Rise of the Runelords

Game Master Upaynao

Kiera mutters the words to detect magic once more and slowly scans the crates.

Volkar moves up the tunnel while Kiera and Andrezi peruse the barrels and crates. It turns out that the items really are just goblin crap.. most of it looks like refuse from a junkyard or trash pit that has been exposed to sun and surf.. corroded metal and salt brine evident on some of the older pieces. Meanwhile, Volkar blithely continues up the tunnel, following the sound of the surf. The floor of this cavern seems strangely polished and smooth. To the east, a thick curtain of vines and nettles hangs down over a wide opening overlooking the Varisian Gulf. Unfortunately, he also encounters a strange blue many tentacled beast in the shadows near the cave mouth!

As Volkar strides into the cavern, tentacles lash out at the dwarf from the darkness on the other side of the overlook. The first one misses, but the second wraps securely around him, beginning to squeeze the dwarf hard.
Tentacle: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Tentacle: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Grab: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Dmg: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Bold May Post
Octopus from Hell
Volkar- 3 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break.
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

Seeing Volkar walk off on his own I shake my head and follow him. At the sight of the freakishly huge octopus I move forwards and hack at the tentacle that has grabbed Volkar. "Let go off him!"

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"Let go of him!" Andrezi yells as he tries to bash the creature with his staff.

Staff: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Volkar yelled in surprise as the tentacled arm that whipped out at him and entangled his leg. "Help there is a monster in this place."

"Guh! Uh... uh... uh... tentamort!" shouts Kiera.

Taking one heck of a risk, she advances near Volkar and tries to shock the monster with her wand.

Shocking grasp touch attack: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Shocking grasp damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Kiera, you forgot the Knowledge roll to go with that shout.. lol. Also, I moved your token up to the fight but you can't get close enough for shocking grasp this round. 30' move puts you right behind the group.
Volkar: Yes, you can attack with some stipulations. Breaking or attempting to break the grapple is a standard action. Single handed attacks may be attempted with a -2 on your attack roll.

The team reacts quickly to Volkars call for help, rushing after the wayward dwarf. Volkar attempts to break free, but is unable to fight off the slimy suction of the tentacles.

Meanwhile, the group begins to hack at the creature. Daelric lands a solid blow, leaving one of the many whipping tentacles writhing unattached upon the ground while Andrezi delivers an admonishment to accompany the smart thunk of his wooden staff upon the leathery hide of the creature before him. Kiera rushes in after, preparing a spell for when she is in range.

Maintain Grapple: 1d20 + 10 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 5 = 21
Constrict: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Sting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Confirm Sting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Dmg: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (2, 1) + 4 = 7
I will also need a DC 15 Fort save please, or take Con Dmg: 1d4 ⇒ 1 and be nauseated.

The creature maintains its grip on Volkar, squeezing him as tightly as it can. Suddenly, the other appendage whips around and sinks into the unlucky dwarf's neck. The wound burns as digestive enzymes enter into his body.

Bold May Post
Octopus from Hell- 10 dmg
Volkar- 17 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break, DC 15 Fort save vs poison.
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

Seeing Volkar get stabbed in the neck I quickly attack another tentacle, hoping to free him from the creatures grip.

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Volkar slashed out at the tentacle that had hit him with out any success and tried to dientangle himself from the creature. His efforts failed and a long sharp tipped stinger stabbed into him. It's sting burned and the dwarf swayed.

[spoiler] Dang, ok - attempt to slash at the tentacle with battle ax on the last round 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 3 - 2 = 7 if there is a hit 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9; then we have the attempt to break the grapple 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14 against 17; finally, the fortitude check +5 against a 15, so 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 So that captured the initial attack, a CMB, and I think that is all that I could do[spoiler]

Andrezi steps back away from the creature, but stays next to Volkar as he touches the dwarf hoping to buy him a bit more time.

Losing lesser restoration to cast cure moderate wounds

CMW: 2d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (1, 1) + 3 + 1 = 6 (trait)

Really???

