PFS 2-02 Before the Dawn part II: Rescue at Azlant Ridge (Inactive)

Game Master Aeshuura

Next time, let me use Infernal healing first, it's an automatic 10 hp healed per charge. But thanks Garret!

The orcish-looking Varisian grunts at Ralklain's remark. He's obviously in pain, though he'd rather die than admit how he feels.

Hmpf, I've seen worse. Apparently the Aspis from Bloodcove had warned them of my arcane might. Can't blame them, I would have done the same. That being said, thanks Garret.

"We should secure the horses, hide the bodies, and be on our way."

At work right now. Will post when I get home tonight or first thing tomorrow morning.

Raimondo emerges from under the wagon, "You Pathfinders are a terror to behold! But, we'd best get moving... That was but a fraction of the force that we saw chasing us! Let us make all haste for Azlant Ridge, before their reinforcements catch up to us."

The wagon train headmaster orders his drivers back to their positions, while the rest of you search and hide the bodies. Aside from their typical accouterments, the captain possesses a nifty scroll case that holds a few scrolls and some fine armor.

There are also five sets of mwk studded leather, mwk heavy lance, and a mwk heavy steel shield.

Shandor resorts to magic to discern any lingering aura.
Casting Detect Magic.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

There are scrolls of magic missile, shield and cure moderate wounds , as well as a minor protective magical chain shirt (+1). Mind if I take the first two scrolls?

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Ralklain inform the others about the scrolls, and takes the +1 Chain Shirt. Since I'm the only one in the group fit to use it.

"I'm ready to move on!"

You climb ever higher out of the jungle, the series of thin switchback trails just large enough for Raimondo’s caravan wagons. Suddenly, from the canopy below comes an unearthly bellowing roar. Thousands of colorful birds take flight and wing off away from the noise, and a cacophony of screeching, chittering, and screaming follows the roar.

As you approach the top of the ridge, a dilapidated camp comes into view. The camp is surrounded by a hastily constructed palisade wall forming a semi-circle that both starts and ends at an imposing cliff face stretching hundreds feet up from the palisade. The bodies of hundreds of ape-like creatures lie outside the walls in various states of decay. The stench is overpowering, and a cloud of flies is thick above the carnage. A cry goes up from the tower built over the palisade’s gate as the lookouts spot you, and the gate itself rumbles aside on rickety wooden wheels. A tall woman with black hair pulled back against her head and a shortsword on her hip strides out from the camp to meet you.

At that moment, a horn sounds from down in the valley, closely followed by the screams of men and horses. Looking below, you see another group of Aspis Mercenaries, riding fast up the switchback trails, with hundreds—maybe even thousands—of ape-men hurling stones at them and running hard on their heels.

--

The woman looks like the lead Pathfinder and is visibly emaciated.

When she approaches, she smiles a thin, tired smile and says, “Welcome to Azlant Ridge. I see you’ve met the locals.”

She gestures back at the ape-men chasing the Aspis mercenaries up the trail.

Inside, quickly! barks the sorcerer, retreating past the gate to gain cover. He then produced a familiar wand, and mutters words of warding. His body is instantly covered in purple hues, a force armor covering his otherwise near-naked body.

Using one charge of my wand of Mage Armor, since I assume it has been more than one hour between the ambush and now.

Heal: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Ralklain comes to meet the woman, shaking her hand and giving quick statements to hush everybody inside after Shandor.
"Thank you. I hope we did not take long to get here with the supplies. Those are Aspis mercenaries! Let's get inside and let them be, they would have killed us if they managed to get close enough."

Morgrim will take the scroll of cure moderate wounds, and Take 10 on the Heal check for 12.

Morgrim assists in getting the wagons inside, or, if there doesn't seem to be much need of his services, stands guard outside until the last wagon has passed through the gate. He then introduces himself to the woman.

"I am Investigator Morgrim Stonewall, Priest of Abadar, at your service, madam. Have you given any thought to what you are going to do about the food we brought?" His voice drops at 'food' as though the contents of the wagons were a deep secret. "Can you trust your men to ration it out?"

Ryskovich will hurry along inside with the others. He will help if needed, even though he isn't the strongest. He hunkers down, trying to hide from any unwanted guests.

Howdy mam, how fares everything. Sorry for being late, but we had some...how to put it...annoyances

Morgrim and Ralklain roll Diplomacy please.

The woman, who identifies herself as Juliet Dias, looks at Ryskovich then looks around at the pitiful-looking camp. She begins to walk around camp, signalling for you to follow.

You pass a precise and professional terraced dig site surrounds a half-sphere of a smooth, almost mirror-like white material.

In the middle of the camp rests two large, but dirty and sagging tents—one is used for cooking, and the other as a mess hall. Between them are 10 canvas tents lined up in two neat rows, but suffering from rips and tears that seem to have been made by claws. It is here that Juliet stops, "One shift of the remaining members of my excavation team rests."

