Thrawn's Gallows of Madness (PFSRPG) (Inactive)

Game Master Dennis Muldoon

@Khafra: If I'm not mistaken, that was your first round and you took out the northernmost beetle (at least it was x-ed out on the map after your attack)...you've only attacked once while Truddig and I have twice done so...

You killed the northern bug. I realize now I didn't actually acknowledge that. You are up again with one bug remaining.

Sorry, I hadn't looked at the map to see it dead.

Khafra pivots on his foot, swings around, and strikes the remaining beetle.

MW fauchard (two-handed): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 181d10 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Khafra kills a second beetle with another swing of his fauchard.

All bugs dead. Out of initiative. We will now resume our previous investigation. I will accept Perception, Survival, Knowledge(Planes) and Knowledge(Nature) rolls. If you have multiples of these skills, roll all that are relevant.

Ingrge looks over the dead bug bodies...

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Unstudied in the nature of such vermin, Truddig inspects them and applies the best of his intuitive skills to try to understand them instead.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Taking 10 on Knowledge(Nature) and (Planes) for an untrained 13 for each.

Truddig notes that there are a couple pairs of bootprints. Based on the recent rains, two people came to this orchard in the last several days. Furthermore, there are signs of a struggle, and the lighter human dragged the heavier one to a wagon, and rolled the wagon out of here to the east.

Near the site of the struggle (which also is where you found the bugs) in addition to traces of a purplish substance on the leaves of several plants, and in droplets along the ground (same substance that was on the beetles), Ingrge also locates a well made sap (masterwork) on the ground.

Hasmed, feeling a little woozy, shakes his head to clear it. "By the thousand gods of Vudra, that was shameful of me. Bested by bugs." He looks about his companions, seemingly unsure. "Well? What is going on? Shurpal's tiny mercies, I feel about as useful as a sac of roots in a forge."

"If no one else wants to use this sap, I can use it as a backup in case I get in a melee..."

"Feel free. I, for one, use different tools."

Quazel looks over Hasmed. "You'll be all right? Not too feverish?"

Kneeling to examine the tracks, he muses, "So now we need to choose whether to follow these tracks, or to remain in town until evening. I suspect that whatever information we gather in town will pale to what we find at the end of this trail. Shall we off?"

Ingrge nods. "I'm game..."

"I agree. The inn isn't going anywhere. This trail may eventually run cold. Let's see what we find at the end of it."

The orchard is in the center of town. So the trail leading east is roughly in the direction of the inn anyway before it hits the well travelled streets where it blends with all the other tracks and wagons. You do know that whatever happened here, they left somewhere east.

Assuming we follow the tracks till we lose 'em near the tavern...

"Well...we do know they headed east. Wonder if those two were fighting each other or if they were fighting the bugs...

We're near the tavern, might as well go in; maybe someone there knows something..."

"Asurpari's gaze, I would hope so Agent Quazel. Such a tiny bug... Yet that secretion, it has me concerned. I only wish I knew what it was."

You actually believe the purple goo might have been something the bug got into instead of secreting it directly, but it was hard to tell.

To the Witch's End Tavern...
A sign depicting a dark-haired figure burning at the stake hangs over the door of this building.

Alcie Kruptin is the imposing proprietor of the Witch’s End Tavern. Well over 6 feet tall, she meets you at the door, looking over each of you and asks you your names and occupations before letting you in noting, "You aren't from around here." She spefically seems to take note of Hasmed and Truddig adding, "Ye ain't finger wigglers, are ye? We don't like their kind around here.

Assuming Evernight is not with you, saving the party from the real abuse.

Khafra cleans his fauchard on some grass nearby. "These do not appear to be natural," he says. "Perhaps they have been tainted by...something. "

He agrees with Ingrge's suggestion about the tavern. "We may find something helpful here."

Truddig holds out his hands, wiggling his fingers with a look of confusion on his face. "I don't know what you mean by that. They wiggle well enough, I guess."

"Greetings, ma'am. You'll get no finger wiggling from me...I'd like an ale, if you please..."

Once Ingrge gets his ale, he takes a swig...

"Good ale, thank you ma'am. We're investigating the missing apprentices, under guidance from your mayor. Can you please tell us if Morvinarr was friends with Nolaria, the temple apprentice?"

"I may be a scholar of sorts, but in the end, steel wins over books. But no, I do not dabble with the arcane."

"You can keep ordering if you like, but I don't have time for troublemaking outsiders and their questions. You may not be finger wigglers, but I still have my eye on you. Better not be causing anything." She continues mumbling after that, and you catch something about how she hates ignorant people coming to bother her.

Ingrge shakes his head. What have we stumbled upon here? No one seems to care about the missing youths...

He drinks on his ale trying to listen for rumors while looking for someone more willing to talk...

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

You overhear part of a conversation between two bar patrons.

“Youngsters today are so amiable and carefree with everyone. They aren’t cautious, like we were back in our day. If any of them have done anything other than run off of their own accord, it’s probably because they were too trusting of the wrong person.”

"Finger wiggler? My fingers do not wiggle my good lady. They stay together to form the mighty fist that will make the world... Hey, I am not done here" calls out Hasmed, who inwardly thanks the thousand gods of Vudra that the woman is too dense to realise that one of the pouches at his side is filled with material components.

