[Gameday IX / PFS2 Luke_Parry] 2-01: Citadel of Corruption (1-4) (Inactive)

Game Master Luke_Parry

Dotting for fun and profit.

Commencing 2-01: Citadel of Corruption (1-4)

Dozens of tents and the half-built frames of several future buildings encircle a newly constructed longhouse. The tent city looks down on a dense forest of blood-red pine trees, Iobaria’s iconic bruorsivi, dotted with the occasional wisp of smoke here and there. At the forest’s edge, huge cut stones nearly overgrown with vegetation and covered in creeping moss hint at ancient ruins reclaimed by nature.

Even in the chill of the early morning, the camp swarms with activity. More tents are being set up, and the smell of breakfast emanates from a large cook tent. Agents greet each other and swap stories in the mess tent, and rumors fly through the crisp morning air.

A familiar Halfling woman, whom you recognise as Head Initiate Janira Gavix, waves and comes over to you.

Pathfinders who have recently completed their training are sure to recognize Janira. As Head Initiate of the Pathfinder Society, she is responsible for connecting each new crop of trainee Pathfinders to the resources they need to be successful, from securing housing, basic provisions, and opportunities for mentorship to helping the trainees adjust to their new lives.

"Isn't this all just so exciting? You know, while Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury is currently in charge of the camp organization, he has not yet formally begun the expedition. Instead, he is waiting for representatives of the Decemvirate, the Pathfinder Society’s 10 masked leaders, to announce their objectives!"

Speaking of which...

A loud bell sounds, summoning everyone to a meeting under a large open-air awning that provides a spectacular view of the Icerime Peaks to the west and Finadar Forest to the south and east.

"“Welcome to Iobaria!” Venture-Captain Jorsal smiles and spreads his arms wide, gesturing to the expansive view before him. The sun glints off the snow-capped mountains to the west, though it does little to warm the air around you. Below the camp, the occasional clearing or stone structure dots the endless foliage of Finadar Forest, a huge expanse of blood-red bruorsivi pines.

“Used to the chill yet? Iobaria takes some getting used to. Between the dry air and the winds off the peaks, you’d best wear your warmer clothes.” He waves you over to his worktables, where a series of maps and documents sit weighted down with books, a wayfinder, and several large rocks.

“We live in exciting times. As you may know, the Society has recently been exploring the wilds of Iobaria. There are so many mysteries here! The ancient cyclops empire of Koloran has left ruins that have weathered the ages. The early Iobarian kings maintained their power through dragon-riding knights, and dragons still lurk in the forests and hills all around. Plagues, wars, ancient magic.... Iobaria has seen it all.

As you may know, we’ve had some dealings in Iobaria recently, but the time has come to mount a major exploration. To do that, we need a good base of operations in the area, something more permanent than a couple of rooms in an inn in Mishkar.”

The venture-captain slides a large map across the table, rearranging the rocks and books to prevent it from flying away in the breeze. “Down there, deep in Finadar Forest, is the city of Min-Khadaim, an ancient complex of ruins that dates from the cyclops empire of Koloran, abandoned since the Age of Darkness thousands of years ago. Not only is it an amazing archaeological find, but it also is superbly located to serve as a base for further operations in Iobaria. Cyclopean architecture is built to last, so we’ll undoubtedly find something here to serve our needs. Once we explore and clear the ruins, we can then establish the Society’s first Pathfinder Lodge in Iobaria!”

Jorsal turns to you again and grows serious. “This is an important operation for the Society’s future, and we have the support of the Decemvirate themselves! In fact....”

Jorsal suddenly seems to focus on something behind you, and he trails off. Two figures walk into the tent, both wearing helms that completely cover their faces.

One is short and stocky, wearing a sapphire-studded helmet that covers their upper face. The other is a taller figure whose face is completely hidden by a flowing sheet of water that disappears into mist just past their neck.

“Yes, Jorsal, the Decemvirate understands the importance of this season of exploration in the wilds of Iobaria,” states the shorter of the two in a scratchy voice that sounds older than the speaker looks. “You may call me Sapphire, and you may call them Shrike.” The speaker strides quickly to the table and indicates the large map, which shows a large area of forest subdivided into regular squares.

“Based on a preliminary survey, the ruins of Min-Khadaim have been divided into sections. Each team will explore and clear their assigned section—Jorsal will provide the details.”

