GM Sloth's Carrion Crown (Inactive)

Game Master ThreeEyedSloth

Knowledge(Local) on the castle
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Can we have a week of downtime? I've been meaning to get my bird trained, provided I can find a trainer.

I get the impression the locals might take matters into their own hands if we leave them that much time...

Aldous enjoys the opportunity to do a bit of shopping (using his Hat of Disguise to keep a low profile; it would not do to be recognised as Stitches' Advocate). However, with all of the townsfolk rushing around, spouting fear and hatred, he hardly has the chance to relax.

This sort of small-minded fear is exactly the reason I did not want to leave the Observatory...

When he returns to the party's place of residence, and is able to compare notes with the others, he nods.

"We should probably go and see what we can find out about Stitches' creator, and sooner rather than later, before the mob does..."

I will post a list of purchases in the OOC thread later on.

You send the Crooked Kin to watch over the mob. It seems they lost the initial track. This should give you some extra time.

Just adding a pause for you. Gives you a little bit more time.

In the meantime Wren prattles about a castle, an aristocrat, founder of Lepidstadt or was it Vieland, but no Aristocrat as there aren't any left since the revolution. Wren seems to know so much - just why can't she tell it in a way that is understandable.

missing my iPad with the details and not in a mood to type on my phone from the written version. Explanation what Wren really said will follow .

Hopefully Galadan is able to interpret Mistress Wren's obscurities.

In the meantime, he continues to work with Black Falcon to train her the Come trick. (requires a week of work)

Handle Animal
10 + 4 + 4 = 18

It takes a while to make sense what Wren actually had said earlier.

Schloss Caromarc is the dwelling of Count Alpon Caromarc, the former ruler of Vieland who abdicated his position when the Palatinates threw off the heavy yoke of the aristocracy.

An eccentric recluse, Count Caromarc has built a dwelling that both attracts and deters visitors. Known as the Hanging House, Schloss Caromarc lies to the northeast of Dippelmere Swamp, and is actually several buildings built into the walls of a gorge above a waterfall. Although the lower parts of the house are as luxurious as one might find in any city, the further up the gorge one goes, the more treacherous and inhospitable the buildings become.

Paranoid about his experiments and discoveries being stolen, the eccentric Count Caromarc has, it is rumored, trapped parts of his castle to prevent theft, and constructed numerous guardian creatures to serve and protect him.

Once Wren's prattling has been interpreted, Aldous grows thoughtful.

"Hmmm... Well, he certainly *sounds* like the sort of person who could build something like Stitches... If we go to... 'visit'... him, though, we should be on our guard - if he is that paranoid, he is liable to react poorly to visitors."

"I should be interested to know where he gets his 'parts'. If he is disturbing the souls of the dead, I will ensure that Pharasma enlightens him."

Knowledge(Arcana) 'take 10' = 20.

"Actually, I am fairly certain that, if he has 'constructed' his guardians, and they are anything like Stitches, their spirits are not involved; typically, the flesh is given a 'life-spark' by chaining the essence of an elemental to it - the souls of the departed have no part to play."

He then shrugs.

"Although I am not condoning it, it is entirely possible that he has acquired his raw materials through intermediaries, rather than collecting them himself; I can't imagine the 'former ruler' of this County going out grave-robbing... In which case, technically, the worst that he could be charged with is 'interfering with a corpse'... although I suppose 'unnatural acts of wizardry' might work as a legal pretext for 'dealing' with him, too.

Then again, he *is* the former ruler - I dare say that he has a lot of money; it is possible that he has obtained his resources perfectly legally, by engaging in a direct trade with the families of the deceased (although I admit that that is unlikely)."

Wren will be able to point out that at least parts of Stitches have not been human.

Humans don't have feathers - well apart of Wren of course.

Wren babbles for a few minutes without pauses, brainlessly reciting what she's heard "from her little birdies" about Castle Caromarc, until she pauses and asks "What was I talking about?" before regaining her stream-of-babble and continuing.

"...and that is why they don't allow grew dwarves and pink bullettes inside."

Wren finishes and takes a deep breath.

"I guess we should offer to take Stitches, there?"

