GM Fyren's WotW Brimstone

Game Master Fyren

"That's an excellent idea, Izabelle," says Felrin, nodding appreciatively. "I am not as practiced in the worship of the Dark Prince as Numair, but I would like to try."

He kneels before the blank plaque, lowering his forehead to the floor for some moments. He then lifts his head and raises the flaming star of Asmodeus before him in both hands, intoning a prayer of flattery and respect for his master, "Oh, Lord of Darkness, creator of the merciless order that rules the hells and will one day rule Talingarde and all lands, mighty tyrant of the souls of men, I humbly request your aid. We seek to pass the obstacle before us, and become your champions in the fight to add Talingarde to your vassal states, to make it your own Hell on earth. Provide us with the guidance to pass through this place safely, and we will soon offer you Talingarde as your prize."

Fyren - I did re-read that post, and was a bit worried about the low-hanging chains, but wasn't sure how else to read the 'abase yourself' bit. I like Izabelle's interpretation better, so I went with it.

"Hmm, interesting idea Izabelle. Felrin, may I borrow your blade."
With the borrowed blade Malum makes a small cut in his hand. He then smears the blood over the plaque.
"Blood for the master of contracts! Blood to reveal that which is hidden! Blood to bind those in his service!"

Malum looks at the blood smeared plaque obviously anticipating something to happen.

Twigs hesitantly kneels joins in the prayer. "Dear mister Prince-of-Lies sir. I'm er... right chuffed that yew chose this scallywag as yer 'umble servant, an' delivered us from certain butterin'... 's like I always says, I'm too pretty to 'ang... and may yew 'ave a butchers at our plight an' guide our way so we can quit arsin' about in this 'ere hallway."

Satisfied, Twigs dusts off his grubby hands, crosses himself in the Mitran fashion and pats himself on the back for a job well-done, staring expectantly at the blank plaque.

Oh Twigs, that was just golden.

Following the proceedings of the assorted prayers, Gil rolled his eyes. For all his lack of faith however, he kept his eyes upon the plaque, looking every bit as expectant as everyone else.

Oh Twigs, that was just golden.

What he said.

22 hours and 15 minutes left

Whether it's the prayer or the kneeling or Malum's blood on the plaque... *something* has an effect as Numair feels the hairs on the back of his neck faintly stand and writing appears on the previously blank plaque.

The group eagerly surges forward as one to reads the words which state Some battles are not meant to be won. Shed thy pride and pull thyself from the depths of despair. Have no regrets on treading the path not chosen.

Can we please have Giltharon pull on the lever now? :D

Izabelle nods contentedly, pleased by her own powers of deduction.

"Now, for the next part..." she says, tapping her chin.

Looking at the lever, Gil wondered out loud. "I wonder if maybe the lever opens the grates, and we have to go below floor level to get past the chains. The chains are likely enchanted to be dangerous in some way if we touch them. I've no doubt we wont like what is down there though."

"Well, if we're going to pull the lever, let's do it and get on with it. I don't have any other suggestions." Still, Numair will back up as far as he can ...

Twigs will dust off his grimy palms and give the lever a sharp yank.

22 hours and 10 minutes left

Sorry folks - short post just to keep everyone updated

After much stalling and hesitation, Twigs finally steps up to bat since no one else apparently wanted to... hehehe and gives the lever a sharp yank.........

Everyone waits with bated breath looking this way and that for something spectacular to happen... everyone's disappointed when apparently, nothing happens.

Felrin waits in anticipation for several long moments after Twigs pulls the lever, then lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. In frustration, he invokes the blessing of Asmodeus to protect himself, then strides down the hall, slowing when he reaches the hanging chains and trying to slip through them with as little disturbance as possible.

Cast resistance for +1 to saves, then move down the damn hallway.

As Twigs unexpectedly pulled the lever, Gils eyes flashed with alarm. When nothing happened, his brow furrowed into a disapproving scowl, the standard look for the half-elf whenever he dealt with the scrawny thief.

When Felrin headed straight for the chains, Gils eyes once more flashed alarm, although he did nothing but move into a position where he would be shielded from any consequences of Felrins actions. Then he watched, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Better you than me...since you volunteer."

