CORE CAMPAIGN (Inactive)

Game Master JASON RODARTE

Lukian you can attempt to provide long-term care to Aurus, if the party chooses to rest for 8 hours. Since no one else has posted yet, and its the weekend, I won't move forward until I hear from the others.

"Let's go to the scriptorium!"

He wants to see if the Audrey III put a seed in the head :)

"Yeah, let's g'on to the script-her-him," Aurus says punchily, though he does groggily follow Lukian for a medical once-over.

I'm alright going on without the long-term care, if we're relying on me to use Int-based skills then we're in real trouble.

Mao nods his head in agreement and follows his allies towards the Scriptorium - moving very silently - scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary.

"As long as Aurus is OK."

Cloudia looks at Aurus with worried glances.

"ARE you OK?"

Mao takes a moment to inspect Storeroom #3, and notices a door hidden behind a stack of cartons against the southern wall. Further inspection reveals a small sign that says “Archives—Private." The party debates what to do next for a moment, and even though Aurus's head doesn't seem completely clear, they decide to proceed into the Scriptorium.

*******

The party steps into the room marked Scriptorium. To the left and to the right, after they go through the doorway, they see bare wooden shelves, empty except for some extra writing supplies (sheets of parchment, bottles of ink, and quills). In the shadows formed from Mao’s fist and Cloudia’s spear, they also see, in the center of the room between six columns, three desks with high stools. A small sign on the southern door reads “Archives—Private.”

A body lies slumped in the southwestern corner, still clutching a club...

Mao shows them the sign regarding the private archives and is surprised to find a similar sign in the Scriptorium. "What do you think they're holding in there?"

He spots the body in the corner and cautiously approaches it. Looking for signs of danger on the way.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

I'm alright going on without the long-term care, if we're relying on me to use Int-based skills then we're in real trouble.

Ability damage only matters if it's 2 or higher.

For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability.

A body lies slumped in the southwestern corner, still clutching a club...

Uldar calls dibs on the club. His previous one broke.

"Be careful, Mao. Perhaps we should shoot it before... Oh, what am I thinking? Silly me, ready to shoot every dead body I see."

She giggles at herself nervously, but, nevertheless, has her wand ready and pointed at the docile corpse while she peers in from the other side of the door (as usual).

Given their previous experiences in the rooms of the basement of the Blakros Museum, Mao understandably makes his way across the scriptorium with caution. Nothing unnaturally animated attacks him.

Upon reaching the body in the corner of the room, Mao can see that Its legs have been eaten away by acid--the corpse showing signs of putrefaction, with patches of mold on the skin. A broken lantern lies next to the body, its oil spilled on the floor. If one were to guess, it would seem likely that this was one of the unfortunate watchmen that the museum curator sent down into the storerooms to check on the Blakros daughter...

Seeing that the coast seems clear, Uldar joins Mao and rather unceremoniously pulls the club from the dead man's clutches.

The party may continue to explore the room, rolling Perception checks as necessary. Or, if nothing catches your fancy or attacks you, proceed into the Archives.

Aurus walks over and unceremoniously nudges the body with his foot. "Lookit him. All et up like something's makin' watchmen into snackmen." He snorts derisively. "Let's go make that thing into a snack now!"

While clearly still a couple of screws loose, his stance is steady and battle-ready - though he's not likely to be much help making a plan for a little bit.

Casting detect magic.

Though she is the last one to enter the room, enter she does, and joins the search. Beginning with the desks.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 7

Though she gets distracted by something and spends an inordinate amount of time reading through a few pieces of paper.

Poor sorcereress :)

"Let's get to the archives!"

Ooops, forgot to search :)

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Aurus promptly drops the sheaf of papers he'd been half-heartedly shuffling through at Uldar's announcement. "Yeah, to the artdives!" he yells.

I think I like him better this way the gnome says with a chuckle.

Despite her lack of attention to detail, Cloudia notices that the two northern desks each contain small, empty candelabra, two bottles of dried ink, and old quill pens. The southern desk has been used more recently—the candelabrum holds the stubs of half-burnt candles, the ink bottles are still wet, and fresh ink stains the quill pens. A handful of books and scrolls, treatises on the solar system and the empty space beyond, lie open on the desk.

