Wonders in the Weave - Part I: The Dog Pharaoh's Tomb (Inactive)

Game Master Warped

Sharna's eyes dart towards Zaquielle, and she inclines her head slightly towards her with a small nod, though does not verbally acknowledge the words.

"Thank you, Shandor, Lady Landros. As for the undead... we have a paladin, do we not?" she says with a small gesture of her hand at Natalia. "I'm told they're quite effective at destroying the undead."

No, Sharna is not smiling behind her veil. Probably not, anyway.

"I carry some antitoxins. It might not be a bad idea to purchase more. And holy water, of course."

She turns back to Aram Zey. "We will make some quick purchases from the Pathfinder stores before we embark, I believe, Master Zey. Beyond that, I have no further questions and am ready to depart in short order."

Great, I just bought a potion of fly from but I can buy a scroll or two of the scroll you speak of.
I have no further question.

said a smiling Devko

With 2PP a took a potion of Fly and I buy 2 scroll of endure element

"Indeed I agree with Mis al-Subaiyyat, once we're equiped and replenished, we should make our way and get on to find the tomb. "

Indeed. he nods

I knew there was a reason I needed to check my character sheets last night. Oh well, I'll wing it

Natalia makes a couple of purchases as well... 2 antitoxens, 2 antiplagues, and a scroll with 2X Invisibility Purge (the latter with PP).

Once this has been completed...
"Ok, I believe I am ready now. Master Zey, how do we return to here when we have completed our mission? And is it possible to return to resupply if we need?"

"Our analysis indicates that a creature entering the tapestry leaves a planar eddy in its wake, which should be visible and usable only by that creature as long as it remains alive. So return to the location of your arrival and you should know what to do."

He gives Natalia a stern look, "I should emphasize that this is a serious mission, and shuttling back and forth between the Material Plane and the tapestry is just wasting everyone's time.

"Now, Pathfinders, if there is nothing further, I will show you how to enter the tapestry."

He escorts you, one by one, onto the scaffold and instructs you to place your finger just to the left of a beige chevron design in the tapestry's weave. Upon uttering a trigger word provided by the Master of Spells, each of you disappear from the Material Plane, whisked into the tapestry, and Aram Zey turns to the next one to repeat the process.

Your senses go blank for an instant upon uttering the command word and the next thing you know, you find yourself standing in a foot of cold, brackish, standing water. The air is oppressively humid and smells of decay and death. Behind each of you floats a 2-foot-diameter sphere of pulsing blue light, each visible only to to the one whose journey to the tapestry created it.

Looking into the distance, you can see rising from the mire a sandstone building about a quarter-mile from you.

As soon as Aram Zey begins the activation to send people through, Sharna takes a moment to cast several spells on both herself and on Ra.

Mage Armor from wand, 1 hr on self, 1 hr on Ra, two charges. Greater False Life on self.

False Life: 2d10 + 8 ⇒ (2, 6) + 8 = 16

Additionally, she briefly touches the necklace of Hexing Runes around her neck and activates the ward contained within. Ward Hex, on self, as per the Hexing Runes.

Then, she nods her readiness to Aram Zey and steps through.

*

When Sharna's senses return to her, the first thing she does is laugh, to find herself standing in water.

"....so much for worrying about the heat of the desert," she says to the others, with a gesture down at the standing water. "Disgusting. Be mindful of leeches."

Taking her own advice, Sharna drinks two potions from her full bandolier of them. Antitoxin, antiplague.

"Eyes of my Spirit, serve as our guide," she says to her hawk, and Ra shrieks before flying up into the air above the group.

Sending Ra 60 feet up (unless doing so would break his line of sight to the group due to mist or something like that). Ra is looking around for anything moving/just being general eyes for incoming danger/any problems between them and the building.

Ra's perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (12) + 17 = 29

Not what I expected !

Not a desert I think, or I don't know my geography. But the tomb seems to be here.

Natalia, also upon seeing where they have ended up, drinks her antitoxin and anti plague. 'So much for our reconnoitering. See, this is why I ask they damned questions!' Lady Landros sighs in a matter that would not becoming to a noble, were she to care.

"Guess we get to slog it out through thus mire. Shandor, Sharna, do either of you have spells such as Mount or Phantom Chariot memorized? Something that could speed up this trek? It certainly won't be fun in this heavy armor,

How deep is this? Are we talking difficult terrain, or worse?

