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

Game Master Paladin of Baha-who?

Fatham comes to himself after a moment, and when he realizes what's happened, punches the wall in anger.

"Unnatural constructs!" he spits. "Anyone have a way to pick a lock? If not, I'll take out my frustration on the door!"

shoulder to the door...

str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Fatham angrily starts slamming his body against the door, attempting to break it down, but it withstands his assault sturdily. The noise causes some voices start to cry out in surprise from the other side of the door.

Would that be the door where Tim is located at the moment?

Beronûsh tries to start another Dancing Lights spell.
CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

And tries a second time
CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

"I think we'll have to make do with torch light for a while."

Which Beronûsh doesn't have on hand, of course.

Correct.

Okay, thanks.
I've moved my icon close to the door Fatham is trying to open.

Stormy still has her light spell active though, right?

"Maybe the key will work..." Kastarr tries the key ring he collected from the fetchling earlier. Once Fatham has desisted with his bouncing off the door, that is.

Kastarr has a couple of torches, but he needs both hands for his bow.

The key successfully opens the lock.

Inside, several stalls stand against the east wall of this dank, stone
room. A large grate in the floor collects a steady stream of water coming from one of the stalls. The rattle of chains echoes through the chamber and the stench of frightened, unwashed bodies fills the air.

Those of you who have visited the Blakros Museum before recall that this is a latrine for use by visitors on the Prime Material plane. In the Wightir House, these stalls apparently are used as holding cells for slaves.

Four humans and one half-orc sit here, chained to the wall with manacles. Two of the humans have a dark rune on their foreheads like the man you rescued previously. They look pale and thin, and look up at you despondently. The others look healthier, and foreheads unmarked by the rune.

"Uh, is everything alright, boss?" one of the humans asks, confused by the appearance of an apparently-normal human instead of the fetchlings they were expecting, and also wondering why someone was just pounding on the door.

"We've come to set you free, and rescue you all from the Shadow realm."

Kastarr looks around to make sure no guards are lurking about, before he begins to unlock the prisoners from their manacles.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Assuming that there's a key for the manacles on the ring as well.

"Thank the gods! We thought we'd be slaves in this horrible place forever!"

Unfortunately, the key that opened the door is not the right size to unlock the locks holding the manacles closed.

Sorry, the scenario is very specific that the key needed to release these slaves is elsewhere. Of course, there are other ways to get manacles off, too.

"Curses! It's not the right key." Kastarr straightens up, stepping away from the prisoners.
"I think I know where the key is though." Kastarr gives the unfortunate prisoners an apologetic look. "I'll be back soon as we get the key."

"Here, tell you what."
"While we get the keys for your manacles, you can have this… "

… Beronûsh will give one of them his crossbow and bolts …

"… I'm rubbish with it anyway."
"Use it on anyone else who comes in here before we return."
"We'll retrieve those manacle keys as fast as we can."

diplomacy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Don't know if that roll's needed or not.
It's a good roll, though! :O

"All right. All the way to the back then?" Tim leads the way back to the door at the end of the main hallway.
I'm assuming the room with the slaves takes up the entire area covered up by the black square. I moved Tim over to the other door.

"Is there nothing we can do to get these off without a key?"

I got nothin'

You could try to pick the locks or break them, or use a weapon to try to cut the chains.

-Posted with Wayfinder

"I might be able to break them, but I bet there is a key to be found." Tim hesitates in his walk toward the hallway. "Maybe you're right and we should get them out now. What if something happens to us or the museum and they get trapped here." Lifting his axe, Tim tries to sever the chains to the walls.
Assuming usual chain hardness of 10 and hp of 5

The subtle approach!

Tim is able to cut through the chains holding the men to the wall after several minutes of work with his axe. The noise doesn't seem to draw the attention of anyone, fortunately. The freed slaves are very thankful and hurry to the exit of the building.

Now the pathfinders and their animals crowd into the hallway before the door at its far end. The sign above this high door reads “Biological Oddities” in clear lettering, while a dark reflection of the same sign warns that the room beyond contains a “Ritual Chamber.”

Any preparations before entering?

Beronûsh tries to cast another Dancing Lights spell
CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
… unsuccessfully again

He would've retrieved his crossbow and bolts from the prisoners too, since they didn't need them after all.

Bertha will cast Magic Fang on Betsy, just before they open the door.

"Perhaps we can talk a new bargain, but just in case we cannot..."

"Except for the prisoners we've released, nobody here seems at all receptive!"

"I have a feeling it will be my axe doing the talking...I'm ready."

Kastarr quickly digs a torch out of his pack, then lights it. "OK, now I'm ready."
Oddly, the ranger still holds his bow in his shooting hand.

Sounds like everyone's about ready -- anyone who hasn't posted yet can make one round's worth of prep in a spoiler if desired.

Once everyone has signaled their readiness, Tim opens the door.

Harsh, cold light floods this room from the ceiling, gleaming off the marble walls and shining across the polished granite floor. Myriad pedestals display stuffed creatures suffering from unspeakable deformities, and liquid-filled glass tanks hold the shrivelled bodies of even stranger anomalies. In the room’s center, a wide ebony pyramid rises ten feet off the ground; darkness seems to flow out from its top into the air like ink in clear water. Indistinct rune circles, candelabras, and idols cover what can only be the site of barbaric sanguinary rites, occupying the same space in the Shadow Plane.

Standing just north of the Dias is a thin, grey humanoid, with yellow eyes, brandishing a runed dagger coated in a strange, black liquid as he intones a chant. He breaks off in the middle of it, turning to look at you through the opened door. "So it is you who disturbed my hound. Go away! I'm in the middle of a delicate ritual and I don't have time for hooms and other light-dwellers."

