GM TOP #4-02: In Wrath's Shadow (Standard, Outpost IV) (Inactive)

Game Master Pete H.

"Angry Magic Tree: would you do us the honors?" says Zzorn, pointing at the bricked wall.

You seem to be good at knocking things down, go to it.

"The Wreckening has begun!"

Adamantine Slashing damage, PA: 1d10 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 6 = 18
Adamantine Slashing damage, PA: 1d10 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 6 = 22
Adamantine Slashing damage, PA: 1d10 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 6 = 18
Adamantine Slashing damage, PA: 1d10 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 6 = 18
Adamantine Slashing damage, PA: 1d10 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 6 = 22

Hah! You can either get an 18 or a 22 - no other numbers offered today.

AMT slashes across the wall, cutting deeply into the brick. Then he does a counter-slash, making a big x-shape. The entire thing crumbles to the ground, revealing another room.

Behind the broken-down wall, a cave is revealed. Suspended upside down from above—thin, spiked wire cruelly wrapped around them from ankle to neck—are many brutalized corpses similar to those in the previous chambers. As air eddies out from the cave, carrying with it an unsettling odor of ancient decay, the dangling mummified faces, three feet off the floor, stare back.

Who would like to move into the room? Because of the tightly packed hanging bodies, you will need to crouch beneath or push them aside as you move in.

"More desecration! this is unholy! Angry Magic Tree: cut them down from this ghoulish eternal hanging! By the power of Kurgess!!!!!" says Zzorn, picking up Angry Magic Tree and holding him above his head so that he can cut down the steel wires with his wonderful Adamantine Magic Axe!

"Huh, that's something for sure," Finnous ducks into the room, crouching to get a look in case something might attack them while they cleared the path of the bodies.

The latest sights are so disturbing that Birseko starts to write another reminder note before sighing, "No need - I could never forget this! Much as I wish to!"

This is one of the most vile and perverse thing I have seen so far.And I don't mean that as a challenge...

"Chop!"

Angry Magic Tree happily obliges, cutting through the thin wires holding the corpses aloft.

Which means that we get to walk through heaps of mummified bodies, but that's better than having to push through them by our faces.

Being just out of reach, the leshy hitches a ride on Zzorn's big shoulders to get in range of the wires. A single slash per each one severs it.

*Whoosh*
*TWANG*
*Thump*

Those sounds are repeated until all the bodies collapse to the ground, covering the floor with mummies.

The caverns groan as the evil ritual sacrifices are undone, but nothing rises to take vengeance.

Once the group has pushed the bodies out of the way or stepped carefully through them, they see a small iron ladder made of iron rungs affixed to a rocky wall. It descends fifteen feet to a small platform and ledge below. A very narrow rocky ledge winds around the edge of a thirty foot deep pit and disappears around a rocky corner at the far end.

Anyone going to climb down and/or try to head across the ledge to the back room? No climb checks for the ladder, but definitely an acrobatics check (or other relevant method) to traverse the ledge.

Zzorn repeats the careful alignment of bodies as per the previous room, to give them a more respectful rest. He puts a note in his report for the Venture-Captain, "It is this entire team's recommendation that a proper burial, in the religious rites determined as per Pathfinder Society archeological protocols, be given to all the bodies of the deceased unearthed as part of this expedition"

===========

A few moments later

Zzorn crosses the ledge carefully, pointing out dangerous or slippery areas to the others behind him.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

D'Oh!!!

As Zzorn looks to stumble into the pit, Birseko strains to remember something he once knew...

Spell Recollection, Feather Fall: 1d100 ⇒ 41

... and somehow, he does! Cast Feather Fall on Zzorn.

"AAAAAaaarrgh? ... oh, that's a nice trick! who did that?"

All of the work done with the corpses in this room and the last take 5-6 minutes. Any short term buffs from upstairs are gone and that puts us at... let's just say 10 minutes used on longer term buffs.

_________________

Birseko and Goe Lem hear the sounds of a faint, angrily muttering mob. They quickly recognize this as the beginnings of a Haunt Manifesting.

