Dr. Si's Curse of the Crimson Throne - Beta Group

Ambrus said:

I'm also a bit sketchy on the whole Harrow point thing. I thought the Harrowing we received way back when only applied to our initial raid on the old fishery; I didn't realize we still had any Harrow points to spend. Wouldn't the new characters similarly need to receive their own Harrowing to get the bonuses?

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No, the Harrow points gained from that Harrowing apply all the way through "Edge of Anarchy", or at least until the next "major" Harrowing, when they are (may be) replenished.

All PCs have 1 Harrow Point at least. Extras are gained depending upon the alignment of the cards in the Major Harrowing (you only got one extra, which is a bit unlucky).

Although Manachan and Brindom may not have been present at Zellara's first Harrowing, fate has now entwined them, whether they know it or not....

"Wha...?"

Trinia pulls up short as Majenko speaks to her. Pressing herself against the wall of a Shingle shack, she pulls out a wand and points it at Majenko with a shaking hand. With nervous glances over at Edmond, blundering his way across to her, she reaches out and takes the offered glove.

"Vencarlo sent you?" she asks the pseudodragon. "Who are you?"

The delay allows Edmond to close in on Trinia. Meanwhile, on the ground Manachan reaches the foot of the building where she has stopped. Brindom is racing to catch up. A fight seems to have broken out between the Hellknights and the citizens of Korvosa, but not too close to where you are.

A short way off, Dj'hân attempts something he's never done before; summoning a blast of wind without the aid of his staff of power. The urchin waits for the malicious devils to draw closer together in their single-minded pursuit before proceeding. Then, with his tiny brow furrowed, the boy invites the air behind them to stir. Hanging laundry suddenly begins to flutter wildly on nearby clotheslines as first mist, then snow begins to coalesce in the air in front of the imps. Then, surging forth, a frigid arctic gale envelops the three devils causing hoarfrost to form along their leathery wings.

Two of them flit aside, suffering a light covering of frost for their troubles. The third is caught in a swirl of air, struggling to stay aloft. His two compatriots point at him, snigger and vanish from sight.

[SBLOCK=OOC]
Well, pseudodragons have ranks in Diplomacy, would've thought it?

I think we can abandon the chase mechanic for now. Edmond is close enough to interact with Trinia, and she's not, for the moment, running anywhere.

Regarding Majenko's skills, he uses the stats for a typical pseudodragon but I notice they have 6 ranks in Spot and Listen. Under Pathfinder, I'd suggest 6 ranks in Perception and 6 in Fly instead.
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Manachan

Manachan remains at the front of the building, keeping an eye on the distant fight and an ear on the proceedings above.

Don't want to disturb the negotiations at this delicate stage, but if those Hellknights move any closer I'll have to do something to make sure they don't interfere.

The pseudodragon nimbly raises his wings and arcs his serpentine body backwards so as to arrest his forward momentum when the girl suddenly stops short. With a few powerful downbeats Majenko maneuvers so as to alight atop a short chimney top next to the shack. Glancing around nervously for a moment, the wyrm stretches its neck sinuously towards the girl so as to offer her the kid leather glove in its maw. Yes. A warrant has been issued for your arrest. He fears that harm may come to you if one of the city's militant groups, such as the Hellknights, should get ahold of you.

Dj'hân, delighted by his apparent control over the winds, is cautiously scanning the surrounding area for threatening imps. Not being privy to Majenko's silent communication with the girl, the urchin rolls his eyes and blurts out: "Of course he sent us; it's the very first thing I told ya, ya silly head! We're the good guys!" The disembodied head in the pseudodragon's clutches nods at his draconic companion. "This is Majenko, I'm Dj'hân and that big holy knight with the long poker over there is Edmond." The pseudodragon spares his tiny companion a sidelong glance before resuming his telepathic dialogue with Trinia. We're to find you and escort you safely to the Citadel where you'll be safe until Vencarlo can sort out this dilemma in your favor.
[sblock=OOC]Pseudodragons are awesome! They also have Spell Resistance; though they don't seem able to share it with their companion as they were able to in earlier editions. I believe their ranks in Diplomacy is likewise a legacy from earlier editions. IIRC, they had some limited ability to influence others mentally via a spell-like ability such as charm person or suggestion.