They turn to you. “You may be relatively new recruits, but we, the Decemvirate, need you to understand the importance of this operation. There are mysteries here in Iobaria that go far beyond plagues and dragons. The cyclopes of Koloran fled here when their homeland of Ghol-Gan fell under the sway of evil forces. Those brave and determined souls that made the trip were determined to escape the mistakes of their kindred, yet their descendants still fell into decadent decay as well, long before Earthfall ended their empire. The question of what laid them low at the height of their power is one of Golarion’s greatest unsolved mysteries.”

Hilariously, rather then letting you ask questions, they now start grilling you ;-)

Shrike turns to Ylen.

“What do you know about modern cyclops culture?”

Society or Cyclops Lore check to provide a suitable answer, or a Deception check to fake one.

Sapphire turns to Pasha.

“If trouble arises, how will you protect and preserve the priceless artifacts or records you find?”

Shrike then turns to the brutish James.

“What was your grade in Master Shaine’s ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’ class? Did you even take ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’?”

Feel free to respond ;-)

Jukuza steps forward in his light adventurer's attire and equipment packed away in his backpack and bandolier, and offers his insight. "I don't know anything about cyclops or.... arky lodges.... but the winds of Gozreh have guided me here and I will do my best to explore and preserve any findings we might come across. Anything that tries to stop us will have to answer to my fists.

Sorry I had to change my name, this was my 10th post on the message boards and it would have made my name permanent, and starting next level I will become a nameless Magic Warrior and I wanted to keep my name hidden so other players don't accidentally use it in the game even though I won't be announcing it myself. For this game though I will still go by my name Jukuza, just had to set it for future stuff. Hope it's not confusing!

"Cyclops ? ah yes."

It takes Ylen a second to regain composure. He did not expect members of the decemvirate to adress him directly.

"I've thanksfully never had the pleasure of meeting one, but i've read a bit about them. Here is what I know:"

Ylen tries his best to recall about Cyclops Society: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Nah, it is not where I took my classes. I'd be interested in his class, but that will be some other time. My study is medicine and herbs, not ancient fossils. Although that type of nature does interest me.
society: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Ylen recalls that the cyclops empire of Koloran covered this area of Iobaria until about 10,000 years ago. The ancient cyclopes’ civilization was incredibly advanced civilization, but their modern descendants are known for violent behavior and a voracious appetite for flesh.

James fails to impress the Decemvirate member, who despite their faceless mask, somehow looks like they have just stepped in something truly awful.

At this point, Sapphire intervenes, laying a hand on Shrike’s arm. “Be at ease; they know what they must do. Trust in their skills.”

Shrike pauses to give the party one last look. “Don’t mess up,” they state bluntly before striding off to the next tent.

Jorsal clears his throat awkwardly, then sighs, before picking up a sheet from a pile of similar documents and handing it over, along with a rough map. “Now, as relatively junior members of the Society, your job will be scouting and mapping the initial sites we’ve selected. Take this to the quartermaster and he’ll provide you some basic equipment for exploration. Explore everything in your assigned area and make an accurate map. Explore all the buildings on the surface, inside and out. Find any entrances to underground levels and explore them as far as is practical. Keep an eye out for any threats and neutralize them. Clear your area so it’s safe for the follow-up scholars to go in and begin the detail work. Understood?”

The map and handout are on slides 2 and 3.

Jukuza takes the paper and map, holding it open so the team can take a look at it. "Explore the area and make sure it's safe for the little fish to come in and clean up after us. Sounds easy enough. Shall we go see the quartermaster?"

In addition to providing you the equipment listed on Handout #1, the quartermaster’s store has equipment normally available to the PCs for purchase. The camp counts as a settlement of more than 5,000 people, but only for purposes of non-magical equipment, consumables, and spell-casting
services.

Ylen takes a look at the map.

"Clearing up for the scholars, works for me. Looks like 8-10 point of interest based on this draft. Just one last question, how long does it take to travel to Min-Khadaim ? "

He turns back to jukuza:

"Lets bring as much equipment as we can. I've read too many stories about bad encounters while exploring forgotten ruins. I trust your fists to protect us, but in my experience, nothing beats being prepared."

Pasha peers at the map as well, holding her chin, studying it as she speaks to her long-time friend, Jukuza.

"Those "little fish" have a job that is just as important as ours. We'll do our best to protect and preserve what we find. There shouldn't be much cleaning up after we're through scouting."

