[Outpost] GM Chie's 9-07 Salvation of the Sages (Inactive)

Game Master Korolan

I don't know what a "Torch" is, but if it fits in my mouth, can I eat it?

"Do I get a vote?"

"No, Gamin."

"Fine, I never met the guy anyway."

"Torch!?" Seldanna huffs. "Insufferable man...and to think I used to look up to him when I was in his Shadow Lodge. So naïve, I must have been!" The young witch's cheeks start to flush a little as a glimpse of her hot temper boils to the surface. "But yes, better to have him where we can see him and perhaps he can be of some use. If his head does end up being separated from his shoulders in the process...well, that's just how it goes."

"CAAAAAW!! I kind of liked him!" Lonan tries to get a reaction from his mistress but she just grits her teeth.

”So are we settled? We invite Grandmaster Torch along? Good!” cheers Gunari, as he gathers up glasses for a toast. He fills the glasses with the best of what he has sampled, which by now has been plenty. He raises his glass, and waits for the others to do so. Once they have, he pours a tiny bit out (gilligan does the same, having been reasonably well trained), noting ”It’s Cayden’s due, after all!”

He then turns to his friends, and blesses (which looks a lot like toasting), ”May the Lucky Drunk guide us, and grant us a success in our adventure! While we may not know where we are going, we sure know where we have been! The road may be long, and dry, but that doesn’t mean you must be parched by the end of it!

“To Luck! To Glory! To Adventure! Explore! Report! Cooperate!” with that, he drains his tankard,with a smile.

The tiny monkey has fallen over in mock exhaustion, at the duration of the warpriest’s blessing. At the moment Gunari raises his mug to drink, the monkey does as well, he then throws a walnut at Lonan the Raven (at least Lonan hopes it was a walnut).

walnut vs AC19: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Goodness me, that toast was longer than a Vudrani wedding!

"CAAAAAWW! You misssed!" Lonan caws proudly as he manages to duck under the 'walnut' which instead his Seldanna on the side of her head.

"Lonan! Behave!" Seldanna glares at the raven as she rubs the side of her head. "What was that all about, why did you peck me? You're worse than ever today!"

Oh, thank Time, has he finished his speech? That's one way to get someone to join in a toast...drive them to drink! Seldanna grabs the nearest glass of wine, half-heartedly raises it and then gulps a large mouthful.

Amenopheous sighs, cracking the purple wax seal between his fingers "It seems that a majority of you would like him here, and I believe that he would be more useful... on hand then in the shadows." Reading the scroll, he looks at it quizzically, before handing it to Jaswinder. "It appears that he is acting in good faith after all! There is a second wax coin inside, and room for a few requests. After you decide what would be most beneficial, you may crack the second seal and he will do what he can to bring it along."

Torch sent you a Blank Shopping list! And me are High Tier! You have a budget of 3000 for Scrolls, Fully charged Wands, and Potions that Torch will bring with him when he arrives. What a thoughtful fellow!

Haha, and after I already filled out my ITS =\

When exactly will he "arrive"?

"Breakfast is ready everyone!" Chie adds, pleasantly. Trays full of Omelettes, sausages, potatoes and pancakes flavored with ambrosia, as well as an assortment of juices and Sweet wines flavored with nectar appear on the table in front of everyone. After everyone is done eating, Chie casts any other requested spells before procuring any additional purchases. "Clever Fox adventuring supplies are available in all major cities! We're here to help, it's what we do!"

A wizard Grandmaster Torch is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to!
Tahonikepsu, after eating a hearty meal, stands up from the table, stretching her arms. "We should be ready to go whenever you all are. The trip should be relatively short. The rest of the sages are waiting for us at a small base camp just outside of the village." As she stretches her arms out, her body seems to grow and distort until her true form, a huge Purple Time Dragon is laying on the sand just outside of the little pavilion. Her massive jaws with rows of pointy teeth speaks in the same voice, with the hint of an Ossiriani accent. "It is important enough to arrive there quickly, that I am willing to take you all there myself. When everyone is ready, climb onto my back, and we will depart."

Amenopheus balks, and grins impishly. "Personal Transportation? to what do we owe the Honor?" Tehonikepsu glares at him with her deep purple eyes, and smiles wide, the sun glinting off her pearlescent smile. "You do realize that I could swallow you whole at this size, and spit out the Sapphire for one of these other folks to use, right?"

He responds playfully, "But then who would prepare the ritual?" before climbing up her back to sit at the very front.

Jaswinder rolls up his carpet and has Pratvah wrap around it for snake safe keeping.

"Now this, of all the many wild tales I have acquired from being a Pathfinder, this would require a zone of truth to believe!"

