GM supervillan's 5-09 Traitor's Lodge (Band of Foxes) (Inactive)

Game Master supervillan

Onna doesn't really have anything to try other than cast vanish, which seems useless at the moment.

Itami is blissfully unaware of his future discomfort.
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Nothing special Itami can do either!

Then we'll proceed with Kenta opening the door as per SOP.

Kenta holds his breath and goes under the water to open the door. He reveals a flooded chamber. Stagnant water opaque with grime and scum fills the chamber, which is featureless but for a rusting metal door to the north and several eroded runes near the waterline. It seems that there is still some air remaining, if you swim up a little or if you are giant sized ;)

It's a DC10 Swim check to swim here.

There is normally an encounter here, but it's optional and I'm going to skip it - it doesn't add anything to the story.

Kenta puts his weapon away and swims into the room, checking it out for dangers or other things of interest.

Take 10 - ACP: 10 + 2 - 2 = 10

He paddles around a bit then gets back to the stairs, "Open the rusty door in the back too?"

Swim: 1d20 ⇒ 15

Onna swims into the room to take a look. She examines the eroded runes...

"Well, it seems as if this is how th traitor was keeping in communication with whatever cabal he is a part of."

Itami joins the pool party last. Hate getting wet.

"That would be prudent, since it isn't like they could have conversations in public about torture and body parts..." he says as he scowls at the water. "Might as well Kenta, maybe this'll drain too.
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What was the encounter? Curious minds want to know!

Itami and Hiiragi have negative Swim modifiers, though Hiiragi can remove her armour to get a positive modifer, so I will leave them outside the flooded rooms unless they take other measures or roll swim checks. Hiiragi has enough gear to hold her breath and walk along the bottom - not sure about Itami, you have to be carrying at least 16 pounds of gear.

Kenta swims over and pulls open the other door. Water fills the entirety of this unfinished stone chamber. Two wide cracks in the northeastern section of the wall connect into a single widening tunnel. There is no air at all here, it is completely flooded.

Hiiragi simply walks along the bottom like a cool foxy lady. She should have enough CON to do that for a bit!!

Kenta ducks under and swims around the north room a bit then back out into the less flooded room.

"Didn't see much, a couple large cracks that might be swimmable, but no way to know where they go or if there is air anywhere. I'm not that dumb to swim them. Shall we head out of here? Anyone document these runes?"

"Nope, definitely nothing in there."

He thinks for a second, still treading water slowly.

"Unless it was hidden. Or smarter than me. Or I just missed it. Or... well probably other things too. I have trouble keeping uhm... focus. Yeah, that's what my mentor said."

Grumpiness temporarily abated at having shockingly dry clothing and reason to believe they'll stay that way, Itami hikes a thumb over his shoulder. "Magnificent news, Kenta! Let's take the stairs over here then!" Nothing to see in the water, thank all that is holy. Murky depths are often the death of the curious.

Sticking with rule of two - once someone else agrees to turn back and go down the other flight of stairs, that's where you'll go next.

We'll move on to the next area in few hours unless anyone decides to do something else.

I'm good with that.

Opting to keep your fur dry as much as possible, you leave the flooded chambers behind and cross the stairs.

There seems nothing untoward about the steel door at the foot of the western stairs, and no auras are detected upon it. Kenta opens it.

The walls of this room are lined with steel bookshelves bolted into the polished stone. Books rest comfortably against each other, each given ample room to be removed without risk of damaging the contents within. Two black leather chairs next to the western wall are positioned around an ostentatious wooden table supporting a single glass tumbler. There are two identical, reinforced wooden doors along the western wall.

Once he enters the room, Kenta sees a fine battleaxe mounted on the wall near the stairs.

"Thurl's library... we might learn a lot here." mutters Valais. "BASTARD BOOKWORM!"

Onna and Itami's Detect Magic spells locate numerous auras in the bottom of the southern bookshelf - within several sets of drawers.

