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"No, wait, that weren't Ermund. That was Beskin. He only died about a month before the Beast came.
At Quinn's suggestion, he turns cold. "No, we ain't got no rooms for you. Best you be getting back. It's growing dark."
You dig up another of the apparently-disturbed graves. "That one were Jeddiah; he died about two years ago. His kin all left Morast after the Beast came. Well, if they ain't here, they ain't going to complain." Jeddiah's grave too is empty. Back to Lepidstadt?
Elder Lazne paddles closer. Seeing that you have all not been killed by gators or ghosts, he ventures out of his coracle and onto the island. "Naw, nobody noticed that. Could be maybe just the land sinkin'. Swampy here.
After half an hour of digging (the greatest difficulty being various tree roots in the way), you find Ermund's burial shroud. It is empty. "Somebody taked him, huh? What for? He was damned useless in life, have to be even more so now that he's been dead ten years." Elder Lazne continues to opine over the merits, or lack thereof, of the late Mister Ermund. The Elder seems suitably impressed by Theodore's clerical oversight of the process. He will not interfere if you wish to continue. Doing all six will probably push things late enough to leave you being Fatigued the next day (given that you'll have to get up in time for the trial). As the trial is not a trial by combat, this shouldn't be a huge problem... but you'll probably be traveling again, to Hergstag, tomorrow afternoon. Do all six or go back?
The attacks here in Morast were a year ago. The Beast has been around for approximately 20 years. There still could be some sort of connection, perhaps. Theodore looks about for a shovel....for Quinn to use of course.
It would probably take about half an hour to dig up a single grave if there are two of you working hard with the shovel and taking turns. They aren't buried that deep, the ground is soft, and you don't need to excavate as much as you do for internment.
@Eskar, @Saya, fixed.
Chronicles.
With three quick blows Eskar destroys the ghost. Her pendant is left behind and falls slowly to the ground. The Div disappears. The sages are elated at this great victory - they were all liberated from Tahari's influence, and none of the jewels were destroyed. You have some time to search the library and recover the most important tomes before the structure disintegrates. Torch takes his leave with respectful nods towards his fellow Sages, once more offering his thanks to Katswiri. Some time later, Tahonikepsu commissions a sculpture for the sages’ sanctum to commemorate for all time the Pathfinders’ role in the salvation of the order.
Sihir does not know Aryana's Touch AC nor the Div's resistances.
Ismene finds that six graves in the boneyard that appear to have been tampered with. They sag into the ground, leaving wide depressions in the muddy earth.
If you want to dig up the tampered-with graves, you could ask Elder Lazne for permission (he is hanging out on his boat, fishing).
Please make rolls for Boon (1 or 20 wins on 1d20) and, if you haven't already, Day Jobs.
Katswiri freed Grandmaster Torch!
Not willing to risk losing a spell to the ongoing damage, Tahari flies through the wall to get near Lunnette.
Everyone except Katwsiri may act!
Ismene does not think the skin-mask is a magic item, although she has heard of suits of armor made from giant skin (or fingernails, even). By the Campsite
For the rest of the island - do you want to Take 10 and get going quickly, or Take 20 and spend about an hour here? It is now about 5 pm. If you take an hour, you would leave here at 6, get back to Morast by 7 (as you have gotten a bit more skilled at navigating with the coracles), then back to Lepidstadt by 9 pm - assuming no other delays. If you just Take 10, you'd get back an hour earlier.
Eskar strikes a powerful blow. Dhiara moves and attacks the Div, dodging the creature's claws as she approaches.
Taking advantage of the opening she provides, Sinuhotep moves up and touches the fiend, hoping to paralyze it.
Tahonikepsu moves around and claws at the fiend.
Now surrounded and unable to reach its favored prey, the fiend teleports.
Katswiri may act!
The sack is very large and has dried blood soaked into its fabric, which has persisted despite it submersion in the bog. The sack holds some rope, a gag , a rusted lantern, a trio of heavy knives, and a rusted shovel. There is more of the island you can search.
The skin is leathery. It seems like it is most likely human skin (although it could possibly be elven or some other kind of being), and has been treated to prevent decay.
Nothing bothers you as you disembark. The hidden coracle contains an oar, a moldy leather travel bag with a damp artisan’s outfit (a shirt, breeches, shoes, and a cloth apron) inside, and a what appears to be a detached human face. Ismene spots dried blood in the bottom of the boat. It's been a year, but there must have been a good amount of blood in the first place, time enough for it to dry, and then some protection from rain provided by the brush that it was concealed in. In addition, a length of moldy rope stretches from the boat into the waters below. Who (if anyone) will attempt to pull up whatever the rope is attached to?
