# Pathfinder – Shadow in the Sky: the Harrowed



## Ambrus (Jun 29, 2009)

*Pathfinder – Shadow in the Sky: the Harrowed*







Second Darkness:
*Shadow in the Sky*
_*- The Harrowed -*_​
_Of late, an ominous shadow has loomed over the City of Cyphers. While scholars theorize and theologians pray for divine guidance, would be prognosticators continue to spout ill omens of doom. But what might be the truth of the matter, and do any of the scoundrels of Riddleport even care? Perhaps not, as the talk of the town is the infernally themed gambling tournament about to take place at the recently refurbished Gold Goblin gambling hall. There seems to be no lack of treasure seekers willing to wager their souls for a chance to "Cheat the Devil and Take his Gold". Will you be amongst them?_


[imager]http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/728/banderay.jpg[/imager]*Welcome to Riddleport, City of Cyphers*

The third largest city in all Varisia, Riddleport is also the most notorious. Once a secret pirate haven, Riddleport has grown over the last three centuries into a port city in its own right. At first it served as a den of piracy, but over time the city has expanded into a true settlement, the frontier’s frontier, the Northernmost outpost on the lonely strip known as the Lost Coast. Yet while Riddleport has grown into a proper city, it remains true to its roots—you can get rich quick in Riddleport if you’ve got skill and a bit of luck. Yet, for every Riddleport success story, there are a dozen nameless bodies buried in potters’ fields or tossed to the hungry denizens of the sea.

Population : 13,300 (77% human, 7% dwarf, 5% half-elf, 4% half-orc, 3% tiefling, 2% halfling, 1% gnome, 1% other)


*The Cyphergate*

The enigmatic Cyphergate looms large over Riddleport's harbor, a constant reminder of the transience of life and even civilization, since few can even imagine what society might have raised this architectural wonder. The arch rises 350 feet above the water below, rising from the rocky crags on either side of the harbor mouth; a distance of nearly 700 feet. Its nigh indestructible surface bears massive runes and glyphs, which have thwarted the best attempts to decipher their meaning for centuries. Mages and scholars belonging to the vaunted Order of Cyphers have nevertheless dedicated themselves to unraveling the massive gate's eldritch purpose.

[sblock=Riddleport Map]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




1. The Gold Goblin Gambling Hall
2. Velashu Ferry
3. Publican House (Temple of Cayden Cailean)
4. Cypher Lodge
5. Zincher's Arena
6. Gas Forges
7. St. Caspieran's Mission
8. Riddleport Light
9. House of the Silken Veil (Temple of Calistria)
10. The Fish Bowl (Temple of Besmara)
11. Mystery of the Gate Inn & Tavern
12. Lymas Smeed's Townhouse
13. Zincher's Tenement
14. Boss Croat's Compound
15. The River Runner Inn
16. City Mortuary
17. The Drunken Lurch Pub
18. Bent Trace Futurities[/sblock][Sblock= Riddleport Slang]*Abbess*: A priestess or whore of Calistria
*Bridge Monkey*: Someone from Magnimar
*Capp*: A trusted lieutenant or henchman
*Cattle*: A group of Varisians
*Cow*: A Varisian
*Church Work*: Any lengthy job that is slow to finish or is otherwise drudgery
*Dog Biter*: A large rat, small child, or halfling
*Earth Bath*: An unmarked grave
*Easy Lad*: A male prostitute
*Fancyboy/Fancygirl*: A cyphermage (sometimes an elf )
*Gendarme*: A city guard
*Grog-Blossom*: A facial pimple, or an unsavory person
*Hushman*: A hired killer, generally one kept on semipermanent retainer
*Kiss*: To stab someone—“Kissed the snickersnak” is a phrase used to mean “Got murdered”
*Laced Mutton*: A prostitute (gender neutral)
*Leaky*: Someone who can’t keep a secret (“Don’t tell him about the heist—he’s leaky!”)
*Lumber*: A passenger on a ship (typically an unwanted or unwelcome passenger)
*Pigeon*: A person targeted by a criminal to be the victim of a crime, or a person that visits a prostitute
*Pigmeat*: A dead body, or someone who is about to become dead
*Pump-Sucker*: A dwarf (particularly one who works at the Gas Forges)
*Quickwife*: A female prostitute
*Rathole*: The mouth (especially a mouth that belongs to someone who is saying unwelcome things)
*Rotgut*: Liquor (particularly foul-tasting liquor)
*Sideshow*: A tiefling
*Snickersnak*: A small knife that can be easily hidden on a person’s body
*Soaker*: A priest of Cayden Cailean
*Soggy Plum*: A drunk
*Whisker*: A wererat[/Sblock][/QUOTE]


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## CanadienneBacon (Jun 30, 2009)

*
Girri*
Female Human (varisian) Cleric 4 (Pharasma)
N Medium humanoid (human)
*Init* +8; *Senses* Perception +2
*Languages* Common, Varisian, Thassilonian
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
*AC* 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13
*hp* 24 (4d8 HD)
*Fort* +4, *Ref* +4, *Will* +6
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
*Spd* 30 ft.
*Melee* bladed scarf +4 (1d6+1/19-20/10-ft. reach)
or dagger +4 (1d4+1/19-20)
Ranged dagger +5 (1d4+1/19-20)
*Base Atk* +3; *Combat Maneuver Bonus* +4
*Spells-Like Abilities *(CL 4th):
At will–_detect magic, detect magic, guidance, light_
2/day–_comprehend languages, cure light wounds_
1/day–_detect thoughts, lesser restoration_
*Spells Prepared* (CL 4th): 4/4/3
2nd–_enthrall, make whole, silence_
1st–_doom, magic stone, obscuring mist, sanctuary_
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
*Abilities* Str 12, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 15, Chr 14
*SQ* channel energy, rebuke death, lore keeper, spontaneous casting
*Feats* Martial Weapon Proficiency (scimitar), Harrowed, Improved Initiative, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bladed scarf)
*Traits* Into Enemy Territory, Reactionary
*Skills* Diplomacy +6, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (history) +6,
Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +9,
Perception +2, Sense Motive +7, Sleight of Hand +3, Spellcraft +9, Stealth +3, Profession (fortune teller) +7
*Possessions* studded leather armor, bladed scarf, daggers x2, entertainer's
outfit, backpack, pocketed scarf, harpy musk, wooden holy symbol of Pharasma,
waterskin
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
*Treasure* 0 platinum crowns, 25 gold sails, 0 silver shields
*Experience* 6,000
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
*Channel Energy (Su)* Girri may unleash a wave of positive energy
in a 30-ft burst. All undead in this radius take 1d6 points of positive
energy damage plus 1d6 points of positive energy damage for every
two cleric levels she has attained beyond 1st (1d6 at 1st level, 2d6
at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on) and must flee from her (as if frightened)
for 1d4 rounds + her Charisma modifier. Undead in this radius are
allowed a Will save that negates the frightened condition and results
in half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 her cleric
level + her Charisma modifier. Undead who take damage greater than
their hit points crumble to dust and are destroyed by the power of
Pharasma. If a fleeing undead is subject to channeled negative energy,
it is not controlled, but does receive a new saving throw to dispel the
flee effect. Living creatures within the area are healed a like amount
by this wave of positive energy. Girri can choose whether or not to
include herself in this effect. Hit points gained above a living creature's
total are lost.

*Lore Keeper (Su)* Girri can touch a creature to learn about its abilities
and weaknesses as a melee touch attack. If successful, she gains
information as if she had made the appropriate Knowledge skill check
with a result equal to 10 + her caster level + her Intelligence modifier.

*Rebuke Death (Su)* Girri can touch a creature as a standard action,
healing it of 1d4 points of damage plus 1 for every two caster levels
she possesses. She can only use this ability on a creature that is below
0 hit points. If she touches an undead creature with this effect, it is
shaken for a number of rounds equal to her caster level.

[sblock=Harrowed]_Numerous Harrow readings early in your life seem to have
hit the mark precisely, increasing your belief that you are
destined for a specific purpose in life; the Harrow deck and
your destiny seem intertwined._

*Prerequisites:* Cha 13, must be chosen at 1st level
*Benefit:* You get a +2 bonus on all Will saves made to
resist charm or compulsion effects.

Once per day, you may draw a card from a Harrow
deck you own. At any one time for the rest of that day,
you may apply a +2 bonus on any d20 roll modified by the
card’s suit. For example, if you drew a card from the suit
of Wisdom, you may apply a +2 bonus on a Will save or a
Wisdom-based skill check. If you drew a card from the suit
of Dexterity, you could apply this +2 bonus on an Initiative
check, a Reflex save, a Dexterity-based skill check, or a
ranged attack roll. You may assign this +2 bonus after you
make the roll, but you must do so before you know if the
roll was a success or not.

If you don’t have an actual Harrow deck handy to
draw from to determine your bonus, you can randomly
determine the ability score by simply rolling 1d6 (1 =
Strength, 2 = Constitution, 3 = Dexterity, 4 = Intelligence,
5 = Wisdom, 6 = Charisma).[/sblock]
[sblock=Appearance]Girri is attractive, if somewhat hard-looking. Dark brown hair flows freely and frames strong blue eyes that are both quick and calculating--when not shrouded in a Shiver-induced fever. Girri dresses to reveal her best physical assets: a flat stomach, lean legs, and strong shoulders. Girri makes her living selling fortunes on the street to passers-by ; she knows as well as anyone that a comely lass attracts more coin than does a girl with homely wares. Better to be pretty and have gold in your pocket but suffer the winter chill than be broke. Girri dresses in layers of colorful scarves, beneath which she sports piecemeal leather armor. It was hard work stealing all that armor a piece at a time off drunk and wanton men.
*Height* 5-ft. 10-in. *Weight* 125 lbs *Age* 26 years[/sblock][sblock=Personality]Girri has a quick smile and likes a joke as well as anyone but guards herself against those who try to worm their conniving way past her many outward defenses (her sense of humor and ready charm not the least of these). Despite a mirthful exterior, Girri is at heart a cynic. The world has burned her one too many times and she is slow to trust. Troubling dreams over the course of the last year, unknowingly sent to her by the Goddess Pharasma, have born in Girri an insatiable thirst for knowledge of the occult—death, dying, mystery, ancient history, the Blot have all lingered large and long in Girri’s recent thoughts.[/sblock][sblock=Background]Born of a Varisian mother in the haberdashery district of Riddleport, Girri learned the ways of the hard streets at an early age; the best pick-pocketing is done as a pretty girl in the temple district on worship-day morning, warm bread for one's belly is more quickly obtained by stealing it than by kneading it oneself, men are fools for women, and trouble comes to those overly finicky about their next bed and meal. For folk who delight in ill-gotten gain, the chancery of life, and the occasional dabble in the occult, Riddleport is a lay-about's paradise. Some 20 years ago--by the best estimate of Mother Crone of Bent Trace Futurities--Girri was given over to the Futurities shop by one [INSERT EVIL VILLIAN], who himself had stolen Girri from her indigent mother. Likely [INSERT EVIL VILLIAN] found Girri unsuitable for work as one of his street kids and sought to profit from her in whatever way he could. Since being sold into slavery to the stoop-backed Mother Crone, Girri has served as shop dandy. Sweeping the floor, preparing the old Crone's gruel, polishing the seer's "reliquary" on display in the reading room, hawking for customers--such was Girri's life until last autumn. By saving the occasional tip dropped by a customer (gone unnoticed by the old lady) and honest street thieving, Girri bough her freedom from Mother Crone and, leaving the Futurities shop on Bent Trace, set off for the Riddleport docks in the middle district hoping to ply the tidbits of fate-telling she'd gleaned over the years.  Without a roof over her head, the winter got the better of Girri. When the half-orc Jasker Gant found her one night in a dank hole-in-the-wall taproom, Girri has already fallen to Consumption. Jasker’s  promise that a little Shiver would warm her sounded good to Girri, so she paid with what little coin she had. True to his word, the Shiver made Girri feel warmer. The hard truth, however, was that the drug gave the girl a false sense of well-being. Cold, on the streets in the dead of winter, and down to her last coins, Girri took to overnighting in taverns near the docks. She struggled through the cold by garbing herself in flimsy silk scarves normally reserved for picking pockets and selling herself to dockworkers, sailors, porters, and taproom clientele for enough coin to buy either a warm bed or another bit of Shiver. When Jasker raised the price of dose, Girri found herself without means to maintain her addiction and so was forcibly retired from use. Weakened by sickness and haggard to the bone by the price of her "freedom," Girri has a bone to pick with the half-orc that may result in the villain's head in a sewer.[/sblock]


