|
Beyond the secret door is a narrow set of steep stairs descending into darkness. After several dozen feet, the stairs end in a solid stone door carved to resemble an immense scowling face
I suppose that really leave just the one option at this point, going through the final door, though dealing with the <un>Living Tumor might be something you may need to come back to shortly.
This large chamber has a relatively low ceiling. The far southwest wall is set at an angle, and against the center of the wall sits a heap of bones and skulls resembling a large makeshift throne. To the left of the throne sits an oak and brass sea chest, carved with images of sea serpents chasing their own tails. Sitting atop the throne, flanked by two of the faster, more animalistic undead, sits what seems to be a an ancient unloving pirate king. Or rather, one who seems to see themselves as some sort of pirate-king.
"Ah, this is interesting. Have you come back to deal? What offerings do yo bring this time?. . . Or are you the offerings. . ."
ROUND 1
Glexit ()
Festrog 1 ()
Omar ()
Hikari ()
Night Hunter ()
Brunhilde ()
Carrick ()
Ghast ()
Festrog 2 ()
|
|
It seems that the question as to what to do is made mute as Carrick, perhaps rightly so, makes a move to begin a fight with the abominations clinging to a mockery of life. However, it seems that you are not the first adventurer types to try such a tactic, and they appear a lot more ready than you may have expected.
As Glexit <acts>, Hikari likewise seems to react very quickly, first calling on divine aid, and taking a moment to observe any weaknesses the BBEG might have. One of the lesser undead rushes at Oret, thinking him a much easier target to attack from surprise than he likely will be, and yet. . .
Taking to all fours as the undead creature rushes at the Oread, it delivers a devastating bite to Oret's shoulder, taking out a stony chunk of flesh, but also tipping the priest over causing him to land hard on the stone floor.
ROUND 1
Glexit ()
Hikari ()
Festrog 1 (+5, charged)
Omar ()
Night Hunter ()
Brunhilde ()
Carrick ()
Oret (-9, tripped)
Ghast ()
Festrog 2 ()
|
Carrick smites the evil ghast, then charges across the room drawing his longsword in route.
Smite, Single move (move back 1 space from current), Ready attack on first creature to enter melee. Use roll above remove +2 from attack; remove +3s if attack against Festrog instead.
|
|
Night Hunter moves in, slamming fist and foot into the undead that seem to miraculously grow larger just as they connect. Then, with a single fell swing, Omar utterly destroys the Festrog attacking his planar ally, metaphysically ripping the Negative Energies from it's corrupted soul and with them, the mockery of life from the corpse.
With devastating effect, Brunhilde rushes at the remaining undead, slamming her shield into the other Festrog, likewise robbing it of the mockery of life that is it's undead existence, and turning it's corpse into another weapon against the princely undead Ghast. While it's a strong maneuver, it's offers a perfect opportunity for Carrick to step in with his glowing sword, and a guided descending swipe from the knight finishes the job. Both fall before their might with astonishing ease, ending the threat before it truly even has a chance to be one.
The sea chest next to the throne bears a coarse inscription that reads “I leave you this as wages for your loyal service from now to eternity, my ambitious traitor—S.E.” Within are 10,000 silver pieces, a tiny fraction of Sevenfingers’s wealth.
With this out of the way, you are left with three tasks yet, though there is no true hurry at this point, as you have the remainder or today, and 2 full days to complete them.
Excavating the collapsed passageway takes a few hours of work, though you find tools throughout the complex that aids the task. Inside, you are surprised by a single ghoul, one who appears to have been sealed in and starved for countless years. It attacks in a crazed madness, but falls quickly, undecided if it should attack you or flee, free for the first time in decades. As it rushes past you, you easily cut it down, and with it's destruction, the last of the threats for the site falls.
Within that last chamber, it reeks of filth and rotten meat. A heap of coins and other valuables lies piled in the middle of the room. The largest item in the pile is a gem-studded copper sphere. Though completely motionless, the light on the sphere seems to flicker and fade like a desert mirage.
From what you can gather, there had once been a small assortment of leather packs left here, containing the various scattered treasures. In his madness, the Ghoul, a pirate named Thrennt had been sealed in here accidentally, and as he died, the proximity to the Necrotic Tumor caused him to rise as a Ghoul. It's unclear how long the Ghoul remained here, but with no source of food, it began to feed upon the leather backpacks, eating everything save for the small metal parts, scattering the treasure around the floor. When those ran out, the Ghoul went mad in starvation.
After that is complete, you have the option to destroy the Necrotic tumor, and with time, it is not so difficult.
The last task is to attempt to create an accurate map, and details of the location and perils you have encountered.
From each person individually, can I get the following things.
1.) a relatively short, journal-style entry about what you have all encountered or done here, approx. 1-2 paragraphs each.
2.) a single Knowledge (engineering), or Craft/Profession (related to map making) check.
|
|
Carrick falls to his knees, Thank you for your faithfulness of Iomedae and your righteous justice through your instrument, me and the longsword I wield.
After offering the pray the Paladin pops back to his feet. Turning to Brunhilde, Well done my fierce friend! Your attack open the ghast up for my deadly blow.
Turning to the others, Well done all, let's give this room a through search and then get to digging, to secure the prize we came to seek.
