[PFS1] 4-19 Night March of the Kalkamedes (GM Watery Soup) (Inactive)

Game Master Watery Soup

Fran can retcon if necessary.

Kalkamedes, largely oblivious to the combat, journeys north and then gradually gravitates to the northwest for two more hours.

The light of the sinking moon washes the sub-alpine valley ahead in silvery light. A squat, stone bunker crafted of dark rock sits nestled among the low trees, its domed roof barely peeking out from above the leafy canopy. As a cloud passes over the moon, the entire structure seems to fade from view, leaving a momentary void before the moon’s light again illuminates it. Only a single entryway mars the smooth, windowless facade of the lone building.

A ten-foot wide stone archway, its keystone inscribed with a seven-pointed star wreathed in ancient markings, offers ingress into an unlit corridor built of cut stone blocks. Weathered script snakes its way up and down each side of the entrance.

We are on Slide 6.

Mavaro translates the inscription for the rest of the party.

"Runelords! Why does it always have to be Runelords? Though this does explain the somnambulism..."

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 20

And discovers his true calling as a tracker.

Everyone may open both spoilers.

Shamus glances around at the interior.
Interesting. A structure dedicated to a Runelord, and a Runelord of sloth, to be specific. Could this Runelord be the one that put Kalkamedes into his current state and calling to him to come here?
Oops. I think I stepped in raccoon poop. Runelords do have powerful magicks. What could they want with an ex-paladin like him?

”Only one way to find out!” Reckum answers cheerfully. ”Onward!”

CLW Wand (Self): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 Charges remaining (30).

"Well, this is very different," Fran marvels as the party begins to carefully move into the Black Edifice. "But I thought the Runelords had all died or disappeared eons ago? Maybe there's something else going on..."

Mrowr.
Cat goesss sssee / sssmell animalsss inssside. [ooc]Cat does have the 'scent' ability' but only lowlight vision.[/occ]
Cat stealth: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (12) + 26 = 38
Cat perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (7) + 16 = 23

Voices looks at Shamus and asks, Ssself make fighting creaturesss right now?

The Runelords may have died out, but there are cultists. I know the Pathfinder Society has had many run-ins with Runelord cultists in the past.

Yes, Voices. Keep on the lookout for trouble. There's no telling what we'll find in here.

Shamus, Voices is actually asking (in very broken common) if you think he should summon a creature now.

Shamus thinks for a moment then chuckles after realizing he misunderstood Voices words.
Oh-ho-ho. Forgive me, lad. Ahh, you wish to summon fighting creatures. Let's wait for a while until we explore more. If we encounter any monsters, or cultists, then have at it, boy.
He gives a wink to the nagaji.

Reggie shrugs, his breastplate rising and falling with the motion. "Maybe it ain't the runelord at all. Maybe it's just somebody what found his work and turned it to his own purpose. Or maybe our pal Kalkamedes happened 'cross something what cursed him. Ain't not tellin' what the cause is, but I'm bettin' we'll find it somewheres in this place."

He lights up his wayfinder to help him see and readies his lance, though he gives Cat enough time to do some scouting before heading down this hall. No matter how sneaky the feline is, his cover will be blown by the clanking of Reggie and Rowdy's armors.

Steep stairs descend into the next room, whose only other entrance is sealed by a massive set of iron double doors that block passage to the east and rest upon a dais of glistening black stone. To the west stands a statue of an elderly, robed man carved from the same dark stone, and in his hand he brandishes a slender golden wand that points toward the door. Ancient script winds around the statue’s round base, and dried leaves, dirt, and small animal bones are scattered about the room.

Hsst mrzt.

Cat sssaysss no animalsss. Then he moves forward following Cat at a distance.

Linguistics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Infernal, Thassilonian, Varisian - if any of that helps.

Unable to read the base of the statue, Mavaro follows Voices.

The inscription is in Thassalonian, so Mavaro can read it. Sorry, forgot the "Thassalonian or" in the spoiler header.

Also, every time you enter a room, I'll make Perception searches for everyone, just so it doesn't get repetitive.

Nobody spots anything out of the ordinary except what's been described.

