[PFS(2), Outpost IV] GM Blake's PFS(2) 2-01: Citadel of Corruption (Inactive)

Game Master Blake's Tiger

Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Olyse is astounded by the architecture of the ancient cyclopean civilization, distracting her from her duties.

Vixnax notices that there is a fine layer of ash on top of the stones. He determines that there is no way that ash from a fire millennia ago would have remained. The fire that produced the ash must have happened relatively recently. You all finish your notes and pack to move on to explore the forest.

The bruorsivi pine forest opens into a clearing thirty yards across. Although the cyclopean plaza’s stone tiles are covered by several inches of soil, no vegetation grows here. A pile of large bones sits near the center of the clearing, topped by an immense skull. With its enormous jaws and swept-back horns, the skull is unmistakably that of a dragon. The empty eye sockets stare directly at the only entrance to the clearing.

Faerinaa and Vixnax stop you from proceeding closer. They notice the bones shift and shake in a barely perceptible fashion and certainly not caused by the wind. They also catch the faintest of blue glimmer flash in the eye sockets of the dragon skull.

Several of you also notice the ring of bones from maybe a dozen small humanoid creatures scattered at the edges of the clearing.

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Faerinaa
Vixnax
Dragon Skull
Panarug
Travis
Olyse
Klank

I will create the map shortly after I post.

Faerinaa pulls her crossbow as she sees the unnatural lights in the dragon skull's eyes, shooting it before she rolls behind a bush.

Attack vs. Flat Foot AC: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6

Hide: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Faerinaa's quarrel sails over the pile of bones and does not seem to provoke a reaction.

Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.

Faerinaa (Stealth 17)
Vixnax
Dragon Skull
Panarug
Travis
Olyse
Klank

Uncertain what enemy they are facing, Panarug quickly pulls out a scroll and starts incanting from it. He lays a hand on Klank's weapon (presumably his battleaxe?) and it starts to glow with enchantment.

Draw scroll, cast Magic Weapon

Similar to Panarug, Olyse decides to help her allies prepare for the fight ahead. She moves to Vixnax's side and places a hand on his arm. "You can do it, Panarug! Just like you did with that nasty cyclops!"

Move and cast Magic Fang on Vixnax

"Thanks friend." Klank accepts the spell, drawing out his battle axe to team with his already held shield. He marches ahead, a bit confused as to what exactly they are fighting here.

"Is the skull alive?"

Recall vs Religion? +5

Draw axe, recall, stride. Will use whichever reaction triggers first: raise shield or AOO.

Klank recognizes that this area is haunted and likely by the spirit of a dragon.

Encounter! Round 2. Bold may act.

Faerinaa (Stealth 17)
Vixnax (magic fang)
Dragon Skull
Panarug
Travis
Olyse
Klank (magic weapon)

"Oh, its a haunted dragon skull. Don't get less than 15 feet from it or it'll pull you in. Come help me calm it down from 15 feet away, quickly!" Klank hustles closer and prepares to recite the ways of Torag to calm the spirit.

Stride, stride, raise shield... goal is to get to 15' of distance, not sure where exactly that point would be. I had to use 1+ strides to get where I am now. Can't get close enough with just one.

The haunt will ensnare anyone who draws too close (15 ft). However, if you are able to get close enough (15 ft) and either exorcise it (Religion, 2-actions) or, if you are silver-tongued, calm with with the sincerity of your words (more difficult Diplomacy, 2-actions) before it fully manifests, you could put it to rest before anyone is harmed.

If those who think they have a shot to put the spirit to rest want to move to be within stepping distance of activating the haunt with 2 actions left to try to exorcise/calm it, we can do that. Those who don't want to be involved can move to any other point on the map.

"A haunt?" Panarug growls, partly in frustration, partly in fear. Nonetheless, he moves up beside Klank, getting ready to call forth his spirits to aid. They arise from within him and swirl around ...

Casting Guidance on whomever has the highest Religion (other than himself) and will attempt to exorcise the spirit next round).

Think all of us will take 2 rounds to stride there, so any exorcism would be next round.

Olyse will once again copy Panarug, offering a touch of guidance to anyone who is more silver-tongued than herself.

