Luke_Parry |
Seven years ago, Pharaoh Khemet III, the Ruby Prince, formally opened Osirion's ancient tombs and burial sites to foreign explorers. Khemet III understood that adventurers who've traveled great distances in search of treasure typically do not return from whence they came to sell their discoveries. Instead, they typically sell or trade what they do not keep as quickly as possible at the closest civilized community with an economy strong enough to absorb an influx of valuable antiquities. The Ruby Prince's policy has attracted not only explorers to the desert nation of Osirion, but also countless scholars, private collectors, special interest groups such as the Pathfinder Society, and financial interests from all across the Inner Sea. A minor industry has sprung up just to support visiting explorers, and an even larger infrastructure has come into being to serve foreign investors and traders. Every opening of a major site has heralded an economic boom, for the local area and Osirion as a whole.
Unlike many of Osirion's tombs and graveyards, however, the necropolis of Wati has remained largely untouched, in no small part because of local taboos and the protection of the Grand Mausoleum's priests. But Khemet III has now ordered the local authorities and church of Pharasma to open Wati's necropolis to exploration for the purpose of discovery, study, and economic stimulus.
As you trudge forward into the Necropolis of Wati, you harken back to the words of the briefing given to you by Venture Captain Norden Balentiir.
"I don't need to tell you how lucky we are to have managed to gain the opportunity to explore some of the sites within the Necropolis of Wati. Please remember, however, that whilst you *are* there to explore, grab what you can, and learn what you can, you will also be going there as ambassadors of the Society, so please remember the cardinal rules of access to the Necropolis,", he says, handing each of you a small papyrus scroll, before unrolling a similar one himself, and reading it out loud:
"1) Remember How This Came to Pass: The Plague of Madness was unleashed upon the city of Wati while religious authorities were engaged in infighting. This rule is a reminder that the necropolis remains a holy place, and those who engage in needless conflict and banditry are not only criminals, but accursed.
2) Every Slave's Hut Is a Memorial: Every structure within the necropolis is a testament to the people who lived and died in the city. Explorers must not desecrate or vandalize standing structures and tombs, but preserve them as the memorials they were intended to be. Some structures may be trapped or decrepit, but willful and unnecessary destruction will not be tolerated.
3) Honor the Departed: The dead should b e treated with dignity and respect. If the interred need to be disturbed to recover an antiquity or relic, they should be returned to their resting places carefully. It is understood that the ancient dead are often brittle, but there is no need for the contents of a sarcophagus to be summarily dumped on the ground. This rule does not apply to the undead or other abominations."
Venture Captain Balantiir glances long and hard at each of you, before continuing.
"I have it on good authority that failure to comply with these rules can result in, but is not limited to, expulsion from the necropolis, a ban on continued exploration, seizure of recovered valuables, and arrest and prosecution by local authorities - try not to give them an excuse to do so".
He then unfurls a map across his desk, pushing aside numerous scrolls and books in the process.
"Your first assigned site is an actual tomb that predates the Plague of Madness, located in the city's original cemetery in the eastern section of the necropolis. Once you have completed that, you can progress to your second location - a walled, two story mansion with surrounding grounds, abandoned since the Plague of Madness, which is believed to have belonged to some minor nobility of the city."
He then stands to attention and salutes you.
"Good luck - the Society is counting on you."
...and so you find yourselves in front of a rectangular stone mausoleum sits alone in what appears to have once been an actual cemetery. The trunks of a few dead trees poke out of the sand around the tomb, and a hot breeze whistles through their desiccated branches. A set of massive stone double doors is affixed to the northern side of the structure, beneath a facade bearing the likeness of an Osirian man. Windblown sand is heaped around the crypt, partially burying the doors that lead within.
The doors swing outward, but they cannot be opened normally until the sand blocking them has been cleared away, which requires no more than an hour of sweaty labor. Once the sand has been cleared away, a successful DC 25 Strength check is required to open them. There are no exterior handles to grasp, or sections to push on for leverage. Using a tool such as a crowbar reduces the DC of the Strength check to 20, in addition to the bonus the tool provides on the check.
