GM Sappy's Rise of the Runelords - Little Heroes

Game Master Sapiens

"Lets go left I guess? We can always come back to the locked door, but I don't think Minodora is likely to be locking doors in her current state..."

"Onwards!" Empheria assents with a wave of the torch. "Argh! Sorry Quiin!" she adds, when she notices her torch had gotten a bit too close to his hair, and quickly extinguishes the new unwanted fire before any harm is done.

"Oi! Argh! Jeez Empheria..." Quiin pats his slightly singed hair to get rid of any lingering sparks before moving to the door, waiting for his allies to form up around it, and opening it.

Hope no one minds me moving this on a bit.

James makes a series of indecipherable hand gestures, then sighs, shrugs and says "sure."

The chamber you find yourself into is more well-constructed than the previous one. The walls are covered with brown-black plaster, and tattered red rags are hanging from them further onwards. A few meters from you, the hooded figure that is Minodora is kneeling in front of a gruesome altar made of raw stone, candles and the skeleton of a large bird of pray. This must have been Jervis Stoot's construction. On the sides of the room, more candles are arranged in the form of a seven-point star. Piles of small bones litter the floor.

Minodora turns to face you. There are small, bloody gashes under her eyes, like gruesome tears, and there are cleaver blades in her hands. "Hello there." she caws. Her voice is her own, but there is an unusual sharpness to it. "I'm glad you followed the breadcrumbs' trail and got here. Five of the seven, seven of the many, for rage and fury and wrath and anger. He Who Flies in Darkness is by my side but I pull the strings as the wrath burns all. But pawn as the demon bird is, he's a useful one. Pazuzu. Pazuzu. Go now, talk to me. Persuade me to get back to your side, and fuel my anger with your self-righteousness. DO YOUR WORST!"

Vorin's eyes widen as he sees Minodora, and he bites his lip. Wrath and anger? The demon wants her to be mad? But, he thinks quickly. "Min, I'm sorry! Please don't be mad. We should'a come see you after the festival, played with you more. I'm really really sorry."

Quiin focuses his powers on Minodora, pushing his way into her mind with all his might, questing to find answer to the question burning in his mind - how to rid poor Minodora of the daemon.

Read Mind (Powerful) Charm: You may pull a specific piece of information out of a creature’s mind (Will negates). This is usually enough information to answer a single, specific question to the best of that creature’s knowledge, in no more than 25 words. A creature who successfully saves against this powerful charm may choose to provide no answer to your question or attempt to lie with their Bluff skill. If you use this powerful charm twice on the same creature to ask the same question, the same answer (correct, no answer or lie) is given again.
Quiin will ask how to rid Minodora of the daemon.

Empheria doesn't understand half of what Minodora says. She understands what Vorin says, and she nods whole-heartedly.

"Minny, don't say the p-guy's name, 'cause whatever trouble you're in, that only makes it worse," she says, echoing what she had heard from Ilsoari earlier. "I was also really sad when Milosh said I was an abyssal doofus nitwit, and he made me cry, and I thought I would never forget it, but my sister told me that Milosh was the real doofus nitwit and I'm okay now, without calling any demons."

"Oh, please, Min, we didn't mean it." she mocks you in a childish voice. "Where is your passion? Where is your fury? Come at me with the strength of all your anger, or you won't have a prayer! Do you need encouragement? Do you want me to promise that after killing you, I will slaughter every soul in that pathetic, idle city of pathetic cowards you call Sandpoint? Because I will!"

A muffled sound of steps behind you suggests that the adults are standing by in the first room.

The mocking is when it clicks in Vorin's head. "You want Min to keep thinking we're the bad guys? But she knows it's us. We're her friends, not bullies. Not like you. And neither is Min. Fight him, Min!"

Diplomacy to convince Min to fight the possession: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Quiin is shocked at what he's learned. He relays it to the group in a low voice, rising as he revelation rushes out of him. "It's her guys, just... twisted, horrible, her mind is red and aflame with anger. It's terrible!"

He refocuses on Min. "This anger has taken over your mind Min! You aren't angry with us, we're your friends! You aren't angry with Sandpoint, it's your family! Something is making you angry but it isn't true!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Quiin readies himself to attempt to send Min to sleep with his powers. If she attacks he will immediately use a Sleep Charm on her at Greater strength.
Sleep Greater Charm: You put the target to sleep for 1 minute per caster level (Will negates). Targets who take damage automatically wake up, and other creatures may wake a sleeping creature as a standard action.

