[PFS/DMK/YotS] 7-02 Six Seconds to Midnight (Inactive)

Game Master Kludde

Meanwhile, her master draws his morningstar and smites one of gremlins. Instantly, huge fangs appear in his mouth and tear at the creature's skin.

Attacking yellow:
Cold Iron Morningstar, BS, Prayer(FF): 1d20 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 2 + 2 = 231d8 + 2 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10
Bite: 1d20 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 1 + 2 + 2 = 131d6 + 3 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 + 2 = 12

Scarlet advances.

vs Cyan
Prayer

Attack 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 8 + 1 = 20
Damage 1d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 1 = 9

Attack 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 = 27
Damage 1d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 = 6

Rhanloi quickly selects a cold iron-tipped arrow and lets it fly over Marra's head at the yellow gremlin...
Ranged attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Marra starts her battle dance and throws the alchemist’s fire that she liberated from the sack at the blue gremlin.

alchemist fire thrown w/+1bless +4bard: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 1 + 4 = 17

damage if hits: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Though fianna cannot grab a hold of the fast gremlin, Skarn smashes one with ease. Scarlet puts the claw down on the muscular gremlin in front of her, toying with it a bit before finishing it off. Rhanloi's shot misses the last gremlin in the corner, but Marra sets it - and the surrounding tower - alight.

Looks like the pathfinders are competing with the gremlins for most destructive group.

---
Rhanloi
Scarlet
Boram
Marra
Skarn
---
Gremlin Hunter - Purple (3)
---

Boram treats another cold-iron tipped arrow and fires it at the remaining vexgit!

Move action: Prepare arrow (alchemical weapon)
Standard action: Fire at vexgit
Attack (+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Prayer, Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 10
Damage (+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Prayer, Deadly Aim, Alchemist's Fire, Acid Flask): 1d6 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 4 + 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 1 + 1 + 4 + (1) + (5) = 18

Boram fires off his arrow, but sends it astray, into the clockwork. With a crunching sound, the shaft gets eaten by the hungry gears.

The gremlin, having switched for its warhammer, still focuses on Fianna

Warhamme,r Fianna: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 141d4 ⇒ 3

---
Rhanloi
Scarlet
Boram
Marra
Skarn
---
Gremlin Hunter - Purple (3)
---

Scarlet moves into position.

Will incur an AOO

Attacks from the flank!

Prayer/Flank
Attack 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 + 2 = 29
Damage 1d4 + 4 + 1 + 2d6 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 + (1, 6) = 14

Rhanloi takes the opportunity to examine the gears and help extinguish any leftover flames before the tower becomes engulfed...

Fianna relentlessly attacks the gremlin with fang and fury.
Bite, PA, BS, P, Flanking: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 301d6 + 9 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 2 + 1 = 14 if successful: Trip: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 13

Confirmation: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 221d6 + 9 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 9 + 2 + 1 = 13

Seeing his companion ripping the last gremlin apart, Skarn opts to heal his own wounds.
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Frustrated, Boram fires another cold-iron tipped arrow at the remaining vexgit!

Standard action: Fire at vexgit
Attack (+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Prayer, Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 28
Damage (+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Prayer, Deadly Aim): 1d6 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 + 1 + 4 = 10

Attack (+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Prayer, Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 23
Damage (+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Prayer, Deadly Aim): 2d6 + 6 + 2 + 2 + 8 ⇒ (1, 1) + 6 + 2 + 2 + 8 = 20

Warhammer, aoo: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 101d4 ⇒ 3

Scarlet moves past the gremlin, and stabs it in the back, leaving Fianna to finish the job. With a single bite, she rips out the throat of the last of the gremlins.

Combat over!

One of the gremlin seems to have dropped a vial of sovereign glue.

With some trial and error, the pathfinders continue their path upward. On the next level, the stairway to the belfry has collapsed. In its place, a wall of bright blues and reds ripples in a wave, ebbing and flowing to some unseen force. The wall extends onto the ceiling, blocking the view of the floor above.

Rhanloi takes a moment to cast a spell on his and any other arrows or crossbow bolts in the group. "This adds a magical fire to the arrows, causing additional damage. I imagine a larger and more nasty fey creature awaits us beyond this wall..." Once the spell is complete, he steps through the force wall, and arrow ready on his bow...

