Pathfinder – Shadow in the Sky: the Harrowed

[CanadienneBacon]

[sblock]From the PF rulebook "Those enthralled by your words take no action while you speak or sing and for 1d3 rounds thereafter while they discuss the topic or performance." I'm hoping to have Girri sing long enough to let the thugs leave without killing anyone else, then weave the suggestion that everyone else in the room calmly leave the area via the rear exit once it is safe. If it appears that there is no rear exit--say, for example, the thugs come back out of the rear area because they aren't able to leave--then Girri will keep the enthrall spell going for 5 minutes (hoping to outlast whatever magic the fancyboy laid on the main portal) then attempt to exit via the front door.

Girri will stop her enthrall spell, bow, then immediately make haste for whatever exit seems most reasonable at the time (hopefully with the bridge monkey in tow). If the bridge monkey won't come, Girri will leave her at the Goblin, having done enough to keep her safe and help her.[/sblock]Girri continues her enthrall spell, taking care to chant the words to her ancient song and rhythmically sway for emphasis, for as long as necessary to let the danger of the thugs exit the Golden Goblin. Once the thugs are out and no more people have been harmed, Girri will end her spell and slip out as quietly as possible.

 

[Ambrus]

Although the majority of the surrounding crowd remains blissfully mesmerized by Girri's sensual performance, a handful of those present appear to remain cognizant throughout the song. The most vocal of them, a well appointed merchant holding a sheathed rapier tries to snap his fellow patrons out of their collective trance with a call to action: "Stop them! They're getting away!" His words seems to fall on deaf ears however as neither he nor anyone else present causes enough of a fuss to disrupt the harrower's divine hold on the crowd.

A few moments after the thugs disappear through the kitchen door, several panicked cooks emerge into the main hall. They are quickly caught up in Girri's mesmerizing song however and soon grow still as they watch her dance with serene expressions on their faces. From behind the kitchen door there's the muffled sound of crockery crashing to the floor followed by the slamming of doors before silence ensues.

Girri continues her divinely enhanced performance for what she judges to be a sufficient amount of time to ensure that the danger has passed before finally allowing the power of her prayer to wane. The crowd begins to mumble or clap appreciatively as the harrower bows and hops down from the dais. Moving hurriedly through the crowd, Girri pauses on her way towards the front door only long enough to once more grab hold of the half-elven woman's arm. The would-be mage smiles serenely as she allows herself to be dragged off by the harrower. "That was. Wow. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. How... How did you do that? The way you moved... Was that Auld Varisian? It sounded so mournful. It really spoke to me..."

By Pharasma's luck the magic holding the hall's front door appears to have waned during her performance; Girri has no trouble in opening it and slipping outside into the cool night air. From the hall, the last thing Girri hears before she draws the door closed behind her is the petulant voice of that same merchant as he once more tries to prod the crowd into action. "Now she's getting away!"

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Relieved that at least no one else appears to have been harmed, but concerned with the appearance of complicity with the thugs, Girri tries to shake the bridge monkey from her reverie once the pair is outside in the night air. "Wake up! It was just a bit o'magic ter settle 'em down so's they didn't git hurt any by them thugs. C'mon, we gots ter git the heck outta here or the law'll be along ter git us." Girri sets off at as quick a pace as she can get the bridge monkey to muster, running if possible. As soon as the opportunity arises to dodge down a side alley, Girri will take it, angling all the while for obscurity and safety.

 

[Ambrus]

The half-elven woman seems confused as she picks up the pace. "The law? Why should they care about us? We didn't do anything wrong. I imagine they'll be called for soon enough. We can just explain to them what happened back there..." Being intimately familiar with the back alleys along Riddleport's harbor-front, Girri has no trouble in fleeing the gaming hall. In fact, the harrower sees no evidence that she's even being pursued.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Seeing that she appears to be unfollowed, Girri slows down from a run but keeps a brisk pace, switching alleys now and then and avoiding a straight path. "Riddleport law don't waste time with questions, love. An' I don't want ter be tossed in the lockup, d'you? All they'll see is us as 'complices ter them thugs an' yer fancyboy wot as just robbed the Goblin. We can't hole up in my shanty for a few days either." Girri stops short in the alley and faces the bridge monkey. "So how serious were you, love? 'Bout findin' yer way in ter the Cyphermages? Cause it seems ter me that we gots us a fine barterin' tool fer entree, seein' as how we seen who an' how they done their robbin', an' can lay claim ter helpin' 'em escape footloose an' fancy free. Or maybe you done changed yer mind, wot as now you seen how them Cyphermages roll? I know I would, were it me. Wouldn't want nuttin' ter do wit 'em."

