GM Mauve's Cradle of Night (1e) (Inactive)

Game Master MauveAvengr

Akku improves Siiska's sight against invisible enemies then moves into melee with the enemy. Casting See Invisibility on Siiska via Share Spells + Move action

Siiska moves into melee as well then attacks.
Slam, GMF, H: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 12 + 1 + 2 = 28
magic bludgeoning dmg, GMF: 1d10 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 1 = 20 plus chill touch; 1d6 points of damage + creature also takes 1 point of Strength damage unless it makes a successful DC 14 Fort save; An undead creature you touch takes no damage of either sort, but it must make a successful DC 14 Will saving throw or flee as if panicked for 1d4+9 rounds.

Hateful Aura 10 ft. radius in effect; causes 3 pts. of dmg to anyone attacking the spiritualist or the phantom.

Leon, now knowing where the enemies stands floats, stands up and quickly brings his hammer down... but it swings right through the air almost as if the owb wasn't there at all!

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Not trying to metagame here at all but wanted to make sure I read the miss chance above from Leon correctly. He specified that high was good for him/the party and he rolled 76 so he did not miss due to miss chance. So if me missed that means the enemy is no longer in the square or perhaps ethereal?

@GM: I'm a bit confused as well... but I assumed the enemy is where he is on the map for my last turn; both my characters have see invisibility active right now if that matters; thanks!

GM Mauve wrote:

Leon, now knowing where the enemies stands floats, stands up and quickly brings his hammer down... but it swings right through the air almost as if the owb wasn't there at all!

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Not trying to metagame here at all but wanted to make sure I read the miss chance above from Leon correctly. He specified that high was good for him/the party and he rolled 76 so he did not miss due to miss chance. So if me missed that means the enemy is no longer in the square or perhaps ethereal?

I was assuming an AC miss. I didn't roll that high.

I see that now. Did you add in Raging Song?

I didn't accept the rage. See Discussion for that.

Don't worry Leon: the emo twins are here to the rescue! ;)

Yeah, she has a pretty high AC, so Leon missed his attack. Raging song wouldn't have helped. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. But Siiska's attack barely hits.

DC 14 Fortitude: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31

Just waiting on Galadhan. Will delay him if he doesn't post by the end of the day.

Galadhan fires at the spot where Akku pointed out Gallach…

To Hit Mods: BAB+Dex, Magic, Weapon Focus, PBS, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, Favored Enemy, Flurry of Blows, Deadly Aim
Damage Mods: Magic, Strength, Weapon Specialization, PBS, Favored Enemy, Deadly Aim

Magic Longbow: 1d10 + 15 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 15 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 = 20
Miss<=50: 1d100 ⇒ 41

Magic Longbow: 1d20 + 15 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 = 36
Confirmation: 1d20 + 15 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 15 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 - 2 - 2 = 30
Miss<=50: 1d100 ⇒ 97
Magic/Cold Iron/Critical Damage: 3d8 + 3 + 6 + 6 + 3 + 6 + 12 ⇒ (6, 4, 6) + 3 + 6 + 6 + 3 + 6 + 12 = 52

Galadhan, is your favored enemy undead? Despite being a floating skeleton, she is an Outside from the Shadow Plane.

Galadhan shoots his arrow and, miraculously, hits the owb.

Akku can see that she wryly smiles. "Ah, yes. Crafty fellows, you uplanders. You are tougher and smarter than the Reborn think. The commandos only have jumbled notes, but Gallach and I have first hand knowledge. We must return to the Foresaken Fane at once to report."

Gallach seems to have gotten the message. Akku sees him down a bottle of something, then swan dive off the balcony. A few seconds later, Akku sees the alchemist flying off into the distance.

The owb glides off the balcony next (potentially provoking an AOO).

"Till we meet again, uplanders. I bid you adieu."

With the owb and alchemist gone, the Pathfinders can now examine the room. Despite the decorations, it's clear that this is a guest room. Despite the finely appointed chamber, it is scantly furnished. On closer look, there is a small cot next to the bed, with a backpack sitting underneath it. Opening it up, the Pathfinders find some of Gallach's things:

-Wand of charm monster (11 charges)
-Wand of mirror image (14 charges)
-a potion of cure moderate wounds

Going out on to one of the balconies, the view of the nearby slum of Ragtown is remarkable. The owb and Gallach are no longer visible.

