GM Erich's 5-23 Cairn of Shadows (Tier 5-9) (Inactive)

Game Master Thereus, Silver Crusader

Zzorn is filled with a strange mix of pity and honor upon seeing the horselord... unsure of his feelings towards him, he asks, "Horselord Telendrak, it is an honor to meet you! Do this warrior a favor and answer one question please: do you still spit in the face of Zon-Kuthon, or have they broken your resolve with this despicable and cowardly torture?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

The man carefully reviews Paxal as he steps forward.

"The Master of Chains? The Lord Above? Giver of the Gift of Anguish? He is our only god now. He made me Telendrak... when the last Telendrak was so foolish as to die.”

He only shakes his head in slack-jawed horror at Zzorn's words, then looks nervously to the unseen ceiling.

"Well, that -is- disturbing. I'll be keeping watch so we don't get ambushed.", disgusted, Malik turns around to not look at the man, but keeps listening in as he observes the other part of the hall.

Telendrak, are you saying you are not the original Telendrak? I do not understand. Does the Master somehow replace you if you die?

Do you know if the Master has any weaknesses? And what will happen to you if we take the obelisk from this place?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

I don't know that I need another Diplomacy roll, but it shouldn't hurt and could save time

Notos looks nervously around, and tries not to say any complete names that may attract the attention of the name owner.

It is still very difficult to see through the countless sheets of chains hanging from the ceiling throughout this entire room.

The feeling of claustrophobia strengthens as the hanging man grows shockingly louder, even in his state of weakness.

“NO! Of course I am. I AM TELENDRAK!” He looks up to the chains hanging above him. “I said I am Telendrak! It doesn’t need to come. I obeyed!”

He then whispers to those of you close enough to hear, punctuated by weak coughs as his voice begins to fade.

“Always, we’ve always... been here. The horselord Telendrak came... to the Cairn of Shadows in the time of darkness, and before true darkness... descended on the land called Nidal. That’s what the last Telendrak said. Others came. They went to see... the Lord Above. We could hear... the screams, as the Lord gave them... the gift of anguish. And there was... such blood, cool drops... that rained down upon us… He has no weakness.”

"Well. That sounded like some juicy tidbits of secret knowledge that Zarta may want to hear about upon my return."
He takes a mental note of this encounter.

I believe we're supposed to go up these chains to find this "Master".
He says as he looks upward in dismay.
Paxal grabs a length of chain next to him and gives it a good tug to test it's strength.

"Wait Paxal," asks Zzorn. "We need to unhook this man from these chains. This is barbaric. Assist me please."

Assuming Paxal agrees...

Zzorn and Paxal take turn holding him up while others carefully pry out the hooks. Zzorn instructs the hook removers that they can use his wand of healing as they proceed to ease the man's pain... once the man is safely 'unhooked' and healed, Zzorn gives him water and food, and asks, "Sir, if you are Telendrak, tell me of your people, your battles and how you came to rule these lands... how long have you been here and how long of your sentence remains? I am an aficionado of history and heraldry, and you need to take a well-deserved break here..."

Igor does not think that climbing a chain is a good idea.

"How about taking the tunnel ahead instead and see where that leads? We can always double back if we need to ascend another way."

Igor waves Zzorn off.

"Zzorn, clearly this man believes he should be here and unchaining him could be dangerous for all of us. It would clearly be against his religious beliefs. He is also clearly not alive as we know it if he is over 9,000 years old."

@GM Erich - Can we make knowledge checks to determine what his abilities might be?

Malik suddenly scoffs. ”The man seems to be in pain and scared. Probably of something on the ceiling? I don't know. But if this is the case, releasing him is the right thing to do, Zzorn. Let me help you."

Unless he is more afraid of what would happen were he disobedient than the pain of the torture. It sounds like something nasty might come Down those chains?

She will take on step closer and try to peer up the chains with her darkvision.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

I suspect Paxel, Zzorn and Malik should move up on the map?