Malum will watch Felrin move down the hallway. Then he will follow. Malum will attempt to avoid the majority of chains.

Cast virtue for +1 temp hp, then move down the hallway in Felrin's wake.

22 hours and 10 minutes left

Felrin invokes the blessing of Asmodeus to protect himself from unseen dangers and starts down the hallway...

Faced with hanging chains every 12 inches or so, he tries to carefully slip in between them with as little disruption as possible but his bulky bony body still nudges 1d4 ⇒ 2 chains slightly.

Sensing contact (or perhaps movement?), the two thick metal chains coil and writhe about for an instant before lashing out like angry snakes and encircling themselves around the offending tiefling.

I've ignored Malum's post since I'm sure he'd want to stop rather than follow Felrin down the hallway once he sees Felrin's predicament.

Felrin's eyes widen as he feels the chains drawing him in tight, trying to pull him in deeper into the dreaded hallway. Forcing himself to not panic, he stops his body from naturally flailing about preventing contact with the other chains in his vicinity. Just as he finishes taking stock of the situation and starts contemplating ways of escaping his bonds, there's a loud rumble that reverberates throughout the narrow hallway and the ceiling in the grated area along with all the other chains starts to lower down towards the ground...

Yeah the 'crushing defeat' bit didn't sound so good huh? Group is in combat mode. Felrin has about 4-5 rounds before the ceiling pulps his tiefling bones through the grated floor.

Felrin is currently grappled by two 'opponents' (chains).
Felrin will need a successful DC12 WILL Save every round to stop himself from panicking about his impending squishy fate. Failure equals no action for the round.
He's close enough (within 5 feet) that others do not need to go INTO the grated area... just be careful the other chains don't getcha if you're trying to assist ;)
Oh, and CMD for each chain is 20.

Sighing loudly and shaking his head, Gil moved forward, conjuring up a spell as he went. As he finished, a ghostly hand appeared, which went streaking towards Felrin and the chains. Maneuvering it inside the chain forest, Gil started to touch the unoccupied chains from directions away from Felrin, hoping to draw their attention and make them lash out in the wrong direction.

Casting Mage Hand and trying to distract nearby chains so Felrin doesn't manage to get more of them on him.

Interestingly enough, the chains don't react to the ghostly hand.

Malum stops as he observes Felrin getting 'wrapped' up in work. Malum will look at the chains and see if he can spot a weakness.

Profession (Slaver): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"Felrin, do not panic! Do not become grated tiefling!
Inspiring Words for Felrin, +2 to attack rolls/saves/skills/etc, it should help him get free and help him to avoid panicking. :)

As the chains grab him, Felrin instinctively and forcefully yanks one arm free, though it is not easy.

Break Grapple, Inspiring Words: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 2 = 22

As he braces himself to break free of the other chain that has hold of him, he happens to look up, only to see the ceiling moving closer somehow. He keeps calm, focusing on getting free of the chains, commenting to his friends, "Well, this wasn't the answer to the riddles, that's for sure."

Will save, Resistance, Inspiring Words: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 17

Humbled by the fact that his spells were mostly useless in a situation like this, and unable to think of anything else, Numair makes a meek suggestion to Twigs. "Maybe try pulling the lever again?"

If im reading the Grapple rules correctly, Felrin is now free of both enemies. Every enemy past the first simply performs Aid Another actions, granting the first creature a stacking +2 bonus. So really, Felrin only needs to beat the chains CMD +2 from one assist, which he just barely manages to do here! :D

This is assuming im reading it right.

Who said anything about playing by the rules? Thought we were here for a good story... ;)

Someone needs a refresher on rule 6 here me thinks...
Ok, we'll go with the smarmy half-elf's interpretations of the rules and I'll also point out at the same time that Felrin should have made his WILL save roll *before* his action roll to see if he even gets an action...

Sooooo, switching the results around, Felrin passes his Will save with a 15 + modifiers and fails his break grapple with a roll of 8 + modifiers.

...End result ends up being the same - Felrin is still grappled but now needs to beat one CMD 22 to be free in subsequent rounds (with the will save rolled before action since... well... rules are rules...) ;)

Hmmm... maybe this *is* more fun that giving you folks a break every once in a while! lol I'll try and adapt my GM'ing ways to better suit the group's play moving forward.