@Sihir, I think those checks you posted were actually for last round. You can act this round as well. And Eskar is also up.
And I recall that the 1 rd/level effects (such as Haste) need 2 bumps to get to 2 encounters. I will put it on the Campaign tab.
It occurs to me that I should have specified it earlier, but I'd like to use Delmoth's house rule for spell durations if that is okay with everybody. Any concerns there? There may be some judgement calls when there are non-combat situations that eat up a lot of time.
At Ismene's question, he points to the near (western) shore. "About there." Ismene sees no signs of gators.
Do you approach and investigate? @Theodore - sorry, I should have specified, the boats only hold 2 people each. Elder Lazle is in his own boat, and 2 of you are in each of the 2 boats that he rented you. So he can hang out a ways away while you make landfall. Swampfall. Whatever. "We put them there for the spirits. Big ones when you bury the body, maybe a small one every year, or when you need their blessings, or whatnot."
I don't have an rpgchronicles account, so I will be doing the "Guest GM Reporting" and typing in your information from the Recruitment thread.
Sihir: "You're alive?? But how..."
A darkness comes over his face. "No! This is a trick. A mirage. Or that curse. You are... you are..." As Sihir conjures more and more tenebrous magic, the answer comes to Torch.
I need some time to write up a proper post for Sihir, but short answer, he did not hit the DC.
"I'd think it would have scars, but then I thought it'd be dead, so what do I know?" The Blood Caiman is a gator.
It is possible that spirits could be disturbed by the presence of an unnatural evil on a burial ground. There are many possible conditions under which undead can form. Not even the clergy of Pharasma have catalogued all such possibilities.
A tiny, miserable island rises from the swamp, a tangle of trees covering its dour, reed-choked surface. Hundreds of fetishes hang from the trees—simple, roughly humanoid figures made of sticks and bound with twine. Larger fetishes are planted in the ground on various parts of the island, leaning drunkenly in the soft mud. The swamp-dweller says "I ain't going ashore." Elder Lazne will stay in his boat about 50 yards from the island. How do you proceed?
EL YAMA can attack the Div instead. Still a miss.
Sihir already used the +6 last round.
Quinn does not detect any particular deception or ill intent from Elder Lazne. Other than that he wants to squeeze you for as much gold as possible.
Tiff might have heard of the creature in passing. Blood Caimans are a local alligator variant, native to the northern regions of Avistan with a red-scaled head. The larger ones can be quite dangerous; the smaller ones are sometimes caught by the locals of Morast for food or trade. "Them that saw the Beast take someone with their own eyes ain't here any more.
"Like I said, it was a big brute. Kind of a man but more monstrous. I think I hit something that might'a been scales or a scab or something but memory ain't a painting. 'specially on a night like that. But I'll know it when I see it." "The old burial ground? Sure. You got gold, looks like. We got boats that can hold two. Coracles. Rent 'em out to you for... 5 gold each boat."
Do you pay the 10 gold for 2 boats and take him up on his offer?
"What? 'Most irregular'? Huh. Where you from, then?" Whether Ismene tells him or not, he continues (perhaps with some derogatory statement about Rozenport). "It started about a year ago. At first the Beast only took lone villagers who were outside at night. So after those first two, we all kept inside at night.
"Ain't that right, Corl?" he shouts to the witch. The witch shouts back,
The old woman nods. Elder Lazne nods to Old Mother Corl and turns back to you. "There you have it. We thought it was dead. It damn near killed Morast. Used to be we was near a hundred. Ten killed by the Beast, another twennyfive up and left.
Saya frees the spirit of Mnesoset. There is no immediately apparent effect, but Aryana Tahari continues to grow in frustration and fury.
Despite being barely able to move , Setare is able to find weak points in the Graveknight's armor. With a few fortunate blows she is able to finish off the undead antipaladin. A ghostly voice says "Thank you, Sarenite. Use my weapon well."
