GM Shadowtail's Doomsday Dawn (Inactive)

Game Master Shadowtail24

Come quickly, I need your help... they've taken it, and I cannot get it on my own... they are twisted, foul, cruel... how could they have done this... but Talga says she can find them... she want them dead... I want them dead... can you come?.... I had heard you were nearby

Fragments of the message still resonate in your mind as you finish the journey to Magnimar. Keleri Deverin, an aristocrat and scholar, had sent for your help. It must be important, for she had not even trusted the words to be written, but instead via messenger. You had quickly sent the messenger back with an affirmative response; Keleri was not one to exaggerate a position, and you had been nearby. The messenger had asked after others as well, so you would likely not be alone in the undertaking. Talga though, that name you did not know.

Welcome players, you Doomsday Dawn! There are rumors swirling of upheaval in Golarion, but that seems to be the constant state these days. You scoff at those that read the tides and call it the end times. Instead you are focused on the next action, and that has now presented itself.

You will likely know Keleri, an aristocrat, scholar, and resident of Magnimar from your previous travels. She could have been a colleague, a mentor, a friend, a lost love, a role model, etc. It is also possible you know little of her, but your renown in adventuring means she knew you could help. The play test will be less focused on the player stores, but especially with these primary characters I do think it is important to establish the connections, the personalities, the histories, and the goals, as we'll come back to the primary characters a few times.

set up:You are to meet Keleri at a small tavern just inside the Magnimar limits. A quick look at the taverns and its surroundings tell you that is this not a nice place, and that an atristocrat should not be here. You even notice a goblin exiting the bar. Keleri mentioned she would be in a cloak, though her hood would be pulled back so you could recognize her. She would also be accompanied by another person.

Action: Post your re-connection/introduction to Keleri, along with a reason why you know her (or why she knows you). You can also post introductions to the other players, or you can have traveled here or already known other players.

A man enters the tavern, his white, travel-stained chasuble bearing the sword and sunburst symbol of Iomedae. He is reasonably tall, though not overly so, and has the lean, muscled physique of a warrior. Though his vigor bespeaks of youth, his weathered face and closely cropped salt-and-pepper beard and hair say this is no young man.

Though his years spent soldiering had taken him far and wide, the man had never before been to Magnimar, and he was a bit on edge. He casts his gaze around the dimly lit interior, and after a moment spots the woman the messenger described. Apparently the first of the "others" to arrive, Gaetius Silanus walks confidently over to her table to present himself. Not quite sure how to properly address an aristocrat, Gaetius settles on a polite nod before speaking. "Keleri I believe? I am Gaetius Silanus, servant of Iomedae. Your messenger found me, and bade me to come here to aid you. You spoke of some beings of a foul nature, but the message was not entirely clear. However if evil lies at the heart of your problem, then you have asked the right man to correct it." After waiting a beat he asks, with a gesture to an open space, "May I sit while we wait for the rest to arrive?"

The half-elf dressed in well-tailored clothing and carrying a lute in a case walked into the tavern, thinking This is no place for Keleri. Why would she be here?

Aramil had met Keleri Deverin when he performed at a party she was a guest at. Since then, she had hired him for some of her own, as well as provided good references to help him get other performances. He wouldn't call it patronage, but her support had definitely helped open doors for him. Her message was confusing, however, and something had clearly happened. He would try to help her as best he could, but he wasn't sure how much he could do.

Finding her, he moves through the crowded tavern and, taking a seat at the table, says, "Good evening, Keleri. It's wonderful too see you again. Your message was somewhat confusing, however - what can I help you with?"

Turning to the human also seated at the table, he says, "Aramil Wellys, entertainer. Who might you be?"

The elven lady stepped down from the carriage, with her bags.
Everything she needed fit in one backpack, with a bedroll and tent strapped on top. She swung the whole bundle easily onto her back, and strode off, using her staff for balance on the uneven cobbles.

