As Seldanna finishes her summoning spell, 1d3 ⇒ 1 crocodile suddenly appears several feet ahead of her in the water and starts swimming towards the melee.
Seldanna Swim:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Unable to move closer to the combat, she then tries a long distance spell aimed at the Baron, shouting the focus words out into the water in her frustration.
Seldanna summons a crocodile and sends it to join the battle. The witch struggles to move in the water, but focuses her arcane power against the sahuagin warlord.
Zemdar save vs blindness:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
Baron Zemdar's eyes turn white and lifeless.
Ursahla slashes the brow of the scout in front of her, and escapes whilst the sea-devil is blinded by its own blood.
Kelumur flanks the Baron and stabs him in a vulnerable spot.
Otto and Rhon close on the Baron; whilst the mega-rhino misses the mark, Otto's scythe is on target. The jellyfish provide neither cover nor concealment. Though their trails of tendrils are extremely long, and the poison is a hazard, they are very fine.
The sahuagin scouts, both in a bloodrage, cry out "o matou toto ma o matou ola mo oe, oe baron!"
aquan:
"Our Blood and Our Life for you, O Baron!"
Red Scout, despite being blinded by the blood clouding its vision, slashes at Kramac:
Though the scout thrashes furiously, he cannot land a blow. Also a blind creature cannot take a 5' step, and blindsense does not change this.
Purple Scout, its vision restored, swims up to flank Kelumur. As the sahuagin approaches it draws a trident, and it uses this weapon to engage the half-orc rogue.
|AC 16, T 16, FF 11|HP: 48/48|F +5, R +7, W +7 (+2 vs Enchantment/red dragon breath)|Init +5, Perc +21|CMB +11 CMD 24|11/11 Prescience, 1/1 Pearl, 1/1 Arcane Bond
Zeno takes the blinded sahuagin scout unawares, stabbing it with his almost branch-like leaf-headed spear.
tide:1d6 ⇒ 6
The tide flows back, pushing you all to towards the great shell again. Kramac already made a successful Swim check; only Lonan and Seldanna still need to roll, everyone else (bar Kramac) has the ability to Take 10 and get a high enough result to maintain position. If you choose to, you can allow the tide to push you 30' to the right. This movement does not provoke AoOs.
Combat round 3/4
Summoned crocodile Seldanna; false life, mage armour Ursahla; -65hp
Kelumur; -42hp touch of the sea Otto; Wildshape Rhon; GMF, Ride the Waves, barkskin
Sahuagin Scout: purple;
Sahuagin Scout: red; -15hp, blind
Baron Zemdar; -40hp, blind
Zeno; touch of the sea, false life, mage armour
GM stuff
Lonan; poisoned (4/9), 7 Dex damage, need another Poison save
Kramac Fort save needed
Jino; Ride the Waves, GMF
Active effects: Haste (7r); Freebooter's Bane vs Zemdar; lucky numbers
The bold may act!
DC 15 Swim Checks needed from Seldanna and Lonan unless they want to be pushed along.
DC 19 Fort Save from Lonan otherwise he takes dex damage:1d4 ⇒ 4
If Lonan fails his swim check, he will land up in the jellyfish again and will need a DC 20 Ref save to avoid exposure to more venom; failure will require another DC17 Fort save DC 17 Fort Save from Kramac otherwise he takes dex damage:1d4 ⇒ 2
Starting your turn in a jellyfish square means automatic exposure to the jellyfish venom, hence a Fort save; merely passing through or entering a jellyfish square allows a Ref save to avoid exposure.
Despite her injuries Ursahla decided to stay close by and continue to assist the group.
Freebooter's Bond: Affects all allies within 30 feet that can see and hear her (Should be everyone). You get an additional +2 to hit when attacking a target you are flanking with another ally benefiting from this ability.
Jino gores the unfortunate sea-devil scout to death, and follows up with a bloody blow to the sahuagin leader, catching Baron Zemdar in a deadly double-rhino flanking manoeuvre!
Kramac/Jino:
I note that Jino has the Bodyguard feat, so assume he is a Bodyguard archetype Companion? If so, he does not get Multiattack, but instead gets Uncanny Dodge at level 9. Hence, he has no iterative attack.
Male Half-Orc M Half-Orc Normal AC: 36 Current AC: 36 T 14 FF 33 | HP 121/121| F +22 R +16 W +16 / +2 Heroism | CMD 28 | Init +5 | Perc +18(+4 On Beak)| Spells: Level 1 4/6 Level 2 5/5 Level 3 3/4 Level 4 0/1 | Bane 10/10 | Animal Focus 8/10 | Hunter Trick 4/7
Ah right you are. I always forget I need to check back to see what he loses from the archetype as he levels. I've put a strikethrough on the erroneous attack.
