[PBP GameDay V] GM Tarondor's PFS Scenario 7-11: Ancient's Anguish [Tier 7-8] (Inactive)

Game Master Tarondor

"We will treat this place with the utmost respect, you have my word!"

"Nothing has escaped recently has it? Are there any other known exits?" Seaweed's last adventure ended poorly, but would have been much worse if not for protection from evil. "Anyone have a particular weakness to mind attacks?"

Ready when you are

Kargen casts two spells as he anticipates danger behind the doors.

Cast Protection from Evil and See Invisibility.

Dyson nods at Kargens premptive spell castinng before voicing a question.

"I can do a communal Protection from evil and I have an invisibility purge for when and or if you spot something invisible. should I try to save them or is it worth using them at the first sign of trouble."

Ready when you are as well.

"Cast your Protection spell for everyone else. It'll last longer that way. I'll let you know if there's anything invisible."

Leaving Kargen out of the communial spell will give everyone else 2 minutes of duration, I think.

"There are many ways, but to this one alone do we have a key," says Ardashir.

The ancient doors require much pulling to coax open. Eventually, they widen just enough to permit an armored man to squeeze through. Inside, all is dark.

What light sources do you use?

Once you can see, you note carvings on the stone walls of this staircase depict groups of humans huddled together, cowering from some unseen menace. Their faces look up toward the sky with despair evident in their eyes.

MAP

If you examine the carvings...

Know hist: 1d20 + 1d6 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (4) + (4) + 12 + 2 = 22
Appraise: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 2 = 25

Two bits of good news, Tytus. First, you get to read the spoilers. Second, the party gain 1 Research Point! What's a Research Point, you ask? Well, let's just say that you want 'em.

And now the bad news.

The carvings are cursed. Tytus, give me a Will save!

Will: 1d20 + 1d6 + 2 + 7 ⇒ (17) + (5) + 2 + 7 = 31 Using one point of inspiration

Tytus's feels a momentary shiver of the fear felt by those who experienced Earthfall. But the terror passes a moment later.

Light?

Kargen casts Light on the tip of his bowstave, illuminating the room.

Are you moving up the stairs?

sorry for the late post weekend has been exhausting. I'm assuming there is no point in everyone trying to read the carvings as we as a party can only get one research point per check or?

Dyson will cast light from his own on his shield to make sure their is more light in case the party needs to spread out a bit.

"I have a daylight i can throw out if needed. it will last 70 minutes once cast. For now I hope a second light spell will suffice."

Dyson then moves forward to the center of the group momentarily and casts protection from evil the communal version. I have 7 minutes to split between the party. Dyson will elect to take out the one minute duration so the others each have 2 minutes of protection from evil.

After everyone has a chance to cast spells and prepare, Kargen moves to the top of the stairs.

Seaweed looks that the number of light sources being offered and doesa double take. It has been a long time since the cleric wasn't the only human on an assignment. "I'll leave my ioun torch stored for the time being. Awfully handy at the desk, but terrible in areas with potential enemies."
Tytus, did you share the information learned?

The scenario refers to the east-west and north-south halls as different areas and I'll address each below, but they're obviously all visible. There are also three staircases, partially shown on the map.

This long (north-south) hallway opens into three large rooms on the west side of the temple. On the east side, there are two staircases, one leading up and one leading down. Many cracks mar the stone surfaces in this part of the temple. There are vases in the northeast and southeast corners of the hall.

The scenario doesn't say so, but the staircase leading up is open to the sky. Much dirt and debris chokes the stairs.

At the heart of this (east-west) vaulted hall stands a twenty-foot tall stone statue that depicts a beautiful woman wearing tunic and wielding a khopesh of polished bronze. Ornate columns bulge from the walls bearing carvings of wheat stalks and snakes eating their own tails. Set on the walls between the columns, there are six bronze mirrors.

MAP

Of course, Tytus always shares! Knowledge, friendship, the bed, a spliff!

