The Godsmouth Heresy - Team Kappa (Inactive)

Game Master Luke_Parry

The hunch-back finishes packing up, and then shouts down the corridor at the back of the lab: "Esme! We need to pack - We're leaving this place - perhaps we can find somewhere in Ankar-te..."

He then moves over to a section of wall, and presses one of the bricks at knee level, which slides into the wall with a click, causing a section of wall to swing inward, revealing another chamber.

"All right you lot, come out and pick up a box - then follow me."

At his command, four animated skeletons, their bones stained a vivid rainbow of colors, leave the secret room, and begin to pick up boxes.

At about this time, two more skeletons, these ones dressed in faded burial garments, come down the corridor behind the lab, accompanied by what would once have been a beautiful young woman, but her skin is now rotting and putrid, and her once-lustrous blonde hair rank and lifeless. An attempt has apparently been made to conceal the decay beneath heavy makeup and cloying perfumes, but it’s a lost cause. Her clothing and jewelry are formal dresses and accoutrements, but they seem garish and vulgar on her decomposing body.

"Svilennius? I have packed what I can..."

The hunchback's face is momentarily a mixture of warring emotions, before settling on happiness, and he moves over and embraces her.

"Esme! It is time to go..."

So saying, he and his entourage follow the party to the exit tunnel, and after circumventing the logistical challenge presented by the climb from the ledge down to the path, the hunchback turns to the party, and nods his thanks.

"Thank-you for your help. Here, take these - it is the least I can do..."

The hunchback gives the party the following:

Potion of Cure Light Wounds (x2), Potion of Enlarge Person (x2), Wand of Command Undead (13 charges), Acid Flask (x2), Alchemist's Fire (x2), Scroll of Ghoul Touch, Scroll of Mage Armor, +1 Spear.

He then leads his group off down the path, out of sight...

As mentioned in the discussion thread, you actually already have full gold and prestige, but may I recommend searching the chambers that the hunchback just vacated, as well as taking a look at the double doors in the NE corner of the dungeon map before calling it a day? :-)

Cacumattus watches Slivennius and Esme go. "Pity she won't live," he muses, "but then again, who does?"

Turning back to his colleagues, he suggests "I'm about ready to get out this dreary place before it bleaches me, but perhaps we should check if they left anything, er, valuable, behind first?"

Heh. Love the Bladerunner reference... and fairly apt, too ;-)

With the Hunchback and his entourage safely out of the complex, the party returns to his chambers to see what, if anything, he has left behind...

Room 26

This hidden stairwell leads back up to the upper levels of the Ossuary, and provides a hitherto-unknown access point... undoubtedly the way that the hunchback was pilfering his bodies.

Room 27

What is left of the alchemist's lab is quite a mess, but enough remains that something of value can still be extracted... with a bit of effort...

Basically, 500gp of assorted alchemical bits and bobs.

Room 28

Half-way down the corridor to this room, the way is blocked by a 10' wide pit, which descends down to the body pile where Hisao was so recently choked. Fortunately, someone has used several stout planks to bridge the gap (DC 5 Acrobatics check to cross, and yes, you can 'Take 10').

This large chamber has a vaulted ceiling, and unlike the rest of the ossuary, bears a distinct impression of habitation rather than abandonment. Lit candelabras reveal old tapestries hanging from the walls to ward off the subterranean chill, and a threadbare carpet covers the floor. Shabby furniture—a few chairs and tables, an armoire, and a dresser—flanks a large canopied bed in the center of the room, topped with satin sheets and a heap of lumpy pillows.

In all, there is about 100gp worth of tattered finery that can be recovered from here.

Room 29

Entering the chamber from which the hunchback summoned his skeletons, the party finds the following:

Repeated lines of footprints mark the dust on the floor of this crypt, all leading to an alcove in the northeast portion of the chamber. The burial niches lining the stone walls are empty save for ancient scraps of yellowed linen. At the far end of the chamber, a gate apparently crafted of bleached bone blocks an exit out of the tomb.

The room contains nothing of value... but the gate is certainly interesting ;-)

Map updated.

