GM Andrew |
The mismatched bard leads you during your long journey to Kaer Maga. The journey takes weeks, first by sea and then by land.
Upon arrival in the city, Gray takes you to the Bottoms district, land of the free man in the city, and leads you to the Godsmouth Cathedral, the center for Pharasma worship in Kaer Maga.
This is where you need to be. Find a person named... He takes out a note with a little etched name on it ...Valanthe Nerissia. He hands the note to the party, which a ripped piece of paper with her name on it. She is a member of this church here. Just tell her you are Pathfinders and she should instruct you on what to do. There should be a small reward involved, but more importantly access to their underground and whatever magic treasures lie in wait there, if there are any.
He salutes the party Good luck, and Desna speed. I have other business to attend to. And with that, he heads off.
Feel free to dot here or do character introductions. :)
Ray Hogan |
A small (even for a halfling) man steps in, looks around at the others who have gathered, and bows.
"You can call me Jameson, you can call me Jay. You can call me James, but my friends all call me Ray."
dot.
Creat the Cheat |
"S'up Ray? I haven't seen you since that really, really long night a few months back. Give me some skin." Creat blindly puts up a really high, double high five.
Laeowynne Faelandalan |
A tall and thin bookish elf accompanies the group dressed in attire more suitable for a library than for an adventure. He keeps to himself during the long voyage only interjecting when others are wrong regarding magical arts, planar events and history... which irritates most others. When asked for his name he responds to just call him Wyn since most non fey tongues will have a hard time correctly enunciating his proper name, and he dislikes hearing it pronounced badly.
Tanna Giantsmite |
Tanna Giantsmite is a confusing conundrum of opposites. Her strikingly attractive Human appearance is starkly countered by her crass Dwarven dialect and mannerisms. Her long, silken blond hair is twisted and braided under her chin, roughly resembling the beards of the Dwarven ladyfolk. But most curious is the polished scale mail, Dwarven War Hammer and heavy crossbow that her diminutive frame carries with the ease of practiced martial disciple of the God, Torag. Her purpose in this life is to exact punishment on those poor souls who shirk their responsibilities or break sworn oaths and values honor, planning and well-made steel.
"Greetings fella travelers Oi'm Tanna, oi luk forward ter de journey! Ah 'ope ter correct an' wrongs dat 'av been done an' ensure any oaths pledged ter de Society are kept!"
Tanna's speech is hard to understand at first, but eventually it rings clear and you are able to decipher her unusually thick Dwarven accent with ease.
Ray Hogan |
"Yah, that was like the longest night ever! Good to see you again!"
Ray checks out the others. "Ye are an interesting dwarvish lass, aren't ye?" he says to Tanna. "This should be fun! Right professor?" he says to Wyn.
Tyranius Stormbringer |
Sitting in the corner with his legs crossed is a massive orc. Many small bones pierce his face and ears, marking sacred rights and passages. four black tattoos take up the majority of his green face like some sort of tribal war pattern. As he stands his muscles creak and moan from age. Long wispy white hair falls down his shoulders, leaving a start contrast to his darker green skin.
His tusks drag loosely across each other as he speaks in a guttural and deep voice that is a bit difficult to understand. Gozreh's guidance will lead us through this mission. Oath's will only get you killed. Trust me I should know.
Valeros The Free |
A rough and tumble human male with dark hair and eyes casually sipped from a tankard as he pulled out a keg and set it on the table during the first group meeting.
"In Cayden's name, drink up, and don't spill it, stuff wasn't cheap."
After a round is exchanged -- though the warrior bearing two blades on his hips says nothing harsh if some folks decline -- he'll clear his throat, sitting on a chair and rocking his feet onto the table.
"Name's Valeros. 'm here t' make sure y'don't get dead and make some money on the side doin' it. No, don't worry, Society's footin' the bill on this one.
Lately been helping out in Varisia, so this works out pretty nicely. Watch your step out west, that penny-pinchin' fellow in Magnimar will set you out on missions, then expect y' to pay for most of it yourself.
That's why I prefer Society work. THEY at least understand what it takes to pay the bills."
