Mortika runs "Out of Anarchy" (Inactive)

Game Master Zizazat

Nice.

"What's wrong?" Alden asks from his position at the rear.

"Pit trap, filled with rats." Rayne will attempt to jam the trap shut with an arrow.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30

Done.

Moving delicately forward, you find that the passage to the left leads back to a dead giant rot grub, while the far passage leads up to the streets.

To the streets, or through the door?

"So Door or streets? Perhaps we check if the streets to better gaudge our bearings?"

"Let's check the streets so we know exactly where we are."

Not a problem. You leave the Guts and arrive back out in the fresh air. It takes a moment to get your bearings, but you are in the middle of the town, more than half-way to the Academy.

Back to the sewers and through the door.

Frissa plots on, somewhat downtrodden by the day's events and the very act of being first buried in fish and now being stuck in this lightless sewer. To combat the latter, she maintains a magical light, but that does little to brighten her spirits as she follows along to the door.

Alden notices his companion down spiritness and pats her shoulder.
"We'll be out of this soon enough. Before you know it, we'll be out of town too."

"Doing the bidding of the Ten is seldom glorious Frissa." Pavanna notes dryly.

Frissa lowers her voice and replies quietly to Pavanna, "It's not...I don't mind being dirty...I feel dirtier in forcing Phelerosa to come with us...We had succeeded in our mission in regard to her secrets, I thought, and now we've turned a potential ally and an informant in this city into someone who clearly fears and hates us and will probably try to escape the moment we turn our backs on her...I don't see how that is a help to anyone, not even the Archive, and now that decision is getting in the way of our mission for the Ten."

She sighs and looks away, "But, it's done. The sooner we get her to the academy, the better and what may happen will."

Apologies. I was under the weather yesterday, and today we had a gas leak at school and we all have crashing headaches. I'm going to go home and take a nap, and update when I wake up tonight.

Rest well first. RL and your own health should come in first.

You return to the Guts and make your way back to the door. In context, it looks like this might be the entrance from the underground tunnels into an actual building's basement, perhaps still active or perhaps long abandoned.

The door is unlocked.

Rayne checks the door for traps and opens it if it is trap-free.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 8 + 2 = 16

You detect no traps.

The door swings towards you and is surprisingly quiet, as if the hinges have been maintained in good working order. Behind them is a chamber, indeed larger and wider than anything you've seen before, perhaps 25 feet on a side. Your light is the first that floods into the room, which has otherwise lay dark. The scent of the ocean is strong here, and there appears to be a flight of stairs in the center of the floor.

There are other things you might notice as well -- doors, exact dimensions, etc. But immediately in front of you is a sixteen-foot-long scorpion, its rust-colored scales shining in the light. It spins around to turn its flat black eyes to you -- each one the size of a grapefruit -- and arches its stinger over its back.

Initiative
Rayne: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Morrolan: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Frissa: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Pavanna: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Alden: 1d20 ⇒ 13
Monstrous Scorpion: 1d20 ⇒ 14

There is no surprise round -- both you and the giant scorpion are startled to encounter the other.

Pavanna and Frissa can act while the two-ton arachnid is flat-footed.

Staying out of the reach of the beast, Pavanna hurls a bolt of hellfire at it!

Ranged touch: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

"Iee!" Frissa speaks a word of command in a strange tongue and an amazing cracking sound like a wet log popping erupts upon the scorpion.

Sound Burst sonic damage, DC17 Fort or be stunned 1 round: 1d8 ⇒ 4

Fort save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
The scorpion takes a moment to gather itself from Frissa's spell.

Rayne draws his bow and takes a single shot at the large insect.

PBS, Deadly: 1d20 + 11 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 11 + 1 - 2 = 13
1d8 + 3 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 1 + 4 = 15

The scorpion is stunned until just before Frissa's next initiative count so everyone but her benefits from it. Rayne - is that -2 to hit because of a forgotten rapid shot penalty?

