SR's - Silent Gods (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

A's HPs: 14|14
E's HPs: 10|10
J's HPs: 10|10
L's HPs: 9|15
M's HPs: 9|14

"Damn…" His hand moves to Lyrica's shoulder, "you two are helpful to have around."

Lyrica smiles at Jak comments and replies. "I just hope it will be enough! These creatures are driven by an evil force of the like I have never seen."

As her wounds are partially healed, Lyrica comments.

"How do you do that with your hands? Normally I would warn you to be careful where you put those, but in this case, it does bring about some relief from the pain of my wounds."

"Well, I am not feeling perfect, but I feel strong enough to continue. Shall we proceed slowly onward down this tunnel?"

Jak finishes coiling his whip on his hip, then grins as he holds up his hands with a fake sense of wonder and appreciation, "Oh, Lyrica.. if you only knew…" He finishes with a wink.

He looks between Marcus and Lyrica, his face becoming concerned, "Hey, Zeke, before we move too far forward, you want to make sure neither of these two have picked up any… um… i don't know what from being touched by those walking stiffs? Lyrica did say they could carry the ability to do more than simple physical damage."

I might be paranoid, but a some precautionary Heal checks could be something to keep in mind after each of our fights, even if everyone seems fine at the time. Only-Stormyraven-Knows what kinds of diseases or bacteria could be picked u pin this place.

torch still in his left hand, right hand free for the moment

"That is a good idea, Jak. Let me take a look. Best not to touch the...corpses until I've had a chance to." Ezekiel comes up to Lyrica first, then Marcus and examines each for any signs of infection.

Heal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Heal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Having examined each of their wounds, Ezekial stands up. "I see nothing wrong with either of them at present. Probably best to keep an eye on them for now, and any other wounds we suffer though. Who knows what else may come."

Jak nods, then holds his torch up, looking down the ominous barrow path ahead.

In the sudden stillness of the barrow, all Jak can hear is his own breathing and that of his friends. He waits a few heartbeats before clapping Marcus on the back, "Damn…" His hand moves to Lyrica's shoulder, "you two are helpful to have around."

Meh, I swing an axe for a living, though the trees stand still and don't try to hit back...usually Memories of the falling tree and Eluon's rescue bring a brief smile to Marcus' face and a chuckle, even in the dangerous confines of the barrow.

And you were pretty hand with that whip, yourself. The big man looks around at the walls and peers off as far as he can see in the dim light.

Say, any of you 'scholar' types know how many folk are buried here? Or, I don't know, what the dimensions are of each crypt? I'd like to know roughly how many walking corpses might be tryin' to kill us.

Would something like that be Knowledge (Engineering) or (Architecture) or something? Do those exist in Pathfinder? Or would it be more like Knowledge (History) or (Local)?

There are simply too many variables to account for to make any determination. There could be a honeycomb of passages with the dead stacked on shelves (early Christian tomb catacombs). Or there could be just a few rooms that each honor a specific individual (Egyptian pyramids). And each of those possibilities assumes the Barrow is the limit of the structure. If it attaches to a dug out underground complex... you've got a lot more real estate to worry about. In short - embrace the unknown. :p

"Lyrica did say they could carry the ability to do more than simple physical damage."

"Every undead is unique with their own set of life draining forces. Sometimes its disease, or paralysis, but sometimes it is your actual life energy. I don't feel anything other than the physical pain of my wounds right now, but I trust Zeke when he says that there is nothing else wrong at present. Let's hope it is so."

Lyrica moves forward, still with her scimitar drawn, following behind Marcus.

And you were pretty hand with that whip, yourself.

Jak grins as they begin to move forward, "Sometimes a fool just needs tripping."

Aerik stows his shield and sickle before retreiving his sling.

"Is anyone in need of healing?"

When he looks over Marcus who doesn't look too worse for wear, he is not surprised.

"That guy is tougher to crack than petrified wood. But Lyrica?"

"I swear I heard a few of your ribs crack. Dunno if its your armor or your sun goddess, but someone is looking out for you. Cover both ends of the passage, please. This will just take a moment."

Aerik removes the bullet from his loaded sling, and takes two more out from his pocket. Holding the stones in one hand while grasping his holy symbol with the other, he chants a spell. The stones flash with a brilliant light before subsiding to a glow.

Aerik casts Magic Stone

"These stones will do serious damage to undead. But they are still stones, so best to use em against skellies instead of any more of those fleshbags we run into."

He gives one to Lyrica and Jak and keeps one for himself, putting it back in his sling. Then he grabs his shield with his other hand.