During the journey he'll take watches and generally help out as needed, giving everyone respect unless they do something truly bone-headed to lose said respect. In such a case, he'll offer that person a drink and comment that they should have had the drink *first*.
GM Andrew |
Gonna head on to the chapel.
As you approach the cathedral, you see a bunch of thornless black roses growing on the side, planted in a bed in the center of the path to the church's doors.
Once you open the doors, you see a grand cathedral, with iron candelabras hung from the ceiling to illuminate the central approach to the high altar. A plush purple carpet runs down the center aisle of the cathedral, flanked by rows of wooden pews. At the end of the carpet is a stone altar set on a raised dais. The stone altar houses a large hourglass containing red sand. There are several wooden seating areas on top of the dais for the clergy when a mass is in session. Behind the altar, a large rose window depicts Pharasma in her three aspects: Birth, Death, and Fate. It is flanked by smaller stained glass windows illustrating the judgment of souls in the Boneyard.
Right now, there are clergy members walking around performing their daily business among the various doors that exit from the main cathedral. There are also six men and women around a trapped door in front of the altar at the base of the raised dais, all bearing a symbol of Pharasma emblazoned on their armor.
What would you like to do?
Tanna Giantsmite |
Ray checks out the others. "Ye are an interesting dwarvish lass, aren't ye?"
The stunningly pretty young human lass (despite her attempts to look Dwarven)responds to Ray in her thick yet discernible "King's Mountain" accent, "Master Halfling, Torag did not bless me with bein' a dwarf, instead he cursed me to inhabit this ugly human form, but thanks for the complement!"
"Slip me some skin."
Tanna quickly and forcefully replies "The feck I will!", clearly not understanding the greeting or meaning of the man's words.
Valeros The Free |
The stunningly pretty young human lass (despite her attempts to look Dwarven)responds to Ray in her thick yet discernible "King's Mountain" accent, "Master Halfling, Torag did not bless me with bein' a dwarf, instead he cursed me to inhabit this ugly human form, but thanks for the complement!"
"You might think it ugly, but y' gotta know your deity counts what's in your heart as the mos' important, right? Have a little faith in yourself and your god's judgement. Ale?" Valeros offers that with no sign of guile or disgust.
GM Andrew |
A man of Taldan descent dressed in priest robes wanders by as Ray shouts out for Valanthe. "Shhh, quiet. This is a holy place! If you wish to see Valanthe, she has spent most of her time in the Chapel of the Reaper in the Sanctuary of Death doing daily prayers. If I were to guess, that's where she would be right now. It's at the front of the cathedral on the left. Good day to you, and be quiet!" He rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh. Several of the armored figures have now taken notice of the party, but don't advance.
Assuming everyone goes...
The man's directions lead you to a smaller (but still large) side room. Inside, there's several candles, some lit and some not, that represent the departed souls from the temple, and several kneeling benches around the room. There are also sitting benches scattered throughout.
You see a woman of Varisian decent wearing clerical garb and has multiple holy symbols of Pharasma, both embroidered on her clothes and in the form of silver holy symbols.
Once you introduce yourselves as Pathfinders...
"Oh, you're the Pathfinders that were sent! I am Valanthe. Welcome to our sanctuary!"
She glances around the room to make sure no one else is around before continuing.
"It's quite an embarrassing problem we've been having here, especially as we are the main keepers of the dead under Pharasma's guidance. You see" she gulps for a brief moment "for the past few weeks, a lot of bodies that we keep in our Ossuary here have gone... missing. It was only a few bodies at first, but it has been rapidly increasing to the point that every night several of our buried have disappeared! This is a huge problem because people depend on us to bury their dead here and we want to respect the wishes of every single soul that has departed, as it is a sacred sacrament to us."
"The bodies have started missing from a localized area in the catacombs, and right next to that area is a crypt that we haven't opened for many years. We suspect that may be the source of what's causing these bodies to go missing, but we don't dare go down there! Crypts that old that are not maintained are certain to be full of all kinds of monstrosities! I put out a call, which was quickly answered by the Pathfinder Society."
