GM Blake's PF2 Extinction Curse Campaign

Game Master Blake's Tiger

Ephie moves in and tries to shoot a ray of frost at the horrible man.

Ray of Frost: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 9 + 1 = 21
Cold: 2d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4, 1) + 4 + 1 = 10 -10 speed if crit

There. something different.

"You don't care that she is gone? Well, no matter. You will be joining her soon."

◈ Short bow+I.C.: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 9 + 1 = 28
Piercing damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Deadly?: 1d10 ⇒ 8

◈◈ Electric Arc (DC 19)
Electric Arc: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 3) + 4 = 8

Fort (DC 20): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Clover ignores the lingering pain from whatever magic she'd been afflicted with as she moves to help corner Blue in the corner.

"Wow, with allies like you, she didn't even need us as enemies," she remarks as she continues trying to skewer the man.

Strike vs. Blue (Longspear; Enfeebled 1, IC): 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 7 - 1 + 1 = 24
Damage: 1d8 + 2 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 2 - 1 + 1 = 6

Strike vs. Blue (Longspear; Enfeebled 1, IC): 1d20 + 2 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 - 1 + 1 = 5
Damage: 1d8 + 2 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 2 - 1 + 1 = 6

In the flurry of assaults, it is unclear who is ultimately responsible for bringing the demon-tainted hermit down, but Leaf-on-Wind grazes the man's arm with an arrow, and his sister sends her arrow through the hermit's heart. The room is quiet, if bloody, now that the two bickering hermits are dead or unconscious and the battle is over.

Clover's body fights off the magical poison, and she feels much better as the muscle spams cease.

With time to secure your captive, rest, and tend to your wounds, you also have time to search the large bedchamber. Those not otherwise occupied with tending to the injured also have time to decipher the three scrolls.

Nabi opens the cash box in the study and finds a large number of assorted coins.

Perhaps more pertinent to unraveling the mystery of the hermitage, the demons, and Abberton, you find Harlock's personal journal in his nightstand next to his bed.

The strange, mudbrick tower approximately fifteen miles southwest of the Hermitage of Blessed Lightning is referenced as Erran's Tower within the hermitage's ancient records. Harlock has been examining the tower and developed a hypothesis that the great aeon orb that shines atop the tower gives life to the isle of Erran. He also hypothesizes that this power is waning, and that this decrease in power is the cause of the declining fertility of the isle. He tried to determine who to fix this problem, visiting the tower a few times, but his trips had to stop as xulgaths were seen hunting in the land around the tower.

Harlock kept this a secret--though the journal does not explain why--while trying to convince his brothers and sisters that it was not the townsfolk's fault. He worries in his notes about an increasing restlessness and vengeful turn among the hermits. His last entry describes his doubts and remorse in banishing Nemmia from the hermitage.

In skimming the journal, you also note that there in an entry marking a visiting scholar on a date a few days before the entries describing the troubling behavior of Nemmia and later the other hermits.

Song-of-Air knows that xulgath are reptilian humanoids that live in the upper regions of the Darklands, originally rumored to be quite advanced, they now rely on very primitive technology.

Ephie absorbs the notes with gusto. This Aeon Orb is fascinating. I would like to see it and study it. However, I believe life naturally perpetuates itself and does not need an artifact to do so. One wonders what makes the isle different to require such magic.

I don’t think we’ve found Harlock himself yet?

“Maybe the tower increases the amount of life? There is a certain amount of life that would normally be here, and the tower increases it?”

It is clear from the way he says it that Rulean is just making a guess. He doesn’t sound confident in his theory nor does he try to state it as if it were an absolute.

"It may also explain why the hermitage has gone over to demons, thinking about it. If you're raised with the idea that you're part of the natural cycle and all -- and then find out that your 'natural cycle' isn't natural but some sort of artifact effect -- well, that'd be a way for a lot of doubt to creep on in, as well as desperation to fill that gap."

I'm going to move you along right-hand turns. I'll get a map up sometime today.

