Tarlane if you still want to run this I would be interested in getting involved. As a character concept (rough will be happy to provide a more detailed description and background).
My intent was to play a local teen, a jack of all trades who has picked up his various skills from members of the community, a bit of storytelling here, some magic there, a mischievous yet good-intending youth. A bard initially, perhaps a bit more later.
Anyway let me know if you want to try and keep it alive, and I can give you the full write up.
Turning towards the spinning creature I will move to be within 30 feet and if able use my Spell Like ability to summon an Acid Dart (PFB pg194 lvl 1 conjuration ability) launching it at the mad-slasher.
Ouch that hurt....I thought I was out by the circle not at the cave entrance?
From earlier post:
"Deserach, you can climb out and then make it to about 20' from the circle. I take it you're heading to about "7"."
Assuming the gnome is centered on the cave and his circle is 45' to 50' in radius that would put me roughly 20-30' from the cave. Just trying to figure out where I am.
In any case seeing that I can't do anything about the circle I will turn and focus my attention on the situation at hand. The circle powder is silver huh, well it does not take a Magus extraordinaire to connect the dots...it seems that perhaps the gnome was trying to create a protection from evil circle to trap these beasts in.
Again assuming that it was only a partial move to the circle's edge I will turn around while beginning to cast the spell Message (pg 250 PFB) pointing at each party member that I can see in the process.
Once the spell is complete I will whisper to those that I pointed at "could it be the gnome is trying to trap this monstrosity here? Is he a potential ally?"
Now that Kara mentions it, you can all see that the gnome is leaving a fine trail of dust behind him.
And the rest of you who are in the hole can hear, too, the scrabble of something hard and heavy pulling itself over rock.
Quietly so as to be audible only to the party "I don't like the tone in this ones voice, and he seems to be surrounding us in some sort of circle....where I come from circles can be very bad things. We need to put a stop to this now before its too late."
"Something is coming down the tunnel to something big and hard maybe a large spider of sorts"
I will step out of the tunnel and move away from the gnome attempting to intersect the dust circle and scuff a breech in it.
Hey I have tried posting the last few days but have had time out issues trying to connect to the Paizo board. Looks like things have settled down now though.
After finding a close tree to tie Jaks too I will retrieve my rope and add it too my backpack and then try and find a sturdy piece of wood. Once found I will cast light on the end of it and then follow the group into the tunnel. I will cast Light on the stick over and over again as needed.
"Well it seems that the wights tracks lead no further then here, It seems very likely that this is the means of egress that the horrid creature uses to enter and exit the underground."
"If we are intent on following it then I can provide us with illumination when needed."
I will also look for a place to tie off Jaks, I will then secure my spellbook in my pack and prepare to depart.
Yes same spells memorized I have been modifying my spells memorized list in my bio every time I cast or mem.
I would like to examine the boulder with the carving, jotting down a sketch of it in my notebook. Does it look like this boulder has been moved recently or could be moved?
"I have a good fifty feet of strong silk rope that we can use, I also have near a half-dozen illumination rods that will work even if they get completely wet, so light sources should not be a problem."
"I think we should investigate the caves first as it is closest. Wish I knew how the boy fit into this story, what was it that Winston said about a boy?"
scratch goatee while pondering the subject
"And why did the attackers last night need him? Could it be as mundane as the passage through being extremely tight and only he could fit?"
Deserach will follow the group, though somewhat caught up in the mysterious events trying to piece together what bits of information we have and come up with logical conclusions.
OOC: Sorry I missed the last few days, Classes have been extremely busy for me lately.
"It is true that it would take more time to escort the two of them to Carrion Hill but would another farmer be able to handle the trio that came upon us last night? Is it possible that they might try again and this time endanger another innocent family, is it worth the risk just to save a bit of time?"
after a slight pause
"I don't know the answer to these questions any better then you, but they are all worth considering, perhaps moving the family to another location will see them safe....but...perhaps not."
"It is clear that we should investigate and chase down whatever evil has spawned the attack on these farmers, Yalka raises a good point though, what of the safety of the farm wife and the boy. The fiends seemed dead set on getting the boy (no pun intended) perhaps we should escort them to Carrion Hill for a short while, I would gladly put up the coin to get them lodging if needed."
Deserach spends a bit of time in the morning, most likely during the service studying his spell book and meming today's loadout.