Casting flame arrow on up to 50 projectiles.

Marra helps put out the fire when the combat if over.

Picking up the vial of sovereign glue, the halfling follows the others to the next level where the way up is blocked.

She looks for a red circle that leads to the belfry.

perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

Skarn frowns at the gremlins' corpses. "Good riddance. Now onwards."

Calling his wolf back, Skarn readies himself for the next floor. He casts detect magic to try and spot the anomalies in that new room.

Rhanloi tries to step through the force wall, but finds it to be solid as a rock.

I've been assuming so far that you've been able to find the right portal through trial and error, but this time I need something more sophisticated. How would you find out which portal is the right one?

Skarn studies again the piece of parchment that was given by Cerotious, as well as the two sylvan phrases written on it: “Alternate” and “Progress in an orderly fashion”

"I wonder what that means. Do we have to alternate the color of the portals that we take? But then, what would it mean to "progress in orderly fashion?"

Is there a window? Can Scarlet work out if the thing can be bypassed by climbing the external face of the tower or something? Master of the Fallen Fortress veterans unite!

Scarlet looks for a way to break in...

"We've been taking alternate colored portals - red up and then blue down - and proceeded in an orderly fashion. Perhaps the order is in the portal we have to take. Was there an order to which red portals brought us up to each level? Clockwise or counterclockwise?"

DMK, assuming the red portals with the "S" in them are the ones that move us up.

Marra comments "The red portals seem to be moving in a counter clockwise motion. first about one o'clock then half past ten and nineish. if the pattern holds it could be a red portal about about seven to eight position?"

Boram considers the drawing. "Perhaps the number of marks matters here? This floor appears to have 6, while the floor below has 4. The floor above has 10. We may need to use some combination of portals to reach that floor."

The S is not visible on the portals :-). You're on the right track with alternates and orderly fashion. All I want to know is how you'll figure out which of the portals leads to the belfry. You can of course say 'pick randomly'. That'll work, eventually.

I've put up the map for the fourth floor. There's only two portals to choose

Rhanloi nods at Marra's keen observation. "Then we should take this blue portal first, then come back up the stairs and take the next counter-clockwise red one." he says, stepping through a blue portal. After transporting down to the second level, he will take the steps back to the third floor, then take the red portal to the west (counter clockwise from the previous red portal.)

Scarlet follows Rhanloi trying that tactic.

The party eventually makes it through the last red portal, to the belfry.

The top of the Clock Tower is swathed in bright light, any view of the town of Uringen blocked by barriers of glowing violet. The numerous gears that drive the clocks spin and tick in time, and with every twitch of the seconds’ hand, a shudder runs through the room. Between the gears of the clocks, a thick, silver-gold substance drips out, crackling with arcs of red and blue.

Near the dripping substance, a humanoid clad in leaves and a wearing a crown of warped wood is collecting vials of the substance. She looks up and says something in a strange Sylvan accent.

Scarlet takes the fact that the creature hasn't trued to stab or murder them all as a positive.

She gestures to the vials and the silver gold substance then points to herself as though she would like some.

She tries appearing friendly.

Scarlet points at her own ears and mouth and simply gestures she doesn't understand, then gestures at the vial again, and to give her one.

Over to you guys if you speak Sylvan

Boram translates for the fey creature, then says - in Common, for the benefit of his comrades - "If we can resolve this issue without destroying the tower, then let's do that. How can we help?"; he then repeats the question in Sylvan.

Rhanloi also speaks the fey language, and helps Boram speak with the creature. In Sylvan but translated for the group, too... "We did not know of the damage, but want to help repair the heelstone. What can we do that helps all of our people?"

Marra tries to recall what she knows of heelstones and how the people may have damaged them.

K(nature, arcane or planes): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Marra knows very little of relevance, but it doesn't take a genius to deduct that building a tower on top of a fey circle with standing stones might damage them.

The fey is quick to corroborate this fact The tower, and the town, all were have been to be built of top of the heel stone. I will have to have been wiped out, and the heelstone needs to be have been repaired.

The woman seems to have a pretty strange idea of time, as if speaking from a different perspective on it. She is clear that her solution requires destroying the town.

Can I have a diplomacy check if you want to convince her into doing otherwise?

Marra looks taken back "You can't destroy the town There are people who live here! There has to be another way. Can the town or heelstone be moved?

diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Skarn glances at the fey, then nods with an understanding look.

