
GMTrex |

Gameplay thread.

GMTrex |

A Black feathered Tengu sits in the corner trying to break open a walnut with his bill. After growing frustration with his progress, he takes out a great two handed, elven curved blade and brings it down full strike onto the walnut.
I laughed WAY too hard at that. I like this character already. =)
Folks, please take a look at the Discussion thread when you get a chance. We'll be starting as soon as everyone is ready and accounted for.

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*Ping. I need to get myself in gear. My goal is to have everything up to date by tomorrow morning. Trex, I can send you my character sheet without delay, but I don't have time during my school day yet to update my profile, and I am still without computer.

GMTrex |

Everyone has at least dotted the thread (although Gilthanis could still use help picking a character, maybe?) so I will make the intro post tomorrow night unless everyone gives a "ready" signal before then.

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Gil here
In walks a man, wearing a dark green robe with gold embroidery around the edge. He sets his backpack on the ground, while carefully unfastening his scabbard from his belt and placing it across his lap as he takes a seat.
After a few seconds in the chair, he pulls down his good to reveal his Orcish heritage. His small tusks protrude from his jaw, and a scar running down his jaw, probably from training with his master.
He wears a small pouch on his belt, and there is no sure-fire means to pinpoint what he can do.

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An elf arrives on the seen. Be it compulsion or be it curiosity, he touches EVERYTHING. His hands move from object to object without pause or (seemingly) without thought. He stands in slightly worn leather armor and walks with a cane. The cane doesn't alleviate a limp or malady, it's more to poke and prod. The muffled sound of glass bottles clinking under felt protectors signals his arrival. When he sits down, however, it's quiet as a mouse.

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The door flies open with a quick gust of wind. In struts a young man in red leather armor embellished with a bright emblem of fire at its center. He protrudes it out with pride and holds his head high, albeit the latter doesn't stretch much higher than three feet off the floor. A toothy wide smile beams for all who look down to see as he looks from one person to the other, the fire on his chest pale when compared to the gleam in his eyes.
He reaches a window where he hops up to straddle the sill. Placing two fingers lightly on his mouth, the halfling whistles outside and is greeted by a howl.
A wolf's head pops into the window and the halfling tussles it's fur. It's coat is as wild and unkempt as the hair of his master, but black as the moon during a total eclipse. It's a perfect contrast to the halfling's blanched white hair.
-Posted with Wayfinder

GMTrex |

As you lounge about the citadel of Skyreach at the Grand Lodge of Absalom, an initiate arrives with a missive. It reads:
"Idle Pathfinders are Pathfinders needing work. Having a bit of downtime is no excuse to sit around and let our skills lapse! So I have come up with a training exercise for you and a few others waiting around the Grand Lodge for a job. I trust you are familiar with the Red Redoubt? If not, for shame! It’s an important part of Absalom’s history. You might want to spend a few minutes researching it before heading out. While it is technically a “cleared” ruin, it’s a perfect location to test your skills. Another team has spent the last few days practicing their own dungeoneering skills by establishing an obstacle course in the Redoubt’s upper levels. Now it’s up to you to go and see how well they’ve done. The course follows a specific path -- if you come across a symbol of three red dots inside a triangle, that means “do not enter.” Don’t go wandering. I do not want to send a third team to find you if you get lost. Otherwise, your response to the challenge is up to you. Bring your own gear, make your own plans, solve the puzzles, and bypass the traps.
You’ll know when you reach the finish line. I’d wish you good luck, but skilled Pathfinders don’t need luck.
I trust you’ll impress us,
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin"
At this time, you can make any necessary purchases or spell preparations and head out at your leisure. You may also do a bit of research; I'll take Kn Local (or Diplomacy to gather info), Kn Arcana, Kn Engineering, or Kn History.

