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 Second Edition

All or
Nothing
By Jason Keeley
 AZLANTI KEEP

WISE QUARTER
IVY PETAL DISTRICT
DISTRICT
ASCENDANT COURT

WESTGATE
FOREIGN THE COINS
QUARTER EASTGATE

THE DOCKS

THE PUDDLES

PRECIPICE QUARTER

FORT TEMPEST

STARWATCH KEEP

ABSALOM
1 MILE
AUTHOR
Jason Keeley

ADDITIONAL WRITING
Alexander Augunas, Jessica Catalan,
Stephen Glicker, Mike Kimmel, Alex Riggs,
and Mike Welham

DEVELOPERS
Ron Lundeen and Patrick Renie

DESIGN LEAD
Logan Bonner

EDITING LEADS
Avi Kool and Lu Pellazar

EDITORS
Judy Bauer, Leo Glass, Avi Kool,
Ianara Natividad, and Kieran Newton

COVER ARTIST
ADVENTURE PATH 3 OF 6

ALL OR NOTHING
Setiawan Lee

INTERIOR ARTISTS
Olivier Bernard, Rael Dionisio,
Vlada Hladkova, Robert Lazzaretti,
Artur Nakhodkin, Richard Pace, Ian Perks,
Sandra Posada, and Ernanda Souza ALL OR NOTHING 2
ART DIRECTION by Jason Keeley
Sonja Morris and Sarah E. Robinson Chapter 1: Street Justice 4
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chapter 2: The House Always Wins 22
James Jacobs
Chapter 3: Deadly Games 44
PUBLISHER
Erik Mona
GAMES OF THE IRORIUM 60
by Mike Kimmel

GANGS OF ABSALOM 68
by Alexander Augunas

ADVENTURE TOOLBOX 74
by Jessica Catalan, Stephen Glicker, Jason Keeley, Alex Riggs, and Mike Welham
Player Rules
Gang Feats 75
Casino Games 76
Vile Gear 78
Provocator Archetype 79
Creatures
Avarek 80
Bregdi 81
Eberark 82
Ghoul, Barnacle 83
Ravenile 84
Svartalfar 85
NPCs
Franca Laurentz 86
Gage Carlyle 88
Maurrisa Jonne 90
Paizo Inc.
7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120
Redmond, WA 98052-0577 CONTENT WARNING
While All or Nothing contains typical Pathfinder action and adventure, it also presents scenarios that some players might
find uncomfortable. These scenarios include depictions of gang violence, gambling, and bioterrorism (including suicide
paizo.com bombing). Before you begin, understand that consent from everyone at the table, including the players and the Game
Master, is vital to a safe and fun play experience. You should talk with your players before beginning the adventure and
modify descriptions or scenarios as appropriate.
2
 ALL OR

ALL OR NOTHING
NOTHING
Chapter 1:
Street Justice

Chapter 2:
The House
Always Wins

Chapter 3:
Deadly Games

CHAPTER 1: STREET JUSTICE .................................................... 4 SETTING THE STAGE

Games of the
Irorium
After being promoted to the prestigious guard unit known as the Starwatch, FOR THE TWILIGHT FOUR
the Edgewatch agents go to the Docks district to investigate a gang called Until now, the agents have been Gangs of
the Washboard Dogs. Members of the Dogs have supposedly helped dealing with a largely unknown Absalom
launder money for the Skinner and other members of the Twilight Four. force. After the emergence of
Adventure
To gain the trust of the gang’s leader, the agents must embroil themselves two high-profile Norgorber Toolbox
in a bloody turf war and tip the scales in one gang’s favor in order to get worshippers—Hendrid Pratchett and
the info they need. Wrent “the Skinner” Dicaspiron—the
agents might suspect that a more
CHAPTER 2: THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS ....................................22 insidious plot lurks behind the
The agents learn that the Twilight Four’s deadly device is hidden in the scenes. But only after arresting the
vault of a casino called the Lucky Nimbus. Unfortunately, the casino’s Skinner and gleaning details from
owner doesn’t cooperate openly with law enforcement, so the Edgewatch her subsequent interrogation can
agents will have to go undercover to perform an ingenious heist. They’ll the agents finally identify their
have to dupe the casino’s shrewd owner, Gage Carlyle, and sneak, fight, or nemeses: the Twilight Four.
beguile their way past a cast of interfering characters to reach the vault and This is the first adventure in the
open the lockbox—only to discover that they’ve been out-heisted! campaign in which the Edgewatch
agents pursue their investigation with
CHAPTER 3: DEADLY GAMES ................................................... 44 a grasp (albeit a hazy one) on the
The heroes track down the thief who broke into the vault and stole the situation and the stakes. Although the
device ahead of them. Their search takes them to the Irorium, where a Skinner’s confessions take place “off
bomb-smuggling provocateur named Franca Laurentz plans to unleash camera,” the players should learn in
the device on the massive crowd attending the Blood City Games. To save the course of setting the stage for this
the lives of thousands—and finally learn the identity of Franca’s dastardly adventure that Dicaspiron was only
patron, the Twilight Four member known as the Infector—the agents must one quarter of a much larger threat: a
infiltrate the gladiatorial event and stop the bomber! cabal of Norgorber cultists who seek
to undermine Absalom’s authorities
and, ultimately, seize power from the
city’s uppermost ranks.
Advancement Track During this adventure, the agents
“All or Nothing” is designed for four characters. Characters should level
up between each chapter. follow up on the lead they gathered
from Dicaspiron, starting with an

9 The agents begin this adventure at 9th level. interview with the Washboard Dogs,
a gang of money launderers in the

10
Docks district. From there, they’ll
The agents should be 10th level before they begin planning the heist
learn that the Twilight Four has
of the Lucky Nimbus Casino.
obtained a dangerous device that

11
the agents will need to secure in
The agents should be 11th level before they join the Blood City Games. order to protect Absalom’s citizens
and learn the identity of one

12 The agents should be 12th level by the time they complete the adventure. more scheming Norgorberite.
3
 CHAPTER 1:
STREET JUSTICE
ADVENTURE BACKGROUND among the Radiant Festival fairgrounds, and her
The Twilight Four has a plan. It has plans within fellows—Jonis “the Infector” Flakfatter, Reginald
plans, and contingency plans for every plan that “the Rumormonger” Vancaskerkin, and Olansa “the
doesn’t go according to plan. After all, when four Gray Queen” Terimor—had actually hoped for her
powerful devotees of the vile god Norgorber get demise. With her out of the way, the remaining three,
together, there’s bound to be treachery and deceit still securely concealed behind their secret identities,
among their number. Apropos of this, in addition could pursue the mission with one less share to pay.
to their collective pact to overthrow the rulers of After all, splitting the power of the primarchy three
Absalom and take the primarchy for themselves, ways is much better than splitting it four. Still, each
each member of the Twilight Four has developed member of the Twilight Four recognizes sharing the
their own plots and schemes to see that they alone crown with just one other—or, best of all, securing
receive Norgorber’s greatest blessing—and that their it for themself alone—as the ideal outcome. And so,
accomplices fall in the process. with their most expendable comrade behind bars,
When Wrent “the Skinner” Dicaspiron, the each of the remaining Twilight Four is devising plans
lowliest member of the Twilight Four, was taken to outmaneuver the others while maintaining their
down by a ragtag band of rookie agents, none of commitment to their unholy pact.
the other Norgorberites were surprised. She had Jonis Flakfatter, a well-known high priest of
already done her part by sowing murderous mayhem Norgorber’s poison-associated Blackfingers aspect,

4
has felt the most pressure to act in the wake of Dicaspiron’s arrest. CHAPTER 1 SYNOPSIS
While the emergence of a group of neophyte law officers is all part of After receiving their promotion to
Vancaskerkin and Terimor’s joint plan (since these same officers will the Starwatch, Absalom’s inter- ALL OR
ultimately fall from grace when Wynsal Starborn is framed for murder), district task force, the agents NOTHING
Flakfatter has been left out of the loop, and worries that if he doesn’t are tasked with uncovering the
move soon, he’ll lose his chance to sideline the remaining cabalists. And connection between the Skinsaw Chapter 1:
so he has set his secret plan in motion. cultists and the street gang Street Justice
known as the Washboard Dogs.
Chapter 2:
THE BLACKFINGER BLIGHT BOMB Unfortunately, the Washboard Dogs
The House
As the next stage of their plot, the Twilight Four had planned for Reginald are in the middle of a turf war with Always Wins
Vancaskerkin to frame Acting Primarch Wynsal Starborn for the murder another gang, the Diobel Sweepers.
of a close friend, pitting Absalom’s citizens against the city’s leaders While the characters might be Chapter 3:
and creating waves of discord throughout the public. Afterward, Jonis reluctant to step into the middle of Deadly Games
Flakfatter would release a deadly contagion—a specially formulated this conflict, they soon find a point
Games of the
disease called blackfinger blight—at the Radiant Festival’s closing of leverage with one of the gangs: Irorium
ceremonies with the aid of Vancaskerkin’s clockwork bomb technology. Giord Jonne, the errant brother of the
Once the city was in a full-blown panic, Olansa Terimor, the beloved Washboard Dogs’ leader, Maurrisa Gangs of
grand councilmember who has kept her nose clean all this time, would Jonne. Leaning on Giord gets the Absalom
step in, save the day, and seize the title. agents a meeting with Maurrisa, who
Adventure
Jonis Flakfatter wants none of this. To his mind, he alone—as the only is amenable to working with law Toolbox
outspoken clergyman of Norgorber’s faith—should be the one to ascend enforcement… for a price. She asks
to the throne and fulfill Norgorber’s mandate. And so he has plotted to the agents to eliminate her rivals,
undermine both Terimor and Vancaskerkin by expediting his part of the the Diobel Sweepers, by raiding an
plan. Vancaskerkin’s bomb is already made, and within it Flakfatter has abandoned schoolhouse where the
stowed prodigious quantities of blackfinger blight. All that’s left is to set Sweepers are manufacturing illicit
off the device. But one problem remains unsolved: the bomb is in storage. alchemical wares. Once they’ve
The Twilight Four made sure to put several degrees of separation done that, Maurrisa gives them
between themselves and the bomb in case it was prematurely discovered. their next lead—and a key to the
Their chosen stooge is Maurrisa Jonne, the leader of the Washboard lockbox holding the Twilight Four’s
Dogs, a small-time gang based in the Docks district. In one of their last mysterious weapon.
meetings, the Skinner delivered the bomb to the Washboard Dogs and
ordered them to keep it safe until the time came for her or an authorized CHAPTER 1 TREASURE
intermediary to retrieve it, threatening that she would undo the gang The agents can find the following
completely if they failed her. The Dogs complied and Jonne stowed the significant treasure throughout this
device—the exact mechanisms of which they were blissfully unaware— chapter. Other pieces of treasure can
inside a lockbox in the Lucky Nimbus casino, where they’d been be found as well, though these are
laundering money earned from their ventures with the Skinner. Aware of likely to be turned in for gp bounties
the Nimbus’s reputation for infallible security, Jonne believes it to be the (equal to half the item’s Price).
perfect place to store the deadly device. • +1 chain mail
Flakfatter doesn’t want to wait until the closing ceremonies to use the • +1 striking scythe
bomb. Instead, he has enlisted the aid of several unwitting scapegoats. • elixirs and mutagens, assorted (12)
The first of these cronies is Franca Laurentz, a down-on-her-luck • greater cheetah elixirs (2)
ex-revolutionary who worked at the Lucky Nimbus and whose mind • greater juggernaut mutagen
he could easily warp to suit his designs. Flakfatter deftly convinced her • greater smokestick
to steal the bomb from the casino. Thereafter, Laurentz plans to work • moderate bravo’s brew
with a powerful iruxi gladiator named Oggvurm and his most trusted • moderate elixir of life
compatriots to detonate the device amid the immense crowd attending • moderate tanglefoot bag
the Blood City Games at the city’s largest arena, the Irorium. • ring of energy resistance (acid)
As a lifelong devotee of Blackfingers, Flakfatter believes that this • ring of lies
treacherous show of initiative will make him Norgorber’s most favored • spellstrike bullets (type I, magic
among the Twilight Four. If everything goes according to plan, it will be missile)
he, not Terimor or Vancaskerkin, who ultimately fulfills the final steps of
the Four’s pact and becomes primarch.

5
 GETTING STARTED eastern wall—rays of morning
This adventure begins a few days after sun cast amber light over the
the agents’ successful foray into the city of Absalom below. Even in this
Catacombs during the preceding stone-lined waiting room, the sounds of
adventure, “Sixty Feet Under.” gulls and shouting sailors drift up from
By this time, the agents the docks.
have already given their An eager blond gnome in a gray suit
full report to Lieutenant approaches from the keep. “You’re the
Lavarsus at Edgewatch Edgewatch officers who took down the
Headquarters, received ample Skinner? I’m Officer Cadet Tova Frostrun. Can I
accolades, and enjoyed some shake your hands? What you’ve done for the
well-deserved downtime. From city can never be repaid, and we all owe a debt
interrogating Wrent Dicaspiron of gratitude. You’re the talk of the keep.” After
(assuming they managed to arrest a few moments of enthusiastic shaking and
her), the agents have learned pats on the back, he continues. “Captain Asilia
the pseudonyms of the other is waiting for you. Follow me.”
Norgorberites belonging to the
secret cabal known as the Twilight Tova Frostrun (LG male
Four: besides Wrent (the Skinner), gnome officer cadet 7) leads the
they are known as the Infector, the characters past a few officers
Rumormonger, and the Gray Queen. training with crossbows in
They also know the basic aim of the the yard and up inside the
Twilight Four—to remove the primarch keep’s main fortifications
and seize the title for themselves. Beyond
Captain Asilia of Gyr to a large office on the keep’s
this, the Skinner has little useful information for the second floor. The spotless chamber is appointed
characters. She never met with her fellow cabalists in with teak furniture that looks scarcely used. Several
person and they have ceased communication with her narrow windows look down onto the city below. A
since the Edgewatch dismantled her Skinsaw cult. stern-looking human woman with a shock of white
Before diving into this adventure, explain the above hair and an impressive tricorn sits behind a broad,
details to your players so they’re up to speed on the plot so imposing desk. She stands and introduces herself as
far. Give the players a week of downtime to heal, retrain, Captain Asilia of Gyr (N female human ranger 12),
and pursue their own agendas—then, when everyone is leader of Starwatch and commander of the warship
ready to continue the story, begin the adventure proper. Hurricane Wings, and gestures for the agents to sit
down, gesturing to the room’s comfortable chairs.
A STAR PROMOTION Asilia is serious but friendly. In sharp contrast to
Lavarsus has grudgingly admitted (likely at the urging Lieutenant Lavarsus’s bombastic management style,
of the more astute Sergeant Ollo) that the agents’ she speaks quietly and makes few extraneous gestures.
investigation has taken on new importance in light of She takes pride in the Starwatch’s good reputation
the revelations gleaned from Dicaspiron’s confession. among Absalomians and prioritizes the safety of
He has given reports to his own superiors, and word her officers second only to the safety of the civilians
of the agents’ doings has reached the upper tiers of they’re charged with protecting.
Absalom’s law-enforcement agencies.
The agents are ordered to Starwatch Keep, the citadel Asilia looks each agent up and down with her piercing
outside the eastern city gates and command center of gaze, then smiles in approval. “Agents, I will keep this brief.
Absalom’s interjurisdictional task force, the Starwatch. Your investigation takes priority over any formal affairs,
There, the agents must talk to Captain Asilia of Gyr, the so I thank you for taking the time to meet me here. You’ve
leader of the Starwatch and a former confidant to Lord shown that you can get results, and that is vital in this
Gyr, the missing primarch, before his disappearance. hectic time. I must admit, this matter with the so-called
When the characters arrive at Starwatch Keep, read ‘Twilight Four’ you’ve unearthed frightens me. Religious
or paraphrase the following. fanatics hardly recognize jurisdictional lines, and if their
plot does truly endanger the entirety of Absalom, it’s
Beyond Starwatch Keep—an imposing cliff-top castle of the utmost importance that you be allowed to follow
overlooking the Bay of Kortos from just beyond the city’s your investigation with minimal bureaucratic impediment.

6
To that end, I have been granted permission to offer you not rely overly on the aid of district watches, since
honorary positions as special Starwatch agents. This will I can’t promise the efficacy—or even good will—of
be on top of your promotions within the Edgewatch—I’m these factions.” ALL OR
sure that dunderhead Lavarsus ‘forgot’ to inform you of Once the characters finish conversing with Captain NOTHING
your promotion to the rank of officer cadet, damn his Asilia, she reminds them that their investigation in
pride.” She scowls. the Catacombs revealed that the Twilight Four are Chapter 1:
“From now on,” she continues, “you will report to me somehow in cahoots with a small street gang based out Street Justice
first and foremost, and you will be given access to any of the Docks district called the Washboard Dogs. As
Chapter 2:
Starwatch resources you need for your investigation. Your soon as they are ready to continue their investigation,
The House
stipend will increase to accommodate higher-security living Asilia urges them to travel to the Docks and use their Always Wins
quarters in the city for you and yours, and your first order investigative skills to find the Washboard Dogs and
of business will be to hunt down the remaining members of question them. If they need help figuring out their Chapter 3:
the Twilight Four and bring them to justice. first steps, Asilia suggests they go to the Harbor Deadly Games
“This is all contingent on your acceptance, of course. Guard’s headquarters, Crestwatch, and speak with
Games of the
Granted, I’m not used to taking no for an answer and, their resident gang expert, Lilea Helweather. Irorium
honestly, I’ve already filled out the paperwork.” She
retrieves four badges from her desk drawer, each with a GANGBUSTERS Gangs of
silver emblem shaped like a flaming star, and places them The Docks, Absalom’s bustling waterfront district, Absalom
before you. “What do you say?” is a warren of pubs, tenements, and warehouses.
Adventure
Hundreds of seaborne vessels from all over the Toolbox
This Adventure Path assumes the players accept world sail into the Docks every day, transporting
their promotions, especially since there are no goods of all kinds that eventually reach the city’s
downsides to the offers. On the off chance that they markets. The waters of the Bay of Kortos churn with
reject their new positions, the agents can still continue the near-constant activity, while within the Inner
their investigation of the Twilight Four, but they’ll Sea, a mass of half-sunken ships called the Flotsam
have significantly fewer resources at their disposal, as Graveyard protects the city from naval invasion.
well as less cross-district authority. The air here smells strongly of the sharp scents of
Captain Asilia can answer any questions the agents saltwater and the sweat of sailors and dockworkers.
have about Starwatch (the most likely are listed below)
before giving them their next mission. GANG WARS
What are our responsibilities as Starwatch agents? Whether through a chatty barkeep, gossipy stevedore,
“Your first priority is the Twilight Four case, and I or forthright Harbor Guard officer, the agents learn
expect that nothing will distract you from performing that the Washboard Dogs are currently at odds with
your duties. You will report regularly to me, and I will another local gang, the Diobel Sweepers. Reports
make myself available to answer any questions you conflict as to the cause of the hostilities. Some say
might have as you progress. Use me as a resource to the Sweepers encroached onto the Dogs’ territory,
help you help Absalom.” others believe that a Sweeper was caught trying to sell
How much autonomy will we have? “I expect my deliberately tainted alchemical items to a Washboard
officers to do what needs to be done to catch criminals, Dog, and a few people suspect that the two gangs
as long as doing so doesn’t endanger the public. As came to blows over a game of cards. The last theory is
Starwatch agents, you’ll no longer need to acquire closest to the truth.
permission from other watch factions to pursue your One night over a week ago, a small group consisting
investigation in their districts. Your badges represent of both Washboard Dogs and Diobel Sweepers was
your increased authority, and presenting them in the enjoying a night of drinking and gambling at the Lucky
right situations might open all sorts of doors for you.” Nimbus casino in the Coins district. As the evening
Can we tell other district watch officers what to do? drew on, one member from each gang ended up in
“You are not above the law, nor are you superior to a high-stakes game of golem (page 76). Both players
other officers, per se. Starwatch tries to stay out of went several rounds without beating the golem, and
the day-to-day business of the district watches and the pot grew to a sizeable amount. Eventually, the
focus on the bigger picture. That said, district officers player from the Dogs won, drawing accusations of
tend to help out when they can... as long as we ask cheating from the Sweepers in attendance. The other
politely. Keeping that in mind, however, I’ll encourage Dogs backed up their fellow gang member, voices were
you to pursue your investigation on your own and raised, and someone flipped the card table. Bouncers

7
 escorted the two groups out of the casino before things Washboard Dog tough’s next turn, all creatures within
got any worse. Since then, the Lucky Nimbus’s owner, 30 feet gain a +1 circumstance bonus to any saves to
Gage Carlyle, has forbidden both gangs from stepping resist auditory spells or abilities.
foot inside. Now, each blames the other for what
seems to be a lifetime ban. Without their relatively Diobel Sweeper Tough: Toughs from the Diobel
harmless gambling outlet, the two gangs’ previously Sweepers are quicker and rely primarily on ranged
tame squabbles have been escalating to street-level weapons and alchemical items. They have the basic
brawls. The fighting hasn’t turned lethal just yet, but gang tough stats, with the following additions
it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a and modifications.
boiling point. AC 24; Ref +17
The agents must choose which gang to side with in Additional Items moderate bottled lightning (2), moderate
this conflict in order to secure their next lead. In doing frost vials (2), sling (with 3 spellstrike bullets [type I,
so, they also gain access to new rogue feats (page 75). magic missile]), moderate tanglefoot bag
Ranged [one-action] sling +17 (range increment 50 feet, propulsive,
GANG TOUGHS reload 1), Damage 1d6+6 plus 3d4+3 force
The following stat block is referenced throughout this Ranged [one-action] bomb +19 (alchemical, bomb, range increment
part of the adventure for rank-and-file toughs from 30 feet), Damage 2d6 cold or electricity plus 2 splash
both the Washboard Dogs and the Diobel Sweepers. Quick Bomber [one-action] The Diobel Sweeper tough Interacts to
draw a bomb, then Strikes with it.
GANG TOUGH CREATURE 7
UNCOMMON N MEDIUM HUMAN HUMANOID INVESTIGATING THE WASHBOARD DOGS
Perception +17 The agents’ first order of business in the Docks district
Languages Common is to figure out a way to garner an audience with the
Skills Athletics +17, Gang Lore +13, Intimidation +13 Washboard Dogs’ elusive leader, an ex-boxer and
Str +4, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +0 expert racketeer named Maurrisa Jonne. Your players
Items +1 morningstar, additional items (see below) might follow any number of avenues of inquiry for
AC 25; Fort +17, Ref +16, Will +13 their investigation. The following pages present three
HP 125 likely investigatory routes, summarized here.
Speed 25 feet Crestwatch (page 9): The agents might ask for
Melee [one-action] morningstar +18 (magical, versatile P), Damage advice from the Harbor Guard, in which case they
1d6+8 bludgeoning learn the basic modus operandi and motives of the
Bullyrag Beatdown Whenever the gang tough makes a Washboard Dogs as well as their notorious rival
successful melee Strike against a frightened creature, gang, the Diobel Sweepers.
the Strike deals an extra weapon die of damage. Alley Skirmish (page 10): By wandering the
Frightening Critical When the gang tough’s Strike with a Docks in their officer uniforms, the agents provoke
bludgeoning weapon is a critical hit and deals damage, a scuffling group of gang members to temporarily
the target becomes frightened 1. put aside their differences in favor of putting the
authorities in their place.
Washboard Dog Tough: Washboard Dog toughs The Duck’s Back (page 11): Finally, if the agents
carry heavy washboards that serve as shields and ask around the neighborhood in plain clothes, they’re
intimidation tools. They have the basic gang tough likely to meet with a shopkeeper who has paid the
stats, with the following additions and modifications. Washboard Dogs protection money for years and
Dex +3 knows where the agents can find Maurrisa Jonne’s
Additional Items chain shirt, heavy crossbow with 10 bolts, younger brother, Giord.
steel shield Of course, your players might think to pursue
Shield Block [reaction] any number of other means of learning about the
Ranged [one-action] heavy crossbow +16 (range increment 120 feet, Washboard Dogs. In any case, you should still impart
reload 2), Damage 1d10 piercing the information explained in the paragraphs marked
Melee [one-action] shield bash +18, Damage 1d4+6 bludgeoning “Lead” on the pages that follow, while filling in any
Scraping Clamor [one-action] (auditory, manipulate) The Washboard other details as you please.
Dog scrapes their weapon up and down their XP Award: For each lead the agents garner during
washboard shield, making such a clatter that it’s hard their investigation, award each agent a 40 XP story
to hear anything over the din. Until the beginning of the award (for a maximum of 120 XP).

