Clebsch GM Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path

Game Master Clebsch73

The girl drifted back and forth as she watched Franti. But instead of making her laugh, she made a cross face and said, "I don't want to hear about stupid ol' Ustifal. I want to hear about the city up there. Mommy said it would never fall to the dedums. I'm not sure what dedums are, but I think they're bad."

Karas walked into the room with his breath caught. He looked at the girl incredulously and raised an eyebrow. He looked to the closest person, which happened to be Ellena.

"Something's not right with her story. I can't put my finger on it but there's more to this than what she's saying."

He then moved a bit closer to the others and kept an eye on the surroundings.

A demonspawn and a ghost go into a room...What I have gotten myself into, Inheritor?

'"If you are right, how do we get the whole story then," Ellena asked the tiefling. "Are you talking of demons, child? Yes, they have attacked the city. We are going to go beat them back right now!"

Karas whispered back to the paladin, "I have no idea."

He stepped forward and whispered to Franti, "she isn't telling the whole story I think. Try to get more of it from her if you can."

"Yeah," Franti stated, crossing his arms "I'll try." He looked to the ghostly girl, wondering if all ghosta had no sense of comedy or only the young, childish immature ones. "Enough about Ustalav," the fool said, agitated that the ghost would mispronounce his beautiful, bleak country. "Well. The city above seems covered in dedums. Attacking the people, causing a fright. Nasty little things, your mummy was right."

The fool took a few steps closer, uncrossing his arms, looking as kind as he could. "Many of us specialize in dedum killing. We're exterminators, come with us if you're willing." Franti looked to the ghost with a smile. "Though our group has a strict "no secrets" rule. So if you have any secrets, tell them to the fool"

Before posting anything else, I'd like to hear from Tauni. Also place your icons in the room if you are in the room. Then I'll post the child's reply and possibly some action/words of the NPCs, who are currently holding back, letting the PCs take point on this one.

Will someone move Ellena just south of Karas,'please? Thanks.

can't move icon from my phone. Please place Karas 10ft into the room.

As Franti began to engage the child's spirit, Tauni signaled back to the other three: Gwerm, Anevia and Aravshnial, for them to join the rest in the next chamber.

As she coaxed Gwerm into the room, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said "You did great, keeping watch and warning us. Keep your eyes sharp while they deal with the child."

Looking back to where the others have engaged the girl in conversation, the young woman strained her mind for any lore that might be helpful, but comes up despairingly short.

Her icon is placed on the map now. She doesn't really have anything to say to the girl that the others haven't already asked. Her intuitive response is to think of knowledge that can help, but she doesn't have any skill points in Knowledge (religion) yet.

As Anevia, Aravashnial, and Horgus entered the room, and Franti told the girl there can be no secrets, she drifted back into the passage that led out of the room. "I can show you the way up, part way at least. Follow me." She turned to go through the tunnel and she bumped into the wall. Anevia shook her head and shot an arrow at the girl just before she slipped out of sight up the tunnel. The arrow hit the wall a foot away from her, since Franti was partly in the way. "It's an illusion! She's a kobold!"

Before anyone had a chance to respond, the girl, if girl she really was, said a quick string of arcane words, and her head and hand reappeared long enough to gesture at a spot about 20 feet into the room. A vortex of swirling mist rose and spread in all directions, quickly engulfing everyone except Horgus. Shadowy shapes haunted the mists and everyone felt an immediate surge of fear.

Everyone, except Anarya and Aravashnial were affected by the magic of the spell and found themselves having difficulty thinking and acting. Furthermore, the mist was strangely thick. It obscured everything more than five feet away, even for Karas.

Anarya and Aravashnial were aware that the menacing shapes in the mist were illusions but they still had trouble seeing beyond five feet.

Anevia stepped back from the mist and along the wall, shaking her head and calling out, "Over here! Get out of the mist!" Horgus too was calling out, giving those in the mist a idea of where they might go to get out of the mist.

Surprise Round
Anevia:
Girl: cast a spell
Karas -1 wis, shaken, surprised
Tauni -2 wis, shaken, surprised
Franti -1 wis, shaken, surprised
Ellena -2 wis, shaken, surprised
Avelina -2 wis, shaken, surprised
Anarya, surprised
Aravashnial, moved back from the mist
Horgus, surprised

Round 1
Anevia -2 wis, shaken
Girl
\/Yet to act this round\/
Karas -1 wis, shaken
Tauni -2 wis, shaken
Franti -1 wis, shaken
Ellena -2 wis, shaken
Avelina -2 wis, shaken
Anarya
Aravashnial
Horgus

A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Shaken is a less severe state of fear than frightened or panicked.

