GM Kiora's Wrath of the Righteous

Game Master Kiora Atua

"Yes I can go first, and you say there is a building at the end of this corridor? After we make it safe perhaps we should rest there or would you like to move on from there?"

I could have been in front the whole time and prevented injury... grr

Looking to Markus,

"If you can make my shield glow with light we can be off whenever everyone is ready."

With the assumption Markus complies,

Hrut leads the way through the tiny hallway, though at 6'8" he has to really hunker over to do so. At least nothing could get around him, that's for sure...

The group emerges into a large, thirty-foot high cave, with a single sizable 20-foot tall stone building in its center. The building is a bunkerlike structure with no windows and walls of worked stone blocks. A ten-foot long carving of a hammer decorates the building's facade. The ruins of collapsed outbuildings stand to either side.

The green lights come from a number of small, green motes hovering in the air in this cavern.

Keep the positions of your tokens up to date for me on the map. You never know when it might be relevant >:)

Valaria falls in just behind Hrut, wanting to stay close enough to help him if something else attacks. "This is kind of strange," she says quietly, looking up at the strange green lights. She glances at the building, but the meaning of the symbol is lost on her for the moment.

Torag is my god fyi if you don't recall

Stretching his hunched back once he exits the corridor, hyper extending his back a bit. Taking in the cavern with the building and noticing the carving.

"I cannot believe it, a carving dedicated to Torag down here of all places, why would this be here does anyone know? Let's go inspect this building more closely shall we Val?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 From the cave entrance

I know, Val just doesn't recognize his holy symbol on sight.

"A building dedicated to Torag? Down here? Well, hopefully that means it's safer in there." She nods. "Yeah, let's not let something else get the drop on us." Valaria moves forward just enough to get a good look at the entrance to the building, ready to jump back if something else emerges.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Knowledge Geography: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Valaria frowns, not able to recall much about Torag. "Well, I think it's clear," she says quickly, trying to cover her lack of knowledge. "When everyone else gets up here, I think it's safe to check inside."

"Actually, now that you mention it, I think I'm hungry enough to have some," she said to Ehren.

"Lets decide once we've seen what's in there," she responds to Hrut. Filing in behind the others, she moves alongside Aravashnial.

"Since I need to fall back for a bit, I'll keep an eye over the others back here. That is if you don't mind Ary," she said, offering to free her from the shepherding role she'd taken up. Extending her arm, she placed Aravashnial's hand on it and started to guide him through behind the others.

"I' yanta aruth naa ai, sana malia," she said as they approached the tunnel entrance. She guided his hand up to the top edge of the passage so he could get a feel for how high it was.

"Sii' Lotesse il- be i' coiasira ten' ta, nan' sut caela lle niov, Tura Aravashnial? Amin hiraetha amin lond't tul a pelu sai-radario," she said quietly and reverently to the old mage as they walked through the tunnel.

As they came out of the tunnel she stopped to look around the room, pausing to check behind them.

Know(Religion), Untrained: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

She looked at the floating green motes and the strange building for a few moments, unsure what to make of it all. When Hrut pointed out what it was, she responded "A building dedicated to Torag? Down here? Your guess is as good as mine, probably better actually."

Knowledge History: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Seeming to suddenly realize what he is seeing Hrut begins to get nerdily excited.

"This is quite old, from around the time of the Starstone falling, how very interesting! Let us clear out this buidling and surrounding area. I wouldn't mind looking at these carvings more closely later."

He turns his head and murmurs to her, barely audible - "Diola lle ten' lle can. Amin naa doien eithel faarea. No pirio, Li'an, e' ya lle fond. Uma lle rader ortho i' sidro sirbo kon? Ume ro rakta e' Kenabres a're? Lye dimel fiand e' darnosarn."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Valaria isn't paying much attention to the others, aside from noticing as they follow behind, but her ears pick-up Aravashnial's whisper. She fights against her curiosity for a moment, then turns her head slightly to listen in. "That... that can't be right, can it?" she wonders. She feels a bit on unease. "I barely know anyone here. Are all of them trustworthy?" She falls quiet, looking a bit pensive, but keeps her eyes forward toward the dark building to hide her expression. "It doesn't matter, we're stuck together until we get out of here. Hopefully I'm just worrying too much."