Okay so just listing off my personal buffs:

• Mage Armor, Pratvah, 1hr
• Barkskin, Pratvah, 2hrs 20min
• Life Bubble, Pratvah, ?? hrs
• Hero's Feast, both, 12hrs
• Delay Poison, self, 7hrs

AC updated.

Apart from the group buffs that we arranged, Seldanna will also apply the following for her herself and Lonan:

Mage Armor (wand), herself and Lonan for 1hr each
False Life on herself extra hp: 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

When things are or looking likely to get hairy, Lonan will unless specified tuck himself down in the hood of Seldanna's robe at her back.

Gunari leaves his little buddy back at the lodge.

Gunari's buffs

Hero's Feast - 12 hours
Barkskin +4 - 140min
Heroism (from Tankard of the Drunken Hero) - 30 mins
Darkvision - 3 hours
Life Bubble (CL12) - 3 hours
Delay Poison - 10 hours

He has also cast his communal delay poison as previously discussed.

Gunari's eyes light up when Tahonikepsu mentions riding on her back. "A dragon ride? This is an [b]extreme pleasure."[/b]

With a moment's pause, "All respect intended, Diamond Sage." he says, bowing to her in respect. Inside, however, he is bouncing like a gnome at their first bazaar.

I have noted a suggested list for the scrolls in the discussion thread.

"Now doncha worry little monkey mon. Kan-Jeh bring back your human" shouts the Zenj as he begins to step onto the Diamond Sage, one hand clutching at an assortment of dishes from the feast. He pauses, turns back, stuffing the entire handful into his mouth as he grabs onto a conjured juice container, a handful of sausages and a stack of pancakes. "Kan-Jeh ha' neva' 'idden ohn anyt'hing." he exclaims with his mouth full as he rushes back, climbing up the Diamond Sage's side to seat himself towards the back, chomping down on his mouthful eagerly. Swallowing, he guzzles down the juice, tossing it over the side, adding: "Dontcha worry about da litterin', it's all canjured Ventcha-Captain Lady Boss. It'll go away soon, you trust Kan-Jeh." Settling in, he offers Gunari a sausage.

As Kan-yeh looks to Gunari, he notices that the Varisian has his own assortment of foodstuffs, still on one of the silver platters from the dining table. "Thanks, bro. So, have you ever had the chance to try the mead they make up in Trollheim? Had the chance, once, but was dropped out of a rukh's belly on the very keg I was so hoping to try before they could tap it. That was truly a sad day. Haven't had the chance. However, this Sothis stout isn't half bad. Why, I suppose you could actually live on it while building a pyramid." He offers a glass of the stout to his new best friend.

"You get ta keep da plate? Mon, ya be making Kan-Jeh jealous!" replies the Mwangi as he bites into a sausage, accepting the drink. "Kan-Jeh nevah got ta go ta Trollheim; Ah waz always told, "We need ya in Torn-Keep today, we need ya in Torn-keep tomorrow..." Only thing Kan-Jeh is an expaht on is da sour beer dey have in da Echo Woods" he complains loudly. "Ah hope dis black beer can make Kan-Jeh forget 'bout da Echo Woods, da Rivah Kings or da mess dey have in Brevoy!" He drinks some down, looks at the glass with an eyebrow raised and comments "Dat be a good staht. Ah still need ta forget about da weird mountains gods dey have in Tien-Xia." And with a easy smile, he puts the glass up for a refill.

"We're going to be dragon riders, Arde!" the sword squeaks up.

"Passengers, more like." A trickle of sweet juice escapes the corner of his mouth as he tips back a long pull. "I don't partake of these extravagances often. The last was before entering the Bonekeep. I don't know much of this Thornkeep, but it sounds like the naming scheme is popular."

"Ah been ta Bonekeep too! How fah down ya go Mistah Paladin mon? Kan-Jeh was told: "Ya go to the bottom, we gots a lotta worries down dere, third level from da surface"."

"I saw what was down there. Lost a junior agent there. It's a cursed place."

"Aww, it wasn't all that bad. Some good renovations, a few priestly blessings, fix it right up!" A gauntleted fist knocks against the scabbard. "Okay, okay, settle your feathers. You're worse than the last guy some days."

Huge apology for being late, I had been refreshing the "discussion" tab daily without knowing there was another tab. Chrome keeps my place on the page, so... yeah... Sorry.

A fiendish looking man sprints quite quickly toward the group, kicking up dust with his clawed feet as his inverse knee joints spring him forward. Base speed of 45 while running/withdrawing

As the local guards reach for their weapons and a local farmer shrieks in fear, the man holds up a wayfinder worn around his neck. "Wait! I am lost on way to lodge, but I found eventually. Thank you for sausages, whomever made breakfast. I enjoyed the rare ones best." The man grins, bits of bacon still stuck between his sharp teeth.

