[PFS] #7-01 GM Iff's Between the Lines (Inactive)

Game Master Iff

Zand replaces the wand and draws his curing one, though seeing Zephyr using their's, the Varisian storyteller smiles at Dimira and pats them on the shoulder reassuringly. He then looks at the portcullis with a practiced eye and shrugs.

"We ready to move on? Ogmios, if you would be so kind?"

Ogmios nods at Zandu, noting that they are unharmed by the Terracotta soldier, they stand at the glass portcullis and examine the beams. Once everyone is ready to continue, the Psychopomp grabs hold of two of the bars and attempts to bend them out of the way.

strength check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

"Thank you Zephyrus" says Dimira with a smile, sharing another one with Zandu as soon as the Varisian storyteller comes close. "Yes, I'm ready now."

I must be strong. Look at them. They're confident and optimist. I must follow their example. A Pathfinder field agent must always appear strong and confident. Even if she's not.

Putting back her flask of acid in her bag, Dimira drinks from her waterskin and uses some more water to clean her face from the dried-up blood. Her eyes lay on her golden signet ring depicting a dragon. I wish I was confident as Darathys is. What he's always saying? We're the blood of dragons, nothing can stop us. He truly believes in it. I have to do the same if I want to be useful to my peers. Apsu, give me the strenght. Let's go.

Saleem considers his own equipment, checking them in turn and within easy reach.
Has my defensive Magics ended? I would renew my mage armor and shield. if so.

I will renew the mage armour on Ogmios too if needed

Zandu gives Dimira a friendly nod as if reading the trouble on her face, the storyteller responds with a broad smile and a wink.

"Now this is an adventure, I am sure all of you will be immortalized in the chronicles soon! I am sure to immortalize you in my next tale!"

Mage armor from a wand has a 1 hour duration. The time that has passed since your fight with the Belkers is not more than twenty minutes, so those are still active. All other buffs have ended. Renewing Shield is fine, Saleem.
On another note of bookkeeping, Ogmios's state line still shows his hp as 1/9, but I believe that is damage from the fight with the Belkers, which was previously healed. Also, Jann should be at 10/11 hp if I'm correct.

Ogmios finds that he doesn't have to do anything to the portcullis; the glass bars splintered into pieces when the terra-cotta statue crashed into it. The hallway to the right leads back to where the group was earlier and communicated with the tiles for the first time. The hallway to the left looks similar, also made of glowing tiles. They are dormant though, emitting just a soft light.

When the group reaches a bend in the hallway, their environments suddenly shift. The glowing tiles are replaces by a stone floor with walls of wooden paneling. Up ahead is a door that looks familiar. As the door opens, a familiar bell tinkles overhead, letting Palhuna Murqual know that his shop has visitors once more. The setting has changed subtly since earlier; while the shop’s layout remains the same, the wares previously displayed in cases and on the walls are missing. In their places are keys of all shapes, sizes, and construction.

After a short while, the back curtains stir and Palhuna Murqual comes forth, smiling unctuously. It is immediately clear that he is not quite 'right'. His form flickers, and he sometimes "jumps" from one location to another in the blink of an eye, or when you take your eyes off him.

Marqual doesn't speak, but mimes. He points at himself, then makes a grand gesture with his hands encompassing the room around himself. He points at the group of Pathfinders, then at himself. Next he holds out two open hands, moving one hand in your direction while his outstretched hand moves back in his direction. He gives another of his smile, and awaits your response.

Zephyr suddenly finds that she hold a scroll, holding a clear drawing of Wulessa Yuul.

Saleem stares at this obviously false Marqual.
Intimidate because I have Fiery Gaze lol 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

"Yes I would like to move past you to get to my venture Captain. I don't suppose you could speak now can you?" he asks with an edge to his voice to gaudge how this being would react to subtle threats. His eyes glow as he allows some of his inner flames to surge forth.

Bottles looks around at the vaugely familiar shop.

"Don't mind me-- I have a little alchemy to do..."

Bottles takes 1 minute to prepare his last extract for the day: reduce person

Zandu marvels at the recreation of the shop by the archives, inwardly glad that the devices for enslaviny intelligent life ate now missing from the place. Muttering under his breath, he sweeps the keys on the wall to his left for anything out of place.

spellcraft to identify: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

He also tries to read the implications in the faux owner's mimes, to avoid any mistranslation of his meaning.

sense motive: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (12) + 17 = 29

Jann pulls a few copper coins from his pocket and offers them to Marqual.

