Pathfinder: Shards of an Order PBP

Game Master Benjen Harris

Defintly not tired on the campaign, just fun bringing yall to the verge of death. What do the rest of you guys think?

lol. I agree with you on both counts! Let's stay, and that will probably get us killed. <rolls up new PC>

What do you say Thraduik? Will you stay with us and maybe venture on with us? Probably safer in numbers? Maybe? Or will you chance it and dash to the gate and go back to town?

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

I'd like to look around and make the best place to stay the night. If possible, I'd rather not sleep inside the crypt.

The way I see it, if nothings done there wont be a town to go back to. I will accompany you, though I don't know much how much help an old grizzled watchmen can be.

You guys made your camp just before the bridge, using gear that they brought with them the people from the town were able to make a barricade which would slow down stuff getting in. On the other side you're able to close the large entrance gates so you only have to focus on the bridge.

With the brides gone its a very slim chance that you get attacked. We're you guys just doing an eight hour rest? Or 24 hour rest?

24h rest will give us 16 hp if Nalia succeeds on long-term care (4hp/level) and we'll restore 2 Ability Score points. I vote for this! :)

Poppo looks in his pouch, only a few oranges left. Nevertheless he pulls one out and gives it to Thraduik.

Yeah let's lay low until everyone is feeling better. Poppo says.

24 hours sounds good, Beatrip is uninjured and doesn't need sleep, she can keep watch

[I] can I rip the heads off anything I see?? That was so much fun!!! [I]

[B] Anything other than us or a friend, you just rip away. I'm getting too old for this crap. [B] bobie says and then starts making fried spider legs.

Alright your 24 hour goes by uneventfully however I will need two fortitude saves from Turngut DC: 14 for the first one, DC: 15 for the second and one from Nalia DC: 15

Turngut Rabies: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Turngut you are still going to take 3 Wisdom Damage and 1 Con Damage if you save or not.

Nalia and Turngut you start to notice several boils forming around your armpits, and other uncomfortable areas. You also have a throbbing headache to boot, and every once in a while one of the boils bursts and hundreds of fine sized spiders pour out of your wounds. You guys have contracted Pyrean Spider Flu.

Turngut Pyrean Spider Flu: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Nalia Pyrean Spider Flu: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Oof max on all three, big ole yikes

Nalia and Turngut you both take 4 constitution damage!

Yikes! 2 Fort saves (pre Con damage), coming right up!
Fortitude save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Fortitude save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Hurray! Rabies cured! (I hope). Double yikes!! Spider filled boils!?!
Also, to make sure I'm doing this correctly: I was -3Wis/-1Con. I healed 1 Wis+Con with the 24h rest. Then, the rabies does -3Wis/-1Con and the Pyrean Spider Flu does -4Con. So, Turngut is left with -5 to both.

Correct! You're actually cured from PSF as well, it is just 1 save.

You can see Turngut begins to look much better and the foaming at his mouth is all but gone. Even the strange spider filled boils begin looking better and you begin to see a lack of tiny spiders crawling from them.

You must really like spider legs, since you keep making more of them.
heal: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24 on turngut

Bobie has heard about this ancient disease called Pyrean Spider Plague. Its very rare nowadays but can be very deadly, but usually those with a strong constitution are able to recover. Essentially if your immune system is not able to fight off the fever the boils of spiders envelop your whole body and when they fever kills you, the spiders burst out which can spread the disease even quicker to other. Based on your examination it looks like Turngut is already improving.

Turngut do like spider legs! Spider legs crunchy and gooey. Yum yum! After the 24h of rest, Turngut looks like a brand-new Orc and greedily snarfs down a large quantity of Bobie's Gooey Spider Legs.

Other than being down 5 on Wisdom and Con, Turngut seems ready to assault the tower again!

fortitude save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

I'm still down on hp and con damage only 2 if I healed 2 from the 24h rest, but ready to go if everyone else is.

You receive the Con damage at the end of the rest so you have 4 con damage.

Nalia you also begin to see the boils of spiders fading away. So do you guys head back up to the egg room?

let's do a light reconnaissance and pillage run and return and rest another night

I'm good with that. Slow explore. No surprise attacks I hope and no engaging the dad of the brides yet! I was confused on my healing, think I got it fixed now. Full hp but down 8 hp on con damage. One more night of healing would be great. Is everyone full enough on hp now? Now that I've rested I can do some spot healing as needed, let me know.

