GM Blake's Gallows of Madness Part 3 (Inactive)

Game Master Blake's Tiger

Shalendra gives the young man a smile. "What did you think you would find in the mansion? Did you get inside the gate or just to th gate?"

Demon Bile at the mansion. Not good at all.

Maria moves up and comforts the boy, "it's okay young man. I remember a time when I did things to impress others. In time, your path will come to you and you won't rely on other's opinions. Luckily though, you have a chance to actually find that future, don't waste it."

She doesn't dismiss the boy in case others still have questions, but instead walks quietly ahead down the path, scouting it for other dangers.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

Once he gets the sense the others are through with their questions, Faust gives the boy a curt gesture with his head to get on his way.

"Demon Bile is worrisome, fortunately these little abominations aren't difficult to handle," he comments, flipping one of the mites over with the toe of his boot.

"I dunno. A candlestick or maybe a forgotten ring or book," the farm boy stammers. "I didn't get past the gate."

It soon becomes clear that the boy has little to offer in the way of tactical advantages and is not a reliable source of lore, so you let him go on his way. He thanks you profusely again for saving him and runs back down the trail the way you came.

You arrive at the estate around mid-afternoon. The sky is slightly overcast and the wind is a gentle breeze.

The rusted, badly bent iron gate to this walled estate is dirty and hangs ajar, creaking gently in the breeze. The lawn is overgrown, and a thick tangle of vines has crept up the walls of the opulent estate building. An abandoned stable occupies the southwest corner of the grounds, and to the east, more buildings lie partly hidden behind bushes and crooked trees.

Abyssia looks around, her two new cold iron kukri's out.

perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (4) + 0 = 4

"Do you think there's anything in the stable?" she asks absently mindlessly to her companions.

Perform any actions that you would like and place your icons on the new map where you'd like them. Do not pass the fog of war.

Confidently, Faust strides through the gates and up to a window near the front doors. What a filthy place. Good bones though, the original owners had decent taste for architecture... He peers inside for any signs of life.
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Perception, DC 15: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13 So close!

Maria stops Faust as he starts walking past and motions towards the bush just inside and left of the gate. She whispers, ”creature hiding there, let me see if I can get a better look.”

K: Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

She leans around the gate, ”not sure what it is, but it has many legs and is snakelike.”

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

"That's not dirt it's demon bile. I think we've found the place." She pulls out her crossbow and loads a cold iron bolt into it.

Shalendra looks to the creature. "What could that be?"

Know Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

On the map and happy. should be cold iron gladiuses, not sure why I said kukris in the last post.

If the GM is ok with me stopping somewhere else...

Faust recoils at being stopped, but quickly returns to normal as Maria provides her warning. "Very well, I shall await your assessment before delving further."

Takumi, as usual, is firmly in the back. Except when there's potential danger coming from there, of course. :)

"I can't quite make it out from here. What is it?" Takumi quickly pulls back, his hand dipping into his pouch.

I moved Faust forward 5 ft.

Round 1. Bold may act.
Takumi
Drochtac
Lydia
Faust
Abyssia
Maria
Shalendra
Mites

It's a drochtac. They are preternaturally strong and agile. Be on guard."

Uncertain about the enemy that they face, Takumi moves into the courtyard and draws out his wand. As soon as he can catch a glimpse, he releases a bolt of arcane energy at it.

wand of MM: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Abyssia asks "A What?"

The emaciated, scaleless lizard with pale flesh suddenly lunges out of the bushes toward Abyssia, expanding like a striking snake. Its flat, cutting teeth chew harmlessly on Abyssia's armor, and its claws scrabble against her breastplate. Meanwhile, Takumi releases a bolt of force into the creature, which causes it to recoil back into the bushes.

Round 1. Bold may act.
Takumi
Lydia
Faust
Abyssia
Maria
Shalendra
Mites
---
Drochtac

Maria yelps out, "that thing, that's what I saw!" Her brow furrows at the creature type given by Shalendra, "hmm... that is not something I have ever dealt with. I'm guessing it is dangerous?"

Maria delays until an ally attacks or confirms they are not attempting to calm down this wild animal thing.

Almost knocked back by the sudden assault, Abyssia pushes forward and retaliates without thinking, user her pair of cold iron gladisuses.

stab: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
CI damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

stab 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
CI damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

"Fun right at the gates? What a promising opening ceremony," Faust practically purrs as his eyes gleam with joy. He brashly pushes past the bushes near the Drochtac and attempts to chop it to pieces with his blade. "What array of colors will pour forth from your butchered corpse, I wonder?"
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+1 Scimitar (2H/PA) vs Red: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 131d6 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

What's it take to enter the shrub squares? Anything beyond a 5-foot step?

