Karl gulps down, but what of these creatures? They look like centipedes, of a sort, but much too large. Were they some sort of guardian?
Karl moves closer to get a better look.
Karl looks at the creatures and based on their bodies, legs, and heads, determines they appear to be a variety of giant centipede. The only oddity is that these particular centipedes have forciples that are significantly different than normal. Karl would typically expect to see a set of narrow pincers ending in a hollow point; these pincers are jagged along the inside edge and contain several sharp tips for injecting venom, not just a single point.
Oorin's eyes sparkle with excitement at Roland"s declaration. "So, a member of the mysterious cult itself. I guess "whispering" isn't just part of a clever name, is it?" Oorin chuckles to himself. "When we're done here I think we should take this body to the temple; I imagine the Phasrasmans will be interested in this."
Oorin then notices Karl's attention drawn to something else. When he glimpses at what Karl is looking at he...
...whips up his crossbow but sees that Karl appear to be in no immediate danger. He cast Detect Magic looking at the "centipedes" first and, if they aren't magic, he look around the rest of the crypt.
Oorin casts Detect Magic
Round 1:
There are magical auras
Round 2:
There are four magical auras, all the same strength
Round 3:
- One faint aura inside the last sarcophagus on the left
- One faint aura inside the last sarcophagus on the right
- One faint aura on the short sword
- One faint aura on the dagger
"Interesting," Oorin mutters off-handedly, "there's magic here alright. Both weapons and something inside the end sarcophogi on each side."
Oorin goes to the last sarcophagus on the left and looks down at it momentarily (or perhaps looks up; he's only 3' 5"). Placing his mighty thews against the lid, he attempts to open it (assuming this is physically possible).
Karl picks up the dagger and hands the shortsword to Roland, hilt first.
Do you know how to use one of these?
Oorin reaches forward and pushes, his mighty thews straining against the massive stone lid.
Somewhat surprisingly, the lid easily slides open. Oorin notices the lid has been built on sliders making it much easier to move than one might surmise on seeing the massive crypt.
Inside the sarcophagus is a burlap sack containing several large bulges. The aura Oorin sensed is apparently inside or under the sack.
Shanoa had just started to take a step down into the crypt when called. She pauses and turns back, "Just inside - are you joining us?"
"The man at the Professor's grave wants to meet you and the others. He gave me this, says its from the Professor."
<Shows the Katana>
Ah, one moment please.
Karl moves over and looks inside the sarcophagus.
Don't touch it! Something in there just moved!
Expecting much more resistance, Oorin whacks his on the side of the sarcophagus as the lid slides open. Rubbing his head, he leans back quickly at Karl's words.
Oorin brings his now burning hand slowly closer to the inside of the sarcophagus for a better look.
"Do you know how to use one of these?"
Roland smiles weakly. "I'm afraid martial skills aren't my purview. But I may be able to make use of the dagger."
His attention shifts as Oorin slides open one of the sarcophagus' lids. As Karl moves to check it out, Roland hangs back.
"What's keeping them so long?"
As Oorin's hand gets closer to the bag, the movement inside increases in frequency and severity. The bag shudders one last time and three severed hands skitter out and leap at the characters, their filthy claws stretching for your throats!
-----
Initiative rolls please, the claws do not get a surprise round since Karl saw the bag moving. When you roll initiative, also state what you want to do in the first round (including attack and damage rolls if applicable). Once everyone has posted, I'll recap and we'll move to the next round keeping the same initiative. If a character doesn't post for 24 hours, I'll run them for that round and we'll move on.
I don't think we'll need a map for this encounter. Only real tactical challenge in the crypt is that space is restricted so charging isn't possible.
Attack 1:
Attack 2:
Attack 3:
Karl shouts out in shock and horror, Hands! Oh gods they're moving!
He drops the dagger onto the ground and takes a full swing with his greatsword at the abominations.
Roland shrieks when he sees the first of the hands, and immediately pops the lid on the glowing blue vial and swigs the contents.
He hunches over for the briefest of moments, and when he rises again he is... different.
He stands with more confidence - in fact he may be as much as an inch taller in height. His eyes shine yellow. His muscles have grown somewhat larger, and his veins glow a faint blue.
And he is smiling.
"Come at me filthy monsters!"
Startled for only a second, Oorin tries to grab one of the severed hands with his burning hand.
Quick update... I figure Arthur wants to take an action, and hopefully Michael will be able to post as well. We'll continue first thing Saturday AM.
18 Roland
14 Oorin
6 Shanoa
6 Karl
? Michael
? Arthur
Michael draws his blade and growls. "Undead scum! Have at you!"
