The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

The creatures within the room had clearly been in there for a long time, and together had thoroughly wrecked the place. The only remaining item, hidden under one of the bodies, was a silver signet ring.

Finally, you're able to move into the southern areas and take a look around the first room you enter. Several years worth of cobwebs connect the chairs of this formal dining room (Area 2) to a long table that occupies the center of the room. On the floor beneath is a ruined rug. On the east wall between the two large windows sits a dusty, 6-foot tall mirror. Several stacks of musty parchment and a few inkwells sit on the table, and a search of the papers reveals a note that someone had left behind.

Astoroth takes the ring and examines it for any distinguishing marks. When he's finished, he moves into the dining room and searches it thoroughly - paying special attention to the rug and floor beneath. Wouldn't do to miss a secret basement trapdoor, after all. When his examination is finished, he reads the note.

There's no sign of any basements within the house - the closest the building has is the cold storage room you visited before. There doesn't seem to be anything else of value or interest within the room - aside from the unopened doors to the north and west, of course, which lead into the rest of the building.

What's the note say?

*Points to the Hyperlink* o wo? ...Unless you can't read it on the screen?

derp! Totally missed that it was a link.

Belya, Rale, and Niccum. Two of these individuals have already been encountered, and it's possible that the third lay in the destroyed library - although that last part wasn't a certainty. How many people are in this odd gang? And what were they doing in this house?

Based on the dimensions of the house, there was a small room to the north of Astoroth's present location. Perhaps a closet of sorts? After checking the door for traps (with a trio of trigger-happy individuals on the premises, there's no guarantee of safety), he attempts to open it.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

There don't seem to be any traps on the door, and it clicks open with ease, allowing you to look around. This small room smells of musty tobacco and rot. A musty couch and damp chair sit in the northwest corner covered in dry blankets and the bar has rotted through in places. Dozens of dirt-caked glasses line the wall behind the bar as do several empty bottles of spirits and alcohol.

There don't seem to be any treasures within the room, though you do manage to uncover another note. (<- Hyperlink) This one was tucked neatly under the blankets covering the chair.

That clears things up somewhat. Rayle was most likely the mage from upstairs. Clearly his unrequited love for Belya had taken control of his faculties. But what was the "Alvis?" The wording implied either an object or a sailing vessel, but he couldn't rule out a location, either. The answer would have to wait until later. There was more of the house to search.

Astoroth thoroughly searches the room before exiting the manor and re-entering through the front door.

Cobwebs obscure the upper corners of the front room, and a cold fireplace in the north wall offers no reprieve from the chill. A stylish wooden rack holding several moldy and thread-bare cloaks and a dust-covered piano, badly out of tune but still playable, stand in the northeast corner. Three wooden sliding pocket-doors offer egress through the east, west, and north walls. The west is the only area you haven't actually been yet - and a look around suggests that there's nothing else of interest in this area - possibly because it was the room unwanted guests were most likely to visit.

After checking the fireplace to see if it allows ingress to the room behind it, Astoroth heads to the only unexplored area.

Once the entire house has been explored, Astoroth will go back through each room and divine for magic auras. This will take approximately 80min and includes the basement and second story. What time of day?

The fireplace does allow passage to the other room, though you'd have to squeeze to manage it. A bit tough for someone in heavy armor... but you? Not so much.

Meanwhile, the last room is a well-appointed chamber that sports draped walls on the west and south side. What once was luxurious furniture decorates the center of the room, and the north wall sports a tall bookcase. A pair of delicate chairs flanks a low, wooden table, which plays host to an antique chess set. One of the white pawns on the board has advanced. Scattered across the west side of this room are several half-built wicker cages, just large enough to fit a small dog or large bird. Stacks of unbent wicker sit against the east wall below the northern-most window and on top of those stacks are string, metal sheers, and a detailed set of instructions on how to make wicker cages.

The chess set is made of marble and jade and is worth 200 gp - it also detects very faintly of transmutation, though too weakly to have any actual effect. Another note was poorly hidden beneath the board, and dated one week ago.

There don't seem to be any other magical auras within the building, and after all you've done, it's likely a little after midnight - without a clock, it's hard to be sure, but it's undoubtedly very late at night. The problem, of course, is the information you've gathered from the notes... but you have at least some time to prepare before anyone else gets back, and could probably set things up however you wish in the time available.

