[AP] The Shackled City Adventure Path by GM Rutseg (Inactive)

Game Master Balacertar

Abadar, help your servant. I know not where I am but I should be with my companions. We are trying to save Cauldron, the water wands have been stolen and flood waters once again threaten your followers and your church.

Grant your servants the strength they need to overcome.

Ryan knows not whether he is still near his companions or trapped on another plane, so prayers for their safety is all he has.

Finding herself not really surprised by the elemental's sudden attack, Marigold knows that this might be the right time to unleash a little more fire of her own. She sets her gaze on the elemental and focuses...

Burn...come on, come on...!

And just as before she feels a strange power welling up, taking the shape of a small orb of fire in her hand that she hurls just behind the creature of air, trying to avoid catching Kikinnin or anyone else in the blast this time.

Spray of Shooting Stars (Fire Damage): 4d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 3, 1) = 10

DC 15 Reflex save to take half damage here. MG is trying to throw this in such a way that she doesn't hit anyone else (it's a 5 foot radius burst), if possible.

Thank you GM

Within the blackness, a strange warmth surrounds the consciousness that is Ryan, he really doesn't know if his body is with him or separated at the moment. Yet the warmth is comforting and with it comes knowledge of a spell that might help him should his faith be strong enough.

HP(Targeted Dispel Magic): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16 fingers crossed

Kikinnin steps into the room and swings, but the blowing winds that form the elemental push him and his blade back before he can land a hit.

Marigold focuses on her inner burn, and flames are born from his arms and descend through forming a ball of fire on her hands that she hurls behind the elemental. The ball explodes on its impact against the wall and fills that area of the small study into a hell of flames.
Ref DC 15: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
The elemental reacts on the last moment protecting himself against part of the flames.

On the midst of the battle, the immobile Ryan starts to glow with a brilliant blue tone. Sparks jump forth in all directions when the force field finally collapses under the power of the cleric's raw faith in Abadar.

Elemental: 5 damage
Juraan: 15/24 hp
Kikinnin: 37/44 hp
Maxim: 24/24 hp, 2 Dex damage
Ryan: 33/33 hp
JJ: 34/36 hp
Marigold: 30/38 hp
Round 1: Elemental, Marigold, Juraan, Maxim, JJ, Ryan, Kikinnin

Juraan yelps in pain from the Elemental's attack and steps back 5 ft.

"I thought the elemental leaving us alone was too good to be true."
"And I was right!"

Round 1
Juraan fires a ray of frost doing acid damage at the air elemental:
« ცივი მჟავა »

Earth Elemental and Black Draconic arcana combine to change elemental energy descriptor to acid, and adding +1 HP acid damage per die.

Round 1 - Status: Slightly Poisoned (2 DEX damage)

As the elemental attacks Maxim steps backward (5ft Step), then draws his pistol (Move Action) and loads with bullet and powder (Standard Action - may provoke AoO)

Mmm... there is no room for 5' steps, sorry, the first of you gets the attack
The elemental defends himself when Juraan attempts to shot an acid ray at him.
Slam AoO: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Dodging the slam forces Juraan into a bad position and his ray lands just a bit too far from the elemental body.

The elemental starts to spin, the winds becoming more powerful in the room as he does so. The scrolls in the desk start to fly around and the books in the shelves menace to do the same while the elemental raises up to the ceiling creating a whirlwind from floor to top. The dust and papers spinning around the room obscures your vision while the whirlwind moves over Kikinnin.
No AoO

The dwarf fights against the wind trying to stop it, but air is difficult to catch and the elemental jumps over Marigold. The halfling woman feels a strong force trying to lift her into the heights of the corridor!
Slam damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Marigold Ref DC 14 or suffer the slam damage.
A second Ref DC 14 to avoid being lifted into the air, if so happens you cannot move out of the whirlwind by walking.
There is dust and papers all around him obscuring vision, which means at 5' concealment 20% miss chance, and at more than 5' total concealment.
Also, concentration check DC 15+spell level is needed to cast spells 5' around the whirlwind.
For more reference: whirlwind

Elemental: 5 damage
Juraan: 15/24 hp
Kikinnin: 37/44 hp
Maxim: 24/24 hp, 2 Dex damage
Ryan: 33/33 hp
JJ: 34/36 hp
Marigold: 30/38 hp
Round 2: Elemental, Marigold, Juraan, Maxim, JJ (x2), Ryan, Kikinnin

Reflex (DC 14): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Reflex (DC 14): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

"Gyeeeeee!!!"