Hmm. I made a post with my Dungeoneering roll last night and scored a total of 19, but it looks like it got eaten. I got one piece of information so I asked for resistances. I guess I will reroll.

Knowledge (dungeoneering): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Of course now the roll is sh!t.

Retcon.

Kiera simply lets out a brief shriek of sheer terror, clearly horrified at the notion of being tentacled.

EDIT: I see what happened. My earlier post got lost by the boards, then when I made the attack roll it used the 11 there (11 + 8 = 19), since the die roller is a seeded pseudorandom series.

Daelric lands another solid blow upon the creature, causing it to writhe in pain.
Volkar manages to fight off the poison, but not much else.
Attacking and breaking the grapple are both standard actions. As both of your rolls failed, its no biggie, but you basically have to choose whether to attack or try and break the hold.

Andrezi steps back and prays to Desna for healing, trying desperately to aid Volkar. The slight tingle of his palm lets him know that his prayer was granted, but not for very much.

Kiera: I will take your word for the lost roll, but will keep your Attack/damage for the spell you are holding as is. You recognize that the creature is a Tentamort, an aberration. It has no resistances or weaknesses.
Do you have anything you wish to do for this round?

Bold May Post
Octopus from Hell- 17 dmg
Volkar- 11 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break, DC 15 Fort save vs poison.
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

Kiera tries to zap one of the tentacles again, hoping that if she can shock it enough, it might let go of Volkar.

Touch attack: 1d20 ⇒ 20
Confirm crit: 1d20 ⇒ 14

Shocking grasp damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Crit damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Hmm.. forgot about the 10' reach when yall approached it. That being the case, it would hardly be fair to take an AOO on Kiera now, after no one else got one!

Kiera steps around the melee and gets up close and personal with the monstrosity before grabbing hold of it and discharging her spell. With a zap of ozone and charred.. something.. the thing thrashes around in more pain than it has felt in a very long time!

Eager to finish off the prey in its tentacles so that it can turn to the rest of the party, it continues to squeeze Volkar, and sends its stinger at the struggling dwarf a second time. Thankfully, the stinger misses!
Maintain Grapple: 1d20 + 10 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 10 + 5 = 29
Constrict: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Sting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Bold May Post
Tentamort- 25 dmg
Volkar- 14 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break,
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

I swing at the bizarre octopus again, more concerned with Volkar safety than the name of the creature before us.

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Kiera hopes that her luck will hold out!

Touch attack: 1d20 ⇒ 14
Shocking grasp damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Daelric misses the mark with his swing, but Kiera delivers another electrical shock to the creature!

Bold May Post
Tentamort- 31 dmg
Volkar- 14 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break,
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

Displeased by his previous effort, Andrezi reaches for his wand and taps Volkar in an attempt to heal a few more of his wounds.

CLW Wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Volkar felt the tentacle constrict and muscles screamed in his mind with pain. There was a whirl of action and he concentrated on swinging his ax at the beast.

But had to duck suddenly at the lashing stinger that whipped at him again.

Andrezi continues to work to keep the stubborn dwarf alive, while Volkar works to free himself by killing the creature. Unfortunately, his ax misses the mark again!

Maintain Grapple: 1d20 + 10 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 5 = 35
Constrict: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Sting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Dmg: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 Please make a DC 15 Fort save or take Con Dmg: 1d4 ⇒ 4
The Tentamort continues to bear down on Volkar, squeezing him for all it is worth. It lashes out with another stab of its stinger tentacle, once again getting Volkar right in the neck.

Bold May Post
Tentamort- 31 dmg
Volkar- 16 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break, DC 15 Fort Save
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

Kiera lunges at the creature again, but leaps back at the last second as a tentacle lashes dangerously close to her.

Touch attack: 1d20 ⇒ 6

Kiera once again reaches out, but is unable to grasp her writhing foe this time!