Making a show of grumbling on the lack of respect afforded to practitioners of the Vudran arts of combat, he sides next to Ingrge and Quazel. "Djinurpi be my witness, it is my most fervent desire that these people only be stubborn idiotic bumpkins from the balding buttcrack of Casmaron. But something isn't as it should be. And these tracks... They led to this place did they not. Hmmm... He pauses, before snapping his fingers. "We should have taken some of that ooze to the alchemist's. Her knowledge might have shown usthe way!

Ingrge nods his head in agreement with the two patrons. "Seems like that's the way of youth these days. Has someone been a bad influence on them?"

Alcie (the tavernkeeper) overhears the question and interrupts, "That Nolaria girl is the bad influence. She's always trying to lead Morvinarr and the others on some wild adventure. Surprising she hasn't gotten them all killed at least a half dozen times already." She goes back to serving customers, as if she wasn't even part of the conversation.

Ingrge nods, thinking. It all leads back to the temple apprentice and, perhaps, the cemetery...

The more Hasmed thinks upon it, the more he becomes conflicted. "Should we even try and ask the option maker about her opinion on that goop from beyond? With all this talk about foreigners, I am beginning to feel less than welcome, Burajputi be my witness."

"It appears these apprentices must have done something together, perhaps even something rash," Khafra observes.

Ingrge nods in agreement with both Hasmed's and Khafra's words.

"But where to go from here? Perhaps Nolaria's parents might care enough to offer frank answers so we could go back to the orchards to question them...or perhaps to the cemetery? Just not sure if any of the other merchants will be any more forthcoming on their missing apprentices..."

"Come, let us follow the tracks. It is clear these people would rather let their children be lost than speak with strangers."

"I agree Quazel. I can try to follow the tracks...but the wagon tracks we were following have gotten intermixed with several other wagons and horses...unsure if we'll be able to identify just those but we can try.

We know they were heading east, so I'll focus on just those that continue that way and try to re-acquire their trail..."

Ingrge will try to sort out all the tracks, concentrating on the ones going east...he'll also look for any other identifying signs...

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

You are able to locate the tracks as they exit the orchard, but they are likely several days old and impossible to follow when they mix with other traffic in the main streets.

Ingrge shakes his head. "With all the traffic running through here, distinguishing our target wagon from all the others lies beyond my skill...

So, back to the orchards to question Nolaria's parents (and perhaps get a sample of that purple goo), to the cemetery, or to another merchant? With the little luck we've had with the merchants, I'd say either cemetery or orchards..."

"Cemetery. We were at the orchards earlier and did not see the parents, but the beetles instead."

Khafra nods. "Let us try the cemetery. Often the dead have secrets they will share."

Hundreds of small grave markers stand between a few large mausoleums in this graveyard. Crows leer from the gravestones, scattering when other creatures draw near, only to resettle some distance away.

Knowledge (history), untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Truddig's attention is drawn to a series of gravestones all showing deaths around the same time. "Look at these; they're all children. Isn't that somewhat odd?"

"When you pair that with the behavior of the adults in this town, I'm starting to get concerned. Could it be that their lack of interest is more than just that? Could they be hiding something?"

Truddig failed the Survival check, and the Perception spoiler makes reference to something that looks like it was likely revealed in the Survival spoiler, so I'm holding back any reveal of the Perception spoiler until somebody makes the Survival check.

"Curious," Khafra responds to Truddig. "One other thing...although this cemetery isn't frequented much, there has been repeated foot traffic between these mausoleums...maybe a half-dozen sets of prints."

knowledge history: 1d20 ⇒ 8
survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Hasmed frowns yet again. "This is not very good at all" he states, unhooking his axe-knuckle from the belt it hangs upon and looks about warily. "There is not a lot of sense that is being made here , and I am virulently allergic to things beyond explanation."

"At this point, I'm more curious to why the mayor wanted us to investigate. Her behavior is unlike the rest of town. How is she different and not privy to the people's apathy?"

Knowledge (History) Untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 17 10 max

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Ingrge nods at the others...

"Curious indeed. Repeated foot traffic...unique footprints...graves of children...and now, it's too quiet...

Perhaps we should investigate the mausoleum with the single raven atop it..."

Survival: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

"The crows know something we don't about this place... Why do they not want to be here?"

"I noticed that too, now that we've followed the prints. The crows were active, but are now strangely silent."

"It's quite eerie, if I'm honest."

Truddig attempts to keep an eye on his surrounding, hoping to not be surprised, but it's hard to keep an eye on everything when even the empty sky carries the foreboding of a potential threat.

I'll get initiative posted from a computer later.

-Posted with Wayfinder

As you watch the bird, you notice several ants the size of large dogs starting to scramble from behind one of the nearby mausoleums. Some kind of purple goo is on them.

Initiative (bold may post)
Hasmed
Truddig
Bugs
Ingrge
Khafra
Quazel
Evernight

I must not forget to cast Heightened Awareness more often.

Sheesh, the DC on Planes was that low? I can try it untrained!

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

"Abyss-tainted ants! Beware their bite!" calls out Hasmed as he moves on up, readying himself to deliver a blow onto the first ant to approach him.