Megan's Curse of the Crimson Throne (Inactive)

Game Master Megan Robertson

Given the warnings, Ashe soon figures out that it's a purely mechanical trap - even better, once he gets over to the entrance to the corridor he finds the OFF switch.

Flying up the corridor, Majenko finds that eight alcoves line this long, narrow hallway. Inside each alcove stands a human-sized upright iron casket, the image of a sobbing woman decorating its lid. The hallway's floor is smeared bright red, a mosaic of tiny red stones giving the appearance that the hall is awash in blood.

Ashe pauses to sheath his sword and let his shield hang upon its shoulderstrap at his side... turning his attention to Majenko.

Extending an arm he gestures to Majenko that he may perch on his arm and the Tiny dragon gleefully scampers up his arm.

In response Ashe affectionately cradles the tiny dragon in his arms like one might a large cat and addresses him.

"Majenko do you know how precious you are to me? You are one of my most beloved companions... so please do not take affront when I say how sometimes your rushing along ahead into potential danger so vexes my heart with worry! I know you mean no harm by it and I know you are a dragon and not afraid of anything.. but please, I'm asking for your friend's sake please try to be more careful? You have not had training as a Pathfinder like I have... and made aware of the potentially magic traps down the hallway your flight could have triggered. As a Pathfinder.. I have been drilled to suspect such things and take precautions. I plan on, with time, teaching you all I know about such dangers.. and it is my fault I have been remiss in doing so with all the troubles of Korvosa of late... but please try to be a little more patient in such matters... your life is VERY dear to me! And I would grieve deeply were you to come to harm simply helping us."

The tiny dragon's expression is unreadable other than the slowing of the thrashing of his tail somewhat... and after a brief pause he chirps trilling in acceptance nuzzling Ashe's cheek but his telepathic speech is heard by all, {I sorry... friend Ashe... Majenko is ...heart -touched by your care for his safety... I~ Majenko be more careful and sneak-sneaky!}

Ashe accepts the tiny dragon's communication.. not sure he completely understands... but at least he did say something to warn the bold tiny dragon of potential dangers.

Ashe then transfers the dragon back to his armored shoulder and draws forth his scroll tome from his Hand Haversack-Belt pouch.

Looking down the hallway Ashe carefully moves just far enough that he can finally see alcoves in the distance down the hallway and the blood spattered-style mosaics on the floor

He grimaces a sour expression on his features, "Well that certainly can't be a trap.. guess this hallways safe huh?", his tone dripping with sarcasm...

"Let's find out what 'deviltry' the Arkona cooked up THIS time!"

Pulling a arcane scroll from the binding Ashe casts a spell of monster summoning I...

Arcane Failure: 1d100 ⇒ 32

Ashe fumbles holding the scroll properly in his gauntleted fist and has to start again...

Arcane Failure: 1d100 ⇒ 3

The second time his visor garbles his reading and again he must start again...

Arcane Failure: 1d100 ⇒ 82

...and after a few moments on his third attempt... the air before him ripples as if made of water and a common pony appears as the scroll burns away.

Ashe, gets a sad expression muttering, 'Forgive me'.. but he points down the hallway and the Pony trots down the hallway of iron maidens in alcoves {Mv 80'ft - double MV of 40'ft}.

Ashe watches to see what traps.. if any the Pony tirggers.

The pony trots along as if it were the most natural thing in the world for it to do, its hooves tapping on the flagstones.

Suddenly, several of the flagstones tip up to a 45-degree angle, such that a creature on them could easily slide right down into one of the iron maidens.

Pony's balance check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

The poor pony's hooves scrabble at the tilted slab, failing to get a grip, and it falls prone. The iron maidens to the west begin to wail, making an horrendous din that panicks an already scared pony...

... and then the eastern iron maidens open up, revealing an interior lined with spikes. These spikes shoot out on long shafts, nearly reaching the iron maidens opposite, and impaling the poor pony on the way. It shrieks horribly and stops thrashing around.

The spikes retract, extend, retract, extend, some four more times before retracting for good as the iron maidens close again. The flagstones return to their normal horizontal orientation. The area is filled with ominous clicking and grinding noises for several minutes thereafter.

