Male NG Grippli | Inquisitor 3, Kineticist 1, Rogue 3 | HP 68/68 | NOW: AC 24 vs. evil | AC 22 T 17 FF 16 | CMB +0, CMD 16 | F: +11, R: +13 (Evasion), W: +9 | Init: +9 | Perc: +15 vs. traps +1, SM: +10, Dipl.: +13 | Darkvision 60ft | Dipl. reroll 3/3 | Chaldira Reroll 1/1 | T-Shirt Reroll 1/1 | Spells 1st 3/4 | Speed 30ft | Active conditions: prot. from evil, ioun torch
Aaftaab is astounded.
”So what exactly does this mean? Because we now know where the roots are, we can combat the transformation and domination of these people? I think we have to investigate further to understand if there is a force that we can hinder or even destroy to stop the suffering!“ he says while petting Parvaaz.
Mist shudders at the strange effects changind her body. She shifts quickly between a couple of forms, a tall Varisian man, an old mwangi woman, Zarta Dralneen, then back to the Taldan woman.
"Lets just keep going, I want off this place so this can stop."
Castinus picks at his rubbery face with his gloved fingers. He turns to the others as they march to their next challenge, "I'm not a fan of these new changes. If we make it back to the shore I shall vow to leave the ruins of ancient Azlant alone for good..."
The investigator/swashbuckler/occultist's shoulders dip. His morale appears to be suffering a slump.
Could we add some indicators to the big, two-page map showing which areas we've explored and not? We're at 16 pages of gameplay now, so it's hard to either remember or read back to figure out what still needs exploration. Maybe one color/symbol for explored, another for seen but not cleared (i.e. the phase spiders), and a third for not visited yet.
Someone added ticks to the locations you have visited. I have added where you currently are. Next up that you have not visited is B4.
As you head north you spy a bedraggled male villager loitering in the courtyard of a nearby ruin. He appears wounded but waves desperately at your group and limps slowly towards you. He seems somewhat confused and disoriented, begging for help in slurred, stilted speech.
GM Screen:
Will
Will (Aaftaab ):1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 Will (Parvaaz .):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17+4 vs. enchantment Will (Robyyn):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 Will (Castinus):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 Will (Reginald):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 Will (Ischell):1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16Immune to fear and +4 to allies within 10 feet, +2 vs death Will (Mist):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Reginald
Aaftaab
Robyyn (standard action or move action, or other surprise round stuff.)
Ischell
Castinus
Mist
???
Parvaaz
I know Parvaaz always goes in the surprise round but they rolled low on initiative. I usually let you two go together. I'll keep that but let's say that Parvaaz goes in his initiative when acting alone (like he would if the two of you were separated).
"Whoa there; stay back!" Robyyn calls, with a quick glance towards his colleagues. "I don't know what it is, but it's cloaked in illusion; I'm sure of it."
The figure is not on the map. Can Robyyn see its true form?
If so: Knowledge:1d20 ⇒ 1+14 arcana, +12 planes, +10 nature, +7 dungeoneering/local/religion
Actions:
Standard: evil eye (-2 saves) vs ??? unless Knowledge check reveals immunity to mind-affecting (Will DC 18 for 1 round, else 9 rounds duration)
Male NG Grippli | Inquisitor 3, Kineticist 1, Rogue 3 | HP 68/68 | NOW: AC 24 vs. evil | AC 22 T 17 FF 16 | CMB +0, CMD 16 | F: +11, R: +13 (Evasion), W: +9 | Init: +9 | Perc: +15 vs. traps +1, SM: +10, Dipl.: +13 | Darkvision 60ft | Dipl. reroll 3/3 | Chaldira Reroll 1/1 | T-Shirt Reroll 1/1 | Spells 1st 3/4 | Speed 30ft | Active conditions: prot. from evil, ioun torch
I’m totally fine with Parvaaz and I acting together. Surprise round only becomes important if there is an attack on them in thesurprise round and he Parvaaz would automatically react without being told what to do.
Robyyn has no idea what the creature is. You can look under the red box on the slide.
GM Screen:
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
The 'man' shuffles up to Ischell and suddenly lashes out with a clumsy punch that flails into the monkadin. He grabs hold of Ischell's bicep with his hand but, for some strange reason, this makes Ischell bleed!
To hit with power attack and outflank +12: Amulet of Mighty Fist +1, BAB +4, Str +6, Outflank +4, -2 power attack, Size -1
Damage with power attack +11+d6: Str +6, Power Attack +4, Amulet of Mighty Fist +1, +d6 Precise Strike
CMB +19 grapple* (BAB +4, Str +6, Size +1, Outflank +4) * Creatures with the grab special attack receive a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple.:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (19) + 19 = 38
As it dies, the illusion fades away and you can all see the bloodied monstrosity lying upon the ground.