After Mavaro translates the inscription on the statue, Shamus takes a few steps towards it.
I'm assuming Mavaro told us what the inscription says. If not, Shamus can cast comprehend languages at will.
A golden wand. Pointing at the door. Hmm. I wouldn't want to get between the door and that wand. Allow me to detect its magic and possibly identify what spell that wand contains.
Cast detect magic.
Spellcraft to identify wand: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Sounds like a riddle," Fran remarks after Mavaro translates the inscription. "But...what sort of weaknesses did the Runelords have?? It sure didn't sound like many, from what I remember..."

Shamus recognizes the wand as a wand of ray of enfeeblement (16 charges).

Ssself jussst break ssstatue? Selter asks while gripping his hammer.

"Well, what I figure is: them Runelords was each linked up with a sin, right? Well, most folks figure sins is weaknesses. So, maybe what them fancy words mean is that they don't figure them as weaknesses, they figure them as their strengths. We're in this here place dedicated to the Runelord of sloth so maybe they know how to turn laziness into a weapon. They done sure took over our pal Kalkamedes sleepin' time," Reggie comments on the debate.

"I s'pose shouldn't nobody be openin' that door 'til we figure out what to do 'bout this here statue, right?"

You guys are on the right track, so I'm not going to push things very hard. But I'll give you a little more data.

Kalkamedes walks right up on the dais and begins bumping into the doors. He pulls on the doors, but appears to be too weak to open the doors.

The dais and the doors are not trapped, but anyone attempting to open the doors will need to make a Strength check.

"Open the pod bay doors, Hal ... zzz ..."

"Oh, is that all?" Reckum looks slightly disappointed as he joins Kalkemedes on the dais. "I thought there was going to be an explosion, or a big wind, or even some pretty lights. Oh well - maybe they're hiding on the other side of this door!" Energized by the idea, he starts pushing and pulling on the stone as well.

Strength: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

"Sounds like a riddle," Fran remarks after Mavaro translates the inscription. "But...what sort of weaknesses did the Runelords have?? It sure didn't sound like many, from what I remember..."

Shamus points at the wand in the statue's hand.

Reckum pushes on the door.

Normally, he feels strong, like he could push a door that weighs 16 stone. But when he's pushing on the door, he feels weak, like he wouldn't even be able to push a door that weighed 10 stone.

Totally out of character... Voices is way too dumb to think of anything. I would either have the weakest party member try to push open the door. Which would be Cat or Fran's bird familiar. If that doesn't work maybe you have to use the wand on someone and then have that weakened person push open the door.

Voices shakes Papa Òxọ́lé's shoulder and asks, Ssshould Ssself break ssstatue or doorsss?

"Um, maybe we should save breaking things for last?" Fran gently suggests. "Sometimes it causes more trouble than you'd expect."

Fran carefully steps up on the dais and moves up to the door as well. "Maybe if a couple of us push at once it'll work!"

Str: 1d20 ⇒ 7

Shamus checks to see if the wand can be pulled out of the statue's hand.

Fran pushes on the door, and it doesn't budge ... but she didn't feel like the door changed on her. She felt like she was pushing hard enough to move a 7-stone door, and the door just weighed more than that.

The wand easily slips out of the statue's hand and into Shamus's.

"This is the Runelord of Sloth, right? He would try to put as little effort as possible into this. Maybe we are trying too hard?"

Deliberately Botched Strength Check: 1 + 4 = 5

I think the first part of Mavaro's spoiler is right. But I'll wait to see how things play out with what's being tried before doing anything IC.

Mavaro pushes on the door gently, but it doesn't open.

You've more or less figured it out, so I won't make you go through all the mechanics of it. The door inverts your Strength modifier, not your Strength check. You'll need to enfeeble someone to get a high modifier, and then probably still aid each other because the DC is still high even with a +5 modifier. Also, you'll need to be careful not to knock people too low (unconscious at 0 STR).

Voices grumbles and whines (you've never heard a snake whine before), But Fran, Self good smasher. Member that bad mans what shoted Reggie? Self smashed good! Bones and brains everywhere!

The ray of enfeeblement spell won't let strength go less than 1 point.

Shamus walks up to Fran and hands her the wand.
Would you have the honor, my fair lass, of shooting me with the spell in this wand? I will then attempt to open that door.
He points at the big set of doors where Kalkamedes continues to bump forward into them.

I know from experience that no matter how many times I am hit by a ray of enfeeblement, it cannot sap enough strength to render myself unconscious.