I figure Zeke can use bombs and Marcus can use the blunt end of his axe if we run into skellies. ;)

Our heroes step over the remains of the undead and proceed deeper in the Barrow. They quickly come to a rough intersection. An upper path widens into what the faint light seems to reveal could be a rough chamber. The lowest path is narrower and relatively straight so far as their eyes can see. The middle path winds around the rock wall in front of them and quickly vanishes.

MAP: Decisions... decisions

Marcus tilts his head to the side and whispers to the others: You hear that dripping sound off yonder? He nods to the lower passage. We should check that out first, but keep quiet in case it's anything other than some drops of water.

SR, I'd like to search for traps before we enter the lower passage, if that's where we all decide to go. Do you want me to state each time that I'm searching for traps, or can I give default instructions such as: "If we are not in any immediate danger and are in 'explore' mode, I'll search for traps each time we enter a new corridor/room"?

Yeah, we can set 'search' as your default mode. Are you:
1. Searching quickly - i.e. make a few rolls and I can file them away
2. Searching cautiously - i.e. "Take 10"
3. Searching thoroughly - i.e. "Take 20"

#3 will really eat up the time if you plan to escape... er.. leave the Barrow by nightfall.

"Is anyone in need of healing?"

"I am in need of healing, Aerik. The zombies ripped at me like savage beasts. Although Jak has healed up some of my wounds, I still have some that persist. Can you offer any help?"

"I swear I heard a few of your ribs crack. Dunno if its your armor or your sun goddess, but someone is looking out for you."

My armor is helpful, but it is heavy and far from perfect. I have no doubt that the only reason I am alive is that Sarenrae is keeping a close eye on me."

"These stones will do serious damage to undead. But they are still stones, so best to use em against skellies instead of any more of those fleshbags we run into."

"So what exactly do I do with this stone? Should I use it to aid me in my prayers or do I throw it at the undead?"

As with all things, the answer is found in The Princess Bride

Vizzini: Pick up one of those rocks, get behind a boulder, in a few minutes the man in black will come running around the bend, the minute his head is in view, HIT IT WITH THE ROCK!

I only have one CLW prepared, and one scroll in my pack. Should I burn it now, or wait until someone is more badly hurt? I'm thinking the latter based on how SR is so gleefully waiting to destroy all of us. Lol.

Having more hit points from the get-go is generally better than scraping to try to put them back on, at least in my experience. I would have burned another spell to do the same, but that would put Jak out of spells.. and a well-timed Grease coudl go a long way in here.

I wouldn't say gleeful...

DM Bluff: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

You've got three paths and practically six characters. You should really split up.

Splitting up always seems to work in Scooby Doo, All for it! And next level I'll be able to help with the healing. Can't come soon enough though, I tell you what.

"I don't like the idea of going deeper myself, so that seems the reasonable enough place for something...unnatural..to hide out." Ezekiel goes through his bag for a moment, pulling out a couple vials. "I've got about three more explosives ready. And some catalysts that are settling, but those will take some time yet."

Good one, R-aggy!

Jak ruefully shakes his, "You don't wanna go, so tha's your vote? I like it. I'll second that one."

It's as good a piece of logic as I can come up with, and I can't tink of a skill to help us gain more info at the moment.

Occult Tabulatron:
Upper ?Room?: 0
Middle Path: 0
Low Path (Drip Drip): 1 vote
None of the Above: 2 votes

Ah, democracy in action.

Yeah, we can set 'search' as your default mode. Are you:

1. Searching quickly - i.e. make a few rolls and I can file them away
2. Searching cautiously - i.e. "Take 10"
3. Searching thoroughly - i.e. "Take 20"

#3 will really eat up the time if you plan to escape... er.. leave the Barrow by nightfall.

Default will be one, but if we see a drastic change in the layout of a room or something that seems particularly dangerous (a room with a bunch of rubble piled up or something, for example) then I'll probably want to take 10.

rolls to find traps

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Splitting up always seems to work in Scooby Doo, All for it! And next level I'll be able to help with the healing. Can't come soon enough though, I tell you what.

"I don't like the idea of going deeper myself, so that seems the reasonable enough place for something...unnatural..to hide out." Ezekiel goes through his bag for a moment, pulling out a couple vials. "I've got about three more explosives ready. And some catalysts that are settling, but those will take some time yet."

Aerik looks at Jak and Zeke with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Aren't we here for exactly that reason? To find this unnatural thing called the Pale and kill it? Seems to me that would be the best place to go. The sooner we find it and take its hand, the sooner we can get the hell out of this place...."

Then he clutches the holy symbol around his neck and gently places a hand on Lyrica's side.

"Hold still. I'll see if I can fix you up a bit."

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"About the stone...Throw it at undead, unless you got one of these."

He holds up his sling with the magic stone loaded in it.

Lyrica is almost completely healed by the Druid. Only her bent armor and a sizeble bruise beneath it tell the tale.

