From Shore To Sea (Inactive)

Game Master Baerlie

Eshshah twirls her dual kukris as she sheathes them "Well done all, I wonder what other dangers await us."

Where next? You looted everything here.

We haven't been to the cove yet, have we?

If you mean B1, the Wedding Rock Cove, you've been there already. That's the place where you stranded with your boat after the surprising attack from your guide. It's the rock with the runes and the ability to make people sleepy. You are in B2 now.

Got it. Hmm... anyone else have an opinion on where to next?

We've been to B1 and B2, right? How about B4 next?

Yes, you visited B1 and B2.

Eshshah bursts out, "Sounds great!, how steep is the cliff though?"

Happy to go to B4

Sure, lets go to B4

Also fine with B4. I think it was where we were headed before the rust monsters attacked, anyway. Also, I should be back to regular posting now.

B4 it is!

You follow the broken road to a graveyard. A low wall encircles seven radiating pools containing silvery liquid. Thousands of dark motes gently float in each reservoir. Crumbling markers of an etched coppery metal lie half buried among the ruins. The stench of rot spoils the tranquil scene, and gulls pick at a neatly arranged pile of discarded bodies nearby.

The corpses of 20 villagers are respectfully arranged with their hands serenely folded over their chests. Traces of silvery ooze can be seen on their clothing.

Near the corpses stands a coppery plaque with tiny inscriptions written in the lost language of Ancient Azlanti. Three inscriptions have been burnished clean.

Unfortunately, my translator does not know Azlanti.

Kiyomi looks up at the inscriptions and cocks her head, then barks once, perplexed by the strange language.

"It all looks loch chicken scratch tae me, tay," Clandelve observes to Kiyomi.

heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Heal: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (6) - 3 = 3
Linguistics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

"I've got a single scroll of comprehends languages, although it might be best to take a rubbing of this now, and read later."

Kiyomi barks once and nods her head to Eshshah's suggestion, which looks really weird coming from a fox.

Heal check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Linguistics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Iason's brow furrows in mild consternation as they approach. "Those bodies look like they were beaten to death with blunt objects-- I see bruising..."

The Azlanti is beyond him, as well, but Iason nods a little at Eshshaw's words. "I have a similar scroll, and there is the scroll of tongues as well. But I agree it might be best to save these resources for the moment."

Does my heal check tell me anything about how long the bodies have been dead?

Iason sees that the bodies have different states of decay. While some of them are already dead for a few weeks, others are dead for only a few days and others somewhere between a few weeks and a few days.

just tell me if you want to move on and if so, where to

Kiyomi looks/sniffs around once more for any more clues, and if she finds none, she barks and shrugs her foxy shoulders, suggesting there's nothing useful here.

Percep: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 With scent, if it matters

"Who has bin killin' aw these fowk, an' wha?" Clandelve wonders.

He investigates the room more thoroughly, careful to see if any of the bodies are undead.

take 10 perception: 10 + 9 = 19

Once satisfied there is nothing else to see here, he suggests they move on.

B8 next?

Eshshah blurts out "What are they all doing here anyway? I guess they were kidnapped from the village, I'm so confused."

On to B8 sounds fine.

"Clearly not the villagers that got taken by that tentacled beast," Iason muses thoughtfully. "Nor even, presumably, those that the fisherman first told us of-- these people have all died over a period of time, rather than being the victims of one singular attack. Passing strange. Who laid them here, one wonders? And what of this silvery substance?"

Iason will cast a detect magic over the corpses before they leave, he also wants to collect some of the silver substance. Is there any knowledge check that would be relevant to identify it?

Etrigan merely looks bored. The already-dead have no interest to him. At Iason's order, he sullenly makes a rubbing of the inscription.

Presumably there's no tracks if Kiyomi didn't see any, but Iason will look around too, to see if there's any sign of drag marks or where the bodies were brought here from, that sort of thing.

Iason Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Iason Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Mollok helps in the search.
Perc: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 20 = 36
Track/Survival: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14

As does Clandelve...

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Eshshah is not particularly helpful in the search and instead will make sure the dead are sent on with Desna's blessing.

Etrigan makes faces and rude gestures at Eshshah's pious gestures behind her back, at least until Iason raps him sharply on the back of his horned head.