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Lyklor puts away his elven blade and nibbles on his walnut. He watches carefully as the company arrives. However, once the wolf's head appears, he rests his feathery hands on the hilt of his blade. With no lack of caution Lyklor approaches Polo cautiously. "Cr-r-ruck!" the tengu greets the halfling. "I hope your dog doesn't mistake me for a bird! He doesn't bite does he? He sure looks better behaved than the cats I know!
When the venture captain enters, Lyklor looks up, eager to hear what the pathfinder has to say.
"Training exercise?" Lyklor remarks. "What sot of skills do you suggest I train in?"
Knowledge, Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

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K arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
dip: 1d20 ⇒ 8
Torsk, listens to the reading, then he smirks at the comment of needing work...they were the ones that summoned me, hmph
He heads off to the library to do some research, on the way he stops off to find Janira Gavix whom had been his guide during his own confirmation to see if she had a few moments to spare to aid him in his research.

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Knowledge (Local): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Archimeicus looks around at the rest of his companions as they enter. The man begins to realize that he is the least experienced of the whole group as this is his first mission beset by the Society. Grasping his massive steel shield and what little gold he has left he begins to head for the door to await his companions and head towards the site.

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Meeting Janira in one of Skyreach's innumerable libraries, Torsk learns the following:
The Red Redoubt of Karamoss is one of the many ancient and ruined siege castles ringing Absalom. Karamoss was a Numerian wizard known as the “Machine Mage.” He had advanced knowledge of mechanical constructs, gained from decades of study within the Silver Mount. He was said to be part machine himself.
The Shield Champion Archimedicus has spent enough time around the City to know that while the Redoubt has no permanent residents, bandits, outcasts, or the occasional monster sometimes use it as a lair. Infighting for territory among these groups usually nullifies their threat, so Absalom’s authorities don’t interfere.

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Polo bursts out a hearty guffaw at Lyklor's question.
"Of course he bites, mate!" he exclaims. He leans in closer to the Tengo. "Fortunately, it tends to only be at whatever's on the sharp end of my lance.
Polo's ears prick up as he listens to the messenger.
"A test of our own skill? Doesn't seem like much of a challenge to me...I much prefer testing the skills of others, myself!" he asserts, grabbing his flexed bicep.
Polo leaves in search of a fellow pathfinder who has also delved through the Red Redoubt, presumably to find any sort of record to set and break.
Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9

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"Well, Mr. Polo, Sir, if yae don't mind my company, I would be happy to accompany you and see if together we can find more information than each of us alone. Lyklor, at your service!"
The tengu gives a polite bow.
"Now, did Venture Captain Valsin say that we are looking for information on the ruins of Ned Neverdoubt? I've never heard of such a place. Maybe he was a pirate or something. Maybe we can find some rumors about it at a local pub?"
Diplomacy, Gather Information: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

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Polo and Lyklor visit a local establishment but end up drinking more than talking, and come back empty-handed.

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"Let us keeping putting this liquid into our bodies! "
-Posted with Wayfinder

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"This feels just like training. Let's not just jump into things."
Zosimos spends some time wandering about searching for answers outside and within...
Arcana: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 10 + (6) = 20
Engineering: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 10 + (5) = 19
History: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 10 + (4) = 29
Local: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (16) + 10 + (3) = 29

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The investigator does quite a bit of research, and comes up with a few additional finds:
The Red Redoubt of Karamoss was a siege castle created more than 1,000 years ago by the “machine mage” Karamoss in a failed attempt to conquer Absalom. The Red Redoubt is constructed almost entirely of a strange, dark red metal. Supposedly, the entire structure rose in a single night. Karamoss’s armies included initial waves of hobgoblins, followed by legions of strangely intelligent constructs. After several years and some close calls, the fight turned against Karamoss and the Redoubt fell. While the Redoubt’s upper dungeons have been cleared, many levels lie hidden beneath. Karamoss himself was never found; some say he lives on below.
There is some faint news about town, too. One band known to lair in the ruins there is the Blood-Red Raiders, a small gang of bandits that mostly robs lone travelers, but the interesting piece is that a young human man with pale skin and odd tattoos -- supposedly a student expelled from the Clockwork Cathedral -- has recently joined the Blood-Red Raiders.
Haven't heard from Payj yet, but is everybody ready?

