Aya stares at the team questioningly. "Are you going to go back and join the other bidders? I can just as easily have you tossed in the street."
'Aya' eyes narrow a moment. "Your cousin you say? Well, that was some time ago. I seem to recall he was in a ...dangerous line of work. What ever happened to him?" A wicked smile crosses her lips, "I thought I heard he ...went to pieces."
She looks into the bloodrager's eyes, "Boo!"
At that moment, the skylight shatters. Glass rains down on Kolris and Erhun. Crashing to the ground is a hideous monster that is clearly undead. It is also coated in what looks like gold.
Per the scenario: Any PCs in the area when the creature crashes through the window must succeed at a DC 12 Reflex save or take 1d4 points of piercing damage and be blinded for 1 round by falling glass. On a success, a character halves the damage and avoids the blinded condition. This also provides Aya with cover and concealment for the round.
Round 1 bold may post.
"Aya"
Definitely not Aya
Kolris (21/23 hp)
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (25/26 hp)
Laiashi
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Kolris quickly throws his arm up, protecting his eyes from the rain of glass and taking only minimal damage. He recognizes the gestures accompanying Aya's 'boo' and whispers "cause fear" as his head whips around to Erhun, hoping to find that the man has resisted the spell. On a swivel, his head whips back around to deal with the undead monster in front of him. "Necrocraft!" he yells, adding a few things that he knows about its unnatural resistances before drawing his rapier and striking, quickly.
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Esper takes a quick step to the side and stares at the spellcaster, Then she stares at the woman, and smirks. "Oh, you're so hilarious."
Several things happen simultaneously.
Kolris recalls that his opponent has all the traits common to undead as well as the fact that the this particular specimen is somewhat resistant to fire.
Esper tries to assault the mind of the impostor, but with little effect. Aya shoots a look of daggers at the mesmerist, "Oh ho...I will remember that!" Her threat hangs in the air.
Meanwhile, Erhun scrambles away from the podium and toward the exit.
Round 1 bold may post.
"Aya"
Gold-Clad Necrocraft (-4/?? hp)
Kolris (22/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL})
Laiashi
"Necrocraft!" he yells, adding a few things that he knows about its unnatural resistances before drawing his rapier and striking, quickly.
as well as the fact that the this particular specimen is somewhat resistant to fire.
The undead dodges the rogue's hasty slash. The gold-clad abomination stalks forward, oblivious to any tactics, and lashes at both Pathfinders in reach. The investigator is able to avoid the lunge, but the ifrit receives a gash across her abdomen. It butns for a moment, which is a slightly odd sensation for her. A quick look down shows that the wound is...widening!
Meanwhile Aya opens the door as she swallows down the contents of a flask. She disappears from view and you hear footsteps exit the room and laughter echo down the hall. "Ta ta pets. Perhaps we can play again sometime."
A creature that is taking bleed damage takes the listed amount of damage at the beginning of its turn. Bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage (even if the bleed is ability damage). Some bleed effects cause ability damage or even ability drain. Bleed effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different kinds of damage. When two or more bleed effects deal the same kind of damage, take the worse effect. In this case, ability drain is worse than ability damage.
Round 2 bold may post.
Gold-Clad Necrocraft (-4/?? hp)
Kolris (22/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL})
Laiashi (28/32)
Gnicky swings hesitantly, trying to remain out of the thing's reach. Kolris manages to take a chunk of the thigh out of the walking blasphemy.
Blood continues to leak from the ifrit. However, this does not seem to slow her down. Taking advantage of her positioning, her blade disembowels the monstrosity. Surly if it had be alive the wound would have incapacitated the creature. The necrotic magic continues to keep the beast on its feet.
Round 2 bold may post.
Gold-Clad Necrocraft (-29/?? hp)
Kolris (22/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL}) {Final round of fear}
Laiashi (26/32) Will take 1d4 bleed at the beginning of her round (unless healed)
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With few ways to hinder the dead Esper takes a five foot step back and tosses a holy totally secular water at the undead.