"I have no desire to ascend if we do not have to, but I agree that Telendrak must be freed."

@Igor No knowledge check, he is just human, probably a pig farmer.

Notos peers up the length of the chains and can see they continue to the limit of her darkvision. Paxal's tug indicates they are strong enough to climb - although the barbs, blades, hooks, and spikes jutting from them at odd angles suggest that may be quite treacherous.

Freeing him will take a disable device check, a STR check, or by damaging the chain enough. Up to two can aid the same check.

"Hold the chain tight Malik- take some of tension away from the man while Paxal holds him up," says Zzorn, with a resolved look. The Ulfen man then pulls out his magic falchion, and cuts at the chain with all his might.

full-round action to line up a shot for an automatic hit with a melee weapon
dmg Round 1, +1 Falchion, Power Attack: 2d4 + 13 ⇒ (1, 2) + 13 = 16
dmg Round 2, +1 Falchion, Power Attack: 2d4 + 13 ⇒ (4, 2) + 13 = 19
dmg Round 3, +1 Falchion, Power Attack: 2d4 + 13 ⇒ (1, 2) + 13 = 16
dmg Round 4, +1 Falchion, Power Attack: 2d4 + 13 ⇒ (4, 4) + 13 = 21
GM to roll additional rounds if required

The half orc moves closer and grabs the chain with all his might. However strong that could be. He makes sure to apply most of his weight. The thing is slipping as Zzorn is wailing at the links, but he tries his best.

"Hold on old man. Sweet release is coming.", he mutters.

It takes a couple short swings to snap the chain with the falchion. Telendrak drops to his knnes and struggles to regain his footing. You can tell he will be too weak to climb or fight, and is likely too fearful to take any action on his own.

"Thank... you." He wheezes his first full breath in ages.

What next Pathfinders?

... once the man is safely 'unhooked' and healed, Zzorn gives him water and food, and asks, "Sir, if you are Telendrak, tell me of your people, your battles and how you came to rule these lands... how long have you been here and how long of your sentence remains? I am an aficionado of history and heraldry, and you need to take a well-deserved break here..."

bit of a retcon/flashback here, but Zzorn basically asks the same question once Telendrak is liberated and breathing better.

Malik drops the chain to the floor and knees down next to the man, attempting to assess his condition. "I won't ask whether you are hurt, I just want to know how much."

Heal: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

He takes his waterskin and offers some water.

Igor is not exactly sure of the wisdom of releasing a prisoner that has been trapped for over 9,000 years by an ancient cult worshipping a powerful god. He does not approve of acting out of emotion without fully understanding the consequences of his actions. However the choice has been made by others and he will have to deal with the ramifications of their actions for good or ill.

"Can we attempt to go through the tunnel now? It might lead to where we need to go and if not we can always return here. This is not a safe place to linger."

Freeing the prisoner is probably the right move in-game and is likely to lead to a nice boon as well. We shall see. :)

@Malik He seems to be frail and wasted from hanging for so long. It will take time or high magic to restore him to full strength.

As the man recovers, he speaks with more strength to Zzorn. “The horselords tribes ruled the Atteran Plains, their warriors riding mighty chiardmars and driving foes before them with spear and lance. The tribes were fierce and independent, worshiping spirits of nature and our ancestors. So it was in my day. We’ve always been here. The horselord Telendrak came to the Cairn of Shadows in the time of darkness, and before true darkness descended on the land called Nidal. That’s what the last Telendrak said.”

Basically, you are getting the sense that this common man is one of a long line of "Telendraks", forced to bear the brunt of the original's transgressions in this torture chamber.

One vote for the tunnel to the northwest. If so, put yourself in a marching order there.

Elby will carefully touch Telendrak, hoping to ease the worst of his pain.

Lay on Hands: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 5) = 13

"We need to ensure that he is safe - it would do little good to leave him here only to be chained again." She turns to the horselord. "Are you well enough to walk? Is there someplace nearby you could hide?"