A's HPs: 14|14
E's HPs: 10|10
J's HPs: 10|10
L's HPs: 13|15
M's HPs: 9|14

"Hold still. I'll see if I can fix you up a bit."

"You are most kind, Aerik! That feels much better."

Once Lyrica's wounds are feeling better she begins to think about which way to proceed.

"You hear that dripping sound off yonder?" He nods to the lower passage. "We should check that out first, but keep quiet in case it's anything other than some drops of water."

"That is fine, Marcus. I trust you, but just remember if we get into deep water, I will not be able to swim at all. Go ahead and lead us south, but let's be extra careful as we go."

Lyrica listens for any signs of living (or undead) creatures as they proceed.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

I actually intended to vote to go down... I must have misinterpreted Zeke's post.

~ Votes ~
Upper Path:
Mid Path:
Low Path: Marcus, Lyrica
Other:

My vote is low path also

I thought you might be in favor of the low path, but I didn't want to misrepresent anyone's vote.

After a hushed discussion, the party cautiously follows the lower tunnel around a bend into a long straight gallery. The dripping becomes loud enough for everyone to hear, though its source can't yet be seen. It sounds like several drops are pattering inconsistently. Along the coved ceiling of the gallery, you start to see tiny rootlets weaving between the stones and small patches of lichen. They seem to grow more abundant further down the gallery. At the very limits of your vision, you see something slightly shimmering on the center of the corridor floor, reflecting your torch-light. It might be a small puddle (straddling the U/V border on #33).

MAP: Lower Gallery

Press on? Run screaming for your lives?

My vote was low path as well. My attempt at wordplay apparently had the mangled condition. I'll need to get that fixed when we get a chance.

Ezekiel takes a moment to examine the lichen, seeing if he can identify it's properties. "Just a moment."

Knowledge(Nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

The group halts briefly as the alchemist examines the lichen.

"Hmm, nothing unusual. Nehon Asporalis. Fairly typical." Ezekiel nods that he's ready to continue on.

Jak frowns at the distant shimmer, then shrugs and nods forward.

Our intrepid Drearians press on into the dark corridor... as the puddle turns into more of a minor lake. Marcus stalks quietly forward, skirting the edge of the water, until he runs out of space. He extends his light before him, trying to pierce the gloom ahead. The corridor continues onward - and must slope slightly - judging by how the puddle widens and deepens. Near Marcus, the relatively clean water is perhaps 6" deep. At the light's edge, it might be as deep as 1'. Judging from the dry water marks along the stone floor, the pond has been receding and is down 4" from its highest point.

Here and there along the ceiling's length, water drips in uneven beats. It filters through the rock, rolls down rootlets, and finally falls into the gathering pool below. The curious environment - moist, dark, and cool - makes the gallery a cornucopia. The ceiling is overgrown with roots and rootlets hanging down, along with larger patches of the lichen seen before as well as small stands of woody mushrooms and other shade and moisture loving plants and fungi. For Ezekiel it's a delightful private garden... with unfriendly neighbors.

I've updated the map to show your position and where you are in relation to the external wall.

MAP: Lower Gallery

Press on? Back off? Make any changes to your approach?

I'll stow my shield and swim ahead, but not getting farther than 20ft or so ahead of the rest, using Beula to light the way. Wooden Armor ftw! ;-)

Swim--If I can take 10 I will, if a roll is required... 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

6 inches, not 6 feet, my man. You can walk through the water. Does that change the plan any?

Has anyone smelled/tasted the water? The proximity to a bunch of roots and fungi is concerning (especially with us being in a barrow. If we haven't, here's Jak's attempt at it.
Perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Jak smells the water and wrinkles this nose, then experimentally dips in a hand and takes a tiny sip...

Ezekiel examines the roots and water, his curiousity causing him to miss Jak's drink. Not sure if two rolls are needed or not but here they are.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"Do not go quickly, this is likely to be very slippery!"

Lyrica moves to the south end of the hallway (V34) and proceeds behind Marcus. She also sheaths her scimitar so she can use both hands to catch herself in case she falls.

SR, it crossed my mind... ;P

Jak spits the water back out, but not violently. He shrugs up at the group, "Tastes fine to me."

6 inches, not 6 feet, my man. You can walk through the water. Does that change the plan any?

Haha, in that case I'll keep my shield out and just walk cautiously.

""Tastes fine to me."

"You are braver than I thought, Jak Howell! Are you sure that is wise to put any of that in your mouth?"

OK, so with Lyrica's move and Marcus distance comment (which I assume whether you are walking or swimming)... it looks like the march order is Marcus then 5 to 10' of space then Lyrica directly behind him with Ez next to her. Then another 5' to 10' gap followed by Jak and Aerik walking side by side. Is that correct?

Sounds good to me.