Decline of Glory, PFS 0-24 (Inactive)

Game Master Nestor

A figure lurches up out of the water.
... Kargen shoots it.
It appears human-shaped, but overweight. It is dressed in tattered remnants of what was once Osirion finery. Its skin is purplish and its ears are sharpened to points.

1d6 ⇒ 6
It surveyes the party and its rheumy eyes meet Zacarias'. It launches an attack, its jaw opening impossibly wide as it tilts its head to the side.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13; it misses.

Everybody but Hawkwren and Kargen, it's your turn. We're not currently on a grid, so I'm going to assume that everybody can reach it with a move action.

Janiya is on total defense.

Luccinus goes on the attack and bashes the creature.

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

After str drain its -1 to hit and damage

That's a hit.
It turns towards Luccinus with a surprised look on its face. Then it breaks into a hideously wide grin and chuckles to itself. And it sinks to one knee and then falls to the side, no longer a threat.

But there's another ripple in the water. Something else is moving in.

Are we still in rounds? If not, Kargen is going to try and create some difficult terrain with the broken crates between us and the unknown creature.

I ready an action, the next beast to attack me will eat steel.

That's a hit.

It turns towards Luccinus with a surprised look on its face. Then it breaks into a hideously wide grin and chuckles to itself. And it sinks to one knee and then falls to the side, no longer a threat.

But there's another ripple in the water. Something else is moving in.

If I still have a move action ready I move to cover the archer.

If I can, I'll ready an attack with my spear.

Did this go down again?

Hope not. I like this one.

Remember he was gone this weekend. He around, I've seen him on the boards. I'm sure he is just getting back up to speed.

Sorry about the delay. I'm traveling today (again)) but will post tonight, hotel computers willing. I'm not going to drop this; I like it, too.

I believe we are where something is gonna jump out of the water...

In lieu of the map, I'm going to fast-forward through the back half of the encounterto get this scenario back on a fast track. You're all lined up ready for something to pop up.

A solitary ghoul, outfitted in an elaborate leather harness which grotesquely highlightsits long-dead sexuality, pops up.

I'm willing to concede that you can all destroy it. The threat of the ghouls is ended.

There is a fairly largish body of very cold water flooding the cave. Past the open metal gates, you see the remains of a collapsed tunnel, maybe 150 feet away. There's no way to tell how deep the water is between you and the collapsed tunnel, except that the ghouls were able to move to within 20 feet of you, completely submerged.

Tortella looks at the water, then the big armored fighter.
"You... swim?" He says before erupting in what sounds like snorting and choking, but is probably laughter.

"Ghouls again. Becher must have gotten out with that box. Let's follow the trail." Kargen stoops down to pick up the belt pouches lying around. He opens them to see if they hold anything.

Swimming? Are you out of your mind? Sinking would be more like it.
The clothes look interesting. I wonder were those ghouls were coming from.

So both entrances so far are blocked, but i got this feeling something must be inside there. We should take a look somehow.

Go for it - I'm too armoured for that

Who´s a good swimmer? Think we should take off the armor.

Luccinus strips and goes for a swim with a dagger in his teeth.

Swim
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

He searches the bottom with his hands OR aids another depending on whats best.

Percept
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Posting will be a challenge for me...

"You're seriously going in there? That's ghoul water now... Who knows what you're going to catch in there."

Kargen makes a disgusted face, but he just shrugs as Luccinus wades into the water without his armor.

Zacarias follows Luccinus, stripped of armor, but with his weapon.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Hawkren watches the two intently, his bow at the ready.

I forgot to add the trait bonus in dim light on perception checks. It would be 17 with it.

Absolutely.

So, the first shock is the water, which feels like its just barely above freezing. Luccinus and Zaccarias move around the caverns, carefully searching both on this side of the open gate, and the other. Two dozen barrels bob along the surface of the water, empty and buoyant.

The rockslide appears to be only a day or two old, and the tunnel it clogs moves up as it goes. It appears from this side that there is another ghoul, still animate, but stuck in and among the rocks.

After that much exploration, you each notice that the other has lips that are turning blue, and your teeth are chattering something fierce.

A reminder: there are some crates back alongside the shelves in the dry cave.

Luccinus gets out and dresses as best he can. Shivering he tries to warm himself up with some jumping jacks while allowing others to check out the crates before putting his armour back on.