Dolres |
"Can you believe we are finally here, in this ancient city, in front of this ancient tomb. I can hardly wait to see what we find!"
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
1 short of seeing the other tab
"Well look at this the doors open outward on hinges over here. It appears the mortar on the seams has crumbled or been chipped away, almost as if it was never ment to be open. Imagine that!. I think if we clear away the sand with a little work we should be able to open the doors. Anyone up for a little work?"
with that said Dolres begins to clear away the sand.
Delphine Tarrasquel |
.
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
Arriving with the party is a young elf, dressed in typical elven fashion, wearing a chain shirt with an elven curved blade over one shoulder and bow and quiver over the other, his pack riding low on his back. With his mouth agape and his wide eyed look he appears to have just arrived from Absalom by way of a turnip wagon.
I used Finnish for Gnomish I hope that is ok
hyvin et näe joka päivä, anteeksi epäkohteliaita, Eldlen Meirdrerel, palveluksessanne.
Realizing that everyone may not speak Gnome, Eldlen sputters out
Prayest thou except my sincere apologies, I am Eldlen Meirdrerel, arrived of late from fair Absalom.
Eldlen nods and begins to look closer at the ruins.
perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Eldlen turns and happily addresses the team
Thou are correct Madame Dwarf, onest the sand hast been removed we shoulds't be able to find egress, praytell dids't anyone notice the pry-mark left on the doors there
pointing at where A crowbar or similar tool seems to have been inserted between the doors at some point...
Delphine Tarrasquel |
Delphine is a short thin Gnome with many a fine accessory used to enrich her appearance. For a Gnome she's very pretty, but also quite proud and vain.
She says with an approving nod
She looks at the others, sighs and continues in common
"Yes, shame about the rest. Anyway, my name is Princess Delphine Tarrasquel. Good day to you all. Now which one of you will be the main fighter to protect me from harm? I have a boon for that brave individual. Also if another person is in the posession of a wand of healing, I can use that for when we meet trouble inside."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
Eldlen bows with a flourish and says
Kunnia prinsessa Delphine Tarrasquel opin kielen päässä hieno kansa Omesta vuonna Fireane viidakko jossa vartuin. Valitettavasti taitoni nojata kohti partiossa ja ansa liittyviä taitoja, mutta minulla on sauva osoittautui minulle Grand Lodge Absalom, että en voi määrätä osapuolet käyttävät.
Eldlen hands a wand to Delphine and says in common
Might I present this token for thy benefit and the benefit of all our companions.
Ishiburo Matsune |
This humble warrior will be honored to fight by your side and protect this group if needed. Lady Delphine, my name is Ishiburo Matsune, and you can trust my word as much as my sword.
Ishiburo stands in front of the group, studying the mausoleum.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Knowledge(engineering): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10
Shall we start removing the sand or does anyone else have a better idea?
Max Titan |
perception: 4 + 1d20 ⇒ 4 + (18) = 22
okay, so we need to clear this sand out of the way first to get this door open and max helps to do so.
and once he is able to get to the door after an hours worth of work he will try to open it. he uses the crowbar which he also spots. str: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (20) = 23 which means he probably did open it himself with that crowbar and this does not include the bonus a crowbar gives, whatever that might be.
though I probably can't do this alone, anyone who aids me is welcome. looks like he spoke too soon.
Luke_Parry |
Just to clarify, there is no crowbar laying around at present; one has just been used to move the doors in the past. That said...
After an hour of sweaty back-breaking work, enough sand is cleared out of the way to reveal the doors completely. Then, despite the absence of a crowbar, through sheer force of strength (and a little assistance from Dolres), Max is able to slowly (and with much protestation from the door's hinges) lever the doors open, revealing the chamber beyond.
