(#1-03) "Escaping the Grave" (Inactive)

Game Master rainzax

Goldenflame College (Part Four)

Though the floor creaks as he tip toes across, Darg makes it to the other side, and peering down, confirms that the drop down is less than a single story's height. The opposite door is unlocked.

...

...

...

The Party is Up!

Exploration Round 14, start
Brayka stalks into the college through the front door after the party, shield out, flail drawn, darkvision piercing the gloom. He spies Darg, lit by his own lantern as he steps into the room ahead. Brakya stows the flail and pulls and loads his sling, nodding silently to Ryiah and Nenyath.

A touch of blush may grace Brayka's cheeks as he greets the friends he left, but it is hard to tell in the murk. Brayka paces to the edge of the room and peers into the shadows around Darg, where the light has trouble reaching.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Darg looks back "Ahh Brayka, you have returned. I set your broadsword down there in the hall. Can the front entrance be barred closed? Dark looks at the floor, "Watch the rotten spots but the floor seems intact." . Darg readies his shield then opens the door and looks about.

With Brayka re-joining them Nenyath pushes on to catch up with Darg, eyeing the wrecked floor with some distrust given their heavy armour. "If you think it's safe my friend just tell me where to step. I'm not sure if blocking the door will help if it blocks our escape."

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Darg thinks for a second, "If the undead come here, we will need to find ways to slow them down if this is to be our last stand." Darg looks at the floor, "Stay clear of the darker wood, there is rot, and a fall about a floor down and I for one do not want to see what is down there."

"Is there another entrance they are likely to come in? I would think they'd come to the front door. Maybe we can barricade it in a way that we can clear easily if needed? I agree with Darg that we'll need to slow them down if they come here. Maybe if we are fast enough, we can search this building and flee before they arrive."

"I think that might be our best chance - with what we have seen so far - our foes are too numerous to mount a successful defence - if that should be my fate then as the Lady wills it - however speed may help us avoid sucha grisly fate." Nenyath replies as they make their way acrossthe ruined flooring to catch up with Darg, sword gripped tightly as they move as nimbly as possible.

Goldenflame College (Part Five)

While Darg and Ryiah look out - and opening the next door into the next room (which itself has two doors opposite eachother) - Brayka and Nenyath climb down the sunken floor to inspect it thoroughly for bodies, artifacts, or anything else of interest, and turning up empty, climb back out.

The party then proceeds into the next room: Dirty rugs, shattered desks, and smashed-in doors are what remains of these small offices. Papers and long-dried inkwells are scattered among the detritus. The broken door across from eachother near the further side of the room remain ajar...

...

The Party is Up!

Darg, searching back and forth, looking for hidden creatures or traps, moves slowly across the room to the door on the east wall and opens it, shield ready.

modifier round 14
Brayka nods at Darg pointing out his bastard sword and throws a return salute. He returns the sling and bullet, and picks up the sword. He then proceeds to search the sunken room ...

round 15
Brayka losing sight of Darg, climbs back down and follows him into the east room, avoiding the rotted portion of floor as he moves. As he approaches Darg he murmurs
“I’ll look at barring the door when we move back across. For now, ironically, I’ll suggest we stay close.” Finding the detritus of the east room (desks, etc.), he pauses to comb through it for anything pertaining to the mission or of use. He sheathes the sword and begins to search:

Perception/Seek: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Brayka discovers a corpse in the north-eastern office, heavy claw marks and deep rips marring it, which lies sprawled and partially covered by the broken desk in the northwest corner. The desiccated flesh of zombies litters the floor around it. Scraps of cloth hang tattered around its mangled hands, which even now are locked into fists...

PCs may attempt Crafting, Medicine, or Perception checks to continue to either identify the body, or, spend time searching the rooms further...