With some clues regarding the odd changes on the Isle of Erran and the hermitage, the captive bound, gagged, and soundly unconscious, and your wounds freshly tended, you proceed deeper into the complex. You take the hall to the right of Harlock's quarters and head northward down the short hall to a hall full of doors.

There are two doors to the right--one across from the other--in a short alcove. The first door opens into a privy. There are pit toilets here, and bundles of fragrant, dried herbs are hung along the walls in an effort to mask the smell of feces and urine. The cooler, salt-tinged breeze that occasionally wafts out of the room suggests that the narrow pits connect to the outside, probably off the side of the cliff.

The next few rooms that you open are bedchambers. They are the same in many ways: each has a simple wooden bunk with a straw-filled mattress and each has a single wooden chest at the foot of the bunk. There are minor differences: two rooms each contain two writing desks and one of the rooms contains a work bench and storage for several craftsman's tools. However, they also bear striking differences.

The workman's chamber appears to have belonged to a woodcarver. There are the remains of several lovingly crafted bird carvings that have been chopped into pieces. Several other bird carvings sit on a shelf but have been defaced with demonic runes carved into the wood. A partially finished wood carving of a demonic creature rests on the workbench.

The floor of one of the hermit's chambers is strewn with pages ripped from books. A book describing the ecology of the island is open on one of the writing desks and bears demonic graffiti written in blood across the pages.

The other hermit's chamber bears dried blood spatter on the walls, blood stains on the mattress, and dried pools of blood on the floor. Someone was clearly severely beaten, murdered, or both in this room. The charred remains of two books lay on the floor in one of the dried puddles.

Looking down the hall, you see three more doors before a side hall branches off to the north and then continuing past the branch hall are five more doors until the hall turns to the south where you can see there are yet more doors.

Ephie admires the broken carving of a pelagic cormorant. He wraps the woodwork in cloth and puts it into his bag; he will attempt to repair it later.

We should approach this systematically, one door at a time.

Let's hit the 3 doors a the end of the hall nearest first.

Rulean destroys the demonic wood carving.

“Too bad all the other carvings are so damaged.”

I am good with Ephie’s plan.

Do we need to clean up the demonic runes or graffiti?

"One door at a time sounds good to me," Clover agrees. "We need to find Harlock (or what became of him) sooner rather than later. I'd also like to know more about whoever this stranger was that visited before everyone started acting weird..."
______________

Since you mentioned we had time to do some wound-mending, are we back to full health or ?

Rulean recognizes that the demonic graffiti is just that: random, chaotic scribblings with no power beyond the defacement and disturbing imagery.

The next three doors open into additional living quarters.

A painter's room bears a partially completed painting depicting disturbing interactions between humans and demonic appearing creatures. There are several older, finished works in frames that have been slashed and splattered by what you hope is black paint. What you can see of the original work suggests beautifully and patiently crafted landscapes.

Another hermit's quarters with far too much blood for anyone to have survived the exsanguination. The reference books and holy texts that were on the reading desks have been savagely torn apart.

The third room is also a hermit's quarters. There is a stack of blank paper on one of the reading tables. Brushes that lied scattered on the other table are splayed and caked with dried paints as if the painter had no care for the tools. There is one page that is painted with a child's skill but clearly Abyssally disturbing imagery. Inside a drawer under the table are other painted pages. As you skim through the paintings, they become less demonic and more skilled illustrations for a holy text to Gozreh, suggesting a gradual descent into demonic madness.

I placed a master map on the slide deck so you can see where you have to explore.

Status
Rulean (bolstered vs. Treat Wounds 30 minutes)
Clover (44/45 hp; bolstered vs. Treat Wounds 40 minutes)
Song-of-Air (Ghast Fever Stage 2)
Time to Fatigue: 13 hours 40 minutes
Time to Disease Save: 21 hours 40 minutes

I'm going to move you along right-hand turns.

Let us proceed using the same pattern. Ephie suggests the party take a right and move along the hallway in that direction. Positioned on map

Rulean destroys the disturbing painting, willing to just cover it with paint remover rather than destroying the canvas. He sets the canvas so the paint remover can drain and the canvas dry.