* * * *

Whenever RP, this can happen whenever.

Wren yawns in the morning, happily stretching out in her 'nest' (or whatever circular shape she has made out of the mattresses, blankets, and pillows of the inn she had been staying), and begins a new day with gently waking Plumie.

"Wake up, PlumieBird, we have much to do this morning!" Plumie wakes slowly as he had been kept up very late by the sound of Wren's snoring, but does not complain aloud, but instead just lets a few bird pellets fall from his backside. Wren chooses not to acknowledge them.

Wren opens up her main spellbook, unwrapping it from the waterproof sack that she keeps it in. Then she removes the traveling spellbook that was a gift from the Professor (such a dear dear friend!) and places them both on the table. Finally, she places the scroll that she bought on the yesterday as well...and together with her feather quill and ink, begins to scribe and re-scribe spells into her books.

Scribe Create Pit to spellbook: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18 Spellcraft vs. DC 17

Scribe Invisibility to spellbook: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16 Spellcraft vs. DC 17

Scribe Fireball to spellbook: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29 Spellcraft vs. DC 18

Scribe Haste to spellbook: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28 Spellcraft vs. DC 18

Meh, no Invisibility today. Maybe tomorrow. 40+90+90=220 gp spent.

Putting away the scroll of Invisibility (the other spells disappeared from the parchment), Wren begins to copy spells from her main spellbook to her traveling spellbook so that she might use that to Fast Study to learn them.

Into her traveling spellbook she scribes:

Magic Missile:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30 Spellcraft vs. DC 16
Grease: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17 Spellcraft vs. DC 16
Resist Energy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23 Spellcraft vs. DC 17
Glitterdust: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30 Spellcraft vs. DC 17
Haste: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28 Spellcraft vs. DC 18

10+10+40+40+90=190gp. And Wren is done with her monies. Just traveling expenses now.

Wren hugs her traveling spellbook and quickly rips off some feathers from Plumie (who retorts with a loud, angry squawk) and begins to decorate the spellbook with them.

So lovely...just like me.

Wren is happily writing spells in her spellbook. When she looks up and inquires about Stiches she learns he was escorted by the watchmen to the swamp.

The Crooked Kin have an eye on the mob but it seems they didn't manage so far to follow Stiches - likely they aren't aware which direction he went.

Galadan is not at all conflicted by the disappearance of Stitches.

"I am sure Stitches knows the swamps better than we or any mob. He's lived there for some time. But I think it is best to call on this count, as we have been invited, and it is well to see if Stitches arrives safely."

Andrea wonders how to spend her new found riches she finally decides on the following.

Wand of Cure Light Wounds..750Gp

Wand of Magic Missile..750Gp

Bracers of armour +1 2000Gp

She places 500 into a bank and retains the remaining 26.5 gold as pin money.

Wren is shocked to hear that Stitches has been released without her knowledge.

"He didn't even say goodbye! It's probably because he would have been too sad to leave me. Such a dear monster..." Wren frets and worries for Stitches.

"I had hoped to see him again, but if we are to travel to find him, I'm sure we'll catch up to him."

Wren ponders for a moment and, as she does, her worries intensify and her imagination begins to run wild, dreaming of all the dangers and threats that may harm her good friend, Stitches.

"We should go! We should go now! We should go find Stitches!!!" Plumie squawks, not out agreement, but just responding to Wren's agitation.

"What do you think, Mr. Aldous? Why aren't you worried?!"

The total journey is 24 miles. You stop at the last resting place 2/3 of the way to arrive in the late morning.

Schloss Caromac

The fens give way to a deep, rocky gorge at the northern edge of the swamp, where a peculiar building, or rather group of buildings, clings to steep cliff edges above half a dozen plummeting waterfalls. Beyond a fortified gatehouse, a stone bridge arches gracefully over the raging torrents below. Perched precariously beyond this is a fine, fortified manse and a ruined building that appears to have partially collapsed into the river below. A slender rope bridge, replacing the fallen remnants of a stone bridge, links to a strange tower pierced with beautiful stained glass windows depicting bizarre beasts. A further building teeters to the north of this, but how it is reached is impossible to see from here. Far above, a great tower rises from an isle of stone to the sky, ending in a great steeple topped with a huge lightning conductor.