Shandor scoffs at the 'Paladn's' remark. "Memorized? Pah, do you take me for a conjurer of cheap tricks? A peddler of feeble magic? My magic is in my blood, reigning supreme."

Shandor casts mage armor from his wand, then drinks his antiplague.

The sorcerer then takes an interest in the bog, looking for the best way to reach the end of it.

Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Finding herself in the brakish water, Zaquielle is for a moment flustered. She looks around seeking a safe path out of the water towards the sandstone structure, poking the ground around her with her bow. TO ensure the ground is safe to move on. As she smells the air, "Undead" she grins darkly. She drinks a potion of antiplague and antitoxin.

Grimly she says "Ready to go on, follow me, mount or no, I'll find a path, single file." She looks across the water, to see any threats, water moving ripples on its surface, before moving on, testing the ground as they go.

Survival taking a 10 for 21..
Perception taking a 10 for 21 ..

"I am afraid I have learned no such spells," Sharna says with a simple shrug at Landros's question. "I usually trust to my feet."

...Or to flying, but she won't bother with that at the moment. Slogging through the water is unpleasant, but could be worse.

Rodrigo, disgusted by the filthy bog said to Zaquielle with a charming smile.

I will help you find a way through this, please let me help

Survival (aid DC10): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Al Suresh weapon in one hand moves in single file behind Zaquielle ready to mower toward the Tomb

Grumbling quietly to herself in Azlanti, Natalia follows behind the ranger. She keeps her eyes pealed for danger.

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Following the keen eyed Zaquielle, the small group is able to navigate the mire and avoid any dangers that it holds in store for them. Eventually, you come upon the grimy sandstone building that rises from the swampy water, hemmed in by mossy, drooping trees whose roots look to have been grinding away at its foundations for centuries. What must have been an impressive wooden door has rotted away to the point of nonexistence. Only giant rusted hinges show that it once covered the dark entrance to the tomb. Mere hints of intricately carved pillars and false arcades are barely visible underneath the moss, creepers, and mildew that now cover the structure. Two fetishes flank the tomb's entrance, each the skin of a fox or small wolf stretched over the flayed fork of lashed bones and painted in strange pigments, topped off with reptilian skulls carved with illegible writing.

Interspersed through the scenarios there will be additional information to be gleaned. I will place them in the descriptions with the appropriate checks and DC's. No peeking if you fail the DC or don't have the skill!

The tomb appears to be in the ancient Osirian style but falls far short in size. It actually seems fairly small - merely 40' tall, maybe 100' wide, and twice that long. It is ornately carved on the outside in a unique style.

The centuries in the swampy damp have been unkind, however. Most of the external carvings seem to have been worn away by the elements or covered by the local plant life.

Shandor grins in displeasure. "It looks like this place is already inhabited. We'd better be careful. Primitives, perhaps?"

Kn Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Inhabited? really ? Well lets keep moving and we shall see he says smiling

Rodrigo search in his backpack and took several books looking as chronicles. After studying them he said

Know. Local: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 11 + 2 = 20
Know. Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Ah ! I find it ! These bone fetishes are lizardfolk in nature and here they said they are wards meant to warn of a curse and to keep evil restrained within.
So no worries here, just a pathfinder's job !

Zaquielle nods at the fetishes, unknowing. She stands and looks at tob and its entrance, mumbling about "it should be back home, its out of place here.....it's covered with green, with life this place of death...." she scans the creepers they pass by...

Knowledge (Nature) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

"Now I've brought you here safe and sound, I'll let you take the lead, unless you need me. Is it safe then?" she asks. She seems to peer into the tombs darkness, ready to react.

Natalia looks over the stonework, trying to see what she can figure out about it...
Kn:Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

"Impressive. This tomb has been around since 2800 years before Aroden raised the Starstone, or about 7500 years. Those protective wards can not still be active, can they?"

Natalia casts Detect Magic, and will take the time to see what there is.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
'No dweomer could last this long, could it?' she thinks.

If it doesn't take Spellcraft, then she'll just determine the school, and hope that they others will know more. If it does, that roll will suffice, I hope!

Kn Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Kn Eng: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

......seriously? I roll two nat 20s, on checks other people already successfully made? *sob*

Sharna listens to Rodrigo's and Natalia's words, with a little absent nod of agreeing with their conclusions. She holds up one hand and whistles. A few seconds later, Ra dives down to settle on her wrist again.

"Ra has seen nothing of interest coming our way in this swamp," she says, transferring the restless hawk to her shoulder again.