Surprise Round: The Haunting of Hill H... this really creepy place that isn't really a house
AMT
Finnius
Goe Lem
Birseko (has used a swift and immediate action to stop Zzorn from going splat, but still has a standard or move)
Haunt
E. Smagg
Zzorn (his acrobatics action triggered the haunt, so he is about to fall... safely to the bottom of the pit)

Bold may act! Trained Knowledge Religion can help ID the Haunt. Remember this is a surprise round during which the Haunt will manifest. So there are some very limited, but viable options available to the two of you.

Okay, edited my post to match the Haunt rules. Then I'm making this post so you all see there is a new message in gameplay. Good luck!

Dismiss Heightened Awareness when rolling init

Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13 Don't think that's gonna do it!

Birseko draws his wand of cure light wounds and looks around in hopes that he might find where to direct its positive energy.

Know Religion on haunts: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 Not sure either

If Eredur recalls anything useful, he'll tell everyone so the haunt can be dealt with quickly

Yep. It's time for Goe Lem and anyone with UMD to start slapping the darkness with wands of cure light wounds! :)

Birseko pulls out a wand and Eredur is pretty sure that the haunt was intentionally placed to protect something beyond it. Thus it is probable that removing that item will remove the haunt. But... getting to it may not be that easy.

Goe Lem is up!

______________

And Zzorn has it right. Using a wand of CLW just requires you to hit a melee AC of 10, though I like 'slapping the darkness' a ton more. Unfortunately there aren't many actions in a surprise round so... that isn't very easy to do before a haunt manifests.

AC 10 even allows someone to go Two-Weapon Fighting with two CLW wands, taking on the full penalties! :) PS: I know, just joking... I'm aware you can't probably activate two wands per round... right? right? :P

Oh man, I instantly assumed you couldn't activate two wands in a round. But then I realized this is pfs1 and there is always an exception to everything. Anyway, it's been 24 hrs and I don't feel comfortable botting Goe Lem to burn valuable abilities so...

The warpriest pulls out a curative wand and prepares to smack the darkness upside the head!

The darkness responds by screaming words at Zzorn, causing him to regret all the decisions he has made in his life. ALL OF THEM. ALL REGRETTED AT ONCE!

Zzorn, please make a Will Save vs. a Mind Effecting/Fear/Necromantic/Curse. I will provide the results as quickly as possible. You are welcome to use a re-roll at any point before those results are given, unless said re-roll specifically grants you the ability to do so after the result is given. You will still be able to take an action, regardless of the outcome of the save.

Surprise Round: The Haunting of Hill H... this really creepy place that isn't really a house
AMT
Finnius
Goe Lem
Birseko
Haunt
E. Smagg
Zzorn (at bottom of 30 ft pit)

Round 1: The Haunting of Hill H... this really creepy place that isn't really a house
AMT
Finnius
Goe Lem
Birseko
Haunt
E. Smagg
Zzorn (at bottom of pit)

Bold may act! Some of you are in the surprise round so have limited actions.

Will of Zzorn!: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

"I REGRET NOTHING YOU @@$%@ #%$^$%#$N$# $@@^%~!" screams back Zzorn at the darkness, matching curses with equally colorful insults in the Taldane and Ulfen language!

"I am not certain I can do anything to help here? Can I stab something?"

Delay in case someone says a way I can interact with this, but I don't think I can

Birseko speaks Thassilonian but I'm not sure if he can also hear whatever's being said?

Birseko attempts to direct his wand of Cure Light Wounds at the haunt, seeking to heal whatever psychic wounds first caused it to arise.

UMD DC 20: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

UMD on CLW wand: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
vs touch AC 10: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Eredur tries to uses his wand on the haunt before it does much damage

That'll do, I won't even require a roll for Birseko to hit. Eventually he will get it.

The two wand wielding pathfinders smack the darkness upside the head until the screaming curse words (that Birseko definitely understands) end. Eredur knows this is only a temporary reprieve though. Haunts always come back at some point unless they are dealt with permanently.

Okay, out of Initiative. Zzorn is 30 feet down a pit. What do you all do next?

And other than loss of pride from his fall, the warrior doesn't seem to have suffered damage or anything else.

Failing that save would have suuuuucked...

"Drop me a rope please!"

Birseko looks in his backpack. "Oops. It seems I forgot to get any rope."

