Gary raises an eyebrow at the illusionist and laughs after a moment. "I feel bad for you Capone. She thinks you to be some sort of domesticated beast!" The half orc attempts to help out, but keeps on getting turned around. "I should have paid attention in classes a bit more.... Is this the right way?"
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
I don't think you can take 10 on an Aid Another check.
Aid Another untrained Survival check:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Tere clears his throat. "I think we'll need to keep to this trail to avoid getting lost."
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
I think we've got this one sorted--with the successful aid anothers, we're up to a 22.
With the combined team effort under the guidance of Capone, the party easily manages to find the path. Janira lets out a sigh of relief when the trail begins to clear again and rapidly guides the party to the caves.
A couple of hours before dusk, the dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. ”Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group. see maps and handouts for a picture of it
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. It will only slow me down. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away. She gives the party members a confident wink, and calls out, partly to you but also partly to taunt the minotaur, ”No cow can keep up with my nimble feet! Not in these dense forests!”
Balling up his fists, the half orc instinctively knew he was out of his league with the beast. "I wish you well miss Janira," he whispered as he spun on his heels and ran into that cavern opening. "Get inside, and hope the beast doesn't come back for us!"
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
Tere pauses at the opening, fists clenching and unclenching, before whirling and following the party. I hope she'll be all right.
The minotaur begins approaching the party, even as you dash into the cave. Janira completes her spell and suddenly, she is indeed running around much faster than what her short legs would be able to do. Her shrill voice rings out in an unfamiliar language, taunting the minotaur, while she peppers it with crossbow bolts.
Giant:
"Hey, I think I saw your mom getting milked back in Absalom!"
The minotaur roars in anger, and chases after the halfling instead. They quickly disappear into the thick undergrowth, and soon the crashing noises fade away, too.
You hide near the entrance of the cave until the sounds die down, and the usual chirping of birds return. At your feet lay the backpack that Janira had thrown in before you. When you search through it, you find quite a number of very useful items! You spend some time sorting through the items, before examining the cave, slowly making your way deeper. Please refer to the list here. Decide who is carrying what, as it might matter during combat later. :) Also, please sort out the lighting as you enter the caves.
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
Tere takes one of the sunrods and ignites it. "Jinsa, can you carry this? Gary and I can take the lead." Looking over the rest of Janira's gear, he passes the potion of barkskin over to the barbarian. "You'll need this more than I will."
Female Human (Varisian) Illusionist 4 | hp 30 | AC 13 T 13 FF 10 | CMD 15 | F +4 R +4 W +5 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnAll (sans Eng, Nob) +9, Perc +0, Scrft +10, SensM +0 | blinding ray 7/7 | arcane bond 1/1 | ♬ Wish list ♬
Faeria stands where the pint-sized pathfinder left her, contemplating....
Female Human (Varisian) Illusionist 4 | hp 30 | AC 13 T 13 FF 10 | CMD 15 | F +4 R +4 W +5 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnAll (sans Eng, Nob) +9, Perc +0, Scrft +10, SensM +0 | blinding ray 7/7 | arcane bond 1/1 | ♬ Wish list ♬
"Expeditious retreat? That will never last her. She should have taken my scroll...." She absently pulls out a bit of parchment with a lot of crayon squiggles, and what looks like a cave drawing of a horse on it. She unfolds it.
Female Human (Varisian) Illusionist 4 | hp 30 | AC 13 T 13 FF 10 | CMD 15 | F +4 R +4 W +5 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnAll (sans Eng, Nob) +9, Perc +0, Scrft +10, SensM +0 | blinding ray 7/7 | arcane bond 1/1 | ♬ Wish list ♬
Male Human Bard 2 | AC 18 | T 14 | FF 15 | HP: 19/19 | CMD 16 | Fort +2 | Ref +7 | Will +2 | Init +6 | Perception +3 | Perform 8/8
Quote:
We found the cave. A Minotaur found us. Janira tossed us her well stocked backpack and lured it away with a spell that lasts but a few minutes. She will be missed. We will complete our task before returning and putting her name on the wall.
If I take one of the alchemist fires can it replace my spent one or that one still considered gone until I buy a new one?
You can use it for this scenario but if not consumed, it doesn't carry over to future ones. From the PFS Guide: You can use any item that you find during the adventure for free until the end of the adventure, but you must purchase the item when the adventure is over in order for your character to be able to continue to use the item.
Please continue to sort out the items and the lighting. I'll move things along first as it doesn't affect things just yet.
One of you gallantly races back out of the caves to grab Faeria and drag her in. You then turn to examine the cave itself. The tunnel that you are in varies from 3 to 10 feet width and height at different places, although it is usually a comfortable 7 feet wide and high. The caves are quite damp, as water is constantly dripping from stalactites. The air is humid and you can hear the distant rushing of underground streams, and a thin stream of water seem to be flowing down the tunnel you in. As a result, the ground and walls are slippery. DC of all Acrobatics checks increased by 2. Beyond the radius of your light sources, you find that the caves’ walls are patterned with blue-green luminescent fungi that provide dim light. i.e. anything out of light radius would have concealment.
What is more interesting are the petroglyphs — most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes — that periodically decorate the tunnels’ walls, becoming increasingly frequent as you progress deeper. The rough surface of the carvings provides a natural platform for the fungi, causing it to grow thicker and making the carvings glow slightly brighter than their surroundings, creating an eerie yet solemn effect.
knowledge(religion) DC20:
You get the sense that these are carvings left behind by pilgrims over many year as marks to commemorate their pilgrimages.
