Into the Nightmare Rift [Playtest] (Inactive)

Game Master Michael Sumrall

After nearly a year of adventuring together the party has amassed five fragments of an ancient Thassilonian artifact, the Sihedron. Each shard of the artifact leading in turn to the next shard. While each shard is cursed, placing the appropriate ioun stone in a shard deactivates the curse and allows the bearer to benefit from both the shard and the ioun stone. Recovering from the groups most recent acquisition, the Shard of Envy, the group has returned to Magnimar to resupply and research the next leg of its quest.

Currently guests of Sheila Heidmarch, you find yourselves with substantial resources in the form of an extensive library and a host who is more than familiar with the surrounding lands.

Currently in the group's possession are:

• Shard of Envy: Dusty Rose Prism
  
• Shard of Gluttony: Pink Rhomboid
  
• Shard of Greed: Pale Blue Rhomboid
  
• Shard of Lust: Pind and Green Sphere
  
• Shard of Pride: Scarlet and Blue Sphere
  

Dot.

Grim looks around the room and smiles,

"Well friends, we have five out of seven, what more must be done before we can get rid of these sick implements?"

Grim has a severe look of distaste on his face as he picks up the shard of pride with only his fingertips and then puts it back down.

The grim half-orc with terrible scars you know as Malakan, his blood soaked armor and still bearing his strange nightblue spiked-chain, and wearing around his neck an unholy symbol of Zon-Kuthon, entered in the room and smiled to the other members of the team, his cold eyes glowing with that nefarious intelligence.

With his croaked voice he said Hi. Be the blessing of the Midnight Lord upon you my friends

Then he respond to Grim. I don't know yet, but I'm sure we will be able to find the rest soon. Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch will provide us with all the information we need, I'm sure.

He looked at each of the Shard...

"Perhaps the key to finding the next shard is in these..."

Arris passes his hands over the five shards, peering into their history. Using Object Reading to get one piece of information each about their historical significance. Assuming they've already been neutralized with the ioun stones, of course.

Kn(arcana): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (19) + 21 = 40
Kn(history): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (13) + 21 = 34
Kn(religion): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (16) + 21 = 37
Plus whatever bonuses I get for using the Heidmarch library for research.

Daily routine: Casting extended mage armor, pass without trace, and greater magic weapon, as well as detect scrying and overland flight.

I'll take Greed or Lust if no-one else wants them.

Dibs on Gluttony/Pink Rhomboid

EDIT: If I can get away with a flawed ioun, I can buy it w/o having to sell anything, If I need a non-flawed/cracked one, I'll sell my +1 agile dagger to buy it

"I don't mind them so much. Why, remember it took us a week to realize Malakan was acting strangely when he was carrying Pride." Marckus says with a smirk.

Each of the shards already has the associated ioun stone. The curses are not active. The current bearer of the Shard of Envy will feel the Shard of Wrath pulling on him.

Examining the shards, Sheila Heidmarch volunteers; The Pathfinders have been able to determine which ioun stone is associated with the Shard of Wrath. She lays a deep red sphere on the table, You will have need of this to avoid falling under the shard's influence.

You have drawn a lot of attention, both inside the society and without. Quite a few dignitaries will be gathering in Magnimar awaiting your return with the two final shards. We are already making preparations for the reforging of the Sihedron.

A dwarf clad in shining armor and wielding a longhammer as a cane steps forth, "Bah, I never trusted those blasted things. I, for one, don't want to give Malakan another one of those stones."

I can go with either Gluttony or Pride. How many ioun stones are we limited to?

Each shard has a single ioun stone placed within a shallow depression. The shards and associated stones are treasure from the previous AP's that the party would be assumed to have.

A character doesn't have an ioun stone limit (to my knowledge), but having so many of the things buzzing around your head is just begging for a dispel magic or sunder. You can put one in a wayfinder in order to carry it safely but still receive the benefits, and then you have one in your shard you can carry the same way. If you're asking whether there's a limit on how many shards a person can carry, I'd suppose that has more to do with your teammates than actual limitations.

Do we, as characters, know the "master plan" of why the shards are needed by the Pathfinder Society?

@Garris - If it's ok with you, i'll take Gluttony. Burn (essentially) eats up 1 hp/level, so the shard will off set that a little (at max burn (9) i'd be at 42 hp, as opposed to 55 :( ) Otherwise, I can grab whichever one Arris doesn't want :D

edit: @Garris Looks like Arris doesn't want lust, so you if want Gluttony, I'll take lust :D

***** SORRY, WRONG AVATAR **** (Redke's my default for another PbP and I forgot to check ... 2x

Peter

Do we, as characters, know the "master plan" of why the shards are needed by the Pathfinder Society?

