The Pact Stone Pyramid (Inactive)

Game Master Pact Stone GM

A Pathfinder Module, converted from 3.5 to the Pathfinder system, with a party of level 7.


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Karek Kogan wrote:
Do they have any Gaseous Form potions that we know of?

-

Unknown. . .

Or maybe the more precise answer would be, "No, they don't have any that you know of."


It sounds like there is something of a new consensus and so I will end initiative.

Xaven rounds out of sight to the east, following Hrokon.

As the Dune Squad is now loosely clustered in the Pactstone Chamber, you can see there are numerous unexplored avenues:

1. You could return north and head past the Boot Room and see where the form that turns left (west) goes. I am a bit worried though, this would be a third attempt with the previous two attempts resulting in aborted combats. Could there be an ancient mummy curse?

2. You could take the west branch off the Pactstone Chamber. (Where Hrokon initially tried to flee to but never made it).

3. You could take the east branch off the Pactstone Chamber where Moonpate sent his celestial dire bat to explore - and it never returned.

4. You could return south to the firefly chamber, wher Xaven and Hrokon have just fled to. You know there is a fork which heads west and a fork which heads east, neither which have been investigated.

5. Another option I have overlooked?


Karek Kogan wrote:
De halfling's a survivor, Hal. Karek says as he slows to a stop. I dink we'll see 'im again.

-

"Hopefully they don't try to escape up the shaft. I think that's the fiend's nest up there."


I completely missed the point where we acquired the potions. At least we got 'em.

"I was torn about takin' off after 'em, Morgrym. I just about nearly did but then I remembered what happened the last time I left Lydia. I just canno' do it. But I DON'T like seein' the big mouth halfling get away. Mainly because I wanna pummel him into oblivion. But chasin' after him may cause us to lose more ground than we can afford, so, we might as well leave 'im be. O' course, if he dies, then we ALL die. So let's hope he's a survivor as you say, Kogan."


Female Elf Druid 5 (desert)/Rogue 3 (spy)
Breach Shattershield aka Javell wrote:

I completely missed the point where we acquired the potions. At least we got 'em.

Ya. I used supra-Diplomacy and got them to agree to hand the potions over and Xaven's weapon was put away. That's why i was kinda surprised some fo us started laying into them all of a sudden. We were nicely using them as trap-finding tools to be ganked in the future at a time convenient to us. Maybe it was just a misread then. Anyways, let's move on, we got other trapfinders in this party I can gank in the future at a time convenient to me (just kidding). Where to next?


Male Dwarf Cleric 8

Xaven had his hand on that poison knife and was holding it to his own breast while we were still walking. If he was not, he would have denied it when Hal accused him of doing it. Hal is in fact still steamed about it and would love to chase after those two but if even Karek and Breach are against him he is going to hang back. He is the youngest of the three dwarves and in all matters but ones which pertain to Angradd, he will defer to them which is what he just did.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

Gandel turns to Karek, "Let's head west from the boot room and keep exploring that corridor. Now that Hal is not yelling at scoundrels and beating on the floor maybe we will have his full attention".

Gandel grin a bit before he starts heading off in that direction.


As the drama of Xaven and Hrokon's defection winds down, the Dune Squad reforms back into order and marches north, back to the “Boot Room”. From there Gandel takes the party west, turning left.

The halfling doesn’t have to travel far before his quartet of bouncing motes of light reveal a dead end. The corridor just comes to a close. The sides of the corridor have stylized carvings, but they are not hieroglyphs. They appear to be simply decorative rather than convey any meaning.

At the corridor’s base is a slightly raised dais, not much more than a half-inch off the floor.

Perhaps of greater interest is the small funnel-shaped pinhole in the far west wall at chest level (or rather above-head level for Gandel).

You believe you have seen this marking before—at least twice now.

You saw an identical hole at the same height in the “Pool Room” where the Dune Squad first took a journey deeper into the pyramid in gaseous form through the “Song Tubes”. The second time was upon exiting in the “Mosaic Room”, where the Dune Squad battled Suekahn.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

Gandel turns to the group, "Should we clear the rest of this level before we come back here? I fear that if we go to yet another level through this tube we may be leaving some clue behind on this level".


Male Dwarf Barbarian (Breaker) 8

Karek examines the pinhole and says I dink dis is bard of de same song dubes we already used. After a lingering glance around, Karek starts back the way the party came.


If I follow correctly then, option #1 below has been crossed-off. Where to next?

Pact Stone GM wrote:

. . . As the Dune Squad is now loosely clustered in the Pactstone Chamber, you can see there are numerous unexplored avenues:

1. You could return north and head past the Boot Room and see where the form that turns left (west) goes. I am a bit worried though, this would be a third attempt with the previous two attempts resulting in aborted combats. Could there be an ancient mummy curse?