She turns to the team.

"Well, it looks like our work is cut out for us. Let's hurry and get our equipment so we can start exploring. Be sure to grab a torch and dress for the cold. May the stars guide us!"

Jorsal looks slightly puzzled at Ylen's question, then points to the ruins over at the edge of the forest.

"Well, right there, so it probably shouldn't take you too long to reach your assigned section...?"

Let me know where you would like to go first :-)

James makes a suggestion. The fastest way is A1, A2, A5, A6, A7, A9, A8, A4, A3

"Sounds like a good starting point James. Let's head to (A1) and then go from there. We might find something that alters our course." Jukuza picks up the equipment from the quartermaster with ease and packs it away into the saddlebags of the pack horse. He grabs a few extra torches as well before guiding the horse to his druid friend for her to handle as they head over to the ruins.

Ylen grabs his pack and follows the group towards the entrance of the ruins.

"I must admit that I am curious to se what these ruins contains, let's go take a closer look !"

Alright, this next section is basically one giant skill challenge...

The way this section works, the party as a whole needs *one* success (at a fairly high DC) on the specified skill check for the area. You can all just roll individually, or attempt to aid a primary. In this specific situation, the DC to aid is only 15, rather than 20.

A1 - DISTRICT ENTRANCE:

This grand archway stands 100 feet tall and is made of enormous blocks of basalt set together without mortar. The exterior faces are carved with astronomical images, with sun and moon symbols dominating. From this vantage point, the stand of bruorsivi pines blocks the view of the amphitheater (area A4), the ziggurat (area A7), the storehouses (area A8), and the planetarium (area A9).

I need an Athletics check to 'clear' this section.

Jukuza will take out some paper and jot some notes down about the area, describing the symbols on the surfaces and the surrounding areas.

What exactly are we doing the check for? Are we like clearing the archway of debris or something? Would the pickaxes or sledgehammers help at all? Jukuza has +7 athletics so we might be better off aiding or if we have two good athletics checks, maybe doing two rolls with a person aiding each?

+7 here to, you ain't going to get better than +7 unless we have a level 2 and we don't
athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"Fascinating, these symbols seem to confirm that the ancient cyclops race were more advanced than their modern counterpart. Maybe some kind of star worship."

Ylen then notices James trying to clear the Archway.

"Here, let me help you !"

Athletics to aid James Athletics: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12

Jukuza sees the barbarian immediately start pulling large pieces of debris from the area and nods his head with approval, moving over next to him to start helping.

Aid James
Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Jukuza gives James a boost, enabling him to find and use a reliable path to Climb the archway without damaging it, and allows him to document the finer details of the astronomical images upon it.

In total, this takes two hours.

Following your previously indicated plan...

A2:

The district wall stands 60 feet tall and is 60 feet wide at the base, narrowing to a width of 30 feet at the top. The walls are made of the same massive blocks as the entrance arch. Though battered and shaken by earthquakes over the centuries, the wall is still largely intact, except for one area that has collapsed.

Crafting checks are required here to work out what happened...

"Well that was easy, but what do we have over here? I wonder what happened to this wall..." Jukuza has no clue about buildings or structures so he waits for someone else to start assessing the damage and looks around at the damaged wall with them.

Aiding, unless I can't, then just making a rough attempt.

Crafting: 1d20 ⇒ 18

"I wonder if this has a natural cause... Let's take a closer look"

If no one else has a better bonus (+4), i'll attempt the check, otherwise i'll aid
Crafting: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

We are making record time guys, go team. 25+ the aid I got is possibly a crit success. and that 20+ an aid on craft is probably a success, I'm assuming.

@James: for this particular series of Exploration activities, there are no critical successes... but their are also no critical failures.

It takes another two hours to properly investigate the wall, but with a bit of help from Jukuza, Ylen eventually determines that the stones making up the collapsed portion of the wall have partially melted... without disturbing the surrounding stones...

Moving on to A5...

GRAND PLAZA:

This was once a broad paved roadway leading from the archway to the great temple in the distance. The edges of the plaza are defined by decorative stone pillars and fragments of statuary. The road surface itself is covered with grass and a thick layer of soil, requiring some digging to expose the original paving stones.

Investigating the countless statues requires an Occultism or Society check.

"I really wish I had studied a bit harder at Magaambya before dropping out..." Jukuza studies the statues a bit and makes his best attempt at trying to figure some little detail that might help some other more knowledgeable person figure out their importance.

