Evidently I miscounted, I had thought there were two of the creatures.
There was. The other grioth is currently booking it down the tunnel, and is now no longer within immediate vicinity or visible sight.
GM Irish wrote:
One of them lets off a screech and lifts into the air; turning and darting down the passage through the hole next to it.
Kegan and Locke inspect the chamber, which seems to have little other features than the pool and the excavated tunnel entrance on the far side of the room. The pool seems to be of a pleasant warmth, almost oddly so in the sense that there is nothing visibly keeping it at that temperature in this otherwise cool room. The tiled decor of the pool floor almost seems to give the chamber an appearance of a spa at one point.
The tunnel entrance appears relatively recent in comparison to the age of the monastery's construction, with the dirt and rocks on the floor near it giving one inclination that the area is relatively regularly traveled. Peering down the length of the tunnel, it seems to stretch off into the darkness; the distance exceeding the limit of vision for anyone in the group.
Hmm, this looks like it should be a spa. Shall we take off our armor and other garments and take a dip? Looks very refreshing... Melisande smiles coyly at the rest of the party.
Not sure what I should roll to understand what's happening here, so will start with this. Kn(Arcana):1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18
Melisande inspects the pool under the lens of detect magic, coming to the conclusion that the pool radiates a faint transmutation aura of magic. She is unable to glean any further details about its function. She does notice, however, that amongst the piles of grioth giblets scattered about the room are several items that the previously intact creature was carrying.
Not quite high enough on the roll, unfortunately. After tracking down the various items it held she finds/identifies the following: one scroll each of deeper darkness, speak with dead, and sound burst; a punctured (but still functional) masterwork breastplate made out of voidglass, a masterwork voidglass kukri, and a holy symbol bearing symbology of a bat-like creature with a tri-lobed eye.
Knowledge Religion (Melisande):
You identify the holy symbol as that of Haunter in the Dark, one of the aspects of the outer god Nyarlathotep.
Kegan wrote:
Go ahead and bot my Perception if anything sneaks back towards us in the tunnel.
The swashbuckler and turtle knight idles near the tunnel mouth while the group inspects the pool and its surroundings for a minute or so. They do not hear the sounds of movement coming back up the tunnel, though towards the end of the others' discussions the pair hear the very faint sound a distant rumble or roar of some kind. It lasts about half a minute or so, then fades to silence.
There are a few things here, including a holy symbol of the Haunter in the Dark, one of the aspects of Nyarlathotep. I'm guessing that perhaps this Grioth was a cleric of some kind, or at least a worshiper. There are also a few scrolls here that might prove useful.
I will need group consensus on how to proceed, as the rest of the module will play out differently depending on direction from here. Does the group wish to advance through the tunnel opening, or return back upstairs?
[HP: 63/63, AC 20/14/14, F+8/R+11/W+5, CMB +6, CMD 20, Perc. +12, Init +4, Bombs 12/12, Temp HP 0/0]
Locke ponders the suggestion.
"I admit i am curious too, however, if that creature went down there to warn someone or something, said whatever could by now have prepared a fight that might soon be."
"I propose we search the outside before that. We might just waste whatever is down there, its time. Perhaps we might even find some clues as to what may be living there, before entering."
Locke would prefer a careful search, but will go into the tunnel if the group wants to.
The group advances into the tunnel, the rough hewn walls giving the appearance that the aperture was dug out by hand. The tunnel continues for 750 feet, before debauching into a small cave; serving almost as an antechamber for a larger cavern beyond. Reflected sunlight filters in from the east from the larger cavern, revealing the enormous area with a ceiling that stretches up to 50 feet above; the ceiling itself spotted with openings that lead directly to the sky outside. The floor of the main cavern is covered with ferns, moss, and grass that grow in a thick layer. To the north in the antechamber, a side tunnel continues on in relative darkness; the length of it stretching out of sight.
The sound of something big moving around in the larger cavern can be heard, though the source itself is not directly visible without moving forward to get a better vantage. The sound abruptly stops as the group enters the antechamber from the tunnel, after which a deep rumbling growl can be heard.
