Protectors of Golarion (Wrath of the Righteous AP)

Game Master Sensen

The holy weapon in her hand glowed and felt warm and she understood it would play a part in the fight against the demons. Yet, its full power was beyond her grasp in this moment. I will become worthy, she solemnly and silently promised as held Radiance in hand.

Meanwhile, Thesius approaches the other door, which has been left open a crack. A stomach-churning stench wafts from behind the door, of rotting meat, and something even less palatable, which makes Thesius' neck prickle uncomfortably, as some deep instinct tells him there is something wrong about the foul odor. "I do not hear anything within the room, young Thesius." Aravashnial notes. "Though the reek is... quite something."

Elyda moved down at toward Thesius, Elliot and Master Aravashinal. She stopped and silently listened as the foul odor assailed her nostrils from beyond the closed door.

Perception to hear anything: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Merixia looks from Verene to Elyda, obviously uncomfortable. She recognizes the signs of someone who has been hurt by faith in the past. Or perhaps a lack of faith? Both were common among her fellow slaves in Cheliax. Elyda might not understand.

Once the inquisitor moves away, Merixia walks over to place a hand on Verene's shoulder. She gets down on one knee to speak softly to the currently swirfneblin-shaped mage.

Once she's done with her conversation, the cleric strides out into the room again. "Okay everyone, it's healing time again. I have one more channel left, so gather round if you're wounded." After the wounded are within range, Merixia raises her holy symbol. "Ragathiel, grant me your healing light!"

Channel Energy: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Thesius nose scrunches up at the smell as a look of dread crosses over his face. "There may be no noise, but I still fear what may be on the other side."

He nods to Elyda as she joins them at the doorway. "The sword suits you. May it serve you well.

He sighs with some relief as the healing light of Merixia's channel overcomes him and stitches some of his wounds together. "Thank you Merixia."

With a look around the room, he asks, "Are we ready to continue?"

He nods to Elyda as she joins them at the doorway. "The sword suits you. May it serve you well."

"Thank you, Thesius. May the Lady of Valour bless my endeavours with Radiance," she replied quietly.

With a look around the room, he asks, "Are we ready to continue?"

Casting a look at Elliot, Elyda asked him quietly, "Before we open the door, do you wish to swap places? If there is immediate trouble, I would rather take the brunt of it, so you may be free to cast. The resin has gone brittle, cracked and dropped from me, so I am returned to my previous faculty."

(If Elliot is okay with swapping, then Elyda will end up standing beside Thesius by the door. If he rather stay put, then that's okay and Elyda will remain behind Thesius, giving Merixia room to move down closer to the door if she wishes.)

After settling on their order, Elyda pushes open the door revealing what could (charitably) be called a kitchen, but is more like a charnel house. Old blood stains the floor of the small cavern, and barrels filled with what looks like fur and rendered fat sit against one wall.

The four slab-like tables are covered in skinning tools and piles of recently butchered meat, and two wooden racks hang with drying animal skins. A quick scan of the room reveals that not only are there pieces of subterranean fish, giant rats, and other vermin, but also pieces that must have come from the forgotten children or traitors themselves... and Elyda spies what looks like a single human hand sticking out of one of the piles of meat.

Once the door opens, Merixia peeks around Elyda's shoulder and immediately regrets it. "Oh my gods! Is that a hand?" Nausea roils her stomach. The cleric swallows hard, trying not to vomit. Dead bodies after a battle are one thing. People butchered for food are another matter entirely. "Didn't know the followers of Baphomet were cannibals..."

Slightly earlier

With half the party joining in on what seemed like a lengthy discussion, Elliot walks over the the two holy warriors and Verene. With them being in a somewhat small room, it was hard not to overhear. At the very least, it pulled his mind from the reek of the hoven and the sight of dead bodies. Any distraction was welcome as it felt as if parts of his gut were still hanging out, though he tried not to let that show.

