GM Ladile's TL;DR: A Pathfinder Society Campaign

Game Master Lady Ladile

Zithembe examines what is left of the lair, turning the purple corpse over. He frowns as he rifles through the dhampir's possessions. He pulls out a pearl and stares at it for a long time. The sword he states at as well.

"Both if these are magical," the jade shabti informs the others. "The pearl will allow a wizard or priest to recall magics previously spent. The sword, I am not certain, but if you can wield it, it will likely be better than any mundane weapon."

He moves on to search the rest of the cave. He pauses near the back. "The spirits of the stone speak." He pushes against the spongy section of the cave wall.

Ylva winces as she sits up and observes the aftermath fo the battle. Even with the healing, her wounds still throb, though at least it's a dull ache and not searing agony. She tries to stand, and only manages it with some help, though she's fast recovering.

"Which one of your fae tricksters made the room spin? I have a nail for you."

Know Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

A dead dhampir. Seems to be the one who make those skellies. He should have packed a mace, instead of that sword.

She spots something, but for once Zithembe is quicker to act.

Hey, I saw that one too!

Sori looks quizzically at Ylva as the Ulfen woman's hand moves slowly towards her beak. "Bok? B-"

What are you doing? What, wai-

Incredulous that Ylva would clamp her beak shut, Sori is just about to raise all heck... But then the stroking starts. Aahh, that's the spot. She's surprised to find herself rotating her head with Ylva's hand, then her right leg inexplicably starts stomping and waggling in the air.

Finally, as Ylva is getting helped to her feet, the rather embarrassed chicken hops off of her chest and start waddling back towards Tupp. "Buk buk bok."

Ahem! Right, yes... That was, umm, that was most improper...

"A dhampir?" Tupp screws up his face as he reads the note, "The poor guy was probably ostrich-sized because of fear and ignorance, and forced to live in a cave. But still... Raising an army of skeletons is never the answer!" He heads over to inspect the skeletons, probably innocent pilgrims like Uori, and gets an old, stained book from his pack. "Can you help me with this, Sylvak? I've never performed burial rights before... Something to undo the harm caused by being raised?" He asks the 'cleric' as he clutches the wooden symbol, a katana in front of the sun, hung around his neck.
___

Eventually, when he is finished dealing with what's left of the bodies, Tupp pulls out his healing wand and gives himself a couple of taps. "Wait... What are you all looking at over there?"

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

"Zithembe speaks truth, a touch of magic has blessed the weapon," Kiango further elaborates as he inspects the sword. "Theo, Sylvak, we all may draw the magic from within this pearl, yet only one can. If you wish, it is yours to keep."

Before moving to help Tupp with the burial process, the Samsaran takes his healing wand and writes out a word in the dirt with slightly larger spaces to separate the syllabi. "Forgive me, holy warrior, but I have a brief lesson for you, should you wish to receive it," he explains as he points to the dirt. "Mistakenly, you have compared that deceased to that of an ostrich. Perhaps of your farm? The word you may mean rests in dirt." In the dirt he has written "os-tra-cized."

"Many dead have I laid to rest beneath the heat of the jungle, enveloped in the earth. If you wish for help, I shall," he then offers the Halfling.
________
Spellcraft, DC 18: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 +1 longsword!
Just a note for above game, but I don't think there is anything in Golarion lore that says something happens to the soul of the corpse that was raised.

"A lesson?" Tupp's shoulders slump as Kiango starts writing in the dirt. "But haven't we got more important things to do first?" He asks with a groan. Fortunately, the lesson is short and simple. "Haha, I always thought that because ostriches are so big and grumpy, no one would want one in their home... You know, if someone was ostrich-sized, you'd want them gone before they broke all your vases." He looks down at the writing and smiles. "Os-tra-cized! I'll have to remember that. Thanks, Kiango!" He then looks back up at the nice samsaran with a wide, grateful smile and accepts his offer to help with the remains. "Yes please, I'm not really sure what I'm doing here."
____
I honestly have no idea re: the souls of raised corpses. Fortunately, Tupp knows even less about Golarion lore than I do, and any mistakes are completely in character. :)

”Thank you!” Sylvak answers with wide eyes and a broad smile as he accepts the pearl from Kiango.

”And, for what it’s worth, I like ‘ostrich-sized’ better...” he continues with a chuckle as he aids Tupp and Kiango in providing funerary rites, ”ostriches hide their heads in tiny caves and he was, or might have been, forced to hide in a cave- it seems fitting...”

While Ylva regains her bearings and Zithembe gives the cavern a very thorough investigation, Tupp, Kiango, and Sylvak discuss ostriches and the nature of souls as they prepare to give the fallen skeletons funeral rites. After a moment's pause, Theodric lends a hand to help as well.