DC17 knowledge (dungeoneering):
Oh, look: a chuul! This lobster-like creature has a thick armored shell. A pair of tiny eyes gleams above a mouth full of writhing tentacles.
The powerful illusion displayed by this chuul is abnormal, and that this sort of hunting tactic is unheard of.
Male CG Human Witch 5 | HP 27/27 | AC *16 T 12 FF *14 | CMB +0, CMD 12 | F: +3, R: +4, W: +4 | Init: +8 | Perc: +10, SM: +1 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 3/5 2nd 1/4 3rd 2/2 | Active conditions: Mage Armor
Knowledge (dungeoneering) vs DC 17:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19
"Oh look - a chuul!" Reginald finally notices the strange figure. "I wonder what it's doing up here. They're aquatic creatures, you know." He whistles, oblivious to both the implications of what he just said and the fact that the creature had been under the effects of a glamor.
Castinus barely has time to react as the old man / horrific creature lunges out at Ischell, only to be torn to shreds in an instant by Parvaz and Aaftaab. From the far side of the party he steps back in horror - "What's going on - what is that?"
Robyyn searches the corpse meticulously, enhancing his search with detect magic, to see if there are any clues to the unusual behaviour of this particular chuul.
As you approach the graveyard of the honoured dead, you see that a low wall encircles seven radiating pools containing silvery liquid. Thousands of dark motes gently float in each reservoir. Crumbling markers of an etched coppery metal lie half buried among the ruins. The stench of rot spoils the tranquil scene, and gulls pick at a neatly arranged pile of discarded bodies nearby.
approaching the bodies:
These are corpses of villagers. They are respectfully arranged with their hands serenely folded over their chests. Traces of silvery ooze can be seen on their clothing
DC 15 Heal check
Near the corpses stands a coppery plaque with tiny inscriptions written in the lost language of Ancient Azlanti. Three inscriptions have been burnished clean.
Robyyn or anyone else who casts comprehend languages spell or makes a DC 20 Linguistics check:
These are proper names with grandiose titles. The three cleaned inscriptions are:
Aulus, Observant Councilor Most High, his speech on solar calculation, Lesson 3 of 6.
Ossoryol, Master of Lenses & Optics, the Master’s final lecture on celestial alignment, Part the All.
Erinthander, Grand Provost of Spheres & Glyphs, his platform on the implications of solar sigils & wards, Lesson 2 of 3.
A nearby stone-mounted plaque, which has also been cleaned, includes instructions for a summoning ritual.
When a living person reaches into the waters with bare flesh and calls forth a specific person by name and title, the pool forms a mercurial likeness of the individual for the length of the requested lecture.
DC20 Spellcraft
Spoiler:
The corpses' blood powers the magic of the pools, although you do not know how much power remains. If you need to recharge the pool, you will need Alanti blood that is fresh (spilt within the last 24 hours). This includes the tainted Azlanti heritage of gillmen, villagers and skum.
Human Male UC Monk 1/Pal 6 | HP 44/53 (0 nl, 0 temp)| AC 23 T 18 FF 17 | CMB +13, CMD 31 | F: +14, R: +11, W: +11 | Init: +4 | Perc: +9, SM: +4, Dipl +8 | Speed 30 | ER Fire/Cold (4) Rest (3), Immune: Disease, Fear* (*+4 to allies within 10 feet) | Spells: 1(2/2) LOH: 5/7 (3d6) Smite 2/2 Active conditions: 10 ft reach, Mage Armor
Before he even has a chance to respond to the sudden wound, the 'man' is completely decimated. Ischell stands silently for a moment, as if contemplating what just happened.
"That wasn't cool..." and he fishes a wand out of his cloth belt.
"By the Gods - what horror have we here?" Holding his nose against the stench Castinus ignores the pile of 'discarded' bodies to approach the pools, kneeling down to examine the coppery plaques. "Hmmm..."
linguistics:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
"Nope - makes no sense to me. I'll try this..." He reaches to his belt and a smooth ebony rod about 4 inches long, attached by a leather loop. He concentrates, and... "These are proper names with grandiose titles. The three cleaned inscriptions are: Aulus, Observant Councilor Most High, his speech on solar calculation, Lesson 3 of 6, Ossoryol, Master of Lenses & Optics, the Master’s final lecture on celestial alignment, Part the All, and Erinthander, Grand Provost of Spheres & Glyphs, his platform on the implications of solar sigils & wards, Lesson 2 of 3. That stone-mounted plaque" he points across for the others, "includes instructions for a summoning ritual. Apparently, if a living person reaches into the waters with bare flesh and calls forth a specific person by name and title, the pool forms a mercurial likeness of the individual for the length of the requested lecture."1 use of wand of Comp Lang
He leans back and looks across at the casters. "What do you think? Would it be safe to summon one of these folk? Maybe they might have an insight to share on this place and how we escape it?" He thinks, "I will be able to understand their speech, if we do so within the next ten minutes. But which do we choose, and is it safe to do so?"
spellcraft:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Castinus explains his understanding of the rather dark magics powering the pools via the corpses' blood, and that we do not know how much power remains. "I think that if we needed to recharge the pool, we could use the fresh blood of either a gillman, or a skum. Maybe even the villagers..."
