GM Paladin's The Penumbral Accords [PFS CORE] (Inactive)

Game Master Paladin of Baha-who?

CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Just barely!

Beronûsh manages to cast another Dancing Lights spell and follows it into the room.

"Ugh!" … as he tastes a bit of bile seeing the vivisectioned man on the table.

That man, he is still alive. Stormy stammers in horror and disbelief. Someone get him some healing

Kastarr sighs in relief when Beronûsh and his lights enter the room. Human eyes just don't see in the dark that well.

"Whoever, or whatever did that to him must be nearby." Warns Kastarr.

Stormy, your light spell lasts 20 minutes. Dancing lights only lasts 1 minute. That's why I'm asking Beronush to check to see if he can recast it, so that I know whether you are in light or darkness when the following happens.

We'll just have BABS be outside the room at this point.

Suddenly a grey-skinned, human-shaped woman pops into visibility halfway up the 15ft high wall, clinging to it like a spider as she tosses a beaker of bubbling, steaming liquid at Fatham! It smashes all over him, splashing onto Beronush, the dinosaur, and Kastarr.

Fatham takes 5 acid damage. Kastarr, Splittooth, and Beronush take 4 splash damage, which a DC 14 reflex save will reduce to 2.

That was the surprise round. Now Kastarr can act, as he is the only one who beat her initiative.

Order:
Kastarr
Mazzel Gol
BABS
Tim
Fatham
Beronush
Stormy

Reflex: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Ouch!

Sorry, I forgot to move my icon, but have done so. Bertha and Betsy were guarding the rear anyway, as it was so crowded, so all is good I think.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Kastarr's breath draws in sharply from the burning pain. Luckily only a few drops landed on his skin.

The ranger moves closer to get a clear line of sight, then looses an arrow from his bow.

Darkwood bow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Fortunately, the lights from Stormy and Beronush's light spells illuminate the room well enough for Kastarr's aim to be true. The woman hisses in pain as Kastarr's arrow sinks into her shoulder.

Narrowing her yellow eyes at Kastarr, she steps forward, still crouched sideways on the wall, and reveals razor sharp claws at the ends of her fingers, and long pointy teeth in her mouth as she slashes and bites at the ranger. The sudden feral attack takes him largely by surprise, and her claw finds its way under his chain shirt and cuts across his abdomen, leaving him with a enormous wound exposing his viscera. 26 damage to Kastarr, leaving him at -8.

Kastarr collapses.

The dark woman bares her bloody teeth and licks the human blood from her lips with a long tongue. "Who's next, you pathetic ghuy'cha' HuH!" None of you know what language those last two words were in, but you guess it's not meant to be complimentary.

The acid bubbling on Fatham's skin continues to burn him. 3 acid damage to Fatham.
Order:
BABS
Tim
Fatham
Beronush
Stormy
Kastarr (If you get healed to positive before this position, you can act, otherwise a DC 18 constitution check is needed to stabilize.)
Mazzel Gol

Seeing Kastarr fall, Tim moves up and tries to take the other side of the woman to get room to bring arms to bear.
Double move. Second move I will try to use Acrobatics to evade her unless she's positioned so I can get past her without it.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Beronûsh steps back 10 feet and tries to fire an acid ray at the shadow woman.

acid ray: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 181d6 ⇒ 2 (3/6 for the day)

Unfortunately that doesn't beat her CMD, so you get attacked, Tim.

As Tim tries to dodge around the woman, he takes a misstep and she sees an opportunity. Lunging forward, she sinks her teeth into his bicep, wounding him badly. 10 damage to Tim. You did get healed up after last fight, didn't you?

Beronush's acid sizzles on her skin, but she only growls more fiercely at the pain.

Seeing the dire situation Stormy calls for Shade to attack. The cat moves in and bites at the woman. She follows the cat and moves to flank with Two Tall.

Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 161d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

club: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 2 = 292d6 + 5 ⇒ (1, 1) + 5 = 7

confirm: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 2 = 212d6 + 5 ⇒ (5, 4) + 5 = 14

Shade snaps at the woman, who dodges easily. However, the attack distracts her enough for Stormy to bring her club down, connecting directly with the back of her head, fracturing her skull and causing her to collapse next to her recent victim.

She's down! Does anyone have healing available for Kastarr?

Fatham looks decidedly agitated as the acid continues eating at his skin, but moves to assist Kastarr with his curative wand to stabilize him.

