GMTrex's Devil We Know Part IV -- Rules of the Swift (Inactive)

Game Master Andrew Trexler

"And that is why I stand behind you fine ladies." Drystan says, smiling.

With wounds healed, the intrepid adventurers press forward. Inside, broken furniture litters the room: parts of a stool, a modest writing table battered in twain, and several smashed chairs sprawl across the keep’s wooden floor. Twin staircases, leading both up and down, grace the far end of the room.

Isabella gives the room a cursory glance while moving to the eastern stairs.

"Very gallant Drystan, very gallant.."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Isabella does not see any immediate dangers. The stairs in one direction, and descend in the other.

Isabella moves to the stairs going up and starts climbing

"Come on, that bell has to be at the top"

There are two additional floors above, both similarly smashed up and absent anything of value. It appears that this is not the chapel.

"Drat, let's investigate the cellars then, we need to be sure everyone is safe in this part of the building."

Going down again...

The next level down contains four solitary confinement cells, made of wood and surprisingly intact. A quick search finds a diary in one cell, the last entry a desperate plea. Added to the map. The pages at the very back of the diary have been ripped out.

Two sets of stairs lead further down.

Drystan leads the way down, checking for traps as he goes.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27 - +1 v traps, +2 stonecunning

Drystan takes the first step downward, but quickly pulls his foot back. Holding the others back, he points carefully at a narrow tube sticking out from the far wall of the stairwell, pointed at section a few feet down. In fact, that section looks to be of a different material than the rest...

Trap found. Disable Device?

"Ooh. Trap there, I'll get it torn down in a moment." Drystan says. He pulls out a leather roll, spreading it out on the ground to reveal a number of specialized tools...

Disable Device: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Taking out a telescoping pole and a bit of cloth, Drystan jams up the tube on the far wall, declaring the way safe. And indeed it is, leading further and further below ground. As the stairs turn a final bend, the Pathfinders come upon what is perhaps the strangest of all encounters in their adventuring careers to date.

This level contains a great deal of rust, made of what was clearly once isolated cages, and a large quantity of broken furniture and various prisoners' odds and end. Before one wall is your old friend the crazed painter, busily chuckling away and putting the finishing touches on an elaborate mural. Two large snakes carry a bell into what appears to be Cassomir's sewers; opposite, in great detail, are depictions of Drystan, Grenda, Isabella, and Miaka chasing after the snakes.

Your friend, as usual, does not appear to be aware of your presence.

Nice!

Isabella clears her throat "What are you doing here?"

He lives here you dolt. Grenda chastises, From the look of his latest masterpiece It looks like if we want the bell we'll need to head to the sewers.... Is that really what my hair looks like?

Isabella recovers from her shock and turns back to face Grenda, eyes blazing. Her fists clenched she answers "No, your hair is actually less flattering in reality" in a very cold tone.

"Now, now, ladies. There'll be plenty of snakes for all of us." Drystan says, grinning. He turns to the mad painter and says, "Ah, my good painter, what riveting scene do you have for us today?" He pokes the man on the shoulder and repeats himself in necessary.

Good, Grenda replies, ignoring the Isabella's tone. I would hate to think that I looked like one of those vapid, dolled up harlots trying desperately to improve their appearance. When the world ends it will all mean less than nothing.

"Oh, hello!" says the painter after being poked. "Oh! I have this one, see?" He waves at the mural on the wall. "The bell was taken. They have such plans for it, yes!"

Questions? Alternatively, there is a door in the southeast corner of the room.

Grenda heads for the door and looks it over carefully for traps and such. She'll then open it slowly but will not proceed any further until the rest of the party is read.
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

"Taken? Where? Can we help with this plans?"

The crazed painter points to where Grenda is inspecting the door. "Down, down, deeper, and down. Follow my map to the underground!"

Grenda opens the door and finds an open trap door in the closet-space beyond, with a ladder poking out of it.

Well that was easy enough...

Drystan will make a rough sketch of the mad painter's artwork, noting in words any part of the picture he is unable to reproduce is a somehwat intelligible manner.

"I guess it's down the hatch," he says once he finishes his map.

"What plans? Can you tell us more? I am sure that follower of Groetus would like to know" Isabella points at Grenda.

Drystan's sketch of the mural is relatively simple; doing the same with the piece of paper he hands the dwarf ("my map!") with a truly unintelligible garble of scrawls and pictures proves a more difficult task.

"Groetus? Oh, Groetus has plans for me. Yes! Grand plans. In fact, he has grand plans for you as well," the painter returns cryptically. "Groetus told me you would come, and he asks that you rid his shrine of the derros. But I warn you, do not interfere with his shrine or Groetus’s anger will be swift."

"We will take care of the derro's. We even brought our own priest of Groetus, she will know what to do."

Isabella goes down the ladder

"You do know what to do, don't you Grenda?" she asks, doubt creeping into Isabella's voice.