2. You could take the west branch off the Pactstone Chamber. (Where Hrokon initially tried to flee to but never made it).

3. You could take the east branch off the Pactstone Chamber where Moonpate sent his celestial dire bat to explore - and it never returned.

4. You could return south to the firefly chamber, wher Xaven and Hrokon have just fled to. You know there is a fork which heads west and a fork which heads east, neither which have been investigated.

5. Another option I have overlooked?


Karek Kogan wrote:
Karek examines the pinhole and says "I dink dis is bard of de same song dubes we already used." After a lingering glance around, Karek starts back the way the party came.

-

"He might be right," nods Donkor. "I remember that when we travelled downwards through the pipes as clouds there was a fork in the pipes and we had to pick one way. It makes logical sense that the road not travelled simply lead to here."

"Or this leads to somewhere else entirely - there's just no way to know without trying."


". . . and we've only got enough potions for one more trip."

The Scarab suppresses another shudder, realizing she may never see the sands above again. She follows into step behind Karek and the Dune Squad as they depart.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

"Let's head east. Something must have happened to the Potentate's bat, let's find out what that something was".


Male Half-orc Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 4 / Sorcerer 1/Dragon Disciple 3

"Well, if what Breach said is true, the tubes are our way out of here. It's nice to know where the exit is, in case we decide to leave in a hurry."


The Dune Squad heads back south, passing the “Boot Room”, returning to the Pactstone Chamber. From there, the brave professor guides the party left, headed east, keen to discover the mystery behind the disappearance of Moonpate’s summoned direbat.

Exiting the chamber of the great white stone, the party travels up a short flight of stairs, now headed east. Gandel’s quartet of motes quickly reveal that the corridor travels not much further than 60 feet or so and then turns to the right (south).

The walls are unremarkable: quality stonework, but unadorned. No sign of light or sound.

Continue?


Male Dwarf Barbarian (Breaker) 8

Onward!


Male Human Wizard Level 8 - Conjurer
Pact Stone GM wrote:


The walls are unremarkable: quality stonework, but unadorned. No sign of light or sound.

Continue?

Moonpate will have his Summon Monster wand ready for use.

Question: Does use of that wand take a full round for the critter to manifest, just like the spell?


Moonpate wrote:
Question: Does use of that wand take a full round for the critter to manifest, just like the spell?

-

It does, I fear.

The wand is made from a metallic alloy of inter-planar origin, stretching as long as the wizard's forearm. Each inch of the wand has somehow been carefully notched in segments like a totem-pole, depicting the head of some strange beast or elemental. Every so often, the eyes of one of the creature heads suddenly flare open, briefly glowing red before fading away.


Four Jutting Rods
-----
The Dune Squad slowly advances east down the ten-wide corridor. The party follows the hall as it turns right, changing the party’s direction to due south. The tiny professor and the armored dwarf continue to take the lead.

The corridor is a long one, but as Gandel sends his magic lights skittering and bouncing through the darkened hall he can see that it will eventually turn once more—this time right, headed west.

But the hall is not empty.

Mid-way down the hall are four wooden rods jutting straight out from the wall at shoulder-height, two each on either side.

It is difficult to see from so far away, but each staff seems to be topped by some kind of jeweled ornament.

The rods are only 3-4 feet long and so it is possible to pass down the corridor's center without coming into contact with them.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

Gandel will, predictably, Detect Magic.


Male Human Wizard Level 8 - Conjurer
Pact Stone GM wrote:


It is difficult to see from so far away, but each staff seems to be topped by some kind of jeweled ornament.

The rods are only 3-4 feet long and so it is possible to pass down the corridor's center without coming into contact with them.

"Four rods for four pharoahs? I wonder what they do?


Gandel Trapspringer aka Dennis wrote:
Gandel will, predictably, Detect Magic.

-

Sounds like disciplined adventuring to me.
-----
Gandel configures his forefingers and thumbs into the shape of a diamond and holds it up in front of his right eye like a lens.

There is indeed magic mid-way down the hall, multiple auras in fact.

But it is not quite what is expected.

The detected auras do not originate with the rods, or the jewels on their tips. Instead, the auras come from the ceiling, at a point in-between the rods—or more accurately, at a point slightly above the 15-foot ceiling.

Gandel’s study reveals another detail, previously missed. When he hovers his dancing lights amongst the rods, he spies a light dusting of chalk on the floor. The residue might not be random, it’s hard to tell from this distance, but it might be forming a pattern. The chalk is non-magical.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

Gandel will relay what he has discovered to the Dune Squad.