Kiyomi intently watches the rites of Desna, not used to the religious actions of humans and other tallfolk.

Bump?

Eshshah offers Kiyomi some warm scritchies.

/bump

Would you all please make a Fortitude Save? :)

Apart from what you already found, you don't see anything unusual and continue to the other side of the island until you reach the ruins of a tower.

Nothing remains of the Armillary Tower but crumbling, broken walls; its upper levels were long ago destroyed. However, a dark shadow passes overhead as the tumbling top of the ruined steeple floats in its perpetual orbit above the island, narrowly missing the tower’s ruined foundations. The tower’s top room still exists, however, long broken off but held in the elliptical orbit around the island.

The spire orbits the island every 10 minutes, and only the lower of two levels is accessible from the outside.

fort save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 +7 more vs. spells and spell-like abilities

Okay, so I take it the answers to my previous questions were: 'no, there is no magic in a 60 ft cone that includes the corpses'; 'no, the goo is not magical' (as it would have been within that 60 ft cone); 'no, there is no knowledge check that is possibly relevant to know anything about the ooze'; and 'no, there are no sign of tracks, dragging, or other moving of the bodies to this location.' Does that about sum it up?

Etrigan, fortitude: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Iason fortitude, shield ally: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 3 + 2 = 16

Various bonuses apply should the effect be mind-affecting from demons, or enchantment, or a divine spell. If it matters, Iason has Etrigan actually collect the goo, because he has Etrigan do all the dirty work.

Iason gazes at the sight of the orbiting spire. "We might be able to time that to get on," he points out, clearly curious.

Fort Save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Eshshah gazes up at the floating bit of tower, clearly mesmerized. Iason's comment breaks her spell though.

"I think you're right. It looks like we should be able to make a transfer at the top of the ruins if we're lucky. Lets go check them out and get set up to do it."

Without waiting for response Eshshah will head towards the ruins, pausing to concentrate on detect magic for a few rounds before heading in, assuming nothing obviously threatening.

Okay, so I take it the answers to my previous questions were: 'no, there is no magic in a 60 ft cone that includes the corpses'; 'no, the goo is not magical' (as it would have been within that 60 ft cone); 'no, there is no knowledge check that is possibly relevant to know anything about the ooze'; and 'no, there are no sign of tracks, dragging, or other moving of the bodies to this location.' Does that about sum it up?

Strange things happen, I'm pretty sure I answered these questions a few hours after your post :/ The goo is magic, but the corpses are not. Kn. arcana would be the right check. You don't see drag marks, but foot prints with webbed toes. The bodies were most likely brought here from the beach near the wedding rock, because that's the easiest way to get up to the buildings, but the few foot prints come from and lead everywhere, not in a particular direction. The corpses are not undead.

Fort: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Kiyomi barks her agreement, as it looks like we will definitely need to get to that top room.

(The Internet swallows things sometimes! And also sometimes Paizo's site is weird.)

Kn Arcana on that ooze, retroactively: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

With the time you spent on the island you feel a warping affecting your bodies. Kiyomi, Mollok, Eshshah and Clandelve's eyes constantly weep thick, black blood. Iason's skin becomes clammy and moist, with oily sweat. Li's eyes bulge, his nose flattens and his lips crack. only minor changes this time

You enter the tower ruins. Inside the tower’s base, an old stone staircase climbs 70 feet to the upper broken edges of the tower. The spire passes 10 feet above the upper end of the staircase.

80 ft. obove the island ground; at its closest point, the orbiting spire passes within 10 feet of the crumbling upper stair of the tower, but there is no room for a running start on the stairs; the edge of the spire is rough stone and requires a climb check to clamber inside the nearest opening;

Clandelve looks at the others with alarm.

"Thes is whit magic diz ance it escapes its boonds." he spits.

Grumbling, he looks around in the tower for anywhere else that might prove helpful.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

So the staircase is a dead end, then?

K. Arcana, goo pool: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Well, here is something you dont see everyday. The tiefling whispers after spotting the flying tower for the first time.

Fort: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Can we toss a knotted rope with a grappling hook and climb aboard when the tower is at its nearest? Would it still be a climb DC 5 check?