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Good to go
-Posted with Wayfinder

GMTrex |

The party shoulders its packs and heads out of the city for the Red Redoubt. After a short march, you arrive at the "starting point" (marked on the back of Valsin's letter) near the edge of the siege castle's ruined upper halls. Aside from the metallic flooring, walls, and rubble, nothing remains of the so-called “machine mage” Karamoss or his lost armies. Refuse, old campfire rings, and other signs of life attest to the place being a haven for scavengers and vagabonds. The noonday sun shines brightly in a cloudless sky, but the rugged landscape diffuses the light as if through a stained glass window composed entirely of crimson panes. Deep red metal walls, broken but mostly untouched by rust even a millennium, form an obstacle course through the landscape. Clearly, when the Red Redoubt of Karamoss was named, it was not done ironically.
Beginning through the course, the marked path through the siege castle’s ruins has led to a large central chamber open to the sky above. The chamber is primarily taken up with a large and perfectly circular shaft 30ft in diameter in the metal floor, with smoothly rolled edges that demonstrate superbly uniform craftsmanship. A rope ladder descends into the pit, anchored by pitons hammered into the floor panels.
Given the rope ladder here, perhaps this will be an easier test than you thought...

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"Zosimos, I don't think we've met. I am Lyklor Ithruen, at your service," the Tengu declares with a polite bow. "I see that you are an elf. Perhaps you would be interested in gazing at my elven curved blade? She's a real beaut, don't you think? It was given to me by my elven stepfather. I can't wait to show you how well it works! You should see what it did to my walnut earlier today!"
Lyklor realizes that Zosimos is scanning the region very carefully. "I see you take being a pathfinder very seriously. I would worry so much about this. It's not a real mission you know. It's just a training run. I use to do these things all the time. Look, they even provide a rope ladder for you. How easy can they make it?"
Lyklor gives the area a quick glance as he checks for traps! but he is mostly excited about showing off his elven curved blade.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 (+1 for Traps)

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At the bottom of the shaft (30 feet down), the floor appears slightly canted, as if the whole thing is a movable platform that broke long ago. You can spy a number of doors (five, to be precise), leading out of that "room" in all directions. All but the northern door is marked with three red dots inside a triangle.
Like the room above, everything below seems to be made of the same uniform, rusty-colored metal.
You do NOT think anything is trapped, although you see the hint of something glowing -- and something glistening -- on the unmarked door. Probably worth closer inspection.

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"No Lyklor, I should say that we have not." Zo moves up to just inside of the tengu's comfort zone with an eye for detail. "Interesting, Elven curved blade wielded by your species. I mean no offense, it's just that tengu fingers after the third tend to be shaped incorrectly to maximize the leverage of use. It is a testament to your skill that you can use it so. The blade is of a fine make." The elf returns to looking in, and without looking back at Lyklor he adds, "It is my pleasure to meet you, and we shall undoubtedly become friends, but this is most definitely NOT a training mission."
Assuming it's knotted, Zosimos will descend the ladder and take a look at the writing on the wall. climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (15) - 2 = 13
Linguistics: 1d20 + 1d6 + 9 ⇒ (16) + (1) + 9 = 26

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Zosimos easily climbs down the ladder, without incident. (The only one who'll have trouble is the wolf...)
Upon closer inspection, the northern door's illumination comes not from writing but rather from a glowing red protrusion next to the door, about navel height (head height for the halfling). The door itself has no handle.
The door, as well as the floor in front of it, is covered in a wet, glistening, red substance. At first, you think it might be blood, but a simple sniff is enough to identify it as red dye. Among the spatterings on the floor are a number of red footprints, as well as some broken flasks and a shattered tray.