Darg will spend the next round searching through the rooms for anything useful. Perception check

Darg searches the west room - and comes back with a small cache! - behind the collapsed cabinet against the north wall he found a Channel Protection Amulet as well as a glint of metal in the caved-in portion of the room discovered to be a Wayfinder (2 Treasure Bundles)!

Anyone donning these discovered items?

Darg holds out the two items, "Did either of these belong to any of our missing Pathfinders? Would anyone like them, I do not need a compass and this jewelry...well, not of my liking."

Ryiah tentatively examines the body, trying to figure out if it matches anyone in any of their descriptions.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Goldenflame College (Part Five, Continued)

As the PCs effectively clear the three northerly offices of danger, as well as seemingly find everything there is to find, Ryiah begins taking some time to partially examine the decomposed and chewn-through body Darg discovered, coming to the following conclusion: She recognizes that the body’s mouth has large, broken-off tusk stumps (first partly indistinguishable from the wounds it presumably incurred in life or shortly after death), and that the fists were heavily calloused (first partly difficult to determine if the rough skin was the result of mangling, as well as being ensheathed in now-torn handwraps).

She shares her findings with the party.

...

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The Party is Up!

Ryiah pulls out her notes and quickly reads through them. "I think this must be Bryrigar...I am rapidly losing hope that any of the Pathfinders remain alive. Shall we continue to search? I hope we can finish in time to leave.

Ryiah will Search the areas they are moving through. +5 modifier.

Darg listens to the information and grunts, "Sounds like the Half Orc pit-fighter, what's his name...." Darg trails off. He looks at the corpse for a few seconds then mutters, someone put out, "Right, so you get to ride in the wagon as well."

"Darg, I'll take the amulet, not too proud to ward off spells. If someone wants the Wayfinder, it can cast a light spell. Doesn't help me much and I already have a compass.". Brayka dons the Channel Protection Amulet.

As Ryiah names the corpse, Brayka places a hand on it and closes his eyes. "Blood, not rust, may Gorum take you.". He then enshrouds the body in one of his sacks to carry (well, lug) over his shoulder.

"Think this room is finished, shall we see the next?". Brayka makes to enter the next room (see map), gently setting Bryrigar down and readying sword, shield.

dossiers updated for Bryrigar

Darg heads out of the north wing of the building and moves across to a door in the south wall of the great hall. "Yes, let us clear this floor, then we can see if you can exit out the back to place the body in the cart." Darg will wait for the rest of the group to get back out into the main hall, check the door, then open it.

Round 14

Catching up the others following a rather disappointing search through the ruined basement, Nenyath kneels before their fallen ally, offering a prayer to the Lady of Graves to see them safely through the River and to their rightful resting place. "Rest well Brother, may yet we can avenge you and so many others." he finishes as he stands. "I suggest you take the Wayfinder Darg, will help you see as Brayka says."

Before leaving the room they make another search. perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Round 15

Pressing on through the ruined College, Nenyath stands opposite to Darg, indicating that the man should open the door before swinging through the opening, shield raised in case of abomination ambush.

Goldenflame College (Part Six)

Brayka dons the amulet while Ryiah identifies the fallen pathfinder. Then, having cleared the northern side of the first floor, Darg and Nenyath valiantly stride ahead to the closest southern side door, and kicking it down, discover...

...

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The Party is Up!

Darg hangs the wayfinder around his neck and moves cautiously across the room, looking for nasty surprises, to the opposite door. Giving it a once over he opens the door, shield held ready.
I dont think the wayfarer lets me cast light. Does someone have a light spell?

As Darg looks curiously at the Wayfinder, Brayka walks up.

“As I understand from my training classes at the Grand Lodge, you think ‘light’ and it will cast that spell on itself, may I try?”

◆ Activate “light” spell on Wayfinder

Brayka clips the now lit Wayfinder to Darg’s chest armor. “There we are.”

Brayka then follows Darg to the next door and readies sword and shield while Darg opens it.