Ashe's spell is only cast at first level so the pony will only remain to the end of the next combat round of it's action... but Ashe having seen what he wants to discover about the Arkona trap... on his action dismisses the poor beast back to whatever realm it was called from before it can take anymore injury on his behalf.

'Thank you.. little one.'

Ashe moves carefully forward to look over the mechanism of the tilting floor plate... estimating that the 5'ft floor sections between the twin iron maidens triggers the trap as a pressure plate trigger.

Turning back to Ebon Wings and Edmund Gwen, "There are pressure plate triggers for a mechanical floor trap in this hallway.. I'd guess multiple ones that tilt one stepping on them into the iron maidens in the alcoves. Use Ebon's communal spider climb spell to travel on the walls and ceiling and we'll by-pass this. I'm moving ahead."

If Ashe is allowed to be a part of Ebon's Communal Spider Climb casting.. {he was still within sight when it was cast.. as he did not move from his initial landing in the hallway on the other side of the pool trap}... Ashe will climb the wall and move down the hallway's surface never once touching the floor...

If not Ashe will take 10! on his acrobatics check and with his boots of striding and springing jump over the trigger plates... hopefully he can spot them in the same places the Pony would have triggered them.

Acrobatics:Take 10! 10 + 2 = 12

{Need a map up date... and some thought needs to be given to where we can discover the new players}

"Thank you, but my flying spell is still active. I can avoid the floor plates easily enough."

I have a day off today :) so here's your map update

Edmund can fly down the passage, everyone else can use the communal spider-climb.

Ashe makes it down to the door at the end of the hallway of traps {E11}.

He take a position on the ceiling and opens the door to peer into the next room.

It's a fifteen foot square room, with a door to the north and most of the west wall being open space leading to areas beyond. The walls, floor, and ceiling of this chamber are decorated with a complex mosaic depicting an immense swarm of wasps.

Want to go in? Wait for the others to catch up? Send Majenko?

Ashe will hold possition not entering the room but casting detect magic and then detect evil scanning the room.. while he waits for the rest of the Justicars to join him.

detect magic - Arcane failure: 1d100 ⇒ 55

..the detect magic spell is successfully cast and he scans the room... observing the mosaic of wasps on the walls ceiling and floor of the room for any magical auras or evil auras...

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

He will mentally ask Majenko if he sees anything invisible in the room as well...

Majenko's - Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
- Senses : Blindsense 60’ft, Darkvision 60’ft, Low-light Vision

Edmund will float over to Ashe, cast detect magic as well, and scan the room for auras.

"Care to lay a wager whether or not those carved wasps will animate somehow, or in some manner produce swarms of real wasps the moment we enter the chamber? How do the denizens of this place safely navigate their own labyrinth?"

Ashe shrugs, "They are Rakshasas... unless those 'wasps' are enchanted holy, piercing, silver... they won't even scratch them. And if its magic.. well Rakshasas are HIGHLY resistant to magical attacks. They are as powerful as they are evil... plus they can change their shape to appear as anyone they desire. I would have killed Golario Arkona where he stood.. but I was out-voted by the rest of the JUSTICARS~ at the time. I think, I'm going to regret that bitterly... he knows who I am... and he knows I have a mother and sister to savage."

"Well, I strongly doubt that anything these monsters could construct could ever be viewed as 'holy', in any sense of the word."

Ebon looks at Ashe "We made a deal with it. Perhaps it was a 'deal with the devil', but still a deal. One does not break one's word, especially when dealing with the spirit world."
"Yes. It is a problem, but one we can deal with when we leave this bedamned labyrinth."

Those capable can sense magic in this area. Majenko reports that there is nothing invisible here.

Ashe asks Edmund, "I sense magic in this room.. can you determine what school it is ... or what effect is supposed to occur? My studies as a Bard... did not solely focus on the arcane."

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
- Ashe attempts to identify the magic aura's school and effect on his own anyways.

He also sheaths his sword and readies his chord of shards wand... to have at the ready... expecting the room might conjure swarms of stinging wasps...