This rectangular room is empty save for some engravings and fixtures upon the walls, a pair of heavy stone doors to the north, and an immense stone wheel against the south wall. The air is stale, and a layer of dust and sand covers the floor, lying in a thicker layer to the south. All four walls bear sunk-relief engravings and hieroglyphs, while small stone faces are affixed to the walls at about shoulder height in each corner. The stone wheel to the south is engraved with a large spiral and is set in stone tracks in the floor and ceiling.
Moving the wheel requires a total Strength score of 28; from the north, up to four characters can add their Strength scores together to move the wheel.
Max Titan |
he has religion as a skill, he just has negative int religion: 1d20 ⇒ 12
perception: 4 + 1d20 ⇒ 4 + (10) = 14
alright everyone, I'm going to turn this stone wheel, cover my rear if needed, I'll take the front. str: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (4) = 7 if needed.
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
Eldlen also takes a look around
perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
religion: 1d20 ⇒ 11
من معتقدم که ما باید از شمال و فشار ممکن است به چهار نفر نیاز به آن را انجام دهد.
yon wheel bearing the symbol of Pharasma, doest appear to role, it mayest require more than one individual to do so
with that Elden goes to assist Max
strength: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Greyveil |
Huffing and puffing with exertion a small grayish angular gnomish man joins the group.
I see you already have the doors open. Huff. Huff. Sorry to be late. I received my letter from the venture captain to join you only this morning. Huff. Huff. I am Greyveil Darksands, and I am at your service. Huffffff. With a final long breath he seems to catch his breath.
The "gnome?" is wearing a chain shirt and has both club and crossbow as weapons. He also has quite a collection of jars, vials, beakers, bottles, pouches and bags hanging from hooks and bandoleers covering a good portion of his body.
Did anyone read the Ancient Osiriani engravings? he asks in a high pitched and scratchy voice. Both doors say "Akhentepi" and include the the dates of his birth and death, indicating that the deceased was born in 2416 AR and died in 2488 AR. That would be about 11 years before the Plague of Madness decimated most of the city... He breaks off when he looks fully into the first room of the tomb. Hey there is some more Ancient Osiriani in here.
Entering the tomb Greyveil looks in wonder at the hieroglyphs. these describe the life of Akhentepi. Seems he was a celebrated military commander who presided over the troops garrisoned in Wati prior to the city's downfall. Hey get this. A warning: "Akhentepi's tomb is well defended, and those who defile it tempt the wrath of the gods." An additional warning advises, " The only thing the Lady of Graves despises more than the grave robber is the unsuccessful grave robber," followed by a final admonishment to "turn back while you can."
Dolres |
Does anyone have paper? I seem to have misplaced mne. It may be a good idea to take notes of this writing. It never hurts to stsy on the good side of the prist by giving them details of what we see.
Dolres carefully dusts off her hands,
Maybe I can help
str: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Ishiburo Matsune |
In that case, two more hands will be helpfull... Let Ishiburo handle this!
strength: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Delphine Tarrasquel |
know religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 "Thank you for the wand. And thank you for your protection. Please make sure you remain within close proximity to me. lifelink on samurai
Hmm it seems Pharasma had some role in constructing this tomb.
know religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
No idea who the other geezer is though."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Greyveil |
Responding to the dwarf Greyveil takles out parchment and pen and begins to write down the ancient Osiriani and even take a few rubbings. He will also sketch each room.
Luke_Parry |
The current map is included as a link at the top of the page. Enjoy!
Between the four of them, Ishiburo, Dolres, Eldlen and Max are able to slowly roll the stone away (whilst Delphine and Greyveil watch), revealing the room beyond...
This square room is starkly devoid of any markings or adornment. In the center of the chamber's floor, a square shaft drops straight down into darkness. A faint musty odor rises from the pit. A single piton has been hammered into the stone floor by the northeast corner of the pit, and a dusty length of rope dangles from the piton into the darkness of the shaft.