Kn Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Malik tries to recall what Chiardmars are. He thinks for a few moments, and rubs his temples.

"The man is clearly delusional from the pain he endured. Chiardmars are freshwater fish."

Paxal strains as he lifts the prisoner to create slack in the chains.
Ugh... I have the feeling this is going to alert every guard and creature in this place. Oof... I'm not too fond of having a price on my head from every worshipper of Zon-Kuthon.
Paxal is relived the prisoner is free. He listens intently to his story, hoping for more useful information to pass on to his faction leader.

Chiardmars? What are those?
He asks.

------------------------------

I'm good checking that tunnel. It may be slow going back through these chains, though. What about Telendrak? Are we just going to leave him here? Should we take him back to the main entrance?

knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Malik, you must be mis-remembering. Chiardmars are fast and beautiful horses, bred in the hills of Nidal.

If the rooms shift, I do not know of a safe place we could leave him. If he is able, the best option may be that he follows us.

@Elbe Lay on Hands helps him a bit, but his injuries are more systemic and long-term (i.e. ability damage).

"I can walk, but we must leave this place. The Lord Above will not be pleased. There are more than enough chains to hang the liberators of Telendrak for all eternity." He groans.

He says he can walk, but it is clear in his present state he will only be able to follow simple commands and not fight or climb.

"Oh yeah. Those are Chardimars, easy to confuse by name alone."

One vote for the tunnel to the northwest. If so, put yourself in a marching order there.

@GM Erich: I must have missed the other options; what are we voting on?

The other option is to climb the chains above the throne. Telendrak strongly hinted that the "Lord Above" was up there somehow.

Ah, ok. I'm good either way. Same marching order as the way we came in please, since we resolved that already...

I agree with Zzorn in principle but now the corridor is only five feet wide so this will not work. I will move the tokens and people can adjust if they are unhappy with their placement. Hopefully the corridor will widen.

Again, slap me in the back.

Zzorn gently ushers Telendrak the Third (or Fourth? or Fifth? or One Hundredth?) towards the exit, saying "Go rest in the entrance while we secure this corridor over there. And by the way, do you happen to know what lies beyond this north corridor, good Sir?"

Telendrak certainly needs help to resist the insisting chains as you move back to the west.

"A torturous death awaits you around every corner if you do not leave at once." He moans.

Zzorn nods, helps the man through the chains and helps him sit against the entrance wall. He then rejoins the group, saying "The old man advises caution and said we should leave at once. Specifically, he warned about 'A torturous death awaiting around every corner.' We should be very careful I think!"

Zzorn decide to inspect the hall in details, observing the walls and the stone at close range thanks to his torch.

Perception, Take 10: 10 + 10 = 20 Not sure if the group has buffs, but if no one is pressing Zzorn, he might actually start taking 20 based on the old man's warning... I just noticed that Notos and Igor are both better than Zzorn at Perception though, so I hesitate to take 20 in this case as this may slow down the group needlessly...

@Zzorn - I have plenty of buffs up so yes please no take 20's.

"Don't worry about it Zzorn. Between Tiny Pebble and myself we should be able to manage well enough. I have inherited my mother's knack for noticing things."

Take 10 on Perception is 32. (See Invisibility is active)

Tiny Pebble smiles at Elby. The reassuring pounding of her feet is music to the elemental's senses after the awful grating of chains in the other room.

Slowly, the group makes their way through the strangely resistant chain curtains back to the tunnel. Treading carefully, you descend.

Rough, uneven stairs run from landing to landing. There is the scent of old blood, and disturbing stains mark the walls. A single black wooden door sits at the end of the run of stairs. As you near the end of it, Igor suddenly realizes that the entire 30-foot-long corridor in front of the door will tilt when the door is even touched, dropping anyone in that last section of the corridor to unknown horrors below.

"Oooookay... back away slowly yes?" replies Zzorn upon hearing Igor's discovery.

