Thornkeep - PFS - The Accursed Halls

Game Master Pirate Rob

The gem is easy enough to pick up, and other than its origin, seems perfectly normal.

Do we head back? We are in poor shape.

"Not so poor shape that we can't knock some sense into those goblins before we leave."

As a note there are ~2-3 combat encounters remaining as well as some noncombat challenges. At least one encounter is a higher CR than any you have faced so far although is at least possible to avoid.

A bit later today I'll try to summarize our various ailments...unless someone else beats me to it.

Status Update

Aleister: 16/16 hp
Toren: 22/22 hp
Arryn: 11/12 hp; 6 Strength Damage
Kardak: 16/17 hp; -1 level; 2 Strength Damage
Jarlgur: 9/9 hp; 1 Strength Damage
Barrin: 12/13 hp

Ability Score Damage
Negative Levels

Thanks Aleister.
Also, out of curiosity, who if anyone has a reroll available from either a t-shirt or the Character Portfolio?

I have a reroll available from my Venture Captain polo shirts.

Not me!

Toren squints at the gem, shrugs, then puts it in his sack at his hip.

He walks over to the massive doors and thumps his shield down, "Right...let's see what's on this balcony."

Perception1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

I am no coward... I think I've proved that but it would be prudent to withdraw to town to rest and recover

Well...I own the character portfolio; but I've never thought it possible to use its reroll bonus in a PbF.

Folio owner here.

Well...I own the character portfolio; but I've never thought it possible to use its reroll bonus in a PbF.

I could easily see not allowing it, we'll go with Mike Brock's clarification. So just make sure to put it on the table (or whatever your local equivalent is, before you re-roll)

Checking out the Balcony there are 3 ropes tied off up here and ready to be dropped down. At a glance the NW door appears to be of similar construction to the NE door but securely shut. The SW passageway opens up into downward stairs before doubling back.

The door to the south is almost assuredly the door you are looking for.

Thinking back to your brief time in Thornkeep you do remember a diagram, that you didn't think much of at the time. One with a 7 pointed star, that now looks similar to the star on the door, except in the diagram the top star had been replaced by a ruby.

"Alright lads...we can't have much further to go; and we have a few choices. We can press on as we are, we can camp here for a bit of rest, or we can head back to town and return in a day or so. If we do that we can throw down these ropes so we can return to this spot."

The town - it is too easy to be over confident and pay the price

I'm OK either way...but considering Arryn and Kardak took the biggest hits I'm inclined to go with whatever they decide.

"I'm used ter keepin' watch...this spot is pretty defensible. Yeh kin rest here. I ain't too keen on leavin' them goblins able to climb back up these ropes and take shots at us again when we come back."

He scratches his beard contemplatively. "A'course...you an' Kardak DO look a bit worse fer wearin'."

Though I feel weakened by the shadows touch, I believe I could continue with just a bit of rest. But of course I will abide by Kardak's and Arryn's decision. I do not want to endanger anyone or at worst, lose one of our party. We cut it close back there.

With a negative level and 2 strength damage, I imagine Kardak's vote will be go back to town, I've got a meeting tonight, so I'll go ahead and wait till tomorrow morning before moving forward)

With camping in the halls being a questionable idea at best Aleister prepares the journey back to town. He uncoils the ropes from the balcony to provide easy access upon return.

What are you guys doing with the NE door that leads to the shadowy chamber?

With a negative level and 2 strength damage, I imagine Kardak's vote will be go back to town, I've got a meeting tonight, so I'll go ahead and wait till tomorrow morning before moving forward)

Assuming we can return and keep playing, Kardak is willing to return to town, more for Arryn's sake than his own. If the doors to the NW open out onto the balcony, he will pound iron spikes between the doors and the floor to prevent them from opening. "Before we leave, should we scout down the stairs over there?"

What are you guys doing with the NE door that leads to the shadowy chamber?

