GM Spicer's Cradle of Night

Game Master Neil Spicer

With no way to stop the trap if Lydia's magic doesn't work, Daehalya instead resorts to trying to protect her companions, quickly casting communal resist energy.

Concentration check: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32
Like Master Garmont, I'm a little confused as well. Are we all in the corridor? If so, I assume I can touch everyone (?). If not, I don't know that I can get to Ailis.

Everyone (inc. Aiyana) gets fire resistance 10 for 7.5 minutes

OOC: I'm using "theater of the mind" as much as I can for PbP purposes, so don't worry overly much about positioning. Everyone is inside the corridor (though some squeezing is involved to stay in the area before reaching the statues' alcoves). And, though Bastian did suggest bracing the doors, I didn't see anyone taking concrete action to do so, and the doors might have shut anyway. We'll never know, because you guys have it well enough in hand for now.

Lydia's quick action allows her to counterspell the fiery inferno, at first knocking down the flames and finally snuffing them out altogether. A few seconds later, the sound of the bolts within the stone doors are heard again, and you're able to reopen the ones leading back to the tomb's entrance. The way forward, however, is still guarded by the statues and the far doors are still closed.

Fair enough :-)

Well, at least we know it’s fire we need to protect us from. Good thing you were quick, Lydia. We’d better secure the doors behind us before we proceed.

Bastian moves back and jams one of the doors open, using an iron spike from his pack.

"Cromm!" Lesska swears in Hallit, the fur of her hood singed and armor buffed a little darker than she would like.

She rummages about for a hammer in her pack and moving to the other door makes a handing over motion to Bastian.

"Bastian - some spikes? I have a hammer..."

"I can protect all of us from fire," Daehalya suggests, wincing slightly at her burns. "If we're careful, we can get by the statues, and then hopefully the far doors will open? Unless, Ailis, you want to try again?"

Suetonius nods.

"Ailis? It's up to you. If you believe you can do it, then I have faith in you."

Once the doors are spiked, Bastian returns the hammer to Lesska.

Yes, let us press on. Ailis, if you can disarm the second trap, you should do so. We may have to head back here in a hurry after our restance has expired.

Ailis nods, emboldened by the fire-protection spell which Daehalya weaved on the group. "I can certainly try. Stand back, please."

Disable Device?: 1d20 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 16 + 2 = 21

Despite the magical proctection from fire, Bastian stands back and gives the experienced Pathfinder room to work.

Say what you will about this place, but it certainly isn't dull... he mutters to noone in particular.

This is of course assuming Daehalya casts the proctective spell before the second attempt. Looking back, she only mentioned it as an option.

Daehalya casts her spell of protection, making sure to adapt it to keep any additional flames at bay. In the meantime, the rest of the party watches as Ailis moves behind the second statue and tries again to remove the armor. Once more, however, it proves incredibly difficult to unstrap. Several sharp tugs fail to free it, and each one draws the dwarf precariously closer to the statue's line of sight...until, finally, accidentally, she loses her footing while trying to brace against the base of the statue for leverage, and she unintentionally slides to the floor directly in front of it...

And yet...

The statues remain motionless this time. And no flames shoot through the corridor. All seems quiet as Ailis regains her feet, attempts to still her beating heart, and looks back at her companions with a shrug.

"Well, Pathfinder?" Aiyana calls, "Is it disarmed? Can we pass?"

Ailis:

Ailis nods, slowly, look all around her. "Its safe," she says, "If you go quickly. Come on." Taking over own advice, she jogs down to the other end of the hallway and opens the door, holding it for people to go on into the next room before going in last.

Lydia leads the others into the next room, eyes alert for danger.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Daehalya follows, looking around as she enters the room, excited to see what might be here -- hopefully something less horrible than in the first rooms.

As Ailis moves forward and the rest of the party starts to follow, Aiyana pauses next to the humanoid outlines within the scorch marks along the corridor's stone floor, drawing everyone back to her during her moment of reflection.

"These were my people," she says aloud, "Dark slayers perish in a fiery explosion when they die. This trap must have killed them, and then their own combustion removed all trace of them...except their outline here and there." It's clear the caligni is shaken by the spectacle as she lingers in the hallway. "If dark slayers were here, they must be allied with the Reborn. Still, it's a terrible way to go...often harming others who happen to be standing nearby when they die."

