[PFS] Deussu's #37 The Beggar's Pearl (Inactive)

Game Master Deussu

Lort wrote:

Also, is Lort + arms + greatsword tall and long enough to attack her from the ground? Otherwise, he is equipped with 3 spears (when hurled: +3, 1d8+5/×3) for when you do the "big takeover".

I was waiting for a response to this before posting my round 3 action. Also, I thought you were going to bot us to speed things up...

Guh, you're right. I grant Lort the ability to attack the elf with that.

Frustrated by the ever-healing elf, Lort can't stand such cowardice and marches right next to the elf and strikes a blow like nobody has seen. The elf drops to the floor in a feathery floating manner.

Despite the foe being vanquished, it still seems to be regaining its strength, its wounds closing.

Everyone proceeds to whack the elf to death, but despite being severed, it just keeps healing up!

So basically every action done in Round 4 is moot... I expect everyone to try and whack the elf to death, so it has taken quite a bit of damage, but obviously just damage isn't going to keep it down. We can now move out of combat and proceed without turns, Lort giving it a blow once in a while to keep it down.

Woah, nice rolls! And no worries about the delay, I know things are distracting at home for you right now. Hope it calms down soon.

Lort the Mighty sighs a mighty sigh of relief. "Well, that's got her sorted for now. Can we try some different damage types? Fire and acid usually do the trick, but something tells me this one isn't your regular regenerator. If we have electricity or cold, also worth a shot. Let's try some different metals, too: cold iron, silver, adamantine - even wood. I've just got plain old steel. If anyone has a magical weapon, I say try it out. We should also have a try at some different alignments. I'm going to guess she was evil, so let's try a good aligned weapon if we have one. Worth trying both lawful and chaotic weapons, too. I doubt piercing or bludgeoning weapons will have much to say about stopping her regeneration, but if all else fails, let's try. At least, that's what my mentor taught me about vanquishing hard-to-beat foes."

With that, Lort forcefully slides his greatsword into the witch-elf's eye socket again, spraying blood and newly reformed ichor all over the gore drenched floor.

"If someone else wants to take over here for a while, I can help turn over this room, too." Bored with the eye-work, Lort leaves a spear in there (covering his piercing theory), its point resting against the back of her skull. He stirs her brains a little and then begins half-heartedly decapitating the elf.

Perception to loot the room: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Essentially, Lort is asking the party to try dealing every different damage type they can muster. If he missed a damage sub-type in his description, please feel free to fill it in by giving it a go!

Ozren seems to regain his normal placid demeanor once the battle has died down. He rubs his head and watches the party carve up the rapidly regenerating witch. After a few moments he walks over to stand near Gunari. Why don't we remove her head, bury the body, and take the head with us?

"If you cut off her head, can I eat it?" hisses Zatoma.

That's a CDG equivalent move I think...

-Posted with Wayfinder

"That might work... I can send Zato back to his home plane while he digests her, then we burn the body." adds Khalos

-Posted with Wayfinder

"By Cayden's keg, this a tough foe! I've struck her with cold iron. Since we don't know for sure, I'll whack her with my silvered hammer. Perhaps we could break the head off of an arrow, and drive it through her heart? I've never seen such a foe!"

With this Gunari will do a CDG with his silvered light hammer. cdg: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 2) + 4 = 7

Gunari watches to see if she keeps healing after that.

Amazingly the silver pick appears to do the trick. A deep wound made with it doesn't start to close like the others.

Gunari then proceeds to whack the elf into pulp. Torvic finally eases his mind and dares to approach. "I... I recognize that elf. She- she's the source of all my nightmares, the horrors." The dwarven prospector is still shaking, visibly terrified by the elf, moreso as it is now a gory pile of flesh and blood.

"Do you always work like this? How- how can you cope with this?"

"Having meals hours before diving into a dungeon helps prevent excessive puking. That and a reliable partner, like Zatoma or Gunari's hammer does wonders." says Khalos with a shrug. "At least the source of your horrors is gone now, are you feeling any better?"

"Maybe, I think." Torvic holds his head as he gets closer to make sure the elf is dead. "Morilaeth... that was her name. I can recall her name being shrieked in my mind. It'll take some time to recover from this ordeal."

"Torvic, if there is anything that I can do to help, please let me know." Gunari grabs one of the tankards at his belt, makes sure that it has at least a semblance of cleanliness, and fills a tankard with divinely created beer.

