We are wasting time. If we can find the key we can free these poor souls in a matter of moments. Good people, I shall return for you if at all possible. You have the word of The Crimson Fox.
The slave woman whimpers. "Oh,no. No, please no. Don't leave us like that..."
The party has an option of scouting the northwestern room of the Pain Laboratory they are in, or getting back into the corridor and poking around there.What would you like to do?
Male Dwarf Monk of the Lotus - HP:8/8 | Init: +1| Perc: +7 | AC: 14/14/13 | F:+3 R:+3 W:+5 |CMD: 16
Feeling the chains give slightly, Gunthorn keeps pulling for a few seconds longer, but then throws them down in disgust.
With the others clearly eager to go, the dwarf gives the room a quick look to see if there's a key or something else that could help free the slaves.
Perception:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Unable to see anything in the gloom he turns back to the woman. "The chains are too well set and crafted. We need to find the slave master and the key." He says to her in his gravely voice. "Once we do, we'll return to set you and the others free."
Before leaving, Hessavi draws herself up to her full height and gives her most intimidating smile to the captives. "We will find this leader and make certain their slaving days are ended. Do not give up hope now!"
Then she follows the others as they stop by the northwestern room.
With the magical light created by Hessavi long gone, the party gathers back in the dimly lit Pain Laboratory prepared to open the northwestern door.
Jinhong Yeou pulls the handle and peeks in.
This simple room of unadorned stone is piled from floor to ceiling with boxes and crates, with barely enough room left to allow the staff to squeeze between the towers of dusty, mothballed exhibits.
Looks like the staff at both Blakros Museum and Wightir House uses this room for storage, though they keep very different items here. The crates and boxes of the Blakros closet hold cleaning supplies, old or damaged exhibits, and other miscellany. On the Shadow Plane, the room looks more like a disposal area for refuse and piles of bloody rags.
Jinny steps forward to poke around the rag piles and only then she hears a low growl. The hound lurks behind one of the room’s larger crates, seemingly waiting to be fed. Discovered, it starts howling and barking.
If you fail Will DC13 within a 300-foot spread:
Become panicked for 1d4 rounds.
Panick:1d4 ⇒ 3rounds
It is a reduced shadow mastiff. Although shaped like a dog, this muscular creature has a coat that drinks up the light, drawing shadows in around it. Its maw is full of sharp teeth, and a wisp of shadow drips from its writhing tongue.
Tireless hunters, stealthy trackers, and deadly predators, shadow mastiffs stalk the dark corners of the Outer Planes, preying upon all beings that stray from the light. These beasts have little in common with actual canines aside from their general forms (although with the notable addition of a long, spiked tail), their bodies being the evolution of countless centuries hunting the most merciless wildernesses of the Outer Planes and the Shadow Plane.
Exceeding the DC by 5, you can each time request information on any one of the following items:
What Senses it has,
how high the AC is and is touch better than flat-footed,
Male Dwarf Monk of the Lotus - HP:8/8 | Init: +1| Perc: +7 | AC: 14/14/13 | F:+3 R:+3 W:+5 |CMD: 16
Will Save:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
After trying to help the slaves, Gunthorn isn't prepared for the disorienting and foul howl of the hound hiding in the other room. He stumbles backward away from the door, as his heart races and a sudden panic rushes through his bones.
She also notices that the beast is tied to the wall with a 25-foot chain secured to the center of the eastern wall. The beast can thus reach almost anywhere in the room, but is unable to leave, even if the door is open.
I would do OP&R but GM already determined I'm not the target this round. If I am attacked, I would like to do OP&R.
@GM, it's my understanding that OP&R happens whether or not the enemy's attack hits, so I think I get my riposte Critical Hit from last round. Please verify.
Before the hound has an opportunity to turn around and attack Kaleless, Jinny seizes the moment and staples it to the ground with her rapier. The beast convulses for some time before drawing its last breath.
The room is now completely empty of life. Searching it for anything of use, you locate nothing but patches of shadowy fur.
Would yo like to follow your panicked comrade into the corridor and talk to her?
