Hell's Rebels AP - Down with Thrune!

Game Master GM Red

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Morvena glances at Issil and quickly looks away, trying to keep from letting slip a smug smile.

Heh...not so boisterous now, are you?

Thankfully - or not - she soon has another, new distraction to keep her occupied. "Wait, bloody walls? Let me see," Morvena demands, stepping up to peer over Victor's shoulder into the secret room he'd found.

Kn. Arcana (DC 20): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

She pales at the sight of the blood, unsure of whether to be afraid or not. "I...I haven't the faintest idea what this is," she responds slowly, taking a careful step back. "The other occurrences were simple cantrips but this...I am not so sure. Perhaps they are related to the tracks you spotted but perhaps the two are unrelated." Morvena's eyes then settle on the open trap door in the floor. "Is that what we are looking for?"

Once everyone has moved into the secret room, Morvena conjures four small lights and sends them down the trap door to shed some light on the subject.

"Huh. Rats. Well, who wants to head down?" Issil pulls out some rope. "I feel like someone's trying to scare us away from here."

Victor looks around at the blood, then carefully walks over to it and reaches in to see if its real. Will vs Illusion if needed: 1d20 ⇒ 17

"Is it magical?"

Afterwards he heads over to the trapdoor and looks down with the glowing lights "Wonder what's hiding down here? Hopefully nothing unfriendly..." Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Victor finds that his fingers move through the blood and he feels nothing but the wall itself behind it. Removing his hand, the blood disappears.

With Morvena's lights shining down below, you all notice the presence of a few hungry-looking dire rats. You also hear a strange, discordant music coming from much deeper within. The music plays for a few measures, then suddenly stops and starts again minutes later.

There's a ladder that will let you descend, though you could use a rope.

"Hmm, rats." Rexus peers down the trapdoor, scratching his chin. "And a propped open trapdoor in what looks like a once-secret room. There's more to this Livery than meets the eye. Shall we descend, or perhaps attempt to scare off the rodents first?"

Geoffrey nods quickly in response to Rexus' suggestion. "I will go first," He replies with a look of distaste on his face. "Filthy rats will undoubtedly try to devour us here so driving them away would be a good plan." Moving up next to the ladder he regretfully sheaths his blade. "I need both hands to climb here, yet I also have some rope," he adds as he digs into his pack pulling out a coil of hemp rope. "No need to wait on me to climb down."

Victor pulls his hand from the blood "Its not real, it must be some sort of magic..." Damn I sure wish I'd had a chance to learn how to find magic from Shensen.. I was so close!

As Geoffrey offers to climb down first Victor calls out "If you can see the rats maybe we can shoot them from here? Sounds safer to me..." He looks around at the others, particularly to see if he sees a crossbow hanging off anyone's back.

"Wait, give me a second..." Issil unwraps some of her blankets to reveal a light crossbow and some bolts. "I never use this thing..."

She loads a bolt and casts Guidance . "Okay, lemme fire a shot."

Light Crossbow: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 2 + 1 = 12
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6

"Maybe that will scare them off?"

Morvena struggles a moment, reaching around to pull her own crossbow free of its resting place across her back. "I have this," she offers. "Geoffrey instructed me in its use. I am...not the best shot, but it might prove useful in driving off these rats without having to consume my magic reserves to do so."

Victor offers to take a shot with it for Morvena "I'm pretty good at shooting things, especially with crossbows if they don't see it comin'..." He says with a mischievous smile, until he hears Issil's firing mechanism fire off. Well there goes the won't see it comin' part.

When Victor pulls his bloody hand from the wall, and asks if it might be an enchantment of some sort, Pádraig Henry casts a cantrip and looks for any magical auras.