8
CRESTWATCH Diplomacy check to Make an Impression or a Sailing
As far as Absalom’s district guard factions go, the Lore or Legal Lore check to Recall Knowledge about
Harbor Guard has one of the more mixed reputations. the Docks district and the specific problems faced by ALL OR
Its recruits are mostly Docks natives who have an the Harbor Guard (the extent of the intel gathered NOTHING
honest wish to make their home a safer place. But for depends on the result of the check). Alternatively,
each purely dedicated Harbor Guard, there are at least the characters can give Lilea a bribe worth 10 gp × Chapter 1:
two officers who secretly belong to a Docks-based each DC listed below to learn the corresponding intel Street Justice
gang, plus any number of guards who are on one or (so a bribe of 150 gp would equate to succeeding at
Chapter 2:
more gangs’ payrolls. a DC 15 check, and 300 gp would be the same as
The House
Crestwatch is a pinewood boathouse that was succeeding at a DC 30 check). Always Wins
raised and converted to serve as the Harbor Guard’s At your discretion, the agents might also learn the
headquarters several hundred years ago. It’s situated following details by asking around the Docks district Chapter 3:
on the waterfront between a maze of marinas, in plain clothes and attempting a successful Diplomacy Deadly Games
overlooking the water from barnacle-crusted pilings. check to Gather Information.
Games of the
As the district has grown, the building has been DC 15: The Washboard Dogs and the Diobel Irorium
augmented with new upper stories for offices and Sweepers wouldn’t seem to be rivals on paper. Their
expanded laterally with temporary holding cells and turfs don’t dramatically intersect, and their operations Gangs of
entire warehouses of confiscated evidence. The base are discrete—the Dogs run a protection racket and Absalom
of the boathouse has remained largely unchanged: a money laundering scheme, whereas the Sweepers
Adventure
wide-open storeroom with knotty floorboards and deal in illegal alchemical goods. Nevertheless, after Toolbox
creaking staircases that ascend to the upper halls. members from both gangs started brawling in the
Guards, complainants, permit-seekers, and maritime Lucky Nimbus casino a few weeks ago over cards and
lawyers mill about the massive precinct at all hours were subsequently expelled from the establishment,
of the day. the Dogs and the Sweepers have been locked in a
After showing their badges to a receptionist, the heated gang war.
agents are ushered to a small meeting room and asked DC 20: The Sweepers recruit from the flunkies
to wait for a moment while the lead gang investigator and dropouts of Absalom’s alchemy guilds. The gang
is summoned. Based on her graceful movements and foregoes crafting poisons or drugs in favor of charm
immaculate posture, Lilea Helweather (N female elf serums, steroidal decoctions, and explosive bombs.
petty officer 5) may seem an odd fit for the scrappy The Washboard Dogs are easily identified by their
Harbor Guard, but the towering senior officer speaks namesake decorated washboards, which they use as
like a sea-hardened sailor and clearly knows her shields in brawls.
stuff. She has little respect for officers outside her DC 25: Whereas the Washboard Dogs are constantly
own district, including the Starwatch, and scoffs at on the move and have no known centralized base
the agents’ dearth of nautical experience. “Harbor of operations, the Sweepers control a large number
Guards,” she says, indicating herself, “spend their of safe houses and hideouts, making it difficult to
entire careers training to understand the mind of pinpoint where their leader, Bloody Berleth, might
the gangs that beleaguer our district. And then some be at any given time. Previous hideouts have burned
landlubbing Starwatch come ’round and muck up down due to lab fires that got out of hand. One of
our investigations. Typical.” their current hideouts, an abandoned schoolhouse, is
Lead: Lilea doesn’t have an actionable lead for rumored to be haunted.
the agents, but she can tell them useful details about DC 30: There’s a bit more to the animosity
both the Washboard Dogs and their archrivals, the between these gangs than a simple game of cards
Diobel Sweepers. gone awry. Many years ago, Bloody Berleth and
Lilea responds well to fellow officers who have Maurrisa Jonne were close friends. When their first
done their research and takes kindly to honest gang hideout was raided and Maurrisa was arrested,
compliments, but she sees right through flattery. She she ratted out Berleth in exchange for a reduced
indicates that she hasn’t had a good drink of rum sentence. Berleth has never forgiven her, and Jonne
in many moons (hinting that she is amenable to a hasn’t been able to set up a permanent base of
bribe) and derisively asks the agents to explain their operations for fear of an attack from her old rival.
situation quickly so she can get back to “the real, This spat over the Lucky Nimbus ban might be the
hard work of us lowly district guards.” The agents final push necessary for the gang leaders to put an
can learn the following if they roll a successful end to the rivalry... permanently.

9
ALLEY SKIRMISH ARROWHEAD SLIP
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET 1 SQUARE = 5 FEET

A. ALLEY SKIRMISH MODERATE 9 Lead: If the agents arrest one of the toughs from
The Docks’ residents don’t have particularly good either gang, they can learn a bit about the Washboard
feelings toward law enforcement, and the agents walking Dogs’ typical criminal operations. The tough explains
around in their uniforms is apt to draw unwanted that until recently, the Dogs primarily dealt in extortion
attention. Run the following encounter, using the map and stolen artifacts. However, Maurrisa Jonne, their
above, to break up the pacing of the investigation or if leader, has been acting strangely ever since she started
the players seem at a loss for where to go next. taking meetings with some shadowy masked figures.
Creatures: While meandering the tightly packed Since then, the Dogs’ operations have shifted mainly
avenues and alleyways of the Docks, gangsters beset to money laundering, which they do by purchasing
the agents. The agents find themselves flanked on either artifacts from the black market and reselling them
side by four toughs—one pair (Solly and Hooper) or swapping the money for game tokens at any of
owing allegiance to the Washboard Dogs, the other two Absalom’s various gambling establishments.
(Irwist and Quickle) wearing the red gang colors of the By succeeding at a DC 25 Intimidation check to
Diobel Sweepers. The gang toughs have all agreed to a Coerce, an agent can pry the following additional
temporary truce in order to dole out some proper street tidbit from the tough: “Word is Jonne jus’ got hold’a
justice to the meddlesome Starwatch. some really nice, really dangerous kinda thing from
The remaining gangsters flee if two of them go down. her special partners. Thing’s supposedly so stinkin’ hot
she had to put it in a special vault.”
SOLLY AND HOOPER CREATURE 7 The Washboard Dog toughs are too low-ranking to
Washboard Dog toughs (page 8) simply set up a meeting between the agents and their
Initiative Perception +17 leader. Even if charmed with magic, the tough’s best
advice is for the agents to “find somethin’ Jonne really
IRWIST AND QUICKLE CREATURE 7 likes, and take that somethin’ away from her.” This,
Diobel Sweeper toughs (page 8) the gang member assures them, is the only way to
Initiative Perception +17 secure a meetup with Jonne.

10
THE DUCK’S BACK me a bit on edge. So many of my wares are priceless,
At some point during the agents’ investigation—likely you know. If I could offload a bit of my inventory, I
after their alley skirmish with the gang toughs—a might be able to think a bit more clearly.” The agents ALL OR
woman with bright silver hair, almond-shaped eyes, can induce her to tell them more about Giord by NOTHING
and bronze-painted lips approaches the agents and buying at least 200 gp worth of merchandise from
introduces herself as the owner of the Duck’s Back, her shop. With your group, come up with a flavorful Chapter 1:
a small curiosity shop in the Docks. Rhei Chernaz item for the agents to purchase; if a character Street Justice
(NG female human shopkeeper 1) has heard word succeeds at a DC 22 Arcana, Mercantile Lore, or
Chapter 2:
of the agents’ investigation and explains that she other relevant Lore skill check, the character is able
The House
pays the Washboard Dogs protection money, but to pick out an item with magical properties (in which Always Wins
that hasn’t seemed to amount to much since the gang case it is a magic item of your choosing worth no
war with the Sweepers started. With the Washboard more than 200 gp). Otherwise, the purchased object Chapter 3:
Dogs preoccupied with Sweeper scuffles, the Duck’s is simply a mundane but interesting novelty item. Deadly Games
Back has been burglarized twice by encroaching Once they’ve bought an item (or otherwise
Games of the
minor gangs in just the last two weeks. Rhei hopes convinced Rhei to divulge info), the shopkeeper Irorium
for nothing more than the Dogs’ and Sweepers’ remembers that she saw Giord just this morning, in
feud to end so that the Dogs can regain control of fact. “Giord said that he was looking for an unusual Gangs of
their territory. gift for a friend from out of town,” Rhei explains, Absalom
The Duck’s Back sells all manner of “and he finally settled on an unusual but fine
Adventure
heirlooms, priceless “artifacts,” and exotic glass hookah. He said he and his friend were Toolbox
souvenirs from seaside ports around the Inner meeting at a so-called mutual acquaintance’s
Sea—most mere ornamental trinkets, but sloop called the Arrowhead, not far from the
some with actual magical power. Rhei Slick Scylla taproom.” She stares off for a
has particularly large collections moment, as if musing aloud, then winks
of Qadiran and Nexian goods, at the agents. “Not sure if that kind
including ornate oil lamps, of info would be any use to you
water pitchers, musical officers, though.”
instruments, incense
holders, and carpets. ARRESTING GIORD
Lead: By chatting Once the agents know
with Rhei about her where Maurrisa Jonne’s
travails with the gangs younger brother Giord is
of the Docks, the agents (and that if they arrest him
learn that the shopkeeper they’re sure to meet with
has frequent dealings with Maurrisa Maurrisa), they can go to
Jonne’s younger brother, Giord, the marina Rhei indicated
who has a reputation for running to catch Giord in the middle
his mouth and getting into trouble. of a criminal act.
Specifically, Giord comes in at least It’s nearly dusk when the
once a week to buy some trinket agents arrive at the scene.
or another, regardless of the item’s The Arrowhead is docked at
background. “While he has an eye an unlit, unpatrolled marina
for quality, I wish he cared a bit alongside a number of other
more for the story behind the wares I small vessels. Fewer than a
sell,” Rhei sighs. She has deduced from dozen mariners mill about the marina and
Giord’s ample supply of play money strictly mind their own business. As the
that his big sister has a real soft agents approach the Arrowhead, anyone
spot for him. “If he were to fall who succeeds at a DC 24 Perception
into the hands of the law,” Rhei check can see three figures—one matching
says, “Maurrisa would stop at
nothing to retrieve him.”
Washboard Dog Tough Giord’s description—stealthily milling
about the ship, bringing up storage crates,
If pressed for more details, Rhei hems and haws. cracking open the crates with crowbars,
“I’m sorry. It’s just, the recent burglaries have got and tossing the extracted goods into a

11
 heap on the dock. If the agents attempt to approach the east, hurriedly moving toward the next dock over
stealthily, they’ll need to succeed at a DC 25 Stealth and further away from the Arrowhead. A character
check to Sneak to avoid alerting Giord to who succeeds at a DC 26 Perception check to
their presence; on a success, Giord Seek notices the unusual way the small
begins the subsequent chase at the vessels bob in the water; the waves of the
Slippery Dockside obstacle instead bay couldn’t cause this movement.
of the Rowdy Revelers obstacle While the characters could ignore
(see Chasing Giord, below). On the meladaemon and simply chase
a critical success, the agents manage after Giord, it should be obvious that
to get all the way onto the boat before the fiend will rip apart the innocent
being noticed, in which case you might bystanders and possibly continue to
forego the entire chase sequence, though rampage across Absalom if it isn’t
they might still fight the meladaemon stopped. However, the agents risk
(see Daemon Overboard, below). losing Giord entirely if they don’t
dispatch the meladaemon quickly.
B. DAEMON OVERBOARD MODERATE 9 After 4 rounds of combat and again
The Arrowhead is moored at a 75-foot- for each additional 2 rounds
long dock dotted with empty thereafter that the characters
wooden crates from other ships’ continue to fight the
cargo holds. A gangplank leads meladaemon, Giord begins
up the Arrowhead’s deck to the the chase scene 1 obstacle
west, while to the east a pair of Giord Jonne further ahead.
small rowboats bridge the water between
this slip and the next one over. MELADAEMON CREATURE 11
When the agents approach the sloop from the Pathfinder Bestiary 2 59
north, they are eventually spotted. In a panic, Giord Initiative Perception +21
drops the strange glass hookah, which shatters on
the wood, releasing an obscuring cloud of rancid Defeating the Meladaemon: When reduced to 0
smoke that buzzes with the sound of flies. A breeze HP, the meladaemon vanishes in a puff of the same
dissipates the miasma a few seconds later, but foul-smelling smoke it appeared in. The only traces
Giord is nowhere to be seen. In his place stands a it leaves behind are the fragments of the hookah,
tall, fiendish monster of rotten flesh topped with a now devoid of magical energy. The other thieves on
mangy wolf’s head: a meladaemon! the dock slowly begin to recover from their fright,
Use the Arrowhead Slip map on page 10 for and they might make some motions toward running
this encounter. away, but they stop in their tracks if the agents
Creature: The ornamental hookah Giord picked assert their authority and demand they stay put.
up from the Duck’s Back was in fact a fragile arcane If the agents look for Giord, they spot a figure
container for an evil personification of hunger and moving swiftly away from the docks. They must
thirst known as a meladaemon. The daemon has give chase!
languished within the bottle for centuries and, when
released, assumes that it can fulfill its contract with CHASING GIORD
its original master by killing everyone present. Its While Giord has a bit of a head start on the agents,
consumptive aura essentially incapacitates Giord’s they might be able to catch up with the thief before he
accomplices on the sloop and any mariners wandering disappears among the darkened city streets.
nearby around the marina. The meladaemon singles During this chase encounter, the agents must
out the healthiest-looking agent and attacks them overcome up to six obstacles in sequential order with
with claws and spells. the goal of overtaking Giord. Giord begins the chase
Meanwhile, Giord has activated a vanishing coin at the rowdy revelers obstacle, whereas the agents
talisman to render himself temporarily invisible after start at the slippery dockside obstacle. Each round,
dropping the bottle. (Even if the agents didn’t spot the agents must attempt checks to earn enough Chase
Giord looting the Arrowhead, use of invisibility Points to overcome their current obstacle. At the end
magic in Absalom is grounds enough for arrest.) The of each round, Giord automatically progresses to the
young thief makes his escape across the rowboats to next obstacle.

12
 Each round, each agent can attempt one of the CHASE RULES
listed checks for the obstacle. Each success earns This part of the adventure uses the chase subsystem
the party 1 Chase Point, whereas a critical success presented on page 156 of the Pathfinder Gamemastery ALL OR
awards 2 Chase Points. On a critical failure, the Guide, the rules for which are summarized in the NOTHING
party loses 1 Chase Point (the party can never adventure text. The full rules for this subsystem can also
have fewer than 0 Chase Points). The party must be found online in the Pathfinder Reference Document at Chapter 1:
collectively accrue the number of Chase Points www.paizo.com/prd. Street Justice
indicated in the obstacle stat block to overcome the
Chapter 2:
obstacle. For example, for the first obstacle, slippery
The House
dockside, once the party accrues a total of 4 Chase SNEEZING HORSE OBSTACLE 9 Always Wins
Points, they progress to the next obstacle; it might Chase Points 4; Overcome DC 24 Crafting to mend the
take only two characters to overcome the obstacle cart’s axle, DC 26 Nature or Medicine to calm the horse Chapter 3:
(if they both roll critical successes), in which case and get it to pull the cart partially out of the way Deadly Games
the remaining characters in the party can proceed A cart-pulling horse in the throes of a sneezing fit stops in
Games of the
to roll checks for the next obstacle. Initiative order its tracks, obstructing the alley and causing the cart’s axle Irorium
doesn’t matter; players may take their turns each to buckle in a pothole.
round in any order they like. Gangs of
Players can and should come up with creative NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINERS OBSTACLE 9 Absalom
means of overcoming obstacles that play to their Chase Points 4; Overcome DC 26 Performance to cut
Adventure
strengths, in which case you should use one of the through the performance as though part of the show, Toolbox
listed DCs for whatever type of check the player DC 24 Society to impress performers with knowledge
convinces you is appropriate. At your discretion, an of their play
especially useful action—such as a character casting Giord tears across the stage of some buskers who don’t
their highest-level spell or activating an item’s take kindly to their show being interrupted.
once-a-day ability—allows the party to bypass an
obstacle entirely. LITTERED ALLEYWAY OBSTACLE 9
On the 6th round of the chase—once Giord Chase Points 4; Overcome AC 25 to Strike the flung
overcomes the littered alleyway obstacle—he garbage out of the way, DC 25 Survival to spot Giord’s
has successfully evaded the agents and escaped. tracks amid the rubbish
Otherwise, if the characters overcome an obstacle Giord turns over piles of trash in a disgusting alleyway,
that Giord hasn’t overcome yet, the party has blocking the path and obliterating his trail so he can escape
successfully caught the fleeing gangster. to his hideout.

SLIPPERY DOCKSIDE OBSTACLE 9 Concluding the Chase: If caught, Giord surrenders

Chase Points 4; Overcome DC 24 Acrobatics to avoid without a fight. He doesn’t attempt to throw around
slipping and falling, DC 26 Perception to notice (and his sister’s name for leverage or intimidation, but if
avoid) the wettest portions of the dockside asked if he is Maurrisa’s sibling, he readily confirms.
The Arrowhead’s slip is slick with sea spray. While a bit craven, he has been arrested a few times
in the past and knows that Maurrisa will either hire a
ROWDY REVELERS OBSTACLE 9 good solicitor to help him avoid jail time or cut some
Chase Points 4; Overcome DC 28 Intimidation to coerce the deal with the Harbor Guard. His fellow gang members
drunkards to move, DC 25 Religion to exhibit knowledge will know almost immediately if Giord is caught, since
of the revelers’ god and earn their respect he will fail to show up at their prescribed safe house,
Giord ducks into and rushes through a crowded tavern where and they will send word up through the ranks until it
a throng of off-duty stevedores and sailors—all devotees of reaches Maurrisa’s ears.
the Drunken God, Cayden Cailean—are drinking heartily. If Giord escapes into the night, the agents aren’t
completely out of luck. The following afternoon, a
SUPERSTITIOUS ROUGHNECKS OBSTACLE 9 young man affiliated with the Washboard Dogs shows
Chase Points 4; Overcome DC 27 Stealth to sneak past up at Crestwatch, looking to speak to the agents. The
unnoticed, DC 25 Arcana or Cast a Spell to scatter the gang member, Kris (LE male human gangster 8), tells
roughnecks with a potent show of magic the agents that Maurrisa knows their game and will
Giord convinces some young and inexperienced hooligans entertain an audience with them if it means they’ll stop
to waylay the agents. harassing her family and interfering with her business.

