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The Basilisk looks around at it's surroundings with it's grey eyes.
Opponents can avoid the need to make the saving throw by not looking at the creature, in one of two ways.
Averting Eyes: The opponent avoids looking at the creature’s face, instead looking at its body, watching its shadow, tracking it in a reflective surface, etc. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance to avoid having to make a saving throw against the gaze attack. The creature with the gaze attack, however, gains concealment against that opponent.
Wearing a Blindfold: The foe cannot see the creature at all (also possible to achieve by turning one’s back on the creature or shutting one’s eyes). The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment against the opponent.
A creature with a gaze attack can actively gaze as an attack action by choosing a target within range. That opponent must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid this as described above. Thus, it is possible for an opponent to save against a creature’s gaze twice during the same round, once before the opponent’s action and once during the creature’s turn.
All the creature’s allies are considered to be averting their eyes from the creature with the gaze attack, and have a 50% chance to not need to make a saving throw against the gaze attack each round.
Concealment gives the subject of a successful attack a 20% chance that the attacker missed because of the concealment. Make the attack normally—if the attacker hits, the defender must make a miss chance d% roll to avoid being struck.
A successful attack into a square occupied by an enemy with total concealment has a 50% miss chance (instead of the normal 20% miss chance for an opponent with concealment).
The wizard in the fancy blue wizard's robes is looking at Fingalad rather than the Basilisk. The yellow-hatted wizard, however, can't resist watching the Oread get turned into stone. When he looks, he catches a glance of the Basilisk but manages to tear his eyes away in time.
The robed wizard runs away from the frightening Oread invader. "Eat him! Eat him!" Running between his men, he points a single finger at Fingalad. "That's my money!" A blast of magic shoots out of his finger and strikes Fingalad in the back.
The yellow wizard quickly walks away from the death-lizard, pulling a scroll out of his satchel as he goes. "You will never get away with this, thief!" He says a few magic words and a large pit opens up underneath Fingalad's feet!
The archer with a green feather in his hat takes a step backward and shoots the armored bird-man. The arrow strikes Pazacku in the neck, nearly nicking an artery. The blood clots quickly, but it looks like it hurt quite badly.
His counterpart takes a step forward and fires another shot at the Tengu thief. "Sorry mate, just business." This one strikes the soft spot between two plates of armor.
The Basilisk barks at Reaper again, staring him down. He lunges in for a bite, but his teeth scrape off the man's armor.
Fingalad 23/28 HP
Grey X2
Pazacku 11/25 HP
Vogue
Bennybeck
Reaper
Green
Pink
Yellow
Blue
Red
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As the wizard hastily flees, Reaper swings his mighty flail and crack's the man's back. He drops like a stone.
Reaper takes his flail and, with the power of Torag behind him, drives it into the Basilisk's back. The beast gives a whimper and then falls over, dead.
He would take the 5' step then and move around the other way.
He will close enough to stab yellow wizard with his long spear
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Vogue holds his breath for what he does next, free himself from the web in a definitive but self-destructive way. Before he lets loose the flask of alchemist's fire in front of him, he mouths a quick prayer to Shelyn to grant him protection from fire.
Vogue flinches and pats at some of the smoking parts of his outfit and realizes divine intervention surely protected him so his ire towards his enemies quickly returns. He steps away from the webbing and approaches the Aspis agents while drawing his spear from his back sheath.
"Do...you...know...how...long...that...alchemist's...fire...smell...stays.. .in...my...CLOTHES?!!"
A white raven begins circling overhead. The bird is Sheila Heidmarch’s signal that you should wrap things up and head back to Heidmarch Manor with or without the Aspis Consortium’s gold.
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BOOT BOOT, BOT BOT
Fingalad props himself against the two walls of the pit and manages to climb out.
Unfortunately, he gets stuck in the webbing once he escapes.
Grey, mysteriously quiet this whole time, suddenly books it through the webs. He grabs the chest from the fumbling elf, jukes a web strand and breaks free!