He hears the music emanating up from below. "I wonder what song that is?"
Perform (sing): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

He pulls out his sling and takes a shot at a rat. "Hard to get a good angle from up here."
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 81d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Padraig recognizes the sound of pan pipes, also noting that it is odd in that it lacks proper rhythm - almost purposefully so. Not only does Issil scare off a rat, she manages to aim perfectly and fire a shot directly through one of the filthy rodents, effectively stapling it to the ground. The other two scurry off underneath a door further into the basement.

Geoffrey continues his descent and lands safely in the room below, carefully avoiding the impaled rat. The eye-watering stench of urine and feces fills this large room. Nests made of chewed crates and barrels line the walls, while rusty knives and hooks cover the tabletops.

A door exits to the west.

Map updated to include the first room of the basement.

"Ah!" Rexus claps his hands together once, smiling at Issil. "Excellent shot, my lady, and with a little magical boost to go with it. A little guidance to find your mark, I see," he jokes, the descends after Geoffrey, holding his nose as the stench infiltrates his senses. "Ugh, it is almost as if I can taste it..."

"Alright, not too much flattery." Issil waves Rexus off, although her smile betrays her words. "Let's get down there and figure out who has taken up residence."

Issil stows her equipment and proceeds to climb down. She casts Guidance on Victor before climbing down. "If you're going to scout, be a little careful."

Once she reaches the bottom, she draws her weapons and shield and tries to remain quiet.

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Victor nods at Issil's request and follows her down the ladder, once at the bottom he puts his fingers to his lips as he quietly looks around the room for anything that seems fishy. Perception + Guidance: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

He keeps his sap in his hand ready if something jumps out at him, especially if its another rat.

Morvena takes a deep breath and beckons to Pava before taking her turn to climb down through the trapdoor. Once at the bottom, she looks around for a moment but finds herself quickly overcome by the horrendous stench.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 4

"Ye gods, the stench! This is ghastly..." she gags, covering her nose and mouth as she tries not to make too much noise. Wordlessly she holds out her crossbow to Victor, should he wish to take it.

Geoffrey draws his blade as he takes up a position in front of his charge. "If you breathe through your mouth it does not smell quite so bad..." He leans forward whispering in her ear. He then turns his attention ahead to where the scout is exploring...

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Stealth, ACP: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 3 - 2 = 17

Despite being observant and stealthy, you find the room to be free of threats or interest beyond piles of half-eaten garbage and dried vomit. Even listening through the door, the only sounds you catch are the strange, discordant resonance from a panflute echoing from deeper within the complex, now significantly louder than they were when listening from upstairs.

"The sound of those panpipes is odd. Lacks any real rhythm. Something strange there," Pádraig Henry whispers when he reaches the stench-filled rat's nest. His sling stowed in his belt, he draws his rapier and adjusts the grip on his buckler.

In the quiet, he continues to listen, then follows the others, trying to be stealthy.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Victor looks at the dried vomit with a bit of confusion before nodding to the insight of Padraig and heading to check out the door. He gives it a quick once over before giving a head nod at Geoffrey about opening it.

He then takes Morvena's crossbow and bolts with a smile, checking it over quickly to be sure its loaded and ready. He hands the glowing stone to her in return and pockets his sap "Many thanks Morvena. I'll take good care of her."

Unless we are in combat just assume Victor takes 20 when he can on Doors/Chests for traps and locks. Perception 24, Disable 28. His take 10 stealth is 14

With Victor confirming the door is free of traps, Geoffrey pushes it open. On the other, gloomy side, dirty salt and sawdust coat the floor. Bits of the wall masonry have been chewed or clawed away, revealing narrow, winding animal tunnels beyond. Steel rails are mounted in the ceiling, with a few lonely iron hooks dangling from them. A pile of stained pillows and motheaten blankets lies in a ten-foot-square depression in the floor to the northwest.

There's a stirring in the blankets, and then something entirely different - a tiny, putrid looking creature bearing resemblance to a half-starved opossum peeks out of the mess and shouts something demonic.

