Aubrey's Wrath of the Righteous (Inactive)

Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Jod's primary attention is watching for anyone coming up on the back of the group, especially with Rhok's warning.

Sol squints at a barrel near the far wall.

"YOU! Come out of there!"

As the door opens, Mulluq instinctively pushes his senses out to find evil.

Detect Evil into the room

Mulluq:

A mongrelman stands up where Sol is looking. He growls and waves his club menacingly.

"Oooooh, scary. Drop the club or die. Either way is fine with me."

Someone want to try either Diplomacy or Intimidate with that comment?

Rhok's mocking demand splashes a patina of pathos over the mongrelman. Suddenly Sol pities him.

"Look. There's been a lot of blood spilled here. Do you want to add yours to it? There's more of us and we're better armed. Put down the club. Tell us your story and we might all get out of here alive."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

"Yeah, that story had better be good."

Intimidate 12+9=21.

The mongrelman begins to sniffle and he drops his club. "Please, I don't want to hurt anyone. It all began a long time ago, when I was born..."

Well, you said you wanted his story - how long have you got?

Oh, Sense Motive DC 13.

If you succeed:

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (4) + 0 = 4

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (18) + 0 = 18

Sol shakes his head. "Let's start when the false crusaders showed up."

Classic gag, Aubs.

"The woman, Hosilla, she made a deal with the chief. Someone she was working for got into trouble and she needed a place to lie low. Then a few days ago, she gets a letter. Then she kills the chief and his women, on that big table over there" - he nods towards the room with the big table covered in blood stains - "and says she's taking over. None of us were strong enough to stand up to her." The mongrelman gulps, tears and snot running down his warty face. "I just want to get away. You killed everyone else! Don't kill me! I'm not a bad person..." He breaks into incoherent sobbing.

"Ask him about the rooms we haven't looked at yet, Sol."

Sol grimaces at the mongrelman's tears.

"We killed them because they attacked us and because of the trouble you've all been causing for Sull's band. "

"What's your name? And what can you tell us about the hole down to the other cavern?"

The mongrelman sniffs. "Just the river down there."

"So why is there a rope?"

The mongrelman frowns in confusion. "So you can climb down..?"

"I haven't seen another source of water here. They're probably up and down the rope every day."

Sol turns to the moleman again. "What's your name?"

"Muray. Er, sir," he adds.

"Wait there, Muray."

Sol turns back to the others. "Now what do we do with him?"

"Take him back to the village. Sull can decide what to do with him."

"And he could carry some of the stuff we've found. Sull's people could use the weapons and armor. That still doesn't answer what to do with him while we check the river."

"Oh, he comes with us. He goes down the rope first, goes through the doors first... You get the picture."

While the others talk, Jod walks over to Muray and gives him a hard stare until he's sure the mongrelman is good and uncomfortable. "This sword wants to cut you. Not me, the sword. Don't make me let the sword cut you. Be good. Understood?"

Muray nods, swallows and doesn't speak.

66xp each. OK, what now?

"Oh, he comes with us. He goes down the rope first, goes through the doors first... You get the picture."

Sol nods. The plan is pragmatic, if not generously chivalrous.

He watches Jod intimidate poor Muray. That too is pragmatic, if not generously chivalrous.

Disengaging from the conversation, he studies the store room and the more comfortable room beyond.

Toss off a detect magic, just in case we missed anything. Someday I have to take spellcraft for him.

I guess we're off to the great white?

Muray nods, swallows and doesn't speak.

66xp each. OK, what now?

Jod favors the poor fellow with a big smile, "Great! I knew we could get along! What can you tell us about those fake crusaders? They looked pretty mean to me."

Sol:

"Dunno. Didn't talk to them."

Sol looks sideways at the mongrelman. "They butchered your chief. I think that qualifies as mean."

If there's nothing else down here, let's go up and back to the north.

Yep, nothing to see here.

Pushing Muray along with them, the adventurers head back to trophy room.

Reminder: from here there are two possible ways to progress to areas you haven't been in: there is the corridor ending with the hole in the floor and the sound of rushing water; and there is a passage leading up with an iron ladder bolted to the wall.

Jod picks up the mongrelman's club. Offering it to Muray, he says, "I trust you know what will happen if you swing this at one of us." Jod stays near the mongrelman to keep an eye on him.

I'm good with whichever direction the party wants to go. Jod's not a leader.

I missed the iron ladder. Let's look at that first, then re-check the rope down into the rushing water.

"Where does that ladder lead, Muray?"

"Rat nest, then the demon maze, then the way up to the surface."

"Wait... I don't like the sound of demon maze at all, but did he just say a way up to the surface!?"

Decision time.

"What's this demon maze Murray? Explain!"

I think we have essentially cleared the complex at this point. We would want to check the room with the rope to the water source for good measure, though water source means potential natural predators. Think about that before sending down Murray as a snack for over sized underdark lobsters or whatever. It seems like the other route to the demon maze and the surface is an exit from the complex for the next phase, but we need to report back to the mongrelman camp and regroup with our injured npcs before heading toward the surface.
Sound good? Water room, then regroup and report?

"If we need to get through the demon maze to get to the surface, we might as well do it now. None of our charges back at the village can help any; instead, they'll most probably just get in the way. So, let's kill off the rats and the demons, then go back to Sull and collect our friends."

What Hannik said!

"Muray, do you know the path through the maze?"

"Yeah, it's not very big. Just the demons, though..."

Mulluq nods vehemently, "Yes, we must clear any immediate presence of the foul demons before they have an opportunity for their evil influence to spread. Muray, I do not require that you remain at the fore. I will gladly meet these demons head on."

"These demons..." Rhok looks more than a little sceptical of Muray's story. "You have seen them? What do they look like?"

"Like fat blobs, really ugly, stupid but vicious, and really stinky. They just shuffle about but they'll try and kill whatever comes near them. Hosilla could command them."

Knowledge (The Planes), DC 12:

"Could be worse. Dretches are the bottom of the food chain for demons. We have enough cold iron to send 'em back to the pit?"

Kn Planes: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Just gonna assume that cold iron for demon killing is common knowledge in a crusader town on the border of the Worldwound. If not a 27 probably covers it anyway :)
My morningstar and crossbow bolts are cold iron and I could easily lend either or both to someone more proficient.

Kn. Planes 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Mulluq steels his stance, "Regardless of their being of the lowest of the demons, they are demons nonetheless. I say we hasten our way to this 'maze' and dispatch the fiends with urgency. This new blade of renown is capable of bypassing their natural defenses."

"Agreed. Does anyone need a little healing before we move on?"

Sol shakes his head to Rhok's offer before replying to Mulluq.

"We should at least talk to Lann before seeking the demons. There are weapons and goods here that his people can use. And he can lead the others back here instead of us trudging back to his village."

Jod slaps Muray on the back after his report. "Good man. Glad you dropped that club before things had to get carried away."

Listening to the suggestions, he offers, "Sol's suggestion makes sense. Then we go kick some demon butt, eh?" He grins at Muray, whose uncertain smile in return makes the young warrior laugh out loud.

Muray just swallows and nods.

OK, what's the plan? Some seem inclined to kick some demon butt right now, others seem to want to wait and return to the mongrelman village. You need to work out what to do next.