Their are spiders in my armpits! I'm not sure I've ever seen a more disgusting thing! This might drive me crazy just with the idea of it!!! Like the spider plague.

Poppo keeps his distance from Nalia and Turngut as they suffer with there aliments, it's clear he doesn't want to catch anything. He forgoes the spider leg meal, and instead sucks loudly on an orange rind, chewing it and then spitting it out.

Can't catch this scurvy, they all caught, I'm almost out of oranges. He mumbles to himself.

When Bobie mentions a little light recon, he's up in a flash! Tired of sitting around, he opens the front door to the tower, and waits for the others, like a dog waiting for it's master to let it outside to go pee.

Yeah Poppo is ready...recommend Nalia go ahead and use heals to get everyone as close to full as possible. Not sure of current hp counts.

Alright you guys all head back up to egg room which is quiet the fleshy pods that once moved are now still. Another spiral staircase leads up to the next floor.

Everyone at this point can give me either an intelligence check DC 13 or a knowledge dungeoneering DC:16.

Intelligence: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4

Turngut think it all look good. Let’s go!. With that, he heads out immediately crossing the room towards the stairs.

Knowledge of Dungeons: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

As they move along Poppo figures things out in his head.

I'm fairly certain the next level is the last and highest level of this tower. He says nonchalantly.

He then looks around the floor of sticky goo pods.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Poppo sifts around in the disgusting goopy mess but does not find anything apart from deformed bones and viscous blood.

Thraduik also accompanies you his heavy crossbow in hand that you have learned is named after his dead wife Evangeline. You learned a lot about the dwarf over the past twenty four hours. How he at one point in his life was a guard for a now extinct clan of dwarves called the Crystal Hammers. A large number of the clan was wiped out by a rotting plague the same plague that would kill Thraduik's wife. So Thraduik ventured from place to place before coming upon Crowhall a place of relative solitude compared to the other dwarven cities and towns.I'd be careful looking through that mess Poppo! the dwarf says with some concern for his newfound halfling friend.

Thraduik Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Tharduik looking around can't find anything either.

intel= d20 [/dice: 1d6d20 + 5 ⇒ (6, 4) + 5 = 15

what do you think about opening some of those cocoon things? might be something good in there. might be pretty gross too?

Ben, I think Poppo, Beatrip and Bobie are all full on hp. Poppo and Turngut and Thadruik I'm not sure of. I'm full but down 8 because of con. Would heal if we need it, otherwise we make the decision if we feel tough enough to maybe see the brides dad/husband.

knowledge dungeoneering: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Poppo does a poor job of checking the cocoons, and it's clear he doesn't want to touch the muck, and even doubly so after Thraduik gives his warning. He begins to eye the stairs going up and eventually stands staring up at them, waiting for the others.

Are we ready? He says a little shaky sounding.

Fine with go now or okay waiting longer to regain ability damage...i'll leave it up to the injured.

Thraduik is only down a few HP after the rest. What you guys doing?

Turngut is down 8hp due to 4 points of con damage. Unfortunately, he’s also down 4 Wisdom, so effectively has a wisdom of 6. With that score, he’s ready to push on, whether it’s a good idea or not!

if we killed the spawn, and the brides, I bet the big dude is going to be ticked off. The brides killed bout half of us. Do we really want to meet the big guy if we are not at full strength? Or do we want to risk him attacking us tonight in the dark? I don't know.

I can just imagine us going against something with mind control and having Turngut kill us all after being converted in his weakened state. Unfortunately it would take 4 days to get us back up to par. Seems like waiting that long is unrealistic, in the same sense rushing in with a weakened imbecile (sorry Turnybut) is also bad. We could rest and wait and see if he comes to us? Could be better, might send his lackeys and split up his attacks vs lackeys plus big bad all at once? A lot of conjecture here I know.

It may be a big decision whether to go up the stairs or not, take your time.

We could let Thraduik decide. That way if we all die its the GM's fault. ;)

If it helps any, I messed up the ability score healing for Turngut. With a successful long term care Heal check (DC 15), we gain 4 points of ability score damage back for each ability score that is down. So Turngut is only down 3 Wisdom and 4 Con (since we took the Con after the rest. Another 24h rest with long term care will get Turngut (and Nalia) back to normal ability scores.
Remind me. Other than the possibility of an attack if we rest, what is the downside?
Now that I realize that only 1 more day of rest will do the trick, I say camp out. Of course...Turngut is always up for anything though!

