Rappan Athuk [Pf]

Game Master Chris Manos

Meh... I should have previewed before posting :P Belle's post stands - please ignore mine ;)

The key hangs suspended in the chill air of the graveyard, turning gently under Belle's will.

Tessai stares at the key in mid-air.

Hold it still a moment." Magnus peers closely at the key, seeing if she can determine anything about its function.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 or aid another for +2to their roll
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

Not sure what other skills are relevant. History? Local? Perhaps if we all look at it we can work it out together i.e. aid another.

It is a key. It has some Universal school magic on it, but is not in and of itself a magic item.

Magnus shrugs,
"Well, we have a key. Now all we need is a lock."

"Well" - Tessai puts in - "Apologies I could not be of any further assistance Magnus - my teachings dealt mainly with religious consideration. Probably not much help with this key" - she nods - "We proceed?"

Terran, maybe?

I speak terran, btw

Yes; it's not terran. The letters mach though.

You don't recall any dwarven heroes that correspond to this guy - or rather, not any that could concievably be linked to Rappan Athuk.

Well, now we have a key. I'm sure we will find where to fit it, eventually. - says Gareth.

I like the idea of studying our findings, camping for the rest of today, and entering this place tomorrow on the first light. We will be fully rested for an entire day of exploration. - he continues - ... And maybe we could use our remaining hours of today also to continue our exploration of these outside "premises".

Having seen that the key is not a bone, Reynaud discontinues his protest.

Yeah. We still have a lot o' ground to see here, 'n' we should be careful about all the entrances we find.

The party almost literally stands as at a crossroads. Except there's no road, really. Just muddy almost-trails winding through the marble tombstones.

The three green mausoleums beckon, the biggest, most elaborately decorated one due south. At this distance, it's obvious that they're not just covered in moss as you might have thought from distance, but are instead built from glossy, emerald green stone; perhaps some form of marble.

Where to next?

"Shall we check out the green mausoleums? Maybe the lock is there."

Reynaud nods.

Do we have a... stone-type expert among us? Never seen smooth green rocks before.

There's three mausoleums to choose from. One east, one west, and a big one in a depression to the south.

The southern mausoleum has 8 monstrous, winged statues on the roof, carved from the same stone as the building itself.

"I'd prefer not to crawl down some wet, dark, smelly hole just to be swarmed by rats if I can avoid it. Yes, let's DO check out the Mauseleums."

Wish I'd the foresight to get a spyglass. Didn't think we'd need one inside of a dungeon. Anybody know what those creature statues on the roof are?

"I agree we can camp before venturing any further - perhaps the best would be to move away from this place, maybe an hour travel, and then rest" - Tessai nods - "But for now let us explore the rest of the area" - she follows up.

So, it is 2:30 PM, right?

"We can start with the one to the East" - the paladin reiterates, then waits for her companions to follow.

Meh, can't roll any of those knowledges :P

Yes, it is. Roughly.

The eastern mausoleum is a squat building. It seems mostly bare of decoration, except for four pillars out front, forming an archway, and a small, 10ft. by 40ft. covered area, the floor of which is tiled in coblestones.

Entry to the mausoleum seems to be by a grand double door, oaken and reinforced by iron bands. Two big rings serve as handles, and an iron keyhole sits in one of the doors just below the handle.

You bet that if that thing was open, you could ride a horse through there no problem.

Ended up not being sure who is holding the key :D

"Would the key fit this keyhole?" - Tessai puts forth - "Gareth, does this look safe to you?" - she adds.

Technically, it's still floating by Belle's mage hand.

Screeching as she passes too closely by one of the holes and encounters a large rat, she hurrys onward putting at lease one of her fellow adventurers between her and the disgusting vermin.

Gods, I hate rats. Rats AND spiders. Bet those smelly holes have both.

Noticing that none of her companions seems willing to actually touch the mysterious object the key remains floating in the air, preceding her by about 10 feet.

KnHist: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

"Do any of these things look like guardians to any of you? One of the rumors I heard was that this place has green guardians or stone monsters or something that have taken their toll on the adventurer population... I believe I could use the spell I'm using to carry the key to also insert it and turn it in the lock. Sure beats just tugging on the rings or trying it with bare hands ourselves. Just a suggestion, but I will bow to the judgement of the estimable gnome."

Wait, I'm slightly confused - Belle said 'these things' - are there statues on the mausoleum we are facing?

Guess we're starting with the southern one?

Don' know what else here qualifies as a guardian that I've seen. 'Less the dwarf back there's been killin' folks... anyone got a bow? Easy way to check if'n they'll come to life.

No, there's not. But they're easily visible in the distance.

Gareth first searches for traps.

