[PFS Core] GM Harker Presents: The Emerald Spire (Inactive)

Game Master Upaynao

"She doesn't seem to be hostile. Could she be a captive of the wizard we defeated?"

Frēodwēn murmurs a spell comprehend languages and tries to greet the girl again.

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I like your bookkeeping... ♥

Sugar makes her way into the room, being careful to not cause a scene nor provoke the creature.

Maybe I can try and talk to her, you know small girl to small girl

She then turns to the girl creature thingy, saying very calmly Hi, I know you don't understand, but I don't want to hurt you. she says slowly (like that is really gonna help)

"does anyone know why she yelled at me when I did this? " Mudk asks as he prods the bag one more time.

"Gundran said, Gundran was busy. Stop bothering Gundran!" The creature says to the group with a snort, translated by Frēodwēn, "Poke Gundran's sack again and Gundran will release Gundran's pet!"

"I can't communicate with her. Perhaps we could try to help her a little and see what she says?"

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Please leave the sack alone. Can't we just let her be or do we need to interrogate everyone in this dungeon. She'll get the idea soon enough that she can come and go as she pleases.

The halfling exclaims emphatically with his hands on his hips. He circles the room looking for an exit down to the next level of the dungeon.

Sugar stands beside Xakon, hands on her hips Yeah, what he said! she adds reinforcing the point.

Truffles flanks Xakon with Sugar.

Snort

"I suppose that leaving her alone would be fine. She doesn't seem to be hurting anything."

"I wasn't... That's not ... Well whatever. It isn't like she's evil..is she?"

Mudk looks thoughtfully at the girl and the bag, but doesn't touch anything.

Detect evil

while it's activating

"Wonder what's in the bag though..."

The stairs down to the next level of the dungeon were found in a previous room.

Xakon finds nothing of value or interest in the room besides its occupants.

Mudk does not detect any evil aura on the creature. For her part, she returns to chipping away at the Spire when it appears that you've finished interacting with her.

This appears to be the last room in this level of the dungeon. If you are going to leave the creature alone, you believe you are done here and we'll wrap things up. Let me know your intentions.

I believe we're done here now that she's showing non-evil

I agree.

Deciding to leave the strange creature to her work, the group activates the proper levers to uncover the path back up to the surface. Predictably, nothing bothers the party during the ascent through the other floors. When you finally reach the top, you find a much more comfortable Jharun in conversation with Valandrel, who is scribbling down notes furiously as the ex-prisoner talks. Noting your return, however, the Pathfinder liaison takes a break from his interrogation to receive your full report.

End of The Clockwork Maze.

Level 7: Shrine of the Awakener

The group gathers together once again to return to the depths of the Emerald Spire. You meet on the reclaimed ground level, but your briefing is exceptionally short. Valandrel appears preoccupied by some other matters and only mentions that intelligence suggests there are lizardfolk and/or serpentfolk living in or near the next level you'll be exploring.

Returning to what the Society is now dubbing 'The Clockwork Maze,' you set the levers in the proper configuration to guide you to the broad stairway leading down. After several long flights down totaling almost 200 feet, you begin to see signs of battle—most commonly dried blood, scorch marks, and smashed bones—appear along the stairs.

Soon the stairs end in the northeast corner of a small, brightly lit room with a door on the west wall. In the center of the room are two large iron racks holding numerous burning candles. The iron candleholders are crafted so that each candle appears to be held in the jaws of a serpent. A phrase is written on each rack in a language that might be Undercommon.

The wooden door on the west wall is open, and appears to lead down a short corridor to another wooden door.

If someone doesn't cast a spell to understand it, the phrase can be potentially translated with a Linguistics roll.

Here is a link to the new map.

Since not everyone has leveled yet, please make your perception rolls if you want to search this room. I'll re-institute the SOP once everyone has finished updating.

perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

Mudk looks around uninterested.

Sugar takes notice of the writing trying to make heads or tails of it

linguistics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 yes I have a rank in the skill

Truffles meanwhile starts to sniff about the air where he stands hoping to catch a wiff if something interesting.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

Xakon inspects the room for clues, traps and hidden doors.