James looks at the others, and searches for something meaningful to say. Sadly, he just didn't spend much time around Min. Desperately searching for something he rejects any number of unhelpful anecdotes. Can't be angry if you're happy' he finally decides, and launches into his favourite funny childhood song. He vaguely remembered Min singing it around the fire at festival with all the other kids, years ago. Hopefully it'd been a good festival. Hopefully she remembered being surrounded by friends.
aid diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Minodora opens her mouth to reply to Quiin, her expression poisonous, but only a yawn comes out, and she slumps to the ground, fast asleep.

You have 1 minute.

Quiin harshly whispers at the others "Quick! Take her weapons and tie her up! I don't think this is going to last for long!"

He rushes forward to follow his own instructions, taking some care not to make too much noise.

He grabs her daggers and any other obvious weaponry, trusting the others to deal with the tying.

"Anyone got a rope?" Empheria asks frantically, both to the other kids and to the adults nearby.

While the others try to get a more permanent solution, Isaac simply applied himself directly to the problem and grabbed Minodora. He did not really know what he was doing but settled for trying to hold her arms to her sides.

Grapple: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

"I do!" James piped up, pulling out a re-purposed length of hemp rope "It was pretty much lying around." he explains, guiltily.

As Isaac has the highest CMB, you can tie her up so that she needs a DC 24 check to escape.

From the room on the back, Sir Korvaski's voice reaches out to you. "Are you all right, kids? We heard you speak, then nothing."

"Yeah, but, uh, we kinda just tied her up though," Empheria confesses with a tinge of guilt.

Vorin steps back towards the adults, nodding quickly, "She's tied up, can you come in and fix her now? Quinn says her mind's been twisted."

"Yes quick get in here! Her mind is... red and angry, but she's not possessed! I don't know how else to describe it..."

"Anger, you say? Not possession?" asks Ilsoari, as the adults come in the corridor. "I would've thought-"
Whatever the wizard might have thought is interrupted as Minodora groggily opens her eyes, and whispers a word.
"Pazuzu."

With a single heartbeat of bloodcurdling silence, a shiver resonates through the dungeon. The piles of bones in front of the altar suddenly coalesce into skeletal bird-like figure, as tall as a grown man and sporting razor-sharp beak and talons. The shriek that comes from the other side of the corridor, the sound of wood splintering, and Daviren Hosk's cursing tell you that something just as bad is happening on the other side.
"Making trouble worse, eh, Emphy? For you, certainly!" laughs Minodora from the floor, struggling futilely against the bonds.

Empheria and James, you are up.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

"We came all the way here just to rescue you, and you're trying to kill us?" Empheria whines.

Empheria mutters some words to herself, and a blast of fire explodes in front of one of the skeletal birds and burning two of the nearest altars. She doesn't really care anymore that it also hits Minodora.

Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Using 1 spell point, hitting Minodora and the bird closest to her, and using Selective Blast to exclude Quiin. Reflex DC 15 half, and Reflex DC 15 to avoid getting burnt for 1d6 each round:

Burn Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
I'm afraid I am confused. Only one pile of bones is animated? And Isaac is holding the tied-up Min? And Min is On Fire?

Three piles of bones littering the ground animated and turned into skeletal birds (marked on the map and outlined in red, green and blue). Being tied up, Minodora is considered pinned already, but Isaac can start into a grapple if he wants to. As for the fire,
Reflex 1: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 8 - 2 = 10
Reflex 2: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 8 - 2 = 10
she is indeed on fire.

James' shock at seeing the dead rise is buried in sympathetic winces as Min catches fire - but the would-be-warrior finds himself unsure if Emp did the right or the wrong thing. Rather than wrestle with moral quandaries, he decides to wrestle with undead monsters. "Gang up!" James orders.
He steps up onto the raw rock altar, one boot tip catching underneath loose rock - but deliberately. The rock - larger than a normal whistleball - flicks up into the air, propelled by the James' momentum. The rock smacks into the skeletal bird, arcs back through the air and is deftly caught by James.

