When Tyneham Freezes Over

A Pathfinder campaign inspired by Marvel's Heroes for Hire. Rather than fighting some sort of cosmic evil or preventing a world ending cataclysm the adventurers defend a single city, Tyneham, from internal evils such as crime gangs, attempts on the queen, etc.

=Characters=

Active
Tenshir

Mariko Rand

Kyra Norcroft

Inactive
=Campaign History=

Chapter Zero: Catalyst

 * Complete Your Character


 * Answer the Tyneham Player Questionnaire and Submit Answers
 * Schedule time to complete one on one session before our first meeting as a group.

8/7/752
Mariko Rand, Kyra Norcroft, and Tenshir begin their day similar to any other. Mariko and Victor open their tea shop and a mischievous Victor sets Mariko up on a dinner date for the three of them with their neighbor, Dr. Logan Knight.

Kyra does not open her shop, as it's Atones and Norcroft Curios remains closed on Atones, but when her friend and confidant Corbin shows up at her door she can't help but agree and accompany him for a day in the city seeing the sights.

Tenshir goes to work like usual. His master Jyorsen advises him of rumors of a beast terrorizing farmers in the north after their morning meditation, and Tenshir agrees to investigate. After speaking with the farmers he eventually finds the source of the rumor, a worg, and slays the beast.

Everyone eventually settles on a popular dining place for the evening, the Dragon's Flagon Inn, when things start to go horribly wrong. It starts with Medici thugs celebrating their days earnings, no doubt ill-gotten, and crescendos when three smoking canisters are hurled through the windows of the establishment. Loud explosions sound. Confusion, pain, and panic ensues. As Mariko awakens she sees in horror her beloved Victor has been slain and transformed into a zombie. Tenshir and Kyra experience similar dread as Master Jyorsen and Corbin have met the exact same fate as Victor. The zombies are quickly dispatched, no thanks to the city guard, and the three go about their way as each mourns the loss of a loved one in their own way.

- They, a loved one, or all, need to be located at the Dragon's Flagon for any reason at dinnertime.

- When all is in place, the catalyst event happens.

- The Dragon's Flagon is currently hosting all of the following:

- Mariko Rand and her ward, Victor.

- Tenshir and his master, Jyorsen.

- Kyra Norcroft and suitor, Corbin.

- Berny, the proprietor.

- A group of five characters celebrating loudly in the corner of the tavern. Knowledge Local DC 15 outs them as Medici Gang cutpurses celebrating their daily haul.

- Three smoking canisters are hurled through through separate windows and land on the floor of the tavern.

- Boneshard Bomb

- Each bomb does 9 dmg.

- Bomb deals piercing damage instead of fire, and creatures that take a direct hit from a boneshard bomb must succeed at a Fortitude save or take 1d4 bleed in addition to normal damage. Creatures killed by a boneshard bomb or the bleed effect immediately reanimate as an undead creature with the skeleton template and count as undead created by animate dead for the purposes of determining how many undead the alchemist can control.

- Ref DC 19 to take half damage.

- Fort DC 19 to avoid bleed damage.

- The Medici thugs, Berny, Victor, Jyorsen, and Corbin as well as the other patrons die in the blast.

- Guards arrive after five minutes.

- The tavern is almost entirely decimated.

- Players not at the tavern may roll perception to have heard or seen the explosion. Success is automatic.

- If players do not go to the tavern to discover the aftermath, a courier will notify them before the following day.

9/7/752
The following day, Kyra wakes up from her remorse driven hangover to the awful sounds of shouting happening outside. She discovers what seems like the entire city storming the castle to vent their frustrations at what's happened to a beloved landmark of Tyneham, the Dragon's Flagon Inn. The queen gives a fairly dismissive address which is matched by the crowd's lack of confidence in the crown following the address. The queen retires and as the crowd is dispersing Mariko, Kyra, and Tenshir each has a similar experience of being delivered a sealed note with no information as to who delivered it.

They each open it and read its contents. They learn some force within the city looks to end the oppression which the crime gangs of Tyneham impose on its citizens and they're instructed to meet at the abandoned military academy when the moon peaks. Each of them decides to heed the call and makes the proper preparations.

A mob has formed outside the castle. People restlessly await Queen Cordella I to give an address regarding the previous day's violent episode.

