GM Endless Forms' PFS 01-34 Encounter at the Drowning Stones (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

"See who? The mermaid, yes of course."

Gregor lines up his next hit and there is a rustling in the trees as two hunchbacked, green-skinned humanoids with wide, frog-like heads and a mouths more akin to that of a toothy fish approach to guard the mermaid with tridents in hand.

[spoiler=DC 12 KN (arcana)]These are skum (ulat-kini), aquatic monstrous humanoids, which had resistance to cold.

Initiative:

1. Cat, Rando, Ceric, Gregor
2. Skum
3. Lini
4. The Razor

Rando, Ceric, and Gregor are up!

"Where did those come from?"

Ceric glances around confused

"Ah well..I'm sure you can handle them"

Ceric then casts a spell that will speed up the entire party before moving a bit to the back

(Casting haste on the party, then moving behind them for cover)

K Arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

"Oh those Skum, nope didn't see them till now. Oh and they are moving right where I want them to."

Rando's eyes glow white as he calls down a massive bolt of lighting on the Mermaid and the Skum.

Elemental blast: 10d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 3, 3, 2, 6, 1, 2, 4, 2) = 27

Elemental blast 20 foot burst centered on the star. It should get all three, Reflex DC 21 for half any one that fails is vulnerable to lighting till the end of Rando's next turn. Riddey will delay for now.

"If you have any lighting attacks, hit the really charred ones"

"Wow Rando you're using that already?"

Gregor uses Dimension Hop to move just behind the mermaid and, calling for a Judgment of Sacred Destruction and Protection, brings his morningstar down upon the mermaid.

K: Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Power Attack: 1d20 + 33 ⇒ (12) + 33 = 45, Damage: 1d8 + 18 ⇒ (2) + 18 = 20

True Strike (+20 insight bonus)
Heroism (+2 morale bonus)
Haste (+1 attack)
See Invisibility
Judgment of Sacred Destruction (+4 Damage)
Judgment of Sacred Protection (+3 AC)

Whoops. Well, you made the check anyways.

Ceric hastes the party.

Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Rando sends a burst of electricity that harms the two skum but doesn't seem to affect the mermaid, who just giggles at you. Gregor appears next to the mermaid and smacks her with his morningstar, but she again seems less hurt than you would expect.

bite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
trip: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Lini's cat moves up and bites into one of the skum!

---

The skum ignore the cat and the others and move in to surround Gregor.

+1 trident: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 12 + 2 = 20
damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

+1 trident: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 12 + 2 = 20
damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

---

Lini then moves up and enhances her cat's strength.

---

The mermaid smiles wickedly at Gregor as she steps away, her form melting before your eyes as large red wings sprout from her back and small horns grow from her head. Her blueish scaly body fades into that of a sumpuous female scantily clad. She laughs again and says to Gregor, "You should have laid with me when you had the chance."

DC 21 Will save or lie down.

Initiative:

1. Cat, Rando, Ceric, Gregor
2. Skum
3. Lini
4. The Razor

S1: 13 dmg
S2: 20 dmg
R: 10 dmg

You guys are up!

Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (4) + 19 = 23

"I think we are dealing with a succubus here! They have Dr/cold iron or good and have spell resistance and they are immune to electricity, fire, and poison and resist acid and cold.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (1) + 19 = 20

Going to wait to see how Gregor reacts before I do something else

Will: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

"A succubus you say Ceric? Abadar does not suffer such creatures to live."

Gregor shifts his Judgement of Protection to one of Smiting to get around the creature's resistance. He takes a five foot step toward the creature formerly known as a mermaid and attacks.

Power Attack: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28, Damage: 1d8 + 18 ⇒ (4) + 18 = 22
Power Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30, Damage: 1d8 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25
Crit Check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25, Damage: 1d8 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23
Power Attack: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29, Damage: 1d8 + 18 ⇒ (6) + 18 = 24

Heroism
Haste
See Invisibility
Judgment of Sacred Destruction
Judgment of Sacred Smiting

You are not forgetting your hasted attack are you? Just checking

I actually remembered it this time!

