GM Endless Forms' PFS 04-02 In Wrath's Shadow (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

Maaarv shudders a bit at the scenes depicted on the walls of the chamber. "Well that's not something I'd care to see every day. Coupling this with that rigged statue upstairs, whatever cult built this temple seems keen on self-mutilation...pointless, if you ask me."

He nudges himself towards the opening in the wall and takes a peek out, hoping to help spot anything interesting.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

"Not nice. No." Ackuda says, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He stays back from the opening for now, but reaches forward and taps Yanos on the shoulder while casting a spell.

Cast Guidance on Yanos

Yep. It be dark.

Yanos steps out into the hallway, finding it deserted. It seems to be devoid of any features or artwork.

"What do ya see, holy man?"

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Vasilios sneaks forward and peaks around the corner with his darkvision. He has a spiffy new belt on and spear in hand.

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Sure is dark, give a second before we announce our arrival with light.

Vasilios now has an 18 str, and the extra confidence that goes with that may be deadly...

I wouldn't worry about it. Mostly because I would take your stuff if you died.

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"Looks to be just a hallway. Shorter to the left, and a bit longer to the right, but both seem to have corners I can't see past, and it looks like another statue just to the left (north)."[/b] <plus GM description>

Ackuda mutters under his breath and waves his hand, causing four glowing lights to appear and float around the Pathfinders, throwing a soft blue light.

Vasilios peaks around the corner. To the north, on a raised platform, stand leathery brown statues of withered and emaciated humans poised as though attentively observing passersby. The statues have a grim, realistic appearance, and each one is flayed and modified in a unique way.

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 Quick inspection of the statue.

Nothing of note other than being disgusting.

Barlor advances to take a peek. "Statues huh? This thins are never as simple as they make ya think."

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Yanos advances into the next room:

The wall decorations of cultists engaged in horrific rituals continue into this large chamber. Ages-old blood stains the floor and walls in dusty flakes. A mosaic similar to the one in the temple above covers the floor, partially obscured by dozens of naked corpses scattered across the floor.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
Heal: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
&
Heal: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

As I advance, (I assume I'm moving with the group, not walking off alone), I'll pause, an do a double take at the wall of statues. A look of horror crosses my face as I realize exactly what they are, and then debate if I should mention it, unsure if such evil should be known.

"These are people. Or where people. They where left here in torment, to die, and somehow age turned them to rock. They are not statues. Well, sort of. Who would do that?!" After we are done down here, if we have time, I'd like to come back and try to properly burry these guys.

Offering a quick rite, I'll move on to the next horror. Are there actual bodies on the floor, or is the mural obscured by pictures of them? I'm thinking the former, but just wanted to be clear.

"Someone removed many long patches of their flesh." Although it's much more of a spiritual and emotional pain, it seem to present with physical symptoms, (like crying from happiness), "I think I might be sick. . .", clutching his chest with a saddened expression on his face.

Ackuda follows behind, tentatively directing his lights into corners and examining the statues.

Heal 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Heal 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

"This is a charnel house of horrors..." Ackuda mutters, covering his mouth with his sleeve.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Heal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Maaarv starts to get a close look at the wall decorations, but becomes distracted by the bodies on the floor. "By Caden's mug! Strips of flesh have been taken from these bodies!"

The hallways has the "statues". In the next room I believe they are actual bodies littering the floor, with the Sihedron mural on the floor beneath them.

Gentlemen, let us keep our composure and move forward. We can return to bury the dead soon, but before we touch them the archeologists may want to make notes. Gruesome it may be, but history none the less. Come, leave them be and let us continue.

Preform oratory to motivate the group
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

"This creepy feller's probably right." Barlor announces as he grips his buckler and club defensively. "Strange parts we're walkin' in."

Is there any way to identify the age of the corpses or perhaps identities?

I believe they are quite old but preserved with magic so it would be difficult to tell exactly.

Behind the broken-down wall, a cave is revealed. Suspended upside down from above—thin, spiked wire cruelly wrapped around them from ankle to neck—are many brutalized corpses similar to those in the previous chambers. As air eddies out from the cave, carrying with it an unsettling odor of ancient decay, the dangling mummified faces, three feet off the floor, stare back.

The wire-bound corpses hang by chains suspended on hooks fixed in the cave ceiling 40 feet overhead. In order to penetrate deeper into the cave, a character must crouch beneath or push aside these veritable curtains of dusty cadavers.

The corpses twist and swing when disturbed—the wire and preservation magic keeping their brittle body parts from coming loose. When you reach the southeast wall of the cave, you find a ladder made up of iron rungs affixed to the rocky face. It descends 15 feet to the platform and ledge below.

perception check with darkvision: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

checks out the ladder and the hole it leads to.

The ledge (and tunnel) continues around a corner but you cannot tell where it leads to.

Maaarv shivers a bit at the sight of more preserved bodies. "What kind of a people would do this?" He shakes his head in disbelief as he ponders the cruelty on display.

As he follows Vasilios, he curses himself for not picking up a wayfinder - the veritable calling card of a Pathfinder.

When everyone assembles at the top ledge Vasilios will use the ladder on the way down. If at any time he feels the ladder is unsafe or becomes creepy he will tumble off of it.

Into the never and all that good stuff...

Ugh... They should call the STR belt the belt of false confidence... Ok me DM hit me with the trap...

I hope you have feather fall

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Ackuda hangs back while Vasilios tries the ladder. "Does anyone have a rope. Just in case?" he says. While the others consider, he casts a spell on Vasilios.