Hisao inspects the room and the gate carefully Taking 20 on perception please

Hisao is able to work out that the gate is something between a trap, and an undead creature...

...basically, however, it can be defeated by Disable Device :-)

If Hisao can take 20 on Disable Device he will do so

Max watches the group shuffle around with mixed feelings.
He liked finding a solution that was inside the letter of the law, but letting the practice of necromancy continue ate at him (even if alchemical rather than magical).
Watching the interaction with Svilennius and his dead lover Esme put him at ease however, as he put the pieces together (heh) and was able then to see how such a noble cause could make a monster out of any man. Such was the way of things, sadly.
-
Watching Hisao as he attempts to somehow "disable" the door/undead amalgamation, an idea suddenly pops into his head.
"Hisao, what about simply using this wand of Control Undead and telling the door to open?"

@Hisao: Because there is a risk of failure - (i.e. triggering the trap), you can't take 20. You can take 10 if you wish, or you may roll.

Command Undead would not work, but channeling positive energy at the gate would temporarily sedate it.

Could Hisao take 20 after the door has been sedated?

Sorry - to be clear: You can use Disable Device to 'temporarily sedate' the gate, or channel positive energy - neither option permanently disables to gate (which resets itself after a while)

Channel positive seems safer

Fair enough :-) I will wait for Maxwell to make a post, though ;-)

Max decides to do what he can to assist the ninja in his attempt to disable the strange construct gate. Holding his holy symbol aloft, he concentrates and channels positive energy through the icon, filling the area with the light of his deity.

When Maxwell channels divine energy, the bones making-up the gate quiver, and slide apart, opening a gap to allow passage further down the corridor.

The passageway beyond immediately curves right, and about 30' further on, curves right again. At this point, an alcove to the right contains a square shaft, which disappears into darkness...

An entrance to an even *deeper* level...

...whilst the main passageway continues on for another 10', before, apparently, dead-ending in a suspiciously blank wall...

Hisao moves in carefully scanning the area as thoroughly as he can, paying special attention to the blank wall Take 20 please

After carefully searching the blank wall, Hisao finds a secret door! Even better, as far as he can tell, it does not appear to be trapped...

;-)

Hisao stealthily opens the door to peek at the other side

stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Hisao quietly opens the secret door, revealing a narrow corridor, with niches carved into the wall on the right hand side. Most of the contents of these niches has decayed away to mere fragments, motes of dust and grime which disperse at the slightest disturbance of the air, but enough paper-thin and Faberge-egg delicate remains have survived for you to recognise this as a catacomb sacred to the Pharasmin faith.

"The Pharasmin priesthood should be happy about this find."

Feel free to search / do a Detect Magic sweep of the area :-)

Cacumattus wanders down the corridor, looking for any more intact relics to show the Pharasmins Perception take 20. Feeling an odd tingle in the air, he concentrates, seeking out with his mind for any magical auras Detect Magic Spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25.

Cacumattus finds a total of seven archaic-looking silver holy symbols of Pharasma, that the Church would undoubtedly be willing to pay a decent price for. In addition, he finds a wand constructed of fused finger bones, which he is able to identify as a Wand of Disrupt Undead with 30 charges remaining.

Alright, that is this section of the crypt finished. Would you like to go to the double doors in the NE of the map, now?

We may as well :)

Okay then :-)

Returning to the double doors that they bypassed earlier, the party takes a closer look.

Like elsewhere in the complex, they are smooth stone doors, untouched by time, with no obvious locking mechanism...

Feel free to take a closer look ;-)

Hisao examines the doors carefully Taking 20

The doors appear to be neither trapped, nor locked.

Maeron steps up and examines the doors closely, attempting to open them.

The doors open at Maeron's touch.

Double doors open onto a long, oval-shaped room. Floating balls of fire illuminate walls covered with a bewildering array of runes, sigils, and glyphs. Beneath these carvings, stacks of engraved stone tablets rest in recessed niches in the walls.

