Genisen Reflex save:
As Genisen inserts his tools into the lock, he senses a subtle shift in the mechanism, and pulls his hands away just in time to avoid a small, glistening needle protruding from the lock.
Timbur glances up at Ofelio. The paladin can see incomprehension on his face at first, but as the bandit looks into Ofelio's eyes, he blanches and moves behind Laya for protection.
"Does it weigh on you at all?!" Ofelio roars, staring at Timbur with hands forced out to his sides. He makes no move to harm Laya or the bandit at the moment, however.
"Can you just say "Oh, I've killed part of a couple dozen people" without it bothering you?! How many were parents, breadwinners, artists... children?!"
He takes a deep breath as if it just hit him.
"Tell me you didn't-,"
"What would children be doing out here? We just take out treasure hunters, and maybe some stupid merchants."
Garim listens to Ofelio berating Timbur with grim amusement while looking outside to make sure no one is approaching. "It seems odd to me that he'd leave his ill gotten gains behind. He must still be hiding out somewhere nearby. Maybe just waiting till we leave."
Ofelio visibly relaxes. Nobody said he was the brightest torch in the barrel. He looks to Garim and shakes his head in deference.
"You're probably right, but what are we supposed to do about that?"
"Not sure really. But stay on your guard."
"Can you do anything with that Genisen?"
Genisen, now that the trap has been sprung, can take 20 and open the lock.
Inside the strong box is a pouch of amethysts (200 GP worth), 2 adamantine arrows (60 gp each), a wand of magic missile (CL 1, 18 charges remaining worth 270 gp), and a pouch containing 135 gp, 249 sp, and 300 cp
Genisen checks it once again for secondary traps (he is paranoid) then takes his time on the lock since they aren't pressed for time now.
"I found these items, this may be a magic wand if one of you magic types would like to check it out. These two adamantine arrows could come in handy later, I'd like to keep them unless anyone has an issue with that. Otherwise some good money in here."
Genisen thinks for a moment, "Whether he left or not, we have the loot, do we care if he comes back?"
Laya Spellcraft:
Laya is unable to identify it.
"I would prefer to put him down." Ofelio murmurs, offended by the stolen goods.
"But we have the divine mandate to worry about... If nothing else, we should tell the guards in Absolom about the area."
Timbur tilts his head, looking from Ofelio to Garim to Genisen.
"You guys came out here for a divine man date?" he asks, clearly separating the last two words. "What's she here for then?"
The tiefling starts to laugh despite his better judgement, but puts his larger hand to his face rather than speaking.
Garim examines the wand, trying to determine its purpose.
"I see why Scarface liked having you around." says Garim flatly.
"Well, let's see if we can rouse him from whereever he has taken up hiding then."
Garim returns to the main floor of the tower looking for any clues about where the half-orc may have gone.
Garim finds lots of tracks heading to and from the front door, and to and from the trapdoor behind the stairs, but can't tell anything about their ages.
"So...guys," Timbur says casually, "You've got Scarblade's stuff, and you have to admit I haven't caused you any trouble and been helpful, so since you have this orgy thing going on, and I've been so helpful, and, uh, reformed now, we should probably just part ways as friends, right?"
He holds his hand out, ready to shake.
"Ha... not so casually, friend." Ofelio rumbles, wearing a grim half-smile that would make Garim proud. "While I would not condemn you to death for your change of heart, I still do not trust you to run off on your own."
He looks to his comrades for back-up in this regard. "I would have you taken back to town and brought to justice, though with as much leniency as our testimony would allow you."
"I would love to let you go so you can scramble back to Scarblade and lead us right to him, I think in this case taking you to the authorities is the right call."
"But your divine nan date! I couldn't live with myself if my going to jail ruined your...whatever you're doing. Maybe you could take me with you, and afterwards, take me to jail. Maybe that'll give me a chance to prove I'm a changed man."
While not a suspicious type of person, Ofelio does quirk his eyebrow at this behavior.
Could anyone be this stupid without an ulterior motive?
