GM Nowruz's #6–10 'The Wounded Wisp' (Tier 1-2) - REPEATABLE EVERGREEN (Inactive)

Game Master noral

Erôrh can not help himself and smirks.
"That is a man with the heart of a true dwarf. I Like him.
Yo, I know we are on your turf, but hey, we do not mean any disrespect. Well most of us. Can´t speak for all! But hey, maybe we can come to an understanding. You do a great job, protecting the graveyard from any wannabe necromancers. I have to appreciate that. For that you have earned a beer after work."
He takes out 5 gold pieces and holds them high.

Ling, who likens this to the chest thumping antics of a barracks smiles and waits for the fists to start flying, not considering even for a moment that it might escalate into lethality.

Please give me a diplomacy or intimidation check depending on your strategy. ;-)

Diplo: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (20) - 2 = 18
OMG

Ling has no strategy. He's waiting to see how things unfold and is totally confused by the chaos around him.

Asking politely, still waiting on the priest's response.

[dice=Diplo]1d20-2

OMG

The Asmodeus priest looks at Erôth with slight surprise but his facial features suddenly turn into a smile and he takes the 5 GP. "Ye others deserve no answer and if not for ya strong dwarf here, ya would need to kiss my feet first."

He eyes you all again. "So whadaya want here?!"

Ha ha! That was a DC 20 diplo check but I counted the small bribe as +2! Well done! ;-)

"Well done, Erôth."

"What we need is answers," says Carax, turning to the priest. "What can you tell us about a Pathfinder named Eylysia?"

Ling is rather surprised to see a dwarf, of all things, turn things around and avoid a fight. His stereotypes have been severely challenged.

He stand quietly with a bemused expression on his face, though he has not yet dismissed the possibility that a brawl erupts.

"Pathfinder?! Pathfinder?! Ya gotta be kidding me, right? Surely ain't no Pathfinders here!" he says and you almost have the feeling that the way he is speaking now drastically changed from the first couple of sentences he exchanged with you.

sense motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Erôth looks at the others and spits out."Ba, you read but you do not understand. We are here to pay respect to a well known stonemason named Arkath. He has his own mausoleum. If you show us the way, we will be gone. And the others won´t pester you anymore!"

"Eylysia was a friend of his. I think. But no matter. That just confuses things. As Eroth said, it is Arkath we have come to see."

"You want access to the sarcophagus of Arkath? Why?" he says with a sly smile.

Carax considers slapping the sly off this guy, checks his own alignment and sighs.

"It is important. That is all you need to know. What is it worth to you, goodman?"

Ling is wondering why it is that half the pathfinders seem to want to challenge the priest. Perhaps there are no such things as guardians of the dead in this land? Perhaps everyone is allowed free access to the tombs of anyone and this is an affront.

It's best just to ask.

"Are you a guardian of the dead?" he asks in his foreign accent. "Is access to the mausoleums protected and if so how would one get permission?"

The man looks at Ling and nods - also his intonation suddenly changes again. "This plot of land in Eastgate is dedicated to the faith of Asmodeus and used as the resting ground for those that have served the dark prince, the most powerful of the nine archdevils that inhabit Hell."

He specifically looks at Oded and Carax and continues "If you do not respect and obey me here then you are welcome to start a fight ..." and his view wanders to the east where you see two city guards routinely patrolling the area around the property.

"... but if you show me that you revere the lord of darkness and provide me and the church with a share of what is to gain then I will think about a permission to provide you access to the mausoleum."

Regnum, put off with the 'priests' lack of response to him, and how not-so-friendly his veiled threat is, almost visably strokes his rifle, itching for a fight.

Sense Motive DURWARD: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

The priest of Asmodeus looks at Regnum with anger in his eyes "I am warning you! Aggressive actions will likely lead to you going to prison or you dying on this unholy ground!"

"Calm yourself," says Carax. "We're not going to hurt you and you couldn't hurt us if you tried. Now let us get down to the business at hand. We have no intention of disturbing your dead. We only wish information. Nothing about your 'faith' prevents you from enriching yourself at our expense, I trust?"

Carax pulls out ten gold coins and counts them from one hand to the other.