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## Ambrus (Jul 7, 2009)

*Late afternoon, 14th day of Arodus, AR 4708*

The shadows within the City of Cyphers grow ominously long as the sun dips towards the Calphiak mountains to the west of Riddleport. Pausing to look up, the dark haired Varisian woman studies the shadow in the sky as she has countless times over the past few weeks. It is currently floating above the harbour to the south. Girri draws her scarf more tightly around her shoulders to ward off the late Arodus chill as she turns away. Moving quickly along the bustling streets, she follows the setting sun westward as she passes the countless cheap grog halls and warehouses of the Wharf District. The last few days have been rainy; transforming most of the city streets into a muddy quagmire. Sailors in port for the night and dwarves off shift from the gas forges whistle catcalls and call out crude propositions to the woman as she passes by. Colorfully painted quickwives warn Girri away from their corners and their marks with glares and crude profanity. No matter. Girri has a destination and intends to reach it before full dusk; it's dangerous for a lone woman to be out in Riddleport after dark. Drawing closer, she falls into step with others who are clearly heading the same way as she.

[imagel]http://paizo.com/image/content/SecondDarkness/PZO9013-GoldenGoblinStatue_180.jpeg[/imagel]Rounding a corner the Varisian woman and her companions catch sight of their destination: the Gold Goblin gambling hall. Although it is at the heart of the much neglected Wharf District and the building itself has long stood dormant and empty, it seems somehow rejuvenated now that the day of the big gambling tournament has arrived. Its formerly tarnished brass dome has been recently polished. Crowds of gamblers and spectators mill about on the street or file together through the main doors to sign up for the tournament. Overseeing this gathering is a larger-than-life-size statue of a goblin, apparently cast in glittering gold, that stands atop the entry stairs with a smirking expression of satisfaction on its face; as if personally enjoying the crowds that shuffle past it into the doorway beneath the gambling hall's gilded dome.

OOC: How does Girri approach the situation?


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## CanadienneBacon (Jul 14, 2009)

Girri frowns and averts her eyes from the lewd catcalls of the portbound sailors.  A passing thought of her former life astride bug-ridden straw bolsters under the greedy eyes of foreign men sends an involuntary chill through Girri, causing her to draw her shawl tighter about her shoulders and quicken her step.

The leering goblin statue plated in cheap gold draw Girri's ire with her own misfortunes, so the lass glares at the overwrought grin plastered upon the golden beast.  "Think yer funny, do ye?  We'll be seeing how the winter weathers yer gilt patoose this season.  Bit of rain, a seagull or two to shait upon yer head, then we'll see who's pretty."  Girri spares a glance up at the recently polished dome of the Golden Goblin gambling hall.  "Or that bit of glamered nonsense, for that matter."

Taking a quick moment to see that the precious coins on her person are securely out of the reach of curious fingers, Girri pauses to also transform her bearing and face from misery to beauty.  Shoulders up and squared, a lift in her step to accentuate the length and grace of her limbs, and a bit of long dark brown hair allowed to escape the bondage of her head scarf in a beguiling manner, Girri fixes a smile upon her lips and enters the Goblin, intent on scouting the premises and its occupants.

[sblock]Keep to the thick of the crowd, where she's less likely to be noticed by anyone else scouting the joint but still likely to be spotted by any potential mark.  Walk slowly, paying particular attention to who is in attendance that she might know, who appears to be the event organizer, and who is in charge this evening.[/sblock]


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## Ambrus (Jul 15, 2009)

Girri stands blinking amidst the press of bodies in the doorway as her eyes adjust to the comparatively dim lighting inside the Gold Goblin. _"Looking ta take on tha Devil honey?"_ The speaker is the nearest of a pair of sultry beauties standing just inside the double doors. Both are dressed in form fitting red leather bustiers, diaphanous white skirts and faux bat wings, devil horns and pointed tails; their eyelashes are coal-blackened and their lips painted ruby red. Playing the part of alluring succubi, the woman who spoke offers Girri a perfunctory smile while her counterpart flirts playfully with the group of men ahead of her. "It'll cost ya ten sails upfront, yer immortal soul and yer mark on this here contract." The scantily clad woman hands Girri a slip of parchment from a stack and motions to a red dyed quill resting next to an inkwell on the table behind her. She waits a few moments for Girri to look over the parchment while glimpsing covertly at the Varisian woman's outfit. _"Ya can just mark an X if ya can't write yer name."_


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 2, 2009)

Alarmed for a moment and suddenly paranoid, Girri stops in her tracks to examine first the girl at the door then the parchment.  *Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +9.* _Nine Gods, is this real?!  Surely she's just a trumped up girl of the night, tarted up._  Girri quirks an eyebrow at the contract but keeps her thoughts to herself for half a moment.

After examining the parchment, Girri folds it and keeps in hand.  Affecting her most dripping saccharine voice to reply to the harlot at the door, Girri shrugs her shoulders and slips the parchment unsigned into the underside of a scarf at her breast.  "I'll think about it, love.  First things first, though.  Where's the bar?"  Flourishing the silk scarves at her hip for the benefit of the prying eyes of the strumpet, Girri casts a look about the room as if seeking out the drink station.


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## Ambrus (Aug 4, 2009)

Doing a double take, Girri pauses to size up the scantily clad Gold Goblin hostess. The Varisian woman knows that the notorious City of Cyphers has a significant number of residents with some amount of infernal ancestry. It isn't at all unusual to catch sight of a man with horn nubs or a woman with slitted eyes in a crowded tavern or bustling marketplace. Still, discreetly eying the voluptuous 'succubus' before her, Girri can quickly conclude that her appearance is merely a colorful affectation. The demoness' bat wings are simply trimmed leather sewn onto the back of her bustier while her horns are a part of her curved hair comb.

Coming to a sudden realization, the Varisian woman manages to suppress a giggle when she finally becomes aware of something that had been nagging at her about the pair of succubi at the door. Having learnt something of the infernal planes and their residents on the streets of Riddleport, Girri recognizes that the iconic infernal temptresses are in fact Abyssal in nature. Seeing as how demons are the mortal enemies of Hell's devils, it's particularly ironic that that they'd be the hostesses of a "Cheat the Devil" gambling tournament. Apparently whoever was in charge didn't know his demons from his devils.

Although she's never seen one before, Girri doesn't believe that the contract she's been handed is a real infernal soul-contract. At a guess, the Varisian woman imagines that such a document would have to include the signer's true name or some other equally irrefutable identification. Merely marking the parchment with an X or a false name would be sufficient to invalidate such a contract. True devils would never be so careless in drafting their legal documents.

Looking around for the bar, Girri glances around the large gambling hall. Dozens of gamblers, waitresses dressed as succubi, and bouncers mill about the room, wandering amid tables offering various games while dealers shuffle cards, roll dice and spin wheels. Moving through this throng are a dozen more of the barely clad, bat-winged vixens serving drinks and batting coal-black eyelashes flirtatiously for tips. In the center of the chamber is a short podium atop which sits a massive gold chest affixed to the floor by a similar gaudy chain. On either side of it stands a bare-chested bouncer in the exotic garb of some foreign sultan's court. Each stands with muscled arms crossed over his chest and with a naked scimitar of prodigious size tucked through the waistband.






Girri has largely dismissed the tournament as mere theatrics when she catches sight of something genuinely devilish. High above the bouncers, hanging from the hall's cloth-draped ceiling is a large gilded birdcage within which crouches a small, bat-winged, pointy-tailed creature that sulks as it gazes over the room and occasionally rattles the bars threateningly. It appears to Girri to be a true devil, albeit from amongst Hell's lowliest ranks: an imp.






Adopting a snide tone, the succubi hostess draws Girri's attention away from the sullen imp and back to her. _"First things first. Pay the cover and sign the damn thing or you'll be thinking about it outside hon. Either way you'd best unfurl it; you're holding up my line."_


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 8, 2009)

Verging on slight irritation with the noise of the Goblin and the bustle of the event, Girri forces herself to re-focus and purrs a reply to the bat-winged mock succubus.  "In such a hurry, are we, love?  Careful...wouldn't want ter spoil yer rouge and wings with that famous tanari temper." 

Wanting in the room and reasonably certain she's not signing away her soul, Girri takes a fresh parchment from the stack of papers and splashes a large red X as her signature.  Handing the paper back to the mock succubus, Girri slings the girl a half-smile, plunks down the ten sails atop the contract, then moves to brush past the tourney-guarding duo.

[sblock=OOC]Keeping the original unsigned contract folded up inside a scarf pocket at her breast.  Girri wants to examine the document a bit more thoroughly later, in private.  Giving the girl at the door a signed X copy.[/sblock]


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## Ambrus (Aug 11, 2009)

Girri's dismissive attitude elicits a cold glare from the scantily clad hostess while her comment generates only confusion. _"Tannery?..."_ As the Varisian woman is leaning over to mark the parchment and pay the admittance fee, she hears the pseudo-succubus behind her inquire to her fellow hostess: _"What did she call me?"_ Certain she's been insulted, the hostess mutters _"Same to you, ya cow"_ under her breath as Girri brushes past her.

The casino floor is a wide room carpeted in rich red that has been recently patched in many places. Spread throughout the chamber are a dozen tables where different games are to be run. Silken banners depicting grinning devils capering amidst liking flames hang from floor to ceiling along the walls, and wide vertical blinds are drawn over the windows. The chamber's ceiling is draped in layers of horizontally hung, gauzy beige curtains 20 feet above. Light is provided by numerous hanging chandeliers as well as several large copper braziers spaced around the room with live coals to give the chamber a more hellish light for the tournament. At the back of the chamber between the kitchen doors is a small dais bearing a bust of Desna, goddess of luck. Around the central dais, impaled upon upright pitchforks, are a quartet of 'heads' made of painted straw.

A small foyer to the left of the main hall provides access to the cashier's counter, which is secured by a row of vertical bars set firmly into the stone floor. A large archway to the right leads to a side room with a long bar of polished wood that extends along the back wall of the room and curves around at the end. Behind are mirrored shelves holding all manner of glassware as well as kegs of ale, beer, and mead and bottles of wine and liquor.

Most of the fifty-odd patrons are either at the cashier's counter exchanging their coins for gambling chips or milling about the bar area demanding drinks from the two barmen or flirting with the half dozen succubi serving wenches. This being the wharf district, most of them appear to be sailors, perhaps wanting a bit of fun while in port. Some of the more serious gamblers are milling about the main hall watching the croupiers and dealers as they set up their game tables in preparation for the tournament. Some inquire about the rules to the different games to be played while others seem to be sizing up their competition. An impatient few aren't waiting for the tournament and have begun their own impromptu card and dice games to pass the time. One group of sallow faced gas forge dwarves is playing a game of Towers with a crudely painted deck of Harrow cards; an activity normally considered abhorrent to Varisian harrowers. A trio of large, fair haired and boisterous Ulfen men are tossing bone dice while betting measures from their tankards of mead.