13
 XP Award: For catching and arresting Giord, she already has an idea of who they are. Once any
award each agent an 80 XP story award. business has been transacted (such as the return of
her brother), Maurrisa speaks in a frank, almost
MEETING WITH MAURRISA friendly manner. She casually tells the agents
Whether to get her brother out of about her gang’s connection to the Skinner
trouble or to get the agents off (as detailed in the Adventure Background
her back, Maurrisa proposes a and in Maurrisa’s NPC entry on page 86).
meeting. She insists on setting the If the agents tell her exactly what the
time and the place and eventually cultists were up to, she is unfazed. To
sends word to the agents to be at her, the Washboard Dogs’ dealings with
an underground drainage ditch the Twilight Four are purely a matter
in the Docks colloquially called of survival, and she regards the removal
the Groundwater Tunnel late in of the Skinner as a relief. Maurrisa readily
the evening. admits that shortly before the Skinner’s
The Groundwater Tunnel is a arrest, the Washboard Dogs were given
short passageway that runs under a “particularly dangerous kind of
one of the cobblestone streets of the thing” to hold onto for the Four,
district to a gravelly beach at the though Maurrisa holds up a
southern end of the Docks. If the finger and tisks if pressed
agents scope out the area before for details. “Not so fast,
the meeting, it looks like a prime my good officers. One
place for an ambush: enemies could thing at a time.”
easily close in from both sides. An agent
Maurrisa Jonne Maurrisa would like to be out
who succeeds at a DC 25 Survival check notices a from under the Twilight Four’s thumb completely,
few old stains at the base of one of the tunnel walls and to that end she wants to help the agents in their
that are definitely blood. Maurrisa is aware of the investigation, though first she has a proposition for
foreboding nature of the tunnel and purposefully them. If the agents insist she tell them everything or
chose it to intimidate and test the agents, though she claim they’ve already done her a favor for returning
doesn’t intend to actually attack them. her brother, she points out that releasing her brother is
When the agents arrive for the meeting, read the the price for this face-to-face meeting and gestures at
following aloud: her gang members crowding the ends of the tunnel to
suggest that the agents might not want to try anything
The scents of freshly turned earth and salt waft down the violent. She also says that the help she is about to ask
Groundwater Tunnel. A steady rain has caused the runoff for will benefit the city as a whole.
in the drainage tunnel to flow a bit quicker as the time to
meet Maurrisa Jonne approaches. The sound of footsteps “As you probably know, my Dogs have recently fallen
is obscured by the patter of rain, covering the approach into scuffles with a gaggle of misfits called the Diobel
of the figures at either end of the tunnel. As each group Sweepers. The details of this affair are unimportant and
approaches, it becomes clear that the rain isn’t the only would likely only bore such high-ranking officers. All you
noise in the tunnel—the gangsters approaching you are need to understand is that I need the Sweepers to stop
rhythmically running pipes, bats, and clubs up and down bothering us—preferably for good.
their washboard shields, building to a cacophonous “The Sweepers aren’t quite as… nice… as us. The weapons
crescendo that stops as suddenly as it began. and chemicals they peddle have caused a lot of destruction
The crowd at the northern end of the tunnel parts to across the neighborhood. I’ve even heard credible rumors
reveal a human woman in her thirties, dressed in denim that they’re brewing up some new concoctions that would
and leather work clothes and carrying no weapons. A large give law-enforcement like you no shortage of trouble.”
silver buckle hangs from her belt. She stops ten feet from Maurrisa pauses and smiles pointedly.
you, making a show of sizing you up, then smirks and jerks “Fortunately for you, I know exactly where the
a thumb over her shoulder at the gangsters behind her. Sweepers formulate their new products—as well as the
“Pretty good, eh? Builds morale. Anyway, let’s talk.” date their boss Berleth plans to visit the lab. Now, if my
Dogs were to attack their lab, the other gangs in the Docks
The leader of the Washboard Dogs introduces might consider that a step too far, and then we’d have to
herself and asks the agents their names, though deal with the Sweepers’ allies as well. But if the ’watch

14
were to raid a particular building on an anonymous tip C1. SCHOOLYARD LOW 9
from a concerned citizen? Well then, no harm done, right?
And if the Sweepers were taken care of, I’d be freed up This large, muddy yard separates the schoolhouse ALL OR
to help you more with your investigation… I might even building from its nearest neighbors. A low wooden NOTHING
remember where I put this ‘dangerous thing’ you should fence and a squat stone rain shelter are the only notable
really, REALLY know about.” features of the puddle-strewn lot. A few boarded-up Chapter 1:
windows on the schoolhouse walls look out on the yard. Street Justice
Maurrisa gives the agents the address of an Two cracked stone porches lead to separate doorways—a
Chapter 2:
abandoned schoolhouse in the Docks where they can set of sturdy double doors toward the north end of the
The House
find this alchemy lab used by the Diobel Sweepers. western wall and a rickety wooden door hanging crooked Always Wins
She says that if the agents are amenable to her deal, on its hinges south of that. The fence curves around the
they will meet again in this tunnel the night after the northwestern corner of the yard, exposing another porch Chapter 3:
lab is destroyed. She even offers to shake hands on on its other side. Deadly Games
it, and any character who does so feels her strong,
Games of the
calloused grip. She and Giord depart the tunnel and, The schoolyard’s muddy puddles are treacherously Irorium
a few moments later, the rest of the Washboard Dogs slick; a creature occupying a space in a puddle takes a
clear off. –2 circumstance penalty to Reflex saves and Athletics Gangs of
checks. The double doors to the hideout’s main floor Absalom
SWEEPERS’ SCHOOL (area C5) are barred from the inside at all times.
Adventure
The Diobel Sweepers’ hideout and alchemy lab is in Creatures: A pair of Diobel Sweepers named Toolbox
an abandoned grammar school called Madam Cathi’s Shim and Dolit mill about the yard, smoking flayleaf
School of Common Grammar and Behavior. The away from the volatile alchemical reagents in the
school is located in the formerly residential Sweetsand schoolhouse and ostensibly keeping an eye out for rival
neighborhood, which was subsumed by overambitious gangs or law enforcement. In addition, the gang has
industrial ventures nearly 20 years ago and left mostly “recruited” a mischievous fey called an avarek, whose
fallow as businesses went under for one reason strange powers have given the abandoned school the
or another and entrepreneurs couldn’t make rent. reputation of being haunted. Shim and Dolit feed the
Nowadays, gang activity is so prevalent in Sweetsand creature spoiled cod and pollack and routinely pour
that even the most desperate squatters don’t dare buckets of seawater near the shelter to keep it content.
enter any of the myriad derelict buildings for fear of The avarek generally dozes in the shed among some
stumbling on a secret drug lab or smuggling operation. straw and torn cloth.
Likewise, the Harbor Guard gives Sweetsand a wide When the toughs spot the agents, one of them gives a
berth, preferring to let its murderous inhabitants sort sharp whistle that alerts the avarek but isn’t loud enough
out their bloody feuds for themselves. If the agents for those inside the warehouse to hear. The avarek
request help from the Harbor Guard, they must offer a comes out of the shed at the end of the first round.
bribe of at least 200 gp, in which case the guards offer Meanwhile, the gang toughs attempt to demoralize the
to set up some extra patrols around the perimeter of agents in order to take advantage of their abilities. If
the Sweepers’ turf and catch anyone fleeing the scene the avarek and one of the gang toughs are defeated, the
during the agents’ raid. other tough attempts to retreat into the hideout to warn
Schoolhouse Features: The schoolhouse is one the others, locking the side door behind them.
large A-frame, with the ceiling reaching its highest
point of 30 feet in the center of the large school SHIM AND DOLIT CREATURE 7
room (C5) and sloping gradually to only 8 feet on Diobel Sweeper toughs (page 8)
the east and west ends of the building. The Sweepers Initiative Perception +17
rely on natural light seeping through cracks in the
ceiling and windows to see by, though they are aided AVAREK CREATURE 8
by lamps and candles placed sporadically around Page 80
their workstations. All of the west- and south-facing Initiative Perception +16
windows are boarded up with rotted wooden planks,
but the east-facing windows remain unblocked. The C2. MUD ROOM
floors, walls, and ceilings are all made of formerly
top-class building material that has since eroded into Wooden shelves line the walls in this cramped room. A
rickety, half-rotten timber. small lantern on top of a pitch-stained barrel flickers in

15
 C4

C5

C1
C7 C3

C8 C2
C6

SWEEPERS’ SCHOOL
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET

the far corner, throwing ominous shadows. An empty This room originally served as a breakout room
doorway to the north leads further into the building, where select small groups of students could receive
while a door to the east leads outside. special tutelage from one of Madam Cathi’s
assistant teachers. Now it serves as the Sweepers’
The Diobel Sweepers store most of the mundane lounge room; gang members idle away their time
items needed for their lab on the shelves in this room. here taking naps or conversing away from the bustle
This includes barrels of rainwater and saltwater, crates of the main floor.
of stolen alchemical glassware, mundane reagents such Creatures: Two of the Diobel Sweepers’ chemists,
as salt and copper flakes, and rolls of brown butcher Tonla and Yvelle, are relaxing in this room. The
paper. The door to area C1 can be latched shut from agents might be able to catch them by surprise,
this side. though if any of the toughs from outside retreat into
Treasure: A character who spends 10 minutes the warehouse, these two are the first to be warned.
combing through the items on the shelves can find In such a case, the chemists ready their alchemical
two vials of greater cheetah’s elixir and a vial of bombs to fling at the characters as soon as they walk
moderate bravo’s brew tucked away in a small box through the door. Each chemist flees to the main floor
with no label. if reduced to fewer than 20 HP.
Even if a chemist doesn’t make it out of the room,
C3. TUTORING ROOM MODERATE 9 the sounds of combat here might also alert the gang
members in area C5. At the end of each round, roll a
A low, overstuffed couch is pushed up against the southern DC 27 Perception check for the toughs and chemists
wall, its upholstery ragged at its corners. A rectangular in area C5, adjusting the DC up or down depending
table made of wood planks on sawhorses fills the center of on if the agents act stealthily or cause a ruckus. On
the room, surrounded by rickety stools. On the table, a fine a successful check, the gang members on the main
chessboard with yellowed ivory pieces seems out of place floor prepare for combat as noted in that room’s
in the decrepit room. description.

16
TONLA AND YVELLE CREATURE 9 water with a ladle hanging off the side. The northeastern
UNCOMMON NE MEDIUM HUMAN HUMANOID corner of the room is filled with a wide stone oven. West of
Female Diobel Sweeper chemists that, an empty doorway leads outside to a small stone porch. ALL OR
Perception +21 NOTHING
Languages Common, Gnomish, Halfling Table manners were a big part of Madam Cathi’s
Skills Alchemy Lore +21, Crafting +21, Deception +16, curriculum, and one of the main attractions of her Chapter 1:
Stealth +19 school was a warm meal for lunch every school day. Street Justice
Str +2, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +4, Wis +0, Cha +1 The oven had doors on both the outside and inside,
Chapter 2:
Items moderate acid flasks (3), moderate alchemist’s fires so one person could tend the fire from outside the
The House
(3), alchemist’s tools, formula book, +1 striking sickle, +1 building while someone inside the kitchen inserted Always Wins
studded leather dough and retrieved bread.
AC 27; Fort +20, Ref +21, Will +15 Low-ranking Sweepers are often assigned with Chapter 3:
HP 155 getting food for the rest of the gang, the result of which Deadly Games
Speed 25 feet is the half-rotten pig on the table. The chemists also use
Games of the
Melee [one-action] sickle +20 (agile, finesse, trip), Damage 2d4+8 this room for the basin in the corner, where they can Irorium
slashing wash off any chemical residue from their experiments.
Ranged [one-action] moderate acid flask +22 (acid, alchemical, bomb, Gangs of
consumable, range increment 20 feet, splash), Damage C5. MAIN FLOOR SEVERE 9 Absalom
2d6 persistent acid plus 2 acid splash
Adventure
Ranged [one-action] moderate alchemist’s fire +22 (alchemical, Squat wooden desks are arranged to serve as makeshift Toolbox
bomb, consumable, fire, range increment 20 feet, splash), workbenches in this expansive open-air room. Nearly
Damage 2d8 fire plus 2 persistent fire and 2 fire splash every surface is piled with all manner of alchemical
Dirty Bomb [two-actions] (manipulate) Requirements The chemist glassware; tools; and reagents in decanters, wooden
has at least one bomb in their possession; Effect The boxes, or stone cups. The air is warm and full of unusual
chemist adds a hasty mix of noxious substances to smells. Double doors exit to the south as well as down
the bomb and makes a ranged Strike with it. If it hits a hallway to the east. Adjacent to that hallway, a set
and deals damage, the target must attempt a DC 27 of wooden stairs leads up to a windowed room that
Fortitude save or become stupefied 2 for 1d6 rounds; if overlooks the classroom.
the result of the save is a critical failure, this increases
to stupefied 3. For the next 24 hours, the affected target The schoolhouse’s old classroom is dedicated to
takes a –2 circumstance penalty (–3 on a critical failure) the Diobel Sweepers’ alchemy lab. The majority of
to additional Fortitude saving throws against the same their concoctions are cheap, black-market versions
chemist’s Crude Bombs. of familiar alchemical substances such as alchemist’s
Quick Brew [one-action] Requirements The chemist has their fire, tanglefoot bombs, and smokesticks, as well as
alchemist’s tools, formula book, and a free hand; Effect rarer concoctions like various off-label mutagens and
The chemist creates a moderate acid flask or alchemist’s elixirs, all of which they pawn in large quantities to
fire that they must use before the end of their next turn other street gangs in exchange for gold and illegal
or else it becomes inert. goods. Recently, however, the Sweepers’ chemists
have been experimenting with new formulas—most
Treasure: A character who succeeds at a DC 26 notably something they call “mirror mutagen,” a
Perception check while searching this room finds a pungent, silvery decoction that temporarily turns the
ring of energy resistance (acid) in the cushions of the imbiber invisible for a brief duration but also has a
couch. The pitted ring has a bluish-green patina, similar high probability of causing temporary mania. If the
to verdigris, formed from the oxidation of copper. The chemists can figure out a stable recipe, they stand to
expertly crafted chessboard and pieces, still in remarkable make the gang extremely wealthy with a non-magical
condition despite their obvious age, can be entered into alternative to the invisibility potion.
evidence at Starwatch Keep for a bounty of 100 gp. Creatures: Two chemists—Jinae and Wurts—are
hard at work here, preparing a fresh batch of mirror
C4. KITCHEN AND COOK YARD mutagen. They are watched over by two rookie gang
toughs—Piola and Rawboy—who stand near the
On the rotted wooden table in the center of this kitchen, a stairs leading up to the gang leader’s office. If these
cold, half-eaten pig roast swarms with flies. A steel basin gang members are aware of fighting elsewhere in the
is attached to the southern wall, next to an open barrel of schoolhouse, the chemists crouch below the desks on

17
 the far western side of the room and ready their bombs 3 moderate bravo’s brew (+2 item bonus to Will saves,
while the toughs notify their boss in area C8 and hide or +3 to Will saves vs. fear)
under the staircase so they can possibly ambush and 4 cat’s eye elixir (against creatures within 30 feet,
flank the agents. reduce flat check to target hidden creatures to DC 5,
In the northeast corner of the room, staring no flat check necessary to target concealed creatures)
impassively, stands an alchemical golem built by the 5 moderate cheetah’s elixir (+10-feet status bonus to
chemists as a side project. The golem’s brain and eyes Speed)
once belonged to a fellow Sweeper chemist named 6 greater juggernaut mutagen (+3 item bonus vs.
Chalker, who died as the result of a failed mutagen Fortitude saves, 30 temporary Hit Points)
recipe. Though the brain doesn’t retain any of the gang Reduced Abilities Chalky lacks the alchemical golem’s
member’s memories, the others still refer to the golem usual Generate Bomb ability and ranged bomb Strike.
as “Chalky” when ordering it around. Unlike most When something would cause an alchemical rupture, all
alchemical golems, Chalky’s alchemical chambers creatures within a 5-foot emanation are affected by the
are filled with beneficial substances; thus, in combat, elixir in the randomly rolled alchemical chamber, and
Chalky targets his allies with his needle-tipped fingers these creatures may forego their Reflex saves against
instead of foes. Since he has no offensive abilities, the effect if they wish.
Chalky retreats to the corner
and cowers if his allies are Treasure: Two full doses of the elixirs and
all defeated. mutagens listed in Chalky’s stat block can be
retrieved from the subdued alchemical golem.
PIOLA AND RAWBOY CREATURE 6 In addition, the various alchemical tools,
Female and male weak Diobel Sweeper glassware, reagents, and decoctions can all
toughs (page 8, Bestiary 6) be turned into either the Harbor Guard or
Initiative Perception +15 the Starwatch for an evidence bounty of
500 gp.
JINAE AND WURTS CREATURE 9
Female and male Diobel Sweeper C6. FRONT PORCH
chemists (page 16)
Initiative Perception +21 An old low wooden table
and matching benches—
CHALKY CREATURE 9 all sorely in need of
Variant alchemical golem (Bestiary 185) new lacquer—furnish this
Initiative Perception +15 otherwise plain rickety porch. A short
Alchemical Chambers Chalky’s alchemical flight of stairs leads to a landing that
chambers are filled with helpful potions and marks the front door, which is painted
elixirs rather than harmful substances. When ash black.
Chalky targets an ally with its syringe Strike,
the ally takes no damage and doesn’t need to Berleth’s gangsters sometimes
make a save against the rolled effect. The elixirs lounge at the table here and look
and mutagens contained in Chalky’s chambers out for rival gangs ambling through
and a summary of their effects are listed below Sweeper territory.
(see pages 546–550 of the Pathfinder Core Traps: Every Sweeper knows about
Rulebook for full descriptions of these items). the two trip wire snares on the front
The concoctions are less potent than usual, porch and takes care to step over
so each non-instantaneous effect lasts only them. The warning snare (C6a) emits a
1 minute. distinct low-pitched burble not unlike
1 lesser elixir of life (heals 3d6+6 HP, +1 a bubbling cauldron when tripped,
item bonus to saves vs. diseases and which every Sweeper recognizes as the
poisons) alarm since they have no cauldrons on
2 lesser bomber’s eye elixir (while
Diobel Sweeper hand that could make such a noise.
making alchemical bomb Strikes, The frost bomb snare is intended
targets’ circumstance bonus to AC to hobble intruders who make it
gained from cover is reduced by 1) through the front door.

18
WARNING SNARE SNARE 4 Bloody Feet [free-action] Trigger A creature moves onto an active
Pathfinder Core Rulebook 591 step; Effect The trap makes a poisoned needle Strike
Stealth DC 31 (master) against the triggering creature. ALL OR
Reset If deactivated via the switch, the trap can be NOTHING
FROST BOMB SNARE SNARE 4 reactivated with the switch in area C8.
Pathfinder Core Rulebook 589 Chapter 1:
Stealth DC 31 (master) C8. BERLETH’S OFFICE SEVERE 9 Street Justice

Chapter 2:
C7. STAIRS MODERATE 9 A wide darkwood desk dominates the center of this office,
The House
This simple set of wooden stairs leads up to the a comfortable high-back leather chair positioned behind it Always Wins
Madam Cathi’s old personal quarters. Half-rotten next to a corner liquor cabinet. Opposite the desk sits a
cubbies fill the space below the staircase, within which small leather couch. Chapter 3:
are stored a half dozen simple cleaning tools like coal Deadly Games
rakes and long wire brushes that have been turned into Madam Cathi believed so strongly in her mission
Games of the
improvised weapons. of educating Absalom’s youth that she lived in Irorium
Trap: The schoolhouse’s previous occupants—a gang the same schoolhouse where she taught. In the
vanquished by Berleth’s own cronies—constructed a years since its abandonment, this room has been Gangs of
menacing trap in this staircase, which can be enabled or converted into an office for various gang leaders— Absalom
disabled from the upstairs room (C8). Berleth’s chemists most recently Bloody Berleth. Berleth uses the room
Adventure
added poison to the trap for increased lethality. Berleth during his regular visits to the lab and allows his Toolbox
activates the trap only if the agents are unwilling to most favored lieutenants, Mad Margy and Espon
parley with him. Jaribald, to keep an eye on things from here
whenever he isn’t around. During this latest visit
NEEDLING STAIRS HAZARD 11 to the old schoolhouse, Berleth has been sampling
COMPLEX MECHANICAL TRAP some of his chemists’ latest creations, looking for an
Stealth +20 (expert) edge he can use against the Washboard Dogs and his
Description This staircase has springs in each step, which archrival, Maurrisa Jonne.
send poisoned needles shooting up through tiny holes in A discreet 2-inch-long metal switch along the
the wood when stepped on. Each step, 6 in total, takes floorboards near the door activates or deactivates
up one 5-foot square. the needling stairs trap in area C7.
Disable DC 33 Thievery (master) on each stair to disable its Creatures: Bloody Berleth is discussing his gang’s
spring, or deactivate the switch in area C8 to deactivate business operations with his lieutenants when the
the whole trap. Cutting the wire on the topmost stair Edgewatch agents raid the Sweepers’ lab. He responds
(DC 35 to Disable the Device) that connects the staircase calmly to the intruders, beckoning them to put down
to the control switch prevents the control switch from their weapons and discuss matters like civilized
turning the trap on or off. people, and orders Margy and Espon to stand down
AC 28; Fort +22, Ref +19 for the moment while they sort things out through
Hardness 8; HP 25 (BT 12) to break the spring under the diplomacy rather than force.
step and make that step safe to stand on; Immunities Berleth—a shockingly tall half-orc man who
critical hits, object immunities, precision damage carries a massive coal shovel and wears grandiose
First Step [reaction] Trigger A creature ends its movement on upper-class garments in garish patterns—offers the
one of the stairs; Effect The trap makes a poisoned agents a seat (motioning for his lieutenants to stand
needle Strike against the triggering creature, then rolls in the room’s corner) as well as a drink from his liquor
initiative. cabinet (pouring a rye, neat, for himself in either
Routine (1 action) The trap makes a separate poisoned needle case), then makes some small talk before delving
Strike against each creature currently on an active step into his proposition. He commends the officers for
as 1 action. Because it is constantly jabbing needles up their brazen assault on his smallest alchemy lab and
through any weight-bearing steps, the trap can also use lays on no shortage of thinly disguised flattery. Since
its Bloody Feet free action (see below) to jab at a creature it’s obvious the agents have already been in touch
on one of the steps during that creature’s turn. with his rival gang leader Maurrisa Jonne—“Why
Melee [one-action] poisoned needle +24, Damage 2d6+8 piercing else would Absalom’s finest visit lowly me in this
plus 1d6 persistent bleed and 4d6 persistent poison; no quiet corner of my kingdom?”—he asks them for
multiple attack penalty their honest opinion of her, then cuts to the chase:

19
 In exchange for backing down from their current old friends?” Indeed, the key harkens back to Berleth
attack and providing him the location of Maurrisa and Jonne’s days as allies; Jonne never bothered to
Jonne’s hideout, he’ll give the agents the key to change the lockbox key because she wrongly believed
Jonne’s lockbox in the Lucky Nimbus casino, which that when she ratted out Berleth, his copy of the key
he correctly assumes is what Jonne would give the was confiscated and lost to the vagaries of Absalom’s
agents if they complete her assignment. He even shows harsh justice system. In truth, he pocketed and held
them his copy of the key. If asked why Berleth has onto it until the time was right. The time is now right.
such a thing, the mobster smiles wryly and playfully “Help me do the right thing,” he says. “Put a stop
says, “What? She never told you that we were dear once and for all to the Washboard Dogs’ money
laundering schemes, and I can help you. Easy as that.”
There is no correct choice here; Berleth is true
to his word and, if honestly told the location of
Jonne’s whereabouts (the Groundwater Tunnel
in the aftermath of this raid), he gives the agents
his key, which he has little use for anyway. He
then describes the strange device within the Lucky
Nimbus lockbox (see Reconvening with Maurrisa
on the next page), which he’s sure is “no mere toy”
and would be of interest to the agents. (To avoid
putting the players in a lurch, Berleth should be
able to divulge the same information as Maurrisa,
including the suggestion that they not alert the
casino’s owner to their investigation and instead
infiltrate the establishment during the upcoming
Floating Gala.) Not long after the agents depart
the lab, a veritable army of Berleth’s gangsters
swarm Jonne’s hideout, swiftly obliterate the
Washboard Dogs, and the Sweepers—devoid of
their main rivals—ascend to the upper echelons of
Absalom’s street gangs, making the streets of the
Docks District much more dangerous.
If the agents try to deceive Berleth and fail, he
shakes his head sadly and regrets their inability to
see the kindness in his offer, then orders an attack.
If they outright refuse his offer, he throws his glass
of rye at the wall, flies into a bloodthirsty rage,
and attacks. Finally, if the agents manage to tell
a convincing lie, it’s only a matter of time before
he realizes their duplicity, in which case he seeks
revenge. If this happens, you should have Berleth
and his toughs return later in this adventure—
preferably at some inopportune time, such
as during their heist at the Lucky Nimbus
Bloody Berleth casino in Chapter 2 or amid the turmoil at
the Irorium in Chapter 3.
If the agents fight Berleth, all of the
gang members in the schoolhouse attack
the agents in the hopes of impressing
their boss. The gangsters keep fighting
until Berleth, Mad Margy, and Espon
Jaribald have all fallen, in which case the
rest of the gang hastily disbands and flees
the scene.

