First Steps

Game Master CRobledo

He looks the man over and attempts to read the title of the book he was reading.

The title is not in Common or Goblin

Perception on the way in 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16.

As before, the Cheliaxian warriors manners are employed to set the coversation on a pleasant footing. He presents himself as he did to the Paracountess, though the bow nowhere near as deep or formal.

Many apologies for bothering Great Scholar, but it is often said the 'devil is in the details' and it could be fair to say that this is the second time this day that details have been well rationed.

Could you share more about such details that require the assistance of the Society and not merely a household servant? Is the vault dangerous? trapped prehaps? A 'over zealous' guardian maybe? We are better able to serve your Lords interests, in this matter, if armed with additional information.

Gathering Information (Diplomacy)1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Luccinus searches his face and his manner for additional 'tells' and clues as to the real intent of the speaker.

Sense Motive 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13.

Okidoke, time to go to see the scholar

You start walking towards the Wise Quarter, eager to continue your tasks and prove your worth to the Pathfinder Society. You pass through some market stalls and bars, but the trip is uneventful.

** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **

Vermin takes in the city as he walks, enjoying the sights and sounds of the markets. He seems quite alert to both his companions and the city.

Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Edit after roll Addressing his new friends Vermin comments quitely. It seems we have fans. Someone has taken note of us my friends. He nods in the direction of the man watching the group, maybe giving a bonus to others to see? but likely the watcher is already gone.

The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his

own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room."[/b]

The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading.

You may ask him questions, although you get the impression he is done talking to you.

Vermin looks concerned. Um, Mr. Sapphire sir. Vaults are usually locked. Would you happen to have a key or combination for us to use? I can sometimes open locked things, but it makes a mess.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 4
Xavier obliviously walks through the streets, lost in his thoughts about the possibility of finding out Cassandra's whereabouts.

When the group arrives at Salhar's home, he patiently listens to the sage and then pays close attention to the man's response to Luccinus' question.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Could you share more about such details that require the assistance of the Society and not merely a household servant? Is the vault dangerous? trapped prehaps? A 'over zealous' guardian maybe? We are better able to serve your Lords interests, in this matter, if armed with additional information.

Amenopheus says succinctly, without looking up from his book, "Friends, you were simply asked to retrieve these permits for your precious Venture-Captain. As these permits are valuable, they are not just kept around in a desk, hence their location in the vault. Vaults are built to protect items, take that as you will. But if it makes you feel better, although ancient Osirians have a fame of employing creatures (living, dead, or otherwise) to guard our treasures, we do not have the desire, need or ability to do so here in Absalom. Now if you please?"

The servant guiding you to the vaults stares at you with a dazzled face, which you can only interpret as "are you insane?" and gestures at you to follow him. He pulls out a small key on a long chain and jingles it in front of Vermin's face, then puts it back in his robes.

Sohali, having spent some of his earlier career in the employ of tomb raiders decides it is probably best if he keep quiet for now and simply stands near the rear of the group eager to press on towards the vault.

After leaving Amenopheus’ study, the servant brings you back through the spacious estate, leading you down sturdy stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, you end up at a plain wooden door. The servant opens the door with his key, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waits silently for you to enter.

"Well then, this should be relatively straightforward. Shall we?"

Luccinus nods then steps in, shield up and morning star in hand.

As you enter the vault, you see a plain stone room containing three chests: a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid and a covered wicker basket.

Once all of you enter the room, the servant shuts the door and locks it behind you. Written on the back of the door is the message: "Within these cases lies your quest and your way out." Above the door and built into the masonry is a sand clock, which has begun ticking.

Sohali will follow holding his bow in one hand and gently rubbing the wooden holy symbol tied to his belt. He moves cautiously, having heard rumours in the past of Osirion vaults and tombs, keeping an eye on where he step and for any kind of mummy leaping out from a corner.

I seem to have forgotten to have purchased a wooden holy symbol amongst my beginning gear, do you mind if I grab that? If not, rather then a holy symbol I'll just have it be some kind of Pharasmin luck symbol on his belt.

Intellect Check
1d20 + 0 ⇒ (19) + 0 = 19

"Well that does appear to be ominous" Sohali comments indicating the clock "It appears we have aproximately half an hour to finish our duty within the vault"

Intellect Check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

"Hmm...not so straightforward after all." Xavier glides across the room and uncovers the basket.

break before I act on Xavier, to know what other people are doing, etc..

Dunn looks at the door and reads the messages. Pulling out his pistol he turns to the others. I may be psychic. Anyone want this thing? I'm certain that I am about to be able kill thing with my mind. Dunn pulls his hat from his head and scratches it with the barrel of his weapon. Ya know, I may be able to blow this lock open...