Then I am claiming the crit you rolled as the hasted attack ;) Just waiting to see/wondering if the mermaid is alive after that

With three mighty hits, Gregor takes down the succubus/mermaid!

Initiative:

1. Cat, Rando, Ceric, Gregor
2. Skum
3. Lini

S1: 13 dmg
S2: 20 dmg

Rando and Ceric are up!

Rando moves closer to the combat and let's loose a slow moving stream of electricity. The stream winds it's way around Gregor while striking both Skum.

fire snake: 11d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 5, 5, 6, 6, 5, 4, 1, 5, 1) = 45

It looks like they both failed the DC 21 reflex from the first attack so they should both have 27 damage minimum and now take 1.5 damage from lightning. Rando just cast fire snake but used his bloodline ability to change the energy type, another DC 21 reflex save for half. So 67 if they fail and 33 if they make it, unless they have resistance to lightning of course.

Oh, sorry. I must have confused the DC or something; yeah, they both failed so I'll add the extra damage in. That's why I keep track out in the open, so you guys can correct me!

Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Rando sends out a winding arc of electricity and brings the skum down!

Out of combat!

Ceric checks how our "guide" reacts to the mermaids demise

And takes a look around the area with detect magic to see if there's anything special around here.

(Also..do we recognize the decomposed head in the bag as the person we are looking for?)

"Does anyone have any use for this ring? I'd like to keep one of these potions in case of an emergency"

The Aspis guide you collected says, "Well. . . well done!" the man exclaims. "I will sleep a little easier at night knowing that my living nightmare has been taken from this world!"

"I wouldn't mind carrying potion myself just in case, but I can always heal myself in a pinch so if someone else wants to take it feel free."

"Well we are all in luck as there are four potions and four of us." Rando hands a potion to Gregor, Ceric and Lini while keeping one for himself.

Riddlywipple looks at their captive," and you call yourself an Aspis agent. No wonder the Pathfinders are always winning."

Ceric looks around

"Where do we go from here?"

Your Aspis guide points the way and leads you along through the jungle. A low-rolling fog creeps from a clearance in the jungle ahead. A small, mist-filled gorge splits the landscape. Shallow waterfalls spill over the steep palisades, fed by runoff from brooks and other trickling waters that snake through the humid jungles. From out of the ravine below climb twin stone megaliths carved into vaguely humanoid shapes. Their eroded faces turn upward so their gaping mouths fill with water. Badly weathered, the craftsmanship and culture is beyond recognition. About fifty feet below, amid dried, broken branches and other detritus, hundreds of cracked bones litter the misty ravine floor.

"Well this certainly is a cheerful place... Shall we move on?"

(is there a path leading down?)

Gregor scans the area for egress. Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (2) + 19 = 21 "I used to complain about all those damn missions at that Blakros Museum. Now I kind of miss them. Oh who am I kidding? I hate that place!"

The gorge is relatively narrow, approximately 100 feet across. The ravine walls and the megaliths are deceptively slippery. DC 15 Climb to get down.

A pale slime coats many of the lower rocks.

There are bones at the bottom as well.

After that Perception:

K: Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
K: Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (18) + 19 = 37
K: Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (2) + 19 = 21

"Not sure what that slimy stuff is...but there are both human and animal bones lying about. Let's be sure not to add our own to the pile." After a few moments of taking in the area Gregor's eyes lock in on an object. "Wait...what's that?" Gregor moves some rubble out of the way and reveals a small tube constructed of lead and stone that has been sunk into the ground for a long time. It contains a handy haversack holding a bottle of air and a set of ancient maps showing nearby areas marked for territorial expansion. The maps bear dozens of handwritten notes and scribbling concerning the locations of various troops, allies, and points of interest.