Underlined passages and marginalia written in Osiriani refer to the “the Dark Tapestry” and the “Dominions of the Black,” as well as something called the “Gate of Beyond,” a long-lost portal to these otherworldly realms. References to an ancient aberrant sorcerer named Kubburum Ishmedagan and the mad wizard Ralzeros the Overwatched are also highlighted.

Lukian detects no additional magic in the room.

Would you like to spend a little more time in the room reading through the notes (or anything else), or would you like to continue on? (Reading may cause the loss of the shorter duration mage armor spells.)

"Does anyone else here know Osiriani? A few of these scrolls and books have some notes in it. I can't understand much but I see some names and things. Something about the dark tapestry and gates and such."

She waves one such scroll about as if offering it to the first comer.

Cloudia does not mind waiting if someone can read the notes.

"Let's press on, we've got a damsel in distress!"

Mao hesitates for a moment before agreeing with Uldar. "Uldar is right. We can deal with this later on. We have a more urgent matter that needs attending. Watch your steps though." he nods towards the corpse and the spilled oil. "Whatever did this to him might still be lurking around."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

I think that we can take the books with us he says.

No scholars, and anxious to find the missing Blakros daughter, the party opens the door to the Private Archives. Before they step through it, though, Mao spots a piece of loose parchment under a desk, and stuffs it into the loose folds of his monk’s robes in case the party wishes to view it later.

Per their usual pattern, Aurus and Mao open the door to the Archives, at the ready lest something terrible happens. This chamber contains several tall wooden bookshelves reaching to the ceiling, almost bursting with the weight of books and scrolls filling the shelves. The shelves and their contents are encrusted with thick growths of brightly colored fungus and glistening mold. Many tomes have fallen from the shelves, their open pages forming a base for more fungi and large mushrooms which carpet the floor. The air here is damp and close, and several of the fungal growths pulse with an eerie purple light that dimly lights the room.

Both Aurus and Mao—and the casters and bard in the doorway behind them—feel an unnatural blast of cold as they enter the room.

The map is updated. Please move your characters icons around if you wish to explore the room further. Walk no further then a single move action. Roll both a Perception check and Knowledge Nature check (if you have it)

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Aurus cautiously splits off and heads left. "Cold in here... how'd we get outside? Wasn't it summer?" he says, clearly still not thinking clearly.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 3

"Oh, oh. This is not good. The museum is going to lose a lot of valuable books and stuff. Poor Nigil."

She crinkles her nose and gingerly avoids mold whenever she can.

Casting detect magic before he enters the room

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Aurus and Cloudia split the exploring duties, while Mao guards the door. They tiptoe through the patches of glowing fungus and mold as they walk. Cloudia finds nothing untoward, as she looks down the rows of bookshelves. Aurus sees nothing exceptional either, having trouble seeing without his own source of light...until he stumbles, literally, on something--a backpack, half overgrown with mold.

Lukian and Uldar remain in the Scriptorium, slightly concerned about their mold allergies. Both of you will need to step into the room to get an effect from your spells or perception checks.

The only part of the museum basement the party has yet to view is the eastern section of this room, where the fungus and mold looks even thicker…

You may continue to move through the room, making perception checks as you go.

Uldar steps into the room and looks around.

Aurus nudges the bag with his foot. "Hey, I got my hands full with my sword - can I get a light here? Found something."

Uldar steps into the room, but doesn't notice anything unusual from his vantage point. Aurus kicks at the backpack--there's clearly something in it.

Aurus, from where you are standing, you can see well enough to see what's in the backpack from the light of Mao's fist, but everything behind a bookshelf or down an aisle will be dim or in shadow.

Aurus hooks his leg through the loops of the backpack and drags it back towards the door before opening it to examine the contents.

Mao walks with Aurus to provide illumination as they both search the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

he walks in.

Cloudia is still lurking in the corner of the room with a light spell active. When Aurus returns with the backpack, she is right there looking over his shoulder when he opens it, then hurriedly steps back as she considers what will happen when a bag covered with mold is suddenly opened.

