It Came from Hollow Mountain

Game Master DEREK LANE 127

No undead insects or bunny-headed voice stealers in here.

You do notice upon the ground the shattered remains of a crystal decanter. Beneath one of the leather chairs is the decanter's stopper, still intact. It is inlaid with golden tracery and quite beautiful. 95gp

Nice! If nothing is trying to kill us and there don't appear to be any clues here, I recommend we move on to the next room. Lingering in rooms hasn't seemed to lead to anything good yet!

"An uneventful room. Surprising. Only a few more rooms to go before we re done with this house. Let's continue investigating by moving to the room next door."

Nasim leaves the room and heads to the door at 9 o'clock.

"When you are ready, please check this door for traps."

Once the door has been cleared of traps, Nasim will open the door and enter in a total defense stance.

Ayita checks the next door for traps...

perceiving for traps: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 4 + 1 + 2 = 16

Room A13: Study

Finding no traps, Ayita and Nasir open the door. A simple desk sits along the north wall of this room. A few of the boards in the wall have come loose and fallen to the ground below. A moldy puddle fills the middle of the floor, and a wet stain spreads from a crack in the ceiling.

When Nasir enters, his shield held high, three giant cockroaches descend from the walls to attack him!

THE STUDY OF UNDEAD CRITTERS
ROUND ONE

BOLD MAY ACT!

In order to give us an opportunity to manage this more effectively, I'm going to back out of the room. Since they are flatfooted, I won't draw AoOs.

I recommend that Ayita moves to the side to give me space to move and then ready an attack for a bug when it is in a flanked position.

Roscoe should position himself somewhere where he can ready a shot to go off when the bugs come out or when he gets a clear shot.

I'll make an attack and then strategically withdraw.

Nasir sees the insects climbing down the walls. Seeing the danger, Nasir yells out in his trained and practiced command tone.

"HOSTILES! Coming out! Be ready to strike! Use the entry as a chokepoint!"

He slashes at the roach in front of him and backs straight out of the the room.

Nasir attacks the roach at 9 o'clock. Then he will back straight out of the room to the square right in front of the staircase to leave the square in front of the door open. I'll move him on Roll20 when the other moves happen.

Scimitar: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Still getting hate from the RNG, but maybe lucky since they are flatfooted...

In order to give us an opportunity to manage this more effectively, I'm going to back out of the room. Since they are flatfooted, I won't draw AoOs.

I recommend that Ayita moves to the side to give me space to move and then ready an attack for a bug when it is in a flanked position.

Roscoe should position himself somewhere where he can ready a shot to go off when the bugs come out or when he gets a clear shot.

I'll make an attack and then strategically withdraw.

Nasir sees the insects climbing down the walls. Seeing the danger, Nasir yells out in his trained and practiced command tone.

"HOSTILES! Coming out! Be ready to strike! Use the entry as a chokepoint!"

He slashes at the roach in front of him and backs straight out of the the room.

Nasir attacks the roach at 9 o'clock. Then he will back straight out of the room to the square right in front of the staircase to leave the square in front of the door open. I'll move him on Roll20 when the other moves happen.

[dice=Scimitar]1d20+4
[dice=Dmg]1d6+3 slashing

Still getting hate from the RNG, but maybe lucky since they are flatfooted...

Nasir hits the thing, but can tell that his sword isn't the most effective weapon against these undead monstrosities.

Recall from the previous room that the undead exoskeletal things have DR/bludgeoning.

Feel free to keep using the earthbreaker. I don't believe we said that Nasir gave it back yet. Walf's also carrying a light hammer if anyone wants to use it.

In order to give us an opportunity to manage this more effectively, I'm going to back out of the room. Since they are flatfooted, I won't draw AoOs.

I recommend that Ayita moves to the side to give me space to move and then ready an attack for a bug when it is in a flanked position.

Roscoe should position himself somewhere where he can ready a shot to go off when the bugs come out or when he gets a clear shot.

I'll make an attack and then strategically withdraw.

Nasir sees the insects climbing down the walls. Seeing the danger, Nasir yells out in his trained and practiced command tone.

"HOSTILES! Coming out! Be ready to strike! Use the entry as a chokepoint!"

He slashes at the roach in front of him and backs straight out of the the room.

Nasir attacks the roach at 9 o'clock. Then he will back straight out of the room to the square right in front of the staircase to leave the square in front of the door open. I'll move him on Roll20 when the other moves happen.

