[Outpost IV, PFS2] 1-15 The Blooming Catastrophe with DM Deevor (Inactive)

Game Master Deevor

Apologies forgot to add this, it was late when I posted. Slide 6

Please note that the green tree areas are difficult terrain and provide cover.
The menhirs offer some cover to anyone behind the menhir.

Toadlicker pulls the club off of his back, striding up to the scarecrow, and says, "Time for some smashies. Not good enough for foods."

◆ Draw Weapon
◆ Stride
◆ Club Strike: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Sky moves up along with Toad and moves slightly to the right of the scarecrow, letting out two quick punches at it.

Action 1 and 2: Stride, Action 3: Flurry of Blows

Flurry 1: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Flurry 2: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Showing almost a demonic intelligence, the two giant vermin creatures, move forward, one flanking Toadlicker, the other Sky. As they move they utter lower guttural sounds, much like the Leshys did, but these are not so clear, but sound like rumblings. The first strikes at ToadLicker, 1d20 ⇒ 16, before the second strikes twice at Sky, 1d20 ⇒ 6 and 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (20) - 5 = 15. The scarecrow steps back, before unleashing an 2 attacks on the monk, 1d20 ⇒ 13 and 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (1) - 4 = -3, before trying to demoralise Sky even further1d20 ⇒ 13.

The vermin that attacks Toadlicker, it's mandibles biting into the goblin's shoulder as it injects it's poison. Toadlickler damage 1d4 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 plus Fortitude save

Sky easily dodges the first attack from the mandibles, but as Sky lands on his feet the ground underneath is slippery from the blood that had dripped from the sacrificial stone and Sky has difficulty balancing. The vermin sees it's chance and snaps it's mandibles deep into Sky's thigh and releasing it's poison, Critical Hit damage 1d4 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 x 2 plus a fort save.

The scarecrow sees his opportunity to strike at Sky, it's long claws bite into the man's flesh from the first attack, making three red lines in the man's chest. damage 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 + 1 evil. As the creature leans over to breath it's putrid breath over Sky, the creature misses, but it's ugly face and revolting breath for Sky to re-evaluate the scarecrow, the evil lurking inside, frightens Sky Frightened 1

Round 1 - Vinny, Barrek, Milton and Thurk are up
Round 2 - Toadlicker and Shark are up after Round 1 completes

Fortitude Save vs. DC 14: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Toadlicker easily resists the effects of the poison, but still looks unhappy.

Vinny moves closer to the Scarecrow and pulls a bottle of lightning from her bag. She throws the bottle at the Scarecrow.

Bottled lightning, lesser: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6
1 point of electricity splash damage on hit or miss, on hit target becomes flat footed until the beginning of my next turn.

Stride, Stride, Strike

Barrek moves forward into position opposite Toadlicker and unleashes a combination of jabs against the vermin.

Stride, stride (woo, 20' move speed!), flurry the flat-footed foe

Strike 1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13 for 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 bludgeoning
Strike 2: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 7 - 4 = 9 for 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 bludgeoning

Milton swiftly dips poison on his crossbow, before shooting at one of the vermin through the trees and reloading for his next shot.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8
Centipede Venom, DC 17 Fort Save

1. Poison Crossbow. 2. Strike. 3. Reload Crossbow.

Seeing that there is no negotiating with these mindless opponents, Thurk steps forward and stretches his palms outward. Arcane incantations cause sparks of lightning to crackle between his thumbs as he sends an electric arc to strike the two centipedes.

The centipedes need to attempt a basic Reflex save for 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 electricity damage

Oops forgot to mention DC 17 for the save

Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Sky shrugs off the poison but is immediately assaulted by the scarecrow, getting slashed by its claws and growing fearful as he stares into the evil eyes of his enemy.

He fights through the fear, no longer fearing the evil creature as he moves into melee with his foe Action 1: Step and assumes his shark stance Action 1: Dragon Stance and focuses his energy through his legs and down into his feet as he sends out two swift kicks of positive energy. Action 2: Ki Strike, Flurry of Shark Tails

Flurry 1: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 +: 1d6 ⇒ 6 Positive Damage
Flurry 2: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 +: 1d6 ⇒ 2 Positive Damage
Doubled!

I have repositioned Barrek and Sky to positions where they can attack, You did not remove the fear condition until the end of your go Sky, the fort save was against the poison. All opponents up will post after Toadlicker.

Oh sorry I didn't see the rocks, I'm having a real hard time seeing the map, is there like a zoom feature I'm not finding? And yes sorry about the frightened condition as well, I thought it said at the beginning of my turn but it's at the end, I don't think it changed anything though?

