GM_Starson |
The dragon raises one scaley eye ridge and looks at Loxx.
If you wish to prove your intentions by providing healing, then you may do so. Approach... but if you hold any treachery, please know that full or not, I will eat you.
He looks at Minmaximus and chortles.
This is the tower you seek. But preventing the rise of a Runelord? That is a lofty goal for ones so small.
Menas, please give me a diplomacy check, your story may sway him...
Menas Red |
I'd like to definitely not roll a diplomacy check, I'm far more likely to lower his disposition than I am to raise it lol
Loxx |
Loxx hands his staff as well as his other weapons to Fetch. He approaches the dragon, drawing out a wand. He uses a command and attempts to touch the dragon with it.
cure light: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Of course, the dragon probably has SR, but Loxx would have no way to know that so...
CL: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Takkit Shinrou |
Takkit seems taken aback at the dragon's thought that he may just be lying.
I would never do something like that! I joined the Pathfinders to make a difference and help people! I've helped brave men and women fight off plots by some of the most evil people on Golarion, and I've faced down some really nasty, deadly beasts to protect my allies. I'm here today to stop these cultists from raising a Runelord from the dead.
Takkit regales the dragon of tales from his exploits as a Pathfinder, including a trip through the Hao Jin tapestry to stop an invasion, and toeing off with a Remorhaz one on one to protect his team.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17
Reroll: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (20) + 17 = 37
GM_Starson |
Alright Menas, I'll let you get by without a die roll, but you won't be helping either. I can give you bonuses for good roleplay, but I can't let ya bypass the roll entirely when it's for important listed stuff.
The dragon looks as Takkit entrances him with the story and nods a few times.
Yes, what a wonderful story! Quiet wonderful.
He let's out a soft sigh as he's healed slowly and flutters his wings a few times, nearly taking Loxx off his feet from the gust before chuckling.
I like you pathfinders. Go on inside... hopefully, the protections inside don't kill you. I'll make sure no one follows in after you. Best of luck.
He then picks up another cultist and begins chewing on them, bones snapping as he focuses on his meal.
Four entrances lead from the tower’s atrium, which rises fifteen feet before disappearing into a cloud of dense, chill mist. A mural depicting a plethora of extraplanar creatures wraps its way around the entire room, focusing on the space above the northern door, where a larger-than-life depiction of a bald man covered in tattooed runes appears to hold the otherworldly creatures in thrall. One of his hands rests upon a
bronze panel from which two angels emerge.
Takkit Shinrou |
Takkit smiles at the dragon and thanks him profusely.
Thank you for letting us pass. What should we call you, when we chronicle this mission so that we can acknowledge your help on our quest?
He ponders for a second the open door, and speaks again.
I'm in charge of making sure we don't get killed by surprises. Are there any traps I should be aware of?
Not that it looks to matter now, but Takkit has all the chronicles from Dragon's Demand, I think he gets bonuses for dealing with dragons, but I totally forgot until now. Oh well. Looks like we succeeded anyway. Good job guys!
Menas Red |
Totally fine with not helping the diplomacy directly, just wanted to RP a conversation with a dragon that I badly wanted to grapple. Not a fan of rolling -2 diplomacy and causing the dragon to be hostile when the rest of the group seems to be doing well.
GM_Starson |
The dragon spits out a bone, and gives Takkit a appraising look.
Do I look like I fit in that door? I have no idea what's inside, other than great evil. So, when I saw these fools opening it, I objected.
He crunches down on a arm.
Firmly. The didn't like that, so I decided lunch was warranted.
Takkit Shinrou |
Takkit nods.
Makes sense. Thank you for your help. Hopefully we can help put an end to this for good so you don't have to stand guard anymore.
He gets ready to lead the group into the tower, daggers ready.
Enora - Iconic character |
Enora smiles at the dragon and is happy that her companions solved the confrontation with the dragon.
I live in Germany and was sound asleep during your fast track interaction! ;-)
Takkit Shinrou |
I never sleep, it feels like. Lol. For what's it worth I'm from the East coast of America. Really cool to play with people from other countries. I love meeting people from different cultures and opinions. It's one of my favorite things about Pathfinder Society, and PbP especially. I did, however, miss the part about the Atrium, and since Takkit did enter first, I feel another post is in order. I feel like I'm taking over this game as a player, though, and no one like that guy.
Takkit looks around the Atrium, his gaze resting on the northern door.
Well, I'm no mage, or historian, but I know traps and I know puzzles guys. I have a real big hunch that the fancy door is where we have to go, but we'll have to do something in the other doors first. Does that mural mean anything to the rest of you? And I thought he was a bad guy, what's with the angels?
The young kitsune seems a bit indecisive, now, faced with so many options. He looks at the rest of the group, hoping desperately that one of them has an answer about where to go next.
Enora - Iconic character |
Do we have a map? I just see the map to Signs of Senghor
Enora casts ‘detect magic’ and concentrates on the door.