Handing it to Torvic, he says, "I know this probably won't stop the nightmares, but it might dull the pain, a bit. By the Accidental God, you could use a break!"

Gunari takes a look at Torvic, with perhaps a more sober eye than he's done as of late, heal check to gauge Torvic's health: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16sense motive for same: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20.

Lort steps through the elven puddle, mug in hand for the devotee of the drunken hero to fill. "You've done well, friend." Lort turns and addresses the others, "Well, I can't see anything of value in this room. Shall we move on? Perhaps even report our findings back home. I find my appetite for battle to be sated for now. My... stomach is no longer in it." Lort takes one last mournful look at the human remains before callously flicking a pointed ear from his boot.

"What say you, Torvic, is there more to be discovered here, or should we best return home with our enemy now vanquished?"

Gunari smiles at the big half-orc, as casts Create Water Beer. "May The Drunken Hero reward you for your valor!"

He then remember his teachings, both as a Pathfinder, and from his early days in Varisia. 'Never leave anything of worth. Collect, catalog, cash-in!'

"Hey, guys, while I handle our spiritual health, why don't some of you all search the bodies here? Especially this former elven woman." Gunari spits on the corpse. "Oh, and sorry... try and avoid that."

"Who else needs a prayer in a tankard?"

Torvic thanks for the beer and takes a sip. "Well, since we're here it might be good to look at this marvelous place..." Torvic says, eyeing around the room. "Surely there's something left from the olden days."

Lort actually notices a separate corpse in the corner of the hall that appears to be different from the numerous human corpses littering the main floor. Khalos recognizes these late men to be members of Andoran's Lumber Consortium.

Lort drinks mightily from his freshly filled mug. "My thanks, Gunari. I suppose we had best search this place before returning home." Wiping a pinkish mix of beer foam and elf-blood from his beard, Lort will inspect the Andoran Lumber Consortium corpse further, stripping it bare if need be. Respect for the dead has not been a priority thus far, why start now?

When that grisly task is complete, if no-one else has done so, Lort starts to sieve the elf in order to discover what solid parts of value remain.

"Hey, there's some guys here from the Andoran Lumber Consortium. I've heard of them but don't have any link to them. Do you guys know why they're here?" says Khalos.

I think the danger has passed. Time for some rest Zatoma.

Khalos waves his hand as Zatoma dematerializes, returned to his home plane. He then takes his time searching the room and corpses. Take 20 for 21

The Lumber consortium members seemed to be part of the mites' and derros' feast. There's nothing to be salvaged, nothing to be saved.

The corpse in the corner looks interesting. It's a skeleton draped over a chair. The bones are yellowed, and judging by their size they belonged to a dwarf. It's holding a ring in its finger and a bracelet around its wrist. Torvic peers in. "That... could that be the remains of Barek Triongger?"

Curiosity takes over for Gunari, who casts Detect Magic... trying to determine if the ring and bracelets were magic.

"Oh, this is might be the person you were looking for? It looks like he's went to the Boneyard quite some time ago." Gunari considers pouring the dwarf another beer.

"Well it'd be a miracle if he'd be alive." Torvic replies, chuckling a bit. "We better look this place through for more monsters to slay. Perhaps we dwarves can reinhabit this place."

Gunari's detect magic doesn't reveal anything new. The items with the skeleton are nonmagical.

"Sounds like a plan, Torvic! Glad to see you've got at least a little humor back in you!"

Gunari starts to help out the investigation... sweeping the room, and going through the rest of the place.

I didn't even know there were more rooms to be found! I guess the numbering should have been a clue that we're at least missing rooms 7, 8, 9, 10 and 18.

"Clear out the place, you say, Torvic?' Lort looks up from his grisly task, elf guts coating his now-ruined tabard, "I guess we can finish what we started. My taste for these creatures' blood has not so soured that I cannot rise to that request. Perhaps a bit of healing first, though, my drunken friend? And another tankard of Cayden's best?"

Once healed and freshly tipsy (assuming Gunari is willing) Lort searches the room for hidden doors first.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Is that door behind the throne supposed to be visible? It just hasn't been in any descriptions thus far. If so, or if Lort or one of his companions sees it, please apply the following to that door instead.

If Lort finds no secret doors, he'll move on to the lower levels. Lort just assumes his companions will follow and doesn't wait for them to say so. He'll revisit the workshop first, and try that last unopened door.

