SR's - Silent Gods (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

The only thing you note is Tamor was gutted with a single horizontal slash from a blade while sitting. You imagine he didn't even see the blow coming as there are no fight wounds.

Is the clothes he wore the night before? Or do they look like clothes he would/could have worn for the funeral? And which way is his body facing? Toward the front door? Or would he have been facing back into the house? I'm basically trying to figure out if there's any information we can glean from his position and clothes about where the attacker came from and when he was killed.

He is dressed for the funeral - so he was killed this morning since returning home. His chair is at an angle from the front-door but still in sight of it if he were to turn his head. His body is cooling but not cold - so he died recently.

EDIT - Also, Zeke spots a trail of blood drips leading away from Tamor and heading up the stairs.

Aerik looks upon the body with disgust.

This would take some strength. A bear could do it, but the door was closed and there was no feeding. Could a man do this?

He whispers to his companion:

"Just give me a moment, and I will find whoever or whatever did this"

Aerik takes a std action to activate Totem Transformation (Senses)

This grants low-light vision, scent, and +4 survival to tracking by scent for 20 rounds

Move action: track the killer

Survival: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34

The druid crouches down as his nose and mouth elongate into a wolf-like snout. His nostrils twitch as he sniffs at the body, searching for the scent of whatever unnatural creature perpetrated this horrible crime.

When Ezekiel points out the blood trail, Jak sneaks to the bottom of the stairs, where he pauses. He looks around, trying to figure out how many rooms would need to be checked before they could head upstairs confident that the killer wasn't hiding on the first floor.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Stealth: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 8 - 2 = 24

Basically, I'm tryng to quickly figure out how many rooms would be left un-searched if the group went straight upstairs right now (assuming Aerik and Marcus come straight to the stairs). I want to save those kids, but I'd also like to make sure we're not walking right past the killer on our way up.

Jak - It looks like Marcus/Aerik will enter through the kitchen and move through the dining room which brings them into the living room. Assuming those rooms are empty, there are only two other doors on the first floor that haven't been explored. One is to a closet, or a root cellar, located beneath the stair. The other is to a room of some sort that you haven't been in.

Okay, if there's time before Aerik and marcus show up, Jak will check the root cellar door beneath the stair... telling Zeke to watch the stairs.

Interesting idea, Aerik.

Aerik and Marcus enter the kitchen. Aerik immediately regrets the power of his enhanced nose as it is assaulted by the intense smell of the breakfast remains, the rank whiff of Jannys' bowel that voided at death, and the strong, rusty and scatalogic scent of the loosed and punctured entrails from the other room. Aerik almost gags, an experience made worse by what else his nose tells him... there are more corpses in the house.

Taking a moment to sort through the smells, Aerik detects no hint of a foreign creature or another human whose scents aren't already all over the house... but there is something which Aerik is hard-pressed to identify. The best he can say is that it smells vaguely like musty dishes. The scent is so minimal, it barely registers, but Aerik can somewhat follow it into the dining room and then into the living room. From there, the scent is slightly stronger but it can't be located. It seems that whatever he is chasing has passed through the living room and the rest of the house multiple times.

Aerik stalks into the living and finds Zeke watching the stairs as Jak uneventfully checking a closet.

OK, you are all together. Jak, it was just a coat closet. You find nothing interesting there and no hidden doors or the like.

As the others come into view, Jak pulls them near, whispering to the group as he warily takes in Aerik's appearance. "Anything? One other room un-checked." He points to the last room. "But if anyone's still alive up there, we should hurry. Marcus, Zeke, why don't you sneak up there... Aerik and I will check the last room and be right up."

Unless there is any arguments/alternate proposals, Jak puts actions to words, quietly taking lead and opening the door to the remaining room.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Stealth (add'l penalties for full speed): 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 5 ⇒ (7) + 8 - 2 - 5 = 8

Guys, let me know if I'm pushing too fast (well, ooc, that is... I think urgency is called for in-character).

Aerik sniffs and retches.

"No. I fear the children are dead too. I can smell the corruption..."

Then he says in a soft voice, as much to himself as to the others:

"The other scent, dirty dishes? It ends here. How could the killer have escaped so quickly?"

Jak manages to find the one door with an un-greased hinge.
Crk-sqeeeeeeeeee.

He winces but opens the door to find...

And I'll leave you there until the other folks check in and commit to their actions. :P

OK, you are all together. Jak, it was just a coat closet. You find nothing interesting there and no hidden doors or the like.

Lyrica shows up late, but she is well armored and ready for anything now. When she enters the house and sees Tamor dead, she gasps and says in a soft voice, "Oh dear Sarenrae, have mercy upon his soul. Please let the rest of the family be safe!"

