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

Game Master MauveAvengr

You can also give me a Perception check to find any evidence on where the dark dancer went

Aiyana pipes up, "Are you sure you saw a dark dancer in here? I don't think they can innately vanish. But maybe if he was part of the Reborn... well I don't want to think what sort of items they can provide."

Diplomacy: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1

"Siiska said he was using a wand... maybe that explains it?"

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29

You can also do a Spellcraft to determine if he's invisible, vanished, teleported, or something of the sort, based on Siiska's description of what happened.

Spellcraft, H: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 12 + 2 = 34

Akku, via Siiska, knows that whomever this dark dancer is likely is still in the room, but invisible. They are likely sizing you up to see if you are a threat.

Akku casts see invisibility with his mind powers. "Farrar maybe you can introduce us to this new f-friend?"

Hoping someone be our party face here, as Akku is the party's big toe...

Sitting on the far side of the room sits a small caligni wrapped in various dark colored fabrics. He grins as he listens in to the conversation. But as Akku casts his spell and looks directly at him, the dark dancer frowns. He pulls a slimy grey slug off the wall, pops it in his mouth, and stands up, staring directly at Akku. He holds out his hands as if to gesture, ‘Yes, go on, what do you want?’ without saying anything. He seems impatient but also somewhat relieved.

[ooc]I’m on mobile now. I’ll add a picture of this guy when I get back to my computer later.[\ooc]

I’ll post up tomorrow! Busy weekend

Farrar steps forward, waving and sweeping his hat off his head, bowing deeply. Greetings there friend, are you okay? I’m Farrar D’Este, these are my companions, he pauses to let them introduce themselves, This is a strange place friend, and we’ve not seen many folks breathing down here. Have you seen others come through recently? We’re co center that they may have stolen something? What’s your name friend? Do you need assistance with something?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40

If Taldan doesn’t work, he’ll switch to undercommon

Nice roll! Here is a picture of Zyler, in case you were curious.

Though the dark dancer is still invisible, Farrar makes a compelling speech directed at him. Tentatively, he drops his invisibility. In front of you stands a dark dancer, covered in dark bits of fabric. In a rough voice, he replies to Farrar in Common. "My name is Zyler. I was with the Reborn. We came here in search of the Cradle of Night. But they decided to lock me in this room to die for some reason. Maybe they would have come back for me at one point, but I doubt it.". Zyler slowly steps closer to the Pathfinders.

"Perhaps you can help me. Help me escape this wretched prison and I will help you to the best of my abilities."

Farrar, being a trusting sort, says Of course, did the Reborn find the cradle? Where did they take it, and do you have any idea why they'd locked you up?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (17) + 19 = 36

Is Zyler full of it and meaning to harm us?

Zyler seems intent on getting out of here, even if he stretches the truth. He seems truthful that the Reborn locked him in here. But will he help you guys find the Cradle of Night? Doubtful, unless some arrangement is agreed upon. He knows he’s out numbered so he’s not going to attack (unless you attack him for some reason). He also seems to intently ignore the other caligni in the room: Aiyana.

”Those creeps locked me up right away. Found my presence annoying or something…. Boy, how much I want to see those monsters eliminated one by one…”. A wry smile crosses his face, as if he was intricately planning something malevolent.

Aiyana has been quiet the whole encounter, but Farrar can tell she wants to same something.

Is anyone else going to say anything? Or what is everyone doing? Also, if you haven’t seen in the discussion, we’re nearly done with Part 1. If you want PFS credit, please fill out the info and I can get chronicles out soon. If you don’t want credit, please let me know too

"I don't have a problem taking you along; revenge is a good reason as any, but as long as you tell us the truth. Always. So let us start with this: answer Farrar, our human bard with no reserve, please. He is a great loremaster and judge of character, and he's the most likely to find a good use for your services if we all become heroes of your people in solving this theft. He asked you about the cradle: do the rest of the Reborn have it? and please, tell us the truth, and why they banished you from their group. It appears that one of them could reshape rock... a relatively complex magic spell yes? tell us about this one. Was he or she the leader? tell us about the rest of them, their abilities, and where they are headquartered. Thank you."