"I don't have an answer. Why did Ragathiel choose me, of all people? I'm a tiefling, inherently tainted. Still asking that question. Why don't he and the other good gods intervene in places like Cheliax or the Worldwound? I'm still asking that question too. I know they can't descend to Golarion and directly kick demonic ass, that would destroy the world, but they could at least empower more people to fight on their behalf. All I can do is try to help whoever needs it within the limits of my abilities. I like to think I would be doing that even without divine magic. Just as you are."

"If he chose you, there must have been a good reason. Maybe he found you strong enough. Maybe he felt like you were a good example of someone rising above the stigma against them. I have some idea of what that's like, as people once thought I was an evil outsider too. As far as I can tell, you're doing a great job," Elliot comments, givimg a friendly smile, then looks at Verene.

"And maybe some diety recognized you'd be much better suited as a wizard than a priest? It doesn't have to be a malicious reason to not grant divine favor. That might tie in to how it works on the larger scale, too. There may only be so many champions for either side as if all gods frivolously handed out powers to their proxies, not much would be left of the world either."

When Merixia heals the group later, Elliot gratefully accepts the wave only to see it didn't affect his wounds that much. "But you know, Ragathiel, you *could* have been just slightly more generous here..." he thinks to himself.

His gaze shifts to Radiance and lingers on its beautiful golden frame. A sword like that could make anyone jealous. Would they have looked at him differently if he'd had something like that, back then? "Congratulations on the sword, Elyda. Make good use of it." he says anyway, pushing such thoughts away. He'd just have to hope she kept proving she was different too. If she did, that was proof she was worthy in his eyes.

Now...

Agreeing to Elyda's proposal, Elliot is in the back row of the group when Merixia makes the rather harrowing discovery. "I... don't want to know. Or think about how this is probably where we'd have ended up had we lost. Let's just breifly search the place, detect magic and move on?"

"Honestly," Anevia says darkly, "I'm not that surprised. What would stop them from eating each other - or us, for that matter?"

"I believe that some in Neathholm also mentioned that food was sometimes difficult to come by for them. That they don't eat each other is likely a mark of their own moral standards." Aravashnial observes. "Of course, it's not so hard that they need to eat each other, and there're more of them than there are of these traitors... so I suspect Baphomet's followers may just be opportunists." He shrugs. "Not like Zura's cultists, for whom it is a means of communing with her, at least as far as I'm aware."

Horgus stays well away from the door, contenting himself with trying to keep equidistant from all three doors in the dining area.

There are no magical items or auras of any sort in the butchery, though there is one finely crafted dagger that has been put to work as a cleaver. A masterwork dagger.

Earlier

His gaze shifts to Radiance and lingers on it's beautiful golden frame. A sword like that could make anyone jealous. Would they have looked at him differently if he'd had something like that, back then? "Congratulations on the sword, Elyda. Make good use of it." he says, pushing such thoughts away.

Glancing at Elliot, Elyda responded politely and quietly, "I thank you, Elliot. I intend to earn the privilege of wielding this holy blade."

===

Present time

The hand rising from the piles of butchered meats and such almost turned her stomach. Cannibals! Lady of Valour preserve us.

Having listened to Anevia and Master Aravashnial speak of the reasons why they would turn to cannibalism, Elyda waited for a lull in the conversation and added, "They wouldn't have a very large pet they're also feeding with this meat...something we should be concerned about?" casting her eyes about the space for some hidden threat. "We've already faced a monitor lizard and it hides bleeding from its wounds on the level above. They may have other hungry creature pets."

Thesius steps back at the sight, appalled. He had been right in his earlier actions and this cemented it in his mind. A moment of clarity bringing back to him his own cause in all of this.

Stepping forward he takes the time to search the room thoroughly.

Take 20 for a 30 perception.

"Gods, I hope not. We don't need another massive monster..." Anevia says, peering into the 'kitchen.' "I don't think there's room in here for anything else to live, though."

Taking 20 does take 2 minutes for perception, so I've taken down the minutes on your buffs.