"Purists among the dark folk argue that the absence of any remains when we die is proof of our racial superiority. But the Reborn take that belief to a higher extreme. For they assert that when caligni die, fragments of our memories pass on to our children while our souls move on to the afterlife. The violent flash of energy upon death is, they argue, a physical manifestation of the split between our memories and our souls. And, according to the Reborn, most caligni can't recall their ancestral memories except in dreams or on an instinctual level. Of course, they claim otherwise for themselves. Reborn can supposedly recall ancestral memories dating all the way back to Earthfall. If true, perhaps that's what led them to the Cradle of Night? After all, such artifacts are legends from ages ago. And, to use one, I can only imagine ancestral memories would aid them in that."

Looking ahead to the doors Ailis has opened at the far end of the hall, a grimmer look of determination crosses Aiyana's face. "I suppose we must press on to see if they found it. And, if so, to wrest it from them before they can use it to tighten their grip on Lyrudrada." Nodding to the Pathfinder to proceed, Aiyana steels herself for the way ahead.

The second set of stone double doors open into yet another airy chamber approximately 20-feet wide in all directions. Your lights illuminate a short pedestal bearing pale blue shards of shattered crystal in the center of the room, surrounded by another circle of runes carved into the floor. A deep alcove to the north also contains another stone statue of a human man. It wields a lance and wears hide armor, but, strangely, it's been turned away from the center of the room to face the blank wall of its own alcove with its back to you. Additional double doors bar the way east and west, although the western exit also appears to be partially sealed with stone spread across its doors like hardened clay.

Lesska and anyone who can make a DC 25 Knowledge (history or religion) check:

Anyone who can make a DC 25 Knowledge (arcana or religion) check:

Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32
Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (10) + 19 = 29

"The backward-facing statue is probably part of an ancient belief ... or Kellid superstition, really ... that it will confuse the ambitions of their unquiet spirit. But here, especially since it's presumably Haramil himself, would be an additional sign of shame reflected upon him by the people who laid him to rest here," Daehalya says.

She looks around and continues, "and the broken crystal shards around the pedestal could be a lure to attract and trap incorporeal undead, usually within the crystal itself. But now that it's broken, it's not going to work ... which means there might be another one around here..."

She again quickly casts her cantrip to look for magic in the room.

Knowledge (arcana), if needed: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (20) + 19 = 39

She again quickly casts her cantrip to look for magic in the room.

OOC: No magic detected.

Suetonius frowns thoughtfully.

"So, what you are saying is, that if it did indeed trap one or more unquiet spirits, then they are now roaming around this place freely...?"

Lesska nods as Daehalya explains the significance of the statue. The Kellid seems either unperturbed or disinterested by/in the paranormal-tinged discussion taking place, taken as she is by the statue itself.

Haramil. How did you come to lose your way? And this is how you were consecrated, how we chose to remember you. More like consigned. To an infinite repose of infamy.

Neil - is the statue carved in the likeness of wearing hide armor/carrying a lance or are they real armor and weaponry?

Neil - is the statue carved in the likeness of wearing hide armor/carrying a lance or are they real armor and weaponry?

OOC: Just carved in the likeness. Apparently, they didn't deem even his carved statue worthy of anything more lest it be seen as honoring him in some way.

As Ailis moves forward and the rest of the party starts to follow, Aiyana pauses next to the humanoid outlines within the scorch marks along the corridor's stone floor, drawing everyone back to her during her moment of reflection.

"These were my people," she says aloud, "Dark slayers perish in a fiery explosion when they die. This trap must have killed them, and then their own combustion removed all trace of them...except their outline here and there." It's clear the caligni is shaken by the spectacle as she lingers in the hallway. "If dark slayers were here, they must be allied with the Reborn. Still, it's a terrible way to go...often harming others who happen to be standing nearby when they die."

As Aiyana talks about her people's volatile death, Bastian stops in his tracks and turns to face her. Uninterested in the philosophical nuances of caligni society, he is, however, quite interested in the tactical implications of her revelation.

Wait...so whenever a Dark Slayer is killed in combat, they explode in a violent burst of flame? I would say that's a fairly important detail, considering we are likely to face them in battle in the immediate future. Now I'm twice as glad for our magical protection. How long will that last, Lady Daehalya?

As the party moves into the next chamber, Bastian is again more concerned about the significance of the shattered crystal than the superstitions tied to Kellid burial rites.

Stay sharp, everyone. If there are more incorporeal creatures about, like the shadows we fought earlier, they can come at us from any direction, even straight out of the ground. We should not linger...

Glancing at the doors to the east and the west, he quickly notices that the western one appears blocked. Pointing towards the eastern set, he ask Ailis and Lydia Any signs of recent passage around that door? If so, I say we follow swiftly and prepare for the worst.

Daehalya blinks as she suddenly takes in Aiyana's comments about the calignis' explosive endings, realizing she was too focused on other aspects of the room to devote them her full attention.

