Revvy Bitterleaf |
The hills ringing Almas, capital of Andoran, slope gently toward the harbor cradling the Hornet’s Nest, the red sun rising behind them. This morning the ship’s activity rivals its namesake as Pathfinders and their agents bustle here and there inside the ship’s hastily constructed command post.
After a short wait, Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks rolls into the ship’s galley, his face scowling and dark eyes bloodshot.
“You lot again? The Decemvirate promised better, but I suppose
we have no time to waste. You have likely heard the rumors— which, unfortunately, underestimate our danger.
“The Society’s lodge in the former Cathedral of Aroden here has thrived of late—they say thanks to Venture-Captain Brackett’s grand parties, which seduce the weak-willed leaders of this so-called ‘democracy’ into permitting the Pathfinder Society unfettered access to the resources in the nation’s interior. Not likely you lot were ever invited, though. Needed to be of the presentable sort, after all.
“Last night, Brackett threw one of his most extravagant fetes yet to celebrate the recent return of a team of Pathfinders up near Falcon’s Hollow on a diplomatic mission to the region’s fey. Fillian over there claims that all the sparkling light made the Cathedral’s windows a stunning sight. Everyone was having a grand time until the trouble started. At the stroke of midnight, a dozen guests drew their swords and methodically massacred the others—poor, drunk fools. A moment later the lights went out. Fillian had been admiring the windows from the dome’s walkway and ran upward, to the belfry. Says he hid there until daylight and then crawled out to my ship here. He heard many others flee underground, followed by screams of agony.
“Shortly before dawn, several bands of what looked to be hulking, cloaked hobgoblins left the Cathedral, taking off in different directions into the city. Not only do we need to retake our lodge and rescue any survivors, but whatever those monsters plan to do in Almas, it’s got something to do with the Cathedral. I imagine even you understand how that might look for the Society if something bad were to happen to the city at large, centered on our local headquarters.
“You can probably guess who’s behind this—the Shadow Lodge, source of endless trouble this past year. We need that Lodge back, and we need Brackett alive. Time is not on our side here, and I fear it may already be too late for whatever those monstrous brutes left the Cathedral to do.
“According to Fillian’s tale, the best way in is the belfry. So your job is to get in there, kick the Shadow Lodge out, and keep Brackett alive. And put a stop to whatever ongoing plot you manage to uncover.
“Good luck. You’ll need it.”
Zarunkumar |
Before meeting the others Zarunkumar puts on her Hat of Disguise, instantly it changes into a lovely jewel encrusted hair clip and with it her entire appearance as well. Her skin becomes smooth and tan, her horns fade into her hair, and her tail, which has wrapped itself around her waist, now looks only like a thick belt with a large buckle. Her modest clothes now look like a gown of silk. Her appearance has in the past caused many others of the Society to treat her more as a monster then as a fellow member and she hopes this look will ease their fears.
Hearing Venture-Captain Hamshanks greeting causes anger to build up inside of Zarunkumar, but she represses her rage and continues to listen know there are bigger things at stake then this man's ignorance to their past accomplishments. When he is done she thanks him for his well wish and prepares herself for the upcoming adventure.
Birgit Birgirssdottir |
A woman with blue tinged skin walks to the meeting. The air is noticeably cooler around them. With a visible breath she says Good, I've been meaning to payback the shadow lodge for a while now.
Mohok |
A towering, broad-shouldered half-orc walks up the gangway of the Hornet's Nest, his small, red-tinged eyes flicking alertly side to side. "Not another ship," he mutters, "just got off months on the damn Mermaid." His mottled green skin stands in stark contrast to the jagged blue tattoos that cover his face, neck and arms. He wears a finely-crafted steel breastplate over a worn, tattered jerkin of some indeterminate dark shade, and a pair of heavy, curved swords cross his back, one of black iron and the other of bright steel. As he sets foot on the deck, a large raven, black as coal, flies down and settles on the half-orc's shoulder, where it begins to groom its feathers fastidiously, seeming to pay no mind to what goes on around it.
He chuckles a bit at Hamshank's description of Pathfinders at parties, until he hears the end of the tale, with his fellow Pathfinders and others dead of treachery. He casts a quick glance at the assembled team, then turns to the Venture-Captain and says, "Right, kick out the Shadow Lodge and keep Brackett alive. As long as I don't have to go to any of his parties, I can do that." He gestures at the raven on his shoulder and says, "This here's Poh, I'm Mohok. When do we start?"
Belka |
A young, muscular, wild-looking and attractive Kellid woman makes in turn her entrance into the ship's galley. She wears Kellid-made clothes and jewellery along with a padded armor and carries a few weapons, notably a greataxe that hangs on her back.
She nods at the other Pathfinders, frowns a bit at the captain's speech and, when he finishes, asks with a slight Hallit accent "Forgive my ignorance but what is exactly the Shadow Lodge?"