Hardly advisable. Perhaps a less...destructive approach? That said, your approach is valid.

Seeing Xavier advance and take the lead Sohali will draw an arrow from his quiver and prepare to cover the magus against any signs of attack. It seems to Sohali that today will be a day of standing back and covering his allies aginst attack.

Not sure if you want an actual action, if so again a held attack against the first enemy to present itself

Perhaps you are right Luccinus. Dunn then turns to Vermin. Who did you say was following us?

Xavier opens the 2-foot-round wicker basket requiring no key, its lid resting gently atop its wide rim. Inside, a blue stone key rests atop a pile of crumpled linens.

Perhaps you are right Luccinus. Dunn then turns to Vermin. Who did you say was following us?

Vermin turns to the gunslinger. There was a man in the market. He watched us too closely for a moment, taking note of our number. Then he was gone.

The servant guiding you to the vaults stares at you with a dazzled face, which you can only interpret as "are you insane?" and gestures at you to follow him. He pulls out a small key on a long chain and jingles it in front of Vermin's face, then puts it back in his robes.

Vermin holds out his hand expectantly and is disappointed when the key disappears back into the robes. Well, that is not going to help much if you do not lend it to me.

Once all of you enter the room, the servant shuts the door and locks it behind you. Written on the back of the door is the message: "Within these cases lies your quest and your way out." Above the door and built into the masonry is a sand clock, which has begun ticking.

Intellect check 15 or Knowledge (engineering) 10 or Profession (accountant) 5:

Int Check 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3

Vermin does not take note of the sand clock.

"It appears that we have been given a key," Xavier says, reaching down to pick it up and then holding it for all to see. He moves to the copper-banded chest and leans over to examine the lock.

Can I tell if the key will fit without actually sticking it into the lock?

Interesting. Dunn thinks for a moment. There are many factions within the city that have interest in the items the Society deals in. But I can't help but wonder if this is all a test. He may be a threat but could very well be a fellow Pathfinder monitoring our progress.

reaching down to pick it up

Attk:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

As Xavier sticks his hand in the basket, a small viper jumps from under the linens, attempting to bite his hand. However, he is quick enough to get his handout in time. The viper jumps out of the basket and is flying through the air as Sohali's arrow flies off his bow.

Rolling for him as he is probably asleep by now and he had it readied

attk:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

The arrow flies above the asp, hitting the wall in front of Xavier. The little critter lands on the floor, and finds a small crack to retreat into.

Xavier stands a little baffled, with a blue key in his hand.

Can I tell if the key will fit without actually sticking it into the lock?

Well, the key appears like it would go into the lock, but you have no idea if it would turn or not of course.

Vermin, interested in the small snake, looks more closely at the crack in the floor?

Can he tell if the snake is actually gone, or might still be a threat?

Quick map representation of the room uploaded, in case it helps. the chests are up on chest-high pedestals.

"Well...that was unexpected. Thanks for not hitting me, Sohali. I should have been quite unhappy with that. Vermin, I don't suppose you see it or any of its friends, do you?"

Turning back to the chest, he attempts to insert the key into the lock and open the copper-banded chest.

Xavier rolls a Will save 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9!

The key goes into the lock, and you are able to turn it slightly, but it doesn't make the right contacts. You are not exactly sure why but you have a feeling there is something you are missing about this chest.

After the excitement of the snake Dunn decides to take a look around the room documenting everything of interest in his journal. Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21The auto correct on my kindle is a pain. So please ignore the mistakes I don't catch.

Dunn walks around the room some more, looking at a few of the objects in the vault.

The copper and red lacquer chests look about as normal as any chest. The steel cube is quite a sight, seemingly just a solid, perfect cube made of steel. As Dunn steps near it though, he can see the faintest of cracks along the top of the cube, clearly delineating some sort of lid, and a VERY tiny, thin slot for what is possibly a key of some elaborate design.

At the back of the room, the open wicker basket and the jar of clear liquid remain on the table. Getting close to the jar, Dunn can see without too much effort a jeweled brass key submerged at the bottom. The bowl is about half full of the clear liquid.

"Well...that was unexpected. Thanks for not hitting me, Sohali. I should have been quite unhappy with that. Vermin, I don't suppose you see it or any of its friends, do you?"

The snake is gone Vermin says confidently, then adds Does anyone have skill in opening locks or disabling devises?

"I am having some issues here - the key turns slightly, but something isn't right. Would any of you care to try?"

Xavier, look here. Another key in this jar. Dunn points to the jar of liquid with his pen as he bends over examining it. What do make of it? Is it arcane or mechanical?

"I will not swear my life upon it but I endevour to never hit those I am working with" Sohali says with a slight grin.