She follows suit with Natalia in studying the fetishes for any sign of magic.

Det magic, spellcraft if anything turns up.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (11) + 16 = 27

"How should we order ourselves for marching? I should prefer to be somewhere in the middle of our group, so that I might dispense useful spells via touch."

Peering into the darkness of the hole that used to be a massive door, Zaquielle is unable to see much further in before the stone hallway turns to the right and into deeper darkness. The stone floor lies beneath standing water and both the floor and walls are covered with algae.

Al Suresh will cast a light spell

anyone can detect for trap? assuming no one is So since the door is open lets go inside that hallway and explore this tomb he says

"If whoever takes our lead position does not mind," Sharna says, "Ra will ride on your shoulder. His eyes are keen, and while he cannot see magic, he misses little else that moves or is amiss."

Ra has an Int of 9. If GM rules that makes him smart enough to help look for traps as the party moves forward, then he will do so. Perception is +17.

"It is time to enter ...." says Zauielle somberly.

In an earlier post, Natalia and Al Suresh were up front, Zaquielle protecting the rear, with Shandor leaving Sharna and Rodrigo in the middle ... single file I guess Natalia will be first, Zaquielle last ..

As a reminder, Shandor has darkvision 60 ft.

"Agreed, we've waited too long on the threshold already." continues Shandor with more than a tad of impatience.

That marching order sounds good to me. Onward!

"Sounds fine. Let's get moving,"

'Taldor is always on the vanguard, as it should be.'

Natalia activates the Light on her Wayfinder, and moves in. For now, she'll be moving slowly (single moves of 20'), keeping her eyes and ears open.

she'll be making perception checks, but I will only roll if prompted be the GM... Just to keep things moving

You enter the ancient tomb. Soon after the passage turns, it turns again to the other direction, opening up into a sort of entry hall.

This cubic chamber is full of stagnant swamp water to a height of a foot and a half. The walls are shallowly carved with a complex Osirian motif, with hundreds of ancient pictograms overlapping in an intricate pattern, the outlines of which can barely be made out under the grime. A door in the north wall is decorated with a scene in bas-relief: a jackal-headed man holding two matching kukris, around whom a throng of bestial warriors bow. There is no obvious mechanism to open the door, but there is a gap between it and the wall as if it is being held partially open. Water sluggishly trickles through the gap, flowing deeper into the tomb. Empty doorways open into two rooms to the east and west.

I'm guessing Ra is riding Natalia's shoulder

Ra lets out a single squawk as Lady Natalia approaches the center of the room, cocking its head and turning to look at Sharna.

The standing water and algae-covered stone floor make all squares in this room slippery, requiring 2 squares of movement to move through unless a creature succeeds at a DC 15 Acrobatics check to keep its balance as it moves at full speed. A creature failing its save by 5 or more falls prone; otherwise, a failed check simply restricts a creature to half movement.

Map is added both under my name (in my profile) and in the short campaign description at the top. Please let me know if you cannot move your tokens around. Thanks!

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

"Strange, part of the bas-relief is indented in a way that does not fit the rest of the sculpture." remarks the Varisian.

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

"True... perhaps we should take a look at it. Rodrigo, would you mind? This seems more your forte than mine."

'This bird had better not leave droppings on my shoulder. I will not stand for that.' Natalia keeps glancing at Ra... apparently nervous about something.

Zaquielle looks across at the bas-relief....she moves slowly and quietly around the edge of the room to the east, her bow knocked ready to protect her fellow Pathfinders, once they advance. She doesn't go past the open door, but stays by the wall to the south. She says nothing as she watches her friends advance.

Perception 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
Reflex 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Al suresh stands at the ready and will let those who are more knowledgeable of ancient history investigate

(What, you don't like a bird staring at your face sidelong from eight inches away with a beady yellow eye, Natalia? The threat of poop may well be a real one.)

Sharna Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Sharna's eyes also flick to the indentation of the bas relief, but then she looks to Ra at his squawk.

"Ah. Thank you, eyes-of-my-spirit. Pathfinders, it is possible the floor is a trap, or at least hazardous. Ra informs me that the tiles appear to be loose, and the water flows into it as if there a space beneath, a sinkhole or pit or the like. Presumably the ground up to our good Landros is safe, or she should have already caved through, but have a care."

If Ra can point out what tiles are loose/not loose, Sharna will relay this info to the others. If not, Sharna will just stick to the edges of the room.