Gandel inches a bit closer to scrutinize the area and ascertain whether this aura is a trap of some kind that he can attempt to disable.


I've placed Gandel 30 feet away currently - how close is a bit closer?

Same question for anyone else who intends to get in on this.


For what it's worth, Hal, Breach really wants to chase down Xaven as well. When our lives depend on his, he deems it quite important to keep him near and ALIVE. He could care less what happens to that half-orc thug buddy of his. But Breach is literally afraid of leaving Lydia's side for even one moment. It truly is a rock and a hard place for him. I guess that would bring us to: "The needs of the many..." and all that.

Breach keeps his position near Lydia as they continue forth. "So what you're sayin', Trapspringer, is that there is something within the ceiling that's magicked between the rods? Which would tell us that we'd be walkin' into a trap. Once we get close enough, whatever they are would then come down upon us in a fury. Does that sound about right?"


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

Gandel gets within 20' to make his inspection.


Gandel advances, carefully stepping forward from the rest of the party, once again for the thousandth time, contemplating the wisdom of his surname.

The professor does not see or otherwise sense any evidence of a trap, mechanical or magical. What he is able to better pinpoint is that there are actually four separate and distinct magical auras up in the ceiling (enchantment sub-school, primarily).

Also, when his dancing lights glyde close enough to the floor, he can now see that the chalk dust is actually some kind of writing. Unfortunately he is too far away to make it out in the darkness.


Male Dwarf Barbarian (Breaker) 8

Karek keeps step with the hapless halfling.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

"The auras on the ceiling above are enchantments. I think the chalk on the floor is writing, going to see if I can get a closer look".

Prior to moving forward, Gandel will cast Cat's Grace on himself to improve his Dexterity by 4 points. Then he will move 10' feet closer.

Wish I had Levitation here...


As he inches closer, Karek discerns that there is a square section of stone on the ceiling which is of a slightly different gradient texture then the surrounding stone. Kogan's seen these human pyramid builders try this at least once before. They think it's identical, but it's clearly not - the stone has been worked in a different way. The offending square on the ceiling matches the area where Gandel has reported sensing magical auras - right in-between the four wooden rods.
-----
Stone cunning continues to be worthwhile. . .


Crossing his body with a flittering wave of his gloved hand, Gandel summons a potent mystic charm. He suddenly feels lighter and leaner. He can sense his core strength and balance gathering within him—a useful thing should he need to spring back suddenly.

It gives him the confidence to continue to approach ever closer.

As he advances, Karek steps alongside him.

Gandel then gets a better look at the rods (or staffs or sticks, whatever). They are made of darkwood, an impossibly dense wood of the deepest chestnut brown – a true rarity in the deserts of Osirion. Each darkwood staff has been topped with a blood red gemstone, a stone generous in size that seems to somehow drink in the light from Gandel's dancing motes. The rods are all of identical length.

Next, Gandel turns his attention to the chalk on the floor. It is indeed writing—someone has sketched a message on the flagstones in chalk. Remarkably, the script is not Ancient Osiriani or even present-day Osiriani. It’s been written in the crude cursive of the common tongue. It reads:

Chalk Writing Text:

”I said don’t touch anything you stupid moronic twits!”

The author appears to have taken the time to underscore the words “don’t” and “stupid”.


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

Gandel chuckles, "The note is from our friend Xaven reminding us not to touch anything. Still I am not sure what the enchantment magic will do if we pass the threshold. Can anyone dispel it before we proceed? Still not seeing any obvious traps from my vantage point".


While it is a favored spell of his, Donkor appears to be out of dispel magic. The Mithral Scarab is not high enough in level.


Male Dwarf Cleric 8

Hal did not take Dispel Magic this day.


Male Human Wizard Level 8 - Conjurer
Gandel Trapspringer aka Dennis wrote:
Gandel chuckles, "The note is from our friend Xaven reminding us not to touch anything. Still I am not sure what the enchantment magic will do if we pass the threshold. Can anyone dispel it before we proceed? Still not seeing any obvious traps from my vantage point".

"I will make the attempt."

Moonpate will step up to the area and use one of his Dispel Magic scrolls.


The wizard steps forward, joining Karek and Gandel as he unfurls one of the scrolls he recovered from his dead comrade, Belleson.

-----
That sounds like a targeted dispel.

The Potentate will need a Dispel check (what we used to call a caster level check, just a D20+8 for his level)

Having perhaps cast detect magic himself before hand, like Gandel, Moonpate will know there are 4 distinct auras in or above the ceiling to target. Unless they are intertwined in some way, he's likely to only dispel one with a single casting. Did you want to also pick a number between 1-4 or shall I just roll at random?


