[PFS] PbP GameDay IV: Wind Serpent's 6-08 The Segang Expedition

Game Master Harald Schlang

Guy grits his teeth, closes one eye, lines up on the fiend, and attempts for one last time to peg it with a fire bolt.

Ranged touch: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

A decent shot! But is it good enough? If he hits, then the damage is
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Ducking back from the heat, Lissanya readies another cold iron arrow to finish the fight.

Survey says? CdG or regular attack roll? :)

Edit: Guessing cover wasn't counted in that, so I'll make my attack roll after designating Bane on the bastard.

Composite Longbow: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Yes, I'm afraid the soft cover turns the firebolt into a miss.

Guy struggles with lining up his firebolt as he has to fire past Cleo to hit the Golden Devil. This, unfortunately, distracts him at a crucial moment, which allows the creature to narrowly evade his shot.

Lissanya, on the other hand, has a clear shot, and her well-honed fighting instincts help her to anticipate its attempts at evasion, resulting in another solid hit which causes the devil to howl as the arrow's cold iron tip pierces its skin.

Meanwhile, Gedulan moves into position for another firebomb, realizing on the way that if he hits the devil, he is going to hit Lissanya as well. Since she asked for him to keep the heat on the devils, however, he figures that she's a big girl and can probably take the heat, so he tosses his bomb anyway.

Bomb attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Splash damage: 7 to the Golden Devil and 6 to Lissanya

The combination of wounds inflicted by cold iron and fire finally overwhelms the creature's unnatural vigor, and causes it to spasm and lay still, though its wounds are still knitting at the edges.

Round 6. Initiative Count 22.4, it's Cleo's Turn.

Now the survey says CdG. ;)

Good thing I don't have to roll...Full-Round CdG

Damage: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 6) + 2 = 10

Since the damage is tripled, that finishes the fight...

One last arrow, and the golden fiend goes down for good. Although the mess they have made of the temple remains, with their demise some of the oppressive atmosphere that has hung over the santum until now seems to have lifted. With enough time now to consult the Count's book, Guy can determine that they were indeed a kind of Asura, called a "Tripurasura".

The destruction of the Asuras also allows you to explore the remaining unexplored part of the temple, which turns out to be the central shrine. A large statue of a monkey-faced man sits on a pedestal at the north end of the small shrine. The statue’s arms and legs are missing, and deep scratches have been gouged into its face.

Pieces of broken stone, rotting plant matter, and other assorted rubbish lie in heaps on the floor of this room. The smell of rot is particularly strong here. Closer inspection reveals that the statue is wearing a belt that detects as magical. In a compartment in the base of the pedestal, you find a richly illustrated copy of one of Ragdya's holy books, the Vigrahin Patitraka, as well as a handwritten journal, both of them written in Vudrani.

Guy is naturally drawn to the Vigrahin Patitraka and goes to check it out. He will use detect magic, of course, before touching anything. Before his hands touch it, however, he asks,

"Any of you have the ability to check for traps before we touch any of these books"

"Of course. Help me look, and we'll see what can be done." Lissanya takes a knee by the statue and inspects it.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Perception Aid Another: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Perception aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Yikes! Guy is more interested in reading the material than helping find any traps, and keeps trying to get a better look so he can read what's visible.

There are no traps as far as Lissanya and Cleo can tell, so it should be safe to take the books.

Does Guy (or any of the others) speak Vudrani, or have access to Comprehend Languages or other translation spells or scrolls?

"It seems there are no runic traps, else we'd have tripped them." Lissanya notes as she unstraps the belt from the waist of the statue. "Can you understand any of this, Guy?"

Cleo waits patiently as the other, more experienced Pathfinders, go about their work.

There are no traps as far as Lissanya and Cleo can tell, so it should be safe to take the books.

Does Guy (or any of the others) speak Vudrani, or have access to Comprehend Languages or other translation spells or scrolls?

I'm afraid not. First level, first adventure, lot's of nothing. I'll make sure that he picks one of those up for his NEXT adventure.

Then he'll probably have to wait until he can get them to a translator before finding out more about the contents of the books.

"Well, not too surprising. I guess I need to pick up a few more languages before I get good at this sort of thing, or I need to pick my spells more wisely. At the very most it will take one more day before I can translate because I will be able to use Comprehend Languages then."

"Unless you want to camp here in the swamp, we should pack everything up and make our way back."

