GM Tektite's PFS #2-12 Below the Silver Tarn (Inactive)

Game Master Hawkwen Agricola

"Panfalcon - that's good. Aponyaye, Panfalcon, Taiko, Weimann: are any of you practiced at the art of deception? 'Cause I figure the tarnspawns out there know we're in here, and we're gonna have to do something to convince them to chase after us instead of everyone that's fleeing for the temple."

I'm thinking for the distraction, we'll need to use Bluff.

"I'm not a great liar, but I've been told before that I look scrumptious, among other less relevant things."

Weiman isn't making any of the main checks, but can add +4 with Aid Another and can Haste if we're worried about running away from things.

Okay, so I checked out everyone's skills - assuming that Bluff is needed to convince the creatures to follow the heroes.

"Okay - Weimann, Panfalcon and Taiko - I think you are the best party to act as the bait. Here's what I figure:"

• You three, the bait, will head outside and get the attention of whatever tarnspawns you can see.

• Panfalcon - I'm not sure how big a cloud you can make, but if you can somehow make sure you create that cloud so that it can block of direct view of our exit, that would be fantastic.

• Aponyaye and I - with our animal friends, will help shepherd our locals to the temple. Hopefully Sahrek and I can deal with any tarnspawn that may follow us and Aponyaye can help with healing any of the locals that need it.

• If all goes well and you guys can be the perfect bait, Weiman can cast haste to help you lose the tarnspawn - just don't do that too early. We'll need time to get clear of danger.

GM, I assume that the folks know the direction of the temple and how to get there - right?

I dunno, what do you guys think?

Taiko bow to Desmond

That's a good idea Desmond san. I will try my best to lure the creature the other way you will go with the people.

Then Taiko asked the two other Can you get out of sight with an invisibility spell ? I can do it myself but if we can all do it the lure will be better.

Desmond politely, but firmly, interjects himself after Taiko's suggestion, "Well now hold on Taiko san. The problem, if you do your little invisible trick, is that if these things don't see you then they may stop chasing after you; end of distraction. Then, they notice that we're marching a few dozen tasty morsels through town."

I'm sorry Desmond san to not have been clearer. The invisibility trick will be needed only to come back at the temple after the creatures will chase us and not the others.

Said Taiko

"Ah - that makes more sense. Alright," Desmond turns to Adle, "how long will it take to reach the temple? So these guys know how long to keep the tarnspawn off our trail."

"I could also act as bait and dimension door myself and the other bait away when the tarnspawn get closer; that way we do not risk them catching up with the halfling as the bait group tries to make a run for the temple."

"My cloud will be 20' in radius. I can cast a couple of them if need be. Msomi, I would like to accompany you on the way out with your dimensional door."

Adel speaks up, saying. "The temple isn't that far. Just outside of town up on a hill overlooking the valley. I'd say not more than a ten minute jog from here."

"Good point, Aponyaye. Weiman, why don't you come with us. Aponyaye, Panfalcon and Taiko will act as bait. The rest of us should go."

"Let's have the bait go out, Panfalcon, you leave your stink clouds to block line of sight from us, and we'lll head to the temple."

"Yes, this sounds like a plan."

Ok, sounds like you have a plan. The decoy party needs to make a Bluff check.

Bluff: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Aponyaye will keep behind the others, ready to grab them and dimension door them as far towards the temple as he can once the tarnspawn get close enough.

Bluff: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

Panfalcon will use at least 2 stinking clouds to give an 80' spread. If more is needed he'll use a max of two more to get the appropriate coverage.

Taiko will help Panfalcon to lure the creatures outside, using his wayfinder to help him do that.

Bluff (+Guidance with Jade wayfinder): 1d20 + 13 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 1 = 30

Desmond watches the bait team take off, By Gozreh, I hope they make it. He waits and when the way seems clear, he signals for Weiman and Adle to help with ushering the large group of people across town to the temple.

Panfalcon creates a stinking cloud of fog as the bait team begins running off into the mists. Moments later, the rest of the public house crowd darts off in the opposite direction.

"Grab ahold of me!" Aponyaye says as he grabs ahold of a piece of air and steps through it.

I can dimension door us 760 feet away, straight towards the temple. Hopefully that is close enough that we can run inside before they can catch up.

Panfalcon grabs a hold of Aponyaye with a small prayer that this will work.

Panfalcon sees the tarnspawn closing in just as he reaches out to Aponyaye. The Mwangi feels the invisible hand of Taiko and the trio dimension hops away from the creatures. With a good amount of distance between the shambling creatures, the party easily makes the final run to the temple, bursting through the door and shutting it behind them!

Reunited, the party looks around to see that even with most of the structure collapsed and half the sanctuary flood buried in a foot of mud, the temple stands with a proud and serene air. Collapsed masonry blocks all but a single door into the structure, grating ingress to the main sanctuary. An uneven staircase in the far southeast corner of the sprawling chamber leads to something below.

Faded frescoes on the walls depict iconic scenes from Aroden’s mythology—the raising of the Starstone, battling Tar- Baphon, the knighting of Iomadae—but behind the altar an entirely new myth decorates the plaster. An army swathed in Taldan dress battles a horde of Kellid warriors. A bat-winged mass of shadows and swirls erupts from the battlefield, decked in Kellid symbols and slaying men from both forces. Finally, clerics circle the dark killer, reading from an enormous brass book and laying down silver bars, the winged Eye of Aroden shining yellow rays from the sky. To finish, the valley is shown empty and quiet save for the temple, represented as a great, brass tome.