"Useless!" shouts Aryana Tahari. She starts casting a spell, only to be interrupted by Katswiri, who counterspells it. She then moves away, behind the Div. Amenopheus Dimension Doors Saya and Katswiri adjacent to the two remaining mindscapes. Saya, for Spinel Sage (Red Square):
The explorer Mnesoset waves to a diverse crowd of humans, insect people, dwarves, and more, who cheer and wish her luck as she begins entering a mountainside ruin. Within she finds a hall inhabited by row after row of towering statues; as she inspects them, the sound of her friends being slaughtered echoes from outside. Mnesoset draws out an ivory rod and commands the statues to follow her orders. At first they follow her commands, but then one grabs her and throws her against a wall. Other statues stand in front of the entrance, keeping her from leaving yet not stopping the stream of blood that trickles down from the ruin’s entrance. All the while, a horned fiend watches from the shadows, moving its hands as if controlling marionettes.
Mnesoset still regrets that for all her interest in other cultures, when the time came to defend her homeland, she failed. She is somewhat cognizant that something might have been sabotaging her, but she doesn’t know what it was. The horned fiend is a sepid div, similar to the one in the memory mindsacpe, and it was largely responsible for corrupting her orders millennia ago. If you succeed at two Knowledge (arcana or planes), Perception, or Use Magic Device checks, you can help point out the fiend, show Mnesoset that it was not she who failed, or even help her regain control over the golem army in the mindscape. Remember that time flows differently in the mindscape so you can use abilities like Lore Master as you make your three checks. +2 from the ritual, and +1 for every language you know beyond your starting racial ones (looks like 7, if Common and Skald are the starting racial ones? So +9 total). Katswiri, for Torch:
A harried warrior bearing an illuminated wayfinder runs across a chasm alongside a woman in leather armor, and an emerald spectre trails behind them. The warrior urges the other Pathfinder toward the entrance just before the apparition mutters a terrible curse that engulfs him in flames. A flask of holy water strikes the spectre from behind as the woman returns and tries to carry the man to safety, shoving him toward the entrance as the ghost’s rage collapses part of the ceiling onto her. The man staggers outside into a sandstorm, terribly burned and alone. He pulls out a barely intact scroll and reads the incantation, struggling to speak, then forces out a message for the spell to carry: “It’s Ven. Everyone’s dead. I’m just west of the site. Send an extraction and recovery team. Please hurry.” He waits in the desert, staring down at his wayfinder. No response comes.
Torch is lost in bitter memories of the Decemvirate abandoning him and his team. You can offer Torch aid, console him, or even lead him to safety with two successful Diplomacy, Heal, Sense Motive, or Survival checks. This rekindles some of his faith in individual Pathfinders and breaks Tahari’s control. You can attempt 3 skill checks with your full-round action and must succeed at 2. You have a +2 to all of these checks from the ritual. Round 3
Sihir can post his checks for Torch when he can. The Shira Div continues its attacks on the wayang.
Sihir is hit twice and just barely dodges a claw. He takes 42 damage and is still conscious, at 3 HP. Fortunately, he is invisible and Aryana Tahari does not seem able to see him (though she can see where the Div is attacking, as well as some sprays of Wayang blood). Setare is up!
She chews a wad of something, spitting some sort of juice on the ground. It smells foul. "What are you looking for, sonny? What do you think Old Mother Corl is hiding? Nay, I be no specter nor fey. Just a hedge witch. I'm older than Lazne! I'm the elder but he's the Elder! Hee, hee, hee...ack, ack, hrrrmpph, ptoo!"
"Now, that was a foul business with the Beast. Our place here ain't that big, yous can see. Naught but three score and two of us now. A full ten of us lost to the Beast was no small thing. A great tragedy.
"You two are well-mannered, and easy on the eyes, too. Don't worry, I ain't gonna enspell yous. Too old for that business. But you tell Lazne that Old Mother Corl said yous was okay and that he can talk."
The hamlet is small enough that he heard you talking to Old Mother Corl, and can tell by her body language that she was favorably disposed to you. "What? I'm in your damned town tomorrow to talk before the judges. Why you coming out here now? Hey, Corl! Mind your own business, crone, it ain't you they are dragging before the court tomorrow."
When you stopped in Tamrivena, Ismene heard some ghost stories from the locals. "Oh, I got one! There's a village, not even that, in the Dipplemere Swamp near Lepidstadt. Poorer than dirt, but the people never get sick. There's something in their bloodline that ain't human, some dark thing they mingled with ages back. Their faces is all queer, you can see it. Whatever gave them their health, it has a price. It wants something, you see. It has a plan. And it's almost ready." This might indeed be the hamlet you are going to. Because Barrister Kaple says, "Be polite to the locals. Many from Lepidstadt see them as strange. Odd rumors about them." Then he adds, "People here also see them as ignorant. They know and resent that. The village elder Lazne will be here tomorrow for the trial. He should be in Morast now. He is a difficult and distrustful man. But he will have the most information."