He reaches a clawed hand to whomever would grasp it. "Khash'telek is me and I am him. I am Pathfinder like you, no? Danger is here; you need talented dancer like me with helping, yes?"

As he bows slightly, his bright red fez wedged tightly between his protruding horns shifts but does not fall. As the breeze brushes his vest and pantaloons, causing them the waver, his tail reaches into his belt and wraps around a wand. It deposits the slender maple wand into Khash'telek's waiting hand, who then taps himself with it while muttering an inaudible word of magic. Mage Armor

"Others want for protection against bugs? Seems good for air travel, no?"

*tongue flick, tongue flick*

"Mistress was monkey once! CAAAAAAWWW! If you miss your pet!" Lonan hops over to Gunari's shoulder to try and console him.

"LONAN!" Seldanna's pale skin goes bright red in an instant as she practically shoots magic missiles out of her eyes at the bird. "He doesn't care about that...and besides that was a long time ago, I'd almost forgotten about those early missions in that madhouse, the Blakros Museum!"

Gunari chuckles as he pulls out a tiny little tankard, fills it, and holds it out for the raven. "It is ok, Seldanna, he's not hurting anyone. And I won't be able to feel his talons through my plate armor. I may have to clean my pauldrons, but that's no big deal."

Of course, the liquid in the tiny tankard is more of the dark stout that the warpriest had acquired.

Then Away we go!

Merab’s citizens shout and point in awe as the huge violet dragon launches into the air, soaring upward until the curvature of the world is visible and then down toward a long stretch of desert south of the Thuvian coast. As Tahonikepsu approaches over the sands, a small encampment comes into view.

At the encampment, is a tall gaunt man, dressed in Ancient Ossiriani garments with an Amethyst in a bracer on his arm. He give Tahonikepsu a curt nod as she lands, standing from the small stool where he was seated. "I assume these are the Pathfinder Society agents that you requested?"

From one of the small tents at the encampment, enters a Garundi woman, with plain blue and white clothing and a symbol of Irori hanging from her hip. "Sinuhotep, do not give her too much trouble. Just because you are the last remaining sage of the original order, doesn't mean that you get to disrespect the others."

"I suppose you are right Dhiara, If we all work together to rid Aryana's presence from the world, then the order should no longer be at risk. As introduced, I am Sinuhotep, the Amythyst sage. With me here is Dhiara, the Topaz sage. She is a powerful warrior, and will do well to provide us assistance in this endeavor."

As you all introduce yourselves to the gathered sages, a flying carpet floats over the dunes, as a Familiar (for some) face lands at the encampment. Heaving a Handy Haversack off of his shoulder, Grandmaster Torch speaks up. "I appreciate you all permitting me on this endeavor. Ardelaneu, I trust there are no hard feelings? At the very least, they can wait until the end of the mission. Here are the things that you requested." Handing over the haversack, it contains the very items that were requested on the scroll.

After taking a few moments to discuss tactics, Amenopheous leads the way to the site, which is a scant distance away.
All together, let's say 10 minutes have elapsed since Merab?

Tahonikepsu points out the village of Resa—now a flat stretch of desert, with a few scattered bricks the only sign of civilization.
The wind whips up as a deep feminine voice telepathically announces, “Home again at last.” Amenopheous's eyes go wide, as the ground shudders. Sand begins draining down unseen fissures and rising in plumes hundreds of feet high as buildings emerge from the desert.

Amenopheous looks at Sinuhotep, who's jewel is glowing with an otherworldly light. "Sinuhotep, your Sage Jewel!", he shouts, before noticing all of the other jewels begin glowing with a sickly black aura.

The voice continues, “Young, old, war hero, or coward—all served the Plague, and the Plague served me.” as the sages all attempt to suppress their individual jewels. In the village square, a basalt monolith suddenly looms amid an avalanche of humanoid bones. “Living flesh may rebel, but the dead are ever so obedient.” The bones twitch as a wave of unholy energy washes over the area. Sickly gray flame illuminates the bodies as the dead rise up.

Tahonikepsu cries out over rumbling earth, “Pathfinders, that monolith empowers the dead! One of us will aid you in disabling it while the others hold the creatures at bay!” The winds howl in response as spectral giants appear and disappear within the whirling sandstorm descending on the area.