"That's horrible, though I guess you're already dead. But still, it means no magic can bring you back," the elf says. "I guess it also means your body can't be corrupted by those using fell magics, but that seems a poor trade. What about you, Aiyana? What do you believe of such a practice?"

She shakes her head at Bastian's question.

"Not long, I'm afraid, Master Garmont. It's duration is split among us all, so likely less than 10 minutes," she says. "I can potentially cast it once more, but I didn't prepare beyond that."

She nods in agreements with his plan to head east, ready to bring her magics to bear again, though they were not most effective against such untouchable horrors.

Lydia kneels down by the eastern doors, looking for any tracks in the dust.

Survival, Track, Heroism: 1d20 + 14 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 14 + 4 + 2 = 39

Ailis approaches the western door, sealed shut with stone like paint splashed across its surface. "Something tells me that people went this way. This isn't a natural development of stone. Aiyana, do your people have many druids among them? I suspect this stone was magically altered to keep the door shut."

She looks around at her companions with some curiosity. "Anyone have a battering ram?"

"...What about you, Aiyana? What do you believe of such a practice?"

"I don't really know what to believe anymore. Our people are an enigma sometimes...even to me. But there's definitely real power in what the Reborn have been able to accomplish in Lyrudrada. And, their ability to venture here to retrieve a Cradle of Night only underscores that reality. Do our ancestral memories pass on to future generations when we die? There's a certain...appeal...to such beliefs. To think that loved ones and cherished companions are still a part of us. That our dreams are somehow echoes of the memories they shared. My own father passed away a few years ago, and I still miss him. Ownership of our estate and clan holdings in Lyrudrada passed to me upon his death, and it's a comforting thought to imagine his presence is still a part of my thoughts and actions in his absence. There's a lot of pressure that comes with my role in leading our small clan. And, if I'm being truly honest with myself, sometimes, it's comforting to leave the city and venture here to the surface...to see the sky...and reflect on the past, as well as the future...away from everyone else. I like to think my father is still with me when I come here, even as I feel the weight of responsibility to return to Lyrudrada and aid our people against the Reborn."

The caligni shakes her head as Lydia gets ready to examine the eastern doorway for signs of passage at Bastian's recommendation. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling again. There's just so much riding on us ensuring the Reborn are kept from retrieving the Cradle. And I fear so much would change in Lyrudrada under their reign. That all my father helped build will be truly lost."

As Aiyana's words fade away, Lydia kneels to examine the area around the double-doors to the east. She recognizes several recent scrapes and scuff marks on the floor and around the edges of the stone doors...as if someone had to pry them open and brace themselves in the process. The marks look recent enough that she's certain they occurred no less than a day or two ago. Before she can determine if the doors are now sealed or locked in any way, Aiyana gasps and points at the statue, drawing everyone's immediate attention there...

An ink-like darkness draws itself up and out of the alcove, floating down (and through?) the statue's back like a shadow reaching across the floor before it coalesces into a jet-black armored figure holding a lance. Its eyes seem like tiny stars blazing within a face of furious resolve.

"Interlopers!" The word slides across your minds like a sharp, cold wind. "You dare intrude upon the realm of Haramil? To insult me and dishonor my legacy with such mocking tributes to my reign? Your lives will be forfeit and I will feast upon your hearts! Every beautiful thing you once loved will be taken from you, broken, and destroyed! You will writhe upon my grave and beg forgiveness, but you will find no mercy here! Only death!"

Initiative checks:
Ailis: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Aiyana: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Bastian: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Daehalya: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 (edge)
Haramil’s Hunger: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 (edge)
Lesska: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Lydia: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Suetonius: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

OOC: Round 1 of combat (no surprise round)
Initiative order: Daehalya, Lesska, Haramil's Hunger, Ailis, Aiyana, Lydia, Bastian, Suetonius

Uh-ohh(TM)...

Bastian whirls to face the shadowy horror, every fiber of his body ready to fight...

Daehalya's mind races as she tries to identify the thing and determine her best course of action.

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25
Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Assuming I believe it is in fact a creature of some sort based on those checks:

Containment, she decides, pulling a small crystal sphere from a pouch and incanting over it, words of arcane power for one of her most powerful spells falling from her lips.

Cast resilient sphere, DC 19 Reflex save negates

Daehalya's mind races as she tries to identify the thing and determine her best course of action.