Cast Guidance on Vasilios

Surprise Round!

Yanos, Barlor, and Maaarv can take a move or standard!

I cannot access the map at this time.

Maaarv instinctively grabs his extract of shield from his bandolier.

"I hear something." and cast Bull's Strength on Barlor (+4 Str, 6 mins).

I'll go ahead and update because I don't think there's anything Barlor can really do:

There is a cacophonous eruption of angry voices shouting hateful curses in Thassilonian, calling for the blood of the living.

Vasilios needs to make a DC 14 Will save or be cursed for -4 on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks.

Sorry, been on my phone with no map access

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No problem. I didn't think you'd have anything to do against the haunt anyways. Even if you had holy water you would have needed a move to pull it out and that's all you get in the surprise round. I thought Yanos might have channeled but other than that it's really hard to do anything about haunts except let them occur.

Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13 I get an extra +2 vs mind affecting (so 15 if mind affecting)

The voices of the dammed!

Not mind affecting (bestow curse), so that'll fail.

Are you continuing to head in? Or is anyone else heading down?

I didn't realize we were fighting a haunt. Normally you get a Perception check for a special trigger and a Know Religion check to identify it as a haunt (undeadish creature). Not complaining or anything. The way they wrote Haunts is kind of difficult to piece together as they put info sort of all over the place, and in retrospect, I am surprised this place isn't filled with them. I can (I think) Dispel Magic on the Bestow Curse. It should also be Necromancy, so Vas might get a Dhampir bonus for that? And I'll go ahead and enter, looking for any clue on how to set the mob to true rest.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Are we still in initiative?

Thanks for the looking out Yanos! But unfortunately Vas has no more bonuses to try and scrap from.

I thought with haunts you get the above checks Yanos mentioned. Then have to beat the haunts init and do enough damage with positive damage/holy water to kill it outright or it takes effect.

You do. I rolled Perception for everyone and Yanos, Barlor, and Maaarv were the only ones to notice, which is why they got the spoiler about hearing the mob. Everyone beat it on initiative but those three were the only ones to act. I guess I should have put a KN (religion) check up to realize it was a haunt but you probably wouldn't have been able to do enough damage anyways.

The problem with doing damage with holy water is that you have to already have it in hand because it's a move action to pull out and then that's all you can do in a surprise round. So really Yanos was the only one who could have done much.

We're no longer in initiative. The reset is substantial enough to get in and out before it hits again.

The curse bestowed by this spell cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell.

Oh no prob I cast wish then ;-)

Question: isn't Wish one of those PFS illegal spells? And they have the nerve to write it in a scenario, calling shenanigans on this one.

PCs are not allowed to learn wish but there are lots of spells that can only be gotten of with wish so you have to pay for spellcasting service.

So are you guys going any further down this tunnel/ledge?

Oh no prob I cast wish then ;-)

Question: isn't Wish one of those PFS illegal spells? And they have the nerve to write it in a scenario, calling shenanigans on this one.

It's part of Bestow Curse (linky) specifically. Wish is not normally allowed in PFS. But like I said, I'll Merry Christmas buy the Remove Curse for you once we are back in town. Or we could head back there now and get it if you would like.

Since the bodies seem t have something to do with the Haunt, I'll go ahead and remove them from the chains, and lay them to rest hastily. From there, I'll glance around the room and in the pit to see if there are any more statues with odd masks or belts and a quick Detect Magic.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Yanos, at your level you could just prepare that spell tomorrow couldn't you?

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I could, but I'm not sure if that would be allowed or not. :)

Stuck at my in-laws' house with an ancient computer that crashes whenever I've tried to install Chrome, so I cannot see the map.

Maaarv places the extract of shield back in his bandolier and removes his extract of keen senses and drinks it, giving him better low-light vision and more able to spot things.

He climbs down the ladder and takes a careful look around.

Perception+Keen Senses: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 9 + 2 = 25

Perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Maaarv and Vasilios see a very narrow ledge (Acrobatics required) that continues around the corner.

Yanos works at removing the bodies from the chains but does not see anything else of note in this part of the room.

@Yanos: you can absolutely do that. At high enough levels you can even prepare Raise Dead and Restoration, etc on the next day and raise your fallen companions (paying the spell component costs, of course-cheaper than spellcasting services).

acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

So a -4 to this? (16)?

Yep, -4 because of your curse.

Vasilios carefully makes his way across the ledge, almost falling at one point but catching himself.

Set in this cavernous grotto is a statue carved from dark stone depicting a frightening demonic creature tearing a human apart. Tentacles wrap around the figure and others wriggle outward. Each tentacle terminates in a claw, talon, pincer, or other wicked appendage meant to inflict pain. Its circular maw contains rings of jagged teeth which grip an oddly shaped piece of black metal, its surface etched with symbols.

The black metal appears to be the right cheek guard of the acrimony veil, secured to the statue by a strip of leather.

Maaarv calls out, "What'd you find in there, Vasilios?" He follows after the dhampir.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

And finds himself surprisingly light on his feet. He takes a peek at the statue. "Well, this creature doesn't quite shock as much as it might had we not already passed by a number of dead bodies propped up as statues."

Maaarv moves in closer to the statue and does his best to gingerly remove the piece of the acrimony veil from the statue's maw.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

"You best be careful over there. Don't be stickin yer hands places you can't get em back out of." Barlor advises as he stays on the safe side.

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