Any missed items to be bought? Just post them before the first encounter.

Wren wonders if she knows this location.

1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26 Knowledge: Geography
1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16 Knowledge: History
1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19 Knowledge: Local

* * * *

Wren will travel with 2 spell slots open (one at 1st and 2nd lvl).

Aldous raises an eyebrow as he regards Wren.

"I am fairly certain that Stitches is... big enough... to look after himself; however, he can still probably get himself into trouble. I doubt that we would be able to catch-up to him, unless he has stopped for some reason - hopefully, he will have taken refuge at Schloss Caromac..."

Purchased items noted in the OOC thread.

When the party finally arrives at Schloss Caromac, whistles when he sees the actual form the 'Castle' takes.

"That is an impressive feat of engineering... it must have been truly stupendous before it started falling apart..."

Before approaching any further...

Aldous enters into a trance, summoning forth Hastur!

Kevin looks at the tower and shrugs his shoulders. "Could be worse I guess."

Ah velcome to Castle Frankenstein

Andrea looks on the castle with interest.

"So how do we handle this if Stiches has not arrived home yet?"

'Aldous' shrugs.

"Knock politely, and ask for an audience? Failing that, insist?"

Your reckon from your vantage point that the ruined building must have been destroyed recently - maybe via an explosion.

The mansion looks like it is occupied and lived in.

No signs of guards from here - but you are sure a place like this won't be unguarded and guards will show themselves if you approach.

So please let me know your modes of approach or anything else you do prior to walking down.
Aldous already has summoned his Eidolon. Any other buffs ahead of time?

Mage Armor. You can never be too careful. All my other buffs are a bit too short-duration to toss around with abandon, though...

Mage Armor. You can never be too careful. All my other buffs are a bit too short-duration to toss around with abandon, though...

Yes - it was mainly Mage Armour I expected when I wrote this. But players never disappoint me and often suprise me with other spells I haven't even thought off.

Wren just has the extended FeatherMage Armor.

"This is that place?! What happened to it?"

"I suggest we approach calmly and directly. We have been invited by Stitches to meet his father after all. It is not as though we are trespassing."

Still, Galadan keeps a wary eye out for disturbing movements, and signs of the undead.

Perception
1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31 +2 vs undead.

Andrea joins Hastur in casting Mage Armour and places her ward on Kevin.

"Stitches did not mention the destruction though, maybe it occured after his capture.I suggest caution in our approach"

'Aldous' nods.

"I concur, Andrea. We should be cautious."

Wren agrees with Galadan.

"I'm sure my good friend Stitches will be expecting us. That old feathershoulder probably misses us all." Wren preens herself in preparation for entering, casting Prestidigitation to clean and fluff her feathers.

A two story gatehouse leads into the castle. You notice smoke rising from somewhere inside. The gatehouse is topped with a crenellated tower at each corner. The main gate is closed.

You approach carefully when two green skinned dog like creatures bar your way.

Initiative:

'dogs' 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Wren 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Aldous 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Galadan 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Kevin 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Andrea 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Wren is the first to act - ahead of the dogs.

You are some 40 feet away from them and 50 feet away from the gatehouse.

Order:
Wren 27
'dogs' 20
Andrea 19
Hastur 16
Kevin 7
Galadan 7

1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31 Knowledge: Arcana

"Oooh, look at them mean ol' trollhounds! Ain't nothing good about any of them. Their wounds will heal themselves and we'll want fire or acid to finish them off. Oh...and don't get bit. They have sharp teeth."

Wren will move behind Mr. Hastur for protection.

"Mr. Hastur! Hit them hard!"

Wren will touch Mr. Hastur with Diviner's Fortune. (Diviner's Fortune: +2 (9/day) (Sp) Creature touched gains +2 to attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws for 1r. 1/9 used today.)

"They might be trained. Perhaps they will respond to negotiation."

Galadan's thoughts seen to make a lot of sense - and indeed the troll hounds seem to be trained - but rather trained to kill as to show restrain.