Sounds of coughing and groans of discomfort are easily audible, despite the eerie screeches of the ape-men that come from beyond the palisade walls. She grimaces before continuing, "About half of them are sick, and all of them starving and tired. We have been here cut off from all possible supply feeds, our provisions slowly dwindling, for the last 10 months. We are hungry, we are weary, and you seem to be what little hope we have left..." she looks down at you and Garret with a sigh and a weary smile, "No offense intended, of course."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

"We brought enough food for them to be back to full health and restart working soon." He looks around kinda worried, with his tiger walking beside him. "What happened here?"

She looks at Ralklain with some incredulity, "Perhaps..." Juliet then continues, "What did this? The faithful of the demon lord, Angazhan. Those charau-ka, the ape men just keep coming and coming... it's been a miracle that we have lasted this long."

"It looks like you could use some extra help while we're here, right? Cause I believe our mission is finished so, do you need something?"

The expedition leader continues walking as she contemplates. After she arrives at a decision, she leads you to the structure, uncovered at the South of camp.

--

At fifteen feet high and ten feet wide, this door is an impressive structure. Carved from a dull yet shimmering metal, every inch of its surface is covered in runes, glyphs, pictographs, and intricate patterns. A single rift, about an inch deep, splits the door in half from top to bottom, giving you the impression that it might open were it only to have handles. The door sits recessed several feet into the jagged rock of the ridge’s impressive cliff face, which stretches a hundred feet or more above the camp.

At this point, Juliet becomes all business, "This is the biggest find of our generation. The only problem is that we can't open it."

At that comment, you realize that the patterns on the door look familiar...

The man shakes his head.
"Oh Ralklain, the curse of you life is to face locks... again and again and again..." He turns to his companions. "This is the same pattern of the scroll, isn't it?"

Ryskovich will walk through camp, and take in the surroundings. He looks in on all the malnourished people, and wonders how they they would have lasted without this aid.

Ryskovich looks at the door, and how it should open.

You may be correct Ralklain. But I wonder how it plays a part in this door? Any suggestions?

We have to open the scroll, right?

I would assume so, but no real idea

The scroll case contained the map to the dig site, which you opened once out of sight of Bloodcove. The symbols that are repeated over and over on the door are the same as on the key...

Ralklain detects magic on the door.

Before Ralklain can even finish casting his spell, several of the surviving Aspis Consortium agents arrive at the gate screaming to be let in! "Let us in! Please! Oh gods!" the cry frantically!

Pathfinder Dias looks to you, "It is your call. We could use extra swords against those things, but they’ve been chasing you and trying to kill you. I’ll back your decision."

sense: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 on the Aspis really wanting to help?

Garret sighs and nods to Pathfinder Dias. "We cannot leave them there. Sarenrae is compassionate, so should we be."

Morgrim and Ralklain roll Diplomacy please.

Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

Morgrim tries to decide what to do with the Aspis agents outside. Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

If they seem to be genuinely frightened for their hides, and the ape-men aren't too close, Morgrim will concur that they let the agents in, but he'll add that they should be bound until it can be determined that they aren't a threat.

"They are mercenary. They will follow the gold river. If we can pay them to work for us, they will work alright. Beside, we apparently killed their leader, and may do that again if there's another one. Take the head down and the body falters. Let's do this while we're all strong and ready. Then we can handle them if they play the funny ones." He looks at his companions, and already heard Garret would do the same. "Agreed?"

I would say let them rot, but you may be right Ralklain. They will recognize the authority lying in gold and sheer power. Let them in, but let us also make known that treason will yield... the most painful agony and a slow death.

There is just enough time to let them in without endangering the camp, if you act now.

"Open the gates! Let them in, but stand alert!"

The excavation mercenaries open the gate, allowing the ten or so Aspis-hired swordhands in. They all help to close the gates, several of them collapsing, backs to the gates in tears of joy.

The remaining leader of the Aspis company pulls his bronze badge off his sleeveless coat, tossing it on the ground and stands before Ralklain, who appears to be in some leadership role, "The Consortium would never have granted asylum to its enemies. I never much considered being on the other side of that conundrum. You have the gratitude of me and my men, and our swords. Today, we are not Aspis Consortium, but fellow men."

Taking 10 Sense Motive for 18 to tell if the (ex)Aspis agent is bluffing.

Morgrim examines the man closely and answers him gruffly. "We may be fellow men, but it will take more than your word before I fully trust you. Tell your men to give up their swords. We may give them back - if you prove yourselves... honest." Under other circumstances, I might have said 'loyal', but with these men....

Ralklain is somehow worried about their arrival, but he sees the opportunity and thinks that it was best to make some things clear, right after Morgrim speaks what he wish. "You are partially right! Were we the Consortium, you would be out there dying right now, whether you were fellow men or even Consortium zombies. I hope you all learn the lesson, and realize how much trouble the Consortium causes. I'm Ralklain Kiessen, but I'm not the one you will be speaking to. You will be receiving your orders from Captain Dias, after me and my companions have some answers from you. What's your name?"