"No matter what uses their bones were put to after death, they still deserve the dignity of a proper burial," he murmurs.

After a few minutes the skeletons are more or less reassembled and lying in a neat little row across the cavern floor. Words are offered up to the gods - perhaps Pharasma, Sarenrae, Shizuru - and then the bodies are covered up with loose rocks and boulders as best as you're able to manage.

Once the bones are taken care of, Zithembe and Hepsubia direct the group's attention to what at first appears to be an ordinary section of the cave's northern wall. When Zithembe pushes on it however, the rock slides away to reveal a hidden passage leading into darkness...
____________

Alrighty, so you've got this passageway you found and you've also got the other tunnel leading off from the main cavern that you haven't checked out yet. Which way next? Rule of Two is in effect!

"More to see. Perhaps only the tip of the ant hill?" Kiango thinks aloud as he stands near Zithembe, waiting to delve further.
________
Take us to the Underdark GM! (I vote new passage)

"A secret passage?" Tupp asks, moving up behind Zithembe and Hepsubia. "Oh, now, that's pretty neat! I mean, only the coolest hideouts have secret doors. We've got to check it out..." He hops up and down and ducks under legs for a better view.
____
Who can resist a secret passage? My vote is also for the passage. :)

"Perhaps we should inform Uori of the fate of his brethren before pressing on," Zithembe suggests.

"And see what those small lizard things he mentioned are about," Ylva adds as she stretches her arms.

"The lizards!" Tupp slams his palm onto his forehead. "I forgot about them." He glance back the way we entered and nods his head. "I guess we should do that first. The passage will still be here when we come back, but the cool lizards might run off."

Changing my vote if you don't mind. :)

First let's inform Uori, as gently as we could. Lizards and secret passage Don't matter that much.

Though curious about the secret passage, you decide that it might be best to at least first inform Uori about the presence of the necromancer and what became of some of his fellow pilgrims. You troop back the way you came and into the main cavern once more; upon noticing your presence Uori offers you a curious smile.

"Back so soon? Did you..." his voice trails off as he notices that Tupp and Ylva's clothing and armor now bear bloodstains. "Oh dear. What happened?"

"The walking dead!?" Uori's eyes widen with alarm once you've explained what happened in the small cavern. "I...had no idea that this necromancer was lurking in the caverns." The gillman sighs deeply and passes his hand over his eyes. "We have occasionally lost pilgrims who make the journey here but we often assume it was to the hazards of the road or the forests, not...not this." He looks up at the group, gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you for putting their bodies to rest at last and for ridding the caverns of this menace. There is little else that I can do to repay you for your efforts but my earlier offer remains - should you need to seek shelter, please return here."
____________

Strange lizards it is! Another post incoming, please stand by.

After taking a few more moments to collect yourselves you proceed forward once again, this time down the western tunnel. Unlike the tunnel that led to the necromancer's hideout, this tunnel has several smaller tunnels that branch from it; further investigation of these branches reveal paths that are either blocked by cave-ins, lead back to the main tunnel, or narrow to the point of being impassable. Whether this is sheer coincidence or the contrivance of some higher power to herd you along in one direction is unclear.

Between taking the time to check out the various tunnel branches as well as traverse the main path, it's several minutes before it finally opens up to another large cavern, lit by softly-glowing lichen on the walls. To your surprise, you see what seems to be a shallow river that bisects this cavern from north to south as well as a small passage exiting across the river and to the east. As you stare at the underground river in awe (or perhaps dread), movement can be seen on the opposite side. Two small, scaly-looking creatures are standing next to the eastern tunnel and appear to be engrossed in some sort of intense discussion.

"Wo bù zhīdào, Qipza...Ni zhēn de rènwéi Gheekrup zongjiān huì xihuān zhège dìfāng ma? Kàn qilái hen piàoliang..." one of them, dressed in dark red, asks in a dubious tone.

"Bùyào shazi, yáo lú! Dāngrán, qiúzhang huì xihuān tā - tā zhèng chuyú wú chù, you shui *zài zhèli*, hé you zhège meiwèi de zhēnjùn! Bù qù ài de zhongzhong!?" responds his companion, a rather excitable-sounding creature dressed in green.

So involved in their discussion are the two reptilian-like creatures that they don't seem to have noticed your arrival - yet.

Current Map!

Know Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
yeah, those are kobolds.

