Emmett and Tori storm through the waterfall, closely followed by Scratcher. Xasay follows but has trouble keeping up while Grisaia first casts a spell. Loudwing lingers near Grisaia, apparently it does not want to get wet.
Behind the waterfall a cracked landing of laid stone spreads before a pair of great stone doors. Vines and other plants grow over much of the waterfall-soaked granite that forms the walls and ceiling of this hidden entrance.
The doors, set about ten feet into the cliff face, are covered with runes and depictions of powerful one-eyed warriors and robed spellcasters fighting serpentfolk. Each side of the landing bears an alcove with a ten-foot-tall, chiseled humanoid statue with a single great eye, standing vigil. Piles of weeds and vines lie at the base of the doors and both statues, apparently recently cut or pulled from the rock. The floor of the stone landing is covered in mud and rocks. There are no visible windows or other entrances other than the main doors.
Scorching rays shoot from the eyes of the humanoids, one towards Tori and the other towards Emmett! Both easily hit.
|AC 20, T 13, FF 18|HP: 45/45|F +2, R +8, W +4 (+1 vs water/cold, +2 vs shadow, +3 vs poison, +4 vs fear/drain/death/Necr)|Init +2, Perc +4|CMB +6 CMD 18|23/23 Perform, 3/3 Speaker, 3/3 Phantasm, 1/1 comic relief
Xasay's eyes widen momentarily at the sudden assault on his companions, then narrow as he tries to better understand what they're up against in these....
detect magic/Spellcraft to identify statues as magic items?:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
The statues are obviously magical, as are the doors. Both radiate evocation magic. Xasay concentrates for 20 seconds on the statues and can tell you that they are able of shooting scorching rays...
Emmett steps to the side to avoid another blast, and uses his wand of healing on himself. Then he realizes he doesn't know how. "Somone want to give me a hand?"
The doors are covered with runes and you see no lock. Loudwing is perched on Grisaia's shoulder and shakes the water droplets from it's feathers. "Loudwing hates water!" it screeches.
Alphabetically from character page, skipping the GM ;-) Who gets the first one?:1d5 ⇒ 4Tori Who gets the second one?:1d5 ⇒ 3Scratcher Touch Tori:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30 Damage:4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 6, 4) = 16
Confirm that first one:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27 Damage:4d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 5, 4) = 14
"Loudwing is smart!" it repeats while it seems that Grisaia's concerns are justified! Two more firebeams shoot from the eyes of the statues. The first one hits Tori and sets her on fire while the second one burns Scratcher, it takes a moment to put out the flames, but then everything is silent again.
Just get Loudwing to sing those notes please with a handle animal check ;-)
Status
Tori: -47 hp
Scratcher: -16 hp
Others are fine
Together the pathfinders coax Loadwing into singing three beautifull notes. The doors vibrate and slowly start to open. The entry hall stands open. Its carved stone ceiling is twenty feet high. A cyclopean marble statue stands on the left side of the hall, and a pile of rubble lies opposite it. Just past the statue, shadows envelop the hallway in absolute darkness. Just natural darkness since there is no light
The walls depict religious rituals performed by giants with a single eye in the center of their foreheads and battles between the giantfolk and serpentlike humanoids.
At the end of the hallway a stone monolith lies shattered in this diamond-shaped alcove, reduced to large chunks of rubble. The larger fragments resemble the pylon standing outside the waterfall, though they bear different inscriptions. The withered body of a giant lies face down amid the wreckage.
Linguistics DC 15:
The runes (in ancient Cyclops) detail the rise and fall of various chiefs and the establishment of cyclops enclaves across the pre-Earthfall region that later became the Shackles. The carvings include scenes of ritual blood sacrifice and a great war against the serpentfolk and reveal that this complex served as a center of guidance and divination.
This is a second check
Linguistics DC 25:
The runes carved into this obelisk name the facility (in ancient Cyclops) as Ghoral-Rey and welcome visitors so long as they acknowledge the superiority of the Ghol-Gani. The lower half tells the tale of various shamans and seers who managed the place before it was abandoned after Earthfall.
|AC 20, T 13, FF 18|HP: 45/45|F +2, R +8, W +4 (+1 vs water/cold, +2 vs shadow, +3 vs poison, +4 vs fear/drain/death/Necr)|Init +2, Perc +4|CMB +6 CMD 18|23/23 Perform, 3/3 Speaker, 3/3 Phantasm, 1/1 comic relief
Xasay momentarily flinches at Tori's Ioun torch, but his eyes rapidly widen again as he moves forward to investigate.
Linguistics DC 15:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
"This is ancient Cyclops," He gasps as he looks over the runes covering the walls. "'Yea, did Chief Goth'rik the Pure fall before the treachery of Ezzegar the Wise, thus did Ezzegar become Chief...K'yok the Two-Lobed challenged Ezzegar's wisdom, for his auguries could not foresee the famine, but K'yok boasted that he foresaw it by sight of mind alone...and lo, K'yok was vindicated time and again, so the elders made him Chief, though they did gnash their teeth to do so...the seat was passed to Ekkaka the Five-Lobed who wished it not, nor even his fellows' company, thus ended the House of K'yok, and Guro the Soldier became Chief...at last the House of Guro ended in much flame and hatred, and the people gnashed their teeth in blindness to what had become of them...ever more did boats set sail in search of glories lost and never-seen'...you get the idea. This all sounds like this happened before Earthfall." Xasay also points out the battle frescoes depicting a great war with serpentfolk, and the stylized depictions of the ritual blood sacrifice used in Cyclopean divination rites. "I think that's what this place was for," He adds.
Linguistics DC 25:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
"I...don't understand this one. It's speaking in an entirely different...tense? Declension? I simply do not know."
