(PFS/PBP/Roll20) Before the Dawn - Part 2: Rescue at Azlant Ridge (Inactive)

Game Master Amsheagar

"I don't know, Tyriel. Maybe with any luck the mercenaries and those monsters can kill each other off and save us the bother. But we'll probably have to help the Mercenaries. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that."

"I never did like that sentiment." Tyriel sighed.

"Likewise. But I like the thought of being trod upon even less than that."

"I don't think a few Aspis mercenaries are going to be much help against thousands of ape creatures. Nevertheless, letting them in would be the humane thing to do."

Thael yells out orders for the caravan drivers to move as quickly as possible while he turns to the incoming threat.

"We will need all hands able to hold a blade to even stand a small chance," Thael observes.

Cade nods and moves into the palisade with the rest of the group.

"Why are these apes attacking now? Has this been an issue in the past?"

Joining the others entering the palisade, Shutakasum says "Either this site or the Mercenaries, or both, set the ape-men off! But they don't look like they're about to tell us nicely either."

Juliet listens to you as you are walking, and tries to answer any question. “They’re [ape men] known as the charau-ka—my camp workers call them ape-men. They’re minions of the demon lord Angazhan, and this lot serve the Gorilla King of Usaro, though why the Gorilla King has any interest in this expedition is beyond me.”

You can hear the agents from the Aspis Consortium screaming at the gate, to be let in. Juliet hears this and says “It’s 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.”

Listening to their cries, Eryndir calls back coldly, "Say please!"

"If we let you in, you have to promise to drop your weapons after the assault. We would be helping you in this and would expect your respect!"

Sense Motive on their response: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Note, you are not near the guys, you are still wandering around the camp. But, you can hear them say please. Do you have any other questions to ask Julian?

"We should let them in. It looks of the Charau-Ka are going to want to kill both us and the mercenaries. Our best chance of surviving is to be friends. For now, anyway."

Shutakasuma will also try to recall anything he can about the Charau-Ka that might be helpful under the circumstances.

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Hopefully that's useful!

"Before we let in the fools below, I have a curiosity." Tyriel speaks as he arrives to join the others. Turning to Julian he nods.
"We were given a Key of sorts. Its design is interesting enough but it has seemingly caused us a great deal of physical pain to simply carry the damn thing. Do you know of its use, perhaps?" He motions to Eloisa to show the Key to Julian.

It's a golden key, just FYI

Julian snaps her head to Tyriel, "A golden key you say..." she starts to mutter to herself.. "yeah, that might be it... but... got to be sure." she looks towards Tyriel. "Follow me." she says as she leads you to this big metal door.
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.

"Can you have me the key please, and step back."

And now we wait for Eloisa :P

Thael looks at the massive door set in the cliff face.

"How incredibly curious," the wizard muses. "Arcane locks, almost certainly...but what else?"

The wizard examines the runes and glyphs to see if he can make anything of it.

knowledge arcana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

"Wards, perhaps?" Tyriel looks to Thael, leaving the expert in the field to deduce the objects secrets.

After a minute of looking at the door.... Thael gains a headache as the knowledge upon the door is too advanced for him to understand. I assume that Eloisa hands over the key.

Julian takes the key from Eloisa and opens the door. A wide grin spreads across her face. At the same moment, a horn blows. She turns back to you and says “Explore the complex, find out what might be in there, and hope to the gods it’s something that will help us. I have to organize our defense. Go! GO!” With that, she runs off the the gates.

Once you go through the door you see. A wide set of stairs descends into an enormous room, measuring thirty-five feet wide by forty feet long, and more than thirty feet tall. The entire room smells sickly sweet, but the floors, wall, and ceiling are all smooth and clean—rather similar to the sphere in the ground outside. Four enormous monoliths, fifteen-foot-tall human-shaped metal statues, rest in the four corners of the room. They’re made of white metal, almost like a suit of full plate sized quite large, but without anything discernible as a face.

I'll update the map later tonight. Until then, Everyone check in please.

Eryndir checks his quiver and bowstring as he descends into the large room.

Cautiously, Tyriel following Eryndir, stretched and curls the fingers of his right hand, readying them simply for spell fire.

Looking over the monoliths, he tilts his head as he tries to make sense of their purpose.

Knowledge Arcana: 1d1 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

With a shrug, he comes to the conclusion that they are symbolic, rather then actual armaments.

Shutakasuma will try to keep alert for anything unusual: secret passages and the like.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

And, like Tyriel, he'll see if he can remember anything resembling these statues and the writing outside
Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"What an interesting place this is!"

Cade readies his lance in case anything untoward a approaches the party.

"This place would make a fine location for a hoard... if no one wants it when we're done, that is." he said casually as he placed his hand on the wall admiring the cleanliness of it all.

Thael observes their new surroundings, with the massive, over-sized features with great interest.

