Escape From Thulcandra!

[Protagonist]

The city of Serekh is a gorgeous city, which bustles with commerce and markets. You can see travelers from afar riding into the city on giant insects, belly dancers dancing here and there, merchants carrying goods to sell on carts pulled by triceratopsoids. It's a...weird place. But despite the activity, it is not terribly crowded, and there are still many wide open spaces to run around in.

Our heroes came here for their own reasons, including to learn more about magic, to gain protecting people, and to follow rumors of new artifacts being found here. The Genasi desert always was a gold mine for artifacts.

In the larger, open places, one can see monuments and buildings being worked on by workers. Some of the working teams were paid workers (farmers displaced trying to find work while their farms were flooded over); some were slaves. You could tell by the scars on their back.

Lewis held back his disdain. As a Metatronist, he loathed slavery, but he didn't want to make a scene. They were fascinating monuments, though. He pulled out his notes and began to sketch one of the monuments being raised. It was an obelisk of some sort, to be used as a giant sundial.

Suddenly, large scarabs fly through the air, air-dropping sealed scrolls to your characters. They say:

Hello, travelers and Reclaimers! It is I, the Lesser Pharoah, Amunet. I request your presence at my temple at 8:00 PM. There is much to be gained from an audience with me, and I have a most interesting job proposal for you.


[Lewis attempts history check to see what he knows about this woman-14]
Lewis says "Huh. She's a pretty powerful mage. It's quite an honor to meet her." He was never much a magician himself. He tried to learn once, but he found that science was were his real talent was.

[You may roll history or arcana checks to see how much your characters might know about this woman. (Arcana checks work in this case because if you've studied a lot of magic you probably know a few mages]

Lewis asks "I think we should go there. Is there anything you think we should do beforehand? Or just go sight-seeing until it's time?"

 

[JayTee]

Lucas frowned at the magically delivered note. It was unorthodox, to be sure, but it spoke of pay and pay was always good. "I'd like to see if I could acquire some manner of magical protection, first." He said. In a city of knights, steel plate was your defense. In a city of magicians, magical wards against spells and charms would be just as plentiful.

History check, 1d20+4 for 18

 

[Protagonist]

Lucas knows that Amunet is a powerful Genasi Wizard and related to royalty. However, her house is losing wealth and power, and she's basically the last hope for her family.

If Lucas looks around, they can see a person, who looks almost like a Genasi/Dwarf hybrid wearing a lot of necklaces standing in the streets shouting "The amaaaaaazing Oxiward Necklace! Protects against any one curse, hex, spell, or clothing stain! Yes, with one of these astounding products, you can be safer from any evil mages you might encounter! That's the power of Oxiward! All for the very super low price of, not 70, not 60, but 50 gold pieces! BUT WAIT! There's more! If you buy two, I'll give you a returning rope absolutely free! A rope that teleports back to its owner when they need it most! That's two Oxiward Necklaces and a Returning Rope for 100 gold! This offer is not available in other stores!"

[Lewis rolls 14 arcana] He recalls what he's read about here, and says "Huh. I've heard of these things. Never tried one myself, but I've always wanted one. I wonder how well they work?"

[Arcana check to know exactly how they work, or you can persuade the man to tell you more]

 

[Blu3]

Alana was so fascinated by the world around her currently. He knew like Lucas that Amunet is a powerful Gensai Wizard and is the last hope for her family because of losing wealth and power. She also knows inventing sun ambers, that are similar to what the reclaimers made, 'Lightbulbs'. There only weakness is that only mages can control them.

Alana keeps this to herself and follows her guard to acquire magical protection. She listens to the Gensai/Dwarf thing and doesn't trust him too much. I mean a magic necklace for 50 gold and two for 100 and a 'returning rope.' A little fishy to be honest. She then began to examine the Necklaces to see if they were true.

As Alana checks them she sees one fatal flaw in them. They are a one use item. Which is probably why the price is so low. She looks to Lucas and says "They are a one use item. I won't but one since I have my own way of Countering spells but if you see it fit to buy them..."

(Got a 25 on Arcana for the necklace. Will edit post as see fit)

 

[Protagonist]

Alana can tell that these necklaces give advantage on saved against spells and disadvantage on spell attacks made against the wearer. However, they only work once-after that they'll break.


The Salesman did say they'd protect against any one spell.

 

[JayTee]

"Hm." Frowned Lucas. "I was hoping for something with a bit more longevity than that. I'll have to look elsewhere for now." He said.