The mist obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature 5 feet away has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target).

Karas burned at being tricked by the little reptile and the odd fear that he count place. He ignored Anevia's call and surged forward in the direction he thought the little lizard was in with his features changing to match his boiling blood.

Free action: bloodrage
Double move towards last know position. GM is free to decide where I end up as he sees fit.

Tauni moved out of the mist, following Gwerm's voice. Once she emerged from the mist, she let the blind elf know "It's me, Tauni." She again prepared to cast a spell when a foe presented itself. Understanding that some of the warriors may have wanted to go after the foes, Tauni called out "I am by the way we came in! Move away from me if you are trying to get across!"

As an afterthought, she adds "Gwerm, help keep watch behind us again!"

GM, Tauni has the class ability to always act in the surprise round. Was there extenuating circumstances that blocked that? I don't know that it would change her actions, but maybe it would change the damage?

The moment I've been awaiting! Cue the Music!

Franti stood stunned for a moment, mind a bit numb, afraid as the shadows twisted around him. The fool gulped, briefly peering around the void to see if he could spot friends. As Karas charged past, Franti's confidence momentarily surged. The fool followed, seeing more reason in his altered state to retaliate than to heed the words of the wise wizard.

"Let us strike, Silver! Separate them from their scales!" the fool cried, drawing his two saps, lapsing that the scaled man may find the statement distasteful. At the mention of both "silver" and "scales," the fool was reminded of Terendelev's gift he held to his heart. He would show courage like her, even in fear. He would be as ferocious as a dragon.

And as these thoughts entered the fool's mind, he felt the warm glow of the scale against his skin. And then it was his skin no longer, and the fool had scales like that of the draconic hero, like that of the raging man who just ran by, like the fleeting foe who made the illusion. With his red scales, the fool had never been so colorful. And when Franti grinned, though no one could see him within the dark, spiraling cloud, he revealed sharp teeth under his scaled snout. While he shrank to almost half his size, his heart swelled. The fool began to chuckle nervously, but had not begun to notice his transformation.

5ft step, Alter Self to Kobold as Standard, Move to draw Saps. Dex to 20, Attack Rolls +2, smaller weapon damage die, AC adjusted to 19, Darkvision, -1 CMD/B, +4 size to Stealth. My disguise bonus to appear as a Kobold is at +16, should you want to roll in secret. Think that is everything, I can explain any change in the discussion thread if need be.

Stealth in Mist (if Allowed): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

I sure hope you don't run into Karas in the mist and he not realize you're the Fool...

Anarya staggered backwards, concentrating as she brightened her halo as much as she could muster, in the hopes that her allies would see her through the fog. She spotted shapes in the mist, but her light pierced them like insubstantial phantasms, revealing more kobold trickery. Her eyes narrowed. Anarya did not like deceit. "The shapes in the mist are but tricks, more illusions!" As she spoke, she emerged from the cloud, taking stock of her situation. Spotting Tauni to her right, she moved along the cavern wall towards her.

The threat of danger triggered something in her, and a flash of nearly-imperceptible power flowed across her skin, shielding her from any attacks from the devious lizards.

Moving backwards, then along the wall. Activating her shield spell-like ability from Touched by Divinity (+4 shield bonus to AC, duration 1 minute - AC is now 19, since I previously had a +1 shield bonus).

Avelina, already upset by the feelings a ghostly orphaned girl brought, was deeply shaken as the ruse was revealed and the fog came down. Her eyes darted back-and-forth in panic as she was suddenly alone, unable to see any of her new friends and allies.

"Wha...what is this? Y-y-you can't do this to me! How dare you play at my sympathies!"

She looked back towards where she last saw Ellena.

"Where are you, My Champion!?"

Avelina held herself close, relying on the only protection she had, her "Armor of Faith" and the the protective magic of the dragonscale entrusted to her.

Shield goes up.

Ellena moved forward with her sword and shield at the ready. She moved toward Avelina's voice, instinctively trying to protect her. "I'm on the way. Stay behind me! We might need to regroup until we can deal with this awful fog.".

Ellena readies an action to strike out if the kobold enters her range.

