The Past Returns (Inactive)

Game Master sunshadow21

Ah, well one big unexplored area is as good as the next! At least we know that hall ends in a door. Maybe this hall ends in puppies.

Riiiight, knowing the kind of dogs that show up I hope it doesn't. I'd rather face the demon facehugger again.

But, but, puppies!

Talon follows in line behind Mags after trailing behind them for a short while (sorry for being MIA for a bit, back now and fully engaged). He keeps an eye on their rear flank just in case and is ready to leap forward if there is a nasty surprise up ahead.

"This place gives me the creepers and it's been here for ages just below where we sleep."

"Places like this exist all across the face of Golarion", Krojun says with a gesture. "Ancient Thassilon was vast and powerful. Empires such as that never wholly leave the world."

"But how do they survive this long? Wasn't that a millenia ago?"

"I hope we don't encounter something that has been biding its time for a millenia, waiting to make a meal or some kind of sacrifice of us."

"Thassilon made pacts with all manners of fell powers."

"That's not entirely impossible..."

"I guess that would make it possible. But besides this evidence, they aren't around anymore right?"

"There are stories of dead men that walk. Back home there were stories about sailors drowned at sea that rose to walking again and seek the death in battle that was denied to them by fate. They may walk these halls."

Mags doesn't seem to like those stories that much.

"I think I've heard those same tales back on the Orca. The captain told me there was no worse fate for a sailor."

"If all we face down here are the walking dead, I believe we should count ourselves as lucky", Krojun says with a laugh.

The tunnel turns southeast after about 60 feet, and opens up into a small room. On the southeast wall is a large set of stone double doors. In the northeast corner are stairs leading up to a platform of grey stone set against the wall. On the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow basin on top of it, which appears to be filled with filthy water. A quick detect magic shows the water and basin to be magic, but nothing else in the room is.

Talon will listen against the double doors to see if he can hear anything and then will examine the altar and the platform.

Perception (doors): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

Perception (altar): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Krojun joins the elf in studying the room's contents.

Afterward, he stands adjacent the stone doors awaiting Talon's report.

Copper runs up to the water and peers inside.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18

looking at Krojun...

"Do you think you could take down that altar?"

Krojun cocks his head and studies the altar.

"I might be able to topple it."

Using the recovered ranseur for leverage, the big Shoanti grunts as he puts his shoulder into the altar and tries to knock it over.

Strength Check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

"Let me help with that."

Mags sheathes her sword and puts her shoulder up to the alter and heaves to with Krojun.

Strength Aid Krojun: 120 + 3 = 123

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

The altar is solid rock, and though you are able to determine that it could probably be tipped over with the right tools and aids, and sufficient time, human power is not by itself going to being enough. There's nothing else of particular note about the altar or the platform it sits on.

Talon did hear a very faint sound of flapping briefly as he listened at the door.

Krojun frowns as their efforts yield no progress.

"We can come back here with more people and get it later. There's no way we're moving this thing with just the group of us", the big Shoanti says.

"Magnhlidr, did you want to get that door?"

"Aye, or a giant."

She walks over to the door and holds her greatsword in one hand as she opens it.

Cue another of the face huggers.:P

Not quite

This huge room looks like nothing more than an immense underground cathedral. Stone doors stand to either side of the main entrance, both slightly ajar and off their hinges, but beyond this, the walls are carved with strange, spiky runes. In the center of the room is a large pool, with a ring of polished human skulls balanced on stone spikes arranged in a circle around the deeper midsection. At the far end of the room, a pair of stone stairways leads up to a pulpit on which sits a second pool, this one triangular and filled with churning, bubbling water that looks almost like translucent lava. Yet while wisps of what look like heat and steam rise from the strange orange liquid, the room itself is deathly cold. Despite Talon's report, you can neither hear nor see anything moving at present.

map

Everyone gets one round of actions before we go into initiative. You're going to find this one takes a bit more to win.

"This is ominous. Is this from Ancient Thassilon as well?"

Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Rohan casts Shield before stepping into the room. Copper opts to just follow the tall folks around.

Not one to cast spells when no threat has presented itself, Krojun simply unfurls his whip and looks around.