OK! So here is the Deal (AND THE COOL PART!) You guys are adventuring with the Scarab Sages, and as such, you will get to request the assistance of one of the sages during this combat! The slides are in my Tagline above, Please place yourselves inside the Red Dotted Line box!
Additionally, there are slides that represent the stat-blocks of the different sages in the deck as well. Decide who you would like to bring along, and tomorrow we begin the fun!

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Kan-Jeh looks at each of the sages with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as they all look at their destination with different things on their minds. "Dere, dere" he finally says, approaching Tahonikepsu to pat her on the shoulder. "Kan-Jeh ain't lettin' ya lose ya jewel if he can help it. And dey..."

The ground rumbles, and the voice speaks. Kan-Jeh grins, but it isn't the good natured, playful grin he has had up till now. This grin is a rictus, almost a war-mask that has slipped on. "Home. Grave. Ya got it right when ya set up da place Tahiri: and Kan-Jeh gonna help ya join da dead" he replies, drawing what looks to be an earthbreaker made entirely of starmetal.

Seldanna gasps despite herself as the obelisk rises out of the ground, bringing it with it a wave of undead. "No...no, this is so wrong! She knows that there was dark power within herself, but she has always been able to control it. This...this was power out of control on a scale that was beyond comprehension.

She instinctively moves closer to Tahonikepsu, wanting to fight side by side with the amazing dragon. In her heart, there isn't even a choice.

"CAAAAAWWW?" Lonan lets out a plaintive squeaking like sound as he jumps down into the hood of the witch's robe, quivering in fear.

Can't fail that Sense Motive check, but it's not something he'd point out audibly.

Jaswinder commands his carpet to unfurl, hops on with a flourish while drawing his longbow, and offers a hand to help Seldanna aboard.

"Something tells me our previous ride may be getting a little closer to the action than you would prefer."

Against a hoard of anything, Jaswinder would select a Dragon: Breath Weapon, multiple attacks, and flight will all be useful.

As the the dead rise, Gunari calls upon the blessings of the Drunken Hero, casting shield of faith upon himself, extended with his rod. Quickly putting the rod away, he looks to his fellow Pathfinders, ”Let is cut out way through, and then deal with the monolith. Tahonikepsu, what will be required to disable this device? Will Cayden’s Churchkey be sufficiient,” he asks, indicating his adamantine rapier, ”or will more... subtle... means be needed. ”

Gunari also cannot fail that check, and he also does not broadcast that information.

Forgot the Sense Motive check. Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Did we have time to divide up the scrolls Torch brought?

Khash steps forward with a rapid spin, his scimitar drawn into his hand in one rapid motion. He can draw his weapon as part of initiative!
"So they wish to dance? Let's see your dance moves. Do you like to dance, dragon? Maybe we be dance partner. No be nervous; you make great dancer."

Sense motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

You -absolutely- had the chance to divvy them up. However you would see fit to have them!

As the winds whip up around the the destroyed city, etherial images of buildings and stairs rise up out of the sands, looking like an almost after image of a millenia-old construction. A stable rises up through the ground underneath Tahonikepsu, passing through her as if nothing.

Taking the lead from Gunari, Tahonikepsu gives forth a toothy grin before "I'm with you Pathfinders! Let's destroy this Obelisk! Sages, you take care of the rest!" Torch picks up Amenopheus to his carpet, before flying off into the storm. Moments later, you hear the sounds of raucous laughter as lightning strikes and fireballs fly off in the distance. Dhiara sprints through the sand unimpeded, and the sounds of crunching bone and rapid strikes echo over the blowing sands. Sinuhotep strides confidently off into the windstorm, speaking Ancient Ossiriani, as hordes of footsteps follow toward the sounds of the Magic Bombardment.

Tahonikepsu keeps toward the edge of the map, readying an action to breath weapon if something comes within range.

So! A bit of Explanation! Your visibility is currently limited to 30 feet from the Windstorm. The moaning sound of restless dead comes from all around you, but nothing crazy on the map just yet! The Giant Monolith could be disabled in a few ways: Good old Fashioned Disable Device (in 2d4 rounds if you can disable Magic Traps, this thing is Complicated!) or by looking at the patterns of the Heiroglyphs ( Kn(arcana, planes, or religion) ) as a standard action. You need to be adjacent to the pillar to be able to do so. I'm keeping you in initiative for... Reasons!

Initiative! Bold may Go!
Seldanna
Kan-yeh
Jaswinder
Khash'telek
Tehonikepsu
Gunari

Also: For the rest of the adventure, where you are on the map is where your character is! I will act accordingly!

"Follow below me, Pratvah!"

Jaswinder uses two move actions to guide the carpet, with Seldanna in tow, to the location listed on the map, but with 20 feet underneath them.

