Call Forth Darkness (Inactive)

Game Master Aku Warashi

ready to go here. No more nasty, fireproof trees is a bonus. And I will start to plan the death of trees. Then Seren can have an army of undead trees. :)

Ready here, though while Seren is doing her tree thing, Nahia might want to whip up some anti-demon alchemical splash weapons. It occurs to me that our alchemist fire isn't likely to do much, but Bottled Lightning might.

Also Ready. Rose's idea is not a bad one, and I'll use some party money to grab supplies to make some.

With no other task, and after resting and preparing, the group heads back to the horn, uncontested by the Briar wild life.

The great stone spire, rises some hundreds of feet high 650ft, the trees surrounding it, gigantic in stature, seems to be nothing in comparison.
Walking around it, you find ruins of what once appear to be the entrance to it.

A boulder rests in the smashed top floor of a three‐storey stout, stone watchtower. A nearby rotting catapult appears to be the culprit. The remains of a thick, reinforced wooden door lie scattered on the wide, stone steps leading up to the entrance. Bits of broken weapons and armour litter the otherwise intact interior.

Past the tower, scattered blocks of obsidian, inscribed with the iconography of an evil deity, surround the foundations of a once proud archway. A few outlying buildings remain relatively intact.
The entrance seems to have crumbled in most of the parts, and it leads down to a series of dark caverns.

The party searches the ruined tower, the nearby ruins for anything useful or interesting. Whatever secret it may had, it was long found and don’t offer anything of value.

From the ruins tho, you are able to gather that the first attack on the horn was swift and brutal, almost no damage was done to nearby structures, and from that you concluded that the defenders did not had time to mount any resistance.
As you explore the ruins, a fog begins to form in the place, it feels malevolent and evil, as if someone or something trying to reach from a faraway place.

With nothing to stop the group, you take a time to look around the horn, and search for any clear entrance.
There are two stairways leading to some entrance 100ft and 150ft high.
There’s a cave entrance leading beneath the stone spire.

There is sign of native life, animals and something you judge to be a walking tree. Near the stairs, there is no sign of passage or anyone going up. The caverns however have sign of constant usage, by something that appears to be a big biped frog, only it is more than one.

Intentions?

"Ok, now we can scout that cave. Mysty?"

Hound just takes stock of the tracks and area surrounding the entrance to see if is inhabited.
Survival: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

as you wish. You best wait here, I'll be a bit.
Mysty throws rose a casual salute and moves to the cave entrance, carefully taking her time. She will move in along the left wall, from her perspective.

Take 10, stealth total 28.

I'd be checking the tower with detect magic as we passed through.

Nahia leans back against a tree, trying to keep her eyes out for anything.

This place feels... odd. Heavy with the residue of spirits. And not the nice kind. There were some powerful incantations used here at some point. And definitely not Mitran in origin... Who knows what was conjured...

@Hound

There is sign of native life, animals and something you judge to be a walking tree. Near the stairs, there is no sign of passage or anyone going up. The caverns however have sign of constant usage, by something that appears to be a big biped frog, only it is more than one. The treant, is still about in the forest, looking like nothing more than a big dead tree.

@Mysty

This broad open cave is the only visible entrance to the lower caverns. The many stalactites, stalagmites, and columns of wet living stone resemble nothing so much as fangs contained inside a large loathsome grin. The cave is covered by countless pools of standing fetid water and ubiquitous slicks of mud that make the entire surface of the maw count as difficult terrain from the entrance to more than forty feet in.

How are you dealing with illumination?

At the moment I'm not. I'm not entering the cave as such, simply examining the entrance for guards and traps. You mentioned frog men? Looking for them.

Once Mysty finishes her examination, she will return to the party to report.

So walking frogs? Never heard of anything like that, at the very least, we'll have plenty to eat.

The frogman trails leads mostly inside the cave.

On returning Mysty says
spooky looking place, no signs of traps or guards, although there may be more deeper in. Difficult going though, rocky and slippery. Foot prints though. Like walking frogs. Man sized. It's darker further in, and i can't see in the dark. So we best move in as a group. I suggest hound and me up front, followed by the rest of you.

Agreed. Hound will get ready to move in, his nose sniffing out any big frogs.

"Sounds good to me." Rose said. "Lead on."

Nahia nods for a moment and then adds "I have an idea. Clearly the mouth of this cave is a well used passage by these creatures. Why not charm or capture a couple of them, and then have them lead us through the cave, since they'd know the safe ways."

Okay going to assume that Seren had the time to at least start her plan in motion before we went to the cave. Mr. Tree-Ant is currently chopping himself out from his oaken prison.