With a faint grin, Astoroth advances the black King's Knight Pawn a single space. He'd always loved chess, although few had the ability to provide a real challenge. While he didn't expect anything to happen, the chess set did bring back fond memories of happier times.

The momentary respite done, Astoroth turned his attention to the note. Alvis, then, was a town. It seemed that a group of miscreants were trying to take it over through deception and crafted monsters. Very interesting. This estate must be their base of operations. How unfortunate for them.

Well, he still had a job to do, then. After all, his employer couldn't take possession of the estate if it was overrun by criminals. He'll just have to dispose of the rest of them when they came back. After thinking things over, he decided that the best course of action would be to get some rest. He had no skill at trap-making, and ambushes honestly weren't his preferred method of conflict resolution. While it was almost certain that the remaining members of this conspiracy would react with violence (their compatriots certainly had no desire for discussion), he still had to attempt to reason with them. It was always best to offer people a chance to consider ALL the facts, and the presence of the Endless Fount was certainly an unexpected variable.

Astoroth will use the couch to barricade himself in Room 7 (assuming the door opens inward) and sleep on it. He'll wake after 8 hours unless something disturbs him sooner.

A golden dawn rose up in the sky, seeming just a bit brighter than normal. Your abilities felt rather refreshed after the rest, but that was a minor issue compared to the fact that the front door had opened - pulling you out of your sleep, and two men strode inside, carrying a third who'd been knocked unconscious and carefully bound hand and foot. He was also badly burned, and even people who knew him would probably be unable to recognize his face.

The intruders didn't seem aware of your presence just yet...

"Belya!? Rale!?" he called out, a definite note of concern in his voice.

Shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, Astoroth moves his couch barricade out of the way and steps out to meet the newcomers. He makes sure to keep the table between him and them to provide a bit of cover in the likely event that at least one was trigger-happy.

"They attacked me unprovoked and have paid for it. It would be wise for you to not make the same mistake. Shall we have discourse?"

Full-Defense for the time-being. How are the uninjured men armed and armored?

The leader doesn't look to be armored, but has a dagger. The other has studded leather armor, a shortsword, and a shortbow.

The man's expression took a few moments to flicker, but when it did, he scowled and raised one hand. "All right, here are my terms." he said flatly. "You surrender and I'll see how good a price I can get for you as a slave. You try to fight me and I'll feed you your own ****ing intestines." Energy crackled at the tips of his fingers, a clear sign of a magic-user ready to start casting.

Astoroth sighed. "There's no reason for this to come to violence. I'm not a resident of Alvis and really don't care about who's in charge there. If you want to make monsters and harass them, I'm not going to stand in your way - as long as you don't get in my way. Your associates failed to see the wisdom in frank discourse, but you seem to be more discerning. I take it, you're Niccum? The one in charge?"

Although Astoroth's voice remained calm and level, he mentally began constructing the equation of force. Mages were powerful, but their power was drastically decreased if they couldn't complete their spells.

Readied Action: destructive blast if the mage attempts to cast a spell at me

"Really." the man who was probably Niccum said flatly. "I think we're being fairly frank with each other. You say you killed two of my friends, and you think I'd let that go just because you threatened me with violence as well? I don't think you're as smart as you believe you are." He had yet to start casting - but was just as clearly continuing to remain ready to do so, even as his companion slowly started to move to the side.

Astoroth elected to ignore the insult for the time-being. "I concur: we are being frank with each other. It's a pleasant change. I regret harming your friends but assure you that it was purely self-defense. If they had any items of sentimental value, you're welcome to them. I'd like to keep the current situation from degenerating into violence if at all possible, as I don't believe that further bloodshed is necessary." Astoroth gave the armored man a quick glance to indicate that he was aware of the movement but kept most of his attention on Niccum.

Continuing with the readied destructive blast. How far away are they?

~35 feet from the door to Room 7. They're in the southeastern part of Room 1.

"Oh, I agree." he said. "Let me clap you in irons and I won't need to shed a single drop of your blood. Be easier for me, at least, since I have no intention of letting you go and I'm willing to bet on that. I get paid, you get to live, and I take comfort knowing that somebody's making your life a living hell. But at least you'll be alive, right? There's always hope for escape and so on, or whatever the hell the Andorans are parroting right now."