If needed, he'll spend some time persuading the door to open:

Strength check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Strength check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Strength check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Talking about the door just to the right of room #17, again assuming the door behind the throne either remains hidden or the map symbol isn't actually representative of a door.

"Healing would be a good idea. And beer is never a bad one!"

Gunari will spread the healing out among our wands... just roll for yourself, and I'll keep track of charges used, since we were going to spread them out among all of our wands. Who has wands, again?

CLW for Gunari: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 (good one, he's full)
CLW for Lort: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 (Also good!)

"My thanks, Gunari!" bellows Lort just before downing his beverage.

With that, Lort strides over to the nearest unopened door that he's aware of. Actions as above.

Gunari finds a satchel of tools under the dwarven skeleton's bony feet. It appears of hold stoneworker's chisels, and have endured the passage of time remarkably well.

While Gunari is busy browsing through the late dwarf's belongings, Lort find - either by sheer luck or amazing skill - not one but two secret doors! One leads to a large shaft that goes down 20 feet; the other secret door leads to a narrow corridor that turns right after some 30 feet.

Since Lort found secret doors, I forgo all the latter stuff Lort was about to do. And yes, I forgot to describe the door behind the throne.

Dungeon map updated

"Ha!" exclaims Lort, far too loudly (Gunari's alcohol-based ministrations clearly having an effect on him), "Found some doors!"

The massive half-orc then proceeds to urinate down the shaft, while whistling an out of tune sea shanty he picked up on the docks of Korvosa. He then flings open the other secret door and barrels down the stairs with greatsword in hand. The other pathfinders can only hope that Lort remembered to retie his breeches before moving on.

Heading down to area 22.

"Oh boy." Torvic exclaims in a monotone voice. "You fed him too much. Not every adventurer can take control of their actions while intoxicated. In fact, no one can."

[b]"If it was good enough for Cayden Cailean while he was an adventurer, I reckon it is good enough for me! And me buddy, Lort!

"Say, is this stuff worth anything?"

"Don't mind me!" yells Lort from around the corridor and down the stairs, "I could be getting killed, eaten, trapped... whatever, no need to follow. You just keep figuring how much you can sell those dusty old bones for."

Getting bored of having so much help during a fight anyway.

Gunari hears the impetuos half-Orc and follows him through the door, calling for the others to follow.

Ozren quickly heeds Gunari's cue to act and falls into line.

There's still more of them? Oh well, I guess my bird could use some exercise.

Khalos follows closely behind the others, "What do you see down there Lort?"

"Not sure what is down here, Khalos. There's some kind of event in the way. I'll let you know as soon as the revelers pass."

Lort sits down and thinks about sleeping off the warpriest's beers, but has a better idea, "Fill 'er up!" he cries, holding his tankard aloft, "And has anyone seen Edgar? What ever happened to Thaddeus? Oh, hey, Ozren, do that thing where you talk like you've got a fish in your mouth!"

Ozren recoils when Lort speaks to him directly, clearly not used to being the focal point of anyone's conversation. After realizing it is Lort talking to him, he looks at him curiously. My apologies Lort, I must have been lost in thought though I am not sure what you are talking about. He looks at Lort and he can plainly tell that the odd man is being completely honest with him.

Edgar replies, "I'm sorry my friend I must have been lost in my thoughts as well. I am just ready to get out of this place. Even though I'm a dwarf this place gives me the creeps."

You hear Edgar mutter under his breath "Fowl witch defiling this place."

Lort seems to sober up a little as he turns to Ozren, "You mean you don't even know you're doing it? Well, I'll be a halfling's uncle. Ha! Ha ha ha!"

Realizing how rude he is being, Lort quickly turns his attention to Edgar, "Good to see you again, friend. Let us watch this event together and drink heartily to Gunari's largess! It may renew your thirst for adventure. I know it has restored mine. I hear it is also excellent for one's liver."

The team, led by the overeager Lort, rummages through the complex at a frightening pace. Following the half-orc they first come to a kitchen (area 8 and 9).

The kitchen is filled with ceramic pots, each filled with smelly funal concoctions. Dangerously curious as Lort happens to be, he can't resist opening one to see what's inside, only to be greeted by the most foul smell ever encountered. Thanks to his current diet he doesn't feel an irresistable need to vomit. Gunari follows soon after, and somehow mistakes the concoction for spirits. One can only imagine what the result of that was!