 

[Ambrus]

Seemingly fed up with being led around by the harrower, the half-elven woman finally pulls her arm free from Girri's grip. "No one would have reason to see me as being complicit in this fiasco if you hadn't dragged me out the door back there. And there isn't anything that suggests that that man was a member of the Order of Cyphers except your own dubious supposition." The woman crosses her arms indignantly. "Whether he is or not is neither here nor there though; either way it's only logical to expect that the Order would deny any association with him or this larcenous heist. At best they'd simply turn us away for suggesting otherwise, at worst..." The woman groans in frustration as she runs her hands despairingly through her strawberry blond hair. "How did this get so complicated? Whatever. You keep running through the gutter if you want. I'm going back to my room at the inn to think." With that, the woman turns to leave.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Irritated, Girri spits but puts up no resistance to the half-elf's desire to leave. "I ain't angling ter go in fronta the whole Order. If a body wants in a secret place, he don't go ter the front door an' knock like some dead ringer, he finds hisself a crack in the rear wall an' squeezes through unnoticed, an' it's the same with them fancyboys. Find someone who's already in and get 'em ter be yer buddy so's you get in too. Make 'em be yer buddy, if need be. But suit yerself, love. Like I said a bit earlier, them Cyphers ain't the end all be all o' life. You seem a good girl, but it's ter be wagered they's pretty far from good." Girri sticks out her hand in farewell. "You need a friendly face, you ask fer Girri down at the docks."

Standing her ground, Girri leans up against a wall and watches to see if the Magnimarian leaves or if she decides to stick around.

 

[Ambrus]

[imagel]http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8940/samaritha.jpg[/imagel]The woman frowns. "I don't think you know as much about the Order as you might believe you do. I've been trying to find a crack in the rear wall; that's what I was doing at the Goblin tonight." The half-elf bites her lip as she considers Girri's proffered hand. Tentatively she reaches out and demurely shakes hands. "Samaritha Beldusk." With that, the woman turns and walks away leaving Girri alone in the alleyway.

OOC: What might Girri do with the rest of her evening?

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Girri will use her knowledge of the back alleys of Riddleport to discretely tail Samaritha to her inn. The Harrower has a feeling she'll be seeing Samaritha again and wants to know how to find her. After that, Girri will head toward her own quarters but will hang around outside to watch the place to see if anyone is lying in wait for her to come home. It is appears to be safe, Girri will go home to sleep. If it doesn't appear to be safe to go home, let me know what Girri sees, please.

 

[Ambrus]

Seeing as the tattooed woman only walks a few blocks north, Girri has little trouble in following Samaritha to her destination. Seeing the circular slate roof of the grandiose structure ahead Girri can easily guess where the woman has found lodging; the Mystery of the Gate inn and tavern. Its walls are decorated with etchings of glyphs, diagrams and sketches showing the various dimensions and angles of the city's namesake monument. The Mystery of the Gate is generally favored by visiting scholars who come to study the Cyphergate and the adventurers who seek their counsel. While watching Samaritha enter the building from the shadows of a nearby alleyway, Girri spots a quintet of the city's Gendarmes moving hurriedly down the street in the opposite direction; seemingly towards the Gold Goblin. They pass by Girri without stopping.

Having established the woman's whereabouts, Girri turns and heads for home. Arriving, she carefully studies the small door tucked into the base of a townhouse's large entry stairs from a safe distance. Nothing seems amiss except that a scrap of paper appears to have been tucked into the frame of the door. A few more minutes of observation doesn't reveal anyone else in the vicinity as far as the harrower can tell.

Approaching cautiously, Girri sees a brief message scrawled on the paper in a familiar hand:

Please sweep and wash
the stairs in the morning.
The midden in the back
needs to be emptied too.

S.

Girri recognizes the note as having been written by Mrs. Surrenport; the building's owner and the harrower's landlady.

OOC: Would you care to outline Girri's plans, if she has any, for the next day or two? I'm curious to know what she does daily when left to her own devices.