GM_Starson |
Woops, that was my bad. Map here No combat yet since you didn't tick off the dragon, so hadn't put it up yet.
as angels, daemons, devils, genies, and even creatures
of the Dark Tapestry.
including cornugon devils, efreeti, a shaggy demodand,
denizens of Leng, and an astradaemon, all clearly posed
as if offering obeisance to the tattooed master
Enora quickly notes that the door itself is not magical, but there is some VERY strong magic behind it... as she gets closer to the door, she can sense probably 7 or 8 different powerful sources of magic. She senses similar powerful sources of magic down the other hallways, though notably, none of these sources seem to be moving.
Deaglan |
Deaglan studies his wayfinder again "Well, lad? Magical towers must be your specialization, else why did they pick you for this mission?"
detect evil
Knowledge Planes assist the first one to make a check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
GM_Starson |
Deaglan searches for sources of evil with his wayfinder, but senses none behind the doors or down the two hallways.
Deaglan |
"I sense no evil. Well, lad? We don't have all day...."
Deaglan takes a metal flask from his pack and holds it in one hand while the other holds his longhammer.
Menas Red |
"I won't speak from ignorance lest I lead you astray. Lore is not something I'm well acquainted with."
Enora - Iconic character |
kn planes : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
”I recognise the outsiders as angels, daemons, devils, genies, and even creatures of the Dark Tapestry!“
Takkit Shinrou |
Takkit inspects the ornate door, looking for traps, locks, and any clues to what purpose it may serve.
Take Twenty
GM_Starson |
Takkit finds no traps, locks, just a lot of writing in Thassalonian.
In fact, with a gentle touch, the massive doors swing as if perfectly balanced so that it would take no effort to open. Takkit could do it without trying.
Deaglan |
"No traps, a bunch of writing saying how great he was and a door that swings easily. Smells like a trap to me. Oh well, only one way to find out"
Deaglan opens the door, waiting on the threshold before entering.
GM_Starson |
Four corridors converge orthogonally upon an octagonal space roughly thirty feet across in the tower’s center. In the place of more bronze panels stand eight open, rectangular doorframes adorned with metal studs, each doorway’s contents obscured by cool, gray mist. Embedded into the floor in the center of the room is a large numeral one crafted of red marble. A small niche in the southeast wall houses a hand-sized, polished granite statuette of a muscular dwarf wearing robes and hefting
a hammer.
Circling around the room is written above the doors...
I the lord of multiple
Obscure the one from primal sight
Hidden now by factors few
A century I wait in night
Product of the fewest steps
Rise again the runelord’s might
Twice I strode, the lord of sloth
Walk these doors to tower’s height
Minmaximus! |
"This writing, it's mostly paens to Krune, how wonderful Krune is, how grand Krune is. Load of nonsense, of course. But this is interesting." Min reads off the poem.
"I the lord of multiple
Obscure the one from primal sight
Hidden now by factors few
A century I wait in night
Product of the fewest steps
Rise again the runelord’s might
Twice I strode, the lord of sloth
Walk these doors to tower’s height"
"Hmmm. What do you minions make of this? A riddle? More nonsense from Krune? Takkit, examine that dwarf statue and see if it holds any traps."
Deaglan |
"This might be a good time to cast true seeing" Deaglan says while he puts the potion away and smears an ointment on his eyes.
Casting true seeing
Loxx |
"That sounds like something the greybeards at the arcana... arcahn... uh the magic school in Absalom would think about."
And with that Loxx gives it no other thought as it wasn't something he was suited to solving.
GM_Starson |
Deaglan looks at the doors around the room... apparently the mist is a side effect of some sort of spell, cause he can see right through it to blank walls behind.
Minmax doesn't have any knowledge of the planes that might help in this situation... though, he does notice that the mists in the doors remind him of astral plane, which is a common thing for short range teleportation.
Menas Red |
"There is a number on the floor and the riddle mentions some as well. 'Multiple, the one, factors, century, product, rise, twice', it sounds like a math problem. Perhaps if we check the down the hallways we can find more clues." he then listens to Deaglan's explanation of the walls and short range teleportation. "We have to choose the correct doorways to teleport through to answer the riddle in the correct order..." he then recites the riddle multiple times in his head, "A century is one hundred and we have to reach that number as a product in the fewest steps. Choosing doors five, four, and five would be a very short way to reach one hundred, but I'm concerned about the line 'hidden by factors few'. Five is a prime number, but four is not, plus the line 'twice I strode' may indicate that we have to do the correct sequence twice."
Menas sits down to meditate for a minute, "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. Does anyone else have any ideas?" he says while continuing to meditate.
Deaglan |
"The one is also obviously not hidden. Perhaps we have to hide it in some manner? Also the fewest steps would be 10 times 10, but I don't see anything that links the archways to a number."
Deaglan also casts detect magic
"Does anyone have any idea what the height of the tower has to do with it?"
Should we cover the one with something? Would casting darkness help? Just spouting ideas here.
Takkit Shinrou |
While everyone else goes om about math, Takkit searches the statue for any traps or anything of note.
take twenty, looks like he has the time
Minmaximus! |
I'm baffled. Riddles... either I get them immediately or I don't. Since Min is smarter than I, are there any skill checks I could make to help give us a hint?