Bold May Post
Tentamort- 31 dmg
Volkar- 16 dmg, Grappled DC 17 CMB to break, DC 15 Fort Save
Andrezi
Kiera
Daelric

I get a little more desperate with my swings as I notice that Volkar is starting to look a bit faint.

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

creature is dead. Will update tonight

-Posted with Wayfinder

Volkar shuddered as the sharp stinger lashed back at him and buried itself into his arm.

Volkar shuddered as the bluish tentacle constricted about him crushing mail into muscles and ribs. He fished about with his left hand and found the pouch as another constricting pulse caused his muscles to scream out in pain. Kiera and Dealeric's movements were a blur to him as he tried to grasp one of the vials in the pouch.

He pulled it up to his mouth as a shudder went through the tentacle and stinger. He felt the stinger twitch and then withdraw from his arm causing him to wince. he brought the waxed cork to his mouth, pulled it out with his teeth, and spit it across the floor. Quickly he guzzled the liquid within. It was warm, like a good brandy on a cold day. As the tentacle loosened, blood rushed into places it had been squeezed out of and his body shuddered as another wave of pain wracked him. The warmth of the liquid seemed to grow as it dispersed through his veins.

As the thick tentacle slackened and loosened further, the pain seemed to dull. "I hate this place," he bellowed out of frustration.

Kiera gulps down a breath of relief and even manages a worried chuckle at Volkar's gruff comment. She discharges the held charge that missed from her last attack but keeps the wand handy. "Glad this thing has been paying off," she says. "I would guess the goblins were afraid of that monster. Let's see what we can find."

Volkar: from the time stamps, the only thing I can think of is that you can only edit a post within an hour of the original post. Not sure if your edits were within the hour timeframe, but that's my best guess.

Daelric lays into the beast one last time, his magical sword parting through the rubbery hide of the tentamort neatly slicing its heart in half. It collapses onto itself, its many tentacles waving about in a futile effort to stave off death before it finally lies still.

Volkar once again staves off the virulent poison flowing through his veins, then after he falls to the floor and is released from the slimy and tenacious grasp of the creature he fishes out a potion. He drinks it as the party regroups.

Exploring the rest of the cavern is easy.. a closed door leads back to the east, but the tunnel continues to the north. It opens into another cavern, where dozens of strange dead bodies lie scattered about. Most are of sea birds and ospreys, but there are six dead goblins here as well. Each body is literally skin and bones, as if all of the interior organs and muscles have somehow been drained away, leaving behind skeletons draped with leathery, slowly rotting skin. Volkar shudders, thinking of the poison that very nearly sent him to the same end..

Volkar- 11 dmg

"Well," Volkar shuddered again as he looked at the cavern littered with skeletons. "We probably need to find those stairs that were heading down. Maybe avoid any more of those creepy blue things."

Any perception rolls or investigation?

I look over at Volkar now that the threat has dissapated and am relieved to see him still standing. Upon looking around the room I look at the skeletal Goblins, "Good thing you don't look like them now!" I let out a lighthearted laugh while scanning the room for any treasures.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Daelric looks about the room, and while joking with Volkar, something about the bodies catches his eye. He carefully approaches and turns the remains of one of the goblins over to discover that the body is wearing a very well made set of hide armor. A broken horsechopper lies within reach of the body.. before being sundered, it was obviously of excellent workmanship. In addition, a bow strapped to the back of the goblin body shows very good craftsmanship.

+1 hide armor (made from dogs), a ruined (but once masterwork) horsechopper and a masterwork short bow. The armor and weapons are both Small.

"Well, not particularly usable by us, but might fetch a fair bit of gold from the right buyer." Andrezi says shrugging as he steps up behind Volkar and gives him another tap of the healing wand.

CLW Wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"What's next? Keep searching or find someplace to hold up. Outside of a couple of scrolls and this wand, I'm pretty well tapped in terms of ability to heal us should it become necessary."

Unsatisfied by Volkar's condition, Andrezi uses the wand again.

CLW Wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

"This must've been a would-be goblin hero who came to slay the beast and... well," says Kiera.