*sigh* mortals ...

Astoroth maintained his even tone, despite his growing frustration at the man's obstinance. "I've been imprisoned for far too long already, I'm afraid. Will you be doing the deed yourself, or will you hide behind your minion like a coward?" He gives Niccum a patronizing smirk.

Continuing with the readied destructive blast. Let's see if I goaded him into doing something dumb. :-)

In response, the man stepped five feet west and began chanting, his voice speaking out the sounds of some type of summoning spell... though it certainly wasn't clear what he was summoning. The other problem? Unless you had a range-extending ability of some kind, he wasn't close enough for your Destructive Blast to hit, given that the basic blast could only be used in a fairly close range...

Clever man

Astoroth wastes no time in quickly stepping forward and launching a wave of magical energy at the mage. Summoned creatures were nasty, and he was still getting used to this mortal body. As he casts, he channels a portion of his remaining power to increase his accuracy.

Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 Surge: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Concentration: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

The man winced, but completed his cast and pointed to the air next to you. A massive spider appeared out of the air and clicked its mandibles loudly before spitting a glob of webbing through the air and straight towards you.

Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

It wasn't a bad shot in the general sense, but it failed to actually connect with you - and Niccum's guard quickly positioned himself between the caster and you, providing an additional layer of defense.

Astoroth's advance is halted by the appearance of a large arachnid. He's forced to dodge a jet of webbing, so his initial strike misses badly. He takes a moment to regain his focus. "It'll take more than an oversize insect to defeat me."

Move Action: martial flexibility for Belier's Bite
Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 +1d4 bleed

Incidentally, I believe your Touch AC is still 17, as listed in your profile...? Looks a bit high in your stat bar.

The spider dropped its body as you struck out, retaliating with a quick bite towards your legs.

Melee: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Its mandibles only closed on empty air, though, and the wizard focused a moment later. As soon as he was done, a burst of mind-affecting magic shot towards you, aiming to twist your mind with fear.

Will DC 15 negates: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Your willpower was more than enough to overcome his casting, however, and he scowled in irritation as the other bandit carefully kept in front of him to shield him from any attacks you launched his way.

Astoroth barely noticed the magical assault as he quickly stepped back from the spider's snapping mandibles. He attempts to grab one of the fangs and rip it out.

Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 +1d4 bleed

Out of curiosity, is it a Fiendish or Celestial spider?

Fiendish.

The spider ducked down again before chomping at your outstretched hand-

Melee: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

-and closing only on empty air. Its caller raised his hands a moment later, focusing intently, and a scorching ray shot out of his fingertips and towards you.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

The beam came close enough for you to smell the burning air, but ultimately it punched into a wall - and the bandit's leader let out a foul curse at what had probably been his most powerful offense failed to do anything useful.

Astoroth nimbly spun away from the ray and turned the momentum into a powerful knife hand strike aimed at the spider's neck. He proceeded to execute a series of spear hands.

Your first blow sunk deeply into the spider's body, clearly wounding it...

Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

...and its retaliatory strike missed. Meanwhile, the wizard and his guard moved closer, and he let a blast of multicolored light erupt from his fingertips.

Will 15 Negates: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

A basic color spray spell - simple yet effective, but only on the weak-minded. Your second strike banished the summoned monster, and that was when the minion (really, there was no better word to describe him) darted at you. "I'm gonna gut you like a pig!"

Melee: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

You know, if he could ever hit you. Your darting strike went straight through his throat, instantly dropping him, and the wizard hastily fired a pair of magic missiles at you.

Force Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 1) + 2 = 5

Your next hand thrust missed, and the wizard retaliated by whipping out a knife and jabbing it towards your chest.

Melee: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

It was actually a better blow than his minion had managed, and that said sad things about the state of martial training among mortals these days. Your next attack sunk into his body, and the melee was truly joined.

Melee: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

He continued to slash out with surprisingly impressive skill, but each time, his weapon missed, and you drove another hard blow into his body.

Melee: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

The last blow in your series of attacks missed - but the wizard was slowly bleeding out as the fight continued, and it was clear he'd been hurt quite badly by the events thus far.

Astoroth winces in pain as the force missiles strike him. He retaliates with a powerful side kick to the chest.

