GM Otha
|
Aye, Jack, they are large...
You examine the northern chamber and then the southern one as well. These appear to have been the living areas for each of the two ice devils you recently slayed; you find nothing significant in either of these rooms...
Finding nothing of interest, you move on the eastern door and Daathiel opens it in his usual fashion...it opens into another chamber...
The ceiling of this room is fifteen feet high. Large arched niches fill the east and west walls; various bones are mortared into the niches in artfully arranged patterns, and each is packed with the jawless skulls of countless humans. Each skull has a name painted on its surface, along with dates of birth and death. A ragged hole in the ground to the northeast drops into what appears to be an even deeper cavern...
From your current location, you can detect no traps nor hidden foes...
What do you do?
Current Status:
Daathiel (-20)
Vladek (-33)
Griffon (-33)
Alie (-13)
Alie Saechel
|
”Ooo, that deep dark hole in the ground looks really spooky. I’m sure we have to go search down there but I don’t like it at all!•
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn acknowledges the gnome's concerns although he finds it curious that she is more scared of the dark than devils or nasty undead creatures.
"Don't worry there is no need for any concern. I will have a good look around before we descend."
"Alie, would you like a lift down after I check it out?"
Daathiel
|
Damage before Daathiel's second Soothing Performance for 27 healing:
Daathiel (-20)
Vladek (-33)
Griffon (-53)
Alie (-29)
So then it would be:
Vladek (-6)
Griffon (-26)
Alie (-2)
And then Alie ate two Goodberries bringing her to full.
Daathiel will examine the skulls to see if anything seems out of place. Names that don't seem to fit with the family; unusual patterns in the dates of birth or death; skulls that are clearly non-human. There may be nothing to see, but he'll spend a couple of minutes looking.
Perception: 1d20 + 37 ⇒ (9) + 37 = 46
Vladek Odradek
|
We also have found healing scrolls and potions if anyone needs more healing.
Someone ought to be keeping a record of these so we know just what we've got at our disposal.
As for me, that second Soothing Performance was more than enough to heal me completely - remember, much of that damage came out of my greater false life!
Vladek looks intently around the chamber with meticulous, macabre interest....
detect magic/Spellcraft: 1d20 + 34 ⇒ (19) + 34 = 53
Qadathra and I both effortlessly aid Daathiel's Perception check for a total of '50'; the jig's up, Waldo!
GM Otha
|
Thanks for the help with the healing, Daathiel...I overlooked your second performance.
Vladek detects no magic whatsoever in this chamber...
Among all the skulls, Daathiel notices one that stands out among the others in the northwest corner. A skull bearing the words Thrasillus Daellum Adella, 4321–4418 still has its jawbone attached (none of the other skulls in the stack do)...
If any of you wish to remove that skull, or any other skull for that matter, from its niche, make a Dexterity check...
Rokgurn warily checks out the hole in the floor...he sees it drops 10’ into a dusty chamber below...
What do you do?
Current Status:
Griffon (-26)
Vladek Odradek
|
Rokgurn warily checks out the hole in the floor...he sees it drops 10’ into a dusty chamber below...
What do you do?
Hey, Rockgurn: I've got a moment of prescience just for you...!
Alie Saechel
|
”Anyone have the ability to speak with dead? This skull with the jaw might be able to tell us something, you know.”
Daathiel
|
"I only know vague descriptions of the other three objects—a dagger befouled, Thrasillus’s voice, and a sister’s keepsake, but I know not where they may be found..."
"Here is the skull of Thrasillus, with jawbone attached. I think Alie is quite right, that it could tell us something. Vladek, you had offered to cast Speak with Dead before? I think now is the right time. But what should we ask Thrasillus?"
Daathiel will remove the skull from its niche.
Dexterity, Grand Destiny 2 of 3: 1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 + 4 = 22
Vladek Odradek
|
Vladek practically lights up as he snaps out of his distraction. "Why, silly me! Here I was, looking for the magic in this room, when of course it was ME all along..."
Qadathra
|
Vladek's banter is interrupted by a short series of scratchy, rustling, tinkling squeaks, like a faerie dragon trying too hard to clear its throat.
Vladek Odradek
|
"...it's not that simple, and you KNOW it," Says the witch with a mildly reproachful look to the familiar.
"In any case," Vladek extends one upturned palm toward Daathiel, while once again retrieving his hourglass from his Haversack.
"As I said before, this will take Time - most likely one in six of these sands precisely - and Space enough for me to concentrate without any interference from the Land of the Living."