Marigold utters an incomprehensible cry as the strong winds slam into her, followed by a dizzying sensation of weightlessness as she's pulled off the ground and into the whirlwind itself! With everything spinning around her she struggles to try and get clear of the winds...

Not sure if I need to make a roll to escape or if I'm just stuck until it drops me or we kill it :)

Round 2

Kikinnin feels the thing move around him/through him/over him, and barely gets himself turned around in the doorway, when he realizes the entity has targeted the halfling for some reason.

"Easy does it, Marigold. We'll have you out of there, wind willing."

MW Dwarven Greataxe: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 for 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 damage

He only wishes he could swing more quickly, and end the essence of the elemental, banish it back to its other realm. Something about wind being animate seems alien to him. He begins to conscientiously hold his breath, in case the creature can somehow reach through airways, and obstruct their ability to suck in real air.

round 2
Ryan shivers as he once more can see the room about him and the warmth he had enjoyed dissipates. Looking around, he spies the elemental has taken to attacking his companions within the room; shrugging his shield down into place, he studies the cloud of debris.

Unsure as to where within the debris the elemental is he sends acid shooting into the midst.

Total concealment>50% = good: 1d100 ⇒ 19
Acid splash: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3
damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Missing badly....

Ah, yes, the Miss Chance...

Miss Chance, High Good: 1d100 ⇒ 14

Debris gets in Kikinnin's eyes, and he fails to discern exactly where Marigold is within the whirlwind, so pulls his swing, trying to avoid concussing the girl.

Round 2
Juraan fires a ray of frost doing acid damage at the air elemental:
« მჟავა დამწვრობის »

ray of frost, acid, point-blank: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
miss chance (> 20% is good): 1d100 ⇒ 17
damage: 1d3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Earth Elemental and Black Draconic arcana combine to change elemental energy descriptor to acid, and adding +1 HP acid damage per die.

⋮

But can't hit anything except a bit of ceiling in this whirlwind.

Round 2 - Status: Slightly Poisoned (2 DEX damage)

Maxim curses as he tries to aim at the spinning dervish of an elemental;

"Gods be damned it's a tough 'un to draw a bead on!"

The gun-mage enchants his pistol (Swift Action - Arcane Strike), before trying to time the creature...

Focussing he fires off a shot;

Ranged Touch: MW Pistol (minus poison penalty): 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 5 - 1 = 21

Damage: Pistol (+Arcane Strike): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

20% Miss Chance: 1d100 ⇒ 77

Marigold is caught up by the whirlwind and lifted up in the air.
It is my understanding you cannot move out of the whirlwind, but otherwise you can act normally, with -4 to Dex and -2 to attack

Kikinnin attempts to swing against the elemental, but one scroll his his face and distracts him from the target.

Similarly Ryan and Juraan step to have angle for a shot through the door, but they cannot really see where the creature is and their shot is too skewed.

Maxim shots his gun, the bullet piercing through the air causing disgust in the elemental.

Shortsword: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Misschance 1, 20%: 1d100 ⇒ 7

Shortsword: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 Immune to criticals
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Misschance 2, 20%: 1d100 ⇒ 74
JJ fights the air, his first sword swing going bad because of the debris, but the second one finding the heart of the wild winds! The elemental shrieks with rage!

The whirlwind continues spinning Marigold in the air, battering her against the walls of the corridor once and again and pushing her back through it!
Whirlwind automatic damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Only flying creatures can attempt to escape, but you can attack it

Elemental: 15 damage
Juraan: 15/24 hp
Kikinnin: 37/44 hp
Maxim: 24/24 hp, 2 Dex damage
Ryan: 33/33 hp
JJ: 34/36 hp
Marigold: 19/38 hp
Round 3: Elemental, Marigold (x2), Juraan, Maxim, JJ (x2), Ryan, Kikinnin
Debris concealment: remember, if you are adjacent to the elemental miss chance is only 20% but otherwise you have total concealment, miss chance 50%

Round 3
Juraan tries to fire another acidic ray of frost at the air elemental:
« მჟავა დამწვრობის »

ray of frost, acid, point-blank: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
miss chance (> 20% is good): 1d100 ⇒ 44
damage: 1d3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
(ranged touch, point blank, no save)

Earth Elemental and Black Draconic arcana combine to change elemental energy descriptor to acid, and adding +1 HP acid damage per die.