It was her first time back in Magnimar, since leaving the sanitarium, and she was not comfortable being back.
The statues reminded her of her breakdown, their eyes seeming to still follow her, as if recognising her, and gloating in their knowledge, despite her attempts to reinvent herself, to strip down soft, flabby merchant girl flesh, and replace it with hard sinew.

Her past life should be a closed book, the soft, feebleminded victim shut away from prying eyes.
Anyone attempting to contact that person would have to do so through her modern-day gatekeeper, and hope she allowed them to survive their impudence.

The treatment had been free of charge, courtesy of the Deverin charitable trust, for which she grudgingly accepted she ought to be grateful. However, part of the toughening process had involved taking personal responsibility and enforcing self-reliance.
There may not be a debt on paper, or verbal contract, but unspoken obligations were still as much a burden.
If this favour were more than a trivial matter, it may serve to scour the slate clean, and allow the whole disgusting mess of her former life to be consigned to the trash heap of history.

As she entered the bar, she soon found Keleri, looking much as she remembered her, from her volunteering visits, but slightly older, as humans do.
Two other figures were sat with her, presumably others called by the same message.
She idly wondered if these others also owed a debt for some past indiscretion, but did not recognise them from the wards.
Maybe they had been in the dangerous inmates wing?
She would have to keep an eye on them, till they had proven their stability.

'Madam Keleri. It is good to see you again.'

Once the half-elf introduces himself, Gaetius responds in kind. "Gaetius Silanus, ex-soldier, and current priest of Iomedae - as if you couldn't tell that part" he says, looking down at the obvious iconography on his clothing. "It's good to see that I won't be alone in this endeavor" he continues, pausing mid-sentence as a lean elf walks up to the table and addresses their host. "Ah, yes...well that makes three then. How many are we expecting?" Gaetius finishes.

Any response to the priest's inquiry is momentarily disrupted by the sound of a grizzled dwarf spitting out a mouthful of ale bye the tavern counter: "Phhhttt! Gwah!! No! Screw the ale. Water! Just make it a round of waters! By the taste of ye ale, I can tell you've got a hill giant chained up out back and yer milking it from the sweat of his armpits, but by Cayden do him and yer patrons a favor and feed that thing something other than rotten eggs and wyvern piss!"

He has wild, pale, blue-gray eyes, one of which is much wider than the other and is dressed in a utilitarian fashion with a keg-like pack strapped to his back. His grayish-brown beard is parted in the middle and swept back over his shoulders and his shaggy hair is swept back along his head giving the impression of either having a perpetual gale blowing against his face or having just witnessed an explosion up close.

Moments later he arrives at the table with tray of simple food and mugs of water and proceeds to distribute them to those at the table. He produces a flask and eyes the human before pouring a portion from it into a mug of water and then placing the mug in front of Gaetius. He then looks at the half-elf and pours a half-portion from the flask into a mug of water and places that one in front of Aramil. He then looks at the elf, then to a mug of water, then back at the elf, pauses for a moment, and then places the mug, unaltered, in front of Llaichrimosiach.

He appears about to move on when Aramil seems to catch his eye again. He studies the fine clothes and lingers on the lute for a moment. Looking back towards the sinewy elf, he makes up his mind and reaches across the table and switches the mugs he originally placed, now giving Aramil's to Llaichrimosiach and vice-versa.

He then takes a swig directly from the flask before plopping down next to Keleri. He accesses his pack and from deep inside withdraws a rough-hewn wine bottle and places it gently in front of her, saying "I know this ain't yer usual vintage that I bring in from Kravenkus, but it's the closest I had on me that matches yer tastes. Uhhh... no charge for it, considering how distressed and such you must be in..." he looks around at the tavern in general, tapping his fingers upon the table for a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"...sooooo, ...you want something dead?!" he cheerily finishes?

Aramil looks at the Dwarf, looks at his mug, looks at the Dwarf again, then pushes his mug towards him with a pointed look at the flask.

”Aramil Wellys. Who might you be?” He asks the question, taking in the Elven woman who sat down.