Daehalya:

Containment, she decides, pulling a small crystal sphere from a pouch and incanting over it, words of arcane power for one of her most powerful spells falling from her lips.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

A shimmering field of magical radiance surrounds the threatening figure as it attempts to surge forward, but it bounces off an unseen barrier and recoils in confusion. Raising the shadow lance still in its grip it jabs at the resilient sphere to no avail. And, after determining it is well and truly trapped, the dark shade fixes its undying gaze upon Daehalya, piercing her with pure, blazing hatred.

OOC: Combat is essentially over for the moment...at least until the spell runs out. And, once it does, everyone say a little prayer for Daehalya... :->

"Gods above and below!" Aiyana murmurs, "Is that...the spirit of Haramil?" She looks hopefully at Daehalya. "What did you do to him? Is he trapped...like the crystal from the pedestal would have done?"

Hey, it worked!

"For a time, but -- not as long as the crystal might have held him," she answers, explaining what she thinks the thing is i.e. if everyone wants to read my spoiler above.

I think channel energy won't work through the sphere (per my read of it), so ... let's get out of here?

Well done, Daehalya! Bastian cheers as the sphere of force traps the malignant spirit, for a moment forgetting his usual formal way of adressing the elf wizard.

His bright smile quickly fades as Daehalya shares her knowledge of the undead warlord and the brief duration of his current prison. The way Haramil’s shade glares intently at Daehalya fills him with cold dread.

After taking a moment to consider the situation, he says somberly:
As much as I would like to leave swiftly, I’m not certain that would be wise. With his crystal prison shattered, we have no way of knowing if he can escape this room to stalk us throughout the rest of the tomb or even beyond. The last thing we want is for that horror to strike at us from the shadows when we are unprepared.

Right now, we have the best tactical advantage we can hope to gain. Perhaps it would be best to bolster all our strength and seek to destroy him here and now...but whatever we decide, we must choose quickly.

Bastian looks to each of his companions, to guage their resolve and intent.

Lesska stares at...history...come to life. It matters little to her that this is a history only recently learned - this is Haramil, hundreds of years after his hundreds of years of life.

She shakes her head to clear it, and manages to catch Bastian's words.

"I agree - we esepcially do not want it at our backs when we confront some other fell denizen...And apart from bolstering ourselves, do we have means of opposing it with...fire or spell or some other chicanery?" She winces a little as she realises that might sound...insulting.

"I have few other spells that will likely harm it," Daehalya replies,"though maybe Suetonius might?"

Haste and bardic performance from Ailis, undead bane on Lydia’s weapon, bless from Suetonius, Bastian chugs another enlarge potion and perhaps trades one to Lesska for a bull’s strength, and maybe a circle against evil and a few more personal buffs, if we want to go full nuclear.

Perhaps something to keep it focus on me but prevent it from hurting me? I have shadowform, which could help, or even shadowfade (but that would only work in darkness). We could seem to leave and "come back" using major image...

@Bastian: sounds good, I'll likely use a bull's strength as well...

I can nominate Daehalya as a ward for Yojimbo class ability, allowing me to use resolve etc on her as well as myself...

@Lesska: Deal. - Ailis, Lydia, Suetonius...fight or flight?

Suetonius frowns thoughtfully.

"If we think we can finish clearing out this place before it is free, then, by all means, press on; if not, aren't we just going to have to fight it on our way out, in any case, or worse, have it chase us down whilst we are in the middle of another fight?"

"I don't think the sphere will last long enough for us to explore this whole place," Daehalya says. "I think finding some way to deal with it now would probably be best."

Lydia tightens her grip on her curve blade as she eyes the trapped shadow warily. "We should not leave this creature behind us. I say we prepare and eliminate it now. The swifter our assault, the less likely it is to harm one of us."

I vote we gather around it, drop the sphere, and attack with all we've got. If we do so, I'll cast shield of faith, divine favor, and spiritual weapon just before Daehalya drops the sphere.

Ailis tenses up, preparing for battle. She knows that they must actually face this creature and so readies herself to unleash her most powerful magics in order to take it down.

Readied action: Cast haste on everyone as soon as Daehalya drops the barrier.

Lydia casts a trio of spells, warding herself and calling upon Desna's own luck. A glowing starknife appears in the air just outside the sphere, and the half-elf nods, indicating her readiness.

Cast shield of faith, divine favor, and spiritual weapon.

With Daehalya behind her a good ways, Lesska looks at Bastian and nods, quaffing the strange potion of enlargening. Having felt the effects of this particular ensorcelment only a few times in her adventuring career she is at first unsure of her ungainly new frame, then bolstered as she sees her longspear grow to immense proportions. She quaffs the large potion of strength immediately and stands at the ready to impale...shadowstuff Haramil.

Quaff potions of enlarge Lesska and bull's strength.