"እነሱ አግኝተውናል. ሙዚቃው ጥሩ ሆኖ ሲገኝ ብቻ. እስቲ ትንሽ ጨዋታ መጫወት እንፈልጋለን!"

Two more identical creatures pop their heads out of the tunnel-lined walls, while another two toss a tattered blanket off and hop to their feet, rocks in hand.

Filthy Nest
-- Bold is Up --
Victor
Issil
Blue, Red
Geoffrey, Morvena, Padraig, Rexus
Yellow, Pink, Green

Knowledge(Nature): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

"What did they say?" Issil has no clue what they said, but she does know a few things about them. "What did that one lonely druid tell me? Oh yeah, these are grimples. The lice they carry is very, very contagious."
Any special attacks I should know about?

Issil decides to take the fight to them before they can really move. She takes the silver dagger and swings at the grimple in green rags.

Dagger, Combat Expertise: 1d20 + 2 - 0 ⇒ (6) + 2 - 0 = 8
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
AC is 16 due to Combat Expertise.

Victor peeks into the room behind Issil as she charges in "Those don't look like allies... I've got your six Issil!"

He hustles in through the door and gets out of the way before raising up Morvena's crossbow and sending a bolt flying at the... thing with the red rock in its paw.

Light Crossbow + Sneak Attack?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 81d8 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + (3) = 4

His shot goes far wide however. Been a while since I've used one of these...

Another spark of insight finds its way into Issil's mind, and she recalls that grimples have the Putrid Vomit special attack.

Every 1d4 rounds, a grimple can spew a 30-foot line of vomit as a standard action. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with no range increment. Anyone struck must succeed at a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Evidently the stench gets to both Issil and Victor, and their resulting nausea throws off their aim. The grimple holding a blue rock scurries north, jumping into a tiny tunnel in the wall and disappearing from sight. The red-ragged one opens its mouth and spews a chunky pile of bile at Issil!

Yuck! Ranged touch attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Issil needs a DC 11 Fortitude save or is nauseated for 1d4 ⇒ 3 rounds.

Grimple Nest
-- Bold is Up --
Victor
Issil
Blue, Red
Geoffrey, Morvena, Padraig, Rexus
Yellow, Pink, Green

Fort: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Issil gags as vomit splashes against her. Even worse, her brooch is covered in gunk! She seems completely distracted as she wipes to goo off her jewels.

Geoffrey fights down an overwhelming gag reflex as he moves inside the room to engage the filthy grimples. This is going to get really, REALLY messy!

Move to position on map.
Attack Green Grimple. Bastard Sword: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
slashing damage: 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Where there once was a grimple, there are now two halves as Geoffrey elegantly cuts open one of the tiny gremlins, spilling both blood and bile.

Grimple Nest
-- Bold is Up --
Victor
Issil
Blue, Red
Geoffrey, Morvena, Padraig, Rexus
Yellow, Pink

___
I'll try to have Rexus act after everyone else in his block during combat so that you guys can decide what to do independently of his actions.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Special Defenses, please.

Pádraig Henry enters the room, puts his back to the wall and sings another inspiring tune.

♫"Do as I do and scrap your fey ways"
Dial-A-Cliché
"Grow up, be a man, and close your mealy-mouth!"
Dial-A-Cliché♫
Morrissey, Dial-A-Cliché

Inspire Courage: Allies receive a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Morvena steps forward into the larger room, choking a bit as the stench grows stronger. "Breathe through my mouth? I have no desire to taste this stench, Geoffrey!" she replies, turning her attention to one of the small creatures sitting further away to her and Rexus' left and snapping her fingers. Another small burst of light flares in front of the creature, just as it had earlier with the dog.
_______

Casting Flare on Yellow; DC 13 Fort save or be dazzled for 1 minute!

"I do so enjoy that tune of yours, Padraig," Rexus smiles, moving into the room. "However, this stench has got to go. How about a little splash to quell your smell, fiend?"