Looking around to find her companions, Lyrica joins the others and says. "Oh my dear friends, I am sorry to be late. It looks like this just happened! I hope my delay didn't allow whoever did this to get away!"

Sorry, my pronoun was a little vague. By "you are all together", I meant the guys at the crime scene - Jak, Aerik, Marcus, and Zeke. Lyrica is still in the process of donning her armor. I have an unofficial "round count" going on my TPK the Poor Sots cheat-sheet. When we hit the point where Lyrica is fully armored and on her way to the Pegason house, I'll post that.

Marcus shakes his head, standing next to the door while Jak opens it.

We'll go up together, in case whatever did this is down here, he says in a hushed voice, waiting with weapons drawn.

Lives potentially hanging in the balance, the team chooses to remain downstairs as Jak opens the creaky door. A small room awaits them. A small guest bed and chest of draws takes up half the room. The other half is dominated by a heavy desk with built in drawers. At a guess, it is a home office.

You don't see anyone in here, however there is a closet and several places to hide - specifically, the enclosed well of the desk. Actions?

Zeke tightens the grip on his staff, nodding towards Marcus. "I agree. Whatever was able to do this is dangerous." He keeps an eye on the stairs while the other three prepare for what may come from below.

Does Aerik's nose show the presence of anything in the room? If not, I say we move upstairs.

...his enhanced nose... is assaulted by the intense smell of the breakfast remains, the rank whiff of Jannys' bowel that voided at death, and the strong, rusty and scatalogic scent of the loosed and punctured entrails from the other room. Aerik almost gags, an experience made worse by what else his nose tells him... there are more corpses in the house.

The scent is so minimal, it barely registers, but Aerik can somewhat follow it into the dining room and then into the living room. From there, the scent is slightly stronger but it can't be located. It seems that whatever he is chasing has passed through the living room and the rest of the house multiple times.

False, powerful odors can easily mask other scents. The presence of such an odor completely spoils the ability to properly detect or identify creatures, and the base Survival DC to track becomes 20 rather than 10.

Scent is not foolproof and can be confounded partially or fully by many factors. That's my caveat on you relying on Aerik's nose to definitively tell you whether the room is occupied by a baddie.

Aerik's nose detects the same odd smell in the room, but perhaps not as strong as it was in the living room.

Unless someone stops him, Jak gives the room a quick look (based on the previous Perception check) then doubles back to the stairs.

He waves the others over, whispering "Marcus, you and I'll go first, quietly. You two follow us up."

Still keeping Detect Magic up
Perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Stealth (penalty for moving at normal speed) 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 5 ⇒ (15) + 8 - 2 - 5 = 16

Marcus stows his shield and holds the axe in a wood-splitting two-handed grip, walking in step with Jak.

Stealth, full speed: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 5 ⇒ (17) + 7 - 1 - 5 = 18

Perception, +1 more to find traps: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

The stairway and upper corridor are 5' wide... so you are going single file and I'm assuming the order is: Jak, Marcus, Zeke, then Aerik.

Jak would be more than willing to let the bigger man go first. :D

Jak and Marcus lead our heroes as they creep up the tight and creaking stairs..At the top of the staircase is a long corridor stretching the length of the house. As they hit the landing, our heroes can see into the open master bedroom to one side. Mykalla, the housekeeper, is in plain sight. Her body is face-down on a low bureau, her head shoved into a washbasin. Water stains the rest of the bureau, the wall beside it, and falls rhythmically onto the expensive rug.

drip... drip... drip...

Her fingers are bloody and cut from thrashing against the bureau, no doubt struggling while she was forcefully drowned. Her last feeble fingernail marks mar the wood.

Seeing no enemy within, and receiving a negative shake of the head from the druid as to smelling an opponent, they press on cautiously. The hall seems to grow immensely long as they watch every footfall and dread what sights may greet them next. Halfway down the hall, playing to the shadows as best they can, Jak and Marcus can see into the well-lit room at the far end of the hall - its window catching the morning light. But it is the coppery smell of blood and death that strikes them first. Then they spy a bed, a boy's body - Tamor Jr. - and a fat diagonal spray of arterial blood anointing the white wall, bedspread, and floor. Tamor's lifeless eyes, half-lidded, seem to stare at the men in the hall. Without moving closer, you can only speculate that his throat was cut. From his half-dressed state and the good clothes on the floor, it appears he was changing after the funeral when he met death for the second time this day.

Marcus' keen ears pick up another set of sounds that draw his attention to a smaller bedroom just a short distance down the hall. He hears muffled child-like sniffling sobs and a girlish voice consoling herself in a whisper.