Michael uses his daily use of Smite Evil on one of the hands that Oorin did not touch. Then he will attack the hand with his sword.
Attack Roll: (+4 if the hand is evil)
Damage Roll: (+1 if the hand is evil, +2 if the hand is evil undead)
The Slaughter Priest draws the Professor's Gift and heads into the crypt.
Round 1 Recap
19: Michael wades into the fray, and calling upon his power to destroy evil, he slices one of the hands in two as it flies toward Karl.
18: Roland uses his mutagen and becomes something else, something... more!
14: Oorin attempts to swipe at one of the hands, managing to hit it. The hand curls up as the fire burns its dessicated flesh, but it still continues to move!
14a: Hand 2 recovers from the damage and attacks Oorin, hitting him for 1 point of damage. It clings to Oorin and makes its way toward his throat! Oorin manages to avoid the claw and it falls back to the ground.
14b: Hand 3 tears a small gash in Roland's cheek for 1 point of damage, and attempts to choke him! Luckily for Roland, it is unable to find a grip, and he throws it off.
14c: The lid on the last sarcophagus on the right side slides open as three more hands emerge!
11: Slaughter Priest moves into the battle, wielding a gleaming katana.
6: Shanoa slams her morningstar down upon the hand that attacked Oorin, smashing it into stone floor. The fingers thrash around for a few seconds before ceasing movement.
6: Karl turns toward the hand thrown off by Roland and swings his massive greatsword at it - the wide blade slices the hand into a number pieces that fly across the crypt and explode into dust as they hit the wall.
-----
Grapple check - Roland
Strength check -
Strength check -
Strength check -
-----
Round 2
The first hands to emerge have been destroyed, but there are three more hands moving on the last right sarcophagus.
Roland, a trickle of blue glowing blood running down his cheek, moves to attack one of the remaining hands, smashing at it with his sturdy wooden cane.
Oorin tries to swat the nearest hand.
Michael rushes over to the last sarcophagus and attacks one of the other hands, using his powerful longsword to cut the creature down in Iomedae's name.
Attack:
Damage: , +1 if the creature is undead due to my campaign trait.
Confirmation roll:
For: extra damage, +1 extra if the hand is undead.
Karl moves forward and brings his sword around in a vicious chop.
The Slaughter Priest attacks the nearest hand.
19: Michael recognizes these abominations as crawling hands - severed humanoid hands that have been granted unnatural life from necromantic magic.
Michael rushes over to the hands and obliterates one, leaving nothing but a small smudge on the hard stone of the casket lid.
18: Roland tuns and smashes his cane into the lid, narrowly missing a hand!
14: Oorin's attack misses as the hands nimbly leap aside.
14a: Hand 4 leaps toward Michael, attacking for 1 point of damage but cannot get a hold on his throat.
14b: Hand 5 slashes at Oorin, hitting for 1 point of damage, but failing to grab the gnome.
11: Slaughter Priest brings his katana down upon one of the hands, severing the fingers, but allowing it to survive!
6: Shanoa manages to destroy the remains of the hand, leaving only one alive.
6: Karl steps toward the final claw and destroys it with a massive blow.
-----
Hand 4 grapple check
Hand 5
Hand 5 grapple check
-----
Inside both of the sarcophagi are single arrows which detect as evocation magic - obviously what Oorin was seeing earlier.
Aside from the ones which contained the hands, all of the other caskets are fake. They are solid blocks of stone and do not open.
Roland takes a few moments to angrily stomp on one of the hands until it's nothing but a smear on the stone ground.
"Take that! And that! Not so animate now are you! Hah!"
He then glares at it with yellow eyes, panting, the blue glowing fluid continuing to trickle from the cut on his cheek.
Michael walks over and touches Roland's arm gently. "It's over, my friend. I do believe you need to remain calm. You are...not yourself." Michael looks at him worriedly.
Karl looks around at the others, his eyes wild as he takes deep breaths to calm himself down.
Looks like we're all full of surprises. Arthur, where did you get that sword?
Hmmm muses Karl, as he points out the crack in the northern wall, Anyone up for a bit of caving?
The paladin lays his hands upon you! Strike him!
Roland turns on Michael, uncharacteristic anger in on his face, cane raised... but hesitates.
Wait. No, Michael is a friend. Where did this anger come from?
Fool.
The anger drains from Roland's face, and he relaxes, shaking his head to clear it.
"Apologies, Michael. Perhaps you are right. This serum sometimes affects my judgement. I should have warned you all. The effects are temporary, and I'm fine now."
I am fine, right?
