[PFS] GM Rinaldo's Signs in Senghor (Inactive)

Game Master The Great Rinaldo!

Ushi follows Kara, attempting to be helpful pointing out facts of the flora she may not be aware of.

Survival Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

"I admit that I have never heard of such plant life. I shall have to study it further."

Sorry for the delay guys, hit a bit of a real life barrier there for a couple of days, but all is well.

Kel draws his rapier and keeps an eye out for trouble while everyone else does their thing.
Well mates, where to now? I figured there’d be more of a port...

"I agree Kel. I would expect if the Aspis are doing much work, they would require ships to get here just like we did." then after further thought she adds, "That or they would be moving heavily back and forth across land leaving many tracks. We should keep an eye out for other ships, small landing boats, or tracks, much like Kara there is doing." Veres says with confidence.

Perception(sadly no tracking here): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

It takes nearly an hour, but eventually you do find evidence of booted footprints among the more numerous bare, slightly webbed footprints that crisscross the area. Following them, you find the remains of a road that is now submerged several inches into the swamp.

Following the road, you eventually come to an area where remains of ancient buildings still partially stand. The buildings are little more than collapsing heaps of stone with few exterior walls standing upright, save for a single large elevated structure that remains mostly intact. The remains of a marble statue lies shattered at the knees in the center of the crossroads, its torso and head hidden beneath the increasing depths.

Near the statue, you see two [u]human sized, toad-like creatures[/u] bearing oversized clubs and a javelins strapped to each of the backs. They see you approach and call out, "Зогс! Чи яагаад энд байгаа юм бэ?"

I rather doubt it, but does anyone speak Boggard?

I can after a standard action. :) If no one else can, Ushi will attempt to cast Tongues.

Kel slowly sheathes his rapier and makes it known he is not attempting to be violent.
I doubt you speak Taldan, mates, but we’re not here to fight you.

Diplomacy, probably taking massive penalties here.: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Graxzos eyes the toad-beings warily, keeping one hand on his pistol even though he doesn't draw it. Yet.

One of them cocks it head and replies in broken Taldane, "Stop! You not come this place!"

Andor steps forward to Kel.

”I can completely understand that you do not want that outsiders approach your community! I can also understand that this is due to the fact that you have made bad experiences with other humanoids! But we are different! How can we prove ourselves to you?“

Diplomacy aid : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Ushi holds his hands up in placation, before moving them in deliberate actions, summoning the knowledge of tongues from the ethers of lore. ”We offer no harm. We seek other outsiders that have come here, to stop their trespass and punish them in the council of the lands across the bay.” he offers in their native language.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

Kara lowers her crossbow and tries to appear as inconspicuous as possible.

"If'n yeh've had problems with interlopers before, odds're good we're willin' to deal with 'em for yeh," Grax offers. If they can understand him.

Diplomacy (aid Ushi): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

The two converse quietly in their language, then the one that speaks Taldane says, "Others gone now. They not danger. We punish any that try to steal from Great Mother. You not steal, you can stay."

They continue to watch you warily, but let you move around.

The swamp has completely taken over this part of the ancient city, and nearly all that remains are piles of rubble and a few sections of wall that haven't quite fallen yet. Only a single building remains mostly intact, with a set of stairs leading up from the water to a pair of double doors that are slightly ajar.

This entire area is flooded to a depth of one foot, but angles slightly down as one area has sunk further in; the far side of the intact building goes down to nearly four feet.

Peering in through the doors, you see the remains of a small entry hall. There are doors to either side, and the wall between them has partially collapsed, creating a narrow passage.

You hear a voice calling from further inside. "Hey there, guys. Funny joke! Ha! I knew you'd come back for me, though."

Kel starts heading toward the voice, his face grim.
Your friends left you behind, mate. And I don’t think we’re the rescue party you’re hoping for. If you’re stuck, we’re gonna get you out but you better not come out with any foul intent. We’re fully armed and quite good at what we do...

He makes eye contact with Kara and Graxzos, motioning for them to keep an eye on where the voice came from with their weapons, and motions for Andor to follow him. He starts making his way toward the voice, keeping his eyes open on the area for hazards and for where the voice was coming from.

Basically, those with guns watch the backs of those with melee, and stay a little further behind in case we get hit with a trap of some sort.

There are doors to either side, and the wall between them has partially collapsed, creating a narrow passage.

So are you squeezing through the narrow opening in the rubble, or opening one or the other door? The voice is coming from somewhere back there, but it's hard to say exactly where.

Andor supports by trying to open a door nearest to him.

”We are coming in!“ he shouts.

Kara stays in the hallway, behind Andor.

Graxzos draws his pistol, checks that it's loaded, and hangs back with Kara.