It'll be OK... It'll be OK... Er'stil watches me...

Marcus alerts Jak and the party advances silently on the room. The smell of blood is thick in the hall, providing a strange contrast to the sight of the nursery. It is untouched by the horror in the rest of the house. A smallish bed with a colorful quilt rests beneath the frilly-curtained window. A hobbyhorse and a few toys are scattered along the floor. The room has pink touches that say "girl's room". Everyone can now hear the sniffling girl's voice, coming from beneath the bed, repeating her protective mantra.

Jak glances at Aerik and receives a frown - while he can smell the strange scent, the stench of blood and death is overpowering. The source of the smell could be in the nursery, the hall, or in the boy's bedroom.

FWIW - Rynn's bedroom is just large enough to fit all four of you if you plan to move in en masse.

A happy family, brutally murdered at home is more than enough to chill Marcus to the core. He walks through the house with dread, recalling his own fear when the Mist came, wondering if his own family would make it out alright.

But more painful than any of the bodies at the grisly scene is the whispered words of hope from a child, holding on to her faith in the midst of all the horror.

Not wanting to frighten her further, Marcus stows his axe and crouches on all fours, crawling to the edge of the bed and stretching a hand under the bed towards the girl. As he approaches, he speaks to her softly:

It's ok, everything is going to be ok. My name is Marcus--take my hand, and let me help you, ok?

Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

Ezekiel's walk through the house with the others is truly a stroll through a nightmare. Coming upon Mykalla's body, the bonesetter turns cold inside, a trait developed from treating many injuries. His body stiffens, each movement surreal, they next pass Tamor Jr's room. Ezekiel's knuckles start to whiten on his staff as they pass by continuing the search.

The final room threatens to put him over the edge. Hearing the girl's screams, a grisly image passes through his mind, of what he would have done if this had been Olivia. The fear he felt the night of the attack came back strong, but tempered with a deep rage.

Watching Marcus bend down to try to coax the girl out, Zeke stays in the hall standing sentry. "This...I can't understand it. No punishment is enough." He mutters to himself.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Marcus crouches low and looks beneath the bed. Squeezed into the corner beneath the head of the bed is young Rynn Pegason. She huddles in on herself and has her blankie pulled up to her wide, haunted, saucer-like eyes. Her golden locks tumble down askew and she rocks herself gently, praying softly. Scattered beneath the bed, some of them set like sentinels to guard her, are a host of wooden soldiers, dolls, and stuffed animals.

Er'stil protects me... Er'stil protects...

Even Marcus' poor social skills bring the girl some solace. Tears of relief fill Rynn's eyes and her prayers cease... but she shakes her head emphatically at his solicitation to come out. Her eyes shoot sideways, fear renewed. Marcus sees a motion among the toys. The head of a gaudily dressed bone-china clown slowly rotates in his direction. The black stone eyes regard him blankly and the painted on smile never changes. The only thing that grounds the surreal vision is the large blood-streaked kitchen knife in the clown's tiny hand. The procelain fingers wrap the handle carefully... and it strikes in a blur, leading with its suddenly animate mouth filled with rows of needle teeth.

Marcus barely has time to marvel as dozens of needles pierce the flesh below his eye. It moves so fast...

Jak, Aerik, and Zeke see the almost prone lumberman start in surprise... then something nearly yanks Marcus beneath the child's bed... by his face.

Marcus a Will Save, if you please.
And Initiatives for all of you.

A's HPs: 24|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 18|25

VILLAIN: What's Hiding Beneath the Bed
MAP: Wind-Up Toy - Round 1

Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

A strange emotion invades Marcus' mind briefly but he quashes it.

Inish: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

You don't know what's beneath the bed, but you know it isn't good judging from the bleeding bite on Marcus' face.

The quiet girl's voice ramps up into a frightened shriek.

Round 1

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

apologies. crazy busy weekend. i thought i had already posted.

can i pull the girl out from under the bed? even if it provokes an AoO, ill still do it.

Not sure what the roll would be: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Looks like i will likely fail whether it is an attack roll or a grapple....

I think there's a pull maneuver, and the girl probably has pathetic CMD, hehe. I actually had the same idea, either that, or try to pin the clown to the ground.

Aerik squeezes in at the foot of the bed and slides beneath it, looking to pull young Rynn Pegason from the foul hands of he-knows-not-what. The druid comes face to face with a small doll wielding a large knife beneath the heavy oak bed. He slaps the doll aside, stretches further and wraps a strong hand around Rynn's arm, dragging the struggling girl out. He manages to sling her free of bed and horrific toy, into the narrow space between himself, the bed, the armoire, and Jak. Then he sees the glint of slicing steel as the doll buries the knife deep in Aerik's throat, opening his jugular vein with a deft twist.