I will cast Detect Magic if I understand the rules right since I have it memmed I can repeatedly cast it correct? I will then examine the weapons. I don't have the appraise skill yet will be picking it up when I level but it is untrained so I will give it a go.
"I suspect the tattoos are a form of "bandit gang" identification that is common in the river kingdoms, specifically used to identify corpses
It does not take much to be able to tell the spear is magical, as I assume we all suspected, I may be able to tell more if given some time to examine the weapon."
And I will do just that. Once things have calmed down I will try and find a spot out of the way and light a candle or a reading lantern if one is available and I will examine the "black spear". In my notebook I will draw a sketch and try to reproduce the runes as best as possible annotating any thing that stands out or is interesting.
"The windmill was used to drain a mine- So maybe the question should be 'Who started the windmill and which cave is it draining?"
"Who knew he was coming here? How did he get to this farm?"
"Also, did anyone see the direction the smaller shade fled in? In his haste to depart, he may have pointed us in an important direction."
"This is quite the mystery, the windmill you mention is most likely the very same one that I found out about when visiting the Sage at the edge of Carrion Hill...Zosimus stayed behind to try and assist the sage in return for a map to the location...though we may have our own "map" of sorts in young Gunlar. As to why the boy was so important...it was not only the boy they were after but the farm wife as well if I heard the undead correctly perhaps it was just the forlorn yearning of the recently departed or perhaps there is more to these farmers then meets the eye.
I believe that the assailants came from the direction of the berm and that the shadow fled back that way, but to be honest I was in the house when it shot up through the ceiling so anybody's guess is as good as mine. Perhaps we should wait till morning and then take the time to do an exhaustive search of the area surrounding the house."
Sheathing my unused sword and relaxing only slightly..
"Has anybody checked on Valdisara or her charges? And what of the Shadowman he bolted straight up into the night I do not see his body lying about...if his type leave bodies at all...He may still be about."
Deserach begins at a whispers tone, words of arcane mystery and power with the meter of a poem, the words slowly increases in volume until there is a palatable sense of crackling energy to his words and presence.
cast summon monster 1 (a giant fire beetle) this is cast as a second level caster due to my affinity to conjuration spells, Varissian Tattoo) I will summon the beetle to d14 (I think its open) and have it attack Jonash. Full Round action
A portal of sorts opens beside the undead abomination, from which the dry aroma of sun-baked sand and heat issues forth. As quickly as it appears it disappears leaving in it's wake an enormous scarab (well technically its small) it's shell black as night with two antennae that end in soft red glowing bulbs. It's mandibles clack noisily as it anticipates sinking them into the abomination. It immediately attacks.
Seeing as how all the action is outside, I will move downstairs and out into the front yard (H13). At least this foe is corporeal I think to myself as I ready my scimitar to intercept the fiend if he approaches.
Readied action to attack the spear-wielding undead if it enters a square I threaten.
Deserach makes a five foot step back up the stairs to G14 giving himself some room before summoning another acid dart and flinging at the now pressing shadow-man.
Deserach begins to incant strange words of power, moments later the smell of the sun baked desert surrounds him followed by the taint of noxious fumes as he summons forth a slight glob of sand that faintly glows green, within moments it has taken forth the shape of a narrow hard dart and at the wizards direction streaks toward the shadowy figure below.
standard action to use my supernatural ability to cast Acid Dart at the shadow below, assuming that I have line of sight.
hmm I am screwing up left and right 8). Ok partial revision. Round 1 ready mage armor scroll. Round 2 after light has been cast 5 foot step to I-14 Read Mage Armor scroll (standard) and ready scimitar (move equiv).
I see the confusion I said Acid Bolt (a spell) what I meant was Acid Dart, which is a 1st level Supernatural ability of the Conjuration school for reference see page 195 column 1 under conjuration school in Pathfinder Beta. I assumed 1d6+1 (as opposed to 1d6) damage because all my conjuration spells are at +1 caster level.
And, Deserach, I apologize for not catching this earlier, but in your profile, did you memorize Mage Armor today? If not, was there another spell you wanted to cast instead?
