GM WhtKnt's Darkness Within: A Carrion Crown Adventure Path

Game Master WhtKnt

Lorant recalls the following information:

Schloss Caromarc is the dwelling of Count Alpon Caromarc, the former ruler of Vieland who abdicated his position when the Palatinates threw off the heavy yoke of the aristocracy.

An eccentric recluse, Count Caromarc has built a dwelling that both attracts and deters visitors. Known as the Hanging House, Schloss Caromarc lies to the northeast of Dippelmere Swamp and is actually several buildings built into the walls of a gorge above a waterfall. Although the lower parts of the house are as luxurious as one might find in any city, the further up the gorge one goes, the more treacherous and inhospitable the buildings become.

Paranoid about his experiments and discoveries being stolen, the eccentric Count Caromarc has, it is rumored, trapped parts of his castle to prevent theft, and constructed numerous guardian creatures to serve and protect him.

So, assuming hostilities, opfor is constructs, undead, maybe some outsiders, presumably of the lawful kind as only idiots would use demons or daemons to guard things?

Dylan pauses

Lorant, you think you can get us a writ of being allowed to investigate the castle from the judge? Or some official identification as deputees or something? If we run into like, Axis based protection things its really usefull to have such things, if we dont they may just attack or expell us, and we would have to fight them, and thus piss of Axis, and Axis always pays its debts.

If I had a mercenary castle I would absolutely have guard on it with orders to kill or capture intruders on sight.

"Would the former Count Caromarc even have the ability to create those kinds of defenses? From what I recall he was an intelligent man, and a scientist, but not a wizard or anything..."

I always assume nobles to either be magic users, or have magic users in their payroll, or they would be hard pressed to maintain their position against people with access to magic.

Dylan pauses

Our client refered to the count as his father, thus the count is likely his creator. I dont quite know what the "beast" actually is, but its not something someone could create without serious prowress in either the divine or the arcane arts. And anyone with such serious prowress will have guards and traps in place, if the guards are sapient, they may react differently to a "legal search" then to "looters".

So, are we ready to pay the Beast and his "father" a visit?" Lorant asks.

Wasn't sure if you folks missed my update to Lorant, but I'm ready to go!

Same, ready to move on.

Dylan is entirely ready to move on, ideally after gaining some type of "search order" from whatever the local government is.

After everyone has had time to make ready and Dylan has acquired a writ, the party sets out for Schloss Caromarc. The journey is arduous, as much of it is spent slogging through the seemingly endless Dipplemere Swamp. Finally, the fens give way to a deep, rocky gorge at the northern edge of the swamp, where a peculiar building, or rather group of buildings, clings to steep cliff edges above half a dozen plummeting waterfalls. Beyond a fortified gatehouse, a stone bridge arches gracefully over the raging torrents below. Perched precariously beyond this is a fine, fortified manse and a ruined building that appears to have partially collapsed into the river below. A slender rope bridge, replacing the fallen remnants of a stone bridge, links to a strange tower pierced with beautiful stained glass windows depicting bizarre beasts. A further building teeters to the north of this, but how it is reached is impossible to see from here. Far above, a great tower rises from an isle of stone to the sky, ending in a great steeple topped with a huge lightning conductor.

Lorant looks up at the Schloss somberly. They'd have to make sure the Beast was safe quickly, because a mob rampaging through such a precarious place was sure to get people killed, whether by whatever defenses the former Count had left to deter unwanted visitors or simply by accidentally pushing someone out a window or breaking that rope bridge.

"Judah, Dylan, can your 'friends' scout ahead to see what might await us in the gatehouse?"

Give me a moment

Dylan focuses

Remember, no more then 100 feet away from me He says to his phantom as she emerges from him

Or 50 if I am incorporeal yes yes numbnuts
She replies to him with an extended tounge

Oh, Hi Lorant, you look great today!
She flutters he spectral eyelashes at him as she moves toward the gatehouse

Now you see me, and now you mostly dont!

stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Dylan perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

And now Miss Cheeki Breeki, I mean Scout, goes and flies off

He begins concentrating on maintaining the etheric tether

"Judah, Dylan, can your 'friends' scout ahead to see what might await us in the gatehouse?"

"Mmm, sure. Give me a minute," Judah said. Summoning Gate.|

"Scout, report back, keep out of sight, don't hurt anything," Judah said, being very careful with his instructions and wording.

Without a sound the amorphous thing rearranged itself into a serpentine beast and burrowed into the ground.

Take 10 on Stealth and Perception for 19 and 16. Popping up from Burrowing every once in a while to scan. Peeking my eyes up like a periscope keeps most of me in the ground, which should count as Improved Cover (+10 stealth bonus)

I will scout further ahead than 100 feet to give us a better idea of what we're heading into.