After you check that the drawers are safe and open them you find a number of potions, and Toshiko is delighted to find a score of bottles of vintage hard liquor!

Itami whistles. "My, my, looks like he was prepared for something... but what?"

"Toshiko, should we pick you up on our way back?" he asks with a smirk. "Are either of those doors warded? Suspicious to me that they are intentionally identical."
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Itami doesn't need any of these items, but he would be willing to hold onto one of the oils to apply it to someone's weapon in a fight! Same with the healing. 3rd level sorcerer still relies on those aging 1st level spells and all...

Itami and Onna sense no magical wards on the two wooden doors.

Hiiragi and Onna check them over.

They find nothing amiss, and can hear no sounds beyond either door.

Kenta grabs the magic fang potion as it has a nice picture of teeth getting bigger on it. He flashes a nice toothy grin, "Never know when a bite is needed."

Then heading to the next door he readies to open it when his allies indicate it is totally 100% safe to do.

Kenta would be quite happy if his sword became magical in the middle of a fight, that would be a good use for them Itami.

I could also pour some oil on a weapon. Mind if I hold on to the Cat's Grace, just in case I end up shooting at something with my bow? I mean, it is covered in dust, but still, one never knows.

”If this is trapped, it’s very impressively so,” Hiiragi says. ”Either that, or my potion wore off.”

Toshiko wipes her mouth on her sleeve and follows the party.

Toshiko's jingling with each of her steps now... Or perhaps I've succumbed to powerful magic or abrupt aging and have only begin to experience it's detrimental effects... Hmmm. With the 'all clear' having been given, Itami contemplates both his sanity and free will while he waits for the door to be opened.

"What? You're not just going to drink Thurl's liquor and ignore all this are you? We need vengeance EVIDENCE!"

Valais pulls a book off a shelf at random and skims it. "Ledgers of some sort..." She takes another "Abyssal - full of anatomical drawings...excellent notes on bleeding techniquessss. WE NEED EVIDENCE!"

You can, of course, press on. Up to you - rule of two.

Kenta pulls open the door in front of him, unless stopped.

Realizing alcohol might have an adverse affect on the worms that have infiltrated her body, Hiiragi gets f&+$ing sloshed.

Hiiragi and Toshiko kick back in the luxurious leather chairs, Hiiragi swirling a fine brandy in the cut-glass tumbler whilst Toshiko swigs 4682 Absalom Dragonbreath from the bottle.

"GADFLYS! GET OFF YOUR ARSES!" cries Valais as she pulls more books off the shelves.

Kenta opens the right-hand door.

The walls here are polished and smooth, unlike the stone block construction elsewhere. The floor bears a strange symbol of concentric circles and compass-like stars, and the entire carving glows with a steady, red light. Writing covers much of the walls, some of it in dark blue charcoal and the rest in deep red paint. A shallow tray along the north wall holds several sticks of steel-grey chalk.

Feeling bad, Onna sheepishly assists the 'venture captain'. "Um...do you know what we are looking for...exactly?"

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Assuming Onna can at least see into the room while searching with Valis...
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Linguistics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

"Hey Kenta, be careful. That's a summoning circle. It's used by wizards to contact and trap creatures from other planes. You might want to see if anything feels evil in there, in case something escaped...or was left behind on purpose."

The young fox isn't sure how to be careful AND sniff around the room, but he does at least not step directly into the circle.

Detect Evil on pretty much everything?

"If I knew exactly what to look for I'd say so" Valais replies to Onna. "We need hard evidence of Thurl's corruption. Witness accounts of this place aren't enough. There's bound to be something solid here. BUT PERHAPS YOU CAN'T READ."

You realise it would take a good half an hour to go through the library for evidence. If you choose to do so (as a group) there are a range of skills that would be useful: Appraise, Heal, Knowledge (arcana, planes, religion), Linguistics, and Profession (merchant).

