GM Sphen's Rise of the Runelords (Inactive)

Game Master Sphen86

"That's reasonable." agrees Tessa, turning to Saira. "As long as she remembers to watch the rear and not just my rear."

With a wink, she adds "I am observant as well. I'm not as capable of making paste as my brother Harness, but I know my way around combat. I felt a boost of Robori while we were last at the glassworks...I feel as though something has changed inside me..."

My bombs can now be:

gross

Saira shrugs gently. The back is fine for me. She looks at Tessa. I will guard everyone's back as long as I am bid and still draw breath. And I will ensure all of you still draw breath as well.

TO THE GLASSWORKS!!! Father Zantus looks peeved that you guys didn't answer his question, by the way.

You once again enter the morbidly silent building, the door left unsecured since all those who have keys are dead/imprisoned. You make your way unimpeded to the stairs and down into the lower storage, through and into the tunnel. It is dark, but enough light shines in to make it clear that this tunnel was made intentionally and poorly, the height and width varying as you walk. It stretches some distance, and after walking for about 5 minutes, you come to an odd intersection. A branch off the tunnel was bricked over at one time, but the bricks have since been mostly knocked in. You are close enough now to see light at the end of the tunnel that doesn't branch, and a quick inspection shows that it ends by coming out of the cliff that Sandpoint rests upon overlooking the sea, some 10 feet above the sand below.

Eydor, when you reach the part of the tunnel with the broken down wall, you hear that same voice again. Familiar yet un-placeable, it speaks in a whisper that only you can hear. Eydor....close You all find yourselves in a broad tunnel that is better made than the newer one you just left. It slowly curves off to your left and...
Perception Eydor: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Perception Harness: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0
Perception Snyk: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Perception Tessa: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Perception Cavenn: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Perception Saira: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Eeydor, Tessa, Cavenn, and Saira all hear movement coming from the room that branches off to the right (B2). You, of course, aren't sure what it is, but it sounds bigger than a rat or mole.

Cavenn puts his finger to his lips and looks at Snyk and Harness, pointing down the hall. He then draws his bow and begins sneaking down the corridor towards the sound. Once he reaches the corner, he will try and peer down into the room. He does not have darkvision if it matters.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Noting Cavenn's actions, Tessa nods. Turning back to the new recruit, she holds a finger to her lips and points towards the corridor.

Tiptoeing, she moves up behind man, ready to assist him. As she reaches him, her toe slams into an unseen pebble. "Oww!" she groans, quickly covering her mouth with both hands.

Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Harness unhitches Marauder, and shakes the chains out as if to test they are indeed ready to make paste. He favors Snyk with a smile, though perhaps it is too dark to see. Then the warforged walks down the corridor toward Cavenn, attempting stealth.

[dice=""Stealth"]1d20 + 1 - 6[/dice]

Snyk hops off of Harnesses shoulders where he had been sitting on the way to the glassworks. seeing he others drop into stealth, he follows suit.

stealth mode: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17
If something were to attack us, hopefully I can stay hidden long enough to get the drop on it.
also has Darkvision 60

Well, this is good. Some really effective stealth rolls and a solid strategy. That strategy was, of course, ruined by some not so great stealth rolls. So, combat begins.

Init. Cavenn: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Init. Eydor: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Init. Harness: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Init. Saira : 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Init. Snyk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Init. Tessa: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Init. Enemy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

A humanoid creatures lurches around the corner (in B1), it's long arms nearly dragging on the ground and it's enormous tongue slathering its jaws. It groans in pain or hunger, and raises razor sharp claws in preparation to attack.

I've made an expanded picture to the right on the map so you can see it more clearly. For other pictures, search "sinspawn" for those of you not familiar with them. We are going to skip the "flat-footed" part of this round since you guys knew something was there and it heard you, so everyone was conceivably prepared for this fight.
AC= 14; Touch= 12; FF= 12
***Spell Resistance= 13***

And, sadly for it, it is the last one to go. Soooo, let's see if it survives a single round of you guys beating on it.

Saira attempts to see the threat in the dark. She draws her crossbow and readies to shoot.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6

Ok, I thought the sound was coming from B2 which is why I moved where I did. No worries.

Cavenn steps in the room, nocks an arrow and grins at the nasty creature. "Well, you're an ugly son of an ogre, aren't ya?" He then pulls the string taut and fires at it.

Bow Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Bow Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

He will also make an untrained Bardic Knowledge check on it to see if can figure out what it is.

Bardic Knowledge check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Harness sees the lumbering form, Robori's will twisted and deformed. The warforged strides forward drawing forth a javelin, and speaking a prayer of conncection hurls the spike at the creature, the heavy flail Marauder still in his left hand.

Round 1

Move Action: Move to the square "B1" is in.
Swift Action: Activate Community blessing on self. (Successful Aid Another adds +4 rather than +2 for one minute)
Standard Action: Throw javelin at sinspawn.

Shwirr!!!: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 [+4 Str, +1 BAB]
Shnnkk!!!: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 [+4 Str]

This is the same day as the previous fight, right?