That's an interesting point, Gil. I have commented elsewhere that I never expect to fully understand the grapple rules in PF, and that is playing out nicely here. But your read on it makes sense to me.

Fyren - if you agree with Gil, and Felrin is thus no longer grappled, he'll move away from the chains and back towards his devoted companions.

The re-ordering of rolls works for me, I was posting in a hurry. Let me know when my turn comes around again...

Playing by the rules is assumed unless otherwise mentioned. If the DM says "this is how this works in this encounter" or "this is how it works all the time" Ive got no objections. But you cant fault me for working with the established rules set without notice to the contrary.

I made my comment before any GM post, because Felrin didnt post about moving away. I mentioned it more for his sake than to "be a rules lawyering dick"

"Hold fast, Felrin!" Izabelle calls out to entangled tiefling, before calling down a blessing upon him.

Cast Guidance on Felrin

She whips her head back to the rogue on the other side. "Twigs, you heard the wizard!"

"R-right! Yew got it!" Twigs says, giving the lever a yank.

The lever holds fast and doesn't budge.

I think everyone's posted actions for Rnd 1 so we'll progress to...

Round 2

The ceiling continues to lower through the entire hallway. Felrin estimates he's got under half a minute left in this world before getting to know Asmodeus on another plane.

Felrin needs another WILL Save - DC12
CMD on his grapple is 22
Go ahead with your moves/actions for Rnd 2. No one wants to stick their neck out and help the brave but impetuous tiefling?

"Damnations! Well that didn't work!" Gil thought with anger boiling behind the façade of his calm face. Rushing down the hallway, he pulled his rapier, swinging at the chains in an attempt to free Felrin.

Aid Another: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Felrin easily manages to keep his head in spite of the lowering ceiling, but still fails to extricate himself from the grasping chains.

Will save, Inspired, Resistance: 1d20 + 6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 2 + 1 = 27

Break Grapple, Inspired, Guidance, Gil's Aid: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 16

"Damn. I thought as much..." The druidess swears under her breath. There was little time to be had.

She casts another brief blessing on him. Guidance.

Edit: Removed a big spiel.

Malum bows his head in prayer.

"'Some battles are not meant to be won. Shed thy pride and pull thyself from the depths of despair. Have no regrets on treading the path not chosen.' Felrin, Gil, see if you can remove the gratings on the floor! That may keep you from getting crushed and perhaps use the chains to cross the way!"

Since Twigs is the only one left to post, I'll let him post his Rnd 2 move/action (if any) consecutively once he catches up... everyone else is up to -

Rnd 3

Tiny beads of tiefling sweat appear on Felrin's brow. His muscles bulge and strain against the chains holding him fast. The ceiling is close to halfway down - almost touching the top of Felrin's head. His companions pray for guidance and offer hurried suggestions which seem fruitless.

Only the half-elf springs into action trying to help the bound tiefling. He manages to force a few links of the chain apart by yanking on them with his rapier but the rest keep coiling around Felrin.

Go ahead w/ Rnd 3 posts - Twigs can post for Rnd 2 AND 3. Anyone trying the grating thing suggested by Numair needs to roll STR checks. If aiding another, please specify whether you're aiding trying to free Gil or grating or something else.

Perception (search): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Perception (search): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Twigs, unwilling to put his own skin on the line, frantically scans the room for a way to jam the mechanism, his fear keeping his legs firmly rooted to the ground.

Bah, rolls like these I couldnt even aid another.

Felrin steels himself for what he is about to do, then takes a rapid step forward, deeper into the jungle of grasping chains, and then just as rapidly jerks backwards, taking advantage of the instant of slack created by his movement. He manages to break free of the chains, stumbling wildly backward toward his companions and grasping the brick-cluttered door frame for balance as he reaches them. He takes a couple of calming breaths and says, "Well, that wasn't the answer to the riddle. Thank you all for working to get me out of there, in your various ways. Now what?"

Will save, Inspired, Resistance: 1d20 + 6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 2 + 1 = 22

Break Grapple, Inspired, Guidance: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 23

"Thats quite the idea Numair, likely the solution too, but I do not intend to get anywhere near those chains with my head to try it!" Gil answered back, once more flashing his rapier forward in a bid to untie Felrin.

