Darkest Corners volume 2

Game Master Harakani

I've got a huddled mass behind the tables, so happy to say you can hit all but one (they're sort of squeezing).
I haven't put all the crossbolters in (A) because they're squeezing and (B) they're not (dun-dun) the challenge in this room.
I think you all have edit permissions for the map.
Sorry about the spoiler in the post above, not sure how I missed that: I think I changed it to a spoiler in my review of the post and then didn't do a proper review-review. Consider it something people can see.

"One of them conjured mist. I expect we are in for a surprise visit now." Castor calmly informs his fellow Guards.

Round 2
Ophelia, NPCs, Castor
The mist fills the room.

"Understood."

She glances around, but she can't see much in the mist - and the crossbowmen where still a threat, in not perhaps the threat. As such she dealt with them as well as she could.

To Hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Damage, Non-Lethal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 Tried to edit dice size, messed up

Damage, Non-lethal: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Concealment, 1-20 = miss: 1d100 ⇒ 62

Move action to move towards NPCs location (if needed) and draw dagger in off-hand. Standard action to twack crossbowman with sap

Thud!
One of the halflings goes down.

Ophelia, NPCs, Castor

Castor notices the newly appeared creature. "Uh-oh! Another one..." he exclaims.

He drops the wand and quickly moves his fingers making a specialized gesture. "Dispare." he whispers and disappears.

Castor casts Vanish and moves away from the vampire as he trains the crossbow loaded with a silver bolt at the creature.

Vanish duration: 4/4

Castor, Ophelia, NPCs
wish I'd realised that a turn ago. Sorry all.

"Uh-oh..." Ophelia echoes and strikes at the nearest vampire

To Hit: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20

Damage: 1d4 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

5-foot step, Move to study (damage is negated, since it is precision) and standard to stab with dagger.

And sorry about the slow response!

No. But she does actually have a silver mace for this sort of stuff. I can't recall, did we know about their silver weakness : )?

I'll roll know religion again just to be sure!

Know(Religion): 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (13) + 7 - 1 + (3) = 22

Uhhhh, I thought you did. On that roll you could know now. Okay, roll for the mace.

Seeing the ineffectiveness of her dagger, Ophelia frowned. Her porcelain visage twisted slightly and her steel tendons tensed. "Silver!" she exclaimed. It was something Walther always had said: 'If you meet a vampire, use silver!'. It was even in his book!

Without a second thought she dropped her dagger and retrieved her light mace instead. The silver head glimmered in the light as she lifted it above her hear menacingly and struck the vampire again.

To Hit: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

I meant as a retcon, but happy to take it for this action as well - why don't we keep the damage the same... V1 has taken 26
Ophelia Castor NPCs
Ophelia lashes out again and one of the vampires puffs into dissipating mist.

Castor uses his precognition skills.
Prescience: 1d20 ⇒ 11 now 7/8 remaining

He aims carefully at the vampire next to him and shoots...
Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 point-blank
Damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 "Up close with a crossbow" - INT to damage

As he is visible again, he hopes he will survive the next attack while reloading the crossbow.

How did I end up in this mess? he wonders.

miss chance: 1d100 ⇒ 35 I do not know who is supposed to roll it, us or GM...

Castor's bolt strikes home - though the vampire keeps moving with a bolt in his neck.
long as it gets rolled, I don't mind. If that +5 is precisison I think you'll find doesn't work in concealment.

Ophelia Castor NPCs

Hmhm. Forgot concealment for the last strike :)

concealment, last strike. 1-20=bad: 1d100 ⇒ 8

To Hit: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

Concealment, probably not needed but :P: 1d100 ⇒ 24

Ophelia flails wildly in the mist, failing to catch anything with her silver.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Prescience: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 6/8

Castor waves his hand and exclaims "Speculo imago!" all the while taking great care not to open himself for an attack casting mirror image

Casting defensively: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27 DC 19
number of images: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Images of Castor appear around him. There are 5 Castors present at the moment.

Laurestine was held up a few rounds helping the Sergeant - but she reaches the third floor and finds her allies fighting.

They're easy to find.

Every door in the corridor has been flung open, but only one of them has clouds of fog boiling out into the corridor, a sound like a dancing bear fighting a horde of hogs and the clear call of Castor saying "Speculo imago!"
As she approaches the door she sees the fog... and suddenly a vampire rearing out at her!

fog is Obscuring Mist. Laurestine is up.