'Llaichrimosiach.
Though I often accept Lacrimosa, from human tongues. It's easier than hearing them mangle it.'

'Lady Keleri and I had mutual charitable business, in service of Irori, several years ago. I would be glad to help her in return.'

She eyes the mug, and slowly lifts it to sniff the contents.

Would previously have been Alchemy, what would we use now? I'd be untrained in it, so...

ID drink: 1d20 - 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) - 2 + 1 + 1 = 15

Llaich, please use bold for speech

Darkut Mar post is coming right before Keleri’s response. Soldier-1st should be posting soon. Keep up the RP!

[The beverage additive is potently sweet and savory with a significant alcohol content that is surprisingly smooth initially considering the amount you receive (as judged by the bus and warming feeling that creeps into you a little while later). Of course, the amount you received was diluted between 5 and 10-fold, but the flavor seems designed to hold up to that much dillution.

By am alchemical or similar examination, you figure it is composed of primarily of some kind of malt syrup cut with alcohol distilled from fermented potato and a solid dose of a dried bread yeast, along with some minor herbs and spices to even out the flavors and experience.]

Ziggie gives Aramil a cautionary look, then grins and pours him an equivalent amount from from the flask as Lacrimosa now has.

[Prior to Ziggie revealing what is in the drink...]

Gaetius accepts the drink form Ziggie with a smile, and brings it up to drink. Within seconds his smile fades, then turns into a grimace, and you can see him visibly work the liquid down his throat. He shakes his head violently and exclaims "By the Eleven Acts...what is that stuff?! It feels like my teeth are melting man; is that even safe to drink?"

His father was too ill to attend to matters so far away, so it fell to Zachary to assist Lady Deverin. She was a long-time associate of his father's, and while nothing had been overtly said, Zachery presumed that even if she did not outright know they were members of the Order, she at the very least strongly suspected. But she seemed to be a good sort, and so Zachery did not begrudge his task. The walk to the tavern from the Stone of the Seers was long, and he got lost twice, but eventually he managed to find it. He entered the tavern and paused briefly to let his eyes adjust.

Though only slightly bigger than normal for a Taldan or a Kellid, he was downright huge for a Varisian, who are normally a lithe and slim people. Thick with muscle, he still moved calmly and carefully, doing his best to keep his hands at his sides and not get in anyone's way. Dark green eyes gaze pleasantly from a surprisingly gentle face, and it's easy to imagine him as the stereotypical gentle giant.

His eyes finally adjust and he spots Lady Deverin, sitting at a table with several others, who all already seem to be drinking. He cautiously makes his way over to the table.

"M'lady," he says, his voice deep but clear, "I apologize for my lateness. May I join you?"

Though he is speaking to the lady, his gaze peruses the others at the table briefly before he sits. A human, a dwarf, an elf, and a half-elf. Quite an eclectic group. Though this hardly surprises him. The lady has always been quite personable, from what he remembers.

'Well, that keeps out the cold, I'll bet. I don't usually drink alcohol, as it costs too much to affect me these days, after my detoxification regime.'

Keleri greets everyone in-turn and graciously thanks them for coming so quickly. She takes a last glimpse as the door opens, but dismisses the person who enters and turns back to the table. She starts to say something but then stops as a gnome saddles up to the table.

Derkut stands up from a nearby table, drags his chair over, but doesn't sit yet. The gnome is the kind of person you would expect in this bar, his clothes are worn and ragged, and his skin and clothes are both covered in dirt. He nods to Keleri. "Hi, Keleri, I, uh, sorry for interrupting." He breathes deeply and then starts talking quickly. The words sound rehearsed "I am Derkut Mar, a ranger in the area. My eagle Restil is watching guard outside. At least, I told her to take the watch but really I didn't think they would let her inna reputable place like this. I am glad to see so many of you have come to help as well." He pauses, and makes eye contact with a few of you. "I am sure together we can help her."