Jak, Marcus, and Zeke see the girl slide and tumble from beneath the bed and then she is bathed by a thick spray of blood from the thrashing druid. It paints the girl and armoire crimson. The shock of the blood hitting her face silences Rynn briefly. She looks down at herself, sees the blood rolling off her, and shrieks in renewed terror.

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

MAP UPDATE

A's HPs: 2|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 18|25

Jak reacts instinctively to the spray of blood, muttering a few words as he touches Aerik's leg. He then takes a step back, "Guys... can we create some room?!"

Cast Cure Light Wounds on Aerik, then 5' step back to AK.3
CLW: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Round 1

Unable to get to the doll, Ezekiel follows up with Aerik's action and tries to get the girl out of there. "Rynn, come here away from that thing while they deal with it."

Drag: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Jak magically staunches the druid's sizable wound and backs up.

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

A's HPs: 11|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 18|25

I'm going to have to do a little character maneuvering to prevent folks from occupying the same space.

Jak steps aside as Ezekiel rushes forward to pull the little girl away. Slick with Aerik's blood, Rynn is difficult to grab. The bonesetter's hands slide away, coated in crimson.

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

The hell-spawned poppet peeks from beneath the blankets and drives its blade at Marcus' face. The ranger scrambles aside avoiding a blow that buries the blade into the bed's oak leg with a thud. The clown reverses its grip, and wedges a floppy red satin foot against the bed leg. Then, with hellish strength, it yanks the blade free trailing splinters of wood. With a back-flip, the clown turns the blade-freeing sweep into another slashing attack. The blade carves across Marcus' chest, skittering off the bone.

The tiny horror stands revealed against the backdrop of the blankets draping off the bed.

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

MAP

A's HPs: 11|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 10|25

Stupid fire alarm during my planning period. Ok, here goes, trying out the anointed weapons and all.

Damn, that thing is fast!

Marcus reels from the onslaught, finding the smooth handle of his axe and drawing it upwards, using the momentum to carry it in a downward stroke at the tiny horror.

Move action, draw axe.

Two-handed axe attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

two-handed damage, whetstone: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

The axe slams into the hellish little doll and bounces back - chipping a divot into the bone-china of its forehead. Its smile doesn't change. Marcus can't help but feel his attack didn't strike as hard as it should.

Round 2

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

The quiet druid chokes out a quick gurgle of thanks to Jak as his vicious throat wound closes up. Hiding behind his shield, he further patches himself up.

"Zeke... get the girl out of here. We'll hold it off..."

Has this thing been attacking with enough reach for a tiny little guy to threaten us? Or entering our spaces to attack? If he threatens Aerik, Aerik will cast CLW defensively on himself, hoping that Jak will do the same for Marcus. If it doesn't threaten, I'll cast normal.

Conc Check (if needed): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

CLW: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Sure would be nice if we had our pally helping out. :(

Aerik drags his shield in front of him, rises heavily behind it as blood continues to stream from his neck, and weaves a healing magic about himself.

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

A's HPs: 21|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 10|25

Due to the attack on Marcus, the doll is now encroaching on his square and only threatens Marcus. So you could cast without a Concentration check... except you are casting prone for which I'd ask for a roll. :) Since you aren't threatened, I'm going to assume you stand or at least take a knee rather than stay laying on the floor.

Jak repeats his mutterings, this time touching Marcus.
Cast Cure Light Wounds on Marcus; CLW: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

"I can't keep this up, guys, and it's a waste to try it!" He falls back into the hallway, "Can we let Zeke try his flasks?"

Step back to AJ.4

Round 2

Zeke tries once more to get the girl out of the room, "I can't use them when it's so crowded like it is."

Drag: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Since you get a firm grip on her and she is light and unresisting once scruffed, I'm going to say you can carry her out. You can add a move action.

Zeke finally manages to get a grip on Rynn and pulls the blood-stained girl unresisting into his arms.

Jak heals his ally then escapes into the hall, keeping an eye on the room.

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus

A's HPs: 21|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 15|25

The doll lunges at Marcus, sinking its needle-teeth into his kneecap while the bell on one shoe jingles lightly.

Marcus - need a will save.

Round 2

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus
MAP This is before any additional move Ez takes.

A's HPs: 21|24
E's HPs: 18|18
J's HPs: 19|19
M's HPs: 11|25

You all hear footsteps running up the staircase. Cresting the landing, you see Father Galt, puffing a bit. He sees the bloody girl in Ezekiel's arms. "What can I do?"

INIT: Aerik, Ez, Jak, Doll, Marcus, Galt