"Yeah, well, we'd best be at clearing these derros out then, half-mad god or not," Drystan says.

Sure I know what to do. Grenda says with creepy smile. She then takes the lead heading down the ladder.

The party heads down the ladder as the painter gleefully exclaims, "The plans are in motion!"

Down below is pitch black, though this isn't a problem for the dwarves. Refuse rushes by in a stream of garbage carried swiftly through the sewer proper. A five-foot-wide dry ledge sits a foot above the refuse and provides a walkway on both the east and west sides of the sewer. On the west wall, a massive iron door blocks passage beyond. An image carved into the door is of a dispassionate figure holding a gibbous moon.

See map. Tip-toeing across the sewer via the rockfall is a DC 15 Acrobatics check.

Grenda heads for the door plowing through the refuse, not bothering to to try and squeeze past the rockfall. Once to the door she'll look it over to see if its locked and/or trapped and then listen to see if there is anything on the other side.
Perseption: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Perseption: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

As the sludge seeps into her armor, Grenda feels unclean. Whether she cares is not apparent.

Grenda, make a Fort save!

Weird, I was sure I posted here. Internet ate the post.

Isabella easily dances over the rocks, light- giving gem in her hand

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

She always feels unclean so she is not concerned.
Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 +2 if its a poisons or spells from Hardy.

Acrobatics DC15: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

No worries; I was bad about posting myself all weekend. Trying to be better!

Drystan tries to mimic his more nimble companions and slips into the sludge. Fortitude save!

Perhaps not noticing, or perhaps not caring, Grenda inspects the door and finds nothing untoward. The gibbous moon is assuredly a symbol of her god.

The door is locked, however.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 - +2 vs. Spells, SLA, Poison

The dice seem to hate Drystan as of late.

Drystan slips into the sewage during his passage and can't help but swallow a bit of the stuff. He feels fine for the moment, though. 1d3 ⇒ 3

He joins the rest of the party facing the locked door.

Drystan inspects the door and then either tries to disarm any traps or simply tries jimmying the lock.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13 - Trapfinding and Stonecunning if applicable

Disable Device: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Disable Device (if the first roll is used for a trap, this is for the door): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

"Drystan, is that door safe? Then open it, I am done waiting here and looking at you"

Grenda chuckles, I think I might be rubbing off on Isabella.

Yikes, sorry folks. I thought I was waiting on you for some reason. My bad!

Drystan does not find any traps, and successfully unlocks the door -- though with a massive, echoing *clang*.

I will assume you open the door and move us forward on Sunday (I can't post again before then due to work, sorry!) but feel free to take any preparatory actions before then.

Happens to the best of us.... I am just glad that you are still with us GM!

Isabella has her sword in one hand and her light-giving gem in the other and peers through the now open door.

After opening the door, Drystan walks through. He looks for signs of tripwires, pressure plates and other such contrivances as he slowly moves into the room. He ignores Isabella's remark pointedly, assuming the woman has spent a little too long around Grenda and their other, now former, dwarven companion, Jamamros.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26 - Trapfinding and Stonecunning as always

Grenda will active her cloak of shadows before moving further down the hall.

Though careful to disable any interfering devices as he opens the door, the heavy stone nonetheless makes an inevitable scraping noise as it pushes past its wedged doorjamb. This immediately draws the attention of the hideous, half-decayed human form inside, who springs to combat!

Round I - bold may act!
1. Miaka, Isabella, Drystan
2. Creature
3. Grenda (shrouded)

Descriptive text: A purple radiance washes over this strangely familiar and cold chamber from a variety of lichens and fungi that grow on the walls and ceiling creating an otherworldly sheen. Straw-filled cages line the north and south walls; some containing bodies that might or might not be breathing. In the room’s center, a strange pedestal, carved in the likeness of dozens of grasping tentacles, sits fixed into the stone floor.

Round 1 Delay; Firing into Melee; Flurry
Standing in the back of the group, Miaka will delay her action until the either the entrance clears enough for a good shot or the creature comes out toward us ...

Isabella darts into the room and slashes at the half-decayed human.

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Damage (included 3 Precision damage): 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

will parry and riposte first attack
Parry: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Riposte: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Riposte Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Drystan tries to hit the beast with his fire, but only manages to hit the wall near Isabella.

Heavenly Fire Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 - With it having cover that's a miss

Fortunately for Isabella, she catches the creature flat-footed and manages to strike an awesome blow! In tatters and rags both physically and cosmetically, the creature tries tears Isabella to ribbons in return, despite the swordswoman's flashy defenses and very fine hat.

Bite @ Isabella: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 MISS
Claw @ Isabella: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 HIT Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 Plus a Fort save or be paralyzed!
Claw @ Isabella: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22 HIT Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 Plus a Fort save or be paralyzed!

Miaka, you can come off delay whenever.

Round II - bold may act!
1. Miaka (delayed), Isabella, Drystan
2. Creature (13 damage)
3. Grenda (shrouded)