GM Rinaldo's Midnight Mirror (Inactive)

Game Master The Great Rinaldo!

Spellcraft on Hand: 1d20 + 8 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 4 = 21

Ushi takes a moment to assist identifying the hand before collecting the wand for future battles.

The hand is a Hand of the Mage.

With Laiashi recovered from her episode, you form up on Nino and investigate another door.

This door is locked and is beyond Laiashi's Take 10. How long would you spend trying to unlock it? She can Take 20 over the course of a couple of minutes, but I don't know if you want to take that long now or not.

The only thing we have counting down is the remove fear, which is unlikely to come into play any time soon. I say let her take the time.

Take the time

With everyone else watching for danger, Laiashi is able to get the lock opened, taking her time and working carefully.

This room is full of broken things: mannequins, grandfather clocks, musical instruments, and so on, all slowly falling to pieces. They have been carefully arranged to create the appearance of a lived-in room, even though a cursory glance shows that no one could possibly use these things.

Based on past experience, I'm going to assume Nino takes the lead entering the room, and not wait for him to specifically say so.

As Nino steps in to look around, everything in the room suddenly jerks. A chair and a clock suddenly come to life, and various detritus on the floor all suddenly point upward, filling the room with living caltrops.

Any creature moving on foot into or through area takes 1d4 points of piercing damage for each 5 feet of movement through the spiked area. Any creature that takes damage must also succeed on a Reflex save or suffer injuries to its feet and legs that slow its land speed by half. The speed reduction lasts for 24 hours or until healed with magic or a Heal check that takes 10 minutes.

Everyone BUT Nino is up! Nino doesn't have to take damage immediately, as he was in the room when the hazard appeared, but will if he moves any further.

GM, good guess

I assume I would've retrieved the daggers I dropped earlier.

"Could we, like... leave them in there?"

Draw weapons.

Or I can shoot them with my bow... Patros says as he grabs his bow and nocks an arrow.
sheath sword and draw bow

Knowledge: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

"Perhaps, they do not seem intelligent."

Ushi suspects that these are basic animated furniture constructs and probably not intelligent, but subject to whatever instructions the animator provided.

Laiashi, you have another action if you want it. Ushi is still up as well.

Ushi steps up and tries to pull Nino out of the room before the constructs can damage him.

Reposition Maneuver: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"Close the door!" he directs to Laiashi as he gets Nino behind him.

I'll allow that Nino is flat footed, so you can make the DC to move him into the hall. Laiashi has an action left, and can certainly close the door if she chooses. Combat is effectively over unless you want to go back in for any reason.

If we think there is anything useful in there, we can try opening the door and either leading them out or attempting ranged attacks. I'm guessing they have hardness, so we're unlikely to destroy them without Nino going into melee with them.

pull me out

I think it wise to not press our luck...

Yea I'll close the door once everyone is out. Do not want to fight animated objects with kitchen knives.

"Agreed. I really just want to find Nicasor. We need some live bait," she adds quietly, in case the fetchling is somewhere within earshot.

Once pulled out, Nino tries to open next door in the hallway. (southwest)

Moving to the next door, Nino finds it unlocked. The floor of the room is covered in thousands of keys of all sizes and shapes.

Nino tries to detect magic in the room.

I expected you to, but needed to have you explicitly say it. ;-)

Nino casts a spell, and his enhanced senses notice a tiny but reasonably strong magical aura. He is able to sift through the keys to find one key whose "handle" end is the twin tines of a tuning fork.

This one takes a pretty high Spellcraft check.

"Guys, this one is magical!"

spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 8 + 4 = 16

”Well I have no idea what it does, but it is indeed magical.”

Not quite high enough. :-(

What next? Just a reminder, Nicasor is out there somewhere, doing who-knows-what. :-)

Nino opents next door down to the south.

Sorry guys, should have updated over the weekend and just forgot. :(

Thin walls break this area into four small rooms, each furnished with cramped beds. A central area remains open save for a crooked table and mismatched chairs.

Three fetchlings, two female and one male, sit on the chairs, and look up as you enter. They seem indifferent to your presence, and one asks, "Is that you making all the noise out there? There's no point in struggling or fighting ... you can't get out. You'll see soon enough, just like those two noblemen a while back."

No worries, I’ve been caught up in a lot of work and home efforts myself.

”We have been led to believe otherwise, although destroying the heart of the mirror has proven daunting. Do you know of anything useful in these halls for dealing with a mindless monstrosity?”

We're getting out of here...no doubt about it.