- The wait is long but the queen finally steps out onto her balcony to speak. She's accompanied by two guards.

- "People of Tyneham, I have heard your anger and frustration. This is not the first of these shocking acts of violence we've borne witness to, but I'm hopeful it may be the last. My heart aches for the loved ones you've lost and the homes which are broken. I know why everyone is here. The anger in your hearts radiates so that I feel it all the way up here. I have spoken with Geda Borgia and Misters Medici and--" Angry muttering from the crowd starts as soon as Geda is mentioned and crescendos until the queen can no longer be heard. "I've spoken with Geda Borgia and Misters Medici I've been assured they took no part in the attack at the Dragon's Flagon. My guard will be conducting their investigation. If anyone has any information which could prove useful please notify a guard."

- The queen retires back to the castle and the mob remains shouting angrily, but the guards force them to disperse. Violence does not break out.

Each player carries on with their day as normal, until a courier finds them. They're given a sealed note, which reads:


 * LET'S TAKE THE CITY BACK. MEET AT THE MILITARY ACADEMY WHEN THE MOON PEAKS.

- When the player arrives at the military academy they'll meet the rest of the party.

10/7/752
At the moon's peak Mariko, Kyra, and Tenshir meet at the military academy. They vaguely remember each other from the Dragon's Flagon massacre and await further instruction from their mutual contact. After a few moments waiting a secret passage is revealed and the group enters.

After traversing a damp and claustrophobic tunnel for what seemed far too long the trio eventually find light again at the end of a three story high stairwell. In this room they're met by an apparition, crimson in color. This visage is akin to the Crimson Ghosts of yore.

The ghost speaks to the three and tells them they've been selected especially for dealing with the criminal element in Tyneham. They co-opt a plan track down the party responsible for the creation of the bombs to figure out where to strike next.

On the way to the ruin of the Dragon's Flagon Inn the three hear screams of panic in the street and rush to investigate. There's been a murder, and a grisly one at that. A corpse with a single playing card attached to his shirt. More screams signal additional murders and the party attends three more corpses, each with it's own playing card again. With no additional insight into this crime and mystery they continue onto the Dragon's Flagon Inn.

A thorough search of the ruin results in the successful collection of some samples of gunpowder and another compound which is revealed to actually be bone, after speaking with a brewmaster at Brew-Ya-Ka-Sha, however their informant has no earthly clue how these components would be used together to make a bomb.

The players are forced to visit the other apothecary in town, which happens to reside inside the Borgia Family Guild Hall. They speak to the curator at the Aisles of Vials shop to learn these components most likely made what is known as a boneshard bomb, which matches the crime scene exactly in the sense it also made zombies out of those slain by the bomb. With success at hand the trio leaves the shop and begins to ponder their next move when they're confronted by Borgia thugs who aren't keen on their line of inquiry. All five are defeated, though only four are dispatched of with one who lived to tell the tale his masters.

- Early Morning the players are assemble in the great hall of the Military Academy. When the last one arrives, a spell is triggered and a voice speaks "Please, enter." The voice is soft but confident.

- A Unseen Servant reveals a hidden passage, which leads to a tunnel. The tunnel is long and takes several minutes to traverse. It's very damp and cold as well. Water drips from the ceiling in places. DC 15 Survival is enough to know the players are headed NW. Players have the opportunity to describe themselves, talk, and role play a bit.

- At the end of the tunnel the players climb a flight of steps roughly three stories tall and exit into a cylindrical room about forty foot in diameter. There is a stairwell which curls along the wall leading up. All of this is secondary to the apparition of a woman floating in the center of the room.

- "Please, do not be alarmed." The same soft yet confident voice from before tells the players.

- Detect magic will reveal illusion magic present.

- If anyone starts to disbelieve it is a Will DC 20. This reveals the apparition to be the queen herself.

- "I've been observing you, and I think the four of you may be in the best position to help with city. The Borgias and Medicis are a problem that must be stopped in order for the queen to regain control.

- Allow questions:

- How to start? "We should determine who launched the attack. If we can trace clues back to the guilty party we might get mores leads as to how to proceed."

- Who are you? "An interested party." If anyone starts to disbelieve it is a Will DC 20. Seeing through the illusion reveals the queen herself.

- Why not war? "Pitting the families against each other and turning the streets into a war zone will risk the entire city and it's population. This should be avoided at all costs."