Darg looks at the glowing thing around his neck for a minute then mutters to it, "We shall talk later" before putting away his lantern and drawing his flail. He then open the door.

Goldenflame College (Part Six, Continued)

With a ginger touch, Brayka affixes the Wayfinder to Darg and teaches him in it's use - the fighter speaks the magic word and, perhaps to his amazement, it glows with a soft but supple light. So knighted, the Pathfinder Four head to the southern side of the first floor of Goldenflame College, and through a pair of doors, now peering into what appears to be a lounge area.

The velvet-lined sofa pushed up against the north wall is caked in dust. Broken chairs rest in the southwest. A small closet and empty office, both with their doors torn off or kicked in, are to the west. Closed wooden doors lead to the east and south. If there was ever a sense of "comfort" in this room, it is now long gone...

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...

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The Party is Up!

Brayka, hearing his comrades exclaiming but not detecting anything himself:

(◆)Takes a moment to look and listen into the room (Seek for creatures in a 15 foot burst centered on the room (covers the room), Secret Perception check = 1d20+4).

(◆)Points Out anything discovered to the team and finally

(◆)Raises his shield (AC=19).

Reactions prepared: Shield Block, Unimpeded Liberating Step

Darg strides across the room to the couch ◆, "Come out you hellspawn, that couch is mine!" . Darg raises his foot and shoves the couch back as hard as he can ◆ athletics check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 and then raises his shield.◆

Goldenflame College (Part Seven)

Brayka pokes his head under the couch with care, keeping his shield arm at-the-ready, eyes rapid to identify anything they see through the darkness underneath. Not a second later - with near simultaneity! - Darg kicks up the couch and a loud "EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHKKK!!!!!!" pierces the room, as the couch goes flying into the air to reveal a terrified half-orc man in tattered robes with a leaf tattoo on his forehead screaming his vocal chords off and a look of abject horror in his widened eyes - he begins scrambling away from Darg crawling with desperate limbs only to crash right into Brayka's heavily armored body.

There is a momentary pause as he fixes his gaze now on the goblin. Then, as if sucking all the silence from the room, another ear-piercing "HHAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"...

!!!

Ryiah draws her rapier as Darg kicks the couch out of the way. She raises her arm, ready to strike this horrifying creature, when she suddenly realizes he's not an undead monster, or some other equally horrid creature. She quickly lowers her sword.

"Wait, wait, wait! We're not hear to hurt you! We're friends! We didn't think any of you were still alive. We are fellow Pathfinders!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Even as his eyes now fix on Ryiah as she speaks soothing and non-violent words, he hyperventilates and abruptly passes out...

Exiting Encounter Mode!

Brayka drops his armament and grabs the swooning Half-orc, gently lowering him to the ground. Brayka glances at the leaf tattoo. His eyes register recognition, and then his jaw hardens in .... reproach? The party hasn’t seen Brayka this judgemental before.

“You abandoned your steed, Larraz.” he growls out. The he looks the half-orc over:

Medicine(u): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Seeing that Larraz is mostly fine, just dehydrated, Brayka’s hand lashes out at Larraz’s face...but stops short. Flushing, the Goblin composes himself.

“The man here needs water, could someone prepare some while I wake him? We may get some questions answered here.”

Brayka moves the same hand to Larraz’s shoulder and shakes him, firmly but humanely.

“Larraz, Larraz, we’re from the Pathfinder society. Wake up, Desert Wind needs you. The storm also passes, adherent of Gozreh.”

Darg rushes to check on the status of the couch. He flips it right side up, mumbling under his breath, "Come on, hold it together. Dont come apart on me now."

If the couch is still usable as a seat
Darg slowly lowers himself on the couch and lets out a sigh. He then looks back to the half-orc and smiles broadly, "Ah...your not dead. Good work.

If the couch is damaged and cannot be sat upon
Darg looks over the broken couch and curses then gives it a half-hearted kick. He looks back and seems to notice the half-orc, "Your not dead. Now the couch is ruined."

