[PFS] Season 0 run, mixed with Dragon's Demand

Game Master Irish202

The man, his thinning hair matted and sweaty, looks up from his sawing and turns to face you. He doesn't say a word, but keeps staring.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

You know there are numerous family's zat would be very unhappy to know you are zere disturbing ze area. I suggest you answer our questions before we come in to get you.

I assume there is a gate with a lock.

Locke checks for a lock.

If finding it....
"Keep his attention, i'm going to open the gate. We could get to him in case he wants to flee."

Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Take 10 for 23 on the lock.

Gwen shrugs. "If he wants to run let him." That said, she stands by and waits to see what the others will do.

Ery, sipping lightly on a freshly brewed cup of tea arrives a little late.
Approaching with a leisurely slide next to Gwen he raises a brow at the scene, not seeing Locke.
"So... There's a man sawing at some trees... And we're still on the other side of this gate..." He pauses, sipping deeply.

"Is this gate, charmed, cursed, trapped or...dare I say... possessed of a rustic beauty I do not see?" He looks to Gwen not entirely sure as to why they're waiting for the tree cutter.

The man doesn't respond and continues to stare at you. He doesn't move an inch.

As Locke moves to open the gate, Eryzule suddenly remembers he was given a key.

"No one's been in, Lord of Tea," Drandle Drenge responds as he pulls an iron key from his waistcoat and hands it over to Eryzule.

When you open the padlocked gate with the Drownyard key, the man approaches you with an abruptly friendly demeanor. He drops his gloves, smiles, and reaches out a hand to shake those of his new friends. "Deris Marlinchen. Pleased to meet you! My daughter Cassiel attends this school. You should see how she’s grown. Those beautiful long braids!"

Marlinchen points at the trees. "I thought I’d tend the grounds while I wait for Cassiel."

Urbar's eyes narrow.
"Are you talking about her ghost?"

Ery embarrassingly tries to pretend he hadn't forgot about the key.

"Yes! Surely! That!" He slides to Urbar's side.

Gwen shares a look with her companions. "This man is surely touched. Perhaps we could give him some measure of peace by finding his daughter's remains."

Tell us about your daughter sir. We were planning on going into ze school, maybe we can help to find her and send her out to you?

Religion to see if she can ID what this is: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"No no no! No ghost!" Marlinchen responds laughingly. "I saved her, you know. I saved many of them — teachers and students. Some still call me a hero."

Marlinchen smiles at Tereze. "Cassiel’s still here. She just... just hasn’t come out yet. She will come when school's out."

Tereze doesn't identify anything otherworldly going on. It seems likely Marlinchen convinced himself his daughter's still alive. He's a broken man unable to cope with a heartbreaking truth, whose only way to move on in life was to deny his daughter's cruel fate and embrace his own fake reality.

Ery raises a brow.
"I suppose its possible that its been assumed they've all died...Though choosing to remain in a drowned school... seems difficult to fathom." He says aloud.

"Let's go poke around?"

How did you save zem good sir. Anything you can tell us about what is going on could be helpful.

Urbar shakes his head, he has seen this before. The man is broken as can be.
"Let's go."
Urbar says as he moves past the man. He keeps his hand on his sword, unsure if the man is trustworthy.

Locke feels the same way as Urbar, the man is delusional from grief.

"I might be able to help you get inside!" Marlinchen exclaims as he runs after you. "Just follow me to Headmistress Kiwu’s old office and talk to Mrs. Heracks!"

Marlinchen then runs off on one of the ruined paths of the Tri-Towers Yard, which all wind their way around black ponds and gray, shattered buildings.

Use Perception if you want to ignore Marlinchen and find the entrance to the necropolis yourselves.

Perc: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
"I don't have a better idea." Ery shrugs as he follows after the madman.

"Let's follow him, it might be the least we could do to help the poor man," Fiona says in a soft and unusual voice.

Powerful fragrances precede one roofless hall where a thin path meanders through an abundance of flower arrangements in wild bloom. Just off this path is the entrance to a small classroom where Marlinchen waits for you.

"It's here," the broken man says, smiling a most friendly smile. "I'm sure Mrs. Heracks is able to help you!"