Ayita moves to the side, glad for a potential chance to use her flanking training.

If a BUG comes out through our "choke point", she will try for a flanking attack... rolling that, with flanking assumed. Otherwise I'll pick something else to do based on others' actions.

rapier attack, flanking: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 = 16
rapier damage, flanking: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3) + 1 = 6

Hatfield moves into place, pulls out the wand, and gets ready to heal those who get injured. "We should talk ta tha city 'bout gettin' this buildin' condemned!"

Walf calls out, "Frantino, could you close the door after they come out, so we only fight one at a time?"

If Walf had mage hand prepared, he could do it. Unfortunately, he doesn't and he's too far away otherwise.

THE STUDY OF UNDEAD CRITTERS
ROUND ONE

Sorted Initiative
-------------------------------------
Ayita 25 - hit!
Roscoe 23 -
Nasir 19 - hit!
Doc Hatfield 16 - readies to heal
Undead cockroaches 16 - MISS
Frantino 7 -
Walfrenden 3 -

BOLD MAY ACT!

The undead cockroaches do exactly as Nasir suspected, rushing the door to get at the living creatures before them. One of them, struck by Nasir, follows him out the door and into the rapier of Ayita. Although her rapier doesn't do a massive amount of damage to the thing, it does get into its exoskeleton a bit!

The thing continues its attack on Nasir, undeterred by the strikes!

Bite vs Nasir: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 Dmg: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

While the others are fighting the undead vermin at the door of the study...

"Lady. Lady... comes a whisper that only Roscoe can hear. Looking over his shoulder, a ghostly apparition materializes in the lounge, staring at him from inside the room.

Wasn't the door closed? Or was it left open? It is open now and the apparition, a young man by the looks of it, dressed in Shoanti traveler's clothes and bearing a tattooed Shoanti rune upon his cheek, reaches out a hand and points.

"I saw her take it, Lady," it whispers, pointing at... Ayita? Or at the door she stands beside?

The shattered remnants of long broken items in the lounge begin to vibrate and levitate around the apparition. Roscoe's own medallion about his neck shudders and begins to twist about. He looks down... the medallion has rotated again. Somehow, the rune for "wrath" which appeared at the top of the medallion this morning, is now at the bottom of the star medallion. The medallion raises up on the neck chain and stretches out, as if struggling to get to Ayita (?).

"It was undisturbed ever since I arrived at this house... I could not touch it, but I sensed it, Honored Lady. I knew it was there," it whispers, directly into Roscoe's brain, the necromantic energies of its voice silent but heard.

It looks at Roscoe and he can see through its ghostly skin to the skull beneath...

Walf strikes at the bug with his light hammer.

Light Hammer Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Bludgeoning Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

"Doc, you are right, this building must be condemned!" he shouts above the fray.

Walf strikes at the bug with his light hammer.

[Dice=Light Hammer Attack]1d20+3

[Dice=Bludgeoning Damage]1d4+3

"Doc, you are right, this building must be condemned!" he shouts above the fray.

HIT!

The thing's two back legs are crunched and fall off when Walf bludgeons it! Dried insides flow out of cracks in its carapace as it struggles to bite again.

While his companions are engaged in the combat, Roscoe suddenly loses all thought of the cockroaches.

"What the--!?" he exclaims. "Wait--Lady? Do you mean Ayita--her?" Roscoe asks the apparition.

"Where is the thing you can't touch? Like, a treasure or relic or something? Where is it?"

While his companions are engaged in the combat, Roscoe suddenly loses all thought of the cockroaches.

"What the--!?" he exclaims. "Wait--Lady? Do you mean Ayita--her?" Roscoe asks the apparition.

"Where is the thing you can't touch? Like, a treasure or relic or something? Where is it?"

The apparition is confused somehow, not expecting Roscoe.

"YOU aren't the Lady. Where is She? I can feel Her..." it whispers as its ghostly form vanishes.

Seeing more of these not-quite-skeleton bugs, Frantino drops his greatsword, pulls out his heavy flail, and takes a swing, with Ayita as his flank buddy. He also tries to hold his breath, should the thing explode like the others.

heavy flail: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 4 + 2 = 15
damage: 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

"I'll close the door in a second!"

He acknowledges the wisdom of Walf's suggestion to close the door, but he has no actions left. He will on the next round, though...

"I'll close the door in a second!"

Thanks! I agree, though, pulling out the heavy flail was definitely the better choice!