20
MARGY AND ESPON CREATURE 8 RECONVENING WITH MAURRISA
Elite male and female Diobel Sweeper toughs (page 8, After the agents have raided the Diobel Sweepers’
Bestiary 6) alchemy lab and dispatched Bloody Berleth, the ALL OR
Initiative Perception +19 Washboard Dogs show up at the Groundwater Tunnel NOTHING
that evening, as promised, with just slightly less
BLOODY BERLETH CREATURE 11 dramatics than before, and Maurrisa Jonne tells the Chapter 1:
UNIQUE NE MEDIUM HUMAN HUMANOID ORC agents about her final encounter with the Skinner. Street Justice
Male half-orc gang leader
Chapter 2:
Perception +24; low-light vision The burly gang leader rubs her hands together in delight.
The House
Languages Common, Orcish “I knew I could trust you. Now it’s time for my end of Always Wins
Skills Athletics +22, Deception +22, Diplomacy +18, Gang the bargain.” She produces an ornate brass key from her
Lore +18, Intimidation +22, Stealth +17 pocket. “In my last meeting with the Skinner, she handed Chapter 3:
Str +5, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +3 me some kind of glass and metal… contraption. Looked like Deadly Games
Items +1 chain mail, moderate elixir of life, heavy crossbow it had a lot of nozzles on it and something cylindrical could
Games of the
(with 4 spellstrike arrows [type III, blindness; DC 24]), be stuck inside. I don’t know, I’m no tinker, but something Irorium
greater juggernaut mutagen, ring of lies, +1 striking about it put me on edge. She said, ‘Keep this safe until the
shovel (same stats as a scythe, but with the versatile B right time comes. You’ll know and it will be glorious.’” Gangs of
trait), greater smokestick, moderate tanglefoot bag Maurrisa snorts to herself. “Well, as much I hate to Absalom
AC 30; Fort +23, Ref +21, Will +20 admit it, I was in no position to argue with someone that
Adventure
HP 245 fanatical. So I took the thing and did as ordered, but I Toolbox
Speed 20 feet stored it as far from myself as I could: in a special lockbox
Melee [one-action] shovel +24 (deadly 1d10, magical, trip, versatile reserved just for me in a little ol’ gambling den called the
B), Damage 2d10+11 slashing Lucky Nimbus.
Ranged [one-action] heavy crossbow +19 (range increment 120 feet, “Now I’d happily go and get that device for you, but
reload 2), Damage 1d10 piercing there’s one problem. Me and my Dogs are banned from
Concussive Beatdown [one-action] Requirements Berleth has just the Lucky Nimbus. Same with the Sweepers. That little
used his shovel to Trip a creature; Effect Berleth brutally disagreement over some cards what started this whole
brings his shovel down on the prone foe, making a shovel mess.” She considers the key a little forlornly before
Strike. On a hit, the Strike deals damage as normal, plus holding it out to you. “You’re free to check it out for
the target must make a DC 30 Fortitude save. yourself, but don’t tell the owner, Gage Carlyle, you’re
Critical Success The creature is unaffected. looking for our box. He’ll probably know you’re trying to
Success The creature is stunned 1. get our stuff for us, and besides, he’s a bit of a shifty guy.
Failure The creature is stunned 2. No monster, mind you, just... not someone I’d trust with
Critical Failure The creature is stunned 2 and clumsy 1 this kind of information.”
for 1 minute.
Decapitate [two-actions] Berleth plunges his shovel through a creature’s Maurrisa provides a brief overview of the Lucky
neck as though it were peat moss. He makes a shovel Strike Nimbus’s security protocol: a client asks to see their
against an adjacent unconscious or immobilized creature. lockbox, Gage Carlyle takes them down to the casino’s
On a hit, the creature is wounded 2 (possibly dying). vault, and he and the client each insert their own key
Final Blow [reaction] Frequency once per day; Trigger Berleth into separate locks to access the lockbox. Maurrisa is
is reduced to 0 HP; Effect Berleth makes a final shovel fairly certain that Gage keeps his key on his person at
Strike before dying. all times, but doesn’t know much else about how the
casino operates. The agents will have to discover those
Treasure: The liquor cabinet contains a barrel’s details on their own in Chapter 2.
worth of illegally imported fine wine and rare spirits, If, on the other hand, the agents decided to work
and Berleth’s desk holds petty cash from the lab’s latest with Bloody Berleth and betray Maurrisa, they skip
earnings next to the latest prototype of the gang’s this scene entirely, since Berleth tells them all the same
unfinished “mirror mutagen.” If the agents turn all of this pertinent details right then and there in the Sweepers’
evidence into Crestwatch, they collect a 400 gp bounty. lab and provides them with his own copy of the
XP Award: If the agents work out a deal with lockbox key.
Bloody Berleth instead of defeating him in combat, XP Award: For receiving the key to the Lucky Nimbus
award each character an 80 XP story award in place lockbox, whether from Maurrisa Jonne or Bloody
of the encounter XP. Berleth, award each character an 80 XP story award.

21
 CHAPTER 2:
THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS
By this time, the agents should report back to Captain The news of the Twilight Four’s “dangerous thing”
Asilia at Starwatch Keep. If they’ve forgotten, they instantly worries Asilia, and she speculates that it’s
receive a firm but friendly reminder from Agent likely some kind of doomsday device. If the players
Tova, who manages to track them down with his haven’t already reached the same conclusion, she
own sleuthing skills. When the agents return to the informs the agents that retrieving this device should
keep, they find Asilia in her office again, though she be their top priority.
has come out from behind her desk and is looking Asilia is already familiar with the Lucky Nimbus,
out one of the windows. a venue that has hosted many of Absalom’s most
Captain Asilia listens intently to the agents’ high-profile criminals over the decades, and she
accounts of the last few days, though she is likely likewise knows a thing or two about Gage Carlyle.
already aware of most of the details thanks to her “Your gang contact is correct: informing Carlyle of
connections with senior Harbor Guards. If the agents the device in his establishment would be a misstep.
are concerned that they may have bent or broken If we tip our hand too soon, he could imperil our
the law by making a deal with the Washboard Dogs investigation either purposefully or inadvertently. I
or the Diobel Sweepers, Asilia lauds them for their suggest, instead, that you go undercover.”
mindfulness and reassures them that letting the To illustrate her assumption, Asilia relates a story
gangs’ feud continue would have endangered more about a prior investigation a few years ago in which
innocent Absalomians—they’ve done good work. she herself requested access to the Lucky Nimbus’s

22
lockboxes and came up empty-handed. She suspected foul play, but the CHAPTER 2 SYNOPSIS
next morning, a powerful grand councilmember’s adjutant suggested— The agents now know that the
not so politely—that Asilia drop the matter, which she did. The captain Skinner gave the Washboard Dogs ALL OR
also believes that simply raiding the casino would be inadvisable, as a dangerous device that Maurrisa NOTHING
Gage clearly has friends in high places and isn’t currently breaking any Jonne hid in a lockbox in the
laws. Securing a proper search warrant is likewise out of the question— Lucky Nimbus’s vault. They also Chapter 1:
doing so would tip their hand to Gage, and besides, it would take far have the key to this lockbox—so if Street Justice
too long for a warrant to get through the bureaucratic pipeline with they can reach it, they can open
Chapter 2:
their flimsy evidence. it. Unfortunately, the Washboard
The House
Dogs have been banned from the Always Wins
“No,” Captain Asilia muses aloud, “the best way to ensure the recovery of the casino; in addition, the casino’s
Twilight Four’s device would be to sneak in somehow, perhaps during some owner, Gage Carlyle, is not known Chapter 3:
high-profile event during which Carlyle would be amply distracted.” Paging to cooperate with law enforcement. Deadly Games
through an agenda of upcoming events related to the Radiant Festival, the The characters must infiltrate
Games of the
captain’s eyes widen, and she slaps the papers down on her desk. “Here.” A the casino, steal Gage’s vault key, Irorium
bold header on the page announces in large letters: “The Floating Gala at the and retrieve the device without
Lucky Nimbus.” alerting Gage or his enforcers. The Gangs of
agents’ mission is complicated by Absalom
Asilia explains that the agents’ best bet is to scout around the Lucky a shadowy wizard looking to get
Adventure
Nimbus to get a lay of the land, secure disguises, and infiltrate the casino revenge on the casino owner and Toolbox
during its grand upcoming soiree, the Floating Gala. “Unfortunately, other unforeseeable obstacles.
we don’t have the luxury of time,” she says. “The Floating Gala is likely When the agents finally open the
your only chance to slip in unnoticed; if you go on any regular night lockbox, they find it empty! A clue
Carlyle is sure to suspect something and prevent you from reaching leads them to the apartment of
the vault.” Franca Laurentz, a former casino
This part of the adventure is more free-form than Chapters 1 and 3, employee, where it becomes
and you should make it clear to your players that how they decide to clear that Franca plans to use the
infiltrate the Lucky Nimbus’s vault is totally up to them (though their device to release a deadly poison
allies and acquaintances might of course offer suggestions if they feel on Absalom!
at a loss).
Once the players understand that their next goal is to formulate CHAPTER 2 TREASURE
(and then act on) a plan to get into the Lucky Nimbus’s vault and Since the agents will be undercover
retrieve the Twilight Four’s strange device, proceed with the adventure throughout almost all of this chapter
and let the players take the reins. The remainder of this chapter is but will still be held to police
devoted to details of the Lucky Nimbus, prominent NPCs, and possible standards, there is little opportunity
methods for adjudicating the different types of schemes your players for them to requisition equipment
might concoct. for the field or secure evidence that
might garner a bounty. At the very
PREPARING FOR THE HEIST least, they may receive a few items
The agents have 3 full days to prepare for the heist at the Lucky Nimbus from the interlocutor Ekimilixus, and
casino. During that time, they can perform typical downtime activities, they should be able to recover the
preparation activities (including the new ones listed on page 34), or items from Scathka once they are
other activities (such as interviewing allies and information brokers or defeated (perhaps under the ruse
scouting around the Lucky Nimbus). of disarming them). And, of course,
Keep track of the time it takes the characters to perform their the characters might just earn a
preparations, but be lenient in the case that your players might be fortune anyway by gambling some
dawdling or wasting time on unnecessary tasks. Since this is the first of their earnings at any of the Lucky
time the agents have so much freedom to pursue their investigation Nimbus’s game tables.
as they like, there may be some growing pains at first, of which you • +1 leather armor
should be forgiving. • +1 striking dagger
After 3 days of downtime, on the night of the Lucky Nimbus’s • barbed vest (page 78)
Floating Gala, proceed to run the agents’ heist as detailed under • ring of wizardry II
Running the Heist on page 35. • wand of manifold missiles

23
 THE LUCKY NIMBUS AT A GLANCE mirrors line the walls of Gage’s penthouse and the
The Lucky Nimbus is an upscale casino in the private VIP rooms so that the rich can gaze down
Coins open 24 hours a day. It is owned by upon the riffraff but not expose themselves in
Gage Carlyle, a Coins District native who the process.
in his youth parlayed his winnings Exterior Doors: During the Floating Gala,
from a golem tournament into a the front doors of the casino—a set of double
small fortune and lucrative business doors and a close-by side door attached to
enterprise seemingly overnight. More a ramp—are kept propped open. A pair of
information about Gage’s history can bouncers watch the double doors, while
be found on page 88. only a single bouncer guards the door near
To call the Lucky Nimbus large would the ramp. The building has two rear doors—
be an understatement. The casino spans one where casino employees enter and exit
an entire city block and has four floors: (and bouncers oust disruptive guests who
a main level with a dance hall, kitchen have overstayed their welcome), and one
and bar, cashier, and most of the game attached to the kitchen for receiving
tables; an opulently furnished upper shipments of food and alcohol. Finally,
floor featuring swanky private Gage had the foresight to put an
rooms (typically reserved for emergency exit on the western
high rollers, the famous, wall of the dance hall. All
and Gage’s personal of these doors are locked
friends); Gage’s penthouse, from the inside with
from which he can gaze at simple locks.
his small empire from behind Gage Carlyle Interior Doors: The
floor-to-ceiling two-way mirrors; doors inside the casino indicate areas
and the basement, which houses a security office restricted to employees. Most are locked as noted in
and the casino’s high-security vault. The casino is the area descriptions, with the quality of each lock
named for its thematic touches: the decorations, referring to the description of locks on page 290 of
furnishings, and accoutrements are all themed the Core Rulebook. The only doors accessible to
around popular cultural myths of clouds, djinn, and customers are those that open to the bathrooms.
other aspects of genie culture and the Elemental Casino Employees: Gage employs a wide roster of
Plane of Air. Many such decorations borrow heavily card dealers, guards, bouncers, cashiers, bartenders,
from Katapeshi culture in particular. Although Gage and kitchen staff, plus a range of entertainers he hires
has no personal ties to Katapesh, he is more than happy for special events. In general, assume that each game
to capitalize on its perceived exoticism in Absalom to table has at least one dealer and that there are a few
lend his establishment a touch of mystique. bouncers patrolling the main casino floor at any
The following are some general details about the given time. There are fewer dealers and bouncers on
Lucky Nimbus, followed by short descriptions of the upper floor.
the individual areas. This should help you present All employees work 8-hour shifts, though there are
the casino—and especially the Floating Gala—as no shift changes scheduled during the Floating Gala.
an active, constantly changing environment, rather Each employee gets a short break after 4 hours of
than a static locale. work. Gage treats his staff well; most of his workers
Interior Lighting: The Lucky Nimbus is lit by consider themselves lucky and are thus unwilling to
magical lanterns that line the walls and similarly risk their jobs to perform major favors for strangers,
enchanted chandeliers that hang from the ceiling though a few are willing to accept sizable bribes in
in the casino’s larger spaces. The lanterns can be exchange for looking the other way or “forgetting”
extinguished like normal fires, but reigniting them to close a back door.
requires that their specific command word be The following stats can be used for Gage’s bouncers
spoken. More than a few of Gage’s employees are or guards in the case of a combat encounter.
versed in the arcane arts, and they’re responsible for
seeing that the lights remain on at all times. CASINO BOUNCER CREATURE 8
Windows: There are no windows along the UNCOMMON N MEDIUM HUMAN HUMANOID
exterior walls of the Lucky Nimbus, so that the Perception +20
gamblers can’t tell what time it is outside. Two-way Languages Common

24
Skills Athletics +20, Diplomacy +15, Intimidation +19, invitation-only event. The casino is busiest in the
Society +16 evenings, with guests at every table and several
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +5, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +1 people mingling at the bar. People start to trickle ALL OR
Items chain shirt, +1 striking sap out at midnight; by the early morning hours, only NOTHING
AC 27; Fort +19, Ref +13, Will +13 the most diehard gamblers remain. The casino is
HP 150 fairly quiet during the day, but still does enough Chapter 1:
Attack of Opportunity [reaction] business to keep the dealers occupied. Those who Street Justice
Speed 25 feet gamble on the first floor are citizens and tourists
Chapter 2:
Melee [one-action] fist +20 (agile, finesse, nonlethal, unarmed), of humble means, while the patrons of the second
The House
Damage 2d6+6 bludgeoning plus Grab floor consist of wealthy merchants, minor nobles, Always Wins
Melee [one-action] sap +21 (agile, magical, nonlethal), Damage and adventurers who have earned a few moments in
2d6+6 bludgeoning the public spotlight. Chapter 3:
Escort from the Premises [two-actions] Requirements The casino Weapons Policy: Weapons and similar contraband Deadly Games
bouncer has Grabbed a Medium or smaller target and are forbidden in the Lucky Nimbus except by
Games of the
is wielding a nonlethal weapon in the other hand; employees, though this doesn’t stop guests from Irorium
Effect The casino bouncer makes a Strike against sneaking in the occasional dagger or wand under
the grabbed target with the nonlethal weapon. If their jackets or dresses. Anyone seen brandishing a Gangs of
the Strike hits, it deals damage as usual and the weapon is immediately removed from the premises Absalom
casino bouncer moves the target 5 feet (this is forced by force, though certain extenuating circumstances
Adventure
movement) and Steps into the space the target had (such as if the agents draw weapons to fight off Toolbox
just occupied. the svartalfar killers; page 38) might inspire the
Intimidating Stare [one-action] (concentrate, emotion, mental,
visual) The casino bouncer attempts to Demoralize
a creature with a mere glance. The casino bouncer
doesn’t take a penalty to their Intimidation check
if the target doesn’t speak the same language. If
the bouncer rolls a critical success, the target can’t
reduce the value of its frightened condition until 1d4
rounds have passed.

Cleaning Staff: Once a week, Gage Carlyle

hires a local group of cleaners to go through the
casino with brooms, mops, fabric cleaner, and
metal polish. The next cleaning is scheduled for
the night before the Floating Gala. The cleaners
are allowed access to every part of the casino,
including Gage’s apartment, but not the vault.
The group is always accompanied by one of the
bouncers on duty. The cleaners scrub out the
washrooms by themselves, however, with the
bouncer waiting just outside. When they reach
the top floor, Gage unlocks his apartment door
and walks them into his apartment with the
bouncer. The cleaners don’t take long to clean
the apartment, as Gage tends to keep the
place tidy.
Casino Guests: While the Lucky
Nimbus is typically open to
the public and thus serves all Lucky Nimbus Fountain
manner of both aristocrats
and commoners (as long as
they observe the dress code,
that is), the Floating Gala is an

25
THE LUCKY NIMBUS (MAIN FLOOR)
1 SQUARE = 10 FEET

TO VAULT D10 D9
D2
D11
D14aa
D14

D14bb
D14 D13 TO VIP LOUNGE D7
D11 D8
D12 TO VIP LOUNGE
D5

D4

D6

D1

D3

THE LUCKY NIMBUS (GAGE’S PENTHOUSE) THE LUCKY NIMBUS (VIP LOUNGE)
1 SQUARE = 10 FEET
D27
D26
D20
TO VIP LOUNGE D25 D28
D11
1 SQUARE = 10 FEET D21
TO MAIN FLOOR
TO MAIN FLOOR THE LUCKY NIMBUS (VAULT) D11
D11 1 SQUARE = 10 FEET TO MAIN FLOOR
D15

D22 D19
D16

D18 D24
26 D23
D17 TO GAGE’S PENTHOUSE
bouncers and Gage to look the other way just out for potential cheats, troublemakers, or dealers in
this once. need of aid. Gage Carlyle also occasionally wanders
through the casino floor to greet his patrons, check ALL OR
THE LUCKY NIMBUS in with bouncers, and generally keep an eye on his NOTHING
The Lucky Nimbus can take business, though he mostly sticks to the VIP
many forms depending on the area upstairs. Chapter 1:
occasion. The descriptions Each table holds a small briefcase Street Justice
below refer specifically to the containing the tokens the house takes in. It’s
Chapter 2:
establishment as it’s laid out securely locked with a good lock and has
The House
during the Floating Gala. a small slot in which the dealer can insert Always Wins
D1. Entryway: The casino’s (but not remove) tokens. Whenever the
main entry is an opulent dealer notices their case is almost full, they Chapter 3:
double door accessible via two flag down a nearby bouncer. The bouncer Deadly Games
staircases. The staircases flank a brings an empty box to the table, swaps
Games of the
massive gilded statue of a djinn the boxes, and takes the full box down Irorium
sitting merrily in lotus pose atop a to the basement counting room.
fluffy cloud. There is no placard or D3. Bathrooms: Each of Gangs of
sign to label the establishment. the areas marked D3 are Absalom
The decorative stone pillars on identical garderobes.
Adventure
either side of the doorway are Each garderobe contains Toolbox
carved to resemble cascading six partitioned toilets
golden coins tumbling from that lead to Absalom’s
unseen hands. To the east, a smooth Chef Donala Pechiro sewer network. Outside the
stone ramp allows an alternative method of ingress garderobes are shallow steel basins with hand-pumps
for those who can’t use the stairs. connected to hidden barrels of clean water. A bowl
D2. Casino Floor: The largest area in the casino of sweet-smelling potpourri sits on a wooden table
is its massive games floor where patrons can play a in the center of the hall dividing the garderobes to
variety of games of chance for different buy-ins. The ward off any unpleasant smells.
floor is covered in a fine red carpet trimmed with D4. Bar: Liquor is poured liberally at both of the
gold, and the gilded fixtures along the walls sparkle Lucky Nimbus’s broad mahogany bars. Patrons are
luxuriously. The center of the vast hall features an free to sit on a barstool or take their drinks to the
impressively large fountain display that features casino floor. The tables throughout the bar area seat
a djinn statue, decidedly less jovial than the one diners who have ordered meals from the kitchen.
out front, sitting atop a bloom of conjured silver When they get a spare moment, kitchen staff clear
clouds that sprinkle rain down into the surrounding the square tables of empty mugs and occasionally
basin. Depending on the time of day, the Lucky sweep the casino floor to pick up stray trash and
Nimbus’s casino floor is either bustling with dozens used drinkware.
of patrons having a good time or solemnly quiet The beverages available here include the ones
with the desperation of a few dedicated gamblers. listed in the Basic Services and Consumables table
Regardless, the gaudy fountain is always illuminated of the Core Rulebook at the same prices. Most
with glorious amber light. customers enjoy simple mugs of Kortosian ale or
In addition to small stand-up tables with stools purchase a bottle of wine to share with their friends,
for familiar games like blackjack and poker, the but the Lucky Nimbus offers a wide variety of other
casino floor sports a number of sit-down tables alcoholic beverages, including Garundi rum, Taldan
specifically designed for games of golem and amaro, and even berry liqueurs from the Galtan
bounder. Each table has a dedicated dealer. In the border. A mixed drink made with one of these
southeastern corner of the casino floor, a caller is alcohols costs 5 cp.
constantly running games of century and calling D5. Kitchen: The atmosphere within the incredibly
the drawn numbers from behind a broad table. See spacious Lucky Nimbus kitchen is nearly always
pages 76–77 for the description and rules for golem, suffused with a frantic and angry energy. Narrow
bounder, and century. windows line the top of the eastern wall and vent
Bouncers patrol the casino floor at all times. They to the alleyway. The ample counter space along the
walk a circuit around the massive room and look walls, along with wide countertop islands, is almost