- What aid can you offer? "Nothing at this time save my advice. Anything more would implicate me, which must be avoided."

- Why us? "I honestly can't say for sure. Something about each of you simply struck me as the correct choice."

- Why not reveal yourself/why can't the royal guard enforce order? "The Borgias and Medicis are too powerful for me to reveal my involvement at this time. I fully intend to play a larger role once you've made some progress.

- How do we contact you? "I've instructed the tavern keep at the Queen's Stag to arrange meetings for us. All it requires is a code I'll teach you. If you enter the tavern take a seat at the bar, order a water, tip two glimmers. He's going to refuse your tip, no charge for water. Say specifically "how about we compromise?" and leave one glimmer. Drink the water and leave. If you follow those instructions exactly, I will be right here at the same time."

- The players exit the military academy when screams are heard nearby. It's snowing.

- Following the screams leads to a group of frightened peasants and a few guards standing around a corpse.

- The players will have to convince the guards to let them near the corpse or be asked to leave. Diplomacy 20, Intimidate 25, or at least a 50 glimmer bribe.

- Facts about the corpse:

- Human male, identified as Samuel Huested.

- Cause of death is disembowelment. Heal DC 10: Freshly dead.

- Corpse is arranged plainly on it back. No special attention to any details except listed below.

- Attached to his shirt is a playing card, Jack of Hearts.

- Detect magic reveals nothing unless the playing card is lifted. Underneath the playing card is an arcane mark:

http://orig12.deviantart.net/1872/f/2013/063/4/c/creepy_smile_by_obsidianentity-d5wzz3r.jpg

- Bystanders:

- Jane Gery: Female Halfling Warrior (mercenary), CN. Str 10, Dex 6, Con 12, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 12. Jane is heavyset, with red hair and soft hazel eyes. She wears chainmail and wields a heavy pick. Jane is thoughtful and insensitive.

- Erolweth: Male Half-elf Commoner (peasant), LN. Str 6, Dex 11, Con 8, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 15. Erolweth has thick golden hair and blue eyes. He wears simple clothing and a wooden holy symbol. Erolweth is morose and savage.

- Svuse: Female Half-orc Warrior (soldier), NG. Str 16, Dex 13, Con 7, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 13. Svuse is willowy, with thick gray hair and sharp brown eyes. She wears scale mail and wields a longsword. Svuse is a pack-rat, and carries a satchel of random junk.

- Nerdelye: Female Elf Warrior (soldier), CN. Str 14, Dex 10, Con 7, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 11. Nerdelye is exceptionally beautiful, with tangled golden hair and blue eyes. She wears hide armor and wields a flail and shortbow. Nerdelye has an animal companion, a red fox named Diorumabl.

- Jago: Male Halfling Commoner (peasant), NE. Str 13, Dex 15, Con 7, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 9. Jago has short silver hair and bright green eyes, and large ears. He wears travel-stained clothing and several pouches hang from his belt. Jago has an animal companion, a hawk named Fosco.

- Roguy Vere: Male Human Commoner (peasant), CN. Str 7, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 11. Roguy has uneven blonde hair and brown eyes. He wears modest garments and carries an ash staff. Roguy is absent-minded and sadistic.

- Findeneth: Male Elf Warrior (thug), CN. Str 9, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 14. Findeneth is rugged in appearance, with braided golden hair and soft brown eyes. He wears scale mail and wields a glaive. Findeneth has an animal companion, a green firedrake named Altarwen.

- Nellye: Female Elf Adept (hedge wizard), NE. Str 11, Dex 10, Con 8, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 11. Nellye has a square face, with brown hair and large gray eyes. She wears well-made clothing and numerous rings. Nellye seeks to save her family from financial ruin.

- Eldamas: Female Elf Expert (professional), LN. Str 11, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 13. Eldamas has curly copper hair and blue eyes, and a sharp nose. She wears well-made clothing and carries a fine stiletto. Eldamas is dying and desperately seeks the secret of immortality.

- More screams. Everyone hurries to where they're heard, about three blocks down to another scene. This time there are three corpses.

- Facts about the corpses:

- The time of death of the three corpses is clearly not the same.

- No other special details about the corpses except as listed below:

- They all lean against a building, hung by the neck from the over cropping.

- Knowledge History DC 40: This is the 654th house built in Tyneham.

