The Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands - GM Iliad

Game Master HolmesandWatson

The Pathfinder Society has hired adventurers to investigate the abandoned Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands. But en route they discover a massacred merchant wagon. Who, or what, is responsible? And are they still around?


101 to 150 of 363 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | next > last >>

Male Human Rogue/01

Wix exhales. Relaxing, he none-the-less keeps the crossbow nocked and close at hand.

Well, my lads, that was a close one I must say. I think I might need a change of small-clothes after that one...

Now maybe we can get some straight answers from someone about what exactly in the hell is going on here.

Bowing deeply to the woman.

My lady, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Wix Knickershins is my name and I am at your service in the smallest matter you may require. Might I inquire as to your own name and to what, exactly, has just transpired?


Wix - Diplomacy Roll
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Since Beau stood up for her, I'll assume he aids you
Beau - Aid Diplomacy
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Oof!

It is clear the woman still isn't in complete control of herself. Through her disjointed, half-sentences, you piece together that her name is Camillia. She is an herbalist and was in the woods gathering supplies when the elves saw her. They chased her for sport, threatening unspeakable acts when they caught her. She assumed they were bandits.

Bear in mind this isn't a simple speech. She just had a terrifying experience. She's a mess.


As she speaks, Dar keep a close eye on the woman, watching how she moves and what she says to discover if this is the truth of the story.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

When she is done talking, Dar go to examine the dagger the elf dropped.


GM Only:
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Darpan:
She seems to be telling the truth.

Darpan walks away from the woman and picks up the dagger. The blade is clearly coated in silver. Which makes it a Silver Dagger.

How's THAT for a tie-in!


Male Human Rogue/01

Nice reference! lol

Gentlemen, it seems Lady Camilia has suffered quite a fright this evening and I for one find myself somewhat discomfitted after that ... encounter. I'm sure a nice fire and a cup of something warm would do much to soothe our frayed psyches. Might I suggest we find a place to camp, dry our clothes and calm ourselves? Once the sun has again arisen, we can accompany the lady to safety.


Male Halfling Druid

"That seems like an excellent idea to me. Let's find a nice, secluded place among the trees."

Survival to find a good place for camp 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23


Shane moves off to the side of the road the elves came from. About 300 yards into relatively easy going, he finds a small clearing that the party can use. He carefully inspects the area but doesn't find anything worthy of mention. He returns to the group and informs them of his finding.

When examining the dagger, Darpan had noticed that the hilt was shaped like an eagle.


Darpan will show the dagger to the others and ask if they know if the eagle-shaped hilt has any significance.

Darpan only has knowledge-Religion, but I do not think that would be relevant at this point


Anybody who wants to roll Knowledge Nobility or Knowledge History after looking at the dagger, go ahead.


Male Human Rogue/01

I'll take that challenge. Wix doesn't have the specific skills, but he's from a minor house... does that count for anything?

Knowledge: Nobility 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12

What curious workmanship. That silver gilding would make it a fearsome weapon against those afflicted with lycanthropy, though I should not like to be around to witness the gruesome results produced of using such weapons.

Wix shudders at the thought.

Master Greenbottle, show me to the spot you've found. I should like to get a fire going and heat some water for tea, if you please.


Male Halfling Druid

"Certainly, my good man. A bit of tea does sound good."

I'm not used to this adventuring. What a stressful life it must be.


Beau let's out a heavy breath after the elves leave.

Beau remains in quiet contemplation on the walk to Shame's campsite.

Once camped, Beau pulls a teapot from his backpackers using a minor conjuration spell to fill it with fresh water and sets the kettle above the flames. Digging through his bag once more Beau removes a curious looking box that, once opened, is full of assorted herbs of various Colors, shapes, sizes, and aromas.

"If'n ye don't mind, I think a lavender and spearment tea might do well ta calm all our nerves."


Male Human Rogue/01

Wix tries to put the lady at her ease.

Perhaps conversing on something familiar will help

Lavender and spearmint sounds wonderful, my good man. Lady Camilia, I seem to recall that you're an herbalist. What would you recommend to calm shaken nerves and invigorate our constitutions?