Although gravely injured, Kelumur bites through his wounds and continues the fight knowing that his decision could end the fight. Manoeuvring a little, he moves around the creature to take a flanking position and stars to double jab with his daggers in hand!
Kelumur's blades find their marks in the sahuagin's vitals, and it goes limp!
Combat over!
However, poor Lonan needs to make more Fortitude saves. Please roll 5 more DC 19 Fort saves for him Seldanna, stop if you succeed at one.
Swirls of red gore drift through the jellyfish bloom, and dozens of corpses, both sahuagin and undine, litter the water. Slightly wounded from combat, Zahra approaches you.
"Razethka left the battle early to chase down sahuagin survivors. A few lesser sahuagin barons still live" Zahra explains, "and they could rally another army in the future if not slain. I shall quickly regroup the remaining maridar to give chase. In the meantime, go and explore the shell! Find the artifact we came for!"
With that, Zahra departs.
Amongst the sahuagin dead you find some useful items: Between Zeno and Seldanna I think you have enough Spellcraft that dice rolls are not necessary.
The Baron possessed the following: 1 potion of cure moderate wounds, +1 breastplate, mwk trident, mwk underwater heavy crossbow with 19 bolts, cloak of resistance +1, frost amulet of mighty fists.
The scouts possessed (in total): +1 elf-bane bolts (12), +1 human-bane bolts (11), +1 merfolk-bane bolts (12), potion of cure moderate wounds (4), mwk trident (4), mwk underwater heavy crossbow (4) with 76 bolts, feather token (anchor) (4), dagger (4), thieves’ tools (4).
We'll progress to exploring the great shell once you've patched yourselves up.
I'm happy to say that the sahuagins' potions come in sponge form. Though their tactics don't call for using their healing potions, the Baron has consumed a couple of potions prior to the battle which are not called out as potion-sponges. The scenario does state that they've not brought their usual potions of air breathing with them, presumably because they're not about to go anywhere where they'll be needing to breathe air; as such, we should assume that they must also be using potion sponges.
Seldanna quickly makes her way over to her poor raven, pouring a vial of antitoxin down her familiar's beak. "Just stay still Lonan, stop flapping around and let this stuff get to work!"
Lonan's body convulses, his flapping getting weaker and weaker as his body tries to fight off the poison. "CAAAAWWW! Stinging! CAAAAWWW! Make it stop!"
Relieved that Lonan seems to be stabilising, she tucks the bird away in the hood of her robe, hanging down over her back and then heads over to see if any of her other companions still need any healing.
Any one who use up a 1/day Healing hex from Seldanna, go ahead and roll 2d8+9. Seldanna also has a Wand of CLW that she can use. If anyone wants to roll from that, also feel free.
Kelumur has a wand, so he would use his own charges but needs someone to heal him.
Kelumur examines his wounds and retrieves a simple looking black wooden wand, "It would be appreciated if someone could administer aid to my injuries."
Kramac will drape the cloak +1 on Jino, then mount up and lead the way down once everyone is ready to go.
FYI, in case you were looking to get any benefit from the cloak, did you take the extra item slot feat for Jino? In PFS companions only get the armor and neck slots unlocked by default. You have to take the feat to unlock others. So unless you unlocked the shoulders slot Jino cannot wear a magic cloak. See FAQ
Male Half-Orc M Half-Orc Normal AC: 36 Current AC: 36 T 14 FF 33 | HP 121/121| F +22 R +16 W +16 / +2 Heroism | CMD 28 | Init +5 | Perc +18(+4 On Beak)| Spells: Level 1 4/6 Level 2 5/5 Level 3 3/4 Level 4 0/1 | Bane 10/10 | Animal Focus 8/10 | Hunter Trick 4/7
Ursahla wrote:
Kramac wrote:
Kramac will drape the cloak +1 on Jino, then mount up and lead the way down once everyone is ready to go.
FYI, in case you were looking to get any benefit from the cloak, did you take the extra item slot feat for Jino? In PFS companions only get the armor and neck slots unlocked by default. You have to take the feat to unlock others. So unless you unlocked the shoulders slot Jino cannot wear a magic cloak. See FAQ
Bah, I totally understand why they do that, but saying that you can't put a cloak on a rhino is kind of silly. Cest' la vie.
I'm afraid Ursahla is correct Kramac. I gave Mvumbu the Extra Item Slot - Shoulders feat so she can wear a Cloak of Resistance.