The finds a long tunnel behind one door that apparently leads to a humongous natural cavern (area 10). Lort is smart enough to not start scavenging all of Darklands right now, and returns back to the kitchen as others are making more thorough investigations of the belongings.

Lort continues forth and exits the kitchen to a wider corridor, which is strangely familiar (area 6). Once Ozren mentions it is the same from which they started, Lort blazes to the next door (area 5). Opening it with much fervor, he comes to a chapel.

The chapel (area 7) holds rows of dusty pews and an altar, which appears to be an enormous floor-to-ceiling warhammer sitting on its head, handle up. Some question what the deity might be only to have Edgar sigh loudly and exclaim it to be a temple of Torag, of course.

Starting to recognize the place Lort runs onwards, the rest of the team is - maybe excluding Gunari - annoyed by the drunk half-orc's disregard to the golden rule, don't split the party.

Lort finds another corridor (area 18) leading from the workshop to the humongous cavern (area 24). It doesn't interest him enough, and he heads back. That gives enough time for the rest of the team to catch him up.

Too keen to keep on going, Lort finally gets back to the huge hall where the battle against the nightmarish elf took place. He rushes to the room behind the throne (area 21). Perhaps unsurprisingly it holds a large bed, a wardrobe, and other bedroom furniture, still in good shape. Without much effort, Khalos finds a secret door behind one wall panel, though the corridor behind it leads to the same, boring natural cavern (area 23). Intriguingly, this exit doesn't have a ledge, and directly below it is the entrance to a corridor that leads to the workshop (area 24).

Content with their findings they gather once more at the entrance of the gallery (area 1).

"Boy, we sure took a grand tour there." Torvic chuckles and winks at Lort. "I'm happy with what I've seen, or rather not seen." He says while kicking a dead body of a mite. "I sincerely thank you for your cooperation and help, I can now deliver a message to my kin about this place, and how it's now, err, 'vacant'."

It's about to be over. Only some talking with the rescued prisoners left...

"Aye, vacant is a good word for it. The architecture seems to lose its charm after a while though, especially with these creatures messing up the place." Khalos nods at the mite. "I wonder how the others camped outside are doing?"

Lort moves over to the ledge and relieves himself once more. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah."

Struggling to stand somewhat, Lort moves over to Gunari. "Besht dunsheon clean up... evah. Your beer ish the greatesht. More?"

Lort eventually follows Khalos outside. Almost forgot about these guys. Must be all that beer. No matter how much I pickle my brain, though, the images of those poor souls still remain.

"Well here's hoping the many dangers of Aspodell mountains haven't sensed their weakened state and come hunting." Torvic says. "And Lort, please stop defiling my ancestor's home."

"My friend, maybe you should take a moment to slow down. Enjoy life!"
Gunari holds off giving the half-orc another beer, thinking, perhaps, he's had enough. He thinks back through the whirlwind passage through the rooms, in case there was something they should check out in more detail.

"Khalos, perhaps you could send your friend around to check in the rooms we just flew through, while we look into the freed prisoners. We don't want to miss anything, after all!"

Cut off from Cayden's blessings, Lort pulls out his wineskin. "Sh'okay, did'n... did'n need you anywaysh. An' you!" Lort points a finger vaguely in Torvic's direction, "Have shome grati... grati... ah, fank ush more. Wif what we did to that bitcsh up there, you'f got biggah clean up problemsh than orc pish. Anywaysh... don' blame me if your... *burp*... ansheshtorsh did'n build enuff latrinesh."

With one last long swig from his wineskin, Lort pops himself down for a little power nap. Almost immediately, dribble starts to run down the side of his mouth.

"Is this how you others operate through dungeons? 'Drink your troubles away', eh?" Torvic asks in a condescending voice. "We better haul him away from here before he humiliates himself more."

With a slight disgust the dwarf goes to grab Lort by the hands, looking at others to aid him carry the passed out half-orc out.

Erm, thought we were outside. See above: "Lort eventually follows Khalos outside." Looking forward to chatting with the folks we rescued.

Erm, thought we were outside. See above: "Lort eventually follows Khalos outside." Looking forward to chatting with the folks we rescued.

Oy, you're right, missed that bit. Editing my message while I still can.

Gunari checks out the (former) prisoners, to see how they are still doing. as I recall, it was Lyrehawk, a human woman; Merisk, amale dwarf, and some unknown male human

"Has our human woken up, yet?"
If needed:
heal check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

If the human is still unconscious, and looks like healing will help, Gunari will us a charge of Cure Light Wounds on him.
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

"So, we've managed to kill the nightmarish elf woman that was terrorizing the place. Should be safe to go back in, or we can head back to civilization. No offense meant, Torvic, but this place has been abandoned for some time.