*1 Derkut turns to Gaetius. "Hello, Gaetius, well met." He turns to Aramil. "Hello, Aramil, well met." He turns to Llaich, then looks down at his hand, "Hello, Lake-rim-o-sitch, well met." He turns to Ziggie. "Hello, uh," he glances at his hand quickly then looks back up, "dwarf, well met." He looks at Zachary. "Hello, uh, Varisian? Well met."

He sits.

Keleri frowns at Derkut for a second before composing herself and turning back to the group. "Ah yes, once again I would like to thank all of you for coming on such short notice. You see, my family vault was robbed. Normally such an act would not constitute a full force of this nature, but there are strange circumstances surrounding it. First, my prized family heirloom, the Star of Desna was taken. I don't need to tell you how valuable the item is, but it even more precious to me. Secondly, as I was calmly.", there's a nervous sound from the goblin next to Keleri, "surveying the vault, I happened up this goblin here. Her name is Talga and it is her part of the store that concerns me most. And no, she is not lying, I have verified her story as much as a can." There's a start from the goblin.

"Talga's tribe was enslaved by a hobgoblin named Drakus the Taker, and it is he who is forcing his slaves to commit these robberies. Some, like Talga can sneak away but most who refuse to help are brutally tortured and murdered. I cannot stand for this kind of treatment, and so I need all of you to journey to Drakus' lair and slay him and his cronies." She pauses. "And while you are there you can take back my Star of Desna."

She pauses and turns to Talga. "Is there anything you would like to add?" The goblin shakes her head, fear and anxiety plain in her eyes and demeanor.

"Ok, good." She stops for a beat. "Ah yes, you will be rewarded for such a task of course." She pauses again."And if you could recover my heirloom in the next seven days that would be best, as I am planning on wearing it to a festival then."

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Zachary cocks an eyebrow at the gnome, but nods his head in greeting anyway.

Zackary tenses as the story continues, excitement warring with caution conflicting across his guileless face. The chance to actually let loose is exciting, but having other people around tempers his reaction. Maybe just a little...

"I foresee little difficulty in reclaiming this item. Do you have any information on numbers or layout of the area the goblins are in?" he asks.

Ziggie nods knowingly, then stands up and hikes up his trousers.

He then viciously lunges for the goblin, pinning her against the nearby wall and putting a dagger up to her throat. "Where are they and what kinds of traps do they have in store for us!? You were planted in that vault just to lure us to a death pit, a kill box? Right!? TELL US!!! Can't eat goblins, they're only good for bait, and only as bait for bait! I'll be hanging you up by yer neck from a tree, partly strangled, dippin' halfway in the water lettin' the leeches gather on you so I can pluck them off to put 'em on a hook and catch something worth much more than you to eat. IF what you tell us is helpful, I'll be back that much sooner to cut you down and put you out of your misery!"

Intimidation: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (12) - 3 = 9

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

[He is obviously too focused on tormenting Talga to notice other details around him in the tavern. ]

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

No chance of seeing if there's a clue as to who wrote it, if not himself?

Zachary tenses and flinches as the dwarf's sudden lunge, then recovers himself. He gently and tentatively puts a hand on the dwarf's shoulder, not quite restraining him, just him know that someone is there.

"Not to be offensive, but I personally feel that Lady Deverin is a wise judge of character, and would put my trust in such judgement, far above yours. Perhaps you should use more... reasonable... methods, before jumping to either conclusions or actions," he says gently, in that strangely universal voice one uses when attempting to reason with a madman.

As the tall, fellow human enters the tavern, Gaetius sizes him up quickly, and is impressed by his initial presentation. When Zachary introduces himself at the table to Keleri, Gaetius slides over to make room for the barbarian. Although something is off about Derkut, when he shows up Gaetius doesn't notice anything odd about the gnome at all; he's still far to engrossed in figuring out if the drink the dwarf poured him is going to poison him or not.