27
 always covered in an assortment of cutting boards, Katapeshi food can see the gussied-up pub grub for
knives, pots and pans, and other cooking utensils. what it is.
In the far western corner of the kitchen is the larder, D6. Security Office: Gage’s chief security officer,
accessible via a curtain and a steep stepladder. The Edrer Gutsking (Lucky Nimbus NPCs on page 31),
north door leads out to a short hallway that connects oversees the operations of all the casino’s guards
to the storage room, ballroom, and alleyway. and bouncers from this area, which also includes
Gage’s talented private cook and the head chef Gutsking’s modest living quarters (little more than
of the Lucky Nimbus, Donala Pechiro (LN female a bed and wardrobe) and an interrogation chamber
human chef 2), runs a tight kitchen, but her tendency (which has seen some grisly things in its day). The
to publicly berate employees at the slightest rest of the space is jammed with a few cluttered
provocation means that only the most desperate (or bookshelves, paper-strewn desks, and wooden
simply unwitting) aspiring chefs take a job under chairs to seat casino patrons under investigation.
her management. The door in the southeastern corner of the security
Although the Lucky Nimbus is well known office is near to the rear exit door, making it easy
among locals for its delicious “authentic” Katapeshi for bouncers to eject unsavory customers into the
cuisine, anyone with even a passing familiarity of cold alley.
D7. Storage Room: This cramped space has long
shelves that run the room’s length, plus a couple
of barrels along the western wall. The shelves
hold bottles of liquor, extra mugs and dishware,
spare kitchen utensils, and cleaning supplies such as
buckets and mops. The barrels hold water, which
the casino receives a fresh supply of every week.
D8. Back Alley: A local peasant child keeps
the wide alleyway behind the Lucky Nimbus
clean for a copper a day, though she
makes herself scarce whenever one of the
bouncers tosses out an unruly customer.
The alley is mainly used for the delivery
of food and alcohol and for large-scale
entertainment troupes who have a lot of
gear to transport onto the Nimbus’s main
stage.
D9. Backstage: Since the Lucky Nimbus is
liable to put on just about any type of show
as long as it brings in customers, its backstage
area is chock full of expensive props, cheap
instruments, and a wide variety of miscellany
accumulated over years of performances.
The stage manager, Delson Famari (LN male
human bard 8), is a Chelaxian émigré with
a no-nonsense approach to hiring talent—
except when the talent happens to
have ties to the Chelaxian
nobility, in which case he
is a shameless sycophant.
D10. Ballroom: Gage
Edrer Gutsking has invited a number of
talented dancers to his
soiree, and he hopes
that an ample dance
floor will encourage
many more of his guests

28
to participate in high-class debauchery. For the gold and silver and also keep detailed logs of the
Floating Gala’s musical talent, he has hired a troupe exchange of cash and tokens (larger winnings, losses,
called Brumal and the Primarchs, an eight-piece and transactions are handled by the employees in the ALL OR
band of trumpeters, trombonists, and drummers downstairs counting room, area D16). The smaller NOTHING
playing upbeat, brassy renditions of Absalom’s room, D14b, is likewise restricted to employees; it
most popular waltzes and suites as well as a few is used variously for private meetings and as a quiet Chapter 1:
slow Kortosian folk songs from around the island. break room for employees who need a moment off Street Justice
Between hour-long sets, the night’s emcee, Gage’s their feet.
Chapter 2:
cousin-in-law Jacomir, tells comical stories (to a D15. Security Office and Holding Area: This
The House
mostly unamused crowd) and encourages attendees broad chamber serves a variety of functions. In the Always Wins
to grab another drink at the bar. western half, a flying chair allows Edrer to access
D11. Flying Chair: When Gage’s head security the casino’s basement-level security office, where Chapter 3:
officer Edrer lost the use of his legs, the business bouncers and guards can eat and nap out of sight of Deadly Games
mogul reoutfitted his establishment with the latest the clientele and change in and out of their uniforms
Games of the
technology so that his closest friend could continue between shifts. During the Floating Gala, all hands Irorium
to access the entire building. The “flying chairs” are on deck, so there are only a few bouncers
situated around the casino are the most notable snoozing in this room and one senior guard filling Gangs of
result of this effort. Each of these small wooden out paperwork. Absalom
chambers is rigged to an intricate system of ropes The long hallway to the east is divided lengthwise
Adventure
and pulleys. An individual can enter the room and with durable floor-to-ceiling iron bars. This is where Toolbox
pull a nearby rope to raise or lower the entire room the most egregious casino offenders are placed while
like a giant dumbwaiter. the security staff wait for Token Guard officers to
The only flying chair open to the public is located arrive and arrest them properly. The Token Guard
near the staircases to the VIP lounge. Due to the makes a tidy sum arresting cheats and debtors taken
delicate nature of the flying chair’s mechanisms, in by Gage’s private guards, and so they’re content
Gage asks that anyone using the flying chair to ignore the blurry legal line that the Lucky Nimbus
(excepting Edrer, of course) first seek the assistance walks in detaining its customers.
of a staff member. D16. Counting Room: Two long counters occupy
D12. Small Stage: The main stage in the ballroom the center of this room. Each counter is topped with
is reserved for big-name performers, musical groups, scales bought from the local Church of Abadar
and troupes that can draw a crowd. This stage, and intricate clockwork coin- and token-counting
on the other hand, is reserved for the second-rate devices commissioned from the Clockwork
entertainment—imitators, comedians, and solo Cathedral. Massive ledgers fill the oak bookshelves
musicians whose job is to fill the gaps of silence on that line the walls, and a funnel-shaped metal chute
the casino floor and little more. Even Gage doesn’t juts from the southern wall, where counted sums are
pay much mind to whoever currently commands the poured down and into a large safe in the vault. A
small stage. On the night of the Floating Gala, a single guard stands near the door of the counting
rotation of minor (but still reputable) Absalom-based room; only the senior-most guards and those who
bands is scheduled to play on the stage. have proven their loyalty time and again are given
D13. Cashier: Up to eight cashiers occupy the two this shift.
booths here, where casino patrons can exchange D17. Vault Door: Two guards are stationed just
their cash for tokens or vice-versa. Changing cash outside the casino’s vault door, ensuring that no
to tokens is free, but changing tokens to cash entails unauthorized personnel attempt to enter the vault.
a 1% fee. The Lucky Nimbus’s game tokens, which The guards aggressively question anyone not
are made of a light-blue cobalt alloy ringed in silver, personally accompanied by Gage; see the obstacles
are notoriously difficult to counterfeit. Two casino listed under Objective 2: Open the Lockbox on page
bouncers stand in the spaces behind the cashier 39 for more information on the challenges posed by
counters, keeping their eyes on the cashiers as much the vault door.
as the customers. D18. Vault: This massive, irregularly shaped
D14. Cashier Back Rooms: The large employee- vault features dozens of lockboxes, both small and
only room north of the cashier stations (D14a) large, along the walls of two rectangular sections.
features a large round table from which employees An oversized marble countertop takes up the
count small quantities of the casino’s earnings in center of the eastern section, whereas the middle of

29
 INFILTRATION RULES D20. Balcony: During the Floating Gala, the
The full rules for the infiltration subsystem used upper level of the ballroom is open to all guests.
throughout this chapter are found starting on page 160 Fine wooden banisters separate the various levels
of the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide or in the Pathfinder of the balcony, which gradually rise near the back
Reference Document at www.paizo.com/prd. The terms to ensure everyone in attendance has a view of
“infiltration” and “heist” are used interchangeably the stage. Overserved guests have been known to
throughout this chapter. tumble off the balcony on occasion, and Gage has
yet to figure out a suitable way of preventing this
possibility.
the western section is left empty for odd-sized or D21. Private Balcony: Gage and his most honored
unusually large items. guests view performances from this sparse but
This is the Lucky Nimbus’s secure vault, where pristine booth. The door is locked at all times,
Gage Carlyle keeps the casino’s winnings, holds though most bouncers have a key to it in case they
collateral for customers who have taken out a loan need to fetch Gage during a performance.
from the bank, and stores valuable items for his most D22. Private Rooms: The walls of these cozy
prestigious patrons. Each of the lockboxes requires private rooms are draped in black velvet, muffling
two keys to unlock: the master key held by Gage much of the sound from the rest of the casino and
and a unique key for each receptacle. Each of the almost absorbing the light given off by the rooms’
two locks requires three successful DC 32 Thievery silver sconces. Each is furnished with a low leather
checks to Disable a Device to open. sectional couch, a glass-topped coffee table, and
If the agents have the Washboard Dogs’ key, it’s a few fine card tables with matching chairs. The
marked with the number “121.” The accompanying wide one-way mirror to the west offers guests a
lockbox is located along the westernmost wall. view of the casino floor while also ensuring their
D19. VIP Lounge: A black velvet curtain at the top privacy. VIP guests can reserve these rooms for
of these stairs demarcates the VIP lounge. A casino private games or to discuss business matters, though
bouncer stands by the gap in the curtains, holding they are expected to purchase numerous expensive
a clipboard with a written list of the guests allowed bottles of alcohol and choice items from the kitchen
through. She stoically checks people’s names as while occupying a room for any significant amount
they enter and adamantly doesn’t allow in anyone of time. A small magical light outside of each room
not on the list. For the Floating Gala, Gage has lights up when the space is occupied.
made sure to only give VIP status to the powerful There isn’t much of a system as to when these
politicians, nobles, and celebrities with whom he rooms are allowed to be used and who can use them.
wishes to curry favor. Gage might add names to They seem to operate on a first-come-first-served
this list throughout the night—especially if he meets basis, but Gage isn’t shy about asking a party to
particularly wealthy or influential individuals on the leave if another VIP guest (whom Gage deems to be
bottom floor he deems worthy of finer treatment. more worthwhile) wants to use an occupied room.
The massive VIP lounge is itself the size of a small He is firm but polite about such requests, offering
casino. The center of the lounge is dominated by to buy a bottle of alcohol for the displaced party,
an incredible bar that features rare and imported but also bringing one of his bouncers with him to
liquors and wines, the cheapest glass of which is a provide intimidation if necessary.
shocking 10 gp. Another bar lines the eastern wall, D23. VIP Bathrooms: Unlike the shared garderobes
and servers meander through the lounge to check on downstairs, the restrooms for VIP patrons are
guests and refill drinks. individual water closets, each with its own toilet,
A handful of casino dealers work here, each washbasin, and water barrels.
stationed at a golem table with numerous chips at D24. Upstairs Storage: The upstairs storage room
hand, though most VIPs prefer to throw their money is similar to the one downstairs, but the quality of
around on the oversized bounder table to the north. the merchandise held within is of a considerably
A pair of bouncers patrol the room, but they are higher caliber.
notably less vigilant than their coworkers on the D25. Penthouse Entry: The southeastern door
casino floor since VIP guests don’t typically cause from the VIP lounge isn’t locked, though a nearby
much trouble; the bouncers’ main priority is to stop bouncer keeps an eye out for anyone trying to slip
people from trying to enter the western hallway to in. It leads to a short hallway with oil paintings of
Gage’s apartment (area D25). the casino hanging on the walls and a broad staircase

30
up to another door. Gage keeps this door where Gage takes long, contemplative baths after a
locked with a good lock and guarded by long day on the casino floor.
a trusted bouncer at all times. ALL OR
D26. Gage’s Penthouse: Gage LUCKY NIMBUS NPCS NOTHING
Carlyle’s private domicile is a While Gage Carlyle is the agents’ primary antagonist
combination living room, dining throughout their heist, the Lucky Nimbus is Chapter 1:
room, and office furnished simply rich with diverse clientele and employees Street Justice
but elegantly in a black, white, both friendly and adversarial. Below are
Chapter 2:
and polished chrome color brief descriptions of some secondary
The House
scheme. The northern and western or tertiary NPCs with whom Always Wins
walls consist mainly of glass—a the Edgewatch agents might
specially crafted two-way mirror associate (such as by using the Chapter 3:
from which Gage can gaze out at his Gain Contact or Bribe Contact Deadly Games
private empire. Various leather sofas, preparation activities). You
Games of the
comfortable chairs, and opulent marble might also include a random confrontation Irorium
tables fill the space. A glass-topped desk with one of these NPCs in the event that the
in the southern alcove serves as Gage’s agents are stuck in their preparations or need Gangs of
private work space where he keeps an additional challenge to increase the Absalom
exacting ledgers of dramatic tension.
Adventure
the casino’s largest Gitsi Wondercosm (CN Toolbox
deals and private side- female gnome sous chef
ventures. Gage never Sandella Istmer 1): Food-loving Gitsi
cooks for himself—instead he started work in Chef Pechiro’s
has meals run up from the kitchen and delivered to lightning-paced kitchen just two weeks ago and has
his door. hardly caught a wink of sleep since. Since moving
Gage’s wife Winnifry maintains a separate but to Absalom just before the start of the Radiant
equally fine apartment elsewhere in the Coins Festival, she has tried to turn over a new leaf and
District. She sometimes visits Gage here, but more put her flighty behaviors behind her in pursuit of
often Gage uses the penthouse to entertain a variety steady practice at a trade she enjoys. Unfortunately,
of wealthy women with whom he engages in illicit Chef Pechiro’s unreasonable demands have made
affairs. Gage’s infidelity is an unspoken but open Gitsi fear that becoming a sous chef at the Lucky
secret between him and his wife, though if Winnifry Nimbus was a terrible mistake.
were to ever catch him in the act or lose face due to Gurbo Mongsley (N male human gambler 2):
her husband’s philandering, she would unleash no No one is exactly sure why Gage allows a man
shortage of disruptive outrage. as disheveled and boorish as Gurbo Mongsley
D27. Gage’s Bedroom: Unlike the rest of his into his casino night after night. Mongsley’s suits
apartment, Gage Carlyle’s bedroom is an ode to are always stained and wrinkled, his face pocked
comfort rather than practicality. The massive bed’s with aggravated blisters and warts, and his breath
mattress is thick, soft, and covered with fluffy pillows. reeks of the cheapest whiskey money can buy. And
A tall armoire, practically large enough to step inside, yet, night after night, Mongsley can be found at a
stands against the northern wall, across from which bounder table trying his luck with dice. Rumor has
is a walk-in closet brimming with fine suits, wigs, it that he’s actually related to wealthy nobles, which
and jewelry. would explain where he gets his gambling money. At
A painting of a seascape on the wall to the east of any rate, Gage gives Mongsley a wide berth, leading
the armoire hides a wall safe where Gage stores his some to speculate that the churl actually has some
master key while he sleeps. An agent can discover the significant dirt on the casino owner.
safe with a successful DC 29 Perception check and Sandella Istmer (LE female human pit boss 9):
can Disable the combination lock of the safe with Gage hired Sandella as a croupier years ago after
three successful DC 27 Thievery checks. hearing her story of her unfortunate upbringing,
D28. Gage’s Bathroom: The casino owner’s which bore a remarkable resemblance to his own.
private bathroom is among the finest in its class, Since then, Sandella has worked her way up to the
complete with elegant marble tiles, barrels of highest role on the casino floor, where she dresses
specially sourced spring water, and a walk-in sauna in unassuming tunics and vests to blend in with the

31
 commonfolk. Gage frequently praises her keen eye complexion, and light brown eyes. He takes his job
and unparalleled ability to catch would-be cheaters very seriously but secretly harbors hopes of someday
in the act. Unfortunately for Gage, his most trusted returning to Brevoy after the nation’s noble houses
pit boss has been skimming money off the top for have settled their decades-long shadow war.
many months and apprehending so many cheats is Edrer Gutsking (LG male dwarf bodyguard 10):
simply one part of her long con. Edrer was one of Gage’s first hires in the days after
Mazar Dresilis (N male human wizard 10): Prior he made his fortune, and the Five Kings native has
to his undignified (in his view) role as Gage’s chief been a staunch ally and confidant to the casino
magical security officer, Mazar was a high-ranking owner ever since. After a would-be assassin’s errant
archwizard in service to reigning House Surtova in spell left Edrer unable to walk, Gage commissioned
Brevoy. Although many Surtovans are happy to rest for him a clockwork wheelchair and retrofitted
on their laurels and lord over their disenchanted the Lucky Nimbus to ensure his right-hand man
populace, Mazar sensed rising tensions early and could access the entire facility. For Edrer’s part, his
arranged to abscond from his homeland before injury has done little to slow him down—with his
it broke into an all-out civil war. He eventually incredibly muscular upper body, Edrer can wield
settled in Absalom and managed to squander his massive magical warhammer, Push, with ease, as
his considerable nest-egg in a matter of years. In any who cross Gage quickly come to know.
desperation, Mazar accepted a position as a lowly Andu Madizi (N male human croupier/bouncer 11):
security officer for Gage’s gambling empire, a role Pulling double shifts for nearly three years without so
he has held for several years now. Mazar is a serious much as a hint of fatigue, Andu is one of the Lucky
man of middle years with a gray goatee, sallow Nimbus’s best-known employees and yet a total
mystery to even the casino’s most frequent regulars.
All that is known of Andu is that he first showed
up at the Lucky Nimbus’s doorstep the night after
immigrating to Absalom from his war-torn homeland
of Vidrian. Since then, he has proven a competent (if
enigmatic) attendant to Gage’s enterprise, though
he never works off the clock and he is obviously
pursuant of his own unknowable agenda. Already
a tall man, Andu’s massive Afro only amplifies his
imposing affect; those who have seen his rare and
inscrutable wide smile state that the expression
shook them to their core.

CASING THE JOINT

As described on page 23, the agents have 3 days
to prepare for their infiltration of Gage’s casino.
Although they might spend their time performing
regular downtime activities, the majority of their
preparation should be spent on preparation activities,
whether those described in the Gamemastery Guide
or the new ones presented below.
XPAward: Every time an agent succeeds or critically
succeeds at a preparation activity, award each
character 20 XP, to a maximum of 160 XP for the
preparation phase of the infiltration.

Basic Preparation Activities

If the agents perform any of the basic
preparation activities from page 163 of the
Gamemastery Guide, consider using the
following ideas to easily tailor these activities
to the specifics of this adventure.

32
 Bribe Contact: The most easily bought contacts to the casino—and they’re eager to make the
include rank-and-file employees of the Lucky Nimbus owner pay.
who might “forget” to close the kitchen door or • One of the casino’s pit bosses is actually deeply ALL OR
“misread” the guest list in exchange for 75 gp with a corrupt and has been skimming off the top. NOTHING
successful DC 29 Diplomacy or Deception check. (The • A vault guard for the Lucky Nimbus recently
agents must still Gain these Contacts, as usual, before quit without a word, though Gage has already Chapter 1:
Bribing them.) Fellow officers (see below) can’t be hired a replacement. Street Justice
bribed, excepting the Edgewatch’s corrupt Corporal Scout Location: The agents can, in pieces, map
Chapter 2:
Batiste, in which case 50 gp as well as a successful DC the entire layout of the Lucky Nimbus. Each agent
The House
29 Diplomacy or DC 32 Deception check is sufficient to must Secure a Disguise appropriate to the area Always Wins
secure her illicit aid. of the casino they’re trying to scout—such as a
Forge Documents: An agent can forge invitations fancy gown or suit to check out the VIP lounge Chapter 3:
and false identities for everyone in the party with a (DC 27 Society) or a grocery purveyors’ wagon Deadly Games
successful DC 29 Society check. Forging a receipt for to investigate the kitchen (DC 29 Society)—before
Games of the
storing something in the Lucky Nimbus vault is much attempting this activity. Scouting the main casino Irorium
harder and riskier, since doing so means presenting area requires no check, though it still takes 1 day of
the fake to Gage himself rather than a bouncer; doing downtime to get a full lay of the land. On the other Gangs of
so requires a successful DC 32 Society check to forge hand, scouting the vault is very difficult; no disguise Absalom
the receipt, plus the application of well-masked charm is necessary, but a DC 32 Stealth check is required
Adventure
magic to convince Gage that he must have forgotten to to reach the vault door without alerting the guards Toolbox
keep his own copy of the receipt. (getting through the vault door is beyond the scope
Gain Contact: The Lucky Nimbus employs over of Scouting the Location and should be reserved
two dozen workers, including a handful of kitchen for the infiltration proper). Sleuthing around the
staff, numerous dealers and croupiers, several casino building’s exterior requires no check nor
bouncers and security guards, and two pit bosses. downtime but imparts little information save the
Some possible NPCs for the players to Gain as casino’s entrances and exits, since the structure’s
Contacts are detailed on page 31. Gage is a fair windowless facade obfuscates any indication of the
and even generous manager, so winning over any of rooms within except for the kitchen’s brick hearth
his employees is no mean feat; doing so requires a and chimney.
successful DC 29 Deception or Gambling Lore check Secure Disguises: Undercover disguises are all but
or DC 32 Diplomacy check. In any case, an employee mandatory for this heist, since Gage has little love
never does anything that would risk their job, and for officers of the law; conducting the infiltration
a contact’s aid should not drastically reduce the in their Edgewatch uniforms is guaranteed to draw
difficulty or suspense of the heist. the agents ample unwanted attention. It is assumed
Gossip: Any number of rumors swirl around the that each agent already has a basic disguise (likely
Lucky Nimbus and its mysterious owner, making from their time at the House of the Planes in the
Gossip a fruitful route of inquiry while the party first adventure), but Sergeant Ollo at Edgewatch
formulates a plan. In addition to basic details about Headquarters is happy to help them dress to the nines
Gage’s personality and personal history (page 88), for the Floating Gala. Successfully performing this
the following are the best true rumors the agents can activity bolsters their cover identity with reputable
acquire with a successful DC 27 Diplomacy check alibis and a believable background story. The easiest
(DC 25 if the player comes up with a fun or creative way to augment their disguises is to tailor their outfits
way to pursue such gossip). with high-quality materials (DC 29 Society check, or
• The management style of the Lucky Nimbus’s DC 27 Crafting or Performance if the agent pays 20
notoriously strict chef Donala Pechiro means gp for the fine linens necessary), though assuming the
there’s frequent employee turnover in her identity of one of the kitchen staff is also possible
kitchen, and the few staff members who stick (DC 32 Deception or DC 27 Cooking Lore).
around longer than a week are overworked to Other Contacts: In addition to these and the new
the point of exhaustion. preparation activities (see below), the agents can recruit
• Although Gage’s business is entirely legitimate, the aid of a fellow city guard whose favor they’ve
someone who handles so much money doubtless already curried in previous adventures with 1 day of
has his fair share of enemies. Word on the street downtime by succeeding at a check. Captain Asilia,
is that a powerful wizard recently lost a fortune Captain Runewulf, and Captain Shristi Melipdra