Seeing more of these not-quite-skeleton bugs, Frantino drops his greatsword, pulls out his heavy flail, and takes a swing, with Ayita as his flank buddy. He also tries to hold his breath, should the thing explode like the others.

[dice=heavy flail]1d20 + 4 + 2
[dice=damage]1d10 + 6

"I'll close the door in a second!"

He acknowledges the wisdom of Walf's suggestion to close the door, but he has no actions left. He will on the next round, though...

When Frantino hits the thing it EXPLODES in a burst of dried vermin innards!

Saves, please: Frantino, Nasir, Ayita, Walf!

THE STUDY OF UNDEAD CRITTERS
ROUND TWO

Sorted Initiative
-------------------------------------
Ayita 25 - Save plz
Roscoe 23 -
Nasir 19 - Save, plz
Doc Hatfield 16 -
Undead cockroaches 16 -
Frantino 7 - Save, plz
Walfrenden 3 - Save, plz

BOLD MAY ACT!

Fort save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

So much for holding his breath!

Fort Save vs. Roach Dust: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Walf catches a lungful of the choking necrotic dust and doubles over coughing.

I'm guessing my conversation with the ghost has taken my turn. If you're thinking I could do that and still have an action, let me know. Otherwise, I'll assume that took my actions for this round.

I'm guessing my conversation with the ghost has taken my turn. If you're thinking I could do that and still have an action, let me know. Otherwise, I'll assume that took my actions for this round.

No, please post Round One action AND Round Two action. Speaking with apparition was a free action.

Ayita wants to agree that building should be condemned, but then the BUG explodes right in her face...

fort save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

She coughs once but luckily most of the ick went in a different direction.

She's planning to attack the next BUG that comes through, in the same way... I will roll that out to save time, contingent on the next bug actually showing its decayed face.

rapier flanking attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 = 10

rapier flanking damage: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (5, 2) + 1 = 8

These dice hate me

Fort Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Seeing that his sword was not as effective as expected, Nasir realizes he has to change tactics.

"Looks like all the creatures in this house seem resistant to all but bludgeoning attacks. Looks like I'll need that Earthbreaker again, Walfrenden. Be ready for when the next one come out."

Nasir will drop his sword and shield as a free action. He'll use his move action to grab Walf's Earthbreaker. He'll use his standard action to ready an attack for any enemies that get into melee range.

Earthbreaker: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Dmg: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (2, 6) + 4 = 12

Finally some love from the RNG. I'll have to screenshot this to keep it as a memento.

I'll be on the road for the rest of the day so I'll post ahead of my turn.

Staggered, Frantino takes a swing at the bug in front of him (assuming they keep on coming).

Heavy flail: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 4 + 2 = 25
Bludgeoning damage: 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Fort save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Possible crit!

Crit confirm: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 2 = 17
Extra damage: 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

But no actions to shut the door due to being staggered.

THE STUDY OF UNDEAD CRITTERS
ROUND TWO

Sorted Initiative
-------------------------------------
Ayita 25 - Readies attack. Readied attack misses!
Roscoe 23 -
Nasir 19 - Readies a strike; AoO KILLS the second bug.
Doc Hatfield 16 -
Undead cockroaches 16 - Bug moves up, dies; third bug moves up and attacks Nasir; misses
Frantino 7 - attacks, crits! Kills the final vermin.
Walfrenden 3 -

Nasir and Ayita, realizing they need to wait for an opportunity, ready their weapons. When the second undead vermin skitters out of the door, both strike. Nasir smashes the thing into dust, just as Ayita strikes, causing her blow to go awry! Undead vermin dust explodes across all of the heroes, again.

Fort save DC11, Nasir, Ayita, Walf and Frantino, please

The third cockroach immediately rushes into the dusty void and attacks Nasir

Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 Dmg: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

But misses!

As soon as he can, Frantino strikes at the monster, dealing it a terrible blow! The attack utterly destroys the monstrosity, releasing another cloud of dessicated undead guts!

I won't bother with ANOTHER Fort save, since the Staggered condition only lasts one round.

COMBAT OVER!

"Seriously. We gotta talk ta someone 'bout gettin' this place condemned. Anyone hurt? Anyone in need o' medical attention?"

Frantino will cautiously peer around in the room to make sure there aren't any more of the creatures. If it looks clear, he'll search for clues and treasure.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

"Roscoe, what were you yelling about back there? Something about a lady? I thought I heard you say something about a relic."

