The_Ninja_DM's Road to Kasai

Game Master Spiral_Ninja

Moving quickly, Ikshvaku crosses to the door and braces it. "What is the little nuisance saying?"

Kayosin kicks the little runt's blade away and steps on its torso, "It says it'll talk."

He switches to goblin.
[spoiler=Goblin]"So tell! Where is chief's map to bone cave? What did bone walkers look like? How many goblins in this goblin-town?"

Fibek casts quickly scanning for magic.

He makes s magic pile.

The only magical items appear to be 5 +1 animal bane arrows and 2 potions of cure light wounds.

Further searching leads you through room H10 (the chief's bedroom) and to room H11, apparently the 'treasure' room. All it currently contains is a single beautiful lacquered red chest (at least, once you clean the mud off of it).

Inside the chest is the total remaining treasure of the Licktoad tribe:

6 MW shuriken
329 sp
112 gp
a long hairpin with a red pearl at one end
a gold-and-ivory fan depicting a gecho walking amid cherry blossoms

On the back of the fan is a rather crude map of Brinestump Marsh, showing the Licktoad's village, two shipwrecks, and a cave.

As Fibek searches the 'treasure room', Kayosin snarls at the prone goblin in its own tongue.

Intimidate to get him to talk (including +4 for being bigger) 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

The Vudrani gives the loot pile a professional glance. "Hmm...yes, that would be easy to move in the right places. I suppose the cave is where we should be going next."

He looks around.

Kayosin translates for the group. (Everyone feel free to read the spoilers and act accordingly in-character.)

Without letting the creature go, Kayosin looks at the group, "I agree with Vak. Let's finish the job here, then we can find a place to rest for the night and head to the cave in the morning."

"If anyone wants the arrows, let me know."

Fibek prepares to put some of the magic arrows in his quiver in a special spot.

Anyone good at appraising for the items in the chest? Kayosin has a +3 int mod, but no ranks.

"It's all you, Fibek." He looks back down at the goblin, once again switching to his tongue.

Bluff (Kayosin wants to know the most efficient way of finishing the job they came to do)
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
And if the goblin gets aggressive or tries to run, Kayosin will try to stab him.

Ikshvaku ponders the words of the goblin captive. "This is interesting, yes? The goblins found a treasure, but that treasure was watched by guardians whose faith could not be broken by death." He shrugs. "The fact of their existence is as important as the treasure. Even if we do not recover anything more of value from the cave, the people of Sandpoint may reward us for knowledge of what is there, yes?"

"I suggest we bring these to the traveled ranger in town, I think her name is Andesano. She will probably offer us some help."

I hope this gets me an introduction.

Kayosin glances at the Vudrani as he continues to wait for the goblin's response. "That's a good possibility. Then again, there could be other magic at play here. That treasure could be a necromancer's. If I wanted to hide a big stash, and I had the powers to protect it with animated dead, that's exactly what I'd do. But I agree with your conclusion. Let's see what we can recover from the cave and then see what kind of reward we can get in Sandpoint for the information." He grins at the man. "I like how you think."

Without warning, Kayosin attempts to kill the little creature.

Wakizashi: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
---> Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
---> Sneak Attack (if possible): 1d6 ⇒ 2

Kayosin kills the one remaining Chief's guard, but by the time you get the doors open the rest have fled into the swamp.

Sumisu offers to take the ears back for the bounty if the rest of you want to follow the map. In fact, he offers to make a copy and send Shalelu out to meet you at the cave.

"Thank you, Sumisu. That would be most helpful, yes?" The Vudrani turns to the rest of the party.

"Shall we attempt the cave now, or rest? I am slightly wounded and rather wait to fight the 'bones' the goblin spoke of."

Kayosin nods in silent response to Vak's suggestion as he cleans his blade. THe dark-skinned young man's fatigue is obvious "I could continue on if we think it's important enough. I could seriously use some rest, though. I'm still feeling weak from that tangle we had earlier."

Kayosin is still sporting some Strength damage I'd love to sleep off before we hit the caves. Plus, he's out of arcane points and only has a single level 1 spell left. I'd prefer to have those on-hand when we attempt the cave.

Under the circumstances, you could probably rest here in relative safety.

"We stay then."

Fibek grabs his holy symbol channeling three times in quick succession.
3d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 3) = 8 positive energy healing

The first and second channels cure Ikshvaku's wounds completely. He turns his attention to securing the throne room prior to bedding down for the night. "Some of you need uninterrupted sleep, yes? I do not; I will take the middle watch."

Kayosin nods thanks to Fibek, "Good call, Vak. I'll take first watch."

Fibek also mentions to Kayosin in front of the group:

"I like to keep my feelings out in the open. Yes somewhat atypical for an elf, I know. So I will just put it out there. Executing the goblin didn't bother me nearly as much as the fact that you did it without consulting the rest of us. As if we wouldn't back you up on something like that. I only hope we can begin to trust each other more."

Fibek decides to break the awkward silence, so he just smiles, shrugs and puts his hand out to Kayosin. "Good technique by the way. No hard feelings on my end."

