GM Ietsuna's 4-07 Severing Ties (Core) (Inactive)

Game Master Ietsuna

Khargrom does not detect any traps in the area.

Kent follows the others to the next set of doors, and then opens the one on the right.

I have moved your token on the map Kent. Let me know if that isn't the place you wanted to go.

Kent looks inside the room. Crates of food, spare chairs, a table and a couple of beds are stacked here. This is a storeroom.

The stocky dwarf pulls open the door in front of him, axe in hand.

The room that Khargrom finds is similar to the one Kent sees on the other side of the hallway. Here again there are crates of food. There are no chairs but there are two tables and a bed also.

Wylka walks into the room that Khargrom opened. "Hmmm..." And begins to search the place for anything of interest.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Wylka walks out of the room and shakes his head. "Nothing. Didn't find anything useful or interesting."

The scholar follows along behind the scouts, his finger on the reloaded Bessie. As he goes he takes note of the religious iconography. "I think there may be a paper in how their cult has adapted this site.." he muses to himself.

Following along thoughtfully, "So do you think they all let themselves be cut up like those we saw earlier? What a terrrible religion." Looking back and forth, trying to find everyone, "Hey, let's not get too spread out. We need to stick together in case we get ambushed or something."

Kent moves around to the door to the north, and tries his luck with that one.

Wylka joins Kent as he investigates the door/room to the east.

Meirdrarel joins Kent as well. Ready to give assistance as to whatever is lying at the next room.

Khargrom sneaks through the large room and presses his back against a wall, peeking around the corner to prevent anyone sneaking up from that direction. He slows his breathing and listens for his allies as they open the door.

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Kent, Wylka and Meirdrarel look into the room. This room contains several mats and low beds. The walls of this room are deeply carved with jagged runic symbols. A small table sports a large brick of burning incense, but the incense’s heavy scent does not quite disguise an underlying sharp smell.

Khargrom looks around the corner and in to the large chanber. There is a door on the Eastern wall. It looks like a secret door but it is partially open.

With a shrug, Kent moves into the room, and gives it a once-over.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32.

nature: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
engineering: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15
local: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16
dungeoneering: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Khellek sniffs the air, wrinkling his face. "Carbauxite gas.... deadly in large quantities. We should be careful... I wonder if it comes from the nearby Gas Forge."

Wylka wrinkles his nose at the acidic smell of the gas. "Seems there might be a leak in the Forge. Perhaps we can enlarge the leak so the place could be filled with the poisonous gas."

Letting Kent enter the room to search it, Wylka stands back to keep an eye on him incase he needs rescuing.

"Remember, we don't want to actually kill the cultists... but if we made a note with instructions and a map to this location.... and something that indicated this was part of an Aspis plan... That might be helpful."

Kent shares the prayer bead that he found, as well as the crack in the wall leaking the gas.

"Agreed. I still think flooding this place with harbor water is our best bet."

He then moves on to the next area.

Wylka looks at the prayer bead that Kent founds by casting detect magic and studying it.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Celewen just follows along, trying to keep up and marvelling at how many different ways we could find to ruin this hideout. His thoughts lead in two paths. 1) Can we do of those things and not get ourselves killed? 2) Man, those guys picked a crappy place to make a hideout!

Note to self... When creating psycho cult, secure a good hideout first!

Ok, where are we at everyone?

Khellek advances on the pipes and makes an obvious, but totally ineffective, attempt to sabotage it.

That is, it should look like someone tried to let the gas in, but should not actually be effective

engineering, take ten: 10 + 13 = 23.

"I've already left my badge behind, can someone else give me their badge to leave here?"

Wylka tosses Khellek his badge before moving up to the northern chamber where they haven't explored yet.

The centerpiece of this stark stone chamber is a low stone dais with a stone statue standing upon it. A black sheet painted with a seven-pointed rune hangs before the southern exit. The western exit is a set of doors consisting of iron bars an inch in diameter and six inches apart, like those of a cage.

More map revealed

Khellek looks thorugh the door, trying to identify who the statue might be of, and what the rune might signify.

