[PFS_CORE_Aerondor] 06-04 Beacon Below (Inactive)

Game Master Aerondor

Perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 20 = 21.

Numair remains oblivious.

Can't make that perception, but...

With Doubtful's warning Lem casts Detect magic and studies the aura of the trap for a few rounds.

Perhaps a good use for the dispel wand? Well, assuming the CL doesn't get in the way.
And that we haven't triggered it already. =)

There is certainly active magic down there.

No, you have not triggered it already, that is what the perception check was for!

perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

"I see... something. A spell of some sort."

Once again the lack of Spellcraft strikes the iconic.

Well, I can try to dispel it. I doubt it it cast at as high a level as the Guards and Wards. He removes the wand and uses it in an attempt to dispel whatever spell is used as part of the trap.

Dispel Magic: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Hmm. Decent roll

After the dispel attempt Lem recasts Detect Magic and tries to re-find the magic.

I have no mean to disable this thing, but I have prepare a dispel magic spell if Lem is unable to dispel it.

Says Jair.

Spellcraft (+guidance): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 1 = 18

Lem manages to make the magical effect vanish.

With a bit of work the team gets through the barricade and into the large chamber beyond.

Put yourselves onto the new map!

The room beyond the barricade appears to be a large workshop, though long unused. Tools and workbenches are broken, and large hole exists in the western wall.

Jair casts Heroism on herself before continuing.

Once inside, she then looks around Perception: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 5 + 2 = 26

Are you sure, someone's here ?

"And no webs or fog." Doubtful mutters, wondering what other annoying things will be in their place.

He wanders over towards the hole in the wall, glad they probably can't wizard lock that.

"In or out?" He muses, trying to decide if something big and mean came in here, or exited.

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19

By dispelling that trap we might maintain an element of surprise longer. Lets move. Lem encourages quietly.

Which way? There are four exits. The big hole in the wall. A door, and two passageways.

One of the passageways? I have updated my position to indicate the one I mean.

Pyra tags along after Numair.

Jair follows, drawing her wand of bless.

Doubtful knows all of them will be just as bad, so sees no particular reason to pick one or the other.

He moves to catch up to the others, sidling his way to the front before keeping an eye out for the inevitable ambush.

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35

The group sees a long corridor before them. A single door sits on the right hand wall, but there are two side passages off in the same direction as well.

Doubtful frowns, then moves quietly ahead, to listen at the doorway for signs of whoever it is they're looking for!

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

Doubtful hears no sounds from the door.

Jair continues to follow.

If you hear nothing, lets continue until we find Bandu.

Continuing down the passage you come to a large side passage. Beyond it there is a huge circular room with a massive pillar in the centre. Luminous glyphs cover the central pillar, providing dim illumination.

Two figures stand still in the room. One large and glass like, next to the pillar, the other closer to man-sized and made of wood.

Around the room various bodies, apparently of outsiders, lie scattered and broken.

Know. (arcana): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Know. (planes): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
Jair tries to recognize the two creatures as well as the outsider's corpses.

Jair recognises the wooden creature as a wood golem, but there is something odd about it, it looks more powerful than they are normally. She has no idea about the glass-like creature. As for the outsiders, she is not even sure they are outsiders.

Lem takes a look at both creatures.

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (19) + 17 = 36

"So which one's Badru?" Doubful mutters, eyeing the constructs warily.

May be the crystal one ? But none of them fit the description our friend gave us.

Says Jair.

Lem identifies the glass creature as a glass golem. In this case he looks in awe at the runes on it, as this one too has been enhanced with mythic power to be close on invincible.
You can identify two extra things you would like to know about it.

DR and special attacks.

Doubtful frowns. "We should try the other way if these aren't him."

"Maybe he was in that room we passed on."

Let's try that. These two construct seems quite powerful for us.

Heading back you open the door to a relatively small room. A small bed, a workbench, and several hanging blueprints and the only things that occupy this room.

Jair casts detect magic in the room while looking around.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Doubtful scowls at this room too.

"The damnable sphinx was probably lying, and there's no one else down here." he mutters, as he looks around for signs of hidden foes!

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32

Door or the tunnel then? A door seems more likely to lead to someone... which means its probably the tunnel! =)

Nothing magical... but an engineering or history check may turn up something interesting...

Know. (History): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Jair seems to remember something about the place.