I moved Sugar into the room in order to attempt a translation.

Mudk looks around the room with disinterest, while Sugarsnap attempts to translate the message, but comes up empty. Truffles doesn't seem to like what he smells with his superior olfactory senses, but it doesn't appear to be an immediate danger.

Xakon believes the candles are some type of magical trap set off by proximity to the racks.

if no one else can get it with Linguistics, Frēodwēn will cast comprehend languages; he will have it for the next hour, if so

"Hopefully the lizard kind on this floor will be as friendly as the ones above." He says hopefully, but he pulls out his bow and an arrow all the same.

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Frēodwēn casts Comprehend Languages and translates the following message on the rack into Common, 'Offer prayer to Kro’akoth the Awakener, scaled brethren, and be welcome here.'

Like a moth to a flame, don't get burned. Stay back mates. THESE candles are trapped.

Taking 10 to Disable Device for DC 27.

I moved Freod into the room and Sugar back into the stairwell to allow the bard/ranger to read the inscription and to avoid moving anyone extra into the trapped room.

Xakon moves carefully up to the rack and attempts to disarm the magical trap. Removing the magically enhanced pieces is difficult and he doesn't quite figure out the proper disarming procedure before the candles begin to brighten and the smell of sulfur starts to waft into the room. Fairly confident these signs signal the activation of the magical trap, Xakon retreats back to the wall and the candles die down to ordinary flames. That wasn't high enough to disarm the trap.

you need some help with that Xakon? maybe I could help

she touches Xakon's shoulder as she speaks.

cast guidance on Xakon to help him disarm the trap

assuming Xakon has dismounted Truffles to work the trap.

Truffles backs up not liking the smell in the room.

Xakon tries again to disable the trap.

DD: 1d20 + 17 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 17 + 1 = 19

KABOOM!

Xakon makes another attempt to disarm the trap with Sugarsnap's guidance spell, but he overestimates the amount of time he has to disable the magic. The candles grow extremely bright and gutter wildly for an instant. They then flare into brilliant sheets of flame that sweep across the room. From all around comes the tolling of a bell.

Freod, Xakon, Mudk, and Sugarsnap all need to make a DC 14 Reflex save. If you fail, you take 14 fire damage. If you succeed, you only take 7 damage. I placed Truffles in the back of stairwell as per his post.

After the trap is set off, Xakon is fairly confident it will not go off again any time in the near future.

reflex save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Mudk pirouettes through the flames and takes a bow afterwards tapping himself with a healing wand.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

.clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

we could have "prayed" our way through that, couldn't we?

reflex: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

Frēodwēn winces at his singed skin and opts to heal himself with his wand.

clw, average roll: 4 + 1 = 5
-2hp

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reflex save DC 14: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

her hair singed and soot blackened face Sugar just glares at Xakon arms crossed her chest.

Jirah, who was absent for the entirety of the last floor to "focus on her Spellbook", simply giggles at the antics of Xakon and the explosive candles.
Why didn't you just follow the directions... Typical male. Ah well. Shall we continue on, my dear companions?

She hefts her bow, her new quiver, and makes ready to get back on the move.
I assume you didn't change the "standard operating procedure" in my absence? In that case, lead the way Xakon.

Still fighting with my phone. It won't let me scroll through my header area to edit it so I may have to update the profile later from a real computer. That being said, the updates in the discussion thread are final and not subject to change. It bothers me that I'm having issues editing my profile, but I wanted to go ahead and jump back into the gameplay so that it doesn't feel like I'm still absent from the game.

No problem, Jirah. I'll consult the discussion thread if necessary for your stats until you can update that section.

Xakon's Reflex save: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

All four Pathfinders in the room manage to duck down to avoid the worst of the flames, while Xakon completely avoids being burnt.

After some healing, the group searches the room and finds nothing else of interest, and proceeds down the short hallway to the next door. No strange noises are found on the wooden door, nor do there appear to be any traps. The portal does appear, however, to be barred on the other side and will mostly likely have to be forced open or destroyed to proceed.