Target: Galadan 1, Hastur 2, Kevin 3 - in case second one goes for same target I will use next.

1d3 ⇒ 3
1d3 ⇒ 1

Attack 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 2 = 25 Damage Bite 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Attack 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 8 + 2 = 30 Damage Bite 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

The two troll hounds seem to avoid Hastur but instead go for Galadan and Kevin. Large teeth burry themselves deep into their flesh.

Trip attempt:
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Both heroes find themselves on the ground. Green Saliva dripping into their wounds.

DC14 Fortitude check

Critical confirm

Attack 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 2 = 19 Damage Bite 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Bloddy hells not dogs again!

Power Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Confirm Crit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Damage: 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Crit Damage: 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

This was brutal ...

Kevin, prone on the ground, 11 damage

Galadan prone, 22 points of damage

Posted this durring Thods post it seems. Can I still attack?

Kevin might be down - but this doesn't stop him from nearly single handedly to kill the hound above him. His sword slices deep into the soft underbelly opening up the hound. Entrails can be seen on the ground.

The dog lets out a loud whimpering growl. It seems not to have expected such heavy defense. But despite its heavy damage - it still seems up against all odds.

Seems we cross post. You would have had a -4 on your attack - I took that into account in the above post.

Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

For actions - I assume the three men in front with Hastur in the middle.
Wren and Andrea are behind them.
For a moment it looked brutal - but I doubt the hounds will survive long.
At least they had their moment of Glory.

Wren looks at Kevin's prone form and worries a bit for him.

He's so taken with me. I hope he's okay.

Wren chirps loudly as she remembers that the contents of her pouch is a pair of alchemist fires.

"I have fire for them mean ol' hounds. Let's knock them out, then burn them good."

Activate Judgement of Purity

Fortitude
1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 = 7

"By the Bones! Cursed mutts." Galadan grits through his teeth.

He reaches for his mace and attempts to strike the one that left fang impressions (and a great deal of blood) on his shoulder.

1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 4 = 14
1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

The Saliva of the hound burns in Galadan's wound. Pharasma's power seem impotent against such defiling.

But Galadan seems to have more luck with his mace. Despite his precarious situation he manages to slam it sideways - hearing the breaking bones of a leg from the dog. The hit is answered by a wild roar - more of anger than anything else as such a wound won't last long if the hound manages to kill it's pray.
It seemed the hound had let down it's guard in the eagerness to inflict pain and desctruction.

Hastur - I hope you don't mind that I describe the action already despite you being ahead in initiative. Still 2 hounds up and the two on the ground deserved their hits back.

Not a problem, at all - I was pleasantly surprised to discover 16 posts in this thread when I woke-up this morning :-)

Seeing his allies slam into the trollhounds, 'Aldous' eagerly attempts to finish the job!

If I am in the middle, I should be in reach of both.

Claw #1: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 2 = 20, for 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 Magical S/B damage +1d6 ⇒ 1 Fire damage.

Claw #2: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 2 = 21, for 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 Magical S/B damage +1d6 ⇒ 3 Fire damage.

Claw #2: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 2 = 19, for 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 Magical S/B damage +1d6 ⇒ 4 Fire damage.

Claw #2: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 2 = 17, for 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 Magical S/B damage +1d6 ⇒ 5 Fire damage.

On here next turn, Wren wants to go into her pouch to retrieve the alchemists fire, but instead watches the flaming fists of Mr. Hastur.

Oh yeah. Fire.

Wren passes the turn babbling about what she knows and likes about fire.

"Fire is hot! Did you guys know that...blahblabblah...."

It takes Hastur three hits before the hound on top of Galadan finally lies still and quite.

The one above Kevin goes down in a single hit.

Andrea still to act

I'm staying in initiative order.

Having no fire or acid available Andrea can only offer advice...

"Just keep stabbing them until we can get something organised Gentlemen.Wren have you any oil?"

Round 2

Some of the wounds seem to close up again. But both hounds aren't moving yet.

I'm waiting for Hastur. It seems Andrea and Wren don't want to do anything right now - so I regard this as delay.