Oops, thought I could go halvsies with that rock. :)
Also, Ctrl-Alt-Plus will zoom. There's a drop-down magnifying glass in the google header that has a few options as well.

The stones in the stone circle are large and provide cover, as I didn't make it that clear before, some hits might not hit again without a clear line of fire. So Vinny, you should reposition next time of Scarecrow will get cover. Also the forested area is both difficult terrain and impossible to fire ranged weapons through.

Vinny quickly makes her way forward and throws a bomb at the scarecrow that crackles with electricity as it hits, the creatures body convulses as you watch blue shoots of electricity shoot down to the earth.

Barrek moves forward and tries to land a punch on the vermin, but it's protective shell is too tough for the creature to even flinch at the two attacks.

Milton has a wild shot, that he fires through the trees, but the shot hits one of many boughs in the way, Perhaps firing through the forest is more difficult than it seems.

Thurk sends his bolt of electricity at the two closest vermin and watches as they both twitch and turn as the electricity pulses through their bodies, Both failed.

Sky steps up again, taking a new stance that at first confuses the Scarecrow who backs off, making Sky's first kick miss, but the unsuspecting vermin didn't see the second kick coming as it crunches into the scarecrows midriff, sprinters flying off, bending the thing double, as it struggles to straighten itself, but as it tries to straighten, the wooden support breaks and it collapses on the floor. Critical Hit

Suddenly the whole of the stone circle seems to be a congregating ground for these vermin as two more appear and surround the pathfinders, pinning Sky in place. Each in turn seems to attack another Pathfinder. ToadLicker feels the mandibles sink into his flesh twice, 4 HPs damage and 2 Fort saves.

Vinny feels the first bite into her flesh 1HP damage and a Fort save

Sky is bitten by one of the vermin twice, as he fends off the other. 3HPs damage and 2 fortitude saves

With the Scraecrow defeated, the vermin seem to loose heart and are quickly dispatched by the Pathfinders.

Gonna call it there, I would expect Toadlicker, Barrek, Vinny Thurk Milton and Sky would easily defeat these creatures, leaving you to find out more about the stone circle and the altar. Though I'd still like you to make the fortitude saves.

You are left in a clearing with old ancient stone cairns, covered with strange markings. The stones are covered in complex writing in the ancient cyclopean script. In the centre, the altar looks like it might once have been a tomb, but the ritual killings by the scarecrow and maybe others before have stained the stone a brownish-red. That and the blood currently dripping onto the surrounding ground from the scarecrows last animal victim, a doe.

If anyone is successful for the Arcana or Occult check above, anyone may try the following check.

Occultism: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11 Not so much, even with the bonus from Cenenviel

Barrek pulls some meat, mushrooms, and bread from the pack given to them by Urwal. As the group inspects the ruins and heals themselves, he makes himself a sandwich, leaving the ingredients out a little while for anyone else who might be hungry.
He squints over the top of the bread at the markings, but is unsure what to make of them.

"Good call on destroying that scarecrow... But it couldn't have been acting on its own free will, someone must have animated it to perform those grisly rituals!"

Thurk tries to make sense of the cairn markings.
Arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Luckily some of the symbols match the glyphs he studied at the Casmar History class.

"These stones are extremely old... they predate Earthfall! They were marked by the fiend-worshipping cyclopes of Koloran. But the cyclopean empires did not survive Earthfall... Something to do with the cataclysm driving them mad.
It would seem that other stones like this were scattered about all of Finadar forest, used as focus points for some horrible rituals drawing on the Abyssal planar energies. Could it be that now someone, or something, is trying to follow in the footsteps of those ancient brutes? We must find a way to put a stop to this!"

Sky celebrates his victory against the scarecrow a little too soon as he's bitten by the vermin.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

After finishing off the remaining vermin, Sky moves to study the stones with Thurk, nodding at his comments and following along as he attempts to study them further.

Nature: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Sky chimes in when Thurk is finished, "It seems that this is the source of energy that is twisting the spirits and corrupting them. The corruption is still fresh, if we were to remove the monolith then the spirits would return to normal quickly." Sky looks down at his various wounds over the past few fights. "Also it seems I've been hurt quite a bit from that last battle and could use some help."

Barrek offers Sky a minor healing potion. "Best I've got, I'm afraid."

Sizing up the monolith, Barrek executes a few slow practice jabs against it, as if warming up to deliver a stone-breaking punch. But instead he stands up straight and looks over at the rest.
He chuckles quietly, "Yeah... no. Any actual ideas on how to break or hallow this thing?"

Any ideas of his own? Something Urwal said that needs decrypting, maybe?