Jair recognizes a framed blueprint on the wall as the original plan for the royal palace inside the shell of Ulunat, the Spawn of Rovagug destroyed by Azghaad I.

Of intense historical interest. But no immediate use to you.

Interesting... but not immediately useful."

Numair cautiously moves to the end of the corridor.

If it just moves into the big, central room, He will then move on to peer beyond the rubble pile in the 'first' room.

The corridor does go around to the big circular room.

At the hole in the wall Numair looks around. The hole appears to have come from the other side. A warm draft indicates that perhaps there is a way to the surface through here, eventually.

"Huh... So, there is another way down here..."

With a shrug, he nods to the remaining nearby door.

"I guess we should check that out, next?"

The party arrays itself outside the last door and cautiously opens it. The appears to have been a workshop at some stage.

Narrow workbenches crowded with partially constructed porcelain and wood mannequins ring most of the room’s perimeter, and one table holds an inanimate mummy. The western wall fell some time ago. One of the fallen creatures lies, disassembled and lifeless under the table. The creature itself appears a bit like a mechanic centaur.

Standing here at the bench, working on the figure is a masked humanoid made of wood and porcelain. It looks up. "So you have come for me at last have you?"

Numair shrugs.

"That depends... we have, after all, only heard the side of the story belonging to the mummy upstairs. However, the fact that you didn't attack us immediately is potentially a point in your favor. Do you have a compelling reason why we should ally with you, instead?"

"Because she is disloyal to the Amethyst Sage." cries to odd figure.
"When he started his experiments, I was the first to volunteer to help him achieve immortality. And see how I have been rewarded! Immortality for Badru too! My survival is ensured until the sage returns."

He glances behind you. "Saruna resists still his work upon her. Such disloyalty will be repaid when the sage returns. She is untrustworthy and deserving punishment.[b]"

"[b]Someone is stealing from the archive, and nobody has been into the library since a powerful armored golem went in there centuries ago. Clearly Saruna is responsible for this atrocity."

I can't fail that Perception check.

Numair raises an eyebrow.

"Actually, she claims to have no idea what is causing the thefts, and seemed to think that you were responsible; if neither of you know what is going on, that is worrying..."

He perks up at the mention of the golem.

"What sort of golem, precisely? We need to get into the archive, after all, to catalogue what we can, and prevent any further losses for the Sages we work for, and knowing what awaits us there would be useful."

Numair them frowns.

"Of course, Saruna has said that we need your 'heart' in order to get in; do you have an alternative way?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34.

Doubtful scowls. "We already struck a deal." He growls.

"This Amethyst jerk, sounds like a real ass." He adds, as more of the story comes out.

Numair shrugs, in response to Doubtful's comment.

"Be that as it may, if it is at all possible to rehabilitate a lost Sage back into the fold, it is worth it, at any price. After all, so much has been lost over the years, and if, as I suspect, he is one of the original ones (given that this place has been abandoned for so long), think of the wealth of ancient knowledge that would be available! If this creature has any link to him, it is worth preserving..."

Alternately, I suppose that it is *entirely* possible that I am just trying to accomplish faction card goals ;-)

"I'm not too sure.. Not one of these anyway." he says pointing to the dismembered mechanical centaur on the table.[/b]"

Slowly he adds "Servants of the Padishah invaded. My master fled. I was left alone with the traitor, the great work unfinished. I can only assume these were more of the same.”

His face remains impassive when talk of his heart comes up. "[b]Unless you have a jeweled sage with you, you cannot get in. Though it could be that the magic animating the hussy Saruna could hold enough enchantment yet to fool the portal into opening for you."

As Doubtful speaks the dolls eyes open in the first expression of obvious emotion. "The Amethyst sage is a paragon of virtue. A master of unknown kindness and bounty. I see you have already been swayed by Saruna, deceived by her cleaver word play."

DR and special attacks.

Did I ever get a response to this?

I'll remind everyone that it was this creature responsible for the fire creatures who were burning thing upstairs. Lem says, none too friendly. At least that is how I remember it. Not trying to mislead anyone here.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Numair frowns.

"Yes... were you responsible for those fire creatures upstairs? They were damaging the archive..."

"An oversight. They should have been damaging that overgrown undead hussy." he says dryly.

"The true archives with the real treasures are below, anyway."

"Can you get rid of the wards set up in this place? The mist, illusions, webs, etc...?"