Seren peaks her head into the cave. "Wait. We're going in there? With the walking frogs? Last time I saw a giant frog it tried to swallow me...Stupid frogs." Seren sighs. "Alright let get this over with."

COnsider this to be potential payback. You can kill them and eat their legs in a butter-garlic sauce.

I thought this was all happening after the tree-removal and reanimation had happened? We sort of glossed over that part. GM? Where do we stand on the whole undead treant thing?

"Do you speak giant frog? I'm all for taking prisoners, but it might be more trouble than its worth if we don't have a good way of communicating."

My figuring was it would've taken grumble and I likely the morning to get the treant at least free enough to start hacking away at the tree by iteself, with the cave looming once he was set in freeing himself, Seren would have met up with everyone here Sometime around midday and let the zombie go about its business the rest of the day. Zombie would have been left instruction that if it frees itself don't wander. Kill anything that it sees but don't chase outside of 20 steps from the tree it chopped itself out of (I'll supercede that command when I get back to it)

Nahia, we don't know what they are, or when they come out. Let's be a little pro active. Besides, you could always charm the first one we see
Mysty leads the way to the entrance, drawing a dagger and casting light on it while doing so.

Nahia nods at the others before replying "That's... a good point Rose. Lead on Mysty."

Well, at least you'll be in front if we hit a trap or other natural disaster... Better you than me.

Briefly, she bows her head and chants to herself Aklo: "Spirits, grant me your precious light, be my armor to protect me!" A haze of blue light surrounds and coalesces upon her, concentrating as it draws nearer to her form, before disappearing suddenly with the faint tinkle of a glass bell.

Casting Mage Armor.

Mysty moves ahead without bothering to hide, as she goes inside, the odor becomes stronger and stronger.
Up ahead, the large curve continues with a slight curve to the left, to her right, the cave walls breaks in several natural passages.
Intentions? Check the map.

Pyre was still an Archon, and even though it was locked in hellish bondage it was still, fundamentally, a creature of the heavens. It floated along slightly above and behind Rose, scanning for unfamiliar evil auras.

Detect Evil

Rose, likewise was scanning with otherworldly sight. It was unlikely that there were creatures of goodness around other than her floating slave, but it would not hurt to check.

Detect Good

Using their other-worldly given powers, Pyre and Rose scans the area for any sigh of any good or evil aura, but there’s nothing to be found. No lingering presence of either good or evil forces.

"Seems clear." Rose says quietly.

Mysty moves slowly, examining the entrance and beyond for threats, both trap and creature. The light from her dagger revealing before her.

standard half speed move, so as to avoid trap roll penalties.

pity about the light, but what you can't see can really hurt you. Hound be cautious. I know it's slow, but a trap can really ruin your day.

And having you near, looking so big and nasty, will draw attention from little old me. she thinks to herself.
Rose, do we want captives?

Hound follows carefully behind Mysty, his greatsword in hand and ready for any threats.
Mysty might make a good distraction, she is easily grabbed up by any beast looking for a less-threatening meal. ;)

Seren meanders behind the scouting party, standing near Nahia and grumble in the back. "Well this doesnt feel like walking into a trap. Nope, not at all." she mutters to herself, a hand resting tensely on her mace.

Rose looks over to Nahia for a moment at the question of captives and nods. "Yes. Only if it doesn't put us in extra danger, though. Might as well try for it, but lets not stick our necks out."

Rose dropped her axe back into the ring on her belt and drew a padded truncheon from the small of her back.

Drawing Sap.

Nahia nods at Seren and Rose, her own fingers and arms twitching in preparation for anything that might jump out, for any dangers that might lurk. "I have no problem with us cracking skulls over captives if needed. And... let's be... careful. This place feels... off."

Even Andros was twitching anxiously, though Nahia was unsure if it was of his own feelings or simply hers bleeding over.

Hound follows carefully behind Mysty, his greatsword in hand and ready for any threats.

Mysty might make a good distraction, she is easily grabbed up by any beast looking for a less-threatening meal. ;)

feeling the love. ..lol

Sorry it took long to update. Things are hairy for me those days.

Walking slowly, misty scans each passage for any threat, and finds nothing. There are several marks of passage, some recent, others old, from all cave paths.

There’s the passage to your left, one to north and other to your right? Which one you are going first?

Mysty sees the three paths and pauses for a moment. Then she indicates the right hand path.

this way she whispers. let's be quiet. Can't help the light, but sound travels in a cave

Hound follows along

Rose lets the scouts do their thing and hangs back a little ways, trying to keep in the shadows as much as possible.