“It saddens me to see so much destruction.”

He continues moving along with the group, keeping an eye out for any heretical or demonic symbols that may need to be cleaned up.

The side hall leads to a large, tile-floored chamber. On the south wall, there are several wooden cupboards. Around the room are several caged habitats. None of them hold animals any longer, but some of them are splattered with dried blood. The east side leads into a very large habitat behind iron bars. There is so much vegetation within the habitat that something could easily be hidden within.

The cupboards contain medicines, bandages, and other tools for tending wounds.

There is something magical somewhere here.

Status
Rulean (bolstered vs. Treat Wounds 30 minutes)
Clover (44/45 hp; bolstered vs. Treat Wounds 40 minutes)
Song-of-Air (Ghast Fever Stage 2)
Time to Fatigue: 13 hours 40 minutes
Time to Disease Save: 21 hours 40 minutes

Nabi pilfers things left and right to try to get a make shift healer kit, if possible, while the magicians find their own magical stuff

“Let’s spread out a little bit so we can find the magic. Stay within 30’ of each other, but sweep back and forth to find when we can’t sense the magic.”

Rulean would check magic after doing an investigate of an area. Move, investigate, detect magic.

"I'll help look, but I'm relying on you to figure out what's magic here. Once we get closer, I can try to help you figure out what it is."

While you are attempting to triangulate the source of the magical aura, you notice that the gate into the large enclosure has been fastened shut by a thick wire twisted over and over to hold the gate to the bars. This is a bit odd, since the gate has an outer latch, which is unlatched.

On the western side of the area, Rulean discovers that the magical aura is undetectable if he stands along the west wall. In doing so, he also hears the sound of purposeful, demonic chanting. It seems to him that someone is performing a ritual on the other side of the door here.

Status
Rulean (bolstered vs. Treat Wounds 25 minutes)
Clover (44/45 hp; bolstered vs. Treat Wounds 35 minutes)
Song-of-Air (Ghast Fever Stage 2)
Time to Fatigue: 13 hours 35 minutes
Time to Disease Save: 21 hours 35 minutes

"Interrupting demonic rituals sounds like a win-win."

Rulean signals for the others to get ready to break up the ritual.

"Sounds like a plan, but..." Clover glances over towards the large animal habitat "...the fact they wired the gate shut makes me nervous. Let's be careful."

This large, stone chamber has a smooth tile floor bearing abstract spiral patterns that evoke whirlpools or tornados. Four small glowing orbs, one in each corner, brightly illuminate the room. Hooks on the walls hold wicker baskets with dozens of fur, felt, and bone toys clearly intended for animals. The center of the floor bears a large circle of spiky glyphs drawn in blood.

In the center of the glyph circle is a wolf, bound by heavy ropes tied to each leg and clearly terrified.

A woman in the gray robes of a hermit stands behind the wolf. She stops chanting when you open the door. To her left hovers a small, elemental being of cloud and wind.

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Environment: Each of the wolf's legs are bound by rope. It requires 1 Action and being adjacent to the wolf to pull the rope free of the hook on the floor or cut the rope with a slashing weapon.

Clover (44/45 hp)
>Snowy
Hermit
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
Ritual (0)

"Hey! You let that poor animal go!" Clover yells, incensed that these cultists have apparently added animal cruelty to their list of sins. "Snowy! Get 'em! Get the cloud-guy!"

Clover charges into the room, getting up close and personal with the robed woman as she jabs at her with her longspear.

Strike vs. Hermit (Longspear): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
______________

Command Animal, Stride, Strike~

Eager to please, Snowy scuttles after Clover and runs up to the whirling cloud, jaws open wide...

Strike vs. Elemental (Jaws): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Damage (Piercing): 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
______________

Stride, Strike~

Argh! I could have sworn that I submitted the post yesterday morning. I know I wrote--and researched bark types--and previewed it. I'll give Song the day, then. I apologize.

Clover charges into the room and spears the hermit in the arm with righteous fury. Snowball follows his trainer and obeys, snapping his jaws at the whirling shape of cloud and wind. The elemental almost escapes the badger's bite, but almost is not enough, and Snowy rips out a mouthful of elemental flux.