If I see anything particularly interesting or dangerous, I'll use Bond Senses to show Judah directly (Judah's Perception is +13, so he might notice more)

A two-story stone gatehouse leads into the castle, topped with a crenellated tower at each corner. The main gate is closed. Outside the gatehouse are two large dog-like beasts that sniff the air and growl continuously. Beyond this portal lies a broad chamber with a vaulted roof. Two large fires burn in the room, and spiral stairways climb up in each corner toward the ceiling. The gate on the far side of the room is barricaded with timber and furniture. The room is occupied by three small goblins and two large, hulking figures with protruding fangs and rough, green skin... trolls!

Beyond the barricaded gate lies a broad stone terrace that has no rails at its edge. To the north, a stone bridge arches above a waterfall that drops into the river two hundred feet below. A single troll and another of the dog-like creatures stand guard here. Finally, beyond them is a slender stone bridge that arches gracefully over a roaring waterfall here, linking the gatehouse to a fortified manor house clinging to the cliff on the far side.

The creature reached into his master's mind and showed him many things.

"Hey, what the- OW!" Judah yelped, grabbing his head. Vertigo swam over him as his vision split between two different places and sights. He promptly sat down in the dirt to avoid falling over.

"F~*% me, that is really unpleasant," he muttered.

"I see... uh, big dogs?" he said, rubbing his eyes. "A bridge. A waterfall. Two goblins, and uh, trolls? I think? Another dog and troll on the other side of the bridge."

Hmmm, when I am utilizing my partner its like... me but if I was a girl? With some really debatable fashion choices, but it doesnt feel that odd.

Dylan remarks

He, big brother got some cool abilities, better scout then me. I can confirm the 2 dog like things, but they maybe hellhounds, Barghests, Yeth hounds whatever so I didnt opt to try and get past them.

Dylans phantom speaks up as she returns.

Lorant grimaces at the news.

"This will be difficult. We need as much fire and acid as we can muster to put trolls down for good. Nothing for it, though. Let us enter."

He marches up to the door and tests it to see if it's locked.

Apologies if I was unclear. The two "dogs" are outside the gatehouse, between you and the door, sniffing the air constantly and slavering. If you get any closer, you may alert them (and in turn, the occupants).

Oops! REWIND!

Lorant looks to Judah and Dylan again.

"Would you like to be our opening gambit to put those "dogs" down?"

"Me? Uh, alright. Let me see what I can do," Judah said nervously.

'Hey, uh, do you think you can kill those dog things near the bridge as fast and quiet as possible?' Judah silently asked his otherworldly guardian.

O̢̼̫͖̙͖n̘͔̝͙̞e͍̠͕̫̫͜,̡̢͚͍͉͕ y̡̪̟̼͚͜e̺͚̫͇͎̟s̙͇̺͙͜.͚̻̫͎͎͚ T͖̺͉͚͓̺w͕̻͇̘͜͜o͚̪͔͉̝,̡̢͙̫̞͔ u͓͙n͖̦̠̻͍̠l͇͉͖͖͙i͚͉͕͖͇̙k̫̞͚̙͉̝e͔͕͇̟͍̞l͍͍̞̺̫̟y̡̢͕͕͓͇.͉͚͙͚͜ the thing answered in Judah's mind.

"Dylan, lets get a little closer, but try to stay downwind. I'm going to see if I can take them by surprise. When things go off, go ahead and rush in. Hopefully we can take them out before they start drawing attention."

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

Trying to get about 100' away, but keep behind cover. That should be far enough not to trigger Scent as long as the wind is right.

Rough plan-

Assuming they don't notice when get closer, Gate is getting Enlarge Person, Shield, and Mage Armor.

Gate is going to use Burrow to get beneath them without being noticed.

Judah is going to ready Create Pit. When Gate attacks one, Judah will try to drop the other in a hole.

I'll post Gate's attack after GM confirms the dogs don't notice us.

Dylan shields himself (casting shield) and says me anvil, you hammer to his phantom.

He and his phantom stay roughly at Judahs position, ready to pounce (they wish they had pounce, but they dont).

Perception 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Perception 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

An unfortunate dire rat wanders into view, and the hounds pounce on it, rapidly rendering it into several pieces. While busily engaged with the rat, they seem oblivious to your presence.

I'm going to assume this is a surprise round and only take a single Standard Action

The ground below one of the dogs erupts in a shower of dust and dirt...

Stealth, with improved cover (if necessary to get within 20 feet, below the dogs): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (2) + 17 = 19

Bite, blind attack, vs Flat Footed, 20' reach: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Damage: 1d10 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Concealment, even number hits: 1d10 ⇒ 5
Concealment, blind-fight reroll: 1d10 ⇒ 1

Grab: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (15) + 25 = 40 If successful, the dog is dragged 15' into the ground, adjacent to Gate. Yoink!

...immediately afterward the ground dropped out from beneath the second dog.

Create Pit, DC 17 Reflex Save

Fall Damage upon fail: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 6) = 15 Pit is 30' deep

The first "dog" is grabbed before it even realizes what is happening! Seconds later, the second goes into the pit. It begins to "bark," and a voice filters out from inside the gatehouse.

I made a Reflex save for the Trollhound in a post, but accidentally deleted it. As it was a failure, I didn't want to reroll and cheat you, so I went with the original roll.