Her gaze catches again on the bloodstained table, and she recalls what Horgus said not a minute ago. "'This is where she killed them to cement her grip.' Is this what remains of 'them'? Rather than ritual or even opportunistic cannibalism, this horror could be the result of a power struggle within this tribe."

Horgus shrugs slightly, apparently unconcerned - or at least uncertain - as to the answer to Verene's question. "Perhaps."

"Cannibals! Lady of Valour preserve us!"

So... I have to admit, my mind somehow read 'Cannibals' in the above line as 'Cannabis'. I found the image of a huge traitor weed stash pretty humorous. Yes, yes, queue the Dutch stereotype jokes :')

"Why... why are there so many children here? Gods, this is horrible." Elliot asks as Thesius thoroughly searches the room and the even grimmer details are revealed. "Lord Horgus... do you know something about this?" He then asks, seeing as how his interaction with Verene hinted at some specific higher knowledge of still unknown source. Was the man a diviner of sorts, like Verene was? A kind of thing it took specialist wizards to understand?

The nobleman tilts his head at Elliot's question. "Presumably from their dead or those of the other ones in Neathholm. Why the Hell should I know? It's not like they've got fields down here."

Anevia shakes her head, face slightly pale. "We should - let's move on from here. There's not a lot we can do here, anyways."

Picking up the makeshift cleaver, which was in fact a fine, albeit bloody, dagger, Elyda carefully placed Radiance against the cavern wall for a moment, pulled out a rag and carefully wiped off any remaining viscera and blood while trying not to gag in the endeavour. When it was clean, she tossed the dirty/bloodied piece of linen into the charnel house and washed her hands. Picking up Radiance, she approached Elliot and asked, "This fine dagger would best be in your hands, yes? If you do not wish to have it, then Verene may wish to use it." (Masterwork dagger, either Elliot or Verene?)

Then responding to Anevia, "Yes, let's move on."

GM, so we have to climb back up (through the small/narrow hole) so we may continue our march to the surface? Do you need any checks from us?

You're right that you do have to climb up, but no skill checks necessary. Unless you want to break the hole open to make it bigger or something. Then I'd probably have to ask you for some checks. Otherwise, I'm happy to just whisk you away to the trophy room upstairs.

"Agreed. Let's get out of here. There might be more cultists, although this Hosilla was obviously their leader." Merixia follows Elyda back up to the floor above.

"Elliot is welcome to the dagger. At the moment, it's too big for me, anyway. I could use this flask of alchemist's fire, though. Oh, and I should look for my bolt." She suits action to words, and quickly sees that the bolt that missed Baphomet's priestess is stuck in the doorframe to the small bedroom, far above her head. "Ah. Elliot, could you grab this for me?" If he does so, she then follows him and the others back into the other room and up the ladder.
Bolt retrieval, high good: 1d2 ⇒ 2

The heroes pass through the guard post, ascending the ladder back into the meeting room and the sleeping quarters, before entering the grotesque trophy room, where two ways remain open to them - one, the ladder in the center of the far wall to the north, and the other a door off to their right.

Anevia looks around, a frown on her face (which is slowly regaining color). "We should probably stay on this level first, see if the door's a dead end or not. I'd be willing to bet that that ladder leads out." It clearly costs her to suggest this, but she remains firm.

"Another ladder? I would rail at the indignity of being levitated up by Anevia, but... it's better than the alternative." There's the faintest hint of a smile on Aravashnial's lips, but it fades quickly. "But I agree, we should look on this level before ascending."

Elliot looks at the offered dagger and goes a bit white in the face. "I... ah, well, thank you, Elyda. And Verene. But knowing that was used to carve up the children here into edible pieces... I don't think I could bring myself to use or even carry it. Sorry. I guess I've gotten too fond of their innocent and genuine excitement at our performances to just ignore that bit. Perhaps one of you should use it as a backup weapon. I have my own."