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"Look at that. There is only one door that does not have the three dots in a triangle. They are making it very clear on which way to go. I just hope nobody came down and switched the marks when we weren't looking. So, what is it that you see on the door? Is that something glowing? Maybe we should take the north passage."
Following the investigator, Lyklor sheathes his blade and climbs down the ladder.
"If you need help with any languages, just let me know. I have a fascination with all the different languages creatures use to communicate. Did I tell you that I speak Abyssal, undercommon, Elven, Draconic, Varisian, Sylvan, and Tengu? I suppose that shouldn't be much of a surprise to you, though."
Lyklor is careful not to touch anything, but he looks over the glowing protrusion and the red dye.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
"This dye sure does seem strange. I wonder why it's here. Do you think somebody spilled it?"
How are the three dots and triangle marked? Was it with the dye or something else?

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Oh! I should mention that, in addition to the dye, the door is also covered in scorch marks. The dots and triangles seem to be made with paint similar to the marker dye.
The red, glowing protrusion is perfectly cylindrical, and seems as though it could be depressed into the wall. Staring at it, you feel the strange urge to... push it.

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"Hmmmmmm... I feel like there was a Chronicle about this."
If there's no rhyme or reason to the markings (did my linguistics check reveal anything?) I'll push the button.

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The scorch marks and dye stains are haphazard, as if something exploded and/or spilled. The only "markings" that mean anything to you are the dots and triangles, which scream "Do Not Enter."
Zosimos puts his hand to the glowing button and pushes, prompting the whole canted platform to collapse and send all of you down hundreds of feet to your deaths prompting the door to slide into a recess in the wall. A hallway stretches beyond -- as do the dye-colored footprints. A few moments later the door closes again.
Most doors in this place will work like this, which carries some changes to normal game mechanics. Opening a door is a swift action, rather than a move action, and all doors will automatically close themselves one round after opening.

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"Kar-ruk!" Exclaims Lyklor at the sight of the marvelous door.
The tengu studies the mechanism with extreme curiosity, trying to figure out how all of this works. When he finally pushes the button himself and watches the door slide into the wall he declares, "Kraaaa! That was nifty! I've never seen any place like this before! So, should we follow those red footprints?"

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Survival check!
Also, Polo's mount is still up above; should be relatively simple to devise a method of getting it down but you still need to do it.

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"Polo, before you come down, tie him up and lower him, should be relatively easy."
Survival: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7 Clearly the investigator is too busy multitasking.

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Polo fastens his silk rope to Eclipse's saddle and proceeds to lower the growling beast down. He then climbs down himself and surveys the area.
Climb: 1d20 ⇒ 10
Survival: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7

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While the bulk of the party is all "footprints? what footprints?" Lyklor cautiously leads the way down new passages. There are several sets of footprints, but exactly how many you can't say.
Each passageway is made of the same red metal as elsewhere, and is perfectly ten feet across and ten feet high. Signs of habitation, both human and animal, are not rare. Some of the wall panels have occasionally been removed, revealing solid rock behind that has often itself been burrowed into.
After several minutes of following the tracks, the corridor ahead comes to a four-way intersection. (You are approaching from the south.) North and west, the tunnels continue unobstructed, but the eastern branch is blocked with a stout metal grating marked with three crimson circles within a triangle. A large, white “X” is scrawled in chalk on the floor in the center of the intersection.
Map updated (see Campaign Info). You should all settle on a "default" marching order if it's any different than the one I've got.

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Lyklor does a great job of staying quiet, but not a great job of keeping his eyes peeled. The tengu approaches the chalked "X" and there's a quiet "*snipp!*" as he sets off a trip wire.
Wicker screens speed out on either side from behind illusory walls and come crashing towards him!
Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 FAIL
Lethal Bludgeoning: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Non-lethal Bludgeoning: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Total DMG: 3 lethal, 5 nonlethal
The tengu gives a loud squawk as he gets crushed between two wicker screens -- and covered in a bright pink dye from some burst bladders attached to the screens. It doesn't wash off easily.
The red footprints go north from here.

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"Lyklor, mayhaps I should be looking for the traps. Thankfully it wasn't overly dangerous. Does anyone here have magics to clean off our feathered friend? Be thankful it wasn't tar..."
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