Her sword unsheated, Hepsubia moves quite silently toward the two kobolds. The point of her rapier near the jugular of the closest one, she speaks in their reptilian tongue

Bù qù ài de zhǒngzhǒng? Wǒ. Ér wǒ de bāngpài. Wǒ bùshì zài zhèlǐ bèi ài... Wǒ xiǎng nǐ zuì hǎo táopǎo, xiǎo jiāhuo, zhǎodào lìng yīgè dìfāng, chúfēi nǐ xiǎng ràng nǐ de shǒuxí Griepchuck shú huí, nǐ de bùluò sànluò.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Intimidate: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Tupp is staring at the underground river, suitably awed by the continued beauty of the cave, when Hepsubia gracefully and quietly squeezes past. "Whoa, woah..." He looks up and sees the two cool looking lizards having their friendly discussion and, unsurprisingly, has absolutely no idea what's happening. "Whoa!" He exclaims, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword as soon Hepsubia draws hers, and start following, not so silently, after the intimidating elf. "What are they saying? Are they planning an attack on Uori?"

Going to wait for Hepsubia's post to be resolved before posting.

As Hepsubia draws her rapier and creeps silently forward into the tunnel, both of the kobolds continue to chatter back and forth, oblivious to the stealthy elf's approach. Even as she carefully wades into the shallow river (very shallow actually, maybe a foot deep here if that) she draws no attention...until the point where she's very nearly upon Red and her foot slips slightly, making a splashing sound. Green turns to look and his eyes bug out of his head at the sight of the armed and armored elf. It's also about this time that Tupp and Sori come trundling forward into the cavern as well, making no effort to be quiet.

"Nǐ bùnéng dài zhèxiē dòngxué! Wǒmen xiān fāxiànle tāmen," Green stammers, clearly quite unnerved by Hepsubia's proximity and words but still trying to act tough.

Red gulps but adds, "Y-Y, shì a! Shénme péngyǒu? Zhǐyǒu nǐ hé xiǎo xī rén hé tā de sànbù xiǎochī!"

Tupp continues to scamper forwards, hand on the hilt of his sword and ready to give Hepsubia backup as the kobolds start acting tough. "Whatever Hep said, you guys should listen..." He yells, as he prepares himself to start wading through the water that seems a good deal less shallow than the relatively tall elf makes it look. "I think."

Ylva sees Hepsubia draw a weapon and dithers for a moment on what to do before trudging out as the elf makes herself known.

"What threat did they pose for you to bear your fangs," she asks as she wades across the stream and onto the other bank.

Knowledge (local), Take 10: 10 + 1 = 11

Zithembe follows Ylva into the cave, stopping before the underground river. He attempts to gauge the temperature of the situation, opting to draw the weighted blade from his belt.

"Kobolds can be excitable," he cautions the Ulfen.

Unwilling to get much closer once he catches sight of the stream, Kiango hugs the cavern wall. Water is everpresent in this place! While giving the stream part of his attention, he leaves it to the others to speak with the Kobolds.
________
Local, DC 10: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 Nailed it!

Theodric follows behind Zithembe and the others, poking his head out of the cavern to get a better view of the situation.

"My Draconic's a bit rusty but I believe they're trying to call 'dibs' on these tunnels and caverns for their tribe," he offers. "Hepsubia rather...sternly suggested they move on and find another place to call home."

Be careful, Tupp, theres a trap right in front of you.

The elf switches to Draconic, and talks to the kobolds once more.

See these guys? That's only a part of my gang. And there's only two of you. So do you understand it would be better for you to seek another place for your lil" chief? I'm pretty sure this isn't the only cavern you could find around. There is probably even better places.

Bluff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Tupp freezes in place, skidding a little on the slippery floor. "A trap?" He asks, wide eyed with surprise, "I hate traps!" The unobservant halfling starts studiously inspecting the floor all around his feet, trying his very best not to move. They're always so well hidden.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (15) + 0 = 15

"At least find out if they will hurt anyone before you start sticking them like pigs," Ylva says in exasperation as she moves up beside Hepsubia and places a hand on her sward arm.

"Yeah, or you could tell them that Uori and the Gillfolk found this cave first!" Tupp adds, still distracted by the search for traps. "If you haven't already, that is. I mean, you can't call dibs on something already dibbed... or is it dabbed?" With his hands on his hips and a slight frown, the young halfling continues looking down for traps on the floor as he repeats the two words over and over, trying to decide which sounds rigbt. "... Dibbed... Dabbed..."

I would have helped with your intimidate or bluff rolls, Hepsubia, but not knowing the language and being a paladin sort of limifs my options. ;)

Sylvak ventures into the cave with the others, unwilling to be left in the tunnel alone. "Do be careful," he calls out, "as I said before, it would be very unusual for there to only be two of them, from what I've read..."