Zank you sir. Where will you be waiting when we bring your daughter back out?

Urbar frowns, questioning everyone's mental health for following a lunatic. He moves up to the entrance and listens/peeks in to make sure it's not a trap.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Marlinchen shakes his head. "She's not in this room. Cassiel's somewhere else. I'll stay with you."

You enter the classroom with Marlinchen. Ten students dressed in checkered uniforms sit stiffly at wooden desks, staring straight ahead. No one moves. At the front of the class, a conservatively dressed woman leans against the wall.

The teacher silently gestures, the students nod and silently whisper to one another. Marlinchen waves at the teacher from his position next to the door. She waves back and smiles at Marlinchen, saying "Hi there!" soundlessly.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Seeing Ery stumble with his observations, Locke taps his head with a gloved finger.

"This way.", and Locke picks up a proper route alongside Urbar.

@Locke: I think I ninja'd you! I'll let you use that Perception check inside the classroom, so it doesn't go to waste! ;)

Locke realizes that the students and the teacher are not what they seem. They are spirits — wispy, see-through haunts attached to their former classroom. They have no real effect on the world, but Marlinchen’s somehow able to communicate with them anyway. A better look at Marlinchen reveals that he's manipulating the spirits with some kind of spell, causing them to react to him. The way Marlinchen behaves does however suggest he does this completely subconsciously.

Thank you.

This guy's a fruit, but he's casting that spell so casually.

"It wouldn't be a total surprise, given our mission description. This entire class, all kids and the teacher....they're lingering spirits."

Locke shakes head.
"And by his behavior, this guy's probably not even fully aware of it. Religion isn't my field of interest, but there should be a condition to meet, for them to leave their state as is, correct?"

"Whoa-ho! Look at that." Ery shakes his head, making a waving motion to the spirits.
"Called it... swarming with undead." He sighs, placing a hand to his forehead.
Ery considers his knowledge of exorcism rituals and how to implement them. Know. Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Urbar shivers at the sight of the classroom. He stares at the man,dumbfounded that someone would go as far as this to not release the past.

Fiona whispers to the others, "He's using a spell to create this entire show, which he then believes. The spell he is using isn't very powerful, however, which makes the entire situation quite sad. We should thank him and move on."

Heal?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Hearing all this, Tereze searches her knowledge of healing to tell if there is any physical or magical power that she knows to help this poor man.

Is zis all one spell, or is ze spell only making zis teacher react to him?

"Banking on the latter."
Ery says, placing his cup to his lips, slurping loudly.

"Ery's right, the spirits are real but Marlinchen unconsciously uses his magic, an illusion of sorts, to make them appear to react to his presence."

"So... Tereze... Y'know. A flood of positive energy aught to send them back." He looks to Tereze from his cup

Gwen freezes as she stares at the classroom in front of them. "I'll leave this to you all that are better suited to handling such things... I don't know much about magic or spirits. This whole thing is terribly sad..."

Eryzule knows that Tereze could probably turn the spirits with a positive channel, but they would reappear again after 24 hours. Tereze concludes there's nothing she can do to help Marlinchen, not with her current powers. If she'd opt to (temporarily) turn the spirits, then that would probably just end up hurting Marlinchen as a confrontation with reality may be more than he can handle.

Marlinchen, for some reason completely unaware of what you're all saying about him and the spirits despite you doing so while standing directly behind him, motions for the teacher's spirit to come. He and Mrs. Herack's spirit then 'talk' for a while, with only Marlinchen's end of the conversation being audible.

"Do you know how to get inside the necropolis? These people would like to go there. Uhu. I see, yes. Well thank you, that would be great!"

Mrs. Herack says something inaudible to the students, then leaves the classroom. Marlinchen follows her closely, as do you. The spirit, controlled by Marlinchen, guides you to the wide, black pool you saw before. An occasional bubble percolates up in the center, and it appears to be waist deep.

The spirit points at the center of the pool, and forms a voiceless 'there' with her lips. She smiles, then returns to her classroom.

"Well I'm glad she knew where we had to go," Marlinchen says. "Kind woman, Mrs. Herack."

