DM Flykiller's Council of Thieves
Game Master flykiller

Where is everyone?

Still here. Awaiting GM moving-on post.

Me too

What they said.

I am not clear on who does what. For the sake of moving on, I will assume that Dario accompanies Bishop on his scouting mission, Ferrucio and Dracius rest and refresh their spells, and Illithia is off to her own business.
Using Janiven's map, Bishop and Dario traverse the long and damp tunnel that goes under the riverbed. They arrive at a dark T-section which has them stumped for a while, but with the help of Dario's magical lights Bishop manages to spot some dirty tracks leading to the right. You follow the tracks for a while until you hear splashing footsteps some distance ahead, heading away from you. You dim the lights and try to keep a low profile, however you don't think you're very successful as after about a minute you hear a shriek and the footsteps greatly accelerate, quickly vanishing ahead. You decide not to engage in pursuit and turn the lights on again, treading carefully. This might have just saved your lives as you spot a thin wire running across the tunnel. It is approximately chest-high, so that a goblin could freely move underneath it. Quite clever and hard to set up for the little buggers, if it was indeed them who did it.
You crouch under the wire and move on. Not long afterwards, the tunnel ends with a set of sturdy wooden doors, looking distinctly out of place in the sewers, as if taken from a gate somewhere on the surface and fitted here. There is a small barred window roughly on the level of your waist. From your position roughly 80ft. away, you cannot spot any guards. The gate bears a symbol - a crudely drawn bloody fang.

"Guessing that's their symbol. Ever see it before?" Bishop whispers to Dracius.

Dario wrinkles his nose at the smell of the sewers again. He squints at the symbol on the gate.

Knowledge, local?: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

"Well, I'd say we found them. Should we heave back for the others or press on to see what we can scout?"

Dario - in your studies concerning Westcrown, you are positive you have never came across this symbol bearing any prominence.
You could attempt Knowledge Dungeoneering though

Knowledge, Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Oh, I read that as Dracius, not Dario was was following me. My bad.

"I say we keep going. We need to find out more. It's too quiet here, where are the guards?"

"Alright, but let's go slow or we'll run into another one of those trip wires."

Move forward at quarter speed, looking for more traps.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

"Got it."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23 Looking for the inevitable ambush.

Dario is none the wiser regarding the meaning of the symbol.
However his advice of caution really pays off, as Bishop jerks him away from nearly stepping on a pressure plate. As they get about 30ft. close to the door, Bishop thinks he hears a soft click coming from somewhere in front of them.

"Did ya hear that? A clicking sound? Right in front of us, I think someone is opening the doors." You wanna hide, Dario or are we fighting whatever comes through that door?

"Hide! If it's just one we can take him out!" Dario touches Bishop, whispering a word, "zanikać". Bishop looks down at himself and sees nothing. The Professor slides into the shadows and extinguishes his lights.

Cast Vanish on Bishop. 1 round of Invisibility for him. Then he hides.

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"What in the.." Bishop mutters as he disappears. If it seems like more than one person coming out, Bishop will run for cover and hide. Otherwise he will stay there and ready to take them out.

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 2 + 20 = 35

Ferrucio's spells for today: daze, open/close, ray of frost, mage armor, summon monster I × 2.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Dario waits several moments after they hear the click again. Then he whispers to Bishop. "I heard yelling. Several smaller voices and then a larger one."

Can I tell if they were speaking Goblin? Or were Goblin voices?
Linguistics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"I couldn't hear a thing. In that case I think we should come back with the others." Bishop whispers back.

"Agreed. Let's get out of here and get the others." Dario leads the way back to the church.

Dario - you did recognize a couple of Goblin expletives

"Well those were definitely goblin voices. Crude bastards. Let's get the others and we can break up their little party."

"Got'cha. Yea, let's come back with the rest."

Dario and Bishop return to the headquarters. Ferrucio and Dracius finish recovering their magical energies. Illithia returns from the city, having met with the Children there and carrying the coins from the sold loot.

You have a lunch where the events are recounted: Dario and Bishop were chasing someone, presumably a goblin, through the sewers, and eventually stumbled upon a trapped gate with a fang symbol on it, behind which somebody, presumably more goblins, was waiting.

As you gather your things, the sun is still high up in the sky, but it is well past noon already.

Let me know if you're just backtracking the way Dario and Bishop went, or want to search for another entrance, or want to make a detour through a market to buy some supplies.

I think we should backtrack.

I agree. No need to press our luck.

I don't recall anyone needing any supplies, so I'd say follow the same path works...

Dario trudges back into the church, and yells out. "Ferrucio!" The Professor sniffs at his clothes and is repelled by his own smell. "Gods, man, I need that spell you use to clean things."

Once he is cleaner, Dario sits down for a glass of wine. "Well, we found the goblins. Tricky bastards, the sewer is trapped. But Bishop and I found a way in, we think."

"Eh, I've smelled worse. " Bishop laughs.