⋮

And manages to do something this time around.

Round 3

"Almost over, Marigold, alright? Keep a calm." He's starting to believe it might not be that simple, but he tries to keep his doubt out of his voice, nonetheless.

MW Dwarven Greataxe: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16 for 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7 damage
Miss Chance, High Good: 1d100 ⇒ 12

"Alright, now, I'm not sure you're able to, but can you try and not spin so wildly like that, Marigold? What was that? You'll have to speak up, with all the noise..."

Round 2

As she's held aloft, Marigold does the only thing she can think of to do and manages to draw the dagger they'd only just taken from the elemental's master moments before. Unsure of just where to strike, she lashes out blindly...

Attack (MW Dagger): 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 4 - 2 = 10
Damage: 1d3 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

...but has no success.

Round 3

"જેજે! મને અહીં નીચે વિચાર!" Marigold shrieks as she continues to be flung about and battered by debris. Realizing that she's unlikely to be able to do much from inside the winds, she tries to call on a blessing to bolster her friends that are outside...

Concentration (DC 16): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

...and manages to push through and complete her spell!

Casting Bless!

Missed the part about the elemental having taken Kikinnin and Marigold for a ride down the hall

Ryan moves to follow the creature out into the hallway, unsure how best to work against it; exiting the doorway he is met with a wall of debris, glimpses of Marigold's clothing and Kikinnin's seen through momentary pockets if the debris field.

If able

Miss Chance: 1d100 ⇒ 86 20%? trying to get as close as possible
+1 Hvy Mace: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

"જેજે! મને અહીં નીચે વિચાર!"

Hearing Marigolds plantive cry - all but carried away by the winds that have been carrying the rest of her away, JJ almost loses it. Forgetting about his defences he barrels into the elemental like a whirlwind of swords himself.

Round 2
attack,bless, TWF: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 10 - 2 + 1 = 16
miss 1-20: 1d100 ⇒ 35
off hand attack,bless, TWF: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 10 - 2 + 1 = 11
miss 1-20: 1d100 ⇒ 62
His new magical sword seems to hit resistance for a moment, but who can tell if it actually hurts the air creature.
damage(silver,magic): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Round 3
attack,bless, TWF: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 10 - 2 + 1 = 28
miss 1-20: 1d100 ⇒ 26
off hand attack,bless, TWF: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 10 - 2 + 1 = 10
miss 1-20: 1d100 ⇒ 42
damage(silver,magic): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

As he attacks it, he ponders what he may know about these creatures and their weaknesses.

know(planes): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Round 3 - Status: Slightly Poisoned (2 DEX damage)

As the elemental blasts Marigold and Kikinnin down the corridor, Maxim grimaces;

Hear we go, trippin' o'er each other...

The gun-mage reloads with an alchemical cartridge (Move Action) and pulls a bead on the wild combat.

He is about fire, when Ryan steps into his eyeline; bringing his mace to bear;

"Darn it Taskerhill, I can't draw a bead with your god-bless'ed noggin' in the way!"

Delay - Firing until clear shot

Ranged Touch: MW Pistol (minus poison penalty & firing into melee penalty): 1d20 + 5 - 1 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 5 - 1 - 4 = 18

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

20% Miss Chance: 1d100 ⇒ 4 Skit.

Juraan shots another ray of acid, but with a corridor full of companions and debris it results an impossible mission.

Kikinnin attempts a swing at the creature but the axe is deflected once more by the strong winds.

In the midst of the chaos Marigold succeeds to cast a bless spell while her dagger attacks end lose.

Ryan attempts the same with his heavy mace but the elemental is just too far away and the metallic head hits the wall.

JJ attemtps to look for a spot but he seems to fight only against the debris, as the real elemental is too far way past Kikinnin for his usual blades to make a difference.