After that, he turns the wand on himself.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 For Kastarr...not sure how much you need...
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Yeah, its up above. My stat line is just out of date. I came into this fight at 21/22 so now I'm 11/22. But I'll have some use my wand to heal me up.

"Ouch, whatever she was, she hit hard. I hope we don't find others like her in here. One was enough. Is Kastarr going to be all right?"
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
HP 20/22. I'll stick with that.

Was at -8. That puts him to -4 and stable.

Bertha comes into the room and sees Kastarr laying on the floor. She moves up to him and casts another spell of healing on him.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

I'm still down 4 HP from the acid splash.
Although Kastarr should probably get dibs.
Being a front liner and all that.

Further examination of the room reveals that in the Shadow Plane, this room is used for medical and alchemical experiments. The man lying on the table is a human, and is on the verge of death. The skin of his abdomen is held open and taught with large clamps, and his forehead sports a dark rune tattoo that seems to suck light toward it.

The equipment around the room is mostly jerry-rigged and poorly constructed, but there's enough here to function as a complete alchemist's lab. On the Prime Material Plane, there are paper records everywhere on the desks and shelves.

The alchemist was wearing finely-made, jet black studded leather armor and an embroidered cloak, and had two sky-blue potions, two jars of greasy oil, and a jar of a thick black paste, as well as a dagger and 38 gold pieces. Her formula book, along with a book bound in intricately stitched leather entitled The Umbral Leaves, is found nearby.

Sorry - somehow I missed that combat was over!

Bertha picks up the two potions and examines them.
Spellcraft: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16

"Here, these potions with cure some of your wounds. Anything left, and I will use my wand to repair the rest."

Bertha hand the vials, one to Beronûsh and one to Kastarr, and then turns toward the man on the table. "Can we do anything for him?"

Heal, untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Roll your own CLW (including Tim), and then I can mark the charges off my wand. Let's get everyone healed up before we move on.

"Anyone know what those other things are? You can use my wand to heal this man. We should probably find out who he is and what he knows about this place."
Bertha, I already rolled my own and marked it off on my wand. I'll just plan to do that for any out of combat healing. I will volunteer a charge if someone is willing to heal the guy on the table. Maybe we can split charges among several of us.

Kastarr wakes from darkness to a world of pain from the wicked wounds he had received. Bertha casts her healing magic, and most of the pain subsides, but Kastarr still feels weak.

He drinks the healing potion. Potion, CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Then the one he had brought along. Potion, CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Thanks for the healing, everyone. Kastarr is @ 17/20 should be OK for now.

Kastarr moves over to the man on the table and begins check him over and try to undo the harm brought by the mad alchemist's experiment.

Heal(with healer's kit.): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Kastarr is able to release the poor man's skin from the clamps holding it, and gingerly pushes it back together so that a healing spell will be able to knit it closed.

I'll assume someone uses wands on him, you guys can decide who spends the charges.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 21d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

After the second application of the healing wand, the human wakes, groaning in pain. After seeing human faces, he begins babbling out praise and thanks for rescuing him. His words are slurred and confused, so he may have been affected by drugs or poisons, but you are able to get his name, Zelius Jagrah, and something of his history. He is a slave from Cheliax, sold in Absalom to the Blakros family, and was sent to the Shadow Plane 3 months ago. A ritual was performed in one of the other rooms of the Wightir House, that inscribed the rune on his forehead. Since that time, he has been primarily used for manual labor, though he was selected last night to be the subject of a series of tests to infuse him with something called “liquid night.” He doesn’t know whether the actual augmentation has been carried out yet, but appears normal other than the wounds sustained in the experiment.

Stormy will heal the man, and heal up the ranger as well

Cure Light: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 I'd rather have you at your full strength Kastarr. she says. Lets try sending this man out of the museum. she reasons. Beronûsh, have you studies alchemy? Can you tell us of these two jars of greasy oil, and a jar of a thick black paste?

"I'm not the best alchemist around, but I can try:"
craft (alchemy): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 (for greasy oil)
craft (alchemy): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 (for thick black paste)

Wooo! TWO good rolls!

Hmm. Stormy considers. The blanch is best used on ammo. I say we use it on sling stones, arrows and bolts as needed so that we are prepared.

"Well, we're going to free this man of course and I'm sure Hamaria will make sure it stays that way. Since we are so close to the entrance, shall we see if he can get back to Absalom or leave him by the entrance until we leave?"