He nods along at Dario's recount of the day's events. "We should be good to go back right?"

"I think so. As long as the goblins are there, they can terrorize the people. Everyone ready?"

Do we have Ferrucio and Illithia?

"Always ready."

Dracius nods, "Ready as I can be."

Ferrucio's mouth quirks in a smile as Dario bellows for him.

I'm sorry to say I haven't memorised that dweomer today...do you think some soap and a scrubbing board would help?

###

Later, Ferrucio hefts his pack onto his shoulder. Ready when you are, he says.

Dario grunts at Ferrucio, suspecting the man is simply holding out on him. He walks to his room grumbling something about unprepared students.

About half an hour later he reappears, still smelling like sewer, but a fair amount cleaner. "No sense cleaning up too much if we're just diving back into the filth."

"Nope, seems like a waste to clean up at all at this point. You ready?"

Once again, the group heads into the sewers. The sickly smell is starting to feel familiar to Dario and Bishop.

After crossing the long tunnel, you arrive at the T-section, where the duo followed the tracks to the right.

I need your marching order, and lighting if you bring any. You can make Perception and Survival checks.

I think I should lead the way as the tracker, followed by Illithia, Dracius, Dario, and Ferrucio. As a human, a light spell would be great.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

I would move Dario up to just behind Bishop. He can help with spotting, provide light, and disable any traps. Plus, he has low-light vision.

Dario casts Dancing Lights to help Bishop see the way forward. Two glowing orbs hover near the sewer waters.

Dracius has darkvision, but isn't terribly sneaky -- and the advantage is largely lost when we're carrying a light... however...

Dracius smiles, "Let Shelyn's light illuminate the beauty of the world...", and casts a light spell on Illithia's glaive.

With all the lights we have, Ferrucio doesn't need to cast any more. I agree with Bishop's suggestion of marching order. Ferrucio has his crossbow out and loaded.

The party arrives at the T-section with full illumination. This allows Bishop to notice that their original tracks which lead to the left have been muddled by a bunch of small humanoid feet going to the right. Tracing the direction of the tracks, Bishop stares into the right tunnel. Where the light spell cannot pierce the darkness, it is totally black... Until a pair of bright dots suddenly flash in the dark, reflecting your light!

Initiative
Bishop: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Dario: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Dracius: 1d20 ⇒ 4
Ferrucio: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Illithia: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
???: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Only Bishop can act in the surprise round

Atk: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23
Dmg: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Before Bishop can react, he screams in pain as an arrow hits him.
Immediately afterwards, you hear high-pitched shrieks from the right tunnel and splashes of several feet on the damp floor.

Surprise Round

"Sonuvab*!~+ that hurt!" Bishop clutches his shoulder where it hit. He draws his gun with his other hand, preparing to fire it next round.

"That's goblin! They laid a trap for us!"

"Yea, I kinda figured that..."

Round 1

Combat map

Two goblins armed with large jagged knives rush at you from the right tunnel with amazing speed. Even faster though are the three arrows which fly from the area covered in darkness.

Atk1: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Dmg1: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Atk2: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
Dmg2: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Atk3: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Dmg3: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Confirm3: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Crit3: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (2, 5) + 4 = 11

One of the arrows hits Bishop in the torso, but another pierces his throat and he falls down, unconscious. -11HP

Actually the surprise round shot should have inflicted 7 damage instead of 5, but that was an error on my part and I rule it in your favor.

Dracius calls out, "Shelyn, this man has not yet seen the full measure of your beauty..", and draws a tiny fraction of the Eternal Rose's beautiful song into himself, and into Bishop.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Adoration is an immediate action, and Dracius will use it if he sees the goblins readying to shoot him...

Dario shouts as he sees Bishop go down in a swarm of arrows. "Light these bastards up!" He waves his hand at the two goblins rushing up to them and a handful of rose petals flies out of his other hand at blows into their faces. Then the half-elf draws his rapier and moves up between Bishop and the goblins.

Cast Sleep on the two goblins and any creatures up to 20 feet behind them. Will Save DC 13. Then move to M-19 and draw Rapier.

"That hurt more.." Is all Bishop can mutter before he hits the ground with a thud from his injuries. Even the fraction of the Eternal Rose's song is not enough to wake the man from his unconsciousness.

Ferrucio narrows his eyes at the goblins tearing down the tunnel toward them. He manoeuvres himself to one side and retrieves a small piece of wool from a pouch at his waist as he mutters a few arcane syllables, then holds the wool ready in his hand.

No action: 5-ft step to K20 (vacated by Dario).
Standard action: cast daze (Will save DC14) on any goblin that fails to succumb to sleep. If both goblins fail their saving throws vs. sleep, Ferrucio will instead fire his crossbow at one of the sleeping goblins (roll to hit: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6) but miss.
Move action: either nothing, or reload crossbow, depending on which standard action he took.

###

PS: Happy New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed their celebrations--whatever they were. : )