Male CG Half-Orc Unchained Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 6.1 | AC 21 (T 13/FF 19) | CMB +11 CMD 24 (FF 22)+2 CMB/CMD Sunder | HP 65/65 | Init +3 | Fort +7 Ref +4 Will +2 | Perception +5 | Darkvision 60' | Speed 30' | Orc Ferocity 1/1 | Rage 12/16 | Draw Weapon as Free Action during Surprise | +2 STR & Ignore 2 Hardness to break object+Smasher: Ignore 6 Hardness | Damage Reduction (3/-), (6/lethal) | Extreme Cold Endurance(Cold Resistance: 1)| Active Conditions:
Suggest we go alphabetically.
Yaiho looks down at the golem and his handywork, giving a toothy grin. Seeing no further threat in the room, Yaiho loses interest and leaves the room, wondering which way to go next.
To avoid directional confusion, a sudden temporal distortion has warped North to up.
As Yaiho opens the door, the Pathfinders see a very small chamber on the other side. Additional doors exit the room on the opposite (southwest) and outer (northwest) sides.
Perception DC 15 + 1 per 10 ft distance:
It sounds like someone is sobbing on the other side of the outer (northwest) door.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
Perception :1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
”Hey! It sounds like someone is sobbing on the other side of the outer (northwest) door. Let me check that first!“
Zhatara hears nothing and points at the northwestern door. "Let's check that one out first..." she says, just before Enora complies and opens that very same entrance...
I like to wait for two people in agreement before moving the party or making decisions. If it's a big decision (such as the up/down from earlier in the module), I'll try to wait for everyone to weigh in and hopefully come to a unified choice.
Enora opens the northwestern door. On the other side, the shelves in the cramped storage closet have long ago crumbled to dust and fallen onto the the stone floor - along with smashed glass bottles, rotten barrels, and other debris.
Enora:
As the door opens, the sobbing abruptly stops.
GM Screen:
??:1d20 ⇒ 13
Perception DC 15:
Buried in the rubble is a golden bracelet. The symbols on it look Kellish.
Perception DC 25:
Muffled sounds of something breathing (as though they are trying to hide) come from inside one of the half-broken barrels.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
Perception :1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
”Hmmm ... the sobbing stopped. Can someone else check the room please?!“ she says and steps back.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
Enora cast light on her staff.
”Hey, if someone is in there please come out. We are not going to hurt you. We are here to help!“ she says with a warm voice.
Diplomacy aid, +4 to main roll due ‘helpful’ trait :1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Yaiho's fingers catch nothing but hot air as a small fiery creature whizzes out of the barrel. "Gah! Alright, you found me, just go away and leave me alone before you attract more company or spring another trap in this forsaken death-hole!" she screeches as she flits about near the ceiling.
Knowledge (planes) DC 13:
This is a mephit, and a fire mephit at that. Normally they're rather aggressive and vengeful, but this one seems more scared than angry.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
kn planes :1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
”Hey team, This is a mephit, and a fire mephit at that. Normally they're rather aggressive and vengeful, but this one seems more scared than angry. Dear mephit, maybe we can help each other?!“ Enora asks.
The mephit seems to relax somewhat as Zhatara speaks and lands on a barrel. "Name's Dax," she says. "Pleased to meet someone who isn't completely bonkers down here. Of course, you are down here, so maybe you're a little crazy... What do you want? Talk? What about?"
"We want to explore the place actually and learn its secrets, actually. We previously met a man who mentioned hobgoblins taking command of the keep. Help us get rid of them and we'll set you free. Deal?"
"Hah!" Dax says scornfully. "Good thing for you the traps were already sprung, huh? Like the scythe out of the wall that took off Sakara's - my master's - head..." She pauses to sniff as fiery tears run down her face. "I made it through, head intact, without being seen by anything else down here. I've lost track of how long I've been hiding in this room, but nothing's eaten me yet in here."
