[AP] Curse of the Crimson Throne by GMs Rutseg, Zek and Snowheart (Inactive)

Game Master Balacertar

I'm happy to get down there and smack them a few times. Considering they're in some kind of harness, it seems we can fight them one at a time. Huge shame that Ilsa's command undead didn't work :<

Too bad that we don't have the wizard command undead spell. That'd probably do wonders on these guys.

In any case, splitting the party is generally a bad idea, but narratively, I don't think we can wait around for a couple of days.

I have no fireballs available since I spent all my third level spells on haste, but happy to shoot arrows or try lesser spells on them... just not sure how much DR they have. I could also put a swarm in there, but don't know if it will actually do anything.

Why exactly do we want to fight them? We can get out without it, and if we ever did want to come back and make this our base, we can trap the queen in here. ;p

Because they're undead. Osiris paladin oaths and having a cleric of Pharasma. I also think we have time to deal with them now.

I’ve had enough waiting

Kalem has grown impatient, listening to the others dither about what to do. So he lifted his scythe, and with a massive battlecry charged the nearest foe.

Charge!: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (11) + 24 = 35
Damage with viscious and fire!: 2d4 + 2d6 + 1d6 + 23 ⇒ (4, 3) + (2, 6) + (3) + 23 = 41
Hate this enchantment: 1d6 ⇒ 1

AC29 due to charge

Apologies for the delay...been a busy weekend with the kiddos.

Malen nodded to Zamanda, indeed being able to channel Pharasma's divine power in an attempt to unravel the dark energies that quickened the undead. As he grasped his holy symbol and prepared to do just that, Kalem charged ahead with abandon. The priest slapped his forehead...next time he'd answer verbally instead of with a motion. Not everyone was as observant as the aasimar.

I'll wait for an initiative before posting an action!

You can’t charge, Kalem, not unless you have a flight or levitation effect of some sort. It’s a 30 ft drop from the ledge to the ground where the rajambari are.

I’ll hold off on initiative to give Malen a chance to make some channel rolls if he wants to. Otherwise, we can still do initiative, but people wanting to attack in melee will need to figure out a way down.

Also, from previous knowledge rolls, you would know that the rajambari have DR 5/bludgeoning.

Oh...never mind. No Leroy Jenkins then

Good thought, though. And that meme never gets old. :)

Well, I'd rather shoot from the doorway, but that is taken, so just to move this along...

Zamanda casts Gravity Bow, and then when Malen starts channeling, she moves into the room and accompanies his attack with blunt arrows.

Attack 1: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 13 + 1 - 2 = 26 (rapid shot)
Attack 2: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 13 + 1 - 2 = 20
Attack 3: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 9

Damage 1: 3d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (3, 3, 4) + 3 + 1 = 14 (bludgeoning damage)
Damage 2: 3d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (4, 6, 3) + 3 + 1 = 17
Damage 3: 3d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5, 6, 3) + 3 + 1 = 18

Malen sighed as he glanced down at the patient undead animal before looking back at the others. "If someone could lower me down, I'll plant myself in the middle of them and start to call upon Pharasma's grace. That way I can reach them all. If one or two of you would come with me in case they get aggressive, I would surely appreciate it."

If able to, the priest gets to an area within the middle of the four columns, gives a signal to any who are prepared to start firing into the midst of the creatures, then starts pouring divine energy into the room.

Channel 1: 5d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 2, 2, 1) = 17
Channel 2: 5d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 1, 6, 6) = 17
Channel 3: 5d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 2, 1, 6) = 11
Channel 4: 5d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 4, 6, 5) = 22

DC 17 save

Between Zamanda’s blunt arrows and Malen’s channels, I’m satisfied that you would be able to dispatch the undead with minimal injuries, so we can go ahead and move forward.

Malen is lowered into the middle of the room with the rajambari. They remain motionless even as he passes by to reach the center of the room. His channels tear at the rajambari’s undead essence, destroying two outright. The third is cut down by a couple well-placed blunt arrows from Zamanda.

As you make your way out of the labyrinth, Vencarlo spots the boat moored to the underground dock. He looks to the group and says, “If there’s a boat here, there must be a way out, yes? I would rather avoid exposing Neolandus to anymore danger than necessary. If you plan to continue upstairs, I won’t stop you. But if so, this is where we must part ways.”