Will move and cast Guidance on someone who wants to try the Diplomacy

I'll get in position and ready to strike, should the attempt fail. Vixnax runs to the side of Klank and gets into his stance.

Travis will also hightail it up to 15' position, and begin the process of the exocism.

Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Klank starts to extoll the virtues of the forge, metalworking, and hardwork. "Torag, calm this restless spirit and put a hammer in its hands so it can truly enjoy your work!"

Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Hero Point: Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

So we're out of turns? In that case...

After first beseeching his spirits to aid him (i.e. cast guidance), Panarug then sends forth his spirits to appease whatever spirit is residing in the dragon skull. Not before scowling at Klank's bizarre chant.

religion, guidance: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 1 = 12

As you step forward to deal with the haunt, the pile of bones transforms into a large, translucent dragon. Simultaneously, those beginning to perform the exorcism appear to transform into dark, shadowy figures of alien physique. The dragon’s flesh appears to slowly dissolve into lines of black smoke, which trail away toward Travis, Klank, and Panarug and appear to be absorbed into their bodies. However, before whatever process is happening, the illusion fades away, and the bones settle and are still.

However, upon completion of the ritual, it appears that the dragon is not the only unquiet dead.

Encounter! Round 5. Bold may act.

Faerinaa (Stealth 17)
Vixnax (magic fang: 6/10)
Skeleton (red circle)
Skeleton (blue circle)
Skeleton (red square)
Skeleton (blue square)
Panarug
Travis
Olyse
Klank (magic weapon: 6/10)

Faerinaa reloads her crossbow as her companions move to exorcise the dragon spirit, then takes a shot at the nearest skeleton from her hiding place as the bones rise.

Attack Blue Square: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Damage+Sneak Attack: 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + (4) = 7

After her shot, Faerinaa draws her Rapier, readying herself to wade into combat.

Faerinaa's bolt misses the mark despite catching the skeletons unawares.

Encounter! Round 5. Bold may act.

Faerinaa (Stealth 17)
Vixnax (magic fang: 6/10)
Skeleton (red circle)
Skeleton (blue circle)
Skeleton (red square)
Skeleton (blue square)
Panarug
Travis
Olyse
Klank (magic weapon: 6/10)

Guessing the magic fang is on the unarmed attack I've been using exclusively lol

Vixnax quickly spots the risen apparitions and moves swiftly, striking fast with his magical kicks.

Dragon tail 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9 Hero point!
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (5, 3) + 4 = 12

Dragon tail 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 +1 if last attack missed
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (6, 3) + 4 = 13

Dragon tail 3: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (12) - 2 = 10 +1 if last attack missed
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (10, 3) + 4 = 17

Dragon tail 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 <- Reroll for attack 1 - Is this a joke? HERO POINT!

Dragon tail 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 Wait can you even reroll a reroll? If not, then this is the reroll for attack 2 which was ALSO a 1.

... I give up.

stride, flurry of blows, strike

You cannot reroll a Hero Point reroll (using a fortune effect on a fortune effect).

Vixnax suffers an slate of ill luck and can't seem to strike the wobbly goblin skeletons. The skeletons seem to have fully awoken, though mindless, and totter towards the nearest living creature.

Two of the skeletons swing their rusty cleavers at Klank. One of them even manages to get past his shield and armor to scratch his dwarfish skin. One of them approaches and flails at Travis, managing to cut him on the arm with one of the swings. The fourth unleashes all of his violence upon Vixnax and cuts open his scalp. The remaining flailing swipes are far less impressive and easily sidestepped.

Encounter! Round 5/6. Bold may act.

Skeleton (red circle)
Skeleton (blue circle)
Skeleton (red square)
Skeleton (blue square)
Panarug
Travis (11/14 hp)
Olyse
Klank (22/23 hp; magic weapon: 6/10)
--6--
Faerinaa
Vixnax (7/17 hp; magic fang: 5/10)

"Came to us, works for me!" Klank hollers and unleashes his magic battle axe on the blue circled skeleton behind him before putting his shield up tight to his chin.

Battle Axe, Magic Weapon: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 1 = 262d8 + 4 ⇒ (8, 1) + 4 = 13
Battle Axe, Magic Weapon: 1d20 + 9 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 1 - 5 = 112d8 + 4 ⇒ (6, 4) + 4 = 14

Strike, strike, Raise Shield. Will use whichever reaction triggers first.