Acid splash, ranged touch vs Yellow, IC: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 2 + 1 = 121d3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Despite his confidence, Rexus merely burns a ragged blanket with his magical acid.

Padraig recognizes the grimples as well, and knows that possess quite light damage reduction to non-cold iron weapons.

Yellow, fort save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

The yellow-clawed grimple drools madly as its attention is taken away by the bright burst of light exploding before it. It lurches forward, opens its tiny mouth and - guess what? - propels a stream of vomit the likes of raw sewage in an arc towards Padraig and Morvena.

Ranged touch attack, Dazzled: 1d20 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 - 1 = 14
Padraig and Morvena require a DC 11 Fortitude save or are nauseated for 1d4 ⇒ 11d4 ⇒ 2 rounds, respectively

Pink-eye scurries ahead towards Issil, sticking its tongue out.

"ሄህ, የተጠማቂዎችን ተመልከት! ደካማ የሆኑ ሰዎች በጣም አስቀያሚ ናቸው!"

Grimple Nest
-- Bold is Up --
Victor
Issil (nauseated 3 rounds)
Blue, Red
Geoffrey, Morvena (DC 11 Fort), Padraig (DC 11 Fort), Rexus
Yellow (dazzled 1 round), Pink

"Oh gods, it's all over the brooch!" Issil wipes away some of the gunk on her jewelry, using the cold-iron dagger. She seemingly oblivious to the fight around her.

She retreats to the first room, wiping as much goo as she can.

2 more rounds of nauseated, yaaay

Fort (DC 11): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

As the vomit splashes all over her front and drips into her shoes, Morvena bends sharply at the waist as though taking a bow and retches all over the floor.

"Oh-oh gods! It's just like that day at the *hurk* Opera House-!"

Fortitude DC11: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 (+1 trait bonus vs drugs or poisons)

Pádraig Henry takes some grimple puke to the cheek, gags, and pulls up a little projectile vomit of his own. It misses, even his own toes.

"Dang it, Morvena, a full-grown human woman ought to provide a poor halfling like me at least a little useful cover! Your skirts are way too short."

Victor hastily reloads Morvena's crossbow and points and fires at the yellow grimple Xbow + Inspire: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 1 = 91d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 but he's far too distracted by the chain of vomit going on behind him.

"This is no time to come down with the pukes people! Get yourselves... vurp together! For the good of us all..." Don't they know I have a weak stomach? He takes a step away from the growing vomit pool, and closer to the yellow grimple.

Retcon:
Despite Padraig's complaint, Morvena's height provides cover to the small halfling, and the vomit splashes the wall behind him.
__

Victor's bolt flies into a tiny tunnel in the wall, and then a blue-eyed grimple comes scurrying out of said tunnel, hopping down in front of Geoffrey and cackling at the human. Red similarly lurches ahead towards Victor.

Luckily for the party, these things have poor move speeds.

Grimple Nest
-- Bold is Up --
Victor
Issil (nauseated 3 rounds)
Blue, Red
Geoffrey, Morvena (nauseated 2 rounds), Padraig, Rexus
Yellow (dazzled 1 round), Pink

"Oh...I can't, it's all in my shoes..." Morvena groans, continuing to gag as she staggers back into the corner and leans against the wall for support.
_______

Morvena steps back into the corner, heh.

Pádraig Henry continues to sing, selects the dazzled grimple as his target, and tiptoes through the spew.
Rapier, Inspire Courage vs Yellow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 131d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

I'm nauseated for 2 more rounds, by the way.

Issil continues to wipe and wash and wipe her jewelry, hoping to restore its luster.

Geoffrey glances back to Morvena making sure the vomiting was the only thing she had to deal with now.

This is not what I had in mind here...dealing with vomit-filled monkeys, instead of fiery devils! Still, you have to start somewhere...

"Hang on there Morv! We'll get through this!" Geoffrey calls out as he steps back and swings his blade at the new arrival, slicing deeply into it!

