[PFS(1), Menagerie] PFS 1-49: Among the Dead (Inactive)

Game Master Blake's Tiger

Because I often forget that Taking 10 is even a thing. Just assume Felix did that, instead.

The phantom moves into the lake and passes around the curve of the cave. Djahan smells a strong, musky odor as he moves into the tunnel. The phantom encounters a partially melted skeleton under the water as the cave widens. On a tiny island on the far side of the lake stands a stone altar with the symbol of Zyphus carved into the front. On top of the altar are rotting organs placed around a burning brazier.

The phantom experiences a strange thing: its incorporeal legs are stinging.

Felix falls down the shaft and lands with a painful crash next to Aurora and Data.

Status

Aurora +6 NL damage
Data +6 NL damage
Felix -10 hp
Djahan's Young Fractured Mind -3 hp

Djahan feels the phantom’s pain and it seems like he’s pulling an invisible rope and the phantom returns… still in trance.

Djahan detects magic and looks at the acid.

perception : 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

While Djahan's phantom retreats back to the shore, Djahan opens his mind to search for magical auras. He senses magic down the cave, into the lake. Then he senses a single point of magic somewhere in the water so powerful that it is overwhelming his senses.

Spellcraft DC 30 to try to identify

He does not see anything specific through the glittering surface of the lake. He is not able to see the skeleton that the phantom stumbled upon, himself.

Data will follow Djahan, covering him…

"My, what a gentleman you are Data. My thanks."

Aurora rubs her bruises. Then decides to mend them.

clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

"Do you need attention, Data my dear?" she calls after the android and follows him.

Aurora could probably check out the underwater area reasonably safely.

The voices continue to echo from one of the other two tunnels. The phantom can confirm that there are no living beings in the tunnel it traversed.

Aurora tends to her own wounds. Felix picks himself up off of the floor with a groan of pain.

“As long as nobody here is acid resistant I think that it will be hard to find out what actually is hiding in the back! So let us continue to explore the other areas first!“ the Tiefling says.

He concentrates again and steers the incorporeal phantom that still is calmly following orders in a trance.

Djahan sees sputtering torchlight down the tunnel that he sends his phantom. Following the bend of the cave, the phantom finds a gruesome sight illuminated by two sputtering torches. A cultist hangs upside-down from the ceiling by a snare trap. A small pool of blood splatter lies beneath him at the edge of a cavern pool. His face is purple and distorted, and he is thoroughly dead. The cavern pool is full of icy slush, larger chunks of ice, and several frozen bodies float within the slush.

"My, what a gentleman you are Data. My thanks."

More used to the mermaid’s sarcasm, he hesitates a moment as his circuitry lights up…when his lights go dark, he nods, smiling as he says, ”You are my companion; I do what I can to protect…”

"Do you need attention, Data my dear?"[/b] she calls after the android and follows him.

Data nods. ”Yes, please, a very light touch would be appreciated…”

The android then continues to follow Djahan, looking about as he moves…

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

"Here, we need to keep up," Tsamara remarks as Felix picks himself up off the floor. She draws out her healing wand and gives the warrior a couple of taps with it.

CLW Wand (Felix): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
CLW Wand (Felix): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW Wand (Felix): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Charges remaining (38).

She then moves to follow after Djahan, Aurora, and the rest, beckoning for FelixBot and Sebastus to follow.

Djahan casts detec magic and looks around.

"It is truly sad ... this place is crazy!"

"I can be gentle" Aurora tells Data in her sing-song voice.

She taps him with her wand.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Demm crosses his arms and leans against the wall. His tail twitches unconsciously, the only sign that he maybe uncomfortable with the 'touchingness and feelingsses' happening.

"What does Djahan-in-Spirit see?" asks Aurora slowly walking after the phantom and its haunted keeper.

One way or another, you determine that there is nothing of value left in this room or within the icy waters and frozen corpses. Djahan (I presume) sends his phantom to investigate the last of the three tunnels, now silent.

The phantom sees a pressure plate (red rectangle) in the floor. There are blood splatters on the walls and smeared puddles of blood on the ground as the phantom progresses.

The tunnel opens past a gruesome sight: a decapitated corpse lies beneath another corpse pinned to the wall by a great metal scythe that had sprung out of the wall. The mechanism appears to be jammed by the second corpse (grey X). Moving to peer beyond this, into a dark chamber, the whimsical phantom is forced to see an even more gruesome display.

A giant mummified, bearded pirate with a peg leg covered in barnacles, a missing left arm, and a noose hanging around his neck is hanging corpses over a bathtub-sized font. The corpses chests are flayed open and blood drains into the font.

The phantom is so overwhelmed by the sight that Djahan's control is completely blocked out.

