GM Blood's Age of Worms in Golarion

Game Master David James Olsen

Rauno approaches the spawn when it and its master fall. If his iron vial is not already full of the worms, he'll use this opportunity to fill it the rest of the way.

Then he'll cross over to the scroll. Careful not to touch it or the eerie light it exudes, he starts to examine it. He casts a minor spell (detect magic) even as he searches his memory for references of a similar item or effect.

I'm guessing spellcraft?

Spellcraft check 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (9) + 19 = 28

Does the tiefling wear a divine symbol of any sort?

Knowledge (Religion) check: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

Clearly not one that Quintus recognizes...with that roll, he's lucky he's not lifting the inverted pentacle medallion out of the way to reveal a blotch on the tiefling's armor that vaguely resembles a butterfly and claiming that he's obviously a priest of Desna.

"He got quite the beating... Never had a chance to do much. Kind of sad, in a way... Should we bond him up? Any precautions?" Trevor says, ready to help with the binding.

He looks at the room and shrugs: "What's with the green? Evil is not a colour..."

You strip the cleric of his items I assume. He has magical chainmail, wooden shield, club, belt, and a prayer bead strand. Quintus examines his holy symbol and it is one he does not recognize, but he is sure it isn't one of the typical Golarion deities. Perhaps with some study after the Arena Games, Eligos could find out more information.

Rauno checks out the scrolls after filling his vial up, giving him the option to creature more of the oil or paste. He avoids the light and moves over to the scroll. There is some sort of barrier protecting it. Rauno deduces it is something similar to a temporal stasis spell.

The scroll itself is a 5 foot long roll of vellum sewn to a pair of darkwood rollers. This scroll is written in abyssal and Rauno scans through it able to read it. It appears to be used in a ritual to summon an "Apostle of Kyuss". This is definitely the Apostolic Scrolls that Eligos had warned you about.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

No help there.

Rowena takes several handfuls of dirt and debris and tosses the in the general area of the scroll to determine the barrier's boundaries.

Rauno will glance over at what Quintus is doing, and see if he can help with the holy symbol identification. 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (4) + 19 = 23. Dang! That's one elusive symbol!

"My friends, it appears that the fears that Eligos confessed are at hand. This is the Apostolic Scrolls, detailing the ritual that one would use to summon an Apostle of Kyuss. It is warded by a barrier of some sort. From the emanations it is giving off, I would say it is a sort of temporal stasis. I believe it is freezing the artifact in time."

So is the scroll doing something and creating the green aura, projecting it to the west? Or is something acting on the scroll from the west, shrouding the scroll and protecting it with the temporal aura?

The scroll is creating the green beam that goes through the west doors. Throwing the sand at the bubble outlines where it is, though it will not harm you, just keep the scroll protected. The green beam passes through solid objects, like the doors or anything placed in front of it.

"Do you think this is enough to bring down Raknian? Just having it here? Or do we need to find more evidence?"

Kelkzar also has a look at the holy symbol.
Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31
Maybe...

"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be surprised there's an acolyte behind that door..."

Kelkzar thinks that it could be possible that it is Kyuss's holy symbol.

Other than the scroll and your captive there isn't anything else in this room besides the doors to the west and the door north.

"Is it dangerous to cross the light?"

Don't cross the streams!

"Let us just see what lies beyond the portal..."

If we don't already have it in effect, Rauno will cast Communal Darkvision, spreading it amongst the non-Kelkzar members of the team. Then he'll cast clairvoyance, targeting, say, ten feet beyond the double doors to the west where the light is coming from/going to.

Rauno sees beyond:

A 20' wide by 50' passageway lies beyond the doors. At the end of the hallway, a large portal of stone, covered with the obscene depiction of an orgy of dead, worm-ridden corpses blocks the passage. In the middle of the macabre mass, a carving of a horrible worm ridden skull utters a silent scream of triumph. (The carving is exactly like the holy symbol of Kyuss the tiefling had). The green ray of light continues down the hall through the portal of stone at the end of the passageway.

"We might have to go around this. Wasn't there a door to the north near where we came in?"

Updated map with the hallway. You can see where the portal of stone is. Also the door north in this room and the other way before this room Quintus mentioned.

"Sure, we can go back there and see what's that way." Kelkzar can lead, looking for traps unless Rauno thinks we're safe going west or north.

What about the tiefling cleric

Oh shoot, forgot all about interrogating him. Want to do that now or explore a little more first?

How much time do we have before we get in trouble?

How much time do we have before we get in trouble?

A few years too late for that...oh, you mean with the Games?

LOL!

I'd say its only been about 15 minutes with most of that being after you defeated the tiefling. Rauno has you door set with an alarm spell so he would know if anyone is looking for you guys and the plan would be too dim door back into another room in the Coenoby.

"Sure, we can go back there and see what's that way." Kelkzar can lead, looking for traps unless Rauno thinks we're safe going west or north.

"Let's see what this guy has to say first. I'll bind his wrists. Rowena, you can always knock him back out if he tries to use magic.""[/b]

Rowena nods and readies a crushing blow to his throat.