Stealth +6

Nahia does her best to hold back a sigh as they trudge deeper within the caves.

Ok... you can do this... just be quiet... and stay out of sight... easy, right?

Clearly not for me. Stealth +2

First, there goes Mysty and Hound, walking in silence, even if they can’t ride because of the light Mysty is carrying. Some steps behind, follows Rose, walking surprisingly quiet in her heavy armor. Then comes Rose, in her breastplate not caring to hide herself, and Nahia, worried that she isn’t the best one for that kind of activity. However, nothing compares to the army of one ogre, walking just behind her, making everyone effort be for naught.

"Elfy is afraid of the dark." Grumblejack says mostly to himself, but that don't prevent everyone else from hearing it as well.

Following the right path on the cave, leads to an empty nondescript wet cavern C-10. It seems a ‘crossroad’ with hard rock floor.

The crossroad, leads to three other paths. Without asking, Mysty ventures into the one to her right, which leads to another another wet cavern with a pool of water at its rear C-11. The pool however has a faint glow to it and is surprisingly clear. The pool contains weird pale blue blind cave fish with delicate thread-like spines on their forefins.

Exploring ahead, they party reaches yet another wet empty cavern C-12, notable only for its very distinctive blue slime mold that covers the western wall, the vibrant blue slime is neither poisonous nor dangerous but is visually striking.

From there, the group ventures into the other path, which leads once more to another empty nondescript wet cavern C-14.

Intentions?

At the ogre's clomping, Rose just giggled. "Alright Grumblejack, we'll do it your way."

"Pyre, lets have some light."

The little archon lit up like a bonfire, it's whole body roiling with ethereal flame.

Aid Another to someone else's Dungeoneering check (I can't actually make a 25, but I might be able to help someone else make it.)
Aid Another, Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Accidentally posted Rose's Aid action with pyre. Leaving the roll so I don't risk losing the success.

With the area better revealed in Pyre's light, Rose caught sight of the fish in the pool. "Huh. Interesting. I think I've seen pictures of those fish before, but I can't quite place it..."

Hound keeps following, wary for attacks.

Can I make a Knowledge (Nature) to identify the fish?

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 9 + 2 = 30

Nahia crouches over the pool, Andros lifting his head up from her shoulder. The two of them hiss softly before she looks up at Rose and says "These fish make a moderately powerful poison capable of knocking one unconscious for a couple of hours. They inject it with these spines along their fins."

She stands and looks over the pools in the room before adding "I should be able to harvest some of their poison, given some time. And there's a good number of them here. Depending on how long we stay we could get a fairly sizable amount of the stuff... but in the meantime, everyone should be careful to avoid stepping in any pools around here, lest you discover how difficult it is to breath with weakened muscles and a fever."

"That's it! I've seen them in daddy's library. Some treatise on poisons and antivenoms I picked up once. It was all Aklo to me, but it had really nice pictures. The manticore was amazing."

"I know its a bit cliche, but I've always wanted a foreboding mountain fortress." Rose said with a smile, training her fingers in the water. "Pools of poison fish were definitely on the list of necessities when I started dreaming about becoming a despot when i was a girl."

Nahia smiles at Rose and says "I could teach you... Aklo, I mean."

Giving the half-joke a moment to set in, she continues "Cliche is not always bad, but I've wanted less a fortress and more a palace. Deadly fish were also on my list, bust also because ones such as this can be quite the delicacy if prepared right..."

Who wants something like fugu, but made from more of a lion fish than a blowfish???

Poison fish would be good for daggers and arrows.

"He's so practical." she said with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

"Lets keep moving and come back for the fish once we've cleared out the inhabitants."

I'm starting to like this place.

Seren looks down lovingly at the fish. "Okay I like this place."

She mutters aloud to no one in particular, a smile and a chuckle escaping her lips as she envisions a skeleton wielding the fishes like a set of very poisonous, very spiky brass knuckles.

@Rose/Aku - I use the word shenanigans, but mostly in a silly or non-serious sense; like as a joke, or when referencing pranks or non-malicious tricks.

- - - - -

Also, I love all the little pets/minions running around. It's adorable! ^_^

Actually... that doesn't work either.

PRD - Quickdraw wrote:

Benefit: You can draw a weapon as a free action instead of as a move action. You can draw a hidden weapon (see the Sleight of Hand skill) as a move action.

A character who has selected this feat may throw weapons at his full normal rate of attacks (much like a character with a bow).

Alchemical items, potions, scrolls, and wands cannot be drawn quickly using this feat.

