Hungry Voodoo's Mines of Zolurket (Inactive)

Game Master voodoo chili

In 4121 AR, the desert dwarves of the Barrier Wall Mountains sealed the famed Tar-Urkatha mine abruptly, saying only that one of the richest platinum mines in history had played out. Nearly six centuries later, the truth rises from the darkness.


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Shirish motions for any who may be following to stop before they can get ahead of her.

"We'll not be resting here," she announces, and begins moving slowly backwards out of the secret room.

If Shirish can exit without drawing attention, she will, and seal the door with one of her spikes.

if needed

Shirish Stealth 1d20 + 6 - 5 ⇒ (1) + 6 - 5 = 2


Chitleen is voted down by the underground constituency and will have to make due with sitting in the dark if he wishes to stay with the others. Jerrand binds the elf wizard's head and makes sure everyone's wounds are clean and they are resting comfortably.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Chitleen turns to rest immediately before waking early... and the other companions find out why a more airy location may have been of interest. Chitleen spends a good portion of his watch tinkering with vials that emit strong woody / floral / earthy toned scents.

Just renewing my Crypt Breaker's Draught and Cure Light infusion.

As he works, his mind contemplates the metallic boulder and crystal cyst awaiting in the next room over...

Appraise: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Knowledge Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17 just on the two items mentioned.


Not really much of a watch then, is it? More like a tinkering.:P

Shirish takes the first watch, pacing in front of the openings, and glaring at the door. She recalls the story published in the journal about what became of those who tried to touch the metal, and feels that what remains of her brothers inside is testament enough.

Just as well the door remains sealed...


Dwarf Barbarian 2

Cortos snores loudly, making Shirish's watch less comfortable and peaceful. He'll take second watch when she's too tired to keep on.
How many hps do we recover with half a night of sleep?


Male Elf Wizard 3 (Transmuter-Enhancement) / AC13->17(mage armor) / HP23->full

Two hp if Jerrand makes a successful heal check, which still leaves Daeron at 0 hp, luckily we could get together for a group hug and get Jerrand to blast us with good old channels..


The night passes uneventfully. You rest fitfully and Daeron returns to consciousness.
everone gets 2 hp back.

Chitleen:
You calculate there is 10 lbs of raw Noqual obtainable from each cyst. You recall Noqual has a magic deadening quality and can be made into armor that wards off spells (saving throw bonus) or weapons that are particularly effective against summoned and spell animated creatures. You figure you have 1000 gold scarabs worth.
The adamantine boulder must be around 80 pounds and worth 10,000 gold scarabs. It is incredibly hard and makes fine weapons and armor.

Also you awake to find the bite you received yesterday from the Black Sphinx is infected and tender. -2 dex and con


Male Elf Wizard 3 (Transmuter-Enhancement) / AC13->17(mage armor) / HP23->full

*cough* *cough*
Headache..what was I thinking..

Daeron's eyes flutter open, before he twitches each toe and finger in order. With some difficulty he pulls himself to sit, before conjuring up a small humanoid glow to observe his surroundings.

So much pain, that would prove I am still alive at least. Everyone's still here, Rage-Warrior, Freed Woman, Sand-kin and the dwarf-healer.

Daeron tries to speak, but he manages to spit out a croak. Slowly he takes out a waterskin and starts sipping it quietly.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Seeing that Daeron awakens from his blunt force trauma induced rest, Chitleen talks in quietly excited tones "It will appear as though our journey will be quite profitable indeed. The room with the two slaves overcome by the cysts also has the adamantite boulder within. Between the crystals and adamantite I judge we have between 11 and 12 thousand scarabs in value"

"After we secure it, I would also spend some time salvaging the gilding and gemstones from the frescoes."

He scratches irritably at the location where the Black Sphinx sank in it's teeth.

Hungry Skull:
I'm assuming that's a poison or disease? If so, are you going to make the follow-up saves off-screen - or will I make them?
And was that 1,000 scarabs / Noqual cyst? or 1,000 scarabs for both?


Chitleen:
500gp per cyst. You've got Void Death! You can go ahead and make another fort save. A heal assist from Jerrand will give you a +4.

Grand Lodge

Let me know if you want any heal checks. So we all gain 2 HP for rest and whatever we roll for level up?

Jerrand took his watch seriously but when it was over he spent the rest of his time in prayer. He sat on his knees his warhammer laying on the floor before him.

No one could hear exactly what he was saying but the desperation and near pleading tone was enough to know he was pleading for Gorum's forgiveness.

At a cold breakfast the dwarf is quiet and a little moody. Even the news of their good fortune isn't enough to stir the dwarf into a good mood.

After breakfast before setting out once more Jerrand gathers everyone close and channels the healing strength of Gorum to prepare them.

