[PFS] 02-02 Rescue at Azlant Ridge (Inactive)

Game Master Zizazat

Batah takes a 5' step and strikes the creature with his sword.

Attack-Melee: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

The inquisitor steps forward into the room. He raises his blade above his head, and brings it down in a swift arc towards the remaining skeleton.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (1, 4) + 6 = 11

The first attack should have missed Slach, I think, since he and skeleton #2 had melee cover from one another.

Slachagok - you are correct. Thanks. Your falchion damage should be 2d4+6 :)

Slachagok moves in with his falchion and smashes what's left of the skeleton.

Batah and Slachagok notice additional movement at the far end of the hallway as more skeletons move forward into the dim light.

Horatio, Mareck, and Alafair may act!

Alafair moves forward to near the first chamber and launches an arching magic missile into the front skeleton.

MM dmg: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Whoops, right you are. Confusing it with another PC who wields an earth breaker.

Mareck immediately moves up, ready to attack the first skeleton that approaches him.

Atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 Dmg: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Mareck has moved up to a hard corner, allowing Slachagok or Batah to move up and also get in a melee attack, as necessary. But Mareck will wait until the skeleton advance away from the hard corner before triggering his readies attack action.

Alafair destroys the lead skeleton!

Mareck attacks the next skeleton.

Atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 Dmg: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Nobody can seem to get that last skeleton...

Round 3:
Slachagok
Batah
Skeletons
Horatio
Mareck
Alafair

Slachagok and Batah may act!

Batah flings a dart of fire from his hand at the last skeleton.

Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Seeing another skeleton further down the hallway, Slachagok raises his blade and breaks into a charge.

Charge attack skeleton: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 2 = 22
Damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (4, 3) + 6 = 13

Horatio steps up and unleashes another arrow at the oncoming skeleton.

Attack (shortbow): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Damage (shortbow): 1d4 ⇒ 2
Sneak Attack if applicable: 1d6 ⇒ 6

The Pathfinders make short work of the remaining skeleton. Taking time to look around now that the threats are gone. Alafair returns to studying the magical auras on the statues.

This 5-foot-wide hallway extends east to west, with six 10-foot-by-10-foot alcoves splitting off to the north and south, three on each side. The alcoves contain what appear to be stone sarcophagi made of the same smooth, white material as the iron golems, but lacking lids. Small piles of sand, recently disturbed, rest in front of each of them.

Beyond the hallway at the western end is a fifteen-by-fifteen-foot room is constructed entirely of the same smooth-white material seen on the sphere outside. A single white pillar stretches floor-to-ceiling in the center of the room, and in a niche rests a smooth, white, hand-sized square covered in glyphs and runes similar to those on the complex’s front door.

Alafair examines the statutes in the foyer. "They emit at least 4 magical auras, but I can only identify 2, one is creation magic and the other is transmutation magic. So they, at least, create something and/or change something when triggered. The question is...how are they triggered."

She searches around the statues from ground level some more, looking for any means of activating them, perhaps a hidden panel or secret control.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 2 Ah, nice! do you mind giving the description of the statues again?

Batah moves over to examine the single white pillar and the hand-size square covered in glyphs.

Knowledge-Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Slachagok takes 20 on Perception to search the area. Total roll: 27

The half-orc stomps with finality on the vanquished skeletons, grinding a femur to powder. Satisfied, he roams about the statues and alcoves, checking for any hidden details.

@Alafair - Four enormous monoliths, fifteen-foot-tall human-shaped metal statues, rest in the four corners of the room. They’re made of white metal, almost like a suit of full plate sized quite large, but without anything discernible as a face.

@Batah - You cannot find anything particular in these glyphs which coincides with what you know about Azlantai religious practices.

@Slachagok - After a long, careful examination the only other detail of interest you find is that this entire chamber complex has some light structural damage, consistent with an earthquake. That damage, however, isn't recent.

Well if that square in the niche is hand-sized, perhaps we need to place our hand on it??

Horatio watches as the others attempt to figure out this particular magical puzzle. With magic not being his strong point, he idly wanders around and looks at things before settling himself on the floor, cross-legged.

"So any ideas how we move forward then?" he asks finally, "What about pushing some of those glyphs and runes?"

Horatio jumps up and moves quickly to the square and looks at it to see if he recognizes anything from the door outside.

Unable to tell much from the statues, Alafair shakes her head in frustration and joins the group down the hall where the hand print is. She also casts Detect Magic here, fully expecting to have a powerful aura strike here.

Know Arcana: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Spellcraft, in case: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Batah places his hand on the square

Alafair joins her fellow Pathfinders as they examine the strange Azlanti cube. Her senses are flooded with overlapping magical auras, and due to their strength and number it is quite difficult for Alafair to get an accurate read. The residual energy leaves dark spots over her vision for long seconds even after she looks away. Batah meanwhile bravely reaches forward to touch it, as he mutters a prayer to Sarenrae. The cube is smooth and cool to the touch. Reassuring. Relaxing. The cube could easily be removed and taken with you.

Try counting fighter jets flying toward you with the sun behind them. Sorry, it's described in the scenario as a square, but really it's a cube.

Batah will remove the cube from the pillar and examine it closer.