Frantino will cautiously peer around in the room to make sure there aren't any more of the creatures. If it looks clear, he'll search for clues and treasure.

[dice=Perception]1d20 + 10

"Roscoe, what were you yelling about back there? Something about a lady? I thought I heard you say something about a relic."

Frantino's search reveals nothing, just a moldy puddle in the middle of the floor and a wet stain on the ceiling.

Nasir holds his breath waiting for the dust to dissipate from the crushed roaches. Once it does, he lets out his breath with a loud exhale and takes a deep breath in.

"I think I will keep my keffiyeh over my face for the rest of my time in this building. The dust from these creatures is terrible."

Nasir pulls the bottom of the dark blue scarf that he wears on his head and neck across his face, and tucks it into a sturdy looking cord around his helmet, only leaving his eyes showing.

Nasir looks appreciatively at the earthbreaker in his hands and offers it back to Walf.

"Thank you again for the use of your weapon Walfrenden. It served me better this time around as I was more familiar with it."

After handing the weapon back to Walf, he picks up his sword and shield off the ground and readies himself to enter the final room. He turns to look at Roscoe who is apparently out of sorts and challenges him.

"What happened Roscoe? You were completely distracted when we were attacked."

"Thank you again for the use of your weapon Walfrenden. It served me better this time around as I was more familiar with it."

Taking the weapon back, Walf responds in Kelish: "'Ahlaan wasahlaan bikum."

Recovering from the dust, Walf steps into the roach room and looks about.

Walf will take 20 searching, which results in a 24.

Nasir al-Rafik Kamal wrote:

"Thank you again for the use of your weapon Walfrenden. It served me better this time around as I was more familiar with it."

Taking the weapon back, Walf responds in Kelish: "'Ahlaan wasahlaan bikum."

** spoiler omitted **

Recovering from the dust, Walf steps into the roach room and looks about.

Walf will take 20 searching, which results in a 24.

Walf joins Frantino in searching the room, but finds nothing of interest. A room in which vermin have hidden, surely, but no droppings, no living remains of any sort. Kinda creepy, the utter lack of anything, since the cockroaches, risen as necromantically powered vermin exoskeletons, were devoid of the natural processes of life, like shedding, eating, or digestion.

Not realizing anything is really going on with Roscoe, Walf goes into the room with the slashed ship picture.

"We might need this. It could be the ship Sir Roderick and his family were on when he died. If we have to go diving to put him to rest, it will be helpful to know the layout of the ship. I'll try to mend it in the meantime."

Walf will try to gently remove the picture from its frame, carefully roll it up, and leave the frame behind.

Not realizing anything is really going on with Roscoe, Walf goes into the room with the slashed ship picture.

"We might need this. It could be the ship Sir Roderick and his family were on when he died. If we have to go diving to put him to rest, it will be helpful to know the layout of the ship. I'll try to mend it in the meantime."

Walf will try to gently remove the picture from its frame, carefully roll it up, and leave the frame behind.

Walf feels a sense of happiness.

Walf feels a sense of happiness.

Walf tilts his head in response to receiving a feeling from an external source.

"I have just received an odd sense of joy from caring for this object. Perhaps we should take a few minutes and tidy up this room."

Unless anyone objects, Walf will take a half an hour to straighten the room up. He will cast mending on the broken pieces of the decanter.
He will also use mending on the window if the shards of broken glass are present. Finally, he will use prestidigitation to clean the moldy drapes and the room in general.

"Maybe we are looking at this wrong. Maybe we should be working to restore this place, rather than have it condemned," he says to the others as he works.

"Maybe we are looking at this wrong. Maybe we should be working to restore this place, rather than have it condemned," he says to the others as he works.

"Saaaaay... That's right smart o' ye! I like that idea."

"I'm neither much of a carpenter nor a custodian, but I suppose pleasing this spirit could be useful. Please let me know how I can assist."

After helping as directed, Nasir readies himself to enter the remaining uninvestigated room. He pulls his sword again and readies his shield to enter the last room in a defensive stance.

"Ayita, would you kindly check this door for traps and unlock it before I enter?"

I'm unclear which room is the one with the picture of the ship. I'm assuming that it is the map room. After the search and copenign of the door, Nasir is going to enter the room at 11 o'clock as I believe that is the only room we have not searched.

Of course!

Ayita goes to the door...

Perceiving for traps: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 20

I'm also unclear on which room we're on... I put the "light" in the room that I believe we're on though.