It is mid-afternoon when you arrive (after having spent the morning visiting Judge Daramid, then the University, then the Courthouse). Morast is a miserable collection of 20 or so wattle-and-daub hovels built on stilts above the swamp and connected by soggy wooden boardwalks. Your arrival on horseback is noticed. An old woman sitting on a log looks you up and down. "Cityfolk. Foreigners. Is this about the Beast?"
@Sihir - Creative uses of skills and abilities can grant up to a +4 on the check. So if you wish to use illusions to somehow convince Torch, have at it, but still make the skill check. I will apply an appropriate modifier.
Eskar puts a major dent in the Graveknight's armor with his first blow. His second blow misses, deflected by the Graveknight's shield.
Sihir:
A harried warrior bearing an illuminated wayfinder runs across a chasm alongside a woman in leather armor, and an emerald spectre trails behind them. The warrior urges the other Pathfinder toward the entrance just before the apparition mutters a terrible curse that engulfs him in flames. A flask of holy water strikes the spectre from behind as the woman returns and tries to carry the man to safety, shoving him toward the entrance as the ghost’s rage collapses part of the ceiling onto her. The man staggers outside into a sandstorm, terribly burned and alone. He pulls out a barely intact scroll and reads the incantation, struggling to speak, then forces out a message for the spell to carry: “It’s Ven. Everyone’s dead. I’m just west of the site. Send an extraction and recovery team. Please hurry.” He waits in the desert, staring down at his wayfinder. No response comes.
Torch is lost in bitter memories of the Decemvirate abandoning him and his team. You can offer Torch aid, console him, or even lead him to safety with two successful Diplomacy, Heal, Sense Motive, or Survival checks. This rekindles some of his faith in individual Pathfinders and breaks Tahari’s control. You can attempt 3 skill checks with your full-round action and must succeed at 2. You have a +2 to all of these checks from the ritual. Also:
This hasn't come up since everybody before has entered a mindscape and exited it on their same turn. But just pointing it out in case it becomes relevant. Your bodies do not vanish; just your mind enters the mindscape.
"Can't delay," says Barrister Kaple.
Morast is a small hamlet in the Dippelmere Swamp about 8 miles east of Lepidstadt. A narrow trail leads from Lepidstadt to the village. It will be about 2 hours each way on horseback. Are you ready to go?
Let's try to keep this moving and wrap it up. Unfortunately, Tahari has very few spells that pose an actual threat to you. Sirocco was her best option there. Otherwise, she's got a ton of debuffs or damage-over-time spells which are good for dragging the fight out, but that's not what PbP needs, especially in a gameday with a limited timeframe. I guess the idea was to make the fight last long enough to free all the Sages.
Sihir delays. Saya frees Dhiara, who moves up and strikes at Ermias Dalla. Lunette heals the party. EL YAMA tries to sting the graveknight, but misses. Torch remains dazed. Sinuhotep uses his last spell to cast Dispel Magic on Aryana Tahari.
Amenopheus joins the attack on the Graveknight.
Tahonikepsu casts Blur on Eskar. Ermias Dalla continues attacking Eskar.
Round 3
When you take your turn, please state if you have accepted the 1/day +6 extra healing from Calistria. Matters for Setare, Sihir, and Eskar.
I imagine Sihir is probably moving on his turn.
"Ellsa. Not Elisa.
You may wish to investigate Hergstag, but keep in the mind the Morast portion of the trial is tomorrow. The villages are in opposite directions, and each is a couple of hours from Lepidstadt.
Yes, that is right.
I mean, Dhiara is able to act. You cannot determine what effect closing her mindscape has. There are still 2 more mindscapes to close.
Hmm, on reading it I find that "You can only take a 5-foot-step if your movement isn't hampered by difficult terrain or darkness." Normally I would rule that by implication this would apply to Blindness as well (unless there is an explicit FAQ saying it does not), but I don't feel like arguing about that. Have the 5' step.
This rule goes back to at least 3.5 and I think 3.0. An attack with a gauntlet is considered an unarmed attack.
An attack with a spiked gauntlet is very specifically noted as an armed attack by contrast. If you are aware of a FAQ or errata removing the line "A strike with a gauntlet is otherwise considered an unarmed attack" then please point me to it.
Saya frees Dhiara!
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