GM Aest's PFS 6-15: The Overflow Archives PbP (Inactive)

Game Master Aest

It takes a moment for Senach to decipher what it is that the man says about Master Shaine, but once he figures it out, he nods his head. "It seems to me that the fox got past us before we even were aware. We need to hurry up and finish our search here and return upstairs as quickly as we can!" He then turns to help the injured man out of the cage and support him above the water long enough for the healing to take effect. "You should stay with us until we return upstairs." he tells the man. "If we blow the surprise before we have the man caught in a trap, then we will be even worse off."

Aldur nods at Senach's words. "Indeed. We should press on." He shrugs. "Who knows, perhaps Warlock followed my directive and attempted to eat the Virml upstairs."

Virml nods, looking thankful to have his teeth back in his head and (mostly) in the right places. Instead, he falls in behind the rest of the Pathfinders, clearly not interested in taking anything remotely considered the lead in the party.

As the party exits the taxidermy room, Virml presses a funny little bird into Orophin's hands. "Thank you so much for saving me, and my teeth." Unlike the rest, it seems to bear a little clay coin on its breast, rather than feathers.

Okay, you have three choices if you want to keep searching the lower areas. You can go to the southwest, southeast, or northeast.

"You're welcome. She stole one of my teeth too."

He looks at the bird, first with normal vision, and then with magically enhanced sight.

Casts detect magic

"What is this?"

Did we do a detect magic sweep of the previous room? If not, Orophin does one before leaving

"Let us stride boldly forward!" suggests the singer, pointing directly across the room to the southwest exit.

"That sounds like a great idea, Orophin!" Chup exclaims.

Yes Boldness is always good. Stonegrin steps forward and exaimens the door before opening it.

Perception 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

The door is sealed shut by a padlock, but the tumblers seem quite simple, and it's possible for it to be opened without too much trouble (or it could, perhaps, be forced.)

Orophin detects no real magic in the room, but the little bird Virml gave him offers a brilliant aura
Southwest door is at Stonegrin's location on the map.

The door is sealed shut by a padlock, but the tumblers seem quite simple, and it's possible for it to be opened without too much trouble (or it could, perhaps, be forced.)

Orophin detects no real magic in the room, but the little bird Virml gave him offers a brilliant aura.

Southwest door is at Stonegrin's location on the map.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

"I think that bird is about to explode."

Ysmero nods approvingly as his bite wounds is magically healded.

"Thank you Orophin." He then follows the rest of the party, eyes widening as Chup suggests that the bird might blow. Fearful that they may all soon die in an explosion he rushes toward the door and attempts to break the padlock.

Str: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Rattling the device in frustration he turns to the party.

"Toss the bird! Toss it!"

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (18) + 9 + (6) = 33

"No, it's not a bomb. It's a Bird Feather Token. We could use it to warn Kreighton Shaine about the false Virml upstairs."

Hmmm. I thought I had Disable Device. I have masterwork thieve's tools, so I clearly meant to add it.

"Good thinking" says Orophin.

He whispers to the small bird "The person who looks like Virml is an imposter! Restrain him." Then he remembers it must be written and writes out the message instead. After this he the bird to deliver the message to Kreighton Shaine.

Catching up to the group, Senach comes up on Orophin as he sends off the bird-message.
"Very good idea! That should keep things safe above while we deal with the rest of this mess!"

"It was actually Aldur's idea" says Orophin with a wry grin.

Then quietly adds "He's awfully smart."

After a few extra minutes of struggling with the door (taking twenty in the name of moving forward), Ysmero is able to pop the lock. The door immediately pops open from the sheer mass of water pushing on it and begins flooding water into the room, which has remained mercifully unflooded and is filled with fragile-looking texts and scrolls!

I need Strength checks to get the door shut before the room floods.

Chup does his best to help the people in front.

Aid another: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

Woo, that's +4 to someone!

Strength : 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Aldur strains against the door, trying to keep water from the scrolls.

Ysmero adds his own weight to the door as Aldur tries to push it shut.
"I can't wait until this is over." He grunts through gritted teeth,
Aid Another: Str: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 +2 to Aldur plus Chups +4 makes 19

The party is able to quickly get the door slammed shut again, and with minimal water entering the previously-sealed storage-room. Nearby, a few bookshelves sit against the walls, their bulk filling about half the narrow, tight passageway each and their contents already hopelessly waterlogged.

"Lets quickly look around, but it doens't look like the fox is here. Did the flying fish thing say it too wanted the fox? If so should we not head out?"

Casts detect magic in case there are things of use in here.

Senach slides in with the rest of the party, then throws his weight against the door to help close it again.
"Well, this brings an interesting problem. We shut ourselves in.. how are we going to get out without flooding the room? We can at least move things to higher shelves and try to keep them safe."
With these words, he begins following his own words, all the while keeping his eyes open for anything of note or interest.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
In response to Orophin, Senach nods his head. "I believe that is her sole purpose for being here.. is searching for the Fox."

As soon as Senach finishes his words, there's a sound of increased water outside the door. The tinkling of water trickling down the spiral stairs and into the understacks, which had faded to a murmur with the door closed, is replaced by a roaring sound. The fish must have started spewing water again!

While the number of books is overwhelming to poor Senach, one dusty volume does catch his attention. A small dictionary shoved haphazardly between two massive volumes on how to translate Celestial and Draconic, the green-covered book is titled Traveler's Dictionary One Hundred Twenty-Three: Surviving Sylvan.