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tosses aholytotally secular water at the undead.
The flask of non-denominational water sails over the creature's shoulder, offering no help to the team.
Two hurried strikes from the Gnicky also leave the his weapon clean of blood. In return, 'IT' steps toward the tiny gnome. Sharp claws swing, but the resourceful alchemist dodges behind a chair.
Erhun reaches the entrance to the museum and comes to his senses just as the Pure Legion forces the front doors wide open. Captain Kazima Rufah shouts over her troops toward the bloodrager, "We saw the creature fly in. What's your team's status? Where are the conspirators?"
Round 3 bold may post.
Gold-Clad Necrocraft (-29/?? hp)
Kolris (22/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL})
Laiashi (26/32)
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Esper frowns as the blasphemous undead dodges her well-aimed water! "Where are the relics?" she asks her companions, curious if anyone recalls seeing them. "We need to claim the shield fragment before the Pure Legion get here."
Esper takes a five-foot step back and pulls out another vial of very expensive mineral water that's definitely not blessed and tosses it at the undead.
But it's reflexes are uncanny!
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Only a supreme act of aerial agility allows the gold clad undead to avoid the otherwise amazing accuracy of Esper's arm.
This time the gnome scores a hit! His pick does not go too deep, but the necrocraft is showing signs damage adding up. It could not take too much more to put it down for good...could it?
Round 3 bold may post.
Gold-Clad Necrocraft (-31/?? hp)
Kolris (22/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL})
Laiashi (26/32) Will take 1d4 bleed at the beginning of her round (unless healed)
The ifrit steps in behind the creature. Deep cuts practically decapitate the necrocraft as it falls inter to the floor. A winded Erhun races in, arriving just in time to witness the abomination's destruction.
Kolris (23/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL})
Laiashi (26/32 hp or 23/32 hp) Will take 1d4 bleed at the beginning of her round (unless healed)
Esper finds a program which has a list of all the items up for bid. The closet has all of the other items, but the shard does not seem to be here.
One more round of bleed?: 1d4 ⇒ 3
By the time Laiashi can take out her wand, she would take that much more damage. IF YOU RECEIVE HEALING THIS ROUND, ignore this damage.Kolris (23/23 hp {-1NL})
Esper
Gnicky
Erhun (26/26 hp {-1NL})
Laiashi (26/32 hp or 23/32 hp) Will take 1d4 bleed at the beginning of her round (unless healed)
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"The Shard's not here," Esper remarks. "That woman took it! Everything else is, though."
Remembering that they are supposed to pick up some choice items for the Pathfinders...
"Use the Society’s money wisely to ensure you obtain the shard, but if you see any other artifacts on auction that might be better off in the Society’s possession, you can use these funds to obtain those as well.”
...Esper quickly skims the flyer and examines the objects up for auction, collecting anything of interest to the Pathfinders, or particular power or historical significance, and stuffs it in her backpack.
The team quickly pockets a number of treasures. However, they decide that a few of the items would be too risky to steal. Captain Rufah gladly takes them from you. "Well done. I can see where taking these may have been tempting. It seems we are again in your debt." She pulls a weapon from her pack. Kazima holds out a well crafted mace. The seal of the Pure Legion is emblazoned around the base of the head. "Please, accept this gift. Crafted through alchemical means by some of our finest smiths, and its just as good against the undead as anything a church has put together. Go ahead. After all your work tonight, you've earned it. Besides, I have one more favor to ask of you."
Kazima continues, "It seems that this beast you killed here matches the description of a pair of distinctive 'golden gargoyles' that has been spotted lurking about the Alhanzir Cemetery over the last few weeks. With everything we have to do here, I can only send a few men out to the cemetery. We're short-handed, so my men will be more focused on seeking out more gold-clad undead and victims of the Aurum Death. So, you would be on your own while you track down whoever was pretending to be Aya. So, are you up for one last good deed?"