- The corpses are arranged in order, from left to right as listed below.

- Individual facts about corpse 1:

- Dwarven female, identified as Arvil Stonebeard.

- Cause of death is disembowelment.

- Heal DC 15: Dead for longer than a day. Heal DC 25: Dead two days.

- Attached to her shirt is a playing card, six of clubs.

- Detect magic reveals nothing unless the playing card is lifted. Underneath the playing card is an arcane mark:

http://orig12.deviantart.net/1872/f/2013/063/4/c/creepy_smile_by_obsidianentity-d5wzz3r.jpg

- Individual facts about corpse 2:

- Human female, identified as Ennel Bere.

- Cause of death is a cut throat.

- This is the freshest of the three corpses. Heal DC 15: Likely dead just yesterday.

- Attached to her dress is a playing card, five of clubs.

- Detect magic reveals nothing unless the playing card is lifted. Underneath the playing card is an arcane mark:

http://orig12.deviantart.net/1872/f/2013/063/4/c/creepy_smile_by_obsidianentity-d5wzz3r.jpg

- Individual facts about corpse 3:

- Gnome male, identified as Jore Tegginucky.

- Cause of death is disembowelment.

- This is the oldest of the three corpses. Heal DC 15: Dead for longer than a day. Heal DC 25: Dead three days.

- Attached to his shirt is a playing card, four of diamonds.

- Detect magic reveals nothing unless the playing card is lifted. Underneath the playing card is an arcane mark:

http://orig12.deviantart.net/1872/f/2013/063/4/c/creepy_smile_by_obsidianentity-d5wzz3r.jpg

- Additional bystanders:

- Warren Frisby: Male Human Expert (artist), CE. Str 16, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 14. is tall and thin, with gray hair and blue eyes. He wears leather armor and wields a longsword and sap.

- Tica: Female Elf Expert (professional), NE. Str 5, Dex 9, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 10. Tica is beastly in appearance, with tangled blonde hair and blue eyes. She wears well-made clothing and a dragonscale cloak. Tica has an animal companion, a white rabbit named Galemmir.

- Athyes: Male Human Expert (master craftsman), CE. Str 9, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 13. Athyes has black hair and narrow brown eyes, and a magical mark on his leg. He wears tailored clothing and an amulet of luminous crystal. Athyes seeks wealth and power at any cost.

- Dwali: Female Dwarf Adept (hedge wizard), N. Str 7, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10. Dwali has straight auburn hair and green eyes. She wears modest garments and a sling of vials and potions. Dwali suffers an acute fear of death.

- Bertio: Male Human Commoner (merchant), LE. Str 8, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 8. Bertio has brown hair and hazel eyes, and large ears. He wears sturdy clothing and carries a long knife. Bertio seeks only fame and glory.

- Aman Boffin: Female Halfling Aristocrat, CN. Str 12, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 12. Aman is stout, with silver hair and green eyes. She wears fine raiment and carries a fine stiletto. Aman is fascinated by magic and arcana.

- Bouda: Female Elf Commoner (peasant), N. Str 9, Dex 10, Con 7, Int 7, Wis 15, Cha 14. Bouda has golden hair and amber eyes, and a thin nose. She wears well-made clothing and several pouches hang from her belt. Bouda seeks to save her family from financial ruin.

- Gilip: Male Human Rogue, NG. Str 7, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11. Gilip is tall and stout, with red hair and blue eyes. He wears leather armor and wields a rapier and dagger. Gilip has an animal companion, a black cat named Sabel.

- Mahtata: Male Half-elf Expert (entertainer), LN. Str 9, Dex 14, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 6. Mahtata has a square face, with golden hair and sharp hazel eyes. He wears well-made clothing and a dragonscale cloak. Mahtata seeks to save his family from financial ruin.

- Searching for clues at the Dragon's Flagon Inn. The group may elect to roll a group or single perception check.

- The terrible condition of the inn will make finding clues difficult.

- After the four of you scour the wreckage... Roll a group perception check DC 20:

- Player finds... One success: What's left of the walls is blanketed with a strange dull, grey shrapnel.

- Player finds... Two successes: The zombie corpses, which have a dull grey shrapnel sticking out of them.

- Player finds... Three successes: Traces of a fine black powder, which is burnt.

- Player finds... Four successes: A coin purse bearing the Medici insignia.