The swordmaster looks at Neolandus who nods and says, “My friend is correct. We need to be out of the city posthaste. This seems like the quickest way to facilitate that. I will be forever grateful for your assistance in freeing Vencarlo and myself.”

If any of you are planning on leaving with Vencarlo and Neolandus, now’s the time to mention it. Otherwise, I’m assume you continue the rest of the way back up to the mansion.

Before they leave, Zamanda takes Vencarlo aside and shows him the lockbox they found in his house, and offers it back to him.

I think we should at least try to locate the rooms of these two rakshasas. I doubt they carried all their valuables. We may have some other things we'd find that would be helpful. I think we should schedule a rendezvous with them for later.

"It would probably be safer to leave in small groups, anyway," Ilsa agrees. "We should schedule a time to meet up later. And be safe."

Once the rajambari are slain, Bashiel spends a moment in quiet prayer that the bound souls of these creatures could safely be reincarnated into better lives.

---
I don't get if there's a game mechanics or plot reason why they're so incredibly insistent on leaving right this instant. Seems like there should be no need to rush.

Bashiel spends an agonized moment worrying about whether the two of them will be safe on their own, but nods as Ilsa provides her input. "I suppose so. We'll meet at Harse then?" He agrees with Zamanda to get Vencarlo decked out in his gear.

"Considering that the two leaders of the Arkona family were rakshasa, I'm wondering what we'll find up in the manor proper. Did they have rakshasa servants and underlings too? Or did they insert themselves into an otherwise normal organization." When the group gets to the hidden lever leading back up to the Chamidu statue, he readies his rapier and shield for more combat.

There’s no game mechanic that’s compelling them to leave, Bashiel. You could always try a Sense Motive check, or a Diplomacy check if you want them to stay.

When Zamanda shows Vencarlo the lockbox, he glances over at Neolandus before nodding at the bard. He gets her help in putting the heavy box into the boat before saying, “We can speak of this again in Harse, if you so wish. I am grateful that you recovered it.”

“At Harse,” Vencarlo says to Bashiel and Neolandus nods in agreement.

Vencarlo takes the boat’s oars and begins rowing out of the underground dock while Neolandus acts as lookout. The pair each give you a wave before disappearing around a corner.

If anyone wanted to ask them anything else or make any rolls, we can retcon it in.

-----

After you’ve made your way back up to the entrance of the underground chamber, Bashiel activates the switch to open the door. Gears grind as an opening appears once more.

Standing at the top of the steps waiting to greet you is Carnochan. His hands are held behind his back. He glances at Bashiel's readied rapier and smiles before saying, “Welcome back. Did you find what you sought?”

I'd like to cast Egorian Diplomacy to try to make this target cooperate with us. It's DC 19 Will, and uses my Intimidate check. I'll make him my Hypnotic Stare target first, to give him a -3 on the Will save.

intimidate: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (17) + 29 = 46

Ilsa looks at Carnochan with hypnotic eyes. "We found a labyrinth full of guardians," she says. "We were just about to look around up here since your master remained downstairs. Can you help us?"

Carnochan Will Save: 1d20 + 9 - 3 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 3 = 24

Carnochan tenses as Ilsa casts her spell, but his expression remains neutral. He looks distant for a moment as he furrows his brow.

Then he says, "You say Glorio remained downstairs. I don't recall him following you down there. Perhaps you should disclose all that you know about my master's whereabouts before I consider helping you."

Oh, he teleported down or something... just showed up out of thin air when his sister showed up. It was nasty, actually. He's still down there with her in the labyrinth. We didn't want to get involved in their family squabble.

Although everything I said is absolutely true, because I left significant things out I am rolling bluff instead of diplomacy. If you prefer the other roll, though, just subtract 7.

Bluff: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (6) + 28 = 34

Malen wandered along with the others, quite pleased at having helped to dispel the dark magics holding together the rajambari. The Lady of Graves would surely look favorably upon such a task. The priest hung in the back of the group as they parted ways with Vencarlo and Neolandus, giving them a brief, departing wave before going with the others upstairs.

As the ladies interacted with the man-servant (or possibly the rakshasa-servant), the cleric kept his eyes upon Carnochan, looking for any obvious or discrete signs that the man was calling for help.

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

Nothing like misleading people with a 100% true statement Zamanda!
---
Looks like we'll roll with catching up to Vencarlo and Neolandus outside the city.