33
 SCATHKA’S VENGEANCE the Edgewatch’s resident crooked cop, cannot be gained
Recently, a half-elf wizard of the Arcanamirium named as a contact in this way; instead, an agent must attempt
Scathka acquired a relic attuned to the Shadow Plane to bribe her (Bribe Contact on page 31).
through less-than-ethical means. They believed other
mages and scholars would try to steal the relic—a cursed New Preparation Activities
piece of armor called the barbed vest—from them, and so The following are other preparation activities the
they stored it in one of the Lucky Nimbus’s lockboxes. agents can undertake during their downtime in
Once they felt they were no longer in danger, Scathka order to prepare for the casino infiltration. Unless
planned to reclaim the relic. However, they started specified otherwise, each activity takes one character
playing games of bounder and quickly lost all of their 1 day of downtime to complete, and the benefits of
money. Gage gave the wizard a line of credit, declaring a specific preparation activity cannot be gained more
the relic as their collateral, but Scathka didn’t win their than once.
stake back. Now, Gage is refusing to allow Scathka to
have the relic until they repay their loan. ACQUIRE KITCHEN JOB
Scathka is furious about this turn of events and DOWNTIME
has enacted a particularly drastic plan to regain their Requirements This activity must be undertaken on the
relic. On the same night as the agents’ heist, Scathka first downtime day while preparing for the heist.
first sends a cadre of svartalfar assassins to eliminate Turnover in the Lucky Nimbus’s kitchen is high, and
Gage, then later comes with more svartalfar minions Chef Pechiro is always hiring new bussers, servers, and
to finish the job themself. The first attack should take assistant cooks. You can earn a place in the kitchen
place before the Edgewatch agents obtain Gage’s key, with a successful DC 29 Diplomacy or Society check
and the second attack takes place as the agents are or DC 27 Cooking Lore check. The demands of the job
leaving the casino. are so burdensome, however, that you cannot perform
any other preparation activities if you successfully get
GOSSAMER AUCTION the job. Unlike other preparation activities, multiple
The Floating Gala promises to host some of the richest characters can attempt and benefit from this preparation
elites this side of the globe, and because of this there activity (meaning it is possible for the entire party to
will be no shortage of money bandied about. Rather earn jobs as kitchen staff).
than allow his guests to flaunt their wealth on mere Success You are offered a job as a busser, server, or
casino games, however, Gage has also arranged for a assistant chef (your choice) and receive 1d6 gp for your
silent auction to take place throughout the night, with work each day. You gain 1 Edge Point (Gamemastery
the final results being publicly announced at the end of Guide 163).
the festivities. Not only are all the attendees encouraged Failure Your application is rejected, but there are no
to take part—it would be seen as incredibly crude or hard feelings.
outright suspicious to not participate. Critical Failure As failure, but you make such a poor
impression that Chef Pechiro ridicules you in front of
her entire staff. You start the infiltration with 1 AP.
are too well-known and lawful to offer anything but Special At the GM’s discretion, you might earn a
encouragement, but the Muckrucker Ziraya al-Shurati different job at the Lucky Nimbus casino—such as an
is happy to lend a hand in return for the Edgewatch’s entertainer on the small stage or a bartender, golem
help with the smugglers in the last adventure (requiring dealer, or bounder croupier on the main floor—by making
only a DC 25 or 27 Diplomacy check, depending on an appropriate Lore check in place of Cooking Lore. (The
how well that raid went). Depending on their previous vetting process for bouncers is too lengthy to be viable
interactions with fellow Edgewatch officers like Sergeant for the heist.)
Ollo or Detective Skinny Bolera, the agents might be
able to secure the help of one of their Edgewatch allies STORE SOMETHING IN THE VAULT
with a successful DC 27 Diplomacy or Legal Lore check DOWNTIME SECRET
(DC 29 if the characters haven’t made a particularly Requirements You’ve successfully Secured a Disguise.
strong impression on the officer or DC 32 if the officer You present yourself as a wealthy client who wants
views them in a negative light). Lieutenant Lavarsus to store something valuable in Gage Carlyle’s vault.
might make for a comical ally, though he agrees to help To pull off this ruse, you must convincingly roleplay
only with a successful DC 32 Deception check. These your interaction, make a successful DC 29 Deception
officers never work against the agents. Corporal Batiste, check, and provide an item worth at least 500 gp (or

34
an item forged to look similarly expensive) as well as a objectives in order to successfully perform the heist.
non-refundable fee of 100 gp. At the GM’s discretion, this First, they must get Gage’s master key (or a copy of it).
activity might be easier if you have already learned some Second, they’ll need to enter the vault and retrieve the ALL OR
pertinent information about Gage’s personality by using lockbox or its contents. Finally, they’ll need to leave NOTHING
the Gossip preparation activity. the casino without drawing attention to themselves.
Critical Success Gage is flattered by your patronage. He Obstacles: The agents might try any number of Chapter 1:
accepts your request, provides you a receipt for the strategies to complete their objectives; their most Street Justice
stored item, and permits you to accompany him into likely tactics are presented under each objective in
Chapter 2:
the vault in order to see your item is safely secured. the form of infiltration obstacles.
The House
He informs you that you can ask him to personally The players need not overcome every obstacle Always Wins
retrieve the item for you any time before or after listed in order to achieve their objectives; as long as
the Floating Gala, but during the gala itself he will you feel the players have woven a satisfying narrative Chapter 3:
be too busy to get it for you. You gain 1 Edge Point for completing a particular objective, you can feel Deadly Games
(Gamemastery Guide 163). free to remove obstacles that might otherwise disrupt
Games of the
Success As success, but Gage does not permit you to the fun pace of the game. Likewise, if the players Irorium
accompany him as he stores your item in the vault. have completed all the obstacles but it wouldn’t make
Failure Gage rejects your request, citing lack of space in sense for them to continue to the next objective, feel Gangs of
the vault, though he says he’d be more than happy to free to throw a few more obstacles or complications Absalom
work something out with you after the Floating Gala. in their path to better pace the heist.
Adventure
Critical Failure Gage rejects your request and finds your Infiltration Points: To complete their objectives, Toolbox
behavior suspicious. If you show up at the Floating the agents must succeed at checks to earn Infiltration
Gala in the same disguise and Gage spots you, you Points (IP) in order to overcome the obstacles in their
automatically accrue 1 AP. way. Except as noted in the individual obstacles, the
degrees of success for the checks to overcome each
RUNNING THE HEIST obstacle (and thus earn IP) are the same as those
When the day of the Floating Gala arrives, it’s presented on page 161 of the Gamemastery Guide.
time for the agents to put their plan into action As a reminder, a critical success earns 2 IP, a success 1
and perform their heist. By now the players should IP, a failure 1 Awareness Point (AP, explained below),
have formulated some kind of plan for getting the and a critical failure 2 AP.
lockbox and escaping unnoticed. Awareness Points: The agents can accrue a
It is impossible to predict the exact means by maximum of 40 Awareness Points before they’ve
which the agents will pull off their heist. In general, failed the infiltration. Keep in mind that in addition
reward creative solutions—especially ones that to failing obstacles or drawing unwanted attention,
are in keeping with a agent’s personality and class the characters accrue 1 AP at the end of each round
abilities—and give your players the benefit of the during the heist. The length of time represented
doubt when they use their characters’ class abilities, by a round might fluctuate throughout the heist
spells, and magic items. You might grant either a depending on the narrative your group is building,
circumstance bonus on their check to overcome but in general a round is assumed to represent 10
an obstacle or allow the player to outright skip minutes of in-world time.
the obstacle (such as if they use an expensive The following Awareness Point scheme is
consumable item to do so). The information specifically designed for the Lucky Nimbus heist
presented in this chapter should give you the tools and should be used in place of the scheme presented
you need to adjudicate any plan your players might in the Gamemastery Guide.
come up with, but above all else, your goal is to The first time the party reaches an increment of 5 AP
encourage the players’ schemes and roll with the (so at 5 AP, 10 AP, 15 AP, and so on), Gage checks for
punches—perhaps using the obstacles presented his key (Gage on Alert, page 37) and a complication
simply as guidelines—to ensure the players feel like occurs (page 37).
they’re pulling off a high-stakes heist thanks to their At 10 AP, increase the DCs for obstacles by 1. At 20
own ingenuity. AP, increase the DCs for obstacles by 2.
The rest of this chapter uses the infiltration rules At 40 AP, the jig is up. The heist is a failure, but
starting on page 160 of the Gamemastery Guide and the agents should still learn about the missing bomb,
makes use of the following key terms. earn a fraction of the normal experience awarded, and
Objectives: The characters must achieve three move onto the next chapter.

35
 Be sure to make these objectives, the Infiltration characters take it, an agent can attempt to distract the
Points needed, and the penalties for accruing too casino owner from thinking about his establishment’s
many Awareness Points clear to your players as they’re security measures.
formulating their plan. A character can attempt any type of check (or use
Opportunities: Whenever your players pull off an item, spell, or other ability) you deem appropriate
a particular ingenious scheme, really lean into the or creative enough to Distract Gage and can do so any
roleplaying, or simply want to try an interesting tactic number of times. The DC of the check to Distract Gage
for accomplishing their objective, you should allow is 27. However, each time the character makes the same
them to take advantage of an opportunity. Feel free to type of check (or uses the same item, spell, or other
devise your own opportunities for your players’ tactics ability) to Distract Gage, the DC of the check increases
or use those presented under Opportunities, below. by 2.
Complications: As the agents accrue Awareness Critical Success The character manages to distract Gage
Points (page 35), they might trigger complications, to such a degree that he doesn’t even think to check
which you can draw from the list on page 37 or for his key until the party accrues the next increment
make up on the fly as needed. In addition to when the of 5 Awareness Points.
party reaches certain AP thresholds, you can impose a Success The character successfully distracts Gage, who
suitable complication if a player botches a particularly doesn’t check for his key this round.
audacious plan—such as rolling a critical failure on a Failure Gage is not distracted and might check for his
check to palm a card in a game of golem—or insert a key, but the character can reattempt this obstacle.
complication simply to ratchet up the tension or slow Critical Failure Gage loses interest in the character, and
down the pace of the heist. that character cannot try to Distract Gage again.

OPPORTUNITIES IMPERSONATE GAGE OPPORTUNITY

For ease of reference, below is a list of all the A character can cause considerable confusion (and
infiltration opportunities that the agents might thus create an opening for the party) by impersonating
take advantage of throughout the heist. Some Gage through clever use of a disguise, either mundane
opportunities make more sense at different points of or magical. A character can attempt this opportunity
the heist than others. If your players devise creative at any point, though the ruse is risky: Each time
plans not accounted for in this text (and they will), the impersonating character interacts with a guard,
use the opportunities below as baselines to adjudicate bodyguard, or bouncer, the party automatically accrues
the benefits of their plans. 1 Awareness Point. In exchange, the character can roll a
Deception check in place of any of the listed checks to
CREATE A DIVERSION OPPORTUNITY overcome a particular obstacle (as long doing so would
By creating a sufficiently distracting diversion, an agent make sense, of course, per GM discretion; the most
can reduce the party’s accrued Awareness Points. To Create obvious application of the disguise is bypassing the
a Diversion, a character must attempt any suitable DC 27 vault guards obstacle on page 39). However, if at any
skill check (decided on by you and the player). Every time time Gage himself sees the impersonator, the party has 1
the same character attempts to Create a Diversion, the DC round to respond to the disaster or the heist is a failure.
of the check (regardless of if it’s the same skill) is increased
by 2. PLAY A GAME OPPORTUNITY
Critical Success The party’s accrued AP total is reduced by 2. At a casino like the Lucky Nimbus, one of the best ways
Success The party’s accrued AP total is reduced by 1. to blend in is to play a game or two. Each player should
Failure The party accrues 1 AP. specify whether or not they are participating and, if so,
Critical Failure The party accrues 1 AP and Gage’s the amount they are wagering. You can simulate any of
bodyguards keep an eye on the agent, increasing the DC the casino games presented in the Adventure Toolbox
of their checks to overcome obstacles by 1 for the next (pages 76–77) by actually playing them at the table with
1d4 rounds. a deck of cards or dice. Alternatively, you can simplify
these games by reducing them to simple skill checks,
DISTRACT GAGE OPPORTUNITY comparing the results of all the bidders’ Deception or
Requirements The character successfully completed the Games Lore checks for golem or bounder (century is all
Attract Gage’s Attention obstacle (page 38) and has luck-based, so skill checks wouldn’t make sense for that
already stolen Gage’s key. game). The minimum bid for any game is 1 gp, but you
To prevent Gage from checking for his key after the might have NPC players bid as much as 50 or even 100

36
gp to drastically raise the stakes. In any case, a player Overcome DC 27 Performance or DC 29 Diplomacy
might try to palm a card or pass a secret message to or Intimidation
an ally with a DC 27 Thievery check or a DC 25 The agents have garnered some unwanted ALL OR
Deception check. attention from overeager blowhards and NOTHING
Critical Success The player wins the schmoozers. These gadabouts are all too
hand so grandly that it attracts eager to dominate the agents’ time with Chapter 1:
positive attention from nearby incessant blathering or questions that Street Justice
spectators. The player earns 1 IP, might blow their cover.
Chapter 2:
which must be used before the end of
The House
the round or it is forfeited. DRUNKEN GAMBLER COMPLICATION Always Wins
Success The player succeeds at cheating Trigger The agents reach a multiple
and wins the hand. Multiple subsequent of 5 AP for the first time while in Chapter 3:
successes might generate Infiltration the casino. Deadly Games
Points, as above, according to the Overcome DC 32 Intimidation or pay
Games of the
GM’s discretion. the gambler 200 gp Irorium
Failure The player fails A badly inebriated guest has decided to make
to cheat. one of the agents their new best friend. Gangs of
Critical Failure The player This complication persists until it is Absalom
is banned from further overcome. The player can continue
Adventure
games, and the party Gurbo Mongsley to conduct their heist without Toolbox
accrues 2 AP. addressing this complication, but as long
as the drunkard clings to the character, the DC of any
COMPLICATIONS Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Performance
The following complications might occur throughout check to overcome an obstacle is increased to 32.
the heist. Unless otherwise stated, the players Thankfully, other patrons recognize the sorry situation of
automatically resolve complications even if they fail the character in question: if the player rolls one of the
the check to overcome it; if they fail their check they aforementioned checks and gets a critical failure, they
accrue 1 Awareness Point, or if they critically fail accrue only 1 AP instead of the usual 2.
they accrue 2 Awareness Points.
GAGE ON ALERT COMPLICATION
ALARM SOUNDED COMPLICATION Trigger Gage realizes his key is missing (he typically checks
Trigger The characters fail to overcome the Vault for it once for every 5 AP the players accrue).
Alarm obstacle. Overcome DC 29 Diplomacy or Performance or DC 32
Overcome DC 29 Deception or Diplomacy Deception
A silent alarm sounds in the mind of Gage’s chief magical Gage goes downstairs to alert Mazar—his chief magical
security officer, Mazar, who rallies his fellow security security officer—of the security breach, causing the
guards and conducts a bottom-to-top search of the Alarm Sounded complication to occur in 2 rounds unless
building, starting at the vault. Until they identify the the agents take care of this complication before then.
cause of the tripped alarm, the guards block the exits Gage cannot be distracted as long as he knows the key
and don’t let anyone enter or exit the casino. Until is missing, though he might be tricked into believing
the agents overcome this complication—such as by that he simply dropped it or forgot it in his private safe.
bluffing that a mouse or magical anomaly tripped the
alarm or by knocking out Mazar and impersonating OBJECTIVE 1: GET GAGE’S KEY
him—they accrue 2 AP (instead of 1 AP) each round of Gage Carlyle carries his master key, which is needed to
the infiltration. The characters need not address this unlock both the casino’s vault and the lockboxes within,
complication immediately (that is, they can continue on his person while he is awake, in a small pocket on
overcoming obstacles while this complication is active), the front of his vest on a thin silver chain attached to
but it behooves the players to take care of it sooner one of his vest’s buttons. Whenever he retires for bed or
rather than later. disrobes to bathe, Gage places the key in his personal
safe (in area D27). The agents must acquire the key
AGGRESSIVE MINGLERS COMPLICATION before they proceed to the vault’s interior.
Trigger The agents reach a multiple of 5 Awareness Points XP Award: When the agents get Gage’s master key,
for the first time while in the casino. award each character a 160 XP story award.

37
 Obstacles Gage is too busy to give time to each of his guests. In
The following obstacles are likely to come up as the order to draw his focus, the agents must attract positive
agents try to steal Gage’s keys. attention to themselves, such as by repeatedly winning
at a high-stakes casino game in Gage’s presence, bidding
GUEST LIST OBSTACLE exorbitant sums at the Gossamer Auction, or buying a
Infiltration Points 1 (individual); Overcome DC 27 round of drinks for the entire house. If all else fails, after
Deception or Diplomacy or DC 29 Stealth the Shadow Strike obstacle (see below), Gage approaches
To enter the Lucky Nimbus during the Floating Gala, the agents to thank them for successfully defeating or
each agent must get past the two bouncers at the front driving off the svartalfars.
door, one of whom checks each entrant’s name against
Gage’s exclusive guest list. GAGE’S BODYGUARDS OBSTACLE
Infiltration Points 2 (group); Overcome DC 29 Thievery or
BIDDING AT THE AUCTION OBSTACLE DC 32 Deception or Diplomacy
Infiltration Points 1 (individual); Overcome DC 27 Games Except while in his private penthouse, Gage is always
Lore, DC 29 Society, or DC 32 Deception accompanied by two bodyguards (use the stats for
As a sort of “entry fee,” every guest to the Floating a casino bouncer from page 24 with the
Gala must make a reasonable bid at the Gossamer elite adjustment from page 6 of the
Auction—a fancy name for a silent auction Pathfinder Bestiary). A third guard stands
conducted throughout the night in at attention at the entrance to Gage’s
the corner of the casino’s ballroom. penthouse at all times. Gage might send
While some of the money collected one of his bodyguards to investigate
will go toward paying for the some disturbance on the casino floor,
night’s grand function, Gage is but rarely does he allow himself to
not a total narcissist and has a be without at least one guard if he can
fair sense of optics; the majority help it. An Edgewatch agent might
of the proceeds from the auction successfully overcome this obstacle—
will benefit the Sacred Bulwark thereby getting close enough to Gage to
Foundation, a charity organized by Gage’s Key pickpocket his key—by sufficiently tempting
Absalom’s church of Iomedae to benefit Gage to speak in private, causing a significant
the victims and families of the Fiendflesh Siege. enough distraction to attract the bodyguards’
Each agent receives one chance to make attention, secretly poisoning a bodyguard, or other
a skill check to overcome this obstacle; a creative means.
success awards the necessary Infiltration
Point and indicates that the character SHADOW STRIKE OBSTACLE
was able to bid shrewdly enough that they meet the Infiltration Points 4 (group); Overcome DC 27 Acrobatics
minimum bid but do not win the prize, and the character or Athletics, DC 29 Deception or Intimidation,
doesn’t have to spend their gp. On a failure, the character or combat
must make a bid of at least 100 gp toward a prize that The wizard Scathka has employed a cadre of svartalfar
they will receive at the end of the auction. (A character can assassins from the Shadow Plane to help retrieve
choose to voluntarily fail if they want to legitimately make Scathka’s relic, which is stored in the casino’s vault
a bid.) The prizes include minor paintings, sculptures, and (sidebar on page 34). Before the Edgewatch agents
books donated by attendees from far-off nations such as acquire Gage’s key, four of these enigmatic killers
the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Jalmeray, and even Minkai fight their way through the casino’s front door and
in Tian Xia, the exact descriptions of which are left to you attack Gage in a noisy show of force. Scathka doesn’t
to describe as would most entice your players. expect these svartalfar assassins to be able to kill Gage
Each bidder (thus, each gala guest) must stick outright, but the wizard does think they will scare the
around for the results of the silent auction (see the casino owner into returning the magical item.
Auction Results obstacle on page 42) in order to avoid The svartalfars’ plan is to disrupt the night’s merriment,
arousing suspicion. fire a few crossbow bolts into Gage, and maybe kill one
or two of Gage’s bouncers before retreating back into
ATTRACT GAGE’S ATTENTION OBSTACLE the night. They aren’t expecting interference from the
Infiltration Points 3 (group); Overcome DC 27 Diplomacy, agents. Each svartalfar retreats back out the front door
Games Lore, or Society if reduced to fewer than 50 Hit Points or after 5 rounds