Unfamiliar with this creature, Lydia reaches out with her own baleful will in an attempt to momentarily buffet its mind...daze, DC 14

...as Fomalhaut begins leering and looming all over shrub, surrounding the thing inside with all manner of odd and grotesque shadow-forms.

Intimidate to demoralize: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25!

The drochtac writhes in pain as Faust cuts deeply into its sinuous body. Pale, honey-like lymph pours out of the wound. It shakes off Lydia's mental assault but is clearly cowed by Fomalhaut's fearsome display.

Squinting in the light of day, four boil covered mites drop out of their hiding places within the bush to the east. Two of them throw darts at Takumi, both of which sail wide. The other two pry open their eyes and force themselves to stare at Faust and Abyssia.

The drochtac, in desperation, tries to bring Faust down. Shaken as it is from the shadow's antics, it fails to get past Faust's defenses.

Round 2. Bold may act.
Takumi
Lydia
Faust (Will Save)
Abyssia (Will Save)
Maria
Shalendra
Mites
---
Drochtac (-12 hp; shaken)

willsave: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3

Abyssia recoils, shaken by the sudden appearance of the blue meanies

"They're everywhere!" Abyssia gasps, with a tremble of fear in her voice.

She then attempts again to attack the strange beast in front of her.

CI Stab: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 3 - 2 = 16
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

CI Stab: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 3 - 2 = 3
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Faust's joy as the Drochtac begins falling to pieces before him quickly turns to anger. "Steel yourself, fish! There is more to come and they too shall fall before us!" he snarls, pointing his sword at Abyssia. He redirects his rage towards one of his foes, again trying to butcher his target as though he held a cleaver between his hands.
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Will Save, DC 10: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
+1 Scimitar vs Drochtac (Yellow Mite if down): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 91d8 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

Maria dashes along the residence, trying to get into a position to divide the attention of the mites. "More of those things we killed earlier! It must have been an ambush!" Right after she speaks, her ears turn a bright shade of crimson, I can't believe I just said that. I hope no one noticed.

Trying to refocus on combat, she aims an arrow at the nearest mite and releases.

Ooh, they are lined up nicely. Hope I don't regret this.

Takumi starts when two darts goes flying past him. He spins around and sees more of the blue-skinned mites. More importantly, he sees how they are clustered together. Debating very briefly his actions, he decides to take a risk. Stepping forward towards them, he whips out a handful of colored sand and tosses them at the mites, calling out words of power. "වර්ණ පිපිරීමක්!"

cast color spray, will DC16, on all mites.

Do I still have the mage armor Takumi gave me? I think so, but I want to make sure. How long has it been?

Fomalhaut swoops in behind the strange monster (the other one, that is - well, one of several, really) and cups his dark pseudopods about its eyes...

[dice=Dirty Fighting, dirty trick to blind]1d20+2[/dice]

...and Lydia ceases beating around the bush. So to speak.

masterwork scythe: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
damage: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (3, 3) + 4 = 10

"I smell honey...!"

Takumi releases a wave of iridescent light that leaves three of the four mites senseless on the ground and out of the fight for the foreseeable future. Lydia decapitates the drochtac with a spray of foul smelling, milky nectar (it definitely does not smell like honey).

Faust rushes to the remaining foe and swings his blade over the mite's head, too eager for the kill. Abyssia flounders over to the mite and strikes with one cold iron gauntlet. The mite's skin blisters and steams when she strikes it, and it falls over dying.

Out of Combat

Shelendra shakes herself as she spent way too much time musing about what the creature in front of her was. It's dead so no longer important. "Good job everyone. That went very quickly. Shall we continue on inside the grounds?" She'll step in her place toward the back of the group.

Abysssia nods to Shalendra "I wonder what other dangers lie in wait here."

Faust wipes the gunk off of his sword as he regains his composure. "I need a moment, it seems prudent to bring... another... along for our expedition," he requests.

He pulls out an ornate skull inlaid with several chunks of onyx. Whispering into it for a moment, a gently glowing wisp appears and floats out and into the ground. In response, a decrepit hand thrusts out of the ground where the wisp disappeared. Faust clasps the hand and hoists what appears to be a skeleton with a battered skull from the dirt.