- After Player scours the wreckage... Elect a party member to roll a single perception check

- he/she finds... DC 15: What's left of the walls is blanketed with a strange dull, grey shrapnel.

- ...as well as... DC 19: The zombie corpses, which have a dull grey shrapnel sticking out of them.

- ...as well as... DC 23: Traces of a fine black powder, which is burnt.

- ...as well as... DC 27: A coin purse bearing the Medici insignia.

- The first three clues will need to be deciphered by an expert. Anyone with Craft Explosives may make a knowledge check to identify it. DC 20 to identify the rocket bomb, DC 25 to identify the boneshard bomb.

- Otherwise an apothecary will be required. The only one in town is at the guildhall.

- Aisles of Vials. Alin: Female Half-elf Adept (alchemist), NE. Str 8, Dex 9, Con 5, Int 9, Wis 9, Cha 8. Alin has matted black hair and blue eyes, and small ears. She wears modest garments and a copper amulet. Alin serves a powerful arch-fiend named Mara.

- Properly recognizes the rocket bomb and the boneshard bomb.

- Rocket bombs are traditionally employed by goblins and is what caused the bomb to explode in such a large radius, as opposed to a more concentrated area.

- The boneshard bomb is particularly evil. Anyone slain by a boneshard bomb is reanimated as a zombie.

- Ways to tie the bomb back to the Borgia's:

- Knowledge Local...

- DC 15: The Borgia's are more commonly known to employ explosives to send a message than the Medici's.

- DC 20: It's rumored that Idis Borgia learned to make bombs from a goblin tribe who took him prisoner for awhile.

- Diplomacy to gather information...

- DC 10: The Borgia's are more commonly known to employ explosives to send a message than the Medici's.

- DC 20: It's rumored that Idis Borgia learned to make bombs from a goblin tribe who took him prisoner for awhile.

- Knowledge History...

- DC 15: The Borgia's are more commonly known to employ explosives to send a message than the Medici's.

- Knowledge Nobility...

- DC 20: It's rumored that Idis Borgia learned to make bombs from a goblin tribe who took him prisoner for awhile.

- After leaving the apothecary a group of five particularly unsavory individuals approach your group.

- "Heard yous was asking stupid questions. Lucky for yous, we've got some stupid answers!"

Gangsters

XP 800

Human fighter 2/rogue 2

LN Medium humanoid (human)

Init +6; Senses Perception +10

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +2 Dex)

hp

Blue Orange Yellow Red Green

50 50 50 50 50

Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1; +1 vs. fear

Defensive Abilities bravery +1, evasion

OFFENSE

Melee mwk khopesh +7 (1d10+3/19–20)

Ranged mwk dart +6 (1d4+2)

Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6

STATISTICS

Str 15, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8

Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 17

Feats Alertness, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (khopesh)

Skills Acrobatics +7, Disguise +3, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (nobility) +2, Perception +10, Profession (guard) +5, Sense Motive +10, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +8

Languages Common, dwarven

SQ rogue talent (combat trick), trapfinding +1

Combat Gear potion of cure light wounds, potions of stabilize (2); Other Gear masterwork chain shirt, masterwork darts (5), masterwork khopesh, guardsman uniform, Disguise kit

12/7/752
Starting their morning, the heroes eventually convene at Kyra's curios shoppe. Mariko finds a strange note held by a knife on the door upon arriving at Kyra's and the two start to discuss what it could possibly mean. It read:

Free advice! Bilgerat's Folly, 10am. Bring your friends!

Meanwhile, Tenshir en route to Mariko's tea shop first meets up with one of the city's more eccentric inhabitants who refers to himself as the Tick. After learning they have a mutual desire to serve justice to the crime families of the city, however through differing methods, Tick agrees to come along with Tenshir. After a quick stop at the tea shop Dr. Knight informs Tenshir and Tick that Mariko has already headed to the curios shoppe.

Once the four had convened they eventually decided to take the note up on it's offer and figure out who the benefactor could possibly be. They headed to the Bilgerat's Folly to track down the lead.

Inside the tavern there are only two people, the tavern owner and a lone gentleman in the back. The tavern keep insisted that Tick lift nothing in the tavern up, while the man in back mentioned he was meeting someone here for a drink and inquired if the four were they. The group sat down and shared a bottle of wine.