Klank dismantles the goblin skeleton to his left with an overwhelmingly powerful blow but fails to strike the second.

Encounter! Round 5/6. Bold may act.

Skeleton (red circle)
Skeleton (red square)
Skeleton (blue square)
Panarug
Travis (11/14 hp)
Olyse
Klank (22/23 hp; magic weapon: 6/10)
--6--
Faerinaa
Vixnax (7/17 hp; magic fang: 5/10)

Panarug raises a finger pointing at the skeleton harassing Travis (red square), sending his spirits to harass it in turn.

Cast Evil Eye Will DC18 or Frightened 1, Frightened 2 if Crit Fail.

He then quickly moves up behind Vixnax, and starts pulling out poultices to patch the kobold’s wounds.

Stride, Battle Medicine (auto-succeed due to Assurance)

Battle Medicine, Vixnax heals : 2d8 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5

Vixnax, my poultices don’t seem to like you.

Vixnax feels a spike of tremendous pain, but he shrugs it off as his mentor taught him. He retaliaties with a whirlwind of kicks.

Dragon tail 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (8, 8) + 4 = 20
Dragon tail 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (6, 4) + 4 = 14
Dragon tail 3: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (9, 7) + 4 = 20
Dragon tail 4: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (14) - 2 = 12
damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (1, 1) + 4 = 6

Flurry of blows, strike, strike. Vixnax is going to attack until the enemy falls. If I still have actions I'll move to flank with Klank and attack if possible.

Travis steps back (action1) and casts Disrupt Undead (actions 2&3) at the closest skeleton.

Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

The target must attempt a basic Fortitude save. If the creature critically fails the save, it is also enfeebled 1 for 1 round.

"Doesn't work for me, Klank! Be careful up there!" She grabs her pouch of stones and casts a spell to enchant them.

3 actions to cast magic stone on all 3 stones

Olyse can save her spell.

Panarug quickly tends to Vixnax's wounds and futilely attempts to curse one of the mindless dead.

The remaining three skeletons fall apart into piles of bones and rusty armor as Travis unleashes a wave of life energy. The skull of the one nearest Klank rolls off of the pile to rest at his foot, staring up at him with empty eyes.

Searching the remains, you find a wand on one of the goblin skeletons, and under the dragon bones, you find a pile of well preserved silver scales.

Everyone is at full health following Panarug's and Travis' actions.

Klank crushes the empty skull under his iron boot "No one likes to be stared at." He looks around at the others, making sure everyone is in good shape.

"Looks like this area is safe for the team now. And we even found a few long lost pieces for good measure." He nods to the scales and wand. "Where to next?"

I'm fine playing things out for the last areas, or if people would like, moving on to the final scene back at the camp.

Allowing her spell to fade before she completes the ritual, Olyse lets out a small sigh. "Oh thank goodness! Glad to see everyone's still safe and well. Golly it really seems like we handled the bale before the hay, huh? Compared to that big ugly brute last night, this was simple! Good job everyone!"

Throughout the rest of the team's exploration of the ruins, Olyse continues to do her best to be helpful. She's pretty new to all this Pathfinder stuff, though, so she mostly sticks to one of the more experienced folks like Panarug or Faerinaa. In the end, she's excited to have been part of this exploration and to have met these impressive fellow agents!

I think I'm ready to move to the end.

Panarug stares at the fragments of skeletons and snorts. ”Fragile.”

”Let’s see what other surprises the ruins holds for us. I doubt nothing could have topped that one-eye beast,”

Yup, I’m good to finish through the rest for completeness..

"Did everyone survive unscathed?"

Not that it seems to matter, but Travis will now spend the Heal spell to make sure everyone feels great!

"Topped the beast? Surely you jest... I am not here for the being attacked my monsters from the past! But yes, by all means, let's continue our exploration."

"Ah! Good! They're dead... again? Nonetheless." Vixnax breathes, calms himself and continues.

"Let's keep exploring. I don't want any more surprises for when the less combat-ready members get here."

I vote we continue exploring.

You finish your report on this area and move on to the row of relatively short buildings. They are too small to be dwellings for cyclops and remind you of granaries in shape. Some of you notice that these buildings do not align with the other buildings in the ruins, as if they were built much later.