Not yet, you aren't. Weakling.
Roland tries to compose himself, but is clearly concerned by his outburst. He wipes the fluid from his face with a kerchief.
"Anyone up for a bit of caving?"
"We should make sure we've found any other secrets this room might hold first."
"With these sliding lids the hands could easily have gotten out of the sarcophagi and, presumably, would have used this cave to leave. But why? And it still doesn't explain who or what killed this person" Oorin says indicating the corpse on the ground.
Oorin picks up the arrows and looks at them a moment before offering them to Shanoa. "These have been enchanted in some way."
<Flicks whatever matter that may have sticked to the sword; Sheathing the katana with a flourish>
The group takes a few minutes to look around but determines there isn't anything else of interest in the tomb.
After a few minutes of examination, you can tell the half-elf was killed by the centipedes, while they were apparently killed by him. It seems that though the half-elf's wounds were severe, the venom injected into him is ultimately what caused his demise.
The two arrows are almost identical, and very old.
The two acolytes are peering into the tomb and calling down to you. Both of them are very curious to find out what's happening.
Looking at the arrows again Oorin cheerfully replies, "No idea! Based on the type of enchantment I would assume it's some type of battle magic though."
Who is making all that ruckus? Oh yes, the church acolytes. And some else to see us?
Oorin will head out of the crypt to bring the acolytes up to speed on what has happened.
Karl hands the dagger to Roland. Here, I'm sure you can find a use for this. Besides, I'd hate for you to be angry with me after seeing what you are like in battle!
Karl gives Roland a friendly slap on the back after he cleans and sheathes his greatsword. He tests the balance of the shortsword for himself, then offers it up Does anyone wish to make use of this? I typically prefer a larger blade myself, but it may come in handy. Oorin, should we not use these until you can determine what they do?
As he speaks, Karl methodically searches the corpse of the half-elf for anything of value. May whatever gods you held to accept you, half-blood. Ours is a vale of tears. he mumbles as he checks the corpse.
When he finishes, Karl heads upstairs with the others.
Michael walks out with the rest of the group, finding himself next to the swanky-looking gnome. He clears his throat, searching for a conversation topic. "So, uh, Oorin Can-of-Thigh-Sins, you're some kind of...wizard, right? I mean, you look really smart and you seem to know a little about magic, like with those arrows. So, I was wondering if you could examine this special armor that the shopkeeper decided to-WAIT!"
Michael stops in his tracks and looks astounded. "Oh crap! Guys, I totally forgot to mention this, but the shopkeeper who sold me the armor is some kind of witch! Yeah! She's got like, this deck of cards! And she used them to tell my future! And she said I was a paladin, and then I did this epic air guitar solo, like Bwa na na na naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" He demonstrates for them with a quick ten-second metal rift. "Anyway, so she said she was using something called 'The Harrow Deck', and I was thinking that maybe we could use it to get a clue about how the Professor died!"
"Here, I'm sure you can find a use for this. Besides, I'd hate for you to be angry with me after seeing what you are like in battle!"
Roland grunts, and barely moves as Karl slaps him on the back, but accepts the dagger, tucking into part of his heavy coat.
He hangs back as the group makes their way out of the tomb, waiting out the effects of his serum.
I don't wish to alarm the townsfolk. It was foolish to use it in front of the others without warning.
Why should I care what they think?
Because I have to work with them if I ever intend to avenge the Professor.
And I will avenge him.
That last thought comes with a rush of almost giddy anticipation, but it doesn't last as he hunches over, his body twisting itself back into it's normal form. He steadies his breathing, calming down, leaning against the cold wall.
That episode was unusually strong - but I've never used the serum in a stressful situation before.
He looks around at the corpses littering the room and a chill runs down his spine as he realizes he's alone with them. He turns and hurries up the stairs after others.
Yes. Yes, the aggression was just stronger because of the stress. I'm sure that's what it was. I'll just have to try and compensate for it when I prepare another sample...
Karl, when searching the body, you find a small chit of white material that has been carved into an image representing a skull with a gag over its mouth. After examining the item, you are sure the material is some kind of bone, but you aren't sure of its origin.
Everyone exits the crypt to find the two younger men anxiously peering inside. The acolytes speak with Gizsmith, then hurry into the tomb, assuring you all they won't touch anything, simply investigate what's left inside the crypt.
As soon as the acolytes hurry down the steps, a voice grabs your attention. "So, I've got the rest of the deliveries." The man in the coveralls is leaning against his cart, and you would swear he wasn't there just a moment ago.
He holds out several items, then claps his hands, "Okay, time to move on, good luck!"
