Dungeon Master S's Murder on the Silken Caravan [CORE] (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

It's not a sharing thing, everyone should be able to adjust the map.

Bullship charges, but is blinded by some sand and misses by a mile.

Round 1
Piper: Enlarge the bard
Hunwald:
Bullwhip: Charge!
Dupine: Miss with the new spear
Leonel: Inspire Courage
Wilhelm:
Thiera: Start casting Sleep
Allies: Duck and cover.

Sorry, no chance while at work to follow or post!

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

"August, ol' buddy... I was just remembering back to when I saved yer hide during our campaign against the silent tide... Howzabout a tap of that there wand? I'll make good on the favor!"

Round 1
Hun will advance 15' whilst drawing his Rapier and assist Bullwhip in his crunch...
Mstrwk Rapier atk vs ??: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 3 + 1 + 1 = 17
Damage ?: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 1 = 10

No worries! Real Life First.

Hunwald falls to what he does best and strides forth to run a goblinoid creature through the neck, killing him instantly.

Round 1
Piper: Enlarge the bard
Hunwald: Rabid Stabbage!
Bullwhip: Charge!
Dupine: Miss with the new spear
Leonel: Inspire Courage
Wilhelm:
Thiera: Start casting Sleep
Allies: Duck and cover.

Wilhelm steps forward, and targets one of the figures that are hanging back.

Bow: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 18, for 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 + 1 = 12.

Targeting the figure two squares south, and four squares west of my current position.

18-4=14, still a hit! Wilhelm shoots an arrow through the eye-slit of a hobgoblin!

The hobgoblin to the NW tries an arrow in the storm, targeting Leonel:
ATK: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 2 - 4 = 7 MISS

while pair of goblins with small scimitars close on Leonel
Goblin 1: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 THREAT
Goblin 1 Confirmation: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18 DMG: 2d4 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5
Goblin 2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14 DMG: 1d4 ⇒ 1

To the NE a pair giggle and hack at the camel...or drover, hard to tell.
Goblin 3 REDACTED
Goblin 4 REDACTED

To the East one tries to slash at Dupine's knees:
Goblin 5: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14 MISS

While a trio sing their way to ganging up on Bullwhip:
Goblin 6: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17 MISS
Goblin 7: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 THREAT
Goblin 7 Confirmation: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 DMG: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 3) = 5
Goblin 8: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20 MTHREAT
Goblin 8=Confirmation: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 DMG: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4

The final hobgoblin tries to return the ranged favor to Wilhelm
ATK: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 2 - 4 = 11 MISS

Finally the drover fights back over the camel and takes out a goblin!

Good guys Round 2!

Your dice may have gotten a bit akilter there. I don't think a 3 on the die is a threat.

Leonel swings for the one that tagged him right in the squishy parts.
"Heroes never die!" Maintain Inspire.
Longsword: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 3 + 1 = 19, Damage: 1d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 = 9

Pssst. Delay until the sleep is resolved.

Thiera finishes casting sleep, and targets the four goblins to the right. Template marked on map; Will DC 15 negates.

She follows up with a force missile at the hobgoblin nearest Leonel which hits with a streak of blue magic. (top left)
force dmg: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 (1 of 7 today)

Bow: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 1 + 1 - 4 = 7, for 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 + 1 = 6 damage.

This time, Wilhelm arrow goes awry, much to his dissatisfaction.

Leonel should be enlarged now.

Once Piper finishes her spell, she rushes into the fray and lets out a blast of color.

Move up. Color Spray pointing left, from her top left corner should get both goblins and the hobgoblin in that area. DC 17 Will save.

Hun will move 5' to the south west and attach the other looking creature...

Mstrwk Rapier atk vs ??: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 3 + 1 + 1 = 14
Damage ?: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6

... And will try and determine what it is.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Woah.... That was very very weird. It was definitely a threat when I previewed the post... I've never seen the numbers change.

Round 2
Everyone wisely delays until spells go off... Leonel's bardic inspiration drops two octaves as he grows in size, producing fox-like yips from the goblins. Piper moves confidently forward. The riotous color scintillates in the sand:

Will Goblin 1: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14 BLARG!
Will Goblin 2: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16 BLARG!
Will Hobgoblin: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11 BLARG!

All three drop into the storm! Meanwhile Thiera's spell completes, the very storm supplying the materials. I'll have you target a conscious enemy instead, let me know if that's not okay. A bolt slams into the SE hobgoblin, producing a roar that's loud even now.

Will Goblin 5: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (12) - 1 = 11 BLARG!
Will Goblin 6: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10 BLARG!
Will Goblin 5: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6 BLARG!
Will Goblin 6: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 BLARG!

Hunwald moves in and strikes exactly where the force bolt struck, dropping the hobgoblin. Bolstered by the sheer power of Pathfinder magic, the remaining drover finishes off the goblin to the north.