When Anevia suggests searching the rest of the place before leaving, he just nods, foregoing teasing his teacher over his possible like of being carried around by the woman. "Yeah... now that we're here, let's see if there's anything else that's useful here. We might need everything else we can take if it comes to a fight up top."

Elyda did not use daggers and she wondered why the others would refuse a fine weapon with which to fight the enemy - especially against those who had perpetrated such an atrocity. She placed the weapon with the other collected items in case Merixia or someone wanted to carry and wield it.

Once the climb up was over, Elyda heard Anevia's words and then heeded them. Quietly, she responded to all, "I will move nearer to the closed door and listen for sounds beyond." She drew Radiance in hand and took a step forward, straining her ears to catch a sound or sounds.

Perception to hear anything beyond the door: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Stealth not to be heard from a hidden/waiting enemy behind the closed door: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Merixia claims the wand of spiritual weapon, seeing as that's a cleric spell. When both mages refuse the dagger, she shrugs and takes that too. Freefolk sure are picky sometimes. "The blood of the wicked is the best way to cleanse a weapon that's been used for evil. Unless it's been cursed, of course, in which case you need a special ritual. Let me know if you want this when you're back to your normal form, Verene, I probably won't use it much." If nobody else shows an interest in the prayer book or scrolls, Merixia claims them as well.

Bear's endurance is a wizard spell as well as a cleric spell. Elliot, Verene, either of you want it for your spellbooks later on?

Turning her head toward the party, she quietly informed them, "I heard a distant, muted roar. I cannot tell which creature made the sound. Let us be careful. Prepare yourselves, and, if one of you can open the door, I will move a little inside to see if it is safe for all of us to enter."

Earlier...

"Perhaps the blade can be reforged into a new purpose later on. Something fitting to help undo the harm it helped render. Until then, it may be able to lend in the aid of fighting those that assisted in it's foul use," Thesius suggests alongside Merixia.

Now...

Thesius moves up to the side of the doorway with the morningstar in hand, a look of determination upon his face as he nodds his readiness to Elyda.

"I have no objection to carrying the dagger when I am bigger again, certainly," Verene says. "A tool is a tool." Good catch, Merixia. Yes, I'd like to copy that bear's endurance scroll too, but only if we don't need it before then.

She trundles up to Elyda's position, and when it seems everyone is ready, opens the door for the taller and sturdier fighters to go through without delay.

The heroes open the door, and the roar grows louder. A hallway extends beyond the door, and about fifteen feet in, the carved walls begin to grow rougher and more natural. At the end of the hall, there's a slope downwards that leads to what looks like a hole in the ground. It is from that hole that the roar echoes.

"Ah, and here I had hoped that all we would face was demon cultists." Merixia sighs, eyeing her wounded comrades anxiously. She has one more spell that can be converted into healing, but someone is bound to be mortally injured before they get out of here. Best to save it for later.

Somebody better pick up the potion of cure moderate wounds, we're going to need it.

Verene eyes the hallway curiously, but waits for more the more martially inclined to precede her into it. She was able to drag some of their valuable but unwieldy prizes up from below, and for now she has dropped the two finely crafted glaives she volunteered to carry by the ladder leading out, to wait until such time as they proceed that way.

Posting from phone. Please move Elyda’s token on the map, as I won’t be on a comp until some point tomorrow once they fix my internet.

At the end of the hall, there's a slope downwards that leads to what looks like a hole in the ground. It is from that hole that the roar echoes.

”I’m going to investigate what is down the hole,”, she quietly informed the others.

Casting Guidance upon herself, Elyda attempted to move quietly down the hallway so as not to heard by the roaring creature. Elyda, with Radiance in hand and buckler strapped on her off arm, walked 15 feet until she reached the edge of the hole and carefully/discreetly peered over/down, hoping to spy with her darkvision what was down there making such a sound.

