NotEspi's Evergreens (Standard) (Inactive)

Game Master NotEspi

Cypher starts reading the book and a look of disgust flits across their face.

Bastard. Glad he went and got himself killed. Killing people to reanimate them is just so... disgusting.

They snap the book shut and look about.

In my experience, oh so clever necromancers also are paranoid ones. I bet he has something good hiding here somewhere. Spellbook, scrolls, potions, something that we can sell for a good price.

I'm trying not to metagame to hard, but searching a "Wizards" lab is the sort of the Cypher would take a 20 on anyways, unless someone else makes the roll and stops them from scouring every last surface trying to find "The good stuff".

I just had one of my characters die in this room in a TPK believe it or not. Only PFS TPK I've ever been a part of.

heal: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (9) + 0 = 9
perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Ssesrandu spends his time examining the other bones in the room as well as the pile of bodies outside of it, making sure nothing else dead is about to rise out of it. "It is difficult to tell the dead who will rise from the dead who will stay dead."

I'm guessing the dice were not in your favour that time?

"Yea, I don't know if it's even possible to tell..." Eadric shakes his head, angry and upset "We should probably, like, bury them or something? Maybe that'll, I don't know, help them stay dead or something?" He glares at the pale body of the necromancer as he starts searching the room. He is unable to find any spellbooks or potions, but he does notice something unusual "Woah! What's that?" Eadric points at a particularly mossy patch on the wall and heads over for a closer look "Guys, look at this! I found a tunnel. Maybe that son of a worg hid his precious stuff through here?"

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Cypher grins and stands.

And once again, our dashing Eadric proves to be a superb adventurer. Good stuff is always hidden behind secret tunnels and entrances. I say we follow it.

Raman examines the corpse that wasn't trying to kill him.

Know(nature? or local): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

"That one used to be half-undead himself. A dhampir."

He might have some holy water on him still.

Raman checks the dhampirs pockets and person for anything useful, especially for fighting undead.

Know Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

He probably didn't know what way to go. Dhamphir have a hard time making their way."

Helme smiles at Eadric. "You found the tunnel. Do you want to lead the way?"

Mori steps over to look at the hidden cave tunnel. He sniffs the air. "Interesting find. We should come back to see where it leads after we let Uori know that we took care of the vampire's spawn."

Helme goes and takes the amulet and the ring of the corpses. "They won't be needing this." She casts Detect Magic on them.

"Yes lets tell him what we found, and then explore." Then moves back toward the path that leads to Uori.

You move back to the diorama chamber, as you do so, Helme retrieves the jewelerry from the corpse pile. The amulet goes off, no problem, but when she attempts to remove the ring, the dried-out finger snaps off the hand. A twig.

After further examination, both items emanate faint magical auras. Transmutation on the amulet, and abjuration on the ring.

Returning to the diorama chamber, you find Uori kneeling int he water again, this time facing the eastern tunnels. He stands as you approach: "Is it done?"

Helme smiles at Eadric. "You found the tunnel. Do you want to lead the way?"

Eadric smiles and stands a bit taller after being called dashing for perhaps the first time in his life "I can totally go first! Never know what's lurking behind the next corner." He taps his shield "But I'll be ready for it anyway." When Mori suggests that they let Uori know what happened, Eadric nods "For sure, Bro! He should, like, know what happened to his gillfriends."

Eadric follows Helme and Mori into the larger chamber, his joy at finding the secret passage fades as he passes the bodies again. In the chamber, he puts a hand on Uori's shoulder and says "Yeah, but there are a lot of bodies... A most heinous necromancer had been, like, taking folk while they slept in here, and he turned them into..." He glances back at the tunnels they just came from "Well, It's over now. You and yours should be, like, totally safe from now on."

"Yes, it is done," Biltri interjects. "Would you like for us to prepare the bodies, what is left, in any way? I believe that we will be returning that way to explore further."

Helme studies the items closely for what they might be. She allows the others to speak to Uori about our findings.

Spellcraft Ring: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Spellcraft Amulet: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Cypher nods calmly and smiles softly.

It is done. There are... a lot of bodies. Will you require help with them perhaps?

"Thank you.", Uori nods modestly, considering what he should do with the bodies left in the cave.

"Well, we can't dig up holes in a stone cave. And we don't want pilgrims to get in fected with whatever those bodies will start spreading soon enough. Do you, by chance, have anything flammable?"

"I have a wand that catches things on fire. Does anyone have oil?" Helme digs through Janira's backpack. "I can say words over their bodies if you would like Uori."

Helme will wait until Uori is away from the group and then let them know the ring was a Ring of Protection +1.

"Oh, wait a minute..." Eadric stuffs a hand into a side pocket of his pack and pulls out a glass flask "Will this do? It's for my lantern." And he offers the flask to Helme.

That's 1 pint of lantern oil, there's more if you need them. Does anyone mind if Eadric wears the ring? I never say no to a little extra AC :)

Cypher shakes their head.