Aid another: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

22 hours and 10 minutes left

Combat Ends

Felrin stumbles backwards, free at last, slightly wide-eyed and panting. The ceiling continues to lower and within another few seconds all that remains in front of the group is a solid wall as the ceiling and the chains lower almost completely down to the ground.

There's a slight lurch as what used to be the ceiling comes to a halt mere inches above the grated floor - just enough room for the chains to not get crushed but rather coiled about on the floor. As Felrin looks on, thankful for his narrow escape, a shudder and mechanical groan reverberates through the hallway and the ceiling starts to rise up to its former position. Another half a minute and the hallway reverts to its original position... patiently waiting for the next unwary soul to try their luck.

There was a pause of around 10 seconds after the ceiling completely lowered before it rose up again.

With the trap reset, Gil edged towards its edge, eyeing the grating. "Well then, now that conditions are a bit more favorable, lets see about Numairs theory."

Crouching down, he carefully reached under the chains, probing and tugging at the grating, trying to dislodge it or find whatever screws or hinges were keeping it in place.

"Dat had us all at sixes, dinn'it?" Twigs says, pale-faced and trembling. "Glad yew's as slippery as yew is. I thought yew was buttered fer sure." he says, giving the tiefling a timid pat on the back before moving to help Giltharon, unravelling his thieves tools and placing his dagger between his teeth.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Gil carefully reaches under the chains and sticks his fingers down through the grating trying to lift it up. Twigs decides to make himself useful by lending a land...

Rolling STR for Gil and aid another for Twigs for the grating per my post #1235.
Gil's STR check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Twig' Aid Another: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

...and manages to get his fingers pinched in a groove. Giltharon strains trying to move the grating but the floor refuses to budge.

@Twigs - your natural 20 for DD while not applicable in this case does tell you that the grating is indeed movable and not a permanent fixture in the floor. Exerting enough raw muscle while avoiding contact w/ the chains should be enough to move the grating to see what horrors lie below...

D'oh. Don't suppose we can treat that 20 as a strength check instead? I wasn't sure which one to roll. If not...

Take 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Twigs, nursing his bruised fingers makes another attempt, letting out a yelp as he, once again, gets his fingers caught. "C'or blimey that smarts..."

Don't suppose its possible to take 10? :P

Having recovered his equilibrium a bit, Felrin decides to assist Gil and Twigs as they attempt to lift the grating. Keeping a very respectful distance from the chains, he curls his long, bony fingers into the openings on the edge of the grate and pulls, hoping to shift it and move it out of the way.

Str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14 There, I took 10, Twigs.

"Felrin, you got all the muscle, you dislodge it and we help you pull it free." Gil muttered, at once uncomfortable lying shoulder to shoulder with Felrin, but thankful he atleast didn't have to do so with Twigs.

So basically, assisting Felrin. Rolling a few assist rolls.

Aid Another 1: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Aid Another 2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Aid Another 3: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

22 hours and 5 mins left

With a concerted effort, the group ever so carefully dislodges a section of the grated floor and pulls the heavy metal grating out towards them, away from the chains.

Underneath lies what appears to be a small crawlspace - about 3 feet deep and five feet long. Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any way to access it without disrupting the chains (since they hang only 3 inches above the grating that is now removed).

As everyone silently pondered the problem of the chains, a better knowing, now familiar, smug smile spread across Gils face. Casting Mage Hand once more, he moved the magical member into the chains, slowly collecting a cluster of them in the clenched fist.

"The chains ignored the magical hand I conjured up before, they should allow it to push them out of the way that we may pass."

Queue angry scowl if it contrary to his expectation doesnt work.

Moving the chains with Mage Hand without triggering the effect works... but are you moving them out of the way to get into the crawlspace or to walk down the corridor? Because to move down the corridor and move all the chains out of the way would be rather difficult as you'd need to somehow manage to keep them out of the way (to keep them from swinging back into the group and touching someone when the hand lets them go) while grasping new ones up ahead to clear the way...

Oh heavens no :O I meant just to get into the crawlspace of doom :)

getting INTO the fun-happy crawlspace of non-doom using mage hand should be no problem at all.