Yes, favored enemy is undead; that’d be 6 more points of damage…

AoO, +2 Silversheen Impervious Shrinking Scythe, H: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 12 + 2 = 17
magic silver piercing slashing dmg: 2d4 + 15 ⇒ (1, 2) + 15 = 18

AoO, Slam, GMF, H: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 12 + 1 + 2 = 16
magic bludgeoning dmg, GMF: 1d10 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 1 = 17 plus chill touch; 2d6 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6 points of damage (1d6 from last round and 1d6 now if attack hits) + creature also takes 1 point of Strength damage unless it makes a successful DC 14 Fort save

Hateful Aura 10 ft. radius in effect; causes 3 pts. of dmg to anyone attacking the spiritualist or the phantom.

Neither of your attacks hit. She still has 100+ hp, so she'll get away either way.

What do you guys do now? Search around? Go to the library? Go across the bridge on the second floor? Try to follow the owb and Gallach?

I'm in favor of searching everything here; although I'll admit I'm a bit fuzzy on the mission at this point... I'll gladly accept any hints/nudges in the right direction you're willing to share! :)

You're here to rescue some prisoners - from Aiyana's estate and the Bleakshore Council. The Bleakshore is a district in town, and the council are basically anti-Reborn. You heard through the grapevine (e.g. Shevarimarr) that the drider Ezurkian is holding them hostage in his Sadist Spires.

You are currently in the Sadist Spires. There are two spires (giant stalagmites) that are connected. You have searched the three floors of one spire. There is a bridge to the other spire that you haven't checked out yet. You haven't seen the drider nor prisoners yet. You can assume the owb/Gallach were visitors, not the owners of the spire.

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25

Looking around from a balcony, Galadhan eyes something of note, pointing towards it as he alerts his companions. ”There’s a creature observing us a few hundred yards away…it was coiled so perhaps some sort of sentient snake? It retreated deeper into the darkness of the ceiling after I spied it…”

I suppose they got away from what they said? Tricky bunch. Okay good to know Galadhan, we're definitely on a time crunch then. Did we check all the rooms in this tower, anything might be useful information or a helpful tool in the drawer. Head over to the other tower once we're done here? Farrar sighs, disappointed that the two escaped and unsure of what's the larger scheme here.

Leon frowned when he learned that their foes had gotten away. "Slippery foes indeed. But they aren't what we came here for."

I see Leon with 27 remaining damage. Quite probably, some of that would be healed up by Nyxis. In lieu of figuring out the exact math on that, I'll just have Leon cure himself for all 27 hit points. I don't know exactly what caused Leon's fatigue. Does it expire quickly? Is it possible for someone to make a Spellcraft check to do so? If the duration isn't short, Leon can use a Lesser Restoration to get rid of the condition.

Leon also cast Effortless Armor last at Aiyana's manor but I have it crossed off. He'll cast it when we're ready to move again, so that works.

I concur. Nyx adds as he begins to heal Leon. Search and loot this entire tower before advancing to its twin. There are items below in the library that I still want to retrieve.

Cure Critical: 4d8 + 11 ⇒ (6, 1, 6, 4) + 11 = 28

I got you Leon.

Note that Nyx cannot use either of the wands found.

I think those wands may come in handy in a few minutes, I'll hang onto them for now, and we can sell them if we need cash later? Farrar states

Leon starts to get his feet back and is no longer feeling fatigued (the spell lasts 8 minutes).

Galadhan notices a pair of red eyes staring at him as he stares out into Ragtown, before retreating into the darkness of the cave above. He remembers an eerily similar situation, on approach to Aiyana's estate not too long ago.

After dispatching the hounds, With their new eyes attended to the darkness, Galadhan notices a pair of malevolent red eyes glancing at them in the distance before hearing a scrape of something against stone and the eyes vanishing.

Searching this room, it's clear that its the guest quarters. The owb had few, if any possessions. Gallach's backpack is here with two wands and a potion. Examining the rest of the room, few things stand out. A crystal decanter could be worth some money, but it's heavy and cumbersome. Everything else is mundane in value.