Hisao carefully examines the room Take 20 please

Max activates Detect Magic and scans the room for anything interesting.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Maxwell finds that the background magic in the room drowns out any other, weaker signals.

Give me a Perception check, and if you find things, *then* you can give me Spellcraft :-)

Did hisao's take 20 find anything?

Right, sorry. Take 20 on Perception then :)

While the others search the room, Cacumattus examines the carvings and engraved tablets. Read Magic as necessary, Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20.

No-one as 'Taken 20' just yet - that will take many hours to do properly...

Realising that searching an archive (especially one in a language that no-one here understands) is going to take time, the party settles-down for a methodical (albeit time-consuming) search...

...shortly thereafter, however, one of the runes festooning the walls detaches, and begins to float towards the party; as it does so, it bursts into cherry-red flames...

1d2 ⇒ 2

The flames surrounding the Floating Rune rise up, and then explode outward in a cone of flames, which envelop Maeron and Maxwell.

Burning Hands: 3d4 ⇒ (3, 2, 4) = 9 Fire damage, DC 12 Reflex save for half.

Round 1: RG, Maxwell, Cacumattus, Hisao, Maeron

Party is up.

Cacumattus hastily picks up his crossbow (MA) and loads it (2nd MA in place of SA).

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Maxwell yelps and leaps back, but not fast enough to avoid all of the flames.
"What is that thing?"
Pressing his hand to his slightly scorched chest, Max back away from the flaming rune and casts Cure Light Wounds as he prays through gritted teeth.
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 (in place of Holy Shield)

Does anyone have a Knowledge roll to see how to hurt this thing?

Knowledge(Arcana) might be relevant, but you could also just try hitting it ;-)

Hisao moves to and slashes at the mysterious rune

blade: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 201d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

A knowledge check doesn't take an action, right? Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Maxwell grits his teeth as the flames envelop him, then hurriedly moves away, casting a healing spell to close his wounds.

Cacumattus quickly picks-up his crossbow, and loads it.

Hisao hustles forward, and delivers a slash at the floating rune, chipping off a fragment.

Round 1: RG(-4), Maxwell, Cacumattus, Hisao, Maeron

Maeron is up.

Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Maeron howls in pain from the burning hands effect, narrowly avoiding the worst of it. With no useful spells left, he moves forward and attempts to hit the rune with his staff.

Quarterstaff: 1d20 ⇒ 21d6 ⇒ 5

@Maeron: When taking half damage, you round down, not up, so you only took 4 points of damage.

Maeron steps forward and takes a swing, but, distracted by his rather painful burn injuries, his blow does not go anyway near the rune, which easily floats out of the way.

The Floating Rune drifts backwards, and pulses with more fire, before sending another gout of flame outwards, engulfing Maeron and Hisao.

Burning Hands: 3d4 ⇒ (2, 2, 4) = 8 Fire damage, DC 12 Reflex save for half.

More alarming, however, is the fact that the crack put in the rune by Hisao is slowly beginning to repair itself...

Round 2: RG(-3), Maxwell, Cacumattus, Hisao, Maeron

Party is up.

Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Feeling a bit out of sorts from all the wounds he has received and recovered from Hisao is unable to dodge out of the way of the rune's flame and takes the full brunt of it

Blade: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 151d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

nonetheless he continues following the rune and slashing at it.

Despite being badly burned, Hisao manages to focus his attention upon the floating rune, and delivers a vicious slash with his blade, which almost (but not quite!) splits it in half...

Round 2: RG(-10), Maxwell, Cacumattus, Hisao, Maeron

Max watches at Maeron is burned by the flames and seems on the verge of collapsing. Rushing to his aid, Max used Cure Light Wounds, praying for the aid of his deity to relieve the pain of these burns.
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 in place of Shield of Faith

Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Again Maeron manages to avoid the blast, but the two blasts combined stagger the elf. With what little energy he has the elf limps away.

Retreat 20ft as a move action.

Cacumattus fires, then reloads.

Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 3 - 4 = 13 for Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Since I am trying to help, here, Cacumattus, you *could* ready to fire when Hisao 5' steps back, so that you don't take the -4 for firing into melee...