PFS: The Midnight Mirror (Inactive)

Game Master R D

Yup! You going to find her first or to the captain's place?

Along the way, you hear some rumors:

(1) The baker's wife, Irini, was a whore who cuckolded her husband Mycah. I know it’s cruel to say, but he’s better off now that she’s disappeared. She was having an affair when she vanished, though she wouldn’t say with who.

(2) None of the would have happened if Iozif hadn’t died so tragically. Had he been baron after Stepan’s father died we’d all be fine. Now he, his father, and Henric are all buried in the Boroi crypt. Some help they’ll be to us from there.

(3) I think the fetchlings are responsible for this disease. The first folks to catch it worked at the manor with those gray-skins. People here in town only started getting sick when the baron fired all the fetchlings working for him.

Asking who ever gave us rumor (2), Self am forgetting, what happened to Iozif?

Yeah, I think we were going to check out the captain's back yard first, then the candle-maker.

"Harrow wonder who baker wife having affair with!?" the half-orc wonders out loud not ten minutes after speaking with the hound master.

"Yes, how Iozif die? Iozif older brother of Stepan?"

Nobody know the actual cause. You receive a different answer for every person you ask. The common thread between all the responses is that "he died of some sudden illness". That was about ten years ago.

"Good information we finding," Harrow says. "Will help us figure out what happening here. We go to captain's backyard now, Harrow think."

The party heads to the captain's house. There you find a fairly unassuming single-story house where Lucian and his small family live. The house is adjacent to Karpad's modest watch station. You've heard that his daughter had been playing outside around dusk and never came in when called for dinner.

Perception checks to know more. I will also allow survival or another related check if creatively applied.

Harrow paces back and forth in the street. He silently observes the area, looking for child-sized tracks, as well as anything that looks out of the ordinary.

"What Ragathiel want Harrow to see here?" he wonders.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

perc: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

librarian: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10 Tan'ia thinks back into all books and news she's ever read about disappearances around dusk to see if anything matches with this situation.

Tan'ia and Harrow notice that there are no signs of any sort of struggle. There are, however, a few tiny flecks of wax in the grass.

What kind of wax? Tallow or (was it beeswax?)

Hard to tell. But it seems consistent with candle wax.

Harrow scowls at the wax on the ground.

"Harrow think now good time to visit candle-maker..."

Now that Harrow and Tan'ia have discovered the wax, it's a simple matter to follow it back to the chandlery.

Along the way, you gather a bit of info from the townsfolk: Catalina the chandler inherited Karpad's sole candlemaking shop 5 years ago when her uncle retired and moved to Nisroch. She was born and raised in Karpad and knows the entire town. As the only chandler in the region, she served both the human and fetchling population and never turned away a customer.

The chandlery is a 20-foot-by-25-foot rectangular building with a single door and windows looking into the storefront.

Sorry I'm late. My weekends have been pretty rough lately. I will post my checks at the yard also just for completeness sake. But I have no problem going to the candle makers.
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Selter and Sithiss examine the area for anything that doesn't belong especially signs of unusual animals/creatures.
knowledge nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20
survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
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How large is the yard? Are there people around or a line waiting for candles? What time of day is it? One story or two?
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If it wouldn't seem too unusual based on the setup, Sithiss will make a circuit of the property from far enough away to not seem incredibly obvious.

"I don't feel good about snooping around people's homes and businesses," said Berosius. "We've no real evidence that this woman is anything other than a good neighbor."

Tan'ia will walk into the chandlery, as it is a business, one would think it is open for customers.

"I don't feel good about snooping around people's homes and businesses," said Berosius. "We've no real evidence that this woman is anything other than a good neighbor."

If self must spend time in silly buildings, self prefers to observe something of the way it is set up.

Tan'ia walks in. Looks like nobody is around. Maybe Catalina is out on a delivery?

This cramped shop smells of wax and incense. Candles of every shape, size, and color line all available surfaces, poking out of crates and perching precariously on overstuffed shelves. There's room for only a few customers and a single employee.

Survival checks to know more.

After a circuit of the property, Selter follows Tan'ia inside.
perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Harrow looks around the candle-maker's shop.

Harrow think might be good idea to buy some to put around bath...Harrow like bath...

1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
1d1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Mareq shakes his head carefully, amazed by all that he has seen. His thoughts over the past hour or so have wandered off to the Fommok Mahdinat, the City of Brass on the Plane of Fire, where he was raised. The shadows and now the candles have brought back intense memories of being locked in his room in the house of his father, Shamir Bey. The darkness. The deep, deep darkness. It always seemed ready to creep out and lovingly caress Mareq when he was at his worst and most depressed. He grew to love it and control it and reject it, all at the same time.

Only later, when he was able to summon the shade of his father from the beyond, did he learn the use of fire and candles and lamps. Bringing his efreeti father back always requires a lamp or candle or some other flame-producing device, he has found.

Shaking his memories off, he follows Tan'ia into the chandlery and looks about. Perhaps he can find a new lamp from which to summon Husarq. He absently strokes the current lamp at his sash, contemplating. Deep inside his breast he feels a darkness growing, the so-familiar hatred swelling up, as he considers summoning Husarq al-Shamir back into the world.