While Ofelio thinks there may be a limit to the mans stupidity, he doesn't think you've yet found it. He seems to honestly believe that if ingratiates himself long enough, you'll decide he's harmless and let him go.
Ofelio starts to laugh again. This time it's marked, bestial, and practically bowls him over.
"A-ha! I like his spirit!"
Seriously, such motivations might be silly, but they can be the spark of a fire of redemption.
"That's fine by me,"
"Why don't we just hang a sign around your neck, indicating your crimes, and leave you out on the road for someone to find you and take you in to the city." Tied up tightly with a rope no less.
Ofelio just shakes his head. He's not incredibly intelligent, but he accepts that this plan can go very, very wrong.
"He seems sincere." The paladin points out. "Either we take him back ourselves or he comes with us."
Garim sighs. "He comes with us for now then. We just got out here. I don't fancy turning around and heading right back to the city."
"What now though? Where do we continue our search?"
"We simply go back to where we were going before, of course."
You set out from Scarblade's hideout with your prisoner/groupie in tow. The further you go, the more subservient he becomes, and seems to have taken it upon himself to fawn over Ofelio like a sad puppy.
You were much closer than you first thought, and it takes only half an hour to reach your destination: the Chelish Citadel.
Before you stands the Chelish Citadel, rising out of an area of unusually parched grass, a quatrefoil structure which stands 80-feet high. No trees grow within fifty feet of the tower, and no vines climb its exterior. The stonework of its walls appears pristine and seamless, with no arrowslits or ports for siege weapons, or cracks or chinks to provide a hand or foothold, save for a bit of rubble against its eastern-most edge.
"This is where you're going?" Timbur asks incredulously. "What do you hope to find here? Nobody's ever gotten inside, the entire tower has been sealed with magical stone for centuries. Don't you know all this?"
Somehow, Timbur's tone readily implies that you are all quite a bit stupid.
"You mean no one has ever gotten inside who has lived to tell the tale" Garim offers dryly.
"But lets just worry about finding a way in for now." With that Garim walks forward cautiously, heading to the eastern side where the rubble is. He closes his eyes a moment and utters a single word of magic then begins to inspect the area.
Cast detect magic. Expecting to find magic all around if the stories of magical stone is accurate, but trying to determine if there is any part that is stronger or weaker in aura.
"There is always the first to make it in. We aim to be them."
After Garim checks it out with detect magic, Genisen will do a more mundane search near the rubble
+1 more if traps
Garim's head hurts from the sheer awesome power of the magic of the stone and the size of it. This stone is magic beyond mortal means.
The rubble strewn about the ground, seems to have fallen away from the stone sheathe that covers the rest of the tower, revealing an iron door. No handle or lock is evident. In the centre of the door are two small depressions, one shaped like the Eye of Aroden, the other an inverted pentagram. Bits of the original stone wall of the tower can also be seen, clearly of a completely different type of stone.
While the door also radiates magic, it is at a much lower level of power. The carvings of the holy symbols also radiate magic. The stone of the original wall doesn't radiate magic.
Genisen finds no traps on the door or in the rubble.
Taking a step back and squinting his eyes Garim holds his left hand to the side of his head, rubbing his temple.
"Well... this is going to be really simple, or its not." He fishes into his bags, but it takes him several moments to find the Eye of Aroden given to him by Tolion. He then presses it to the door where the matching symbol is.
"Hey! That's new!" Timbus says upon suddenly seeing the door you have all been studying.
The Holy Symbol clicks into place with a faint flash of warm light.
For a few seconds, nothing happens, then a low grumble of moving stone echos across the clearing. Cracks appear in the outer sheathe of stone, spiderwebbing up about forty feet. Dust and bits of rubble start to rain down from on high.
Genisen looks at Timbur, "And that is how you become the first"
"Cool!" Timbur says, gazing up at the tower, when a bunch of debris drops down on his face.
"We may want to take a couple steps back...."
"Why? Ofelio asks, complying nonetheless with Genisen's request.
"You don't think it will explode or anything, do you?"