Leon adds a question to those Akku has posed. "Can you tell us where to find the Reborn now?"

"I told you basically everything I know. Joined the Reborn as they're a new but powerful group. Joining with them is obvious if you want to survive. And that I did - only a week ago I believe. They're everywhere now, it's hard to miss them.".

He points to Aiyana, "You might have one with you right now," laughing hysterically to himself.

"Once again, I said I do not know! They locked me in here since they didn't like me. I know nothing of what happened in this ... tomb. They could have gotten this 'cradle' but they might've been scared of the ghosts in here. Yes, a few of the Reborn died, but what can you do?"

"As for the Reborn? I wasn't close with them, obviously. They hated me, I hated them. Sometimes its best to join up with your enemies. But I guess this was not the time.". He smiles, clearly enjoying himself.

"Go to Lyrudrada. They're there. Your 'friend' can lead you there."

Aiyana clearly has enough of this and outbursts! "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF BEING REBORN!". She turns to the others, "We cannot trust this creature. He lies through his teeth. Let's leave him in here to rot."

"Aiyana... I wouldn't take his comment personally... the Reborn has been cruel to him and he can't trust anyone anymore. Perhaps he wants to get back at them and will help us so that he can get even? He can perhaps give us information on them and on their hideout on the way there? even if he doesn't want to help us, I'm fine giving him a second chance for no reason... he just mentioned the Reborn are his enemies, after all... no living creature deserves to be imprisoned in a dark place with undead... no one deserves to become undead... Pharasma... would not approve..."

For some reason Akku's fists are now clenched... and he appears unaware of this.

"Yes, yes! You understand, my friend. The Reborn must die for what they've done to me."

He turns to Aiyana, "Sorry for accusing you of being Reborn."

Farrar knows (from his earlier sense motive) that he's not being completely honest, but most of what he's saying does seem true to some degree. Maybe it's because he isn't completely trusting of you yet. Or maybe he's a complete liar. Either way, he wants out of here and will say anything to do so.

"How about this: I take you to Lyrudrada so you can go find this Reborn and take them down.". He eyes up the Pathfinders. "You look like a strong bunch of folk. I believe in you."

He walks over to a rock, flips it over, and pulls out a backpack. "Let's go. Perhaps I can regale you with stories of the caligni caste systems or the city of Lyrudrada. Not sure what your 'friend' has told you so far," he glances at Aiyana, who has her fists clenched but is otherwise quiet.

He knows a bit about the various castes of the caligni as well as the city of Lyrudrada. If you have any specific questions about either, please feel free to ask!

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

Assuming you guys are fine with letting Zyler (momentarily at least) tag along, we'll continue.

Aiyana is clearly disappointed and obviously ignoring your new companion. But as you exit the tomb, her attitude changes to fear and determination. "I am convinced the Reborn have control of the artifact. We must return to Lyrudrada immediately. I have some allies there," she glances at Zyler trying to gage him, "that will help. They will reward you for your continue aid."

As the Pathfinders emerge, something else is strange. The sunlight seems to be bearing down on you as everyone's eyes are struggling to adapt to the light levels.

If you were not aware, everyone was affected by a new mechanic called shadowbound corruptions. Each of you now has the Eerie Perception manifestation, including both the gift and the stain.

So you have two options of approaching Lyrudrada: Aiyana has offered to use a scroll of shadow walk. Or if you prefer, you can trek there through an 85-mile underground journey through winding, relatively unused secondary tunnels of Nar-Voth (the uppermost layer of the Darklands). Let me know which you decide!

Shadowbound Corruptions described here -- Eerie Perception (Source Horror Adventures pg. 34) Your eyes change, adapting to a life in the shadows. Gift: You gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, the range of your darkvision increases by 30 feet instead. You also gain a +2 bonus on Perception and Stealth checks. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonuses increase to +4. Stain: Your eye color fades to a dull gray and your eyes overreact to light. You gain light sensitivity, causing you to be dazzled in areas of bright light.