They learned the man was actually Ophil Medici, who proposed in their quest to clean up the city they start with the Borgia Foundry. He also offered the party some specialty magic bombs to get the job done, ones which would freeze the furnaces in the foundry from working any longer. The group didn't trust him at all, but did eventually purchase the bombs from Ophil.

They next consulted with the crimson ghost in the military academy, who'd confirmed Ophil's logic was sound that it did seem like a very natural first target in their new war against crime, but she shared their distrust. They all agreed to go forward with the plan and began to scope the foundry out.

13-14/7/752
Tenshir put his considerable stealth skills to use and was able to sneak into the foundry to get a lay of the building. They also secured a blueprint with the help of their crimson ally. Using these tools they agreed the best plan would be to infiltrate the plant on 15/7/752 when there would be less dwarves on site due to it being a day of rest. They intended to sneak in through the channel which runs underneath the plant and drop the bombs into the furnaces.

15/7/752
The group enacted the plan in the early afternoon as previously discussed. Once in the channel they came to a grate which opened up into the foyer of the plant, used as a breakroom. Entering into the workspace, they discovered the furnaces were still currently up and running, despite no workers present.

The group decided first to investigate an office up on the second floor. Inside they found a small sum of money, as well as a slip of paper which looked to be a cipher for a code. They copied it and left the original.

Next they began dropping the bombs into the furnaces. They did the trick, but the noise it made was extraordinary, and the group figured out quickly these furnaces were run by some sort of living beings. After a group consensus the rest of the bombs were used to put the other furnaces out, logic dictating that dismissing whatever was powering the furnaces would be more humane than allowing them to continue slaving for the Borgian clan.

At the fifth furnace the creature inhabiting it leapt out to defend itself, a large fire elemental! Despite it's aggression the four refused to battle it, instead giving it some space. Curiously, the elemental returned to the furnace, so the group took a cue from it and left it in peace.

The morning of 11/7/752 there is a note on Phil's shop held by a knife:

Free advice! Bilgerat's Folly, 10am. Bring your friends!

At the Bilgerat's Folly The inn is quite dead at this time of day. It's another hour before the lunch patrons start coming in. The smell of salt is in the brisk air. At the far back of the room there is a single patron, with a bottle of what looks to be wine. He is alone. Ophil has red hair and dark green eyes, and a beaked nose. He wears leather armor and wields a rapier. "I'm Ophil, how do you do." Knowledge Local or Nobility DC 10 is enough to recognize this is one of the Medici Brothers. If recognized,"Please, I'm nothing if not approachable. Please forgive my reputation, I'm not so bad. Wine?" If not,"Please sit. My name is Ophil. Ophil Medici. Can I interest you in a glass of wine?" "I've heard you lot plan on cleaning up this city. I'm impressed, frankly. How do you intend to do it?" "Well no doubt my brother and my operations are in your sights, but surely the Borgias pose a bigger threat at this point. Might I make a suggestion?" "Hit the foundry first. Think of it, where all the metals are refined. Metals are turned into coins, weapons. If they can't make coins (and believe you, me not all of the coins they mint for the kingdom are registered) and they can't produce weapons eventually their supply will run short." "What other options are there?" The guildhall "And in the process damage the businesses of craftspeople who may not actually be in blowing the dwarves' coals? You're sure that's wise?" The fisheries "And cut off one of the cities major food production sites? Don't get me wrong, while I'd love to extort the city with inflated food prices from the granary I can't imagine that's in your best interest. The manor "A direct assault? Very bold. Courageous. Stupid. I mean, by all means do it. Save me the trouble of killing you later." How? "I'm glad you asked. Ophil reaches into his jacket and withdraws a bauble, looking like a fairly large blue crystal, but far too impractical to be any sort of actual jewelry. This trinket is actually a piece of substantially powerful magic. If you drop one into any of the forges at the foundry, it'll completely freeze right up turning extreme heat into icy cold in mere moments. Five should be enough to shut down the whole foundry and you'd just have to escape before some Borgia goon squad removes your heads from your necks. I'll sell them to you one hundred glimmers apiece. When? "I'd recommend Hedones (the 15th). That's when the foundry will be the least active, if at all."