He looks at the others for their assent, a hint of the sharp excitement of Castinus shining through despite their grimm circumstances, "Who wants to summon a lecture for long-dead Azlant?"
Male CG Human Witch 5 | HP 27/27 | AC *16 T 12 FF *14 | CMB +0, CMD 12 | F: +3, R: +4, W: +4 | Init: +8 | Perc: +10, SM: +1 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 3/5 2nd 1/4 3rd 2/2 | Active conditions: Mage Armor
”I’d swear I’d heard that phrase recently,” Reginald muses. ”Spheres and... and... goats? Nonono, maybe glitter? Griffons? It’s on the tip of my tongue...”
Male CG Human Witch 5 | HP 27/27 | AC *16 T 12 FF *14 | CMB +0, CMD 12 | F: +3, R: +4, W: +4 | Init: +8 | Perc: +10, SM: +1 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 3/5 2nd 1/4 3rd 2/2 | Active conditions: Mage Armor
”Ah, that’s it! Spheres and Glyphs! Maybe we should start with that one - I do believe Robynn mentioned that the writings recovered earlier were rather incomplete on that particular subject.” Reginald beams happily before waving a hand at his familiar. ”And behave yourself, Casovir! I’m already sweaty enough from the humidity here, and I can only imagine you are too - but do please try to stay civil even in the face of adversity.”
"There's also the chance that any of our blood might work to trigger the effect. In fact, it would be an interesting test to see... ah... how thorough what's happening to us is."
"But yes, Reginald, I do think that's a good strategy." He draws his dagger, ready to prick his own thumb if it seems the pool needs to be recharged.
Reginald plunges his hand into the silver substance and gives the correct name: Erinthander, Grand Provost of Spheres & Glyphs.
The silver liquid begins to rippple and swirl, buidling like potter's clay on a wheel in invisible hands until it forms the rough shape of a man.
The figure sloshes to the edge of the pool and begins to orate in Ancient Azlanti.
Ancient Azlanti:
The figure engages in a very lengthy, detailed and esoteric lecture regarding the proper enhancement of solar runes.
It seems clear that whoever is going to fiddle with the orrery should listen to this advice.
Amongst all of the near-meaningless advice, you do discover that spare parts for the orrery are housed in the Armillary Tower to the rear of the observatory.
After five minutes, the figure drifts back to the centre of the pool and begins to slip back into the quicksilver.
Castinus does his best to translate the complex lecture contempraneously - "He says that..."Please read the spoiler above
Castinus looks at the others, "That was... facinating. But maybe quite useful. What say we head to the Armillary Tower to the rear of the observatory next?"
He looks back at the pool... "Maybe one more?" He copies Reginald and plunges his hand into the silver substance and gives the name: Ossoryol, Master of Lenses & Optics.
I know there are some ways to get Azlanti heritage, if anyone has one of those then this strategy might work. Otherwise, you'll need a gillman, skum or villager.
Of course, you have Sara with you but the adventure also makes it clear that you need several pints of blood. Hence the pile of dead villagers. You have seen skum guards around the excavation, you could try and pick of one of those? Or you could check the dead skum in the aquarium, see if he has been dead less than 24 hours?
Human Male UC Monk 1/Pal 6 | HP 44/53 (0 nl, 0 temp)| AC 23 T 18 FF 17 | CMB +13, CMD 31 | F: +14, R: +11, W: +11 | Init: +4 | Perc: +9, SM: +4, Dipl +8 | Speed 30 | ER Fire/Cold (4) Rest (3), Immune: Disease, Fear* (*+4 to allies within 10 feet) | Spells: 1(2/2) LOH: 5/7 (3d6) Smite 2/2 Active conditions: 10 ft reach, Mage Armor
Sounds good to me. I guess our blood isn't quite tainted enough yet, ya know. Either way- best be moving. I don't much care for these ghostly lectures. Pretty lame-o, if you are asking me.
"I guess I should be glad our blood doesn't work for that yet... but strangely, I'm still struck with disappointment that my experiment failed...." Robyyn offers no objection to moving to the Armillary Tower, lost in the machinations of his own internal calculations for the moment.
As the adventurers mill around, discussing strategies to get into the tower, something arcs through the air. It is moving steadily in some kind of orbit.
As the object gets near you see that it is the upper half of the armillary tower. It swoops slowly over the tower, propelled and held aloft by some unseen force, and a rubbled gap of about a foot is visible between the broken top of the bottoms half and the floating upper half.
The orbit takes around ten minutes. It is pretty steady but part of the orbit is over the sea.