Knowledge (planes):1d20 - 2 ⇒ (11) - 2 = 9
"Don't know anything about these 'hob-gob-lins' you speak of," she replies to Zhatara. "Sakara and I were part of a group sent by some Lieutenant Vos to explore this basement with some other soldiers, find its secrets too. They're probably dead as well - I didn't wait to see. But I'm already free - free enough to make my own decisions - and I choose to stay here, where it's safe!" Her flames flicker, as if she's not as set in her course of action as her words would suggest.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
Enora sighs.
"Okay, so I tell you what I know from our briefing. This fort belongs to Nirmathas and this garrison somehow did not report for a while so we were called - and we are Pathfinders so usually this is not our type of mission but we do stuff like this to gain favors sometimes."
She touches her staff with both hands and continues.
"We heard something about a 'Molthuni side of things' by Akre Belring but I have no idea what that means as well as a bloody never ending fight which I also do know nothing about." she says contemplating what she just said.
I just read the first couple of posts in the game and somehow I think we did not ask enough questions at the beginning. ;-)
"My dear mephit, what we have heard is that three days ago Hobgoblins attacked in numbers as a man who said is name is Akre Belring and his men were trying to take the keep back from a so called 'Lieutenant'. I have to admit that I also do not know who this 'lieutenant' is. We just know that all soldiers that came down here did not come back and that Akre Belring quit following orders and then the hobs showed up in force."
She scratches her head and is quite confused.
GM, are there any knowledge checks we can make so that you fill some gaps on where we actually are and who these opposing forces are and what hobgoblins actually could want here? :-)
That's fair - it's not a PFS scenario, so there's no briefing written in. And that was how many months ago?
Where We Are:
Fangwood Keep was built on the heavily-contested border between Nirmathas and Molthune. Over the last several decades, the keep has traded hands countless times by both nations as each conquers it before eventually relinquishing it to their rival.
Opposing Forces:
You were asked by a ranger-captain of Nirmathas to investigate the fortress, which had recently been re-taken by Molthuni agents.
Hobgoblins:
There was no mention of hobgoblins during your briefing.
"I've survived this long, haven't I?" Dax replies to Xiao sourly. To Evan, she explains, "Lieutenant Vos is the commanding officer of this expedition. He told us there was a cache of weapons buried beneath the keep that would turn the tide of the war with Nirmathas. When one of the soldiers found the entry, Sakara and I were part of the first team to enter. You can see how well that went." She turns to the side and scornfully spits a flaming wad at the floor. "If by weapons Vos meant the horrors of this place, they'd turn just about anything into jelly. Certainly no weapons in here, and I ain't going out there to keep looking."
Sense Motive DC 10:
Despite her protests, Dax doesn't seem to harbor any particular love for this room. Perhaps she's just trying to stay safe?
"Forgive my companion's uncouth manners" Zhatara scoffs at Yaiho and continues:"He's right though. If you join us we can defend you, while if you stay here alone some of the horrors haunting the place will find you, sooner or later, and there will be no one able to help you then..."
"I... well... but... um... okay, but I'm not sticking around if you lot end up dead too," Dax says after much hemming and hawing. She flits over to Zhatara and perches on her head. "And just so we're clear - you're not my master! None of you! I make my own decisions." And with that, she proceeds to try to hide herself in Zhatara's hair (which somehow does not burn or smolder from the mephit's heat).
Beyond the barrels and buried bracelet, there is little of interest in this room.
Male CG Half-Orc Unchained Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 6.1 | AC 21 (T 13/FF 19) | CMB +11 CMD 24 (FF 22)+2 CMB/CMD Sunder | HP 65/65 | Init +3 | Fort +7 Ref +4 Will +2 | Perception +5 | Darkvision 60' | Speed 30' | Orc Ferocity 1/1 | Rage 12/16 | Draw Weapon as Free Action during Surprise | +2 STR & Ignore 2 Hardness to break object+Smasher: Ignore 6 Hardness | Damage Reduction (3/-), (6/lethal) | Extreme Cold Endurance(Cold Resistance: 1)| Active Conditions:
Yaiho frowns at the fire mephit, wanting it to sit on him. He then sighs and heads out of the room continuing going counter-clockwise by going through the door.