Jaswinder can disable Magical Traps. Perhaps from the height of the obelisk that's our best bet?

Snake Style, if necessary: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23 (still good vs. touch attacks)

Bold, as always, Gunari moves quickly up to the obelisk, to take a peek at it. He knows that he isn't the most brilliant man, but perhaps, at the minimum, he can guard those that are better at the thinking thing than he is.

Given the mayhem around him, he will call upon the power of the Accidental God to protect him even further. (Sacred armor to add +2 to his Armor's enhancement bonus. AC is now 36)

Kan-Jeh begins to run towards the obelisk, spinning his weapon's haft in his hands eagerly.

Double Move.

Flying alongside Jaswinder, Seldanna's long red hair flows behind her like flames. "Can we get closer to that thing? Perhaps if we can decipher that magical script we might be able to shut this thing down."

Happy to have the support of her new companion, Seldanna keeps her options open by using a flight hex on herself for added movement if needed. For now she just hovers above the flying carpet beside Jaswinder.

Flight Hex 8/9 mins per day left.

See, I knew we were in Initiative for a reason!

As Pratvah and the others begin to approach the obelisk, bony grasping claws erupt from the sands, grabbing and clawing at feet and legs.
Grabby Hands (CMB Grapple): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21
Luckily, Pratvah manages to wriggle free of their grasp, and continue onward. KanYeh and Gunari on the other hand, are not so lucky. The claws grip and squeeze, bruising flesh and holding them fast in place.
Grabby Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Tahonikepsu, surprised by the growing fists breathes lightning over a large swath, causing them to disintegrate into the many sands. More claws and hand reach through where the others have fallen, proving the futility of the enveavor. "Try to make your way over them! I'll do what I can to help!" she shouts, before taking to the air.

So: The area bounded by black boxes is Difficult Terrain, and can (and will) grab onto you and hold fast if you remain in it. If you are grappled, you must break the grapple (Standard Action on your turn) before you can continue moving. I have adjusted your characters accordingly.

Initiative! Bold may Go!
Ardelaneu Sorry TOZ! At least you can react to stuff now?
Seldanna
Kan-yeh -10
Jaswinder
Khash'telek
Tehonikepsu
Gunari -10

"These hands don't like my dancing feet, then I shall not dance with the hands." Khash'telek's tail retrieves a rod from his belt as a swift action and he presses it into his scimitar while uttering words of magic (aroden's spellsword) as the two become one. He then springs up onto one of the nearby walls and attempts to climb the rest of the way up to the top.

Acrobatics (jump): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19

Climb: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Heroes' Feast temp hp: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Flexing his wings, Ardelaneu leaps into the sky, drawing Gamin in a smooth motion. "By Iomedae's will, we shall lay these souls to rest, my friend."

"Yeah, time to get Good!" Gamin crows in response.

Standard action to Divine Bond for Holy, Move action to get some height on the grabby hands.

First of all, Thank you very much for bearing with me. There is a lot going on in this adventure, so there might be a bunch to unpack. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the Discussion Thread, and I am more than willing to elaborate there!

Heroes Feast HP: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 6 Heroes Feast HP for all!

Only moments after the claws burst from the ground, the Moans and hissing of the Restless Dead becomes louder from the raging windstorm. Green figures with elongated tongues emerge from the desert winds, walking effortlessly through the hands.
Tahpnikepsu lashes out with her tail, slapping one of the ghastly creatures away from the group, before it lunges back at her.

Reacting to the presence of the green figures, the monolith thrums to life, washing a wave of sickly green energy over the entire area, bolstering the gripping hands and renewing the Vigor of the voracious corpses.

Ripping and tearing into Ken-Yah's waiting flesh with Claws and Teeth, the creatures feed and tear from both the Mwangi Man, and Tahonikepsu herself!
Rip and Tear! (Damage): 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Channel Energy(Negative) (Heal AND Harm) Will DC 20: 6d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 1, 1, 6, 6) = 20

Initiative! Bold may go!
Green Dudes
MONOLITH

Ardelaneu Save vs Channel
Seldanna Save vs Channel
Kan-yeh -10 (DR Accounted for) Will Save vs Channel, Fort save VS Disease, Fort Save VS Paralysis
Jaswinder Save vs Channel
Khash'telek Save vs Channel

Tehonikepsu -5

Gunari -10 Save vs Channel

Save vs. Channel: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Looks like 10 points of negative energy damage.

Will save vs Neg NRG: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 9 + 1 = 14
Fort vs Disease: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
Fort vs Paralysis: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

Also, I took a 5ft step, but that was because I forgot about the saves. If the saves don't make it, let me know and place me back.