GM Jhaeman's "Sanctum of a Lost Age" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

"Conjuration aura, so most likely," Carina says in agreement to Ridley. "However, the green one is fading, either it's been cut from it's power or is finally fading after all these years. Either way, into the yellow we go." she gestures to those there to enter before she takes the rear.

The Pathfinders enter the yellow smoke and reappear in a narrow corridor with a column of yellow smoke at one end and a door at the other. When a search of the door turns up no traps, the door is opened to reveal a long corridor. Bells and strings of beads hang thick in the corridor, and there's a closed door at the end of it. There doesn't seem to be a trap per se in the corridor, but anyway who just walks straight down it will surely make a lot of noise.

Assuming the consensus is for everyone to go through the yellow smoke, you'll all appear in the tight quarters you can see at the bottom left of the grid. Please reposition yourselves however you'd like. (in-game, your characters don't know where they are in relation to where they've been, of course).

If you want to try to move down the corridor without touching any of the bells or beads, I'd need an Acrobatics check.

Trap spotter!

Also, would it be possible to 'Disable' the bells or beads. Some of us may not be to move down said corridor otherwise (myself included).

You could slowly and gradually clear the hallway, one strand at a time, but there's a *lot* of them. I'd let you take 10 on a Disable Device check, but it'll probably take an hour or so to complete the job. The process is equivalent to unpacking a big jumbled box of bells without making any noise--doable, but time-consuming. Let me know if that's how you'd like to proceed.

Also happy to take 10 (and an hour) to clear the hallway. Just not certain about buffs and what not.

Let us wait the hour. Who knows what will happen.

"Thank you so ... so much Ki... Kivuli! Who know wha ... what these things would ha... have done to u... us?"

After room is cleared the group continues to search the area and checks the next door.

Setare enters the corridor and walks forward.

Since you're a trap spotter, I would say let's just go for it.

Most of my buffs will run out in the hour, so I'd prefer to press on as long as there aren't any actual traps. Maybe this is a makeshift alarm of some sort?

In case you want to press on:

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

"I will wait until you finish your job Kivuli!" says Luke

The group has differing opinions, so Kivuli, it's up to you--are you going to press on or spend the hour clearing the hallways?

Realizing that magical enhancement often make the difference between success and failure, Kivuli presses ahead.

Using the roll from the spoiler above.

Kivuli jumps, spins, and tumbles through the wires strung with bells and beads, looking like the world's most acrobatic dancer. He soons arrives at the door at the far end of the corridor. Setare moves to follow, but starts to trip!

Setare, I need a Reflex save from you to recover in time to avoid making noise.

Anyone who wants to follow Kivuli down the corridor needs to roll an Acrobatics check (and can throw in a Reflex save as well, just in case).

reflex : 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30

Setare catches herself just in time, and manages to make it to the other end of the corridor quietly.

"That doesn't look so hard," says Rozimus as he ventures into the corridor only to trip over a boot-lace, stumble, and plow into several strands! The resulting clangor is quite loud!

Two natural 1s! Sorry guys!

Raynor looks at the man with a very much forced neutral expression. One can see minor twitching in the eye that is not covered by his eyepatch.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

No more checks are needed to move through the corridor quietly--Rozimus has made about as much noise as is possible!

Setare twitches after seeing and hearing the man.

She shakes her head and immediately opens the door so whoever wanted to be warned does not have much time to prepare!

Setare throws open the door to reveal a passageway running west and east, with a door set in the north wall before the corridor turns to the north. Arches on the far east wall lead to a darkened chamber that periodically flashes with colourful bursts of light, casting the corridor in shifting shades of pink, scarlet, dusty rose, and incandescent blue.

Well isn't that pretty. Don't usually see a lightshow like this wihtout some sort of death ray or fireball or something to go along with it.

Ridley will pull out his lantern and scan the hallway for magic.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 16 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 16 + 2 + 2 = 38

Setare waits until the others have come closer and after Ridley has concluded his analysis, she walks ahead to see what can be discovered.

"Shouldn't we check out this door first," Carina says, pointing to the door near them, "before we check out the glowing madness ahead of us?"

Light from Ridley's lantern of auras covers the corridor ahead of you.

The way the lantern works, everyone can try to discern the nature of magical auras as if they themselves had cast detect magic. This is a Knowledge (arcana) check.

At the same time the lantern reveals the nature of the magics in the next chamber, from around the corner to the north you see a large snake with a thick, muscular body and green scales slither towards you. It looks dangerous, but not hostile--yet. Behind the snake is an older man wearing robes, holding a wand or rod of some type in his hands. "Excellent! More visitors. Welcome. My name is Daegros, and I believe we can be of service to one another."

Just so you know everything is on the up and up, this guy was buffing for three rounds after hearing the bells sound in the corridor, but he was around the corner studying something you can't see yet. I was about to give you Perception checks to hear his spellcasting, but then realised he has a way to do so silently. Because the lantern takes three rounds to do its work, his appearance occurs right when the lantern finishes its work.

Setare looks at the snake and man with a smile.