Gnicky volunteers to stay behind to help organize, and to make certain any possible evidence left behind by the team does not implicate you in any wrong doing.
A field of arid soil the color of a rusty blade is littered with grave markers arranged in symmetrical rows. Despite the lack of water, the ground and gravestones are covered with mossy lichens, spiny cacti, and knotted, thorny brambles with pale blossoms that bloom in clumps. A few yucca trees stand between the graves, their trunks the color of bleached bone. None of the more recent, cleaner headstones show any signs of religious patronage, and many of the older headstones bear scars where religious iconography and aphorisms have been chiseled away or ground to dust. Toward the back of the cemetery stand a few cylindrical stone structures with tarnished metal doors.
[spoiler=DC 15 Knowledge (religion)] You check can recognize that the unique shape of the building and doorway indicates that this is most likely an ancestral tomb reserved for one specific family, and that some of the residual “ghosts” of the illustrations on its outer walls could be forms associated with a deity However, wear and the passage of time though, it’s now impossible to tell which one.
While the door isn’t locked, it does emit a grinding, sorrowful howl when pushed open. Fortunately, there does not seems to be any response or reaction to this baleful sound.
The door opens onto a long set of stone stairs that descend along a 15-foot-wide passageway, dimly lit by flaming torches set into wall sconces. The stairs descend to a small room with marble floors before descending further.
It is at this moment when the hackles on the back of Kolris' neck rise up. He senses something is off. He quickly searches the area and soon identifies a small trigger in the stone wall that, when depressed, opens a panel that leads to a narrow passageway lined with small, treacherous steps. He also notices that the marble slabs of the floor have been cut into two sections adorned with small, hard-to-spot hinges. The team bypasses the danger using the narrow stairway and moves deeper into the structure.
Perception
This was obviously at one point a crypt antechamber. It seems to have been repurposed as a reception area. Four iron chairs, two on each side, sit against the walls. Two funeral beds, pushed together to form an “L”-shaped
desk, stand in the middle of the room.
A gold-laced skeleton writing furiously in a large, lined book with an ink-dipped quill sits at the “desk” here. It looks up as you enter, an oddly metallic voice rings out “Welcome to the Grave Wager. Name?”
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Erhun points out a few golden handprints on the door
beware, someone- or a few people-with the Aurum Death used that door..
After the secret passage, when Erhun faces the gold-laced skeleton, he barely manages to keep his calm. He takes his bec de corbin, another masive , two handed weapon with a blunt head, usefull against fleshless opponents...
A Ledger bones... Probably tasked to stay here and be a script forever
Erhun notices several different hand prints. He is convinced that other than being covered in gold, this skeleton is fairly standard.
It's vacant eyes 'stare' at Esper for a moment. “Welcome to the Grave Wager. Name?” The mesmerist notes the the quill hovers just above an inkwell, ready to be dipped and withdrawn.
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Kolris thanks Kazima for the mace. "We are of similar mind! Much that divine magic can do, can also be done with alchemy. We'll be sure to use this well."
He offers the mace to the others, though, as it's not a weapon that he uses well. If nobody takes it, he hangs it at his waist, hoping it never becomes his best option.
Kolris looks from one Pathfinder to the other with a curious lift to his eyebrow. He shrugs his shoulders and responds. "Kolris Isimlothe, here. Please refresh me as to the nature of the Grave Wager, if it's not too much trouble."
As soon as Kolris gives his name, the horrifyig receptionist scrawls down the name in surprisingly elegant script. When it is done with its task, it holds the quill over the ink pot again and stares forward, offering no response to the investigator's question.
The bloodrager looks down at the page. He is slightly disappointed as it seems as if the ledger is on a relatively new page. However, he can makeout three names:
Theld
Shaddup'ya Stupid-git
Kolris Isimlothe
The skeleton remains seated as Esper moves to he far side of the room. The kelishite can make out that in the room at the end sarcophagi have been opened and their lids overturned to serve as makeshift tables, each strewn with decaying body parts and spatters of blood.