"If anyone wishes look more closely at the loose tiles, might I suggest a rope around your middle?"

Zaquielle hearing Sharna's words, she uses her bow to test the floor in front of her, prodding down to test the tile.

"Clever trick." states Shandor. He starts using his quarterstaff to test the stone floor ahead of him.

Shandor starts tapping the floor at Sharna's feet in an effort to test the floor in front of him / under her. Zaquielle starts inching forward along the eastern wall, peeling off layers of algae from the wall as she slides along it, trying to stay away from the center of the room, tapping the floor ahead of her as she moves with her bow.

Of course my Lady said with a courtesy bow Rodrigo to the Paladin.

The with grace he moved through the water to look at the bas-relief, siding with Zaquielle.

Perception (take 10): 10 + 10 = 20

Natalia will stop where she is at, perhaps carefully backing up a step. Never hurts to be safe when one is wearing fifty pounds of Taldan steel on one's back.

She will cast Guidance on Rodrigo, "Receive the blessing of Aroden, Rodrigo."

Zaquielle hisses to the other, "Something comes." she points to the opening to the west, raising her bow in readiness.

Anyone else moving on the map?

Moved. Though if anyone's inspecting the bas-relief I think that's the north wall?

Sharna takes a sloshing step or two into the room, beckoning Ra to her and keeping her eyes on that western entrance that Zaquielle speaks of. The bird flutters the few feet to his mistress's shoulder.

Coming he whispers moving next to her

Sharna and Zaquielle may act in the surprise round

Initiative Order
Sharna
Shandor
Natalia
Rodrigo
Moss Island
Zaquielle
Al Suresh

Sharna is up!

nature: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

"A shambling mound. They are mindless," Shawna says quickly.

But just as prone to ill luck. Shawna focuses, a dull red glow burning in her eyes.

misfortune hex. Will save 20. Duration 2 rds. Target must roll twice for every d20 rolled and take lower. Save negates.

Zaquielle sends an arrow at the creature ... but the slime on her fingers from the algae as she moved, causes her finger to slip and the arrow shoots into the centre of the chamber.

+1 composite longbow attack 1d20 + 12 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 12 - 2 + 1 = 12 point blank shot, deadly aim
Damage 1d8 + 2 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 4 + 1 = 13 deadly aim, point blank shot

Sharna focuses on an island off to the west, that seems to slowly be moving forward, a dull red glow burning in her eyes and dimly bathing the immediate around her in a bloody hue.

As if in anger, the mossy island rises up on two legs, slides forward five feet, and slams a long, ropy vine at Lady Natalia!

Mossy Island's Slam: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29
Slam damage: 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (5, 4) + 5 = 14
Grab attack: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (2) + 16 = 18

The island grabs Lady Natalia and begins squeezing the life from her.

Constrict: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (1, 4) + 7 = 12

Surprised by the sudden onslaught, and slippery from the moss, Zaquielle lets loose an arrow, sailing it wide of its intended target.

The battle has just begun, but already it looks grim.

Group 1 is up

Group 1
Sharna
Shandor
Natalia [17/43 HP]
Rodrigo

Critters
Mossy Island [Full Health]

Group 2
Zaquielle
Al Suresh

Sharna's brows knit in dismay at seeing her curse appears to have had little effect. And Landros has just taken considerable injury...

Ra's claws dig into her shoulder as she moves (or more accurately, into the thick leather pad she keeps sewn into her robe's shoulder for just that purpose). Sharna's fingers dive into her haversack, the magic of the bag bringing an item to her questing hand.

Move action: retrieve scroll of cure moderate wounds.
Standard: cast spell from scroll. Designate Ra as 'toucher'.
Ra flies to Natalia's shoulder and delivers the spell to Natalia.

Cure Mod on Natalia: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (5, 3) + 3 = 11

'Damn it, Talia. You have to do something quickly, or you are meeting Aroden sooner than you planned. Cannot cast spells like this, so what are you hiking to do? The nodachi is out of the question, but maybe the light mace? Let's show them what Taldor is all about... How a true Taldan doesn't go down without a fight!'

Natalia draws her light silvered mace as a move action, and power attacks with it. All of her hatred towards those that scoffed at her goes into the blow, all the frustration of this situation!

Power Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 "For Taldor and Aroden! I smite thee!!!"
damage from silvered light mace: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 note there is no penalty on this attack from Power Attack due to her Furious Focus. There is a -2 from being grappled, though.