Book 1: Crownfall, Act 1: All The King's Men

[GuyWithSword]

Aurelia decides to first establish herself as someone 'in the know' of local events. Someone exciting and fun to talk to. She chats with some people who are near the duke, close enough to hopefully pique Centimu's interests for a chat later.

Knowledge (local)

Roll

1d20+9

[Grimbold]

Brother Betram gets himself two drinks, chats a bit with Aurelia and then moves on, smalltalking with someone Aurelia has just spoken to and moved on, or someone else closer to the Duke.

[ManWithDoor]

The tight packing of people into the Arcade and Courtyard makes it nigh impossible to get privacy with anyone important, to try to catch their ear. But it also makes it difficult for anyone to escape from your attention either. Mercutio and Crichton jump back to the Arcade of Triumphs to do their thing. Mercutio does a respectable job engaging some minority nobility in light talk, managing to come off well. Nothing earth-shattering, but no one tries to run away when he comes chatting. Crichton is something else entirely. He walks up to someone random, opening with the topic of artifacts of Qadiran armor. By total happenstance, he seems to have caught the ear of the Imperial Historian himself! A wide-ranging discussion goes on about the hostile neighbor to the south, and the Historian takes Crichton on a tour of all of the Qadiran artifacts, from banners to a broken wand purportedly crafted over a thousand years ago, taken from a Qadiran sorcerer-general. When the conversation comes to a natural end, the Historian gives Crichton a solid handshake, inviting him to come back anytime to continue.

Over in the Courtyard, Aurealia is ... Aurelia. She is shameless and knows it. She brings up recent juicy gossip about an unfaithful Count, flirts with winking hints at a later kiss and a cuddle with a rather fervent courtier, and in general drops into the social scene like a duck to water. She can't manage to get close to the Duke yet, but everyone nearby would be more than happy to continue letting her break their hearts forever. Theodrix takes a different tack, completely bamboozling one of the lesser Senators. He has wispy white hair, and his near-constant blinking and straining his eyes makes it certain that his sight is failing him. Rather than coming off as rude, he assumes that Theodrix is correct, and they definitely met two years ago. "Quite right, young man! Subtlety certainly is dead." He thumps his cane with emphasis. "I'm sure that there will be plenty of lands opening up once this whole inheritance nonsense is over. No woman should sit the throne. She's a nice enough girl, of course. But the Grand Prince should marry her off to profit the Kingdom, and appoint a proper heir." You can practically hear him patting her head in his own misogynistic way of complimenting the princess.

Bertram is as focused as a bolt from a ballista. His is older than the others in the group, with a bit of a beer belly and hair starting to grey. While others get pulled into small talk and useless conversations, he continues working his way closer and closer to Duke Centimus. He doesn't manage to actually get a word in, but he gets a decent amount of time observing the man. He seems gracious to his servants, thanking them for bringing a drink, ending a request with a 'please'. Many others don't even look at the servant, just express their wish into the air, and the peasant better damn well get the hint. After a few minutes Bertram sees the Duke pull out a sheaf of paper with lines and swirling writing on it. It takes some time, but they appear to be different diagrams of parts for his wheelchair. It is quite a modern marvel compared to most. Centimus presses a lever and adjusts the angle of the back, then frowns as he pushes it back and forth. He takes out a quill and changes two of the numbers on a diagram, nodding to himself.

Rolls

Mercutio: Knowledge Nobility in Arcade of Triumphs - 1 Success.
Crichton: Knowledge History in Arcade of Triumphs - 3 Successes!
Aurelia: Knowledge Local in Courtyard - 3 Successes!

Theodrix: Unorthodox attempt, but I like it! Using Bluff to try to Influence the room. Even with a higher DC, influenced the Courtyard for 2 Successes.

Bertram: As stated previously, can't get close enough to Influence a Person, just an Area. However, I like your single-mindedness quite a bit. Nice character roleplay. So I'll give you a Perception check as you try to spy on Duke Centimus. ... holy crap you rolled great. So I'll reveal one of his 'Weaknesses' (i.e. if you incorporate this into your conversations, it gives a boost to your Influence rolls in the future.

Influence Summary

Arcade of Triumphs: 4 Successes
Courtyard: 5 Successes

Duke Centimus Weakness = His Wheelchair. Seems to be a bit of an engineer himself, making personal improvements. Likely skills such as Disable Device / Knowledge Engineering would make someone ideal to discuss such things, but showing interest at least gives you a boost regardless.

OOC

Sorry guys, really been struggling with the anxiety. Managing to do well at the new job, and then come home and basically just crash on the couch. The weekend did me good, playing doting uncle to my two nieces. Thank you for your patience.

[ManWithDoor]

A swelling in the crowd indicates something important, or at least interesting, is about to happen in the courtyard. Dozens of senators, well-wishers, and hangers-on have begun to gather around a new arrival - Princess Eutropia Stavian herself! She slipped into the gala unnoticed and unannounced, and by the time the group gathers around she has already attracted a large gaggle of several dozen nobles.