"First thing's first: What do we already know about this...individual?"
GM Otha
|
Removing the skull from its niche reveals that it has an exquisite oval ruby etched with the symbol of the cross-eyed medusa clenched between its teeth. Vladek detects transmutation magic emanating from the ruby...
None of you can recall anything about the name belonging to the skull...from looking at his lifespan, you deduce that he was likely a patriarch of the Daellum clan in his era...
What do you do?
Current Status:
Griffon (-26)
Daathiel
|
"On second thought, Vladek, I don't think we need your spell. I would wager that the Voice of Thrasillus is this oval ruby right here."
Alie Saechel
|
”Oh boy, I bet you are right, Daathiel! We are down to just one more key,” Alie exclaims as she pumps her fist. ”But where can it be hiding....”
GM Otha
|
Daathiel easily removes the Medusa-etched ruby from the skull’s mouth...
Daathiel, what do you do with the skull now?
Current Status:
Griffon (-26)
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn looks around smiling.
"You are probably right about the ruby but we do not have to guess we can know with so many spell casters in the party."
Perhaps we can identify the gem? It might activate the skull or have other magical properties.
Daathiel
|
Daathiel will just set the skull gently down on the ground.
No sense trying the Dex check to stack it again.
"It's an oval gem, and there's an oval receptacle. I think it's a key. But you can check it if you like."
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn nods understanding that Daathiel is right.
"Good point. Shall we check out the hole in the room?"
GM Otha
|
You detect no traps, magic, nor any further structural damage around the hole in the floor...
What do you do?
Current Status:
Tim the Griffon (-26)
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn floats ten feet above the hole and draws forth a scroll. He summons an earth elemental in the chamber below. He asks it in Terran to scout around briefly and report back.
It is hard to sneak up on a Druid with Blind Sight but I still feel apprehensive about descending into a hole without a bit of advanced intelligence. Alie's concern is clearly rubbing off on me. :)
GM Otha
|
Rokgurn’s elemental searches the chamber below and disappears from view for a bit...
...but comes back about a short time later before the spell expires...
It looks up to Rokgurn from the hole, speaking ploddingly, «Пустая комната внизу ... один проход ведет на северо-запад в большую пустую камеру ... несколько проходов оттуда ...»
What do you do?
Current Status:
Tim the Griffon (-26)
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn grins having made good use of one of his earliest purchases.
"It seems safe enough to proceed. When everyone is ready of course."
Is that Greek or a Slavic language? Now I am curious. :)
Yuri Twobeards
|
Yuri hefts his dorn-dergar to make sure it's still there and then advances into the hole when everyone is ready.
GM Otha
|
Rokgurn, it's Russian...
You make your way down thru the hole in the floor with little ado...
The ceiling of this crudely formed chamber stands only eight feet above the floor. The floor here is strewn with dust and gravel, and a hole in the ceiling leads up to the chamber you just left...
After a thorough search, you detect no traps, magic, hidden foes, or anything of significance...
What do you do?
Current Status:
Tim the Griffon (-26)
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn gathers the party a little closer together and gives them a moment to prepare themselves for a party enchantment. For those that wish it he grants them the blessing of nature (Hunter's Blessing).
While underground the party will gain a +2 sacred bonus to Initiative, Perception, Stealth and Survival checks. While fighting Undead creatures the party will gain +2 sacred bonus to attack and damage rolls. They will also gain a +2 sacred bonus to Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive and Survival vs. Undead creatures. This buff will last for 14 hours and includes all familiars and animal companions.
| Whisper softly |
Whisper receives the blessing and then returns to the safety of his satchel.
Yuri Twobeards
|
Yuri also receives the blessing and then glances around at the surroundings. "Hmph, this hole ain't too impressive if'n ye ask me. Just goes to show: it's always worth it t' hire a dwarf if'n ye got a job that needs doin'."
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn snorts agreeing with Yuri's assessment.
"I am fairly certain that the hole in the floor is not part of the original design of the building but I am confident that if you wished to you could make a much more impressive entrance."
"I have seen better work done by giants and that is saying something."
Do we have any idea what likely created the hole in the floor in the first place?
GM Otha
|
@Rokgurn: Correction, it was mentioned in a later passage of text; you can determine that the hole was created by man-made tools...perhaps a planned expansion to the crypt that was never fulfilled?
Finding nothing significant in this chamber you move northwest through the only adjoining passage...
You come to a slightly larger, but just as empty, chamber than the one you left...it also has a low ceiling and three separate chambers seem to be adjacent to this one...