"I could study this place for weeks, yet given the grave situation outside, we must make all haste!" he says.

"Let us hurry!"

Eloisa takes in the sickly sweet smell of the room. It reminded her of the sweet shops of Absolom that she favored so much.

"in a place such as this I know we will find something to help defend the palisades. If nothing else it gives us another choke point versus the apeman."

"Yes, the people from the camp should at least be able to take refuge in here."

"That would be sealing them into their own mass tomb." Tyriel says simply as he continues to look over the structures walls. "We should consider, also, that we may be entombed here." with that, he turns to face the others. His face holding a rather stoic expression.

"There could be a secondary exit that we do not know about. If that is the case we may be able to abandon the camp and escape into the night if things go from very bad to worse. Granted I would much rather find a control rod for a half dozen golems inside but we never know what we will find unless we look.

A wide set of stairs descends into an enormous room, measuring thirty-five feet wide by forty feet long, and more than thirty feet tall. The entire room smells sickly sweet, but the floors, wall, and ceiling are all smooth and clean—rather similar to the sphere in the ground outside. Four enormous monoliths, fifteen-foot-tall human-shaped metal statues, rest in the four corners of the room. They’re made of white metal, almost like a suit of full plate sized quite large, but without anything discernible as a face.

Map is updated, please update your in the first chamber, with those golems.

Shutakasuma will just enter the room and keep his eyes open for anything other than the golems (which he will not touch):

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
And he successfully sees there are four big statues there! Woo!

Shutakasuma is so amazed by the statues around the room, that he trips and falls on his face, dealing 1 point of non-lethal damage. JK

Thael looks around the room with interest.

"What are we dealing with here?"

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

also casts detect magic

"Decorative armor of sorts." Tyriel says as he looks about, running off his previous deduction.
A small flare bursts from his eyes as he too activates Detect Magic .

you all detect ancient magic on the statues. Magic that suggests that these golems are inert and harmless.

I want a marching order for how you'll go down the hallway.

I'll do a middle pose, as to better utilize the banner bonus.

Eryndir would also be in the middle, so he can send arrows either way without too many allies in the way.

"It seems these statues are harmless...let us proceed down the hallway."

I can be on the back rank.

Cade and Fang will stand in the front - lance at the ready

Also, can Cade get a cure light or some form of healing? He is down 3 hp unless I missed someone healing him.

Eloisa will stand behind Cade and the hound fang. "When we get back to civilization a wand of cure light wounds will be the first thing on my purchase list...well second after a nice long bath."

I also need a shot or 2 of healing by my count in 5/13

"Unfortunately, I'll need to rest up before I can cast any more cure spells. But, in the mean time, I can light up the hall n front of us."

With that, Shutakasuma will cast a Dancing Lights spell to make four moving lights and hover them in the first opening in the hallway, about 35 feet in front of him.

Thael proceeds down the hallway with the others.

As you pass through the first section, give me a perception check.

Round 1
Eryndir
GM's Pets
Thael
Tyriel
Cade
Shutakasuma
Eloisa

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Skeletons!" Eryndir snaps as he knocks a blunt arrow and fires.

If this is a surprise round, ignore the second arrow and add 1 to the first attack roll.

Flurry: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Flurry: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Bludgeoning damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Cade Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Fang Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Cade notices the skeletons and has his lance ready to strike.

It's not a surprise round, but you'll only be able to do so once you are past the first hall. since you are in the middle, those in front of you will also have a chance to see the skeletons.

Don't forget the Banner of 'Go-go atk/dmg up!' becuase its in meh hand.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

"What a bother! I'm still not rested up enough to have any spells on hand!"

Shutakasuma will ready his crossbow, now that Eryndir has alerted everyone of danger.

I should attack, since Eryndir currently doesn't have a line of site of the skeletons.

the Skeletons start towards Cade as soon as he in in the room. The ones in the further back rooms also come forth and attack. 4 of the Skeletons surround Cade and his wolf and attack.

Flat foot AC

the Skeletons hit both Cade and his wolf, dealing 3 damage to the wolf and 6 to cade.

Eryndir's arrow shoots off and takes out Zombie #2 once it is visible.

Skeletons 5 and 6 are in the next hallway, coming towards Cade.

Round 1
Eryndir
GM's Pets
--Next--
Thael
Tyriel
Cade
Shutakasuma
Eloisa

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

"Undead!" the ever-vigilant Thael exclaims as he prepares a spell.

He weaves his hands in a quick pattern, and with a few arcane words, grease appears in the hallway.

DC 17 Reflex

AoO: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 1 = 21
Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6
AoO: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 1 = 26
Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 = 9
AoO: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 1 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 = 9

Suddenly bombarded by the skeletons, Cade jabs with uncanny reflexes at them with his lance - connecting several times.