Ophelia, Castor, Laurestine, NPCs

As the vampire rushes at her, Laurestine casts grease under their feet to slow the advance.

Grease spell: DC 14 reflex save.

Or, if the vampire is too close for grease, she will cast invisibility.

"Stop you vile fiend!" she says with her sword at the ready.

Sorry Laurestine,
what with the fog you're right up against them before you see them. Poetics aside, there was a vamp in the doorway your PC went to. It doesn't have surprise or anything. Still okay with invisibility?

Sorry Laurestine, what with the fog you're right up against them before you see them. Poetics aside, there was a vamp in the doorway your PC went to. It doesn't have surprise or anything. Still okay with invisibility?

Invisibility is cool.

-Posted with Wayfinder

The Vampire spins around at the hostile words, only to see nothing in the fog...

All but destroyed by Sefu's repeated, powerful blows, one of the Vampires turns to mist, streaming up into the ceiling where it emerged.
Ophelia: you can AoO if you like. Sefu tried and missed.

The remaining vampire, undamaged, fights on... despite an invisible Laurestine on one side and multiple Castors on the other.

Ophelia, Castor, Laurestine, NPCs

AoO: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Ophelia swipes at the Vampire as it disperses into mist and flies past her. But seeing no way to follow it, she instead climbs back over the barrier and attacks one of the vampires still corporeal.

To Hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Acrobatics, if needed: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Ophelia: you are using a silver but not magical weapon, right?

Correct =)

miss: 1d100 ⇒ 39
Ophelia's blow passes harmlessly through the mist, but her second strike slams into the still-corporeal spawn.

Ophelia Castor Laurestine NPCs

Prescience: 1d20 ⇒ 5 now 6/8 remaining

Castor reloads his crossbow and fires at the closest vampire, hoping that the extra images might confuse it if it attacks.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8
miss chance: 1d100 ⇒ 66

The vampire's attention having deen diverted, Laurestine attacks with her silversheen rapier.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

The crossbow is normal, but the bolts are silver. I am sorry I have not repeated the info with this shot.

Ophelia, Castor, Laurestine NPCs

To Hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

concealment: 1d100 ⇒ 65

Ophelia strikes the vampire with her mace. They had it surrounded now and it was surly only a matter of time before they defeated it!

"Surrender and we will spare your - *uhm* unlife?"

I remembered the mist! Yey!

Ophelia strikes a palpable hit
will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
"I can't stop... only run... He commanded" whispers the vampire quietly.

"Who is your master?" Castor asks as he reloads and fires another silver bolt aiming for the closest vampire.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2
miss chance: 1d100 ⇒ 86

crit confirm: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
extra damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Any answer the spawn might have had remains unsaid as Castor's bolt strikes between the eyes.
The room is still clouded in fog, but it seems to be getting lighter.

Okay: all the vamps are dead or fled. There are a few dominated halflings and kids, but they're a round at most.
There's still the hole in the ceiling that one vampire used to escape.
There's still the strange box behind the barricades.
It will take a few rounds for the fog to dissipate.
Declaring combat over.
Actions?

Ophelia tilts her head to the side. She hadn't expected the spawn to actually respond! How curious! But before she gets the chance to launch another query the spawn dissipates back into mist.

"Quite interesting. It seems responding took the spawn a great deal of effort, considering the intensity of speech and the pauses. Struggling against the bonds of command?" It gives some hope to this situation after all.

She pauses and tilts her head back up, blinking once. Her gaze jumps from the nondescript spot of mist that previously contained the spawn to the barricade barely visible.

"I will restrain the newer humans. It would be uncomfortable if they continued taking potshots at us." Carefully! They seem fragile and ... I don't want to hurt anymore innocents ...

I'm thinking we'll wait for the mist to dissipate so that we can get a good look at the room and all that. Thoughts?

@GM - what is the size of the box and the hole?

The hole is about the size of a halfling's foot. The box is about the size of a mid sized treasure chest: 3ft x 2ft x2ft.

Not suitable for climbing up then :P

Also, are the children and halflings offering any noteworthy resistance or can I assume Ophelia manages to tie em up without too much hassle ?

You could potentially enlarge the hole and climb up.

This group? Nah, you lot can k/o them easily enough. They were only really dangerous as an alarm.

Hmm. Potentially : ) Ophelia dislikes breaking stuff and, despite a decent climb score, weights a bit which might make it a bit trickier!