Girri wanders around the tables, uncertain of what to make of the Gold Goblin's gaudy and theatrical decor when she passes a young female croupier pulling an actual desiccated human head out of an old hat box. The girl plunks the mummified head down at the center of a horizontally mounted roulette wheel of sorts. Repulsed at the sight of the head's sunken features, the Varisian woman is startled when the head's eyes fly open and fix intently upon her. Its cracked lips split to reveal a long leathery tongue which waggles as the head croaks out a missive from beyond the grave. _"This aint tha game fer ya missy; best mind yer cards instead."_ The croupier, although surprised by the head's outburst, doesn't appear horrified; only reproving. _"Now, no lip from you Dungo! Not till the tourney at least..."_ Smiling at Girri, the dark haired young girl merely shrugs an apology. _"Don't mind him. You're of course welcome to take a spin on the Ghoulette wheel once we start. I'm Lixy by the way. Welcome to the Gold Goblin."_ The croupier offers Girri her hand; the same hand that she'd just used to hold "Dungo".


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 11, 2009)

The creepiness of the joint begins to take its toll on Girri--the smoke from the coal braziers fills her nostrils with unpleasantness and the garrish lighting grates her nerves.  Noting the forge dwarves' abuse of a Harrow deck, Girri frowns.  Opening her mouth to object to the dwarves' roughneck abuse of the cards, Girri instead starts as the mummified head at the croupier's table addresses her.  "Oi!"  Smoothing her scarves, Girri also smooths the fright off her face and recovers enough to smile weakly at the croupier.  "Lixy an' Dungo, is it?"  Girri reflexively extends her hand to greet the croupier but flinches at the last moment when she realizes she's about to touch the same fingers that just touched the dessicated head.  Embarrassed, Girri grits her teeth and shakes Lixy's hand anyway.  "Sorry, the smoke's thick in here an' it's gettin' ter me head.  Do I need tokens, or you take coins?"


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## Ambrus (Aug 12, 2009)

[imager]http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/1740/gamblingchips.jpg[/imager]Lixy smiles cordially as she launches into her croupier's spiel. _"Devils don't care for mortal coins. You'll have to trade em in for the currency o' the realm; the pickings o' their victims."_ The young Varisian girl picks up a trio of wooden discs painted in colorful hues and holds them up for Girri to inspect. _"Hearts for copper, teeth for silver and eyes for gold."_ The girl chuckles as she puts her tokens back into her cash box. _"That's old Saul's tourney story anyways. You can trade up at the cash counter to the left."_

[imagel]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7830/ghoulette.jpg[/imagel]Shaken and with her head spinning from the cloying smoke, Girri can't seem to help stealing glimpses of the dessicated head sitting atop the "Ghoulette" wheel as Lixy speaks. After having uttered its missive, Dungo's features have frozen in a mocking death rictus. The Varisian woman can't seem to shake a sense of deja vu as she furtively studies the dark leathery flesh of the severed head. But how can she possibly see something familiar in its mummified visage? Dungo certainly doesn't resemble anyone she's ever met before... Seeing her apparent fascination with her companion, Girri picks Dungo off the Ghoulette wheel and holds him up so as to give Girri a better look at her friend. With an impish wink at Girri, Lixy turns Dungo around and purses her lips at him playfully. _"Whada ya say Dungi?"_ The head's features animate briefly to offer an answer: _"Good thing I'm a deader; yer breath'd lay a cockatrice flat out." _The croupier simply smiles as she places the head back unto the Ghoulette wheel.

[imager]http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/583/thebetrayal.jpg[/imager]Suddenly, in an epiphany, recognition flashes across Girri's consciousness. A beautiful woman pursing her lips to a severed head held in an outstretched hand; in her other hand, a handful of... gambling chips? Lixy, with Dungo's aid, has inadvertently embodied *the Betrayal*; a Harrow card Girri knows all too well. This card had been appearing ever more frequently in her recent Harrowings...

[imagel]http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9396/thecrows.jpg[/imagel][imager]http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1858/thecricket.jpg[/imager]Reeling from the dawning revelation, Girri turns away from the Ghoulette table to clear her head. Confronting her is the sight of the seated dwarves who've just completed a hand of their towers game. Three of the bearded men, sporting their elaborate gas forges breathing apparatuses around their necks are eagerly counting their winnings. A fourth removes his filthy leather apron to reveal a surprisingly white shirt before picking up the discarded Harrow cards to deftly reshuffle them into the deck. In short order Girri recognizes the trio of masked dwarves as the living incarnation of *the Crows* card. The shuffling dealer on the other hand embodies the spirit of *the Cricket*; the card which initially led her to seek out the tourney in the first place.

[imagel]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2055/thefiend.jpg[/imagel][imager]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/707/thepublican.jpg[/imager]Quickly the Harrower turns in place as the symbolism of other cards leap out at her almost too quickly to be assimilated. The malicious imp sneering at her from within his cage is none other than *the Fiend*. The eye patch sporting barkeep pouring drinks in the taproom embodies *the Publican*.

[imager]http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6353/thecarnival.jpg[/imager]Ever more quickly, other cards come forth as if clambering for Girri's attention. Altogether, the crowd of gamblers, croupiers, guards and wenches seem to dance before her eyes and so she comes to recognize the entire scene as a manifestation of the endless* Carnival*. It's as if the entire Harrow deck is manifesting itself all around her, the interplay of symbolism hinting to a great secret that is tantalizingly close yet just out of Girri's grasp.

And then, as suddenly as it has come, the harrowing moment of clarity passes. The Varisian diviner has only experienced a handful such moments during her life, yet none so overwhelming. Is it a rare glimpse of the intricate workings of fate granted by the grace of Pharasma or a manifestation of the power of the Harrow itself? Does it matter? That Girri is meant to be here is abundantly clear, but for what purpose? The befuddled Harrower is catching her breath and contemplating this mystery when she hears Lixy clearing her throat behind her. _"Uhm... Are you alright... miss?..."_


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 20, 2009)

Girri's head swims and her eyes water.  Putting out a hand to steady herself, Girri leans on Lixy's table and waits for the visions to pass and for her lungs to once again breathe.  Wiping sweat from her forehead with the palm of her hand, Girri steadies herself with focused thought.  _"The cricket?  A journey?"  _Girri's eyes flash to the shuffling dealer then back down to her own feet.  With a frown caressing her brow, Girri muses, "But were the card misaligned?  Will the journey end badly?"  Girri turns her head a quarter turn to eye the barkeep.  "The publican?  But, again, a true match or misaligned?"  Sighing, Girri wipes the last of the sweat beading on her forehead.  "Who to trust, who to trust?"  The trio of dwarves gambling with a Deck again catch her attention.  Remembering The Crow, Girri shakes her head no.  "Not them, no love, not them at all.  Bad sorts."

Sure that Lixy overhead at least some of her muttered thoughts, Girri flushes, and recovered now, pushes away from the gambling table with a feeble smile.  "I'll just go and get me some chips then, thanks."  Not waiting for Lixy's reply, Girri steps to the exhange booth and puts down a gold coin.  "Can I get ten teeth fer this?"


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## Ambrus (Aug 21, 2009)

Stepping into the small foyer, Girri walks up to the counter blocked by a row of sturdy floor-to-ceiling iron bars behind which two seated women are busily tallying coins and passing out chips. Just behind them stands a broad-shouldered Ulfen man with close cropped blond hair sporting chain armor; he watches the goings-on attentively. The left hand cashier is currently busy making change for another would-be gambler.

Having plunked down her gold sail on the counter the unoccupied cashier takes the coin, gives it a perfunctory bite, drops it into a slot on the counter and begins lining up silver painted chips in front of Girri. _"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 teeth."_ The harried cashier barely looks at Girri as the Varisian woman scoops up her gambling chips and walks away. 

Stepping back into the main room, Girri sees that the succubi hostesses near the front are still hard at work since another twenty-odd gamblers have joined the crowd amidst the game tables; and more are still crowding the entrance. The Gold Goblin seems to have drawn a good number of gamblers away from the newer and grander gambling halls up in the Free Coin district with this tournament. It remains to be seen whether or not it'll mark the beginning of a new and profitable era for the venerable Goblin though.


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 21, 2009)

Girri eyes the Ulfen man with appreciation for half a moment before shifting her attention to the woman cashier who took and bit her gold sail.  Sweeping her ten "silver" teeth tokens into her palm, Girri tucks the tokens into the inside sewn pocket on a scarf that criss-crosses her chest then heads back to Lixy's table.  "How much fer a turn, Lix?"

Unable to keep her eyes from Dungo, Girri shivers as the Harrowing images once again filter through her subconscious.


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## Ambrus (Aug 21, 2009)

The Ghoulette croupier seems a little more unnerved to see the Harrowed woman returning to her table than she does about the presence of the dessicated head resting next to her. She smiles nervously as she motions to the wheel beneath Dungo. _"Up to you. You place your bets on any number of the eleven slots: appearance, bloodline, demeanor, cleanliness, skill, clothes, body, race, courage, profession or brains. If after it's spun Dungo faces your slot he'll offer up an appropriate insult and you'll get your bet back in the next highest order of chips; teeth for hearts, eyes for teeth and ten eyes to every eye you put down. You can't put any bets down on the twelfth slot: Something Nice. If Dungo ends up facing that one then he clams up and everyone at the table gets their bet back in the next lowest order of chips rounded down: hearts for teeth, teeth for eyes and one heart to every ten you put down. We can't play until old Saul comes out and says his bit to start the tournament though. That should be soon now though."_ Lixy ends with an apologetic shrug.


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 25, 2009)

Girri follows what Lixy says with uncharacteristic attentiveness, nodding her head and absentmindly fingering a lone "tooth" at the same time.  "Right."  When Lixy finishes explaining the game, Girri ponders the wheel, deciding her selection.  Suddenly impatient to start playing a game a few moments earlier she'd disdained, Girri begins to cast glances 'round the room--looking for Old Saul.  "Old Saul...Old Saul? _Old Saul_.  *Old Soul*.  Why does that name ring me bell, love?"  Girri purrs quietly to herself under her breath as she waits.


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## Ambrus (Aug 25, 2009)

Mulling over the name Girri surmises that Lixi is referring to _Saul Vancaskerkin_. Rumor has it that he used to be a major player in the city's illicit power structure, but then tumbled down to the bottom somehow. Now seen as a small time operator, his recent acquisition and refurbishing of the Gold Goblin gambling hall is generally held to be a last-ditch bid to reclaim some measure of his former glory. OOC: Knowledge (local) 10

As the windows begin darkening with twilight, the last of the tournament's participants make their way through the hall's entryway, hand over the entry fee to the beautiful hostesses and sign the proffered soul contracts; bringing the total number of patrons in the hall to well over a hundred. The two succubi at the entryway pull the large wooden doors closed with a resounding boom that draws most everyone's attention. The rattling of the doors' locks can be heard throughout the hall as the crowd begins to quiet down. The demonesses then pick up the metal coffers into which they'd deposited the entry fees and, amidst whistles and catcalls from the crowd, sashay their way over to the raised dais. With a hand from the large shaven-headed guards stationed there, the succubi climb up and begin emptying the contents of their boxes into the overlarge chest. That done, the two guards slam the chest closed and begin securing it with a bevy of heavy gilded chains and padlocks. Throughout the hall all of the would-be winners' thoughts are firmly focused on the contents of that chest.