Stealth with ACP penalty and Guidance bonus: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 5 - 1 + 1 = 12
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

When Elyda approaches the hole with the possible beast, Elliot calls out. "Wait, Elyda. Let's use a distraction too, just in case. " The caster then mutters an incantation under his, and a number of floating lights appear on the other side of the pit Elyda approaches just as she comes close.

Hopefully, that would distract the giant maw he was currently imagining from eating Elyda right away...

The noise grows louder as the lawbringer approaches, and she begins to suspect something. When Elyda looks down the pit and sees that it's a rocky climb down to what looks to be a rushing river below, her suspicions are confirmed - it wasn't any sort of creature at all. Just the sound of water flowing being amplified through the cave.

The river itself only surfaces briefly here, it seems, as the two walls of the cavern below have no openings on the roiling surface of the water.

Still posting from phone.

Elyda gave a nod of approval at Elliot’s distraction plan and waited until the right moment before peering over the edge, cautiously.

Returning to her companions, ”Thank you, Elliot. Clever distraction,” and then she relayed to all what she had heard/seen,

“Rocky climb down. The sound we heard is the rushing water from the river below. The rocks make the sound louder like a roar. In the wall on the far side of the water below, there appears to be some sort of latch... like something to open a secret door. The river itself only surfaces briefly there, as the two walls of the lower cavern have no openings on the roiling surface of the water. How do you wish to proceed?”

"Should we perhaps rope off in case the current attempts to take one of us?" Thesius offers. "Although I fear it sounds like an unfortunate place to be caught in battle."

"A rope securing us to one another sounds like a sound plan, Thesius. I am not a strong swimmer and our party is encumbered with heavy items, which will not aid us in the rushing water." Elyda looked around at her other companions, waiting to hear their thoughts. "I am a good climber, so I can help there. Is there a strong swimmer among you?"

"Why would the cultists hide something down there?" Anevia wonders aloud. "Especially given how hard it'd be to get down there and back up regularly."

"Perhaps more relevant is what they might hide down there. Or, indeed, if it was the cultists at all." Aravashnial's ear twitches as he contemplates the question.

"I am a good climber, so I can help there. Is there a strong swimmer among you?"

"I am neither. It sounds like there is not much room down there anyway, nor any good place to stand. To avoid possibly falling down the rock face or being borne away by the rushing water, this seems like a good time to use the cloud-pillar scale's power. Anevia is already levitating, but perhaps someone else should go too, to watch her back. And tying a rope to each person's waist in case something goes wrong sounds like a good precaution as well."

Merixia looks down at the rushing water and grimaces. "I can sort of swim, but not in armor. And I'd rather not take it off in enemy territory. I think Verene has the best idea here. Why risk falling when we have magic that can do the job?"

"Well, I can try, I guess." Anevia says with a slight frown as she slowly moves over to the hole and peers down. "But I don't see much of anything down there, and it looks like anything near the wall would be, uh... difficult to get to from the center, if I'm levitating."

"I will go with Anevia by the same levitation method, if we are agreed we should investigate this secret door and no one else wishes to."

Elliot looks at the water and winces. "A bit too much water for my tastes. It doesn't hurt me as a fire aasimar, but... it's not that pleasant either. If you go, be careful Verene. You too, Anevia," he says, and hands the scale to them when requested. He then loads a bolt into the crossbow and peers into the water intently, ready to shoot whichever threat might emerge from it.

Elliot Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Elliot is entirely positive that the only thing in the hole is running water. It doesn't even look so bad, now that he's looking closely...

I couldn't resist, but even I didn't expect that roll.

"Even though I do appreciate the offer to go down using levitation, Anevia, I think it best that only I attempt this in case things go very wrong. The bone in your leg is still mending and it would not be fair or wise to insist you do this."

Then looking to Verene, "It is good of you to offer, Verene. However, I think I better go down and see what is there. I would not risk your life, either."

"Elliot, may I use the levitation scale in your possession? If I also tie a rope around my waist, perhaps Thesius and Merixia can help support my weight with the rope in case I find myself plunging down into the rushing water due to an attack. Agreed?"

