Flashpoint: The Fashionable Party

*Spoilers for Council of Thieves lurks within.

We had a drop in player during this particular session who once played the part of a were-tiger during an earlier part of the campaign. This time the player went with a professor-style rogue with more intelligence than sense that I will call the “Professor” as I don’t recall her name. I don’t believe she ever properly introduced herself. The “Professor” was a bit of a spoof character but what a spoof! Her terribly inappropriate comments and utterly British mannerisms ensured much laughter and helped liven up the party. The other NPC party goers treated her as a bit of a “court jester” and let her get away with comments that none other could make. The servants largely made a point to avoid her. I later declared that her character now had the trait: “Abandoned by Servants” as they always seem to be somewhere else when she wants them.

 Anywho, so the daring adventurers arrive at the party with a desire to search the Mayor’s home for information on the Pathfinder Lodge. They sit through multiple meals where Lhye gets incredibly intoxicated – so much so that I capped his Wisdom loss at 3. It was meant to be booze and food he was indulging in, not poison.

I whittled away at a little of Proteus’ wisdom by having his co-star hang off his arms and try to indulge herself alongside him. Proteus sees Hallik’s sister, Chammady, and tries to brush off the starlet to go speak to her. Then begins a comedy of errors which sees him Sow Thought to make her wish to spend time with Lhye (she tries to keep Proteus in the conversation) and then finally he lays a Geas on her to introduce herself to everyone in the party.  Thoroughly drunk now and thus almost in tears at being given the brush off, she then goes to introduce herself around. Finally she passes out from all of the food and drink in the corner by 11PM.

Proteus manages to speak to Chammady, briefly, but not before the “Professor” bends her ear about how “that actor over there wants to get himself inside you” (imagine a deeply British and professor-like way of speaking). Proteus is utterly at a loss for how to get past such an introduction. He rolls a 1 on his social attempts to brush off the “Professor’s” words and only reaffirms it with his awkwardness. Proteus’ player was worried that the 1 would mean being possessed again and becoming a ranty Kuthite.

 So I make him an offer.

The bone in his hand seems rather empowered. He could always surrender himself to it briefly and allow himself to become a Lawful Evil Kuthite version of himself. I promised him that he was sure he wouldn’t rant because, well, it would hardly be beneficial. The Chelish think of Kuthites as spoilsports as they’re often quite for the stiff upper lip and not all that into debauchery but they do so often feel an understanding of Kuthites ... up until the whole self-mutilation schtick.

So Proteus allowed himself to become a Lawful Evil version of himself. He managed to charm Chammady who offered to meet him again in two nights time at the cafe as she had to leave to attend another appointment. He then picked up the unconscious starlet and used her as an excuse to head for the guest bedrooms to help her lie down. In order to clear the way at one point, he surreptitiously stuck a finger in her mouth to make her puke so that the servants would seek out a cleaner. Most of the servants were busy managing the nobility anyway so much of the house was empty. The team went upstairs and found the attic.

The “Professor” broke through a locked door, reasoning that “You people are where the party is” and hoping that she’d either meet the disabled son or the hidden harem rumoured about within the attic. Instead they found a room with reflective steel doors like a mirror. Proteus, now being a rather pragmatic and evil sort, pressed the girls feet against the door to see what would happen. She was teleported out of his arms.

Lhye then made to go past him but Proteus didn’t know if anyone could get back and, being a rational sort of evil, rejected his attempts and even slapped his tail away. But then he realised that one of the best ways to know if someone would come back is if a conscious person passed through. Also, in Lhye’s current state he’d be more help out of the way.

While they waited for Lhye to return, Lunjun searched the old paperwork stacked in the attic and found information on the nobility’s holdings as well as some very basic information on the Delvehaven Lodge and the Pathfinder Society here. The “Professor” wandered the rooms below looking for artefacts and found the treasury where she stole all the platinum piece pouches (causing her to jangle quite a bit) and dragged the chest up the attic stairs using a rug.

The “Professor” and Proteus had a conversation about the money and whether there was more money than was in the chest. He realised that she’d lied about how many platinum pieces she was carrying (once he made her admit she had them) but having a rogue in the party meant making certain concessions. Despite being Lawful, it was perfectly sensible to steal from this place as it was a dungeon to them and they were adventurers. Just like looting a tomb is no issue if there are skeletons, so is thieving from an enemy nation no issue to him either.

Lunjun decided to have a search around as well and he came across the priest’s old bedroom and the equipment hidden in there. He also found beneath the floorboards a deep purple-coloured cat with lavender eyes lying within a cage that just watched him idly. Realising the cat would be worth a pretty penny he took it with him. Lhye hadn’t returned.

An hour passed. The “Professor” knew that magical demi-planes always have an out one can discover from within as the users are always afraid that someone might magically remove their memory of the passcode or steal the key. There may be guardians in the way but there would be something there. So they pass through the mirror doors and finds themselves in a large hallway. When Proteus passes through, he could’ve sworn his reflection waved at him and then jumped through him but ... maybe that was just an effect of the teleport?

Lhye was found sitting beside the unconscious starlet with his eyes glued to the mangled corpse not far away. Everyone assumes at this point that the doors are one-way as Lhye didn’t come out. They don’t realise that a Wisdom 3 Lhye didn’t think to try them so everyone assumes the doors don't work from this side.

Lunjun searches the corpse and finds a runecurse – that he correctly identifies. He tries to hand it to the “Professor”, who also recognises it and lambasts him, so then hands it to Lhye who gullibly accepts it. Proteus convinces Lunjun to take it back – after all, Lhye is more likely to die from it in his present state AND Lhye is a healer and the “Professor” is a rogue. While still quite useful, Lunjun isn’t as vital as the other two to Proteus’ survival.

Lawful Evil Proteus is so much fun!

So they then continue into the next room that has a number of books on torture that catch Proteus’ eye. Lhye then dances through the hall, playing with books, before anyone can stop him. Several Howlers prowl into the room, unleashing their accursed howls, and the “Professor” turns to flee. And that’s where we left it.