Each researching character can attempt a Linguistics, Knowledge (history), or text-based Craft or Profession check (such as Profession [librarian] or Craft [bookbinding]) to find texts. You might use a different skill or ability, albeit with a penalty ranging from –2 to –5 at my discretion. Those who use magic or class abilities in a particularly creative or relevant way might receive up to a +5 bonus on a check, also at my discretion.
I completely forgot it up till now, but these lions have DR. As it's my mistake, I won't change the damage you've done so far.
By now, the party would've surely noticed what kind of DR it is. So here you go: DR/5 Bludgeoning.
Eleanor drops her bow, and draws her warhammer as she moves forward. By taking Ezekias' square, Eleanor flanks the blue lion with Rolan. Eleanor then takes a two-handed swing at the blue lion, using the guidance she received from Fargrim.
Rolan, realizing that his sword is doing little against the armor-like hide of the lions, instead attempts to help Eleanor bash their skulls open.
Aid Another:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
HP 45/45; Judgement 2/2; Bane 6/6; Discern lies 6/6; Reroll @+4 1/1; Assimar (archon blooded) F Assimar Inquisitor/5; AC 18(*) | T9 | FF 17| CMB |CMD 13| Fort +6*| Ref +2*| Will +9* (* +1 for each adjacent ally)| Init +4 | Perc +15|LOOKOUT FEAT(use allies surprise/init)| Speed 40; (*Snake Style, AC is 1d20+25 vs first attack)
Fargrim, seeing Ezekias bleeding on the ground pulls him clear of the fight, and uses her last healing on him.
Male Elf slayer 3/Un Rogue 6/snakebite brawler 2, HP 103 AC 23(27), T 17(21), FF 16(20), F +14, R +19, W +12, Initi. +11, CMD 23, Perception +21, lowlight(+24 traps)
Rallas bolsters Fargrims defense.
aid:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20 +2 AC for Fargrim....can't do much else....no blunt weapons
Fargrim pulls Ezekias to the square next to her, and heals most of his wounds.
Negi tries to hit the red lion, but misses.
Turn progression - round 5:
Red -9HP
Negi 5/11HP
Eleanor
Fargrim 3/9HP, Fast Healing
Blue -10HP
Rolan
Ezekias 7/13HP, Prone
Rallas 0/9HP, Disabled
I'll give Eleanor one more day, given today may be quite a busy day for her.
@Rallas: You can't do that on your turn, because you and Fargrim both aren't engaging an opponent in melee.
"If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action."
Male Elf slayer 3/Un Rogue 6/snakebite brawler 2, HP 103 AC 23(27), T 17(21), FF 16(20), F +14, R +19, W +12, Initi. +11, CMD 23, Perception +21, lowlight(+24 traps)
My bad...misread the rule....so much for trying to help....lol
Rolan, realizing that he may be in a crucial place to turn the tide of the battle, steps into the space once occupied by the regretfully(not) deceased lion. As he waves his arms to distract the remaining beast, he calls to Negi, Now's your chance!
Aid Another:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Wow, I think I was pretty helpful! Negi now gets a +2 to hit from Aid another and another +2 from flanking, which also allows him to sneak attack, if i remember correctly.
These things are rather intelligent, which is why it'd rather not get flanked now. It was only a moment later that I realized Rolan's no longer adjacent to the lion when Negi gets to make his attack, meaning the aid is wasted >.<
Look, Dice Gods, I'm sorry. I said some mean things and I see now I was out of line to use such language about you. So are we f&&#ing good now, you g$@#%%n motherf%*#ing c&#~bags???
HP 45/45; Judgement 2/2; Bane 6/6; Discern lies 6/6; Reroll @+4 1/1; Assimar (archon blooded) F Assimar Inquisitor/5; AC 18(*) | T9 | FF 17| CMB |CMD 13| Fort +6*| Ref +2*| Will +9* (* +1 for each adjacent ally)| Init +4 | Perc +15|LOOKOUT FEAT(use allies surprise/init)| Speed 40; (*Snake Style, AC is 1d20+25 vs first attack)
Fargrim steps up and prays to Desna to provide some guidance to Negi.