Darpan watches the others find a spot to rest and setup camp.
Well, I guess we are done travelling for now. he thinks as he removes his bedroll.
He sits down, takes out his flute and begins to play a quiet little song from his homeland.


Fighter 3 / Bard 3, AC20 / T15 / FF15, F+5, R+8, W+4 (+5 vs Fear), HP17/45, Bardic Performance 11/11 Human Received the Forge Card.

Petracleus is neither local nor well versed in History so does not worry himself with the markings on the dagger

Glad to take the opportunity to set up camp, Petracleus partakes in the offered tea......

By the gods!!!!..this is vile.....give me ale any day......must smile, must smile.....

"Say Beau this is quite delicious....thanks....."

Wix seems somewhat convinced but there is no way I am sure about this Camilia.....who's got the knife?


Fighter 3 / Bard 3, AC20 / T15 / FF15, F+5, R+8, W+4 (+5 vs Fear), HP17/45, Bardic Performance 11/11 Human Received the Forge Card.

"Darpan? That is quite a lovely tune......I can't quite place it though.....where do you call home?"


Since no one has claimed the dagger, anyone who wants it in hand can just type something like, "XXX asked to look at the dagger" and assume you get it.

I'll wait until Monday to get things going again.


Wix examines the dagger and confirms, yes, the hilt looks like an eagle.


Fighter 3 / Bard 3, AC20 / T15 / FF15, F+5, R+8, W+4 (+5 vs Fear), HP17/45, Bardic Performance 11/11 Human Received the Forge Card.

"Say, Wix, if you don't mind maybe I could check the knife out?"

I think I'll hang on to that....and, please don't let it be so, I won't hesitate to use it if Camilia does show any signs of changing.....the quick and the dead, the quick and the dead.......


Beau bows respectfully to Petracleus's compliment.

"Tea shared among friends is always the sweetest. Only that shared with family can beat it." Beau seems oddly sad speaking that last bit.

"The hilt has an eagle it could belong to an Eagle Knight, this is still Andoran's side of the border. They're fairly common in this region by my understanding. Though those godless brigands certainly aren't one."

Beau's mind still lost in thoughts of the past. The memory of the Eagle Knights who saved him still floating around.


Darpan looks over to Petrracleus and answers.
" I am from a place you sometimes call the Impossible Kingdom, but we know as Vudra."


You chat amiably around the fire, Camilia sitting on a log, saying next to nothing and huddling under a blanket. Eventually, the three not on watch settle in to sleep, blankets near the fire. Camilia is closest to Beau.

Shane and Patracleus take watch positions on opposite sides, walking about every so often to ensure they stay awake and talking softly. About midway through the night, they finish their shifts and wake up Wix and Darpan. After reporting nothing of interest, they take their turns to sleep.

GM Only:
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
1d6 ⇒ 6

Wix and Darpan follow a similar pattern as the night creeps towards dawn. For a few hours now, the rain has only been a light mist. It's not particularly annoying, but everything remains wet. There is no moon in the sky.

With a few hours remaining before dawn, you both hear a noise from near the fire. Camilia, wrapped in the blanket, approaches Wix, who is on watch towards the woods, rather than the road. She is moving quietly so as not to wake the others.

She still looks, worn out and her voice is barely loud enough for you to hear."I have to go.."Her voice trails off as she stares into the woods.

I won't make you roll Perception to realize that she has to go pee!


GMIliad:
What did I dream?
Good Dreams (Desna)

Your dreams often give you a hint of possible dangers you might face during your day—such as a fall, a blast of fire, or a poisonous snake— and this hint sometimes makes all the difference.

Benefit: Each time you sleep, the GM tells you of a dangerous dream you had. Once per day, if you have to make a saving throw against a threat related or similar to that dream, you can roll twice and take the more favorable result. If you do not encounter circumstances similar to the threat or situation you dreamed, this trait has no effect that day.


Male Human Rogue/01

Desna save us from fem-bladders... I guess she might be planning to run off, but she's not our prisoner and free to do as she pleases I guess. As for those eagle be-decked elves...