Cultists of the goddess of runes, means likely it will be here, but let us not go jumping to conclusions..

Khellek will take ten on any relevant skill checks (take tens are in a spoiler in my header)

"I would suggest we avoid that room. The statue is a guardian golem, and the rune the symbol of Lissala. I suspect that is a battle beyond our abilities."

Did we spot that other secret door on the map?

Yes, you spotted it. A section of the wall sits ajar. The door is damaged and wont close fully. It was alluded to in the room description, but that was a while ago.

"I recommend we investigate that other door and see if there is more that can be discovered there. If necessary we can come back. I am sure that destroying that golem would really annoy the cultists... if we were able to. They are immune to tricks of the mind, and most things that attack the body - apart from physical damage. I confess I will be little aid in such a battle."

Taking the purify wand from the sewer water room does not count as sabatoge? We need to make sure we remember to flood the place on the way out.

The little halfling is just following along, trying to help with searches and stuff. He waits to see if our rogue finds any traps on the secret door. He casts Guidance on him before he checks.

Celewen is a Guidance pusher. If you are about to make a skill check (outside of combat), just say 'and I get guidance from Celewen' and add yourself a +1 on the roll. Most of the time in pbp, there is no chance for me to interject... wait! I cast guidance so you'll have to say you are asking for it. This little cleric is always looking for a chance to cast it and will be very happy any time anyone asks for it.

"I guess we can check to see what is beyond the jarred door but we will probably need to come back. Why have a guardian if there is nothing important to guard."

As the group finishes their search in the gas room, Khargrom moves up and checks the 'secret' door for traps. If none discovered, he will open it and move through, motioning for his allies to follow.

Perception (Traps): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 +2 stonework

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Khargrom finds no traps in the "secret door". The secret door in this room is partially jammed and so is quite obvious; it can be pulled open with minimal effort. This door leads to a short, narrow hallway with metal stairs. These stairs used to be a secret passage to the street, but the street was graded and re-cobbled years ago, blocking access from this way. It could possibly be re-opened with enough force.

Khargrom comes back down after pushing a few times against the other end, "eh, looks like it's just an old exit. Could prolly be forced if we needed to but I'm guessing jest leads out to the street."

He glances around the corner towards the guardian, "anyone know how to get past one o' them things?" He thinks for a second then adds, "how do the cultists get past em if they ain't got a mind?"

Kent shrugs.

"I would presume some sort of visual trigger - perhaps the cult's symbol?"

"I'll step into the room and see if it activates. Then maybe draw it toward us so we can surround it if it does activate."

Wylka steps into the room and sees what the stone golem does.

"Something similar to the glyph we saw earlier perhaps?" muses Khellek.

"If we go back to the room the cultists were enjoying themselves in we might find a token...if they use one. But it might be just a sign or a word... or a rune."

The golem activates as Wylka enters the room.

Combat Round 1 - Bold May Act

Meirdrarel
Kent
Wylka
Golem
Khargrom
Khellek
Celewen

Wylka begins to chant as a his body starts to glow with divine energy.

Cast Shield of Faith: +2 to AC
New AC 18.

"Hey Meirdrarel, we got a problem up here!" Assuming he really is way back where is icon is right now

You sort of spread out while you were investigating.

Players. I am going to apologize now. The golem should not have activated. I made a mistake and it should have remained innert. We are out of combat. Golem stands on its plinth. Wylka, take back your Shield of Faith.

Standing in the room, Wylka looks at the golem. "It is not moving. Should we try to sneak by the golem to the door to the west.?"

Khellek checks that Bessie is armed and ready.

"I can't say I am keen on it but I see little alternative"

Did we recall seeing anything on the cultists or their clothes that might be common and thus an indicator that they should not be attacked?

They are all cultists of Lisalla. All wear her symbol. They all wear robes and presumably all have the same wounds inflicted by the specialists.

"Before we go through, I suggest we don the cultists robes and put on her symbols. To further our disguise..."

I'll say that you found enough robes and symbols between the room with the skin flaying and the store rooms.