Fibek seems concerned at meeting Shalelu. He actually tries to find a metal shield to check his appearance in. "I should have brought a mirror."

Kayosin gets a look that is one part confused and one part incredulous before he looks to the other two party-members to see if they feel the same.

"We came here to kill goblins. You want me to check with you before I do that from here on out?" He pauses, shaping his thoughts, "And i didn't do it quickly because i was afraid you wouldn't back me up... I didn't want to give the little cretin a chance to escape. They're slippery little bastards. Moreover, half the time, Im out front on my own... I'm not going to vet every choice with you guys... you may just have to trust that i have all of our best interest in mind."

He slips into silence, waiting to hear what the elf's response is.

Braydon, clearly a bit confused and uneasy with this unexpected party 'issues', seems to be trying to change the subject (and/or avoid blame for it).

"I don't..need sleep for my prayers. I do like to sleep, though. I..I still have spells if anyone needs cured..still."

"I am healthy at the moment, thank you." I wonder why the elf did not react when I killed our last goblin captive.

Unless you want to continue this debate, I'll move ahead.

You all get a good night's rest and can follow the map toward the cave it describes.

You don't run into anything else on the way. It seems the local wildlife is either terrified of you or full of goblin.

It takes most of the day to slog through the swamp and as the sun starts to set you arrive at the base of a 50 foot high cliff rising from the marsh's southern border. It's face is a tangle of jutting rocks and bright green vines and nettles, partially concealing the cave opening at the base of the cliff.

Unless you want to continue this debate, I'll move ahead.

This is really up to Fibek. I'm fine moving on, but making sure we're all on the same page about decision-making is a worth-while thing, too. If we don't hear from him soon, I'll have Kayosin take point in heading into the caves (complete with some skill rolls).

Fibek nods at Kayosin.
"Let us discuss any killings in the future where practical."

THis is probably a worthwhile discussion to have now, then we can dive into the cave scene.

Kayosin looks around at the quiet goblin compound, "This is probably the most practical spot we're going to get for a while." He points to the chief's cooling body, "We all took a job to exterminate this lot. I have no problem doing that... and while you say you're okay with what we've done here,the fact that you said anything leads me to believe you think I might be some kind of black-hearted killer... or close to it."

He slips his blade back into its sheath and shrugs, "But you don't know me, so that's fair. Let's just get it out on the table. I'm not some serial killer, and I don't wanna hurt people for no reason. You're just gonna have to trust that I'm not out to cut some bloody swath across Varisia."

The elf nods again:
"I think you misunderstand me. It is because of my strict moral code that I must be careful. There are many times when I must incur a much greater risk to myself rather than kill to protect myself. You must understand that I must answer to Erastil for my actions and those of my associates. While you may have selfless reasons to execute someone, I would have to answer for them. All I ask is that, when practical, I be allowed to grant mercy or redemption."

He smiles and displays his holy symbol:
"I do not know if you understand the constraints I am under, but any time I can give you a lengthy discourse on the benefits and burdens the worshippers of Old Deadeye are under."

Only pointing out the Lawful way of doing things.

"So, to make sure I don't continue misunderstanding you," he holds up one gloved finger, tallying his points. "You don't have a problem with my killing these goblins." He raises a second finger to add to the tally, "You don't object to any of my actions so far." A third and fourth finger joins the first two, "You follow Old Deadeye's teachings while I do not." His thumb joins the rest of his fingers, and he does a quick wiggle of all five, "And you want to sit me down for a 'lengthy discourse' on why I should care about all that."

He pauses, dropping his hand to his side. When he continues, he's sincere, but it's obvious that he's doing his best to be patient at the discussion. "I don't have a problem with you following Erastil. Hells, I think Ole Deadeye has a number of good ideas. I even appreciate the strengths your belief and worship afford you. But I'm not interested in a lecture, and I'm not interested in converting. I don't enjoy hurting people, but I'm not about to put myself, my friends, or my goals in danger on the off-chance that you can show them redemption. No offense, but it's not my responsibility. And it won't be on my conscious if I make decisions and take actions on the behalf of this team and our combined goals that put you in contention with your own faith. That's between you and Erastil."

I thought Fibek was Neutral? I can appreciate his eye towards the role of lawful ideals and how that plays into his goal of neutrality, but pushing a Lawful agenda to a person who sees Lawfulness as much a hindrance as it is a boon—especially when you don't have a history of relationship—just comes off as preachy to Kayosin.

You continue your discussions during the trip and while waiting for Shalelu. She arrives about an hour after sunset.

"Hello, friends. What have you discovered? And how did your fight with those miserable goblins go?"

Would Kayosin know Shalelu? She'd be something of a local legend at this point, no?

Yes, anyone who's been in Sandpoint for more than a year would know her by sight.

Kayosin reflexively pulls his hood forward, but responds warmly enough. "Shalelu… hi. Yah, the hunt is good." He quickly catches her up on the series of events so far, including notes about checking in with the other Sandpoint people in the swamp, then a quick summary of their move on the goblin town. "So not bad in all. Though the goblins are all worked up about these walking bones, so we're going to go look into it. Doesn't seem like something we should leave unchecked in our back yard, ya know?"