Ziggie's sudden leap into violent action against the goblin does draw him out of his cup though. You can almost see the quick internal battle playing out on Gaetius' face as he decides whether to intervene on behalf of Talga, or the dwarf. Ultimately he says in his deep voice "You judge the goblin too quickly dwarf - if our host trusts her enough to bring her to this meeting, then we should also extend the benefit of the doubt to her. Sit, and let us hear the rest of this tale." he finishes in a commanding voice.

With one hand still pinning the goblin and the other gesturing about casually with the dagger, Ziggie responds to Zachary and Gaetius "Perhaps it is YOU who should put a bit more trust the Lady's judgment, as she has invited everyone at this table." he say while turning the dagger around in a circle so that it points to each person sitting one at a time, finally ending with it pointing at himself. "Ehhh!?"

Letting the goblin slide to the ground, he deftly twirls and then sheaths the dagger before trundling back to take a seat right next to Zachary. He gives the green-eyed man a good-buddy kind of nudge with his elbow and whispers a bit too loudly "A little Good Dwarf/Bad Dwarf, eh? Yer quick on the pick up, real smooth operator you! Aw, well, though in this case instead of dwarf, I should say Taldan? Kellid? ...?" he plies friendlily while spiking another mug of water with one and a half the dose he originally gave to Gaetius and sliding it in front of the big man.

"The smoothest," Zachary deadpans, tentatively sipping the beverage, which despite being strong enough to make him cough and his eyes water with even that little sip, still tastes surprisingly good.

Aramil takes the mug and takes a sip of the alcohol, thinking the Dwarf quite reasonable.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Aramil takes note of the piece of paper in the gnome's hand, curious, but if Keleri has no issue, neither would he. He listens to her tale and nods. He knew the importance of the Star of Desna to her family, and was happy to help her. "Keleri, I would be happy to help you retrieve this artifact." He raises an eyebrow in surprise at the Goblin, but does not react otherwise.

He is caught completely off-guard when the Dwarf lunges at the Goblin, pinning her to the wall and threatening her - although from what he can tell, he wasn't putting much effort into it. I guess the Dwarf isn't that reasonable after all. As Zachary and Gaetius intervened, he nodded, then turned to the goblin and smiled. "Talga, is it? I'm sorry if the Dwarf scared you - you must be in quite a taking over the hobgoblin slave master, and that can't have helped. We do need questions answered, however. Could you tell us where your tribe's lair is? What you know of Drakus and how many of your tribe are there will be useful, as well."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

[dice=Perception]1d20+3

No chance of seeing if there's a clue as to who wrote it, if not himself?

The handy writing is shaky and barely intelligible suggesting that Derkut wrote it himself.

Going off of Ziggie's 9 on the intimidate check

Derkut tries to turn a laugh into a grunt at Ziggie's display. He gives Keleri an apologetic look, but lets the others attempt to calm the goblin.

Keleri grabs her mug and starts whacking it against Ziggie's arm until he lets' go. "What are you doing? She is already fragile enough."

Keleri's assrtion is right. The goblin, released from Ziggie's grib, has collapsed to the floor and was huddled against the wall. Keleri tried to console her but now the attempts seemed to be having little effect. After the questions comes in from everyone she turns back, one hand still on the goblin's shoulder.

"Now she's in no state top talk. Because of the urgency it's probably best you go now." She pulls out a piece of parchment. "She did draw out a map of the lair for me, or at least as mjuch as she knew. It's called the Ashen Ossuary. Anyone in town can point you in the right direction."

She turns back to Talga. "Come on Talga, let's get out of this filthy place and go home."

With that Keleri leaves, brushing off any attempts for further questions.

The Ashen Ossuary Map

When you're ready we can jump to the Ashen Ossuary, and A1. You can wrap up any RPing in the tavern first.

'Well, that was more interesting than expected.
It sounds as though you may soon have ample opportunities to vent your spleen, Master Ziggie.'

'One thing I would have liked to know, is if there are any other disgruntled goblins, equally open to deserting.
Ah, well, I suppose we may just have to let Pharasma sort the piles into bad, and maybe-not-as-bad.'