Either way, Darg will eventually take a look around the room to see what he can find.

Darg flips the couch down and sits.

Larraz is jolted awake at Brayka's handling!

It visibly take a moment for him to fully process your faces - as if some lingering terror besides the "couch incident" stays with him even yet - as if he hasn't seen a living face for some time now - but eventually he gathers enough wits to speak. He replays the goblin's words (spoken moments ago) in his head...

...and jumps up! "Desert Wind!? Where!?!?" freeing himself from Brayka's stern grip, he strides over to speak with Ryiah "Where is my horse and companion? He is alive?! Please take me to him!" then looking back at Brayka, remarks "You're hurt" his trained eye zeroing in on some bruises from the collapsed ceiling "Indeed - the Storm Passes" and drawing his hands together in some sort configuration, speaks a few primal words, as the color in the bruises lose their purplish hue, now restored to healthy and vibrant green!

1d8 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 hit points healed to Brayka.

"Where too?"

Brayka, slightly surprised, takes a step back and similarly scans Larraz. As he does so, he unslings his water skin and passes it to the half-orc. “You need water.”

“We are a Pathfinder recovery team sent from Caliphas, Ustalav. We are here to rescue living Pathfinders and recover any dead ones. We are also trying to recover cultural artifacts. Desert Wind is hitched safely out back to the well. He helped us draw a wagonload of bodies from the village below. He is in fair condition, malnourished and underwatered but we’ve done what we can for him. I would understand if you want to see him for yourself, but I’m hoping you can aid us on this mission? I have two spare knives, a sling and a flail if you require armament, I fear I carry no armor I’d expect your oaths allow.”

Larraz seems to regain even more composure here. He nods. His demeanor is solemn.

"We became trapped when the forces of the Whispering Tyrant began attacking Lastwall, and decided to head for Ustalav. By the time we arrived here, Goldenflame had already fallen. I got separated from my group - more of them than we could deal with headed us off - my final command to my steed was to protect my team as best he could..."

He pauses here, perhaps temporarily overcome with sorrow and shame.

"It has been quiet here until you came. Several moons. I was not expecting to ever see living faces again. I would very much like to see Desert Wind now, if what you say is true, and he is hitched out back. Please. I can assist you in your mission in any way after that. Please."

Eyes staring up from parched lips, at your mercy.

Darg cocks his head, "The horse was your best warrior?" Darg strokes the couch slowly, enjoying the soft feel of the cusion. His brow darkens as he looks at it, "Yes, I know, we cannot just sit here." He gets up, looks at the half-orc, "You can heal, you can come with us. We need to search the college for any others, but time is short. A spy is leading the undead to us."

Brayka rummages in his backpack for a moment. He hands 10 sling bullets and some red chalk to Larraz.

"See to Desert Wind. My riding dog, Plum, is also with him."

Brayka glances to Darg. "Darg is right, we have little time. If you have a chance, get the wagon we had ready to go." Brayka then holds out the dossiers. "I hate to ask this of you, but we have recovered bodies in the wagon, see if you recognize any of them as our matching Pathfinders. We are under orders to return only with Pathfinders . . . The other fallen citizens we may need to commit to fire."

Then Brayka holds up a blue stick of chalk. "We will make a slash mark in blue on each room that we enter off the main hall. As we come out, we'll change the slash to a plus sign. If there is remaining danger in the room, we'll make a second slash under the the first mark. Use this system to find us when you come back. Use the red chalk similarly if you need to go anywhere other than the main hall or rear exit."

Brayka steps back. "I am sorry for your losses, but it is good to have your aid now."

As the others deal with the bruised and exhausted Druid, Nenyath keeps watch at the doorway to the room, keeping an eye and ear on the space around them, lest they be ambushed by forces inside the college. "Brayka's advice seems good enough - now let us press on before the Lady has several more souls to weigh in my forsaken homeland."