The hermit woman chants a different incantation, which causes her skin to transform into dark, scaly bark. She then thrusts her trident into Clover's shoulder. "Take that, you plague of civilization!"

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Environment: Each of the wolf's legs are bound by rope. It requires 1 Action and being adjacent to the wolf to pull the rope free of the hook on the floor or cut the rope with a slashing weapon.

Clover (37/45 hp)
>Snowy
Hermit (-6 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
Ritual (0)

◈ Song strides into the room near the ropes that hold the wolf.

Performance (E): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
◇ Lingering Performance
◈ Inspire Courage

♫ You call us plagues of civilization
Well, that's a hella justification
Don't worry wolf the circus has your back
That witch will soon see what happens when packs attack! ♫

◈ She pulls one of the ropes free on the wolf.

Song-of-Air inspires you all with a verse crafted in the moment as she advances into the chamber and unties one of the ropes. The wolf's frightened eyes barely seem to acknowledge her help.

The air elemental circles around the room once, lashing out at Clover with frigid, ripping gusts of wind that scour and flay her skin. It circles around again to hover behind the halfling.

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Environment: Each of the wolf's legs are bound by rope. It requires 1 Action and being adjacent to the wolf to pull the rope free of the hook on the floor or cut the rope with a slashing weapon.
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (4/4)

Hermit (-6 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
Ritual (0)
--2--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy

Rulean sheaths the pick, moves up to the air elemental, and attempts to slam it out of position.
Athletics T to shove: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Interact to sheath, stride, shove

The iruxi impressively checks the air elemental into the wall.

You may follow after it, if you desire.

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Environment: Each of the wolf's legs are bound by rope. It requires 1 Action and being adjacent to the wolf to pull the rope free of the hook on the floor or cut the rope with a slashing weapon.
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (4/4)

Hermit (-6 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
Ritual (0)
--2--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy

No, this is a better position to free the wolf if the others don’t completely free it this turn.

“Looks like I just knocked the wind out of place!”

Leaf-on-Wind runs into the room behind Clover and Rulean, reaching over to unhook the binding to the north of him, then the one next to him

"Someone get that last rope!"

Stride, Interact (Unhook rope), Interact (Unhook rope)

Leaf, I would love to learn more about the specifics of his ritual, but perhaps you're right. This is not the optimal time to delay.

Ephie rushes in and slashes at the rope with his antique greataxe.

Stride Atride slash/interact

Once the last rope is untied, the wolf scrabbles at the tiles until he is standing and then swiftly bolts out of the room.

"No!" shrieks the hermit.

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Environment:
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (4/4)

Hermit (-6 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
--2--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy

“Is it true that with demonic rituals, if there is no proper sacrifice they will take the one performing the ritual?”

Nabi moves to ward the mad, demon-worshiping hermit, and attacks

I'm not sure I want to stay there to test your theory, Rulean..

Attack, IC: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 1 = 25
Dmg, IC: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 + 1 = 7

Attack, IC: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6
Dmg, IC: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 + 1 = 8

Stride, attack, attack

Nabi jabs her sword into the woman's side, chipping off a wedge of wood. The hermit's bark covered face sneers at the acrobat. "You all may have ruined my fun, but I'll take one or two of you with me."

Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.

Environment:
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (4/4)

Hermit (-11 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
--2--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy

“Sorry, but you really don’t seem like a fun person. Oh, forgot to ask! What is your name?”

"Do we want her name so that we can see if it rhymes with patsy?"

What is your quest? What is your favorite color?

says Nabi, trying to add to the confusion

Deception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

With your permission, GM, rolling now for next round action, which will leave me with two actions

"Heh...we've already messed up your plans and you're not taking anyone with you. Why don't you just be smart and give up now?" Clover grins through the pain as she steps away from the whirling elemental and takes another jab at the hermit with her weapon.