'Though I have heard there are moves afoot, among the more socially conscious urban developers, to invite some of the balloon-headed little scamps to join the civilised races.'

Gaetius looks pleased when Ziggie lets Talga go, but has a somewhat confused look on his face with regard to the "good-dwarf, bad-dwarf" statement. Nevertheless he waits for Talga to answer some more questions regarding the lair, and is visibly disappointed when Keleri ushers her out with nothing more forthcoming. "Excellent job dwarf. Now we are going to head in there nearly blind when we may have been able to get something useful from the creature" he vents at Ziggie.

As Lac speaks Gaetius nods along, agreeing with finding out the disposition of the other goblins. "Well said Lac. I cannot fathom why anyone would want to invite those little beasts into civilized society, but each should be judged on his or her own actions. As such it will be evident enough if any of the other goblins wish to lay down their arms. I will give them that opportunity, but should they choose to squander it, it will be obvious they have cast their lot in with the evil slaver."

"As it seems Keleri is in a hurry, I suppose it is best we begin this quest as soon as everyone is ready. Six is a fortuitous number - just like Iomedae forged Heart's Edge for her Sixth Act, so to will we be forged into a weapon for good. Come, let us go friends!"

[OOC: I'm ready to head out to the Ossuary.]

travel montage music

I can provide that for you, Llaich.

Aramil nods at Keleri as she departs, understanding. "Thank you, Lady Deverin. We shall endeavor to recover the Star of Desna for you."

Once she is gone, he looks at Ziggie and says, "Well, perhaps if Fortune favors us, going in blind will not go too badly for us. Let us go to the Ashen Ossuary, and see what may be found there."

Ready to go.

'One thing I would have liked to know, is if there are any other disgruntled goblins, equally open to deserting. Ah, well, I suppose we may just have to let Pharasma sort the piles into bad, and maybe-not-as-bad.'

"All who live must face Her judgement," Zachary intones reverently, kissing his thumb and making the spiral of Pharasma in the air.

"I too am ready to see this done," he says, rotating his neck and wrists with a staccato series of cracks.

Derkut nods at Zachary’s comment. “Restil can judge them, he gets people. ”

'So, what do we know about this place?'

'Obviously, from the name, it's a place for the storage of bones, but whose? And are they likely to be guarded, by more than just goblins?'

Gaetius looks at Lac and shrugs. "I only wish we knew, but there is nothing to go on now that Keleri has left, and taken the goblin with her. Do any of you know a source in the city where we could ask, or find out this information? Otherwise perhaps speed will be our best ally."

"Bah! Goin' in blind!? We know we're going in to a trap. Maybe a big one, maybe a small one, maybe a poorly arranged one, maybe a nasty one, but it's always a trap with their kind." the Brewmaster says as he gathers leftover food from the table and pockets it. Potatoes go into a jar, bread scraps into a pouch, and the last bit of beef goes straight into his mouth.

"All we need to know is which hole in ground to start lookin', and that we have. Anything else from that goblin's mouth will either be obvious to anyone with decent senses or will be a lie to lead us astray and more likely to get us killed." he adds as he heads for the door.

Heading to the Ashen Ossuary time!

Time to decide order of approach.
Unlike PF1, we won't have the traditional massive disparity in Perception or Stealth scores (armor penalties excepted), so does that mean the old tactic of sending someone in first no longer applies?
We also can't assume any dwarf or elf has secret door radar, since they have to explicitly purchase it, instead of getting it for free.
Curious to see how mechanical changes drive changes in playstyle.

Although I don't have the best Perception, I'm willing to take a forward position, due to low light vision.
Leaving casters, missilers, and the light holder to cover us.

The damp sewer passages have led to a slimy cistern that
stinks of decay. On the northern edge of this circular chamber
lies a pile of burnt bones in front of a scorched tunnel.

welcome to A1. When you enter each room you’ll get a perception check. I’ll roll them for you most of the time, but this time I’ll let you roll alongside a post about you original actions. I’ll post the map in the campaign info so it will sow at the top of the page.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

The trip to the entrance of the Ossuary was largely uneventful, but the entrance to the Ossuary filled Zachary with disgust, and at least a little trepidation. His glaive was a long weapon, ill suited to tight spaces, and his dagger was both a holy symbol of his devotion to Pharasma as well as ill-suited to his fighting style.