Turning to his companions, he nodded in the direction that the letters indicated. "Shall we see what this Pharaoh wishes of us?" He asked.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Alyandra, surprised by the sudden swarm of scarabs, peered down at the scroll in her hands. The missive was bound tightly with Pharaoh Amunet's seal. Noting quickly that everyone had received a matching message, she tucked the unopened scroll into her pack, careful to leave the seal intact. Slinging her pack back across her little shoulders, she followed the group over to a stall where a squat man with dark skin and bright orange, flame-like hair was hawking. Sidling up to the stall, she looked over the man's wares, but had little interest in his amulets.

"How do you summon the rope? You say it'll come when it's needed most, but that's a little vague."

[If the rope comes on command and is more than single use, I offer him 10 gold for the rope alone, but will pay no more than that.]

Lucas seemed eager to head out, suggesting they head to the temple immediately. Peering up at him, the little blonde cocked an eyebrow.

"What, you just want to go there and wait outside the gates until nightfall? Why don't we look around a little more, you said you wanted protection ... come on."

With that, Alya moved off into the marketplace.

[Perception - Search the area for a vendor selling more permanent protection against spells.] (RESULT 20)

Spoiler: Inventory

-Weapons and Armour-
Dagger (x2), Lever-Action Rifle (40 shells), Pistol (40 shells), Rapier, Studded Leather

-Equipment-
Clothes(Fine), Clothes(Costume)(x2), Clothes(Common)(x5), Clothes(Travellers')(x2), Signet Ring(Fictional Duke), Belt Pouch(x4), Bullet-Belt

-Kits and Tools-
Thieves' tools, Disguise kit

-Other items-
Backpack, Bedroll, Dice(full set), Flask, Grappling hook, Mess kit, Mirror(steel), Rope(silken)(50ft), Sealing wax, Tinderbox, Vial(x5), Waterskin(100%), Whetstone.

-Trinkets/Magic Items/Cursed Items/Treasure-
A petrified mouse, Potion of healing(x3), Unopened summons from Amunet

 

[Protagonist]

The man tosses the rope away from him and says "Rope, return!" and it poofs back into his hands. "You got to wear this ring though, so that it recognizes you as its owner." He hands the ring to you.
"10 gold, you say? Eh, they're taking up room on my cart anyways. Here you go."
He hands Alyandra the rope and the ring needed to teleport it to you.

Unfortunately, Alyandra doesn't find anything better in the area.


Later that night, we approach the Palace.
The gates are guarded by a few very soldiers wielding scimitars and metal shields. One approaches us and asks "Do you have business with the Pharoah?"
Xander nods and says "Yes, sir", and shows the invitation.

[History Check to know more about these soldiers]

The soldier gives a hand signal, and the gates start to open. He says "Very well! I will bring you to her shortly. Now, pardon all the security, but I'm gonna have to ask you to hand over your weapons" he speaks quickly with a rythmic accent as he reaches for an odd-looking bag. "Ah, but fear not good friends! Security will keep you most safe! Besides, if something did happen the weapons would just make them think you were the attackers."

 

[Blu3]

Alana didn't really mind handing over her weapons. She handed over her Quarterstaff and her dagger. She then headed to the back of the group and will cast Mage armor and then as she casts it she summons her arcane ward.

The attempt at hiding the casting.
Stealth: 18+5 (23)
Sleight of hand: Nat 1

 

[Protagonist]

Xander and Alana don't seem to recall much about the militaries of this region. They recall seeing drawings of these types of soldiers, but can't recall what they're called:

The guard sees Alana do a hand sign and then says "Oh, a human who knows the magic? Don't get many of those here. Mage armor, yes? I love that spell. Careful what spells you cast here. Wouldn't want the guards to think you're going to cast fireball."

He doesn't seem to mind her spell casting in this context.

 

[JayTee]

"Do we really need to surrender our weapons?" Asked Lucas, trying to recall what he knew about the guards. "I doubt we could cause much trouble, even if we wanted to." He said.

Spoiler

I accidentally assigned the wrong bonuses to the rolls, so I rolled high with persuasion and low with history.
Persuasion check: https://rolz.org/info?X24632332
History check: https://rolz.org/info?X24632345

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Alya begrudgingly produced a small pile of armaments, making no attempt to keep anything.

[Insight to tell if the guards are hiding something about their intentions] Roll Result 20

Spoiler: Inventory

-Weapons and Armour-
Dagger (x2), Lever-Action Rifle (40 shells), Pistol (40 shells), Rapier, Studded Leather

-Equipment-
Clothes(Fine), Clothes(Costume)(x2), Clothes(Common)(x5), Clothes(Travellers')(x2), Signet Ring(Fictional Duke), Belt Pouch(x4), Bullet-Belt

-Kits and Tools-
Thieves' tools, Disguise kit

-Other items-
Backpack, Bedroll, Dice(full set), Flask, Grappling hook, Mess kit, Mirror(steel), Rope(silken)(50ft), Sealing wax, Tinderbox, Vial(x5), Waterskin(100%), Whetstone.