Lighting them on fire is just as bad of an idea.... the cave will fill with smoke and will eat away all the air. Unless we're willing to carry them out, it'd be to dangerous to burn them here.

Cypher turns back to Uori and bites their thumb for a moment in concentration.

None of my magic would be strong enough to be of help, and frankly, I'm not carrying dead bodies out... I'm just not built for it...

They suddenly snap their fingers.

The Pit! Kinda gross I'll admit, but it's close enough to the entrance that the smoke shouldn't kill us, and is a fair place to dispose of the bodies, and if the smoke brings predators in, they shouldn't be able to get past the pit trap. It's an idea anyways.

Raman shakes his head, "Smoke usually drives predators away. The smart ones, at least. Let's use the pit."

"No, no...", Uori insists. "There's no need to drag the bodies of my kinsmen through the mud. And it's not the proverbial one, either. I'll extend my stay and deal with it. One could say I am a man of faith, after all."

Cypher nods and gives a little bow.

If your willing to handle it then, I'll give you this...

They pull their flint and steel from their survival pack and give it to Uori.

That, plus the oil, should be good enough for your purposes. We'll leave you to your workings... we have caves to explore. We wish you luck.

"Very well," Mori says to the gillman, "I'm sorry for the loss of your people. At least the monster who did this will not do it to any more of your people."

"Fair enough! They are, like, your kin and stuff." Eadric hands Uori the flask of oil, a little relieved that he doesn't need to be around for the task "Good luck, Bro! If you need anything else just holler... We'll be exploring, like, real close and stuff while we wait for our Janira to return." He smacks the heel of his palm on his forehead with a resounding thwack "Oh Bro! I almost forgot to say... Watch out for Minotaurs out there man! We just met, like, the biggest angriest one at the entrance."

Helme nods to Uori. "Be careful taking care of your kinsmen. Let us know if you change your mind. As Eadric said we will be exploring the caverns." She bows to him.

"Shall we return and explore the secret tunnel?" Helme asks as she moves in that direction.

I'm good with giving Eadric the ring.

The red-bearded dwarf taps the side of his nose, "If exploring tombs has taught me anything, it is that all the best things are down the secret tunnels."

Uori gives a polite nod as you hand him the items, but remains silent otherwise. Clearly in thought, he merely waves as you start moving towards the "laboratory" again. As you leave the diorama chamber, you notice Uori picking up his belongings and slowly heading in the same direction.

As you reach the laboratory, Eadric has the honour of going in first. He moves the hanging fungus aside and reveals a narrow, damp tunnel that is trailing off into the darkness. As you move onwards, the tunnel becomes more and more steep, and that in combination with the mud on the ground is a result of one or more slips, but nothing serious. The river rumbles beneath, although the sound is slowly fading in a long goodbye.

You suddenly find yourself in a quasi-forked area, and notice at least one gelatinous blob in the way. Its transparent nature allows you to see remains of some small animal being digested within. Possibly a rat or a small cat. It's hard to tell due to the damage.

Turn 1 - All of you can go

Raman
Helme
Ssresrandu
Cypher
Mori
Eadric
Biltri
Creature

Aaaand being the wise cookie that I am, I managed to forget to extract the map yesterday. BUT - also being an artistic prodigy, I did manage to create a glorious substitute. You may bask in its splendor by opening the map link. It's a one-of-a-kind and I am willing to sell prints for a meager price of you never speaking of this.

Map updated. You move in from the west (indicated by the arrow).

Thanks Helme :) Eadric is now wearing the ring of protection.

"Woah! Guys, what is that?" Eadric cautiously approaches the transparent blob monster "Is it, like, another of that Dhampir's experiments?" He holds his shield out ready, just in case the gelatinous creatures turn out to be unfriendly.

30' Move, Readied action to throw the shield when a blob is within 20'. If Eadric manages to throw his shield, his AC is still 17 because of the ring.

Ssesrandu focuses on the blob down the hall, and moves quickly towards it, roaring in rage as he moves, and then slashing at it with his Nodachi in a mighty strike.

Might be taking a might chunk out of the cave wall with that one

Cypher sighs.

Not seeing a brain in that thing. This one is up to you guys. Again.

They kick the dirt and mumble.

Can't wait until we get back to the city.

Raman follows the nagaji into the cave. "Y're too fast, Ssresrandu. I can't keep up wit' yeh."

double move

Mori trudges down the tunnel. "Watch out! They're cave scavengers and their skin is quite caustic."

Knowledge (Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17 DR

Biltri charges along the tunnel. "There's one here, too."

He stops at the intersection and readies his ghostly axe to strike.

Update post when I get home. On phone now.

Ssresrandu walks up to the ooze and cuts through its outer membrane. The innards spill out like a pudding that needs a minute more on the stove. Other aspirants start positioning themselves in expectation of the other amoeba.

Helme still has her magic stones ready to go. She can't see the blob the spirit Biltri mentioned, but she's ready to sling the stone when one comes in sight.