Okay, re-distributed spells for the new day. Made sure to pick up Burning Hands and Disrupt Undead for invading the walkin-bones cave. :D
.
Also, we ready to kick this thing forward? If so, maybe Fibek/Brayden can give us a Survival roll to look for prints for intel-gathering purposes? I'd suggest we move in quietly with Kayosin on-point looking for traps and trouble.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Shalelu will note "Be careful of those nettles." She points to the brush that conceals the cave mouth. "They're poisonous."

Anyone touching them to push them aside needs a DC12 Reflex to avoid injury. If that fails, make a DC12 fort save or be sickened for 24 hours.

Reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Having moved them aside for himself, can Kayosin hold them in place (and open) for the others to pass without having to make the save? Or give a bonus to teh reflex save or something?

@kayosin: yes, you can hold the nettles in place for everyone.

Map is up: You are at L1. Each square is 5'.

You see a dark cavern, only partially lit by the light from the entrance. The 10' wide main passage continues deeper into the cavern, while there is also a smaller (5') side passage about 15' in.

Once the team is inside, Kayosin lets the curtain of nettles fall back into place… his eyes adjust to the darkness immediately.

Keep in mind Fiendish Sight gives Kayosin Darkvision to 120 feet. :D

"Let me give this place an initial looksie before anyone creates any light." As quietly as he can, Kayosin draws his blade and skulks off into the darkness, first moving along the main corridor (on the eastern side) until he comes to the water.

If at any point, he notices creatures, traps, or threats to the group, he'll stop to investigate. Using the previous (unused) rolls, that's a Perception of 24 (25 vs. Traps) and a Stealth of 26.
.
If he sees no threats or traps, Kayosin will stand at that first bend in the main leftern corridor (just above the "L3" on the map) to see what he can see or hear without going into the water. Let me know if he encounters anything. Otherwise, he'll head back up and do a quick recon of the smaller off-shoot to the right (left for us looking at the map), but he won't go into L2, and he will immediately stop if he sees anything that looks dangerous or interesting.

Perception on the water reveals some unmoving skeletons laying on the bottom. The do not appear as a threat...right now.

Down the corridor to L2 however...that really big spider looks hungry!

How big is the spider in L2? Medium? Large? Does it look like it could easily fit through the corridor back to the entrance of the cave?
.
Also, Kknowledge: Nature (to ID the spider and any special attacks, strats, or weaknesses it might have:
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Kayosin sneaks back to the group, pulling them all close before whispering. "Skeletons in the water down the main corridor. Given the goblin stories, we should expect them to be threats. More interesting is the big spider in a room on the other side of this little corridor."

Based on Ninja DM's response to my questions above, I think we should hit the spider first. Maybe I can sneak in there, sneak attack it, and try to draw it back here to the group.

@Kayosin: There's something -unusual- about that spider. Read the stats.

Braydon=1, Fibek=2, Goldilocks=3, Ikshvaku=4, Kayosin=5, Shalelu=6

Init:
Braydon: initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Fibek: initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Goldilocks: initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Ikshvaku: initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Kayosin: initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
monster: initiative: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (19) + 23 = 42
Shalelu: Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Kayosin: give me a stealth check to sneak up on it before it moves. Target is spider's perception check.

Spider perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

Round 1:
spider
Goldilocks
spider
Kayosin
Shalelu
Vak
Fibek
Braydon

First mythic opponent, people!

Spider 1st attack vs: 1d6 ⇒ 6 Shalelu.
bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 plus poison.

Spider 2nd attack vs: 1d6 ⇒ 1 Braydon.
bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3 plus poison.

Stealth DC 19: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Like a shadow, Kayosin slinks through the fight, finding his way to the flank of the spider attacking Braydon. He bathes his blade in a bit of his power before driving it into a chink in the unnatural creature's armor... unleashing an arcane electrical shock at the same time.

"This spider's somehow... different than normal. Tougher, more deadly. Overwhelm it! FAST!"

R1
Swift: spend 1 arcane point to imbue wakizashi
Move into flanking position
Spellstrike the (flat-footed) spider attacking Braydon with Shocking Grasp (no Defensive casting b/c the Stealth was successful)

So, if that confirms, it's 9 electricity damage and 16 physical damage. >:D

As the fight continues, Kayosin continues barking out whatever pieces of information his brain can spew forth about the creatures. "Its poison drains your strength! It will resist energy attacks, and has a tendency to block physical ones!"

Basically, read the spoiler on the creatures above. :D

Only one spider; she gets 2 attacks, the second one at -20 her first init check.

Oh, well there ya go. that damage to the one spider, then. :)

Ikshvaku closes with the spider, blade slashing into it.

PA on spider: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
PA damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (2, 3) + 6 = 11

The golden cat closes quickly to make sure the spider cannot get away without provoking a retaliation. Goldilocks flanks with the female ranger. The attack is way off and misses the spider.

Circle and close to 5'

Power attack/bite/Trip?: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 = 81d6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 81d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24