Tha Pathfinders continue to search the library on the second floor, but seemingly have found everything of value. Though, there are enough mundane books around that they can research any topic pertaining to the Darklands if they are curious (which takes 24 hr+ to do research).

Do the Pathfinders head to the bottom floor, where they entered? The smell was atrocious due to rotting food and discarded items. Or do they go across the bridge to perhaps find the drider Ezurkian and the prisoners?

Let me know if you decide to search the bottom floor. If you do, you'll need to make a Fort save vs Nausea due to the smell. Also, let me know when you guys are ready to cross the bridge to the other spire, in case you want to prep anything.

Do we know enough about Driders to know what they are? May influence my next actions, or is there a roll? knowledge dungeoneering included below

Farrar considers what he knows about Driders, pausing for a moment, before continuing on....

Loremaster, take 10 automatically for a 22 on Dungeoneering

Farrar finds a book about driders in the library! He quickly opens it and browses what it says.

Driders are hideous monstrosities, created by drow. A nightmarish centaurian fusion of drow and spider, these large creatures are the worst part of drow and the worst part of spider. They are highly capable of poison, which can cause muscular dystrophy. They are also innate spellcasters, able to cast up to 3rd level spells.

They are also largely sexual dimorphic. Females tend to be sleek and graceful, like a black widow. Males are bulky like a tarantula.

Whether the drider Ezurkian is typical of a drider, Farrar does not know.

We should at least cast Detect Magic on the first level.

And now I wish I'd brought an antitoxin. Oh well.

Let's do a quick search of the first level, disgusting or not. How far above the ground is the bridge between the towers? Since the enemy appears aware of our presence, we should be cautious of someone collapsing the bridge.

Note, everyone doesn't have to go down to the first floor to explore. But if you do, please roll me a Fortitude save vs nausea.

Leon quickly looks out at the bridge. It seems to be 80 feet above the cavern floor. And the ground is studded with sharp stalagmites, so if one were to fall off the bridge, they'd fall right onto them.

Fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

A crystal decanter could be worth some money, but it's heavy and cumbersome. [...]

Though, there are enough mundane books around that they can research any topic pertaining to the Darklands if they are curious (which takes 24 hr+ to do research). [...]

Or do they go across the bridge to perhaps find the drider Ezurkian and the prisoners?

Let me know if you decide to search the bottom floor. If you do, you'll need to make a Fort save vs Nausea due to the smell. Also, let me know when you guys are ready to cross the bridge to the other spire, in case you want to prep anything.

Akku bags the decanter, making sure to detect magic on it before doing so.

PS: after we're done exploring both towers I would be in favor on spending 24 hours to research these books...

Bottom Floor Fort: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29 +2 if the effect is related to death or the undead/sahkils

Akku believes the decanter is mundane in value and will fetch about 5 gp.

Farrar Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Galadhan Fort: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Leon Fort: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Farrar loses his lunch, the smell of rot overpowering. Farrar is Nauseated for 10 minutes. Everyone else is Sickened for 10 minutes.

Looking through the rubbish, nothing seems to ping magical. Mostly, it's rotting carcasses of small creatures, and various other random detritus. Mushrooms grow throughout.

Small creatures that look like giant fanged crickets caked in pungent fungal growths and topped with a mushroom-like cap skitter around, hiding from the Pathfinders.

Searching low and wide, nothing of value comes up. The things that could be useful, such as clothes or books, are far too degraded to use or sell.

We tried. Tower two? I think I prefer the sky bridge, but in theory we could attempt to enter at ground level...

Farrar looks green from the rotting mess, pointing in agreement with Nyxis' words, Ugh... the skyrbidge is better..... and he goes upstairs...

Waiting a few minutes, he casts two spells - and takes on the appearance of a Drow Male again. Might help to bluff the Drider, or make him crazy - we'll see

When we're ready to cross - Alter Self, Heightened Awareness

"Are we pretending to be slaves or are you going alone?" ask Akku, wondering about Farrar's plan.

I too have Alter Self memorized. Nyx offers.

"We'd make poor slaves without disguises of our own. The driders are likely expecting trouble at this point, and a half-baked disguise might be worse than none at all."