As he draws closer, he watches exactly where the others step in order to avoid the trap Tupp was going on about, and he grabs his holy symbol in case some magic becomes necessary...

Better to dupe them or scare them than to harm them, but I can't tell her that. I should play along, maybe

Hepsubia lowers her sword

So what do you suggest, Ylva?

"Ask them nicely what they plan to do. Being polite is often better than drawing weapons back home."

"If we are being polite," Zithembe suggests dubiously, "Why do we not attempt to recruit them?"

Now that Hepsubia points it out, those of you who haven't already spotted it can now see that there is indeed a trap along your side of the riverbank; a pressure plate cleverly hidden by loose gravel and silt.

Marked the trap area on the map.

As more and more of you begin filing out of the tunnel, both kobolds swallow hard and give each other a look. One of them, Red, starts to open his mouth but snaps it shut again as Hepsubia introduces the rest of her 'gang'. Their anxiety and confusion only grows as everyone begins to argue; they don't appear to understand Common at all. When Hepsubia slowly lowers her weapon, they give each other another look and begin to edge towards the tunnel behind them.

"Ó, ń...Nǐ de yìsi shì zhège dòngxué shì nǐ de ma? Wǒmen bù zhīdào, nǐ kàn, è..." Green stammers.

Red nods his head up and down so hard it's a wonder he doesn't break his neck doing it. "Shì de, wǒ bù zhīdào, dàn wǒmen zhēn de hěn bàoqiàn chuǎngrù, ń......Wǒmen xiànzài jiù yào qù, hái yǒu hěnduō qítā hěn hǎokàn de dòngxué, hāhā..."

Then, they give each other another look and turn to flee!

Current Map!

Ylva watches the strange beings flee with a shake of her head.

"What did you tell them," she asks Hepsubia.

"You convinced them to leave?" the jade man asks rhetorically.

He scans the cave river. "Before I cross, are we going to follow them or turn back?"

"Excellent bargaining, Hepsubia!"

He turns to Ylva and says, "She convinced them that this cave belongs to us and that they had best vacate if they knew what was good for them."

"Are we sure that's wise? There are many things that are not as they appear and do not take well to being treated rudely," Ylva asks with a worried expression.

The elf stops Yvla

What do you think I am, Yvla? A cold blooded murderer? I was just trying to scare and dupe them, so we haven't to fight them. I dont' want too much blood on my blade. These caves are precious to the Pathfinders, and a whole bunch of kobolds here would have endangered the historical treasures of the place, and maybe jeopardized the life of other Pathfinders. Kobolds are a treacherous lot!

”Indeed they are,” Sylvak concurs, though his concerned expression belies disapproval of the way the situation has developed.

Let’s hope they’re not just running off for some reinforcements...

"Peaceful resolution: the absence of violent acts or threats as well? Does it matter when there is no blood? Hmmmm..." Kiango wonders out loud. "On our way then, we have much walking to do. Shall we let the stream be our guide?" he asks.

"Ah. But who knows when the stream will next find an open cave?" Zithembe cautions the samsaran. "I may be immortal, but I do need to breathe."

"Do not give my voice to words I did not say," Ylva tells Hepsubia as her eyes narrow, "I did not know what they are, nor did I know what you intended. They were not threatening anyone, and for all I knew, they were fae. Only fools cross the fae."

She takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out as she closes her eyes. The spark of anger that was in her eyes is gone when she opens then again, though she seems more subdued than before.

"I would not risk the stream. The path the little ones took or back to the passage we found after we fought the skeletons seem to be our choices now."

Grar! The forums went down last night in the middle of me making posting rounds and obviously didn't come back up until I was probably halfway through my work day today.

With the group (somewhat) content to simply let the two kobolds flee, they quickly disappear down the eastern tunnel and out of sight into the darkness. Following after them is a rather obvious option to take but you do remember that there was also the hidden passage back in the cavern where you laid the gillmen skeletons to rest.
____________

Options! You have them! What will you do next? *edit* Ninja'd by Ylva!

"The passage Zithembe found, yes?"

"I have to agree with Zithembe and Ylva," Sylvak adds, "the stream is so shallow that even if another cave is nearby someone could get stuck trying to get through."

"Leaving the kobolds to run for help might've been a mistake, but chasing them through dark tunnels might be a worse one... I'd vote for going back to the secret passage too, if voting is how we're doing things..."

Even if you didn't knew what they were, why they were here, what they said, why didn't you trust me, Yvla? Killing these poor two kobolds would have been quite a draconic measure!

”I believe by democratic consensus,” Zithembe advises the young elf.