While the brainy people do brainy things, Toadlicker puts on a comical show as he chances after the bitey vermin, club held up above his head, ready to smash any that he catches.

He's not of much use here, so comedy relief!

"Ow!" Vinny cries out as the vermin bites her.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

If you need another healing potion Sky, I have one you can use.

I'll leave you to arrange your healing and any other exploration you do, before you continue you on your journey.

Milton hands two vials over to Sky with a nod before listening to the explanations examining the stones.
Two Minor Elixirs of Life.

"Hm. If I understand correctly, these are related to the monolith described by Urwal in the old dragon graveyard. If so, that is the focus we will need to break, and we should strive to be on our way to accomplish it quickly."

Sky accepts the elixirs from the alchemist first, taking them both.

Elixir of Life: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Elixir of Life 2: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Still feeling a bit injured, Sky will take the potion he received from the Society.

Minor Healing Potion: 1d8 ⇒ 5

That should be good enough for now, everyone else can hold on to their potions. Does we not have someone that can use Medicine to patch people up?

Sky also takes some time during his potion healing to focus and think of his deity, regaining his inner chakra for the upcoming battle.

You continue your journey, following Urwal's map to approach the old goblin valley. With each minute of the journey the environment grows increasingly bizarre. Much of this area has been burned, but the charred and ashen ground is almost preferable to the plant life that has survived. Enormous, thorny bushes with leaves bent like clawed fingers sprout from the ground, while strangling vines have sunk hooked spikes into the bark of the remaining trees and drawn a ruddy sap. Massive, pitcher-like flowers seem to pulsate to some unheard rhythm, and the few animals you spot bare massive, weeping wounds, that seek refuge when they see you. The air is thick and hazy with pollen and has a sickly sweet, metallic scent to it, like rotten blood.

The leshys’ valley is a peculiar and ominous place. Though the crevasse is indeed the blasted valley that Urwal warned you of at the Redpine camp, the area all around it teems with awful and uncanny life. The unnatural plants from before grow twice as thick and strange. Shrubs with gnarled human fingers twitch in the breeze, while vines slither like serpents along the ground. A two-headed crow caws from atop an oak tree studded with catlike eyes.

Of more immediate concern are the dozens of corrupted leshys. A few simply stand around, singing odd, warbling songs to one another, or else play a game vaguely like pat-a-cake, albeit with wildly varying numbers of limbs. Many of the others are hard at work, gathering strewn-about trash, stray branches, and offal, and bringing their prizes toward an ancient, graven monolith at the end of the crevasse.

Pause for a moment to let you take this in and if you want respond with a bit of role play ... there is more description to come ...

Sky shakes his head as they travel through the valley, "Gozreh would not approve of such corruption. To see nature tainted in this way disrupts the balance that they have created. The winds have surely brought me here to correct this error."

Nature: 1d20 ⇒ 4

Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Toadlicker watches the strange leshys with some interest, but after a couple minutes, he just scoffs and says, "Pthw. Just babies. No threat, and probably taste bad, anyways."

Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"Nobody touch nothing," Barrek grumbles.

"Babies... Just left alone here? Where is their... parent?
Thurk traces his gaze along their paths to the ancient monolith and carefully inches forward trying not to disturb the busy creatures.[/b]

Perception +4 or Occult +7 if any secret checks apply here

As you continue scoping the area, the monolith draws your attention. The monolith is half-destroyed, most of the top part battered by some ancient rock-slide, but you can still make out of the same sinuous script upon the weathered stone, as well as bas-relief depictions of three one-eyed figures: two, in armor, bowed in supplication before a third, wearing robes and a massive pectoral amulet. Any finer details are lost without closer (read, deliberate) inspection. You may either get closer, use a spyglass, or succeed a DC 20 perception check. Only then will the character have enough information to allow you to recall knowledge with Arcana or Occultism

It's then that the Pathfinders notice a single leshy moving around the monolith with quiet efficiency. He looks for all the world like a simple leaf leshy, quite mundane compared to his more gruesome allies, save for the chunk of gray stone embedded in one eye. The chunk of stone has a serpentine rune upon it that glows with yellow flames that intensify as the leshy busily assembles the gathered scraps left at the monolith into new, disturbing leshys. As each body is built, the stone eye flashes, and an eerie leshy totters off to join their fellows. You can recall knowledge on this with Arcana or Occultism. Let me know your mod if you'd like to do this..

Will one party member roll a Survival check.

The map is now shown in the slides, I will add your tokens later....

Barrek sneaks closer to get a better look at the monolith and the stone-eyed leshy, skirting the outer edge of the cleft to avoid the newborn aberrations.