Kargen looks up at the giant statue. "Well, what do you think? An ancient temple that holds evil. Sounds like the statue would be at the center of that." He walks forward a few feet, glancing back at the others. He holds his distance from the statue in case someone else has a better idea. The archer delves into his divine power to sense evil in the area.

Detect Evil on the statue and the room it's in.
Perception (Heroism) on statue: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 12 + 2 = 22

Nope. It's just a big ol' statue.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
"She seems quite prideful to me, but is the statue of the evil or of the evil's guardian?

Knowplanes: 1d20 + 1d6 + 12 ⇒ (11) + (2) + 12 = 25

Sense Motive:: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 11 + 2 = 18

"Well, it's not evil. Maybe magic?" Kargen casts a quick spell to see if anything in the room is magical.

Cast Detect Magic. Sweep the statue and the room.
If he detects nothing, Kargen will enter the room to examine things more closely.

The statue is not magic. But the mirrors are. A moderate illusion.

Kargen also notices that the statue wears an ouroboros torc, a round piece of twisted bronze and gold that resembles a snake chasing its own tail on its left index finger as a ring.

"Ok, the mirrors are magical. Illusion aura, so I wouldn't trust anything you see in them." The archer walks up to the statue to inspect the torc closer.

Can I remove the torc?
Knowledge, Religion (Heroism): 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19

Well, to find out whether the torc will come off, you'll need to get up there. Climbing the polished stone surface of the statue requires a successful DC 25 Climb check.

Dyson takes a quick look at statue and then at Kargen who seems focused on the torc.

"Looks like a hard climb. Here I'll cast air walk on you. It will last fr over an hour so you can go to your hearts content."

Dyson then casts Air Walk on Kargen.

Kargen smiles as he steps up on nothing to get up to the torc. "Sweet!" The archer tries to remove the torc.

Perception (heroism): 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 12 + 2 = 34

Give me a Strength check Kargen. It's stuck!

Dyson see's Kargen begin to exert himself in removing the torc and searches his backpack for his grappling hook and some rope.

would attaching the grappling hook and rope to the torc allow for the group to roll aid for Kargens strength check

"Let's see i might be able to help with that."

Seems reasonable.

So, who has the seeker stone?

Doubt I do, but if no one else wants it I'll take it

Strength Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Dyson heaves with all his might hoping to loosen the torc a tiny bit and make it easier to retrieve

Right. The Archer does a str check

Strength Check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Kargen grabs the torc and pulls against it while pushing off on the statue.

It isn't budging.

Seaweed, Tytus or Lymwin?

Lymwin grabs the end of the rope and pulls.
Str aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

The clerk looks at the physical task dubiously. "I'll try it," but we might just have to leave it for now.
Str: 1d20 ⇒ 7

With a scraping sound, the torch comes off and flies halfway across the room, clarttering to the floor.

About that time, the seeker stone begins to vibrate uncontrollably in Dyson's belt pouch. About that same time, something elsewhere in the temple begins humming loudly. Cracks begin to appear on all stone surfaces, and dust and small bits of rock begin falling from the ceiling.

You now have a second Research Point.

Perception (heroism): 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 12 + 2 = 20

"That definitely did something! I think we've got about an hour before this whole places comes down!" Kargen steps down towards the others. "Grab the torc! Then let's see what else is here. Quickly."

Kargen heads towards the northern set of stairs. He still floats about 10 feet off the ground.

A cylinder of perfectly smooth volcanic glass stands in the center of an eye-shaped symbol in this room. Unnatural shadows radiate from within the cylinder, darkening its immediate surroundings as indistinct shapes swim in the inky blackness. One-inch-thick copper wires embedded in the floor extend from the base of the cylinder, connecting it to three stone tables on the west side of the room.

MAP

If you want to interact with this or any other room, move your icons into that space, please.

Dyson grabs the torc sticking it on his person as he runs after Kargen.

Seeing the darkness created by the Dyson halts and frowns as the unnatural shadows remind him of the dark memories of his first encounter with a haunt.

"A haunt or something to shed daylight on, or do those three tables have something to do with these shadows?"

