[Outpost 2018] #9-04 The Unseen Inclusion (Inactive)

Game Master Paladin of Baha-who?

The cult leader takes advantage of Andor standing up to strike him with the morningstar (5 damage to Andor), but the kitsune isn't finished, and with the aid of Mekhu, the leader falls, bleeding his life's blood into the dusty floor.

1d20 + 5 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 2 + 2 = 19
damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Great! ;-) 5/12 HP remaining and Mekhu would have then attacked someone else and not the leader as he would have dropped already?!

Should have Grey acted with Andor?

Position of Div? Like flying in the air unobstructed? :P

All PCs are now acting back-to-back with no interruptions by NPCs. So Shin and Grey can act, as can Lucy as long as she makes her save.

Fire at Div lol 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 131d10 ⇒ 2 azio hates me playing a ranged char.

Switching Targets, Shin adjusts his crossbow up and tries to bring it down!

"Come down you little pest, this one says."
*Twang*

Grey sees the cultist create separation and take the opportunity to cast a spell. Lead Blades

Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Lucy no wanting to give any ground quickly feels the space left by the cultist and once again attacks.

Gore Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Gore Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Lucy fells the cultist with her vicious tusks.

Mekhu came earlier in the order of that round's initiative than Andor, so he would have struck first. Let's say both together brought the cult leader down.

The remaining cultist screams in anger as he sees the other two fall. The growing ritual energy surrounding the onyx jewel falters and wanes, a crescendo of telepathic whispering cresting in everyone's minds: I am awake! I see you—all of you! My strength grows. Do not forget… before fading away.

The doru flies for the single open door, only to find Shin standing in its way. The doorway is low enough that it must dodge around him to find its way out. Unfortunately, it isn't able to move fast enough. If Shin has a melee weapon available, he can take an attack of opportunity. "Argh! Let me by, insect!" the floating head howls.

The cultist's desperate attacks are targeted against Kridash. Somehow, he seems to move faster than normal, while shuddering and eyes rolling as if in inner torment. However, his attacks lack accuracy, and the half-orc dodges them easily. Kridash pushes him back, pops him on the chin, and lands a powerful haymaker on the maniacal man, knocking him out cold.

All PCs are up, the only active foe is the Doru div.

Andor runs toward the Div and attacks it!

Rapier attack roll (+4 dex, +1 BAB, +1 Weapon Focus): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Damage roll: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

------

Should Andor be attacked he will try to parry (no Reposte as he then is at 0 Panache).

Opportune Parry vs. potential AoO (1/5 Panache remaining): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Shin has no melee weapon. So no AOO.
Shin fires? 1d20 + 5 - 4 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 5 - 4 - 4 = 51d10 ⇒ 3Shin says never mind.

Shin attempts to take his shot but he fails and his crossbow clicks signalling that his magazine is empty and would need replacing.....

"Lucy NOW!" shouts Grey pointing to the far side of the creature.

Grey takes a brief moment to concentrate, before being a washed with a new energy and lust for combat. With his new vigor he rushes forward and attacks.

GS Attack, AF: Bull, Outflank: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 5 + 4 = 20
GS Damage, AF: Bull, Lead Blades: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 5, 1) + 6 = 18

Outflank Increase flank bonus by +2 if flanking ally has same feat. If you crit, ally gets an AoO. [/occ]

[ooc]Animal Focus (Su) As a swift action, gain bonuses from emulated animal(s). If no companion, +1 slots. Bull +2 (Su) When assuming this aspect, gain listed enhancement bonus to Str.

Lucy simply does what she does best. gore things.

Gore Attack, Outflank: 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 + 4 = 18
Gore Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Andor's strike is dead on, but the rapier simply bends a bit as it presses against the fiend's supernaturally tough skin. Lucy's tusks similarly do no damage. Only Grey's massive sword is enough to actually cut the creature, and leaves a bleeding gash across its face.

This thing has DR 10. I don't think any knowledge (planes) rolls that were made earlier were good enough to know what bypasses it.

Ecthelien glares in disappointment as the fire has no effect on the creature.

"Very well, we will have to find other means to end your pestilence."

The elf tries to decide between his bow or acid,

"Does anyone know its weaknesses? Or perhaps some special arrows? I have a dagger of cold steel or mace of silver...but they are of little use on a flying foe ."

He draws his bow, figuring that is his best chance

will wait to see her if anyone responds otherwise he will shoot and hope for an unlikely crit.

It is no longer 15 feet up. It had to get down near Shin in order to try to get through the door. So you could try to use your dagger or mace on it, or hand them to someone else to use.

Stab it! Stab it before it stabs me!! lol

Ecthelien draws his dagger and moves in to stab the creature with as much determination as he can muster.

"Leave him alone! ."

Cold iron dagger : 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 for Msg: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

on phone so cannot update map. Misses with dagger anyway .

Mekhu is up still. If he hasn't acted by midnight tonight PST I'll bot him.