Hessavi feels the fear ebb, then stalks back into the main room and retrieves her sword. I must become stronger than this. There will be worse to face when it comes time to free my people.
Male Dwarf Monk of the Lotus - HP:8/8 | Init: +1| Perc: +7 | AC: 14/14/13 | F:+3 R:+3 W:+5 |CMD: 16
Gunthorn finally regains his composure and slows his heart rate down enough to regain his senses. Shaking his head, he clenches his fist tightly and mutters to himself. "Focus...center your mind. Can't afford to have another lapse like that."
With a nod at Hessavi's suggestion, he follows her to the next door.
A sign over the door bearing bright lettering reads “Treasures of Distant Goka,” while a shadowy sign occupying the same space reads in dark, block letters “Cold Storage—Perishable Specimens Only.” The west wing is quite cool, and the door handle is quite frosty to the touch.
Jinny opens the door and peers into the darkness, but she sees little within the room from the dim light the planar convergence provides.
Dozens of mannequins dominate this room, each decorated in the trappings of distant Tian Xia. Ceremonial armor of samurai from Minkai and the silk gowns of courtly ladies catch the eye, but the delicate tea sets in long glass display cases seem out of place next to the strange shadowy figures leaning against the fan-decorated walls. Humanoid bodies encased in ice stand scattered throughout the room, and a glaze of dark rime covers the floor.
The floor of the cold storage room is covered in frost, and is dangerously slippery. (You can move at full speed with a DC5 Acrobatics check, or at half speed with no skill check. Any PC who fails this Acrobatics check cannot move that round.)
Male Dwarf Monk of the Lotus - HP:8/8 | Init: +1| Perc: +7 | AC: 14/14/13 | F:+3 R:+3 W:+5 |CMD: 16
Gunthorn cautiously takes a few steps into the room. Careful to keep his footing on the slippery ice while trying to see if the girls are hidden somewhere among the grim frozen bodies.
Everybody is taken aback by a grisly display of partially dissected humanoids and half-completed biological experiments the Pathfinders find. Each specimen is frozen in several inches of hard ice. Many have a rictus of pain and fear solidified on their cold, blue faces, and all of them have an identical black rune branded onto their foreheads.
As the group slowly ventures deeper into the cold storage room, nary anybody spots a stationary figure sculpted of ice coiled under one of the display racks in the middle of the hall. This creature resembles a small, metallic serpent made of overlapping iron plates. A rime of frost coats its surface, and razor-sharp shards of ice adorn its length. It does not stir when the door is opened, coming into motion only when the front of the group is almost near it, at which point its eyes flash with red light.
The cold storage sentinel is a construct, so the room can be kept constantly cold and guarded without staff needing to be wrapped in thick furs. It is a simple construct that resembles a hooded cobra made out of metal, called "Iron cobra". The iron cobra is typically used as a bodyguard or guardian of treasure, though its magical ability to unerringly locate creatures means it is also used as an assassin.
Exceeding the DC by 5, you can each time request information on any one of the following items:
What Senses it has,
how high the AC is and is touch better than flat-footed,
Kaleless and Jinny both manage to slice and dice at the unfurling metallic snake before it manages to fully ready itself for the combat with the intruders. But both hits merely graze the metallic hide shaving some rime off of it.
Gunthorn quickly moves across the frozen surface using his low stature and weight to his advantage. Getting within range he lashes out with his staff attempting to land a blow against the unwinding worm.
Hessavi recognizes the construct under its guise of ice and warns everybody of it being an arcane creation before bursting into a raging song.
The cold storage sentinel is actually an Iron Cobra construct. It does not have any particular vulnerabilities, but you at least know that it has all normal construct immunities, as well as damage reduction.
Rath would hit, but dim light concealment:1d100 ⇒ 55
Rath reaches out to bite at the swirling mass of iron on the icy floor. The teeth scrape at the layer of ice and iron. I will assume Rath would accept Hessavi's song, so +1 to damage on that, correct me if I am wrong.
@Jinny, you didn't roll its AC or higher for your attack. And since it is not very agile, I decided to describe it as you not getting through its natural armor.