Channel Energy: 1d6 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2


Jerrand checks on the injured in the morning and finds his companion's wounds healing nicely except for Chitleen's bite from the Black Sphinx. The injury has taken on an oily black and blue color that doesn't look healthy.

You have plenty of time to heal up so don't worry about rolling everything out. Also ability damage can be recouped. The only heal check Jerrand needs is to aid Chitleen against his infection.

Inspection of the Noqual cysts finds the head and upper body of two unfortunate slaves encased. Breaking the greenish crystals away reveals that the black tongues dangling from their jaws have grown and now resemble three-foot long larval newts complete with emerging limbs and a mane of writhing tendrils around the head which remains lodged in its victim's skull feeding on the dead slave's brains.

The developing beasts are easily slain and the valuable skymetals collected.

Grand Lodge

Healing w/guidance 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

"Dis no be a regular bites." Jerrand says grumpily. "As in we had no e'nuff troubles."

The dwarf gives a silent prayer to Gorum to help him discover a way to treat the ailment before prodding at the elf's hurt shoulder.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

"Thankyou priest... I can only hope it does not fester too long..." gingerly covering the bite with his clothes once more.

Chitleen takes his time dismantling as many precious stones and gold foil as can be salvaged from the frescoes and pictures around the tomb.... as well as keeping his eyes open for any other items that could be considered treasures...

Disable Device seems most prudent? - take 20 gives 28
Appraise specific to the salvaged gems / gold foil (if needed - I'd take 10 for an educated guess if possible): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Fort Save (taken as a level 2 character): 1d20 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 4 = 21 - booyah :)

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16 would the jars or sarcophagi have anything we could field strip or take back as loot?


Avarice dulling the pain of his injury, Chitleen manages to scavenge over a dozen quartz jewels of various colors and a couple pounds of gold. He estimates your haul is between 800 and 1100 gold scarabs.


Darnit, everything cool happens while I'm sleeping.

While everyone is looting, Shirish gently picks up the bodies and carries them out of the room. She lays them out honorably, but begins crying when she looks at the black "tongues" hugging their faces.

Orcish:

"Our Father is avenged. You can rest now."


It takes most of the remaining daylight hours for Chitleen to prise the gems and gold from the walls allowing Shirish plenty of time to bury her comrades while the others recover and plan how they are going to get over one hundred pounds of skymetal back across the desert.

Grand Lodge

Jerrand helps with the extraction of precious stones. The work helps him to think on the problem of moving the ore deposit.

"Mays be we can 'inds a cart sume wheres about," he says during a break.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

To Jerrand's question: "We can always check the camp above? Perhaps there will be wood or canvas that could be put to purpose?"

Hungry Skull - any materials we can salvage from the camp to make a litter out of?


The ruined camp provides plenty of poles and canvas to make a litter for the return trip. Combining your various survival skills, you all manage to fashion an effective carrier and load the ore. The scouring winds of the Trackless Storm blast you as you begin your journey back north leaving the Shrine of the Black Sphinx to soon be reburied and forgotten.

The return journey is a bit slower under the weight of your plunder. It takes three nights of travel over the dunes before you spy the walls of the Sueda Lodge in the early morning light.

Grand Lodge

"Ah... ale to be 'ad at last." Jerrand says as the lodge comes into view. "An stories to be a tellin' as well."


Chitleen- almost forgot- give me a 2nd fort save vs. disease.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

During the journey, Chitleen is careful to keep his infected wound clean and free from sand....

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18


nice. you avoided the void.

As you crest the last dune, you spot a familiar figure opening the metal gate. There is the glint of a spyglass and then Var waves his arms in greeting.


Don't assume that the former slave has been pulling this stuff. I think we should leave it to Cortos, slow him down so he doesn't rush in and get crushed again.

Shirish gives Var a nod, then sits somewhere out of the shade and begins cleaning her armor and attending to her longsword.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Chitleen grins widely as the group comes up to Var "Salaam sahib Pindevren" patting the litter beside him that Cortos is dragging manfully across the sand "It would seem that our little journey came into some minor profit. Are there guests we need be wary of, or would you like to see the colour once we bring it inside?" eyes sparkling as he talks of the valuable metal they carry.


Dwarf Barbarian 2

Boy this stuff's heavy says Cortos after he singlehandedly carried all the adamantine after Shirish suggestion. He greets Var and asks for something nice to eat, possibly not goat.


Var greets you with hearty hugs and back slaps, ”Ha! I honestly wasn’t sure I’d see you again. I’m glad you made it back. And what’s on that litter? Is it what I think it is? Did you bring back anything else from the shrine? You know how much I love historical artifacts.”