Occultism is +4 and Stealth is +7
Survival is a lowly +2, so not volunteering for that one

Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Toadlicker snuffles around on all fours, like an animal looking for a scent.

He doesn't actually have scent, but that doesn't stop him. We'll see where my pitiful skill gets us.

Thurk is having a very bad feeling about the stone-eyed leshy foreman-slash-midwife.
+7 for either Arcana or Occult

"What a strange place, and what strange creatures! I guess we've found where they're coming from."

Vinny does her best to see what the script on the monolith says from where she is.

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Miltion will recall knowledge with +7 Occultism and/or Arcana.

"This place seems wrong. I believe we have found the source of the corruption we were looking for." Milton will make sure his crossbow is loaded and poisoned, as he feels a sinking certainty that he's going to be shooting at something in the near future.

Sky stays with the group but also prepares for a fight, the sight of that leshy not giving him any indication that this will be a peaceful encounter.

You quickly find a spot that seems out of the way so they can plan and discuss, the best way to accomplish your goals. Your starting place on the map and see the picture of the lone leshy.

Barrek and Thurk realize that the stone is channeling energy from the monolith into the leshy crafter, and that the leshy crafter, empowered by the structure, is infecting the rest of the leshys in turn. Removing this immediate vector, either by killing the leshy crafter or by removing the stone from his eye, will also resolve the problem of the angry nature spirits--at least long enough for the Pathfinders to destroy the monolith and end its threat for good.

As Milton peers at the monolith itself, he can make out that the monolith is channeling energy from the Abyss itself into the surrounding wilderness, which explains the strange fleshy plants and the grotesque leshys. He deems that disabling it is necessary to stop the Abyssal pollution.

Apart from the Leshy by the monolith, other Leshys continually wander around the grounds, seemingly keeping themselves to themselves.

Alright, you have a few options here. To make life easier, I'll give you their short names: "Be Subtle", "Be Direct", "Combat". Doing one of the first ones does NOT rule out combat. It's just that it's an option right from the start if that's the way you want to go.

One vote for non-combat options here - probably more subtle than direct.

Toadlicker can do subtle or direct, but trying a non-combat option could be fun. :)

"I approve of the subtle approach, though unfortunately my poisons need to break the skin to be effective. If I had more....virulent strains, I would try to dose the building materials that creature is using." Milton muses.

I agree we should only resort to violence if there is no other option.

Not sure what exactly the subtle options involves, Thurk will favor the option that doesn't require Deception checks, but he can try distracting the leshies with magic if that helps the others.

"The path that puts the party least at risk is probably the better." Sky agrees with a subtle approach if possible, at the least it will give us an upper hand if a battle breaks out.

The Leshys walk around all the stones and dead plants that make up the approach to the Leshy in front of the monolith, one of the Leshys even walks within 6ft of you, it walks right past you as you continue to discuss your options. It doesn't even seem to notice you at all.

If you were overtly sneaky, your progress to the main Leshy would be slow and difficult, perhaps a more direct approach of walking straight down towards the Leshy might work at a push.

We're down to choosing between direct or subtle.... subtle might involve each of you making a stealth check against the many Leshys walking around.

Or to be subtle, you think you could circle around the cliff and lower yourselves down, by making athletic checks, before sneaking along with an easier stealth check.

Or being direct, means walking through the Leshys .....

Does anybody have a wayfinder visible?

Make you decision by my next post, in approx 18hr

Toadlicker would certainly have better odds being subtle. His Stealth skill isn't bad, but it's not very high for a trained skill. Athletics is by far his highest.

Barrek is good at stealth and decent at Athletics.
Milton and Vinny are also better at stealth but still trained in athletics, Sky is really good at athletics but still okay in stealth, and Thurk is only capable of stealth.
I'm fine with the slow sneak or the long-way-around climb-and-sneak, but I think the former gives us slightly better odds (since four of us will be rolling our better of the two skills).
A 1 will be a 1, but we can still make a go of it. :)

Oh, and no wayfinder here.

Vinny is fine with either way, though she's definitely more stealthy than athletic. No wayfinder here either.

No wayfinder here.

"Fascinating. These things do not seem to be overly observant, or perhaps do not care about our presence. I think we stand an excellent chance of getting closer undetected."

Lets do some sneaking! Slow sneaking through the Leshys, that is.

No wayfinder either, and Thurk is only slightly less bad at Stealth compared to Athletics... sneaking it is then

From what you all say ... it's the slow and stealthy approach for most of you...

Let's have some stealth checks from each of you if you are using the group approach.... If anyone feels they want to go it alone and try the cliffs approach, then make athletics and stealth checks, or if anyone wants to go it alone on the direct approach then no checks required.