Rando looks at their guide and asks,"Do we want to go down into the ravine or get to the other side?"

Knowledge (Nature: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

"That slimy stuff...it's guano stains. So that will mean there's bats around"

Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (5) + 19 = 24

"Now that you pointed it out..I suspect that ancient shamans once used the site when they came to the Drowning Stones to pay tributes and sacrifices to Sifkesh."

Your guide slowly struggled down the slippery surface. "Now, the Drowning Stones are here somewhere. . . there's an entrance. . . down a little ways."

The party continues heading down further. At the base of the second megalith is a hollow passage to the temple below. Inside the hollow, a 15-foot-wide shaft descends 60 feet down a steep slope—it is completely dark inside. The shaft walls are slimy and smooth, and without climbing gear or magic require a DC 30 Climb check to descend safely.

Rando casts a spell on himself and looks at the rest of the party. "Anyone need some magical assistance to climb down?"

Rando cast spider climb.

"I could cast featherfall on all of us and we could just float down..it's only 60 ft. As long as we don't pass an anti-magic field we should be fine..unless we run into the bats that produced all this guano that is"

"Hey Rando, don't you have a feather fall ring?""

-Posted with Wayfinder

Rando flushes slightly. "Yeah I do, thanks for reminding me Riddey."

-Posted with Wayfinder

"As do I...whether or not we'll be able to get out again is another story."

"Good point..Let's put up some knotted rope(s) for us to climb down and up, Gregor and Lini. I can always cast the featherfall in case on of us starts to fall. I think the tiger might need some assistance though"

Lini suggests putting feather fall on the tiger to allow him to jump down with Gregor and Rando while she and Ceric climb down. Ceric can catch either of them if they don't make it.

With a knotted rope though, the party easily descends the shaft and makes their way down into the resting place of the Drowning Stones. The gaping sink empties into a large, murky cavern. Deposits of calcite and other minerals create a forest of gleaming rock that rises from the sludge like an alien citadel. Towering and ancient, the cave formations are entirely scarred and chiseled with a variety of fishlike carvings. In the center of the cavern stands a huge stalagmite, over 5 feet in circumference, with its crown shorn off. Carved into its exterior, dozens of eels coil up the stalagmite, their fanged mouths agape. Water trickles endlessly through the cavern, transported by slender channels carved into the surrounding formations. These empty into large stone basins near the back of the cavern that rest at the base of a statue of a thin human woman with bird wings and stringy hair. Her eyes and mouth are sewn shut with wire and her wrists, ankles, hips, wings, shoulders, and neck all bear horrible gashes. Piles of smooth black stones lie around the statue.

Six skum line the walls while a seventh presides over them near the altar. As the party descends into the chamber, the leader screams in slurred Common, "Be gone from my lady's realm!" He points his trident to Rando and says, "You will make a good sacrifice for the stones! You live for now-the rest of you die."

Initiative:

1. Lini, Rando, Tigger, Ceric, and Gregor
2. Skum

You guys are up!

Water is only ankle deep or so: difficult terrain.

1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Rando casts a spell creating 5 more Randos. They all speak in unison saying,"good luck sacrificing all six of us." All six Randos then make the same rude gesture at the Skum leader.

Rando cast shocking image, I will add a count on each post to indicate the current number of Randos.

6

Ceric will cast a fireball, using his lesser rod of metamagic daze to enhance the impact.

Fire damage for S4 and M2: 9d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 2, 4, 6, 1, 6, 6, 4) = 36 Reflex save DC 20 for half damage, if the reflex save is failed also dazed for 3 rounds

"We don't take kindly that kind of talk."

Ref: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Ref: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Rando offers more sacrifices to their foul god and Ceric blasts two of the skum with a fireball, although they crouch down and avoid much of the flame.

Initiative:

1. Lini, Rando, Tigger, Ceric, and Gregor
2. Skum

S4: 19 dmg
MT: 19 dmg

Gregor is up!

