From out of the ravine below climb a pair of stone megaliths carved in vaguely humanoid shape. Their eroded faces turn upward so that their gaping mouths fill with water. Badly weathered, the craftsmanship and culture is beyond recognition.
About fifty feet below, amid broken branches and other detritus, hundreds of cracked bones can be seen littered about the misty ravine floor.
AC 22 T 15 FF 18 | HP 80+11/80 | F +15 R +20 W +12 (+1 vs. psn, disease; Immune evil mind control) | Init +11 | Perc +25 (30 vs. traps) (Dark 60) | SM +8 | Bomb 5/19 | Wing 8/11 | Boot 5/10 | HeightAware, InvMind (6), Heroism, DexMut
San Xiao creeps forward, keeping an eye out for traps as he examines the area.
Take 10 for 38 to find traps, examining the megaliths, then flying down the ravine to look at the piles of detritus and bones. Drinking Investigative Mind and Heightened Awareness extracts.
HP: 14/138 , Init +3, AC: 23, T: 12, FF: 21, CMD: 29, F: +18, R: +12, W: +18 <+2 vs Evil, Evasion, no Food/ Water, Native Outsider, Imune to Fog/Mist/Smoke and Evil Possesion or Mind-Control>Fly 30', Swim 30", Move 30', Perception +10 <Darkvision 60ft>, <Read/Understand all Languages, Ant Haul, Trail of Roses, Ride the Waves>, NG Male Aasimar Cleric 15, Sunflare: +15/+10/+5, 1d6+18+1d6 Acid (15/x2) S, 5,274-18, Roakar
Ill just Channel if you need. Not sure who all is hurt.
I have Muleback cords and can naturally fly. Shouldn't be too difficult to lower us all down and no risk of falling. Heck, might as well Magic Circle on Xiaobo, too while we are at it.
Climbing down would be tricky, but flying down doesn't appear to be an issue.
No evil is detected from the bones, which seem to be a combination of animal and humanoid bones.
As Ignatious ferries the last of the party down, San Xiao takes a closer look at the megaliths themselves. At the base of the westernmost one, he notes an overgrown alcove covered in hundreds of runes.
DC 20 Kn (religion):
The runes indicate that this site has been used for centuries for tribute and sacrifice to Sifkesh.
San Xiao is about to move to the other megalith when he notes a small, concealed tube of lead and stone sunk into the muddy ground. It appears to have been here quite some time, perhaps even centuries.
Male Human, Reroll: USED Ranger Lord 16 (HP: 106/208), Init: +8* (+10 mountains/Hills/Jungle, +14 Urban), AC: 25 T: 18, FF: 20, Perception +25, +31 v Humans, +27 v. Undead/constructs), F: +21, R: +23, W: +14, CMB: +18, CMD: 36
"what do you have friend?" Bishop looks around, and frowns a bit. "I'm not exactly a fan of the decor. " he gives weight to his observation by way of a charge from his wand of Gravity Bow.
He starts to put it away, and thinks better of it, nodding to the other archers.
AC 22 T 15 FF 18 | HP 80+11/80 | F +15 R +20 W +12 (+1 vs. psn, disease; Immune evil mind control) | Init +11 | Perc +25 (30 vs. traps) (Dark 60) | SM +8 | Bomb 5/19 | Wing 8/11 | Boot 5/10 | HeightAware, InvMind (6), Heroism, DexMut
Assuming my 38 didn't detect any traps on the tube...
San Xiao instructs his porter to dig the tube out of the mud and clean it off before handing it to him.
Nope, it did not.
Inside the tube, San Xiao finds a small backpack containing a glass bottle with an aged cork. The bottle appears to be empty; at least, nothing can be seen inside the glass.
AC 22 T 15 FF 18 | HP 80+11/80 | F +15 R +20 W +12 (+1 vs. psn, disease; Immune evil mind control) | Init +11 | Perc +25 (30 vs. traps) (Dark 60) | SM +8 | Bomb 5/19 | Wing 8/11 | Boot 5/10 | HeightAware, InvMind (6), Heroism, DexMut
Detect Magic, Craft (alchemy) if its a potion, the works.
Both the backpack and bottle detect as magic. The backpack is easily identified as a handy haversack; and I'll take the Kn (arcana) roll as a second Spellcraft to identify the bottle as a bottle or air.