[imagel]http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2059/saulvancaskerkin.jpg[/imagel]Then, on cue, more bare-chested male members of the staff emerge from the door to the kitchen carrying torches and walk in procession towards the dais. With all eyes now upon them, they set the various pitchfork-mounted straw 'heads' on fire. Some of the gathered crowd goes silent in expectation while others laugh, applaud or cheer the theatrics. A short man then climbs to the central podium and stands before the chain-shrouded chest with a demoness on each arm. He wears a formal suit, and his thinning black hair is slicked back. His left arm ends in a stump just above the wrist, and affixed to it is a bronze cap from which protrudes an oddly shaped key. Girri, standing relatively close by at the Ghoulette table, is momentarily mesmerized by the the man's odd appendage. A hand that's a key; the female harrower is struck by Saul Vancaskerkin's uncanny similarity to the Locksmith. Might he hold the keys she needs to unlock her destiny as suggested by the Harrow? The man bows before the crowd and clears his throat before speaking.[imager]http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7103/thelocksmith.jpg[/imager]

_“Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall and your chance to cheat the Devil and win back not only your soul but all of his gold as well.”__ He says this last as he pats the large chest before which he stands. “I'm Saul Vancaskerkin proprietor of this fine establishment and your host for tonight. I hope you found your reception by the Devil’s lovely temptresses suitably entertaining.”_

This is met by a general murmur of laughter and a few catcalls.

_“Let’s take this moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event. Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell itself to provide the gold for this tournament.”_

With this, Saul directs the crowd’s attention up to the imp in the birdcage. At the sudden attention, Old Scratch flies into a flurry of rage, banging the cage bars, spitting, howling, and screaming vile epithets in Infernal at all assembled. His theatrics are received with guffaws and even a smattering of applause. As the crowd dies down, Vancaskerkin continues.

_“Of course, he plans on replacing what he loses in gold with the souls of those of you who don’t win. The tournament rules are quite simple—as you play, you’ll earn more chips. And with those chips, you’ll be able to bribe your way out of the current Hell you’re trapped in, working your way down deeper until you get to Old Scratch’s treasury. Currently, all of you are Old Scratch’s prisoners in the first of the Hells, Avernus. If you want to work your way down to the ninth circle, you need to win games and more chips. Golden eyes, silver teeth or copper hearts, these bits of flesh and bone are what the devils use in Hell for currency, and they’re what you’ll need to pay in order to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first player to win a game after reaching Nessus not only keeps his winnings for that game, but also earns back his soul and the ten thousand silver coins that the Devil put up for this tournament. You can, of course, decide to cash out your winnings at any time you want, but if you do, or if you run out of money entirely… well, that means Old Scratch gets you.”_

Vancaskerkin grins evilly and the caged imp cuts loose with another profane tirade. _“And that earns you the Devil’s Mark and an escort out of the game hall until the tournament is over. What, you ask, exactly is this Devil’s Mark? Well, it’s something too utterly horrible to even contemplate. The forfeiture of your very soul, it is. But I suppose I can show you what it is—gods know I more than deserve the Devil’s Mark. In fact, better make it two. Ladies?...”_

With that, the two succubi accompanying him lean over and each firmly plants a kiss on Saul’s cheek with her ruby-red lips. When they pull away, their lip rouge has left clearly visible prints in the same shocking red on his cheeks. Saul beams as he cries out, _“The Devil’s Mark, everyone!”_ which is greeted with a flurry of shouts, catcalls, and hoots. _“Now, let’s cheat the Devil and take his gold!”_ which prompts one more rabid flurry from the imprisoned fiend above, and with that, the tournament begins.

Across the table from Girri, Lixi announces loudly to those clustered nearby: _"Ladies, Gentlemen; please step up and place your bets for our first spin of the Ghoulette wheel!"_


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 27, 2009)

Listening to Saul, Girri feels a growing nervousness threaten to overtake her.  The sights and sounds of The Golden Goblin verge and blur about the thin line between reality and fantasy, and Girri--as a person naturally shrouded in the filmy veil between worlds--finds the symbolism of the night's event to be overwrought.  Girri's eyes swim in the haze not only of the smoke-filled interior of The Goblin, but in the general milleu of the evening...so many images, all with double or triple meaning, and all overlaid.  

With a hardened grunt of dissatisfaction, Girri turns to Lixy's wheel and lays down five teeth.  "Five on bloodline, Lixy."


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## Ambrus (Aug 27, 2009)

Only two other players opt to plunk some chips down for the wheel's inaugural spin; a lanky young man in a salt-stained piecemeal outfit and a ruddy cheeked older man with a receding hairline who sports a brocaded vest and pantaloons. The former puts only one tooth on 'profession' while the latter sidles up to Girri and likewise places his bet of an eye on 'bloodline' lightly brushing the back of her hand with his in doing so. _"You seem to be a woman of fine breeding miss; I'll gladly bet my gold on it."_ He says with a wink and grin at Girri.

Lixy waits a few moments to see whether anyone else wishes to step up to the table before waving a delicate hand over the wheel. "Alright. No more bets. Best o' luck to you all..." With a fluid gesture the croupier sets the wheel to spinning. After a few moments of clicking the Ghoulette wheel comes to rest with Dungo facing 'clothes'. The desiccated head loudly draws breath, cracks its mouth open and begins to speak in a hollow mocking tone. _"All them scarves make ya look like a festive wind mill. Mind that ya don't get carried aloft by a stiff breeze missy."_ As Dungo quiets down, Lixy pulls a small lever on the back of the table, causing the twelve wedges around the head's central pedestal to swing down; thereby depositing all of the lost chips into a strongbox beneath the table. The croupier then smiles broadly at the patrons clustered around the table as she once more launches into her spiel. _"Come now. Only twelve spots on the wheel; one's a winner every round. Try yer luck, but watch out for the Ghoulette's sharp tongue. Step up. Step up now. Place yer bets ladies and gentlemen..."_ All around her Girri can hear similar invitations being barked out by the dealers at neighboring tables.


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## CanadienneBacon (Aug 27, 2009)

Pegging the younger man dressed in piecemeal cloth as a dockworker or sailor, Girri then shifts her focus to the older male of the pair.  When the elder man brushes the back of her hand with a pinky, Girri does two things.  The first, which she does out of long force of habit when dealing with men, is to mentally lock down all emotion as an internal ward against harm.  The second is to purr and smile at the man but smoothly retract her hand and remove herself from his vicinity.  Hopefully having signaled that she is not for sale, Girri waits for the wheel to cease spinning before winking at the older man and winsomely adding, "Never trust a woman.  We don't have yer best in'trest at heart."

Having done her best to put distance between herself and the pantalooned older man, Girri moves from Lixy's table and begins to scout for a second gaming table, trying to decide what looks most interesting.


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## Ambrus (Sep 3, 2009)

Walking around the crowded gaming hall, Girri dodges boisterous gamblers as they cluster around the twelve game tables. From all around she hears the dealers and players excitedly voicing statements intended to bolster interest or to bring luck. Observing a few rounds of play, Girri can garner an idea of how the various games are played.

_“Bounder, bounder, bounder! No doubles, no doubles!”_[sblock=Bounder]*How to Play:* Bounder is unique among gambling games in that both the players and dealer use dice. The dealer gets three 6-sided dice, and each player gets two 20-siders. To start, each player bets a stake (minimum 1 tooth). Each player rolls his first d20, making his “point.” After all players have rolled their points, each player may double his stake if desired. Then the dealer rolls 3d6. Anyone whose point the dealer matches loses his stake. Then each player rolls his second d20. If the player’s two dice results are on either side of the dealer’s result—one greater than and one less than the dealer’s number—he “bounds” the dealer and wins an amount equal to the amount he bet. Otherwise, he loses his stake. If a player rolls a 1 and a 20 (or a 20 and a 1), he wins double his bet.[/sblock]_“It’s you verses the greedy golem! Test your skill and take the monster’s pot!”_[sblock=Golem]*How to Play:* Golem is played with a gilded amulet and a deck of cards divided into four suits of thirteen cards, each depicting a type of golem: flesh, clay, stone and iron. Golem is a player-vs.-player card game similar to five-card draw poker, but with a “golem hand.” Golem is played in a series of games; one game must be completely resolved before the next begins. The player to the right of the dealer gets the amulet to start the night. The dealer deals five cards to each player. Starting at the amulet, each player can bet, raise one coin, or fold. Anyone who folds is out of the game, and can’t come back in until a new game begins. Next, each player may discard up to two cards and receive that many back from the dealer. These discarded cards go facedown on the center of the table. Another round of betting occurs, starting at the amulet. If, at any point, only one player hasn’t folded, he wins the pot—the house taking 5 percent—and the game is over. If at least two players are still in after all bets are called, those players reveal their hands. Then the dealer “ups the golem.” The golem hand—those cards discarded when players had the chance to draw new cards—is revealed, and if the player with the best hand beats the golem, he wins the pot, and the game is over. But if the player with the best hand does not beat the golem, that player must put into the pot an amount of coins equal to what’s already in the pot, and all cards are collected so that a new hand can be dealt for the players who were still in at the end. This continues until someone wins the pot. The house takes 5 percent of the final pot, and then the amulet moves one position to the right and a new game is dealt.[/sblock]_“Step up to the lake and get your racers ready! There’s a storm a’comin’!”_[sblock=Skiffs]*How to Play:*Arrayed on a table is a three-by-three grid of small lidless boxes next to a large wooden bowl containing a set of twenty-five identical ship tokens. Skiffs is a halfling gambling game played on a three-by-three board or set of boxes (the “lake”). Each player takes an equal number of tokens from the pool (“skiffs”). The dealer takes one skiff (the “racer”) from each player and then places the rest in a bowl called the “storm.” The storm is flipped over the lake in one smooth motion, so each of the skiffs falls into one of the 9 boxes. (If a skiff falls between parts of the lake, the dealer places it where more than half of it lies, choosing randomly between the two boxes if it isn’t clear.) The dealer places the racers in the bowl. Then the dealer pulls out one racer at a time, and that player takes a turn.
On your turn you must do exactly one of the following, if you can: • Remove any one skiff. • Remove one of your skiffs and any one skiff from anywhere on the board. • Remove one of your skiffs and any two skiffs from the same box. • Move one skiff to an adjacent box. When a box contains exactly one skiff, that skiff is “anchored.” An anchored skiff can’t be removed except by its owner, and no one can move a skiff into that box except the anchored skiff’s owner. In all cases, each skiff you remove is worth one coin, regardless of whose it is. After everyone has taken a turn, the dealer puts the racers back in the bowl, and starts a new round of turns. The game can end in two ways. The first way is if anyone has the only skiffs in a straight line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. In this case, that player wins all the skiffs still on the board. The house keeps the racers. The second way is if each box contains skiffs of just one color, or none at all. In that case, the game ends, the house keeps the racers, and points are counted. You get one point for each skiff on the board, and one point for every box in which you have the only skiff(s). Whoever has the most points on the board takes all the remaining skiffs. In the case of a tie, those skiffs are split evenly between the tied players.[/sblock]_"And a black makes for a colored flight; that hoard is mine!"_[sblock=Three Dragon Ante]*How to Play:* Three Dragon Ante is played with a deck of 70 cards divided into five suits of chromatic dragons, five suits of metallic dragons and a handful of dragon gods cards and mortal cards. Each card in the deck has a strength between 1 and 13, and a special ability or power. Six cards are initially dealt to each player. There is a maximum hand size of ten cards and players are not allowed to have more than the maximum at any time. Players keep their hands secret from the other players. The undealt cards are placed face-down into a draw pile from which players take new cards. The game is divided into gambits in which gold is added and detracted from the stakes (similar to the pot in poker). Each gambit normally has three rounds (four or more can break ties). In each round, players play cards in front of them (comprising their flight). The strongest flight is the one with cards summing the highest numerical value. After each gambit, each player draws two cards. All ante cards and flights are then discarded.