Initiative: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12

"I don't know. But whatever was here isn't moving."

Mags moves forward cautiously. Her sword held at the ready as she puts one foot slowly in front of the other, making as little noise as she can. She strains her senses trying to pick out whatever it was that Talon said was flitting about earlier. Each breath sends a misty plume rising into the air as approaches the edge of the pool.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Move to w24, try and find out where the little flapping thing may be hiding.

“I swear I thought I heard something.”

Talon moves to t25 with his back to the wall and rapier and short sword drawn.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Init: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Stralla stands in the doorway with her croosbow raised scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

"Someone check those side rooms."

Initiative 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

The party moves cautiously in, but sees and hears nothing until the wall the starts to grow a bump, and a piece of moving stone separates itself from the wall and slams a rocky appendage into a rather startled Talon.

Round 2

Krojun begins his bellowing thunderchant, filling the chamber with its booming sound.

Inspire Courage 1/6

That's a +1 bonus to attacks, weapon damage, and saves vs fear.

Round 2

"Abadar protect us.", casts Bless.
Each ally gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects.

Round 2

"I'll save you!" Copper moves to attack the thing attacking Talon.

Bless, Inspire: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Round 2

Rohan follows suite and attempts to stab a giant rock.

Bless, Inspire: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Arcane Strike: 1d8 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 15

Talon braces himself against the surprise and the pain of the stone beast as it lands a hit on him.

not sure if I'll have flanking here with Rohan or Copper, I'll roll just in case.

Main Hand Attack w. MW Rapier: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Rapier Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Sneak Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Off Hand Attack w. Short Sword: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Short Sword Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Sneak Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

But he recovers quickly, his agility and reflexes reacting with lighting precision.

Confirm Crit Rapier: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Rapier Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

As Talon roars loudly in defiance at the thing.

Whoa - and I just realized I forgot to add the Bless and Inspire modifiers, so potentially more damage there as well.

Looks like you guys blessed and inspired the very dice bots themselves!

Nice!

Unfortunately, elementals are immune to crits and sneak attacks. =(

On the other hand, 9 damage is still nothing to sneeze at.

Don't I still get both attacks though, even if niether of them crit or flank? So ... 13 damage?

Yea, you still both attacks. Nice job with the 13 damage.

Oh, I forgot you were dual-wielding.

Yup, 13 damage. Nice!

Thanks for the inspiration!

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 2) + 4 = 7

Mags moves up and swings hard.

"Huh, I thought I hit harder than that."

The little dragon starts to hurt it, but Talon, in his retaliation, knocks the life out the rock, and Mags splits the now plain stone in two. As you are all absorbed in now thoroughly harmless rock when hear a noise up on the higher level, and turn your heads just in time to see a familiar creature emerge from the orange bubbling pool, which noticably is less bubbly and active than it was just before the creature emerged. The creature descends the stairs with ranseur in hand, and is able to attack Mags with that weapon; the blow finds it's target, and the northern barbarian takes 7 points of damage.

Copper sees where the creature is and runs up the other set of stairs in an effort to surround it.

Rohan steps forward one square and fights reach with reach.

Arcane Strike, Bless, Inspire: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 You guys need to stop taking all the high rolls out..

1d8 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 15

However he swings wildly and misses.

Krojun steps into the space little Copper just vacated while keeping the chamber filled with echoes of his booming chant.

He cracks his whip twice to distract the creature and then catches a leg and tries to pull it down.

Trip w/ Inspire and Bless vs CMD: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 2 = 9

Round 3:
Rage, move up to the creature, attack
Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 1 + 1 = 18
Damage: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (5, 4) + 7 = 16

The pain from the deep wound in her leg seems to go away as, once again, a righteous anger fills Magnhildr's heart. She wrenches the wicked blade free of her leg and gets up under the creature's reach and sends her blade carving into the thing's flesh.

"Not today, demon."

Seeing his party close rank against the creature, Talon follows Copper's idea and will run around the pool (but not up the stairs) in an attempt to surround it. Will double move as far as I can get, ideally will leave the creature flanked next turn.

Round 3

Stralla readies her crossbow and waits for another target of opportunity that isn't in melee with the party.