"I have a 500 gold reward for putting a stop to whatever is doing this! As well, if you are able to clear out the whole crypt, I can add 250 gold to that as it would be nice to use that area again."
"You don't have to leave right this moment, but we would like this issue to be dealt with in a timely manner. We are counting on you for our reputation! Please don't be vocal about this issue."
"I can lead you to the crypt when you are ready."
Tyranius Stormbringer |
Tyranius sneers. Crypts.... I would much rather be out in the open air.
Why are bodies suddenly disappearing now? You have been placing them down there for years and now all of a sudden they just get up and move on their own? His gruff voice makes him sound far more aggressive than what he truly is.
I am ready to head to this crypt of the vanishing dead.
Laeowynne Faelandalan |
"Sounds dangerous. Not really my forte. You suspect the crypt may have a hand in the missing bodies...is there a reason you all fear going down to the crypt? How large is the crypt area? Is it lighted? Have you had anyone cast spells to detect evil or magic? Just trying to gather all the facts before I make my decision."
Creat the Cheat |
Tanna Giantsmite wrote:"You might think it ugly, but y' gotta know your deity counts what's in your heart as the mos' important, right? Have a little faith in yourself and your god's judgement. Ale?" Valeros offers that with no sign of guile or disgust.The stunningly pretty young human lass (despite her attempts to look Dwarven)responds to Ray in her thick yet discernible "King's Mountain" accent, "Master Halfling, Torag did not bless me with bein' a dwarf, instead he cursed me to inhabit this ugly human form, but thanks for the complement!"
I may just puke rainbow ponies.
"Hey mate, I saw her first." Creat shoves his way between the two and quickly turns his attention back to Tanna. "It's just a figure of speech ma'am. Let me start over. I'm Creat. I do troubleshooting and occasionally somnambulist home care. I'm pretty much height blind. Isn't that right Ray? I didn't even know he was a halfling until just now. Anyhow have you maybe considered a prosthetic beard to help you--um, fit in more? Maybe armor that's not quite so form-fitted. You know something that hides your--um more curvy bits? Maybe something with broad, horizontal stripes? Still some people find that sort of thing attractive but if you are really serious I know a guy--he's a druid I guess--anyway he knows this transracial spell that--well, it's a bit of a roll of the dice but well...."
Creat the Cheat |
"I have a 500 gold reward for putting a stop to whatever is doing this! As well, if you are able to clear out the whole crypt, I can add 250 gold to that as it would be nice to use that area again."
"$old! It is always an honor and a pleasure helping out the Church For Asthma."
Ray Hogan |
Ray grins at Creat's obvious need.. er greed... assessment.
"Sounds suspicious, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone is animating these corpses. I don't suppose you have a supply of holy water you can offer us?
Otherwise, Ray is ready to go...
GM Andrew |
Why are bodies suddenly disappearing now? You have been placing them down there for years and now all of a sudden they just get up and move on their own? His gruff voice makes him sound far more aggressive than what he truly is.
I'm not sure! That's why we are getting you to find out. We haven't had any attacks on our clergy though... just missing bodies.
"Sounds dangerous. Not really my forte. You suspect the crypt may have a hand in the missing bodies...is there a reason you all fear going down to the crypt? How large is the crypt area? Is it lighted? Have you had anyone cast spells to detect evil or magic? Just trying to gather all the facts before I make my decision."
Most people would call the crypt area quite large, and as we haven't gone done there in years I would be surprised if anything was lit. Probably a good idea to have light sources if you need them. We have detected magic and evil but have come up with no aura, but of course none of us have descended into the abandoned crypt yet.
"Sounds suspicious, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone is animating these corpses. I don't suppose you have a supply of holy water you can offer us?
As a matter of fact, I do have some equipment for you.
She gives each of you a Potion of Cure Light Wounds and a Vial of Holy Water.
GM Andrew |
"$old! It is always an honor and a pleasure helping out the Church For Asthma."
Valanthe rolls her eyes. Well, at the very least, it's good for me to know what motivates you. You're welcome to any treasure you find... except anything that is obviously a Pharasman relic or artifact.