You sense no traps, magic, foes as you enter this area...
What do you do?
Current Status:
Tim the Griffon (-26)
Alie Saechel
|
”Looks like there are other chambers down here. Want to check them and hopefully find out 4th clue,”” Alie asks the others.
Daathiel
|
"Certainly," replies Daathiel. He casts Acute Senses again and uses another charge of Find Traps.
"A sister's keepsake, right?"
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn floats above the ground level feeling a bit cramped in his current form.
If necessary Rokgurn will fly horizontally like a superhero as Air Elementals do not walk. :)
@GM Otha - Exactly how high is the ceiling? Does the griffon need to squeeze or is at least ten feet high? Also please add +2 to everyone's Initiative while underground (due to Hunter's Blessing). That is easy to forget.
"I am certain we will find something interesting down here."
GM Otha
|
As you talk amongst yourselves as to your next course of action, someone appears from the southernmost chamber, perhaps drawn by your chatter, and approaches you slowly...
She appears as a frightfully pale, dark-haired woman, wearing a soiled, old-fashioned gown and with what look like tears of dried blood caked on her cheeks. The lady asks you in a tremulous voice, “Are my daughters unharmed? Have you come to rescue us?”
What do you do?
Current Status:
Tim the Griffon (-26)
| Whisper softly |
Whisper creeps out of his cage using the wall as cover to get a good look at this strange sounding creature. He will then return, report and go back into his satchel.
I think he will have to get as far as Daathiel's position.
Stealth,Hunter's Blessing: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 15 + 2 = 18
K-Religion,Ioun Stone: 1d20 + 25 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 25 + 2 = 29
Stellar rolling there. :)
Alie Saechel
|
”Ooo, I’ve seen you before in my vision. Never mind that now. I’m not your daughter, but I’d like to help you, ma’am! Is there anything we can do to help you?”
Daathiel
|
Daathiel starts Blinking. He tries to determine if the woman is an undead (she could merely be an illusion) and if so what sort she is.
Knowledge (Religion), Heroism, Lore Master: 10 + 20 + 2 = 32
Yuri Twobeards
|
Yuri tugs on his beard in bemusement. "Rescue you? So ye bin livin' in here? Not 'xactly the most hospitable hole in the ground, least not as we dwarves reckon those things. How long ye bin here? An' whatcha do fer vittles? We ain't had nothin' 'cept rations for what feels like hours..."
GM Otha
|
”Ooo, I’ve seen you before in my vision. Never mind that now. I’m not your daughter, but I’d like to help you, ma’am! Is there anything we can do to help you?”
"Yes, take us out of here...my daughters are over there." She points to the westernmost chamber...
" How long ye bin here? An' whatcha do fer vittles? We ain't had nothin' 'cept rations for what feels like hours..."
The pale lady looks somber, answering sadly, "Too long...and my daughters keep me fed..."
What do you do?
Current Status:
Tim the Griffon (-26)
Rokgurn
|
Rokgurn glances at Daathiel for direction. Whisper might not know anything useful about what they are facing but he has no doubt that she is dangerous and probably not exactly living either. How else would she be able to survive in this ancient crypt for so long a time?
He speaks to the Bard quietly in Terran while floating a couple of feet off the ground.
Great time to roll a 2 on my K-Religion check. Hopefully Whisper will have better luck with her "daughters." :)
Daathiel
|
Rokgurn
|
Daathiel
|
Daathiel starts dancing.
He begins his dance slowly, focusing on exact posture, the position of his limbs, even the direction of his gaze, building to a blur of motion.
This is the Pallavi of Nirvana's Blossoming. It will take 3 rounds to complete.
But as it isn't a visibly hostile effect... well, he might get away with it.
Yuri Twobeards
|
Yuri eyes the dancing aasimar with an arched eyebrow. "Well, I seen a lot o' funny stuff, no doubt 'bout it, but there's always somethin' else t' see, no doubt about it!" He turns to their hostess. "How 'bout ye? Prolly don't get too much fine dancin' down here, I reckon?"
Vladek Odradek
|
As Vladek drifts slowly and gracefully down (feather fall at will ^^), he ponders both the hole...
Knowledge (Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (10) + 30 = 40
Knowledge (Engineering): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18
...and the woman.
Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
"Madam, if I may echo Master Yuri's question, what are you doing down here? I would not exactly consider this the most accommodating or well-appointed branch of this...complex."
Qadathra
|
Qadathra initially accompanies his witch down under his own wingpower, but perches tightly upon his shoulder once he sees the ghastly lady....
Knowledge (Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28