STATUS
Trollhound 1: AC 15, -18 hp, buried
Trollhound 2: AC 15, -15 hp, in pit

Can I immediately dismiss the pit? If the guard comes out to investigate but only sees a missing dog, we might be able to get another surprise round in.

Yes, the pit can be dismissed at will, but will leave the victim standing on solid ground.

The map has been updated with the information gleaned from your scouts.

"Off to a good start," Lorant says cautiously as he lowers into a defensive stance behind his shield.

Full Defense, I guess?

Gorum, oboroni menja Dylan whipser in an odd tounger as a shield of force goess off around him

Casting shield new AC is 22

To clarify, are you dismissing the pit and advancing on the remaining hound?

I'd like to know that as well.

Not if there's no reinforcement's coming. I think it's better to let Gate finish chewing and burying the first dog while the pit keeps the second one trapped.

Seconded.

The trapped "dog" continues carrying on, and you hear a low grumble from within the gatehouse. The door opens, and you see a huge troll who peeks out and says something in a rough guttural tongue.

He notices that one of the hounds is missing and the other is in a pit, and immediately senses something is amiss, going on guard. He calls out in his own language to anyone who may be listening.

STATUS
Trollhound 2: AC 15, -15 hp, in pit

Well that was pretty much exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Oh well.

"F~@*," Judah muttered. A pair of yellowish triangles of energy appeared near Judah and began slowly orbiting him.

Casting Shield. With Mage Armor, AC is currently 20

Maintaining Grapple, Bite

Grapple to Bite, power attack, controlling grappler: 1d20 + 23 - 2 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 23 - 2 + 5 = 29
Bite Damage: 1d8 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21

Lorant advances, shield raised.

"Hold the line!" he calls. "Make the door a chokepoint!"

He raises his sword in salute.

"Iomedae, grant me the strength to protect the just. Pharasma, grant me the strength to bring a swift and painless end to the wicked. Andoletta, grant me succor when my body is battered but unbroken."

Casting divine favor on myself.

INITAITVE
Troll 2
Judah
Lorant
Troll 1
Dylan

Unable to maneuver, the second troll can only shift its position in the gatehouse to be more readily accessible.

Judah and Lorant are up!

STATUS
Spell Effects:
Shield (Dylan), 59 rounds remaining
Divine favor (Lorant), 10 rounds remaining

Troll 1: AC 16, unharmed
Troll 2: AC 16, unharmed

Judah: AC 15, 33/33 hp
Lorant: AC 18, 39/39 hp
Dylan: AC 22, 49/49 hp

Troll 1 init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Troll 2 init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Dylan Init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Lorant Init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Judah Init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Still hiding, Judah swore under his breath. His nervous fear fed into his connection with the strange polyhedron hanging from his belt. Time got twitchy.

CASTING HASTE. The whole party, plus Gate and the Phantom are effected. Round 1/6.

Lorant strikes at the troll with his sword, knowing the monster would heal quickly so they had to take the thing down quickly.

Longsword (Divine Favor, Haste): 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 1 + 1 = 201d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 1 = 12
Longsword (Divine Favor, Haste): 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 1 + 1 = 191d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6

The troll reaches for Lorant and tumbles into the pit, landing atop the dog, which lets out a yelp

Dylan is up!

Troll Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 1) = 7
Damage to trollhound: 1d6 ⇒ 5

STATUS
Spell Effects:
Shield (Dylan), 59 rounds remaining
Divine favor (Lorant), 10 rounds remaining
Haste (entire party), 6 rounds remaining

Troll 1: AC 16, -22 hp (in pit)
Troll 2: AC 16, unharmed
Trollhound: AC 15, -17 hp (in pit)

Judah: AC 15, 33/33 hp
Lorant: AC 18, 39/39 hp
Dylan: AC 22, 49/49 hp

Is Mathus still with us?

Dylan, claws outstretched and with a cruel smile on his lips, approaches the trolls

F~*$ OFF

Dylan roars with a Sphinxes might, forcing all foes within 60 feet to make a DC 14 will save or be frightened for duration: 1d6 ⇒ 3 rounds

Dylans phantom approaches the troll, but whiffs.
attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Both trolls ignore Dylan's roar, but the goblins scatter, and the trollhound cowers in the pit. The second troll moves forward to engage Lorant, somehow managing to keep its balance over the edge of the pit. It swings a clawed arm at the inquisitor, managing to scratch him for 11 points of damage!

Judah and Lorant are up!

STATUS
Spell Effects:
Shield (Dylan), 58 rounds remaining
Divine favor (Lorant), 9 rounds remaining
Haste (entire party), 5 rounds remaining
Frightened (trollhound), 3 rounds remaining

Troll 1: AC 16, -22 hp (in pit)
Troll 2: AC 16, unharmed
Trollhound: AC 15, -14 hp (in pit)

Judah: AC 15, 33/33 hp
Lorant: AC 18, 28/39 hp
Dylan: AC 22, 49/49 hp

Troll 1 Will save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Troll 2 Will save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Trollhound Will save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Troll 2 Ref save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Troll 2 attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11