At about this time, the party hears a strange chittering from behind them, as a rather large desert scorpion, seeking to escape the heat of the day, enters through the main entrance, clicking its claws hungrily...
Delphine: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Eldlen: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Ishiburo: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Max: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29
Greyveil: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
GS: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (1) + 0 = 1
Round 1: Max, Dolres, Eldlen, Greyveil, Ishiburo, Delphine, GS
Party is up. Somehow, I doubt that my poor scorpion is going to get a chance to act ;-)
Ishiburo Matsune |
Ishiburo draws his Katana, moves towards the Scorpion and tries to slash the beast.
His attack is two-handed + Power Attack/Furious Focus)
Katana attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
damage: 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
Greyveil |
Greyveil steps back 5' feat, then pulls and fires his crossbow at the vermin.
Crossbow: 1d20 + 5 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 5 + 1 - 4 = 191d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 Includes Point Blank Shot and the -4 for firing into melee.
Max Titan |
Earlier when Dolres helps him I'm impressed, you are a nice strong woman. as he says with a smile.
okay now combat:
Max draw his weapon while shifting.
hit: 4 + 1d20 ⇒ 4 + (8) = 12
dmg: 4 + 2d6 ⇒ 4 + (3, 2) = 9 blunt damage with his earthbreaker.
Dolres |
Dolres moves up to attack to the creature just in time to see if fall.
"That was fast. I guess we should try that wheel again."
I am assuming the thing closed
Max Titan |
Max will move into the next room, since we arleady turned the stone wheel. take 10 on perception for a 14, what is in here?
He waits for the others before he climbs down or even thinks about it, he is a barbarian, but he knows going in alone is foolish.
Delphine Tarrasquel |
"Well let's hope the rest is as easy as this.."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Luke_Parry |
@Greyveil: Since everyone went before the scorpion, I went with the order that actions were posted (especially since everyone moved their pawns (which is perfectly okay, by the way), making sorting out whom could 5' step where after the fact difficult to determine). Technically, yes, his bolt would have hit, but it would not have killed the scorpion. Think of it this way - it saved you a bolt :-)
@Dolres: the wheel did not roll back when it was let go.
Max steps into the room beyond, and takes a casual glance around, not noticing anything untoward.
Not trusting a casual glance, Eldlen follows behind him, and over the course of a couple of minutes, thoroughly checks out the room from floor to ceiling... finding absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile, the shaft down into the bowels of the earth beckons....
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
was hoping the perception would tell us something about the hole :)
Looking at Max, Eldlen says
Be thou patient cousin, I havest an idea
Eldlen goes out to the scorpion, cutting off a small chunk. Going back to the shaft, he takes out his wayfinder, and shining the light down the shaft, he drops the chunk of scorpion watching it fall; as it falls he counts, noting at what count he can no longer see it and what count it hit the bottom.
in theory the light would be 20 ft or 40 ft for low light vision, so we should be able to get a sense of approximately how deep it is. Maybe? :)
After Eldlen attempts to figure the shafts depth he uses the wayfinder's light to inspect the shaft itself.
this is where he should have taken the 20 on perception, so lets take 20 on perception here also.
Luke_Parry |
The shaft is 10 feet square and an example of superior masonry, deliberately constructed to be difficult to climb (a successful DC 25 Climb check is needed to ascend or descend - or, you know, you could just use a rope ;-)).
When Eldlen drops the Lighted piece of scorpion down the shaft, it goes down about 60', before pancaking on the bottom of the shaft with a muffled splat.
The shaft appears to open out into a larger room, but nothing else about the room can be determined from the top of the shaft.
Delphine Tarrasquel |
I gotten some equipment which didn't appear on my printed sheet for some reason. It includes a rope with grappling hook, pitons and a small hammer
Dolres |
Dolres carefully ties a rope to the piton already set in the ground. She carefully tugs on the rope to make sure the piton wont come out or the rope untied.
"Please hand me another rope and we can get these spliced together so we can climb down."
