GM Elberion's Unseen Inclusion [PFS 1E] (Inactive)

Game Master GeraintElberion

Giovanni leads the way, It's always a trick with the altar isn't it.

He takes out a wand and activates it on himself.
Wand of Heightened Awareness

UMD: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
UMD: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

In this case, it’s not a very good trick.

Cracks and weathering reveal a ‘secret’ door behind the altar that doesn’t even close properly.

Any actions before you head inside? This is a market area so you could even go shopping.

No other prep.

Let’s do it!

all good

Let’s do it!

LEEEROOOOOOY! JEEEENKIIIINS!

Lara makes sure to buy a quiver of blunt arrows before the party descends again.

You head into the darkness. What are your light sources? A crumbling, twisting tunnel leads deep beneath the streets of Merab past layers of previous occupation before winding down the side of a large cavern. At the bottom, a twenty-foot-high windowless structure occupies much of this space. Stairs lead to platforms on the north and west sides of the building, but no other entrances are visible from here.
The map is on slide seven.

Activating light from my wayfinder.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Giovanni activates his wayfinder and inches forward, You hear that? Chanting. Must be some ritual happening.

Now what?

Giovanni moves forward with his light source.

Luli nods and gently urges Karma onward.

Which stairs?

North, didn't look like west was accessible from our path.

You ascend stairs to an open platform with stone pillars supporting an overhang 20ft above. There are doors to the east, south and west.

Everyone can now hear the ritualistic chanting.

You have three doors to choose from.

kn arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Giovanni approaches the west door. Let's clear the building counter-clockwise.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

”Sounds good.” Luli can’t quite put his finger on the purpose of the chanting, and he scowls.

Giovanni pushes open the stone door and enters an empty space with arrow slits looking out over the path. A corridor leads south with many doors along it.

To a previous question: Darkvision. Sorry, been a couple of days.

Teks loads his gun and has it at the ready.

Giovanni is prepared to move forward and fully expects a trigger for the arrow holes to unleash arrows.

perception for traps: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

"It sounds like a fairly powerful spell to communicate with the dead," Lara says, a glowing rock in one hand (light on a random rock from earlier).

I'm sure with that music absolutely nothing bad will happen!

Siegfried clutches a dagger in his hands, staying close to Lara and her light source.

Giovanni finds no traps.

You are in a room that looks out over the path. If it was manned, archers could fire on the path. Fortunately, it is not.

Moving forward, Giovanni finds a closed stone door beside him, to the west.
Are those doors clear enough on the map? ctrl alt + zooms in if you need it.

Giovanni tries to push? the door to the west.

Lara follows after Giovanni into the narrow hall.

Opening the door, Giovanni finds a small room with sleeping pallets ont he floor and a small shrine with a black circle ringed by a thin silver line. There are also offerings of snake-skin, dried blood and small fetish dolls with vulture feet, tiger claws and snarling faces.

Knowledge (religion) vs DC 12: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

”A shrine to the lord of divs,” Luli explains from the back. ”That fits with everything else we’ve found out. Let’s search the place quickly and keep moving - I’d rather not spend any more time here than necessary.” He makes a gesture with his fingers to ward off evil spirits.

Continuing down the passage, you find a lot of similar sleeping rooms, all with shrines to Ahriman.

You also find an open door to the West terrace. The door is ajar and you can make out a shape on the terrace.

Siegfried whistles while he walks, but stops suddenly as he notices an indistinct shape on the terrace.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Elrus takes a close look. He whispers, " That, my friend, is a shoe, holding the door ajar".

Giovanni approaches the shoe and looks around the corner.

The shoe is attached to a foot. The foot is attached to a body. The body is attached to a gleaming dagger with a handle shaped like writhing serpents.
When I say attached... the dagger is sticking out of the corpse's back.

Otherwise, the balcony is empty, its sides held up by four thin pillars. There is another door to the south.

Doors you have yet to examine/open are now marked in red.

Getting annoyed with the grey-on-grey-on grey map.

Giovanni continues across the balcony and checks the door.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

Giovanni finds not traps or locks on the door. It seems as though it would swing open easily.

Waiting for the crew to catch up, he'll open the door.

Giovanni opens the door to find a bare room with a rack at one end from which hangs a selection of bitter herbs.

A further door lies beyond this one.

see map

Continue to remain careful, Giovanni checks over the door before pushing in.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Siegfried will look over the body for clues as to who this fellow was.

Teks continues following along. Something spooky is going to jump out at me, I just know it.

Lara continues following along as well, bow at the low ready and her glowing rock in-hand.

Giovanni finds nothing unusual about the door and pushes it open to reveal the next area.

Rugs and cushions lie on the floor of this large room; they are covered in overturned dishes and spoiled food. Several humanoid corpses lie about. Deep wounds and copious blood speak to their violent deaths.

To the south, four small rooms have their doors ajar or open.

The sound of occult chanting continues to fill the air.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Giovanni cautiously enters the room and looks around.

A grievously wounded man lies on his back in the first cell. He is staring at the ceiling, muttering over and over, some variation on, “Yes, all else must wait. The Black Moon rises! She shall bring glorious ruin upon the world. I can hear her — she is almost here! Ahriman, look upon our great work, and grant me a place in the House of Oblivion!”

Lara follows after Giovanni, staying at the edge of the room. "Cultists?" she asks quietly.

Luli approaches the injured man carefully. ”Do you think we should help him?” he asks softly. ”Or do you think he’d just attack us or scream and alert the others?”

The man stares through Luli, "Her glorious ruin at last! A Black Moon rises over the world! Ahriman, see your mighty works continued!"

"I am having feeling that chanting is bad thing!"

heal,inspiration: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 5 + (4) = 15

I'm not sure... He is suffering from starvation and some kind of infection, as well as grievous wounds. We could save his life with healing and food. It would require both restorative magic and time (or just lots and lots of time) to make him lucid again.

If he's been screaming, he's been screaming. No one will notice a difference. Let's keep moving. Giovanni is keen to continue.