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (15) + 21 = 36 That might work...

Indeed it might, Edmund! It appears to your finely-honed senses that this is a mechanical/magic trap. When activated (by someone entering the room and being in contact with floors, walls or ceiling), metal needles jab in and out from the wasp images, their effect being to numb whatever body part they poke! Looks like there may be an 'off' switch - trouble is, it is on the far side of the room from where you all are standing.

Ashe nods in agreement... putting his Wand away.. as the magic only detects a person in the room... and perhaps animates the 'needles' of the mechanical trap... and does not summon swarms of wasps.

He casts his mage hand spell...

Arcane Failure: {35%} 1d100 ⇒ 15

Grumbles as his armored gauntlets get in the way... and tries again...

Arcane Failure: {35%} 1d100 ⇒ 10

{Sighs}... in exasperation and tries one final time...

Arcane Failure: {35%} 1d100 ⇒ 87

The third time being the charm... Ashe uses the mage hand spell to flip the lever across the room to disarm the trap.

Drawing his sword - Dauntless Heart, Ashe enters the room.. heading for the exit on the other side...

"Let's keep moving..."

Ebon Wings nods his assent.
well done guys

Excellent work! Trap-designer slinks off grinding teeth :)

Give me until Wednesday, then I can post a map...

Excellent work! Trap-designer slinks off grinding teeth :)

Give me until Wednesday, then I can post a map...

We gonna get a map today?

Sorry, was up to ears yesterday. Aiming for Saturday now...

Here's the map update

OK, Ashe's mage hand flips the switch and the trap is (ought to be) safe.

E12 is where the wasp images are.

As for E14, the floor of this empty room is strewn with bones and patches of mould.

Oh, and anyone with the merest shred of magical ability knows that there's something really humming with magic beyond the door to the north.

Ashe will detect evil into room {E14}... and try to determine of the patches of mould are predatory dangerous forms of mould.

Know {Dungeoneering}: {ID mould} 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Ashe will mentally ask Majenko if there is anything invisible in the room... while he also scans the room for any hidden threats...

Perception: {Ashe} 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Percption: {Majenko} 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
- Senses : Blindsense 60’ft, Darkvision 60’ft, Low-light Vision

Speaking to his companions, "Master Gwen.. would you try to determine what that magical humming is coming from?"

He grimaces, "... all of this to lead to a dead end... seems oddly anticlimatic... perhaps there is some unseen threat or secret way to continue on that we do not see? Ebon Wing... what's your advice?"

The door opens easily.

Imagine a T-shaped hall, you have entered on the top-side of the crossbar at one end. At the far end of the crossbar there's an opening to another room. The long shaft of the T has a constriction part-way down, where you can see another slight gap in the walls, then it extends for about 10 feet to a blank wall. (It's a bit difficult to explain, I'll post a map on Saturday.)

Hey megan... is there another constriction with a slight gap-like seam in the floor, walls and ceiling between E14 and E12? I just noticed a similar map feature to the last two between E3 & E6 and then again between E8 & E9...

"Certainly, young man. I shall do my best."

Edmund casts detect magic and scans.

Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (11) + 21 = 32
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27

perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (5) + 17 = 22
knowledge:nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Ebon looks carefully - keeping his distance to the mold covered bones. Could this be a garbage pit? A graveyard? Or a trap?

The mould looks to be quite ordinary and non-dangerous to both Ashe and Ebon Wings, and Majenko can see nothing invisible lurking in E14.

Edmund settles down to cast his spell... the feelings he gets are of peaceful and benign magic, whatever is there will not harm you, he's certain.

And... Ashe... spot on! When you examine the 'constriction' points closely, they do indeed have a sort of gap/seam in the floors, walls and ceilings!

"The magic seems benign, peaceful, good. Either they've captured a powerful, sacred creature, or they've created an elaborate deception to lure the unwary.

After a pause, he adds, "Or, inexplicably, they have created or allowed a nexus of good and restorative magic to exist in the midst of their pit of unholy terror."