Map is updated.

I'll cast longstrider before combat...

"Unfortunately you're not completing this ritual. Take your abominations of the night back to your own plane!" Fatham spits.

Initiative?

"Actually, we might be on his plane."
"But he can still sod off anyway!"

With that, Beronûsh tries casting Dancing Lights again …
CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Phew!
… and puts it over the altar in the middle of the room.
Partly for the light, but
Mostly to see if it will
distract the green humanoid

Bertha and Betsy move in, cautiously. "What sort of ritual is this? We have come to discuss a better deal."

Kastarr moves quickly into the room. The ranger looks around for other threats as he goes.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Just before he gets to where he wants to be, Kastarr lets the torch fall to the floor. He draws his bow partway with an arrow knocked.
"Give us the twins, and no one gets hurt."

Readied action: Shoot the thin grey humanoid if it starts to cast a spell.

If readied action triggers: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

The room is already in normal light conditions.

As you step into the room, you see, kneeling behind the fetchling, the two Blakros daughters that you were asked to save. Both are swaying slowly, as if in a trance, but neither has the dark rune on their forehead that other slaves who have been here longer display.

"Abominations? How rude! You, sirrah, are the visitor to my plane, and an uninvited one at that!" the fetchling says calmly. "A better deal? What in the world would be better than the deal I have currently? A steady supply of slaves, and every generation one -- or in this case two -- of the most beautiful women your barbaric plane has to offer?"

Not starting combat, but preparing initiative in case it does start.

Whoops, missed Kastarr's post.

"Must we resort to such barbarism?" the thin man says, putting down the ritual dagger and turning to face Kastarr.

OK, we'll do this by initiative order since Kastarr has drawn his weapon.

Order:
Beronûsh
Stormy
BABS
Fatham
Tim
Uthil Mak
Kastarr

Beronûsh moves up in the hall and tries to cast Shield on himself
CL check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Wooo! Just Barely!

You don't need to make CL checks unless the spell has the [light] descriptor.

Fatham's reptilian companion charges forward to attack, while he circles around on the fetchling's flank.

splittooth bite atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 122d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 2) + 4 = 10

There are no plants present, Fatham. The spell requires plants to work.

Bah. Thanks for the reminder...I retconned my post.

You don't need to make CL checks unless the spell has the [light] descriptor.

@ GM Paladin: Thanks! I thought that applied to all spells!

"Sorry Bertha. He doesn't sound very interested in negotiations. Looks like they'll have to be the violent form." Tim moves up with Splittooth and takes a swing.
Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

"As the situation warrants." Kastarr growls in response to Uthil Mak's protest.

Splittooth misses, but Tim's strike is accurate, drawing dark blood from the grey-skinned man.

BABS and Stormy are up.

Bertha and Betsy listen to Tim's advice, and join the attack.

Falchion Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (4, 1) + 6 = 11

Betsy runs about and tries to gore the creature.
Magic Famg Gore Attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 5 + 1 = 22
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Bertha misses, but one of Betsy's tusks stabs into the fetchling's leg.

Moving for Stormy since she was away. Sorry for the delay!

Stormy moves into the room, using her wand to enhance her club again. Assuming she will use her wand of shillelagh on her club.

Her lioness moves in as well, circling the crowd of people attacking the fetchling.

He strikes out with a series of punches and kicks at Tim, who manages to dodge and block them with his weapon. Flurry of misses!

Order:
Kastarr
Beronûsh
Stormy
BABS
Fatham
Tim
Uthil Mak

All PCs are up!

Kastarr moves, then looses n arrow at the fetchling. Apparently he is not a spell caster as Kastarr had guessed.

Darkwood bow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Assuming a miss, since Bertha missed with a 17.

Fatham circles around and flanks the fetchling, his scimitar biting deep into the man's side.

MW Scimitar (cold iron)(flanking, dirty fighter): 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 2 = 231d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11

Splittooth also bites down with a vicious chomp.

splittooth bite atk: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 4 + 2 = 242d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 6) + 4 = 13

Fatham, you'd need a climb check to get on top of that dias during a combat move. I rolled for you and you didn't succeed. If it's alright, I'll turn that roll into a combat maneuver to move the blakros daughter out of the way.

Continuing the assault, Bertha hopes that they can make quick work of this creature. She takes a 5' step to flank with Tim, seeing that Betsy already has a partner for this dance.

Falchion Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 2 = 27
Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3) + 6 + 1 = 12

Crit Confirm?: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19
Damage: 2d4 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 3) + 6 + 1 = 11

And Betsy continues to scrap as well.

Magic Fang Gore Attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 1 + 2 = 22
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Beronûsh enters the room and tries to hit the fetchling with an acid spray …
Too crowded for the Color Spray spell!

acid ray: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 1 - 4 = 41d6 ⇒ 3
Shooting into melee
(4/6 used for the day)

… and he clearly misses

Now fighting with Bertha on the other side, Tim takes two swings with his axe.
Attack 1: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 2 = 21
Damage 1: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Attack 2: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 2 = 21
Damage 2: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Fatham, you'd need a climb check to get on top of that dias during a combat move. I rolled for you and you didn't succeed. If it's alright, I'll turn that roll into a combat maneuver to move the blakros daughter out of the way.

** spoiler omitted **

That's fine...

Stormy moves closer to the fight as Shade 5' steps and full attacks the fetching.

bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 121d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Claw: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 211d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Claw: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 251d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5