Kiyoshi Wakahisa |
Like most natives of Tian Xia, Kiyoshi is a relatively short man, with a reasonably slight frame. In Tian Xia, his natural white hair denotes 'greatness', but overseas it just makes him further stand out in a crowd. Despite only being twenty four, Kiyoshis deep brown eyes suggest he has seen far more than many his age. Being ethnicly of Tian-Shu descent, the priests skin in slightly darker than other Tians, however most of his flesh is concealed beneath his robes and armour. While he is armed, the weighted mace at his side and his shouldered shield seem not to have seen any use. A small, silver wagon wheel with spokes made of the five elements (water, earth, metal, fire, and wood) hangs from the foreigners neck, a symbol of his devotion to Qi Zhong. A silver wayfinder embossed with a dragon denotes the cleric as a member of the Silver Crusade, and a Mendevian commendation medal pinned to his robes suggests some involvement in the crusades.
As he enters the room the Tian bows respectfully to each of his peers in turn, before finishing with a bow to the Venture Captain. He remains silent as the others ask questions.
Ragnar Trollbiter |
"Hmmmph. Weaklings."
The large Ulfen man blandly states. His fur accouterments seem slightly out of place but the two bear traps slung over this shoulder seem even more outrageous. One would think it unnecessary to lug around gear like this in a metropolitan city such as Almas.
"I'll need mead. Long journey from Wispil. You pay."
Kiyoshi Wakahisa |
Kiyoshi waits patiently to see if anyone else addresses the muscular Kellid woman, before answering her question himself.
"While I have never encountered the Shadow Lodge myself, I have heard stories that they are a loose organisation of rogue Pathfinder Society agents that question the morality of the decisions handed down by the Decemvirate. Attempts have been made to appease the Shadow Lodge and bring them back into the fold, but evidently they have not been successful. Sadly, a number of the members of this organisation feel that resorting to extremes tactics such as is their only option to express their dissatisfaction at their former leaders."
The tian falls silent for a moment, clearly saddened at the thought of Pathfinders fighting amidst themselves.
"While these former agents have clearly fallen far from grace, they were still once Pathfinders. I take no pleasure in the thought that we may be placed in a position where we may need to use lethal force against them."
Revvy Bitterleaf |
"Well if you have no further questions, I suggest you get going"
Before you depart, Hamshanks provides you with several hundred feet of rope and climbing spikes.
"Here, in case you'd need it"
Feel free to ask questions if you have any and discuss any preparations/planning you want to do on your way there..going to give you the description now to give you an idea;
The Cathedral of Aroden is a massive stone structure overlooking central Almas. Two solid towers flanking a pair of enormous bronze doors dominate the facade. The doors, with their glittering bronze carvings of Aroden’s ascension to godhood, welcomed the faithful in times past, but they now lead into Telfyr’s massive library. Above the doors stands a roughly circular stained-glass window with delicate looping stonework, a style known as a rose window.
(The doors are closed).
Ragnar Trollbiter |
On the way to the cathedral Ragnar purchases:
2 Oil of Bless weapon - 100gp
3 Potion of Protection from evil - 150gp
1 gallon of mead - 5gp
"Not familiar with these big churches but I think a belfry is topside."
Mohok |
Mohok will also pick up a potion of protection from evil.
"Yep, sounds right to me," Mohok replies, peering up at the towers, "I guess since we've got the climbing gear, it makes sense to get up there and try to come at them from above. A lot more surprising than knockin' on them big doors."
He points upward, then turns his head and whispers a word to the raven on his shoulder, who flies to the top of the towers and circles them a moment. "Let's see if Poh finds anything interesting up there before we go up."
Telling Poh to seek, which the PRD describes as "The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate."
Ragnar Trollbiter |
Not one to wait for permission Ragnar gathers the rope and climbs, tying off the rope at intervals for security.
Climb: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
How high and how many roles do I need to make?
Revvy Bitterleaf |
Poh comes back shaking it's little head
He doesn't see anything obvious on the roof that's alive or animated
As you look up for a good place to start climbing you see;
A flat gray stone ledge runs along the edge of the cathedral’s roof, crisscrossed with rain gutters feeding the leering grotesques that ring the building. Toward the south side, the ledge surrounds a gently peaked roof above the long rectangular nave. Two solid towers jut upward at the south end, their severe stone sides broken only occasionally by narrow, barred stained glass windows.
At the north end a lofty dome covered with deep red copper shingles dominates the structure. The graceful edifice peaks in a twisting stone tower with a golden turret, from which the Pathfinder Society’s Glyph of the Open Road banner hangs limply in the still air. The tower has four large windows arranged vertically on each side, all protected by corroded iron grates. Through the grates hang several bells, ranging in size from large to gigantic.