Gregor dimension hops next to Mogla Tor. "Peek-a-boo!" He asks Abadar to make his weapon a bane against Skums and swings away.

Power Attack: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (17) + 16 = 33
Damage: 1d8 + 14 + 4d6 ⇒ (3) + 14 + (6, 1, 6, 6) = 36

Herosim
Greater Bane
See Invisibility

Gregor hops across the room and takes a chunk out of the leading skum!

Lini summons an ice storm on the south side of the room!

bludgeoning: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 4) = 16
cold: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9

Two of the skum succumb to the force of the storm. She then sends her cat to slog through the water and attack the nearest fishman!

bite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 Hit!
damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
trip: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 Nope!

---

The first skum goes after Tigger!

trident: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

The others throw tridents at Gregor!

trident: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

trident: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

trident: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Mogla-Tor steps back and casts a spell, turning invisible.

Of course, he doesn't know that Gregor can see invisibility.

Initiative:

1. Lini, Rando, Tigger, Ceric, and Gregor
2. Skum

S1: 6 dmg
S4: 19 dmg
MT: 55 dmg

You guys are up!

Ceric mentally exchanges a color spray spell for a magic missile and enhances it with his lesser rod of metamagic daze when he sends 5 missles streaking towards 3 of the Skum

Force damage for S4: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 DC 18 Will save or dazed for 1 round (if he takes damage from the magic missile)
Force damage for S3: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 4) + 2 = 7 DC 18 Will save or dazed for 1 round (if he takes damage from the magic missile)
Force damage for S2: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 2) + 2 = 6 DC 18 Will save or dazed for 1 round (if he takes damage from the magic missile)

Rando fires off three rays of electrical energy at the Skum on the landing.

@S3: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
damage: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 1, 6) = 12

@S3: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
damage: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 5, 6) = 19

@S4: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
damage: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 6, 6) = 16

Gregor steps forward to greet Mogla Tor. "I see you!" He calls for Judgements of Sacred Destruction and Justice against the Skum leader.

Power Attack: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28
Damage: 1d8 + 17 + 4d6 ⇒ (5) + 17 + (1, 5, 1, 2) = 31

Power Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 17 + 4d6 ⇒ (2) + 17 + (1, 6, 3, 5) = 34

Herosim
Greater Bane
See Invisibility

Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Ceric and Rando quickly take down the four skum around the room. Gregor then finishes off the leader!

Out of combat!

The skum collected the demon-infused black stones in the aqueduct-filled stone basins beneath Sifkesh’s statue. There are more than 1,000 pounds of stones in the aqueduct.

The stalactite altar holds a fair amount of treasure. Atop the altar, the priest keeps a few ceremonial items, while submerged within the font rests a sizable cache of gems and gold, all offerings to Sifkesh. There is also a small, plain-looking wooden box carved into the shape of a scarab beetle. It has a small latch on the side, but regardless of any kind of attempts, the box simply will not open.

The ceremonial items include an obsidian ceremonial dagger (125 gp), a dark, red-veined marble chalice with a silver filigree of abyssal runes (320 gp), and a necklace of gold-plated shark teeth (270 gp). The font holds 3 pieces of malachite (11 gp each), jasper (20 gp), onyx (50 gp), blood stone (60 gp), pink pearl (90 gp), black coral (100 gp), white pearl (110 pg), and 400 gp from a variety of nations, some long extinct.

In the chamber you also find the corpse of Wyrn, the Pathfinder you were sent to find.

Gregor stands somberly before Wyrn's corpse. "Apologies lad." he offers. "We'll take it from here." Gregor mutters a few words of prayer. "Alright...we need to bring this boy home. Along with a half ton of rocks. Anyone have any ideas?"

"I have a handy haversack and we found that other one as well. I say we carry as much as we can and leave the rest."

"A box that won't open...odd"

Ceric will cast detect magic and take a look around the area.