice that Farakim is lounging against a tree, a look of concentration on his monstrous face, and a beast the size of a grizzly bear that appears to be made from pure, flickering energy stands where he once stood.

    The conjured beast charges Kavos and the cleric believes it to be an illusion until he witnesses it level a small tree in its way to get to him; then he decides it would be best to keep some space between them and bounds out of the way using his Jaunt Boots.

    Once out of the astral beast's range, Kavos casts Spiritual Ally and the infernal form of one of his patron's servants appear between him and his attacker. The Spiritual Ally lays into the Astral Beast with everything it has and the beast roars theatrically in response.

    Eadric meanwihle flips over the campfire and lands mere feet from Farakim, taking a deep breath he exhales a burst of acid all over the illithid at nearly point blank range, causing his oppoenent to lose concentration on whatever it is he was doing.

    "ROTHAN!" Eadric shouts at the top of his lungs, hoping his voice will carry far enough to get the dragon's attention. "NOW ROTHAN, COME HERE NOW!"

    Farakim's eyes flare open and he growls dangerously. Without so much as lifting a finger he sends pure energy into Eadric's chest with enough force to hurl the kobold nearly 80ft and straight into the trunk of a tree. Eadric gasps as the breath is knocked from his body, but is more surprised as his current change of scenery.

    Meanwhile, Ro'than'dur sweeps down with a roar of his own and locks his mighty jaws around Farakim's puppet, attempting to prevent it from engaging the poorly defended Kavos directly. Kavos casts Blessing of Fervor on his gathered allies while his Spiritual Ally continues stabbing the beast as the Astral Construct attempts to wrestle its way free.

    Eadric hurls his bolo from the tree and the weapon whistles through the air before wrapping around Farakim's legs and knocking him prone. No sooner does Farakim hit the ground wioth a grunt that he raises his hands violently and the tree which Eadric now finds himself hiding in is suddenly ripped from the ground.

    Eadric manages to leap free in the blink of an eye but still receives numerous gashes and cuts from the limbs that struck him on the way out. The tree slams down 40ft away, crashing into and through a second tree.

    Kavos casts Wrathful Mantle as his Spiritual Ally and Ro'than'dur do battle with the Astral Beast, but the creature slugs Ro'than'dur in the jaw, stunning the dragon and tackles Kavos off his feet with a roar of defiance.

    Before the creature can follow up however Kavos launches a Hellfire powered Searing Light into the it's face and the Ally plunges a weapon into the beast's back, causing it to flicker in and out of existence for a moment.

    "Ro'than'dur, catch me!" Eadric shouts as he backflips away from Farakim, getting swept away by his 'faithful' dragon mount at the last second. They fly straight up at full tilt, reaching a height of nearly 100ft.

    Farakim glances up irritably at the apparently fleeing kobold and reality distorts once more. To Kavos's horror a new Astral Beast bares its teeth and charges.

    Kavos quickly responds with Dismissal and to his surprise, the newly created creature simply flickers out of existence, shattering almost like glass. The Spiritual Ally takes this opportunity to finish off the wounded beast and Kavos smirks confidently...that is until two more Astral Constructs flash into existence by Farakim's side and charge Kavos angrilly, they each land a blow on the fragile cleric and send him tumbling head over heels across the ground.

    100ft up, Eadric tosses Ro'than'dur an Adhesive Spittle extract and the dragon gulps it down, while Eadric downs a Fire Breath extract, before putting itself into a dive straight for Farakim even as Eadric himself leaps into the air in a dive of his own. Ro'than'dur exhales a mouthful of glue all over Farakim's body, holding him fast to the ground, before pulling up at the last second in a looping motion.

    A split second later Eadric lands an axekick to the top of Farakim's head that nearly breaks his leg and produces a sound not unlike thunder, driving Farakim to his knees painfully. Farakim struggles just to lift his fractured head for a moment and both Eadric and Kavos hold their breath expectantly...

    Then have it knocked out of them as an explosion of pure energy arcs away from Farakim, toppling trees and holding them to the ground with a tremendous pressure. As Eadric glances up he sees that Farakim's bonds have been flung in a thousand different directions in twice as many pieces and a curtain of air whips around them in a 10ft diameter with such speed that it's actually visible. Debri, fire and simple dirt whip around with such velocity that when Eadric pokes an experimental hand towards it he has a portion of the flesh stripped off.

    "Impressive." comes Farakim's passionless reply. Eadric swallows nervously and hurls a dagger which simply stops mid-air and flies to join the barrier.

    Kavos casts Spiritual Weapon to assist his Spiritual Ally and directs them both to keep the Astral Beasts' attention off of himself while he fights to breathe through what feels like broken everything.

    Eadric leaps forward and delivers a pair of savage kicks into Farakim's midsection. The wind is audibly knocked out of him, however Farakim responds by closing his eyes in concentration and assuming a fighting stance of his own. Despite the fact he has an utterly unreadable expression, Eadric could swear that Farakim is smirking.

    Ro'than'dur slams directly into one of Farakim's Astral Constructs and clamps down on the thing with tooth and claw, holding it down and leaving the second for Kavos to finish. Kavos launches another Searing Light into the construct and has his Ally/Weapon lay into it as well.

    The Astral Beast dives past Kavos's diversions and rakes its claws through his stomach, turning Kavos into a bloody mess barely able to stand.

    Noticing how Farakim is favoring his side, Eadric smirks and leaps into the air; throwing a flurry of kicks into the illithid's shattered rib in an attempt to take him down and easilly connects with both. Imagine Eadric's surprise when he feels the distinct sensation of an angry kobold throwing every it has into breaking his already injured rib.