"Amin uma il- sinta ho, ar' uma il- sinta manka ro rakte a're. cerlandar, amin dura Ary nae yassen ho e' i' tal, ar' amin fiand he` eithel," she responds in an equally low whisper with certainty, hoping to ease his mind.

Aravashnial grips Li'an's hand tightly. "Hin, amin uma il- yassen tyar- lle awra yassen lormirn sanneran, nan' lle en' ilya gwaithaya sinta tanya lannen div vana anneg lye e' lye helma."

Markus stands amongst the elves and Anevia, fingering his staff nervously as they whisper unintelligibly amongst themselves. He wished he'd taken the time to study Elvish in school, if only so that he didn't have to sit in ignorance while the more competent people actually did something. Finally, his irritability breaks and he snaps at Li'an and Aravashnial, "As much as your cute elf club warms my heart, I don't appreciate the secrets. Would you please communicate in Common?"

Knowledge (religion), also: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

On the bright side, they appear to have found someplace friendly and safe... but appearances can be deceiving. Markus won't sleep well down here, and some convenient good-aligned temple doesn't do much to assuage his fears.

Aravashnial smiles wryly. "Very well. What's the issue? Do we make you paranoid?" He asks, flatly.

Horgus scoffs. "Aravashnial's fond of baseless accusations." He crosses his arms.

Aravashnial does not respond, though he turns a pale pink under his bandages.

Valaria catches Aravashnial's next whisper. "Wait, what?" She feels a slight chill and wonders exactly what the wizard is talking about. "This keeps getting stranger and stranger."

She winces as Markus snaps at the pair. "Must we fight?" she says, trying to intercede before a full blown argument starts. "Now isn't the time to jump at each other's throats." Horgus jumping in nearby makes her groan aloud. "So much for working together."

Li'an tenses up and winces visibly at Aravashnial's words, her reaction to his mention of the past truly visceral. The resurgent memories stop her dead in her tracks for a moment, and only with a moment's focus is she able to force herself back into the present.

Her response comes slowly and without the certainty she'd held just a few moments earlier. "Amin rangwa, Tura Aravashnial. Amin nauva pirio."

At Markus' questioning of their conversation, she does her best to regain her composure, though she was definitely a few shades paler than usual. "I'm sorry, I was... I was asking how he had been and apologizing for not having come around to visit. Master Aravashnial was a good friend of my father's, and I've known him for many decades. Speaking to him in elvish is a habit, I hope you will forgive my rudeness."

Markus eyes Li'an and Aravashnial, and he ignores Valaria. "You're not making me paranoid but you are making me nervous and uncomfortable." he responds to Aravashnial. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Aravashnial responds, sternly, "No. But if you haven't noticed, foreigner, we are at war. It is a war that we may have lost today. I understand that you are young, but I was here on the Red Morning that Minagho infiltrated this city in disguise and murdered half a hundred good, innocent people then disappeared, laughing. I was also there when the Storm King attacked this city for the first time, only to be driven back by the silver dragon, Terendelev. This time he won. And until I know how he did it, I cannot afford to trust easily. And if you cannot understand that, then you have failed to grasp the gravity of our situation."

Anevia grins and waves her arms. "Ooooookay. No more gloomy talk from the gloomy mage kid or the gloomy mage elf. Face forwards. Let's crack that door open, kay? It looks heavy." She hobbles over closer to it.

Li'an was completely at a loss for what to do as Markus probed Aravashnial. While she'd known him forever, she had no idea how to rein him in, and was certain that his lack of tact would be harmful right now. Before she could finish the thought, Aravashnial began speaking and Li'an stood frozen. When he mentioned Terendelev, however, something dawned on her.

"Terendelev..." she said, hesitantly at first. "Aerar-sintar," she continued, using the name she remembered her father using for Aravashnial. "Terendelev saved us all, Markus included. Scales were left for each of us," she said, taking her scale out and placing it into Aravashnial's hand. "Can you think of a better judge of trustworthiness than Terendelev?"