Rebike Death Quintus: 2d4 + 8 ⇒ (1, 3) + 8 = 12

Bound up tight Quintus uses his Rebuke Death on him Its say negative hps, does that mean non lethal too?

As he awakens he looks at all of you with contempt. He says, "You fools you should have killed me when you had the chance."

Good question; I could argue it either way, but if you're willing to give it to us I'm not going to complain :-).

The way I read non lethal damage, it would heal equal amounts of both types. So one rebuke should be enough to get him awake, unless he was well below zero.

This looks like a job for our resident intimidator. Kelkzar?

Going to assume we wait the rounds for Kelkzar's fatigue to pass too...
Kelkzar glowers over the tiefling, then begins a threatening speech that begins with a whisper and ends with a roar, "Maybe we should have. Probably we still will. We know a little about who you serve. Like yours, mine isn't known for mercy. In fact, he has a bit of a problem with cretins like your puny green-wormed god. Now before I get really angry, tell us what is going on here!"
Intimidate: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (20) + 23 = 43

Quintus stands back in the shadow of the half-orc, watching the tiefling closely.

Rowena simply stands beside the tiefling, her fist ready at his throat, as she stares coldly at him.

Intimidate Aid Another: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7

Apparently, the tiefling doesn't even notice her.

The tiefling cleric seems unconcerned at being caught and was contemptuous of you....until Kelkzar gets to him. As Kelkzar berates and threatens him, you can see in his eyes that he misjudged you.

"The Apostle of Kyuss sits beyond that wall awaiting the moment where it shall consume the champion and transform Magnimar. The Age of Worms is upon you, and all you did was hasten its arrival. I'll see you all again, when Kyuss remakes all of his faithful into his chosen!" The tiefling's roll into the back of his head and dies.

The first thing you notice is the light and the magical shield cease, and then a great rumbling and a tremendous roar of an immense creature takes place to the west behind the stone.

Round 1

Initiative Order - Rauno, Rowena, Kelkzar, Quintus, Trevor, Apostle of Kyuss

Apostle of Kyuss AC ?? T ?? FF ?? CMD ??

Rauno reaches over his shoulder and pulls out his rod of metamagic, saying "My friends, I do believe we are about to be tested..."

His sentence trails off, only to be replaced by pulsing arcane syllables. The gathered champions feel the familiar celerity starting to course through them like blood.

"Now, let's answer that bellowed challenge, shall we?"

Rauno also takes a step closer to the now unprotected artifact, the Apostolic Scroll.

Trevor concentrates, channeling Her grace and let it course through his weapon, as he steps forward to cover Quintus and Rauno.

Weapon is now Holy.

Rauno does that mean you cast extended haste or were about too?

Sorry, too late to edit the post. Yes, Rauno is readying his rod, casting extended haste on the group and taking a 5' step toward the scroll.

"Were there any other exits back there?" Rowena asks. "We should let it come to us."

Rowena opens the double doors and presses herself against one side, still in this room.

"Sometimes, the best offense is a good defense..." says Trevor, but then he sees the others roll their syes and adds: "Sometimes!!"

Kelkzar laughes, "At least this way we get to face it before the froghemoth." Kelzar casts a spell and moves to the north side of the doors, still in the room.
Swift Action: Activate Judgement (Sacred Justice & Sacred Purity)
Standard Action: Casts heroism

Quintus holds up his hands in benediction over the party. "The strength of the Dawnflower strengthen our hands, and may She be a burden to our enemy!" Casting prayer.

You prepare to fight whatever is behind the wall. But instead of bursting through the wall, you hear it moving away, upwards.

Perception check, incl. prayer: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 1 = 21

"Breaking glass! It must have been under the dome!"

Round 2

Initiative Order - Rauno, Rowena, Kelkzar, Quintus, Trevor, Apostle of Kyuss

Apostle of Kyuss AC ?? T ?? FF ?? CMD ??

"Rauno, can you get us back to the Coenoby?"

If I recall correctly you left in the hour while the other group was fighting. (and if not lets say you did). It appears to be going straight up.

"What did we do wrong!? We need to stop it!!!" asks Trevor, quite anguished.

Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap!

Rauno lowers his head a moment, his mind a flurry of calculations and distance estimates. His eyes dart back and forth as he figures distances travelled, depth below ground and locations relative to one another.

Can Rauno estimate where the Apostle will emerge if it keeps going up? Also, how far he can get most of the group with a dimension door spell? If he can get ahead of where it will emerge, he'd like to. Or if there is somewhere along its path we can intercept it, he'd like that option as well.

Knowledge (engineering) 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29

Rauno can deduce the dome was directly under the middle of the Arena. The creature would now be somewhere on that level pounding on the ceiling to get to the arena. You could appear up on the arena easily with Dimension Door, but would have to leave someone behind. Choose which part of the arena to appear in if you choose that.

If you met it on the upper ring level now, Rowena could get there pretty quick with haste, however you would have to chase it up to the arena floor if it manages to break through.

"This is going to draw attention--we need an excuse to be fighting it when it's discovered!"