Maxim takes a shot, but the debris and papers makes everything so much confusing the bullet just bangs the walls of the corridor.

Whirlwind damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Marigold hits with the walls once more while the whirlwind quickly starts to lose speed, mostly like if the elemental was getting too tired to hold its attack.

The debris slowly disappears as the elemental stops spinning and just flies over the halfling head when she lands into the floor.

Elemental: 15 damage
Juraan: 15/24 hp
Kikinnin: 37/44 hp
Maxim: 24/24 hp, 2 Dex damage
Ryan: 33/33 hp
JJ: 34/36 hp
Marigold: 19/38 hp
Round 4: Elemental, Marigold, Juraan, Maxim, JJ, Ryan, Kikinnin
You have some respite from the whirlwind for now, but the elemental is flying 5' over Marigold's head

I just checked the map. Is JJ able to attack at all? If not, he'll try acrobatics to get through the elemental and on to the other side to try and help Marigold. JJ doesn't mind eating the AOO, but does want to get through the square.
acrobatics if required: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Surprise Round

Round 4
Ooops! Ryan wasn't the only one who missed the bit about the fight spilling out into the hallway! :P

Juraan tries to patch himself up quickly, while things are too crowded for him to enter the fray for the moment:
use magic device: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

⋮

But doesn't succeed, in the heat of the moment.

Ryan send a blob of acid at the creature currently above Marigold, yet dodging around Kikinnin for the shot at the last moment sends his shot wide.

acid splash: 1d20 ⇒ 7

With a groan, Marigold drops to the floor with the elemental still hovering in the air over her. Though her vision is still spinning she tries to stagger out of the way as her friends close in on the creature, taking another wild swipe at it with her dagger for good measure.

Attack (MW Dagger; Bless): 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 1 = 16
Damage: 1d3 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0
20% Miss Chance: 1d100 ⇒ 55

Assuming she's not actually prone, Marigold will take a 5 foot step out from under the elemental and then attack.

JJ attempts to tumble through the corridor past Marigold but the elemental slams at him from the air!
Slam+high position AoO: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 9 + 1 = 21
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
A strong wind pushes the young man against the wall making a bruise in his face.

Juraan draws his wand and attempts to use it, but he is too pressed and it does not work.

Ryan, still recovering from his previous freezing, shots an acid orb that splashes against the wall next to the elemental.

Marigold performs a short slash with her dagger, then observing the elemental is distracted with JJ she moves past the corner without being attacked.

Elemental: 15 damage
Juraan: 15/24 hp
Kikinnin: 37/44 hp
Maxim: 24/24 hp, 2 Dex damage
Ryan: 33/33 hp
JJ: 30/36 hp
Marigold: 19/38 hp
Round 4: Elemental, Marigold, Juraan, Maxim, JJ (standard pending), Ryan, Kikinnin

JJ gives a quick stab at the elemental, now he has space to do so.

attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22 +2 extra if we can flank it
damage(silver,magic): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

"Marigold!" he cries out, pleased his little sister is free at last.

Round 4 - Status: Slightly Poisoned (2 DEX damage)

Seeing his shot go high, wide and handsome does little to improve the cantankerous dwur's demeanor;

"Hell's Teeth! How can an animated fart be givin' us so much trouble!"

The gun-mage reloads with an alchemical bullet and powder (Standard Action); then awaits his next chance to shoot.

JJ stabs his sword on the elemental causing its essence to shrink a bit more.

Maxim reloads his pistol while the elemental attempts to slam at the young boy that just stabbed it!
Slam: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
The winds are strong and hit JJ against the wall!

Elemental: 21 damage
Juraan: 15/24 hp
Kikinnin: 37/44 hp
Maxim: 24/24 hp, 2 Dex damage
Ryan: 33/33 hp
JJ: 21/36 hp
Marigold: 19/38 hp
Round 5: Elemental, Marigold, Juraan, Maxim, JJ (standard pending), Ryan, Kikinnin (x2)
Remember elementals cannot be flanked!

Round 4

"Hell's Teeth! How can an animated fart be givin' us so much trouble!"