Until the day of the job: If the players reach out to their benefactor Nothing odd happens at the Queen's Stag to convey the request. Players arrive at moon's peak just as before and the Unseen Servant reveals the hidden passage. When asked about Ophil's plan "It's a solid plan, and we don't have much else to go on at this point. He's not wrong that it'll cripple the Borgia operation, but I'm also curious as to his motives. We'll have to be careful." If asked about Ophil's magic devices "If you set one there, I can inspect it." Providing a player does "This will definitely do the trick. This is powerful transmutation magic. I'm not very familiar with it's workings." Should we do it? "I don't see any better options at this point. His arguments are convincing and it wouldn't do us any good to strike against the Medicis first as it could really upset the balance of power. Any idea where we might get a floorplan? "I can arrange that. I'll arrange for a courier to deliver a parcel to one of you tomorrow." Casing the foundry:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l_zbuZ_qWMc/T7GQF98GhhI/AAAAAAAACtM/oRxtO3oc1Ys/s1600/IMG_4987-1.jpg There are two entries. A front and back. Discovered by observation. The foundry has five furnaces. The foundry runs all the time day and night except Hedones when it closes at dinner time and opens just after breakfast. Diplomacy (Gather Information) DC 15. How to obtain a floor plan: Knowledge Local DC 10: In most cases two copies of a building's floor plan are created. One is kept by the building's owner and the other is kept by the kingdom's cartographer. The job: The foundry is a large building starting from the upper left corner: North wall 22 squares to the right. East wall 16 squares down. South wall 8 squares to the left. West wall 8 squares up. South wall 14 squares left. West wall 8 squares up. Five furnaces (2x2) line the back wall with 2 squares of space away from the east and west walls. The main entrance is a double door in the middle of the first south wall. The back entrance is located three squares down on the west most wall. There is a stairs to a walk way 1 square from the west most wall and the southern wall adjacent to it. The walk way allows access to the chimneys of the furnaces as well as an office above the foyer. No one is inside the building the players can see. The furnaces are hot, but not currently running. The bombs will need to be deposited from up above. There is a dwarven foreman (no combat ability) in the office. At first sign of trouble he will hide in there. The office is locked. (Disable Device 20) Perception DC 15: A piece of paper with the following on it: A=***** B=****B C=***B* D=***BB E=**B** F=**B*B G=**BB* H=**BBB I=*B*** J=*B**B K=*B*B* L=*B*BB M=*BB** N=*BB*B O=*BBB* P=*BBBB Q=B**** R=B***B S=B**B* T=B**BB U=B*B** V=B*B*B W=B*BB* X=B*BBB Y=BB*** Z=BB**B Perception DC 20: An office safe hidden under a loose floor board. Disable Device DC 25 to open it which reveals 200 Glimmers and a sapphire. Breaking the safe releases a highly concentrated acid, destroying the contents and dealing 1d6 damage to the person which destroyed the safe. The safe can be moved, but it's very heavy. Perception DC 25: The players find the hiding place of the foreman. He's a complete coward and begs for his life. He's blubbering far too much to provide any useful information other than the location of the safe. When the bombs are dropped into the furnaces the sound of powerful fire extinguishing is heard. DC Linguistics 15 or Perception 20: It reminds the player who notices of a scream. If the first four furnaces are put out a large fire elemental will burst from the fifth one. It is non-combatant except in self defense. It will attempt to communicate non-verbally to the players to request assistance escaping. Large Fire Elemental XP 1,600 N Large outsider (elemental, extraplanar, fire) Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11 DEFENSE AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural, –1 size) hp 60 (8d10+16) Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +4 DR 5/—; Immune elemental traits, fire Weaknesses vulnerability to cold OFFENSE Speed 50 ft. Melee 2 slams +12 (1d8+2 plus burn) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks burn (1d8, DC 16) STATISTICS Str 14, Dex 21, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11 Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 27 Feats Dodge, Improved InitiativeB, Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +14, Climb +9, Escape Artist +12, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (planes) +5, Perception +11 Languages Ignan SPECIAL ABILITIES Burn (Ex) A fire elemental deals fire damage in addition to damage dealt on a successful hit in melee. Those affected by the burn ability must also succeed on a Reflex save or catch fire, taking the listed damage for an additional 1d4 rounds at the start of its turn. A burning creature can attempt a new save as a full-round action. Dropping and rolling on the ground grants a +4 bonus on this save. Creatures that hit a burning creature with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the burning creature and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire. See Burn for more details.