PbP Gameday VI: Pathfinder Module: Murder's Mark [Tier 1-2] (Inactive)

Game Master Uktar

"They said they stored things for people in their vault," Leppin says. "And the sheriff said the burglary was interrupted. Maybe they got driven away before they got what they wanted in the vault. Or maybe the whole thing was another scheme to cast blame on the circus."

He pauses in thought. "But then we'd need to figure out who might hate Walder enough to murder him. So let's assume they killed him for the key."

So headed to the vault? Or to where they found the body?

Well, the vault is here, correct?

Agreed, the vault since we are here.

You use Agnes' master key to open the door that leads to the stairs, and you head down. There's a bare corridor that leads to the double doors of the vault. You light the hanging lantern hanging from the hook mounted on the western wall at the base of the stairs. Underneath it is a single chair.

see map

I am afraid the link "see map" doesn't go to a map.

Leppin searches for clues in the corridor as they make their way toward the double doors.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Leppin resists the inner voices telling him to say nothing and see what happens, and cries out a warning to the group to watch their step. He's spotted a pit trap ahead.

see map...really.
Also, all the images and maps are always in my profile line and campaign profile line.

"...it's probably not filled with pudding. The edible kind. Not the black, face-melting kind. Either way, look out."

Myth shakes his head, wondering why they weren't warned about the trap...

He will cautiously approach the trap and attempt to disable it...

Disable Device: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

Do we have to go around it?

Myth figures out how to jam the floorplate to make certain it won't drop open, though he's pretty certain that it wasn't set to trigger anyway.

After a thorough examination of the door, you believe there are no traps on it, and there's nothing else of note in the hallway. The master key fits neatly into the lock, and with a click, the doors open. Beyond the heavy steel doors, this darkened chamber is lined with shelves, including freestanding shelving in the center. There is ample room in the vault, but labeled boxes, bags, weapons, and armor are spread throughout.

I'm going to need specifics on who's moving where, doing what, so we're doing this in initiative order--you can post whenever, regardless of initiative order, but may have to retrofix. If you're moving into the room, please move your token accordingly. "Darkened" means no light source in room. There's a lit lantern hanging from the hook in the hallway above the chair that's casting some light into the vault. Obviously, Wisp & Brin are fine due to darkvision...

Init order
Mythryndyr
Wisp
Brinshandyr
Jerbrick
Leppin
Patros

Myth, ever cautious, will draw his bow and stay by the door since he can't see far into the vault...he'll await a light source and cover his companions as they enter the vault, keeping an eye out for danger...

Wisp steps in front to the others. "I probably weigh less than the rest. Why don't I go first in case there are any other pressure plates."

He slides in and heads toward the east wall.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25

"Did anyone else hear that?" Leppin asks, having heard an audible click when Wisp moved a little further into the room (i.e. when he was more than 5' in). You all hold your breath for a second or two, but nothing happens.

Brinshandyr
Jerbrick
Leppin
Patros you're up. Delay or ready an action (with trigger condition) is always an acceptable alternative, of course.

Patros grabs a small orb from his pouch and holds it by his head until it starts to glow, then releases it. The orb gets brighter as it starts to hover. retrieve ioun torch and activate it

It seems safe enough, and I really don't want to leave him alone in there if there is something dangerous.

Brin listens carefully for any signs of a threat, then moves forward to join Wisp, drawing a dagger as he goes, ready to throw it should an enemy show itself.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
ready action:dagger throw+pbs: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 3 + 1 = 18
piercing damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Leppin follows Brin's footsteps into the vault until he reaches the center shelves. He begins searching for evidence of tampering or other clues.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

He also sings a little rhyme and scans the area for traces of magic. Detect Magic

Leppin does detect the presence of magic (of course, it's too soon to know who/what/where, and fellow adventurers are carrying magic--you don't detect any when facing away from your party).

P.S. I don't mind folks looking at spoilers, as long as they can separate character from player knowledge...

Jerb looks around in the light from Patros' orb, wondering what might be lurking.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

The wayang waits as he watches the figure come closer. Before she can move past him, he strikes with deft(?) precision.

cestus vs Flat footed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15 for Damage: 1d3 ⇒ 2

"We are not alone! This may be one of the thieves who has been trapped here. There may be others."

Leppin looks around at Wisp's warning. "Who? What? Where?"

As she is startled and wounded by Wisp's sudden appearance and attack, everyone spots a strange medium-sized humanoid female with a short sword in hand who cries out in pain. Her skin shifts from an odd mottled color that resembles the display cases to a pale blue.
Readied actions go off.
Despite the cover provided by Wisp, Mythryndyr's arrow strikes home. Unfortunately, between the distance penalty and his imprecise shot throwing into combat, Brin's dagger sails wide.

Then she lashes out at Wisp.
attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
slashing dmg: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Myth fires again at the skulk...

PBS, Precise Shot, Deadeye Bowman

Shortbow: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Knowldedge Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

know local: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

"A skulk! I've read all about your kind!" Brinshandyr says aloud to their attacker. He doesn't have time to say more as he rushes around to the backside of the skulk, his own cestus at the ready, offering a flank for Wisp.

Cestus, flank: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 + 2 = 13 for damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

She drops under the onslaught, and into the sudden silence and even before the party can catch their breath, Patros and Myth hear a small voice coming from beneath their feet, "Uh, hello? Anyone there?"

Patros looks down, not trusting anything in case its a ruse.

Who are you? Show yourself!

"Can anyone heal her? She might have some answers..."

Myth jumps slightly upon hearing the voice below him...

"Hmmm...looks like the trap must've activated before our arrival..."