5ft free step. Down-left. Move: activate Aggressive Flanking tactics. Free to use Baroom Brawler and Barroom Expert, Acquiring a free improv weapon at +1 size. Guessing d6 club equivalent, that becomes d8? Feel free to reroll if not.
Guessed a 23 would hit, so changed the description. If not, might be running!!!
Standard: Attack with flanking + fatal thrust
attack: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 3 + 2 = 23damage: 1d8 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 3 + (4) = 11

Minodora screeches as the flames bite into her flesh. She writhes, struggling against her bonds, and manages to extinguish herself before the fire devours her. "Yes, like that! Burn me to cinders in wrath! Lose yourself in mindless rage!"
The skeletal monstrosities rush at you, their knife-sharp beaks snapping forward. Instinctively, Quiin manages to dodge the attack coming for him, but Isaac and James are not so lucky. The former gets a gash in his flesh, glistening with ichor (7 damage), while the latter feels a sharp, debilitating pain in his chest as several ribs are shattered by the blow (10 damage).

From the corridor, you hear indistinct shouts, a blood-curdling, inhuman shriek and an echoing blast of magic. Whatever is there is keeping the adults occupied.

Your turn!

Quiin whips around, swinging his blade as he turns to face the skeleton closest to him (blue) while keeping one hand on the immobilized Minodora to ensure that she stays that way.

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Marked Target Minodora: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 Touch Attack

Prodigy Sequence = 1 (assuming the attack hit) (+1 to dice rolls and sequence if you count the previous spell as occurring during initiative)

"Don't attack her, it seems to be what she wants!"

Vorin's eyes widen as the skeletal birds come to life. The shrieking and blasts from the hallway just makes the whole situation scarier.

Of course, as always, Vorin turns to bravado in the face of his fear, and he grins. "Time for some fun!" He takes a split second to enchant his sword, then attacks. He stabs in with his sword even as he starts to try to cast a spell without getting smacked.

Attack with spell combat: 1d20 + 4 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 4 - 2 - 2 = 18

Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Oops, each of those should be 1 higher, I forgot to add the enchantment bonus. And +2 flanking on the attack if James' bonus still applies. I get sick for a couple months and forget how to do everything.

Concentration check: 1d20 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 1 + 3 = 9

Unfortunately, keeping an eye on his opponent distracts him enough that he does the hand gesture wrong, and nothing happens when he shouts the vocal component and tries to touch the bird creature.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Disarm/Steal (if needed): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Isaac reached down and grabbed the medallion hanging out of Minodora’s shirt.

"Oops!"

Empheria attacks the bird a lot more carefully this time, so carefully that it hardly seems as if she's aiming towards it.

Fire Blast (shooting into melee, vs. touch AC): 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 5 - 4 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Attack vs. blue bird, DC 15 Reflex to avoid being burnt each round for

Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

James' face greys, and he half stumbled back. Desperately he tries to breathe with broken ribs as the half-healed wounds he acquired from Min previously break open in exertion.
James is disabled. Is Blue down? Not sure if he needs to push into dying, or can just gasp for breath
@Vorin: Aggressive Flanking should still be active, but remember needs someone else to be threatening the creature - just removes the requirement they're on the other side.

Quinn feels that his shortsword is not as effective against a creature made of bones as it is against flesh. Still, a bird's bones are hollow, and the blade's tip pierces through the spongy tissue behind its beak before finding any resistance. The bird's skull flies away from his body, shattering against the wall, and the rest of the skeleton crumbles back into a grim mound.
Vorin's attack strikes home too, the slender blade finding an opening under the bird's eye and piercing all the way to the nasal sinuses. Again, the lack of blood proves an advantage for the undead monster, however, and it doesn't go down yet.
The third skeleton lashes at Isaac, slashing and tearing again (10 damage, reduced by berserking as necessary). And as soon as he rips the pendant from Minodora's neck, you hear her gasping and crying out in pain and shock.

Blue is now down. Vorin, that's a critical threat for a rapier, so you can give me a confirmation roll and I'll add it to the damage.

James all but collapses, holding himself against the wall as he continues to wheeze tactical advice.
Move: maintain Aggressive Flanking

Critical confirm: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 = 4

Isaac felt something trying to creep into his mind, an alien influence. However, Isaac's mind was too alien for the alien and he simply pocketed the medallion.