Out of combat!

That was the OPPOSITE of the start to Silent Tide...

Though the storm is fierce, it doesn't stop you from handling the goblins and hobgoblins as you will. Just let me know what you want to do. The storm blows on its way as quickly as it comes. Within a few minutes, the skies are clear... and the caravan is nowhere to be seen.

That was the OPPOSITE of the start to Silent Tide...

Aint that the truth!

Hun will search the bodies to see if thy have anything of value, epically potable water!
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Actually, the humanoids have plenty of potable water, enough to last your party 4 days. They have no coin, but mica chips that are worth a few gold each. The only problem now is finding the caravan.

The drovers prep the camels, and they recommend heading NW. Survival checks are easiest, but I'll take Knowledge (Geography) too.

Survival+Wayfinder: 1d20 + 0 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 0 + 2 = 10 (I think we might be in the desert)
(Better off taking 10 and aiding someone else)

"Ugh. There is sand *everywhere*. In my eyes. In my mouth. In my robes. Sand is almost worse than goblins."

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
" I think we need to head that way... As I am sure that we came from that way... Or was it that way?

Survival: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19.

Wilhelm sighs.

"Look, I can see that the two of you mean well, but for starters, that's not how you hold a compass. Here - let me show you the way to do it..."

Regarding the goblinoids...

He glances at the unconscious goblinoids, and frowns.

"They are bandits, which means that their lives are forfeit, if brought back to civilisation. If we take their water, that dooms them to a slow, agonising death. It would be far more merciful to simply kill them here, and I am inclined to grant them that mercy."

Woah.... That was very very weird. It was definitely a threat when I previewed the post... I've never seen the numbers change.

So what do you figure the damage is/was/will be?

Assuming he is still standing, Bullwhip goes about coup de grace-ing each of the goblinoid bandits (figuring that was what was going to happen anyhow). He stops a bit perplexed if asked to.

Thiera says nothing as the goblinoids are slaughtered.

Net Damage Bullwhip is a hit from 6 and a crit from 8. Let's ignore the weirdness above and go with [dice]3d4[dice]. I'm away much of today, but I'll be around tomorrow. If I can post today I will.

Survival, aid Wilhelm: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

August Dupine checks on the others and then retrieves his spear. Then he starts looking for clues in the storm to help Wilhelm get them going in the right direction (he hopes!).

Wilhelm, with some help from his partymates leads the party on their best guess towards the caravan. After travelling for the rest of the day you are unable to locate the caravan but do have one bit of success; just before nightfall you come across a fresh corpse half buried in the sand. you dig it out a bit and recognize the richly embroidered Katheer vest it wears and the purple fez that is crumpled beneath it. It is the corpse of Mahmoud, weapons merchant and business partner of the Taldan knight, Gaspar du Mer. Any question of simple misadventure is dispelled by the curved khanjar dagger that protrudes from Mahmoud’s back. It is recognizable as one of the pieces that he and Gaspar were carrying among their wares... There has been murder on the silken caravan.

Thiera takes the dagger, and cleans it on the corpse. Perhaps it has other valueables clues too?

"Well, whoever did this had no use for another dagger, and wealth enough to leave it behind."

"But at least we know we're going in the right direction."

Wilhelm nods.

"Agreed. Whilst poor Mahmoud has had bad luck, at least we know we are on the right path..."

Slightly self-inflicted damage: 3d4 ⇒ (1, 1, 4) = 6

Hun studies and searches the body for anything thing else that may provide a clue, knowing that just because someone's dagger is in a corpse's back, the owner of said dagger didn't necessarily put it there.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

"So, we need to recover our pathfinder, and alert the others that a murderer is in their midst... without telling the murderer! Meanwhile, what do we do with this poor fellow?"

Hun doesn't find any additional clues beyond the observations made already. You take in as much of the scene as possible. Without anything else to go on, you head out in what you hope is the direction of the caravan. Following the northwesterly heading, the you reach the Zho Mountains near where the river Shat-al-Qadr flows through the Qadiran hinterlands all the way to Katheer itself. The Silken Way is known to pass through the Zho Mountains somewhere near the river, and Hokama recognizes a nearby peak that he knows to mark a secondary pass that connects to the Silken Way on the opposite side of the mountains.

Following this pass, you should be able to catch up with the caravan—if it has not yet fallen to a murderer’s betrayal. The shaded mountain pass prevents the worry of heat dangers. The trail through the Zho Mountains passes by an abandoned shrine to the deity Irori.