Aid Occultism or Society: 1d20 ⇒ 17

I know my society well.
society: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 not including the aid, cause I forgot the aid rules, I don't think it is +2 anymore in Pathfinder 2e.
Just not sure I know anything about statues.

I'm not well-versed in this field, but I'm happy to consult the stars and assist.

Saoc astrology: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Saoc astrology:
Requirements: You must spend 10 minutes just after your daily preparations examining the sky or consulting a star chart or you can’t use this action that day.
If your next action requires you to attempt one or more skill checks, roll 1d8. On a result of 6, 7, or 8, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the first such skill check you attempt. On a 3, 4, or 5, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus. On a 2, you gain nothing. On a 1, you take a –1 circumstance penalty to the skill check.

Society: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Astronomical symbols first, and now statues. I wonder what they represents

Occultism: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

@James: Aid is now a DC 20 check, and gives you a +1. If you crit fail the check (so, 10 or less), you instead give them a -1.

Most of the party is unable to make no progress with the statues, but Ylen realises that, although many of the statues are so eroded as to be featureless, they are *not* humanoid in basic design...

This takes another two hours.

Moving on to A6...

The bruorsivi pine forest opens into a clearing 30 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...

James: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21.

Before anyone steps in, James realises that there is a Haunt centred upon the dragon's skull.

I only rolled for him, because based on the profiles I can access, he is the only PC with Perception(Expert), which is the requirement for spotting this Haunt.

Religion (Trained) or Diplomacy (Trained) is required to exorcise/calm the haunt. You can each make one attempt, before it activates...

"Oh great, dragons. I had an odd feeling it may involve dragons after seeing that melted wall area, and I remember the Venture Captain mentioning dragon-riding knights and dragons still lurking around in the hills. Sadly I'm of no help when it comes to haunts, the only religion I am familiar with is my own."

Jukuza hopes one of the others can deal with the dragon skull but prepares himself for the worst in case something goes wrong.

Please, don't haunt us. diplomacy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
oh boy, probably a crit fail if that even matters. I did read the thing about no crits, if that applies to haunts as well.

Forgot to add my full character sheet on my profile, should be available now :)

"And here we go, one day we'll find some ruins that are truly empty and harmless. This place is starting to me me the creeps, weird statues and haunted dragonskull.."

Well, for now let's see if I can do something about this haunt"

Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Pasha closes her eyes and runs a jittery hand over the skull.
"Spirits, please calm yourselves."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

I'll add my character sheet on my profile asap

Sadly, that is nowhere near enough :-/ I apologise in advance - There are multiple complaints about how dangerous this Haunt is...

No-one in the party is able to calm the spirits, and they respond by causing a storm of bone shards to explode outwards, enveloping the party!

Shower of Shards: 2d10 + 7 ⇒ (10, 1) + 7 = 18 damage. DC 20 Reflex.

?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8.
James: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25.
Jukuza: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13.
Pashabelle: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16.
Ylen: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9.

The Spirits Are Restless, Round 1:

James (-; Reflex save)
Pashabelle (-; Reflex save)
Jukuza (-; Reflex save)
Ylen (-; Reflex save)
? (-, -)

Party is up! Don't forget those Hero Points...

Jukuza sees the shards coming towards him and tries to flip out of the way...

Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

And will apparently use his Hero Point right away because yeah...

Reflex 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Oh thank Gozreh.

...and manages to avoid the deadly attack, now ready to strike back at his enemy.

Are there weird rules for Haunts in 2nd edition that we should know about? Do they work the same as 1st edition?

Pasha gasps at the sudden explosion, attempting to side-step the attack...

Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

She swerves, avoiding the deadly shards of bone.

”Whew, the stars are on my side... but...,” her brows furrowed.

Worried for her team, she looks around, holding her breath as she mentally prepares herself to make use of her medicinal training.

Ylen tries to dodge he bone explosions ....

reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
argh, hero point it is
reflex again: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

...but reacts too slowly and is directly hit by the blast. He falls to the ground, unconscious.

18 damage hurts ! Ylen is now Dying 1.

@Jukuza: Basically, it depends on the Haunt. You can still attempt Religion and Diplomacy checks to 'calm' it, but the DC is quite high.

This one, is not an 'auto-reset', but it is immediately obvious to you that the bone shards from the explosion are slowly migrating back to reform the skull, resetting the Haunt... at some point...