Still, it was only some goblins, and everyone seemed to be at least reasonably competent. He was confident that all would be well.

He peers around the room, his glaive at the ready.

What's the light like in the area?

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
A 20. Does that trigger some special result?

'If we need a light, I have a lantern I can loan to someone.'
she passes the lantern and oil, if required, and waits for that or another light before advancing

Given the dampness, it's essential to check for standing water, that could conceal treacherous footing.
Or traps left by the new occupants.

Poking ahead with her staff, she tests the ground in front of her, inching toward the charred figure.

Aramil smiles at Llaich and says, "Thank you, but I have my own." He pulls out his own lantern and lights it.

Hmmm...I guess I'm the best choice for a lantern holder we have, huh? I'll have to put it down when we get into fights so I can fight creatures with nothing more than the power of song.

Looking about the room while Llaich inches ahead, he remains ready in case they encounter any foes.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Although I think I have the best perception in the party, given that I only have normal vision, and a -5 to stealth I don't think I should be the one scouting ahead. I do have one hand free (longsword only), but I'll need it to cast spells. So I can hold a light as well, but I'll need to put it down in combat just like Aramil.

The muck of the sewers didn't bother Gaetius much, it wasn't any worse than many battlefields he'd fought on. When the group arrives at the cistern Gaetius crinkles up his nose and briefly turns away - the burnt smell brings back too many bad memories for him, but he pushes past it.

As Lac takes out her lantern, and Aramil as well, Gaetius adds "I have a lantern too, but I should probably keep my hand free to cast a spell if needed." The priest then draws his longsword, quickly saying a quiet prayer to Iomedae as he prepares to enter this dangerous place.

Without anything to really go on, I will have the following two spells prepared: Bless, True Strike. I can use Heal 4/day, and I have the healing hands feat, so I can usually heal for 2d8+4.

Good question Zach, the lighting is non-existent except for what you bring yourself

Derkut mutters thanks as others bring out lights. He didn't carry any, they usually gave away your position. He and Restil could make out well enough in this low light. He strayed a bit to the side of the group, away from the light sources.

perc Restil: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

perc Derkut: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

init monster: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Ziggie per: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Those are some good perception checks, let's keep that up!

With the light shining all of you can notice the odd reflections coming from a pool in the back left corner of the room. A second look shows an amorphous mass of sewage and other detritus.

Your perception counts as initiate for this fight, against the ooze's poor stealth role.

Init order: Lac, Gaetius, Ziggie, Derkut, Zachary, Aramil, ooze.

Fight map is coming soon. The Party is up! Anyopne can act and I will reconcile ahead of the ooze's turn

Fight Map is posted. It is also in the campaign info.

The Fight Map link is directing to Campaign Info, and the other link redirects to the Online Campaigns link here.

Seeing the Ooze-like creature, Aramil sets his lantern down, allowing it to provide light to the room, then takes out his lute and begins playing an inspiring melody on it.

Action 1: Set lantern down (Manipulate). Action 2: Draw out lute (Manipulate). Action 3: cast inspire courage cantrip (+1 Attack and Damage rolls, +1 Save vs fear). I’m pulling this from memory, since I don’t have the Playtest materials in front of me right now.

edited both links, thanks for the note

I don't have access to the battle map yet, but based on the first map you sent it looks like it would take me two moves to get into melee with the ooze.

Attack roll: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Damage roll: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Sword in hand, Gaetius rushes forward toward the emerging threat. Once he closes into melee, he slashes at the garbage ooze with the longsword, hoping he and his new allies can finish it quickly.

Actions 1 & 2 will be moves, each up to 20' to get into melee, action 3 will be a strike.