Mekhu sees that his weapons are likely to be ineffective, and runs up to the creature, trying to grab hold of it in a grapple. Since it is tiny sized, it has no reach and no AoOs. Using 2 points of inspiration for an attack boost. Mekhu grabs hold of the Doru's horns and holds on tight. "Got it! Perhaps we can force it to tell us what it knows?" he mutters through gritted teeth as he struggles with the floating head.

Kridash runs up behind him and takes advantage of Mekhu's tight grip on the Doru to try to pummel it. As per Kridash's botting instructions, he is attacking with nonlethal damage and using Enforcer if successful. Unfortunately, his fists feel like they're punching iron as he attacks the fiend.

The Div struggles, gnashing its teeth and trying to escape Mekhu's grip, but the investigator holds on tight to the horns.

All PCs are up! Div is grappled and thoroughly flanked.

Andor attacks the div again!

Rapier attack, flank: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 2 = 26
Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19

Rapier damage: 2d6 + 8 ⇒ (6, 5) + 8 = 19

"Don't be bloody moving! shouts Grey towards Mekhu while bringing his greatsword around in a swiping arc and into the creature

GS Attack, AF: Bull, Outflank: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 4 = 23
GS Damage, AF: Bull, Lead Blades: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (5, 5, 2) + 6 = 18

Lucy senses the creature is near its end goes in for one last attack;

Gore Attack, Outflank: 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 4 = 24
Gore Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Mekhu holds the div in place for Andor's perfect strike, stabbing his rapier deep into the creature, despite its supernatural resilience. Its eyes close and mouth goes limp.

Andor's strike was enough to render it unconscious. Grey, do you want to follow up to try to kill it, or do you folks want to try to restrain and interrogate it?

The div falls limp in Mekhu's hands and he grips it's horns tightly. "Quickly, some sacks!" he shouts, hoping to take the creature captive for interrogation.

Andor first stabilizes as many of the fallen human cult members as possible!

"I would interrogate the div but also the cult leader! Let us see what they can offer as answers!"

After restraining bot the div and the cult leader Andor would suggest to interrogate the div first and then the cult leader.

Andor uses a special salt that can revive even the unconscious due to its horrid smell to wake the div.

I have never heard of binding a flying cranium before. The lack of limbs makes it difficult. Let us see what they have to say for their vile actions here.

Ecthelien keeps his dagger handy in the event the Div proves resistant to dialog.

Seeing the creature go limp Grey redirects his swing away from the creature and his fellow companions.

Once the div is awakened, he speaks in a guttural but obsequious voice. "The master! She trapped me when the last pharaoh seemed not long for the world, stealing from me! Now she’s trapped like I was, stirring and dreaming, living and not living. You are servants of the new pharaohs, yes? Servants of servants? We are alike, you and I, and we can help each other. What is it you want? What can Veshtahz offer, and what can you provide in return?"

Shin says nothing exept to help bind the rest of the still living captives.

"I usually do not cooperate with monsters - well to be honest this is the first time I am doing that at all ..." he says with a smirk "... but you seem to have something to say so tell us what you want. From our side: We want to know what these cultist and you were doing here. Whose voice did we hear before all this came to end?" Andor asks in a slightly excited voice.

Diplomacy + 1 use of last panache for 'social panache' +1d6! to roll: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 8 + (1) = 24

"I can tell you that, yes I can. But what lore or secrets can you give me in exchange?"

"So it is secrets you seek? Well, last summer a Taldan noble named Spencer Gordor was sitting on the Sh*** house kissing Ossala the skinny when suddenly Lady Starvana of Tinkerwood made a mistake and opened the restroom for men and was standing right in front of the man that she actually was supposed to marry! Oh ... and did you hear about last summer's latest gossip about ... hmmm ... about house Thrune in Cheliax?! Listen ..." Andor starts to talk and talk about some juicy secrets he heard here and there!

kn nobility: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

"Secrets, not gossip! But I will tell you what you need to know about these deluded cultists for a chance to survive and to help your society track down Tahari. If you have juicier, more esoteric secrets to share with me, I may be willing to assist you personally with your endeavors."

If you spare him and allow him to assist the Society with tracking down the influence Tahari had over the Sage Jewels, he will tell you everything he knows about her in order for a chance to live and to get revenge. If you can convince him you have personal command of esoteric information and present it in an appealing way, he may be convinced to provide you with personal help, as a familiar or a source of information. This would require a Knowledge check of your choice followed by a diplomacy or bluff check.

"We will make a bargain, you and I. I will tell you of the Fivefold Path of Thoth, the Lord of Divine Words, and a small selection of his secret runes. In return, you will assist me in ending Tahari's existence, and anything else I might require of you," Mekhu proposes, his voice stern and calm.

Does that satisfy his requirements GM?
I'll use my last point of inspiration on the Diplomacy check.

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (14) + 8 + (3) = 25
Diplomacy, inspiration: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + 8 + (1) = 21

"I can make a bargain, too ... I hole?! Weil, there were these three drunk guys 1000 years ago that stumbled on a lair created by a mad elf that wanted to build a maze below Absolom. Grandmaster Torch, a shady guy, led us there and the place was designed to lead an outsider to this realm... for real! I will tell you about the deliriums tangle ..."