Sheathing Radiance and then lowering her pack to the floor, Elyda withdrew her 50ft silk rope and tied one end around her waist. Then temporarily leaving behind the heavier items she was carrying to give herself a better chance (especially if she somehow found herself in the water and needing to swim), Elyda began preparing herself.

Then standing, she began to cast, praying to the Lady of Valour to guide her in this mission. (Cast Guidance upon herself.)

"I will drop a large rock down the hole, for I wish to see if something comes forth to attack. I do not wish to become a meal to some hidden creature.", she quietly advised the group. Looking around for a decent-sized/hefty rock that would make some impact once it reached the water, Elyda looked over cautiously and dropped the rock into the hole toward the rushing water below (closest to the unusual wall with the latch, if possible).

Perception to note movement or sound other than the tossed rock and rushing water: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

===

If nothing rears or shows itself, Elyda will hand the other end of the tied rope to Thesius or Merixia and then move through the hole using levitation, descending a short distance before moving herself, as quietly as possible, hand over hand along the ceiling, using her darkvision to see, toward the side of the unusual wall where she had earlier noted the possible secret door.

Perception once she's closer to the unusual wall's latch with Guidance bonus: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 8 + 1 = 20 (Is there a trap? Can she see or hear anything noteworthy beyond the secret door aside from the loud, rushing water echoing inside the cave.)

"Of course, Elyda. We'll do our best to keep hold of you." Merixia accepts one end of the rope, handing some of it to Thesius.

"You're welcome to go as well, Elyda," Elliot says and hands her the scale instead. "I don't see anything moving down there, but be careful. They had a pretty big pet up here. Who's to say they don't have one in the water too?"

He continues standing by, just in case, and tries not to get in the way of Merixia and Thesius while maintaining a clear line of shot towards Elyda's surroundings.

As Elyda and Anevia float down on their clouds of mist, the lawbringer sees that the rushing waters are just that - rapid-flowing and loud. It doesn't seem too deep - she can see the bottom with her darkvision. Thankfully, it also seems uninhabited save by a few small underground fish.

This is because the GM doesn't want to fight with the aquatic combat rules in an entirely unnecessary encounter with a pair of large and angry fish. I'm not wholly clear on whether the AP thinks it should be wadable or not, but it's not relevant to our game, either way.

Once at the wall, Elyda scans the area carefully, but doesn't hear or see anything that suggests there's something waiting within whatever the latch will open. Taking the risk, she throws it, and a door of false stone swings open, just about a foot above the water's edge. Dust coats the cavern within, and an old wooden crate sits at the back wall.

Stepping inside, Elyda feels a sudden dropping sensation before her levitation stops her as a broad pit trap collapses beneath her feet. Anevia hisses, jerking back. "Dammit, I should've been more careful. I'm usually better about spotting that sort of thing. Desna's looking out for us, it seems, 'cause without the clouds we've got..."

I did roll perception for both of you, and even with Anevia's trap finding, both of you failed. However, since you can't actually fall whilst under the effects of levitation, the pit trap didn't actually matter at all.

The dropping sensation made her stomach flutter a little before the levitation stopped the fall, which Elyda was entirely grateful for.

In lowered voice, lest it carry like the rushing water against the rock, "It is fine, Anevia. It was a wise plan to use the levitation scale. I would like to see what is inside the old wooden crate there at the back wall. Can you see if there is a trap on the crate before I try to open it? I'll keep my eyes open, too, but unlike you, my talent does not lie in trapfinding."

Elyda will levitate closer to crate and make room for Anevia (if they both can fit in there at the same time).

Perception to locate any trap on the old crate to aid Anevia: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Thesius ties the other end of the rope off around his own waist, allowing himself to act as an anchor should be become necessary. He watches with a sinking feeling as the floor opens beneath Elyda...but elation at the smart thinking of the scale helps counter the effect.