Strike vs. Hermit (Longspear; IC): 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 1 = 19
Damage (Piercing): 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

"Come on Snowy, show her we mean business!"
______________

Step, Strike, Command Animal~

Snowy obligingly takes a step forward and snaps at the hermit's leg with his sharp teeth!

Strike vs. Hermit (Jaws; IC): 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 7 + 1 = 14
Damage (Piercing): 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 2 + 1 = 8

Clover finds more resistance than expected as the hermit's bark covered skin stands against her spear thrust far better than her flesh. Snowy's carnivore teeth can't quite break through the leather pants.

"Carlessa doesn't rhyme with anything," the demon-tainted hermit retorts before she begins a horrible sounding string of syllables in a corrupted druidic. A wave of terror washes over the badger. She immediately thrusts her trident at Clover upon completion of her magic, but the strike is woefully telegraphed.

Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.

Environment:
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (3/4)

Hermit (-14 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie
Rulean
Nabi
--3--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy (Will Save vs. Fear DC 20)

Seeing how little damage the druid is taking, Song drops her bow, pulls out her sword and moves into flank the hermit.

"There once was a hermit named Carlessa
Whose imagination was far lesser
She never wasted her time
Learning slant rhymes
Before they came to ar-rest her!'

As Song-of-Air runs into the room, the air elemental begins whirling around the room. Ephie hops out of the way of the gust of snow and sleet that he sees coming, but the one he doesn't see abrades the side of his face. The elemental comes to pause behind Clover.

Nabi tries to throw the hermit off of her game, but the feint fails.

Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.

Environment:
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (3/4)

Hermit (-14 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie (20/32 hp)
Rulean
Nabi (2 actions remain)
--3--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy (Will Save vs. Fear DC 20)

Rulean moves to flank with Snowy and claws at the hermit.
Claws, IC: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 8 + 1 = 20 Agile, Finesse
Slashing, IC: 1d4 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 1 = 7

Claws, IC, MAP: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 1 - 4 = 8 Agile, Finesse
Slashing, IC: 1d4 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6

Ack! Ephie yelps as the sleet blasts his skin.

Mr. Splinters giggles. NOW YOU KNOW HOW SANDPAPER FEELS.

Ephie bravely in to try and box in the caster. He then hurls frost at the hermit.

Ray of Frost, IC: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 9 + 1 = 24
Cold: 2d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (1, 2) + 4 + 1 = 8

Slash, Ic: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 7 + 1 = 24
Dmg: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6

Slash, Ic, Agile wp: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 1 = 11
Dmg: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 = 5

Nabi slashes twice at the demon worshipper, hoping to draw blood

Leaf-On-Wind takes a step back, focuses for a five count, then lets two arrows fly.at the priestess(?).

First Flurry +1 Shortbow(Inspire Courage): 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 9 + 1 = 29

Damage(Inspire Courage): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

If Critical (Fatal Damage): 1d10 ⇒ 4

Second Flurry +1 Shortbow (Inspire Courage, MAP): 1d20 + 9 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (8) + 9 + 1 - 5 = 13

Step, Enter Monastic Archery Stance, Flurry of Arrows

Rulean's claws rip through the woman's sleeve and the bark protecting her arm, drawing blood. The barkskin provides no protection from Ephie's magic. The frost spreads across the bark, causing it to crack and peel. Nabi moves in (you were still at range on the map) and stabs her blade into the hermit when she finds an opening.

Leaf-on-Wind steps back, centers himself, and draws back his bowstring and looses it into the center of the hermit's chest. The bark slows the arrow's force but not enough (critical). She looks down at the arrow sticking in her heart and then gives the tengu a look a hatred before she falls dead. Her death does not seem to have any effect on the wild air elemental, so Leaf-on-Wind releases an arrow toward it, but the wind blows the arrow away.

Encounter! Round 3. Bold may act.

Environment:
Effects: Inspire Courage +1 (3/4)

Hermit (-45 hp; barkskin)
Song-of-Air
Air Elemental (-7 hp)
Leaf-on-Wind
Ephie (20/32 hp)
Rulean
Nabi
--3--
Clover (14/45 hp)
>Snowy (Will Save vs. Fear DC 20)