The traveler's dictionary could ease the language barrier between party and grodair.

Orophin's scan doesn't reveal anything magical in the room aside from what the party brought in.

Even with the dictionary, however, there remains the task of holding back the water outside the room. None of the shelves seem bolted down to the floor, but all the shelves seem completely full of books. Worse, opening the door will turn the perhaps inch of water that made it into the room into something that starts damaging them.

Are we in B4, or somewhere else at the moment?

You're in B4.

"Maybe we can make a hole in the door higher up... one that won't let the water in? "

Orophin looks around to see if there are any windows or hatches through to the other rooms.

A unique solution. *Checks Scenario*. Yep, those are wooden doors. Should be super-breakable.

There's not a single hatch or window from this room, which is, in fact, situated underground. The only way in or out is through the now-closed door.

Orophin takes out his great mace and starts to bash a hole in the top of the door - making sure it is high up.

"Lets get out, and let the fish know the fox has flown the coop."

How's that for a mixed metaphor!

As he frantically is trying to save books, Senach comes across one very interesting title. "HEY! I found a way to communicate with that thrice damned fish that's causing all this trouble!" he cries out, holding the book up for the others to see before tucking it under his Kikko armour.

If anyone else would have better modifiers, feel free to take it, just trying to make this part easier.

Suddenly, his ears perk up, and he hears the renewed flood of water against the door. Before he can process the new circumstances, Orophin begins to knock a hole in the door, above the water line. "Once again, a great idea! Anyone have an ax?" he asks before moving to assist with his own mace.

Now that I know what room we are in, I moved everyones tokens. Chup, if you need a ride, climb up!

I'll need some attack rolls to break the door, since it does have HP, Hardness, and/or a Break DC.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Senach takes a few seconds, but eventually bashes out a hole big enough for everyone to slip through and small enough to not let any water through.

Northeast, Southeast, or back Upstairs?

We still have 3 scraps to find, yes?

Yesmero climbs through the hole his companions made and starts making his way back to the central room.

"What now? Are we going to go grab that fox?"

Chup bounds through the hole and splashes down on the other side. "Whatever's closest, I say. This place is filling up!"

As the group files out to the main area B1, Senach points across the room. "That's the closest one, Chup. I don't think that we have been down this way yet. Shall we?"

Stonegrin now completly soaked and in the most rotten mood he's ever been leads the way and after a quick look opens the indicated door.

Perception1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

This room's door (B2), was never secured by whoever left last, creating a similarly-deep bog to that in the other rooms (with the exception of the still-dry dictionarium). However, much of the water's surface here is covered with maps, the myriad masterpieces of cartography creating the illusion of a carpet made of vellum, silk, birch-bark, and other mapmaking materials.

Stonegrin's attitude doesn't go unpunished, as his look-over of the room doesn't reveal anything of particular use to the party. A few of the maps depict interesting places, and maybe a more patient, less frustrated eye could find something of use.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Ysmero joins Stonegrin inspecting the room, though he's more interested in making sure there aren't anymore fairies or strange bird men.

"I can't wait to feel dry again." He mutters under his breath.

"Let's make this quick. the sooner we let the fish know flooding won't be helpful, the less damage will be done."

perception: 1d20 ⇒ 2

I'm just waiting to see if anyone else would like to make a Perception roll here before we go.

Chup glances around quickly.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Senach wades into the room, and looks over the mess. "I really hope that the fish can fix all of this when it leaves.." he comments.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Once again, he begins digging through the morass of wet papers, trying to see if anything could be salvaged.

The combined efforts of the searchers reveal an interesting find; a combined map of Avistan, Garund, and Tian-Xia, embroidered into silk. At least, it looks like Avistan and Tian-Xia; the two continents are mashed into one another, creating a strange-looking supercontinent.

With only one place left to explore in the understacks (or to head back up), the group is running out of choices to make!

Picking up that odd map, Senach is just about to toss it on top of the rest when something catches his eye. He instead hands it off to one of the others and says "This is weird.. check this out!"

When the rest of the party is ready, Senach will lead the way into the next area.

"Well... maybe it was like an early version of the tapestry?" muses Orophin.

"Lets quickly finish up down here." he heads toward the last area.

Virml looks nervously at the water the party pushes through as they make their way through a narrow passage toward an already-ajar door. "I'd like to wait outside. I don't want to see...well, me, if you know what I mean."

The books and scrolls in this room are mostly obscure and tedious genealogy, but despite being dry reading, most of them are thoroughly soaked. In the back corner of the room, however, is a field of unnatural darkness, which neither moves nor seems to fade at the approach of torches.

Perception Checks?

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

"The map is a bomb!"

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

"I wonder if there are any books in here on the illustrious and... industrious history of the Spooner clan. Hey, what's with the darkness?"

When Virml suddenly stops, Senach immediately becomes suspicious again. "No... we DON'T know what you mean. Your double is upstairs, and we have already told you that. What do you know of this room??" he demands.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Orophin pats the scholar on the shoulder.

"There there, I know, it has been traumatic. I too am soaked and have had a tooth removed. What can you tell us of this room... and that blackness within?"

perception: 1d20 ⇒ 20
know(planes): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Perception1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Ysmero narrows his unblinking gaze at Chup as he declares another thing to be explosive, still embarrassed from the last time he believed him, he chooses to ignore it this time.

"Every new room is stranger than the one before." He grumbles as he peers around the new section looking for anything helpful.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23