Zandu understands that the Margual-figure would like to trade. Murqual scoffs at the coins that Jann offers, though, and instead points at Zephyr. More precisely, at something in her hands.

When he notices Zandu eyeing the keys, Margual smiles again and produces an elaborately worked key in gold, out of nowhere. He point to the wall at his side, where there is suddenly a door that wasn't there moments earlier.

He holds out the golden key to you with one hand, points to Zephyr with the other and motions "give me".

-Posted with Wayfinder

Sorry, weekends are always busy for me

Zephyr squints at the 'Marqual'.

"Don't think it wants money. It wants this scroll-- which means, it wants our VC. Sorry, mate, but she's not ours to trade away, neh? No dice."

Saleem agrees as his own eyes blaze with inner flame.
"No."

Realizing that the Pathfinder won't make a deal, Murqual exasperatedly throws his hands up, and both he and the door disappear. The facsimile of Murqual’s shop shimmers like a heat mirage, transforming into the familiar meeting room in Farseer Tower. Familiar, at least, in shape. The furnishings are different, more resembling a grandmother’s cozy tea room than the stark, studious place where this journey began. Intricately brocaded settees and poufs clutter the room, while elaborate tapestries cover almost every inch of the walls. One of these, a floorlength cerulean silk curtain, is embroidered with a portrait of Wulessa Yuul. Her arms are folded across her chest, and a look of distaste resides upon her face.

After a moment, she turns within the hanging and speaks to you. "When I first became Venture-Captain and took charge of Farseer Tower, this was how the place looked. The whole tower. My predecessor was more concerned with frippery and luxuries than with hard-won knowledge and diligence. If this becomes my final view of the tower, it might be the greatest indignity of all." The scoffs at the notion.

"I think you are close to the end. I can feel the archivist pausing its work with me to face you directly. The shadows you fought before now were a reflexive response, like sweeping cobwebs from one’s face. Now I think you have its full attention. I don’t think it can appear directly. Its essence is split across all the archive’s scrolls, but whatever form it takes will have considerably more power than the things you’ve fought before now. I think I have some small amount of magic left to help, but the rest is up to you. What could I help you with?"

Wulessa can provide you with your choice of one of the following potions: blur, cure moderate wounds, enlarge person, or magic weapon.

Enlarge Person could be useful on our hard hitters.
"Indeed We should end this." The Ifrit states quietly.

"We should make preparations to end this as quickly as possible as there's no telling what the Archivist coul do."

Holding out his wands of Mage armor and shield.
"These two wands carry protective enchanments and may help where I can't."

Enlarge person won't work on Ogmios unless I cast it, Maybe Jann if he wants it? Cure Moderate is always generally useful

As the scene changes once more, Zandu can't help but smile at the camaraderie shown by his fellow agents, he gives them all a warm smile. Listening intently to the Venture Captain's assessment of the situation, the storyteller nods his assent to her words.

"Yes quite, it is getting rather droll in here, I much prefer to be able to choose where I go, Hastam will be awfully worried if I don't return I'm sure. Dimira, do wish a coating of Mage armour, i do have a wand also to share the burden with Saleem, if anyone low on spells wishes to use my newly acquired Snowball wand, they are welcome to do so. I shall be making The Big Man, well bigger."

Dimira nods confindently. "I'm ready" she says plainly, "And I'll try to be more helpful this time, I promise. As far as the potions are concerned, I think I don't need any of them, but I agree on taking the one that could make someone among us bigger. It could prove a significant tactical advantage". She then turns to Zandu. "Thank you for your offer Zandu, but I'm already protected by a mage armor I cast on myself before. Its effects are still active."

With that said, Dimira concentrates and prays to both Shelyn and Apsu in order to gain confidence in herself before the final confrontation.

"Don't forget, we still have this from earlier!"

Bottles holds up a potion of "Blur".

"I don't need it..."

Bottles will have an AC of 19 once he takes the extract of "Reduce Person" he is preparing, so I don't feel I need additional buffs.

It seems Bottles has (subconsciously?) corrected my mistake from earlier. :) I posted that you received a potion of Blink. That should have been a potion of Blur.

I say blur to Ogmios, as our primary melee combatant.

