Sior's PFS Destiny of the Sands Part I : A Bitter Bargain (Low-tier) (Inactive)

Game Master Sior

After a series of whiffs and whooshes, the southern snake moves in to exact its revenge against the caster which set it ablaze!

Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0 1 pt nonlethal damage and a DC 13 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 ⇒ 1 Con damage.

Meanwhile, the other snake continues its fanged assault on Prothero!

Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 damage and a DC 13 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 ⇒ 1 Con damage.

Party up!

Fort Save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Teric yell more in anger than pain as the snake slams its head into his arm as it tries to bite him. The fangs never meet flesh, but the impact causes Teric to shake his arm from the bruise. "Darvic, kill this annoying pest!" The Varsian draws a dagger and clumsily tries to slash at the snake. His scarred hands prevent him from holding the weapon correctly, however.

Attack: 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (6) - 4 = 2
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Let's try this again shall we?

Destructive Smite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
piercing: 1d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10

Teric, stop playing with that snake; you're going to wind up getting hurt.

Borax, sheaths his cane sword and reloads his hand crossbow.

Defah lands a solid blow, but the snake still.... stands is the wrong word, but you know what I mean! =)

So a K Nature of 14 didn't succeed in revealing any info?

Sorry, missed that. They are snakes. Venomous ones. That's all.

Prothero moves alongside the snake, hoping to get into a better position to use his bow. As he moves, he attempts a chop with his free hand, but the snakes rapid, darting movements prove too much for him, and he misses once again.

5-foot step, add to the whiffs and whooshes.

Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Unarmed Strike damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Darvik is up

Darvik steps quickly to the south and attempts to strike the slithering foe!

Scimitar: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 for Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Shield: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 for Damage: 1d3 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Darvik comes incredibly close to striking the snake, but it evades you at the last instant! It then continues to strike at the one who flamed it!

Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 damage and a DC 13 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 ⇒ 2 Con damage.

The northern snake continues striking at Prothero.

Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0 damage and a DC 13 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 ⇒ 1 Con damage.

Prothero takes another quick step away, so he's able to use his bow safely. He then puts two arrows into the air, one after the other, with remarkable speed.

5-foot step, flurry

Flurry with Longbow, PBS: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Longbow damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Flurry with Longbow, PBS: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Longbow damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Status: 10/13 hp

With a single arrow, you skewer the snake to the floor where it lies twitching.

Everyone else up!

Well done Prothero! Now, let's see what can be done about this other one.

Destructive Smite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15 attacking past soft cover
piercing: 1d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10

Borax fires his hand crossbow, reloads it, and takes a step closer to the alter.

Hand crossbow (Soft Cover Applied): 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (17) - 3 = 14
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Assuming I can 5' step south in the water, Darvik once again tries to hit this snake!

Scimitar: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 for Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Shield: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 for Damage: 1d3 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Blast this snake! I hate them!

Teric retreats back to allow Defah and Darvic to handle the snake.

Withdraw

Defah swings at the surviving serpent but is hindered by his friends and allies in the way!

Borax has a small bit of luck in grazing the snake, leaving a satisfying little gash among the scales.

As Darvik considers stepping south to his position on the map, he swiftly realizes that the rubble of the pool's wall prevents him from stepping there swiftly. This thought process seems to take so much focus of his mental faculties that his attacks miss as Teric bravely runs away away.

With but one target, the snake strikes at Darvik.

Bite!: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
1d4 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 damage and a DC 13 Fortitude save or suffer1d2 ⇒ 2 Con damage.

Party up!

Prothero takes a quick stride closer to the rank pool, then releases two more arrows at the remaining snake, carefully timing them to avoid Defah and Darvik.

5-foot step, flurry with bow. Looks like snake has soft cover (not that Defah and Darvik are soft!)

Flurry with Longbow, PBS, cover: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 3 - 4 = 5
Longbow damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Flurry with Longbow, PBS, cover: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 3 - 4 = 19
Longbow damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Crit confirm, PBS, cover: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 3 - 4 = 11
Crit damage: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (6, 6) + 6 = 18 X3 crit multiplier this time!

On the off chance that there's still enough snake left to stab.

Defah steps over to the side to get the clearest possible swing at the snake.

spear: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

While Prothero's arrow does not crit, it is enough to put the snake down!

Out of Combat!

With the snakes put down, you are able to continue your examinations of the hidden shrine. The darkness does not lift, and Borax gets the feeling that this aura may indeed continue to draw snakes until it fades (which you have no way of aiding, sadly).

Making your way around, you see a whole statue opposite the mound of rubble. It is in remarkable condition compared to its counterpart, though time has eroded many of the features away from its face. To the southeast is another altar with the same symbols found on the northwestern altar.

Perception checks, please. You may take 10. If you take 20, please tell me what you are taking 20 on (i.e. the altar, the well, the rubble, the other statue, the other altar, the water, the north wall, the south wall, the ceiling, etc etc etc.)

Before we all go wandering around in here, is anyone hurt?

I'm sure at least one person got bit during that fight, but everyone's stat blocks are at full health. If at least two people are injured, I'll channel energy. Or if one person is hurt badly, I'll use my last first level spell up.

Quite satisfied with his last shot, Prothero shrugs and responds to Defah, "I was bitten once, but the poison didn't get into me. I should be fine for now, thank you."

At 10/13 hp

Prothero then casts a careful eye around the room, looking for any indication of where they should go next.

Will Take 10 on Perception for an 18, just to see what I can find.

Prothero looks around the room but is saddened when his search comes up with nothing. No artifacts at all.

Borax searches...