Assuming Fran has no issues with casting the spell on me, I'll go ahead and roll. Shamus normally has a STR of 8.
enfeeble!: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Ugh. I feel sooo... weak.
That now gives him a STR modifier of -3
Would you be so kind as to help an old weak man up to that door?
He says, sapped of all strength, as he shuffles towards the door.

Mavaro will try to help the enfeebled Shamus open the door.

Weird Strength Check, Aid: 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (8) - 4 = 4

Shamus: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

The door still doesn't open (!), but maybe if a few more people aided (or even wanded themselves and then aided) ...

Shamus turns to Mavaro as he assists the old shaman to open the door.
Remember the inscription, Mavaro? "Their Weakness is our Strength." Take a zap from the wand to be made weak. This door will have the opposite effect on you then.
Shamus holds up a finger as he suddenly understands the puzzle.
Yes, that's it! It's like a door of opposites. Maybe one or two more should take a zap from the wand.

Reckum does his best to hold Kalkemedes away from the door so the other folks can push it. ”Magic is weird...” he grumbles, clearly wanting to push on the door himself.

"Well, that was different, he started it," Fran replies to Voices as she obliges Shamus in using the wand on him. "So it was okay to smash him. But sometimes it's very dangerous to smash things that might have magic in them or be part of a trap."

As it finally seems to become clear as to what they should do, Fran is happy to zap any and everyone that wants a zap - including herself.

"Maybe I can help too!"

Enfeeble Self: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Now Fran also has a -3 Str modifier.

"Ooh...this feels weird but here we go..."

Str Check (Aid): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"Clever. Anyone got any spells that'll reverse this? 'Cause I can just imagine what would happen if me and Reckum, what depend on our muscles, got weakened enough to open the door then had to deal with whatever's on the other side. It wouldn't take too much 'fore I wouldn't barely be able to move in my armor," Reggie comments as other members of the party throw their weakness against the door.

Even with Fran's help, the door doesn't move. The door apparently weighs more than 21 stone ... maybe 25 stone? ;)

Shamus weakly motions with his hand for a couple of the Pathfinders to step forward.
Come, come. Take a zap from the wand. It is the only way to get this door open. The weakness should only last just a few moments.

Voices doesn't seem to understand what is going on but runs over to help push.

Cat is sitting a top the statue licking his butt ignoring everyone.

strength aid check: 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (4) - 5 = -1 roflmao!

Entertainingly, the cat probably has the “highest” modifier right now.

Unable to stand by idly any longer, Reckum throws his little body at the door in an attempt to make something interesting happen.

Strength to Aid: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (14) - 3 = 11

Reggie will take enough hits from the wand to feel weaker than the average man before leaning against the door to push.

Wand1: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Strength is now 8.

Strength to Aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

With Reckum and Reggie's help, the door swings open.

After a short time, everyone's strength returns.

---

Suspended by thick chains, a massive metal cage shaped like a demon’s head hangs over a dark shaft with no bottom in sight. The cage’s door—by all appearances a menacing maw, filled with incisor-like fangs—hangs open to the west. There, a narrow bridge spans the short distance between the ledge and the cage. A small console on the north edge of the bridge bears a single lever, currently in the middle position.

When Kalkamedes reaches this area, he walks straight into the cage (through the open mouth) and silently waits.

The cage is large enough to hold four medium creatures.

"Are we there yet ... zzz"

Friendsss, big hole here. Ssself can float sssome down if want go. Ssself sssee what down hole. Selter gets a tube and flint out of his pack and starts laboriously striking the flint and steel trying to light the end of the tube.

If no one stops him, Voices will fire a desnan candle firework down into the hole to see what is in the bottom. He has feather fall for those that won't fit in cage.

Well it must be some kind of lift mechanism. That lever over there must work this contraption. Maybe we should go down in groups of three since there are nine of us.

Don't toss anything down there yet, Voices. Let's see if the lift works.

"Oh that's very deep," Fran remarks with a curious expression as she peers down into the darkness. "Maybe we should wait to celebrate with fireworks until we see what's at the bottom."

After glancing around at the group, she nods in agreement with Shamus. "Groups of three sounds good to me. I can go in the second or last group since some of the stronger people should go with Kalkamedes."

Reckum is already in the contraption. "Tally-ho!" he bellows cheerfully. "I'll keep him from running away until everyone else gets down!"