Kel squeezes a bit through the opening, and sees that the interior walls have started to fall, leaving a difficult but open passage between the main rooms beyond.

The doors appear both to be stuck, but with some work eventually you are able to pull one of them sufficiently open to peer in.

The most striking feature of the dilapidated chamber to the left is the immense portion of the ceiling that has collapsed onto the floor, destroying the walls that once separated the various areas of the ruin, as well as leaving a gaping hole to the outside. A stone table lies against the north wall, an iron cage stands in the northeast, and a decayed wooden desk rests in the southwest. Let me know if anyone plans to poke around in this room.

To the right is a large chamber is encircled with bookcases filled with moldering works of all sorts. A silver channel is set into the floor, resembling an inner and outer ring divided into equal quadrants, cyclopean runes at the heart of each. A single bookcase lies flat upon the floor to the southeast, revealing a hidden vault beyond, where a spiked iron contraption remains partially triggered. A human male is half-buried in the stone floor, only his upper torso sticking up. He has he arms held out to either side, holding back the trap from crushing him. With pained smile on his face, he quips "Oh, hello there. You aren't who I was expecting. Name's Gideon Wren. What brings you to my humble abode?"

Andor carefully moves inside and checks the surroundings and Gideon out.

Perception : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

Sense Motive : 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

He then looks at the trap to see if he could help.

If he believes he could disable or somehow stabilise the trap he will try.

disable device : 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

”You are in quite a strange situation. I am Andor Katsu, lucky freedom fighter who enjoys a battle. Let me help you! And please try to explain what happened here!“

While Andor is working on the trap he will diplomatically chat with Gideon and try to find out what happened to him and what he is doing here in this place.

Diplomacy : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

"We have heard the Consortium has been exploring these ruins and thought we should see what interesting things had been found. I am called Ushi. A pleasure to meet you." The nagaji looks over the spiky metal. "I assume this is not how you normally operate."

Kel aids with getting the man out of the trap while speaking to the man.
Your abode? Do you live here mate? Seems a terrible place to build a house.

Kel doesn’t believe he’s innocent. He suspects the guy is a consortium agent that got left behind, but he’s going to play dumb about it so we can possibly get some information out of him.

Disable Device, Aid Another: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Kara raises her hand "Kara"

Andor and Kel examine the device that threatens to crush Gideon, and quickly find the means to release it. When they do, his arms drop to his side. He is clearly exhausted from the effort of holding the trap at bay, and you can see that the wrist of one hand is resting at a angle that indicates it may be fractured.

"Well, that is a relief. I don't suppose you have a way of getting me out of the floor here? When we found this alcove, I pulled away the bookcase, and triggered some sort of multi-step trap that liquified the stone just long enough for me to fall halfway in, then tried to crush me. My companions took the valuables from within, then just left me here."

The floor is solid stone and Gideon is quite stuck. You do notice him twitch slightly at the mention of "consortium".

GM, is it possible to rescue him at all?

”Oh dear Chaldira! I have never seen something like this before! And your companions just left you here? Really? With what kind of people are you travelling with? Unbelievable! Tell me, what exactly were you doing in this area!!??“ Andor asks with genuine interest.

GM, is it possible to rescue him at all?

I guess that's up to your ingenuity, isn't it? ;-)

”Oh dear Chaldira! I have never seen something like this before! And your companions just left you here? Really? With what kind of people are you travelling with? Unbelievable! Tell me, what exactly were you doing in this area!!??“ Andor asks with genuine interest.

"Oh, I suspect much the same as you ... searching an ancient site for lost riches. And it does appear I chose my companions poorly, doesn't it?"

kn engineering : 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (19) + 8 + (4) = 31

Andor checks out the ground and thinks how he could find weak spots in the stone and carefully crush the stone with tools.

“I’m called Graxzos,” Graxzos says gruffly to Gideon. To his companions, he adds, “Anyone got any stone magics? Or acid? Not sure it’d be strong enough, but could be worth a try...I have alkali flasks, but I don’ think tha’s how it works...”

Grax will poke around the other room to the left, largely unconcerned with Gideon’s fate. This is assuming it’s not TOO far away! He does have stonecunning if that helps.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Ushi considers the possible magical effects that might have brought about such a trap. "Perhaps the effects could be reactivated somehow? If the trap has not lost all of its potency, at least."

Ushi suspects that the trap used some sort of stone-to-mud spell that was activated then immediately dismissed when Gideon triggered the trap. There is no residual magic left to reactivate, however.

Andor examines the structure of the area Gideon is in and determines that it would be possible to chip away at the stone with weapons or pieces of dropped stone, although more appropriate tools would definitely be faster.

If anyone has tools or weapons appropriate to mining or digging, that will help. Adamantine would definitely be a plus. Various spells could potentially be helpful, so feel free to suggest things you might try.