Hiiragi takes a book back to her chair and starts reading.

Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Kenta pops back out, "Smelled a faint trace but it was stale, hasn't been around in a bit."

He looks at the group taking a break and dutifully looking through the tomes. He grabs one that appears to be a medical journal and starts cross referencing stuff from his healer kit crib sheet to learn a bit more.

Heal + Kit: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 2 = 8

Onna wrinkles her nose, "Stale evil? That's new."

Anyone who hasn't yet attempted a library skill check should do so now - Heal and Appraise can be tried untrained.

Arcana: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"If you don't like the way we do things... go away. Conduct your own search, or wait in the first room. We've found notes of some variety in the same room that an Elf exploded with worms. Not to mention some sort of meat locker and torture chamber. That's certainly damning. If you insist on more, sit down, have a drink, and read," Itami snaps at Valais. Who the hell does she think she is? We're doing our job the way we want to do our job, I'll not stand here idly while she berates my family.

He pulls a bottle of wine tucked in the back and starts perusing the books. His progress is slowed by having to handle the bottle, a glass, and some books.
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Heal (Untrained): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Most of the library's contents are unintelligible to you - the highly detailed drawings don't match the simple diagrams in Kenta's healing kit, and are much more disturbing to look at.

Onna makes a disturbing discovery: Thurl's experiments have been directed towards creating Abyssal constructs animated by larvae - the souls of those mortals condemned to the Abyss. Valais, previously angry with her domineering demonic aspect to the fore, goes completely quiet and still at this revelation.

Moving through the left-hand door next, or doing anything else?

Kenta moves up, massaging his newly formed headache from all that reading. He sneezes a couple times and the pressure lessens. Putting his hand on the door he looks at his allies and asks, ”Ready?”

Onna slowly shuts the book and pushes it away. "I can NEVER unsee that. Uhg." She takes an unsteady step back. After a moment a forced smile reaches her lips. "Why can't we ever have missions at gala's or friendly taverns?" It is clear that the comment was meant to lighten the mood, but has fallen far short of that.

”A lot of our missions start in taverns,” Hiiragi points out, ”since we have to fetch Toshi.”

Quietly and dull-eyed, "Yeah. I'm beginning to understand why."

Toshi gives Hiiragi a grin and takes a pull from her flask.

Itami stretches his back, releasing a series of snaps, crackles, and pops Rice Krispies!, followed by a satisfied sigh. "Ready indeed, Kenta. Let's continue forth," he agrees, stowing the bottle for later indulgence.
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Let's bag the book Onna was reading and then take the left-hand door!

"Give me some of that" says Valais to Toshiko as the swashbuckler pulls on her flask.

Having already checked the other door, Kenta opens it.

Glass cases, each a three-foot cube, line the walls of this L-shaped five-foot-wide stone hallway. Each sealed alcove contains the slowly wriggling form of what appears to be an oversized insect larva that has a vaguely humanoid head wrinkled in pain. These are the Abyssal larvae that Thurl's workbook describes.

I'm sure the scent (detect evil) of evil is overwhelming here, if not let me know.

Kenta takes a deep sniff and almost gags, "This stuff *cough* needs destroyed. I'm not taking 'later' for an answer either."

He prepares to start hacking and stabbing away with his sword to destroy all the foul creatures.

He's giving you all time to assist or step out of the hallway. Are rolls needed?

No rolls needed to smash up the larva cases and larvae - but I'll wait and see if anyone (Onna) makes the Knowledge roll first.

Begining to feel overwhelmed by the days events, the bard barely manages to stick her head in the door. "I think those are..."

If I can 'Take 10, then I will do that for a '12'.

"Gross. These are the larvae from the book, but they look smaller than they should be...I think. I don't know. This whole place make me want to vomit, cry and rock as I hold my knees."

You are not currently threatened or under other severe duress so you may take 10 on the knowledge check.