Kardak chalks a warning in Common, Orc, and Draconic: "Beware. Strength-sucking black magic."

If the spikes won't work, Jarlgur can try to jam the lock if the door has one.

You may leave and come back.

From a cursory examination the NW door does not appear to open.

Leaving the NE door open, shutting it, something else?

After quickly finishing up your business in the central chamber you are able to return to town without further incident and make your way to the Greenforst Inn in Thornkeep.

One of the oldest buildings in town, the Greenforest is a respectable inn and taphouse with fieldstone walls and finely carved woodwork adorning its posts and eaves.

The proprietor is Shandar Tulman, a balding, middle-aged man with a mustache like a bristle brush. Innkeeper Tulman is a gossip and a busybody.

A private room for one at the Greenforest costs 1 gp per night, and includes breakfast and dinner. A bed and trunk in the common room costs 2 sp per night, and includes a loaf of bread or bit of porridge for breakfast.

"I don't know bout the rest of yeh...but I'm dead tired. Dinner, bed, and breakfast I think are in order before I head back into that cursed place."

Toren stumps over to the proprietor. "Shandar, right? How 'bout a room with dinner and breakfast fer me." A gold coin is pressed into the man's hand by the dwarf. "Yeh mightn't know it ter look at me...but I'm a gem hunter and gem crafter by trade. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that damned Accursed Halls place would yeh? Like why a bunch o' goblins'd be diggin' there?"

At this point Toren grabs the lapis lazuli from inside the halls and plays with it in his hands, "Found this little beauty inside the walls there and I could be convinced to let it go..."

Could I convince you that this is part of my Craft (gemcutting) as I'm looking to "sell" my gem for information :)

If you'll take it, Craft (gemcutting) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Diplomacy 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (20) + 0 = 20

Jarlgur will spend one gold piece for the nicer room.

Aleister has grown used to the finer things in life and will also opt for a nicer room. Preferably something with a view of the pool.

Toren stumps over to the proprietor. "Shandar, right? How 'bout a room with dinner and breakfast fer me." A gold coin is pressed into the man's hand by the dwarf. "Yeh mightn't know it ter look at me...but I'm a gem hunter and gem crafter by trade. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that damned Accursed Halls place would yeh? Like why a bunch o' goblins'd be diggin' there?"

At this point Toren grabs the lapis lazuli from inside the halls and plays with it in his hands, "Found this little beauty inside the walls there and I could be convinced to let it go..."

"Keep your gem, you may need it in trade for a healer, your friend looks rather pale. The room comes with dinner, dinner comes with a drink and drinks come wit' stories.

Folk's been askin' bout you guys all day, but let me tell you little 'bout what I know... well it's more 'bout what I don't know.

You probably ain't met 'em yet, being reasonably civilized folks, but there's a tribe 'o goblins livin in town, call themselves the Brambleclaws. They's ruled over by 'Great Chief Graalsk' who claims to be a descendent of the rulers of the ancient goblin Kingdom of Zog. Though 'im an 'is tribe are 'bout as civilized as goblins get and I can't see any o' them venturin' down into the Halls Under the Hill.

'Owever after garhal Silvercrown (Wight signet ring) came back up after 'is first forray and started talkin' bout a goblin statue... it was only a matter of time till the goblin's heard about it."

Shandar leans in a bit, the garlic on his breath a bit unpleasant

"Now 'ere's the interestin' part, while Graalsk wouln't send his own goblins down below, hirin' some outsiders to go down might be exactly 'is speed. Rumor has it he's got them down there looking for the legendary 'SWORD OF ZOG' or some other silly goblin nonsense."

Toren looks around at the group throughout these stories.

As the innkeeper finishes, he nods his head in thought, "People askin' 'bout us yeh say...hmmm. What sorts o' people?"

At the mention of the goblin and this mysterious sword he says to the rest, "Might we need to pay a visit to this Graalsk? I'm thumpin' sure the Society wouldn't want some mighty Gob sword in the hands of anyone else."