As Graxzos wanders off, clearly unconcerned with Gideon's fate, the man adds, "I would, of course, be willing to pay you for a rescue - I know not everyone is as purely altruistic as I am. If you get me safely to Senghor, I may be able to provide you with information about an organization that you seem to have interest in..."

Graxzos pokes around the other chamber. A stone table lies against the north wall, an iron cage stands in the northeast, and a decayed wooden desk rests in the southwest. It looks like it may once have been some sort of study or laboratory, but his initial inspection doesn't turn anything of interest up.

Graxzos returns, looking bored, but he perks up slightly at the suggestion of a reward.

"Well, well. That could be innerestin'...unfortunately all I got t'give is me ax." He glances at the others. "I mean, I got some black powder, too, but I ain't sure tha's a good idea..."

Kel shrugs.
I know some magic, mate, but nothing that will help you out. What do you think guys? Bust the stone around him up? I don't have any tools for this...

Andor looks at his Rapier and then at the acid that he brought with him.

"I am really sorry but I believe I can only use acid to weaken the structural integrity of the stone so you can escape."

Based on his understanding of the weaknesses that he identified with his engineering skills he starts to pour acid on the ground so that it weakens the stone. Then Andor takes a shovel or whatever else he can find to carefully dig the man out.

I'm going to give just a little longer for the others to speak up in case they have any suggestions, then I'll determine how long it takes to free Gideon.

"Perhaps we can find something else to help free him if we look. Graxos, would you begin the work while we check? I will gladly relieve you when needed." Ushi suggests.

Stonecunning Perception: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 2 = 16

Kara investigates the stone "I don't have a clue, best thing I can do is manual labor"

Using debris and improvised tools, you set to freeing Gideon. Chipping away at the stone is hard work, and noisy, and after a short time you hear a voice calling from outside.

"What you do? You not steal from Great Mother! You go now!"

The boggards are outside the main doors yelling in at you.

"They are objecting to our theft of this gentleman from 'Great Mother'." Ushi translates. "We may need to negotiate strenously."

Kara stops chipping at the stone "err, can someone try to appease them? I don't want to go against their customs but I also don't want to leave Gideon trapped as he is"

Andor walks out and raises his hand into the air!

”I am not sure why you believe that we are stealing from you! There is somebody stuck in the floor! If you want you can check this inside and you will see that this is only a rescue mission. Do you want to see?“ Andor asks.

Diplomacy : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

"No! Human thief is now belong Great Mother! You leave now, no take!"

The boggards are quite agitated.

"Hi guys, well the gentlemen here believe that the guy in the floor belongs to their Great Mother and should not be ... ehhh ... stolen."

He looks at the boggards again.

"So you want to leave the man in the floor? And then you want him to just die? Or what is 'Great Mother' doing with him?" Andor asks with keen interest.

While Andor negotiates with the boggards, Graxzos glances back at Gideon, eyebrow raised. "So, uh...how much of a reward we talkin'?"

While Andor negotiates with the boggards, Graxzos glances back at Gideon, eyebrow raised. "So, uh...how much of a reward we talkin'?"

Hearing the talk with the boggards, Gideon lets the last of his false bravado go and says, "How about everything I know about the Aspis Consortium operation in Senghor, including the location of its base?"

"So you want to leave the man in the floor? And then you want him to just die? Or what is 'Great Mother' doing with him?" Andor asks with keen interest.

"He tries to steal from Great Mother, now he belong to Great Mother! She probably eat him. Now you go!"

You can tell that unless you can come up with the exact right thing to say, they are ready to fight.

"Can we make a gift to the great mother to appease her, so she will release this man?" Kara asks

"Good enough fer me," Graxzos says with a sigh. Though gold'd be better. He draws his pistol and attempts to creep toward the entrance where the boggards are, still staying out of sight but prepared for things to go south.

Kel sinks back into the shadows, ready for a fight.

I wasn't getting updates for this thread for some reason, but suddenly today I had dozens! I should have checked in anyway, so please accept my apologies.

Having been quiet up till now, Veres finally chimes in addressing the boggards.

"Your Great Mother is right to punish thieves. We believe in that as well. The true thieves are a tribe called the Aspis Consortium, and we are hunting for them. This man could help us punish them. Perhaps we could work together to hunt them and prevent them from stealing any of your Great Mother's treasures. Would that be something you are interested in?"

diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

If I missed something in the large amount of posts, and this has been done already, ignore me, and Veres instead gets ready to fight along side her team with a song on her lips for just such an occasion as fighting frogmen in their home.

Andor is waiting for a reaction and is ready to fight if necessary.

Nobody will be left to die under my watch ... even if he is working for the Aspis! I just hope Veres pushed the right buttons.