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Diplomacy, last panache for social panache d6: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 8 + (6) = 29

Knowledge 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Diplomacy 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
"This one can bring you up to date with what you do not know about this area and This one can tell you that the society has secrets that ou will surely enjoy exploring if you would but work with us. From the jungles of Mwangi to the vast expanse of the osirion sand. All these secrets are but your if you work with us."
Shin begins, his tale of the various lands has had visited or heard of from otehr pathfinders including his own extended family.

Despite his weakened state, the div looks greedy and listens to the tales told by the three. "Yes, yes, I can work with you. These cultists discovered an ancient Sage Jewel, created by my master Tahari to preserve her spirit and memories. I lead them to believe my voice in their minds was guiding them to perform a ritual that would restore her to life, or something like it. Instead, it would only bring her consciousness back temporarily, and I planned to scream in her face before forcing them to destroy the jewel and murder each other!"

"You are interested in this Sage Jewel, are you not? I can see it in your eyes when I speak of it. Perhaps your masters covet its secrets as well? I do not know exactly how Tahari created it, nor how she linked it to all other sage jewels, though she did mention that intention in my presence. Perhaps after studying your research and that of your collegues I may be able to offer more insights."

Anyone else want to make the checks? There's a particular boon on the Chronicle sheet which requires the checks I mentioned above. It is not faction specific, but it does require each character to make the checks individually.

Ethelien will try as well.

We will work with you only so far as you are truthful. We will not further your goals in the process.

kn:arcane: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

You sought to twist the cultists to serve your greedy plot. We seek to further knowledge for the better of others.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Grey turns to Lucy and whispers "You think people learn that negotiating with the evil murdery thing never ends well."

"Every word I've told you is the truth. I have no reason to lie, because in this instance, your society's goals and mine align -- to exterminate every remnant of that piece of dung Tahari from your sage jewels."

"To be honest I have no idea what you are talking about but I hope that you understand that we need to take you with us for questioning in the Lodge." Andor says.

Kridash has no knowledge skills trained so he is not capable of completing the necessary skill checks.

You bring the restrained Veshtahz with you back to the Pathfinder Lodge. When she hears of your success, Diya notifies Amenopheus, and with the speed of magic, the Sapphire Sage is present in Merab for your final report.

"Well done on retrieving this jewel," he says as you present the onyx gem for his inspection. "Let us see whether I can communicate with the memories of the sages within."

He holds his own sapphire sage jewel, while reaching out for the other. He spends nearly a minute in contemplation, his expression changing from curiosity, to concern, to sudden fear, before he breaks his meditation with a violent jerk of his hand, sending the onyx skittering across the room.

Amenopheus catches his breath before walking over to wrap the thrown jewel in a thick cloth. "Unfortunately, this confirms my earlier theory: the sages’ memories are not alone within these gems. The records you recovered and observations you made suggest that the first Jeweled Sages might not have created the sage jewels on their own, but rather modeled them off someone else’s design. Now it seems that prototype was the soul receptacle for an utterly depraved servant of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues who inflicted countless atrocities upon northern Garund. If she is awakening, the whole order is at risk unless we can use your findings to deduce some way to purge this evil."

He massages his forehead for a moment before noting, "Whatever lies ahead will be diffcult, and the future of the Jeweled Sages relies on what we can do about this threat. Once we have a plan, you shall be the first to know.

"As for you, fiend," he says to Veshtahz, "we will see whether the lore you can provide us makes sparing your life worth the risk. Be assured we will brook no betrayal."

When you tell them of the deal made with Zurnzal, Diya's mouth narrows. "Torch. There was a day I counted him as a valued colleague -- even a friend. When the Shadow Lodge came out of hiding and became a sort of pathfinder agents' union, as it were, I was all for it. An end to the enmity of the past and a new start for the Society. Then he betrayed the trust many had placed in him, and has alternated between an ambiguous ally and a vexing rival to the Society ever since." She sounds bitter.

"Nonetheless, Diya, my dear, we must honor the agreement our agents have made with his. I am concerned about his past actions -- especially regarding the recent unpleasantness in Absalom -- but he is very capable, with command of a vast network of informants. His aid might play a key role in cleansing the Sage Jewels."

The two thank you all for your dutiful service and invite you to partake of the amenities of the Merab lodge as you wait for your next mission.

Completion! Well done! See the discussion board for your final results.

We enjoyed the opportunity to expand our knowledge and experience in the service of the Society. The results seem satisfactory.
I can only hope our next mission is as rich with lore.

Ecthelien bows before he departs with the others.

"This one thinks that we might meet again if the society is once again in need of our services...." Shin bows as he too makes his way away to the forests he so loves.

"Wow, I ... I am quite astounded. We are such low ranking Pathfinders but were able to retrieve such important information. Amenopheus and dear Diya, be assured that I will help with all my power and I am sure that I will be able to mobilize my siblings as well to counter this threat!" Andor says smiling.

But then he looks down "This Mr. Torch is not a very trustworthy fellow. My last encounter with him almost cost me my life. But I will follow your guidance on this topic ..." Andor says with an insecure voice.