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

I think Teric got bit as well? I'm going to go ahead and channel then. It's not like it's going to be an excessive amount of healing compared to the damage.

Defah focuses for a moment, tightly gripping his holy symbol before a surge of power washes over the gathered Pathfinders.

Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 6

"Thank you, Defah," says Prothero, after watching the large fang-marks on his arm close up and disappear without leaving a trace. "That feels much better."

Once the healing is complete, Prothero walks carefully around the perimeter of the room, looking for somewhere the artifacts could be hidden.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Darvik says, Nah, I'm fine. He then starts to take a look around the room, not knowing what he is really looking for. I'll take 20 for a 20 for the water, since I'm right there.

Day Job Craft (alchemy): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33

PbP Boon: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Woohooo! My first Gameday boon!

As Borax looks about, he sees a compartment in the whole statue that Prothero missed before. The compartment contains several items, including a burial mask carved from lapis lazuli, three clay tablets describing funerary practices, and a rod carved from a single piece of petrified wood to look like a fanged serpent.

"Well done, Borax!" Prothero cries. "Let's collect those things and get out of this hole, and see if we can get them past the guards and into the city."

He holds up the stunning blue burial mask and looks at it admiringly, then moves as if to put it over his face. He pauses, shudders as he realizes what might have happened in this strange place if had done, and tucks the mask away in his pack.

As Prothero moves the mask to his face, a flash of lightning illuminates the cave as the lapis lazuli leaps from his hands. Adhered to his face, the sides seem to reach around to the back of his head and infiltrates his mind. From that point on, he is The Mask! nothing happens.

As Prothero moves the mask to his face, a flash of lightning illuminates the cave as the lapis lazuli leaps from his hands. Adhered to his face, the sides seem to reach around to the back of his head and infiltrates his mind. From that point on, he is The Mask! nothing happens.

See why I'm so careful? I hate Jim Carrey and wanted to avoid that fate.

I did something like this at the end of First Step 2. The characters worked out a truce with the kobolds and then I wrote an epilogue where they kobolds rose to power and wiped out everyone in Absalom half a century later.

Damned dirty ape lizard.

It is quite easy getting your haul from the well, but as mentioned by Prothero, there is still a matter of the custom's agents between you and returning to Torch.

How do you wish to proceed?

"Well, friends, how shall we approach the guards this time?" Prothero asks as they rest a bit, having climbed out the well and packed up their haul.

"Last time we tried to hide the goods at the same time we were trying to say we didn't have the goods. I wonder if this time we could just bully our way through, or perhaps someone's got a spell to distract or confuse the guards for a moment? Failing that, we might create a more elaborate distraction. Or just go over the wall after dark."

We could pay the tax and then bill Torch. Or we could tell them exactly who the mask is for; perhaps Torch's name has weight with the guards?

Borax has to hide a sneer at the suggestions offered.

"We lie and hide like we did last time. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission."

Whatever you guys wanna do is fine. If you get in trouble, call me then.

"Do we know that the guards want only to levy a tax?" asks Prothero. "I had presumed they wanted the artifacts themselves."

Sior - do we know the answer to this? It wasn't clear to me in reading through earlier posts.

He looks around at his companions in case any of them have an answer, then says, "If it is as simple as paying a tax, then I'm with Defah, pay it and move on. If they wish to seize the artifacts, then we might want some sort of plan to get past them - but scheming, bluffing and coaxing are not my strengths."

Guards are there simply to protect the customs agents. The customs agents are there under mandate from the Ruby Prince to tag and tax all Osiriani artifacts entering and leaving the city. Something along the lines of too many have vanished from the lands, destroying the nation's heritage or some-such nonsense. In short, it is not the guards just being dicks. Apologies for being unclear before. =\

I didn't think it was just the guards being a pain, I just didn't get there were guards and customs agents. Do we know how much the tax is? Or, put another way, is the tax so much that it makes sense to try to sneak the artifacts in rather than paying it?

You do not know, no. Logic would make it seem that it would be low enough that people can pay, but high enough to make people think twice about trafficking artifacts.

Do we want to try something different? Darvic and us can start some commotion at the gate while Prothero sneaks past the guards. Just thinking that we don't have a great Sleight of Hand, but we do have good Stealth available to us.

I'm in favor of of trying to get by without paying. If we get caught we can always pay depending on how we lie about it.

Once again, Borax studies the guards and agents to see if there is anyone he might recognize or any aspect of the custom law he might exploit.

K. Local (to identify humans/know custom laws 19 /19 + FI: 1d6 ⇒ 4 / FI: 1d6 ⇒ 3. Essentially looking for a circumstance bonus on our bluff attempt.

Being LN, I'm a bit inclined to go with paying and getting the job done, but I could be talked out of that postion.

If we decide not to pay, I'm a bit more inclined towards Bluff than Stealth. If you get caught bluffing it seems a bit easier to talk your way out of it than if caught trying to sneak in, and sneaking through a gate blocked by armed guards might be beyond Prothero's modest abilities.

Borax spots the same custom's agent that greeted you all upon your initial arrival to the city. Beyond that, there are no familiar faces. Information on the law is found above.

I'll go along with the majority ooc

Do we have a majority? ooc, I'd much rather get past without paying the tax, but we need a good plan. Bluffing didn't work last time, and these guys could well remember us.

Borax, how about making a forgery of a document showing the tax has already been paid. We could do some gather info and buy a copy of a document off someone who paid the tax. (I'm also hoping such documents exist). Then Borax uses his +9 Linguistics to forge a document and we use Teric's Bluff to walk it past.