Zzorn walks to the east end of the pit, grabs his rope, makes a knot at the end, and waits for Goe Lem to be on the other side of the pit on the safe side, then tosses the end knot at him. "CATCH!"

Zzorn auto-succeeds the rope/wall DC

Sorry folks. Works been killing me this week. I just crashed when I got home last night.

Goe Lem grabs the rope and hauls Zzorn up. Glad you were able to resist that. All the gruesome deaths in this place have left a spiritual stain on the reality. It could have gone much worse for you.
Goe Lem then takes a few steps and looks around the corner.

2x Acrobatics checks Goe Lem to move across the ledge please.

@GM: nevermind Goe Lem making acrobatic checks... Zzorn knows he's a walking chunk of metal death! instead, Zzorn will just climb out of the pit at the other end on his own; what's the DC of the wall there?

With your modifier, take ten should do it. I’ll be nice here, the main danger was the haunt (and the lich in the back room, muahaha).

Zzorn climbs out of the pit and waves at the others, "Stay there and let me take a look here!"

Zzorn looks around the corner.

The big man sees nothing in the darkness for a few seconds. He can just imagine all the horrors reaching out to grab him, then his eyes adjust. It isn't much better.

Set in this cavernous grotto is a statue carved from dark stone depicting a frightening demonic creature tearing a human apart. Tentacles wrap around the figure and others wriggle outward. Each tentacle terminates in a claw, talon, pincer, or other wicked appendage meant to inflict pain. Its circular maw contains rings of jagged teeth which grip an oddly shaped piece of black metal, its surface etched with symbols.

Bump? Anyone else wish to try their luck across the thin ledge to help out Zzorn against his wishes? Acrobatics check or checks would be needed, depending on your speed. There may be other ways to get there too, depending your your abilities.

Birseko stands ready to cast feather fall on anyone who ventures across and falls.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Finnius presses his luck, moving remarkably nimbly in his heavy armor.

If Finnius has a thirty foot speed...

Finnius makes it across the thin ledge and sees what Zzorn sees.

...if you don't, another acrobatics check please!

Sorry GM I missed that you had posted...

Zzorn climbs the structure - statue climbing was apparently a favored sport in ancient times - and grabs the rune-covered metal piece.

"Gentlemen! I found something!"

He looks around for other potential treasures before returning to the rest of the Pathfinders.

Perception vs. shinies: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Acrobatics on ledge during the return trip: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

If needed on the way back:
acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

I'll save you all a spell or fall damage, Zzorn shortcut this a little bit.

The hulking warrior takes all the risks, not even looking for dangers as he moves in, climbs the statue and yanks the loose item free.

He turns to look around but feels his entire essence ripped into a million billion molecules and then somehow, mostly put back together.

Blinking a few times he realizes he is... now back out in the bigger room they just came through? He hears the calls of his allies asking what he is seeing and Finnius volunteering to go after him to look.

He looks down and the item is still clutched in his hand. It is a small black metal curved piece with a small strip of leather on it. It looks like it connects to some larger puzzle or item.

Zzorn calls out for his colleagues. "Hey! I'm back here again! don't bother to try crossing the pit!"

Birseko breathes a sigh of relief - "Whew, heights aren't really my thing. So, what did you find?"

"This."

Zzorn hand over the thing to Birseko.

It looks like it would clip into that other thing from the other statue up top.

So, back out to the main hall? There really isn't much else to do here unless someone wants to practice waterless dives into a large swimming pool.

The presence of evil in the cave also seems to fade a bit. Perhaps those souls have finally found some sort of freedom?

I would normally give a bit of time to chill and respond to things, but I'm going to be away for about 24 hrs, so I'll get you moved back to the other end of the hallway so you can react to those things too.

The group heads back out and past the way they came in. Several of you notice a pretty obvious secret door to the east (red circle, noticed by passive perception by anyone with a +5 mod or more). But only one, the battle ready priest, notices the other secret door on the south side of the hallway (blue circle, that was Goe Lem who saw it with their passive +10. aka take 10 for 20).

What do you do? Where do you go?

Strange to make a secret door so obvious.. could it be a trap?

FYI, they aren't that obvious. Eredur and Finnius actually didn't notice either of them until pointed out by the others. But it is always wise to be wary of traps!

"Let's go through the red door!"

Zzorn checks for traps. Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21