"Arrghhhhhh!!! Dead people everywhere and there is giant mummified, bearded pirate with a peg leg! Help! This is ... this is not funny! No not funny!" the whimsical creature shouts and comes back from the tunnel.

"Fascinating. Do you suppose the giant pirate mummy would like to talk?"

"If not, must we consider the giant pirate mummy a foe? Our instructions were to defeat the cult of Zyphus. Perhaps the mummy is a member. Perhaps not. Sebastus, what say you?"

"Er...even if this mummy doesn't have anything to do with the cult, I'm a little concerned about what it's doing with all those corpses," Tsamara points out. "And if we just left it here, who's to say it wouldn't go out on its own to add more to its collection or whatever it's doing?"

Djahan is a little bit flabbergasted to see the phantom break free.

He immediately storms into the room with the mummy.

"Let us see!!" he says and moves forward to the trap and tries to jump!

acrobatics: 1d20 - 8 ⇒ (18) - 8 = 10

Djahan hastily attempts to make his way toward the threat, but his efforts prove a little short, and he lands upon the end of the long trigger plate. An axe blade on a long pole drops out of the ceiling--how on Golarion have these cultists managed to make such elaborate traps so quickly?--and strikes him as it passes along the length of the tunnel entrance. Fortunately, he is the only one in a position to be struck, and injury is mild.

Djahan 28/33 hp

I assume that Djahan is going to charge heroically down the tunnel now that the last known trap is triggered with everyone else following. You could also pause to wand away that minor injury. Please confirm.

"Arhhh ... but we have to go on!" Djahan says and storms forward.

"My, you're very keen to talk to our new friend Djahan-in-Flesh. How encouraging." That, or you have a death wish.

"Data, dear, just in case of hostilities, would you like me to enchant your arrows again? This time the spell is more powerful."

As Djahan picks himself up off the floor Aurora withdraws a scroll.

If Data agrees, Aurora will cast Daybreak Arrow from a scroll.

"I...uh...o-okay??" Tsamara calls, noticeably baffled as Djahan charges off down the tunnel towards wherever the pirate-mummy is lurking, not even letting an axe trap slow him down.

"Ah, I suppose we're 'doing this', as the humans sometimes say," she remarks with a sigh and moves to follow after the others, though she allows Felix and Data to go ahead of her first.

Now I'm starting to understand Demm's disposition...

Data shrugs, draws his bow, and follows Djahan…

Aurora takes the shrug as an affirmative, and enchants Data's arrows.

"That's Zyphus' herald," Sebasti hoarsely squeaks his answer to Aurora's question while she enchants Data's arrows.

Djahan rushes down the tunnel. His companions quickly make their way after him. The tiefling turns the corner, sees the bloody tub and the gruesome tableau, and then feels a cold, damp, heavy weight slam him in the face (Fortitude DC 18 vs. 1 Con drain). While his vision clears from the surprise attack, a giant undead pirate steps in front of him and kicks him between the legs with its barnacle laden peg leg (Fortitude DC 18 vs. 1 Con drain). "All that screaming, heard you coming."

Combat! Round 1. Bold may act.

Effects: Everyone within 10 ft of the "zombie" suffers -4 to all checks and saving throws, must confirm any critical *twice*, and if they roll a 1 to hit, they must make a Reflex save vs. DC 14 or drop their weapon.

Phantom[/b] (13/16 hp)
"Zombie"
Felix
Djahan (6/33 hp) (Two x Fortitude DC 18, with the -4 penalty, vs. 1 Con Drain each)
Data (daybreak arrows)
Demm
Tsamara
Aurora

The phantom technically went before the "zombie," but I figured that would just be repositioning and wouldn't change the action.

Per PFS rules, you only suffer an ability bonus decrease once you have accumulated an even number of damage/drain. So even if you had 14 Con and suffered 1 Con drain, your hit points/fort saves/etc. wouldn't change until you took 2 Con drain, then 4, 6, etc.

Demm fires off the last of his sorcerous energy at the giant pirate. "See, this am why we had to kill dead girl in last mission. She am become like this!"

Magic Missile (CL 3): 2d4 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 + 3 = 10

"This is *not* where we want to be," Tsamara fumes as a logjam quickly forms in the narrow passage. She releases her blessing wand from its wrist sheath and gives it a wave before trying to flatten herself against the wall and allow her allies a little more room to maneuver.
______________

Wand charges remaining (46). Tsamara will try and squeeze into her current square on the map or if that is impossible, she'll fall back past Felix and Aurora.

CL check, scroll (DC6): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 It's CL5 (3rd level spell).