In a gambit, players initially choose a card from their hand to ante-up (see poker). The highest ante determines the amount of gold every player must pay to the stakes.

The player with the highest ante plays first, triggering the special ability of her dragon. The special powers of each card varies from allowing players to draw more cards or steal money - from the stakes or other players. In general, good dragons allow players to gain cards, whereas evil dragons allow players to get more gold from the pot or other players. Mortals are especially powerful, so players often maneuver to trigger their mortals' special power.

After the first card in the round is played, players play cards in clockwise order. If the value of the card is less than or equal to the one played before it in the round, it triggers. Otherwise, it does not. The highest dragon in a given round determines the leader of the next round. The first card played in every round always triggers.

Most gambits end after three rounds, though occasionally a tie extends it to four or more rounds. In either case, the strongest flight (sum of the values of each player's three cards) wins. Additionally, special flights (color or strength) allow players to earn extra gold or cards. Players must buy cards from the deck if they run out of cards. The cost of new cards is determined randomly by flipping the top card of the draw pile; the player pays its cost in gold. This commonly happens, since replacing cards can be difficult.

The game ends when one player's hoard runs out at the end of a gambit. The house takes 5% from each hoard.[/sblock]_"Six great towers, which will you raise?"_[sblock=Towers]*How to play:*This game is played with a Harrow; a practice considered abhorrent by Varisian Harrowers.  The deck is divided into six suits of nine cards apiece with each suit representing an antribute: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Play centers around six figurative "towers". Each turn, you try to build on those towers. When you can’t build, you incur debt to the other players. At some point, your debt comes due, and when it does, you want everyone else’s debts to you to be far greater.

*Setup:* Separate out the neutral cards—those with the symbol in the center. Lay out these six cards in a row across the table, each more than two full cards’ width away from the others. These represent the foundations of towers: the Tower of Strength, the Tower of Dexterity, and so on. Shuffle the rest of the deck. Deal three cards to each player, face up in front of him—this is the player’s cache. Players must sit along opposite sides of the row of towers, with their caches parallel to the row of towers. Each player also has a balance—a pile of cards off to the side of the player. All players start with zero cards in their balance. Each player’s balance is his debt to the other players in the game, and this debt must be paid by that player as he leaves the game. Whoever has the card that is alphabetically first among all the players’ cache cards goes first.

*Taking a Turn:* On your turn, you may either flee or play any one of your cache cards onto one of the towers. If you flee, put all your cache cards into your balance, and immediately pay that balance in coins to each of the players still in the game. Turn your balance facedown to show you are out of the game. You do not get any more cards, nor incur any more debt. If you don’t flee, you must play a card so that:

1. The card’s title is toward you.
2. The card’s symbol covers one of the eight alignment positions surrounding the foundation’s symbol.
3. The card doesn’t cover any symbols.
4. The card’s symbol is next to the symbol of a card on the tower (not including the foundation), if any are on that foundation.

That last rule means that if one or more cards have been placed on the tower, their symbols are all connected to each other. If the card you played matches the foundation’s symbol, you may play another one of your cards on any tower. If that symbol matches, you can play your last card as well. Any card you can’t play goes into your balance. When you are done, draw three cards to replace your cache and pass the turn to the player to your left.

*Closing a Tower:* If you play a card in a way that makes it impossible to play another card on the tower, the tower is closed. Starting with the opponent on your left, give one card from the tower to each opponent still in the game, continuing around until all the cards from the tower (including the foundation) are distributed. Those cards go in the opponents’ balances. (If you face only one remaining opponent, that opponent gets all the cards from that tower.)

*Ending the Game:* The game ends when no more cards can be played by anyone. All cards in players’ caches go into their balances. Each player’s balance is his debt to each of the remaining players. Unlike debts in fleeing, debts at the end of the game can cancel each other out, so if you owe a player nine coins, and that player owes you five coins, you owe that player four coins.

The house collects 5% from the stakes.[/sblock]
While disgustedly watching a game of Towers being played Girri feels a light touch on the small of her back. Turning, she sees one of the scantily clad succubi waitresses deftly holding up a tray clustered with empty glasses and tankards over her head with an upturned hand. _"Can I get ya somethin from the bar sweety?"_

OOC: Sorry for the tardy reply; I wanted to compile this info for you but have been rather busy this past week with a hectic move into a new condo.

Note that many of the games described above are rather slow to play through in a PbP format so, if you're interested in trying some of them we can opt for a quick gambling resolution system done by rolling either  a profession (gambler) skill check or a Charisma check; whichever has a higher bonus.


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 4, 2009)

Girri nods gratefully to the succubus waitress and hands over one of her teeth tokens.  "Devil's horned tail, neat."  After lingering with the waitress a moment to make sure her proffered tooth token is enough to cover the shot of hard cane liquor she's ordered, Girri turns to the Bounder table and puts down two teeth on a bet.  "I'm in."

[sblock=OOC]Charisma checks are probably the way to go, but I'm comfortable following your lead on this.  At this point, I'm not sure whether I should have Girri aimlessly gamble or try to pump info out of someone.  I'm sort of just going with the flow for the moment, which is probably what Girri herself would do--at least, that is, until she felt on firmer footing.[/sblock]


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## Ambrus (Sep 7, 2009)

Sitting down at the Bounder table, Girri looks up at the croupier as he plunks down a palm-sized 20-sided die carved from horn and a leather dice cup. She'd noticed that his eyes seem oddly bloodshot earlier, but it's once he speaks that she catches sight of his pointed teeth and recognizes him for what he is; a tiefling. _"Two teeth for the lady. Roll yer point."_ Girri dutifully takes up the proffered die into the cup, gives it a shake and plunks the cup upside-down on the black felt tabletop. Lifting the cup reveals that she's rolled a 3. The croupier repeats the process with three other players at the table: a female dwarf with a sallow complexion, a disinterested looking woman sporting an eyepatch and a toothless old man with calloused hands.

After the other players have rolled their points, the tiefling croupier takes up three 6-sided horn dice into a cup, shakes it, plunks it down and lifts it up to reveal a low total of 6; a number hard to bound. All of the players then scoop up their dice and roll their second number. Everyone fails to bound the croupier's roll and looses their stakes; that is except for Girri, who's rolled a 19. _"The young lady bounds and wins two teeth."_As the croupier pays her winnings, the dwarf and the man grumble while the eyepatch wearing woman simply wanders off into the crowd.

Taking up her chips, Girri is approached by the curvaceous succubus waitress who hands her a small glass with a reddish-amber liquid that smells of cinnamon along with five copper hearts in change. The scantily clad woman pauses for a moment as Girri takes a sip. Behind her, the tiefling is setting up for the next round. _"Bounder, Bounder Bounder! Roll the bones! Try yer luck!"_


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 9, 2009)

Girri puts one of the teeth she's just won on the succubus's wait try and winks her thanks.  First sniffing the drink more out of habit at the suspicion of being drugged than out of real suspicion that anyone here would try to poison or cloud her mind, Girri then sips at the syrupy amber liquid.  Deciding the drink's to her taste after all, Girri takes a second heartier quaff from her glass then tosses a tooth to the Bounder croupier and quits the Bounder table in favor of milling about the room to look for someone she knows.


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## Ambrus (Sep 15, 2009)

Having effectively dispensed her winnings to the Gold Goblin's staff, Girri rises and begins milling about the bustling gaming hall floor. Seeing as how most of the room's occupants are sitting or slouched over the various game tables, the tall Varisian woman has a nearly unobstructed view of the entire hall. Those that stand out from the crowd are the individuals who, like Girri herself, are milling about; seemingly uninvolved in the gambling action occurring all around them. Most are staff members: bare chested bouncers scanning the room for problems, scantily clad succubi waitresses with trays of drinks hurrying to and from the bar and couriers transporting chips or coins from the tables to the counting rooms in the back.

The purpose of some of the others milling about require a little more scrutiny to determine however. For good or ill the Varisian woman soon discerns some discrete signs and signals being exchanged between, if not personally known individuals, people who seem all too familiar in the services they offer. Tarted up young women and men reveal themselves to be _quickwives_ and _easy lads_ offering their company or carnal services to those with the money to pay for the privilege. Many sport yellow silk scarves, sashes, dresses, tunics or triple dagger talismans; markers that identify them as _abbots_ and _abbesses_ of the House of the Silken Veil, Riddleport's temple of Calistria. It wasn't so long ago that Girri herself was an "acolyte" being made to tithe a share of her earnings to the temple's tiefling high pristess Shorafa Pamodae. Girri picks out a few familiar faces amongst their number; an older Chelaxian woman named Cealta who'd been working the Wharves District for years and a skinny Varisian adolescent lad named Gef who, as Girri watches, leads an older man towards one of the hall's private side rooms.

Passing by the bar, Girri catches a whiff of a familiar scent that makes her gut churn with both desire and disgust; the enticing stench of shiver. Turning instinctively, the Varisian woman sees that a burly bearded man with the telltale under bite of someone with orcish ancestry is discretely negotiating a sale with a pock-marked sailor with sunken eyes. His heritage and current activities reveals him to likely be one of Boss Croat's dream-mongers. In a familiar move the drug dealer has uncorked the vial in his hands, letting the illicit concoction's aroma inexorably lure the addicted sailor into a sale. With some difficulty Girri forces her feet to lead her away from that which her body craves so desperately.

Seeking a distraction, the Varisian woman quickly takes another sip from her drink and turns her attention back to the crowd. Girri soon catches sight of an unfamiliar young half-elven woman with Varisian tattoos on her face milling around the room. Much like Girri herself, the tattooed woman seems to be ignoring the gambling in favor of aimlessly studying the crowd. Turning in place the woman eventually makes eye contact with Girri and, seeming a little startled to find herself being observed, blushes and smiles shyly. The woman's reaction seems somehow odd to the Varisian Harrower, though she initially can't put her finger on the reason. Then she realizes the reason; Girri is simply unused to seeing anyone blush in the den of iniquity that is Riddleport.


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 21, 2009)

Girri averts her eyes from following after the boy as he leads the older man into the side room.  Biting the inside of her lip with a shake of her head, Girri instead focuses on the unfamiliar young half-elven woman.  Crossing over to the woman, Girri offers a smile and a word.  "Odd choice for a night's entertainment.  You're new here?  Did you try the Bounder table?"  Careful to maintain a casual tone to both her intonation and gestures lest she put off the newcomer, Girri sips the last of her drink then sets down the glass on a nearby unoccupied table.


