Dead Reckoning

Game Master Kruelaid

>>>>>MAP<<<<<

Perhaps we could look like we are fleeing the beast from the main chamber when it shows up by running into it's lair....

"No escape bad-bad."

Let me check the pile of bone for magicks. Someone keep your eyes to the hole above while I am distracted.
Shillot! *detect magic on the pile of bones and gear. If any auras are found I will concentrate to try to determine aura, my Spellcraft is +5*

"No escape bad-bad."

If we need to escape then we are already dead. We can't make a 500 foot climb with a flying beast attacking us. We are already no escape bad-bad. If we make Calebra fight on our terms then we have an advantage. It dies or we die, there is no escape.

In a few minutes of rooting through the bodies on top you find 10 auras. The brightest by far is coming from a light leather armor (leather with an AC bonus of 1, from A&A 3.5).

You pinpoint 4 arrows (among 13), 2 longswords (there are others, too), a claymore (looks like it belongs in the paladin's scabbard), a suit of half plate (big enough for Syd or Bohdan), the light leather, and a dagger (among 5-10 others).

10 auras, you have to roll ten times, right?

We are already no escape bad-bad. If we make Calebra fight on our terms then we have an advantage. It dies or we die, there is no escape.

Wetsand indicates the other doors. "Maybe back door? Maybe better place attack."

He points up. "Maybe Calebra watch us right now."

Awesome answer. The temple may predate the service of Iomedae, though, I actually don’t know the time frame of her service. But certainly there is much of interest here for such a quest.

If the temple was in service up until the death of Aroden, then there should be writings about Iomedae.

Aref Sami Shahrokh wrote:

We are already no escape bad-bad. If we make Calebra fight on our terms then we have an advantage. It dies or we die, there is no escape.

Wetsand indicates the other doors. "Maybe back door? Maybe better place attack."

He points up. "Maybe Calebra watch us right now."

"I'll check this door," Bohdan says and walks to the door opposite the one which stood ajar.

I try to open the other southern door

If the temple was in service up until the death of Aroden, then there should be writings about Iomedae.

Yes, perhaps.

I try to open the other southern door

You twist a beautifully carved latch until it releases. The doors groan open and you see an unlit hall 10 feet wide and 35 feet long leading into a large room.

light leather armor (leather with an AC bonus of 1, from A&A 3.5).

You pinpoint 4 arrows (among 13), 2 longswords (there are others, too), a claymore (looks like it belongs in the paladin's scabbard), a suit of half plate (big enough for Syd or Bohdan), the light leather, and a dagger (among 5-10 others).

10 auras, you have to roll ten times, right?

Not sure with Pathfinder.

Of course this is not bad news, but you only made 3 of the DCs:

You get a fix on the dagger, which gives a moderate evocation aura.

You also get a moderate abjuration off the paladin's claymore...

and a moderate illusion off the large suit of half plate.

I'd like to use the dagger. Might come in handy in the coming fight with Calebra.

Cordoba:

"A fine dagger." The Deceiver thinks that this is a sign from his deity.

The dagger is the favored weapon of Pharasma.

I try to open the other southern door

You twist a beautifully carved latch until it releases. The doors groan open and you see an unlit hall 10 feet wide and 35 feet long leading into a large room.

Leaning in the door and scanning, you see wooden tables covered with cloth. Some of the tables are crumbling, perhaps crushed or perhaps consumed by insects.

The dust on the floor is undisturbed: nobody has opened this door for ages. As you walk forward a few feet, you begin to see a door further down in the darkness. You appear to have found an infirmary.

>>>>>MAP<<<<<

Ryor draws his long sword. Looks about the chamber peering into the gloom.perc 1d20+5=13

PULSIFER:** spoiler omitted **

Let me check the pile of bone for magicks. Someone keep your eyes to the hole above while I am distracted.

Shillot! *detect magic on the pile of bones and gear. If any auras are found I will concentrate to try to determine aura, my Spellcraft is +5*

"Whatever happened to not looting the corpses of the fallen?"

The white-haired man smiles in a nonthreatening manner.

"It is of no consequence, friend. Though I must insist that the paladin be buried with his arms and armor, as per doctrine."

"There's what appears to be an infirmary in here... and another door. Seems unused, so I'll just check out the other door."
Bohdan disappears into the gloom of the darkened hallway.

Bohdan and Ryor stalk through the infirmary quietly. It is appointed with carved wooden chairs and beds set with white cushions and cloths, but all decayed or possibly consumed by insects in the age this room lay silent.

On two of the beds, with white sheets mottled brown, lay the partially armor clad bodies of wounded, now dried and stiff.

Your footprints are the first here since the dust began falling.

At the far end of the room Ryor checks the door and finds nothing amiss (Pre-roll used). Bohdan turns the latch slowly yet still it creaks and while opening the doors groan like awakened dead.

Dust spins up from the gentle current in the room behind you. You are greeted by fresher air, the scent of water, and a floor with dust blown aside everywhere from movements unknown. The room appears to be a surgery, with two stone tables flanking the door, a pool of water opposite you, and a wide hall leading northward from the north west corner.

A long shelf on the south wall is pushed away from the wall enough to allow something large to squeeze behind it.

Bohdan and Ryor move ahead, steering clear of the shelf, and standing north of the pool of water, peer down the north west hallway. As they look north, on the east side are two doors, on the west side decayed tapestries. The hall terminates 40 feet north in stairs down.

