The Crucible of Freya (Inactive)

Game Master Grimmy

Ah, found the problem. Jerrid is mentioned twice is Sam's order. I believe the second one was meant to be you Vhillish. In which case, Damien would mention to you about leaving a space behind him.

Damien merely shrugs at Janna's comment, "Could hardly walk away from a threat like this. Not a soldier's way..."

Undercrypt

Barelli holds a finger up to her lips to hush. "Down these stairs there is an obvious pit trap, already sprung long ago, and beyond it the door to the crypt. The cultists may be there working on entering."

A narrow dust‐shrouded stair descends about thirty feet and ends in a corridor. The walls and floor are wet and glisten in your light. The sound of dripping water fills your ears.

Kevezyat leads the way, nodding to Barelli to acknowledge her warning.

Coming to the sprung pit trap, she looks for a way to cross it...

Not obvious how if we can make our way around...

Jerrid waits in the middle, relying on Sam to find the way around. He keeps looking for the tell tale haze of an invisible mouse.

I've posted a rough order on the undercrypt map from what I remember of the discussion but check and change to your hearts content.

Made a couple small alterations. Not certain what to do with the mouse, it was at the top of the stairs, mostly just didn't want to hide the icon. If we missed it, it would just be sharing someone's space anyway. I believe we also need an icon for Knotty, as well.

Vhillish marches along, eyes sharp to nefarious threats and arbalest readied...

As they push into the undercrypt he whispers to his fellow veteran in front;

"Dank and dingy sah! Reminds me of the Hell Pits of Molkazuma whot! Except o' course the underdark elves were onto us and the 16th Heavy Foot like halflings on a buffet!"

The sprung pit trap has a nice platform over it built by 2x4's. You can see the door on the other side with a magical seal on it keeping it closed. There is a torch still burning in a sconce. A cultist is kneeling in meditation before the sealed door.

Damien whispers back to his former Sergeant, "Aye, bloody miserable march that was...", he casts a glance up to the front of the group with a wry smirk, "Good thing the underdark elf is on our side this time, eh?"

Janna is so far back right now she starts wondering about this mouse. and almost out of instinct for some reason she cast detect magic, looking at this mouse.

if there is no mouse visible then she just starts to file her nails waiting for the traffic up ahead to clear out, (probably construction ahead)

I have to read up on how detect magic interacts with invisibility, but let's say the mouse is bringing up the rear like the token indicates, and has broken invisibility. I fixed the battle map link in the campaign tab to link to the current level. I will try to add the cultist token on the other side of the pit, but I'm on iPad for now so I'm not sure how far I'll get.

I'm happy enough to say that Jerrid cannot spot the mouse anyway. Its stealth bonus for size must be massive.

yeh, I think it has a take ten stealth of 41!

As Kevezyat approaches the edge of the pit, the meditating cultist at the door opposite the pit stirs from his revery. In the torchlight Kevezyat sees a depraved grin play across his lips... It is as though he accepts his own death at the sight of the Warriors before him, and welcomes it.

i can't get google docs to cooperate with iPad, but the cultists is kneeling right at that first door after the pit.

The cultist looks at Kevezyat.

"How strange. A dark elf who serves Freya. Beyond this door lies the tomb of another who served the gods of light and fell under the sway of Prince Orcus. Is it curiosity that brought you here? Have you begun to sense the futility of your tired faith?"

Kevezyat regards the cultist, pity written all over her face.

"That one such as yourself, so lost in the darkness I forsook, would chastise an extension of the Goddess' will? You overstep yourself. Your choice, like Eralion's, was to reject the Light. So be it! Prepare youself, oblivion...or Orcus' sweet embrace...awaits you at the end of my blade."

She begins to walk across the platform, her gaze never leaving that of the cultist, a sardonic cast to her face.

Once over the platform ,she waves her hand at the cultist and he is suddenly outlined by a silvery blue glow.

Faerie Fire

The cultist slowly rises to stand before the door. Kevezyat can see the seal displayed on the door behind him... an arcane lock. It matches the amulet which spurred Janna to begin this quest in the first place. The amulet that Samduc hid after battling Janna's rival Vortigern.

The cultist sighs. "I assume many of my brethren and our orcish followers remain above in the keep. They will not hear me call from here but you will have them to face when you leave here after realizing you can not save Eralion's soul. You think it was we who defiled the chapel of Thyr in the courtyard upstairs? It hardly needed defiling. Eralion has not followed the God of Justice and Light for some time. His thirst for immortality got the best of him. He made a pact with my Prince, Lord Orcus, the true ruler of the world to come. And just as Thyr's follower in this keep fell to us, the followers of Freya in that pitiful little town will fall to us too."

Kevezyat nods at the cultist's tale, "A common fall for you shorter-lived humans, grasping for more life. But all too often the sinister whispers of your Prince fills their minds with lies. They begin to equate life with undeath. But they find it is but a prison for the soul that should have been free had they stayed the course and stayed in the Light."

She shrugs, "'Tis no matter. If the remains of Eralion reside behind yonder door, frozen in undeath, I shall destroy him. " she states flatly, her eyes steady on the cultist.

"You however, still live. You have a choice. Live, forsake the lies of the Prince of Undead, or die by my sword. " she says, her voice grave with the weight of her words, sword pointed at the cultist's heart, "Choose your fate!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

The cultist closes his eyes, raises a vial to his lips, and quaffs. Within moments he convulses, foaming at the mouth, and collapses to the cold damp stone floor. Then he moves no more.