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## Ambrus (Sep 21, 2009)

The tattooed woman seems friendly though a little nervous when Girri approaches her. She laughs uncertainly and self-consciously adjusts her green cloak when the Harrower successfully guesses that she's new to town. _"I'm just in from Magnimar. Gods, is it that obvious?"_ The half-elven woman peers around the room once more as if embarrassed to meet Girri's eye. _"Bounder? Well, I'm not really much of a gambler..."_ The woman turns back to Girri quickly with a look of apology on her face. _"Not that I have anything against gambling! I –I just don't have the luxury of participating in the tournament at the moment. Money is a little tight..."_ The woman smiles sheepishly at Girri. _"Truth be told, I was hoping to find some Cyphermages here; I was told there might be some in attendance."_ The young woman tries to be discreet as she glances down at Girri's colorful assortment of scarves. _"You, uhm, wouldn't happen to be in the Order would you?"_


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 22, 2009)

[sblock=OOC]Knowledge (local) +7.  Knowledge (arcana) +6.  Who are Cyphermages and where in this area can they be found?[/sblock]Girri affects the face of someone considering an interesting question while she mentally wracks her knowledge of Riddleport, trying to think of an answer to the woman's questions.  "Hmmm...cyphermages...yer best bet'd be ter go..."  Girri stalls, hoping for a closer look at the woman.

Sense Motive +7.  Is she from Magnimar, or is she lying?


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## Ambrus (Sep 22, 2009)

[sblock=OOC]Incidentally, there's some basic background information about the Order of Cyphers in this thread's initial post.

Thanks to her familiarity with the city, Girri knows that Cyphermages are a group of wizards, sorcerers and scholars dedicated to uncovering the purpose of the enigmatic Cyphergate and other Thassilonian ruins. A rising power in Riddleport, the Order of Cyphers' ways are mysterious and many of the more traditional inhabitants of Riddleport mistrust them, dirisively calling them _fancyboys_ and _fancygirls_. The order is lead by its Speaker, Elias Tammerhawk; an accomplished wizard and Crimelord that some say might be poised to become the next Overlord of the city. The Cypher Lodge, the order's headquarters, is located in the Windward District on the western bank of the Velashu river. Possessing an unparalleled view of the mysterious Cyphergate, the Lodge is rumored to house the greatest library in northern Varisia.

The woman's accent and clothing would appear to confirm her claim of being Magnimaran. Her manner certainly seems altogether forthright and Girri is fairly confident that her nervous demeanor is largely due to her being in an unfamiliar environment.[/sblock]


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 26, 2009)

Deciding the woman doesn't look as if she's lying about being new in town and from Magnimar, Girri nods her head twice but guides the woman away from the bulk of the crowd.  "Ears all around, an' talk of cyphermages will no get ye friends in this place."  Once Girri is relatively satsified that she may talk in whispered peace without the interferrence of listeners, she speaks up a bit more fully.  "Cyphermages keep ter themselves--we mostly call 'em fancyboys, an' s'long's they keep their business quietlike, we leave 'em be.  They gots a Cypher Lodge o'er in the Windward district along the west bank of the Velashu." 

Girri sucks in a breath of smoke-laden air and pauses, then--remembering the Harrowing earlier in the night--blurts out, "I'll take ye, but it'll be fer a price.  5 gold.  I know a quiet roundabouts way ter git there."  Girri's eyes glitter with new purpose and sudden resolve as she beholds the Magnimarian woman.


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## Ambrus (Sep 27, 2009)

The young woman allows herself to be led around thinking that Girri might know of a Cyphermage in the hall. She seems taken aback however once the Harrower asks for money; putting a little distance between them as she frowns with mild abhorrence. _"Of course I went to the Cypher Lodge when I got here; I'm not a dolt! But I got turned away at the door right quick; the lot of em have been holed up in there ever since Blakely's Shadow* first appeared in the sky. Guy at the door said that they aren't accepting any visitors or applicants for the foreseeable future. I'm here at this... place... to look for individual Order members so I can try talking one of em into taking me on as an apprentice. I barely had the money to pay the damned entry fee; I sure as hells don't have five gold to spare for you. So thanks, but no thanks."_ The woman seems about to turn away from Girri.

* A local fancyboy named Argentus Blakely supposedly predicted the existence of an "atmospheric shadow" in the sky and so it was named after him when it eventually became visible above the city. Story is that he magically flew up to investigate it awhile back and reported it to be strangely cold, but that it seemed no different than a regular cloud—apart from its unusual color.


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 28, 2009)

Girri grabs the bridge monkey by the arm.  "Lookie here, love.  'Less you want an earth bath from a hushman, you let me do the askin' after a Cyphermage fancyboy."  Muttering under her breath, Girri adds, "I don't want no quarrel with the Deck this night, might as well do its bidding."  Girri gestures for the Magnimarian to sit at a nearby table beside a cheaply painted gilt screen.  Scanning the room, Girri filters the occupants with new purpose, this time with an eye for a fancyboy or fancygirl.

Knowledge (local) +7.  Is there a cyphermage here tonight?


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## Ambrus (Sep 29, 2009)

The young woman seems somewhat startled as Girri grabs ahold of her, brusquely turns her around and all but pushes her into a nearby chair. Bewildered by the Harrower's slang-riddled declaration, the would-be apprentice seems momentarily uncertain whether she should hold still as instructed or bolt into the crowd. Girri takes advantage of the girl's confusion to turn and scan the room for possible Cyphermages slumming it in the Gold Goblin. She catches sight of Saul Vancaskerkin speaking to a well appointed dwarf as they exit the hall through a door into the rear offices. Above the large guarded chest is the brooding imp Old Scratch; he sneers rudely at the Harrower when he notices her looking at him. Unfortunately for the Varisian woman, she's had few opportunities to interact with Cyphermages; few self-respecting fancygirls ever deigned to visit the Bent Trace Futurities. Just when Girri is about to turn back in defeat she catches sight of a likely mark; a tall lanky man in dark green robes with a brocaded collar, sporting a pair of polished bracers, a carefully trimmed goatee and a predictably haughty demeanor. As she watches, the man rises from one of the gambling tables, pauses to look towards the rear of the hall and then turns as he walks hurriedly towards one of the public lavatory doors along the side wall.[imager]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/4605/angvarthestlecrit.jpg[/imager]

OOC: I had to reread your previous post a few times to make sense of all that slang. At first I thought you'd mistakenly posted something intended for another bpb game.


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## CanadienneBacon (Sep 29, 2009)

"Right, him then."  Girri nods to herself in satsifaction as she watches the haughty fancyboy head to the lavatory.  Quickly wheeling back around to face the Magnimarian bridge monkey, Girri sits down in the chair opposite and leans in.  "Tall, male, all legs an' arms, an' wearin' fancy-dancy dark green robes.  Got some kind of silvery threaded collar on his robes, plus white metal wrist bracers, and a pointy bit of beard on his chin.  Just went to the loo, probably be back out in a moment.  Got cyphermage written all o'er him."  Girri leans back in her chair and nods once in satisfaction at the bridge monkey.  "What you do with that bit o' info's up ter you, love, but that's what yer wantin' an' make no mistake."

Girri privately decides that the Deck has ordained this encounter and that she'll follow after the Magnimarian at a safe distance to see what comes of the bridge monkey's encounter with the fancyboy.  

Stealth +3.  If Girri thinks she a silence spell would help her pursuit (in case the Magnimarian and the fancyboy leave the Goblin together), she'll cast it on a pebble--or herself if need be--and follow after.


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## Ambrus (Sep 29, 2009)

The half-elven woman straightens as if suddenly  on guard against what Girri might do next when she suddenly turns and seats herself across from the would be apprentice. The woman blinks confusedly a few times as the Harrower describes the green robed man. Finally catching on, she bites her lip as she catches sight of the presumed Cyphermage making his way across the room. Standing, the young woman looks back at Girri with uncertainty. _"Um, well thanks. I'll go wait for him to come out to talk to him."_ Turning to watch her go, Girri once more catches sight of the fancyboy as he pauses by the lavatory with one hand on the door. Half turning, he seems to be scanning the gaming hall for something but takes no notice of the half-elven woman determinedly making her way towards him. Then, curiously, Girri sees the man turn and push the door open while pulling out what appears to be a piece of folded parchment from beneath one of his bracers. He then disappears into the lavatory. A few tables away, the half-elven woman slows her pace as she looks expectantly towards the lavatory door. A raucous cheer goes up as a gambler wins a substantial pot from somewhere across the bustling hall.

OOC: Kudos on an uncanny perception die roll.


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 1, 2009)

Girri gets up from her small table for two adjacent to the painted screen and slowly threads her way through the gambling room toward the lavatory.  She picks a place to stand out of the way where she can see and hopefully overhear any conversation that goes on between the fancyboy and the bridge monkey.

Stealth +3, if need be.  And, again, if they leave together Girri will try to follow unseen/unheard by casting silence.


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## Ambrus (Oct 2, 2009)

Getting up from her seat, Girri passes a succubi waitress hurriedly moving towards the winning game table with her serving tray in hand. Neither she nor the tattooed half-elf woman seems to notice the Harrower as she moves surreptitiously past them. The latter instead crosses her arms and glances at a nearby game table as she waits for the mage to be finished in the lavatory.

Moving towards the Goblin's Tankard side-room so as to be in a good position to discreetly listen in once the mage emerges, Girri passes by a Bounder table near the the rear of the hall. She notices the eyepatch sporting woman she'd been playing alongside earlier as she drops a handful of her chips to the floor. _"Oops!"_ In and of itself, this would seem to be a trivial incident except that the cadre of gamblers at her table suddenly tense up, shut their eyes tight (as does the woman) and put their hands on the hilts of their blades. Sensing that something is amiss, Girri is suddenly on guard.

Before she can act however, the burning braziers arranged around the central dais explode in a blinding pyrotechnic display of flashing, streaking and scintillating lights. As cries of surprise and panic begin to spread across the gambling hall, Girri distinctly hears the ringing of steel as weapons are drawn at the nearby Bounder table. As her vision begins to clear, the Harrower sees that there's pandamonium throughout the hall; most patrons and staff are rubbing at their eyes or reaching out tentatively in reaction to their sudden blindness: _"WHAT HAPPENED!?!"__ "I can't see!" "I'M BLIND!!!"_

With spots in her eyes, Girri quickly looks around. She sees that four thugs at the Bounder table have drawn swords while the eyepatch wearing woman is looking around, seemingly pleased by the mayhem. The bouncers surrounding the central dais seem mostly cognizant though have yet to react. Near the lavatory door, the half-elven woman seems to have been blinded by the explosion of lights as were most patrons. Past her, Girri notices that the lavatory door is slightly ajar.

OOC: This is a surprise round. Girri made her save and is not blinded; she can now take a single action. The four thugs have already acted by drawing swords. The eyepatch sporting woman has yet to act and neither have the bouncers.


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 7, 2009)

I'll edit in a post later today.  Whew--a lot of action all at once!  I like it.


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 14, 2009)

Frowning at the mayhem that suddenly erupts in the gambling hall but not wanting to be caught without protection against whatever trouble is obviously afoot, Girri tries to make herself as unthreatening as possible.  Girri Quickly uncoils a length of colored scarf from her left arm and gives the scarf a shake to free the blades concealed within.  Her weapon at the ready, the Harrower keeps a steady eye on the lavatory door in case the cyphermage tries to make a break for it.

[sblock=OOC]The robbery is between the robbers and the Goblin's guards.  Girri won't tattle, but will try to make herself as unthreatening as possible in order to not get involved and to avoid blame.  Her interest is in the cyphermage and the bridge monkey, and she's not about to loose them now, not even in the craziness that just broke out in the gambling hall.  If the fancyboy doesn't come out the restroom right quick, Girri is going to go in after him, if need be--since he went in right before the "explosion," Girri thinks he's somehow involved.[/sblock]


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## Ambrus (Oct 15, 2009)

in the midst of a hundred panicked people blindly stumbling about, Girri has little reason to fear that her actions will be noticed. Indeed, the most threatening thing the harrower faces is a spilt drink and the probing hands of a blinded patron who stumbles into her. _"Help me, please. I can't see..."_

Just then, a piercing whistle causes most people to quiet down somewhat and turn towards its source. Girri glances past the blind man in front of her and sees the eyepatch sporting woman withdrawing her fingers from mouth. She calls out boldly: _"All right folks! Drop to the ground and you'll live through this! Don't nobody try anything stupid."_ Immediately, roughly half of those in the room either sit, kneel or lie on the ground as instructed. Most of those remaining on their feet either continue to stumble around blindly or stand confused.

