DM Carbide's PFS#8-07: From the Tome of Righteous Repose (Inactive)

Game Master John Woodford

"I'm glad she is free... I hope she comes back, but if not, we've still got some work to do here."

"Well that was ... odd...I wonder what we will run into next...?" Alektara says after their newfound friend left.

Kel shrugs.
The heavens and the hells have many hints we won't ever understand mates. It's best not to dwell on it and just move on.

The swordsman gestures with his rapier.
I believe the lady wanted to take point? If your mind changes, my dear, just let me know.

West or north? Or back the way you came?

Alektara moves to the stairs directly to her front and checks them out...Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Alektara senses nothing out of the ordinary.

Down the stairs, there is a large room with a high, vaulted ceiling. To the east is a raised dais, on which is a gold-flecked stone basin around two feet across. The basin is filled with a vile-looking green liquid, and arcane symbols painted on the basin glow amber. Six scorch marks mar the floor of the chamber, all angled from the dais down into the rest of the chamber.

Chaul feels a vague sense of unease.

Jeb lets out a low whistle. "This is NOT my purview, friends. But it looks all manner of arcane troublin'."

Alektara attempts to sneak up to the edge of the stairs to peek into the room...

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

and looks in...

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

Nothing is visibly or audibly moving in the room.

"Pssst.... it looks clear.... shall we...?"

"Be my guest, ears. Just stay about twenty feet away from me when you do. Just in case..."

"Hold my dearest elven maiden" says Aldebert as he approaches the front to take a good look around.

Stealth: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15

"Even to my keen eyes it looks clear. Therefore it must be. Carry on!"

Alektara steps into t he room and tells the others what she can see "Looks like some sort of dais to the right and then additional hallways leading out of this room."

Celidrian squints to avoid being blinded as he casts detect magic... he is expecting an overwhelming aura from the place...

spellcraft if nec: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

somehow I expect he's not making much sense of any magic he does see

The basin is magic, though the auras are confusing--there are elements of both divine and arcane magic present.

"Well my dear... Do you want to live forever?" says Aldebert as he wiggles his eyebrows with a bloodthirsty grin.

"the basin is magical, but I could have guessed that without a spell, but the auras on it are a puzzlement. It's almost like they are a mix of divine and arcane powers. I don't quite understand it."

"Hold a moment.." advises Chaul.

"I feel uneasy here, perhaps this was were the spellcasters of a millennium ago conducted their foul rituals..."

He also seeks out magical auras

spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

"I could open the gates of heaven here and have their energies scour the place. Such tasks are tiring. It might pay to come back later to do that when we have finished out exporation."

Chaul and Celidrian are able to figure out that the liquid in the basin is unholy water. There are carvings on the basin that indicate it should sanctify any water placed in it, but the symbols painted on it are a spell that corrupted its purpose (and incidentally made invocation of positive energy weaker while strengthening invocation of negative energy in the room). Breaking the basin would dispel the effect, as would resanctifying the basin.

"Can you change the water in there for good? Would be a shame to break it." Alektara says as she approaches the basin.

Kel nods.
Aye. Not to mention Shane frowns on us breaking stuff. He still reminds me about that statue from Osirian every chance he gets...

"Pah. The Master of Scrolls weeps tears of stupidity whenever a butterfly moves a motes of dust. I've learned to ignore everything he says! You should try it, it is marvelously refreshing."

Aldebert cranes his neck in and frowns. Agent Drammarson, how long would it take to purify such a basin? And what manner of tast would we need to do while you attempt such an endeavor?"

Chaul figures that a basic bless water spell would do the trick.

"I cannot fix this today, but with the next risingof the sun I will pray for the redemption of this room." announces the priest.

Where to now?

"Or I could just shoot it and we can rest easy?" Jeb suggests, helpfully.

Alektara rummages through her backpack as if looking for something... then gives up in disgust..."I though I had some holy water to give you... but I think I used it on another society mission... ah well..."

She then moves to the far right hallway...

The elf listens carefully and hears nothing. The room down the short set of stairs is at the same level as the gallery, and contains a few ancient funerary implements--it appears to have been used to prepare bodies for rites carried out in the larger room. There is nothing else of interest in it.

Aldebert cautiously approaches the staircase to the west of the font and peers down, listening for any sounds that do not belong.

Stealth: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

After doing a cursory search of the rooms to her north Alektara moves next to Aldebert and backs him up as he enters the room to the west.

Again, nothing seems to stir in the silence. Aldebert peers up the stairs and sees a short section of hall.

Which way from here? Map is updated with your choices re the short bit of hall.

"Shall we go up?"

Jeb nods from the back. "Lead on."

Kel keeps his rapier drawn and nods.
Indeed. Let's be off.

Aldebert proceeds onward with the elven woman, trying to stay as stealthy as he has been before. If I need to roll again, I'd like to take a ten on perception and stealth.

Alektara moves up to the front with Matilda.

Aldabert, you think you may hear a faint moaning from up ahead.

Aldebert motions for everyone to hold, before making military gestures indicating the presence of something up ahead. Realizing noone understands, he then empathetically points in the direction the moans are coming from, before making in turn a pantomime of someone crying or a woman moaning, his glorious mustache twitching with irritation.

Celidrian does his best to understand Aldebert's gestures.. why oh why didn't I learn to read lips... I really need to do that... What the hell is he miming?

He does hold his position though while he tries to figure it out, seeing that Aldebert has paused as well.

Seeing the team quail, Chaul holds forth his light and advances to see what poor soul is crying.

as a student of war Alektaa understood Aldeberts hand signals... she waits for more commands from the Taldan.

Chaul advances into the room, with Alektara on his heels. At first there seems to be nothing in the room, though a palpable sense of grief hangs over the place despite its opulence. For indeed, this chamber (by contrast with the rest of the crypt) is magnificent, filled with ornately carved and finished stone. The heraldry of five major houses are inscribed into the wall above five ornate sarcophagi. Each sarcophagus stands ajar and empty.

Then four near-humanoid creatures coalesce from the air in the midst of the room, followed by a transparent figure, a woman in Tien-style armor bearing a resemblance to the drawing in the Tome.

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order

Chaul-acted
Alektara
Jeb
Yua
Aldebert
Phantoms
Celidrian
Kel

On seeing this, the grief in Chaul's heart fills it to bursting, and the priest can only wail and lament the fate of Mordesha, fallen Mordesha, lost to the power of the Tyrant.

Alektara and Jeb can act!

know planes, dc 14: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (11) + 8 + (3) = 22

know religion, dc 18: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (20) + 8 + (6) = 34

Celidrian advises the others of the nature of the four haunts that can be incorporeal and need to be hit by slashing weapons, and the ghost that is also noncorporeal, resistant to channels, hard to slay and with a corrupting touch that causes horrible wounds.

Religion vs Ghost HD: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Planes vs Phantom HD: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

pretty sure a 28 clears the phantom HD threshold to gain Martial stance vs them... not so sure about the 15 vs the ghost

Alektara takes a move action to study the foes in the other room...

Alektara, a 15 doesn't do it.

Jeb holsters his pistol and moves toward the figures, unslinging his greatsword as he goes. He nods at Celidrian and stalks forward.

Jeb, you should be able to move yourself on the map.

As the gunslinger enters the room, he also feels a wave of sorrow come over him, but it doesn't unman him the way it did the priest.

Kel follows along, his rapier out and ready. He also summons a ball of darkness into his off hand, the black energy roiling like a storm cloud in his fist.
Getting ready to use my Shadow Clone Ninja Trick if I have to.