Jukuza will rush to grab his unconscious teammate and drag him back towards where they came from, far away from the dragon skull.

Do we have to go through this area to get to another section or can we go around it? We might have to avoid it for now and come back to see if we can explore it a little better.

"I think we should maybe look around some of the other areas for now and possibly make another attempt at this later. If necessary, I think we can have one person try to calm the spirits of this area that way at least all of us won't get blasted."

Jukuza will lay Ylen on the ground when they are far from the skull and motion for Pasha to come take a look at him.

Umm... Yeah, you *could* do that, but we are still in combat rounds, for... reasons...

Gotcha, well I will still do that action, move to Ylen, pick him up and toss him over my shoulder, and then move towards the way we came. I'm not sure where we came in on the map or where we are positioned, but if you could make that movement for me once they get added I'd appreciate it.

reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 Is it all or none, or all or half
Jame will doublemove and withdraw bow. Normally I'm up front, but haunts, I'll save that for the clerics, champions, highly religious and diplomatic. I don't like this one.

Dm, if you think I'd be disobeying my anthema, I'll change my action. "Failing to face a personal challenge of strength is anathema." Running away from a Troll probably would be, but running away from a haunt that doesn't care about your AC or Fort saves and relies more on skills to disable more than attacks is a different story.

@James: Yeah, I'm not a bastard. I wouldn't do that to you.

The party starts to withdraw; as they do so, the bones start to reassemble.

You think that you have about a minute to make skill checks, if you want to (and I strongly recommend that you do), before the Haunt resets... since there is literally no downside to trying whilst it is 'defenseless'.

However, as you do so, two Goblin skeletons rise up from the ground, to block your path!

The Spirits Are Restless, Round 2:

James (-9)
Pashabelle (-9)
Jukuza (-9)
Ylen (-17; Unconscious; Dying 1 **Still pending Stabilisation check from Round 1, as well)
Goblin Skeletons (-, -)

Party is up!

I'm not trying to play for her, but Pasha did ask me if she should heal during Round 1 and I told her to wait for James to roll his save in case he needed healing as well. She's new to Pathfinder so I'm still helping her figure some things out. We will probably have Ylen healed up during Round 1. Also just realized that the Reflex was for half damage so we will probably all need healing anyways.

Jukuza sees the skeletons rising up and moves to defend his teammates by taking on his Dragon Stance and moving to intercept one of them (light blue) as his foot glows a faint aqua blue with his ki, snapping a flurry of kicks at it. (Ki Strike + Flurry of Blows)

Shark Tail Ki Kick: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Shark Tail Ki Kick: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25 +1 if I miss on the first kick because of Backswing

I'll assume at least the one hit, let me know if I need to roll more damage.

Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 + Positive Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Round 1 Stabilisation
Stabilisation DC 11: 1d20 ⇒ 6
Failure, Ylen is Dying 2

Round 2 Stabilisation
Stabilisation DC 12: 1d20 ⇒ 1
Critical Failure, Ylen is Dead at the end of the turn

Ylen condition is quickly worsening as it seems that a vital organ was damaged by the haunt.

Hopefully someone has any kind of healing available or this will be a short lived character :p

Don't worry Ylen, there isn't a heal coming in Round 1 but there is definitely one coming in Round 2. We're not losing you yet!

Jukuza kicks Cyan's skull from its shoulders, and it collapses to the ground in a pile of bones.

Well, I already withdrew my bow, but I'm going to drop that thing, rage and pull out my guisarme which has reach

hit: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
dmg: 1d10 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15 my ac is now 17 because of raging

I also had an animal companion with me, Pyxis, so I'll do their saving throw along with my last round. Sorry for the delay.

Round 1:
Pyxis Saving Throw: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Pyxis falls to the ground. Pasha moves with the group (1st action) and pulls out a Scroll of Heal (2nd action).

Round 2:
"Hang in there, Ylen."
Pasha uses her Scroll of Heal to do a 30ft emanation heal.
Scroll of Heal: 1d8 ⇒ 4

James misses with his guisarme.

Fort: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5.

Pashabelle not only brings her allies back from the brink of death...

...she also causes the remaining skeleton to turn to ash!

The Spirits Are Restless, Round 3:

James (-5)
Pashabelle (-5)
Jukuza (-5)
Ylen (-13; Wounded 1)

Party is up! Defeat that Haunt! :-)