Myth yells down at the trapped creature. "Are you a skulk as well? What have you come to steal? Did someone send you?"

Patros tries to look at the wounds.

heal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Brin quickly retrieves his thrown dagger, and stows once more within its scabbard. As the skulk falls, he breaths a sigh of relief.

Then he hears Myth call for healing the creature and he looks on with interest as Patros steps forward to do just that.

"Have at it my good man." Brin says to Patros when he bends to inspect the wounded skulk. "I must confess that the art of healing has yet to be on the agenda when it comes to my studies. I would like to watch what you are doing, if that is alright. Strictly as a learning experience, of course.

No problem...although I confess I am not a master healer....just picked up some skill from my instructor. He said not all your quarries need be killed. Dead men yield no information. Smart fellow....

Patros provides first aid and stabilizes the skulk. Meanwhile, Myth and Jerbrick hear the muffled voice in the pittrap shouting, "What's that? I can't hear you! Get me out of here so we can talk!"

you can always undo your own disable check, unless it involves wrecking the trap. In this case, you merely stuck in a couple of well-placed spikes that kept it from dropping open; nothing too difficult to undo, if you so desire.

Wisp looks down at the blood on his cestus "I've..uh...never used this before. I ...uh...actually am usually quite a ways away from th-!"
Whatever insight the wayang was going to share is forgotten as his stomach empties it contents on to the floor in spasming and violent convulsions.

Brin looks over at the quivering little mass on the floor that is Wisp. As the wayang vomits copious amounts of carnival food on the nearby ground, Brin promptly takes a step back, calling out, "There there... Wisp... you will be done soon...you must be done soon..." Then turning to Patros he asks, "Won't he be done soon?"

I don't want to use my one dose of Stillgut for this, but if he doesn't stop soon I may have to.

Myth warns the others to be prepared for anything and to step back from the trap as he undoes it...

Disable Device: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

Leppin skips over to see what comes out of the pit. "Oh, well, this was interesting indeed! I suspected the real target might be in the vault, but I never suspected they'd leave the thieves in the vault while they created all these false crimes. My, oh, my! Very crafty opponents we have."

Suddenly the vault doors slam shut. After a brief moment of panic, you realize you still have the key, so you open the door and prop it open.

Mythryndyr quickly sorts out the workings of the trap. It's tied to the pressure plate Wisp stepped on inside the vault (i.e. walking into the vault unlocks the trap, which is then ready to trigger when someone steps on it, usually while leaving the vault). Both the trap and the automatically closing vault door have a bypass switch hidden inside the vault along the eastern wall. Once you've readied yourselves, Myth shoves the chair onto the pit trap, which then collapses open.

At first you don't see anything in the bottom of the pit, but after only a round or so, part of the wall steps toward the center of the pit and becomes a pale blue male humanoid (i.e. Skulk). He looks a little battered and bruised. It offers up a whining plea in Common, "Hurry, lower a rope before the blasted thing closes again!"

Feel free to reposition yourselves on the map to whichever side of the trap you wanted to be on before you opened it.

"Best if one of you lower the rope on the vault side of the trap...don't want our thief here getting any ideas of running away..."

Jerb removes his rope from his pack and lowers it down. "I'm keeping my eye on you, friend."

I will fix my hypnotic stare on the skulk just in case.

"Tell us what you were hired to steal, then we'll let you out," Leppin calls down to the skulk.

"Correction!" Brin abruptly interjects, "Tell us everything you were hired to do and who hired you."

Then with a sidelong glance to Leppin he says, "Best not to assume theft was the only thing he was hired for."

-Posted with Wayfinder

"You promise to let poor, unfortunate Rogi go if he tell you everything?"

Before anyone else can respond, Brin says with all seriousness, "No. We promise not to kill you if you tell us everything, but whether we let you go is an entirely different matter."

Wisp's stomach finally settles when...

We promise not to kill you if you tell us everything,

The image of killing the trapped skulk causes a dangerous surge of nausea to race through the tiny kinetisist.

This is why I need to be far...far... away from weapons and blood. Well, I can't possibly have anything left in me...can I?

"You might need to tell some other people your story, too," Leppin tells the skulk, trying to be helpful.

If you tell us everything, and I mean evrrything, we will tell the authorities of your help. That should spare you the noose or the axe, however they do it around here.

The skulk sputters a bit before replying, "As long as you promise not to kill me, I'll tell ya what I know. But don't blame Rogi for not knowing much! Rogi only pawn...in game of life."
"But this is what Rogi knows: My tribe, the Nisku, does favors for a group of humans in exchange for Shiver--oh, sweet sweet Shiver." You see him shudder visibly. "Do you have any? Please, give me some. I could help you, act as your guide...for some Shiver."
After another glare from Brin, he continues."The Nisku no like the humans--and humans definitely no like the Nisku. They just use Nisku by giving us Shiver." Another shudder passes through his body when he says the word.
"Two stupid skulks, who used to be Nisku, joined human tribe. They are Kymeth and Onamae. They are the ones who give Nisku orders from humans, and deliver the blessed blessed Shiver." *shudder* "They tell us to come here, kill the guards. But only one guard here, who was so easy to ki--deal with. So we decide to reward ourselves with loot. Zahkar and Rogi go to Vault. Rogi stand guard by vault door, so when it automatically closed, Rogi jumped clear...only to fall into stupid pit."

Brin knows that Shiver is a highly addictive narcotic.

"So... you took it upon yourselves to break into the vault? That wasn't part of the plan?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 4

"Well, they gave us this key, and it seemed to open more than just the front door. It a been a shame not to put it to good use...but our orders were to sneak in, kill all 4 guards, and get out, leaving the place unlocked."