"We found a lot of trouble. It seems your master was fond of pitting his guests against various monsters and horrible traps. Not the most courteous of hosts." As Zamanda adds her part, he comments. "I think we'll be alright looking around on our own if you don't want to help us, in any case."

Detect evil vs. Carnochan. Btw, isn't that a 100% perfect "summoned devil" name?

Carnochan tilts his head at Zamanda’s words and furrows his brow again. Then he says, “Lady Meliya is below as well? That is quite troubling. Normally I can communicate with Lord Glorio directly, but he’s not responding. You wouldn’t happen to know why, would you?”

Malen doesn’t notice anything different about Carnochan from the last time you saw him. He doesn’t seem to be calling for help, from what Malen can tell. It’s really Sense Motive for that sort of thing.

Carnochan shakes his head at Bashiel’s words. “He does have some strange tastes. I’m afraid I can’t let you wander off on your own. If you’re not accompanied by Lord Glorio or Lady Meliya, I’ll have to escort you back to the waiting room, or to the palace entrance, if you prefer. Most of the estate is not open to guests.”

Carnochan gestures towards the door leading back to the waiting room and says, “Shall we?”

Bashiel doesn’t detect evil from Carnochan.

Looks like we'll have to go farther... find out whether he is going to fight us or not.

We hoped to avoid an additional confrontation, but unfortunately, Carnochan, the Lord and the Lady are quite dead, as is every single other creature down in the Labyrinth, including the undead elephants. We are all that survived from the vast battle that was forced upon us by your masters' hatred of each other. I hope you will join with us and help us to gather information and evaluate what can be salvaged in their absence. Please understand that we don't want to have to cause more destruction, but we will definitely be ... "touring" the estate.

bluff: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (9) + 28 = 37

Still leaving out how it actually went down, so chose bluff, but 7 less for diplomacy if you think that is more appropriate.

Ilsa nods. "For your own well-being, I would urge you not to resist. I should say we don't mean for anything bad to happen to you, but you'll either help us, or we'll be tying you up and leaving you until we're finished."

intimidate: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (4) + 29 = 33

Seeing as how Zamanda had laid everything out for Carnochan, and Ilsa had let the man-servant know the consequences of resistance, Malen looked at Carnochan curiously, wondering how the man would respond. The priest certainly didn't condone any unwarranted violence, but suspected his companions would act swiftly and decisively if the servant tried to rally help for his fallen masters.

Bashiel isn't able to get a good gauge of this Carnochan fellow. He doesn't billow with evil intentions, but Vimanda didn't either. He could easily be a rakshasa like his masters... and without Malen's magical true sight, there would likely be no way to be sure.

Still, it was possible he'd simply gotten caught up in working for the wrong people. Unlikely, but possible. Trying to somewhat temper Ilsa's aggression, Bashiel adds "You should understand that there may be other... individuals... now turned dangerous because the Lord and Lady are gone. You'd be best served sharing what you know of the estate with us."

Auto-aid diplomacy

Carnochan shakes his head in disbelief as Zamanda proclaims that Glorio/Bahor and Meliya/Vimanda are dead. He looks appalled at Ilsa's words. Bashiel's words only slightly improve his expression.

Furrowing his brow once more, Carnochan concentrates for several moments. The longer he focuses, the more frightened his expression becomes.

Finally, his eyes widen and he says, "The Lord... the Lady... are... dead."

Carnochan looks back and forth between the five of you for another moment before saying, "We'll vacate the premises immediately, the other servants and myself. We won't bother you, I promise. Please allow us to exit and the estate will be yours to 'tour.'"

The man seems to be on the verge of begging, but stops just short and waits for your response.

Just to confirm, you're planning on searching the entire estate once this situation is resolved, correct?

Agreed. We have no desire to harm any of you, but please do not remove any papers or items that we may need to discover what has been going on here.

Yes, planning on searching the estate.

Kalem nodded, and then turned away from the man, his scythe resting against his shoulder. ”Right. Time to get paid. Heh. Notice all the big scores have a pattern? Lamm. The King of Spiders. The False Emperor. The Raksasha family. Never would have guessed that we’d be clearing the underworld out like this.”

Ilsa is surprised by Carnochan's reaction.