"It hasn't been playing fair, blowing chittle into our eyes, and throwing Marigold about. Looks like it's settling down now... let's hope we can stop its bluster."

The black-beard almost forgets to swing on the creature, his eyes are still watering.

MW Dwarven Greataxe: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 1 + 2 = 13 for 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 damage

Round 5

His eyes stop watering.

MW Dwarven Greataxe: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 + 1 + 2 = 30 for 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 damage

Now with the elemental trapped between him and Kikinnin, and Marigold safely behind him, JJ starts to realise the somewhat precarious position he has arrived in.

Swords in each hand he keeps swinging, trying to disrupt the elemental's structure.

attack, TWF, bless, flank: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 21
off hand attack, TWF, bless, flank: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 10 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 23
damage(magic,silver): 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
damage(cold iron): 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Kikinnin hits the elemental with a blow of his axe.

Then JJ connects a couple of sword stabs at the air elemental force.

It seems to roar while it decomposes and fades finally disappearing from this reality.

Combat is over!

Without the opposition of the elemental, Maxim can finally check the books in the desk. He needs some time to order back the mess done by the whirlwind but eventually he can find the book talks about the Kopru ruins where the hideout lies and the Kopru culture itself.

Even more interesting is Skaven's journal, now free to check for interested eyes.

With the elemental dissipating into the aether, Ryan returns to the room that appears to be the halfling wizard's office. Helping Maxim to bring order back to the room, he then turns his attention to the door that had caused him such trouble.

"Hmm this wouldn't have been trapped for no good reason, he likely hid thing here that he didn't trust his 'friends' around."

Ryan will cast Detect Magic upon the offending door and take his time this time. Sure that Abadar would not so freely give his grace a second time in such a short time. If he cannot find anything still affecting the door, Ryan will ask JJ to check it for traps. Not trusting his own reflexes should he accidentally trip one.

Once Ryan is sufficiently certain the door is safe to pass he will open it and see what is behind 'door number 3'. "Kikinnin, JJ at the ready please; so far we have had plenty of surprises down here."

Ryan figures to peruse the journal once Maxim has and his curiosity has been satisfied. He will also suggest resting before continuing; everyone could stand the rest and it sounds like spells against the undead would be well advised.

JJ spends some time checking the door for traps.

He grabs a chair to get comfortable and spends a few minutes poking around. One might almost think the lad was wanting a rest.

After those battles JJ is more than happy to have a bit of a rest and take 20 on the perception check

As the elemental is dissipated, Juraan tries once again to heal himself with his wand:
use magic device: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
cure light wounds (wand): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
"MUCH better!"

(There are 31 charges left in the wand)

⋮

"Here, Marigold. Take a bit of a rest, and use of this healing wand on yourself and JJ."
"Just give it back to me as soon as you're done with it."
"I'll help Ryan search this office for anything else of use here."

⋮

In helping Ryan search the office, Juraan will also use Detect Magic to see what he can find as well:
perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Wow, that was quite the epic villain journal!

With the battle now over and the familiar adrenaline rush of battle fading, Marigold slowly lowers her dagger and for a moment simply blinks up at Juraan as he offers her the healing wand. That's when it becomes apparent that she's actually looking a bit green around the gills...

"Urk!"

Before she can stop it or turn away, the contents of her stomach come spewing up out of her throat and onto the floor.

"Ughhhh...." she groans as she then sinks down against the wall, putting her head down between her knees. "M'fine...j-just...gimmie a moment...dizzy..."

Which sets the rest of us off lol

Maxim looks o'er the journal with a hard eye before pushing the book toward any others;

"Rest is a good notion. Seems our little friend kept some nefarious company... Makes for interestin' readin'..."

Kikinnin takes heart as the maelstrom departs, and his crew is left to the peace of the room. As the readers get their noses wet in the words of the journal, Kikinnin takes a breather, debating the next course of action.

As Ryan speaks on vigilance, the black-beard takes post, waiting for the reading to be done, and a decision to push forward to be made. He can't tell how on alert the entire understructure is at present, but they've likely cut one of the heads of the hydra off, by offing Skaven. Someone that powerful is likely to be missed, and it makes Kikinnin uncomfortable to think of resting. He doesn't speak his discomfort, but his body language is obvious enough that he's ready to move down the next corridor...