Desmond saunters up and takes in the imagery of the more recent mural. "Well, I never been much of a church-goer, but those little silver bars that them clerics are messing with look familiar." He gets closer, trying to understand the mural's significance.

Know. Religion DC20: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Kn(r): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Weiman gets about halfway through reading before he gets bored and starts assembling his Trombone of Noble Annoyance while everyone else reads.

"I'm guessing this book is important too. Looks like a brass book? Weird." Desmond asks the group of miners and townspeople, "Do any of you know anything about a brass book? May be important."

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

"This is quite different from the symbolism I am used to in the Mwangi."

Desmond will walk to the steps, "What's down here, then? Anybody know?"

Panfalcon shakes his head at Desmond's question.

"It appears the bars should be laid down, but in what formation or under what circumstances, I do not know. Shall we descend down the stairs? The townsfolk should stay up here. They should only follow if the doors become breached."

The architecture shifts noticeably beneath the temple, changing dramatically from the finely crafted Azlanti style above to a more crude, utilitarian fashion. Beyond a wall of corroded iron bars lies a tangled mess of collapsed shelves, moldering books, and muddy sinkholes. Far across the room, a stone altar cradles three heavy tomes forged from glittering, yellow metal. The iron bars appear to be locked.

MAP

Desmond shrugs off the mural, "Yeah, it's a little strange, Pan - maybe there's something that can clear up the order of everything."

Once down in the basement, Desmond carefully steps out with Sahrek at his side. "Looks like some books over there - like in the painting upstairs, maybe?"

As he steps in, he notices some of the empty chambers in the walls. He steps forward and gets closer to the first alcove and takes a look.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30

The iron bars are locked. Moved you back.

What's the plan?

Sorry 'bout that. That's what I get for posting while watching Mad Men at the same time.

Desmond checks the bars. (Any chance I could use that previous Perception check?)

"Well, looks like these things are locked, but they're pretty corroded. I wonder if we could break them - unless someone here is handy with opening strange locked bars. Or wait, is there a priest or cleric for this temple? Maybe he, or she, has a key."

"Come on, Thuggo; I think you're a little better suited for the 'bearded lady' role than the strong man role. Ha!" Weiman will drop the first (I think?) 2nd Acute Senses spell for the day and see if this is disable-able. T10 Perception of 10 + 26 + 20 = 56. If they are something that can be Disable Device'd at, he'll T10 for a 10 + 18 + 2 = 30 and roll if that fails.

Desmond glares at the Halfling and pats his belly, "Hey, it's been a long day, wee-little man. These bars are too strong. I could easily break some bars that are much thinner, or more corroded."

I tried to find a link to that old SNL skit with Bill Murray that's a riff on the old Steve Reeves Hercules movies, but alas - my searching was fruitless.

Weiman easily opens the iron gate and it swings open with a grating screech. At that moment, a voice calls out from somewhere within the chamber. "“Who’s that there? Do the high and mighty faithful of Aroden deign to visit their humble slave once again?”

Desmond steps forward carefully, calling out and looking around for the source of the voice, "Well...I guess you haven't been out in the last few days. The town is under attack by a bunch of weird creatures and we've collected a bunch of silver ingots that are part of some kind of ceremony to get rid of the creatures."

He clears his throat, "So..a-hem. Whoever you are, any help or knowledge you can share would be, well - helpful."

Perception to scan the room: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Perception: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (6) + 24 = 30

I am Xian Taiko, from Tian Xa. We are here to find a way to protect this village against creatures of great power.
We learn of this temple and we hope to find a way to protect them from the creatures.
Can you help us ?

Said Taiko who tried to look where the voice came and if this one was helpful or not

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (4) + 18 = 22

Poor Taiko, the dice are not with him... :P

"Yes, hello there! We are not the ones who enslaved you but perhaps we can help each other. Can you tell us anything about what is trapped beneath the lake or how to stop it escaping? The murals upstairs showed a great book; perhaps you know where we can find it? If we can help free you, we shall see what we can do."

Not sure if you guys want me to take the lead so:
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30 +2 against fey

Desmond holds out his hands a little to get everyone's attention. "Hey guys, it's one of them naga creatures - like we just dealt with in Nagajor. Remember, with the two different gangs in that little one-horse village?"

Desmond steps forward a little and addresses the naga. "As my friend here has said, we're not the ones who have enslaved you - but whatever is trying to get out from under the lake could possibly destroy the whole village. We could really use any help you're able to offer."

Diplomacy (Aid Another): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15

The sibilant voice calls out. "I do not know anything of the lake you sssspeak of. I have been here a long...long time. Bound here by a powerful geassss spell, I sssserve as guardian of a tome, the Tome of Memory. Removing the tome will releassse me form the spell, and for that I would happily let you passsss. Be warned, there is more then one tome on the altar, I do not know which is the correct, sssso pick wissely!"

Desmond approaches the altar with the three books. He looks over them carefully, while thinking out loud.

"Well, the book in the tapestry looked like it was brass...I suppose it would make sense that the book we want is also brass."

He doesn't reach out to any of the books yet. "I've seen enough to know this may be some kind of trap." He examines the books as best as he can to figure out which one is brass. (If that is something you can tell by looking at them)

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

"Why were you bound here and by whom? And what happens if we choose poorly?"

Taiko followed Desmond, looking a the three tomes. Using his jade wayfinder for the Guidance of Tian Xa.

Perception (+Guidance): 1d20 + 24 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 24 + 1 = 44
Disable Device (+Guidance): 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 14 + 1 = 17

Kyofuu looking with him

Kyofuu aid (DC10): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26