After the near return of Karzoup, Magnimar is looking for a defense against the possible return of other Runelords. The Sihedron was the Runelords greatest artifact.

Sure. I'll take pride. I'm skill starved so it works out all right for me.

Do we know wich one will go with the two missing shard Captain ?

asked Malakan.

I have nothing able to make me fly. Do you have possibilities to do it ?

"Well, Marckus, since you have envy, would you care to point us in the direction for the next shard?"

You might wanna pick up a couple of potions of fly, Malakan, I can fly on my own, but I don't know if anybody has any spells to make people fly :(

Arris passes his hands over the five shards, peering into their history. Using Object Reading to get one piece of information each about their historical significance. Assuming they've already been neutralized with the ioun stones, of course.

[dice=Kn(arcana)]1d20+21
[dice=Kn(history)]1d20+21
[dice=Kn(religion)]1d20+21
Plus whatever bonuses I get for using the Heidmarch library for research.

The shards once formed the Sihedron, an artifact said to have granted the bearer great power.

Using the Heidmarch library, you quickly plot the course the Shard of Envy is pulling you. The next shard, the Shard of Wrath, is located in the Guiltspurs, a wyvern and giant infested wasteland. Much of the area was covered in volcanic debris and lava shortly after Earthfall. If this shard is buried in Thassilonian ruins, as the other shards were, it may take considerable effort to reach the entrance.

"I know where we must go to find the next Shard, but we may need to do some excavating, as it was buried in volcanic debris. Perhaps we should invest in some excavation spells?"

We could shell out for some scrolls of transmute rock to mud, but I'm not sure how to get the mud out afterward. Summoning some elementals might work as well, which our Warpriest could handle with no investment.

Offended, Garris says, "What kind of respectable dwarf would you think I would be if I could not bend mere stone to my will? Earth is Torag's domain and so I am its master."

We can use Hairline Fractures and Ant Hull (both lvl 1 cleric spells) to break the stone and movie it with ease. I also have Shape Stone (3rd level spell) on my list as well. Transmute Rock is a 5th level spell, so that will be a pricy scroll. I left plenty of spell slots open each day for such an occasion.

Forgot to mention that my celestial armor/shield combo gives me overland flight or fly 1/day. I can also cast feather fall at will. None of these are on my spell list, however.

"Yes, I can feel it reaching into the Guiltspurs. Arris is right of course, we'll need to excavate. But we'll also need to prepare to handle the regional dangers." Marckus says with a look of concentration.

I have two scrolls of fly, but if you want to do it a lot you'd better buy your own scrolls. I can activate them though.

Malakan tried to remember something about the place they where going

Knowledge Geography (take 10): 10 + 8 = 18

I have rebuilt my character (in a small way) to be able to buy one potion of fly and one scroll of fly

Removed my melee weapon, who am I kidding, I have MIND POWERS! and now I have 11k gp I can give to the group for expendables :D

Located 530 miles northwest of Magnimar, Guiltspur is located in a particularly rugged range of badlands that comprise the foothills of the Kodar mountains. Much of this land was born of ancient lava flows carved by centuries of wind into eerie shapes. This same wind creates mournful and haunting sounds as it blows through the landscapes myriad hollows. The Vision granted by the Shard of Envy dulls as you approach a valley in the badlands that has been walled off by a wooden stockade, beyond which a ramp switchbacks up to a higher plateau surrounded by rocky bluffs. Here, a two-story wooden building in the shadow of a towering green spire of a strange metal - Guiltspur.

From a nearby hilltop you manage to safely scout the approach: The ragged badlands split here, forming a wide valley that rises up to a higher plateau nestled amid the peaks. A wide ledge switchbacks up this plateau, atop which a 50' wooden structure sits. Beyond this structure, deeper in the valley, a green spur rises out of the cleft to tower over the landscape. The entire valley entrance has been blocked by a 20' tall stockade built of tree trunks. A pair of 45' tall towers flank an immense wooden gate at the eastern end of the stockade.

Map is up

Sniffing first, then activating Self-Telekinesis, Grim'reon hovers up to 30 feet in the air and takes a look around

Perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (12) + 17 = 29

"Yupp, looks like we've made it, what do you guys think?" states Grim'reon before hovering back down.

move action to hover up, free to look, move to come back down

There is a giant in each of the watchtowers, along with a large horn carved from a Mastondon tusk. You won't be able to see over the wall from this distance without flying considerably higher, and possibly risking being noticed.