"Give us a minute, Kikinnin."
"Marigold had second thoughts about her lunch and is poorly."
… Juraan is implying that if a halfling can't keep food down, it must be pretty bad …
"Let her get everyone up to full nick with my curing wand."
"Then we should be ready for our next tussle."

Kikinnin nods, looking over at Marigold. "Between belching fire and horking breakfast, let's hope our innards are content now, and will remain quiet for the rest of our infiltration."

"What's the journal say? We got any more reason to worry about what we're up against this time?"

"Little to worry yourself with master dwarf, just this fools companion turned undead, who lost control of his ... bone golem and it's friends, preventing these guys from accessing their amassed treasure hidden away to the north in these caverns. Does that about cover it Maxim?" Ryan replies off handedly as Kikinnin makes it plain he wants to push onward.

"Hang on! Skaven's journal said he had three of the eight wands."
"We found one with that Haroon spider thing already."
"So what about the other two he had?"
"They could either be in Skaven's office, or somewhere behind that door there."

… Juraan points at the door on the North Side of K24 …

"One of Skaven's keys should open it"

"Maybe we could find his scrying devices too."
"Those could provide us with useful information."
"Apart from what Triel looks like in her birthday suit."

that was the door Ryan was making sure was clear before he opened it, in case that was unclear earlier

Maxim nods sourly at Ryan's abridgement of the journal;

"Aye... Pretty... much. The web o' evil is tangled, but seems all the threads are joined somehow. Sadly my Uncle's merchant hus gets a mention... Somethin' he brushed off as business gone sour..."

The gun-mage mulls his words, only to be snapped from his thoughts by Juraan's exclamation;

"Huh. Like Drakblood says though there should be another two o' the water wands down here. One we might have in the unidentified wand, but best we presume otherwise until proven eh?"

As the sorcerer intimates saucier content, the dwur inwardly groans, sure now that young Surabar's interests will be piqued! He looks instead to Marigold crouching beside her as he addresses another query;

"How you feeling Lil' Lady? Skaven's journal mentions Spawn's o' Kyuss too... Either you, Kikinnin or Taskerhill know what in Hell's Teeth they are?"

After checking the door very very carefully, the party determines the trap has already sprung and the effect has been not reseted.

With the help of magic you determine the door has another arcane lock effect on it. Fortunately, one of Skaven's keys work in the door and you get access to the next room.

K25. Skaven's bedchambers
This room, like the last one, is fairly cool and dry-and comfortable. A bed sits against the north wall, and a thick carpet covers most of the floor. More bookshelves line the walls here, their shelves sagging with books, tomes, and scrolls of all shapes and sizes.

After opening the door JJ gazes in. His ears prick up as he hears about Triel though. "What was that about Triel and her birthday suit?" his eyes turn back towards where the body of the Halfling must lie. "She sure is pretty. What else did it say about her?"

For the moment he avoids reading the book, whether for fear of the phantom snake or fear of learning more than he really wants to know about the woman.

Stepping into the new room, JJ once again looks around. Searching for wands, but avoiding books for the moment.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

perception(25/28): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Ryan searches the room but finds nothing of import beyond a comfortable place to rest; and a lot of books. Maxim's question however catches his ear and he stops his search a moment to think about it...

kn:Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15 probably not much

"Skaven's journal mentions Spawn's o' Kyuss too... Either you, Kikinnin or Taskerhill know what in Hell's Teeth they are?"

Knowledge(Religion): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

"Hellspawn? Not aware of anything carrying that name, Maxim. That journal doesn't talk about anything pure and good, from what you've told me, so I'd gather the spawn are just as evil as the bone golem, Skaven, and the undead..."

Missed Ryan's suggestion to rest, words dressed in blue. Won't argue, if others are trying to recuperate magics, otherwise will push on.

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Juraan starts looking at the book titles:
Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
… and is immediately immobilized, the same way Ryan had been a few minutes before

Oh, Bugger!

While the group inspects the bedchamber, Juraan finds a section of the bookcase that can be pulled. While he does so, he cannot avoid reading a text on it. The words glow and a serpent jumps over him engulfing the professor into a force field!

With the bookcase removed you find out a wand and a spellbook.