”Ah, but you come out of the desert only to be drowned under a sea of inquiry. Let’s get you unpacked and rested first. It is going to be a full house. My visitors have arrived and they will be quite interested in what Cortos is dragging in that travois.”

You enter the compound to find a pair of stout ponies and three camels have joined the fine Qadiran horses and goats in the corral. Inside, Var apologizes that you’ll have to double up on rooms as only three rooms are currently unoccupied, but he reassures Cortos that he’s received fresh supplies and meals will be goat-free for a while.


"We returned with our lives, which is more than my brothers and sisters can say," Shirish growls. "You are certainly welcome to join us on our next incursion. Perhaps you might assist distinguishing historical artifacts from the traps set to murder us."


Var pulls on his beard and looks sadly at Shirish, "Ah, I'm sorry, Habibti. I hadn't thought about your former comrades. No survivors then? You'll have to tell us the whole tale. Maybe you'll feel better after a bath and a meal. And to be honest, I wish I could have gone. Traps and such are just occupational hazards. Unfortunately I spend more time puttering around this lodge as duty requires now-a-days."

After you have an oportunity to clean up, your nose guides you to the table where ham shanks, sausage, mushroom pie, ale, and other dwarf delicacies await. In addition to Var, two new dwarves await. Var introduces them as Gravlet Truther and Kipp Trathis of the T&T Mining Company. All three are eager to hear your tale as you eat.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Chitleen gratefully accepts the offer to bathe and spends a deal of time preparing. When he finally rejoins he is garbed once more in loose Vudra made cloth and wearing his more decorative red turban. A strong scent of musk follows him into the chamber.

Greeting the two other dwarves briefly and with a sweeping bow, he busies himself making chai while the others begin their dinner and discuss the tale of the Black Sphinx.

Chitleen remains quiet for the start of the conversation, sinking into the depths of his chair and revelling in the warm cup of tea in his hands.


Dwarf Barbarian 2

After boasting a bit in the presence of the other two dwarfs about his martial prowess during thier exploration of the tomb, Cortos asks the two miners what brings them here at the lodge.


Male Elf Wizard 3 (Transmuter-Enhancement) / AC13->17(mage armor) / HP23->full

With the grit of sand in his mouth, ears and other folds of his body, the offer of a a welcome luxury of bath and meal perks up his sand blown ears. Itching to find a place to begin some quiet contemplation of his newly found incantations, Daeron excuses himself and disappears, washing of the accumulated dirt and soaking up the pleasure of immersion.

He reappears in loaned clean lodge clothing, making note to memorize prestidigitation next morning to clean off his previous garb. He decides to join the table, eagerly waiting to sample Chitleen's chai, making note of steeping duration and other peculiarities.

Sidelong, he glances at the two mine representatives, deducing motives of their visit.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Grand Lodge

The warrior priest Jerrand has never been happier to see a building above ground in all his life. The vast desert is no place for dwarf or beast and days without a good buzz have left him more irritable than normal.

The others find him first in the common room already into his three mug.

Gathering a lot of dwarves eh? maybe we could give The Hobbit dwarves a run for their money.


Shirish has never felt comfortable with the idea of being fully immersed in water. She bathes thoroughly with a wet cloth and dresses, leaving her armor off and her shield and weapons in a corner of the room, having been told that it is wrong to equip them in polite company. After all, Cortos could not fall again so quickly.

Shirish is amongst the last to join the others in the dining hall. As before, she fills her plate with as much warm food as possible and eats at a more decorous pace than she might if she was in the galley. In truth, her appetite has been quite retarded to see several of her brothers and sisters slain.


Dwarf Barbarian 2

Cortos has never felt comfortable with the idea of being fully immersed in water, so he doesn't bathe.


Gravlet and Kipp listen closely to Cortos’ descriptions of the battles. Both are middle aged and grizzled looking. Gravlet is a few decades younger with curly golden hair turning to silver. He dresses his beard in golden rings and dresses in a fine purple silk tunic at odds with his rugged gray trousers and boots. Kipp dresses more functionally in the manner of a prospector long ago set in his habits. His leather tunic is patched nearly as much as his trousers. His hair and beard are yet dark though veined with silver from the mouth and temples.

”So a squad of undead slaves y’say? And this Black Sphinx, what manner of creature would that be? We’ve had more than our share o’ experiences with restless spirits and shadowy threats, ain’t we Kipp?” asks Gravlet.

”I find myself curious about the rumors o’ skymetal. What did ye find? Mind if we take a looksy?” adds Kipp.

Daeron senses that these are a pair of crafy and avaricious dwarves. Nothing atypical so far.


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Chitleen continues to remain silent, busying himself with a repast of mushroom pie.

Grand Lodge

"Not like mums," Jerrand says on his third piece as Chitleen eats his own mushroom pie. "But it will do."