"Ayuh, well, we'll try an' go ready an' prepared, in that case," Zephyr says to Wulessa.

"Can you send us on to go find th' Monadicky, or is this another bit where we've got to spot the odd duck?"

Mighty Waybringer, you were the first and the one you spawned betrayed you. Please, give me the strenght not to let down my allies, since they need all of the help that I can provide. Fuel my arcane power, strenghten my mind, bolster my reflexes.

Silent and apparently absent-mindedly, Dimira prays her dragon god as the party prepares to face the last opponent. Hopefully.

Saleem tips his own hat over his face, shading his eyes though a orange glow can be seen beneath its bream.

He's ready as the surrounding air becomes slightly warm.

Wulessa manifests a potion of Enlarge person, which appears in a marquetry-adorned teak credenza. She shakes her head at Zephyr's words. "That won't be necessary. I figured out the trick," she says, smiling just a bit in finding something positive to lifts her spirits. "Good luck." She grabs hold of either side of the wall hanging she inhabits and pulls. The hanging opens like a door, opening back to the corridor with the glowing tiles.

--

The corridor bends to the left, after which the passage opens upon a tunnel to oblivion. The smooth glass walls stretch fifty or sixty feet, ending abruptly in a maw open to the void. The crystalline structure floating in the void’s heart somehow hovers mere feet away from the tunnel’s end. From this close, it resembles a torus of jagged crystals, slowly revolving around a core of flashing light and mist.

As you make your way out of the tunnel, a creature appears from the core of the crystalline ring and strides across the void, positioning itself at the end of the hallway. Each of you see the creature as a copy of yourself with two differences: the copy possesses four arms, with two limbs splitting from each elbow, and the copy’s head is a crystalline torus hovering above the shoulders. In two of its hands, it holds a longspear. The floor now produces not one image, but a myriad. All around the floor, it manifests images of your friends and family looking disappointed, shaking their heads, or sighing in frustration.

--

It's clear to anyone present that this can only end in hostilities, even if the creature does not attack right away. If any of you want to engage in a last conversation or make any last-second combat preparations, now is the time. I've put up a new map. Slide 1 now shows just a detail, for combat purposes. Slide two shows the last room and corridor leading up to this area.

Dimira's breath is cut short upon seeing the myriad of images on the floor: her friends of the Grand Lodge, her brother, her mentors, everyone is looking down on her. They seem disappointed and frustrated. Dimira can't just stand that sight. Shaking her head to drive away those thoughts, she turns to her companion in an attempt to must her courage.

"These are not real. And that thing doesn't appear to have good intentions. Beware!"

Bottles chugs his extract as he draws near. With a small cloud of smoke, he rapidly reduces to an 18 in high gnome.

" I like the extra arms. Seems handy. But the longspear? Not really a tiny gnome's weapon. Real gnomes burn it with Fire!

Maybe if we beat this guardian we can get something more archive-ish going on in this realm-- instead of this fever-dream."

Bottles seems oblivious to the oddness of the circumstances, merely annoyed that the promised meeting of great minds has not occureed.

Jann smiles at the disappointed family members. "Ah! This is much like my family's annual reunion! Lo! There is aunt Gladys, disappointed in my inability to grasp Arcane magic! There is Grandfather Balik, disappointed that I bathe regularly! And there is dear Mother, disappointed that I failed to sever her jugular on the first swing of the ceremonial dagger! Memories..." Jann sighs, looking content.

Saleem Glances around.
"I should know these people but I don't. If I disappoint them, so be it. I'll regain their respect once more."

His hands weave an intricate pattern as his blood burns and then suddenly cools to a more liquid form.
Casting Grease on Weapon once everybody is done. DC 15
Knowledge (Planes) 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Knowledge (Arcana) 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

I've been holding off on starting this fight, would like to see Zandu and Zephyr check in with their final preparations.

Saleem, on which weapon would you cast Grease? Also, would you like to reapply Shield? The one you cast after the fight with the terra-cotta soldier would have expired by now.

My apologies; been at (and am still at) a gaming mini con this weekend, and was drowning with prep for the con before then. Prep: gravity bow from wand.

I would prep shield back again. As for grease, it would be on the longspear. I don't want to be poked.