While the skeleton dusts itself off, Faust explains, "This is my brother. He isn't much of a talker anymore and before any of you get your delicate feathers ruffled, he wouldn't have come back if he didn't want to. He'll only be among us for around thirty minutes before this tiny fragment of his soul returns peacefully to the afterlife."

"Let us not waste anymore time and delve further into this wonderful estate!"
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Spend 1 point of mental focus from my Necromancy implement to use Necromantic Servant. I've included the statblock in my profile GM. Would you want this creature to go on my initiative or its own? What level of communication do I have with it?

Since you are slower, it will go on yours. You can issue the same detail of commands as you could with a trained animal except it has thumbs, so it can open things and manipulate objects at your direction (i.e. it could turn a door knob and open a door but it couldn't solve a puzzle on its own, but it could move pieces around where you tell it to).

I labeled the buildings for easier reference on the map.

Much as he always maintains a serene composure about him, Takumi inadvertently draws back when the skeleton appears. He glances surreptitiously at the rest of the team to see if anyone else reacts. With his past experiences with Faust, he (wisely) chooses not to comment. For now.

Instead, he turns to study the estate. "It might be prudent to be examine the various other structures on the grounds first? Leaving something to surprise us from the rear when we are in the mansion would be unwise."

Shalendra takes a step back. "That's new Faust. Did you just gain this ability?" She shrugs glad there isn't a Paladin along on this adventure.

"Why don't we go to the stables first? They are in the direction the creature was coming from. Could be something interesting there."

Bones litter the bare stone floor of this stable. The reek of decay hangs heavy in the air.

Upon opening the door and letting light into the stables, you hear a high pitched chittering punctuated by occasional hisses.

I will provide more information if anyone wishes to step inside the stables.

"It is something I've been working on for some time. Being with family again is always a treat, don't you think?" Faust responds with a sly smile. Likely the only endeavor father would have approved.

"Why don't we send Dumont the recently named brother in first? No reason for us to risk ourselves when his current form prevents him from feeling pain," the dhampir points out.

After waiting for his companions to stand where they wish, Faust holds his sword at the ready. "Alright Dumont, walk inside. We'll be right behind you," he commands.
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The token I found has a scimitar in its hand, but I'll be having the skeleton use both claws. Do those noises sound like any of the creatures we've fought prior?

Maria eye's the skeleton pulled from the ground. She adds tersely, "as long as it is under your control, I have no issue with something that can aid us."

She glances inside and shrugs, "sounds like bugs or rats running from the light. Shall we go confirm?" As she prepares to go inside, the skeleton wanders past, "or that could work." Maria watches inquisitively to see what happens.

Dumont walks into the stables and, other than an increasing in intensity of the noise, nothing else seems to happen. Lacking the means to communicate, the dhampir's relative is unable to report what he senses through his lifeless eyes.

"Maybe someone else should go in."

Abyssia takes point and heads in.

sense motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7

Quickly glancing over her shoulder Abyssia whispers back "Centipedes... purple ooze covered eggs as well." before quickly putting her eyes back on the vermin.

Maria slips inside after saying, ”ooooh, that sounds interesting!”

K: Nature DC 13: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

At the sight of the ooze and vermin, something triggers in her memory but she just can’t quite place it. ”Hmm... your description is correct and they are intriguing. But I doubt I have time to catalogue them. Leave them be?”

Takumi silently paces closer to the stable, but wisely remains outside. "If the creatures are not aggressive, might it not be better to leave them be for now? When we uncover the source of the infestation, the opportunity might come to treat them."

The fiendish centipedes do not appear eager to leave their guard position over their eggs despite the many gawkers.

Abyssia noda and slowly backs out.

Faust scoffs, but otherwise remains silent.

What are mere insects before us? "Very well then, shall we complete our survey of the perimeter then?" he asks once everyone files out of the stable. "Let's be on our way Dumont, we have another structure to explore!"
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How about the area labeled tomb? Does anyone have a problem with having a standard operating procedure of Dumont walking through doors first? Thank you to whoever put the border around his icon, that's a great idea!

I'm fine with that SOP. Anyone want to make it SOP to take the lead after Dumont enters and doesn't explode? Might save time on posts. If he does explode, well that's different.

"Let's continue then. We'll be back. We must clean out the bile."

I'm fine with setting up an SOP. Maria is willing to follow after Dumont if nothing occurs on his entry. If allowed she would even take 10 on any checks. Stealth +7 (17), Perception +4 (14) and All Knowledges +6 (16).

Seems fine.