Stats updated with the above; about the choice to use Shadow Walk or physically trek through the Darklands, my answer will be whatever will be easiest to the GM (i.e. if trekking induces extra encounters above and beyond those already written in the module, I choose shadow walk, because one extra encounter translates to about an extra week or two of gameplay in PbP)

"We have no time to waste. If we are to stop their plans, we should travel through the shadow planes."

The Varisian man thinks a moment and concurs, Yes, I do think we should go there as quickly as possible. Perhaps we can even beat the chosen ahead of their own arrival there.

Galadhan nods. ”Agreed.”

The moment the Pathfinders assess the situation outside the tomb, they hear a rumbling in the woods nearby. A strange undine stumbles out of the bushes! From the looks of it, he seems like he’s here to help! Kal Drak too stumbles and mumbles something about another mission before heading back to Absolom

With their new friends in tow, Aiyana uses her scroll to teleport/shadow walk then to her manor… but things aren’t as they seem. Ambush! Right outside her estate, four shadowy mastiffs pounce and attack!

I’m going to waive this combat as they’re low CR. Now may be a good time to introduce our new PC!

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.

Now you stand in front of Aiyana’s estate!

Do you guys prepare for anything? The hounds ambushed you right outside the estate so its likely they know you’re coming.

No need for extra prep as long buffs should still be on. However I'll fire an early warning that I'm running low on spells and we should find a place to rest in a fight or two!

Akku greets the incoming undine with a slight bow.

"W-welcome, waverunner! I am Akku. Your assistance will be much appreciated. Did the Society inform you of our m-mission? oh, and this is Siiska, the spirit of my... long lost sister. We have just been... reunited after ages of separation. She can be... loud... but she means well..." says the duskwalker, managing to form a weak smile on the left corner of his mouth. His speech is overly simplistic; although not very well-spoken, the young man still conveys what has to be said in a concise manner.

Siiska shoots an angry stare at Akku, apparently not overly happy of being the subject of any conversation, especially when being a part of her big brother's appalling introduction.

Its about two hours of travel via Shadow Walk. Between meeting your new companion, resting for a bit, preparing for the shadow walk, and fighting the shadow mastiffs, I’ll say it’s about four to five hours since you left the tomb, so late afternoon. If you want to retcon a bit and say you rested the night at the tomb, that’s fine too. But once you’ve travelled, there won’t be much time for resting.

A rest outside the tomb to grab a bite, meet our new friend and refresh our spells would be nice. If I understand correctly, we're already saving lots of time compared to an overland journey yes?

@Leon: how many lesser restoration can you land on Siiska, if any? I believe her STR is still damaged by 6 pts. I'll take anything you can afford before the party goes to bed.

Its about 90 miles of travel to and thru the Darklands. So saving a lot of time by Shadow Walking, even if you take a day or two to rest.

The moment the Pathfinders assess the situation outside the tomb, they hear a rumbling in the woods nearby. A strange undine stumbles out of the bushes! From the looks of it, he seems like he’s here to help! Kal Drak too stumbles and mumbles something about another mission before heading back to Absolom

Well that was a little abrupt. lol. Will roll with it.

Nix assures the group Heard you lot were short divine magics and might could use a hand. I am Nix, follower of the powers of water. No, really. Water is quite powerful and worthy of followers. Why are you looking at me like that. I really am a divine caster who gets his powers from waves and lakes and rivers. Yes, I can prove it. Look, water is after all the source of all life. Can't have life without water. His spiel seems somewhat rehearsed as if he has given it before.

Nix will immediately Life Link each party member, which has absolutely no observable effect. There. See? I did some diving magic. I am sure you all feel a little foolish in doubting me.

Definitely need a night's rest after that meatgrinder.

Greetings Nix, We've been through quite the ordeal today, with undead and shadows, and giant undead spider things. But we're in pursuit of the Reborn, who've gotten to the magic item ahead of us. So we're planning on shadowwalking to Lyrudrada, to perhaps get ahead of them? the Varisian man tells Nix.