The last building in your assigned region is a round, squat building with a domed roof. In the center of the roof is a large stone sphere half-set in the dome. The sphere is perforated with thousands of tiny holes. The underside of the sphere is supported by dozens of bearings, and there is a metal door so small that a cyclops would surely have needed to squeeze through it to get inside the dome. Inside the sphere, the light shines through the holes creating the illusion of a night sky. After some thought, you realize that when the bearings were working and not rusted and worn by time, a powerful enough creature could make the sphere rotate or spin by walking across the floor of the sphere like a waterwheel.

Most of you recognize the light holes create known constellations; however, Olyse recognizes that there are stars represented within constellations that are no longer present in the sky.

The typically cynical Panarug can't help but be amazed by the contraption and engineering. Although of course he doesn't show it.

He moves to the bearings, wondering if anything can be done to fix them.

crafting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Klank leads the way into the room, shield raised and axe drawn "Looks free of obvious dangers." He announces quickly, stowing his weaponry to better look around.

"The amount of skill to craft such an object is amazing.." He almost fears touching it knowing his own skill isn't anywhere up to snuff.

Crafting: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

"Neat, but what does it mean?"

Cratfting: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

The degradation of millennia has left the bearings far too corroded and crushed to be repaired. You figure that it was an ancient planetarium so old that stars that no longer shine or have disappeared are recorded upon the sphere. You record your observations in your journals and then return to the the camp with your research and notes late in the afternoon.

As the sun sits low on the horizon, the sound of a great disturbance comes from the edge of the base camp. A mysterious pillar of energy erupts skyward from an area near the quartermaster’s warehouse, filling the sky with crackling black lightning.

Sapphire, the member of the Decemvirate, can be seen inside the pillar, grappling with a nebulous, shadowy figure. It’s unclear whether the creature is attacking Sapphire, or if the Decemvirate member is restraining the shadowy creature. As you watch, Sapphire’s eyes lock with yours, and they nod grimly. “Stand back!” they shout, pulling a small item from their belt.

The pillar of energy suddenly implodes, collapsing into a single point of intense negative space before exploding outward, sending Pathfinders and tents flying away from the epicenter of the blast. When the dust and smoke clear, Sapphire is gone. An empty suit of leather armor; a battered set of traveling clothes; and a scorched, sapphire-studded mask are all that remain.

Venture-Captain Jorsal and Shrike rush forward. The Venture-Captain barks orders to more experienced Pathfinders who begin clearing the area and trying to restore order among the frightened hirelings and newer Pathfinders. Shrike collects Sapphire's mask and other gear left behind.

"Go to the medical tent, now," Jorsal orders you in a tone that leaves you disinclined to protest.

You sit in the medical tent, waiting, for over an hour when Jorsal enters. The Venture-Captain is visibly shaken. "Alright. Give me your oral report," he says, apparently staring through you at the back of the medical tent. He listens half-heartedly and congratulates you on your work with a perfunctory, "Good job." He then leaves the medical tent.

A senior Pathfinder open the tent flap and tells you, "Well? Go write up your reports."

Klank nods in stunned silence. Bet anything I write in my report about THAT is going to be redacted.

Olyse is shell-shocked by the events at the camp. After sitting in stunned silence for half an hour, she leans over to Faerinaa, "Does that sort of thing...happen often?" A chill runs down her spine as she thinks of the sight of Sapphire grappling with the shadowy form.

Her oral report is simple enough, filling in details about the flora and fauna that have grown up among the ruins, describing the planetarium to the best of her ability, talking about the discrepancy in age between the ruins as a whole and the granaries that once served the site. She leaves the descriptions of combat to her friends.

Gee, if this is what it's like to be a Pathfinder, I'll need to get a whole lot stronger, she thinks, then stands and leaves the tent as the senior agent dismisses her to her duty.

The elation of completing the mission (although Panarug hardly shows any) is washed away at Sapphire's sudden disappearance.

Trying not to look shell-shocked, the half-orc turns to the rest of the team, and mumbles, "Well, I had hoped for a better ending than this. But at least we survived."

"Any battle you can walk away from with your friends alive and well is a win in my book."

"Amen, brother. Now, how about a drink?"