The circular dome (80 feet across at its base) sits atop the octagonal section of the cathedral, leaving a ledge only a few feet wide.
So you can try to go in through the front door, climb up to the roof and go in through the Bellfry or climb either one of the towers and try to get in there..or come up with some other way
Mohok |
I vote Belfry, and that seemed to be where Ragnar was focused as well. I'm okay with giving others a moment to check in and voice their opinions, though Ragnar may be halfway to the top by then...
Ragnar Trollbiter |
Seeing the white witch cautiously eye the rope,
"I'll gladly throw you over my shoulder and carry you up lass!"
Ragnar cannot help himself and begins laughing at his own joke.
Reflex Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Yet does not miss a beat...
Mohok |
Mohok begins to climb as well, tying the rope to whatever architectural features present themselves, so Birgit can use it to haul herself up. "Let me know if you need a hand, Birgit," he says quietly from above.
Climb: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Revvy Bitterleaf |
Added a picture of what the Belfry looks like
Ragnar's first attempt to climb up works (and is even able to joke around and not fall down while doing so)
For the sake of speed, going to assume that you will tie up a knotted rope and drop that down for the others to climb up make. DC 5 climb check to use the rope, which I think everyone should be able to make if they take 10?
Each of the belfry’s windows covers roughly a 5-foot square. The iron grates (hardness 10, hp 15, Break DC 24) are bolted onto the stone.
Now that you can get a better look at the Belry;
The belfry contains nine large bells hanging from a maze of wooden beams. Four relatively small bells hang from a beam at the tower’s top, with the others increasing in size toward the tower’s bottom. Weather and rust coat most of them, especially the seven-foot-wide behemoth of a bell at the tower’s base.
A complex network of scaffolding frames the bells, with each suspended from wooden sliders attached to a system of ropes and pulleys along the tower’s walls. These beams connect to scaffolding along the vertical chamber’s perimeter, allowing access to the bells above and a platform five feet below the giant bell’s bottom.
Belka |
I purchase a scroll of protection from evil (25 gp) before going to the cathedral
Belka activates her magic wand and easily climbs up to the belfry (take 10 on Climb for a total of 17) using the knotted rope.
Once on the top of the dome, she looks at the iron grates and tests their solidity by pulling on it. "Do you think we can break one of these grates working in pairs?"
Wand of Mage Armor 1 charge
Mohok |
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
Mohok sees Belhak tugging at one of the iron grates and says, "Hold on, there's an easier way. Look at this." He points at the second grate from the top on the east side and says, "This one is missing two of its bolts, should be easier to open. In fact..." He sets his big, meaty hands on the lower edge up the grate and lifts and it swings upward easily.
"Let's go in this way."
Kiyoshi Wakahisa |
"It may be possible we are not the only ones to have used this route. We should be on guard."
Kiyoshi draws his shield off his shoulder and straps it to his arm, clutching his holy symbol with his spare hand.
Revvy Bitterleaf |
As you enter through the loose grate, you find yourselves 10 feet above the base of the lowermost bell and a further 5 feet above the solid platform below.
For convenience, the bells are divided into four groups, each filling 5 feet of vertical space within the tower’s shaft. The uppermost group of four small bells and the second group of two middle-sized bells peal
rapidly and chaotically, filling the air with high-pitched notes. The third group of two larger bells, and the giant bell at the bottom, swing more slowly, emitting deep bass tones.
It takes a DC 5 climb check to move down each section, going to assume everyone can make that if they take 10
Also what will be the standard marching order for when you walk into new areas (including this one?) and standard operating procedure (e.a. Is there someone that can automatically search for traps or does someone take 10 or even 20 each time you face a new door/corridor to look for hidden dangers? Does someone detect magic/evil? Stuff like that
Zarunkumar |
Floating to the now open window Zarunkumar will grab the rails and pull herself inside and lower herself to the floor and ending the spell as she touches the ground.
Zarunkumar is more of the stay to the back and heal those dumb enough to run up and attack kind of person.
Revvy Bitterleaf |
So Mohok will go in first right?
Mohok makes it through the opened grate without any problems and is now standing on some scaffolding surround the bells inside this tower. Everyone else follows him inside as well. You find yourselves 10 feet above the base of the lowermost bell and a further 5 feet above the solid platform below. (so you'd need to go down 15 ft, or 3 DC 5 climb checks to get to solid ground - only bother rolling if you can't make that with a take 10). You are now bellow 4 small bells, next to 2 medium one and above 2 large bells (with below that 1 giant bell).
Let me know what you guys plan to do now
Mohok |
Mohok looks around the belfry consideringly. Never been in one of these before... He squats down low and looks up under the bell hanging in the center of the tower, curious about what it looks like and if any surprises await them. If all of these started ringing, it would do a number on my ears. Better keep moving.