Deadly Aim penalty.

Initiative: Round 1
Pavanna: 19
Frissa: 15
Monstrous Scorpion:14 (Stunned for one round)
Alden (Valeros): 13
Rayne: 6

Alden (Valeros) finds a space and slashes in a nasty blow towards its side.
Attack 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 251d8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

His sword tears open a large gash in the scorpions side as it skitters with its claws to try and entrap him with them when an arrow flies in swiftly biting in deeply into its open wound. This proves too much for the scorpion as it thrashes and then collaspes.

Cleaning his sword, Alden looks around.

"I don't think this is where we wanted to go. Perhaps finding out more directions from a local would be better."

"Yea, probably. We're kind of wandering around blind down here.

Herself again and back to speaking in the common tongue, Frissarose pipes up, "Agreed...Let's head up the stairs and see where we are at least..."

"Some fresh air, yes. Please." Pavanna pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head lightly.

Alden tags out Valeros who tags Alden in.

It takes only a few turns to find another entrance to ground level. You're not alone when you leve the Guts, but nobody seems to pay you much attention.

You're about two blocks away from the Academy. It's still Monday, about mid-afternoon.

"Well, let's get to it then..." ...and get this affair behind us. Frissa leads the way toward the Academy, leaving the "prisoner" to those who took her.

"Yea, let's get moving." Rayne says following the gnome.

"Agreed." Alden says once more taking up position at the rear.

It's a simple matter to reach the Academy. Your robes mark you as people who belong there, so you pass through the gates to the outer grounds without contest.

Inside, that's a different manner. On the walkway to the main building, you come across a woman in her mid-twenties, gaunt of frame and with deep shadows under her eyes. She stops and stares at Frissa.

"Hello," she says, with a curious tone to her voice. "I thought I knew all the gnomes here at the academy.

"Come to it, I don't think I recognize any of you. Where have you been hiding yourself, these past years? Does the Academy have a north campus I've not encountered?"

"Oh dear, we are just experimenting with some glamers. We must hurry back to Professor Poppo before they wear off though. Good day!"

Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Onward!

Holding back an uncharacteristic laugh, Alden pushes on with the rest.

Rayne is rather surprised by how quit witted Pavanna was with that bold faced lie. He smiles and nods his head afterwards as they make their way.

The academy student nods back, and quickly conceals something in the folds of her robes. "Of course. Most excellently done, too. Um, give my regards to the good professor." She turns to walk straight away from the building where you'd meet Poppo.

Sense Motive 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9
Perception 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4

Alden obviously doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Pavanna waves at the student's back and continues on with her task.

Totally unaware, Frissarose continues on.

Can't make that Sense Motive.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

"She twitched when you mentioned Poppo. She's hiding something from the gnome." Rayne mentions once the student is out of earshot.

"Really? Didn't notcied anything unusual about it." Alden frowns as he glances over his back to see if he can once more catch sight of her.

Alden, she's scurrying off. It would be possible to catch up with her, because she's not running, but it would create a scene.

To Poppo then?

To Poppo please.

What does the rest think? I'm sure she can outrun Alden.

Let her leave, we shouldn't cause a scene if we can help it. We'll just be ready for the inevitable ambush.

In short order, you return to the lower levels of the Arcanum. There, in a large anteroom off the kitchens, you recognize Poppo, overseeing a work crew carving the innards from a small whale. He smiles as he catches sight of you and waddles over in your direction.

"Welcome back, welcome back, Passfinders. Have you had any luck finding our mutual friend?"

Pavanna shakes her head, "Sadly nothing yet. He has proven to be quite difficult to locate. Though, we need to bring this young lady with us when we leave." Pavanna introduces Phelerosa. "She will be traveling with us, but due to the rather...dangerous nature of the rest of our investigation, we were hoping that she might be able to give a hand around the Academy where things would be much safer for her in the mean time. Is that something you could see to Professor?"

?

Our Gm seems to have disappeared again.