Ashe ponders the seam in the floor, wall and ceiling... frowning and shaking his head in frustration, "...I still have no idea what this means... but I'm sure its important! This is the third one of these incongruous seams I'm sure there is some kind of shifting or sliding wall here.. but I can't figure out what or where it is?"

Ashe using the still running communal, spider climb enters room {E14}... but not on the floor.. he walks on the walls to avoid any floor pressure plate triggers should there actually be a trap in the room.

He thoroughly searches the room looking for anything that might give some idea of a direction to go next... looking for any secret exit from the dead end room.

Perception: Take 20! 20 + 6 = 26

And Ashe discovers a secret door! As I'm working from home tomorrow I'll try to update the map to show you where it is.

As promised here's your map update

When the secret door is opened, there is a small alcove containing a lever. The lever looks familiar.

Ashe ponders the lever and decides it likely triggers whatever the sliding seams in the floor ceiling and walls... but he is still unclear what exactly is shifted.

He comes back to the party, "I found another lever... like the first one we found... I think they control whatever this slighting stonework is involving the seams int he floor, ceiling, and wall. We'll get back to that... lets see what on the other side of these doors.. and try to find the source of that benign peaceful and good magic... Master Gwen. If the Arkona have indeed imprisoned a sacred creature.. I intend to remedy that immediately!"

Ashe steps in front of the door to the north in {E12}... and detects for evil. If there is none he tells the party to stand back... pausing a moment... then opens the door.

He will then look for the tell-tell sign of any pressure plate in the 5'ft room beyond .

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Even still ...using the communal, spider climb Ashe will walk on the walls of the little room and open the door...

No evil - and Majenko reports no invisible creatures either. The short entryway proves to be solid stone without any traps.

The chamber beyond is small and octagonal. A six-inch-tall bronze dais on the floor in the middle of this otherwise empty room supports a polished column of black marble. The black stone seems to be vibrating softly, filling the air with a faint hum. The column is about waist-high (to a human).

Now that he can see the source of the magic...

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (15) + 21 = 36
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (20) + 21 = 41

Ashe enters the room ... on the floor and stands before the obelisk. He looks to Mr Gwenn patiently awaiting his assessment of the magics emitted by the artifact.

Edmund, you search your memories. Meanwhile, Ashe feels very calm and relaxed...

Edmund reveals what's under the spoiler.

Does it do anything for spontaneous casters?

"Then we should probably use it. No point leaving it charged for the Arkona." Ebon suggests

"Ashe. Which way should..." Ebon wings is cut off

Singing in harmony, Ebon's Nosoi manifests, flitting around the chamber in the form a beautiful songbird.

"You said there would be beauty" she trills.

The AP doesn't say, Edmund, but I shall rule that spontaneous casters can get 3 levels-worth back if they've already cast them that day.

So Edmund will try to recover the third level slot he used for his fly spell.

Ashe moves forward and touches the obelisk with his Inheritor's Gauntleted left hand... letting its soothing vibrations flow through his hand arm and eventually reverberate though his entire body.

Ashe has only cast cantrips today... which do not get expended... but can he recover any of his Paladin daily abilities... or is it spells only? Ashe does have uncast Paladin spells still available.

"Intriguing, I wonder why the Arkona would leave this here? Though... there ARE a significant amount of traps between here and any 'safe' area... perhaps they never expect anyone to get this far.. and it is primarily for the Arkona's use?"

Spells only, I'm afraid Ashe, but you do feel wonderfully calm and relaxed after a busy day!

"That would make sense" Ebon Wings agrees, laying a hand upon the stone. snowball and Owl's Wisdom, please

Ashe turns, "Well nothing more here... let's go back to the first lever and see what happens when we pull it again. There is also a room we bypassed that had powerful magic in it that we ignored in favor of exploring the secret door we found... let's go back to see what that magic was."

Ashe leads the way back to room {E8}...

"Mr. Gwenn... there is something powerfully magical in the room to the north east... can you determine its nature and effect?"

Your trip back is uneventful.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (20) + 21 = 41
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (15) + 21 = 36

"There's a nasty magical trap on the lever, that triggers when you look at it. Best to move that lever remotely."