"You--don't seem upset they are dead. Before you go anywhere, tell us why," she says, turning more conciliatory.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (11) + 19 = 30

Attempting to assist Ilsa in gathering a little bit more information from the man, and who knows... perhaps even his cooperation, Zamanda nods and says

Indeed. Anything you can tell us about your situation or your former masters, or ... really anything that might help the cause of good, we would be very grateful to hear. No one here will harm you, I give you my word, and we truly apologize for causing you concern. We didn't know if we would be attacked after we escaped. My name is Zamanda. This is Ilsa, Malen, Kalem, and Bashiel.

Diplomacy (Aiding Ilsa): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (10) + 21 = 31

Malen didn't share Kalem's mirth about the situation, but from what the group had told of their past exploits and their current situation, the priest couldn't dispute the bloodrager's assessment of the situation. Death was impartial, but the cleric was only human and the thought of making Korvosa a better place by reducing corruption gave him a good feeling.

Turning his attention back to Carnochan, Malen offered a short wave when Zamanda said his name, then waited to see if the man-servant offered any information on his recently deceased masters. Though he didn't share Kalem's love of treasure, the priest understood all too well that leaving the valuables likely in the Arkona estate would allow wealth to trickle into the hands of others who would take their place. Better to claim it themselves and perhaps upgrade their equipment.

At Carnochan's sudden turn toward submissiveness, Bashiel adds his voice to Ilsa's and Zamanda's "Now hold on a moment. At least explain what you know of the Arkonas first. Are there more like the Lord and Lady?" He shakes his head "We've no quarrel with any innocent servants anyway. There's no reason for you to leave."

He gives Kalem a sidelong glance. Ever since Laori, the man had gotten more and more outwardly crude and greedy. And bloodthirsty besides. Not that he hadn't been all those things before, but he was certainly more cavalier about them now.

“Of course,” Carnochan says at Zamanda’s words. “Everything will be here. The others servants won’t take anything either. We’re just leaving.”

Carnochan shakes his head at Ilsa’s query. “Upset? No. Terrified would be a much better word. With the Lord and Lady dead, chaos is sure to follow. I don’t want to be here when it begins in earnest.”

When Zamanda speaks again, he says, “Um, hello. My situation? My current situation is that I want to get out of here as quickly as possible. This will not be a place of civilization for much longer. As for my former masters… they were greedy and selfish, but they maintained order. I am not saddened by their passing, but their absence still terrifies me all the same.”

Carnochan shakes his head again at Bashiel’s words. “The Arkonas are gone. They don’t consult with servants as to their plans. And I beg to differ. There is every reason for us to leave, and to do so without delay.”

Without another word, Carnochan moves to flee the estate. From above and from nearby rooms, you hear multiple sets of feet pounding the ground, apparently from other servants fleeing the palace.

You can try to stop him, if you want, but you would need to make a grapple check or something similar.

-----

Since you’re planning on searching the whole estate, I’ll list the relevant items that you find below. We can go through each room individually if you want, but it’s really not necessary at this point.

With Bahor and Vimanda dead, the estate empties rapidly, leaving it for you to search at your leisure. You investigate the first and second floors of the estate and find a variety of useful items.

I think one or two of you have bags of holding, but you’ll probably still want to make sure that you have enough space/weight capacity to carry everything.

-----

Though you're easily able to investigate and explore the majority of the palace, one room proves to be particularly obstinate when it comes to accessing it. The room, connected to Bahor’s bedroom by a short hallway, appears to have a door made of ebony, but it is in fact made of iron. The room is locked tight and its lock seems to also be magically enhanced.

Kalem was beyond pleased looting the manor. As they went he had been thinking of names. Fences, mostly. People whom they could sell these to. Certainly they wouldn’t get more than half the value, but such was life. They’d need to unload a lot of goods. It was just too bad that they didn’t have the time to properly strip the place. He knew a guy who would buy silverware that was actually silver. And the furniture? There were buyers for that as well. But time was not something that was on their time. So that small fortune would be left for someone else.

”Now this door? This door we need to get past. Anyone able to open it?”

Ilsa is pleased that the servants have left. She had no intention to harm anyone, despite her bravado she didn't always feel.

She looks at the door, having no way to enter it herself.

"Zamanda, if you can't, none of us can," she says.

I'm not carrying that toilet, you guys. Leave it behind.

Spellcraft (kama): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Spellcraft (leather armor): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

When asked about the door, Zamanda says

Not sure. I'll try.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (20) + 18 = 38

Did we find any paperwork about who they were working with, business deals, etc.?