-Trinkets/Magic Items/Cursed Items/Treasure-
A petrified mouse, Potion of healing(x3), Unopened summons from Amunet,
Returning rope.

 

[Protagonist]

The Guard says "I'm terribly sorry, but those are the rules. We've had more than one assassination attempt this year. Besides, there's a party going on inside and we can't risk any accidents happening in that crowd of people. Don't worry! The weapons will be all safe with me. You can have them right back!"

Alya doesn't detect any malicious intent from the guard. This is pretty standard procedure for meeting someone in a serious position of power. Actually, the guard seems pretty friendly. She can safely assume that they don't have anything planned.

The Guard puts the equipment into his satchel. The satchel appears bigger on the inside than the outside-it's a bag of holding. He says "Heck, I'll even carry them with me if you want, in case something happens"

 

[JayTee]

Lucas groused but otherwise complied with the request to disarm. "Very well, but I expect an itemized receipt and full compensation for any damages that my equipment may undergo when out of my possession." He said.

He was only half serious .

 

[Protagonist]

The guard says "I'll talk to my secratary. Now, follow me". He leads us through the palace. We can indeed see some celebration going on-there's music playing and a lot of people dancing. Incense fills the air. The Guard tries to keep us mostly out of the crowds to get us to the Pharaoh. After a while, he knocks on the door and he says "They came." A voice rings out "Bring them to me."

We're lead into a dining hall, with various Genasi dishes lining the table. Sitting at the foot of the table is a tall, beautiful Genasi woman wearing a Khepresh. Her right arm is cybernetic. Standing next to her are two men in robes holding what appear to be some sort of high-tech firearms.

[History check to know who these men are]

Lewis instantly bows and says "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

The woman smiles at us and says "Please, have a seat, and enjoy" She then turns to her guards and says "Leave us, I want to talk in private." The guards do so without hesitation. "I have much to talk to you about."

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

((Alright RPNation, let's see how you roll.))
((EDIT:: ........ ))

Alya cocks an eyebrow at the guard ... does he really have his own secretary? Chalking it up to sarcasm, she follows along, mindful of the crowd around them. When they enter the pharaoh's chamber, she scans the room, noting the two men flanking the Pharaoh. Though she's a little slower than Lewis, she bows none-the-less. As the guards take their leave, she sits at the table and begins picking out an assortment from among the things laid out on the table.

"So ... are we the only sell-swords you summoned, or are we the only ones to show up?"

[Roll 1: Insight on the Queen to determine her general demeanour; stressed, excited, reserved, gimme something!] Result = CRITICAL FAILURE!
[Roll 2: Perception on the room to see if I can spot any other hidden guards, archers, people generally lurking about] Result = 10

 

[Protagonist]

[Insight Results: Alya will get a strange feeling that Amunet might be a very tall Fae in disguise. Alya will likely feel smug for being the only one who can see this]
[Perception: Alya doesn't see any other guards]

Amunet slouches on her chair, pretty relaxed. She seems to be perfectly at ease here. She has what appears to be a playful smile on her face. She might be a bit tipsy.

Amunet says "I only asked you, though I have more people on my recommendations list I'll hire if you turn my offer down...or otherwise are unable to continue the mission."
She takes a bit of her food, and then sips on some wine. She asks "How do you like the food? Walter is a very good chef."

She starts to explain "Well, some priests of mine have uncovered what we believe is some pre-cataclysm ruins inside of what we think used to be a palace. However, you. We were wondering if you'd be able to do some reclamation in it."

Lewis also tries to make heads or tails of Amunet. [Insight: 6] He doesn't detect any hostile intent. He then puts his fork into a leaf of some sort, and then takes a careful look around [Perception: CRIT].

 

[JayTee]

"Food's good." Lucas said to be polite. Truthfully it was far to rich for him. Years of eating nothing but rations on the front line had blunted his pallet, but you never told a potential client that. "What sort of offer are we talking about?" He asked.

Please let it be a cushy job in the royal guard, please please please please please.

 

[Protagonist]

Lewis, thanks to a stroke of luck, notices something move through a ventilation shaft. Also, an unusual humanoid shadow being cast from the window above them.
He then put two and two together. He stands and shouts "Your highness! Assassins!"

With that, four assassins burst from their hiding spots. One from the window. One from the vent. One from the dumbwaiter, and one from the kitchen.
Amunet sighs and says "Assassins again? This is getting tedious. Guards!" The guards don't come.
Amunet smiles, snaps her fingers, and suddenly all of our weapons return to us. "Oops. I gave the guests their weapons back!"