[ooc]Oops you are right I did not memorize it, so instead I will use a move equivalent action to retrieve a scroll of Mage Armor, and then cast it. Leaving my scimitar in scabard for the time being. [ooc]
And since I believe I am fairly early initiative wise in the round I will:
2nd round at Initiative 21 MEq: Draw scimitar. 5 foot step down the stairs to H14 looking into the chamber to see what is happening below me, and then if I see the source of the commotion casting an Arcane Bolt (standard) Ranged Touch: 1d20 3=15
Damage: 1d6 1=7
1st if the window is of the type that can be opened I will use a move equivalent action to open the window and a standard action to cast Acid Dart on the undead monster in I10 by my calculations he should be roughly 26.9 feet away from me so within the thirty foot range.
Deserach is up in the loft, probably in G14 if I understand the map correctly, assuming that there is no light up here I will keep an eye out the window trying to get a good look at the missing farmer.
"Is hiding the Rolsens family away from the farmhouse really the smart thing to do, should we not be protecting them? If as has been mentioned before our adversaries have spies already would they not observe this?"
Deserach will bring these points up outside the earshot of the family, in hopes to not further upset them with brash words.
"Now this is just a bit of academic presupposition but suppose these Blackspears Bandits are the living dead? By all reckoning they should be dead and gone some fifty to sixty years. Could Win and the farmer have stumbled into an old treasure cache guarded by the spirits of the bygone bandits?"
there may be no merit to this statement but Deserach tends to overthink things to the point of missing simple truths. As it is he feels a bit out of place in a field of strangers who are all scurrying about doing their own thing.
After unsaddling Jaks and brushing him down I will make my way to sit down near Grumblenaught more in an attempt to be out of the way then to be social. I will idly fidget with the long pommel of my gilded scimitar.
I go by Toes on Chore Wars...I think a physical exercise thing is a good idea, probably should be something exclusively done for the exercise as opposed to say riding my bike to the store.
"You are from the Garund, yes? I heard that people there live inside giant insects, is it true?"
"Mwa Ha Ha Ha ha" I let out a rolling belly laugh. "Rule the entire inner sea for nearly five thousand years as a beacon of civilization and culture" I say incredulously "and yet we are still remembered solely as the people with the giant beetle."
Wiping a tear of laughter from my eye before continuing. "Yes I am from Garund.....Majestic Osirion to be specific, though it has been some years since I have heard the soft crooning of a desert larch."
"And no my friend Yalka...we do not live inside giant beetles, though it is true that in the most splendid city of Sothis, the jewel of Osirion, there is an ancient and titanic beetle husk bigger then the tallest building and minarets. Some say it is the spawn of Rovagug and that it is from the time before time."
I have fallen in with your gang.......my wife showed me Chore wars last year (subtle hint I think) but I had nobody to party with so I let it go. Once I saw that there was a Paizo party I just had to join lets see if I can keep up.
"Indeed, this particular mine was an old Iron mine atop a river bluff. The miners accidentally breached the river causing flooding of the mine. A windmill was built to assist in pumping out the overflow, though eventually the whole thing was scrapped. The sage that we went to visit indicated that the windmill has been operating again for the last week, this would seem to indicate that someone is occupying the site."
"It could have nothing to do with our current situation though but I figured I would bring it to the groups attention......speaking of the group where are the rest of us?"
As Yalka and Grumblenaught arrive they see me leaning against the trunk of a large oak tree resting in the shade of it's mighty branches. Presently I am eating an apple. My pony wanders near by grazing on the grass.
As the two come closer and it becomes obvious that they are worse for ware, I will think to myself....maybe it's a good thing I did not go to see Ol'Cale with them.
"What in the name of Nethys has befallen you"...thinking of the spiders and Win..."Did you find the spiders?"
As Yalka tosses the bloodied bits onto the ground it becomes obvious that they did not.
Do I recognize the stirge?
"No I guess you did not...Yes, Yes we will wait for the others...are they not with you?"
"Zosimus and I spoke with a man who claimed to know the area thoroughly, he knew nothing about bandits nor necessarily about spiders but he did mention an old mine that has shown signs of occupation recently, though he was unable to give me directions. I was hoping that Martaug or perhaps Grumble here would know more about this old Mine. It has some distinguishing features."
"Zosimus decided to stay and assist the old sage in an attempt to retrieve the map which was apparently trapped in his keep by some vindictive spirit.....it all seemed kind of odd to me, but here I am babbling on when you need assistance, here let me get you both some fresh water or maybe some wine if you prefer."
I am going camping Saturday and Sunday, I should be able to post Sunday night though when I get back.