"WHAT IS THIS?" a deep and angry voice says, the force of the sound reverberating sharply off the acoustic walls of the cavern. "WHO IS THERE?" The growling briefly intensifies in volume, pebbles clattering on the ground with the vibration resonating all around. "Who DARES come before the MIGHTY Aeteperax uninvited and soil this lair with your abject disrespect? Name yourselves so that I might know whose blood will stain my cave!”
Anyone who was present at the Auction in Part 2:
You recognize the deep voice as being the same as the 'Aeteperax' that flew over the town during the auction.
HP 66 AC 24, touch 10, flat-footed 24 (+10 armor, +1 natural, +3 shield)Int 1/ Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +6
Testudo lowers his visor and grits his teeth, looking to his companions, though uncharacteristically, he stays quiet.... even he knows not to mess around when a dragon is involved.
As the group begins to slowly back away towards the tunnel entrance, the growling echoing out from the cavern intensifies as sound of loud thudding grows. Whomp...Whomp...WHOMP...WHOMPWHOMPWHOMP- Just as the last party member enters the tunnel, the sound of crashing stone and snapping jaws screeches through the air as the draconian maw of a massive green dragon lunges through the narrow opening between the cavern and the antechamber! The huge creature thrashes forward in rage, its gnashing fangs scraping the edges of the tunnel entrance causing sparks to snap into the air as the creature lets loose an earth trembling roar that nearly deafens the group in the narrow confines of the tunnel!
The dragon quickly retracts its head from the opening, and the group hears the creature begin to take a deep breath. Quickly hurrying away and out of range, the Pathfinders look over their shoulders to see the dragon unleash a massive gout of acid down the tunnel; the caustic breath sizzling and scouring away at anything it touches. Roaring in frustration as the breath fails to reach far enough, the dragon moves out of sight; the creature continuing to roar even louder than before. Upon returning back to the chamber with the pool, the group can still hear the dragon roaring all the way back in the monastery dungeons; leading one to think that you could even hear the roaring all the way in the upper levels of the building as well.
What does the group wish to do now? Please keep in mind of the pit that will need to be crossed in order to reach the stairs back up to the main level (e.g. another levitate spell for the turtle).
Melisande will come back down the tunnel a bit and investigate where the acid scored the rock walls, touching some of it to make sure it is real. Is this real or something posing as the dragon? She has acid resist 5 so should take no damage, but suspects there may be some illusion magic at work here and wants to double check,
Will Save if needed:
Will Save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20additional +4 vs charm effects
M Ifrit CG Swashbuckler 6 | 52/52 HP| AC 26 Tch 15 Fl 21| CMB +7 CMD 21 | F +5 R +10 W +3 Resist Fire 5 | Init +5 | Perc +9 Darkvision | Speed 60, fly 90 | Panache 4/4 | CL 1/4 | Reroll 0/1 | Lucky Number 17 | Active Conditions: Longarm, Shield, Haste
"Sorry, but I'm thinking we want to be better prepared when we face a dragon." Looking towards the rock that Melisande is inspecting, he adds "At the very least, make sure we are protected from acid going in."
"So, do we think there is anything more to be found down here? If not, I guess we go back and clear out some of the minions in the monastery."
[HP: 63/63, AC 20/14/14, F+8/R+11/W+5, CMB +6, CMD 20, Perc. +12, Init +4, Bombs 12/12, Temp HP 0/0]
Kegan wrote:
Very sternly, Kegan says "Not today!"
Somewhat concerned,
"No need to misunderstand. I am not implying you take this and go face the dragon right now. Merely offering for when we actually -do- have to face it."
Once upstairs, where does the group wish to go next? The over map link in the handouts section has the main floor, with the second floor layout provided by the druid also in the handouts as well.
The group navigates through the basement back to the stairs up to the main level, Tereze renewing her levitate spell to quickly assist with moving Roshi through the trickier obstacles (i.e. the water room and the pit room). This process takes about five minutes in total after factoring travel time and the turtle-express process for the tricky rooms.
The group enters the branching corridors with four possible destinations; unexplored rooms to the northeast and southeast, the door to the slight southwest leading to an interior courtyard, or the hallway leading back to the larger main chamber with the spiral staircase that ascends to the second floor.
