Papolstaanas stares at the thugs in complete astonishment for several seconds, before actually breaking into a sickly grin.
“I can’t believe it!” he says to Krassus. “These are the people you’re dealing with?” He turns back to the thugs. “I thought... There I thought I had left all that behind, all of Bacarte and all its people who are always out to--and it’s so funny, I’ve been away less than a week, and I’m already getting shaken down!” He breaks into a peal of laughter that sounds a little hysterical. “I could swear I’m actually back at ho--You are from Bacarte, aren’t you? I think, I think you are. I almost think I must have ruh, run into you before..."--he points at one of them--"at Trask’s bar, maybe... Maybe not... I’m teh, terrible with faces. Especially, especially hobgoblin fa--You don’t know Sesseneek, by any chance, wouldn’t that be funny!” Papolstaanas breaks into giggles again, suddenly reminded of one of his more loutish brothers. “Well, but listen... There’s, there’s a problem. We can’t, um, can’t give you this stuff. I don't think we can. I mean, it isn’t even ours to give, for one thing, that is, it’s not even Krassus’s to give, and we're supposed to bring back five bushels, for another, and with the trees all, all burnt, I don’t think we’re getting it anywhere else. We, we just can’t,” he finishes, sounding a little doubtful.
A by-now familiar series of reactions play over the faces of Papolstaanas' listeners: confusion, annoyance, bafflement, amusement... by the time the kobold gets to the part where he says that the group won't give up the stash, the hobgoblins are too busy snickering for his comments to really register.
[sblock=ooc]Well you did make them laugh!
No effect on the challenge though.
Leaving the deal to give up the stash in place for now since you weren't quite definitive about it. Perhaps the course of action should be discussed a bit among the group? (It's cool to wait until you think the tide has really turned in your favor before a final decision.)[/sblock]
One of the hobgoblins does react to the mention of the name Sesseneek. He turns towards the leader.
"Hmm, Sesseneek - isn't that Kanneelas' brother? We'll have to tell her when we get back to camp, we met some idiot out in the jungle who knows him. Whaddya think, who - "
The leader growls and cuts off his subordinate with a chopping hand gesture.
"Shaddup..." He glares at Papolstaanas, apparently on general principle.
ooc: Kanneelas is Papolstaanas' sister, yet another one of his no-good siblings! (feel free to change the name if you want, you don't have them all listed out do you?)
Kaeysari looks over the mercenaries, hoping to find anything that will help out.
Cillani snickered and winked back before gracefully seating herself to pray. Closing her eyes she tried frantically to recall something from her training that could help out.
Two aid another successes; +2 on any checks
ooc: these aid anothers can be applied as you like. However I'm going to throw something out there that would make sense for a bad omen Intimidate or Bluff check. Go ahead and describe something else if you use them differently.
Kaeysari notices that two dead birds lie on the ground behind the leader's group. It appears that they were caught and killed in the gas explosion when Chaku triggered the last trap.
Cillani thinks about what she knows about Maglubiyet. One story comes to mind: the deity had two sons who served him loyally. But in a paranoid fit he decided they were a threat, and ordered them off on a suicide mission, where they both perished.
The hooded goblin hisses softly again. The tall hobgoblin straightens up slightly. He appears to think he has the upper hand.
"Right then," he says.
"Out with it, Krassus - where is it? And then we start searching."
[sblock=Status]
- Round two beginning!
- Deal to give up the beans is still on - for now.
- +2 next check involving "bad omens" from Azryah's Religion success.
- +2 bonus on any check from Kaeysari's Perception.
- +2 bonus on any check from Cillani's Religion.
- Special: You have a potential +6 bonus on an Intimidate or Bluff check to make the thugs think there is a bad omen... if you beat the DC 15 check by 5 or more, it will count as a double success!
- I believe Chaku is planning something involving Athletics, if anyone wants to aid that check with an Athletics check of their own.
- Note to Charm - Arcana is still available for a primary check, and I think you're the only one with it trained... hint hint. The tattoo-headed human looks like a mage of some kind...
[/sblock]
[sblock=Skill Challenge: Face Down the Ruffians]
Level 1, Complexity 2:
6 successes before 3 failures.
Status: 2 successes, 0 failures.
Success: The ruffians back down without a fight.
Failure: Fight!
Note: This challenge is optional... you might want to avoid a fight to save some resources, plus you might pick up some clues by engaging them in a conversation. However, at any time you can go straight to combat. Merely draw your weapons. They will be happy to oblige!
Procedure: We'll go in "rounds". Each PC makes one check per round. At least two of these checks must be primary or secondary skill checks "for effect", meaning that the check counts towards the success and failure counts in the challenge. The other checks may be aid another checks (see below).
Successes with some skills might unlock others or give additional bonuses on top of granting a success in the challenge.
Primary Skills (DC 15*): Intimidate (max 3 successes), Bluff (max 2 successes), Streetwise (max 2 successes),
Religion (max 1 success), Arcana (max 1 success),
Diplomacy (DC 22, max 1 success)
Secondary Skills (DC 20): any, be creative! Max one success per skill. (Powers might work too.)
Diplomacy (DC 20): Jynxx offered to let the thugs take Krassus' stash. If anyone wants to try to modify that deal, it will take a DC 20 check to convince them. Success here doesn't add a success to the challenge (but failure would add a failure).
Aid Another (DC 10/15): In addition to using the same skill as being used for the primary check (i.e., using Intimidate to aid Intimidate), you can use another skill if you can describe a way in which it makes sense (i.e., using Athletics to look strong to aid Intimidate). It's DC 10 when using the same skill, or DC 15 when using a different skill, but I will give circumstance bonuses for good ideas and descriptions when using different skills. Powers might work too. A successful Aid Another check gives +2 to the main skill check; failure has no effect.
* - FYI, I go with the pre-errata DCs, I think the errataed ones are just too low. But I'm pretty generous with circumstance bonuses for good ideas and roleplaying[/sblock]