HP: 14/138 , Init +3, AC: 23, T: 12, FF: 21, CMD: 29, F: +18, R: +12, W: +18 <+2 vs Evil, Evasion, no Food/ Water, Native Outsider, Imune to Fog/Mist/Smoke and Evil Possesion or Mind-Control>Fly 30', Swim 30", Move 30', Perception +10 <Darkvision 60ft>, <Read/Understand all Languages, Ant Haul, Trail of Roses, Ride the Waves>, NG Male Aasimar Cleric 15, Sunflare: +15/+10/+5, 1d6+18+1d6 Acid (15/x2) S, 5,274-18, Roakar
That's 18/20, though I kind of suspect I already know what this place is based off of the patron and abundance of skeletal remains.
"Both father and mother agree Osprey's opinion here. We must destroy these stones, to the last. If they are small enough, I can take them into myself to be burned into nothingness. Otherwise, we need to leave nothing that might fall into the wrong hands, and that means any mortal's hands. Nothing can remain."
Hal nods to Bishop, but instead of taking the proffered wand he produces his own and taps himself. Got one too!"Are you certain?" Hal asks of Ignatious as he does so. "The Grand Lodge vaults abound with dark and dangerous artifacts already, what harm a few more? The stone's enchanting presence is not likely to be a problem for us. We have taken precautions, after all."
HP: 14/138 , Init +3, AC: 23, T: 12, FF: 21, CMD: 29, F: +18, R: +12, W: +18 <+2 vs Evil, Evasion, no Food/ Water, Native Outsider, Imune to Fog/Mist/Smoke and Evil Possesion or Mind-Control>Fly 30', Swim 30", Move 30', Perception +10 <Darkvision 60ft>, <Read/Understand all Languages, Ant Haul, Trail of Roses, Ride the Waves>, NG Male Aasimar Cleric 15, Sunflare: +15/+10/+5, 1d6+18+1d6 Acid (15/x2) S, 5,274-18, Roakar
My understanding is that Osprey told us that these stones where too evil and vile, and we needed to destroy each and every one. My character is a tad bit crazy, believing that he is the created child of Ragathiel (father) and Sarenrae (mother), and he hears and understands their often conflicting wills until he finally ascends to be a true angel. I leave the validity of that claim up to each PFS DM, but that's what he believes/knows. So I was just RPing a bit along with what we where told.
"It's as I suspect. See, this rune here, and this one, this, this pit, is a "sacred" place for the whore. This is what the stones have brought."
As Halbarad and Ignatious debate ethical and theological direction which you GM could read with amusement for quite some time, LOL, San Xiao observes that, at the base of the second megalith toward the waterfall, there is a hollow that leads straight down. It is more than 60 feet deep, as San Xiao cannot see the bottom.
About 80 feet down, the hole takes a sloping turn to the east. With your boots of the cat you take 8 points of damage and discover that the sloped part has walls that are smooth and slimy. You will need to make a DC 30 Climb check to avoid sliding with increasing speed toward whatever might be at the bottom of the shaft.
GM stuff:2d4 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
You hear high-pitched squeaks from ahead as you slide, distant but growing nearer.
AC 22 T 15 FF 18 | HP 80+11/80 | F +15 R +20 W +12 (+1 vs. psn, disease; Immune evil mind control) | Init +11 | Perc +25 (30 vs. traps) (Dark 60) | SM +8 | Bomb 5/19 | Wing 8/11 | Boot 5/10 | HeightAware, InvMind (6), Heroism, DexMut
San Xiao will not be offering to fly anyone down, but if you can help his porter down after him, that'd be great.
Xiaobo is already down the hole and what started with a "whee" has turned into an "augh!" We'll say basically that two rounds has passed. I can roll initiative if you want clarity, but I'm willing to do this fast and loose for now.
Halbarad has a rope, and your benevolent GM will say it's already knotted. Bishop's can be as well; standard action to tie them together. San Xiao can fly, and Ignatious can fly one person at a time with him. Meanwhile, the cries of Xiaobo sound as though they're getting farther away...
HP: 14/138 , Init +3, AC: 23, T: 12, FF: 21, CMD: 29, F: +18, R: +12, W: +18 <+2 vs Evil, Evasion, no Food/ Water, Native Outsider, Imune to Fog/Mist/Smoke and Evil Possesion or Mind-Control>Fly 30', Swim 30", Move 30', Perception +10 <Darkvision 60ft>, <Read/Understand all Languages, Ant Haul, Trail of Roses, Ride the Waves>, NG Male Aasimar Cleric 15, Sunflare: +15/+10/+5, 1d6+18+1d6 Acid (15/x2) S, 5,274-18, Roakar
If it matters, I have Muleback Cords and my Dawnflower Sash grants a 1/Day Featherfall. I was essentially planning on just slow-falling down with people tied on. But, I'm also not wanting to bypass the challenge, and if we hear Xiaobo call up he is fine, we can all just dive down.