Actually a wand can be drawn like a weapon

Draw or Sheathe a Weapon

Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, requires a move action. This action also applies to weapon-like objects carried in easy reach, such as wands. If your weapon or weapon-like object is stored in a pack or otherwise out of easy reach, treat this action as retrieving a stored item.

If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move. If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two light or one-handed weapons in the time it would normally take you to draw one.

Drawing ammunition for use with a ranged weapon (such as arrows, bolts, sling bullets, or shuriken) is a free action.

It all depends on if dismounting is considered a regular move. I can understand if it is not, though you could, if the gm was kind.

Would alchemical items count as weapon-like objects?

@Mysty - This gets discussed to death on the boards, and I can see arguments either way. It does seem weirdly at odds with quickdraw (which did work with wands in 3.5, and they specifically said it didn't in PF). At the same time, I think it's a little silly not to allow it.

In my home games I actually remove the +1 BaB requirement and let it work with anything stored in an easily accessible fashion. I do the same with Quickdraw.

@Rose - Good question. It's not well defined. You ask 12 people and get 15 answers. I'd say yes, but something I've heard as a good argument on the other side is that if you can't threaten an area for an AOO with it, it shouldn't count.

Would alchemical items count as weapon-like objects?

You know I think it depends. It is a weapon in the case of alchemetical weapons, such as alchemist fire. But an alchemist's bombs work under their own rules.

Then she turned and charged down at the tree to the south, drawing the longsword she'd taken from Lord Thomas as she ran.

Can't charge here, and as it was described some post above, you can draw your weapon in a 'regular' move action, and charge is a full rounded action.

Anyway, I don't mind the charging/drawing weapon thing, 'cause I think it looks cool, but, no charge here. :D

@Rose

For how long the celestial will follow?

The treant has 40ft speed, while the celestial has 60ft.

Wish means that, the treant, double moving, the celestial would be able to attack it once every two turns.

Also, the teant is injured, but it does not seem to be dying, and this ‘pursuit’ may take a bit of time.

That's not quite accurate.

The archon has a range of 30 feet on its blasts. That means the treant has to move 90 feet before it is in the clear. The Archon can actually move fast enough to stay ahead of it so it will be able to get two rounds of attacks in before it has to move again.

Here's how I would do it-

Move to just ahead of Treant (full move)
Attack, move, (keeping pace with treant this round)
Attack move (treat pulls ahead after this round)
Move to just ahead of Treant
etc.

If the Treant decides to change direction more than 90 degrees after the Archon zips ahead of it, that means it can be effectively corralled, and it really only loses one round.

The Archon can't be hit by the Treant and is immune to lightning, and is faster than it is. It might take a while, but I think the archon can whittle it down to nothing. If the tree doesn't find a place with serious cover, or get the right reinforcements, its a goner.

If the Archon gets into trouble, it can Teleport straight up and pick a new strategy.

If the tree ends up with serious reinforcements, the archon can Teleport back.

That's a rough outline of what I'm thinking for Operation Treekiller Angel.

Sound workable?

Perfect workable for me, now I need your decision in something;

What you consider 'trouble'?

If for some reason the treant is able to reach the archon, will it teleport away, or try to fight it?

It will teleport away, high up, and then re-engage if it is safe.

Secondary tactic, go get a 40 or 50 pound rock, teleport above treant, drop rock. Between weight and terminal velocity, it should be able to get the 20d6 max damage pretty easily (though hitting might be a problem)

Tertiary tactic, stay well above it and put on a big sound and light show to mark the target for us so we can follow it when we're done mopping up these other trees.

To add on to that, I can (and totally intend to) go after the tree as well. I can fly as a speed of 60' for ~6 minutes. I don't have a lot of spells, but I do have 5 bottles of acid and 4 bottles of lightning. And I can stay up in the air out of his reach.

If necessary, I can use my spit poison spell to blind him for a round. It may also damage his con, but he has a good fort save, so I doubt it.

Nahia is furious and will give chase and hound him for as long as she can. She'd have to be very injured consider stopping (say <5 hp).

Wow

So much hatred in your hearts.
Where is the love?

Hey, I rained healing snakes on Grumblejack. If that isn't love I don't know what is. :D

But that tree? Yeah, he can totally go ride a$@ first down d*$^ mountain.

Let's put it this way. Not only is that treant going to be kindling, his whole species is going the same way.

Grrrr!

:)

Good girl! *pats head*

lol

I think it's adorable how Mysty is the most bloodthirsty person in the whole group. :D

Hound: "Should we kill it?"
Rose: "Kill it, but take care of ourselves first."
Nahia: "Take care of ourselves by killing it!"
Seren: "Kill it even if it kills me!"
Mysty: "TREE GENOCIDE!!!!"