Party Status:
Seldanna; false life, mage armour
Ursahla;
Kelumur;
Otto; Wildshape, barkskin, freedom of movement
Rhon; GMF, Ride the Waves, barkskin
Zeno; touch of the sea, false life, mage armour
Lonan; 7 Dex damage
Kramac;
Jino; Ride the Waves, GMF
Seldanna, Kelumur, Lonan and Kramac currently do not have a Swim speed; Zeno's Touch of the Sea will expire in just a few rounds. Kramac can be riding Jino again though.
It takes you about five minutes to reach the Great Shell after your battle with the sahuagin. It is a beautiful thing, patterned with white and orange swirls.
The entrance to the nautilus shell is a circular opening about 40 feet in diameter. Thick rows of purple coral reef line the inside of the shell, covered with a riot of colourful plants and fish. Delicate screen walls of coral sprout from these reefs and stretch from the floor to the ceiling of the shell (a distance of 30 feet), creating hallways and rooms through which water flows. Each screen is overwhelmingly detailed, filled with fractal patterns and colourful murals depicting sea creatures and forgotten events. Near the back of the room, visible through several layers of screens, is a mound of coral with a pearly throne seated at its pinnacle.
There is dim light illuminating this coral garden, from the ambient light of the Plane of Water.
A single door of tarnished copper is visible, leading deeper inside the shell.
Kelumur, stealth on approach might be feasible if you could blend with the Lambent Bloom perhaps, but you reach the inside of the shell and the coral garden without any further incident.
Male Half-Orc M Half-Orc Normal AC: 36 Current AC: 36 T 14 FF 33 | HP 121/121| F +22 R +16 W +16 / +2 Heroism | CMD 28 | Init +5 | Perc +18(+4 On Beak)| Spells: Level 1 4/6 Level 2 5/5 Level 3 3/4 Level 4 0/1 | Bane 10/10 | Animal Focus 8/10 | Hunter Trick 4/7
This coral is truly a thing of beauty. Amazing that the wicked sanghuin did not destroy them. Take care friends, we do not wish to inadvertently damage them.
Kramac will take a few moments to peruse the murals, seeing if there is anything to be learned from them.
There is certainly something to be learned from study of the coral murals...
Each coral screen in this room forms a 30-foot wall, going from floor to ceiling. Measuring less than one inch thick, the screens are filled with thousands of holes, which form geometric patterns and murals.
Badly damaged from centuries of conflict, the coral murals are covered with a dizzying display of religious iconography and complex symbols.
The following skills will be useful; each PC may make a check.
Knowledge (Planes OR Religion) can be used to decipher symbols (DC20) Disable Device (DC25) OR an appropriate Craft (DC 20) can be used to repair the murals so that they are easier to interpret. Spells like Mending or Make Whole also help with this.
If you speak Aquan you can spend some time translating writing in the mural instead of making a skill check.
Other creative uses of skills or magic might also help.
Kelumur, at the far end of the coral garden you see a throne. It is a massive nacre chair that looks big enough to seat a troll or giant.
After establishing that the perimeter is free of immediate danger, Kelumur falls back to assist in the interpretation of the ruins. ”We must be cautious, while I see no dangers immediately, there is a suggestion that this coral houses a troll or giant. “
Disable Devic, not a trap:1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18
Male LN Oread Druid 10 Hellknight Signifer 2 Hunter 1 | HP 143+40/143 | Wildshape: 4/5 | Troll Form: Large AC 33 (+3 vs axiomites) T 12 FF 32 | CMB +18, CMD 30 | F +21+4, R +13+5, W +21+4 | | Init +5 | Perc +24 SM +12 | Speed 20 | Active: | Constant: Regeneration 5 (acid/fire)
Just noting in passing that we have 5 potions of cure moderate wounds from our foes in the past fight that we can use next time anyone gets hurt before we start burning through our own resources.
Otto gazes at the coral screens in amazement and wonder. With such intricate carving, perhaps he might find a clue to the whereabouts of his mother's missing dog. He spends some time carefully perusing the screens and taking notes for later study.
Knowledge (Planes):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
He also casts Guidance (+1 competence) on anyone attempting to repair the screens.
When he hears Kelumur's observation about the possible presence of a troll or a giant, Otto smiles a rare smile on his Merrow face.
When the group is ready to move in to the throne room, he will cast Shillelagh upon his club.
Seldanna moves up to join Otto, examining the complex symbols on the coral, the young witch clearly more fascinated with the intricate details than by the grandiose spectacle of the shell as a whole.
