[OSP] GM PaleDim's PFS# 06-16 Scions of the Sky Key, Part 3 (Inactive)

Game Master PaleDim

Ari-Ani whispers back, "Probably the same type of creature that can turn people to stone."

On this observation I'm going to add some rules reminders that may become relevant as you explore this area:

Talethia grabs the leather bag-toy before leaving this otherwise empty room.

Do you want to do any further investigation in the room Gaskar is in?

Mei decides she is tired of waiting and decides to follow Gaskar into the room.

"Mei! Come back here!"Ki Chin hissed as his familiar decides to follow Gaskar deeper into the room. "There is a dangerous creature here! You must not stare at whatever creature we find here."

The magus slowly follows the fox, keeping his eyes to the ground.

Specifically, anything to do with this before moving on? Or else where to next?

A number of weapons have been stashed in a pile to the north.

Gaskar pays the weapons no mind. He's happy with his flail. Then Mei runs into the room. 'Ah, well better go follow the fox.'. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy ... no dogs here.

'Fine, I'll check the weapons.' Gaskar harumphs as he walks over.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Gaskar walks over to the pile of weapons at kicks at it a bit. Most of the weapons are of poor quality and virtually worthless. However, one longsword seems to stand out as at least masterwork. The crossguard has the initials "N.S." engraved on it.

Cast Detect Magic.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

"Hey, it's a magic sword. Can you tell the enchantment, Ki Chin? Or Meux? I'm not much of an academic with magical stuff-" Talethia shrugs. "-If magic works, it works, I don't really study how or why."

She will glance around the room to check for anything else magical while she's got the spell active.

Talethia detects nothing else of note in the room, magical or otherwise.

What direction do the heroes head next?

Others feel free to backfill spellcraft checks.

Soleil considers the magic sword, then looks at her own two blades and says, to no one in particular, "No thanks, I'm good with my blades. I'm a samurai, you know."

She does not have spellcraft trained

"N.S.?" Magmara says, noticing the engraving on the sword. "Nieford Sharrowsmith, perhaps? Could be a good sign that we're on the right path."

"A pity it is not a scimitar..."

Talethia will secure the sword to her pack (unless Ki Chin wants it badly). It isn't quite her style, but she knows how to use it and a magic sword might come in handy (assuming it's not cursed). She will follow Gaskar wherever he's headed.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
"It is unfortunate but my studies have not yet progressed so far. I am unable to identify the magic in the sword." Ki Chin wonders as he turns the sword this way and that taking a close look at the initials.

"N.S.? The venture-captain we are looking for is named Nieford Sharrowsmith. Do you suppose this sword is his? If this is his sword this does not bode well."

The sword does seem to be left behind by the missing Venture-Captain. There is truly nothing left in the room but junk now, and none of the spellcasters detect any further magical auras in the room.

Where to next?

Gaskar leads the charge! He'll put his finger to his lips to indicate everyone needs to be silent. Then he'll continue down the hallway. Looking right, he sees a doorway and will slowly creep up that way.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

"Well, it is, more than likely, a good indication we will find him here. And, by the fact that we are not presently inspecting his corpse, it does offer some bit of hope."

Meux follows along with care, averting his eyes to the feet of the person in front of him.

Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Gaskar glides along quietly. He sees that the hallway continues to an opening in the middle of this area that contains a fountain.

At the center of the large fountain, a white marble statue of a dwarf in scholarly robes faces east in a defiant posture. In one hand, the dwarf holds a staff, and in the other an open book. While most of the statue’s elaborate details are still intact, its face has crumbled away, and water pours down from two holes where the statue’s eyes had once been.

If you approach the fountain to inspect the statue...

IF you know Dwarven, you can make the following untrained and with a +5 circumstance bonus.

Gaskar quickly determines that the next door is safe to open...

The smell of incense is almost overpowering in this house, where shelves full of jars and vases of different sizes line the walls. Three kobolds lie motionless in stone beds.

Three of the jars have a crude drawing of a lizard’s head on their labels.

Ari-Ani follows after Gaskar Take 10 on Stealth =22 and enters the room, looking for traps. Perception for Traps (Take 10)=20

She eyes the Kobolds nervously T10 on Hea=11l and then shrugs. She can' help but look into he jars, but has no clue what they contain as she backs away.

Talethia is trying to be quiet as she moves through the room.
Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

But she steps on some crumbled stone as she's looking at the Dwarf statue.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
She notices the pickaxe marks on the statue.

Heal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

"These kobolds are expired..."

Relevant cause of death?

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 14
Ki Chin follows carefully taking note of the statue. He kneels to take a closer look at the damage to the status.
"Now why would anyone want to damage this statue?" the magus wonders out loud.

Gaskar watches his companions enter the room with the kobolds. He'll nod but will join Lin Ki Chin by the fountain.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Do the pickaxe marks look recent or ancient?

Gaskar looks around for more kobolds, but wont explore further without his companions.

Meux can tell that the kobolds died due to some manner of blunt force. Given your surroundings, you guess perhaps a cave-in?

Outside the room, at the statue Gaskar can tell that the pickaxe marks look recent. The group has been familiar with the kobolds' defacing of ruins in the past.

By the way, crafting can be attempted untrained.

"What's that stink in the air?" Soleil asks, sniffing. "Was someone burning incest?"

Craft Alchemy (untrained): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

"You mean incense, dear," Magmara quickly corrects, and joins her in trying to identify it.

Craft Alchemy (untrained): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Ari-Ani decides to do a more thorough search of the room with the dead kobolds.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Ari-Ani, since crafting can be tried untrained, your two rolls (if craft, not perception) get through the craft spoilers above. Feel free to share that info with the party (those spoilers are now open). That info may be essentially to dealing with whatever is skulking around in this area.