Aurora steps forwards, curious. She invokes the Divine Princess to aid her memory and bless the party. Guidance on self, Divine Vessel on everyone except Djahan who is out of range.

She peers down the passage at the "herald"

know.religion, guidance, vessel: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 7 + 1 + 2 = 17

"Well, it's a giant undead pirate alright.

Back up, Djahan-in-Flesh. He's got you right where he wants you."

Divine Vessel (Su): Whenever you are the target of a divine spell, you can, as a swift action, grant each ally within 15 feet of you a divine boon. This boon grants a +2 bonus on the next attack roll, skill check, or ability check made before the end of their next turn.

Djahan (and everyone else) a reminder that Godsmouth Heresy gave you a Pharasma's Blessing boon that grants a reroll against undead ;)

fort, bad luck : 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 12 - 4 = 28
fort, bad luck : 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 12 - 4 = 24

Djahan bites on his teeth to ignore the pain.

He attacks the large undead with his longsword and also bites with his fangs!

”I will be your undoing!!!“ he says and smites the creature.

Swift action smite evil. +4 deflection to AC -> AC 23

Primary MW Cold Iron Longsword To hit: bless +1, Smite +4, Str+3, MW +1, BAB +2 ; Damage: Smite +4, str +3 , bad luck: 1d20 - 4 + 1 + 6 + 4 ⇒ (13) - 4 + 1 + 6 + 4 = 201d8 + 3 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 4 = 15

bite secondary, Smite, bad luck : 1d20 - 5 + 4 + 1 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (13) - 5 + 4 + 1 + 5 - 4 = 141d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 2 = 9

The phantom flies through the undead to the other side of the room!!

”I told you it’s huge and ugly!!“

Djahan brings his sword down, smiting the wight with Irori's judgement, and cuts deeply. He tries to follow with a bite, but only manages to grab the waterlogged noose in his teeth. Deem tad-draguni smites the undead herald in his own way, peppering his foe with his draconic magic. The wight waves its arm belated through the trail of the missiles. "Argh! Wizard pests!"

Meanwhile, Aurora tries to sharpen her memory while releasing a divine blessing upon her allies. Tsamara unleashes a blessing.

Combat! Round 1. Bold may act.

Effects: Everyone within 10 ft of the "zombie" suffers -4 to all checks and saving throws, must confirm any critical *twice*, and if they roll a 1 to hit, they must make a Reflex save vs. DC 14 or drop their weapon.
Bless: +1

Phantom[/b] (13/16 hp)
"Zombie" (-25 hp)
Felix (divine vessel)
Djahan
Data (daybreak arrows; divine vessel)
Demm (divine vessel)
Tsamara (divine vessel)
Aurora (divine vessel)

Data moves 5’ west and fires at the undead creature…

To hit: Base/Dex, MW, PBS, Deadeye Bowman, Precise Shot, Bless, Favored Enemy
Damage: Strength, PBS, Favored Enemy, Daybreak

Longbow: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 29
Cold Iron/Radiant Damage: 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 1 + 2 + (6) = 17

Having been mostly silent since his rather embarrassing fall, the fighter draws his spear and slides up behind Djahan, attempting to make an attack around the tiefling.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Data's radiant arrow pierces the wight's chest, and the creature falls to dust before you. With the Herald of Zyphus defeated, you have time to examine the room, though it does not shed much light on the madness.

A stone trench about three feet high runs the length of the west wall. Hanging above it are several human men, their chests flayed open, their blood dripping and pooling in the trench below. A thin stone tube then runs from the middle of the gory container, funneling blood down toward a large basin in the center of the room. Judging from the blood splashed around the outside of the basin, something recently crawled out of it.

Having uncovered or triggered all the traps in the dungeon, you can gather most of the dead and lay them to rest. Recovering the bones dissolving within the acid lake poses a dangerous challenge. Perhaps the powerful acid will do the gods work for you.

Sebastus is amazed that you destroyed the Herald of Zyphus. "Excellent! Now I've fully fulfilled my end of the bargain. Can you take me to Absalom, now, please? Please!"

The captives are silent until you tell them that you destroyed the wight, and then they begin wailing, lamenting, and cursing you and your progeny for ten generations.

When you do return to the Grand Lodge and report on your mission, Drendle Dreng nods solemnly. "Good. That ends the threat of Zyphus in Oppara for good, and our murdered brothers and sisters will surely rest easier now."

"What a strange mission this one was," Tsamara muses later, back in the safety of the Grand Lodge. "But at least we took care of the problem - for now."

She considers the nature of the last few missions and sighs.

"I hope the next one is outdoors, though. All these dank crypts get a little depressing after a while..."

"Oh Tsamara" Aurora exclaims in her enchanting sing-song voice, "you need to see the person, not their decor."