Igor nods.

"Indeed. I have a plan that may work. I will need a minute to study my spell book in quiet to make it happen. Unless of course anyone here is excellent with traps?"

My plan is simple. I will cast Ant Haul on my elemental who will then have an enormous carrying capacity with his 16 base strength. He will then be able to ferry people across by earth gliding through the adjacent wall. It might take a minute but it should work. Even if the door is locked it can be bashed down by one of the martial characters.

@GM Erich - Is this passage quiet enough to meditate for 1 minute to fill an empty spell slot with the Fast Study discovery or will the party need to leave the cairn entirely?

"I usually handle traps by toughing them out if the Society does not send an expert, but that seems like a bad idea in this case."

None of us have the extraordinary ability of Earth Glide, though. We'd be knocked off his shoulders as soon as he enters the wall.

Paxal suddenly spreads his arms and feet apart to regain his balance on the shifting platform.
I think we need to place a lot of weight on the end I am at and have one person go across one at a time. Lightest people first.

@Paxal Sorry, I should have explained it more fully. It will tilt on a lengthwise axis (white line), dropping everyone into the pit, like a 30 foot long hinged door.

Eager to test things out, Tiny Pebble sticks his head in the wall before quickly pulling it out, a little frightened. He shakes his head at Igor. "No rock, only dark swirling shadows beyond."

I'm assuming we all performed an orderly retreat back to the stairs before trying things out with this trap... lol! if not:

You all see Zzorn shuffle past Notos, Malik and Paxal... "Sorry... excuse me... a thousand apologies for your foot Paxal..."

Ouch.

Right behind you, Zzorn.
Paxal says as he follows the warrior back to the edge.

Could I use Knowledge (Engineering) to figure out the trap mechanism, and possibly find a way to disable it?

Knowledge (Engineering): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Notos has no idea how to proceed.

Paxal thinks for a moment and looks at each of his companions.
Does anyone have the ability of flight?
We just need someone to fly over there and open the door. Then we need to come up with a way to get across after the floor of the passage drops away.

@Paxal - Tiny Pebble would only need to be partially submerged in the wall to earth glide and he would be able to hold a person with his arms in the adjacent square. In this case there is not enough wall to glide through but it could work elsewhere. I just realised that his maximum load carrying capacity is just over 262 pounds so he could probably manage anyone in the party even without the Ant Haul spell.

Igor nods at his familiar glad to save the time and the spell but a little surprised to find a rock with only shadows behind it. He notices Notos studying the trap and takes a look as well.

"Yes Paxal. This could work. Let me think where we all should stand. We could use the chains from the other room as a counter weight as well."

Igor's take 10 on K-Engineering would be 20.

"Well with Flight you can simply ferry people across one at a time. It would be simple work I imagine. It might be arranged but this problem of engineering is far more interesting."

I just realised that his maximum load carrying capacity is just over 262 pounds so he could probably manage anyone in the party even without the Ant Haul spell.

stares in full plated half orc

Tiny Pebble will attempt to peek through the floor to see what awaits them if they spring the trap and to provide useful intelligence back to Igor about how this trap might function.

There might be treasure down there or a secret passage. You never know.

@Elby - I checked the chart and yes your character is perhaps too heavy without Ant Haul but we might be going with a different plan after all.

@Igor/Notos Unfortunately, Knowledge (Engineering) doesn't tell you more than the perception does in this case, other than it's not the weight limit that triggers the hinged floor but a simple touching of the door at the end of the hall.

Tiny Pebble's reconnaissance reveals a pit thirty feet deep full of spiked nets that would harm all who fall. Coins and gems at the bottom. He also tells Igor "Bird stones, too."

Spiked nets, he says?
Paxal says in response after Tiny Pebble's words are translated.
I have a rope and grappling hook. With some assistance, we could probably unhook those nets, roll 'em up, and drop them out of the way on the floor of the pit. Then search around down there.