Lady Gloriana Marilla, a tall and ostentatious noble as well as one of the Princess' staunchest allies, loudly clicks her glass. She announces that Princess Eutropia would like to address the gathering. With the announcement, the crowd gives the Princess some room, and Gloriana helps the princess climb onto the garden's stone railing to be seen and heard above the assembly.

"My friends, colleagues, and assorted enemies." She pauses, letting the sardonic joke land. "It is wonderful to see you all out in your finery beneath the beautiful stars tonight. With any luck, the weather will be the only that refuses to change this evening." A bright shooting star streaks across the darkened sky at that exact moment. "We have all gathered here tonight to honor Master Kalbio of Breezy Creek, a master artisan and true patriot, for his exquisite skill and service to our glorious empire. Master Kalbio demonstrates so eloquently that a heart may be noble regardless of the stature of one's birth, and while it may be premature, I hope to be the first to congratulate you, sir, on the exaltation you will see tonight, and welcome you into the ranks of Taldor's long-lived aristocracy."

The assembled nobility is thoroughly caught by the Princess' personal magnetism and oratory. The agents, however, are far more removed from the pageantry and notice something odd. During the speech, one of the serving staff breaks off from the crowd and heads towards the apiary near the edge of the courtyard. The Senate apiary consists of three wooden boxes, each housing a small beehive used to pollinate the garden's various exotic plants, and make exquisite honey used in the kitchens. The servant looks a little nervous, and is holding onto a strangely colored alchemical bar.

OOC

Every single one of you rolled in double-digits, and passed the Perception check.

[JohnnyWeird]

Crichton moves quickly, a dancer's grace weaving him through the crowd until he is behind the servant.

"I am unfamiliar with the care of bees, sir. Might you tell me the purpose of the bar in your hand?"

Action

Acrobatics to weave through the crowd, Stealth to avoid excess attention. Use 3 points from my stealth pool to improve my chances.

[Grimbold]

Brother Betram follows Crichton, a bit slower in the crowd, but trying to keep a low profile as well.

Action

Stealth, Acrobatics if needed. Try to stay close, but let Crichton do the talking. Sense motive on the man.

[Vardaen]

Eyes watch the princess, then they turn as a tingle on his neck draws his attention to the side and the servant and the bees. He notices others of his group moving in so he does the same, however he slips around to cut off the servant's eventual escape attempt. Clearly he's up to no good, and someone will have to stop him and his Bee-focused Assassination attempt on the princess.

OOC

Acrobatics and Stealth to position to flank and cut the bad guy off.

Sense Motive on the servant at the bees.

Appropriate skill check to ID the the device?

[Zorbeltuss]

Mercutio sees the others moving in after the servant, enough to deal with him, adding himself would merely call undue attention. Instead he tries to see who in the crowd might have an interest in whatever that servant is about to do, or try to do to. A face wondering why a plan did not go off would be the ideal tell-tale sign to see.

Action

Sense Motive? Perception?

[GuyWithSword]

Aurelia notices the servant, and readies herself to cast a low-level spell at the servant in case he tries to do something suspicious with the bees. She hopes her allies can stop the servant.

Action

Read action to cast Daze on the servant if the rest of the party doesn't manage to stop him.

[ManWithDoor]

The middle-aged Inquisitor is rather nondescript, a regular man among regular men. Bertram slips from the crowd with no one giving him even a second glance, easily catching up to the servant. Crichton and Theodrix are far more skilled in the stealthy arts, but simply far less lucky. They're of prime marriageable age, and more than one conniving matron or swooning maid have positioned themselves to arrange to flirt as soon as the Princess' speech concludes. They frown in judgment that the men so rudely leave the crowd. Even if they were political opponents of the Princess, proper etiquette must still be observed.

Despite the smoothness or not of their approach, the trio easily intercept the servant before he is halfway to the beehives. He is startled, freezing like a deer in headlights. This is the Senate, so even the servants are well-fed and clean. But they are still peasants, at the mercy of the ruling class. He just kind of collapses in on himself as he is crowded around, and looks panicked. "Yes, my Lords? How may I serve?"

Mercutio and Aurelia hold their ground, certain that the others can handle it. Aurelia prepares her incantations in case things go sideways, while Mercutio looks around to try to see if there is anything larger going on. He smells a slightly acrid scent, perhaps coming from that wafer in the hands of the servant. Something offensive to his nose, so who knows what it might do to the bees? He sees a nobleman with ill-fitting clothes hanging around the edge of the assemblage, glancing nervously all around, including in the direction of the greater courtyard.

OOC

Crichton: Stealth + Stealth Pool (3) = 15, Fail.
Bertram: Stealth = 21, Success. Knowledge Nature = 14, Fail.
Theodrix: Stealth = 15, Fail.
Mercutio: Perception = Natural 1! I know you can't technically crit-fail a skill check, but I like making it annoying anyways. Knowledge Nature = 20, Success.
Aurelia: Readied Action (Daze).

And I know headlights don't exist in Golarion. But it's too apt of an image to throw away.