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The wizard curses as Grey breaks free. "I'm starting to feel like a one trick pony over here! What do I pay you for? " He waves his wand, mutters a magic word and webs leap around Grey once again.
Grey manages to escape the webs initially but now stands still, looking for a path out.
The two guards step back and shoot the wounded thief, the bird man.
Both miss, arrows landing among the shrubbery.
Fingalad
Grey
Pazacku 11/25 HP
Vogue
Bennybeck
Reaper
Green
Pink
Yellow
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The last wizard gets dumped on his rear by Reaper. He yells out in a snivelling voice, "Oh mighty bandi... uh... I mean heroes from... from.. from wherever you're from! Please take the gold! Take my belongings! You have proven your prowess! But please don't hurt me! I wouldn't hurt a fly! " Calling to his hired guard, he commands, " What are you doing! Drop your weapon! Surrender to your betters!"
The ranger looks hurt by this. " You're not paying me enough to join you in this, " he spits out in disgust. He looks with some concern at his fallen companion, but seeing way to rescue him, turns and flees into the darkness.
Meanwhile, Grey has the treasure in his arms and is sprinting through the woods as fast as he possibly can.
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The wizard nods, desparately. "Yes, please, take it. Take it all. You've got what you want. You don't need me anymore, yes? I have no idea who you are, and the lighting is poor. I won't report to the authorities since I can't recognise you anyway. Yes? "
A quick search through the two caravans reveal that the northern contains nothing else but some simple travelling supplies. The southern one seem to have been the personal caravan of the wizards. A rather comfortable bedroll is off to one side, while an opened cage, presumably where the basilisk was kept, is on the other.
Searching through the guards, you find 19 blunt arrows, 18 normal arrows, a tanglefoot bag, studded leather armor, a composite longbow (+2 Str) and a rapier on each one. Meanwhile, the wizard readily identifies the items you took from him and his dead ally: a potion of cure light wounds, a wand of web (2 charges), a quarterstaff, a spell component pouch, a spellbook and 70gp on each.
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Vogue turns to Reaper, "Magnificent performance with the basilisk! But are you still doing alright, did you catch a bit of the gaze? You do look a tad bit more marbled."
He then walks past the yellow robed wizard and tips a brief salute to the mollified man. "Alimony's due again next month, don't make us come back again, eh?"
As he takes a few more steps, Vogue stops once more and addresses the wizard. "Oh yes, one other thing: do consider getting out of doing business with the Aspis. Not a very popular bunch, lots more work opportunities out there with much lower mortality rates."
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"Sure thing, boss! New work. Got it. " The wizard, in an attempt to show he won't be following you, casts Web on himself. He sits and watches you leave, waving as you go. The unconscious guard and driver have begun to awaken at this point. But, thankfully, they have already been tied up and laid by the wizard.
It has been a long night, and a long walk by the time the Pathfinders return back to Heidmarch Manor exhausted but pleased with the progress of their mission. Sheila is waiting at the sitting room. She looks relieved to see you return in high spirits and motions for the small chest of treasure.
" Was the mission a success? " she queries.
Two hours before the auction is slated to begin, Sheila Heidmarch calls everyone back to the theater for another emergency briefing. She appears greatly agitated and her tenor is one of immediacy.
“My friends, we have little time and much work to do, so I’m going to make this simple. While you were dealing with the Aspis Consortium, my informants in the city investigated the individuals you reported on from last night’s gala. It seems a number of them have sufficient funds to jeopardize our efforts. In what little time remains, I need you to prevent as many of them from participating in the auction as possible. My agents will provide each of your groups with a mission brief. Once you complete the task, return here to inform us of the results, and we shall quickly set you upon another mission. Again, we need you to complete as many missions as you can before the auction starts. But remember to keep your efforts clandestine and try not to kill anyone important. We’re still trying to win the auction somewhat legally.”
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Pazacku sheathes his katana and lets the man flee. "I take no possession that has not been bought by my earned coin or giving freely. But I will not stop you if you want to."
Addressing Shiela, "As success in the fact we got the job done. Perhaps. I wish combat was not a necessity every time.