To the Gold Goblin's staff's credit, three of the six bouncers in the hall seem to retain their vision; one near the dais and another near the main doors even manage to draw their scimitars defensively. Then, as the four thugs surge from their table towards the dais, Girri notices the mage discretely exit the lavatory. He likewise moves purposefully towards the dais albeit in a much more covert fashion. He ignores the half-elven woman as he does the other blind patrons. As he walk, the mage withdraws another folded piece of parchment from beneath his other bracer.

The thugs draw weighted saps as they swarm over and around the dais to overwhelm the Goblin's remaining defenders. The lead bouncer succeed in delivering a wicked slash to the midsection of one of the thugs as he runs past. Unfortunately he, along with the other remaining sighted bouncer at the dais, are quickly surrounded by the thugs and beaten with saps until they collapse to the ground.

OOC: We're now halfway through the first round of combat. It's Girri's turn.
Initiative:
Mage 22
Thugs 22
Girri 18
Woman 17
Bouncers 1


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 15, 2009)

> Then, curiously, Girri sees the man turn and push the door open while pulling out what appears to be a piece of folded parchment from beneath one of his bracers.





> As he walk, the mage withdraws another folded piece of parchment from beneath his other bracer.



Knowledge (arcana) + 6.  Are these folded pieces of parchment spell scrolls?

Girri grabs the bridge monkey by the arm and pulls her in close so she can fiercely whisper in the lass's ear.  "Don't let 'em know ye ain't blind.  Act stunned an' foller me so's we kin git after that fancyboy."  That said, Girri lets go of the Magnimarian and manuevers closer to the side of the dais closest the cyphermage, keeping her arms outstretched in front of her as she "stumbles" forward, feigning blindness.


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## Ambrus (Oct 15, 2009)

Girri stumbles over to the tattooed half-elf, pulls her close and whispers in her pointed ear. At first the woman struggles in surprised panic but soon calms down once she recognizes the harrower's distinctive accent. _"But... I *am* blind..."_

Meanwhile, the eye patch sporting woman walks boldly past stumbling patrons to climb up the dais stairs. Pausing to survey the room, the woman drops what appears to be a piece of lint while she idly hums a few bars of a children's song. Frustrated by the seeming lack of results, the woman frowns with dismay.

At the same time the remaining cognizant bouncer near the door, scimitar in hand, forces his way across the crowded floor to confront the thugs beating on his subdued coworker. Fighting in close quarters, the man's swing fails to connect as his target parries the bouncer's blade with his own.

As the mage makes his way over to the dais, he carefully maneuvers between two blinded and disoriented bouncers and unfolds the parchment he's carrying. If there was any doubt in Girri's mind as to the paper's magical nature, it is banished as the man carefully traces the mystic diagrams with a forefinger while intoning the eldritch words inscribed there. As the scroll crumples to dust, the mage reaches across the dais and touches the gilded treasure chest. Suddenly the chest collapses in upon itself; its substance seemingly having been transmogrified into that of a delicate piece of cloth. The suddenly unsupported chains which had been wrapped around the chest clatter loudly as they drop onto the dais.

Meanwhile, the thugs continue to swarm over the dais as they attempt to subdue all the bouncers; blind and sighted alike. One of the former goes down in a heap while the armed one succeeds in avoiding two thugs' saps.


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 16, 2009)

Girri eyes the disintegrated treasure chest and frowns.  _Not good.  Powerful enough to read the arcane from the scroll yet not powerful enough to cast it on his own._  Girri stifles the urge to help the bouncers.  _They knew there might be trouble when they took this job--this much coin's bound to be a temptation.  Still, better protect the half-elf._ 

Girri pulls the bridge monkey down to the floorboards and again falls to whispering in her ear.  "Stay with me.  I'll try an' keep you safe.  You'll feel a bit o' tinglin'--just stay put 'alf a moment.  We got ter try an' keeps our cool, so's we kin foller the fancyboy." Cast _sanctuary_ on the bridge monkey, then watch the fancyboy to see which direction he moves.


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## Ambrus (Oct 16, 2009)

The half-elven woman allows herself to pulled to the ground. She seems slightly alarmed at the sound of Girri's chanting but relaxes when she hears the priestess invoke the blessing of Pharasma on her behalf. _"You're... You're a nun?"_ As if suddenly reminded of something, the woman reaches down to her waist and strokes the leather of her belt while quietly intoning a few mystic syllables. Then, fumbling momentarily to find it, the young mage grasps Girri's forearm. For a brief moment the harrower feels as if her body is being squeezed all over by an invisible vise. Then, just as suddenly, the pressure ceases. The woman smiles blindly at Girri. _"To keep you safe too."_

Over at the dais, the eyepatch sporting woman smiles broadly as she leans down, pulls the thin gossamer fabric free of the chains and bundles it up quickly. _"Come to mama..."_ She then turns, hops down off of the dais, puckers her lips towards the mage at her side and begins making her way through the confused crowd towards the front doors of the gaming hall.

The mage smirks and follows in her wake while fiddling with something at his belt. Pausing halfway to the door, the man turns and gesticulates towards the dais while intoning a brief incantation. His actions cause the door to the imp's gilded cage to pop open.

The imp blinks confusedly for a moment before his face contorts in rage. Spitting vile insults to all present, the tiny devil bursts from his enclosure and tumbles recklessly through the air around the dais.

Meanwhile, the thugs continue their teeming assault on the hall's dwindling defenders. One succeeds at parrying the sole attacking bouncer's attack and then ripostes by slamming his sap soundly on the side of the man's head; sending him sprawling to the floor. With little mercy, the rest of the thugs move through the crowd so as to surround the two remaining, disoriented bouncers left standing; one at the dais and the other near the front doors.

Most people in the crowd continue to cower on the floor, rub their eyes or fumble and trip over other blinded patrons.

OOC: We're now halfway through the third round of combat.
Initiative:
Mage 22
Thugs 22
Imp 22
Girri 18
Woman 17
Bouncers 1


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 17, 2009)

"He's leavin', an' so are we!"  Girri hisses in the bridge monkey's ear.  "Quickly, now.  Can ye see yer way through?" 

Follow after the cyphermage (bladed scarf still drawn).  Double move?  Running?  Whatever is necessary to not lose him, but follow at a respectful distance.  Once Girri is clear of the Goblin (and the imp), she will take a round to move 30 feet and cast silence upon her belt, then will resume following after the cyphermage at full speed.


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## Ambrus (Oct 17, 2009)

Standing once more, Girri likewise pulls the half-elven woman to her feet and begins dragging her through the crowd along a route that parallels that of the departing mage. The young woman following behind whispers confusedly. _"I... I think so. My vision is starting to clear. But... why are we following him? My meeting him can wait..."_

Half turning, the eyepatch sporting woman calls out happily to her henchmen. _"Loot what you will, boys!"_ Both she and the mage pause a moment as the last guard standing by the door is subdued by the thugs before resuming. The thugs hoot and holler with delight as they turn towards the blind patrons around them to begin tearing free rings, bracelets, necklaces and purses. Over by the dais, his vision clearing enough to defend himself, the last bouncer left standing succeeds in dodging the sap blows from the two thugs flanking him. In turn he draws his scimitar, slashes at the already injured thug and disembowels the very surprised robber. The soon-to-be dead man collapses to the ground unceremoniously.

 Arriving at the front of the hall, the mage steps forward and gallantly opens and holds the door for the lady at his side. She once more puckers her lips at him and swiftly steps through the portal herself.

 Flapping wildly around the room, Old Scratch the imp shrieks angrily at the nearest thug. _"He just killed yer ally! You gonna take that you sodding berk? Ya got a shiv don't ya? Kill the bloody bastard!"_ The thug, horrified at the sudden gruesome death of his comrade, does as suggested; lowering his sap and leveling his short sword at the bouncer. He parries the bouncer's scimitar and lunges forward, thrusting his blade into the bald man's gut. The injured bouncer drops his blade, clutches at his belly and falls face first to floor.

 Throughout the hall, patrons and staff seem to be slowly recovering their sight. A few shriek and cower in fright as the remaining thugs turn on them. Others simply stand, rub their eyes and survey the room; intent on figuring out what has transpired since the pyrotechnic explosion. A few draw knives, swords or other weapons and stand ready to defend themselves from anyone who might rob them.

 Moving quickly and purposefully through the crowd, the harrower and the half-elven woman arrive near the front door just as the mage steps through. As she's about to step forward, Girri sees that the eyepatch sporting woman is standing on the other side and is about to shut the door...

[sblock=OOC]In keeping with your stated goal, I've moved the action along to the middle of the fourth round. I had Girri and the half-elf take a move action on their turns to get near the door and then each ready an action to move through it once the way ahead was clear. The eyepatch sporting woman however has likewise readied an action to close the door once the mage moved through it; essentially the same triggering circumstance. Since they're both acting on the same initiative count, it falls to which of them has the higher initiative bonus to go first; that'd be Girri. Hooray for improved initiative!

So I've paused here to let you decide what you'd like to do. The mage has moved outside and his female accomplice is standing on the other side of the door about to close it in Girri's face. Girri can either stay in the hall or leap through the door. Doing the latter won't provoke an AoO since the woman isn't currently armed. If she does so however she'll be leaving the half-elf behind since her initiative count is lower than the other woman's.

Girri can move up to 30-ft as part of her readied action; please be clear about where exactly she moves to if she does.
[sblock=If Girri chooses the door...] The woman will then take her readied action and close the door behind Girri. That in turn will trigger the mage's readied action of casting _hold portal_ on the double doors. It will then fall back to Girri to act. So you can go ahead and state your following round's actions as well.[/sblock][/sblock]


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 18, 2009)

Not wanting to be locked insided the Goblin with an imp and murderous thugs on the loose, yet not wanting to lose the cyphermage, Girri grabs hold of the bridge monkey and pulls hard, trying to bull rush both herself and the Magnimarian out the door at the same time.  

Bull rush, moving with the "opponent."  If this fails, Girri will stay inside the Goblin.  If this succeeds, Girri will try to make it look like she "tripped" out the door and will feign scrabbling away from the cyphermage and his helper like she is merely trying to get away from the madness that has taken over the Goblin.  When it is safe to follow, she will cast silence on herself and follow--hopefully with the bridge monkey in tow.  By the way, I have absolutely no problem at all with you moving things forward on the init count as need be based on what you feel to be reasonable.  I was actually hoping you would do that.