>>>>>MAP<<<<<

Is the pool similar to the ones found in the main temple? I.e. seemingly fresh water even after ages.

Is the pool similar to the ones found in the main temple? I.e. seemingly fresh water even after ages.

Yes. And Aref's detect magic will get a moderate aura off of all of them.

The Deceiver checks out the room labelled Calebra's lair on the map.

The Deceiver checks out the room labelled Calebra's lair on the map.

...[Ryor and Cordoba] stalk down the hallway with weapons drawn.

The chamber is roughly 40 by 40 feet, with the southernmost wall gently curved. On the curved wall is relief etched writing in an unfamiliar language. The raised words are painted gold while the carved background is black, making them readable from all the low tables in the room.

It occurs to you that the tables may not be tables, but rather wide benches or platforms where people sat and prayed or contemplated what you guess to be axioms written in stone on the wall.... perhaps they are catechisms or doctrinal precepts of some sort.

There are three of these platforms running from east to west, and between them and the writing on the wall is an open floorspace covered with a bed of grasses. It's almost as if something large nests here...

Perception (1d20+7=19)

Looking for anything that will give me an idea as to what creature type we're facing. Tracks, droppings, etc. Just hope the thing is not a dragon.

After a conversation bewteen Wetsands and Aref, the general agreement seems to be that this is a corrupted Sphinx: it has a lion's body, wings, an ugly face, and asks "stupid questions" as Wetsands put it. That's from a few pages back.

You find some mice living in Calebra's nest that you missed earlier, and from a pile of hair next to one of the platforms you guess that he scratches his haunch on the corner. There is no smell of urine or any sign of feces in his nest room.

"I find it odd that the creature collects no treasure".

When you assume you make an ass out of u and me.

You find some mice living in Calebra's nest that you missed earlier, and from a pile of hair next to one of the platforms you guess that he scratches his haunch on the corner. There is no smell of urine or any sign of feces in his nest room.

This is very odd. Or perhaps the thing is just very neat.

What's the smell of the room?

It smells musky with a hint of grassiness.

It smells musky with a hint of grassiness.

I guess that rules out the thing being an undead.

For Pharasma

I guess that rules out the thing being an undead.

There's nothing that would indicate undead in the lair room.

For Pharasma** spoiler omitted **

That Sphinxes are guardians is well known, and they are usually good creatures, although both Ryor and Aref mentioned corrupted Sphinxes earlier but their knowledge of this was little more than rumor.

Sphinxes also like to ask riddles.

Sphinxes also like to ask riddles.

Sphinxes also like to eat ass.

"I find it odd that the creature collects no treasure".

I find it amusing that you can't find his treasure.

Sphinxes also like to eat ass.

This is a Deliverance Sphinx, and he's gonna put it IN Ryor's ass.

Felix Unger wrote:

When you assume you make an ass out of u and me.

One of the higher-ups at the camp I work at often uses that little pun on the new guys. Wonderful.

"Cor, this sphinx stinks! Geddit?" says Syd cheerfully.

"Cor, this sphinx stinks! Geddit?" says Syd cheerfully.

Groan!

Things of interest that you guys have not taken a very good look at:

1. Shelves on the south wall of the surgery hall are pushed out.
2. Tracks in the surgery.
3. The pools.
4. The north doors.
5. Stairs going down.
6. Two doors in the hallway north of the surgery hall.

"Alright, let's recover whatever artifacts that can be used. Then we bury the dead and move out of here before this Calebra come back. Agreed?"

The Deceiver takes a look at the pools.

I will follow Cordoba with detect magic going.

"Alright, let's recover whatever artifacts that can be used. Then we bury the dead and move out of here before this Calebra come back. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Is the plank still a plank?

Is the plank still a plank?

I figure Pulsfer was whittling away at it nonstop while you missed the day and a half game time. So you DO have a conductive quarterstaff.

Rackham Pulsifer wrote:

Is the plank still a plank?

I figure Pulsfer was whittling away at it nonstop while you missed the day and a half game time. So you DO have a conductive quarterstaff.

OK, gotcha.

Random question: can you use prestidigitation to dig holes?

"Hey lets go back over the areas we explored. I feel we are missing something."

Groan!

Things of interest that you guys have not taken a very good look at:

1. Shelves on the south wall of the surgery hall are pushed out.*
2. Tracks in the surgery.*
3. The pools.*
4. The north doors.
5. Stairs going down.
6. Two doors in the hallway north of the surgery hall.

"Hey lets go back over the areas we explored. I feel we are missing something."

I need to pay more attention. I thought we were still in the main room. Retconning NOW:

Knowledge (arcana): 17 + 8 = 25
Knowledge (religion): 12 + 8 = 20
Knolwedge (dungeoneering): 11 + 8 = 19
Perception: 14 + 3 = 17

Assume that, instead of dithering around the pile of bodies in the entryway, that Rackham was doing more religious-scholarly-type things through the few rooms he has now hypothetically passed through. *sigh* F*~+. I'm sorry.

"Blimey, bunch o' yoomerless gits." Syd mutters.

"Blimey, bunch o' yoomerless gits." Syd mutters.

"I've heard the same, only referring to sailors," Rackham states humorlessly.

Must... resist... Tom Swift... joke...