Min studies the misty doorways and harumphs. "Conjuration. Silly travel and summoning spells. Really, if I wanted some tentacled monstrosity from beyond, I'd mutate my minions more often."
Menas Red |
Rising from his meditation, "The more you overthink, the less you will understand." He then walks over to a doorway and looks for any identifiers around it.
GM_Starson |
Is Minmax smarter than the average bear?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10Nope.
As Menas looks at the door, he sees that each door has a different number of metal studs in it.
The first door has 1, the next door has 2, the next has 4, the next has 12, the next has 16, the next has 25, the next has 40, the next has 64.
Deaglan |
Deaglan walks outside and tries to gauge the tower's height.
The riddle has 7 lines while we have 8 "doors". My feeling is that each line corresponds with a single door and we should take the door that is not named. Let me see:
1: Obscure the one from primal sight
25: Hidden now by factors few (only has 2 factors, 1 and 5)
12: A century I wait in night (night is 12 hours, day the other 12 in 24hrs)
64 Product of the fewest steps (only multiple of two other doors)
Rise again the runelord’s might
2: Twice I strode, the lord of sloth
40: Walk these doors to tower’s height" (I guess that is the tower's height)
So that leaves us with 4 and 16
But maybe we first need to investigate the corridors
GM_Starson |
If Deaglan had to guess, he thinks there is 8 stories to this tower. Hard to tell for sure though, and magic buildings are notorious for not conforming to traditional measurements of interiors.
Menas Red |
Menas walks over to the door with 2 studs, "Obscure the one from primal sight, two is the only prime number option here. We might as well see what happens when you do pick one." he says as he throws a copper coin into the wall of mist.
GM_Starson |
The coin flies through the air, and... nothing happens. It's rather anti-climatic. But you don't hear the "Ping" of it hitting the back wall either. It just kinda vanishes in the mist.
Deaglan sees the coin fly into the open space of the door, and before it strikes the back wall, disappears.
Minmaximus! |
"Hmm. Thumper might be right here. Good job, minion. Your instinctual grasp of ancient riddle nonsense will be noted in my report. Shall we step inside?" Min steps up and walks through as soon as one of the beefier types does the same.
Menas Red |
Menas shrugs and walks through the portal as he clasps his hands together while focusing his ki onto his skin, making it very tough.
1 ki point for Barkskin +3
Loxx |
Using the last charge from his rod, Loxx will enhance his armor with an extended barkskin and lead the way through the indicated portal.
His familiar will follow close behind.
GM_Starson |
Do Takkit and Enora follow? If so, who first? (Determines who shows up on the next floor in what order.)
Enora - Iconic character |
Enora uses her wand to cast mage armor on herself. Then she casts 'False Life' on herself.
False Life temp. HP: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
She follows the rest of the group.
GM_Starson |
As the others walk through the portal, Takkit goes to follow them when suddenly 3 dripping, disgusting purple flesh hound like creatures rush up from the floor itself it seems, teeth and claws ripping into Takkit's flesh!
Hound A Bite: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (1, 1) + 3 = 5
Hound A Bite: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (8) + 16 = 24
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (1, 5) + 3 = 9
Hound A Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Hound A Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Hound B Bite: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 6) + 3 = 13
Hound B Bite: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (20) + 16 = 36
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (6, 1) + 3 = 10
Hound B Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (5) + 15 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Hound B Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Hound C Bite: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (10) + 16 = 26
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (5, 6) + 3 = 14
Hound C Bite: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 2) + 3 = 9
Hound C Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Hound C Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Hound B Bite Crit?: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (1) + 16 = 17
damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (3, 5) + 3 = 11
Hound B Claw Crit?: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Takkit doesn't even have time to scream for help before the hounds rip him to the floor.
By my count, that's 76 damage, knocking you out. I think you'll be dead in a moment. :( Feel free to double check my math.
The team appears in another room that seems to match the first. But the statue and door outside the tower are gone, and a giant 2 is painted red on the floor. This time, the doors have 1 stud, 4 studs, 19 studs, 20 studs, 21 studs, 24 studs, 64 studs, and 81 studs.
Menas Red |
Menas waits for everyone to step out of the portal, "Again, only one prime number as an option." he says as he walks over to the portal with 19 studs.
GM_Starson |
Hound A: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Hound B: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Hound C: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Takkit: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
.... so that makes it worse, cause that means each will get a surprise round bite attack, then the attacks posted above. Sorry, I was hoping you might roll higher initiative and be able to escape somehow. :(
Bite A: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (1, 1) + 3 = 5
Bite B: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (6, 3) + 3 = 12
Bite C: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (2, 6) + 3 = 11
So truly a fox and the hounds situation. You are very much Con dead unless you have a reaction sort of ability to save you. :(
GM_Starson |
After waiting for a moment, Menas notices that after everyone has passed through, Takkit has not followed.
I'd like to wait for Takkit to post before any further events happen. It's important.
Enora - Iconic character |
If Enora realizes that Takkit is not stepping out of the portal she says.
"Look guys, Takkit is missing! What is going on? Let us get back."