I hope it does not eat her :)

I hope it does not eat her :)

If this were a home game I'd be a lot more worried about the GM suddenly deciding that bag could be a mimic larvae or something equally awful.

LOL

Lukian wrote:

I hope it does not eat her :)

If this were a home game I'd be a lot more worried about the GM suddenly deciding that bag could be a mimic larvae or something equally awful.

I was definitely considering that. If Uldar wasn't here I might have gone rogue.

The party huddles in a seemingly safe corner of the private archives of the Blakros Museum, examining their findings. Cloudia holds up the shaft of her spear to help them read.

Aurus squeamishly opens the backpack—there doesn’t appear to be anything living in it—to find a collection of canopic jars, jeweled death masks, gilded ushabti, and other relics. Also inside is a scrap of paper with the phrase “The Eye is always vigilant” written on it in Common. Given the items in the contents in the backpack, one could be led to assume that this could have been dropped by someone interested in Osiriani relics…someone, perhaps, like Imrizade Blakros.

I’m going to do a few things here to move the story forward.

While they’re huddled, Mao pulls out the parchment he discovered on the floor in the Scriptorium. It contains words he can't read, and odd, hastily-drawn sketches of a canister with a brain in it, and an archway.

If any of you know Osiriani, or have the Linguistics skill, let me know or roll a check.

Musing over these strange finds, the party sees no other choice but to make their way to the only unexplored area of the room.

Aurus and Mao take the lead, Mao’s fist providing Aurus with light--the others staying away a safe distance. The air gets even more frigid as they walk. As Aurus steps into the eastern section of the room, the mold grows thicker, hampering his movement difficult terrain

And then, suddenly, Aurus's brain is filled with a loud piercing wail!

Between the bookshelves Aurus sees a purple toadstool trembling. A terrible noise seems to be coming from it.

IN COMBAT

ROUND 1

Mao
Aurus -1, -1 Int Damage
Uldar
Lukian
Cloudia
Loud purple toadstool

All characters may act. Aurus and Mao make a Fortitude save DC 11. On a fail take 1 point of sonic damage.

Cloudia moves forward until she can see the vile thing and fires a magic missile at it.

Zzzappp: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Then shakes the wand as if frustrated with it.

I know it can do much better than that!

"What is it?"

Cloudia is from Absalom and can speak Osiriani."

Mao wasn't prepared for the piercing scream and becomes dizzy all of a sudden. He does his best to maintain his composure.

Fort. save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

He draws a shuriken and throws it at the creature, hoping that it would stop the screaming.

Shuriken: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Damage: 1d2 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

"Does anyone know what that thing is," Mao shouts over the noise.

Uldar tries to remember songs about loud mushrooms.

knowledge: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

And will do a countersong

perform: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

Fortitude: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

"Hey! Shut up!" cries the paladin as we swings the greatsword clumsily.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Damage: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (4, 3) + 7 = 14

Cloudia, Will: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Cloudia steps nearer to the screaming purple mushroom and casts magic missile. Her strong will keeps her ears intact. Mao manages to get his shrunken around a corner.

Uldar begins a countersong that makes the mushroom’s racket more tolerable.

Unfortunately, when approaching the shrieking fungus, both Aurus and Mao have stepped too close to a patch of dangerous brown mold!

Both Aurus and Mao take 7 points of non-lethal cold damage

Passing within 5’ feet of the brown mold will cause damage.

All characters may act. Aurus and Lukian may act twice.

IN COMBAT

ROUND 1

Aurus
Lukian

ROUND 2

Mao -7NL
Aurus -1, -1 Int Damage, -7NL
Uldar
Lukian
Cloudia
Loud purple toadstool -6

Aurus, I got ninja'd...that missed, though. Try again!

The Paladin has become... THE NINJA
EDIT: Fitting that you ninja my post referencing my ninja-ing your post... :)

As the brown mold bursts and the screaming continues, Aurus grimaces heavily. "Worse than the f***ing forest," he says as he manuevers around the toadstool and swings a second time. Provoking on the way to give a flank

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Damage: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (6, 5) + 7 = 18

Lingustics check 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16