A deep voice stops him as he turns, "Don't we have a message for them?"
The man sighs and rolls his eyes. "You know we're not supposed to tell them."
The other voice responds quickly, "I know, but I think we should, I guess that puts you between a and a hard place!" The voice begins laughing so hard it starts coughing. After a moment, "That one never gets old!"
The man seems unconvinced, "Yes, it does get old, and I don't want to break her rules again."
He turns to leave, tilting the cart up and leaning forward to push it away.
-----
Items given to characters:
Slaughter Priest: gleaming katana with a green hilt; presented sheathed in a black enamel scabbard -
Michael: narrow longsword with a pommel in the shape of an eagle's head -
Shanoa: morningstar with a bluish steel head -
Karl: a whetstone embedded into a dark metal grip -
Oorin: an elegant wand crafted from what appears to be green glass, sized appropriately for your hand -
Roland: a thick tome covered in dark leather with a small brass clasp -
The group also gets a bag containing six potions of cure light wounds, two potions of lesser restoration, and two divine scrolls of protection from evil.
The final item is a darkwood box holding four small iron and brass vials containing swirling green vapor. None of you have ever seen anything like these vials before. Perhaps information about them may be found somewhere in town?
Oorin looks at the wand in his hand with some confusion. This is certainly useful but...
"Excuse me, sir," Oorin stops the man before he can leave. "Who are you and why are you giving us these things? And what's this about a message?"
The disembodied voice chuckles, "He asked, and you know what that means!"
The man stops pushing the cart and his shoulders sag, "You're not meant to know, but if you ask, I am sworn to answer. But you will not like it - such is the price of the question."
He leans the cart down and looks back at you, his face now more leonine than human. He says "I am Yiftal, Guardian of the White Gate, and devoted servant to the deity you know as Pharasma. What you hold are gifts granted to you as the last request of the soul you knew as Petros Lorrimor. He bartered for these gifts with a part of his very being, a high price as his eternal soul will never fully be at peace. But he made the pact willingly and with full knowledge of the consequences, so he deemed it worthy of the sacrifice."
The message for you was, "The whispers knew more than I realized, and though it may be too late for me, there may still be time to stop them. I know not what they plan, but it bodes ill for Ustalav, and indeed all of Golarion, if they succeed."
The gravelly voice intones "Do not be dismayed, for if it was not Her will, we would not be speaking now. So go with Pharasma's blessing, and may her fortune favor you in your journeys."
-----
Let me know if there are other questions for Yiftal and his "companion".
If not, the acolytes insist on returning to the Temple. You may accompany them or choose to go a different direction.
"I am Yiftal, Guardian of the White Gate, and devoted servant to the deity you know as Pharasma."
Roland gasps when he hears this, nearly fumbling the tome he's been given, and quickly makes the sign of the spiral over his heart.
What is happening here!? Evil cults? Divine messengers?
"He bartered for these gifts with a part of his very being, a high price as his eternal soul will never fully be at peace. But he made the pact willingly and with full knowledge of the consequences, so he deemed it worthy of the sacrifice."
Roland looks down at the tome.
Damn you, Professor! There was nothing worth that price! You were a good man, and you deserve your rest...
He looks back up at the messenger.
Perhaps if we fulfill his final quest, his soul will know peace at last...
"Do not be dismayed, for if it was not Her will, we would not be speaking now. So go with Pharasma's blessing, and may her fortune favor you in your journeys."
As the messenger turns and begins walking away, Roland stares after him.
"Pharasma herself watches over our quest..." He says to no one in particular. "The Professor must have been on the trail of something big indeed..."
For years I've never put much stock in the old teachings...
Roland makes a mental note to pray for the first time in years this evening.
Karl is completely stunned and speechless by Yiftal's revelations. He stands, holding the whetstone loosely in his hands, his thoughts churning.
Gods above, just what have I gotten myself into...
The young half-elf visibly steels himself and holds up a small, bone-white chit. Ah, Yiftal, sir, the whisperers you spoke of, is this their sign? And these gifts? Will the professor never know peace because we hold them? Is there any way to grant him rest? I would willingly give my gift back if that were the case. It is a fine thing, but I would rather the professor were at peace. As an afterthought, he adds And what of the arrows and blades we found below, will they truly help us against the restless dead?
Michael blinks while Oorin just blows him off and gets wrapped up with the new visitor, along with everyone else. "What? Oh come on guys! Sure, we got some cool weapons, but I just told you about a way we could find a clue to the Professor's death! Doesn't anyone care?" He picks up his new sword and then sits in the corner like a kicked puppy.