Unarmed: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20 Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 Bleed: 1d4 ⇒ 1

And my Belier's Bite feat goes *poof*, although I'm pretty sure the existing bleed damage will continue.

The wizard staggered and swung out one more time...

Melee: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

...only for his weapon to fall through the empty air. He collapsed a moment later, blood pooling on the floor beneath him as the life left his body. It was unlikely this particular group of cultists would be bothering people any longer, and it only took a few moments to examine their possessions.

You've found a set of Bracers of Armor +1, a Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds, a key, and 202 GP. None of the other items seem particularly valuable.

Meanwhile, the man they'd brought in was still tied-up, badly wounded, and unconscious - though in no immediate danger of dying, he'd definitely need help at some point.

The bracers fit Astoroth's arms nicely, and the money would get him one step closer to Nex. The key, however, was the most interesting find. Once he determined that the prisoner was in relatively stable condition, The Fount of Knowledge returned upstairs and attempted to open the mysterious locked chest.

EDIT: Because Astoroth has the Enduring Armor Mythic ability, will the bracers function?

They are both armor bonuses, and as such do not stack. However, you can craft armor abilities into them, should you choose to do so - and thus gain access to defensive abilities that aren't otherwise available to you, given Enduring Armor's inability to gain extra abilities.

The key you found does nothing to the chest, and doesn't come close to fitting in its lock - it's identical in material to the binds used to restrict the movements of the unconscious man, and is almost certainly the easiest way of freeing him.

That's what I figured but wanted to confirm.

With a disappointed sigh, Astoroth carries the lockbox downstairs and stashes it in the room where he spent the night. He'll get it open later. For now, he had to deal with the prisoner. Probably best to free him and patch him up. After all, he'll probably be grateful, and that gratitude can be used for Astoroth's benefit in the future.

After searching the man's clothing for any identifying objects, Astoroth unlocks the bindings and forces Niccum's healing potion down his throat.

CMW: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (5, 4) + 3 = 12

As the healing potion worked through the unconscious man's body, he began coughing, eventually opening his eyes and looking around warily. It didn't take him long to ascertain the situation - he didn't seem at all bothered by the sight of dead bodies, and winced slightly before looking up at you. "It appears I owe you my thanks." he said, extending a hand. "I'm Eraltis, the Sheriff of Alvis... and these thugs look like they got exactly what they deserved."

Astoroth shakes the man's hand. "Astoroth. Do you know what these men wanted? I believe one's named Niccum, if that helps. I ran into a few of his associates yesterday."

"Revenge, I think." the Sheriff said. "They broke into my home, set it on fire, and beat me unconscious, but not before I saw their faces... and this is the same bunch that tried to set up a cult in my town a few weeks back. Well, we don't really tolerate that kind of thing here, especially not when they're trying to get the youth involved, so I ran them out of town when the Mayor asked me to. In hindsight, I guess I should've been a little more permanent. If you're ever in my town, be sure to drop by - I'll be needing a new place, but my wife would never forget it if I didn't show you some hospitality."

As he spoke, the morning sun slowly rose higher in the sky, and you could see a familiar figure walking up the path to the front doors - the man who'd asked you to spend the night here in the first place.

"A cult, huh? For which deity?" It would be interesting to get an idea of who may be worshiped in secret here. "Out of curiosity, does your town have a library?"

After hearing the Sheriff's answer, Astoroth excuses himself and goes to the doorway to await his employer's entrance. "You have excellent timing: I'm just about finished. To start with, this place definitely isn't haunted - although the state of disrepair is abysmal. Why are you interested in living here, if I might ask?"

Socothbenoth seemed to be the patron of this particular group - the Silken Sin was the demon lord of perversion, pride, and taboos, which told most people all they wanted to know about what his followers had likely been planning to do.

Your client, meanwhile, just gestured to the yard around it. "Most houses with decent space are owned by old families, so you can't really get them in the middle of the city anymore. I like having a bit of privacy." His eyes moved to the Sheriff as the other man came out.

"And this is?" the Sheriff asked, looking at you. He clearly wasn't quite certain the other man hadn't been in with the cultists... and was trying to decide whether or not to make this official.