He leads the way downwards, moving carefully enough to not risk falling.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Take 10 on Climb check.
Mohok |
Mohok raises a large, gnarled hand in warning, then points at a spot on the landing below and says, "Hold on! Look, if we step on that, every single one of these bells is going to start ringing, and our clever approach won't seem so clever any more. I wonder if there's a way to avoid that..."
He looks to see if there's another way down or a way to keep the bell-trap from going off.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
Is it possible to rig a rope to climb down to the next landing down, skipping the trapped one, or even all the way past all the bells, without touching any more landings? Or another approach he might spot?
Mohok |
After pondering the situation for a moment, Mohok offers, "Well, looks like we keep going and deal with the bells - and tell everyone inside that we're here - or we climb back down the way we came in and try going in another way.". He gives his head a thoughtful scratch, the adds, "It's funny that one of the grates was set up to open like a door, but there's no way to go in and out without ringing all the bells. There must be some way to keep it from going off, but I don't know how to do that."
I haven't looked at everyone's alias, but based on the classes here, I'd be surprised if any of us have Disable Device, and it can't be used untrained. Anyone have info to the contrary?
Kiyoshi Wakahisa |
I had a quick scan and didn't see anyone with Disable Device. I think we're stuck between setting off the bells or searching for another entrance.
Mohok |
Thanks, Kiyoshi - I was on my phone and it would have taken a while to check everyone's alias.
"We could give it a shot," Mohok rumbles in his deep voice, "but I've never done anything like that before. And I'm not sure how we'd reach the bells lower down to tie them off, since we have to climb down to reach them."
DM Revvy - is that correct?
Ragnar Trollbiter |
"I can climb but I'm too big to help with that. I might be able to reach and pull a bell close enough for one of you to climb around on."
Regarding bell proximity to belfry walkway, could Ragnar do a STR check to assist Acrobatics?
Mohok |
You don't need to give me an actual DC value, but I'm wondering if looking at it we can judge whether it would be pretty easy (like climbing up to the belfry was) or much harder?
Revvy Bitterleaf |
To climb around in here and tie up some bells you mean? The climbing part is really easy, but it's going to take some effort to tie up the bells in such a way as to make sure they won't start ringing..luckily you have several hundred feet of rope with you so you can do it..but it doesn't look like it's as easy as climbing up a wall. Feel free to come up with other skills to assist though, like the strength check (to pick someone up for better reach)
Revvy Bitterleaf |
Zarunkumar floats just above the floor not setting everything off while the rest moves her back and forth where she needs to go (with some ropes or just shoving her left and right) until she's above the trapdoor, Zarunkumar is able to open it and then you set up some rope so everyone can climb down the trapdoor without touching the floor.
The trap door on the belfry’s platform leads to a narrow wooden staircase descending the dome’s interior.
(Assuming you descend down the stairs)
The Cathedral of Aroden’s former congregation hall fills an enormous, high-ceilinged open space, with the rectangular nave opening into a large circular chamber beneath the building’s grand dome.
Along the dome’s ceiling, a fresco depicts Aroden’s apotheosis and his famed battle with the wizard-king Tar Baphon on the Isle of Terror. Although intricate, the fresco’s crumbling perimeter and fading colors betray the lack of recent maintenance. A narrow wooden balcony, lined by a finely carved balustrade, encircles the dome’s base and the cathedral’s nave. The balusters depict men following several different professions, while fine calligraphy graces the top railing.
Forty feet below, an enormous altar—itself the size of a small building—stands stoutly below the dome’s apex. The cathedral’s nave stretches out to the south. Soft blue light streams into the enormous space through dozens of meticulously decorated stained-glass windows lining the nave. They illuminate trophies of all sorts—from weapons to wands—hung from the hall’s many columns.
Signs of last night’s gala and the massacre that interrupted it are obvious: freshly painted sunburst decorations, tables swathed in fine cloth covered with spoiled food, a portable stage standing empty but bloodstained, and corpses littering the floor below.
(If you go outside - you can make plans/cast buff spells while on the stairs if you want, but you can't see the elemental until you exit the stairs)
Unaware of your approach until now an air elemental is lazily floating around somewhere near the ceiling.
init Mohok: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
init Ragnar: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
init Birgit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
init Kyhosi: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
init Belka: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
init Zarunkumar: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
init Elemental: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
init
Zarunkumar, Belka, Mohok
Elemental
Party
Distance from ground floor to your floor = 15 ft, Distance from ground floor to ceiling = 80 ft. Elemental is flying at height of 60ft right now. Map linked at the top of the page.
Mohok |
Mohok's beady red eyes widen as he takes in the scene before them. "Whoah, quite a place," he says quietly, "wonder where they're keeping the ones they didn't kill?" He casts a quick glance at his fellow Pathfinders to be sure they're ready to go, then moves down the stairs as quietly as he can.
Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17