If no party action is taken by Friday evening, botting will default to random die roll by GM.
M Ifrit CG Swashbuckler 6 | 52/52 HP| AC 26 Tch 15 Fl 21| CMB +7 CMD 21 | F +5 R +10 W +3 Resist Fire 5 | Init +5 | Perc +9 Darkvision | Speed 60, fly 90 | Panache 4/4 | CL 1/4 | Reroll 0/1 | Lucky Number 17 | Active Conditions: Longarm, Shield, Haste
Kegan suggests that the group concentrate on the indoor areas since it is less likely they would be spotted from the upper floors. He spins one of his daggers and suggests the area in the southeast corner.
He waits for Melisande to return before suggesting they move as a group.
Melisande peeks into the courtyard nearby and sees a well-manicured grass lawn surrounding a weathered statue of a woman in flowing robes, her arms outstretched to the sky above. Beyond the statue, there is nothing else notable in the courtyard. A quick sweep with detect magic reveals no hidden auras.
Knowledge Religion DC 18:
You recognize the features of the statue as representing Saint Kyerixus, the namesake of the monastery.
The group cautiously moves down the hallway to the south, the hallway giving way to a dormitory wing of sorts. Much of the wing bears scars of a fire in the distant past, with the ceiling exposed to open air in several places. The entire area stinks of a horrible odor, one which the party recognizes as the smell of grioths. After some investigation, the entire wing is empty of any creatures or anything useful; either the fire destroyed anything valuable or the grioths took anything else. This wing dead ends, short of flying out the holes in the ceiling there is no other way forward in this direction.
Survival DC 15 or Perception DC 20:
You recognize signs that this area was occupied VERY recently. You guess that about 4 or more distinct creatures, grioths most likely, left the wing abruptly; most likely minutes ago.
Would the group like to continue and explore the northeast wing? Or F9?
M Ifrit CG Swashbuckler 6 | 52/52 HP| AC 26 Tch 15 Fl 21| CMB +7 CMD 21 | F +5 R +10 W +3 Resist Fire 5 | Init +5 | Perc +9 Darkvision | Speed 60, fly 90 | Panache 4/4 | CL 1/4 | Reroll 0/1 | Lucky Number 17 | Active Conditions: Longarm, Shield, Haste
Perception:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Kegan points to a board that looks like it is about to fall. "Looks like something left in a hurry, no more than minutes ago!" As if to prove his point, the board tilts slightly too far and falls.
Northeast wing is F14 on map, F15 was the burned out wing to the southeast. Assuming F14 is ok to continue.
Small individual cubbies fill this dormitory, each smaller than five feet by five feet. The dust is thick on the floor here. The soft susurrus of faint whispering and sobbing fill the air, the otherworldly echoing making it impossible to make out distinct words or phrases that seem to penetrate straight into one's mind.
Will need DC 15 Will saves from everyone to avoid becoming Fascinated for 2d4 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5 rounds. Sonic, mind-affecting, compulsion effect. Battle map updated.
Will Save:1d20 + 6 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 4 = 25 I'm assuming the fascination is a charm effect. If not, my save would be 4 lower.
Kn(Religion) for what is happening here?:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21 I'm assuming this is a haunt. If not, feel free to substitute for another knowledge skill's bonus if more applicable. I'm not sure what's going on here, so my further actions will depend on the results of my knowledge check.
Not a charm affect, has mind-affecting and compulsion tags. Either way you are fine with your save.
Knowledge Religion (Melisande):
While eerie, you do not identify this effect as a haunt per se. You believe the sounds to be those generated by an allip, an incorporeal undead creature created when individuals kill themselves in madness or killed in a state of intense madness or terror. They have channel resistance, can inflict wisdom damage if they touch you, and generate an aura filled with their maddening whispers that can fascinate those who succumb to it.
Melisande punches Tereze. Unarmed Attack:1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 1 - 4 = 8 for 1d3 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0 nonlethal.
I'm pretty sure any hostile action should break the fascination. Snap out of it. There's a creature here, I'm guessing an Allip. I don't see it, but you're likely best equipped to handle it.