We are not in rounds at the moment, and won't be until the party decides on a course of action and approaches.

"I see a couple of giants, and probably something they use to warn other giants." Says Grim'reon, informing the others. "We can use tatics & fight our way through, or we can try talking to them. In my book, giants aren't talkers, but I'll let cooler heads prevail"

Grim'reon reaches into his deck of harrow cards and pulls out three at random, revealing The Winged Serpent, The Owl and The Mountain Man. "Interesting, very interesting." Mutters Grim'reon as he holds the cards in his hands.

"Yes, Envy grows calm. I believe we've arrived." Marckus says, instinctively placing his hand over the pouch that holds the shard.

Upon hearing Grim'reon's report, he responds, "I could make us invisible, but that's a good deal of magic. And being only for a few minutes, they could well spot us after we enter should they happen to look our way. But I'm not sure we have better options."

Looking at Marckus, Grim'reon's face lights up as an idea dances across it. "What if instead of sneaking in, make some, or maybe all, of us invisible and then first we target their way of calling others before taking out the guards. If we can be quick enough, we can be done with them before they have a chance to call for help!"

edit: that is, if the GM has hardness/can find hardness for the horn :P

I could ask my god to bless me with invisibility and I could smash their horn with my spiked chain. But, once I do it, the other would have a fair chance to use its own.

FYI, I have a constant see invisibility up right now, if it matters.

"Garris, can you cast a silence spell? That might give us the best chance to avoid the alarm being sounded."

"I'd thought of that, but we'd have to mount our attack against both guards simultaneously. Unless..." Marckus pauses to stroke his chin. "How long would such a spell last? And what else do we have in the way of illusion magic?"

"A spellcaster of Garris's prowess should be able to silence the towers for at least a minute. Perhaps a minute and a half. If you hasten my attacks, that should be plenty of time for me to fell them with my bow."

Incidentally, could Malakan use Kn(local) to make sure these are one of the evil kinds of giants?

Ha! I hadn't thought of that. Good call.

"If I were to make Malak or Grim invisible, we could destroy one alarm together. If we did this at the same time that Garris silenced the other, we should be safe from reinforcements. The trouble with that being that at some point, two of us would be facing a giant while the other three face their own."

Giants are Knowledge: Nature. These are about 10' tall, wear crude furs and appear to be armed with only basic weapons.

Knowledge(nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Giant are humanoid so it's knowledge local ;-)

Know. Local: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (12) + 19 = 31

Garris lands next to his comrades with desperation in his eyes, "Dwarves were not meant to fly..."

"I can pray to mighty Torag for such an ability. But, the strength he grants me is typically of might, not magic."

Translation- I have Silence on my spell list, but, it will have a low-ish DC so the spell will likely fail. I'm willing to give it a try, though.

They are definitely Hill Giants. Crude thugs of low intelligence and little organizational skill. You would not expect them to be manning a fortification unless forced.

/sigh another discrepancy between the srd and prd. Giants are explicitly listed under nature on the srd.

The saving throw for Silence only applies if you cast it on a creature, if I remember correctly. Meaning if you cast it in an area, that area will be silent. Casting it on a creature is useful though if you just want to shut up that bard no matter where he goes.

Your right, nevermind. I was thinking that creatures in the area get a save, but, they don't (for whatever reason).

Silence could also be cast on a willing creature, who then moves where needed.

Also true. Good point.

Are the horns attached to the tower, or are the giants carrying them? If carried, the giants could just retreat to a lower part of the tower, and a melee plan would probably work better. If not, we can target the horns with no save, and the ranged plan would probably be better.

The horns are stationary.

Here's my proposed plan of action then.

Round 1: Garris starts casting Silence on the first horn.
Round 2: Garris finishes on the first horn, starts on the second. Marckus casts Heroism on Arris.
Round 3: Garris finishes the second Silence, and casts Blessing of Fervor. Marckus casts Haste. Arris starts full-attacking the first giant until dead, then moves on to second.

Arris could cast Spider Climb on anyone who wanted to scale the wall while I shoot. Thoughts?

1st thought: you don't need heroism
2nd thought: if I make Malak and Grim invisible, they can ambush the giants while you shoot them (rather than having all of our eggs in your quiver).

Malakan could be invisible by himself and have a decent climb skill. As he have an adamantium weapon, he could take care of the first horn without breaking his invisibility and let you kill the other giant.