5' step on map.
Attack Blue Grimple.
Bastard Sword, Inspire: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 3 + 1 = 20; slashing damage: 1d10 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 1 = 9

"That's the way!" Rexus cheers, watching Geoffrey and Padraig take down two more grimples. "Let me try this again. I dare say I'm lucky to have avoided the nasty spew."

He conjures another ball of acid and throws it at the pink-tailed grimple.

Acid splash: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 2 + 1 = 191d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Padraig and Geoffrey have no trouble cutting down two more of the stinking creatures, the floor now littered with chunks of fallen grimple.

Pink scurries ahead into Geoffrey's square this will provoke, and leaps up to bite his arm, but Geoffrey pulls his arm away in time to avoid it.
Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 71d3 - 4 ⇒ (3) - 4 = -1

Grimple Nest
-- Bold is Up --
Victor
Issil (nauseated 2 rounds)
Red
Geoffrey (AoO), Morvena (nauseated 1 round), Padraig, Rexus
Pink (-3)

Victor's eyes go wide for a moment as the grimple gets up close and personal, far too much so for his comfort. "A little help here if you're done puking on your shoes maybe?" He takes a step back and reloads the crossbow and fires it for the third time at the offending Red creature.

xbow + Inspire: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 1 = 151d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

You would think they would get the message by now...but then again this is their home... Geoffrey thinks as he jumps back from the overly aggressive fey, swinging his blade clumsily around yet managing to catch it solidly.

AoO Bastard Sword, Inspire: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 3 + 1 = 17;
slashing damage: 1d10 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 1 = 10

When pink jumps up to bite Geoffrey's arm, Geoffrey moves with skill and finesse, avoiding the bite and slashing at it with his sword, sending the grimple across the room into a depression lined with rotten pillows and blankets. Some gold pieces fall out of the nest.

Victor fires a shot at the remaining grimple, and it decides it's far outnumbered, and bolts towards the door the party entered from.

It has slipped past Rexus, Morvena, Issil, and Victor, but none of you are armed with melee weapons or are nauseated. It's at the bottom of the ladder leading upstairs. If you choose to let it flee, combat is over. If not, Geoffrey, Morvena (still nauseous!) and Padraig are up.

Geoffrey's the MVP here.

Issil is far too obsessed with cleaning her gems than some grimple. "Okay, okay, that's cleanish... oh no! The ring, it's filthy!" She starts wiping the crud off of it.

Pádraig Henry watches the grumble flee, "Farewell, foul fey. Good riddance."

He turns to the others. "Everybody okay?"

He begins to search through the filth, taking his time.
Take 20 for 26.

Seeing the last fey flee Victor leans back against the wall and lets takes a deep breath At least I didn't get puked on, so that's great!

After a few moment while everyone catches their breath, and/or cleans off puke, he gets to searching through the room with Padraig, starting with retrieving his three missed shots.

Recovering Ammo, >50 good: 3d100 ⇒ (7, 86, 7) = 100

He finds two of the bolts shattered on the floor but one seems to be in working order "Sorry about that Morvena, a couple of your bolts didn't make it." -2 bolts!

Victor helps Padraig give the room a good once over but avoids most of the room due to the puke. Assist Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

"Just...just let it go, we can hunt it down later...urk..." Morvena gasps, giving one final retch that finally empties the last of her breakfast out of her stomach. She continues to lean against the wall, still shaking slightly, but some of the color finally seems to be creeping back into her cheeks again. "No matter...we can purchase more later," she finally adds in response to Victor, waving off his concerns about bolt usage.

Geoffrey watches the grimple turn tail and run, considering pursuing the foul beastie but Morvena's words stay his hand.

Best to let it go here...I don't think it will trouble us any further, and I don't want to get soiled with any of their lice here either!

Lowering his blade Geoffrey takes a position near Morvena (but not too close as she still smells of vomit) and watches the room behind while the others begin their searches.

Cannot be too careful here.