38
of combat, whichever comes first, taking parting shots While some of the obstacles below are listed as
with their spells if possible. individual obstacles, not every character needs
When the fight begins, Gage’s bodyguards escort him to be present to infiltrate the vault and secure the ALL OR
behind the bar, where the three of them crouch until it’s lockbox; only the characters attempting to get the NOTHING
over. The occupants of the second floor remain where lockbox need overcome these individual obstacles.
they are. More bouncers lead the dealers and the other Indeed, the heist might be easier for the agents if one Chapter 1:
patrons toward the restrooms, but at your discretion, or two of them remain on the casino floor to distract Street Justice
one or two of the bouncers might attempt to engage Gage while the others attempt to get the lockbox.
Chapter 2:
the svartalfars in combat. They should be generally Make sure that the players understand this option
The House
ineffective to allow the agents to take the spotlight. so they can formulate their plan accordingly. Always Wins
XP Award: For reaching the vault and opening
SVARTALFAR KILLERS (4) CREATURE 8 Maurrisa Jonne’s lockbox, award each agent a 160 Chapter 3:
Page 85 XP story award. Deadly Games
Initiative Perception +16
Games of the
Obstacles Irorium
If the Edgewatch agents defeat or drive off the The following obstacles stand in the way of the
svartalfars, award them encounter XP as appropriate. In agents as they attempt to claim the lockbox. Gangs of
this case, Gage Carlyle comes out from hiding to thank Absalom
them profusely. If the agents have already made an SNEAK DOWNSTAIRS OBSTACLE Adventure
impression on Gage, this final push might be enough for Infiltration Points 1 (individual); Overcome DC 27 Toolbox
them to get close enough to steal his key. Deception, Diplomacy, or Intimidation or DC 29
Stealth
STEAL GAGE’S KEY OBSTACLE Getting past the cashiers—whose responsibilities
Infiltration Points 3 (individual); Overcome DC 32 supposedly include watching the hallway to the vault
Acrobatics, Deception, or Thievery staircase (despite their complete lack of weapons or
The main objective of this part of the heist is to steal martial training)—is a relatively simple matter, and can
Gage’s vault key. You should encourage the players to be accomplished with little more than a stern look or
roleplay their interaction with Gage and ask them to well-timed dash through the swinging door to the stairwell.
describe in detail how they subtly snatch the key. For
particularly creative schemes, consider lowering the DC VAULT GUARDS OBSTACLE
of the check to overcome this obstacle in addition to the Infiltration Points 2 (group); Overcome DC 29 Athletics or
DC reductions below. Stealth or combat
Lowering the Obstacle’s DC: The DC of the check to The two guards in charge of monitoring the hallway to
overcome this obstacle is reduced by 2 (to a minimum the vault are some of Gage’s most dangerous and highly
DC of 26) for each of the following obstacles that the skilled employees. They can’t be bought or tricked, but
agents have already overcome: Attract Gage’s Attention, quickly overpowering them might be possible. Allow each
Gage’s Bodyguards, and Shadow Strike. agent present one chance to overcome this obstacle; if
they fail to earn the necessary IP, then they must subdue
OBJECTIVE 2: OPEN THE LOCKBOX the guards through combat.
Once one of them has the key, the agents must find
a way down to the Lucky Nimbus vault door, sneak VAULT GUARDS (2) CREATURE 9
past its guards, and get into the vault. In the vault, Elite casino bouncers (page 24, Pathfinder Bestiary 6)
they’ll need to interact with an otherworldly intruder Initiative Perception +22
before finally retrieving the contents of Maurrisa
Jonne’s lockbox. When they see that the lockbox’s OPEN THE VAULT DOOR OBSTACLE
contents are missing, the agents need to act fast to Infiltration Points 5 (group); Overcome DC 27 Crafting or
find out who took the device and get out of the vault Engineering Lore or DC 29 Thievery
without triggering its alarm. Gage’s key seems simple enough, but the corresponding
If at any time Gage notices that his key is missing keyhole in the vault door is no ordinary lock. Rather,
(generally once for every 5 AP the party accrues; the key must be inserted and then turned clockwise or
see the Awareness Points as described on page 35), counterclockwise in a certain sequence to unlatch the
he heightens security near the vault, immediately door and cause it to smoothly swing open (the correct
triggering the Gage on Alert complication (page 37). sequence, in this case, is twice counterclockwise,

39
 then once clockwise). A character versed in crafting devolve into a combat encounter; Ekimilixus is foremost
or picking locks or otherwise knowledgeable of such interested in treating the agents to her warped version
unusual mechanisms can deduce the nature of the lock of hospitality by altering their physical makeup, or
to overcome this obstacle; otherwise, simple trial and failing that, acquiring some of their flesh and gear to
error with the key unlocks the door after 2 rounds. augment her own twisted form. If simple persuasion or
coercion won’t suffice, Ekimilixus might try her Glimpse
VAULT INTRUDER OBSTACLE of Stolen Flesh ability to stun characters and force them
Infiltration Points 3 (group); Overcome DC 25 Shadow to submit, but she doesn’t linger on this plane if defeat
Plane Lore, DC 27 Diplomacy, or DC 32 Deception seems imminent.
or Intimidation If Ekimilixus finds the agents cooperative (or at least
Scathka’s cursed relic from the Shadow Plane, the not outright hostile), she offers them the barbed vest
barbed vest (page 78), has been sitting in a lockbox in as a parting gift. This item, though cursed, might prove
the casino’s vault for a few weeks, hidden away from useful to the agents during their final confrontation with
all light. In the darkness of a lockbox marked with Scathka (page 42).
Scathka’s name, the barbed vest’s curse still potently If the agents defeat Ekimilixus in combat, cow her
calls to Scathka’s mind and forces them to yearn for it. into submission, or make a terrific impression on her, she
But Scathka is not the only one who has their eyes on the offers them the barbed vest as well as her ring of wizardry
wicked item; the vest’s creator, a velstrac interlocutor type II. Additionally, you should award the characters XP
named Ekimilixus, seeks to reclaim it. Ekimilixus has for the encounter.
tracked her creation across the multiverse and has
finally pinpointed its location in this vault. EKIMILIXUS CREATURE 12
When the Edgewatch agents break into the vault, Velstrac interlocutor (Pathfinder Bestiary 2 284)
they find that Ekimilixus has already silently dispatched Initiative Perception +24 or Stealth +19
the vault’s guardian—a djinn bound to serve Gage—and
is now tentatively examining the reacquired garment. IDENTIFY THE LOOTER OBSTACLE
The agents are an unexpected wrinkle in Ekimilixus’s Infiltration Points 2 (group); Overcome DC 27 Crafting
plan, but she sees them as opportunities rather or Survival
than adversaries. The Edgewatch agents’ ultimate goal is the contents
Read the following aloud immediately after the of Maurrisa Jonne’s lockbox. Once they’ve entered the
Edgewatch agents enter the vault and shut the door Lucky Nimbus’s vault and dealt with the strange visitor
behind them. therein, they can finally locate the box, open it, and
acquire their target, all of which is trivial compared to
A tall monstrosity of blood and steel steps forth from the rest of the heist.
what, seconds ago, was nothing more than a shadowy Once the agents open the lockbox, they find, much to
corner of the vault. The humanoid woman embedded their surprise, that it’s completely empty. There’s no trace
in the center of a bladed metal frame inclines her head of the device Maurrisa supposedly stashed within. Their
in a mockery of politeness. “Fleshlings, I bring you objective has changed, and now the agents must quickly
greetings from the Perpetual Gloaming. Might one of you determine where the lockbox’s contents wandered off to.
be interested in allowing your bodies to be crafted into If the players don’t come to this conclusion by themselves,
unique works of art?” you should hint as much to them so they don’t simply
leave the casino without the next lead.
Ekimilixus doesn’t attack at first, especially if the Thankfully, the thief didn’t hide her tracks very well.
agents seem amenable to dialogue. If asked, she honestly The lockbox still smells faintly of harsh chemicals, and
reveals her reasons for coming here, holding the barbed a character who succeeds at a DC 23 Crafting check to
vest aloft for the agents to see. She reiterates her offer Identify Alchemy can surmise that the box previously
to “remake” the agents, reassuring them “it will only hurt contained the same toxic substance that afflicted the
for a lifetime.” animals at Knight’s Marvelous Menagerie so long ago
The interlocutor’s intentions are inscrutable to most (Adventure Path #157: Devil at the Dreaming Palace). The
mortals, but a character trained in Shadow Plane Lore smell is so distinctive that once detected, it can be followed
or Velstrac Lore can automatically glean Ekimilixus’s to the security office down the hall by succeeding at the
motives: to inflict as much pain as possible, and through checks to overcome this obstacle. But before infiltrating
that pain, gain understanding of the cosmos. This the security office, the agents will need to contend with
obstacle isn’t meant to waylay the agents or immediately the vault’s final security measure.

40
VAULT ALARM OBSTACLE OBJECTIVE 3: ESCAPE UNNOTICED
Infiltration Points 2 (group); Overcome DC 27 Arcana, The agents’ final objective is to leave the casino
Counteract DC 27, DC 29 Thievery, or DC 32 Stealth unnoticed; in the process they’ll have to replant ALL OR
One of Gage’s security experts, a Brevic émigré named Mazar, Gage’s key back where they found it. NOTHING
casts a 4th-level alarm spell on the vault three times each The agents might simply hightail it out of the casino,
day at 8-hour intervals. The alarm is set to go off if anyone alarms and guards be damned, but unless they return Chapter 1:
but Gage exits the vault room. If the agents critically fail Gage’s key and have ample Awareness Points Street Justice
their check to overcome this obstacle, they trigger the Alarm to spare, the casino owner is sure to
Chapter 2:
Sounded complication (page 37) and accrue 2 Awareness
The House
Points, but they can otherwise move on from this obstacle Always Wins
without rolling any more checks.
Chapter 3:
RESEARCH EMPLOYEE RECORDS OBSTACLE Deadly Games
Infiltration Points 2 (group); Overcome DC 27 Deception
Games of the
or Stealth, plus DC 25 Accounting, Legal, Library, or Irorium
Mercantile Lore or 1d4 rounds of manual searching
Perhaps ironically, security at the downstairs security Gangs of
office is significantly lighter than vault Absalom
security. The agents might sneak into
Adventure
the security office by impersonating a Toolbox
guard, causing a distraction, or even getting
one of their number thrown into the office’s
holding cells.
At any rate, once they’re inside the office, assuming
they succeed at the Identify the Looter obstacle,
they follow the chemical smell to the security guards’
employee lockers. One locker in particular stinks of the
same chemicals, though the nameplate has already been
removed. All that remains inside the locker is a scrap of
parchment with a simple note: “I quit. —F”
The most obvious means of identifying “F” is
by looking through the employee records of
the vault guards. Gage has instructed his
head magic security officer, Mazar, to keep
meticulous records of all the Nimbus guards’
comings and goings, and these records
are kept on one of the shelves in this security office,
where employees use punch cards to sign in and out for
every shift.
If a character is unable to succeed at any of the Lore
skills necessary to overcome this obstacle by quickly
sifting through the records (and can’t come up with
a reasonable explanation for using another skill to do
so), they can use a brute-force approach to carefully
look through the records, which takes 1d4 rounds.
Either way, if they succeed at locating the appropriate
documentation, they can ascertain that “F” must refer
to Franca Laurentz, a security guard who has worked at
Ekimilixus
the Lucky Nimbus for less than a month. The record
shows that she hasn’t clocked in for any of her
scheduled shifts for a few days now, and Mazar
has made a note next to her name: “Disappeared.
Employment terminated.”

41
 figure out their duplicity and trace the heist back to the overcome the vault guards obstacle (page 39) again in
Edgewatch and Starwatch. The characters’ best bet is to order to get back to the casino level.
make a final appearance at the Floating Gala’s closing
events as if they were there the entire time, wish Gage RETURN GAGE’S KEY OBSTACLE
a cordial farewell (and slip him his key), then leave the Infiltration Points 1 (group); Overcome DC 29 Deception or
same way they came in. Thievery or DC 32 Acrobatics
XP Award: Once they complete the heist’s third The agents must surreptitiously place Gage’s master
objective by leaving the Lucky Nimbus without Gage key back on his person before completing the heist. This
finding them out, award each agent a 160 XP story award. obstacle might occur at any point in the evening after the
agents have retrieved the lockbox—even as late as during
Obstacles the party favors obstacle as they are leaving the casino
In addition to the following obstacles, depending on (page 43).
how they got into the vault, the agents might need to
AUCTION RESULTS OBSTACLE
Infiltration Points none (see below); Overcome DC 27
Diplomacy or Society or DC 29 Deception
Everyone at the gala is looking forward to the results
of the Gossamer Auction, though not necessarily for
philanthropic reasons. Most guests are simply excited
to see if they outbid their fellow
elites and to savor all the
reactions to their shows of
exorbitant wealth.
To avoid rousing suspicion,
the agents must stay at the Floating Gala
until the auction results are announced,
which occurs near the end of
the night. This obstacle’s
skill check represents
the character’s ability
to accept their prize (or loss)
with grace. The characters
need not overcome this
obstacle with Infiltration Points, but
they must each make one check, and
they still earn the corresponding
Infiltration Points or Awareness
Points depending on their
check result. Alternatively, a
character can choose to skip the
auction in favor of a quick escape, in
which case the character doesn’t receive
their prize (if any) and automatically
accrues 2 Awareness Points.

SCATHKA’S LAST RESORT OBSTACLE

Infiltration Points 4 (group); Overcome DC 29 Acrobatics,
Athletics, or Stealth; DC 32 Diplomacy; or combat
Immediately after the Auction Results obstacle or
whenever seems appropriate after the agents have
Scathka found the lockbox and left the vault, they must
contend with one final violent confrontation:
The wizard Scathka, along with a cadre of more

42
svartalfars, has come personally to enact their vengeance HEIST INSPIRATION
on Gage Carlyle and his casino and, ultimately, retrieve This chapter of “All or Nothing” takes obvious inspiration
their shadowy relic, the barbed vest. from heist media such as the Ocean’s Eleven films and ALL OR
This obstacle takes place either in the ballroom during the TV series Leverage. In such stories, the heroes must NOTHING
the auction or on the casino floor just as the agents pull off a seemingly impossible caper through the use of
are about to leave the building. Depending on which guile, sleight of hand, technical expertise, and a bit of luck. Chapter 1:
your players seem more interested in, you might run Oftentimes, things don’t go according to plan… but that Street Justice
the obstacle as a straight combat encounter or as an was part of the plan all along! If you can help your players
Chapter 2:
infiltration obstacle. In the latter case, they might help replicate a similar effect, it has the possibility of being a
The House
Gage escape out a back door, offer the barbed vest to gaming moment your group will talk about for years. Always Wins
Scathka, or devise some other creative means of subduing
the wizard and their cronies. Chapter 3:
The ultimate goal of the encounter is to provide an Scathka must still Cast the Spell and meet the spell’s Deadly Games
exciting, high-stakes climax to the heist before the final other requirements.
Games of the
obstacle that wraps up the infiltration (Party Favors, Throw Shadow Blade [two-actions] (cold, manipulate, occult, Irorium
below). This is an excellent opportunity to bring together shadow) Requirements Scathka is wielding a dagger;
all the allies that the agents have enlisted to help them in Effect Scathka draws a shadowy glyph on the dagger’s Gangs of
their heist along with the casino characters with whom blade and flings it at a nearby foe. Scathka makes a Absalom
they’ve associated throughout the night. ranged Strike with the dagger with the range increment
Adventure
increased to 30 feet. If the Strike hits, it deals 8d6 cold Toolbox
SVARTALFAR KILLERS (2) CREATURE 8 damage (double damage on a critical success) and the
Page 85 target must succeed at a DC 32 Fortitude save or be
Initiative Perception +16 slowed 1 until the end of its next turn (or 1d4 rounds on
a critical failure). The dagger loses its shadowy magic as
SCATHKA CREATURE 12 soon as the attack is resolved.
UNIQUE NE MEDIUM ELF HUMAN HUMANOID
Pangender half-elf occultist PARTY FAVORS OBSTACLE
Perception +23 Infiltration Points 1 (individual); Overcome DC 27
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Shadowtongue Deception, Diplomacy, or Society or DC 32 Intimidation
Skills Arcana +25, Deception +20, Diplomacy +20, The final obstacle of the heist requires the Edgewatch
Occultism +25, Society +23, Stealth +22 agents to personally thank their host, Gage Carlyle.
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +0, Int +5, Wis +4, Cha +2 Leaving without a proper goodbye is rude in the extreme
Items +1 striking dagger, +1 leather armor, spellbook, wand and surely arouses the ire and suspicion of the old-
of manifold missiles (3rd level) fashioned businessman. Thankfully, all that is required
AC 31; Fort +16, Ref +22, Will +24 from this obstacle is a modicum of cordial pleasantries,
HP 210 though a particularly snide agent (such as one playing up
Speed 25 feet the unpleasantness of the night’s events) might get away
Melee [one-action] dagger +23 (agile, finesse, magical, versatile S), with a veiled insult or back-handed compliment.
Damage 2d4+1 piercing Regardless of how their final interaction with Gage
Ranged [one-action] dagger +23 (agile, magical, thrown 10 feet), goes, each agent receives a small silken bag from the
Damage 2d4+1 piercing casino owner as a parting favor. Inside the bag is a
Arcane Prepared Spells DC 33, attack +25; 6th mislead, small corked bottle of Gage’s personally licensed house
phantasmal calamity, vampiric exsanguination; 5th black alcohol, Nimbus Gin; a commemorative cyan casino token
tentacles, cone of cold, shadow siphon, shadow walk; 4th inscribed with the date and name of the evening’s gala;
blink, phantasmal killer, spell immunity, weapon storm; and a soft plush doll of the Lucky Nimbus’s mascot, Jerbo
3rd blindness, ghostly weapon, paralyze, vampiric touch; the Genie, in a random color.
2nd mirror image, see invisibility, spectral hand (×2); 1st
grim tendrils, magic missile (×2), ray of enfeeblement; CONCLUDING THE HEIST
Cantrips (6th) daze, ghost sound, ray of frost, shield Even if everything else goes to shambles, by the end
Drain Wand [free-action] Frequency once per day; Requirements of their infiltration of the Lucky Nimbus, the agents
Scathka hasn’t acted yet on their turn; Effect On their should have learned that someone named Franca
turn, Scathka casts one spell they’ve prepared and Laurentz has most likely stolen the doomsday device
already cast this day without spending a spell slot. they’re searching for.

43
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Stein, 282, 389, 443 n.
Stentoris, Lake, 218
Stesenor, 106
Stesilaos, 190
St. George Island, 371 f., 375, 384, 386, 405
Strabo, 23, 52, 106 n., 113, 215, 283, 335 n., 525
Strategic questions, Artemisium, 318, 331 f.
Attica. 440, 445
Bœotia, 544
Cyprus, 105
Eubœa, 265
General, 113, 124, 153, 157, 266 f., 267 n., 298 f., 321, 351, 359
ff., 365, 406, 409 f., 413, 415, 416, 422, 432, 437, 449 ff.,
462, 522, 524, chap. xiii. passim
Greece, 159, 171 f. (Marathon), 178, 179 ff., 185, 193, 226
Hellespont, 530
Isthmus, 378
Kithæron-Parnes, 445–448, 450, 451
North Greece, 268
Œne, 447
Peloponnesian, 270 ff.
Peloponnesus, 345, 444
Persian, 344 f.
Platæa, 473 ff., 476 n., 488, 492, 510, 511
Platæa town, 446
Salamis, 352, 380 f., 386
Thebes, 347
Thermopylæ, 263 ff., 269, 298, 316
Thermopylæ and Artemisium, 543
Thessaly, 230 n., 232, 541
Thracian Chersonese, 531
West Asia, 7, 13, 90, 96, 105, 112
Strattis, 433
Stryme, 220
Strymon, 66 ff., 72, 120, 136, 139, 212, 220, 221
Stylida, 259, 327 n.
Styreans, 320, 354 n., 469 n.
Suidas, 179 n., 183 n., 184 n.
Sunium, Cape, 181 ff., 190, 376
Susa, 69, 72, 75, 76, 102 f., 109, 121, 141, 149, 243, 537
Sybaris, 133 f., 369 n.
Syloson, 37
Synetos, 229 n.
Syracuse, 244 ff., 421–428
Syria, 219
Syrtis, Greater, 255

Tabalos, 30
Tacitus, 62, 63, 149 n.
Tactics and equipment, 92, 126, 129 f.; Marathon, 183 ff., 193,
195, 208, 269 n., 270 f., 297, 299, 322, 334 and n.; Salamis,
386, 394, 396, 399, 400, 425–427, 437, 441, 442, 462, 473 ff.,
477, 478, 500, 501, 502, 508, 510, 512 ff., 525, 528, chap. xiii.
passim
Tanagra, 448, 449, 451 n.
Tanais, 52
Tarentum, 73
Taurus Mountains, 7 f., 12, 15, 24, 426
Tearos, 51
Tegea, Tegeans, 273, 306, 468, 469 n., 471, 494, 500, 502, 509
Tempe, Vale of, 221, 228 and n. and ff., 231 f., 235, 252, 253 ff.,
257, 271 n., 279, 294, 541, 571
Tenedos, 141, 146
Tenos, 161, 374, 389
Teos, 125
Terillos, 246, 254 n.
Thasos, 137, 139, 141, 152, 220
Thaumaki, 258 f., 279, 298, 453
Thebes, 179, 273, 293; attitude at Thermopylæ, 294–296, 306,
308 f., 313, 314, 347, 356, 439, 445, 447, 448, 451, 456,
chap. xi. passim (especially 476, 505, 512, 516 ff., 518 n.),
527, 546
Thebes in Pthiotis, 258, 279
Themistocles, 203 ff., 229 n., 231, 236, 238 f., 270, 328 ff., 337 ff.,
343, 352 and rest of chap. ix. passim (especially 358, 359 ff.,
368, 369 n., 391). 411 ff., 417, 419 f., 431, 543 ff., 561 ff.
Theomestor, 401
Theopompos, 156
Therma, town sand gulf, 151, 221, 228, 319, 320 n., 321 f., 327 n.,
331
Thermopylæ, 128, 163, 223, 227, 229, 232, chap. vii. passim;
description, 277 ff., 318 ff., 320 n., 323, 328 f., chap. viii.
passim. 345 ff., 351, 374, 441, 514, 516, 541 ff., 568; sources,
569 n., 576
Thero, 246, 254 n., 423
Thespiæ, 273, 293, 306, 308 f., 313, 314, 356, 460
Thesprotis, 287
Thessaly, 207, 221, 223, 226 f., 229 n., 239, 252, 257 f., 271, 272,
276, 287, 298, 299, 346 ff., 347 f., 359, 369, 384, 410, 417,
419, 437, 439, 450, 453, 472, 516 f., 518, 541, 546, 566
Thirlwall. 55
Thrace, Thracians, 50, 60, 64 ff., 69, 93 f., 118, 120, 136, 141, 145
ff., 218–220, 418, 450, 532, 551
Thracian Chersonese, 49, 54, 65, 145 f., 218, 531
Thriasian Plain, 166, 441, 447, 452 n.
Thucydides, 116, 161 n., 174 n., 241, 261, 264 n., 273, 298, 333
n., 345, 360 ff., 459 n., 460 n., 465, 466 n., 493 n., 498, 555
Thurii, 369 n.
Thyreatic Plain, 444
Tigranes, 525
Timegenides, 475, 517
Timo, 197
Timodemos, 420
Timon, 236
Tithorea, 348
Tmolos, Mt., 94
Torone, 429
Trachis, 260, 264 n., 277 ff., 280; site, 281 f., 286, 293, 300, 348 n.
Trade questions, 53, 94, 97 n.., 105, 120, 134, 198, 241, 249, 367,
369 n., 434, 435, 523, 529, 530, 552
Trœzen, 320, 321, 353 and n., 354 n., 469 n., 528
Tyrants (Greek), 52, 54 ff., 86, 87, 91, 124 ff., 148, 169, 202, 247
f., 252
Tyras, 52
Tyrodiza, 212
Tyrrhenians, 131

V
Valerius Maximus, 335 n.
Vergutiani Spring, 456, 472, 485, 520
Villa, 446 n.
Vischer, 481 ff., 487
Vrana, 164

War, the great, issues, 1 ff., 21

Woodhouse, W. J., 467 n.