Targeting Green
Shove (PA, Touch): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
3 damage and battered if a hit
Brutal Strike (PA, Focus): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
1d6 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

"Ow," Isaac said, flatly as the bird skeleton did its damnedest to render him inert. He returned the favor by swatting at the persistent thing with a large hand, seeking to crush all those delicate bones in his grip.

Keeping a hand ready to deal with Minodora, Quiin spins to the next skeletal creature, swinging his blade around to hopefully cleave through it as well.

Marked Target (touch vs Minodora) w/ Sequence = 1: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Attack w/ Sequence = 1: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
-> Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

+1 to attack and damage if Marked Target hits

Empheria strikes the bird again with another flame, but is too distracted by what is happening with Minodora to aim.

Attack vs. touch AC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 5 - 4 = 8

"Minny?" Empheria says weakly in response to her friend's gasp despite her anger.

I just realized I never posted my actions for this turn, sorry!

Vorin gives up on trying to cast and fight at the same time, and instead stabs his sword in again, frustrated by how little his sword seems to affect the creature, "Go back to being dead, stupid bird!"

Attack on red with aggressive flanking with Quinn: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 13

Damage, just in case: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

This time around, your attacks are less fortunate than before: Isaac's hand connects only with the most calcified and solid part of the beak as the monster is going for an attack of its own. In the meanwhile Vorin's rapier slides off a rib and Empheria's fire splashes against one of the altars, setting fire to tattered cloth. Quinn's shortsword is the only weapon to cut a gap, exposing the spongy inside of the undead birds' wing bones. The creature tries to retaliate, but the boy's armor shields him, and no blood is shed.

"I'm sorry!" howls Minodora in pain, between cries and gasps. "I didn't- I wanted- I mean- I just felt... so angry!"

"How about helping us get rid of these monsters so we know you really mean it?" Empheria responds a little distrustfully.

She herself fires another fiery missile at the same target, but it accidentally shoots backwards instead.

Attack vs. touch AC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (2) + 5 - 4 = 3

Shove: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Move Action, Touch Attack, 3 damage and battered condition on a hit, restores focus
Using Standard Action to rip the ropes off Minodora

Isaac swats at the bird skeleton again, trying to get some breathing room as he frees Minodora.

"It's okay, Min, the demon was messing with your mind!" At least, that's his belief.

Vorin follows up with another strike of his sword at the creature he fights alongside Quinn.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 24

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

"Gotcha!"

"Yes Min! You're back! We did it guys!"

Quiin crows, before refocusing on the bony monster in front of him, hacking away again.

Attack w/ Sequence 3: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
-> Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
-> Crit Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

James continues to lean against the wall, gasping for breath - and shouting suggestions as soon as he has the breath to do so. When Isaac starts untying Mina he looks blank for a moment, then slumps to the ground and tries to help.
Swift action to maintain Aggressive Flanking. Move to help Isaac so he can get back into combat!

Vorin and Quiin's combined onslaught sever the second creature's spine, and the necromantic energy keeping together the skeleton dissipates as the bones crumble to the floor in a pile of dust. Isaac's strike unbalances and damages the last remaining undead creature, throwing off its last attack. Victory seems near.
As Minodora's ropes are broken, she looks around, disconcerted. "I-I don't..." she stammers, then an idea crosses her mind. With a trembling voice growing steady with every word, she sings, music reverberating through the cave. The song is a rousing ballad glorifying the Shining Crusade and the defeat of the Whispering Tyrant. A whisper of magic tied in the song bolsters your heart and your arm, and a triumphant roar echoes from the adults' side.

Minodora is using Inspire Courage: you have a +1 to attacks and weapon damage.

Brutal Strike, Power Attack, Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Isaac stands up to his full height and turns his attentions to the last bird skeleton. He was no longer distracted.

Empheria cheers as she finally manages to aim correctly, thanks to Minodora's music.

"Oh, can you sing the one about the hobgoblin that tried to catch the will o' wisp and accidentally spanked himself? I mean, when you finish this one, of course..."

Attack vs. touch AC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 5 - 4 + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4

Attack vs. last skeleton. DC 15 Reflex or burn each turn for
1d6 ⇒ 1