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## Ambrus (Oct 18, 2009)

[sblock=OOC]A "bull rush" maneuver can't be executed by pulling an "opponent"; it's a forceful push. Even if it were allowed under these circumstances Girri couldn't possibly roll high enough to move the half-elf the fifteen feet necessary to get her out the door. Not to mention that this is a readied action... A simpler and more straight-forward option would involve simply using a conventional pick-up-and-carry method but would require more actions (i.e. time) than Girri has available in this instance. Sorry. [/sblock]
Girri turns back and tries tugging forcefully on the half-elven woman's forearm but she in turn struggles against the harrower. _"What are you doing?!?"_ Missing her opportunity to follow the escaping couple, Girri watches as the door to the hall slams shut in her face. The noise draws the attention of the nearby thugs, who turn away from their enthusiastic looting in surprise. Sensing betrayal, the nearest thug quickly steps over to the door and pushes against it, at first with a hand and then repeatedly with his shoulder. His efforts prove futile however; the doors to the hall appear to have been sealed from the outside. _"Them good fer nothin grog-blossoms! We've been had..." _Turning around, the man sees that most people in the crowd are regaining their vision as well as their volition to act. He and the other thugs blanch with sudden fear. _"Uh... let's beat it boys!"_ Scanning the room for possible exits, the thug nearest the dais points towards the rear of the hall with the bloodied steel of his sword. _"Quick. The kitchens. There's got to be a rear door. Right?"_ Brandishing their weapons menacingly at the crowd so as to dissuade opposition, the three remaining robbers abandon their dead comrade and hastily rush towards the kitchen door. Circling overhead, the foul-mouthed imp issues a stream of vile insults at the crowd bellow before disappearing suddenly.

OOC: I just need to know whether Girri might intervene somehow before I type out the conclusion to this fiasco.


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## CanadienneBacon (Oct 18, 2009)

Defeated, Girri's heart sinks as she whirls around from the closed and sealed main door to face the mayhem of the Goblin.  Letting out a sigh, Girri resorts to spellwork in a last-ditch effort to soothe what is quickly becoming a desperate situation.  Risking the chance of being jeered or heckled, Girri makes way for the dais.  Using her hands to weave mythic runes in the air as she sways her hips and rolls her midsection in dance, Girri spins and twirls, letting a few lengths of her coloured scarves whirl as she sings a song of the ancients.

_"Ag amharc trí m'óige
Is mé bhí sámh,
Gan eolas marbh
Bhí mé óg san am.

Anois, táim buartha,
'S fad ar shiúl an lá,
Ochón is ochón ó.

Na laetha geal m'óige
Bhí siad lán de dhóchas,
An bealach mór a bhí romham anonn
Bhí sé i ndán domh go mbeinn, slán, slán.
Anois, táim buartha,
'S fad ar shiúl an lá,
Ochón is ochón ó.
Na laetha geal m'óige
Bhí siad lán de dhóchas,
An bealach mór a bhí romham anonn
Bhí sé i ndán domh go mbeinn, slán, slán.
Anois, táim buartha,
'S fad ar shiúl an lá,
Ochón is ochón ó."_

Casting enthrall, moving/dancing toward the dais.  The intent here is to calm and mesmerize the crowd as much as possible, leading them out peacefully through the rear door (and hoping to God there IS a rear door).  30 foot movement.  And, yes, those are Enya lyrics.


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## Ambrus (Oct 19, 2009)

Patrons and staff members alike scurry hurriedly out of the way as the three thugs beat a hasty retreat towards the kitchen door. A handful of people in the crowd, now brandishing weapons of their own, seem conflicted as to whether or not they should intervene in the robbers' escape. Most seem unprepared when the harrower dances around the pooling blood on the floor, hops up onto the now vacant dais and launches into her performance. A few of the nearest patrons look up at her confusedly for a moment before turning their attention back to the kitchen door as the last of the thugs exits the room.

Girri struggles momentarily to drown out the brief cries of fright that issue from the kitchen before her divinely augmented voice finally draws and captures the attention of all those present. Soon all eyes in the gambling hall turn towards her and a sea of frightful, angry and confused expressions melt into ones of enthralled contentment. As the moment of musical exaltation is drawn out, more of those who'd been hiding in side rooms or beneath gaming tables give in to curiosity, come forth and are similarly caught up in Girri's bewitching performance. Most stand in blissful disregard of their surroundings. Those brandishing weapons lower them.

[sblock=OOC]I have to admit, I did not forsee this robbery ending in a song and dance number. So kudos for surprising me.

But please take a look at the enthrall spell's description: "Those enthralled by your words take no action while you speak or sing". That means they can't move to follow Girri. Not that Girri herself can move because: "The speech ends if you lose concentration or do anything other than speak or sing". I'll allow Girri to dance as a part of her enthralling performance as long as it's understood that she's effectively stationary while she does so.[/sblock]


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 2, 2009)

[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.


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## Ambrus (Nov 2, 2009)

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!"


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 2, 2009)

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.


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## Ambrus (Nov 2, 2009)

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.


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 3, 2009)

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."


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## Ambrus (Nov 3, 2009)

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.


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 4, 2009)

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.


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## Ambrus (Nov 4, 2009)

[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?


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 4, 2009)

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.


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## Ambrus (Nov 5, 2009)

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.


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 13, 2009)

Girri is going to want to investigate two things:

1.) The cyphermage organization that Samaritha was so interested in joining.  Girri will use Knowlege (local) to begin asking after the organization.  She'll ask discretely at first.  If that produces no results, let me know because at that point I may have Girri start to ask around in an overt manner hoping to attract the organization's attention.  Girri's goal is to find out whether the mage at the Goblin is part of the organization, where the organization's interests lie, whether they are noble or black-hearted in intent, and she will additionally attempt to case their building looking for means of ingress and watching who enters and leaves.  _Detect thoughts, silence, obscuring mist_, and/or _comprehend languages _might come into play.

2.) The robbery at the Golden Goblin.  Girri will case the Goblin, watching to see whether the local authorities investigate and whether her name gets mention as a suspect.  She'll use magical means to hide herself whenever possible so that in the event she *is* a suspect, she hopefully won't get nabbed by the coppers.  _Detect thoughts, silence, and obscuring mist _might come into play.


As long as it is safe to do so, Girri will continue sleeping at home and will take care of the stairs and the building's midden.


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## Ambrus (Nov 24, 2009)

OOC: Sorry for being so tardy in responding; I'd posted, had been waiting for your response and then got far too caught up with other things. Mea culpa.

In the morning, after taking care of her stair sweeping and midden emptying responsibilities, Girri heads out into the streets to make a few discreet inquiries. Asking around is hardly necessary however, the previous evening's Gold Goblin heist is the talk of the Harbor District. The harrower overhears many colorful recountings of the event and often finds herself amused by the sometimes ridiculous inaccuracies that have crept into the tale in such a short amount of time. Seeing as how she personally witnessed the entire event, Girri quickly sifts through the rumor mill chaff and comes up with the popular view of what transpired. One element which may seem to be working in her favor is the uncertainty revolving around how many robbers were involved; some versions either include or exclude Samaritha, Old Scratch the imp or Girri herself.

Working her way down to the Gold Goblin itself, Girri observes the gaming hall from a safe distance. The place appears closed down. A pair of Overlord Cromarcky's gendarmes are guarding the front double doors. So it would seem that the city's government has taken some measure of interest in the heist. Hanging around the large golden goblin statue's sword arm is a painted wooden placard that reads 'Help Wanted. Inquire within.'

Seeing as how arcane magic was clearly involved, it seems that others have likewise concluded that the Cyphermages may be involved in the robbery; conjecture amongst the gossip-mongers is rife. Word on the street is that the Cypher Lodge has failed to react to the implication that a mage was seemingly involved yet. That's not terribly surprising seeing as how few fancy boys have been seen outside of their Lodge across the river ever since Blakely's Shadow first appeared in the sky above the city.

Though not personally familiar with the Cyphermages, Girri knows of them by reputation. As unlikely as a cabal of mages might be within a pirate city such as Riddleport, their presence seems due entirely to the existence of the mammoth and mysterious Cyphergate itself. The Order of Cyphers has no official function within the city beyond the ceaseless research its scholarly members conduct on the city's namesake. Even so, in the short span of time that it has existed, the Order of Cyphers has grown in power and influence within the city. Some say that the Order's duly elected speaker Elias Tammerhawk has his eye set on the position of Overlord and isn't terribly far from achieving it; that is, unless Gaston Cromarcky has anything to say about it. Most crimelords within the city don't seem to know how to react to a magical menace and so do one of two things; ignore them or employ them. The fact that most crimelords have been employing the services of the Cyphermages to magically ward their holdings would seem to be the primary reason that the Order has risen steadily in power since it's inception. By handing over fistfuls of money to the Cypher Lodge to keep themselves magically safe, it would seem that the city's crimelords have inadvertently elevated the cabal to a position from which the can conceivably dominate city politics. Most busybodies on the street don't seem to lend much credence to the idea that the spellcaster involved in the Gold Goblin robbery is a Cyphermage; it seems too crass and petty a cash grab for the fancy boys to involve themselves with.

While listening to various conjecture being postulated about the heist, Girri begins to grow alarmed by people's efforts to identify the perpetrators. Supposedly one robber was killed during the heist; no one seems to recognize him as a local thug. Similarly, neither the eyepatch sporting woman or the spellcaster seem known to locals. But some say that a local Varisian dancing girl might have aided in the robbers' escape. An abbess from the House of the Silken veil who'd been working the Goblin at the time says that she recognized the woman. Not long after she hears this, Girri is approached by a neighbor woman of her's from whom she occasionally purchases eggs.

_"Aye. A dwarf in fancy britches and some big ulfen man came by yer building earlier. They described ya to me and asked if I knew where you lived. I told em no cause they wouldn't tell me what business it was 'o theirs. They went on, asking everybody who was outside. They came back a bit later and knocked on yer door then went up ta talk ta tha dowager upstairs. I saw em give her a note before they left."_


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## CanadienneBacon (Nov 25, 2009)

Alarmed, Girri outwardly frowns before regathering her wits and softly patting the neighbor woman on the upper arm.  "Aye, ye did right, missus, an' me thanks.  I don't know wot a dwarf might want o' me, but it cain't be much good, can it?"  Girri gives the egg woman a silver piece to show her thanks and hopefully buy silence, then heads into her own building via a back way (if there is one) and makes for the dowager's door, on which she quietly knocks.


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## Ambrus (Nov 25, 2009)

OOC: There is an alleyway that backs onto all the buildings along this street; it's for use by servants and where the middens are. Girri can easily make her way to the back of her building but the door only leads to the dowager's kitchen. The only way to Girri's under-stairs hovel is from the front of the building.

Girri picks up her skirts as she makes her way along the muddy alleyway so as to avoid stepping through the refuse and muck flowing down its center. She passes a few familiar faces along the way; serving women busily emptying out chamber pots and garbage bins into the midden piles lining each side of the rear alley. The Varisian harrower does her best to ignore the stench and the rodents scurrying by underfoot.

Arriving at the rear door to the dowager's kitchen, Girri sees that the midden she'd emptied earlier that morning already has some kitchen scraps littering its bottom. As she's about to rap her bare knuckles on the door, the young woman spots an unusually white spec amidst the midden's otherwise drably colored contents.
[sblock=Assuming Girri investigates the spec...]Peering closer out of curiosity, the harrower sees that what she'd caught a glimpse of is in fact a small piece of fine parchment folded over. Gently plucking the note out of the surrounding refuse, Girri scrapes the stray vegetable matter off of the paper, unfolds it and reads:

_We know that you were the one dancing
at the Gold Goblin during the robbery last
night. Save yourself some trouble and
come to the Gold Goblin to talk to
Mr. Vancaskerkin about it. If you don't
then we'll either have to come out again
or let the gendarmes haul you in. Don't
make that happen; I've got better things
to do and won't be happy bout having
to stomp all over Riddleport after you
and the gendarmes will treat you even
worse if they get you first. But mark
my words; I will find you wherever
you go if I have to.

Larur Feldin
Gold Goblin floor manager_

Idly, Girri wonders to herself whether the dowager has ever thrown out anything else intended for her.[/sblock]


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