Is everyone in favor of heading back to the lodge? Or is there anything left that you want to do at the temple?

I'm ready to wrap this up.

Yep, lets go back.

Okay, then... here goes.

You make your way back to the hunting lodge outpost, and after a good night's sleep and with a fresh supply of spells, Guy is able to study the books you have found in the temple.

The Vigrahin Patitraka (which roughly translates as "Waging War for the Fallen Crystal") is most well known for its iconic and oft-repeated quote explaining the Vudran caste system - "A warrior’s life is to war. A leader’s life is to lead. A farmer’s life is to farm. To rise above your life is to know uncertainty. To sink beneath your life is to know despair." The society's Vudran Historians are certainly going to love getting their hands on such an ancient version of the text to study its evolution over time.

The other book, however, though not nearly as elaborate and beautifully styled, turns out to be the temple's true treasure. It appears that you have found the journal of one of Ragdya's priests who accompanied the legendary Maharaja Khiben-Sald on his travels around the Inner Sea, which could be the key to gleaning information about a multitude of other lost sites the Maharaja may have built or visited during his travels.

The rest of the expedition passes quickly, and you make your way back to Absalom without further difficulty. Ambrus Valsin is extremely pleased with the way the expedition went, not just because of the valuable archaeological finds you bring back with you, but also because of the two nobles' glowing letters of recommendation for you.

It's another of the few occasions that you have ever seen the Chamberlain of the Grand Lodge smile, and unlike the last time, there's nothing fake about it. A few folks even claim that he has mentioned you as a counterexample while berating other bands of pathfinders for their carelessness and incompetence...

There are rumours in certain circles that the Count and the Baron have been seen meeting with Lady Gloriana Morilla in one of Absalom's finer eating establishments, but the city is always abuzz with gossip, so that is neither here nor there.

Count Falroun Matsanda, in any case, thanks you profusely for your aid on the expedition, and makes good on his promise to have the trophies you acquired during the hunt expertly stuffed and mounted for you. At Baron Bomande's personal insistence, Lissanya is awarded the stuffed Leucrotta for her excellent killing shot.

And that officially concludes The Segang Expedition. Those of you who stayed until the end will receive 1 XP, 2 PP, and 509 gold on your chronicle sheets (unless you're using slow progression, in which case, please tell me). For those who left early, I will have to subtract a portion from that, depending on how long they were with us. Unfortunately, because of the Monkey Massacre (TM) you won't be getting the Ragdya's Blessing boon, but aside from that, it's a flawless result.

I will report the game tonight, so we're well within the deadline for the gaming day and your characters are free for other adventures. Those of you whose characters have day jobs, please give me a day job roll, and also don't forget that you get a 10% roll to receive a player boon.

If you're interested, we can do an epilogue where you can have a few final words with Count Falroun and Baron Bomande before they depart Absalom, or we can end things at this point, whatever you prefer. Since I don't think it's possible to send chronicle sheets through the PM system, I'd like to ask you to PM me an email address to which I can mail your chronicle sheet.

In any case, thanks everyone! It's been quite a ride, and I hope you've all had fun on the way. I'm always open for feedback, be it positive or negative.

Good game everyone. Lissanya has taken a bit of liking to the hunt, and with the aid of the Baron now joins a hunting lodge. So here is her first Day Job roll with her new status. :)

Survival Day Job: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Boon Roll: 1d20 ⇒ 2

I usually use Dropbox to distribute chronicles, but I'm fine with whatever delivery you prefer. My gmail is public knowledge, so you can send it to steven.schopmeyer@gmail.com. Also, keep in mind that Lissanya is Out of Tier.

(I just checked, and it seems that I need to make the boon rolls for everyone. So here goes...)

Boon Rolls:

GM: 1d20 ⇒ 1
Lissanya: 1d20 ⇒ 1
Cleo: 1d20 ⇒ 15
Guy: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Varis: 1d20 ⇒ 4
Gedulan: 1d20 ⇒ 17

Boon of players choice on a natural roll of 1 or 20
**Re-Rolls not allowed on boons**

Cleo and Guy, I assume you also want to make day job rolls?

Sure, why not?

Prof. Fisherman: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Cleo and Guy, I assume you also want to make day job rolls?

Glass Crafting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

TriOmegaZero has generously decided to offer his choice of Boons to one of you instead! To determine who it should go to, I'll roll a d20. Odd goes to Cleo, even to Guy.

Boon Choice: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Cleo, you're getting a PM.