After Ssresrandu's strike, his blade seems to hiss for a moment, and a vapour forms around it. It doesn't seem very serious, however.

The second amoeba moves up towards Biltri to get a taste of his juicy ectoplasm. As he swings and misses, it extends an appendage towards the spirit, and hits hard. The impact itself does not concern him, but the acidic remnant on his 'body' burns quite a lot. With the same appendage, the ooze coils around Biltri and squeezes with all its might. Again, the pressure itself is not an issue, but the acid ... It's bad.

Biltri is grappled and received 5 energy damage (acid)

Helme lobs one of her stones at the blob, and hits successfully. Despite the narrow angle she has available. The stone remains embedded within the creature and the amoeba's membrane almost closes itself behind it. Some of the ooze leaks out on the floor and kills the fungus beneath.

Turn 2 - All of you can go

Raman
Helme
Ssresrandu
Cypher
Mori
Eadric
Biltri (-5 hp, grappled)
Creature (in graple with Biltri)

Cypher bites their lip and waits, mumbling something about making sure to learn a spell that helps others next time.

Seriously, I need to pick up something that at least boosts my allies at low level, even if the good stuff is later.

I mean you can always acid splash/ray of frost.

I mean you can always acid splash/ray of frost.

Could, but doesn't really fit with Cypher's "Feel" and personal vow to never "Hurt" someone else without permission... which they liberally rules lawyer themselves out of feeling bad for by letting allies do it or using things like mental magic. Direct attacks like ray and acid splash just don't fit the character. Sadly, not much variety in choices of non-utility level 0 spells.

Too bad guidance is just for divine casters.

"Bro!" Eadric rushes up towards Biltri while unclasping his shield "Hold still, I've got it..." and with both hands firmly gripping the rim, he swings his large round shield powerfully into the creature coiled around Mori's ancestor.

Atk. Shield bash: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Dmg. Bludgeoning: 1d3 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

I wrote all that thinking I would get 1-1/2 str bonus to damage only to remember my shield is a light weapon... doh!

Free action to unclasp (throwing shield), move action to move, standard to attack

"Biltri! That looks nasty!"

Mori concentrates on his phantom ally for a long moment.

Full Round Action: Change Biltri to incorporeal
This will affect the blob's AC for Eadric's attack as it won't be grappling at that point.

"Bah! Don't worry about me," Mori says just before his form begins to fade. "Ach. Fine."

The phantom slides through the carnivorous blob and into the adjacent wall.

Movement triggers AoO, but he's incorporeal.

Ssesandru looks at the damage to his weapon and back to the creature on the ground.

Delaying to just before the blob, hoping it gets finished off before further damage is done to my weapon.

Raman attempts to squeeze past the ooze while Biltri extracts himself.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Move through enemy square vs CMD+5

Helme takes a step forward. She has two more magic stones, and isn't afraid to use them. This time she misses.

Sling: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Damage Magic Stone: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Raman worms around the ooze while Eadric and Helme keep the thing distracted. Once Biltri disappears, the ooze would have probably have to collect its jaw from the floor, if it had one. The now empty appendage keeps grabbing at air, but to no avail. The fact that it has a shield in its face is not helping the situation either. Seeing another juicy humanoid next to the old one, the ooze goes for Eadric with the extremity. As it does that, Ssresrandu appears from the east and gives it a mean cut across. This time the membrane wasn't too helpful either. The amoeba becomes two smaller, but very dead pieces jelly.

Combat over. I'll set up a map this time, and make a follow up post tomorrow.

"That was awful. Are your weapons alright?" Helme carefully steps over the ooze.

Eadric shakes the remaining goo from his shield and inspects the damage "Ahh man! This was my favourite shield..." Some of the runes have been etched away and a large section has lost it's once brilliant shine. He looks up at Helme with a mopey expression "I guess it'll still work, but like, it looks so ugly now." He looks down at his shield again, staring at it as if he has lost an old friend.

"I've had just about enough of this place." Raman says, shaking his head at the oozing puddles. "What'll show up next?"

"Tomorrow I may be able to help you fix it. I can Mend your shield with a spell." Helme moves forward down the path of the cavern.

The party keeps moving onward through the tunnel. After several hundred feet, you notice a strong source of light at the end of the tunnel. Eagerly, you move forward, and you start noticing something else as well. A familiar voice reciting and taunting something. You emerge during the night, but compared to the darkness of the caves, the full moon seems like the sun itself. The light of the surface world above provides a welcome reprieve from the blue and green fungus of the caverns below, and light illuminates a stream whose water is hastened by runoff from a recent storm further up the mountains. A ledge to the west rises up to the nearby forest canopy.

Just beyond the stream, Janira is locked in combat with the minotaur you have met earlier. She notices you and seems to gather whatever remainder of energy she has, despise her obvious wounds: "You vile beast! I know not what drives your black heart, but I shall not fail in my duty!"

Turn 1 - Go if bolded
Eadric
Cypher
Minotaur
Janira
Helme
Ssresrandu
Raman
Mori

Map soon