"If there is nobody here, I think we ought to wait a bit. Perhaps Catalina will return soon. Until then, let us politely search her wares for something I -- WE can use."

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 16
Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Nobody's here. Where do you intend to search?

Nobody's here. Where do you intend to search?

The crates and shelves?

Self will look for shop keeper.
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Selter stands in the doorway looking for anyone heading toward the shop.
perception if needed: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Self is walking the perimeter. There are 4 sides to the square structure. It will take you 4 rounds to walk it.

round 1: self starts walking; Tan'ia enters
round 2: self continues walking; some folks make survival checks
round 3: self continues walking; Marek starts searching; others in the party notice that five or six different people have recently passed through a door to what must be Catalina's living quarters

Harrow watches the other people pass through to the living quarters.

"Harrow not think those people should go in there...or maybe that Harrow should go in there. One or other. Harrow going to see what happening there," the half-orc says as he follows the others into the back area.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Tan'ia Survival
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

She will go through the door that appears to be Catalina's living quarters.

Tan'ia Perception
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

As the party tries to open the door to what is clearly a private, back area of the shop, a wax mannequin strikes!

Who: 1d3 ⇒ 2, Tan'ia is the target
Slam: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16, Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Knowledge Arcana to know more about this creature.

Harrow, Tan'ia, and Mareck are up first!

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Tan'ia will hit with her mwk cold iron greataxe: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 and if she strikes will deal 1d12 ⇒ 10 points of damage.

Harrow reels in surprise as the wax mannequin strikes at them.

"Harrow not like clowns or man-o-kins!" he shouts as his weapon strikes the wall.

"We just investigating back room like everyone else! Why attacking us!?"

nodachi (adamantine, power attack, furious focus): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 101d10 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Tan'ia recognizes this thing as a wax golem. It's immune to most magic, but vulnerable to fire.

Tan'ia and Harrow try to hit it, but miss.

Mareck is up!

"Melt, you creature!" cries Mareq as he summons up the fire in his blood, casting sorcerous flame at the thing.

Burning Hands Reflex DC15 for 1/2: 3d4 ⇒ (2, 1, 1) = 4

He then retreats behind Harrow, out of harm's way.

It being wax, I was hoping for a vulnerability to fire, but didn't want to assume it.

Please check the map Mareck. There's no way you can use burning hands on the enemy without hitting an ally. Because of the no-PVP rule, they must agree to the attack before potentially taking damage.

Please check the map Mareck. There's no way you can use burning hands on the enemy without hitting an ally. Because of the no-PVP rule, they must agree to the attack before potentially taking damage.

A map? A map? Why that would be... logical.

"Move, Tan'ia! If you don't want to be burned!"

A map? A map? Why that would be... logical.

ROLF! :-D

Perhaps Berosius would move for you, since Tan'ia has already taken her action this turn?

Can I assume at the end of this round I will be arriving at the shop front door?

Sure. Selter double moves to the front door. Berosius is up!

Hmmm...no Berosius since Monday.

Flu. And baby with flu. And work.

Berosius withdraws from combat, drawing his wand of magic missiles as he moves.

OK, so with Berosius out of the way, Mareq's burning hands goes off from Berosius' former location.

Hope the family is feeling better, Berosius.

Reflex: 1d20 ⇒ 10

The golem takes 6 hp of fire. Its face runs a bit and the once-handsome replica looks like a mockery of life.

2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7

The golem is also slowed for some unknown number of rounds.

It attempts to slam the person who tried to go into the private quarters of the chandlery: slam: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14. And it misses!

The party is up!

Tan'ia will cast Burning Hands for 3d4 ⇒ (4, 3, 3) = 10 points of fire damage. DC 14

Reflex Save: 1d20 ⇒ 17

The golem takes 7 more HP of damage!

The golem is an emotionless automaton. But, the melting of its face gives it a creepy visage--like it's silently looking at you asking "Why?"

I forgot about my oracle's curse (haunted) last round. I could not have both withdrawn and drawn my wand, so it's still in the bandolier.

Summoning the spirits of lore to whisper arcane secrets into his mind, Berosius, his hair and clothes whipped by a wind no others feel, speaks the words of a new incantation. He is content to use violence against this unliving thing. He is also completely ignorant of its immunities.

Cast magic missile at the golem.

Magic missile: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 2 = 9

The golem takes more damage as two missiles of force slam into it.

The rest of the party is up!

Mareq quickly retreats a short distance, allowing Selter space to step into the melee.

Once he's out of range of the wax creature, the ifrit diplomat pulls forth a wand, in preparation for casting its spell upon himself.

After five foot stepping away, he pulls out his wand of Mage Armor.

Harrow slices the wax golem in two with his nodachi.

nodachi (adamantine, power attack, furious focus): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 261d10 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
crit?: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 281d10 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Harrow strikes true after Berosius' magic missile. Because the thing was melting and reforming, the sound of his weapon cleaving the poor creature in twain is very, very much like a fart! ;-P

Combat over!

Feel free to heal up before we continue. Shouldn't be any additional combat encounters in the chandlery in the immediate future.