Greyveil |
While the others open the wheel door and inspect the pit Greyveil busies himself with the tail of the scorpion. It's poison is contained in this sack here. Perhaps I can acquire some of it for these bolts. He does his best to apply the poison to a number of his crossbow bolts.
Knowledge Nature or Craft Alchemy, both +8: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Note that Alchemists have Poison Use.
Luke_Parry |
The short length of rope already attached to the piton turns to dust at Dolre's touch, and she is able to securely attach her rope to the piton without any trouble.
Taking Ishiburo's proffered rope, she is able to splice it to her's, creating a length long enough to reach the chamber floor below.
@Greyveil: Agreed, Alchemists *do* have Poison Use, which means they do not risk poisoning themselves when applying it to their weapons. To the best of my knowledge, there are no rules governing harvesting poisons from defeated foes (although that would be a reasonable house rule for a home game) - in PFS at least (which is RAW), you can craft poisons by making Craft(Alchemy) checks, but that takes a fair bit of time (generally, hours to days). If you can point me to a rule that states you can do it (i.e. harvest poisons), I am happy to be proved wrong.
Meanwhile, Greyveil surgically removes the scorpion's poison gland, saving it for later when he can properly distill it.
Let me know what you wish to do next :-)
Max Titan |
Max was about to pull out his own rope, but forgot to speak up and someone beat him to it.
okay, so who wants to go down first? We go one at a time.
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
Eldlen stands up a little straighter lifting his chin and placing his hands on his hips declares
forsooth twould be an privilege nay an honor to represent this fine group of hero’s thusly
Eldlen ties his wayfinder to his belt, procuring a light and firmly grasps the rope and descends into the pit, when he reaches the bottom he draws his sword and looks around,
he will take ten on the climbing skill and at the bottom take 10 on perception
Max Titan |
max will go next after he reaches the bottom, taking 10 on climb for a 14.
Dolres |
Dolres will follow taking her time to carefully climb down the rope to join the others.
Taking 10 gives me an 11
Luke_Parry |
Eldlen quickly rappels down the shaft, arriving at the bottom safely.
Glancing around whilst he holds the rope steady for everyone else to follow him, by the cold light provided by his Wayfinder, he sees the following:
Mirrored images of a warrior in side profile, facing inward, are carved on an ornate pair of stone doors in the west wall of this square room. The figure is depicted wearing padded armor, with a scarab-shaped shield on the arm facing the viewer, and a raised khopesh held aloft in the other. A crumpled humanoid body lies directly in front of the doors. A hint of decay hangs in the air, and a dried stain mars the stone floor under the body. A square shaft in the ceiling leads straight up into darkness (which is where you came from).
Let me know what you wish to do next :-)
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
in the process of checking the room Eldlen checked the body near the doors, he collects the hammer, pitons and alchemist’s fire and tries to identify the cause of death.
heal check 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
He then searches the door for traps and to see if it is locked
he will take 20 on perception for trap finding
Delphine Tarrasquel |
Delphine goes down second to last.
"I guess you should never go tombhunting alone. A harsh lesson but this one learnt it at the end." Delphine says as she stdies the corpse. She takes one alchemist’s fire for herself and offers the other to anyone who wants it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Eldlen Meirdrerel |
Eldlen bows to Delphine and says
Oikea olet minun prinsessa; ankara opetus todellakin.
When all the party members are safely down the rope, Elden address the group, pointing at the body near the door
yon loner, apparently the original possessor of the piton so graciously left for us, seemed to have fallen, shattering his legs and crawling to yon doorway. Which beist unlock but apparently overly heavy. Also he had these in his possession Eldlen holds out the hammer and pitons asking praytell wouldst anyone desire to claim them for thine own?
Eldlen then waits upon the party for directions, looking much like a puppy who has performed a new trick.
Dolres |
Dolres looks at the items and at the poor soul who fell.
"I have no need of those but thank you." she says.