Spotting the foe as her companions begin to engage, Tessa moves to the corner of the room. Quickly tossing a few chemicals together, she lobs a bomb at the opponent.

With a wide grin, she watches the projectile sail true. With a *POP* or orange flames, greenery suddenly sprouts up from the cavernous floor reaching for the creature.

"Yeah, you stay there. My friends will be with you in a moment."

Tanglefoot Bomb: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Fire Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Reflex DC 15 vs Glued to Floor
Any in splash area DC 15 vs Entangled Splash Damage is 5

K Arcana? to ID: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
If it's nature, add 3 more...but I suspect it's not

Cavenn, I did indeed say the sound came from B2..... the mystery deepens......

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

An easy pass on the reflex save, but it obviously takes the full blast of the fire damage. Looking pretty injured now, let's see if Eydor can do anything to finish it off.

Also, this particular creature is a K(Dungeonerring) check.

Eydor, being in a good position and faster than Harness, moves quickly to the Sinspawn, hoping to finish it off with his trusted scimitar.

Full action: Charge and strike with a two handed scimitar attack

Two handed scimitar attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Critical hit confirm: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Eydor gets a clean hit on the Sinspawn, finishing it off, and turns to the rest of the group, or concretely, to the entrance, so he can see if anything else is coming. Is everyone okay?

I'm going to ask for someone to count the number of dices I've rolled, and tell me what's the chance of me rolling so high so many times. I'm starting to worry.

Know:Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Well now, everything seems to be under control over there. "Surroundings are the ally of the careful and the enemy of the careless." Best play it safe.

Snyk darts ahead and, back to the wall, peers around the corner to see what lies ahead down the splitting hallways.
Hate surprises

perception(if needed): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
stealth(if needed): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Good job on defeating that abomination folks. EXP. added to the group thread.

Snyk: Peering down the stone corridor, you see two things. First, the tunnel stretches on ahead some distance before becoming lost in the gloom. The corridor also branches off to the side where it encounters some sort of worked stone. That is all you can see while before the light ends. I presume that someone is carrying some sort of light, of course. I know I didn't mention it before, but there are no lights on down here. Who all is carrying a light source and what is your light source? As to your other senses, you smell only dirt and the freshly drawn blood behind you (which has a much stronger coppery tinge to it than normal blood). And you can hear what sounds like steady footfalls coming from the east.

What does everyone do?

Snyk scurries further down the dark side corridor to examine the worked stone paying extra attention for traps.
He can see perfectly in the dark up to 60ft. How do you want us to handle Perception? Should we keep rolling every round?

Cavenn murmurs a brief incantation and with a swift movement of his hand, illuminates his holy symbol with light. Picking up his arrow, he stows it away again and nods his approval to Harness, Tessa and Eydor. "Fine work on that bugger. Any idea what it is? I don't recognize it from my studies."

He then kneels down and checks to see if the creature had any possessions. He will then perform a quick cursory check of the room and then head down the hallway.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Snyk scurries further down the dark side corridor to examine the worked stone paying extra attention for traps.

He can see perfectly in the dark up to 60ft. How do you want us to handle Perception? Should we keep rolling every round?

I thought you had Darkvision, but I didn't see it when I looked at your "character sheet" the first time. Thought you might have traded it out for something else. Found it on the second look through. As for perception, since it's a PbP, I'm going to have you just run with the same Perception check until something happens to interrupt it (combat, a trap, etc). Same for stealth.

Snyk: Moving further down the side hallway towards the worked stone, you see a seemingly abandoned storeroom, littered with rotting leather and rusty metal tools on tables and on racks on the walls. A door leads off to the north, and the thumping sound continues, though you can't see anything to account for it.

Cavenn: The mysterious creature only has deteriorating rags that fall apart further as you search it's body. Every limb and joint is slightly distorted on its emaciated form. You still hear the "footsteps" that you heard earlier, and of course can see Snyk investigating down the halls.

Eydor: Another whisper reaches your ears. ...please.....

Don't forget to move yourselves on the map if you're going somewhere. It's important for me to be able to know where you are for the sake of traps and combats and such. I run under a simple rule; where ever you are on the map is where you are. Even if you say that you move, if you don't actually move your piece, to bad. It is your responsibility to move your pieces and know where you are.

Frowning at the sight of the beast before them, she quickly turns to follow the 'Light of Sandpoint' (Cavenn)

'That thing was not natural...Robori would be please it perished!' she considers, attempting to stay quiet.

Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Saira keeps a wary eye open as she "quietly" follows the others further into the tunnels.

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Stealth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Harness feels the creature's pain. It seemed to be troubled even while alive. The warforged shakes his head at Cavenn's question.

"I've never seen its like. Then again, I haven't seen much."

With that conversational height reached, Harness moves off, once more attempting to be "stealthy".

Trompque, trompque, trompque.....his feet sound out on the surface of the floor.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 - 6 ⇒ (8) + 1 - 6 = 3

Hearing the loud steps of his companions down the hallway, Cavenn stops and says: "Maybe Snyk and I should scout ahead. We will let you know when to follow us."