"Yes, that's an excellent idea." Valaria practically jumps to help Anevia, glad someone else is trying to dissolve the tension. "Let me give you a hand. Or several. Hrut, since this place seems to be dedicated to your god, why don't you come here and help us open it. If anyone should be first inside, it's you."

Visibly irritated,

"Does anyone know how to check to see if this door is safe to open? I could care less for your petty squabbles, in fact I would really prefer you both stop and focus here, then part ways at the surface." Turning from mage to mage as Hrut becomes more angry, then walks off to the door waiting for someone to quickly respond before he opens the door one way or another.

Valaria nods. "I'll take another look for traps and the like, but I didn't see anything odd earlier."

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Aravashnial sighs, conceding the point. "Dragons are incredible creatures. Terendelev herself was present at Iomedae's ascension to divinity, 1,000 years ago. But even she is not infallible."

Valaria, Anevia, and Hrut work in concert to open the heavy door, as it was slightly stuck. (Hrut didn't actually need their help though.)

Anevia aid another: 1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 - 1 = 10
Valaria aid another: 1d20 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 2 - 1 = 14
Hrut strength: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 2 + 2 = 24

Inside, the building is dark, but Hrut's shield illuminates the interior, a small antechamber. A stone bench lines the wall to his right, a basin of water sits atop a stone pedestal in front of him. A stone door engraved with yet another image of a hammer stands to his left.

Hrut moves to the door and attempts to open it if Val gives the okay, shield on and battleaxe leaning on the door frame.

I wish the wizards would use their brains and decide that getting eight of us back to the surface is the priority, I need to control my anger though, we all need to work together even myself.

Moving in to the next door making a mental note of another carving the he needs to inspect before we leave this place if time allows.

"Val if you would please with your door checking skills."

Valaria nods again. "Yup, looks all clear. Let's take a look big guy." She steps inside, finding the chamber a little small, but not worrying about it too much. "Huh, some kind of antechamber I guess. Let's see what's through door number two."

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Hrut opens the door,

"Alright lets see what the Dwarves have inside here..."

I wonder if this was some type of place of worship like a temple to Torag, how very interesting.

Val shrugs. "Looks alright. A little hard to tell through all this dust. But the place is old, so we can hardly expect anything else."

With a little bit of effort, Hrut manages to push the heavy stone doors open. Inside is a narrow nave lined with broken stone benches. The air is cold and stale, and thick layers of dust cover the floor, benches, and a large altar at the far end of the room. The altar is a large anvil covered in intricate carvings. At the opposite side of the room are two figures, kneeling on pews before the altar: motionless, stocky hooded figures coated in dust.

Anevia peers inside at Hrut and Valaria and calls out in a low voice, "Is it clear?"

"Wow, so it is a temple." She looks around the room a bit, not straying from the doorway. "Uh, are those people. Or maybe bodies. I don't think people stay still long enough to gather dust. Well, I guess they could be really dedicated monks, but still..." She turns back to Anevia. "There's something in here, but I think you can come in. Just take it slow."

Anevia calls back to the rest of the group straggling behind, still in a low voice that barely carries through the cavern, "Come on. It's clear."

She then warily moves in after Valaria.

Li'an wasn't sure if she'd accomplished anything in the exchange, but at least things (Aravashnial especially) were quiet now. "What a mess..." she thought as she watched the green motes hovering silently above.

"Something in there?" she called back when she heard Valaria's response to Anevia. She turned towards the exit, deciding to focus on it, since she was playing rear guard for the moment.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

When Anevia stated it was clear, she motioned for Horgus to go ahead, and then started guiding Aravashnial in.

Hrut shines his shield at the figures I know it doesnt work like that its just a mental image I have, takes a step into the room muttering a prayer to Torag in the process hoping he is worthy of such an ancient holy place.

"There are figures in here and I am not sure if they are friend or foe but we are about to find out." Hrut calls back to Anevia.

"Torag give me the strength and faith to enter your holy home, please judge me worthy." Talking to himself out loud in awe of such a wonderful place.