+1 to hit. BTW heading off on holiday for a few days, so bot me as necessary. Guidance is probably her most effective tactic for the moment, but if necessary she will step in and hit the lion again.
The last one went down after 16 damage. This one's taken 26 so far. I don't think my "Mime Trapped In An Invisible Box" attack/street performance will be needed.
Despite the lion's resistances against slashing and piercing weapons, the combined attacks of Negi and Rolan seal its fate. When Rolan's bolt pierces its body, the lion shatters. The stone pieces turn to dust, which slowly fades.
Combat's over! Woohoo!
With the threat gone, the party has some time to look around the room before pressing on. Fargrim's already busy doing so, and could probably use some help. You have a feeling a little over an hour's passed by now, which leaves you a bit less than an hour to finish your mission.
Fargrim described she took 10 on profession(researcher), for a total of 18, just before the battle started. Let's say she's doing that now.
Male Elf slayer 3/Un Rogue 6/snakebite brawler 2, HP 103 AC 23(27), T 17(21), FF 16(20), F +14, R +19, W +12, Initi. +11, CMD 23, Perception +21, lowlight(+24 traps)
sorry I was nigh useless that combat....
Rallas looks around for anything that could be useful.
Rallas, if you aren't going to kill something, at least amuse us like Ezekias. Albeit, it would be tough to top that performance :)
Rolan looks around as well, racking his brains for any help with his research. I'll use Inspiration to boost his rolls Perception:1d20 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (11) + 6 + (5) = 22
HP 45/45; Judgement 2/2; Bane 6/6; Discern lies 6/6; Reroll @+4 1/1; Assimar (archon blooded) F Assimar Inquisitor/5; AC 18(*) | T9 | FF 17| CMB |CMD 13| Fort +6*| Ref +2*| Will +9* (* +1 for each adjacent ally)| Init +4 | Perc +15|LOOKOUT FEAT(use allies surprise/init)| Speed 40; (*Snake Style, AC is 1d20+25 vs first attack)
"Wow, you guys are all so good at this." encourages Fargrim.
If guidance is allowed in this situation, Fargrim will use it on each of the Pathfinder team.
You turn the room inside-out and upside-down, but despite your hard work, Fargrim's guidance, and Ezekias' perfect mime act, only one text really catches your attention.
Cryptic References:
This text is a mess of esoteric poetry and obscure riddles. One of these entries describes a silver horn once used by Taldor, which seems to be hidden somewhere in southern Brevoy. Spending considerably more time analyzing the poem may reveal additional hints about this horn and its location.
When done searching the room, you decide to press on. Behind the secret door that spawned the lions, you find a hidden vault. Chests of expert craftsmanship line the walls, and on the far side of the room stand two bookshelves burdened with yellowpaged tomes and sundry ancient trinkets. Banners and tapestries cover nearly every inch of the walls, each representing longdead nations or depicting conflicts left not chronicled. Much of the relics and historical artifacts here are valuable by nature of their origins and age, not their condition or material.
Time to search another room. There's more to be found here :)
Rolan, feeling pretty good about how the last fight ended, strides into the room, looking around for any potential traps or enemies. Ezekias, come with me, I may need you to attack one of these walls. Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
After looking around, he nods thoughtfully and points to the corner to the right of the wall, next to the door they entered from. He then taps Ezekias on the shoulder, That one. Kill it very dead.
Edit: If we get ambushed from that direction, I will probably die of laughter.
HP 45/45; Judgement 2/2; Bane 6/6; Discern lies 6/6; Reroll @+4 1/1; Assimar (archon blooded) F Assimar Inquisitor/5; AC 18(*) | T9 | FF 17| CMB |CMD 13| Fort +6*| Ref +2*| Will +9* (* +1 for each adjacent ally)| Init +4 | Perc +15|LOOKOUT FEAT(use allies surprise/init)| Speed 40; (*Snake Style, AC is 1d20+25 vs first attack)
There are no more attacks from dangerous walls, and the party finds two interesting texts:
Grave Consequences:
This is a thin journal that explores the origins of Tar-Baphon, studies the circumstance of his lichdom, and analyzes what the author knew of his necromantic techniques from the perspective of a scholar searching for a weak spot in the Whispering Tyrant’s defenses.