Ok, with that info and that I'm probably the only player still awake, I vote rest one more day. We'll take our chances on the overnight attack. We'll keep extra vigilant and go the next day. Hope it's ok I'm making the decision. (Thanks smart Turngut!)

Sounds like a rest is what you guys are going to be choosing.

So... your rest goes by uneventfully but a new occurrence happens. The cold grows even colder and ice almost forms every time you breath. You all have nightmares of crows feeding on the dead in ravenous hunger. Bobie especially sees gruesome images they would likely delight Beatrip but to him they are terrifying. Perhaps these dreams are on set by the fact that you've now spent many nights in the haunted castle. Or maybe other, darker things are at work.

I need everyone to make me a will save DC:17 or be shaken for the duration of your stay at Anor Colair.

wisdom: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

wisdom: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
scary dreams, again. maybe they will be different this time. nope probably not.

Waking with terrifying dreams in her head, Nalia is sure she wants to be done with this cursed castle ASAP.

will save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Has it by chance been a week yet since I used the power of the blade? Feels like forever!

Nope three more days

In the morning, when we are ready, we should head back to the top, slowly looking into anything we think we might have missed, and then work our way towards that final staircase. I would think all of us should go, including Thraduik. I wouldn't want to sit alone in this place. I'd be happy to war mind anyone before entering the final level. Each level has been wide and open so would think we could do that but might end up wasting it if we have to explore a bit, but that would maybe counteract the shaken condition if needed.

I'm good with that plan. Slowly return to the top floor. Take 20 on searching the previous levels. I can buff up my AC with Combat Expertise and Dodge, but may not hit as often. Someone else can take the benefit of War Mind. How often can you cast that? Since it only lasts a minute, would need to save it until we are ready to enter last layer, but might have to take that chance.

WIll Save + Adaptable Luck: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 = 10

Poppo can't shake the creepy feeling and is willing to search the lower level as long as the others want. No longer feeling sure about rushing to the top, nevertheless when the rest of the group is ready to go to the last level, Poppo halflings up! and advances.

Oops! I forgot the will save. Guess I just assumed an automatic fail.

Will save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

You take twenties searching each level of the tower which takes you a while since each floor is pretty big. But you do not find anything of use. Thraduik like Turngut and Poppo doesn't like the look of this place at all but continues on never the less. You guys then ascend the stairs to the final room of the tower.

You find as you walk up the stairs this room is more barren then any other as if whatever had been here was sucked into the void. Across the room is a set of double doors but standing there in front of them is a humanoid. He stands at a height of close to eight feet and is clad in a tattered black robe which partially obscures his hold surprisingly normal looking face. Despite the normal face the rest of his body is not normal. Its arms are long and slender and it fingers even more so, in one hand he grips a large burlap sack full of something. As you make it to the top of the stairs the figure sees you but does not go to attack. Come he beckons with one long finger The lord Sorrin has left me to guard the door to the Void in the chances that you survive what horrors were below. To fight I do not wish, riddles I do wish. Answer three riddles correctly and you shall get an audience with my lord Sorrin. Despite his normal looking face its emotionless as he speaks but he does raise one eyebrow as if to question you.

We'll answer thee, your riddles three. For the other side we wish to see. Poppo blurts out!

The strange being tries to replicate a smile but its smile turns it to something that looks far to sinister. What flies when it's born, lies when it's alive, and runs when it's dead? the creature asks you.

Ummm, leta just kill him beatrip suggest

Sudden sound of crickets....???

carpet or magic carpet, no, a bug or spider, no, ink or a pen, no. I think I have reasonable guess for it but only get 2 of 3 qualifiers. Not great at riddles.

Turngut looks blankly at the creature and scratches his chin. Uhhh. Turngut say a bug fly when it is born. Blood runs when it is dead. Don't know what lies when it alive. Maybe bad boss man? He lie a lot. Tell Turngut he get paid to fight, but Turngut never get paid. Pausing for a bit and looking a bit surprised by his own thoughts, he then says, Turngut think scary girl right. Maybe just pound scary man?

I'm not good at riddles either. Running while dead makes me think of blood, but I can't get the other parts to fit. I agree with Matt, a bug or something seems right, but I can't get it to work out.