While the others stand and prepare, Saleem tries to take the initiative. He manages to catch the creature by surprise and casts his spell, which casuses the longspear to drop to the ground with a metallic sound. The creature shakes its head in disappointment, but doesn't seem quick enough to immediate respond.

COMBAT TRACKER

Initiative:
1st - Saleem, Bottles, Dimira, Zandu, Zephyr
2nd - Archivist
3rd - Jann

Status:
Saleem - Mage armor, Shield
Dimira - Mage armor
Zephyr - Gravity Bow
"Bottles" - Reduce person
Zandu -
Ogmios - Mage armor, Blur (I've botted Ogmios to drink the blur potion)
Jann -
Archivist -

"Well...So it begins, then." Dimira musters her courage, encouraged by the success met by Saleem's action.

It must come closer for me to actually catch it in my burst of flames... she considers to herself as she watches her companions, waiting for them to act in order to better understand the tactical situation and act properly.
_________________________
Mere interlude post. Waiting to see how the others act before getting Dimira to cast her spell.

Will save 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
"That's one truly ugly appearance. No wonder you chose mine. I look so much better and the fashion sense? Infinitly beter."

Yeah, the weekend got very hectic very fast, sorry guys!

Zandu looks at the creature imitating him and gives a short laugh as it impersonates and conjures the illusions of his Sczarni family and their disapproving glare at his life choices. Unconsciously touching his heart, which lies his 'families' tattoo he shakes it off after a moment.

Staring at the creature he seeks to bolster his allies in the fight to come, once more bringing out his battered story book he begins his tale, weaving bardic magic into the words he once more inspires them.

Inspire Courage + Banner

Ogmios is perplexed at the idea of a creature that could impersonate a Psychopomp and, with no family to speak of he is unfazed by the idea of anyone holding 'disappointment' in them. Feeling inspired by the words of his bonded companion, Ogmios cracks his hands and charges across the hall, leading out with a shoulder tackle to crack the fake outsider.

slam,charge,Zandu: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 + 2 = 12 for damage: 1d8 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 = 11

don't forget to move your characters on the map, looking at you, "big man".

Following the wake of Ogmios' charge, Bottles steps up within easy toss of the chrystaline abomination, and tosses yet another fire bomb. With a clever spin, he manages to keep the flame off Ogmios.

Throw Bomb: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 1 = 26 - vs touch AC
Damage: 1d6 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 = 11 splash damage 6. reflex 15 for half
Miss Direction: 1d8 ⇒ 2 - splash weapon rules

As Zandu sets up to inspire the Pathfinders, Ogmios makes his charge. Something about the glowing tiles and the odd environment must have distracted the big man, because his shoulder tackle misses by quite a bit. Bottles's aim it quite a bit better. His bomb his the creature squarely in the face, causing it to hiss in pain.

--

COMBAT TRACKER

Initiative:
1st - Saleem, Bottles, Dimira, Zandu, Zephyr
2nd - Archivist
3rd - Jann

Status:
Saleem - Mage armor, Shield
Dimira - Mage armor
Zephyr - Gravity Bow
"Bottles" - Reduce person
Zandu - Inspire courage, banner
Ogmios - Mage armor, Blur
Jann -
Archivist - 11 damage

Dimira moves forward, passing Jann and placing her right ahead of him. Her eyes look at her multi-limb copy as she prepares her mind for her favorite spell. "Come on Pathfinders, we can do it!" she cries out before focusing on her spell, her opened palms pointed at their common enemy.
_________________________
Dimira is using her move action to move forward and her standard action to ready an action, that is to cast burning hands right in front of her should the foe come within the spell's area.

Zephyr gazes bemusedly at the strange figures that she personally sees, family and friends. "Ayuh, none of you living no more anyway, neh..." she says softly to the figures as she uses her wand to enchant her bow, before they close with the strange enemy that seems to look like her.

"Tcha! I think I'm prettier," Zephyr says as she moves to shoot.

5-ft to within 30', move action for freebooter's bane, all allies get +1 to hit with weapons and +1 to damage with weapons

Bow - Zandu, freebooter, PBS: 1d20 + 6 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 13
Damage - Zandu, freebooter, PBS: 2d6 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6, 6) + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 17

Saleem flicks his fingers as he glares at the creature. His eyes glowing with unrestrainted fires of his blood.
Initimidate 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Dimira stands poised to unleash her fiery spell, while Zephyr launches an arrow that just misses the Archivist. Saleem glares at the creature, recognizing it for what it really is. It is hard to read the creature's reaction, but Saleem notices it hunching its shoulder slightly.