"But this is probably not the right direction. If someone else was manipulating the goblins from deeper in the complex, why move through here and have to face down the tentamort every time?"

The double tap of the wand sent double waves of energy and warmth through Volkar's body and the pain gave way to relief. He watched a the marks and indententations disappeared. "Thank you Andrezi, thank you. Truly, I had no realization that such a thing would be allowed to remain in the keep, Daelric. I agree with you Kiera, none of this is making clear sense. I suspect that the goblins allied out of convenience and opportunity."

Volkar looked about and then shrugged. "I think we need to make our way back to the hall and those stairs...there is a bit of mystery that is alluding us in all of this place."

"I would prefer to clear this floor of dangers before stopping to rest and recuperate, hopefully there shouldn't be too many more dangers on this level. Would you be willing to go a little further, if we come across a situation we cannot win, we can always withdraw briefly."

"Agreed cousin, yet we also have to figure that sooner or later someone is going to come and check on the keep, and find our path." Volkar stretched and shifted his neck from side to side. "But, if there is more to this floor, then let's ensure we don't leave anything behind us."

"Sounds like a decent plan. Let's just be careful, alright?"

"Yeah... that was a nasty beast," says Kiera as she paces the room looking for alternative exits and secret passages. "This ruin's been here a long time, could be all kinds of evil stuff lurking in the depths."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

The team takes one last look around the room while discussing their next few steps. Unfortunately, it seems that Daelrics keen eyes found all of the goodies. Deciding to finish with this floor before resting, the team ventures to the last door remaining to be checked. Cautiously moving between the rooms with the still screaming and pounding goblin wives and the goblin babies, you carefully open the door to reveal a hallway that proceeds for 20 ft before turning to the right. Following this to a dead end, you find 2 doors to either side and one before you.

I move to the first door and nod to the others, once they are ready I open it.

I can't see the map, so let's say door on our right.

Volkar nodded at Daelric. He felt to make sure he had the oak and iron strapped small casks that could help remove any impediments like crazed hell hounds. "Let's clear this place, cousin, for surely there has to be some aged mead or ale somewhere in these cellars."

This one-person bedroom shows many signs of having been lived in. The bed itself is rumpled and unmade, and a half-eaten meal of bread and smoked salmon sits on the nightstand. A few articles of dirty clothing sit at the foot of the bed. In front of the half eaten meal, a ruggedly handsome man with a visage and demeanor that doesn’t mesh well with smiles and laughter jumps to his feet, clawing for his sword. "Oi! Yer not s'posed ter be here!" he growls at you, bringing his sword around.

Bold May Post
Volkar
Human
Andrezi
Daelric
Kiera

Volkar swung his ax about at the man that suddenly pointed a sword at him.

Despite Volkars dexterity and well placed swing, he finds it difficult to go around both the corner and Daelric to reach his target.
Partial and soft cover for you there, Volkar.

The man steps forward, bringing his sword up in a high two handed grip, and brings it slashing down at Daelric as he fills the doorway. Luckily for the dwarf though, the sword catches on the doorframe and comes nowhere close to him.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Bold May Post
Volkar
Human
Andrezi
Daelric
Kiera

Unable to much more of use, Andrezi points at Daelric, granting him a bit of luck.

Although my shield was raised, I wasn't expecting someone to charge at me so suddenly, so am relieved when they catch their blade on the door frame first, I quickly bring my axe across their stomach.

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Bit of Luck: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Volkar was frustrated with the narrow spaces and continual attitude that they were running in to even further down in Thistle Top. With some frustration, he mumbled "Bad day to have left the boar spear behind in Sandpoint."

Volkar: No worries! Not something I paid enough attention to so that I could warn you until it was too late!

Daelric swipes across with his ax, but it skitters harmlessly off of the mans armor as he jumps back.

Bold May Post
Volkar
Human
Andrezi
Daelric
Kiera

"A-HA!" Kiera shouts. She seems excited about the prospect of using her shocking grasp wand against someone in metal armor for once.

Touch attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Shocking grasp damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2