Xanthippos, 198, 431 f., 531 ff., 548 f., 551 f.

Xenophon, 188 n., 297, 299, 446, 487, 542
Xerxes (special references), 205 f., 214, 398, 403, 408, 509

Zanklé, 134

THE END.

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 Click on image to view larger size version.
PASS OF THERMOPYLAE
London: John Murray, Albemarle Street.
Stanford’s Geographical Establishment, London.
 Click on image to view larger size version.
BATTLEFIELD OF PLATAEA
London: John Murray, Albemarle St.
Stanford’s Geographical Establishment, London.

Footnotes.

See note at the end of the Preface.

2
It would be misleading to claim any exact accuracy for the
chronology of this period. All that can be said is that the dates given
are nearly correct. It is, therefore, undesirable to use the preposition
“in” when the preposition “about” represents in reality the extent of
our knowledge.
3
Herodotus, speaking probably of the earlier part of the reign,
mentions twenty. The Behistun inscription enumerates twenty-three;
the inscription of Naksh-i-Rustem twenty-eight.
4
Any date after 511 is highly improbable, because in that year Hippias
was driven out of Athens and retired to Sigeum. Had the expedition
taken place after his arrival there, it is almost certain that he would
have accompanied Darius. Other considerations tend in the same
direction.
5
Herodotus says seven hundred thousand men and six hundred
ships. This would imply that somewhat more than the ordinary
general levy of the Empire was called out for the expedition. The
numbers are almost certainly exaggerated.
The number of ships, viz. six hundred, as stated by Herodotus, is
somewhat suspicious. The Persian fleet at Ladé is stated to have
been six hundred (H. vi. 9). At Marathon it is the same (vi. 95).
These may be mere vague calculations without any real foundation;
it may be that six hundred was the ordinary official number of
vessels that belonged to the Persian war fleet, and that Herodotus
has assumed that on each of these occasions the whole fleet was
employed. In the present instance, he does not mention any save
the Greek contingents. It is extremely unlikely that the Greeks could
furnish six hundred vessels. They could only raise three-fifths of that
number at the time of the battle of Ladé. Still, Herodotus knows so
little about the present expedition, that his omission to mention other
contingents, if not a mere oversight, may be due to the want of
information.
6
As it is important to note the exact nature of the traceable evidence
on which Herodotus bases the various details he gives of the
 campaign, it may be pointed out in the present case that he states
that Darius set up pillars with bilingual inscriptions at the point of
crossing, and that the Byzantians removed them to their city, and
used them for the altar of the temple of Artemis Orthosia. One stone,
covered with Assyrian letters, was left in the temple of Dionysus.
This is apparently the statement of one who has seen them there;
and the sentence which follows, in which Herodotus gives his own
view as to the position of the bridge, tends to confirm this
impression.
Those who have seen the terrific current off Seraglio Point at
Constantinople will understand that the bridge could hardly have
been constructed opposite Kalchedon.
Herodotus’ residence at Samos would enable him to obtain some
sort of information with regard to the work of a Samian architect. He
must have seen, too, the picture of the bridge, with the
accompanying inscription, dedicated by Mandrocles, the engineer, in
the temple of Hera.
7
Probably further up, since there are great marshes on the north side
of the river near the mouths of the Sereth and Pruth. It is more
probable that it was between Tchernavoda and the great bend to the
Delta.
8
An examination of the map will show that this point, though its exact
identification has not yet been satisfactorily ascertained, must have
been on or close to the direct route from Byzantion northwards.
9
It may seem strange to suppose for one moment that the words
could apply to those cities whose subjection to Persia is certainly
implied in the earlier part of the account of the Scythian expedition. It
must be remembered, however, that Herodotus never mentions the
circumstances or even the fact of their previous reduction.
0
I take it that the Lake Prasias of Herodotus is to be identified with the
lower of the two lakes of the Strymon, and not with the Upper, as in
Kiepert’s recent Atlas.
 Οὐκ ... ἀρχὴν Translation very uncertain, vide Liddell & Scott’s
Lexicon. May mean “not originally,” or even “not at all.”
2
I would refer those who wish to examine it in detail to the excellent
notes on the subject in Macan’s “Herodotus,” vol. i p. 162, ff.
3
Macan, ad loc. cit.
4
Manuscript text ἄνεως or ἄνεος gives no sense. Restorations
proposed ἄνεσις or ἀνανέωσις. Vide Macan, note, vol. i. p. 170.
5
In attempting to write the history of the revolt, I have been immensely
aided and considerably influenced by the acute analysis of that
section of Herodotus’ history which is contained in Mr. Macan’s
edition of H. iv., v., vi. I have not in all cases, as will be seen, adopted
his conclusions in detail. The very excellence of Mr. Macan’s work
renders it all but impossible to avoid plagiarism in matter if not in
actual words. But if I am guilty, I am guilty of the sincerest form of
flattery.
6
Cf. H. v. 96, ad fin. and 97, where Herodotus clearly implies that the
demand had been made no long time before Aristagoras arrived at
Athens, which was, of course, after the events at Naxos, and after
the die of revolt had been cast.
7
As Macan points out, the story was in all probability a celebrated
story of the period; and “the man with the tattooed head” played the
same part in Greek legend as “the man with the iron mask” in that of
later days.
8
Vide Macan, “Herod.”
9
Cf. H. v. 49. Ὡς Λακεδαιμόνιοι λέγουσι.
0
The detail of the “guides” is improbable. The road the expedition
followed was the high road from Ephesus to Sardes.

The ἐβοήθεον τοῖσι Λυδοῖσι in H. v. 102 is a somewhat remarkable

expression. It might have been thought that it was Artaphernes,
 cooped up in the citadel of Sardes, who would be first in the thoughts
of the Persian commanders. Did the Lydians still remember against
the Greek the betrayal of Crœsus? Or had Persia been favouring the
Lydian against the Greek trade, and so forwarded the conspiracy of
revolt? It appears as if we have a faint trace of one of those
numerous lost motives of the history of the fifth century.
2
The προπυνθανόμενοι indicates that they had early information of
the attack. It cannot, however, have reached them prior to the
landing near Ephesus, for Artaphernes was caught unprepared, and
it cannot be supposed that he received later intelligence than the
commanders farther inland.
3
Another possible cause may have been a change in the
preponderance of political parties at Athens during this year.
4
Cf. opening words of v. 103.
5
Mr. Macan attributes the spread of the revolt from Cyprus to
Byzantion to the autumn of 498 (vol. ii. p. 69). I do not understand
his reasons for so doing. Herodotus (v. 103) seems to cite the
expedition to Byzantion as an example of the energy which the
Ionians threw into the revolt in spite of the refusal of the Athenians to
give further aid, a refusal which must be attributed to the winter of
498–97.
6
I am fully aware of the significance of the words ὡς καὶ τοὺς Ἴωνας
ἐπύθετο ἀπεστάναι. But I would suggest that, reading them with their
context, they point to the beginning of a plot of revolt, rather than to
its actual outbreak.
7
Mr. Macan proposes an Athenian origin for this tale of the events at
Susa. Yet the Athenians were not likely to suggest to the world that
they had brought on Greece all the trouble of the period of the great
war. Herodotus may have simply reproduced, with additions by
himself, a pan-Hellenic version of a famous tale.
8
Herodotus applies the name to a promontory, but Strabo, 682, says
that the Keys are two islands off the east coast of Cyprus.
9
To show the utter confusion of Herodotus’ narrative in this respect, it
is only necessary to point out that he implies that Daurises
immediately (v. 116) after the battle near Ephesus proceeded to
reduce part of the Hellespontine district, which, if his previous
account of the course affairs is to be credited (v. 103) did not revolt
until months after the battle. Moreover, Daurises (v. 117) wins rapid
successes in this region, and then is recalled by the revolt in Caria,
which cannot have been brought about (v. 103), at the most
moderate calculation, within six months of the battle near Ephesus.
0
My view, stated briefly, is that the events recounted in H. v. 116, ff.,
cannot be earlier than 496.
Ταύτας μὲν ἐπ᾽ ἡμέρῃ ἑκάστῃ αἵρεε.
2
Not the celebrated stream of the Marsyas legend.
3
Herodotus mentions Pixodaros of Kindys, a son of Mausolos, as
proposer of the first of those alternative plans. The connection of the
name Mausolos with Halikarnassos a century later, 377–353 (vide
Macan), suggests the possibility that this man had also a connection
with Herodotus’ native town, and that the story, like those tales of
Artemisia in the narrative of the campaign of 480, is a part of the
historian’s work which can be definitely assigned to a Halikarnassian
source.
4
H. v. 120, Μιλήσιοι τε καὶ οἱ τούτων σύμμαχοι cannot mean a Pan-
Ionian force. The nearness of Labraunda seems to have encouraged
the Milesians and their nearest neighbours to venture on an attempt
to save Caria. The other Ionians, in all probability, had their attention
occupied by a Persian army sufficiently large to make it necessary
for them to stay and guard their homes.
5
On the manifest improbability of Hecatæus having proposed
anything of the kind, vide Macan, vol. i., note on p. 267.
6
Ἐπιστάμενος seems to be used emphatically.
7
I think it best to postpone the discussion of the evidence on this point
until, taken in its chronological order, it is complete.
8
The taking of Miletus is evidently assumed by Herodotus to have
occurred in the same campaigning season as the battle of Ladé.
There is no trace of a winter intervening between the battle and its
capture. Cf. H. vi. 18.
9
Ἀγνωμοσύνῃ τε διεχρέωντο.
0
Chapter 17.
The existence of such a tale in Herodotus suggests the possibility
that his anti-Ionian bias was founded on something more than
Halikarnassian or Dorian prejudice; that it was, indeed, largely based
upon the colouring given to the story of the revolt by those sections
of the populations of the Ionian towns who were dissatisfied with the
way in which the operations were carried on, or whose conduct had
been such as to excite the criticism of those insurgents who had
shown a more persistent courage.
2
Cf. Οὐκ ἔχω ἀτρεκέως συγγράψαι; ἀλλήλους γὰρ καταιτιῶνται.
3
“In column,” probably a detail in accordance with Herodotus’
previous statement as to the “manœuvre of cutting the line;” in fact, a
conjecture of the historian’s own. The Chians are described as
“διεκπλέοντες” in the course of the battle. Had Dionysios of Phokæa,
then, so convinced them of the value of this manœuvre that they
practised it, in spite of the fact that they had forty marines on board
each vessel, i.e. were prepared for a wholly different form of tactics?
4
As Macan and others point out, this dedication was probably made
after Mykale.
5
H. vi. 23, 24.
6
The emphatic mention of these Lesbians in this passage has
suggested the idea that this attack on Chios was an act of spite on
the part of the Æolian Lesbians against the Ionian Chians.
 Those who maintain this view seem to leave out of account two
difficult questions which it must raise:⁠—
(1) What conceivable object can the Lesbians have had⁠—
(a) In making such an attack for such a motive;
(b) In running the great risk it involved at a time when the
victorious Phœnician fleet was within a few hours’ sail of
Chios?

(2) Taking Herodotus’ tale as it stands, who are the Ionians (Chap,
xxviii., ad init.) who accompany Histiæus and the Æolians in their
attack on Thasos, if they are not from Chios?
7
Vide Kiepert’s most recent map of Asia Minor.
8
Artaphernes there, and therefore campaigning season probably over.
9
Like many other geographical names of ancient and modern times,
this was used in both a wider and a narrower sense. It is applied by
Herodotus in some passages to the whole region from the Pontus to
the Hellespont; in others to the immediate neighbourhood of the
Hellespont. It is used here in the wider sense.
0
The practical difficulties of the history are rendered all the greater by
the uncertainty of the interpretation of the text in the opening of H. vi.
40.

The all but complete absence of any details of Miltiades’ life between
the time of the Scythian expedition and the end of the Ionian Revolt
seems to me to support the view that there is very little documentary
evidence underlying Herodotus’ history, save that of inscriptions and
of other official documents, demonstrable instances of whose use
are rare. Had the historian made large use of private memoirs,
supposing such existed, it is unlikely that he would have omitted to
have recourse to the records of the Philaid family.
2
The significance of this last assertion is very striking. The reference
is to the Ionian towns especially, which, on the indication of purely
 general evidence, might be supposed to have been tributary to
Athens at the time to which Herodotus refers.
The question raised belongs obviously to a period much later than
479 b.c., and must be left for discussion in a work dealing with the
period between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars.
Meanwhile I would refer English students of Greek history to the
long note on the subject in Macan, “Herod.” iv., v., vi., vol. i. p. 302.
3
E.g.. Strattis of Chios., H. viii. 132.
4
Cf. H. vi. 43.
5
The employment of Mardonios on this political business, in a case in
which Artaphernes might have been expected to be the agent for the
carrying out of this particular act of policy, suggests that Darius had
in his mind considerations similar to those which are described by
Tacitus as having influenced the Roman Government in the
settlement of Britain after the revolt of the Iceni: “Missus igitur
Petronius Turpilianus tanquam exorabilior et delictis hostium novus,
eoque pœnitentiæ mitior” (Tac. Agric. xvi.).
6
It has sometimes been assumed that this was, on the part of Athens,
a direct recognition of Sparta, not merely as the chief power in
Greece, but as exercising some sort of control over Athens itself.
The assumption is possible, but not necessary.
7
The second part of the objection seems inconsistent with Herodotus’
own statement, v. 75, that a law had been made some years before
in Sparta to the effect that the two kings might not both accompany a
military expedition. It is, however, possible that this law applied
merely to the command of the army in time of war (cf. the
circumstances under which it was made), and that when other
important Government business abroad was on hand, the custom of
the Spartan constitution provided that both kings should take part in
it, that each might act as a check upon the other. It is evident in this
instance that Kleomenes was not in a position to enforce his
 demands, and even on the second occasion there is no suggestion
of armed interference.
8
It is not a part of the design of this chapter to discuss in detail either
(a) the various palpably unhistorical references to incidents of the
campaign made by the orators of the fourth century, as well as by
later classical authors;
or (b) the numerous and varied reconstructions of the history of
the time which have been attempted by modern writers.
The policy thus adopted with regard to the latter is not due to want
of respect, but to want of space. Any full discussion of these theories
would make a book in itself.
They are very fully explained and discussed in⁠—

(1) Busolt’s “Griechische Geschichte;”

(2) Macan, Herod. iv.–vi, vol. 2, Appendix 10,
(3) Hauvette’s “Hérodote;”

and to these I would refer any student who wishes to survey the
whole field of possible and impossible theory.
I owe much to these able summaries of critical discussion, as well
as to other papers which I have read at different times in various
German periodicals.
A very valuable article on the constructive side of the history of the
campaign is that by Mr. J. A. R. Munro, in the Journal of Hellenic
Studies, vol. xix., Part II., 1899.
With respect to the ancient authorities, the majority of modern
critics seem to be in agreement that the amount of reliable evidence
outside Herodotus is very small.
The topographical details observable at the present day which
have a bearing on the history of the actual fight are few, though
important.
9
It must at the same time be pointed out that the statement is not
above suspicion in certain respects. Herodotus says, for instance,
 that “many of the continentals” and “all the islanders” gave earth and
Cf. H. vi. 96. water. Did Naxos give “earth and water”? It is a very
remarkable exception. Who were these “continentals”?
Of all the states only one is mentioned by name—Ægina. Did Ægina
really Medize at this time, or was it merely that Athens feared she
might do so, or might, at any rate, take the opportunity afforded by a
Persian attack to pay off old scores?
0
The same number as on the Scythian expedition, and at Ladé; and
therefore not on this account very reliable.
Cf. H. vi. 94: Ἐσβαλόμενοι δὲ τοὺς ἵππους ἐς ταύτας [τὰς
ἱππαγωγοὺς νέας] Καὶ τὸν πεζὸν στρατὸν ἐσβιβάσαντες ἐς τὰς νέας,
ἔπλεον ἑξακοσίῃσι τριήρεσι ἐς τὴν Ἰωνίην.
2
Various exaggerated estimates of these numbers are given in later
historians. Modern authorities have formed estimates varying from
30,000 to 50,000.
6400 Persians fell at Marathon, when the Persian centre must
have been almost wiped out, but when not more than half the
Persian army was engaged in the battle. This would suggest 20,000
as the number of Persians at Marathon, and about 40,000 as the
number of the whole expedition.
3
Thuc. ii. 8 is, of course, irreconcilable with this statement. I do not
propose to discuss a question which really does not admit of any
certain solution. There is, of course, a mistake somewhere, but we
cannot pretend at the present day to say where it lies. For
discussion, vide Macan, vol. i. p. 353.
4
The tale, or, at any rate, certain elements of it, manifestly originate in
a source at Chalkis.
5
I adopt Stein’s suggestion that κατέργοντες is used intransitively, as
being the most probable of the suggestions which have been made
with regard to the translation or amendment of this doubtful passage.
6
Vide “Zur Topographie von Marathon” in the Mittheilungen des
Deutschen Archæologischen Instituts, i. pp. 67–94 (1876).
7
H. vi. 124: ἀνεδέχθη μὲν γὰρ ἀσπίς· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι ἄλλως εἰπεῖν,
ἐγένετο γάρ· ὃς μέντοι ἦν ὁ ἀναδέξας, οὐκ ἔχω προσωτέρω εἰπεῖν
τούτων.
8
Sparta, doubtless, would not act with the Alkmæonidæ.
9
As represented in some histories of Greece.
0
As the object of this chapter is not to refute the theories of others,
but to examine and explain the evidence bearing on the campaign, I
do not propose to point out defects in theories which differ from my
own. I am most nearly in agreement with Mr. J. A. R. Munro. I had
formed my opinions on the main questions of the campaign before I
read his article, but it has supplied me with arguments of an
important character which certainly had not occurred to me before I
read it.
In the accepted text of Herodotus the name is Pheidippides, which is
almost certainly a textual error.
2
These chronological details are important, as they enable us to
construct a diary of events, which is not without its significance in the
narrative of the truce.
3
It is impossible to say how far this excuse for delay was genuine.
4
The Persian dead are still unburied when the Spartans visit the field.
H. vi. 120. They leave Sparta on the 15th, and arrive at Athens on
the 17th. A period of several days intervened between
the arrival of the Athenians at Marathon and the battle.
Plutarch (De Herod. Malign. 26) asserts that the battle took place
on the 6th of Boedromion. He accuses Herodotus of suppressing the
fact that the Athenians held a festal procession in honour of the
battle on the 6th of this month.
 It is true that the festival did take place on this date; but the day
was chosen, not because it was the date of the battle, but because it
was the festival of Artemis Agrotera, to whom a vow had been made
in case of success, probably before the army started from Athens.
5
Cf. (Arist.) Athen. Polit. 22.
6
The original passage in which this is mentioned is the scholion on
Aristophanes, Knights, 778: ἐν Μαραθῶνι: τόπος τῆς Ἀττικῆς εἰς ὃν
ἐνώρμησαν Δᾶτις καὶ Ἀρτάβαζος Μηδικοὶ σατράπαι, etc.
Suidas, a very late author in the 10th and 11th centuries of our
era, reproduces the information, drawing it evidently from the above-
mentioned source.
7
The fact that the Persians were in battle array seems to invalidate
the theory which has been put forward, that the Persians, when the
Greeks rushed upon them, were marching towards the lower road,
with intent to reach Athens that way. If that had been so, it is not
possible to imagine that the battle could have been the set battle
which it appears to have been according to Herodotus’ description.
His description of the main incidents of the fight seems the most
absolutely reliable part of his narrative.
8
In the late author Suidas there is a note which gives a positive
support to this negative fact of Herodotus’ silence. He says that the
expression χωρίς ἱππεῖς had become a proverbial expression,
originating from the fact that when Datis invaded Attica, the Ionians
who were with him informed the Athenians that the cavalry were
away, and so Miltiades attacked and won the victory.
9
The total loss of the Persians is given by Herodotus at 6400. This is
not likely to be an understatement in that 6400 must have been
included the greater part of the Persian centre, which seems to have
been all but annihilated, if the circumstances of the battle be taken
into consideration. It is thus against probability that more than 20,000
Persian troops took part in the engagement.
 The comparative smallness of the Persian numbers is further
indicated by the words which tradition attributed to Miltiades. He is
said in the course of his appeal to Kallimachos (ch. 109) to have
spoken confidently of success in case the Greeks took the offensive.
There is no reason to insist on such words having been actually
used by Miltiades. The important historical point is that in the
tradition of the battle which Herodotus followed such language was
attributed to him, language which could not conceivably have been
used had the Persians very greatly outnumbered the Greeks.
0
Numbers varying from 100,000 to 500,000 are given by various later
authors.

Cornelius Nepos, Justin, Suidas, give estimates of from 9000 to

10,000 Athenians, and 1000 Platæans. Herodotus (ix. 28, 29) gives
the Athenian numbers at Platæa as 8000 hoplites and 8000 light-
armed, and this at a time when many citizens were serving on the
fleet at Mykale. The number 10,000 at Marathon is probably an
understatement, though not one of a gross character.
2
The Persian position is indicated by three circumstances:⁠—
(1) The position of the “Soros,” which would presumably be
situated where the majority of the Athenians must have fallen, i.e. in
the centre of the line; and where, too, the decisive blow of the battle
was struck.
(2) The fact, expressly mentioned by Herodotus, that the Greek
centre was (Chap. 113) driven inland (ἐς τὴν μεσόγαιαν).
(3) The fact that (Chap. 115) the barbarians who escaped seem to
have reached their ships without difficulty.
Hauvette, in assuming the Persians to have been in a position
close to the Charadra, parallel to it, and south of it, ignores these
three points, and places the Persians in about the most
disadvantageous position they could have chosen in the whole plain.
3
This seems the most probable translation of the word δρόμῳ. Apart
from the physical impossibility of a heavy-armed infantryman