I understand, My Lady. These woods are not safe, I'm afraid. Please stay within sight of the camp and take a torch with you for light.

Wix lights a torch fro his pack and hands it to Camilia.


She gives you a puzzled look that says "How am I going to pee and hold a torch?" She shakes her head and moves into the trees.

BTW, Darpan, you hear and see her get up and can act/respond.


Darpan watches the two converse and then Wix offer her the torch. He walks over as she disappears into the undergrowth.
"Was there a problem?, he asks.


Male Human Rogue/01

The lady said she had to ... eh... make water. Doesn't seem advisable considering what might be out there, but when nature calls and all that.


The watch shift continues on, uninterrupted. There is no sign or sound of Camilia returning.

Do you want to go into the woods and look for her, or stay at the campsite?


Male Human Rogue/01

What in Desna's name is taking so long?

To Darpan:

Good sir, it seems that some ill mayhap has befallen the Lady Camilia for she has not yet returned from her excursion. She refused the light and we are not blessed with night vision, so blundering off after her would likely mean we would befall the same fate.

I have not heard so much as a titter from the woods from that direction, so it may be that she has simply gone her separate way, though why she would need to sneak off in the dead of night is beyond me.

It may also be that she has taken a fall and is unconscious, bleeding her life's blood into the dirt.

What think you? Shall we leave her to her fate, wait until sunrise and go in search, or wake the camp and search after her now?

EDIT: fixed some errant formatting. That'll teach me to preview first, lol.


I'm going to move this along a bit.

Darpan and Wix agree that roaming off into the woods in the dark seems like a bad idea. And as the party had saved Camilia from the elves, some good had been accomplished, even if she vanished now.

The next morning, they tell the rest of the group of Camilia's depature.

A nearly uneventful day of travel follows, with more rain than the day before. Progress is still adequate and you'll be at Swallowfeld by late in the evening.

I said "nearly uneventful." An hour or so after you broke camp, you came upon something in the road. As you moved forward to investigate, it was revealed to be the corpse of a werewolf.

Any posts as you look at the corpse?


"Gods don't let it be her." Beau whispers quietly to himself inspecting the body for what killed it as well as identifying marks.

Heal check1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

After everyones had a chance to inspect the body Beau will perform last rights.

'Sweet Song of the Spheres, please guide this weary traveler as they take their final journey to the Boneyard. Grant them your mercy and grant us your luck and protection that we do not fall to their fate."

GMIliad:
Beau's prepared spells for the day.
Level 0 - Create Water, Detect Magic, Light
Level 1 - Bless, Longstrider(D), Sanctuary


Fighter 3 / Bard 3, AC20 / T15 / FF15, F+5, R+8, W+4 (+5 vs Fear), HP17/45, Bardic Performance 11/11 Human Received the Forge Card.

"If it is the lady Camilia then at least she is now at peace........"

Petracleus is respectfully silent whilst Beau performs the ceremony....


Dar moves forward to look over the body of the creature.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26


Beau, Darpan:
You both examine the corpse. You cannot tell if it is Camilia's though it is female. It was killed by multiple stabs and slashes from an edged weapon. You also see a few arrow wounds in the legs.


Male Human Rogue/01

Wix observes a moment of silence while Beau performs his rites.

Seems the Silverers have struck again. This murder has strengthened my resolve to see our task through and find out what is agitating all this unrest.

His face darkens and he fingers his punch dagger:
And if I happen to meet a Silverer in a quiet alley behind a tavern...


"Shane I've heard that druids are expert trackers. If'n ye don't mind can ye see which way her attackers went? I'd rather we don't run into our friends from yesterday again."


Male Halfling Druid

"Well, I certainly can try."

Survival to find tracks 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16


GM Only:
1d20 ⇒ 2

Shane examines the muddy scene around the body and follows the tracks of at least two people into the woods. He can locate signs of passage through the wet brush but loses the track after a few minutes. He heads back to the road.