I did not realize or forgot that Tauni had the act-in-a-surprise-round ability. Looking back at the rolls, I may have made a little bit of a muddle of it but I'm not sure it matters at this point. By the time Tauni's turn would have come in the surprise round, the fog was in place and so she probably would not have been able cast any spells or make any attacks that would have succeeded. Avelina also made the save to recognize the girl was an illusion, not Karas, but again, I'm not sure it would make a difference, so I'm not going to try to ret-con anything.

Everyone in the main chamber (C2) heard a rumble of a large boulder rolling down, getting louder until it sounded very near, perhaps in the room. Anevia ran around the edge of the mist to near where the entrance was, dropping her bow and drawing her short sword as she moved. She took a steadying breath and entered the mist near the wall near where the exit tunnel was. A moment later she snarls and there is the sound of a sword cutting into a body.

Round 2
Anevia -2 wis, shaken
Girl
\/Yet to act this round\/
Karas -1 wis
Tauni -2 wis
Franti -1 wis, shaken
Ellena -2 wis, shaken
Avelina -2 wis, shaken
Anarya
Aravashnial
Horgus

He roared, "Come out of hiding and face me you little lizard!"

"Avelina, stay behind me. We must find this trickster!". Not sure who was what in the fog, the holy warrior held her ground, sword poised at the ready, hoping the kobold dared show its face to her. "Face me in honorable combat, kobold, and I'll cut steaks off you!"

"Too late. I got the little blighter. He got nailed by one of his own traps, looks like. I just finished him off."

"Archer, is that you? You sound close. Come to my voice, and I'll protect you, too!"

"Tauni, what is happening?" Anarya called out to the woman beside her, stepping nearer to her friend. "Does anyone need help inside the mist?"

"Don't leave me!"

Tauni called out "Regroup! Fall back! I am with Anarya, Horgus and Aravashnial! There may be more, and they probably have set traps!"

When Avenia said that she 'finished one off', Tauni called back "Drag it out! If it is still alive, we can revive it and question it!"

Tauni looked directly at Anarya and signed Can't tell. I am trying to get them back here.

Finally, she kept calling out "This way! Over here!"

Can Ellena or Avelina sort of tell where Tauni's voice is coming from? If so, Ellena agrees that sounds like a good plan, and starts slowly advancing to the voice, keeping Avelina close with her.

Perception (if necessary) 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

A summary of events will be up soon.

"AH! Stop!" The Kobold-Formed Jester cried into the darkness. He gave a battered and desperate response to Anarya's question. "Yes, help," the fool croaked, struggling to catch his breath. His words fell on her literal deaf ears. "A bit of pain here, but if Karas advances so do I!" His voice sounded pained and defiant, but more than that, strange, a bit off.

Ignore this. No one has heard anything from Franti since he said, "Let us strike, Silver! Separate them from their scales!" which was during his action in round 1.

Edit to what happened in Round 1-2: Once Anevia realized she might have to enter the fog to fight, she dropped her bow and before moving, took a torch that Horgus was holding so she had some light when she went into the mist. Hate to ret-con but Anevia would not have entered the mist without light and I did not want to ret-con her attack.

Horgus says to Anarya and Tauni, "Better to move over there and get away from this awful mist." He pointed to the north end of the room, which had about ten feet of ground not covered with mist.

Anevia emerged from the mist dragging a small creature with red scales wearing robes that look curiously similar to Franti's. The creature looked like a small humanoid reptile with a tail and a set of saps on his belt. Dark blood was making a stain on the chest of the robes. The creature was unconscious. "What the ...?" she called out as she saw this. Then, Anarya! Tauni! Bring the healer!

Ellena and Avelina can move in the direction of Anevia's voice or toward Tauni and Anarya's voices or attempt to move elsewhere in the mist or stay where they are. So long as they remain in the mist, their shaken condition remains.

Round 3
Anevia -2 wis, shaken
Girl
\/Yet to act this round\/
Karas -1 wis (??)
Tauni -2 wis
Franti -1 wis, shaken (??)
Ellena -2 wis, shaken
Avelina -2 wis, shaken
Anarya
Aravashnial
Horgus

"Good thought, Horgus. I'll guide Aravashnial. Stay close!" Then, when she heard Anevia call out,Tauni signed to Anarya Must heal, and pointed to where Anevia had called to them from her position to the north of them. The wizard took the elf's arm and started moving, and called out through the mist "Ellena! Avelina! Let's regroup! Franti! Karas! You too! Rejoin us!"