When the mist dissipates and the small ones are tied down, Ophelia focuses her attentions on the curious box. Vampires, she heard, sometimes dwelt in wooden boxes. And they had seen vampires. And this was a wooden box. A bit small? Quickly her eyes darted to one of the newer humans (or was it a 'halfling'? She couldn't tell most of the times) and compared its size to that of the box. Maybe ... Nevertheless, she was curious as to what lay inside the box.

"Is this a casket for a small vampire?" she pointed to the box and asked, puzzled. The question was directed partially at their captives, but also the rest of the group. Perhaps they knew more.

Diplomacy, trying to make a friendly enough impression on our captives and see if they know anything (and are willing to share!): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Perception, examine box for traps and locks and markings ect: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22

The box appears to be a nicely carved antique treasure chest. The lock appears to be broken, and seems to have been broken for centuries, at least. There is a large scratch on one face of the box. The wood of the box is thick and obviously very strong, but still relatively light. It is also surprisingly uniform. At a guess this is magically created Darkwood.
The interior of the box has a now-open secret compartment in the bottom. There is a scattering of earth within it. The compartment is only three inches high, but is three feet wide by two feet deep.

"Wise move, Ophelia. I apologize about the vampire. It could have told us more if I did not attack so hastily. I did not realize I would be able to put it down." Castor nods to Ophelia.

Then he moves toward the box and starts examining it.

Knowledge(history): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Appraise: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Impossible die rolls!

"It is obviously an antique darkwood storage box. The craftsmanship and details indicate this to be one of the containers used for storing treasure in the later days of the Geb-Nex wars. The manufacture of those items required rare knowledge and magic. Many of them survived the old days and were re-purposed to more domestic uses. They have become family heirlooms. This box would be worth two hundred gold pieces, and easily twice that if the scratch and lock were repaired." he says.

"The minutiae I remember about such uncommon yet mundane piece of furniture. I sometimes surprise even myself, and that is quite astonishing considering my specialty. Do you not agree, Squeeky?" he follows whispering under his breath.

A muffled voice answers from inside his cloak "Mostimpressive, mostimpressive!"

Castor kneels and inspects the soil.

Knowledge(nature): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

He wants to find out, how “old” the earth is (and any other clues he could glean from it).

"Hmm." Ophelia waves dismissively. Not the worst unintended damage. And also reversible. "I am certain that the destruction of the spawn is not permanent." She fell silent and tilted her head to the side, thinking. That might not have been reassuring? she asked herself.

---

Ophelia casts a quick curious glance at Castor's cloak. It spoke? Cloaks didn't typically speak. Almost never infact. But she had heard that people in tough situations might start hearing and seeing things. Weird. I had not anticipated that my emotional state would be so unbalanced. Not from *this*. Perhaps it is cumulative ...? With a blink she dismissed the thoughts and refocused on the box. Seeing Castors interest for the soil she retrieves a book from her bag.

Know(Religion): 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 7 - 1 + 2 + (6) = 20

"Walter writes that Vampires typically require graveyard soil, sometimes from their home or place of undeath, to regenerate. Perhaps this chest with the compartment lock might serve as a trap for such an vampire? But it would have to be rather small ..."

Castor rises his head to looking at Ophelia again. "Oh, there might be a misunderstanding here. I am not sorry about putting it down. I am merely sorry about putting it down before it had a chance to answer our enquiries. I do not mind, if the destruction is permanent..."

He pauses.

"I am trying to ascertain for how long this soil has been out of ground. And looking for other clues where it might have come from."

Know (Geography) might be useful for the later part of that : )

"Yes. Understandable..." she trailed off and nodded. This spawn was like him - but now he thinks of it as nothing. So strange... Focusing back on the task she shared a theory she had been contemplating, on the topic of permanency. "If we remove the soil from the coffin, the vampire that relies on it for a resting place might not be able to rejuvenate. But we wouldn't be able to trap it either."

Sorry Ophelia, I meant to say. These people are dominated. You can make them friendly, but they still keep fighting until unconcious - they just feel bad about it.

Roger :)

Castor returns his attention to the soil.

"Hmm, interesting. This soil was separated from its native environment centuries ago. I suspect it was sealed in an airtight container, almost certainly this secret compartment, for extremely extended period of time.

This might point to the conclusion, that something - a small sized vampire? - was locked inside for an undeterminable but long period of time and those, who put it there, tried to mask its smell with the camphor. It might further imply that it was opened accidentally, freeing the monster within to prey on unsuspecting victims. But this is just a conjecture."