Creat the Cheat |
So? Do your homework man!--Err elf. You could be our ideas guy. Think deep thoughts. Stuff like that. Otherwise just hang out and look pretty like me--well, almost like me. ;)
Creat the Cheat |
Ray grins at Creat's obvious need.. er greed... assessment.
"Sounds suspicious, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone is animating these corpses....
"You mean like those wriffle book things? You know where you draw a picture of a dog then another picture of the same dog in a pose just a little bit different than the first one and so on and then you stack all the pictures up and flip through them and it looks like the dog is moving? Creepy. Though I suppose we could follow the paper trail."
Creat the Cheat |
Creat the Cheat wrote:"$old! It is always an honor and a pleasure helping out the Church For Asthma."Valanthe rolls her eyes. Well, at the very least, it's good for me to know what motivates you. You're welcome to any treasure you find... except anything that is obviously a Pharasman relic or artifact.
"Not a problem. Not a problem. If we find a bottle of air or a nebulizer in there it's yours."
Valeros The Free |
Previously
"Hey, it's all good. Just wanted to not have folks selling themselves short. Sometimes y' gotta live a little to respect what you've earned, right? And on a job, the shenanigans get dialed back a bit, there's enough what erupt from what you're doing to take care of that angle, right?"
At the Church
Valeros sighs during the briefing and the back-and-forth. "Thank you very much for the equipment, it really takes a load off my mind, to say the least. Are we resting for the night or getting right to it?"
Tanna Giantsmite |
Tanna bluntly ignores the attempts to swoon and complement her, instead saying to Valanthe, "Many thanks for the gifts, M'lady. Might your sanctuary have anymore Holy Water for sale? I have had some success using Holy Water against the undead on a frozen long-ship locked in a tapestry one time... long story!"
Tanna will bargain for 2 more flasks of Holy Water, offering 40 gp
GM Andrew |
Tanna bluntly ignores the attempts to swoon and complement her, instead saying to Valanthe, "Many thanks for the gifts, M'lady. Might your sanctuary have anymore Holy Water for sale? I have had some success using Holy Water against the undead on a frozen long-ship locked in a tapestry one time... long story!"
Tanna will bargain for 2 more flasks of Holy Water, offering 40 gp
We have plenty here for sale! Unfortunately, I can't sell it for less than full price due to PFS rules. There's tons of boons and prestige awards for that so I can't just do it arbitrarily. :)
Valeros The Free |
The Caydenite resists the urge to facepalm at the haggling effort for the extra holy water.
"Most holy places sell the weak stuff at cost, so you're not going to get it any cheaper than what they ask for it. Weak meaning you really wouldn't want to drink it, unlike, say, some made by a good priest of the Drunken Hero. Nice try, though?"
Valeros pauses for a moment.
"No, not a priest, just have faith in the Guy."
GM Andrew |
Ready to go? Wait in the cathedral for a few minutes. Have to pick up a couple items before I lead you there.
She heads to the backside of the cathedral where she opens the door slightly and walks in This area of the church has a symbol of Pharasma that highlights her "Fate" aspect. After a few minutes, Valanthe comes back out and tells you to follow her.
Valanthe leads you outside the cathedral and to the cliff that borders the Bottoms district. She takes you through winding paths upwards on the cliff before coming to the mouth of what looks like an open cave. There are more Pharasman guards stationed at this entrance. Valanthe waves to them, and they let the whole party pass without any hardship.
She takes you through winding tunnels inside the cliff face. As you walk along, you find that most passageway walls are riddled with skeletal remains, but a few areas also have coffins which you can infer were the more influential people of the city's past. As you walk along, you find various members of the clergy performing rites of burial and armored figures patrolling the caves. All the passageways are well lit with everburning torches.
It feels like about 5 minutes of walking around these catacombs (which feels like a maze) before you enter an area where the walls have been disturbed. This looks like the area Valanthe was talking about; there appears to be missing skeletal remains here in the walls. This is so dreadful says Valanthe as she walks by the scene. I hope you can solve this problem.
After about a half minute more of walking, Valanthe and the party come to what appears to be a stone door with a keyhole and handle.