But two drow leading the way could give any ambushers pause enough to let us close before any action.

Just as a reminder, you learned from Shevarimarr that Ezukrian tracked and murdered a renegade drow arcanist who lived in the spires, then simply claimed the structure as his own.

"..I don't think the drider likes drow very much from what I remember... so maybe those disguised as drow will draw heavy fire? is this what we are going for?"

I was thinking more about scaring him, but we can abandon that plan. Farrar suggests.

Planning on an update tonight or tomorrow. If no one posts their Stealth or Disguise check, will assume no one sneaks in nor disguises themselves and everyone just enters together.

Farrar changes his mind to the plan, instead assuming the form of a Duregar Dawrf, albeit a strange one adorned with the bard's instruments, light weapons, and fancy clothes...

Alright, let's go the bard's oddly gravelly voice speaks up from the transformation.

Stealth: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

As the others debate how to go forward, Farrar decides to go ahead and check out the other spire. After a quick transformation into that of a dark dwarf, Farrar slowly sneaks across the bridge. Looking down over the rope railing, the 'dwarf' sees several stalagmites eighty feet below.

Once to the other side of the bridge, Farrar slowly opens up the door. Inside, he notices that much of the chamber is a large cell (the NW section of the room) built out of the stalagmite itself, with two small doors made of heavy iron bars. Several iron cages, none larger than five feet square, hang from chains bolted to the ceiling or are stacked together on the floor. Various bladed chains, manacles, and coils of rope hang from hooks on the wall and in piles on the floor. A key hangs right next to the door.

Farrar Perception, heightened awareness: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 2 = 13

???: 1d20 ⇒ 9

But most importantly, he sees prisoners! The main cell holds three caligni rogues, a dark stalker, and a dark creeper. A body of a deep gnome (svirfneblin) lies face down in the center of the cage while the calignis cower at the edges of the cage, covered in bruises and cuts. One or two of them seem to be missing fingers or limbs. In one of the hanging cages, another dark creeper is holding his knees and swaying back and forth.

None of the prisoners seem to notice the duergar Farrar. The bard goes back to the others in the other spire to report what he saw...

Farrar did not see a drider, but did see stairs leading down.

With Farrar's information about what to find in the other spire, the Pathfinders decide to head over to investigate the prisoners. The door swings open, perhaps a bit rusty on its hinges. The prisoners look up, obviously scared with what they think is about to happen. One or two cower in fear.

But then they realize you are surface dwellers. One of them meekly speaks, "Are... are you here to save us?"

The dark creeper hanging in one of the hanging cages points his finger at the Pathfinders, then at the body laying on the floor. "He just died!! Where were you a minute ago? That monster down below just brought him up here after torturing him to death!". A tear falls down his cheek.

His tone changes suddenly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... that monster is bringing out the worst in me. My name is Bezlek. We're all part of the Bleakshore Council. We heard rumors of some surface dwellers working with Aiyana.". He points to the dead body of the gnome and with remorse he continues, "He was Aiyana's chamberlain, Grutise, I think. That monster literally just brought his corpse back up here, then brought down Artis to torture her."

A key hangs right by the front doorway. "That key should open our cages. Did you take care of Xhamila and her lackey? She was a member of the Reborn. Was supposed to get information from that monster extracted from us and bring it back...."

There are five prisoners in here. They each have 1d4 hp left. 5d4 ⇒ (3, 2, 1, 1, 2) = 9

Any roleplay with the prisoners? If not, I'll assume you guys just release them then go downstairs where Bezlek said Ezurkian went.

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26

Knowing his friends are better at talking than he, Galadhan lets them do the talking while he checks out the room; he reveals the small hoard he finds underneath the rusted armor to his companions…

Farrar speaks up, Hail friends, please forgive my unusual appearance, but it is a magical disguise designed as a ruse... We are here to help, and while we are sorry that your friend as died, but we're working as best as we can to help. Xhamila is dealt with Correct? If not we'll make it a promise for later and we'll handle this monster below. Be free, but take care of yourselves, your injuries from incarceration are severe, we'll handle things here. Anything else you can think of to help us?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (7) + 21 = 28