Yes, the staircase is a dead end and every 10 minutes the spire of the tower crosses. Yes, still a DC5 climb check, because the spire moves fast and you have to grip the rope very tightly.

Iason tucks the ooze away carefully. "A component in some sort of summoning ritual," he says (and he should know). "I believe the fish-folk of this island, whoever is leaving the webbed feet-- need to power the pools we've seen with the souls of the living. Interesting."

He wipes his hands off on his cloak... and wipes them off again, frowning. He goes so far as to pull a handkerchief from his pack and wipe thoroughly at his fingers, only to realize the oozing sweat seeps again from his pores in short order. Iason's nose wrinkles, then he gazes around and takes in the effect of the island on the others, and realizes he got off rather lightly.

"This... the arcane power suffusing the island is so strong it's beginning to warp our flesh. Like a primeval tidal wave...." He doesn't bother responding to Clandelve's sour observation, but returns his gaze to the issue of the orbiting tower.

"Hrmn. I could call an enormous bat to us, which could theoretically fly over the gap, but it's a stupid creature and useful mostly for simple tasks such as attacking a designated foe. Convincing it to carry passengers might be trickier." Iason rubs at his chin with a little frown, considering the logistics of their group clinging like limpets to one thin rope as the spire rockets away over the landscape.

"We don't need Etrigan on the rope. I can send him home and call him later. That should reduce some of the initial weight we wish our rope to carry. I can also cast a spell on us before we attempt this transfer, so that if anybody loses their grip and falls, it won't be lethal, merely an inconvenience."

Who's our best climber (other than Etrigan, ha)? I suggest they be the first one across to get into the spire itself. We should probably prep as many pre-knotted-ropes-with-grappling hooks as we have with us, because the first throw might miss and we don't want to have to wait for another orbit around the isle. So if our point person standing at the top throws the rope first and misses, the second person in line might be able to throw one, etc. I'll contribute one readied-rope-and-hook, as well as casting feather fall as a preventive measure on the group when the tower gets very close (duration of only 6 rounds), affecting Kiyomi, Clandelve, Eshshah, Iason, Li and Mollok. I'll leave Etrigan summoned for now, but not included in the feather fall and not coming with us on the rope.

I'm better at climbing than I guessed, Apparently I put a rank in, still only brings me to +4, plenty to climb a rope at least. No rope in my inventory though, it would have put me over my light load.

Hey, better than me. ;) Climbing the rope shouldn't be the hard part; I'm more thinking of the spire itself: "the edge of the spire is rough stone and requires a climb check to clamber inside the nearest opening." Would suck for whoever's across first to not be able to get inside due to whatever DC that might be. I can just send Etrigan across first, I suppose; climb speed would trivialize the transfer, and if there's something nasty waiting inside, he can do his job of being a sacrificial lamb. ;)

+5 climb here with armor on, +8 without.

Eshshah, thinking for a moment and seeing Iason thinking blurts out just before Iason speaks "Why not send Etrigan first?"

"Li will go," says Li Shuo. He shoulders his bow and prepares to climb.

+6 Climb here.

Kiyomi has a horrible climb skill (-1) but when she's in fox form, she's Tiny size, so she could probably jump in a backpack and be carried...

Mollok is not a good climber either but he can take 10 for more than 5. He has an available rope if needed.

After searching through his backpack Mollok offers his rope to be used by the group.

(Lol @ Eshshah)

Iason shrugs a little, looking to his bodyguard. "I can make him precede us, yes. Li, would you prefer to do the honors, or shall my servant?"

Etrigan is busy using a fiery claw-tip to leave scorched graffiti on the wall of the stairwell.

There once was an island of magic
Explored by Pathfinders tragic
They turned into fish--
And then into a dish--
That I slurped while swimming in the pelagic.

(The good and bad part of playing with summoners is that they can send their eidos in front to take hits and explore with little real risk to the party. The good part is, it's safe, the bad part is, it's not always fun for the rest of the party to sit and wait for the eidolon to do things. So some of my hesitation is just that I don't want Etrigan to steal PC spotlight. ;) But if Li wants to let Etrigan do the climbing and secure us a belay point on our moving target, I'm perfectly happy to let him do that. Climb +17 for Mr. Poet.)