Sohali strings another arrow and continues his vigilance of the room, his body tense against the slightest hint of danger.

"I would also suggest ascertaining the acidity of the fluid within the jar before attempting to retrieve the key, our host did not mention the asp so I believe this must be some kind of test within which we may be harmed" Sohali adds as he watches the room.

Again going to play captain held action until something appears to attack my allies. Don't worry I'll be more imaginative when something actually comes at us :)

3 minutes have elapsed since you entered the room...

Dunn moves to pick up the jar. I hope this isn't some sort of trigger. If there is no unexpected result He tears a small piece of paper out of his journal and drops a few dribbles of the liquid onto it.

"I am having some issues here - the key turns slightly, but something isn't right. Would any of you care to try?"

3 Minutes???!!!??? Lets get a move on people! :)

Vermin moves over to Xavier and offers to help. Might I see that key? He will examine the chest, running his hands over the material of construction, and then try the key.

For Dunn
As Dunn drizzles the paper with a few drops of the liquid, the paper starts to emit a slighly audible

***PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH***

And the paper gets eaten by the liquid in just a few seconds.

For Vermin
Vermin makes a Will save 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20!

Vermin attempts to put the key in the chest, but surprisingly his hand, key and everything, goes totally through the chest. Upon looking at it again the chest seems semi-transparent to Vermin, as if it was an illusion or trick of the mind. Xavier, seeing his Pathfinder colleague defying what he thought was solid, now begins to realize the nature of the illusion as well.

Hmm. Dunn says contemplating his discovery. Does anyone have a spare glass vial or perhaps see lid for this container? It's never a bad idea to have this stuff on hand. Looking up he see the surprised look on Xavier's face. Come friend. What haveyou discovered?

This chest is not really here. Vermin concludes as he begins raking his hands into the spot occupied by the illusion to see if there is anything hidden by it.

If he finds nothing he will move to the the red lacquered chest, examine it for obvious traps, thump the top of the chest with his fist to make sure it is solid, and then try the key.

Edit - I seem to be using up all my good roles...

This smooth, red lacquered chest looks devious. The solid metal plate surrounding the gaping keyhole pulses with glowing amber runes. When you insert the blue stone key, the chest opens without too much trouble.

Inside the chest you find a jeweled scepter. It is obviously longer than the chest would allow for, so the chest and the pedestal must be one single container.

when possible, I would like to know where everyone is at this point. My assumption is: Dunn is messing with the jar, Vermin is next to the red chest, Sohali is by the door with bow drawn, Xavier is by the copper chest still.

That is correct. Dunn is standing next to the glass jar of acid taking notes in his journal. I fear we may be running out of time. Dunn says looking up at the sand clock.I will continue documenting our work and the details of this room and it's contents.Suddenly Dunn realizes something. Were we not here to collect a map? As I recall that is all that we had permission to take... Disappointment creeps onto his face. We are going to have to leave the scepter and everything else once we find it.

Vermin lifts the scepter from the chest, unless it is part of the pulley system. He shows his prize to the party and uses to point up the the ceiling to a small hanging golden object. Look. A key has been released. How do we get it down?

As I recall that is all that we had permission to take... Disappointment creeps onto his face. We are going to have to leave the scepter and everything else once we find it.

Vermin responds negatively to the idea. Maybe not. This might be part of the way out of here, and might be part of our prize for success. He does not sound very convincing, even to himself.

Thinking for a moment he decides to cast Detect Magic to check out the scepter. But once cast, he will check out the rest of the room, detecting for magic, and specifically the steel cube and keys.

The scepter Vermin found is of very fine construction. As soon as he turns it over, he notices there is a key mounted on the end of the scepter, protruding out so it can be inserted in whatever lock it was designed for. The jewels on the scepter look of exquisite quality, and probably worth a good amount of gems.

Anyone checking the scepter:

Appraise:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11Allow me to examine that as well. Dunn says moving to Vermin's side. He again begins scribbling in his journal describing the scepter, estimated weight, length, materials etc. In my inexperienced opinion I would say we could get 500gp in a best case scenario. Dunn also notes this.

Yep, Sohali will be standing over by the doorway trying to cover his friends again :)

You guys are tearing it UP - well done. Still in client meetings :(

Appraise:1d20+1Allow me to examine that as well. Dunn says moving to Vermin's side. He again begins scribbling in his journal describing the scepter, estimated weight, length, materials etc. In my inexperienced opinion I would say we could get 500gp in a best case scenario. Dunn also notes this.

Why would we want to sell it? Its pretty. Vermin looks concerned at Dunn's statement. Besides it has a key. See?

Board so trying to role play.