Female Elf Druid 5 (desert)/Rogue 3 (spy)
Gandel Trapspringer aka Dennis wrote:
Gandel chuckles, "The note is from our friend Xaven reminding us not to touch anything.

Xerissa raises one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "I see. So! The million gp question then. Is Moonpate wrong and the halfing understands our mutual predicament all too well and this is his way of looking out for us? OR is he just psyching us out so he can keep us away from any treaure we might find down here? Some of us went through a lot to get here."

I'm still hanging near the back for the moment, around that corner even.


Male Dwarf Barbarian (Breaker) 8

Karek points out the different stonework. Whad does id mean?


Male Human Wizard Level 8 - Conjurer
Pact Stone GM wrote:

The Potentate will need a Dispel check (what we used to call a caster level check, just a D20+8 for his level)

Having perhaps cast detect magic himself before hand, like Gandel, Moonpate will know there are 4 distinct auras in or above the ceiling to target. Unless they are intertwined in some way, he's likely to only dispel one with a single casting. Did you want to also pick a number between 1-4 or shall I just roll at random?

I will target one of the closer auras (let's say the one on the right side).

Dispel Check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18


The dead man's scroll dissolves in Moonpate's hands as he reads the words upon the parchment aloud. When he completes the final phrase, a cone of silvered light flashes outwards at the ceiling. A moment later the splashy light show is over and the gloomy darkness of the corridor seeps back in.

Both Gandel and Moonpate quickly re-cast their cantrips to survey the level of success.

Both conclude there are now only three detectable auras up in the ceiling.


Male Human Wizard Level 8 - Conjurer
Pact Stone GM wrote:

The dead man's scroll dissolves in Moonpate's hands as he reads the words upon the parchment aloud. When he completes the final phrase, a cone of silvered light flashes outwards at the ceiling. A moment later the splashy light show is over and the gloomy darkness of the corridor seeps back in.

Both Gandel and Moonpate quickly re-cast their cantrips to survey the level of success.

Both conclude there are now only three detectable auras up in the ceiling.

"Hmmm. I cannot say that I am displeased...but now what?"


Donkor too seems rather nonplussed. "I don't suppose your Master has a helpful piece of wisdom for our predicament?"


"I suppose we could try the west passage instead? That's unexplored."

"But what exactly are we looking for down here exactly anyways?"

"I know at least some of us were trying to find the Pactstone, but now that we've found it and we can't exactly take it and we don't think we can destroy it, shouldn't we just try to get out of here while we still can?"


Female Elf Druid 5 (desert)/Rogue 3 (spy)

"WOah girl!" says Xerissa, "We aren't giving up that easily. It took a lot to get down here. Not without taking a good look around first. My gut says the treasure is somewhere on this level. Perhaps even here."

Nice try Beetle.


Male Dwarf Cleric 8

"Sorry Lydia. We need to find some way to stop the Pactstone from falling into the wrong hands. We also need to stop the Demon. Until we accomplish those goals, we cannot leave. As for finding treasure, I leave that up to my comrades to worry about".


Male Halfling Bard (Archivist) 6/Pathfinder Delver 2

"Well I think we should move forward. Clearly Xaven went this way but I would avoid touching the rods, just in case. I can't tell what the aims of Xaven are Xerissa. He is here as an agent to retrieve something for the Khyrasma and it seems that thing is the power of the Pactstone itself. I agree with Hal on that account, she can't be allowed to access it powers".


Just so I have it right, is this simply discussion, or is this what is happening? The Dune Squad is going to advance south down the corridor, past the rods, but avoid touching them? (In default marching order.)


Halstadt Morgrym wrote:
"Sorry Lydia. We need to find some way to stop the Pactstone from falling into the wrong hands.

"And I love you for that. But how? It must be a thousand tons. I can't secret it away in my pocket like I had hoped."

Hal can tell she is not arguing the point - her mind is not made up. She's simply asking the question.

Halstadt Morgrym wrote:
We also need to stop the Demon. Until we accomplish those goals, we cannot leave. As for finding treasure, I leave that up to my comrades to worry about".

"I know this is very un-Pathfinder of me, but recent events have caused me to view my life as my treasure."


Male Dwarf Cleric 8

"That is exactly why I was trying to destroy it earlier my dear. No one else was assisting and I am not sure I even did anything at all to it. I think we should go back and destroy it before going any further. However, as that seems to be an opinion shared only by me then I say we simply head forward and explore the rest of this place. Whether we go through these staves or around them makes little difference. One death trap or another is all the same to me".

I think right now beetle it is a discussion. Gandel will go forward and Hal is willing to go forward. However, I don't want to lead the group in one direction without everyone agreeing on going that way. That's Karek and Hurgah's job! :-)

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