F Human (Varisian) Fighter 7 - HP 59/60 - AC 21/T: 16/FF: 16 - Perception +1 - Fort: +7, Ref: +8, Will: +4 (+2 vs. fear) - CMB: +9, CMD: 24 - Speed: 30 - Init. +7 - Sense Motive: +1
"That sounds like stuff we'll need to record, but first where did that backstabbing captain go?" Tori says with some irritation, perhaps still angry about getting two fire bolts to the face. She looks around for any signs of passage, but if she finds none she'll lead the group to the right.
M Human Snakebite Striker 2/Warpriest 4 HP 54/54 AC: 24 T: 13 FF: 21 F/R/W: +10/+8/+7 Init: +3 Perception: +11 Blessings 5/5
So as a heads up to all, apparently Handle Animal can be done untrained; the trained only refers to teaching a trick and some special actions. So for next time :P
Scratcher heals his wounds as he follows the party in.
F Half-orc Cleric9 HP 66/66 AC:17/TC:10/FF:17 Perc +5 F +12 R +7 W +15 CMB +9 CMD 19 Spd 30ft Init +8 Channels 6/6 Active Buffs: None
Yeah, I was trying to avoid a "well actually" on the Handle Animal bit, since our rolls weren't making any difference anyway.
Grisaia moves forward down the hall. "I think we need to see what the intersection brings before deciding which way to go." she opines. "But I am partial to left for no real reason."
Tori looks for tracks but besides the withered body of the face down giant she does not find anything. You look into both the left and the right corridor and see they double back towards the entrance. You would need to enter the corridor to find out what is there...
The hallway opens into a chamber with two diamondshaped alcoves. Stairs leads to a smaller room in the back of the chamber containing a stone table without chairs. The northwest and southeast walls each hold an alcove. The northwestern one contains a towering giant, wrapped in filthy, rune-covered strips of bloody linnen. The fact that it is still there must mean that it is trully dead, right...
... wrong! The towering giant charges towards Scratcher and rakes him with a giant claw!
Initiative
Emmet
Grisaia
Scratcher -25hp and fort save vs disease
Tori
- - -
Cyclops
- - -
Xasay
Emmett's first shot hits the giant, but his second shot is a miss. Tori also manages to hit with one shot while Grisaia's slash does not connect. It is obvious that both Emmett's bullet and Tori's arrow don't do as much damage as expected.
Initiative
Scratcher -25hp and fort save vs disease
- - -
Cyclops -17hp
- - -
Xasay
Emmet
Grisaia
Tori
Thanks Emmett! I ignored that it was touch, but it still did not penetrate DR
Although Emmett's second shot missed the giant it hits the wall, richochets of towards the other wall and then hits the giant as Desna seems to provide some luck! Unfortunately for the pathfinders the giant does not seem to care.
Scratcher's second hit manages to penetrate the giant's though skin although it does not seem to do as much damage as he expected. The cyclops tries to bite and claw him, but it fails to hit the nimble human. Frustrated it then lashes out at Grisaia, catching her off-guard!
Initiative
Scratcher -25hp, diseased
Xasay
Emmet
Grisaia -21 hp, fort save vs disease
Tori
- - -
Cyclops -23 hp
- - -
|AC 20, T 13, FF 18|HP: 45/45|F +2, R +8, W +4 (+1 vs water/cold, +2 vs shadow, +3 vs poison, +4 vs fear/drain/death/Necr)|Init +2, Perc +4|CMB +6 CMD 18|23/23 Perform, 3/3 Speaker, 3/3 Phantasm, 1/1 comic relief
The cyclops is a Gholdako, a dreadful undead cyclops created by the foul priests and necromancers of a fallen cyclops empire thousands of years ago. You know one thing about it
The shadowy hyena sinks it teeth in one of the many wrappings of the Gholdako, but does not manage to hurt it. Emmett tries other cartridges, but the cyclops is also not really hurt by these. Tori's nocks two arrows at once and hits with both!
Initiative
Scratcher -25hp, diseased
Grisaia -21 hp, fort save vs disease
- - -
Cyclops -49 hp
- - -
Xasay
Emmet
Tori
F Half-orc Cleric9 HP 66/66 AC:17/TC:10/FF:17 Perc +5 F +12 R +7 W +15 CMB +9 CMD 19 Spd 30ft Init +8 Channels 6/6 Active Buffs: None
Fort vs Disease:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31Should have used that for an attack. :( Knowledge Religion:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Realizing the party cannot withstand the abominations attacks for long, Grisaia thrusts forth her holy symbol. "Shelyn, lay this soul to rest!" she prays, unleashing positive energy to bring the undead down before it can do more damage.
Channel Energy:4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 6, 3) = 15DC15 Will for half.
|AC 20, T 13, FF 18|HP: 45/45|F +2, R +8, W +4 (+1 vs water/cold, +2 vs shadow, +3 vs poison, +4 vs fear/drain/death/Necr)|Init +2, Perc +4|CMB +6 CMD 18|23/23 Perform, 3/3 Speaker, 3/3 Phantasm, 1/1 comic relief
It's boring, but: Defenses? If 11 damage doesn't get through...or are you just saying it connected but didn't penetrate natural armor?
Xasay remembers that Gholdako are made with resistance to channeling and also can shrug of a part of all attacks except those made with holy weapons DR 5/good
|AC 20, T 13, FF 18|HP: 45/45|F +2, R +8, W +4 (+1 vs water/cold, +2 vs shadow, +3 vs poison, +4 vs fear/drain/death/Necr)|Init +2, Perc +4|CMB +6 CMD 18|23/23 Perform, 3/3 Speaker, 3/3 Phantasm, 1/1 comic relief
The Scratcher wrote:
I would do something with that knowledge, but gotta hear it first. So until then...