I will nod at Zosimus in aggeement. "Well then I better make haste I don't want our new friends to leave without me. Zosimus I look forward to discussing your findings when I return." Turning to Gormut I give a shallow bow and then turn away towards the door pausing slightly before turning back towards our host. Reaching below my robes I will withdraw a small black leather pouch and hand it towards Gormut. "Where are my manners" I will mutter to myself. "In return for you gracious hospitality a gift of Osirions finest black salt, I look forward to future discussions Magister Gormut."
Once I have left the tower I will retrieve my pony and head to the rendezvous.
"Unfortunately Magister, Zosimus and I are in a great deal of haste at the current moment. Once our business is conducted, perhaps in the next day or two, I could return and we could discuss your problem a bit more thoroughly and come up with a solution to your haunting. We thank you for your time but we have friends that we must not keep waiting." After departing the Magister's tower Zosimus and I will make haste to the appointed meeting place.
I will of course follow Gormut downstairs, once things have settled in downstairs I will inquire about the caves in the area.
"My friend and I", nodding to Zosimus "are interested in areas in the immediate region, mines or caves that would be substantial enough for a group of bandits to possibly hide away in, particularly any that might be infested with...well...giant spiders. Now I know that there are many such caves in the region, but Zosimus though that you might be able to direct us to some that might be of some relevance."
After taking a good long look through the lens:
"Hmm peculiar, I am not so sure about them being ethereal though, I believe the trail you see left behind them to indicate they are more likely to be moving through the Astral realm. It is most peculiar though, I wonder what they are searching for. Carrion Hill is built upon an old graveyard if I recall correctly, perhaps an old artifact or other treasure is entombed and they search for it."
Stepping back from the lens and taking in the room more fully
"Not to change the subject, but Master Gormut what do you know of the Blackspears Bandits?"
My eyes go wide involuntarily at all the works in progress and my mind wanders at the possibilities of what each experiment or gadget might do. Out of politeness though I will not stray from following Gormut.
"You certainly keep yourself busy Magister."
When he stops at the bench to remove the disc I will carefully scrutinize the contraptions at this worktable, probably not noticing his departure until I hear the creak of the wrought iron stairs and his exhalation from above. I will then move to the stairs and ascend to see what awaits there.
I will supplicate myself with a modest bow to our host. Assuming that Zosimus informs me of the Magister's desire that no animals enter his yard I will tie of my mule at the gate before following the two into the inner yard.
Magister Gormut wrote:
"Oh-see-ree-on, you say? Then to-day must make you quite nostalgic."
"A day does not pass that I do not fondly remember my homelands."
Thinking to myself I wonder if the man is referring to the supposed "heat of the day".
"Your offer of shelter is much appreciated Magister."
I will then follow Zosimus into the Gormut's home.
What ethnicity is this Magister Gormut, do I know anything about him or his background, where is his accent from? Also he mentioned being nostalgic for home is there a holiday that I am forgetting? I looked in the campaign guide but saw no mention of an Osirian holliday.
If nobody really wants to take Appraise at 1st Level, that's fine with me. This isn't a heavy-handed hint that the party will need to get through a grueling Appraise-trap or anything.
But Appraise is the skill in Pathfinder that helps identify magical properties of items, so it's more generally useful than its analogue in 3.5.
Seems like a good skill for the Diviner to take, but I will be grabbing it at second level after reading the pathfinder version. Speaking of the Diviner, has anybody seen or heard from Zosimus, we have been standing in front of the "Hillsage" for enough time waiting for him to respond to the sages greetings that it is starting to get uncomfortable.
Yes you are correct but it had been a few days since I had posted anything, and currently I am waiting for Zosimus to respond to the Hillsage, for I do not know the man or his area of specialty. I was hoping to incite a response from the diviner.
"Musters are always such a mess when there's no watch to herd people.
"So these musters are a common occurrence? I would have thought a town the size of Carrion Hill would have a dedicated City Watch for such matters, not that I am complaining about being involved mind you. It just seems odd that Deputy Constable Wygate came to the Cold Comfort instead of to the Watch."
Small talk and conversation as we head towards Zosimus's "Hillsage".
In response to Valdisara:
"It sounds a good plan to me, we will meet you on the road north in one hours time, less if we are lucky. Come Zosimus lets make haste, along the way you can tell me of this sage"
Deserach
(Pathfinder Chronicles Superscriber),