Moving carefully, the Champion moves towards the East door, examining it before opening it as noiselessly as possible.

Goldenflame College (Part Seven, Continued)

With his thick eyebrows, Larraz seems to answer "yes" to Darg's question, then, perhaps now arriving completely at his senses, he intakes the immediacy of the situation explained to him, setting his body to fast movements, his muscles remembering what operating like a team feels like once again. "Thank you. And yes. I will identify them, and sort the bodies" he squints his eyes in concentration as Brayka explains the chalk code, then takes it, and the bullets, and nods, leaving at once towards the well...

...Nenyath opens the door east of them. An unremarkable closet. Empty now.

...

...

Search this Lounge or Closet more thoroughly? Move on? Where?...

Darg stands and grabs his flail and readies his shield. He moves across the room and opens the door in the south wall. "Guess we need to be searching."

??

Ryiah aids in searching each room they enter. She's as systematic as possible, wanting to avoid wasting time by having multiple people search the same area more than once. They are looking for bodies after all. Whether living or dead, the shouldn't be hard to miss!

Perception +5

Darg looks around the strange room and calls back, "I am not sure what this room was for. Seems strange for a dining room, but there are so many chairs. Beware, some of the floor is rotten here too."

Darg will give the room a once over, looking for anything valuable or dead.

Goldenflame College (Part Eight)

This spacious classroom still contains some relatively intact seating and a dusty old rug. To the west, the floor is sodden, and part of it has collapsed, revealing a hole filled with shattered bookshelves, broken chairs, and other decor. A second set of doors exit to the northeast.

Too, a glint of metal catches your eyes as you stare into the hole. And just as someone approaches, Ryiah yells out to stay back - pointing out the sodden floor and a section of the wall that has sprung a leak (causing it to accumulate over time) is liable to give at any moment. But, that if they could secure the weaker sections temporarily, they might be able to lessen the impact of what would otherwise be a 10-foot drop.

A Crafting or Architecture Lore check!

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...

So?

Darg stares down through the hole at the shiny object below. " It would appear that the drop is no more than 10 feet, as a stone falls." Darg puts his flail away, " Given the weather conditions and the time of day." Dar straps his shield to his back, "and given the average cure length for an average house support from this time period." Dar stops and chuckles a bit, "oh yeah, I dont know anything about this."

With a quick motion he turns, takes a step backwards into the opening.

ok Darg wants to grab the edge of the floor near the hole where he was standing (held his weight) and grab the edge, so he is dangling down. That way it is only a 3 ft drop to the bottom (no damage technically). Darg hasnt really thought it out. Going to make an athletics but if you want me to roll something else, let me know.

Athletics check: 120 + 8 = 128

fingers crossed

clearly have overstated Dargs ability,let me re-roll that
Athletics check: 120 + 8 = 128

ugh, small d, small d!!!!!!!
athletics check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Brazenly, against the warning of Ryiah, Darg moves to climb down - but the whole floor collapses! - as he goes tumbling 10 feet down into the now-larger pit (Sustaining 5 falling damage), debris from the collapse now covering him as well as the source of the "glint"...

???

Brayka, hearing the crashing and tumbling, looks down at Darg.

"Hang on."

He breaks his rope out of his pack and loops it securely around a nearby door knob, then lowers himself into the hole after Darg.

Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Brayka feels the rope slipping . . .

As Brayka lowers himself down, the doorknob snaps off and with it, the rope, and with that, the Liberator, tumbling down into the hole with his friend Darg (Also sustaining 5 falling damage), both of them covered in moldy floor boards and the smell of rotting wood and long-decayed flesh...

What now?

Brayka stands up. "Well, at least this rib pain is consistent today, wouldn't want to stay healthy." He gives Darg a hand up too.

Brayka recovers the rope, dons the shield, then starts to search the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14