As Hrut approaches the altar, he notices that the hooded figures appear to dwarves from the back. They do not appear to corpses, their bodies full figured.

Horgus follows, apprehensive of the situation. "I don't like this place." He does not approach too close to the building.

Switching from battleaxe to warhammer for reverence, Hrut approaches the figures,

Bah I wish I knew Elven and Dwarvish now!

Common"Hello we are refuges from the attacked city above. How is it you found yourselves here? We mean no harm."

Hrut will save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Valaria will save (+aegis): 1d20 + 2 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 - 1 + 1 = 8
Anevia will save (+aegis): 1d20 + 1 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 - 1 + 1 = 13

The two dwarves stand up, and turn to face Hrut. They look like regular dwarves, other than the fact that they are covered in dust.

"You are not welcome here."

"You need to leave."

Anevia peers in, her eyes narrowed. "Guys." She warns them, urgently, raising her voice so that the people out in the cavern can still hear her. She draws her shortsword. "Those are not what they seem - they're not priests - they're some kind of undead! Look!"

To Hrut and Valaria, though, the dwarves just look like dwarves.

The DC to disbelieve the illusion is 12, so the rest of you can roll for yourselves when you come into line of sight of it. It is an illusion effect from an evil, undead creature Don't forget Hrut gives a +1 to will saves if you're within 10 ft of him.

Markus may attempt both K. Religion and Lore (Undead), if you were wondering.

Valaria looks at the dwarves again, but they simply look like dwarves. "What in world..." She shakes her head, confused. "What are you talking about? They look normal." Anevia certainly doesn't seem like the type to joke about something like this, and Valaria prepares for the worst, drawing her blades and silently praying that the rest of the party will hurry up and follow them in.

Surprise Round!

Initiative Rolls

Markus: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14
Valaria: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Hrut: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Ehren: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Ary: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Li'an: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Aravashnial: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Horgus Gwerm: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15
Anevia Tirablade: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Dwarf???: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Dwarf??? 2: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Initiative Order

1. Anevia Tirablade
2. Zombie Dwarf 1
3. Ehren
4. Hrut
5. Aravashnial
6. Horgus Gwerm
7. Markus
8. Ary
9. Zombie Dwarf 2
10. Li'an
11. Valaria

Surprise Round

Anevia draws her shortsword. Both dwarves raise their arms and take a single step forward. They move to swipe at Hrut while he is still surprised!

Zombie 1 claw 1: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Zombie 1 claw damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Zombie 1 claw 2: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Zombie claw 2 crit confirm: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Zombie 1 claw damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 1) + 2 = 4

Zombie 2 claw 1: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Zombie 2 claw 2: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Hrut moves to lower his shield between himself and the second dwarf, but the first one manages to swipe at his face, leaving long, ragged claw wounds that couldn't possibly have come from the dwarves' short nails...

Round 1

"Guys! We need help over here!" Anevia roars, moving in to help Hrut. She swipes at the dwarf in front of her, but a surface wound is meaningless to the undead...

Anevia vs Zombie 1: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 5 - 1 = 22
Anevia damage vs Zombie 1 - DR: 1d6 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (5) + 1 - 5 = 1

8 damage to Hrut, grazing him. 1 damage to Zombie Dwarf 1.

Ehren is up.

Battlemap Note

Moving through squares with pews or the altar in them is considered difficult terrain, as you maneuver around them, so an extra 5ft of movement is required per square.

Why am I surprised? Ehren wonders with a frown, tightly clutching his club in both hands. He rushes forward, ready to whatever it is they are fighting.

Double move.

Markus Will Save (DC 12): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Markus Lore (undead) (DC 7): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 1 = 11
Knowledge (religion) (DC 17): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 1 = 20

"Young? I-" cries out Markus, before he hears Hrut's yell of pain from within the structure. Peering in, he spies the huecuvas attacking Hrut and Anevia, his strong will able to pierce their illusions.

"Be careful in there!" cries Markus, shouting and pointing at the undead. "Those are dangerous, risen clerics. If you have silver, now is the time."