By piecing together imagery and pooling your knowledge of the planes, you realise that these murals tell an important tale.
Kelizandri, the evil elemental lord of water, imprisoned Lysianassa, the good elemental lord of water, inside an artifact called The Gasping Pearl long ago.
You could potentially learn a lot more about this story if you spend more time studying the murals.
Zeno can still make a roll.
Each PC can make a skill check (or translate, or use some other relevant action such as a spell) for every 5 minutes you spend studying the murals. The more you study, the more you might learn.
Seldanna, enthralled by the new information, continues to examine the murals, until such time as she's found out all she could or is pulled away by her companions.
Sounds like we can make more than one check per PC if we keeping examining?
After fifteen minutes of investigating the murals, Otto is convinced that they should continue investigating their mysteries after they secure the rest of the complex, and suggests that they continue on for now and return here later.
@GM, do we have a sense of how much longer we might need to study to meet our goals? I'm happy to continue investigating but am also aware that I've cast several valuable buffs that only have 70 minutes duration.
|AC 16, T 16, FF 11|HP: 48/48|F +5, R +7, W +7 (+2 vs Enchantment/red dragon breath)|Init +5, Perc +21|CMB +11 CMD 24|11/11 Prescience, 1/1 Pearl, 1/1 Arcane Bond
Zeno takes a moment to enspell his own senses to all the better appreciate and understand this conchaceous wonderland (heightened awareness, duration 1 hour), then takes some time to translate the inscriptions.
I don't know about anyone else, but I know Aquan, so I spend my first 5 minutes doing that. As for my second:
Zeno's enthusiasm for cartography once again demonstrates its value as he applies the craft's methods (and some of its tools) to chart out and reconstruct the great shell's corroded topography.
Male Half-Orc M Half-Orc Normal AC: 36 Current AC: 36 T 14 FF 33 | HP 121/121| F +22 R +16 W +16 / +2 Heroism | CMD 28 | Init +5 | Perc +18(+4 On Beak)| Spells: Level 1 4/6 Level 2 5/5 Level 3 3/4 Level 4 0/1 | Bane 10/10 | Animal Focus 8/10 | Hunter Trick 4/7
Let us take a few moments and learn all we can from these murals. They may provide clues to the location of our goal. Even if they don't the chances of leaning some new, lost lore is very high.
"Or maybe we risk more interruptions for the sahuagin. Perhaps we should make sure this place is secure and then come back lest we find ourselves attacked from two sides."
With your combined efforts, 15 more minutes (ie 3 more actions) is enough for you to piece together the whole story. I've assumed that your two Aquan speakers translate for this purpose.
You have been inside the coral garden for around 20 minutes all told, studying and repairing the murals. They tell the tale of the Great Shell and something of Kelizandri and Lysianassa.
Kelizandri, the evil elemental lord of water, imprisoned Lysianassa, the good elemental lord of water, inside an artifact called The Gasping Pearl long ago.
Before she was imprisoned within the Gasping Pearl, Lysianassa used her last gasp to breathe into a magical decanter now called The Breath of Lysianassa. This imbued the artifact with the power to control the ocean tides.
Lysianassa gave this artifact to a giant nautilus named Riam, who fled with it. Nine brine dragon wyrms eventually caught and killed Riam, but his shell was lost inside the Lambent Bloom. Later, pilgrims of Lysianassa built a temple in the shell and subsequently used it to inter their dead.
The murals indicate that The Breath of Lysianassa is hidden near the centre of the shell inside the mouth of a giant sailfish. Hulking creatures made from moving coral guard it.
"My pleasure." Kelumur threads deeper into the shell maintaining a safe distance from the group.
Stealth:1d20 + 17 ⇒ (2) + 17 = 19 Perception:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28 +2 to hidden objects or +3 to traps
GM, to help progress the game Kelumur will stay 30ft in front of the group, signalling them to travel towards him if he believes a room to be free of danger. He'll continue this until he notes a room with possible danger.
Kelumur notes that the giant-sized throne is imposing and of exquisite workmanship. It is firmly embedded in the coral growth. The rear walls of the 'throne room' are also of thick coral. Kelumur notes no traps, nor any hidden objects.
The only apparent exit from the coral garden (excepting the opening that you entered by) is the copper door on the inner wall.
Kelumur judges the copper door to be safe, and opens it with a little effort. Beyond is a dark, coral-lined hallway with several more corroded copper doors leading off. Kelumur proceeds to investigate the doors whilst the rest of the pathfinders follow at a short distance. He finds no traps on the doors.