Harness nods.

"Go on Snyk. Stay safe."

"Aye sir. There is a torch in your pack if you need the light"

To Cavenn: "I see a doorway and additional piles of junk this way shall we continue on?"

Snyk checks to see if the door is locked.

Cavenn nods his head in the affirmative to Snyk's question and looking at maybe managing some tight spaces, he will draw his falchion and stow his bow away on his back. If all is clear, Cavenn will wave ahead the rest of the group.

The door to the north in B2 is not locked. If you open it, you see another hallway stretching before you a few feet before going left, then back to the right (when you follow it down). It quickly reaches another intersection; the north path leading to a room with a statue of a humanoid in it (facing east so you aren't able to see it's features) and the path to the east turns before you can see where it goes.

The dust on the floor seems undisturbed before you trod down path and no sounds of movement reach your ears. Which way would you like to go?

Snyk moves down to the corner of the hallway.

shouldn't stray too far from the group.

Saira turns to Tessa and whispers How long do we wait before we follow? We don't want to be too far away if they get in trouble

Cavenn motions to Tessa and the others to come ahead down the hallway. He then bends down and begins searching the room, looking for anything of note.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Cavenn motions to Tessa and the others to come ahead down the hallway. He then bends down and begins searching the room, looking for anything of note.

Which room are you searching? B2?

Yes, B2

Harness moves up slowly, carefully. Almost quietly.

[dice=""Stealth"]1d20 + 1 - 6[/dice]

Could someone please move Harness 20' closer to to Cavenn et al?

Cavenn: You search through the crumpled stores in B2 and only come across some broken pottery and some disintegrated foods. The busted urns may be of interest to a collector if you can find one.

Saira tries to quietly approach the scouts. She trips over her own feet and curses.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Snyk sneaks down the right hand hallway. toward B12
He keeps his ears perked up for any sounds that could indicate what is in the room beyond.

Cavenn waits for the others in B2 and then asks Harness if he can take the broken pottery. ”This may be worth something. Would you mind hanging on to it? We will see if we can find a collector interested enough to purchase it.” He slaps Harness on the shoulder in thanks and continues sneaking after Snyk.

“I wonder what that damned noise was? I can’t hear it now.”

Would someone mind moving Cavenn about 5 squares behind Snyk?

Harness nods, happy to be of service. He bends down and crouches, gathering up the potsherds and gazing at each one in turn. The look like...fired clay...to the warforged. He stows the items and returns to the business at hand.

Following behind Cavenn...

Eydor moves together with Harness, staying a bit behind the scouts. He starts casting detect magic and concentrating on the voice that whispers him, trying to discern the direction of where it is coming from.

Eydor will cast detect magic to the left, right and top of the map

Snyk: The tunnel widens here into what appears to have once been a small shrine, for to the northeast , steps lead up to a platform of gray stone. Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it. This basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.
(That's the flavor text from the book)
In addition to this, you can see just the faintest glimmer of light coming from the far edge of your vision ahead of you.

Eydor: You detect no unusual magic at this time (only what your friends are carrying, if anything). The voice does not whisper to you anymore.

Harness: Add 25 gp worth of broken pottery to your inventory. You will need to find a buyer who is interested, however.

Saira: You stub your toe. Take 1 point of SHAME!!!!

why is it always shrines?
Snyk moves into the shrine room.

Cavenn makes his way back to the others, motions them forward then follows Snyk into the shrine room, blade drawn. Once in there, he will begin casting Detect Magic in the room to see if there are any auras emanating from the shrine or anywhere else nearby.

Harness dutifully follows, pausing briefly to check that Saira's toe is indeed okay. Harness looks aghast upon entering the shrine, noting that the followers of Robori working here cleave to dark colors and obviously yearn for the light of life and green, verdant purity. The warforged shares a knowing look with Tessa.

"Snyk, is this place trapped? It feels...off somehow."

Don't forget to move your pieces to their appropriate places for your actions.

Snyk: As you move into the shrine room, you notice that the sliver of light I mentioned last is coming from underneath what you presume to be a door at the far end of the room.

Cavenn: Your detect magic spell does get an aura. The shrine seems to be glowing. If you focus in on it, you notice that it is the water itself that you detect.

Snyk, Cavenn, Harness: This room is missing the copious amounts of dust that you saw in the other chambers and halls so far.

Snyk Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Cavenn Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Harness Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

No one passed the perception check, so ignore this part.

Too bad my teammates are not as skilled at finding clues as I am. Surely if there were any clues to spot, I'd have noticed by now.....

moving when on moblie is tricky. who wants to be in B12 with me and Cavenn?

Saira starts to cautiously follow the team, worried about being to far away if a fight breaks out.

I move to the end of the hallway but wait to follow them into the room

Better to rally the party before going through mysterious doors

Cavenn keeps his spell going, curious to see what else he can divulge from the altar. “Hmm. What is this then?”

Turning to Snyk after he has figured out all he can from the water, he says: “Anything down there, my friend?” indicating the next room over. “Not sure what is keeping the others but they should be here soon.