"While you're making a perfectly good case, I think that your actions would prove destructive to your own people. For once, they would be hunted by the angry townsfolk once the tower is destroyed. But more importantly, destroying it won't erase the years of disruption that have happened. You appear to understand time differently than we do, so you must understand that destroying it now won't alter the time flow. However, what you can do is try and make do with this situation. Why don't you try and talk to the townpeople? They could perhaps be of help and find a common ground with you."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17 Using my reroll, 3-star GM
Diplomacy reroll: 1d20 + 15 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 15 + 3 = 29

Could anyone aid, please?

Scarlet simply nods along as though what Skarn says is clearly the most 100% logical thing she has heard all year.

Diplo-Aid 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

I will have been their own foolish mistake to build the town on the circle of magic. Who builds time upon the timeless? What it this town but another speck in the cosmos, crumbling down as we speak? Yet, I see your argument - a return of the heelstone was possible without the destruction of the tower. A perpetual deal: the heelstone will always have been in this place, unbroken, with the tower intact. A heelstone in the fundament of the tower, and the circle in perpetual restoration - always have been restored. This is an option, and the town can crumble down more slowly.

Time does not pass, the world flows under it, she corrects Skarn, the destructing passes through time - a ripple. The ripple can stop. Time flows, and here is the tap she points at the temporal essence and time does not wait, nor can it be captured, except here. Let me collect, and we may put an end to the ripple.

She seems to agree to leaving the town undestroyed, then continues collecting the temporal essence.

Marra tries to determine if she is being truthful.

sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

"I thank you for your understanding, and willingness to compromise. Oh, and we would like to collect temporal essence as well, if you don't mind."
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30

Wasn't that one of our goals?

The fey reluctantly allows Skarn to collect a vial of the essence, before a purple portal appears. The portal sucks in Cerotius' note, while the woman seems unfazed by its appearance and says It is time.

Wasn't that one of our goals?

Indeed!

Scarlet follows through the portal.

Rhanloi also steps through the portal after the group has collected the required temporal essence...

Boram steps through the portal as well.

The fey woman moves along with the pathfinders. Down on the square, it looks like an ambush: an invisible voice (coming roughly from a northeastern direction) says to the Fey woman: Henbane? Why are you not helping to destroy the tower? to which the woman simply answers the time wasn't right anymore. Your request only made sense later.

There's the silent scuffling of tiny feet - something wicked this way comes...

The yellow cone gives an idea of where the sound is coming from

---
Boram
Rhanloi
Scarlet
Skarn
Marra
---
Grig
Quickling
Quickling
Quickling
---

Rhanloi, tired of these fey creatures, decides to unleash the major artillery and yells a warning to his group. "Fire in the hole!" He draws back on his bow and releases a growing ball of dark-red fire, which explodes in a huge sphere in the area where the voices came from! (See the map! DC19 Reflex for half damage.)
Burn baby, burn!: 5d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 6, 2, 6, 4) + 2 = 25

The oracle raises his hands to the moon.

"Groetus, bring down your favor to those who seek to hasten the end times!"

Prayer: You and each of your allies gain a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each of your foes takes a –1 penalty on such rolls.

Once Blessing of the Reckoning is upon the Pathfinders, the Jadwiga orders: "Fianna, seek them out and hunt them down."

Fianna has scent, so she'll take a move action to get closer (position on the map), then try to pinpoin the invisible creatures.

RFX: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27
RFX: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23
RFX: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (1) + 18 = 19
RFX: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25

Rhanloi fires of a ball of evocative energy, burning the creature and temporary showing their outlines. Fianna has no trouble smelling out the scorched creature ahead, while Skarn takes the moment for a payer.

Al creatures are invisible

---
Boram
Rhanloi
Scarlet
Skarn
Marra
---
Grig (12)
Quickling (12)
Quickling (25)
Quickling (12)
---

Those saves...!

Scarlet triggers her necklace.

Sihedron Medallion - 2d10 + 3 ⇒ (5, 7) + 3 = 15 - temp hp.

sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Not sure what to think about Henbane, Marra start a bardic inspirational story and moves forward drawing her scimitar and charging it with arcane energy.

bardic Inspiration +2 morale save vs fear, +2 competency to hit and damage. 8th of 15r