Male 72/72 HP, AC:28[-ki], T: 24, FF: 21, CMD: 30,F: +11, R: +15, W: +14, LN Male Human Lvl 9 Manuever Master, Lvl 1 Memory Inquisitor, Init +7, Pereption +17,Attack +14 (2d6+14, x2)Trip/Disarm/Grapple +21, 20, 14Bane:5/5 Ki Pool:11/12 Judgement 1/1 Domain Power 4/7 Stunning Fist9/9
right now any non flier would take at minimum 8d6 dmg and i keep going down so add another d6 for every 10 feet. Now i will say thos is whole reason i have boots of cat. So max damage for falling listed in book is 20d6... That entery is 200+ feet. So i can jump of mountain, which i did with somone with out these boots, and only take 20dmg
HP 76/76 | AC 26 FF 21 Tch 14 | CMD 28 |F+9 R+11 W+3 | Perc+4 | Init+4
Hal glances over at Ignatious looking contemplative. "Flying down is fine by me, but we may need a way back up and you may be incapacitated. Precaution only." He lets the rope hang limply down the hole and stands at the ready (bow in hand).
Bishop and Kalendir, don't forget you have monkey bracelets. I can cast animal aspect on the best climber too, and that should be enough to get us back up if need be.
Kalendir will climb down the knotted rope. He has a +10 total with the ring of climbing which should be plenty for a knotted rope. Kalendir will add his rope to the pile for an extra 50 feet
You are right Halbarad Kalendir says as he pulls his knotted rope from his pack and ties it to the rest.
HP: 14/138 , Init +3, AC: 23, T: 12, FF: 21, CMD: 29, F: +18, R: +12, W: +18 <+2 vs Evil, Evasion, no Food/ Water, Native Outsider, Imune to Fog/Mist/Smoke and Evil Possesion or Mind-Control>Fly 30', Swim 30", Move 30', Perception +10 <Darkvision 60ft>, <Read/Understand all Languages, Ant Haul, Trail of Roses, Ride the Waves>, NG Male Aasimar Cleric 15, Sunflare: +15/+10/+5, 1d6+18+1d6 Acid (15/x2) S, 5,274-18, Roakar
Wasn't sure if you are waiting on me, but I was assuming I will take myself, the manservant, the Chelish guy's master, and <anyone else> down already. :P
Map updated. San Xiao and Ignatious (and whomever Iggy is carrying) can check Xiaobo's spoiler above. The one below here is only for Xiaobo right now.
Xiaobo:
You see an edge fast approaching, and a precipitous drop on the other side. DC 15 Reflex save to try and catch yourself before you go over (if you want)!
With the dim light of the sunrod, you can see massive shapes moving about the cavern walls just below the ledge — they are brown and furry and have wide, leathery wings! Kn (nature) to identify them.
Male Human, Reroll: USED Ranger Lord 16 (HP: 106/208), Init: +8* (+10 mountains/Hills/Jungle, +14 Urban), AC: 25 T: 18, FF: 20, Perception +25, +31 v Humans, +27 v. Undead/constructs), F: +21, R: +23, W: +14, CMB: +18, CMD: 36
[ooc]I am starting to get confused with the positions. TS is there something we can do like back in the Fury PbP with the pillar? (Or if we're just hustling down, no worries.)
the opening discovered at the base of one of the megaliths goes straight down about 80 feet, then slopes as shown on the map. Those with darkvision or a non-flame light source can see that the slope is covered with water, mud, and slime, and has smooth walls; it's a DC 30 Climb check to catch yourself and avoid sliding toward the edge. Once you reach the edge, it's a Reflex save to avoid sliding over into the chasm below.
Since San Xiao and Ignatious/Halbarad flew down, they got a chance to watch Xiaobo on the slip n' slide as they flew past (San Xiao might even have waved) and discovered, about halfway down the drop, they were being chased by huge, angry rodent-like things with leathery wings. Since they can't fly faster than the PCs, they won't catch you until you reach the bottom, but then we'll go into initiative.