The archivist takes a step to his left, while producing a tiny silver cube from somewhere in his clothing. This causes it to drop its defenses for a moment, giving Ogmios a chance to strike. (Provokes AoO from Ogmios). It then tosses this cube about five feet in front of him, where it hovers at about chest height.

COMBAT TRACKER

Initiative:
1st - Saleem, Bottles, Dimira, Zandu, Zephyr
2nd - Archivist
3rd - Jann

Status:
Saleem - Mage armor, Shield
Dimira - Mage armor
Zephyr - Gravity Bow, Freebooter's Bane
"Bottles" - Reduce person
Zandu - Inspire courage, banner
Ogmios - Mage armor, Blur
Jann -
Archivist - 11 damage, Shaken (2 rounds)

Pending:
Saleem, Bottles, Zephyr, Ogmios - Will saves
Ogmios - Attack of Opportunity

Jann stares with wide eyed interest at the multi-armed thing. "Curious. Very curious." He reaches toward the thing and a slit opens in the air beside it, flooding the thing with the cold of the void! Using interstellar void, doing 1d6 ⇒ 1 cold damage, with DC 15 Fort save for half!

Will Save: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8

"I know this foe really isn't me, but some show of reluctance or hesitation would be nice..." Bottles complains.

But he tosses another bomb at the evil mirror gnome anyway. avoiding big man's square

Throw Bomb: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 8 + 1 = 15 - vs touch AC
Damage: 1d6 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 1 = 8 splash damage 6. reflex 15 for half
Miss Direction: 1d8 ⇒ 2 - splash weapon rules

Jann pours a small amount cold of the void onto the Archivist, but it seems like this chill doesn't affect the creature.

When Bottles throws his bomb, his aim seems to be perfect. However, when the bomb has nearly completed its trajectory, it suddenly veers off course. The vial is drawn to the silver cube like filings to a lodestone. The vial impact on the cube and explodes there. The cube seems unaffected by this explosion.

Unable to provide any significant assistance to her companions, Dimira maintains her concentration on her spell. This is not real. This is not real she mutters to herself in an attempt to ward off the fear slithering down her spine.

Unconsciously, she starts fiddling with her signet ring depicting a golden dragon, hoping to draw strenght and courage by touching the mundane representation of her inner arcane power.
__________________________
Knowledge (arcana) check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21 Damn!

Unfortunately, Dimira can hardly contribute to this combat. She's holding her readied action for this turn as well.

"What just happened to my bomb!?!"

Know:Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

A look of pure confusion and astonishment cover his face.

Will save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

"Bleedin' skies, that's a weird thing," Zephyr mutters as she sees the creature's real shape. She gapes a bit at the sight of the gnome's bottle flying towards the little cube, but not having much in the way of knowledge about magic, simply looses another arrow at the strange creature.

Attack, bow, all those bonuses from earlier: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Damage: 2d6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1, 5) + 1 + 2 = 9 (Left off the freebooter's bane damage since it won't apply when my arrow hits the cube)

Zephyr looks as bemused as Bottles does when her arrow diverts in midair to crunch into the little cube. "What IS that?" she asks the room at large. She jogs forward to the other side of the room, in the hopes that if she shoots from the other side, her arrow won't hit the floating box this time.

will save 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
knowledge (arcana) 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Ray of fire 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 101d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"Likely some protective device." Saleem says as he throws out a finger and snaps forth a thin tendril of flame

Zandu is as bemused as the rest of the gang but keeps the standard flying and his tale moving on unfaltering. Taking a brief pause in his tale he looks to the four armed version of himself and decides to crack a joke.

"Stop me if you've heard this one..." Hideous laughter on the archivist, Will DC 15 or he falls laughing for two rounds

attack of opportunity: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 25 for damage: 1d8 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 7

As the creature drops it's guard, Ogmios strikes out with another powerful slam to the Archivist and looms unamused.

will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Seeing through the illusory overlay, the Servant of pharasma steps forward and unleashes built up rage and aggression on the mishappen spawn.

slam: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 25 for damage: 1d8 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 9

claw: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 20 for damage: 1d4 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 7

claw: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 8 for damage: 1d4 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 7