I believe the room with the ship picture was to the south. It's marked A15 on the map and has a token of scary looking doppelganger thing in it. The last room to search is the one the light is in. It doesn't seem to be marked, but it has what appears to be a hole in the floor and a double bed in it.

I believe the room with the ship picture was to the south. It's marked A15 on the map and has a token of scary looking doppelganger thing in it. The last room to search is the one the light is in. It doesn't seem to be marked, but it has what appears to be a hole in the floor and a double bed in it.

Sounds good!

Ayita will let Nasir go by, assuming she's not found any traps at the door.

She warns him about the floor though; she'd rather carefully examine that before her companions go too far in there.

She's thinking... a bed... undead bedbugs??? YUCK.

Additional checking for traps/rotten floorboards near that floor hole, *if* there were no traps at the door. (Would Nasir like to step inside the door alongside her?)

trap checking near hole: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 8

oops she probably fell in

Sorry, 4th weekend was so packed. I know everyone was waiting for me.

It takes Roscoe a moment to come to himself as the others barrage him with questions. He briefly turns beet-red as the questions fluster him.

"What did I see?! A ghost--another haunt or phantom or something! Gosh, leave me alone!" he yells at the top of his lungs.

He kicks the door frame, then his anger ebbs. "Bah--it's nothing. Some sort of ghost. But this one seemed to know things--it wasn't angry or malevolent. It seemed to think that Ayita was someone he knew, or looked like her. He thought she was an honored lady--said he could 'feel' her. Oh, and I think he was Shoanti, too. He said there was something that he saw her take, that it was 'unsdisturbed ever since he arrived at this house. He couldn't touch it, but sensed it."

oops she probably fell in

LOL

Room A11. Master Bedroom
A moldering mattress lies amid a bowed wooden frame, flanked on either side by ruined tables. A dresser in the northwest corner of the room has seen most of its drawers pulled out and discarded on the floor. Remnants of moldy and animal-gnawed clothes spill from them. A hole has been hacked into the floor. When Ayita examines the floor, she notices a long, slender wooden case that is open and tipped over on the floor.

The wooden case once contained a sword, obviously. The case is of masterwork quality, and a thin sheeting of lead lines its interior.

Etched into a plaque in ornate lettering on the case’s side is the word “Baraket.” Two small but complex locks line the edge of the case; they automatically lock if the lid is closed. A wad of adhesive gum, now somewhat brittle, holds a pair of keys tacked to the lid of the case.

If sold, the case could fetch at least 350 gp.

GM Derek wrote:

Walf feels a sense of happiness.

Walf tilts his head in response to receiving a feeling from an external source.

"I have just received an odd sense of joy from caring for this object. Perhaps we should take a few minutes and tidy up this room."

Unless anyone objects, Walf will take a half an hour to straighten the room up. He will cast mending on the broken pieces of the decanter.
He will also use mending on the window if the shards of broken glass are present. Finally, he will use prestidigitation to clean the moldy drapes and the room in general.

"Maybe we are looking at this wrong. Maybe we should be working to restore this place, rather than have it condemned," he says to the others as he works.

Definitely a great idea! Perhaps the town elders would be interested.

Walf examines the case to try to determine what type of sword would have been held in it.

Craft (Weaponsmithing): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

He also considers what magical reasons might cause someone to line a sword case in lead.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Finally, he considers whether the damage to the painting of the vessel might have been caused by a sword cut, particularly the type of sword he might determine was in the case.

Craft (Weaponsmithing): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

If he can take 20 on any of those checks, he does.

It once held a rapier. Whoever stored it in the case didn't want anybody scrying its location, or so he assumes from the lead lining.

The painting of the vessel was not damaged by a rapier, nor by any sort of sword, he thinks. The damage is too jagged.

It once held a rapier. Whoever stored it in the case didn't want anybody scrying its location, or so he assumes from the lead lining.

Walf rubs his chin as he looks at the case. "It seems this case once held a rapier. One someone was trying to shield from scrying."

"Clearly, we need to find it. Whomever Sir Roderick was hiding the rapier from likely had something to do with his death."

Walf continues, "But why would you hide a rapier from scrying? He must have known someone was after it. Perhaps he stole it or is some evil artifact he was protecting."

"If we do find it, we will have to be careful with it. And we might not want to advertise that we are looking for it."

Walf, having come from Axis, is woefully ignorant of the history of Golarion. Therefore, no history check from him, and I didn't read the history spoiler above. If he got anything right or wrong, please feel free to correct him/me!