The canyon you follow through the mountains opens onto a wider vale, and should connect to the main route of the Silken Way not many miles ahead. However, your attention is arrested by a breathtaking sight: one wall of the mountain valley is occupied by a massive monument. A natural prominence in the red- and brown-veined strata of the rock walls ahead has been sculpted on a grand scale into a gargantuan idol depicting a man seated in the lotus position with a tall, pointed crown on his head. Though the years have worn the features of this sculpture into a nearly smooth finish with cave openings where mouth and eyes should be, there are enough details of face and clothing remaining to recognize the distinctive Eastern features and garb that the statue once bore. An eerie, forlorn song floats on the breeze that brings to mind a sense of bonegnawing loneliness.

The need to press on is great, but the idea of a shady and cool rest is extremely tempting.

Wilhelm gestures in the direction of the monument.

"I know that it is technically a detour, but we will be passing pretty close to it; should we go and take a look?"

"I am always up for a detour... Our deceased venture captain isn't going to get any deader, after all!"

"Dat, an' Oi'd loike ter luk at dat monument."

"Because certainly nothing could go wrong at an abandoned shrine in the middle of the wilderness."

Hey, is this where the ax murderer lives? Let's go check! I'm sure everything will be fine!

Knowledge(History): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

"Heh heh heh." Bullwhip chuckles, putting a whetstone to his waraxe.

Let's make sure we split up too! That always works out well...

GM - we will use my wand to endure the harsh elements as needed. Can you just tell me at the end how many total charges I needed to expend?

Hun will look to see if there is any obvious, or not so obvious, paths to enter the shrine.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Wilhelm follows Hunwald, covering him with his bow.

The paths to the shrine are rather obvious, and your hesitation is understandable, but really there's nothing to fear. In fact you all hear the sound of a woman singing somewhere in the shrine. It's a sweet voice really, and the song is beautiful, very beautiful. Irresistibly beautiful.

Bullwhip: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 1 + 2 = 12
Thiera: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 2 = 19
Wilhelm: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Dupine: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Piper: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Hunwald: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Leonel: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

ugh Everyone except Thiera, and Leonel feel captivated by the call. Because Leonel made his save, I'll give him the chance to go with Thiera, working it like a surprise round. There's no map as you don't see any enemies and the shrine is still a fair distance. The enemy will show after the "Surprise" round, but let's handle it this way in case Leonel has a trick up his sleeve to combat the song. You two can make a knowledge (Local) check to identify the source of the song.

Baddies: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3
Thiera: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Wilhelm: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Dupine: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Piper: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Hunwald: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Leonel: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

"Surprise" Round:
Leonel: Go!
Thiera: Go!
Enemy shows

Round 1:
Wilhelm: TBD
Hunwald: TBD
Thiera: TBD
Leonel: TBD
Dupine: TBD
Piper: TBD
Baddies: TBD

Make sense to everyone?

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit."
If it helps, I think (hope) Wilhelm gets another +2 racial bonus... I get the feeling I'd really like the archer for this one.

Know(local): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Thiera readies a force missile in case an enemy should become visible in range.
110' range
Dmg: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Hun always was a sucker for the ladies...

Agreed. If it is a charm or compulsion effect, Wilhelm has an additional +2 bonus; whether that makes a difference or not, though, is up to the GM :-)

The mistake is mine! I missed the +2 elfiness. It matters, a lot. Willhelm passes the DC 16. Add Wilhelm to the surprise round.

Surprise Round:

Momentarily overcome by the captivating beauty of the song, Wilhelm eventually manages to come to his senses, and knocks an arrow, ready to fire on whatever foe is ensorcelling his companions.

"Anyone know what is doing that?"

Leonel still gets his "surprise" Round, but it won't really affect the reveal.

From out of the mouth of the cave a pair of winged women emerge. One seems to be already injured, but the other is the source of the song. Their ugly features are a stark juxtaposition to the beautiful music.

Red appears first and is therefore the target of the readied action. She's also the injured one.

Leonel: Surprise
Wilhelm: Readied attack.

Map is updated.

Wilhelm fires at the injured creature.

"I repeat, anyone know what they are?"

Bow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17, for 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 damage.

"Anyone know what is doing that?"

"Angels.... It... must... be."

Thiera and Wilhelm keep their wits as they seriously injure the first humanoid out. Wilhelm keeps his cool trying to identify them, though he immediately doubts Bullwhip's answer.

"Surprise" Round:
Leonel: Go!
Thiera: Ready
Enemy shows

Round 1:
Wilhelm: Arrow
Hunwald: TBD
Thiera: Bolt
Leonel: TBD
Dupine: TBD
Piper: TBD
Baddies: TBD

Round 1:

As the creatures get closer, Wilhelm fires another arrow.

Bow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18, for 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 damage.

Thiera gathers magical energy, and again lets it loose at the injured creature.

force missile: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

@GM, did the above knowledge roll reveal anything about these creatures to Thiera?

I am not sure, but since I failed my saving throw, I believe that Hun is only capable of trudging along into their waiting talons... please let me know otherwise ;)