Injury Report: Sugarsnap 7 damage, Freod 2 damage

The door is stuck fast. Good thing I brought the Key to the City.

Xakon wedges a crowbar in the door, waits for assistance and then rages to pry it loose.

Guidance and aid another are welcome.

STR: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Str aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

lol, we suck. Start over, I think...

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Jirah scoffs.
Let me try. You aren't getting much leverage Xakon.

She grabs the crowbar and attempts to pry the door open.
Strength Check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 plus whatever bonus a crowbar gives.

Ack! It's stuck fast! Perhaps you weren't doing it so wrong after all Xakon. It seems I had no better luck than you...

Sugar tries to coax Truffles into ramming the stuck door.

handle animal: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 9 + 4 = 17

if that will work ...

Truffles rushes the door

truffles strength check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Mudk frowns at the door hoping the strength of his glare will make it move.

cha check(yes I know it doesn't do anything): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Xakon and Mudk both try to force the door open with the halfling's crowbar, but neither makes much progress.

Jirah then comes in and gives the door a good heave, but it stays put.

Sugarsnap persuades Truffles to ram the door with his tusks, but it doesn't not break. I think you might have to 'push' Truffles to do this task, but I'm assuming you'd get a 25 on Handle Animal pretty quickly.

Mudk gives the door the Paladin's Eyebrow <tm>, but it ignores his intimidating glare.

The DC is very high here, you won't stand a chance unless someone rolls close to 20 and multiple PC's assist. Alternatively, one or more of you can start hacking away at the wooden door to completely destroy it. Since it's an object, it's easy to hit (AC 5) but it takes a bit to destroy due to hardness (5).

Power attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 232d4 + 13 ⇒ (1, 2) + 13 = 16

"Clear the door! We waste time."

Mudk strikes out with his falchion.

power attack 2nd one: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 72d4 + 13 ⇒ (4, 2) + 13 = 19

Xakon stands back and admires the brow-adin's tenacity.

Mudk takes two powerful swipes at the door with his falchion and quickly hacks a hole big enough for him (and everyone else) to move into the room.

As soon as the hole was formed, a rank odor, like a burned corpse was left out in the sun for a week, rushes out of the next room.

The room itself is an irregular octagon, and stone and wood barricades have been built in front of the doors on the south and west walls. It appears the walls were once covered with frescoes, but these have all been smashed, leaving rough walls and jagged debris.

Six troglodytes wait for you in the room, all behind the barricades. They each carry a falchion and two javelins. They look slightly different than the troglodytes you dealt with before, and certainly are more hostile. It's Knowledge (planes) to ascertain how these trogs are different than ones you've seen before.

The room is difficult terrain from all the debris unless you are behind a barricade. It's an Acrobatics check DC 15 move action to move over a barricade.

PC Initiative
Frēodwēn Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Jirah Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Lady Sugarsnap's Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Mudk's Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Sivantanpisil's Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Xakon's Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Initiative (Round 1)
Jirah <= Up
Xakon/Truffles <= Up
Mudk <= Up
6 Troglodytes
Sugarsnap [7 dmg]
Sivantanpisil
Frēodwēn [2 dmg]

Jirah, Xakon/Truffles, and Mudk are up first.

Mudk moves into the room casting divine favor as he moves.

10' due to difficult terrain

"Yield, or die, or kill us. If you plan on killing us you should probably kill me first. I'm easily the most deserving." Mudk says to no troglodyte in particular.

know planes: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Sugar tries to determine why these trogs look so odd.

urging Truffles to be safe and follow Xakon's orders

Truffles is ready to advance but the smell is somewhat disturbing to his sensitive nose.

Jirah steps into the room, and fires at the closest troglodyte.
Not more of you... I only just got the smell out of my favorite corset!

She groans in annoyance as she looses an arrow charged with her arcane power.
Attack, Point Blank Shot, Arcane Strike, Deadly Aim: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Damage: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

knowledge, planes: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

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