All the while, his mind fixated on the necrotic mass outside the door and what possibility could be down to destroy it.
|
|
As the trapped ghoul is destroyed Carrick can't help but have a melancholy moment. I can't imagine even a dreadful pirate deserved a miserable undeath such as that. This place is accursed. After this he is even more resolute about destroying the tumor.
Later as Carrick reflects on the experience in his report to the Venture Captain he writes:
The investigation of the first level of Sevenfingers tomb was a successful endeavor where the Pathfinder team showed excellent teamwork and cooperation in the face of adversity. Despite the success of the mission and the recovery of the Orb of Stars; I can't help but offer a stern warning to future expeditions deeper into the tomb. To come prepared for both physical and mental challenges sure to be present there.
My specific concerns involve the fact that of all the places I've visited, to include the Worldwound, the pervasive feeling of dread and despair that permeate every inch of the level our team explored, was unprecedented. The place simply oozes evil. Case in point a large tumor of necrotic energy filled a large room and a ghast, ghouls, and ghoul-kin made there homes there. Despite destroying all threats including the tumor, the uneasy feeling never left me. And I'm sure the deeper you go the closer you come to the heart of the evil there.
I would recommend a team of clerics be sent in to concrete the explored areas, and all further teams be properly equipped to deal with a purely evil place and the psychological and physical threats surely present.
|
I am not sure why they are making me write this journal. I am more about singing glorious songs of battle and heroic exploits. Our mission started simple enough aboard the Grinning Pixie in a storm, Venture- Captain Calisro Benarry expounded upon our search of the Gloomspires for the treasure or lore of old Sevenfingers.
As we found the base of the tomb, there was a possessed band of berzerkers bearing a strangely inanimate kin with them. They seemed mad, and we were forced to put them down.
Descending into the tomb itself, we found a curiously delicious smelling blob (not sure why everyone else thought it was disgusting) anyway, more ghastly undead crawled the place over and we finally cornered the old ghast in his lair. With stout blade and strong hearts we made short work of the villain. Finding a chest nearby with this inscription - “I leave you this as wages for your loyal service from now to eternity, my ambitious traitor—S.E.” Within are 10,000 silver pieces, a tiny fraction of Sevenfingers’s wealth.
Omar finishes his journal entry and tries to add a map, checking through his pack, only to find a few items of use.
ink, black, inkpen, journal, and mirror
assisting if others are attempting with more skill, otherwise he goes it alone with his crude map.
|
Night Hunter has no special skills that would aid the group, nor equipment for making maps or journals, so he does his best and, after a stiff drink, composes a journal entry in his head that he can write out when he returns...
We came to the pirate's tomb and entered not knowing what we might find... It was very dry inside. We found much evil... some kind of living bulbous thing that we eventually killed... almost like a growth of flesh that reeked of death. Undead creatures were feeding on it. We killed them, and others as well...
The others identified these beings as ghouls, and a ghast. I'm not well-informed when it comes to such things, so I'm glad my teammates knew what they were.
After the unlives of the non-living creatures were ended, we returned to the tumor and destroyed that as well.
I believe we found the item we were seeking and so we have returned to report. Maybe someone should return to the tomb and bless the place so the undead do not return.
|
|
Oret is unskillful in means of cartography, and attempts to draw a map but instead finds himself scribbling illiterate lines that make no sense. This helps no one.
The spires are of magnificent build, though i don't understand it. A constant mist shrouds the place, why? How?. Savage beings attacked us, but again we don't understand their motivation for being here. We don't understand a lot or anything save this place being a tomb of an illustrious pirate. Seven Fingers.
The tomb itself, are filled with undeads, so.. many... so...unlawful.. the state of this place suggest no one has maintained it in what seems to be ages. The tomb's exploration mostly resulted in a mass killing of undead creatures. In the end, we believe to discover the object we seek, as well as a fraction of what treasure was owned by seven fingers.
|
Hikari sighs a sigh of relief when all the undeads have been finally cleared from the dungeons. These are abominations to the Lady of the Sun.
The island of Sevenfinger's tomb is lush with greenery, and would be a magnificent sight if not for the aura of chaos and evil that surrounds the entirety of the place. Evil spirits abound, and the barbarians we encountered were likely possessed by them.
Within the Hall of the Flesh Eaters, the sense of evil grows every stronger, strong enough to even bring carvings alive! Undeads swarm the area. Some were mysteriously feeding on some tumourous growth. At the end of the passages, there was the undead pirate king which fell quickly to our advances.
There seems to be deeper levels to this tomb, but that would have to be left for future adventurers.
|
|
You managed to secure the Orb of Stars and leave the Gloomspires within 3 days, they can safely reach the Grinning Pixie and report to Calisro Benarry. Before ordering the Pixie to return to Drenchport, she addresses you once more “Pathfinders, you have done a great service for me and the Society. The recovery of the Orb of Stars paves the way for future expeditions. Soon, perhaps, we’ll learn more about the Gloomspires’ mysterious creators, unravel their arcane secrets, and perhaps even delve deeper into old Sevenfingers’s tomb to liberate his ill-gotten wealth. Considering what you’ve seen, you’re all now among the foremost authorities on the Gloomspires. I hope that I may call upon all of you again should the Society decide to fund another expedition.”
She immediately begins to pour through your notes, and it seems pretty clear she is already beginning to plan another expedition into the dark place, almost as afflicted with a certain madness of obsession. However, should you be called once again to brave the darkness and mists, you can be assured of a few days, possibly even weeks of rest, training, and recuperation before that call for your services comes.