[ROLL INITIATIVE!]
[Lewis's initiative: 13]
[Amunet's initiative: 6]

 

[Protagonist]

[Initiative Rolls for every character
Lucas: +4 (Total: 10)
Alya: +3 (Total: 22)
Alana: +2 (Total: 6)
Assassins: (Total: 8)]



The room looks like yay:

[Lewis and Alya are on the left; Lucas and Alana on the right. Each tile is 5x5 feet.]

Turn Order:
1) Alya
2) Lewis Xander
3) Lucas
4) Assassins
5) Alana
6) Amunet


Neon Valkyrie It's your turn.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Alya is out of her seat before the assassins can make their move. Ducking under the edge of the table, she draws her pistol. Lurking there for a moment, partially hidden by her chair, she sees an opening, and fires on the assassin standing closest to the Pharoah.

[I use my uncanny action in tandem with the skulker feat to hide, behind my chair, from the assassin in the top-left of the map. If that roll succeeds then my next attack against him gains advantage, and if I hit I do sneak attack. I'm just going to roll it all at once for expediency. So the first D20 is Stealth(+10), then the second D20 is my ranged attack at +7, and the third D20 is only for if I get advantage. Then 1D6 for pistol damage, and 3D6 for possible sneak attack. That should leave me with a move action I can still use ... and I'll hold that in case the assassin on the table tries to get close. Protagonist You just gotta roll me a perception check for that assassin.]
[RESULTS=[/B] Woohoo, so that's 20 Stealth to hide, I'll get my best attack at 23 regardless of the hide check, and my damage is either 6, or 16, depending on if the assassin sees me or not.]

 

[Protagonist]

[Assassin Rolls Perception: Critical Success.]
The assassin by the dumbwaiter in the northwest corner sees the fairy jump behind her chair quite clearly. He's not at all surprised by this.
However, despite seeing her jump behind the chair, he isn't able to dodge the incoming attack, which hits him in square in the lower chest.

[You don't get sneak attack, but remember to add your +4 Dex Modifier to your damage. You do 10 damage.]

Lewis grabs his Thunder Carbine off the table, then runs back, just to the west of Alya. He then fires at the same assassin that Alya did, hoping to finish him off.

The assassin, having already been shot once, dodges out of the way of the incoming automatic fire.

Lewis then uses a bonus action to reload his weapon.

JayTee It's your turn!

 

[JayTee]

Whatever this job the Pharaoh had for them, it had better be worth it if he was having to fight for his life before getting paid properly.

"Get out of my face." He snarled, gripping the chair he had been sitting in and heaving it up off the ground, hurling it at the assassin behind him. wether it hit or missed was irrelevant, as it would force the assassin to deal with the chair and divert his attention away from Lucas momentarily.

Sword drawn, he charged the assassin and brought his blade down on it in an overhand chop, before following it up with a pricing thrust.

Spoiler: OOC

Movement action to close distance to assassin.

First attack roll, 1d20+7 (Dex 4+ Proficiency 3), for 18 to hit.
Second attack roll, same formula as above for 10 to hit.

If Attacks are successful:

First damage roll, Scimitar 1d6 +4 dex mod, +2 dueling for 12 total damage. The +12 is a typo.

Second damage roll, Same formula as above for 7 damage total.

 

[Protagonist]

The assassin attempts to dodge out of the way, but the sword nonetheless slashes across their chest, leaving a pretty nasty gash. However, they still manage to dodge out of the path of the second blade. Still, he looks pretty badly injured.

The assassin that Lucas attacked raises his hand, which glows softly with some sort of Ki. He then jabs at Lucas right in the chest, with enough force and precision that his armor does little to soften the blow. [7 damage from the first attack].

He then swings his left hand, but he doesn't quite land correctly. Finally, he chops a third time, this time hitting Lucas right in the head. [Critical hit! 8 Damage total]

The other Genasi on Lucas's side of the table decides to help his friend out. He makes some hand signs, and then makes a palming motion at Lucas. A bolt of some kind of purplish energy fires from his hand. However, it hits Lucas's shield and deals no damage.

The one that Lewis had shot at does the same thing, casting another bolt of purplish force at the Gunsmith. It skims against his shoulder for 2 damage.

Finally, the assassin on the table conjures some odd-looking magical shurikens, which suddenly home in on Amunet. Amunet holds out her hand, and some sort of magical forcefield protects her from all three attacks.

Blu3 It's your turn!

 

[Blu3]

Alana was one of the last people to react at the sign of assassins. He looks to the one who used some type of Ki and landed some brutal blows on Lucas. Alana concentrates on him and casts Crown of Madness (DC 15, Wisdom saving throw) and a black jagged twisted crown floats over the assassin. She then feels the teaching of her mother flow through her as she casts Sanctuary on herself.