He takes the gold from Carax and simultaneously says "Gimme those gold pieces and run to your mausoleum. His remains will probably be dug out in a month anyway! Ha ha ha ..." he laughs in a dirty voice.

He looks at all of you and spits on the floor in front of Oded.

"The sooner the follower of the queen of the weak is gone the better." and then he turns around and walks away.

"Charming," says Carax.

Turning to his companions he says "Shall we?" and leads the way to the mausoleum.

Carax leads the way to the mausoleum.

Arkath must have paid a substantial sum to have his remains guarded here as the mausoleum houses only 24 sarcophagi and the names clearly mark many of the other deceased as nobility.

Arkath's sarcophagus is one of the first you see after entering the mausoleum.

"You really wanted to be extorted by that man? I wouldn't, but at least it furthered us in our goal."

"I'd say it was prudent, Regnum. Just keep in the mind that the cost of one charge from a wand of healing would have cost more than that bribe. Now, if he had demanded 50 gold, I think there very well would have been a fight. And he very well may have the law on his side, whether he deserves it or not."

Ling looks for anything written on the tomb.

"What I wanted was to spend the least time in his odious presence. Mission accomplished."

"I guess now we get in the mausoleum and have a look at his spot?"

Arkath's sarcophagus is quite simple but very well made. His name is engraved in Taldan. There are no obvious religious symbols to be seen.

Erôth can´t hide his smirk when they reach the mausoleum.
"Well, isn´t a honest crook refreshing. Let me have a look at the stonework! It is decent. Not great, but good for a human."

"Let me have a look at the stonework! It is decent. Not great, but good for a human."

This really looks like quality work. But you are correct that it cannot match Dwarven work - but you already knew that anyway.

You believe that some strength is needed to open the sarcophagus but that you can jointly remove the upper section to peer into it.

"No secret on outside. Now we open?"

Ling seems uncertain whether it is OK to open the coffin of a dead person and is looking to the others for guidance.

"To desecrate a grave is not a good thing. That being said, if we need to, we need to."

Ling (and I expect the dwarf at the least) attempt to open it.

Regnum joins the group in attempting to open the crypt, slinging his musket over his shoulder.

Real quick....I channeled twice before we left the swarm battle area. Everyone was healed a total of 5 hp. I believe everyone is healed to full.

Finwë stands by, ready to help if needed, but content to leave the heavy lifting to the members of the party with real upper body strength.

Together you start to move the upper section of the sarcophagus and it is obvious that some of you are not really happy with this act ... disturbing the peace of the dead sometimes comes with harsh results.

But in this case you find darkness, dust and the skeleton of a humanoid being that is resting peacefully in his grave ... you see that the interior of Arkath’s sarcophagus is otherwise empty. You assume this to be the stonemason’s long-dead skeleton.

Carax and Ling see something shiny behind the skeleton's teeth.

Erôth has no problems with desecrating the tomb. For one he is a pathfinder. And second it was just a human.
"Seems all was for naught. He is just dead!"

Ling is not unfamiliar with handling dead bodies and suggests, "Perhaps we should search through his clothing." (or wrapping if that what it comes in)

Or, Ling, what about the shiny thing you see that I don't?

"Well, this is less than exciting."

Mid way through his thorough examination, Ling points at the coin and exclaims, "Is that a coin to smooth his way through the lands of the dead? I've heard of that custom. If we remove it will it harm his spirit, do you think"

oded casts Detect Magic and scans the sarcophagus and the tomb.

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

"There's something in there, alright," says Carax. He doubts the corpse has any need for whatever it is, but native caution causes him to attempt to dislodge the object with the tip of his dagger rather than his hands.

"A... A coin?" Finwë perks up, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I love old things, maybe this one is special." Finwë studies it eagerly but he is useless... No relevant skills or spells

oded casts Detect Magic and scans the sarcophagus and the tomb.

Through his spell Oded now also notices the coin in the skeletons mouth and it is magical.

Caray and Finwe together remove the coin from the skeletons mouth.

This apparently is a simple coin and resembles ancient currency. A little chip at the side of the coin shows intricate gold and platinum wires within.

It would appear that the coin is magical everyone."

Should I make a spellcraft check to identify or is it simply magical?

spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Damn. Almost. Worth a try though.

"A magic coin! Nice. Visit the wall now?"