While Luccinus and Zacarias flail around in the water, Kargen continues to search the dry area around them.

Perception, take 20: 20 + 6 = 26

Hawkwren helps search the crates and such.

Perception take 20 for 31

As Zac comes out of the water he states:
There seems to be another one of this abominations, we need to destroy

Tortella pauses his grinning and watching the others long enough to respond to Zacarias.
"Oil... fire? On... the water?" He forces out, making wild hand gestures of flames leaping from the surface of the water.

No no, it is on the other side of the ground slide stuck there somehow. I´m not sure we can get in there. Let´s check those crates over there in the meantime.

On hearing about the trapped ghoul, Kargen makes a face like he's smelled something bad. "I hate the idea of putting ourselves in more risk, especially with that rock slide there. But if we don't kill that ghoul, it could eventually get out, right? It could infect others and infest the area." He sighs. "It won't just die if we leave it. It won't starve or bleed out. Who wants to go over and kill it?"

Not sure if i can do this alone, but let´s do it! By the light of the dawnflower, the world must be cleansed of such abominations!

Tortella chops and piles some wood from the area, places it somewhere dry, and begins snapping his fingers at it.
Spark. Trying to make a fire. Ideally close to somewhere where the smoke can get out.

Sure.

Zacarius, we'll cover the attack on the ghoul in a moment. (It is pinned in its current location, but you're right; someone trying to come through the passage from the other way might release it.) The pinned ghoul is wearing clothing of a color similar to the fabric used back in Railford. The two ghouls you killed were obviously wearing other garb.

The shelf in the dry room contains dozens of crates of rotting wine corks and moldering labels. One crate, sealed better than the others, contains old adventuring gear (backpack and some belt pouches with the mouldering remains of rope and climbing gear, some flasks of oil, a set of leather arm guards (still in good shape) and a crowbar), a ruined set of traveling clothes and a rotten cloak, and two fine daggers (once masterwork, now rusted out of that condition).

Kargen hefts one of the flasks of oil in his hand. "This could kill the ghoul, probably. But so could a few swings of a sword or axe since it's pinned down."

He waves his hand and his eye flash blue for a second. as he inspects the backpack, flasks, and arm guards.

Cast Detect Magic

The wristbands radiate abjuration magic, even after all this time.

I hope they are what I think they are.

Kargen offers the arm guards out to Janiya or Tortella. "I sense magic in these. Maybe one of you can figure out what they are?"

Kargen doesn't have any ranks in Spellcraft to ID them.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Mhm le´me look at it.

These are Bracers of Armor +1, most likely elven in manufacture.

Ha, magically reenforced bracers for some protection, probably of elven making like it seems. Won´t give anyone better protection than we already have though.

(nods) And you may recall that Railford's father was a Pathfinder who spent some years among the elves in Kyotin.

You guys entered the barrel-drying complex the back way. There might be something hidden, submerged in the frigid waters, but otherwise, you've cleaned this place out. Back out and following tracks? Or do you have another plan?

Kargen will try to convince the others to kill the trapped ghoul. If no one is willing, then he'll borrow a weapon to go and kill it himself.

Other than that, I think we follow the tracks.

Anyone taking the bracers?

Tortella will take them and wear them, if only as a matter of superstition.

Kargen, if others trudge through the water with you, we can kill that ghoul by fiat.

If you go alone, it'll be dangerous. Getting to the ghoul under all that rubble gives it a good chance to get free and come after you.

Well then, Hawkwren will go along.

I go along killing the ghoul.
After that we can follow the tracks, but if we do i take 10 on perception for any surprises (17).

Fair enough. Killing the ghoul from this side is not that difficult.

--+--

You leave the caverns the same way you came in, and follow the tracks. They make their way back through the swamp, albeit a different, dryer route, and lead back to the area near Railford.

They lead to a small stone cottage, about 200 feet outside the perimeter of the besieging army.

I'm traveling this weekend, but should have opportunities to post.

How big is the cottage? And are there still multiple footprints (ghouls included) leading into the cottage?

Kargen squints as the cottage comes into view. As they near, he whispers to Hawkwren, "Why don't you head around the back of the building and see if there's another door out or if you can see anything inside the building."

Tortella crouches, silent, gripping his spear tightly, waiting for the party to move onward.