"I-I-I-I...would v-v-v-v-very m-m-much app...app.... thank you!" the man stammers, not expecting such largess.

Now that the man is healed, Tim helps to free him from his restraints. "Let's get him out of here. Then we can try that room across the hall."

"Wait, you're not taking me back yourselves? Where do I go?"

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"We can take you to where you can see the front doors, at least." Kastarr gives the fellow a reassuring arm clasp. "We have to go back at least that far. Go out the front, and you should find yourself in Absalom."

@ GM Paladin

What were the properties of the stuff I did the alchemy checks on?

Beronush: see the spoilers in my previous post.

"Alright... I guess I'll try to find someone to get me out of town and to somewhere where they don't allow slavery..." says the man uncertainly.

You return through the hallway to the atrium and in doing so pass the door across from the one through which you entered the cold storage room. A large placard above the entry reads “The Evolution of Dragonkind” in bright, elaborate script while a shadowy sign next to the door describes the room as “Pain Laboratory—Tests in Progress.”

Zelius shudders as he passes the door. "You don't want to go in there... or well, if you are looking for more slaves to set free, maybe you do."

"Have you seen any young ladies treated differently from the other slaves?" Fatham asks the man.

"We will likely want to go in all the rooms, but we are looking for Blakros girls."

If you wish protection within the city then wait for us in the outer chamber. You are not a escaped slave. You are a rescued prisoner from the plane of shadow. I shall vouch for you. Stomry consoles the man.

"There are some female slaves but they're not treated any differently than the rest. No, I'll wait outside, I don't want to be in this building one minute longer than I have to be!" With that, he runs for the door, pushes it open, and escapes into the night air.

"Wait for us just outside then." Kastarr calls out as the man hurries away.
"Best we put the 'pain tests' to and end next." That didn't sound like something that could wait, to Kastarr's way of thinking.
The ranger opens the door and peers within.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Beronûsh follows Kastarr.

Once in the hall, he casts another Dancing Lights to help the ranger see better.

CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Phew!

He guides the new Dancing Lights into the new room.
And gives it an anthropomorphic shape.
Hoping that it provide light and it takes whatever initial surprise blows might be in wait.

Everyone please position yourselves, I'm assuming Kastarr wouldn't open the door without everyone being there.

done

Ready. Taking liberty to position the others, too.

I've been positioned, but it is good with me!

"On the count of three, then?"

Kastarr opens the door, and Beronush sends his light into the hall beyond.

The room is filled with ancient tapestries of chromatic dragons besieging castles and battles between Dahak and Apsu at the dawn of time. An alabaster obelisk covered in Draconic runes occupies the far corner, surrounded by a spread of various dragonhides of all colors and thickness, and a taxidermied wyvern hangs from the ceiling above, its stinger flexed above its head. Umbral chains drop from the same ceiling on the Shadow Plane; gruesome hooks at the chains’ ends hold long-dead skeletons. The southern wall sports a massive wheel with shackles along its edge, apparently for holding writhing subjects in place during tests.

Two grey-skinned, burly human-like figures stand in the room, having turned to face the door as it opens and a glowing figure enters. "Who's there?!" one of them shouts.

Setting up Initiative in case you decide to go in fighting. If you want to talk, anyone can speak in any order.

Order:
Kastarr
Stormy
BABS
Guards
Fatham
Tim
Beronûsh

Stand down. Stormy orders. There has been a mix up. Two daughters were delivered instead of one. She does not clarify the meaning of the statement, letting these two grey-skinned, burly human-like figures deduce what they will from it.

"What do you have to do with it? You're not from here, pinkskin," the fetchling closer to the door says.

We are to fetch the daughter not included in the bargain. You know the deal. One daughter not two. only the oldest. She says flatly in a partial truth.

"We don't know anything about any deals. The boss hired us to wrangle the slaves, so we wrangle the slaves. What are you doing here?"

sense motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
To see if these fetchlings are fibbing or not

"Obviously we'e not from here!"
"Who's your boss, then?"

diplomacy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Oh well; I gave it a go

"Yeah, you're not -- which makes you an intruder. Get gone, or we'll make you gone!"

The two draw longswords from their belts.

Well, now we're in combat. See post above for initiative order.

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So be it. Stormy says as she enters the room and readies to attack. Her cat moves up beside her, ready also.