Perc: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27"Holy thunders! We need to stop that resonance before this whole place comes down.

Tytus goes to the corner below and looks at the unknown territory!
Perc: 1d20 + 1d6 + 22 + 2 ⇒ (6) + (3) + 22 + 2 = 33

Kargen floats around the cylinder and over the stone tables, careful not to touch them. "This looks complicated. But something tells me those wires shouldn't be touched." He casts a detection spell.

Perception, aid (heroism): 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 13 + 2 = 34
Cast Detect Magic and sweep the whole device

NORTH ALCOVE

Kargen detects a powerful aura of necromancy coming from the cylinder of volcanic glass. The first table has rectangular space carved into it and a word written in many languages, including an archaic form of Taldane. It says "Rebirth".

The second table has a body-shaped indentation carved into it, surrounded by arcane sigils.

The third table is carved with a circular groove that looks like a snake biting its tail.

________________________________________________________________________
NORTH ALCOVE

Two sets of stairs lead up to this large rectangular room. Seven long bookshelves, each cut out of the rock, are full of stone tablets. Most of the tablets lie scattered in ugly piles.

Because the tablets are a disorganized mess, finding any substantive amount of information on any one of the seven bookshelves involves three tasks that the PCs must complete in order: moving, cataloguing, and studying the tablets.

Performing the tasks progresses in phases of 6 minutes. Each phase, each PC decides on which bookshelf she wishes to focus her efforts. If two or more PCs are working on the same bookshelf, use the highest check result, and treat any other checks with a result of 10 or higher as though that PC had instead used the aid another action to assist that roll. The result determines progress that round as presented in the table in the handout. Any progress in excess of 100% is not carried over to the following task. Once the PCs reach 100% in the third task (studying the tablets), they discover whether the bookshelf contains the information they seek.

Moving: Many of the tablets are broken, stuck between other tablets, or lie under collapsed shelves, and the PCs must move them by making Strength checks. After rolling a Strength check, the PC may decide to push herself and add 5 to the final result. Doing so also gives the PC the fatigued condition unless he succeeds at a DC 15 Fortitude save. If already fatigued, the PC becomes exhausted instead. An exhausted PC cannot push herself.

Cataloguing: Most lessons span several tablets, and before it is possible to study the inscriptions in a meaningful way, the PCs must catalogue them. The PCs can use Perception, Profession librarian), or either of the two skills related to the discipline (see below). The texts are written in a combination of Terran and a language that predates Ancient Osiriani but shares many common root words. A PC who can read neither language suffers a –5 penalty on checks to catalogue the shelves, a PC who can read both Terran and Ancient Osiriani gains a +5 bonus, and those able to read only one of the languages receives no special modifiers.

Studying: The PCs can decipher the tablets through logic (Linguistics), intuition (Sense Motive), or by using either of the two skills related to the discipline. The checks to study the tablets incorporate the same language-based modifiers detailed in the cataloguing task above.

See the handout for details on the bookshelves and their associated skill checks.

Player's Handout #1 - Library Search Reference

MAP

TIME LEFT: 60 Minutes

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

"I have seen many various techniques for storing information and employed many of them in the Grand Lodge. This might be why I had to leave the lodge for this mission, the clerk says.

Will Profession (beaureucrat) be applicable here?

Are we screwed with this? 7 shelves * 3 phases for each shelf * 6 minutes per phase = 126 minutes. And that's if were able to do everything in a single check. It'll be a literal "rocks fall, everybody dies" before we finish. Sorry, it looks like I made a bad choice in prying off the torc.

Kargen: You forgot that there are five of you. Each of you can choose a separate bookshelf, if you wish. Or you can work on the same bookshelf as someone else, but on a different task. Moving, Cataloging and Studying can be simultaneous. Or you can combine your efforts on a single task. It's also possible that you find what you think you need to find before completing all seven shelves.

Seaweed: I think I'll allow Profession (bureaucrat) to stand in for Profession (librarian) on the cataloging tasks.

Note the modifiers for language in the cataloging and studying tasks.