Mowgli said:

but if those Hellknights move any closer I'll definitely call out a warning.

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Don't do that! That will only alert them to the fact that there's something of possible interest to them up in the Shingles. As is they probably don't know Trinia is up there.[/sblock]

[sblock=ooc]Could you make a Perception check for Brindom and let me know what i notice of the HellKnights. And if I notice enough that I believe they may cause trouble I will look for a way to distract them and or slow them down. [/sblock]

Trying hard to catch up Brindom gets all turned around, and stops to get his bearings.

"This is Vencarlo's glove..." says Trinia in uncertain tones. "And you don't look like Hellknights, or Sable Marines..." Almost as she says this, the shadow of a hippogriff-mounted marine sweeps overhead, and she flinches. "I didn't do it," she says.

By now, Edmond has arrived in the area. The last remaining imp, struggling in the swirl of icy air, now thoroughly rimed in frost, at last breaks free. With a rude gesture, it too vanishes from sight.

On the ground, Brindom spots Manachan on guard outside a nearby building. The Hellknight squadron seem to be occupied with stone-throwing citizens at the moment and don't seem to have time to pay attention to anything else. The street is becoming quite busy with Korvosans either hurrying away from the fracas, or hurrying to join in.

OOC: Some Diplomacy and Perception checks rolled. Below is a piccy of Trinia running away.

"I apologize for scaring you. There was no time to communicate properly and right now you are very sought after person. Can we talk somewhere out of sight? Like, not standing on the roofs?"

"Dj'ahn can you get us back while avoiding Hellknights? Even if that means we go through sewers."

Dj'hân sticks his tongue out at the last imp as it disappears from sight. The pseudodragon continues to peer intently around the Shingles nervously however. In answer to Edmond's query, the guttersnipe simply grins. "Oh sure. Easy peasy puddin'n'pie!"[sblock=OOC]Dj'hân and Majenko will work together to guide the party along with Trinia along a safe route back to the Citadel while making good use of Dj'hân's intimate familiarity with the city's Shingles and back alley shortcuts [Knowledge (local) +7]. The pair will likely remain near rooftop level to keep an eye on the surrounding streets and alleyways (Dj'hân's Perception: +6, Majenko's Perception: +9) while relaying telepathic directions down to the rest of the party at street level. That way they can watch out for Sable Marine and Hellknight patrols and steer the party away from an untimely encounter with either group well ahead of time.

The first step is picking a safe route down out of the Shingles so as to regroup with the remaining party members while circumventing the nearby Hellknight altercation.[/sblock]

Trinia still seems uncertain but, faced with little choice, she agrees to come with you. Dj'hân steers a steady course through the Shingles, with Brindom and Manachan following from the ground. Having a small, mobile scout in the form of the Majenko and Dj'hân team makes it easy to avoid the Hellknights, and soon the two teams are reunited at ground level, on the edge of Midland.

A man appears in a wide-brimmed hat and a long trenchcoat, but suddenly doffs the hat and you see that it is Vencarlo Orisini.

"Well done, gentlemen," he says. "Now, we must get Ms. Sabor safe and sound to the Marshal."

"Vencarlo? It is you, I wasn't sure, even with the glove and everything!" says Trinia. "People are saying I killed the king! I didn't do it! Why are we going to the Marshal?"

Vencarlo smiles kindly. "I know you didn't," he says. "And the Marshal doesn't think so either. But we need to get you somewhere safe whilst this blows over." He sweeps the hat off and places it on Trinia's head, then removes his coat and hands it to her as well. "Best I could do in the short time," he says. "I suggest we split into two or three groups and meet back at the Citadel. Do you agree, gentlemen?"