Later

Shadow Mastiffs, and they were definitely waiting on our arrival - something's not right here. We should be careful. the bard considers a moment, as he sheathes his sword. Quickly he begins singing, his eyes flash with magic as he pops a coffee bean into his mouth, chewing it between the words of the song. The tune changes, rumbling low and coursing through a series of elvish words; Farrar's form begins to change, and his skin darkens. Suddenly he is transformed into a powerfully build dark elf warrior. Right, this may give them pause for a moment. he grins at his companions, continuing singing, then three identical copies of dark elf Farrar appear, each slightly out of phase with each other - creating an eye-twisting image of the bard which is hard to focus on.

mirror image: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Cast: Hieghtened Awareness, Alter Self, Mirror Image

Responding to Nix

"N-not at all... I do not think you are foolish. And if the Pathfinder Society s-sent you, I have no reason to doubt you Nix. Welcome to the party! we are just about to enter the Shadow Plane with our f-friend Aiyana's magic here... care to join?"

PS: not sure if Nix would start with the Shadowbound Corruption I highlighted above since he missed Part 1; we're in campaign mode now, so it won't affect your chronicles, but in-game speaking, it will be up to the GM to decide if you have the same amount of Shadow corruption the rest of our PCs have...

==========================================

Later

Akku follows Farrar's lead and buffs Siiska and himself with the same magic he used two days ago.

I'll assume the STR dmg is gone on Siiska with Leon/Nix's magic and with the one or two days of rest before the shadow walk

Cast: Akku-false life, heroism, see invisibility; Siiska-mage armor, greater magic fang, chill touch

If we rest I can cast 6+ Lesser Restorations. The + is using higher level slots for the spell if needed. I could also just cast a full Restoration if needed. And I can give out at least one barkskin for a front line guy. Could do two, but then my options are lessened. If we are 9th level I believe my barkskin will be +4 NA

"I suspect there are some being on elemental planes besides water who would dispute the assertion that all life depends on water. But it's true enough for all of us." Aleks puts in.

Leon only prepared one Lesser Restoration for the day and I think he used it earlier? My tracking hasn't been good. If we rested for days, he could cast 2-4 per day.

Leon doesn't have any pre-buff spells to cast.

With the two days of rest and both your lesser restoration and Nyx's, we're good: lesser restoration 1: 1d4 ⇒ 4, lesser restoration 2: 1d4 ⇒ 1, lesser restoration 3: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Let's assume you guys are fully rested here and have had a few days to rest, recover, and regroup. Do you want Zyler - the dark dancer - to hang around your group?

The Pathfinders make their way into Lyrudrada! "Finally, it's good to be back home," Aiyana says after your skirmish with the shadow mastiffs.

But news has spread and it reaches Aiyana's ear: "Lyrudrada has seen major changes since I've been home last... some sympathetic citizens have alerted me that the Reborn are attempting to strengthen their control here in the city. They are rounding up the Bleakshore Council. And have commandeered my estate as a base of operations. You need to help me recover my home," she pleads with the Pathfinders.

Map of Lyrudrada is found here. Aiyana's estate is located near location 2. If you have any questions about the city, feel free to ask! There's a lot of lore in this module. Aiyana is more than willing to talk about anything.

As the group approaches the estate, forces of Reborn are very visible patrolling the area. Aiyana whispers, "I suggest entry through a secret postern in the rear of the building to catch the Reborn by surprise. But the decision is yours."

She also is intimately familiar with her house and details the layout for you. But if the Reborn have altered anything, she wouldn't know. So the house is completely revealed for you.

Watching the patrol, the Pathfinders notice that it consists of two different pairs: both consisting of a Reborn member and a shadow mastiff. One pair remains by the front doors while the other circles the perimeter in 5 minute paths.

What is the plan here? Do you guys go in the front and confront the patrols? Sneak around to the back/secret door and hope not to get caught. If you are sneaking, please give me some Stealth and/or Perception checks and I'll roll to see if the patrol sees you.

Nyx looks confused and almost shyly asks What are reborn?