Sorry if I was the cause for the delay. Getting used to this whole dayshift thigns has been compounded by having to spend mornings digging out from snow and ice instead of using that time to post.

Daehalya takes up position about 10 feet behind Lesska and waits for the others to make their preparations. As they begin casting their final spells, she casts one of her own, her very substance turning as shadowy as Haramil's essence.

Cast shadowform (Will DC 21 to negate for one round)

The next instance i.e. next round, she pulls her sword and releases the resilient sphere.

I hope everyone else is as competent as Master Garmont, or I may become shadow for real.

After the brief discussion, Bastian springs into action with the others. Exchanging potions with Lesska, he quaffs both vials and moves into position opposite Lesska with the sphere between them.

Get ready, everyone! We will only get one chance to get this right. Cast all your spells and ready to strike, then call out "SET" - Daehalya, once everyone have called out, drop the spell! Gods be with you."

Readied action to attack with heavy flail once the sphere drops.

SET!

I should have stated I'm readying action of attempt to whomp incorporeal thingummy with longspear.

OOC: Moving forward. Hopefully, Suetonius joins in on his order in the new initiative. If not, I'll bot him so we pick up the pace.

The group positions themselves as strategically as possible in the small chamber as the dark figure seethes within Daehalya's resilient sphere. After spells are cast and potions quaffed, the elf finally releases her incantation.

Initiative checks:
Ailis: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Aiyana: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Bastian: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Daehalya: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Haramil’s Hunger: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Lesska: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Lydia: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Suetonius: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

OOC: Restart of Round 1 of combat
Readied actions can go first, so everyone who declared one, take those now. It appears Ailis' haste will take effect first, so consider that as you post.
Initiative order: Daehalya, Suetonius, Ailis, Lesska, Aiyana, Bastian, Haramil's Hunger, Lydia

Ailis unleashes her magic over the group, transmuting their relationship with time such that each of them gets an extra mote, an extra moment, when none would have previously existed. She is able to enchant everyone in this way, and then, axe at the ready, she intones an arcane word and becomes a blur of color, rushing across the battlefield. She appears next to the thing and across from Bastian, swinging her axe into its formless torso. At the same time, she unleashes the magic of her dwarven ancestors, allowing her party greater tactical awareness and power.

Sorry, no story this time, I'm beat.

Bladed Dash Strike (haste, outflank, bladed dash): 1d20 + 11 + 1 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 1 + 4 + 3 = 30
Damage (sneak attack, precise strike, arcane strike): 1d6 + 3 + 1d6 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + (5) + (4) + 2 = 15

Readied: Cast haste. Swift: activate Arcane Strike. Move: Begin war chant (Outflank and Precise Strike). Standard: Cast bladed dash and get a free melee attack and no AoO.

With sword drawn, Daehalya crouches down, remembering the lessons of her youth and, more recently, with Master Garmont. She does her best to keep her eye on the shadow, hoping to divine its movements so she can avoid it, even if it doesn't have any apparent weight to watch and use to anticipate. Total defense; also have shadowform active (see above)

As soon as Daehalya drops the sphere, the hulking, magically enhanced Bastian swings his flail at the shadowform.

Readied attack - haste, Outflank, bless, bull's strength, enlarge, PA/furious focus): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (20) + 22 = 42
Damage: 2d8 + 21 + 1d6 ⇒ (3, 3) + 21 + (6) = 33

Carefully aimed, the blow strikes right on the mark

Crit confirmation,Readied attack - haste, Outflank, bless, bull's strength, enlarge, PA/furious focus): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (6) + 22 = 28
Damage: 2d8 + 21 ⇒ (4, 6) + 21 = 31 If the crit confirms, Lesska gets an attack of opportunity due to Outflank

He does not even pause to asses the damage he's done before launching into a new series of swings, almost too rapid for the eye to follow.

Full attack - haste, Outflank, bless, bull's strength, enlarge, PA/furious focus): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (7) + 22 = 29
Damage: 2d8 + 21 + 1d6 ⇒ (2, 2) + 21 + (3) = 28

Haste bonus attack - haste, Outflank, bless, bull's strength, enlarge, PA): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27
Damage: 2d8 + 21 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 1) + 21 + (5) = 28

#2 attack - haste, Outflank, bless, bull's strength, enlarge, PA/furious focus): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
Damage: 2d8 + 21 + 1d6 ⇒ (2, 6) + 21 + (4) = 33

As it stands, 153 dmg. Of course, since he's likely incorporeal, neither crits or precise strike dmg likely applies, and after that only half dmg. Disregarding crits and precision dmg, total dmg is 104, half 52.