As Yaiho and Xiao open the next door and creep forward, they see the hallway curve around to the south before abruptly terminating at a wall. A door exits the passageway to the west.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
Evan studies the far wall, but does not see anything unusual. The Pathfinders head through the doorway into a long, narrow hallway. Around a bend, another door awaits.
With none of them noticing anything dangerous, the Pathfinders open the door. Inside, the north and south corners of the hexagonal room are filled with strange stone-and-metal machinery, and most of the parts appear to have rusted or otherwise deteriorated long ago. Vines, bushes, and other small flora jut through the walls in various places, the various kinds of foliage choking the machines and bursting out the corners. Long flumes of black stone jut from the ceiling in various places, each of the strange tubes pointed towards the decrepit machinery and similarly chocked with vines. However, closer inspection will have to wait - it seems the Pathfinders are not alone!
I trust my players to not metagame. If this is difficult for you, please let me know and we'll work something out.
That plant is a yellow creeper! It'll try to entrance you with its pollen before drilling into your head to drain your intelligence and turn you into a zombie to spread its seed!
Knowledge (nature):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
And these are two such zombies! They behave like regular zombies, but they're not actually undead - they're plants! They're immune to mind-affecting, paralysis, sleep, stunning, polymorph, and poison effects and are constantly staggered.
Evan:
Knowledge (nature):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
That plant is a yellow creeper! It moves very slowly, but it has a longer reach with its tendrils than its size would suggest.
Knowledge (nature):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Those two other creatures look like zombies, but something seems... off... about them.
Male CG Half-Orc Unchained Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 6.1 | AC 21 (T 13/FF 19) | CMB +11 CMD 24 (FF 22)+2 CMB/CMD Sunder | HP 65/65 | Init +3 | Fort +7 Ref +4 Will +2 | Perception +5 | Darkvision 60' | Speed 30' | Orc Ferocity 1/1 | Rage 12/16 | Draw Weapon as Free Action during Surprise | +2 STR & Ignore 2 Hardness to break object+Smasher: Ignore 6 Hardness | Damage Reduction (3/-), (6/lethal) | Extreme Cold Endurance(Cold Resistance: 1)| Active Conditions:
Seeing the weird plants and two figures in the room, Yaiho does hesitate to engage in combat and approaches the closest figure, swinging his maul at his victim but trips over a vine.
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
”That plant entrances you with its pollen before drills into your head to turn you into a PLANT zombie which is not undead! They're immune to mind-affecting, paralysis, sleep, stunning, polymorph, and poison effects and are constantly staggered!“ Enora shouts!
Yaiho trips and misses, but both Xiao and Evan strike true as Enora begins casting her spell.
Both the plant and the green zombie look badly damaged, but still dangerous. The zombie in particular seems to have ignored some of the damage from Evan's musket.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Zhatara
Evan
Yaiho
Xiao
Enora
Creeper (-17)
Zombie, Green (-2)
Zombie, Yellow
Zhatara runs out into the room as she hears combat. Seeing the yellow zombie next to Yaiho, she stares at it intently. Even though it is mindless, the creature seems to shudder at her gaze.
The creeper, badly wounded, wafts a spray of pollen at Xiao...
Ranged touch vs AC 15:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
...but the Pathfinders' movements disrupt the air so much that it misses. The yellow zombie swings at Yaiho...
Slam vs AC 18:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 Bludgeoning damage:1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
”Enora” | Female LN Small Halfling Arcanist 4 | HP 27| AC 13, T 13, FF 11 (Mage armor: AC 17, T 13, FF 15) | CMD 12 | F +4 R +5 W +5; +2 vs. fear | Init +2 | Perc +1 | Speed 30ft |
Yaiho is suddenly enlarged!
Enora casts mirror image on herself and moves into the room.