With heals and a nights rest I am back up to 20HP
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Pazacku shakes his head at the new request. Secrecy and Sabotage...these moments in the society sure do try me. under his breath he adds, Shizuru, I will try to stay the coarse, be lenient on your servent
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A rather plain looking middle-aged man with bookish reading glasses on his nose approaches your party. "My name is Henry Boon, and Lady Heidmarch has assigned me to your team. Let's get straight to business." He pulls out a sheaf of papers from a large leather bag he is carrying, flips through them quickly, then looks up and starts briefing from the one he located.
"Prior to the founding of our lodge, the Pathfinder Society had few contacts and fewer resources here in Magnimar. One of our best was an alchemist and a sage named Darga Cranstone. Cranstone kept a small lab in Ordellia, performing specialized research using rare herbs that grow wild in the Mushfens. Yesterday... " He locates another paper from his pile and points to a specific line. " Word from Absalom arrived that several years ago, our organization paid the alchemist an advance of over a three thousand crowns for some research. Several months later, Cranstone had only turned over half her findings, and eventually failed to complete the commission. Then for a short while, the Society lost all contact with her. Just days before the Decemvirate sent a debt collector to hunt down Darga, her apprentice suddenly sent word that his mistress was still working on the project. This kept on for several seasons, with the apprentice’s notes becoming more infrequent, until they simply petered off. While the sum was fairly significant, other matters put recouping the lost sum on hold, and after a few years, it was eventually forgotten. Now that we have again been reminded of this debt, we need you to go to Cranstone’s tower and collect the fee she owes us, with interest.”
He looks up from his notes, then continues matter-of-factly. "And please save yourself asking questions. This is all the information that I have."
The Pathfinders arrive at Cranstone’s rundown tower to find it long abandoned. The doors and windows have been boarded up and dozens of old, faded notices plastered on the door warn trespassers to keep out and that the property has been seized by the lord mayor’s office. Still, it appears like a long time has passed since anyone from the government has paid the premises a visit.
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Reaper approaches the entrance carefully, but clearly no one has gone in for quite some time. The actual door had collapsed long ago, and the entrance of the tower has been blocked of by some flimsy boards. Peering in between the boards, the interior of the tower is in complete darkness, although with some of the exterior light filtering in, nothing seems to be moving inside.
Outside, Grey and Lucy find nothing but dead weeds.
Growing impatient, Reaper pries open the boards easily, allowing access to the ground floor of the tower. Long looted of all valuables, it contains nothing but rubbish and rats. A rickety wooden staircase curls about the exterior wall leading a good 60 feet upward to a second floor. Ever so cautiously, the Pathfinders make their way up.
The second floor is just as run down. The stairs bring you to a small room, with doors to the east and south. Not being exposed to the elements, these two doors are still standing.
What was that?! A small noise from the south. Like a small item dropping to the ground...
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After checking the door thoroughly for traps, the pathfinders open the door. The collective light from the Pathfinders' various light sources is cast into the room and reveal a large chamber that once serves as a bedroom and sitting room. Now, however, it is in a sorry condition. The bed against the wall has completely collapsed and the mattress covered by mold. The table and chairs are standing on rickety legs, and the shelves against the wall are full off dust, bearing nothing more than broken pieces of glass. But still, no signs or smells of life. Other than the desiccated corpse of what appears to be a woman lying beside the bed. A few ominous seconds pass.
Suddenly, a lost soul rises from the corpse! A high pitched screeching echoes through the darkness.
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That screaming. You can almost hear the words. It's trying to communicate with you. If only you could understand it. If you could hear it. Then it would stop.
A fascinated creature is entranced by a supernatural or spell effect. The creature stands or sits quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the fascinating effect, for as long as the effect lasts. It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. When the ghost attacks the fascinated creature, it automatically breaks the effect. A fascinated creature’s ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action.
The ghost's scream quiets down a bit, turning into a soft muttering, in a low and incomprehensible voice.
Fingalad
Grey
Pazacku
Vogue
Bennybeck
Reaper
Foe