"Yes....very kind."

(Rolls eyes behind mask)

"Then, Marlinchen, you will remain here, while we go down there?"

"Where exactly does this lead?" She eyes the water skeptically...

"So... I'm a terribly weak swimmer." He scoots up to Muscles giving a shrug
"Could you be the Graceful menfolk I so desperately need?" He swoons.

Tereze looks at Gwen.
I zink you may need to explain to ze elf ze difference between you and a "manfolk"

She chuckles to herself and shakes her head.
Then she turns serious
ok who can swim well, and who can not hold zere breath and needs to be able to breath water for a while?

She pulls out a scroll and looks around.

"I have two air bubbles we can use. Though I'd like to save one for the way out..."
Urbar says as he looks at the brackish water.
"I'm a terrible swimmer, but it doesn't look too deep. I'll have a look."
He wades into the water to the centre, keeping an eye out for the hole going down.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

"I have to admit i am no swimmer.
Yet Fiona doesn't look like an athlete swimmer either."

"I will," Marlinchen tells Locke. "Or maybe I'll go back to tending the trees, if you take long."

To Gwendallyn he says, "To the necropolis," in a matter-of-fact tone.

As Urbar wades into the water he notices a fully-submerged, severed human arm jutting up from the blackened silt near the center of the pool. Urbar continues to the center, takes a deep breath, and goes underwater for moment, to get a closer look at the arm. He sees the arm is tightly gripping a metal handle and is also covered in giant, bulbous white eggs.

Ery swigs his potion of water breathing and shrugs, dropping in after Urbar.
"And here we go!" He laughs as he submerges

"I am probably the best swimmer here and can hold my breath a long time." She join Urbar and examines the arm as well. "What in the Nine Hells are those?" She asks about the eggs. "I am already not liking this one bit..."

Ok, the zree of us zen. Gather close.

When Locke and Fiona gather in Tereze pulls out the scroll of water breathing and casts it touching her two companions. This gives each of them 3 and 1/3 hours that they can breath air or water

Tereze walks to the edge of the pool and motions at the water:
After you two, I will guard ze rear.

As she waits for the others to enter the water she casts light on her buckler and then follows them in.

Urbar grabs his sword and holds it at one of the eggs, looking back at the group to see if they are ready. Once everyone is present and ready he cuts open one of the eggs.

Locke nods.

"Thank you."

Time to get a wet suit...

"Thank you Tereze, as always," Fiona says with a relieved smile when her friend bestows the ability to breath water on her. She hesitantly moves into the water, uncertain about how the magic works. As she begins to submerge, she shudders, remembering the last time the group fought submerged. As the others pass her, she snaps out of her memory, readying herself before Urbar cuts open the first of the eggs.

Locke keeps eyes open, trying to see if anything the eggs show signs of hatching.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Since you never know what dangerous things lurk in eggs or pods.

You enter the waist deep pond, expecting the need to go deeper will present itself soon. As you approach the severed arm that's gripping the metal handle, nothing yet happens. None of the eggs seems close to hatching either.

Urbar cuts one of the eggs open. A disgusting yellow liquid oozes from the open egg. A giant water bug then emerges from the silt near the arm, and attacks Urbar.

Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25 Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Grab: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

The bug bites Urbar, drawing blood as it latches onto him.

Round 1:
Eryzule
Tereze
Urbar 36/44 (Grappled)
Locke
Gwendallyn
Giant Water Bug (Grappled)
Fiona

This combat will be without map. I currently have Urbar and Gwendallyn adjacent to the bug, and everyone else at a distance.

To be very clear; the water in the entire pond's waist deep. The arm that grabs the metal handle is fully submerged, because it's just an arm. Urbar went underwater with his face to inspect it, but you can all stand and breathe just fine during this encounter. This isn't underwater combat, it's just difficult terrain.

Ery raises a brow, realizing his potion was used poorly.
"Ah...thought this was deeper.." He trails off in embarrassment before jumping back, throwing magic missiles at Urbar's assailant.
"Big bug!"

MM DMG: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 3, 3) + 3 = 10