Fighter 3 / Bard 3, AC20 / T15 / FF15, F+5, R+8, W+4 (+5 vs Fear), HP17/45, Bardic Performance 11/11 Human Received the Forge Card.

"I suggest we make haste, there is little more to be done here and I do not relish another night under the stars......the constant drizzle reminds me of the North"

Petracleus hoists his backpack over his shoulder and sets off down the road.

If that was Camilia then I hope we have all learnt a lesson about the friends we make around here


heading the same way we are or opposite way is what Beau was wondering


Beau Trill wrote:
heading the same way we are or opposite way is what Beau was wondering

you are following the road west. They went off into the woods north.


"Agreed Petracleus, if'n ye want to reach the end ye gotta walk the road.

Beau settles back into the rear of the marching line pausing to glance back one last time just before the body is out of sight.

"I'm sorry we couldn't keep ye safe. Monster or not I wish ye'd let us try to help ye."


Darpan shakes his head at the remains. The laws of the land are lacking here. Death and mayhem on the roads are a first sign to a greater ailment.
He follows the rest of the group, keeping his eyes to the heavy brush to either side of the road.


Fighter 3 / Bard 3, AC20 / T15 / FF15, F+5, R+8, W+4 (+5 vs Fear), HP17/45, Bardic Performance 11/11 Human Received the Forge Card.

"So one thing is bothering me and maybe I am misremembering but I always believed that those afflicted by Lycanthropy would only turn on the full moon......last night there was no moon in the sky?"

.....and if there was one wolf in the forest you can be sure we will encounter more soon enough.....looks like a few malcontent 'brigands' may be the least of our worries.....


"That's certainly the stories I've always heard Petracleus. Maybe it's a survival instinct thing. If your life is truely in danger of death it will do whatever it can to save ye.'


Male Halfling Druid

"I'm not sure lycanthropy is something that can be easily explained. We should certainly stay aware though."

Knowledge (nature) about lycanthropy 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24


Male Human Rogue/01

Interesting point, and good observation Petracleus. Let us make haste to the shelter of the town. If there are werewolves transforming willy-nilly around here, I would like to be elsewhere.

... and not just because of the wolves. It seems their enemies are just as fearsome.


Shane:
You know that the full moon does play an important role in lycanthropy, but you also know that there are differents types of such creatures and that they have varying degrees of control over their shape shifting ability.


The rain continues throughout the day as you trek onward towards Swallowfeld: Sometimes light, sometimes heavy, but always coming down. You took a mid-day break to sullenly eat a fire-less lunch. Shane's affinity for the air elements isn't very useful here.

The group presses on, not wishing to spend the night camping in wet clothes and driving wind.

The clouds occasionally break but there is no moon tonight and the darkness contributes to the sense of oppressiveness the shadowy trees provide.

A tremendous clap of thunder explodes and a flash of lightning lights the sky. Revealed ahead is an ancient stone bridge. The stream rushing underneath is swollen with the recent (and ongoing) rains. Upon the bridge are several forms. As you peer through the falling rain, you see broken planks of wood; apparently from a smashed carriage at the far side. The shapes on the ground are the bodies of a half-dozen men, littering the bridge and the area around it like carelessly discarded toys.

Wagon Wreck

A cooler version

GM Only:

Beau - 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Wix - 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Petracleus - 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Shane - 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Darpan - 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

You enter the map from the left. Anybody can say something right now, out of order, but for actions, here's initiative, based on marching order and the wagon:

Darpan
Shane
Beau
Petracleus
Wix

Readying weapons, casting spells, etc, are free actions right now since you're not in combat.

And you aren't limited to movement squares (i.e, you can walk across the bridge to the wagon,etc). But to "do anything" related to this new scene (i.e., Shane looks for tracks, Beau checks the bodies, etc), wait your turn, please.

You can use the discussion tab for ooc talk, then post here.


Darpan moves up between the two corpses at the near end of the bridge (B4). He looks over the entire scene before examining the bodies to either side of him.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

101 to 150 of 363 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Online Campaigns / Play-by-Post / Gameplay - Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands, GM Iliad All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.