I'm thinking it is two move actions, one to take Aravashnial's arm, and a second to move to her new position on the map. That was a six square move for Tauni; if she needed to move slower to safely guide Aravashnial, then either let me know or go ahead and move her back some.

Ellena grabbed Avelina's hand. "Stay with me and I'll keep you safe," she whispered as she then headed towards the sound of Tauni's voice."If we get together, we can all get out of the fog together!" The paladin slowly advanced as she stowed her shield, holding her sword in one hand and gently guided Avelina with the other.

"There's another ahead. I can hear him scurrying around. Come this way to keep going!"

Icons have been moved on the map to conform to the general movement suggested in this round's posts. Once Anarya has posted, the round will advance. Be thinking about whether you want to pursue the one Karas claims is ahead or not. If so, we'll stay in melee rounds to help keep track of the pursuit. If not, we can drop out of melee.

Anarya didn't need to be told twice, and as soon as Tauni signed heal, she rushed to Anevia's side. She glanced down at the kobold and gasped. She recognized those clothes! "What did they do to you?" she asked aloud as she touched the wounds on what she assumed was a transformed Franti.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"This mist will probably last another minute or two. The effects might last a day or two. If you wish to pursue the little sneak, Anevia and I can keep an eye on this one, ... so to speak."

The fool rose with a fit. "My thanks," he told the cleric. His memories were as hazy as the fog beside him. He looked down at his hands, looking at his colored scales. "Oh dear." he began, but turned to sing-song rhymes. "This must be Kobold Trickery! It is I, Franti, who else but he would where these clothes and speak like me!" The fool began to chuckle, but a sharp pain in his side stopped his laughter. Franti felt sore, pressing his hand to his stomach to a mostly sealed wound. "I think someone stabbed me." he remarked.

The fool looked at his scales, attempting to pick at one. "Ouch. Bad idea." He rose to his feet, looking to his friends that watched him warily. "There is something on my face, isn't there?"

"Are you alright?" Anarya looked concerned, staring in confusion as the lizard-like kobold mouth snapped incomprehensibly up and down. She looked up at the others. "I can't read his lips. Mostly because he doesn't seem to have any... what is he saying?" She looked apologetically at the kobold.

Glancing back up at the mist, she asked. "Where is Karas?"

Avelina threw a dismissive wave.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Darling. It's just Franti doing one of his jests."

Avelina grinned as she realized Anarya was the first to notice Karas missing. The "evidence" was mounting constantly for her....

Avelina leaned closer to Ellena.

"I am ready to chase down those rapscallions as soon as My Champion is."

"We must not separate. If we do this, we all go. We can follow the wall until we reach the passage that Karas is down. Horgus, can you guide Aravashnial? Ellena, can you lead the way?" As she spoke, Tauni readied her crossbow again and moved to the west of the rest, ready to follow last and make sure no one came up behind them. With a glance over her shoulder at the others, she reminded them "Kobolds love setting traps, and they are good at it. Be wary! And don't assume they are foes; if we can speak with them, they may be able to point us to a way back to the surface!"

Ellena nodded. "Follow the wall. Find Karas. That's the plan. All of you stay with me," Ellena summarized, turning slightly red upon realizing she was still holding Avelina's hand. She allowed the noble woman her hand back. Once the group gathered behind her, she pulled her shield again and slowly started heading for the sound of Karas's voice.

KAras called back through the mist, his voice still deep and mostly growl, "I am this way and the more time we waste the more this little trickster can be up to. I don't think he has interest in taking us to the surface at all."

Avelina grasped at Ellena's hand as she pulled it away before finally realizing she needed both her hands to fight.

"Traps? Of course such little, devious creatures would do something so dishonorable as lay traps. We shall just need to place our trust in the Inheritor to protect us!"

Franti's face soured, or tried to sour, at Avelina's mention that he was "just doing another jest." But the fool found that pouting came unnaturally in this form. Instead, within the fabric of his pants his tail began to spur wildly. "What do you mean just one of- Oh gods, I have a tail. Oh Picoperi, the jokes you play on your very jesters! How everything becomes your punchline." The fool reached to the back of his leg and grabbed his new, waggling appendage. "What to do, what to do."

Franti was glad when he heard the voice of Karas, but a bit confused from what he said. The mist still fogged his mind. "I'm not that little!" the fool shouted back. He looked at his newly acquired stature."Well, not usually..." he mumbled. The fool realized a second later that he was not the "little trickster" Karas spoke of. He prayed that everyone also made the same mistake. "Let us continue this chase! No one makes a fool of Franti but Franti himself!"

