[PFS][Level 3-5] DM Ranginui runs The Midnight Mirror (Inactive)

Game Master Tangaroa

As soon as the orcish-looking sorcerer catches glimpse of the dog, he aims a freezing ray at it. However, in the confusion of charges and melee blows, he can't get a proper aim and misses.

Is your's a reach weapon or melee?

Elven Curve Blade...Melee

Can never remember. Moved you in! =)

Leastries charges the creature with great enthusiasm, but strikes the shadowy outline instead of the beast itself. Baldwyn meanwhile throws great force into his blow, but overextends and glances off the thick hide of the creature.

That confirms it. I, as player, know what it is. And that's all I'm sayin' on the matter, heh heh.

Guilford moves in front of the door and expends another charge of his wand, hoping ot injure the shadowy beast.

Chuurock casts a minor cantrip of guidance upon himself.

As the six assault the beast, it cries in a keening howl that pierces the soul. Kris and Baldwyn stumble back in a blind panic at the awful sound.

Leastrie steps to the side of the creature, watching Baldwyn and Kris stuble back. The elf then swings his blade hard, but is too preoccupied with watching his party members.

His eyes glowering at the elusive hound, Shandor decides to alter his tactics, and conjures three bolts of pure arcane energy aimed at the dog-like creature.

With no more reliable option, Guilford points his wand again and sneds another bolt of force at the dog.

I missed an action? I thought I was checking. Oops?

The half-orc moves into the room and tries to stab the creature.

Chuurock swings true, sinking his dagger into the beast, while many magic missiles streak into its hide. Baldwyn and Kris drop the weapons and flee blindly - but both only for a few seconds before they come to their senses.

The shadow dog strikes twice, with a bite at Leastrie and a powerful tail at Chuurock, but both strikes miss!

Realizing that now is not the time to economize, Guilford continues to pepper the beast with his wand.

Leastrie raises his blade and swings hard at the hound.

Chuurock adjusts into a flanking position, hoping Leastrie can take advantage of it, before trying to strike the creature again.

Kris is clearly saving her spells for bigger fights.

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Shandor reverts to his freezing ray, unwilling to spend all his resources in the watchdog.

After being panicked, Baldwyn bolts from the room. Shortly thereafter, he comes right back to that spot and stands over his fallen polearm.

Kris would have double moved away when panicked, so this turn will remedy that.

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The battle continues as magic missiles and blades fly through the darkness. Ancient bones crunch underfoot, but the sound is swallowed by the greedy shadows. Both Chuurock and Leastrie land solid blows.

However, this time the hound successfully latches onto Leastrie's ankle and drags him down to the ground. The elf lands heavily on his back, his face and armor splattered by the hound's black blood.

Leastrie slashes out at the hound, as he lays on the ground.

The half-orc continues trying to make things easier for the one real melee combatant involved to harm this creature.

Can't update map from work, but if I ran for a round away then back, I should be within 20 feet...?

Kris moves forward, attempting to touch the creature with a hand infused with Supernatural greenish energy!

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Leastrie's blade slashes into the gut of the creature, but it is the dark energies coursing from Kris' hands that decisively end the creatures life.

The rush of hot blood dies away as combat ends and the cold silence of the shadow realm presses in once again.

The Pathfinders look about the room and realize this kennel once held many more of the shadow mastiffs. The bone this particular specimen was gnawing upon, as well as many others that are scattered upon the floor, appear to be those of its former kin.

Among the detritus you find a gnawed upon wand and shriveled hand. Magical divination from Chuurock and Kris reveal them to be a fully charged wand of cure light wounds and a hand of the mage

Leastrie rises from the floor, spitting to keep the gore out of his mouth and wiping the blood and flesh form his face with a sleeve. "That was thrilling, no? What did you find there?" Leastrie says, pointing to the objects.

Baldwyn helps the elf up before retrieving his hammer. He is silent from shame of running away scared for the second time with this group.

"A mummified Elf's hand," Kris states, pointing it at a bone and sliding the doggie femur around.

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"That was an interesting choice for a watchdog." concludes Shandor, his wrath slowly calming down. "You know what they say. The master shouldn't be far."

Leastrie starts when Kris identifies the hand. "Wh..wha..what's that for!"

"Moving things around like wizards do, magic and the like. Did you want to try it?" she asks wryly, removing and offering the Hand of the Mage to the elf.

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"And this seems to be a Wand of Cure Light Wounds. Does anyone need any healing." He looks directly at Baldwyn as he asks the "question". There was really no lift to his voice at the end of the sentence.

Baldwyn shrugs. "Can always do with a tap. I'm not too bad off."

"Well, let's see if this does what it is supposed to or not. This should feel better."

"Perfect. Many thanks."

Leastrie winces as he turns. "The hound bit once fairly deep. I could use a bit of healing." The elf says, as if trying to change the subject from the hand.

26/39 hp

"I will take care of that. Don't move."

Shandor uses a charge of his wand of infernal healing on Leastrie. 10 hp healed over 10 rounds. 47 charges remaining.

Leastrie nods his thanks and his rubs his shoulder where he fell. "My thanks, Shandor."

The six recover, heal and calm their nerves. Returning to the hall they proceed. Around the corner is a hallway with two doors on the right, and one on the left. The first door on the right bears a lock, while the other two doors do not. All of the doors appear to be made of the same materials as the walls, which makes them difficult to pick out in the black-on-black walls.

"Shall we start with the doors on the right?"

"As good a choice as any, I'd say."

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"Interesting break to the pattern, but I doubt that will become important."

Trying the door on the right, the Beast comfirms the door is, in fact, locked.

Leastrie glances at his party members. "Can anyone unlock this?"

Kris glances at her pick, "I mean, given time, probably. Why not just try door without a lock?"

Leastrie shrugs and examines the door across the corridor.

Leastrie detects neither defense upon the door nor the sound of movement behind it.

Upon opening the door, Leastrie beholds a room where dark portraits cover the walls of an otherwise empty ballroom. The portraits stretch from the floor to the ceiling, and depict the shadowy visages of numerous Kayal.

Counted amount portraiture are five amorphous visages of shae, as well as two humans wearing the family crests of the Boroi family - a red bear couchant against a black sky with stars.

As the elf watches, several of the portraits move, opening a large enough gap for a new portrait to grow out of the wall material. As it solidifies, if forms the portrait of a shadowy dog, which bears an uncanny likeness of the one recently slain by the Pathfinders.

The wall opposite the door bleeds a black ichor. A second door out of the room lies to the south.

"What devilry is this? Some power to capture the souls of those who died inside the mirror? I wonder if the mirror shard could destroy those paintings and thus release their souls."

Pointing at the painting of the hound, Baldwyn asks, "Is it wise to release beasts such as this once again? I hope they are destroyed with the mirror they inhabit."