I agree, it is quite adorable. : )

Also, I know Mysty is an adult, but I always imagine it the same kind of excited little girl voice one might hear about going to get ice cream.

Well.

You almost convinced me to not be mean...
But I guess this is something impossible for me. Aku.

:)

--

On a side note, I guess it's pretty obvious that Jurak was trying to scare you away, right?

Actually I thought we were looking at a TPK for a bit. And now i have to buy a new wpn. I never even got to use it.

As for tree genocide...its the lawful evil thing to do.

How'd I earn the AoO? Movement?

The tree has 15ft reach.

Based on your movement, the movement in the map, you moved until you were side by side with the tree.

Hmm. There was some muddiness last round because of the retconned charge. Technically I should not have been able to reach the tree. I think I could/would have been close enough that I would have drawn an AoO for using a ranged weapon though. Normally I wouldn't be stupid enough to do that but my intent was to draw fire for Seren, which is exactly what happened, so I guess it all worked out and prevented me from taking an AoO for closing this round.

We'll just take a retcon inconsistency and call it a rare moment of Rose being selfless and tactically clever. :)

:)

@Mysty - Technically, Seren should be able to repair your weapons at a cheaper price. It might be even cheaper still to buy some scrolls of Make Whole at the right caster level.

Sounds good. Maybe I'll just kill half the trees.

Nope. they almost killed Grumble, and I don't have the ability to create intelligent undead yet. This forest is burning to the ground when we're done.

Now we're talking!

So much hatred.

Well, you'll die alone if things continues this way. :(

Everything dies alone.

Oh and aku I forgot to mention in my last post, Seren isn't casting defensively which is why I didn't roll concentration, figured you would roll it if an AoO hit me.

So did Mysty's firebolt work?

@Rose.

Worked.

I'm off to sleep.

@Temporary hp.

Not sure how it works. I'll ready it and correct any inconsistences later.

@Hound

Sorry, forgot to write it up, you get an AoO, from it moving outside your area, and if you move to attack it again, it can AoO you as well.

Okay, you don't get AoOed to attack it. I think I must sleep a bit more. :D

AoO made, not that it matters

@Hound

Haha, I know how you feel.

When DM'ing I keep praying for low values...

When I'm playing, it's rare I get more than 5 in a d20 roll...

Nope. they almost killed Grumble, and I don't have the ability to create intelligent undead yet. This forest is burning to the ground when we're done.

YES! join the tree genocide brigade. Or V.W.S.T.G.N. (pronounced vis-T-gen) Villains who support tree genocide now

I think we need to seriously consider abandoning this fight. These things hit hard enough to one shot any of us at this point, and there's now two fresh bruisers on the field.

With horses we can outrun them and get to our destination. We can even start a serious forest fire in our wake.

Or, we could ride away, heal up and reengage.

Thoughts?

Well, now that you know that the tree is capable, it will be way easier.

What made the fight hard for you was the Chain lightning at the very beginning.

Edit:

Anyway, I think you guys are doing great. Anything you choose, should lead to an interesting development.

Anti-lightning spells plz.

So was Pyre killed by that rock?

Not killed,but dying

So it doesn't poof out of existence when it hits zero like a regular summoned creature?

My spleen is flopping on the ground!

@Rose

Due to the situation,how far away you are from the Treant, I'm ruling that you know intimidate may not work as you wish.

@Tree feather token
Spell such as that, usually fails when they don't have 'space' to grown. So I don't think that it'll be a really effective weapon.

@Hound

If you still are raging, don't forget you must resist even the potion you drank. Since you are superstitious.

Due to the situation,how far away you are from the Treant, I'm ruling that you know intimidate may not work as you wish.

I'm fine with that ruling. It is a tree. Fear is probably not the same to it as it is to us. I just didn't really have anything else to do, and it seemed thematically appropriate.

That being said, I did search the boards for any ruling regarding a range on Intimidate. There's nothing official, but the consensus seems to be "within communication range. If they can see and/or hear you, you can scare them."

@Tree feather token

Spell such as that, usually fails when they don't have 'space' to grown. So I don't think that it'll be a really effective weapon.

What about activating it int the air, and dropping it?

About the intimidate, I'm not saying it will not work, I'll just put some penalty since you are far away from it. Seems fitting for me, since you are trying to scare something that is not even close.

About dropping the Feather Token, that can work, but it has the same problem with what you wanted with Pyre, I got no idea how to calculate an attack in such situations.

Options and suggestions are welcomed.