Zamanda isn’t able to identify the kama, but she does recognize the armor to be +2 light fortification studded leather armor.

Despite Zamanda’s stellar efforts, the door stubbornly refuses to open.

You did not, Zamanda.

Ilsa can't figure out what the kama is, either.

When Zamanda can't open the door, despite some valiant effort, she says "Brute force?"

spellcraft kama: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

”Yup. We got anything made of adamantium? Otherwise we go through the wall. Probably easier than going through the door.”

The priest certainly could understand the servant's reservations about staying in the place...the next person to stroll in might be like the Emperor the group had dispatched of not so long ago. Giving the man no more heed as Carnochan gathered up the other servants and fled the estate, the cleric turned to the task of stripping anything of value from the palatial manor.

When all the rooms had been explored and there remained but one door that even Zamanda's impressive skill couldn't open, the priest held up a hand as Kalem mentioned going through the wall. "We retrieved a set of keys off the male...let's see if any of them will work."

Looking sheepish, Zamanda says Uh, good idea Malen.

"Better we don't destroy the whole place in our zeal to extract anything worth a few silvers." Grimly, he thinks 'Considering how Carnochan reacted, maybe if we don't take everything, the first two-bit Emperor or Empress will claim it for their own... Did we just ruin everything for Old Korvosa?'

He winces at Malen's level-headedness. "Right. Let's hope that there's not also some kind of command word here, in addition to the key."

Malen tries all the keys in the door. It takes several minutes, but he finds one that turns in the lock, seemingly opening the door. However, all his attempts to open the door after unlocking it prove fruitless. It seems the key isn’t sufficient to open the door.

As you examine the walls near the door, you notice that there almost seems to be a layer of moisture along their surface.

These are three separate checks:

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

Used to casing thing like this from her time in the thieves guild, Zamanda casts detect magic and takes a long look at the setup.

Arcane lock she says first. Then Also looks like a forbiddance... and there is also a wall of force, everywhere but the door. Arkona spent an awful lot of money to protect that room.

Bottom line, just like we thought, we're going to have to break down the door, which is likely going to be easier than breaking through the wall of force.

The big problem is the forbiddance. Can't teleport through it, but even after we break in, the forbiddance will harm us if we don't have the same alignment it was set for... the more different, the more damage. I'm guessing it will be painful for any of us, but maybe some more than others.

We don't usually talk about alignments in character, but not seeing a way around it here... forbiddance is tuned to alignment.

”Is the door the only thing protected? It may be easier to go through the walls. I mean, that’s how magic works, right? You need to...magic...like...some thing. It has an end to it.” He trailed off, weakly.

There is a wall of force everywhere BUT the door, and the forbiddance covers the whole room, no matter where we break in. These are all permanent effects, unfortunately. They won't just end after a time.

Ilsa shakes her head. "I doubt we'll get through without dispelling some of this magic. We may need to come back later with more powerful tools--maybe some scrolls to overcome some of the effects. Or we could send someone out to buy some now. It might be worth doing before we leave town."

"A potent enough source of anti-magic? I know enough about spells to know that won't be easy. Scrolls tend to be feebler than a true spellcaster. Unless... Malen, do you think Pharasma would help aid us against this set of barriers? Maybe we'll need to return with a full arsenal of dispelling magic." Bashiel scrutinizes the 'wet' walls as Zamanda describes the effect. "While I don't like leaving it, I can't imagine many people having an easy time of getting in. So it might be safe to leave it alone for now." He rubs a gauntleted hand through his hair, rather out of his depth with such advanced magic.

I think Dispel Magic would only be reliable if cast at full caster level. Although I mentioned Malen, its also a mesmerist and bard 3rd level spell. Not sure if either of you guys selected it on level up.

Malen thought over the complication for a moment before nodding to Bashiel. "The Lady of Graves can grant me the ability to remove the arcane, if that is Her will. I would have to spend a fair amount of time in prayer and supplication, however. If Arkona went to this much trouble to secure the room, it's likely worth the effort. Is there anything else that can overcome this Arcane Lock?"

Being rather ignorant of wizardry, he would trust what Ilsa, Zamanda, and Kalem said on the subject. The group likely wasn't in a huge rush to leave the place. Vencarlo and Neolandus were on their way out of the city, with plans to meet the party later. Whether later came a few hours later or not likely mattered little.