"The sphinx?" Jerrand mumbles. "Be like a dog from the underworld it be. But it bled like any other daemon. Black blood, but it do be dead no the less."

When talk then turns to the "sky metal" the dwarf snorts. "Gawf! You tink dat dis be better than the ore found under the earth? Nuttin' can compare dat I know of."


Kipp's hard iron gray eyes turn to Jerrand. "Some say that skymetal was once the heart of other earths. Certainly you would agree that adamantine is the King of Metals. Are you a priest?"

Grand Lodge

"I bees a member o' da Hand o' Iron. An I can fight as guid as I preach, make no mistake." Jerrand says defensively thinking of the short fights where he did little to help during the battle.

"Adamat be da best, so me question is. Why is a piece o' some utter earth so valuable?"

Not the face of this group for sure. But will roll an aid another Diplomacy should it be needed.


Mercenaries Shirish recognizes considering the finely dressed dwarf. She frowns at the mention of undead slaves, and remains only so long as it is required for her finish her meal, then rises.

"If security is not a topic for discussion this night, I will excuse myself," she says, voice a low grumble.

Even more not the party face :P


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Rising as Shirish leaves the table, Chitleen offers a bow as she departs. As he bends, Chitleen takes the moment to retrieve one of the thumb sized noqual crystals from within his clothing. As he straightens, he tosses the crystal to land before Kipp.

"Besides the metal so favored by Jerrand, we also found a goodly amount of noqual. Besides being light and resistant to arcane assault... I would gauge that it is far prettier to be garbed in green would it not?" he adds with a smirk upon his face.


Male Elf Wizard 3 (Transmuter-Enhancement) / AC13->17(mage armor) / HP23->full

What say you of the Noqual and Adamantium haul we have gathered? I believe it would spruce up your enthusiasm to venture out for more from where we have found it. But alas I believe we have cleared stock of what is to be found there.

Daeron looks thoughtful for a while before adding.

I have heard dwarves take as much pleasure in working with such metals, fashioning them into worthy crafts of their skill as much as hoarding them as well. I would appreciate it if you have heard of any craftsdwarves who are on the lookout in working these metals into items befitting their nature.

Daeron cradles a cup of chai before sipping it.


Jerrand Oferton wrote:
"Adamat be da best, so me question is. Why is a piece o' some utter earth so valuable?"

Gravlet replies, "Because of the special properties. Adamantine is a skymetal. It is likely there is some in the very middle of this world, but digging that deep would be something, even for a dwarf. Easier to find what falls from the remains of some other world."

Kipp picks up the noqual crystal and peers at it closely, "Huh, I've heard of the stuff, but never seen it. We've got the facilities in Katapesh City to work arcane metals. If you're looking to sell we could come to some arrangement."

Gravlet and Kipp exchange a look. "In fact," Gravlet continues, "We might have some more business you might be interested in."


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Raising an eyebrow in interest, Chitleen bids Gravlet continue his train of thought with a grandiose wave of his hands.

Grand Lodge

"Is dat so," Jerrand says taking another gulp of his ale. "Sumetin tells me ta be wary buts I will listen."


Belatedly recognizing the departure of Shirish, Gravlet says, ”I hope we didn’t offend the lady. Well…seeing as you have some interest in metal…and don’t mind restless spirits.”

”Having a priest helps,” Kipp adds.

”We’ve an interest in an abandoned mine the other side of Solku,” Gravlet finishes.

”We did some exploratory work years ago, but have gotten a bit long in the tooth to continue ourselves. It’s an old dwarven site called Tar-Urkatha. Rumored to be played out over 400 years ago, but we don't believe it,” Kipp explains.

”The main keep was still abandoned when we found the place a couple decades ago. Well, except for ghosts and such. We lost one of partners in the halls and he’s become the worst of the lot.”

”Damned Tib!” Kipp curses.

”Yeah, if you meet a ghost named Tibbler Rocksledge, don’t believe a word he says. He’s like a damned will-o-wisp; lead you down a shaft in no time. Also watch out for the little shadowy bastards, darkies or dark’uns or whatever they call themselves.”

”And the gnolls have infested the site now, but don’t worry about all that. The risk is worth it! Damned richest platinum mine in Golarion!”

”That’s right,” Gravlet agrees. ”Well worth the risk.”

Grand Lodge

"But et's me guess. Ye do nay have the coin to be send'n a larger group." Jerrand says after the tale.

Ye be want'n us ta clean out ye vermin fir ye."


Male Elf Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 5

Chitleen adds his own sentiments "Sahib, perhaps you could elucidate us on the exact nature of your claim upon these mines. Is that an indication of ownership under law? - or is the assumption that eviction of the current occupants would constitute sufficient fair claim?" his voice has taken on a particularly clipped and precise tone.

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