DM Carbide's PFS#8-07: From the Tome of Righteous Repose (Inactive)

Game Master John Woodford

"Noise from over there..." she points to the direction she heard the noise.

Jeb begins to aim in the direction Alektara is pointing!

In the light, Chaul sees that the wider area is itself a chamber. Nothing seems to be moving, and the sound that Alektara describes is as yet uncertain in source.

Making their way forward, Alektara and Chaul realize that the sound is coming from the nearest opening to the west. The room revealed is littered with piles of ancient bones, loosely sorted by type. A single tibia, sharpened to a point, lies near a circle scratched on the ground. In the air over the circle floats a sphere of darkness that swallows Chaul's light; the whispering sounds seem to emanate from it.

The circle and sphere are at the same location as the "11" on the map.

religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
know(planes): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Chaul considers the darkness in front of him.

"I've not seen these before.."

Chaul realizes that this is a portal to the Negative Energy Plane.

"What do you see? Blasted corridors are so damn narrow, it should be illegal."

"Stay back!" warns Chaul.

"That is a portal to death and destruction, as incarnate as it exists in this multiverse. The plane of negative energy itself is but a few steps away "

Does Chaul have any idea what might happen if he channeled positive energy here?

"Well then I am not going in there..."

Channeling positive energy is unlikely to have much effect by itself.

"Maybe this is where we need to do the ritual. Certainly this area seems to be the crux of the problem down here. We should make sure there are no other disturbances here before we start though."

Chaul and Celidrian believe that the ritual you're carrying, properly cast, will indeed close the rift.

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Yes, I believe you're right, Chaul... this would be the place to perform the ritual. How do you propose we assure no disturbances?... other than neutralize all threats down here, unless that's what you're proposing."

Where to now?

"Let us just check the rooms in this area. That chamber to the south. I fine it hard to believe that there can be more down there with all the undead we have already faced, although they must be pulled here by that rift."

Chaul directs his light south towards area ten.

Throughout the large room to the south, the walls have been carved with hundreds of names, from dozens of nations and cultures. Something has scratched many of them away, though, leaving deep claw marks in the stone.

What sort of skill check would it be to determine what left those marks?

Based only on the marks the range of possible claw-ers is too great to specify without more data.

Jeb looks a little apprehensive. "I hate the waiting for the attack. You know it's coming, but I hate waiting for it." He keeps his loaded pistol up and ready to fire.

"Let us quickly check those stairs and the last passage coming from the entrance chamber. If they are free of undead, we should have time to perform the ritual." suggests Chaul.

"I'll be right behind you."

Jeb nods and heads down the stairs.

Alektara moves to protect Chaul as he checks for undead.

The room to the southwest is a long and winding hall with crypts from three noble houses. Each crypt contains a single sarcophagus (apparently intended for the most illustrious member of the family) and multiple wall recesses intended for the dead. All are empty save for shreds of burial cloths, though in one niche there is a piece of gold jewelry--a sun disk with a katana across it. Chaul recognizes it as a holy symbol of Shizuru, Empress of Heaven, the Minkai goddess of the sun.

North from there, you come to another small room with multiple alcoves in the walls, along with decorative carvings.

And something will happen in this room, but I have to run off to a meeting now.

Jeb aims his pistol at the something happening and shoots it if it seems necessary. And it always seems necessary at the time.

The party is preparing to enter the room when Aldebert, Chaul, Jeb, and Celidrian notice movement around them. Spectral, skeletal hands are emerging from the walls around the party!

Surprise Round:

Initiative order
Aldebert
Jeb
Chaul
Celidrian
????

Everyone but Kel and Alektara can take a surprise round action!

Kel looks a bit annoyed as, yet again, more undead seem to be attacking.
Bloody Decemvirate! When I get back to the Grand Lodge I'm going to have a word with them! These undead are getting more than annoying!

know religion DC 18: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 8 + (6) = 23

"looks lIke a haunt manifestation... anyone have one of those haunt siphon things?"

religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

"I do not, I suggest we pull back quickly. Haunts are often best just avoided. It may be it will dissipate if we can close the rift behind us.."

Chaul backs up as fast as he can.

Alektara rolls her eyes at the mention of another undead foe...

Aldebert, grumbly audibly, follows Chaul in his retreat backwards.

Surprise Round (ongoing):

Initiative order
Aldebert-acted
Jeb
Chaul-acted
Celidrian
????

Chaul and Aldebert retreat.

Jeb and Celidrian can take their actions!

Hearing his comrades, Jeb also retreats, though he waits for the others to go before he moves, putting himself between the haunt and his friends.

Celidrian retreats as fast as he can, not wanting to deal with a haunt.

Cel and Jeb retreat behind the other two, leaving Alektara and Kel behind. The grasping hands reach out from the walls for the remaining pair. Taken by surprise, Alektara is only saved by her ring of protection, but Kel feels the icy touch of a spectral claw tearing into his very soul. Take four temporary negative levels, Kel. Now would be a good time to retreat.

Round 1:

Initiative order
Aldebert
Jeb
Alektara
Chaul
Kel
Celidrian
Haunt

Party up!

I didn't move until the others were out. If they didn't leave, I didn't either.

Forewarned (and lucky), Jeb easily dodges the hand reaching for him.

"Kel, Alektara! GET OUT OF HERE!" He steps in front of them and fires at the wall!
Pistolero!: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19 for 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 damage!

Kel backs away, clutching his chest.
THAT'S IT! NO MORE MISSIONS WITH DEAD STUFF!!

RETREAT!

Shaken, Orophin retreats to allow the others to also fall back.

"Your life forces have been weakened.." he notes to Kel.

Bahh, lessor restoration won't bring back temporary negative levels, which is annoying. I thought it did one. <sigh>

"There is little I can do to help you, but time will restore your strength."

Um, Chaul? You look different, somehow.

The bullet has no visible effect, but the party is able to retreat out of the area of effect of the haunt. Celidrian knows that at the time they first manifest, haunts tend to be particularly vulnerable to channeled energy (i.e., they don't get a save vs. the damage).

Sorry!!! I have an oracle playing this as well. I was wondering why we had suddenly met more undead in an orc filled dungeon.

Chaul looks at his companion's grave wounds.

"I think now would be a wise time to retire. With the rising of the sun I can resolve your...condition, and also prepare appropriate blessings to cleanse the tainted water."

Up to you. Kel is in pretty rough shape, though.

"I agree. This hocus-pocus is quite unsettling" remarks Aldebert.

How far are we from the nearest major settlement/town?

You're two days' march (46 miles) from Vellumis, and that's the closest major settlement. There are smaller ones that are closer, though--at least something with an inn.

An inn would be nice, but we could also camp.

"We should never be afraid to set up camp under the stars."

would resting under the stars heal the negative levels at the same rate as walking to an inn?

Kel's life force will recover after eight hours, regardless of what he's doing.

The party rests undisturbed in an appropriate place and awakens refreshed and ready to finish the job. Kel has fully recovered from the haunt's depredations. After selecting appropriate spells for the rest of the exploration, the party returns to the ancient crypts.

Chaul heals up everyone before resting.

"Let us go first to the room with the corrupted water, and OI'll see about fixing that "

Assuming the group is agreeable he will first go to the flooded area and use bless water on it.

That wasn't the flooded area; the basin is in #13. Chaul's ritual cleanses the taint from the basin. The glowing symbols on the sides are wiped away in a blaze of solar fire, and the foul greenish tint of the water vanishes. The contents of the basin are now 10 gallons of holy water.

Apart from the haunt (which can be permanently destroyed by the use of holy water to clean the room it's centered in), there are two areas you haven't yet explored.