Perception: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (4) + 22 = 26

Gareth finds no traps. Belle's attempt to turn the key is met with resistance - it doesn't seem to fit in the lock.

"Well, we could check out the other buildings first and see if the key fits one of them."

Wait, I'm slightly confused - Belle said 'these things' - are there statues on the mausoleum we are facing?

Me too. The knowledge roll I made mentioned a green stone guardian and these mausoleums are green stone so there is probably a connection. But for the life of me, I don't notice anything obvious in the description at the moment. Just consider it something Belle blurted out when she saw the similarities."

There's three mausoleums to choose from. One east, one west, and a big one in a depression to the south.

The southern mausoleum has 8 monstrous, winged statues on the roof, carved from the same stone as the building itself.

In reference to these. It makes more sense in context of what's in the other spoilers, which is admittedly not an ideal state of affairs.

Gareth tries to open/pick the lock, after asking his companions to step back.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (12) + 24 = 36

Gareth carefully coaxes the lock to disengage, not with a click, but more of a small grinding sound, and the reinforced double doors swing gently towards you under their own weight.

Grey light of day floods inside the single chamber, taking up the whole building. Two rows of sarcophagi line the walls, with a broad pathway down the middle of the room.

It seems otherwise quite empty. The sarcophagi have all been opened, the heavy stone lids casually discarded on the floor. Some lie broken. Others have obviously been stripped of inlaid gemstones and other such finery.

The eastmost mausoleum is perhaps 50ft. long, and 40ft. wide, and the room inside seems to correspond to those dimensions.

knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
knowledge (History): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

"I have heard the legend of the green guardians, too. It's possible they are creatures known as 'gargoyles'. They have a rocky skin that makes them look like statues, and can change their colour over time to match their surroundings. If they are, we will need magical weaponry to pierce their hides."

I vote we keep away from the South Mausoleum unless we want a fight.

"Even though locked, this one seems to have been long sacked" - TEssai peers from behind Gareth - "Let us check the western one, and then we will take a further look at the southern one" - she suggests.

"If indeed we risk facing such foes, then we should first confirm if they are there - I believe magical means of detection should point them out?" - the paladin continues, as she urges the group to the western mausoleum.

Olaf the Holy wrote:

There's three mausoleums to choose from. One east, one west, and a big one in a depression to the south.

The southern mausoleum has 8 monstrous, winged statues on the roof, carved from the same stone as the building itself.

In reference to these. It makes more sense in context of what's in the other spoilers, which is admittedly not an ideal state of affairs.

Sometimes you feel like an idiot - right now I do, how could I have missed that?

know history, nature: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 221d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
I concur with Magnus, and reccommend we stay away for now, eight gargoyles would be quite a challenge. As for if they are truly gargoyles, I have no method of discerning that at a safe distance
Agyen puts away his botard and draws a thin stick. His crystal begins to glow, increasing, its light level increasing to that of a torch.
have wand of decompose corpse and prismatic crystal out, cast light on crystal

The eastmost mausoleum is perhaps 50ft. long, and 40ft. wide, and the room inside seems to correspond to those dimensions.

"Well, we can deal with the southern mauseleum later, I guess. Right now, shall we go in and investigate this one and perhaps the one tot he west?"

If'n they are gargoyles should we keep an eye on them so we won't get snuck up on?

"We should and we shall Reynaud" - Tessai reinforces, while moving west.

Magnus casts a Mage Armor on himself from his wand.lasts 1 hour

You're pretty sure you see two of the gargoyles turn their heads to stare at you.

"They watch our progress, the wretches" - Tessai growls - "Let us check this western mausoleum, and then we take the fight to them!"

Don' wan' 'em sneaking up on us as we look into the other mausoleums. I'll keep an eye on them to see if they come at us. You don' need me to check it out.

Reynaud keeps back to where he can watch for gargoyles coming in at their backs.

Scream if'n you need me.

"The way I see it, if we don't take them out while we are fresh and strong, they will most likely attack when we come out of the dungeon half dead but full of loot. I know which fight I'd prefer."

"Very well Reynaud, and you shout if you need us" - Tessai nods, then turns to Magnus - "We will deal with them after this mausoleum"

The other one seems almost an exact twin of the one you just left.

The only remotely interesting thin you find on the way is a grey tombstone with the name "Gareth Gudrum" inscribed in golden lettering. It sits relatively innocuously in a cluster of nine fresh graves, just west of the statue.

As for the mausoleum, it has the same archway, the same reinforced wooden door, and the same iron lock.

We'll see if Gareth can open it the same way ;)

"This is a most foul place" - the paladin snarls, when looking at the tombstone with her fellow companion's name - "How can this even be?" - she adds, looking around.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7

"Curious. Someone or something has been spying on us."