Also, apparently it's the daytime right now. Good to know. Hard to tell, underground.

Hrut

"Evil impostors! May Torag strike you down!"

Enduring Crane Strike

Attack #1: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 -1 = 24 Don't forget grazed (-1) :)

Confirm: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 - 1 = 23

Damage: 2d8 + 15 ⇒ (4, 7) + 15 = 26 Remember that with my crit table, everyone has a variable crit multiplier determined by what you get. (This is done to balance the effects.)

Huecuva is gonna die either way, but had he not, he would have been rendered flat footed for the rest of the fight ;D

Heal self: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Hrut reacts violently, sundering the dwarf before him with his mighty warhammer, knocking his legs out from under him. But as the creature falls, rather than spraying Hrut with viscera as he would expect, the illusion fades, revealing that the dwarf all along was a rotting corpse, wearing tattered, moldy vestments. The pain from his wounds dulls

Making his soul a well of holy power, the disciple strikes out at a foe to unleash his holy power to restore health to himself or an ally. The initiator makes an attack against a target creature , inflicting damage as normal, and the strike restores 1d6 hit points plus his initiation modifier to the initiator or to an ally in 30 ft.

Nothing here about making the weapon good aligned, unless you mean the maneuver itself. All Silver Crane maneuvers are good-aligned abilities but that does not mean they do good-aligned damage. 3pp stuff is confusing, so If you can link me where it says it should do good damage I'll know for the future.

Horgus, instinctively at this point, dashes off to hide next to Ary. "What??? Huecuva??"

Horgus K.Religion: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

"I've read about those things! You need to smite them with holy powers - they're evil creatures than can be turned by good! But none of you are paladins, are you?"

Aravashnial tilts his head as Horgus reveals his upper-class education, but remains silent, still a little sore from the previous exchange.

Markus sidles into the room, pointing a finger at the remaining Huecuva and murmuring a fast incantation, firing off an eerie glowing red ray at the huecuva. He misses, barely, exploding a small urn on the ground instead. The undead creature turns to him and shrieks.

Disrupt Undead, Ranged Touch, no Precise Shot: 1d20 - 1 - 4 ⇒ (14) - 1 - 4 = 9
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Ary is up.

Summary: Huecuva 2 goes SPLAT, Hrut gains 1 HP

Ary listens to the description. "No, I'm not..." Then grins and slips forward, "But she's about to be!" she reaches into her bag, where she'd left the scale and concentrates on it, before running her hand along Li'an's sword even as she's drawing it. If you're not cool with it, Ary will just feel bad for trying to touch your weapon! If you are cool with it, congratulations on your Good aligned weapon! If she's already holding it, just adjust the action. :) "Go get'em Fen'wen. Thanks for the tip, Horgus, come on!"

2/3 charges remaining.
K(Religion): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 Ary will just take his word for it :P

Li'an watches as Ary imbues Lleuad with the power from her scale, noting the gentle glow that envelops the weapon. She flips it around in her hand, blade up and examines it for a moment longer. She gives Ary a smile and a nod in thanks and tells Aravashnial to stay with Ary.

Will vs. Illusion: 1d20 + 0 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 0 + 1 = 6

Moving into the room, she manages to get a glance of the remaining dwarf decides to work her way around to the side of him, hoping to get into a flanking position. As she moves past Anevia and Markus, lightly stepping onto the pew in front and leaping towards the wall, it occurs to her that she rushed in without getting a refresh of the spell. "Well, Lleuad, lets hope I end up not needing it."

Move + Move w/ Acrobatics to Avoid AoOs
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Short post from work:

Li'an effortlessly maneuvers past the huecuva and the pews.

Valaria is up.

Valaria groans. "More monsters that can ignore ordinary weapons. Great." She touches her dominant hand's startknife against Terendelev's scale and calls forth its power.

Standard action, Align Weapon.

"Let's hope that's enough."

Acrobatics to avoid AoO.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 1 = 9

Valaria leaps forward, dashing around the nearby creature and trying to get into position behind it, but her movements aren't as fluid as usual. Though she does have just enough room to get where she wished.