The group slipped into the tunnel and began to head up the inclined passageway. Nerves were on edge, wary that the kobold might have left more traps, but eventually everyone reached a point where the passage leveled off and a normal walking order could be re-established.

If anyone needs healing, decide if this will be addressed now or later and how. Double check your header information and if your character is carrying a light source, indicate what it is at the end of your header list. It has been about 45 minutes since the start of travel and about one minute since the revival of Franti.

No further evidence was seen of the kobold. Aravashnial commented, "Kobolds are a cowardly lot. I would not expect one to attempt a fight with such a large and well armored group. If he has a tribe, they may lay a more elaborate ambush, so we should continue to be cautious and travel as quietly as possible."

After walking about 25 minutes, there was a rumbling all around and earth tremors shook the area. Nothing significant fell from the ceiling, the tunnel remained open, and no one was injured. What caused the tremor was not immediately obvious.

After another five minutes of walking, the tunnel opened up into a large cavern, about 70 feet across. Cylindrical rock formations along the walls arched up to make a domelike chamber, but the walls and floors were riddled with cracks. At the center of the cave once stood a stone tower that perhaps reached almost to the top of the fifty foot ceiling, but it has collapsed and toppled sideways.

I will have a map up later, but for now, the cave is as described with a ruin near the center, about 35' from where you enter. Karas is the only one who can see to the far side of the cavern. He can see no immediate exits, but the ruins block his view of some of the lower wall.

Upon reuniting with Karas, Anarya channeled her healing light once more to heal Franti and him.

Channel Energy: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Feeling the tremors in the earth, Anarya looked around to see if the others had felt them. She didn't want to think about what must have caused it - more of those massive demons on the surface perhaps, the ones that had destroyed the buildings outside St. Clywell's Plaza.

Emerging into the cavern, Anarya spotted the collapsed tower. "That must be what caused that shaking earlier... oh! I see bodies in the rubble! There may be wounded!" She rushed forward, hoping that she wasn't too late to save anyone who might have survived. Drawing closer, she noticed strange, animal limbs protruding from the wreckage. "...lobster?" she murmured, surprised at the incongruous body parts.

Karas smiled when the others caught up and his monstrous features faded. When the ground shook he couldn't help but grow concerned for those on the surface.

The whole cavern seemed a dead end though but when Anarya rushed forward he went too to keep the girl protected. "I don't see anything y other way out of... Did you say lobster?" He went and began helping clear rubble from the creatures.

As Anarya and Karas moved closer, a figure appeared from behind some of the rubble. Karas could see him more clearly than most but others found it hard to make out details, standing at the edge of the circle of light cast by Anarya's halo. One side of his face was darker than the other and a coiled horn extended from the right side of his head, but not the left. He was armed but had no weapon in either hand. He addressed the group in common, his voice raspy with an unusual accent. "Who are you and why are you here? If your intentions are ill, we ask you to move on and leave us in peace. If they are good, then perhaps you can help. Misfortune has befallen us and one of our comrades has been trapped by the fallen tower."

Map is up. The green tinted squares are covered in rubble and are rough terrain.

Reaching the Cavern:
Half through the hike, Franti's features began to reverse. His scales turned to skin, and softened from red, to pink, to a pale, almond white. His tail disappeared, his fangs shortened to normal, human-like teeth (and of course Franti's wisdom teeth had not came in yet). "Well," the fool began, "that was interesting. You all should give that a try. I almost, almost thought I had control over my tail in the end. Enlightening."

When they reached the cavern, the now-human-fool saw what Anarya saw. "It looks like a crab's claw to me. Semantics really. And hooves! Maybe a goat fell from the city above." Franti took steps towards the claw and the hoof he spotted.

Post Horn-Man:
Franti tried to place the man's accent. Not Varisian, definitely not Varisian. Not harsh enough to be Olfen.

"It wouldn't be the first person crushed under stone we helped today," the fool chuckled, looking back to Anevia. "And she thanked us by stabbing me," he rang out, loud enough for her to hear. The fool looks to the horned-man, smiling wildly. "But really, she is lovely though."

The fool put himself by some of the rubble, preparing to help move it from the figures beneath. When someone with light came close, Franti tried to hide any indication of disgust as he peered at one of the more bizarre amalgamations.

"Lift with your back, right friends?"
Aid Another: 1d20 ⇒ 12