Genisen shakes his head, "If I thought it would explode I would suggest more than a few steps. In fact, I would be saying it as I was running past you!". Genisen gives Ofelio a grin.
Garim hesitates for just a brief moment, wondering if he should grab the Eye of Aroden, but then quickly moves back from the opening doorway. "Easy it is. I was fearing we'd need the second symbol as well."
As you step back, the stone sheath immediately around and above the doorway continues to crack, and larger and larger pieces begin falling off the tower, some from as high as twenty feet up. You realize you'll need to take more than a few steps back and your careful retreat turns into a full-fledged dash to avoid having your skulls crushed.
Stone sheathe and pieces of original wall both come tumbling down, along with a smattering of dry-rotted furniture. Dust fills the air, causing you to cough and choke.
After a few moments, the dust settles. Taking in the pile of debris and gaping hole that now exists in the side of the Citadel, you see more than just stones and rocks. Two leather armour-clad human skeletons, partially buried by debris, twitch and writhe against their restraints, their eyes glowing red with an unholy light. Above you, ten more skeletons leap down onto the debris pile, their eyes also glowing maliciously as they advance upon you.
Initiative:
Skeletons:
Genisen:
Laya:
Ofelio:
Timbur:
Garim:
Order: Skeletons, Garim, Genisen, Timbur, Laya, Ofelio
On their turn, the skeletons up above jump down onto the debris. Skeletons 1, 2, and 3 each land badly and fall prone, clearly damaged by the jump. Skeletons 11 and 12 are pinned by the debris and don't seem able to free themselves.
Breathing a little heavily from the hasty retreat Garim's eyes go wide at the mockery of life before him. He hastily scrambles to get his shield in place and pull his morning star from his belt as he edges up to the debris. "Told you someone else was here before, and just didn't live to tell about it." His voice is strained in trying to make light of the situation though.
Standard Action: Equip shield
Move Action: Draw weapon while moving to the edge of the rubble.
Genisen is next.
Genisen shoots at the lead skeleton in front of Garim. If it goes down, he will shoot the one 10' north of it.
In the blink of an eye, Genisen fires off a pair of arrows, each crashing throw the skull of a different, already damaged skeleton, sending bones flying. Both skeletons crumble to the ground.
Timbur draws his weapon as he moves up to the pinned skeleton, lets out a war cry, and brings his longsword down at the undead.
Attack:
Damage:
Crack! He shatters the brittle bones, and the skeleton goes limp.
Knowledge (Religion): "Animated skeletons! Not too tough, but best hit with crushing weapons!" Laya calls out.
Seeing how easily folks are handling the skeletons, she pulls out her sling and lets a stone fly at the other injured skeleton.
Attack:
Alas, the stone flies wide.
Ofelio is up last.
Ofelio holds his glaive out and moves to engage the closest foe. He really only has the glaive to attack with, anyway, as he didn't want to be stuck carrying a mountain of gear. In retrospect, that was a bad idea also.
"Rest now."
Ofelio moves up and ends the other pinned skeleton (the only one he can reach with a move action).
I forgot to point out that all that rubble is difficult terrain (obviously).
Round 2
The skeletons advance, slowly due to the difficulty of climbing down the pile of debris. Skeleton 1 is the only one close enough to get an attack, and it attacks Timbur.
Claw:
Damage:
Timbur takes a minor slash across a cheek.
The other skeletons advance. Timbur gets an AoO against skeleton 10, and Ofelio can take an AoO against 5 and 10.
Timbur AoO:
Skeletons AC: 16 (touch 12)
HP: 4 (except skeleton 1 has 2)
Initiative: Ofelio's AoOs, Skeletons, Garim, Genisen, Timbur, Laya, Ofelio
Genisen takes a 5' step to the south then fires twice, once his aim is true, the second is no where close to the mark
Genisen's first arrow flies through a skeleton's rib cage, chipping a bone or two on its way through.
Seeing his companions handling the horrors with ease counters Garim's fears and doubts.
He takes a wild swing, stumbling slightly on the rubble at his feet. The morning star smashes into the rubble, chips of stone flying off.