Lines of Succession:
This long scroll details the rules of succession throughout the history of Taldor. It also highlights times when the nation chose an heir in a way that was an exception to the rules. This matches the description of what the Pathfinder Society is tasked to recover for Princess Eutropia.
While joking around Rolan runs across a heavy bronze shield decorated with a lion’s head in the same style as the Guardian’s. The shield seem to have little intrinsic value, but you have a feeling it might serve as a receptacle for the Guardian's essence.
Male Elf slayer 3/Un Rogue 6/snakebite brawler 2, HP 103 AC 23(27), T 17(21), FF 16(20), F +14, R +19, W +12, Initi. +11, CMD 23, Perception +21, lowlight(+24 traps)
Rallas writes as much information as he can, as quickly as he can.
Excellent work, ladies and gentlemen. If these notes are accurate, we seem to have fulfilled our mission to gather information about the Shining Crusade against the Whispering Tyrant. We still have a little time -- shall we see if there if any more information to be found while we have this unique chance?
HP 45/45; Judgement 2/2; Bane 6/6; Discern lies 6/6; Reroll @+4 1/1; Assimar (archon blooded) F Assimar Inquisitor/5; AC 18(*) | T9 | FF 17| CMB |CMD 13| Fort +6*| Ref +2*| Will +9* (* +1 for each adjacent ally)| Init +4 | Perc +15|LOOKOUT FEAT(use allies surprise/init)| Speed 40; (*Snake Style, AC is 1d20+25 vs first attack)
Fargrim nods.
"Releasing that poor creature may be the largest good we do today. Come, let us travel back to him."
She turns, after making sure the relevant books are secured. Waiting to be the last out, she does what she can to restore the room to the condition it was to begin with.
Each room they pass through she does the same, although those shards of broken lions will be hard to hide. For those she sweeps them up into a bag and carries them.
Male Halfling Cavalier 3 hp 22/22 (16); Init +3; Fort +3(5), Ref +5(6), Will +2(2); AC 20, T 14, FF 17 (16, 14, 14);
Negi assists Fargrim in cleaning up after the team, particularly the remains of the book swarm, doing his best to arrange the books so that the damage isn't immediately apparent.
Still stuck on a phone. Please move me as appropriate.
After cleaning up as much as you can, you go back to the Guardian and present the lion shield to him.
"That's quite a resourcefulness, I must admit," the animate statue praises. "Hmm... This shield seems to have once held an enchantment similar to my own. If you're willing to smuggle this shield out, I'll be able to see the outside world!"
The Guardian gingerly grasps the shield in its mouth and concentrates for a minute. As it does so, the shield's patina recedes leaving a bright and burnished surface. The inside of the shield also bears the inscription "Glorymane," and the Guardian jovially informs you "That's my real name—one that I share only with true friends."
"The shield now contains a spark of my awareness, while my main body will stay here. I will happily assist one of you so long as the cause is just, or the potential glory great."
The shield is an intelligent lion's shield, and these details will also appear on the Chronicle sheet:
Description
Glorymane is a bronze lion’s shield specially enchanted by an entity known as the Guardian. The shield has an arrogant streak, despite its inability to express itself through anything but empathic signals, and it jealously urges its wielder to cast aside any other intelligent items. Glorymane has 5 ranks in Sense Motive and signals its wielder if it detects a lie.
You estimate you have somewhere in between 30 and 45 minutes left to search the rooms you haven't yet.
My friends, we have a unique opportunity. As a denizen of the bookracks, I would very much like to see what else we can find that's interesting. I will go by myself if need be, and I will make sure to return in time. Who's with me?