Approaching behind Kevezyat, Damien watches the cultist twitch his last with a sour expression, "Bloody fanatics. Kev, grab a leg, we should dump him in the pit. Just in case his god decides to "bless" the bastard's corpse..."

Vhillish nods sage like at his former lieutenant's words.

The gnome's moustaches twitch as he prods the cultists body with his loaded arbalest;

"Wise stratagem sah. Remember the Vale of Black Tears? Those damned gobs rose in their hundreds! Ware the risen dead whot!?"

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

As the body os disposed of, Janna goes to investigate the door.

take 20 to check the door for a 21?

Leo, you have that medallion still? she asks in a hushed voice in case someone invisible is listening in

The cultist has chainmail under his robes, and a mace. Three vials of water and his unholy symbol.

The door is a massive steel affair with no conventional lock, only a socket where the amulet would fit perfectly.

Leo, you have that medallion still? she asks in a hushed voice in case someone invisible is listening in

What medallion O_O??, sorry I'm somewhat lost

the amulet that we had and made fake ones to keep Vorti-whats-its-name from getting. I thought you were carrying the original.

I remember something like that as true, though at the moment the search function is telling me that "medallion" is only mentioned once in the whole thread

try amulet

I think Kevezyat has given the correct answer over in the discussion thread guys. Good memory Kev!

At least that's what I remember.

Jerrid takes the time to look over the strange door and its amulet-shaped niche. He tries to find out if something bad may happen. A trap or magical ward that is his greatest fear.

He points with one clawed finger and casts a spell to sense the presence of magical energies after his search.

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (12) + 15 = 27

The body disappears into the pit and then the amulet is produced.

This bit I remember better than I should. I'll try not to go all meta-.

Jerrid finds the door magically alarmed but his inspection reveals that the use of the amulet should be enough to bypass this alarm.

I have changed things enough from the modules so there should be some surprises for you too FW.

Damien eyes the rest of the group impatiently, the cramped corridor setting his nerves on edge, "Well? Where is the bloody thing?"

...

Vhillish pipes up, adding agreement to the need for urgency;

"I concur sah! Someone insert the amulet then it should be onwards eh?"

The diminutive veteran, loads his arbalest with a look to his former commanding officer;

"Best readied eh sah? Remember that chamber in Gull's Deep? No one expected Kraken-spawn to be inside! Bad briny business that was whot!"

(Load Heavy Crossbow)

Samduc maybe in another game. I vaguely remember us both going for one and that character being used by Chainmail. He would know where the true amulet is.

Oh! Ok that explains it. I will bot him for now.

As Damien and Kevezyat dump the body of the suicidal cultist in the pit, Samduc crosses the pit to join Jerrid inspecting the door.

"Come Knotty, cross here behind me," the halfling tenderly beckons his treeling companion, helping him across. As he holds Knotty's hand, Samduc slyly reaches into the knot hole and retrieves the amulet, concealing his actions as he does so. He does not fully trust the half-orc cook Barelli and doesn't want to give away his hiding spot to a stranger.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Once the treeling is across, Samduc leans in conspiratorially to flash the amulet to Damien.

"I have it..." the halfling whispers.

Joining Jerrid, he inserts the amulet into the slot in the door and turns. The heavy stone door automatically opens inward with a grating sound, into a dark chamber beyond.

what do you guys have going for light sources?

From his vantage point by the door Jerrid's dark vision can make out a chamber hall, with six statues of female warriors holding longswords. Passages to the east and south lead to other chambers. The passage to the east, directly opposite the door you just opened, leads to a room which even from here Jerrid can see looks like a wizard's study. He can make out tables and shelves covered in books and vials.

Damien has a Light spell on his ring. I'm not certain about the others. Also, there should still be a Message spell active between Myself, Janna, Jerrid and Vhillish.

The veteran's mouth twists into a wry smile as he whispers to the Deputy, "Aye, I remember. Took you near a fortnight to get the ink out of your mustache..."

Jerrid checks inside the door for any further traps. Then he ducks inside with a quick nod to Damien and Samduc. He casts detect magic and slides around the doorway.

"Let me see ahead. There are six statues, corridors off to the left and a wizard's study. I'll be careful."

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21
Stealth (underground): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (2) + 19 = 21

Anything he learns, he will message back to the party.

As soon as Jerrid probes into the room, he notices something is wrong with the statues. He feels as though they are watching him. The statues each hold a tablet in their off hand. They look at him, then at their tablets, then back at him.

Kevezyat stands at the entrance, her eyes piercing the gloom, watching as Jerrid advances slowly.

She stands loosely, no tension in her body at all. She rolls her neck from side to side, grips her sword and makes ready to spring to Jerrid's aid...

Leoven stand on his place murmuring a prayer to Tyr, his heart beating with anxiety and his eyes trying in vain to pierce the darkness ahead...

The diminutive arbalester shoulders his weapon, covering the rows of statues best he can through the dunjeon gloom, lest something untoward occur...

Jerrid catches a glimpse of the tablet belonging to one of the nearest statues. He sees that the tablets have three names on them in glowing letters, with room for many more names. The names he reads are:

1. Eralion
2. Gethrame
3. Feriblan
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

The eyes of the statues flash a pale green momentarily, as if scanning him. Then with a creek they move to point their swords at him.

Initiative: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

roll your own initiative if you beat a 5 you may act.

I moved Jerrid's token into the room on the battle map.
U2 is the hall with warrior statues.
U3 is the wizards study.
U4 is a room with pillars, Jerrid can't see much in there from his position.

Knowledge(arcana): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8