Ari-Ani further investigates the jars.

"As I suspected. We have a basilisk in the area. all this rubble must be its victims. It turns out that three of these jars provide a cure. Spread the gel on the stoned victim and return the to flesh. It is possible the woman we say previously may be restored to health. In any event, I would recommend that one of us keeps the jars and remains back from the group. Should we all get turned to stone, then there would be no one to rescue us."

We can't spread it on ourselves a prior to make us immune?

Nope, it's reactive, not preventative (unfortunately). And it's three doses. Note that it only works within an hour of petrification... but you did get the idea that the keleshite woman was freshly petrified.

"Should we try and saver her.? She was Aspis, but she might be indebted to us."

Ari-Ani will return to her and see if she can figure out the specific type of gear she carries.

Gaskar hangs back. Basilisk.. Shouldn't wander too far away from the group. The half-orc rogue puts his fingers to his lips to indicate that everyone needs to be quiet. Don't want to attract any attention.

He will wait for others to regroup by the fountain. Gaskar shows the others the recent vandalism. Then he'll point to a door (the door in the north east) and sneak up that way.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Ari-Ani, the gear is pretty standard issue aside from the stylizing that indicates an agent of the Aspis Consortium. All of it is very similar to what Pathfinders would be issued to make long treks in the wilderness, and defend themselves when needed.

Gaskar, carefully approaching the next door, determines that it is not trapped and opens it.

Many bits and pieces of metal lie on stone shelves carved into the walls. Several ornaments made from animal bones hang from the ceiling. A crude, one-foot-tall statue of a horned and winged creature stands on a stone table set next to a wall.

"Should we use a dose and free the woman?" Ki Chin asks as he looks towards the petrified woman.

"She might know something though her presence here makes me believe she is an agent of the Consortium."

"We could unstone her and then make her march in front as tasty basilisk bait!" Soleil gushes happily.

At a reprimanding look from Magmara, Soleil mutters disappointedly, "Well, maybe we shouldn't, but we could"

Gaskar shakes his head. He does not want to free the woman - at least not yet. We should save the salve in case we need it. Maybe use it on her when we finish exploring, the half-orc thinks, furrowing his brow. He'll hunker down, in case the others want to debate. If they decide not to, Gaskar will wander into the room.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

He briefly glances into the room and see metallic pieces. 'Kobolds. Kobolds for sure.'

Talethia shakes her head. "I don't know if I want to use a dose of the stuff on her until after we've dealt with the basilisk. I would hate for some of us to get petrified and then not be able to cure them because we wasted it on an Aspis agent when we aren't even sure if she has been here less than an hour or not."

"Your words are wise, Lady Talethia," Magmara says, giving a slight bow as she addresses the Varisian.

Ari-Ani raises an eyebrow at Gaskar's response, "Yes, I thought of that. but the problem is that we do not know how long she has ben petrified. If we wait until we kill the creature, it may be too late restore her. I consider it providence that we can save her at all. There is also the possibility that she might know something that could help us defeat the creature more easily. Alternatively, she might be grateful and tell us what she knows about the Aspis operating in this area."

Ari-Ani pauses.

"If we do not save her now, we must be willing to accept the the possibility that we may not get another chance."

Note that it only works within an hour of petrification... but you did get the idea that the keleshite woman was freshly petrified.

Well, that's three for reviving her, and two against. I won't use a GM rule to simply proceed since there is a limited (and critical) resource at play here. Is anybody swayed by the arguments on the other side? Does Meux have an opinion?

Gaskar is not swayed. She was petrified so she obviously knows nothing about basilisks - or so he believes.

The Ifrits would side with the logic of conserving the resources for the party members rather than risking using it ineffectively on a foe.

Talethia kind of thinks along the same lines as Gaskar. If she was dumb enough to get herself turned to stone, she's probably not going to be much help to us.

Ki Chin tries to poke around any pouches the petrified woman had on her. "Just because she is petrified there is no reason her belonging should be right? After all if things can be petrified by the gaze then averting our eyes would do nothing because our clothes would get petrified."

Gaskar is not swayed. She was petrified so she obviously knows nothing about basilisks - or so he believes.

But she will know information about the Aspis Consortium. Should could also have items that are valuable or useful.

"I must side with Telethia. We do not know if the duration has already expired for her to be saved. And, as we would definitely know if one-or many of us for that matter-would better be served to be restored. But let us make haste and the hopefully have a dose left to apply to her!"

Okay, that looks like overwhelmingly pass on the the Aspis agent for now. Decide what direction you want to go and I'll move us forward tomorrow. There are two doors remaining in this area, and still the back passageway where you sensed the "something."

Gaskar is stubborn if you haven't noticed! I do agree with you that she could be a valuable source of info, but Gaskar doesn't.

Gaskar motions to the room they are in now and points at the metallic scraps/traps. "Kobolds" he'll say in a low, gravelly voice.

Once everyone is done, he'll put his fingers to his lips again and scout ahead to the next door, flail in hand.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Ki Chin readies his sword for battle and follows Gaskar. The magus attempts to be stealthy.
Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Ari-Ani leaves two of the applications near the woman, and sneaks back to the others.

People can retreat back here and collect the saves, unless it's obvious it can be applid in one round, then I'll keep them and distribute them.

After stowing some of the applications for later, Ari-Ani stealthily follows behind Gaskar, Ki-Chin and the others to the next unexplored room.

A stone pillar bearing numerous lines of runic text stands amid pieces of stone furniture and heaps of miscellaneous junk.

The kobolds have decorated the stone surfaces with paintings of dragons, but the original inscriptions on the stone pillar are still partially legible.