"I can understand that, but the cost of repairs is going to be enormous. Also, you'll want to hire someone to clean out the kitchen. There's an massive plant infestation there, although I was able to exterminate the more dangerous ones. Also, there was a small cult of Socothbenoth making their headquarters here. I think there were just the four of them, but it's possible that there were more. One's in the backyard under some bushes, one's upstairs, and two are in the foyer. There are also two bodies boarded up in the library. I believe they've been there a while. As I said, you'll want a disposal crew to come through here before beginning renovations."

Astoroth finishes his summary as the Sheriff comes out. "Oh, yes, there's one more thing. Sheriff Eraltis of Alvis, meet my employer. He hired me to see if this property was haunted, as he's thinking of retiring here."

"The structural problems I knew about." Your employer noted. "By the time I'm done, they'll stop being an issue. So it was cultists making all that racket, huh?" He made his way inside, looking down at the bodies. A moment later, two bags were tossed your way.

You've gained 250 GP.

"Will you be needing to look over the scene for an investigation, Sheriff? I don't actually own the house yet, but I still plan to buy it - I'll need to talk with the current owner if we're going to delay things a few days, though."

"Don't worry about it." the Sheriff answered. "I'll have a crew out here today to tidy it up for you, compliments of the city - I know a few guys on the force, and they'll want to talk to the bodies. If we need anything else, we'll let you know, but I think you're clear for now. I'll just need a brief statement from each of you and your signatures." Once he had that, he tipped his head to you and left.

With the job complete and the money collected, you could certainly head off on your own - the gold you'd earned was almost certainly enough to see you to safer lands if you chose to leave the city by sea, though you could also stay in town if you really wanted to...

Astoroth thanks his employer, retrieves the lockbox, and returns to town. Once there, he looks around for somewhere to sell some of the items he's acquired.

It takes about two hours before any of the real shops open up for business, but this is a port city, and there is a marketplace, even if most people don't seem especially happy to be there. There's no haggling at most of the stalls - buyers and sellers alike don't seem like they want to debate over prices, and offers are what they are. On the bright side, selling things is easy enough once you found a willing merchant.

At this level, there's probably not going to be an issue with the transactions, so feel free to just list them out.

Astoroth disposes of a few items, purchases some travel supplies, and begins to look into acquiring passage to Nex.

Transactions
Sell: lesser rod of ectoplasmic spell (1500gp)
Sell: MW rapier (160gp)
Buy: Magus' Kit (minus the torches, 22gp) + Spring-Loaded Wrist Sheath (5gp)
Current Funds: 2483gp

There was no direct passage between Nidal and Nex. The easiest route - as a man at the docks was able to inform you - was probably taking a ship to Cheliax, going from there to Absalom (or another Inner Sea port), and going from that port down to Nex. Things would get much easier once you were away from these accursed lands.

It was also something like three thousand miles to Nex by sea, give-or-take a changed route, and the entire journey would cost about six hundred gold.

well, let's take this in stages, then

Astoroth books passage to Cheliax. The extreme lawfulness of their society would be nice. Order was always appreciated, as it tended to limit distractions. Plus, while hardly as accepting of outsiders as Absalom, it was still a better place to be than Nidal.

How much do I owe?

Don't forget that Astoroth doesn't know much -recent- history.

The trip to a port in Cheliax would be 100 GP and a short leg of the journey, payable only in cash and up-front. Your guide muttered a few pieces of advice - keep your head down, don't bother the nobles, and remember that anyone could be a devil in disguise there. Despite the warming of relations between the two countries, even most of Nidal seemed a tad nervous about their southern neighbor's activities. A man who kept a giant as a pet would be cautiously received at best, for you never knew when the giant might smash his way out of their yard and into your own...

Is he limited to the forbidden ancient history, or does he know about House Thrune and the devilish stuff? I'm not terribly up to speed on that part of Golarion and only know the basics.

House Thrune and the Diabolism is recent - it happened after Aroden died, which wasn't that long ago. Before Astoroth vanished, he'd know of Cheliax as a bright beacon and generally a decent place to be, given the close ties several deities had to it.

Heh, this'll be fun, then. I'd say it's very possible for Astoroth to be executed for spreading forbidden knowledge or something. :-)

Confused by the warnings, Astoroth spends the 100gp anyway. Cheliax was a reasonable place, and he may be able to get some answers there. At the very least, he'd enjoy revisiting a place where knowledge was deemed precious.