This is the place. She reaches into her pockets. Here, take this. It is a Chime of Opening. You can use this while you explore the crypt, but I would save at least one use for getting back through this door. The Pharasma clergy will not open this door for any reason, as we have no way to know it is you and could be unleashing an undead scourge upon the catacombs. It currently has 5 uses.
After handing that over, she reaches into another pocket and take out a large key. She then uses the key to open the door and says Good luck! You see a spiral staircase heading downwards into the darkness (and no keyhole on the other side).
Creat the Cheat |
Tanna bluntly ignores the attempts to swoon and complement her, instead saying to Valanthe, "Many thanks for the gifts, M'lady. Might your sanctuary have anymore Holy Water for sale? I have had some success using Holy Water against the undead on a frozen long-ship locked in a tapestry one time... long story!"
Tanna will bargain for 2 more flasks of Holy Water, offering 40 gp
Creat's in love. And ready to go.
"So you don't have to shave? That must be rough back in the mine."
Laeowynne Faelandalan |
"Thank you for the assistance. Please don't forget about us....Now lets see what awaits us. Who will be brave enough to venture in first? Seems awful dusty down here."
GM Andrew |
I won't forget. I'll tell the Pharasman guards about your presence for when you exit. I'll be in other places in the catacombs while you delve into the crypt. I have my daily duties to do after all, such as account for the bodies that went missing last night, report in, say my prayers, instruct some of the newer members... she drones on for a little. Oh, didn't mean to list my daily activities! Again, good luck!
Tyranius Stormbringer |
Tyranius grunts. I am ready. No undead will leave this crypt. Reaching out he takes the chime of opening and attaches it to his belt.
Laeowynne Faelandalan |
"Hopefully that was not the dinner bell for a pack of zombies as we enter..." the elf says to the others with a look of worry across his face...
GM Andrew |
As you walk down the stairs.
The door grinds open despite long years of disuse. Within, a stone spiral staircase descends into the earth. The stairs descent about 60 ft. before ending in a room. You hear the door closed by Valanthe behind you.
After getting down the staircase.
Old carvings cover the walls of this square chamber, thick with dust and cobwebs. Three sets of stone double doors stand in the three facing walls. Heavy bronze seals emblazoned with the symbol of Pharasma secure the doors against whatever lies beyond.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
As you head down, a darkness washes over the party, suppressing all light sources and hear a short screeching sound come from behind!
Please don't open the following spoilers unless your name is on it.
Darkness Rules
- All of the following rules apply when you can't see.
- You are denied you dexterity bonus to AC and take -2 to your AC on top of that.
- Every creature has a 50% miss chance for attack rolls (doesn't affect harmless effects like curing an ally)
- You can move at half speed normally, or full speed if you make an Acrobatics check DC 10. Failure means you fall prone from where you started your move action.
Everyone: I placed the edge of the darkness on the map. Some of you can see the monster(s) and some can't, but I let you see each other as you can try to direct people.
THE GREY IS THE EDGE OF THE DARKNESS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Creat: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Laeowynne: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Ray: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Tanna: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Tyranius: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Valeros: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Blue: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
GM Andrew |
Blue's Turn
You hear some quiet screeching from behind you!
Slam Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Slam Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Grab Attempt: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Initiative Order - Bolded characters may post their turn
Blue (-0)
Tanna (-3)
Laeowynne (-0)
Ray (-0)
Tyranius (-0)
Creat (-0)
Valeros (-0)
GM Andrew |
The elf casts Dancing Lights ahead of the party to shine some light on the area...
Perfectly fine while heading down, and you can see while heading down just fine, but once you are at the bottom and attacked, your dancing lights do not shine through this seemingly magical darkness. So feel free to take your turn.
Valeros The Free |
Valeros fumbles around in the dark, muttering curses as he attempts to figure out how to progress and not get attacked.
1d8(Direction of movement): 1d8 ⇒ 1
The human fighter stumbles forward at first Possibly triggering AoO? and still attempts to get his bearings...
1d8(Direction of movement): 1d8 ⇒ 8
...and might make it to a spot of better lit area. Once he can see what he's doing he draws his weapons.