Batah picks up the cube, examining each face as he tries to remember his lessons in ancient Azlanti from his time at Sky Reach. There is a feeling of power and possibility in the air, but nothing quite able to be pinned down, a feeling on the edge of your mind of awareness.

Her eyes still burning from the power of the aura, Alafair steps back in shock. "The magic power of that thing is...overwhelming. Step carefully, my friends. This artifact is beyond all of our scope."

"I feel...something...not quite sure...almost like floating...all so distant..."

The inquisitor regards the cube with suspicion.

"Overwhelmin', eh?" he asks Alafair, "Can ye sense anything about the nature of th' aura?"

Batah attempts to focus on the cube

Alafair grimaces, still seeing spots. "It was too powerful and overlapping to parse out any single aura. It nearly blinded me looking at it with the detection in effect. I hope Batah knows what he's doing."

Batah holds the cube in both hands, mentally calling for the strength of the Dawnflower to aid him.

"On my, this is not good!! I think I can see outside somehow, and the camp is under attack by a big party of those monkey-things!! We had better get moving quickly if we are going to help!"

What is my vantage point in seeing this scene? Do I think I might be seeing from the big sphere outside? Or more like I was floating over the scene?

The vantage point is over the sphere outside, but also pulled back above it ~ 50 feet.

We should move on, Mareck. We may not have much time left. Go!

Mareck shifts his feet uncomfortably. He looks deeper into the vaults.

"But where should we go?" says Mareck. To the others it seems a bit odd, as if he is continuing a conversation, yet nobody has been speaking to him.

"Uhh, I mean, shouldn't we go deeper into the vaults? But there's nowhere to go it seems. Did we miss a door somewhere?"

Nice recovery, Mareck. Maybe they won't think you're talking to yourself and recommend your commitment to a Pathfinder insane asylum. Do try not to get us incarcerated.

The half-orc snorts in vexation.

"I'm a halflin's hair heel if I've got any inklin'," he replies to Mareck. "Try'n rub that cube over the statues, maybe, could be some weird sort o' key."

The Pathfinders give another search of the area, certain that there must be more. Pathfinders are trained to explore deep and dark ruins, and after all the build up this Azlanti structure seems to be a bit small and a let down. However they find no other chambers, secret or otherwise.

"Does anyone here speak the ancient's tongue?? It said something to me, I think, but I just could not make it out..."

Batah will again try to concentrate on the cube...trying to understand the strange designs...
If he gets nothing else, he will offer it to someone else to 'try'

Alafair is quick to jump on the offer of trying it out. "I will try it Batah, perhaps it will kindle to my arcane blood?" She places her hand in the cube and braces for impact.

"Dozens of the ape-men, and 4 large giant apes attacking the camp. Not sure what we can do about it from here."

We can't remove the cube, right? It's built into the column?

No the cube comes out, Batah already picked it up and has handed it to you now. It's totally portable.

"I wonder if it can interface with any of the other artifacts in here? If it allows vision sorta through that sphere outside, maybe it can control those big statues??

"Yes," says Alafair with a grim smile. "I was thinking the same thing. Let's take it out there and see what happens. Perhaps it can used a as a weapon in some way against the monkey men."

Alafair takes the cube back out to the front foyer of the complex where the 4 faceless statues are. She places her hand inside in that room looking for any new effects.

Moving back to the statue room, Alafair notices no change in either the cube or the statues. Taking another look at the statues and she can find no obvious place for the cube to be placed inside of a statue. The vision she had feels like it's peeling away from her memory.

As the Pathfinders return to the statue room, they can hear the cries and chaos taking place outside in the camp. The sound of shrieking apes and men yelling for more ammunition reach the buried complex from the far side of the camp.

"We have to do something! This cube must control something...can you make it do anything else?? We have to help the guards if we cannot get this ting to work!"

Slachagok turns towards the door as the commotion of battle echoes through the chamber.

"Aye, then see'n as we can't make hide or hair o' this trinket," he replies to Batah, "it's best we get back to th' camp."

A little disappointed with herself, Alafair nods and begins to bring the box out of the ruin and into the camp. She will take it to Juliet Dias, with the hope that the archeology team may know how to use it.

Batah follows the others out, ready to do battle if needed with the monkey creatures.

As the Pathfinders emerge from the Azlanti complex, they step into chaos. All along the palisade wall, Pathfinders and camp workers are trying desperately to hold off the horde of charau-ka outside the walls. Wave after wave of rocks, sticks, and even the camp’s own garbage are flying over the walls at regular intervals. Somewhere back in the jungle, that same deafening roar echoes across at the valley.

A moment after taking in this scene, a large boulder flies out of the nearby jungle and smashes a hole in the palisade wall, creating a breach! Moments later a hoard of screeching, chattering ape-men plunge through it and flood the camp. In the distance, their horrible champion—a four-armed gorilla, fifteen feet tall and causing the ground to shake with each step, intelligently scans his troops and roars at them, causing the ape-men to devolve into a frenzy.

As Alafair watches the events transpiring at the north end of the camp, she feels overcome with a lightheaded feeling...Alafair Will Save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4...and promptly collapses to the ground with a light moan.

For this mass chaos we'll be using group initiative.

Monsters: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
PCs: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Round 1:
PCs
Monsters

All PCs may act!