"All sorts o' folks, just like I'm tellin' you a story now. I wouldn't go messin' with Graalsk if I were you. Now if you wanted your trash picked up, and don't mind it bein' slow, 'e's your goblin. I wouldn't recommend a friendly chat though."

Thornkeep proper is outside the scope of the PFS adventure. While there's some useful tidbits here and there that could be learned in a home game through careful investigation of the town, there's also a lot of danger and I would feel really uncomfortable even presenting the possibility of the the Goblin Chief sending his CR7 warparty to ambush you on your way out of Thornkeep because he thought you might come out with the Sword of Zog. That said, I appreciate the search for info and a 20 on gather information should give you something:

You are able to find out a bit about the goblin leading the efforts in the Accursed Halls. They are being led by a female goblin named Murgmo. She is said to be constantly smoldering and capable of breathing fire, perhaps a half dragon or sorcerer of some type.

Arryn has only 5 coppers to rub together so he is glad for the bow money. Happy to have have the 3gp on his chronicle for the expense.

How much money will it require to set you right Kardak? I'd be happy to throw some of my spoils in from this journey to assist with some of the expense.

You'd be welcome to either bunk with me or borrow some GP Arryn!

Kardak's only got a silver left.

Jarlgur has 11 gp and is willing to help out however.

With selling the bows, having enough cash on hard to pay 3gp each for everybody to have their own room and not risk getting robbed in the common room is easily accomplished.

Baring any further efforts in town...

3 days and 3gp later each you've rested and recovered from your first foray into the Accursed Halls. Heading back in you feel refreshed and full of hope, with the knowledge that the horrible undead are behind you and goblins lie ahead.

You find yourselves once again in the initial chamber:

This large hall is held up by a number of carved columns. Directly ahead, a doorway is sealed with stone blocks. In the center of the floor, the flagstones have been pulled up, revealing a staircase leading downward. The stench of rotting meat hangs in the air even worse than before, it is almost overpowering even here. It is likely nobody has cleaned up the pig.

Feel free to back me up to town if there's stuff you want to do, I don't want to railroad you guys too much but I also want to try and keep the adventure going and pick up the pace a bit from this last week.

Besides the increased stench, do we notice anything else different about the room?

Other than the increased stench, the room appears the same as when you last left it.

Notice Unusual Stonework on the sealed up door.1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Looking to see how recently it was sealed, would it be relatively easy to use my tools to unseal it, traps, etc.

Toren coughs a bit as they come down, "Whew...bit ripe in here innit?" He tries to pull his under shirt over his nose, but his beard keeps getting in the way. After a few seconds of this he gives up and walks over to the sealed doorway and looks at the blocks.

The doorway appears to have been sealed long ago, although there are plenty of pick and crowbar marks on it.

Checking it out you think it's an arch built into a wall, and then filled with bricks as though it were a sealed up doorway. Whether there are traps on the wall behind you wouldn't be able to tell without spending time removing a few bricks first but the bricks themselves seem harmless enough.

Tapping one of the bricks, Toren says idly "Anyone else a little curious 'bout this archway that's been filled in? Looks like someone else was curious too..."

Breaking it down may not be prudent but even I admit to curiosity.

"Heh, yer givin' me to little credit Arryn! I'm a stoneworker and a dwarf ter boot! I can remove these bricks quiet like and quick."

It doesn't seem the right thing to do - it was bricked up for a reason but I will bow to your expertise.

Toren gives a short sigh, "Yeah, I 'spect yer right. I know I wouldn't want some fool knockin' down my work. And a'course the Society ain't payin' us for it."

The stench of rotting pig continues to waft up from the area below.

"Shew...that pig stinks. We should get back to that balcony, if only to get away from that smell." He looks back as he descends, with his tower shield in front of him, "Carefully though, who knows what could be here after we took our little vacation in the town."

Aye, let us be moving on.