I suggest you do what the man says. nodding in Morgrim's direction, lest you want to be ape food or tiger food

Garret takes a softer tone than his companions, but his gaze is stern. "Understand this, gentlemen: every day you draw breath from this day forward is a blessing; one that you do not deserve, based on your past actions towards us and ours. I encourage you to treat each day accordingly, and embrace the possibility of redemption that they afford."

The man, who looks as if he is in his late 40s, shakes his head as he responds to Morgrim, "While I wouldn't trust me either, I will not ask my men to give up their swords to be slaughtered as you and your team get overrun by those beasts and their giant terror. By your words, it seems that you are little better than the Consortium."

He looks around at your camp, noting the condition of the excavation team. The mercenary captain has a serious look on his face, "It looks as if you will likely not survive this without our help, or if by some miracle you do, you will lose many men. I offer our swordhands, and my word that we will do everything in our power to make sure that your team survives this ordeal. After the threat of these ape-beasts is gone, I will be open to revisit the notion of giving up our weapons."

Morgrim, he seems serious as he is shrewd. It almost seems as if he is negotiating a contract, no doubt from years of experience as a mercenary. But there is no deceit laced within his words.

At Ralklain's question, the mercenary says plainly, "Alfonse. The name is Alfonse Morelli."

EDIT: He seems to give Ryskovich's threat some consideration, but stands behind his offer.

He looks at Garret, "I mean no offense, little one, but you speak as if we have crossed blades before. While I have fought Pathfinders before, they have attacked us just as often as we have attacked them. There is no love lost between that Consortium and your Society, but as I have oft seen, we are not so different as you would like to believe."

Garret listens patiently to Alfonse as he speaks to the others. He is about to ask a question when Alfonse directs his attention to Garret, whose mouth works silently as he processes the reproof. After a moment, his brain catches up to the present - he remembers his earlier question and asks, "Giant...terror?"

Alfonse, eh? As long as you keep your men in line, we will get along fine. If not, well, you'll meet Waku-Waku... says the sorcerer with a grin.

But enough curtsies! Tell us what you know about their forces.

Nodding sharply at Shandor's comment, "That, I can do. Forces? We could not see much, but we could hear them all around us. In under ten seconds, I saw a quarter of my men, with skulls crushed under thrown rocks! But it wasn't until I heard the roar and crashing that I began to feel the weight of the position that we were in. I didn't stop to see what it was, but I have heard the calls of enough great apes to recognize their angry sound, except this was bigger... much bigger."

If no one has further questions:

The Pathfinders let the newcomers rest for some minutes from the desperate run, having a little chat with Dias on the meantime. They will see what does she want to do with the lot of mercenaries, and help should anything become necessary. Later on, away from the suspicious eyes of the employees, they will get back to the door.

Am I pushing us too much?

Seems that no one has any more questions...

Dias mentions a couple of things about the door and the structure. The first is that it is clear that it is the first evidence of Azlanti presence in the Mwangi Expanse. The second, that the door is locked, with only a small keyhole evident. "Did your venture-captain send anything with you?"

Map is updated, so if you have any other questions about the camp, now is the time to ask them.

Is that damage to the barricade on the north side?

Actually that should be the gate, and intact.

Does Ralklain currently have the key?

He did when I asked him last.

One of us has brought a key of sorts. We were hoping it would be what you were looking for to open that large door of yours.

"Yes, yes!" The summoner retrieves a key from a leather cord at his neck, takes a look at the tiger saying something telepathicaly, then moves to test the key on the door. "You might want to get ready, just in case there's danger on the inside."

Ralklain descends down the terraced area before the door. Juliet comes down to the door behind him. As the summoner searches for the keyhole that the excavation leader referred to, he cannot seem to find it!

Dias smiles, pointing out the symbols on the door and their respective symbols on the key, she explains, "It is not a literal key hole, but a resonance pocket, that should match up with the key..."

The woman looks excited, like a child on her first day at school, as she runs her hand up the door looking back and forth from the key to the door. She speaks of theory for a few minutes before she finds the "sweet spot". "Press the key in here!" Turning back toward the others she winks, "You guys may want to stand back..."

Exitium gets close to Ralklain, that casts Mage Armor on the tiger. The eidolon then walks back to the group and away from the door, leaving Ralklain all alone to open it.
"Sure, let the summoner be the bait..." He says it and swiftly puts the key in the spot, closing his eyes for the possible explosion or light burst.

Morgrim steps back, but wonders how serious Dias is. Best be prepared anyway, he thinks as he straps on his shield. Taking 10 Sense Motive for 18 to tell if she's pulling our legs or if she really expects some kind of danger. AC 19.