"Are you with us or against us?I don't believe anyone, since that bastard of Nicasor trick us!"

sense motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

The fetchlings shake their heads and say, "You can't beat it. This prison is eternal. You might as well settle in. Rooms will be created for you fairly soon."

"Guys, let's move on!"

Nino opens the next room that they didn't open so far.

"Hah. Not likely. I think I'd kill myself before resigning to such a fate. Did Nicasor come through here just now?"

You've been everywhere on the 1st floor now. All of those rooms are the fetchling's bedrooms. There are a few doors upstairs you haven't opened, and of course the Heart is waiting patiently for you, as is Nicasor. ;-)

I see one room on the 1st floor that we didn't explore

Ah, you're right. You hadn't moved your token, and I just missed it glancing around.

Moving to the last unopened door on the first floor, Laiashi once again spends some time opening the lock (too hard for Take 10, so taking 20). As if in a cruel jest, this freezing room has a twenty-foot-wide fireplace housing a raging fire, albeit one that has no color, and generates no light or heat.

As Nino enters, the ghostly fireplace disgorges two shadowy creatures.

One of them launches itself at Nino, reaching out with its shadowy limbs.
Slam vs Flat-Footed: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Even surprised by it's fast movement, Nino is able to avoid the creature's touch.

Ushi and Patros are up!

Knowledge: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

"Shadow elementals! Beings of uttercold." Ushi shouts in warning. Seeing little recourse to deal with them, he utters a blessing on the party.

Casting bless, given elementals immunity to stunning from sound burst.

I was hoping Patros would post something today ... I'm going to delay him into the next initiative block.

The second elemental moves up and makes a strike on Nino as well...
Slam vs Flat-Footed: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20 Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 Cold: 1d4 ⇒ 3
... making contact and leaving a small frost-bitten spot on Nino's hand.

Patros, Nino, and Laiashi are up!

ahh man...didn't see the post from the other day...

Patros lashes out at the elemental, hoping his blade has an effect on it.

attack, cold iron: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 9 + 1 = 231d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11

Not from where you're currently standing, you're not. ;-) Can you move yourself? You can either 5' step and attack around the hard corner of the door, or move through Nino's square, requiring Acrobatics to avoid AoO from both of the elementals.

ahh forgot to ask to be moved..on phone...will do the 5ft step..god my brain is messed up right now...sleep schedule if FUBAR

Nino steps aside 5ft and attacks the Green one.

mwk greatsword power attack, Furious Focus: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

damage: 2d6 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 6) + 6 + 3 = 19

"Cold, huh? Of course they're cold. Everything in here is cold." Laiashi draws her daggers (move action) and waits for a better angle.

I'd rather not get bottled in there if I can help it. Is there any way you could draw them out?

Readied action (elemental stab): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 +1 fire

Patros steps up, and even with the corner of the door in the way, he manages to stab the elemental, eliciting a low howl.

Nino steps to the side, swinging his greatsword. His attack also hits, and the elemental collapses to the ground.

With Green down and Nino stepped over, does Laiashi want to step in and use that attack on Red?

Sure, I'll move into the empty space where the elemental was. Can't attack because that's two move actions.

Acrobatics vs CMD to avoid attack of opportunity: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

I keep forgetting that you keep the daggers hidden and can't draw while moving.

With the first elemental down, Ushi is up!

Ushi waits patiently outside in the hall for his companions to best the creature. As a thought occurs, he pronounces, "This spirit's fate is sealed." with a tone of finality.

Intimidate to Demoralize Red: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Well, I tried.

Ushi tries to make a pronouncement of doom, but his voice cracks, and the resulting statement is less than impressive.

Random target: 1=Nino, 2=Laiashi: 1d2 ⇒ 2
Slam attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 Cold: 1d4 ⇒ 4
The elemental hits Laiashi, and steam erupts as its icy touch meets her heated skin.

Everyone is up!

Nino attacks the Red one.

mwk greatsword power attack, Furious Focus: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

damage: 2d6 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (3, 6) + 6 + 3 = 18

Patros strides forward and swings at the elemental
attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 141d8 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 3 = 13

Nino and Patros both swing at the elemental, but it avoids both of their attacks.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy heating you up." She steps toward the strange cold fire for a better striking position.

Dagger 1, flanking: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 2 = 16
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 +1 fire

Dagger 2, flanking: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 2 = 22
Damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 +1 fire

If it can be sneak attacked, add 2d6 ⇒ (6, 2) = 8 to the first attack and 2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4 to the second. In which case it also takes a -2 on attack rolls and an extra -2 to attack me specifically (from Debilitating Injury).