Akku says, "I would rather... we sneak through the back... make for that secret door about 30 heartbeats after the patrol walks past it... Aiyana... Farrar... Nyxis... do you have a way to make us all quiet or unseen? I'm a bit more sneaky than before, since I have embraced... the shadows... but I am still as loud as an ox pulling a cart compared to some of you... maybe... maybe Farrar and Aiyana can distract or mesmerize the patrol with their music if we don't time this right and the patrol falls upon us... I've also seen Farrar being... very persuasive at the Grand Lodge at the beginning of our adventure... maybe he can lead the patrol leader into thinking we're just a maintenance crew..."

Hoping for some epic bardic action here, as stealth is probably not this group's specialty... Farrar can fascinate up to three creatures simultaneously at this level, which is about the size of the moving patrol yes? he can even implant a suggestion in one of them, if I'm not mistaken, and those last up to 8 hours, depending on how you word it...

Akku reaches into the depth of his mind to enact a state of heroism, and thinks about the situation some more.

Knowledge the Planes ref. Shadow Mastiff, H: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 12 + 2 = 20

If Nyx knows that we need to infiltrate before he memorizes spells he can memorize a Silence spell. If he does not have that option available he can still use on of his scrolls of Silence.

I can ensure we will not be heard. Nyx tells the group. And before we move out I have some buff spells to cast. He will cast Protection from Evil 10' Radius on himself 980 minutes), Barkskin on our Paladin (+3 to NA for 80 minutes), and will cast Frostbite, sharing it with his hawk companion (Hawk can deliver the Frostbite spell as a touch attack or part of a normal attack. Duration is until 8 charges are expended. Also note that Nyx had everyone Life Linked at the moment. If he takes tooo much damage he can drop people as an immediate action before taking the damage, unless he is unconscious - which is how Oracles and Shamen die, by the way. lol

I keep having to remind myself of it as well, but Leon is very sneaky for a paladin. So ambushing the patrols may well be more viable than we'd have otherwise thought.

@Nyx: clerics/wizards commonly keep 'slots open' to allow for mid-day memorization depending on unfolding events... in my experience one to two empty slots per spell level is not uncommon with the players I've gamed with. PS: with heroism Akku's stealth is at +6, which isn't too bad... if we have access to local markets, Akku will spring for an Elixir of Hiding (250gp -- +10 to stealth for one hour...)

Wont be able update until tonight. You would have had time to prepare in Lyrudrada so you could stop at a market if you want. Also, if you do decide to go with the stealth route, please go ahead and roll Stealth.

Stealth shouldn’t be a problem for me…

At the market, buying: Elixir of Hiding, Antitoxin x2, Antiplague x2

==========================

At the estate, in addition to his spell of heroism, Akku drinks his Elixir of Hiding along with one antitoxin and one antiplague.

Creeping in the shadows, Akku's enhanced sense of awareness and balance pays off, as only silence greet his steps...

Stealth, H, EoH: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 4 + 2 + 10 = 31

Siiska follows, like the silent shadow of a slow-moving cloud... she appears more translucent and less present than before, somehow... phasing in and out of hiding as she passes through physical objects... she is utterly silent, her only means of communication being telepathy with Akku and an angry frown with anyone else.

Siiska is now incorporeal; an incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Perception checks if it doesn’t wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to its melee attacks, ranged attacks, and CMB. Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.

AC 26, touch 22 (26 vs. incorporeal), flat-footed 23; takes half damage (50%) from magic weapons, spells, spell-like effects, and supernatural effects; takes full damage from other incorporeal creatures and effects, as well as all force effects; she can no longer attack for damage, but she can still deliver spells by touch.

Nyx will cast Silence on a stone that can be dropped or thrown. In his breastplate he knows he is not good at being quiet and does not want to spoil the chances for everyone else.

Stealth: 1d20 ⇒ 13 Plus Silence for me and whoever wants to be close.

Interesting facts about silence: by RAW it provides no Stealth bonus, but many GMs give the entire party +4 to Stealth and Initiative as if the guards had the deafened condition:

Deafened: A deafened character cannot hear. He takes a –4 penalty on initiative checks, automatically fails Perception checks based on sound, takes a –4 penalty on opposed Perception checks, and has a 20% chance of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components. Characters who remain deafened for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

Bow drawn, Galadhan moves forward stealthily as well...

Stealth: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (13) + 22 = 35