    Farakim's entire right side is completely caved in, yet it's Eadric that collapses with a tortured scream. Ro'than'dur likewise shouts in pain and collapses where he stands, much to Kavos's horror.

    "I'll admit that the meal was hard won." Farakim's voice says as the wind dies down and he appears holding Eadric before him by the collar like a battered prize. "But it appears to be getting easier."

    Kavos holds his hands up submissively as Farakim's beasts stalk into a flanking position and the cleric is forced to stumble backwards until the unmoving form of Ro'than'dur blocks his way.

    "What do you have to say now human?" Farakim asks, hovering dramatically above the ground, Eadric's battered body held aloft as he savors his imminent victory.

    Kavos glances around in a near panic and then smirks as he places a hand upon Ro'than'dur. "That you've proven yourself a fool."

    As the healing energy of Cure Serious Wounds floods Ro'than'dur's system, a fraction of the healing is transported into Eadric as well and the kobold spins around like an angry cat in Farakim's grip before unleashing a point blank Fire Breath that causes Farakim to drop him and tumble to the ground screaming.

    Farakim's beasts turn to ignore Kavos altogether and charge to protect their master, however Kavos's Ally/Weapon cut off one and Ro'than'dur pounces another as Eadric leaps upon the psionic mercenary's chest and releases a second gout of flame that renders him as little more than a blackened cinder.

    The Astral Constructs simply blink out of existence.

    Kavos and Ro'than'dur collapse in exhaustion and pain as Eadric tries to ransack Farakim's corpse for his stolen amulets. True to his word, the Amulets are nowhere to be seen and Eadric bursts into tears of loss and outrage until he notices the magical aura surrounding the thin strap which Farakim wore around his head.

    Without caring about the consequences, Eadric places it upon his own head and is shocked as his mind processes information even faster than before. The kobold collapses to the ground in turn as relief washes over his battered body.

    A slow clap rings out from the treeline and a gravelly, monotone voice calls out "Impressive."

    All eyes are the dwarf with the oversized crossbow trained on Kavos's heart as he says "Just goes to show you, a thousand year superiority complex and fancy psychic powers doesn't compare to a little patience."

    "Put down the crossbow," Kavos says, his hands raised. "Dolph and Farakim are dead, two spots in The 8 have opened up and we've been chosen to take them. Do you accept contracts on your own allies?"

    Rosh continues training his crossbow on the wounded Kavos for a long, tense moment before grinning and resting the weapon against his shoulder. "Years from now, when you're as high and mighty as him, you just remember that I had the opportunity. And opportunity is the ONLY thing that matters in the end."

    Kavos heaves an audible sigh of relief. "What are your plans now? Aren't you friends with Ibaeli?"

    "Friends is a strong word." Rosh replies. "I was employed by the druid's friends."

    "[i]Was[i/]?" Kavos asks.

    The dwarf shrugs. "I'm being recalled by the Big 3. They never signed off on this mission so they don't consider it an official 8 assignment. I don't give a sh*t what happens to the little druid once I'm off the clock."

    "Just like that?" Kavos asks. "What about their 100% success rate that Dolph was bragging about?"

    Rosh narrows his eyes. "You f***ed it up, you'll fix it. Cut the heads off of enough people that might say differently and it has the same effect as being true. I mean, how the hell do you think they recruit anyway?"

    Kavos smirks, appreciating the way these people do business more and more. "Tell them to drop in sometime, I'd love to meet them face to face."

    Rosh actually laughs as he turns to leave, a raw and unsettling sound. "Careful what you wish for old man, initiation's a bitch."

    And with that, the dwarf disappears silently in the foliage.

    Quote Originally Posted by Winter_Wolf View Post
    At least we can say Kid Jake has style. And possibly is insane.
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  28. - Top - End - #268
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    A Mind Flayer, eh? Interesting.
    Quote Originally Posted by Raven777 View Post
    Sorcerers are also based on Charisma. If a Wizard studies the cheat codes to reality, the Sorcerer literally just glares or winks at the universe. And the universe listens.
    Quote Originally Posted by foobar1969 View Post
    Flexibility is awesome, but I'd sacrifice that spellbook in a heartbeat to be a 24-7 flying hentai apocalypse demon.


    First Eternal foe of the Draconic Lord, battling him across the multiverse in whatever shapes and forms he may take.

  29. - Top - End - #269
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Just got done reading all of this and your M&M journal. I'm really digging your play style and writing style. Everything is very clear and exciting.

    It's great to see someone riding the lightning and not following all the "rules" for GM's that seem to flood the board. You have PvP and no one seems to get upset, you let the characters have sweet loot, and you're not afraid to kill people off.

    Keep up the good work mate, I'll keep reading.

  30. - Top - End - #270
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    Default Re: "Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

    Quote Originally Posted by DireSickFish View Post
    Just got done reading all of this and your M&M journal. I'm really digging your play style and writing style. Everything is very clear and exciting.

    It's great to see someone riding the lightning and not following all the "rules" for GM's that seem to flood the board. You have PvP and no one seems to get upset, you let the characters have sweet loot, and you're not afraid to kill people off.

    Keep up the good work mate, I'll keep reading.
    Couldn't put it better myself.

    Kid Jake is a great DM, evident by the things you list, but something that might not come across in the journal alone is the amount of player freedom. We come to Kid Jake with some of the strangest/wackiest/outlandish ideas... and not a single is turned away. Its awesome.

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