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage about 10 feet wide. A large hole spans across the entire tunnel's width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the 20 feet deep pit lies a small bundle of cloth. The tunnel here is 10 feet tall with a ceiling mostly devoid of stalactites
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
Tere pauses to sketch some of the petroglyphs.
On reaching the pit, the elf looks over the sides. "I can try to climb down."
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
Female Human (Varisian) Illusionist 4 | hp 30 | AC 13 T 13 FF 10 | CMD 15 | F +4 R +4 W +5 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnAll (sans Eng, Nob) +9, Perc +0, Scrft +10, SensM +0 | blinding ray 7/7 | arcane bond 1/1 | ♬ Wish list ♬
"No. Is it compulsory?" Faeria asks worriedly.
She says a few words of magic and a moment later a tiny, glowing blue figure no taller than three-apples-high steps out from behind her tattered skirts.
spellcraft DC 15:
dancing lights!
She says another word and the glowing figure begins to sing.
spellcraft DC 15:
ghost sound!
The little person gives off an eerie blue light like a torch, and does a little jig while it's about it.
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
"If you can hold one end of the rope up here, I'll climb down and fetch the bundle."
With Yen and a few others holding onto the rope, Tere manages to descend easily down the pit. With the blue light from the strange figure beside him, Tere recognises the bundle of cloth as a cloak. In fact, once he dusts off the layers of dirt, he can see that it is quite well-made. The cloth is of fine material, and there are embroidery of marine creatures and wildlife across the span of the cloak.
The singing and dancing smurf-lights! Slides down the rope after Tere seeming to zip ahead and look over the treasure. It continues singing its voice (?) lowering as it strikes a puzzled pose over the find.
"♪♫ LA LA LALALALA LA LA LA LA LA! LA LA LALALALA LA LA LA LA LA! ♪♫"
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
"Capone, climb down here. Once everyone's crossed or climbed down, we can have Yen and Shelby hold the rope for us on the other side."
Ok, you guys have got a good solution and will move things along here.
Shelby and Yen leaps across the pit. Tere waits at the bottom, stabilising the rope for Capone and the rest to descend. When that is done, Tere tosses the rope up the other side of the pit. With Yen and Shelby holding on, each of rest manages to slowly ascend safely to the other side.
With the rope, it is DC5, and I don't think anyone has a -5 to climb.
After taking a short breather from clearing the obstacle, the party continues its journey down the tunnel. Together with the smurf-lights? Approximately 30 feet beyond the pit and out of sight around a corner, Capone spots a long, 3-foot-wide wooden plank that rests against the cave’s wall.
The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts for about half an hour until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves, and from their condition, appears significantly more ancient. There appears to be 12 sections of these inscriptions altogether.
If you examine these inscriptions, each of you may make a knowledge (history or religion) check. Barring that, you may attempt an appraise or perception check. If you know the languages Aquan or Azlanti, you receive a +2 to skill check for each of these language you know.
A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
You used the word "smurf" which changes your icon.
Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Gary follows the rest, slightly giddy that he was in a new place. The cavern was quite different than the ship and underground areas he's been to before.
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
Perception check:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
After making sure there are no hostiles present, Tere continues to sketch interesting carvings in his notes. I have a link to the notes in his header.
Female Human (Varisian) Illusionist 4 | hp 30 | AC 13 T 13 FF 10 | CMD 15 | F +4 R +4 W +5 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnAll (sans Eng, Nob) +9, Perc +0, Scrft +10, SensM +0 | blinding ray 7/7 | arcane bond 1/1 | ♬ Wish list ♬
Faeria begins reading the wall quietly to herself (her lips moving as she does) by the light of the little blue light.
Male Elf CORE Fighter/1 Rogue/4 Shadowdancer/3 HP 55/58 AC25|T 18|FF 19 CMD 26* Fort +7|Ref +14|Will +6*/+8* vs. enchantments Init +6* Perc +14/+16 vs. traps Low-light, darkvision|Sense Motive +9
Although no magical aura emanates from the inscriptions on the wall, Capone notices instead that the blue-burning torches are glowing with magic. And of course, the singing and dancing smXrf-lights.
With the sharp eyes of Gary, Tere and Capone, you are able to make some sense of four sections of the inscriptions. The others have been too damaged by time to decipher.
From these four, you deduce that the inscriptions are from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, the god of humanity who died or disappeared over a century ago. The images on the walls are likely depicting these passages, focusing on parables that feature Aroden’s 12 guises, which illustrates his hopes for humanity: the artist, beggar, craftsman, farmer, fisherman, hunter, merchant, scholar, shepherd, soldier, tailor, and thief.
knowledge DC15:
They are slightly different from those that typically appear in the version of the text you have come across, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work. You can't help but sense a faint lingering presence of divinity in this cave.
I understand that you can take 10 on knowledge checks when you are not in combat.
Male Human Bard 2 | AC 18 | T 14 | FF 15 | HP: 19/19 | CMD 16 | Fort +2 | Ref +7 | Will +2 | Init +6 | Perception +3 | Perform 8/8
Shelby's take 10 is a 15 thanks to his study of ancient Azlanti.
"I believe these inscriptions are from Aroden's holy texts History and Future of Humanity. Artist, beggar, craftsman, farmer, fisherman, hunter, merchant, scholar, shepherd, soldier, tailor, and thief. The depictions are from earlier versions of the texts. There is a good chance we are in a very old shrine or temple to Aroden."