”Oh how ni... nice of you to o... offer support!! And of co... course we’ll try to... to help you! Are you o... one of the Pa... Pathfinders or some other pri... prisoner? Doesn’t ma... matter! We wi... will have your ba... back!!“

Auto aid to Raynor for diplomacy with +4

"Well met Master Daegros. My name is Raynor Cordite of the Pathfinder Society. We come in peace and seek to bring back home some of our lost colleagues. Would you have any information as to their location?"

Diplo with Setare Aid: 1d20 + 14 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 14 + 4 = 22

"We are here to help!"
diplomacy aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7

”A prisoner? Yes, indeed I am! Mayhaps you have heard of the fell wizard Nhur Athemon, the infamous exile of Azlant? In my youth and folly, I was foolish enough to serve him as apprentice. Little did I know the depths of his evil! He trapped myself and his other apprentices in this complex, imprisoning us in time itself. But I’ve made peace with my fate, and have come to embrace my existence. But not my fellow apprentice, Togarin! He seeks to undo the time-lock that holds this place in stasis—and doing so would instantly annihilate our mortal souls and turn us into foul necromantic vestiges of our past selves. Yes, it would be an escape, but at what cost?" Daegros looks wistful.

"But if you stop Togarin, I can aid you. You seek others of your kind? Behind me stands a scrying device that will surely find them no matter where they are. Are these acceptable terms? Stop the wicked Togarin, and I’ll help you find your friends!”

I know some of you are the naturally suspicious types, so if you want to roll Sense Motive, please tell me your mod and I'll roll it secretly and then tell you the in-character results--doing so helps prevent accidental meta-gaming.

Setare is not sure what the man really means.

sense motive : 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (1) - 3 = -2

”Well ... ehh ... ok ... I thi... think ... “

my senses motive mod is -1

Sense Motive is +10

I should also add, for those of you hoping you use Sense Motive, that the skill requires at least a minute's interaction--so this is a good time for some role-playing.

Setare looks at the other Pathfinders who seem to be as surprised as herself.

”I ha.. have to admit sir tha ... that I do not understand e... everything you are sa... saying but if we cou... could really sea... search for our lost co... comrades, we wou... would very much a... appreciate that! How doe.. does this wo.. work?!“ she asks with hope.

Carina looks deep in thought at what's already been said. After a moment, she asks, "Are there only the two of you as apprentices, or are there more sides to this conflict?"

When logistics occur, Carina gets absent-minded. she's not being suspicious at the moment.

The man looks at Setare quizzically. ”Your speech is strange—-has so much time truly passed in the world above? Well, no matter. I can direct you to where Togarin is, and, when you return with proof of his demise, I will instruct you on how to use my remote viewing device to pinpoint the location of your allies. If they are anywhere within this complex, I can find them.”

In response to Carina’s question, Daegros says ”Togarin and myself are the only sentient creatures trapped in this prison—apart from yourselves, of course.”

Under his breath to the others, "He is not lying, but he is NOT telling the WHOLE truth. This is a sales pitch. Listen to his words. He is very specific."

Daegros clears his throat loudly, clearly having heard everything Kivuli tried to whisper. "Of course I am specific. Precision is a virtue and concision is admirable. My offer is a straightforward one: you stop Togarin from destroying the time-lock and I'll provide you the location of your allies. Perhaps, if we establish a collegial relationship, I could even teach the more mystically-inclined among you some of my arcane knowledge. Now, do we have a deal?"

The Perception DC to hear whispering is only 15 :)

Seems like as good a plan as any... I'd like to have a look at the scrying device before any of us just go willy nilly sticking our hands in it. Who knows what it might do to us. Not that I don't trust you... but we did just meet you in a creepy dungeon filled with monsters in which a group of our fellow pathfinders have already disappeared.

Daegros considers the request for a moment. "I will allow you to gaze upon the scrying device to confirm its existence, but not to approach more closely until I have proof of Togarin's demise." The strange robed man motions for Ridley to step into the area where the corridor turns to the north. Looking past Daegros and his giant snake, Ridley can see a crystal hemisphere inset into the stone wall at the end of the corridor.

"So, where is Togarin?"

Kivuli holds up a hand, "Can you clarify something? You said that it is just you, Togarin and us that are here. But then you said you would show us to our allies. So, are the others alive, or are you showing us to their remains?"

"Seeing as we just entered this sanctum, " Carina asks as Ridley steps forward, "We haven't been seen much of the place. Would you be willing to give us some detailed instructions to where this Togarin is working?"

Kivuli follows up Carina's question with, "And a map?

Daegros replies. "Whether your allies are alive, dead, undead, or something else is of no concern to me. I will complete my end of the bargain and show you their location. But first, Togarin. Listen closely. Return the way you came and step into the yellow smoke. When you arrive, return to the audience chamber. Enter the blue door to the north and continue moving from chamber to chamber. You will find Togarin through the fourth door you pass through, if he hasn't moved by the time you arrive."

Setare is truly concerned now.

”Bu... but you di... did not kill our co... comrades, right?!“

"I think that is the time to move on!"

"I did not kill them. But if they are alive, I suggest you make haste in finding them." Daegros turns and moves towards the end of the corridor, silently dismissing you. His snake stays where it is and watches you carefully.