"We'd all be interested in seeing this place restored, so we should get back, report what we've found, and let the Society help the dwarves regain their lost treasure."

Gunari has deduced that the last moaning human is not yet recoverable, needing more time to wake up from what appears to be a lucid nightmare. No need to use a charge.

Torvic smiles as he hears Gunari's thoughts. "Sounds swell to me. All the dwarves of the Five Kings will be grateful for what you did to us here on this day."

Lyrehawk, the female human, salutes lazily the approaching pathfinders. "No, the fat man hasn't woken up." she says with a smirk. "Merisk here has been complaining about his agony all the time, so I would appreciate it if you were to alleviate his pain somehow."

"And we sure as heck are ready to get back to civilization, be it Cheliax or Andoran. I've had enough of Aspodell mountains and its hidden ruins for this season. Though I'll still interested in getting something out of this, Torvic." Lyrehawk says, gazing at the dwarf with a sinister yet playful grin.

Taking what Lyrehawk has said to heart, Gunari takes a look at Merisk. heal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8.
"Merisk, what seems be the trouble? Would you like some of Cayden Cailean's sacred brew? It always heals what ails me!"
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

If he seems to need it, Gunari will use a charge on him. Doesn't make sense to keep people injured before we head home!

Khalos looks to Gunari and says "Zatoma is resting now and I'd prefer not call him back on a whim. If someone would like to escort me though, I can summon an eagle to swoop around the place just to make sure it's clear of enemies. He's not very smart though, so we will have to do the searching ourselves."

If anyone takes up the offer, Khalos will summon an eagle to roam the ruins, but he will take his time checking the rooms (e.g. take 20 all the way) and opening doors.

"Makes sense. Why don't you Edgar, and Ozren do that, while I take care of things here. Lort can sleep off some of his indulgences. If there is any way that you can send something that can quickly find us if you get into trouble, that'd be good, too."

After meticulous preparations the team of pathfinder and mercenaries sets its course towards the closest town, Piren's Bluff. The journey starts off slow due to the injured and slow-moving mercenaries, but after getting accustomed to the situation and coming up with aids to carry the injured, traveling becomes much less of a burden.

After a few days of travel through the eventless mountain trek, they all arrive in Piren's Bluff. The team splits up, the mercenaries heading north while the pathfinders pick a quicker caravan back to Almas, paid by the society of course.

After their return to Almas lodge, venture-captain Brackett welcomes and congratulates them wholeheartedly. He tells the pathfinders how he has already of heard of their success after messages came pouring in from the dwarves of the Five Kings. The promise of knowledge of dwarven lore and art excites the venture-captain, claiming it to be one of the largest 'victories' for the society in Andoran for a long time.

Very soon after their arrival to Almas, but before their departures to new adventures, a convoy of Andoran Eagle Knights approaches the lodge. Curious, venture-captain Brackett inquires the reason for the occasion, only to hear that the pathfinders have been invited to a feast for rescuing Lyrehawk. Apparently the woman had influential friends among the ranks of the Eagle Knights. With that, the pathfinders join the feast - either to honor the invitation or to eat and drink for free - where they are celebrated for their bravery and goodwill. As a further token of the Knights gratitude, they give a present of two +1 fey bane arrows in case they ever run into hostile sprites in the Darkmoon Forest...

And so after an arduous trek to the mountains and back, the group comes home victorious, having fulfilled their mission to the letter.

Lort drinks excessively at the festivities - having learned little from his indiscretions at the Hall of the Stunty-things (or so he calls it after his twelfth mug). He doesn't even realize that most present don't know he's referring to the mites as the stunty-things until Torvic points out that dwarves are also short of stature.

Apologizing, Lort agrees to hold off on any more booze.

He then proceeds to arm-wrestle every able-looking soldier at the feast and challenges more than one to a foot race. Kurgess must have frowned upon his excesses, though, as Lort loses the race by a long margin to a monk and a barbarian, who tie.

In the days to come, Lort ponders his failings and eventually takes up the cloth, devoting his life to Kurgess... furthering his worship by showing strength as well as wisdom. Lort continues on with the Society, and cannot wait for his next adventure. He just hopes there will be a priest of Cayden Cailean with him on that one, too.